ALL NOVEL Chapter 261
Chapter 261: Maz (3)
Five years ago, Kruba, who succeeded his father as the ruler of Maz, had never faced poverty or hardship and could acquire most of what he desired with time and money. He led a life on a smooth road, always living at the pinnacle of society.
However, the only discomfort he experienced came from the other rulers in similar positions.
But…
‘It’s cold.’
It felt like a dagger had been thrown and lodged in his chest.
This was an emotion Kruba had never felt in his life.
“Do you all feel the same way?”
“Yes.”
“Yoo Ji-han’s will is our will.”
Yoon Do-ha stood there, grinning so broadly it seemed burdensome to those watching.
After pondering the reactions around him for a while, Kruba finally opened his parched lips and said, “Kruger! Go tell the butler to bring the prepared meal right now.”
“Eh? But…”
“Tell the servants to divide the food prepared for the other rulers among themselves. I can’t just throw away what we went through the trouble of preparing.”
“…Understood.”
Commander Kruger nodded heavily.
He noticed the atmosphere hovering around the table, but there was nothing he could do.
“I’ll bring someone right away.”
“No. You should stay out of the dining hall, Kruger.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“I think I need to have a very important conversation with these people. It would be best for you to wait outside until the meal is over.”
“I’ll join in too. These guys are too dangerous!”
“This is not a request but a command, Kruger.”
“…!”
“Don’t be too disappointed; it doesn’t mean I hate you for this.”
At Kruba’s command, Kruger pressed his lips together tightly.
He then reluctantly left the dining area, his feet sticking to the floor as he departed.
The prepared food began to enter the dining hall one by one.
“Shall we have the discussion after the meal?”
“Sounds good.”
The heroes sitting at the table with Kruba each enjoyed their meals.
From appetizers that whetted the appetite to crisp salads.
Thick, melt-in-your-mouth steaks and fresh seafood that seemed to have just come out of the sea.
“Oh my, this is the most delicious thing I’ve eaten since coming here?”
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!! Is this heaven?!”
“Oh ho, the taste makes me curious about the chef’s face.”
“……Guild Master, that’s a compliment, right?”
Food of a similar quality to that provided in Kabuum was served as much as they wanted.
Yoon Do-ha, who had been stuck with nothing but water and hard bread for a while, seemed very satisfied.
‘This is quite a good experience.’
Yoo Ji-han also enjoyed a remarkably satisfying meal that lasted about an hour.
When warm coffee and simple pastries were prepared for dessert, Kruba said with a slightly stiff expression.
“I’m ready in my heart.”
“Is that so?”
“Now tell me, what have you done to the other rulers?”
“…….”
“Don’t tell me… you killed them?”
Gulp!
The sound of Kruba swallowing could be heard by Yoo Ji-han.
It was a moment that clearly showed how tense he was.
But Yoo Ji-han shook his head in response to that question.
“They’re not dead.”
“Then…?”
“Of course, they are alive. Somewhere.”
“Somewhere?”
“Yes. Somewhere.”
A vague answer that didn’t reveal a specific location.
Kruba instinctively realized that this meant not to ask where they were.
“So the disappearance of the rulers in the west was your doing.”
“They were your competitors anyway, weren’t they? The very reason you initially wanted to hire us was to spark competition among the rulers.”
“That’s a fair point, but…”
“In the end, you will benefit the most from the situation where the other rulers have disappeared.”
“What if the other rulers return?”
“Before that, seize their assets and take over all the knights who lost their owners. You can deal with the returning rulers as you see fit.”
Kruba, the ruler of Maz, left alone amidst intensifying competition among the rulers. If the other rulers did not return to their positions for a long time, soon all the mines could fall into his hands.
For Kruba, this was nothing short of the best opportunity.
The issue was that it was not something he achieved through his own efforts.
“Why on earth would you do this?”
“Is a reason necessary?”
“I believe in the principle that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, no matter how cheap the item may be.”
Kruba’s eyes sparked with intensity.
They resembled the eyes he had when negotiating prices for iron ore with other guilds.
‘Good attitude. Ji-han chose his people well.’
Yoon Do-ha, who was conversing with Kruba for the first time, felt quite pleased by the sight.
He considered him a suitable negotiating partner.
“Is it all about money? What exactly do you want from me…?”
“As I said before, I don’t particularly need money.”
“Then do you want honor? A great honor that will be widely recorded in history for saving Maz and its ruler from crisis?”
“Not at all.”
“Then what exactly do you want?!”
“I have only two requests.”
Crisp!
Yoo Ji-han bit into a snack as he spoke.
“One is to improve the treatment of dwarves and other races living in Maz.”
“……?!”
Kruba frowned at the completely unexpected demand.
Neither money nor honor.
Wanting to improve the treatment of other races that had nothing to do with him.
“We want them to live in a better environment.”
“Do you really want that?”
“Yes. Please don’t treat them differently due to their races and allow them to be treated equally to humans.”
“……I’ll try my best.”
“Just trying is not enough. You need to lay down a clear plan! You must change everything — from the meager wages they receive to the attitudes of those who treat them and the deeply ingrained perceptions in their minds!”
“Ha, that’s an absurdly difficult condition.”
Far more challenging than simply providing money or honor.
Upon hearing the detailed conditions, Kruba looked down at the table, pondering.
At that moment, Kim Si-hu, who had been timing his moment, whispered lowly.
“Kruba. This is the condition under which we make you the true ruler of Maz.”
“The true ruler of Maz…?”
“It’s a position that only one person can hold in the world. Someday, every citizen of Maz, as well as all dwarves, will shout your name and cheer.”
“That’s… quite tempting.”
An opportunity to achieve an accomplishment that would be praised by all without distinction of race!
Kruba’s eyes flickered quickly at Kim Si-hu’s sweet whisper.
“What is the second request?”
“The hosting of a summit.”
“A summit?”
“Please arrange a gathering for the leaders of the three major forces in Kallem: Maz, Leron, and Kabuum.”
Yoo Ji-han demanded the hosting of a summit from Kruba.
By raising the issue of discrimination against other races at the gathering of Kallem’s leaders, he aimed to spread the desired improvement of treatment for other races throughout Kallem, not just Maz.
“That’s quite a challenging request. While Leron may be possible, the King of Kabuum is not exactly known for cooperating easily in such matters.”
“We can persuade Kabuum.”
“Ah, right! You had connections with the King of Kabuum, didn’t you?”
“As long as the leaders of Maz and Kabuum gather, Leron will have no choice but to attend.”
“……Did you consider this when you visited Kabuum?”
“Not a chance.”
When asked by Kruba, Yoo Ji-han coldly denied it.
But Kruba couldn’t shake off his suspicious gaze towards him.
He couldn’t help but think that these individuals before him must have anticipated how the situation would connect as it is now.
“So what do you think?”
“It sounds like the whisper of a devil. Something that can’t possibly be refused.”
“We are not devils, though.”
Yoo Ji-han, treated as a devil in front of him, forced a smile.
—–
“Extra, extra!”
Flap! Flap!
News about the attack on Maz by Desa and the disappearance of those ruling Maz spread widely through newspapers detailing the story across the city and mines.
[I, Kruba, cannot contain the devastation I feel over this incident…]
The only ruler who survived the external attack was Kruba alone.
He published his statement in the newspaper to widely announce his existence.
[In this chaotic Maz, I will restore order!]
Kruba declared that he would reclaim the mines whose owners had disappeared.
The power structure of rule over Maz was undergoing upheaval.
Those associated with the mines that lost their owners hurried to submit themselves to him rather than wait and see what would happen.
Because for the mines to operate properly in such confusion, the presence of a leader was essential.
Thanks to this, Kruba managed to acquire ownership of multiple mines in a shorter time than expected.
“I pledge my loyalty to my new master!”
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!!”
Even the knights, who had followed other rulers, wished to belong to Kruba.
While there were some knights who completely moved to another force, leaving Maz behind, the number who abandoned their lifelong homes was not substantial.
And above all, the most significant change happened with the dwarves working in the mines.
“From now on, I promise you proper treatment for the dwarves. There won’t be anyone stealing between us like before, nor will there be excessive work that is hard to digest.”
“Is that really true?”
Kruba, who had seldom conversed with the dwarves, personally greeted them in the mines and declared:
“Children under the age of 17 can go home right now.”
“R-Really?”
“I’ll completely change the meals provided to the workers every day! I told them to throw away the rock-hard bread they used to eat.”
“……!!”
“Tsk, tsk… How did you manage to endure a day eating that? I tried it as a test, and I thought my teeth would break.”
Fair compensation for labor, and not hard bread but warm meals.
Excessive work diminished as all the children, who were dragged into the mines, were sent back home.
Whenever there was verbal abuse or violence from the site managers, measures would be taken according to the law!
In just a few days, the treatment the dwarves received in Maz changed drastically.
‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’
‘Do we really have to go this far for the dwarves?’
‘All this is just increasing our burdens without reason!’
‘This is originally what the dwarves were doing…’
Of course, there were people watching with discontented eyes.
The more comfortable the dwarves became, the busier the surrounding humans became.
“Those who disobey the ruler’s orders had better be prepared!”
“Hey you! Were you just about to hit that dwarf?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“No excuses are necessary!”
But due to the strict punishments, the atmosphere was one of being forced to follow the orders that came down.
In that manner, Kruba, who gained the support of numerous dwarves, gradually became the rightful ruler of Maz.
“Accepting your proposal may well be the best decision of my life.”
Clink!
Yoo Ji-han lightly clinked his wine glass with the one held out to him.
And for the gratitude expressed by the only ruler of Maz,
“You will be recorded as the greatest ruler in history.”
Yoo Ji-han, who placed him in his current position, nodded with a satisfied expression.