The Story of Hero Among Heroes ~The Founding Chronicles of Arestia - Chapter 156 – The True Dwarves and their Technology

A letter directed to Ares arrived a few days after he returned from Nora’s mine.

Fortunate enough to read it on time, Ares immediately made preparation to leave Heinz once more.

Sighing, Ares headed out to convince George…

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The past few days, Ares had been discussing things with George in the internal affairs office.

The content of their discussion was Nora’s mine.

It began when George was informed about the mithril deposit and enormous amount of high purity magic stone. The other domestic officials were having a headache thinking how to deal with it.

[It’s certainly a nice addition… but it’s also difficult to handle when it comes to things like this…]

George nodded in agreement to Ramires’ opinion.

[With such a huge amount of mithril… we’ll certainly be able to make a huge fortune by selling it, and we won’t have to worry about future funds. But at the same time, it’ll also raise suspicions. There is no doubt that the mine will be confiscated by the Empire, and the control of the Frontier area will be shifted to someone else if this becomes known.]

The Frontier area’s development had been kept well hidden so far. It’s still too early to make it public. That’s the consensus of everyone present.

[It’s just too precious of a resource. We need to really consider how to make us of it so as not to waste it.]

[Used well, it may lead us to develop even further.]

They had been talking about it for several days now, but still couldn’t come up with a good plan.

And Ares had enough with this situation.

(This won’t do… this kind of discussion cannot continue on without break…)

It’s been several days straight since he returned from Nora’s mine. Ares was stressed out and he was nearly reaching his limit after having to discuss this topic non-stop since his return.

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Ares was praised as a great ruler in the Frontier area. He was also loved by the people of the Schwarzer territory, and is a very good politician.

However… his real character isn’t really fit for domestic affairs, save for a few.

Right, he’s not good at just sitting still.

Certainly, he works better than most other Lords in the Empire.

Surprisingly, there were many aristocrats who prefer to ditch the internal affairs of their territory to someone else.

He cares for the people, and often came up with a solution that no one else could think of…. He’s also fairly fast in dealing with documents.. A very good politician indeed…if he could focus.

Ares was certainly not a God though. If he keeps doing the same work over and over, he would naturally still feel bored and tired.

That’s why he often suspended his work for a bit to take a walk around the city to lighten the mood…

However, George, the head of the internal affairs officers, wouldn’t allow that. Every time Ares went out, George would capture him and force the lord back to his duty…

And this time as well, the long non-stop discussion had begun to tire Ares out.

And almost just in time, a letter from the true dwarven chief arrived.

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[This letter from Galdor… it really came just at the right moment…]

Ares laughed as he said so to the people in front of him. The three people reacted differently.

One looked worried, the other one grinned while the last simply looked unimpressed.

Ares conversed with the other domestic officials after reading Galdor’s letter.

Because it’s an important matter, he managed to convince George to let him leave Heinz temporarily.

[Being called so suddenly, are you gathering us here to become your accomplices in slacking, Milord?]

[Nah… you guys also need some rest anyway, right?]

That’s how he ended up gathering the three men in front of him.

Yes, these three men were no stranger in the Frontier area as they are the renowned 3 military generals: Sigurd, Darius, and Shu respectively.

Behind them were ten more people. They were warriors whose air gave away that they’re no mere ordinary fighters… the White Legion.

[This time, I’m really not slacking. You guys should know me better than that.]

Ares replied to Darius’ jab.

In Galdor’s letter, it was written that the sample for the soldier’s armor that Ares ordered has been completed so Ares decided to head out to check it.

According to Shion, the soldier’s equipment would greatly affect their survival in the battlefield. And Ares couldn’t agree more to that.

Therefore, Ares wanted his army to have the best equipment he could provide.

Fortunately, Ares had a large amount of high quality iron supplied by Nora’s mine. And there were a lot of excellent blacksmiths among the true dwarves under Galdor’s leadership.

With the help from the dwarves, Ares could obtain good quality equipment faster than commissioning regular blacksmiths.

Ares planned to borrow the dwarves’ power to mass produce excellent weapons and armors. At the same time, the true dwarves would take regular blacksmiths from the frontier area as their disciples in the effort to produce even more excellent blacksmiths.

[Well, I can’t really complain if it will make the army even stronger. All the equipment my Aryan warriors used always ended up as trash by the way.]

[The Aryans are really forceful in using their weapons, aren’t they…?]

Ares nodded at Darius, then changed the topic.

[There are other reasons. Like crafting weapons for the White Legion and… personalized equipment for the three of you.]

The purpose of visiting the dwarves this time was not only checking on the soldier’s armor sample, but also to pick up the specially made armors for the Generals.

That’s why Ares had the three Generals to escort him.

And thus Ares and co. headed to the mountain where the true dwarves resided.

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[My friend, I brought you the item you requested.]

After formal greetings, a light iron armor was presented.

Ares picked up and inspected the armor, then handed it over to Sigurd who was standing behind him. Shu and Darius glanced from the sides with interest.

[Is it good enough? My friend, it’s actually possible to make it even sturdier.]

[No, this is already as good as it can be considering the budget and weight.]

Ares replied with a smile.

He ordered light armor for the infantry.

Infantry made up the greater part of the army in Arcadia. The same also applies to the frontier area.

Originally, infantrymen would use leather armor on top of chainmail. But Ares planned to replace that with iron armor.

[I want something sturdier than leather, but it has to be as light.]

Normally it’s an impossible request. But the true dwarves actually delivered brilliantly.

Strengthen the important areas while reducing the thickness on the less vital parts. They also made the chainmail stronger and easier to move in.

The strength certainly surpassed the leather armor by a lot.

With this, a better substitute had been created.

[This is very good. As expected of the true dwarves.]

Ares laughed in satisfaction.

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Ares then proceeded to ask about the other things he requested.

What was presented next were weapons and armors made of mithril.

[These are very good alright… totally different than the one earlier.]

[Something like this will not be weird if it’s in the possession of a great general or famed adventurer.]

Sigurd also praised after seeing the weapons and armors.

After inspecting the equipment for a while, Ares called out to those standing behind his three generals.

[Kane and all of you, can you guys come over?]

[Yes!]

Sigurd and the two Generals made way. At the same time, a blonde man, the one called Kane, stepped forward followed by the rest of the White Legion that were present.

[Can you please try it out? My plan is to make this equipment exclusive for the White Legion after all.]

[Acknowledged.]

That said, Kane proceeded to wear the mithril armor and tried to swing the mithril sword several times.

The other members also picked up their preferred weapons like spears or axes.

[This is… how should I say it, fits right into my hand. The armor is not heavy and feels good to wear.]

The other members also voiced their agreement.

Hearing their reactions, Ares smiled.

[Alright, I’m ordering this then. Galdor, I want you to make a lot of armor of this quality. Fortunately, we have plenty of material to work with. I’ll be sending in the people who will wear the equipment.]

Ares then discussed another topic with Galdor.

Not only the equipment for infantrymen and the White Legion, but they also discussed equipment for cavalry and the Aryans…with Sigurd, Darius, and Shu joining the fray, the discussion became quite lively.

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Galdor suddenly turned to Sigurd, Darius and Shu as though he just recalled something.

[Oh, I almost forgot… this should be your number one goal in coming here.]

The last thing Galdor presented were equipment of various shapes and sizes.

However, the quality was an entirely different matter. Even the mithril equipment from earlier can’t hold a candle.

These were obviously at the same level as legendary grade armaments like a holy sword or a magic sword.

Upon seeing these, the eyes of Sigurd, Darius and Shu visibly shone. Right, those were their preferred weapons lined up there.

[I made these three myself. I couldn’t afford to entrust them to other people. After all, the material is THAT material. Whoever is involved with these weapons will surely carve their name in the history.]

That said, Galdor gave Sigurd and two others a look.

[In any case, these weapons are yours. Well, I’m confident that I still have it in me (to craft a splendid weapon). Please take a look at them.]

Galdor said with a smile.

Galdor was one of the leaders of the true dwarves that scattered around the world… He was also said to be the best blacksmith among them.

He had been named genius since young, and several of his works could be found around the continent~mostly as national treasures.

Now, the dwarves seeking to become blacksmith would line up to become his disciple and he still remained a respected figure that all blacksmiths strive for.

Galdor’s technique had reached maturity with his age. It far outstripped his younger self now, making him the best dwarven blacksmith at present.

However… he rarely crafted weapons nowadays. If he did, it’s just out of a whim or just there to keep his skill from diminishing.

The reason why he rarely made a weapon…was because the person who could fit his weapons are also equally rare.

『Weapons also require a proper wielder. Evil guys should just use blunt weapons.』

That’s how Galdor put it.

But the men standing before him now… he could sense that they are Heroes who will surely make a name for themselves in history.

Therefore Galdor poured everything he got and took his time to complete these weapons.

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[First of all is this fellow, right?]

Having said that, the first thing Galdor picked up was a single edged one handed sword. Its blade was brimming with a golden aura and a strong magic power resides within the magic stone embedded at the center of the sword.

[This is… the sword I asked for…]

It was Sigurd who said so.

[As requested, I made this sword from dragon scales.]

What Sigurd requested for was indeed a sword. He wanted a sword as a pair to his ancient 『Dragon Spear Gaebolg』.

What he was very particular about was the material.

[If possible, please craft the sword from these scales.]

What he had at that moment was the scales of the Ancient Dragon Zephyr. Dragon scales are among the finest material and ancient dragon scales in particular could easily compare to orichalcon or adamantite.

To be particular, it’s because the scales taken from a living ancient dragon carry some amount of its magic power. Galdor was more than happy to work on this material even he could rarely see.

It requires a great skill to craft dragon scales into a sword, and the dwarven king clearly was not lacking in that department. He even fashioned some orichalcon in to enhance the sharpness of the sword’s edge.

Sigurd smiled like a child finding a new toy when he received the sword, admiring the beautiful workmanship.

[Next is this one.]

Galdor presented a spear with a cross shaped head…a cross spear so to speak.

[This is… a spear of my homeland, no matter how one sees it.]

[Yes, this gave me a little difficulty. After all, I haven’t crafted a weapon of this eastern style since a very long time ago.]

Galdor smiled in response to Shu’s remark.

Shu had requested for a cross spear, which he prefers to wield.

[The one I used in the previous battle had been considerably damaged.]

Shu said reluctantly.

It was said that eastern style weapons were difficult to reproduce with the continent’s current technology, especially the swords. Even the best blacksmith among the true dwarves had difficulty in crafting one.

Fortunately, Shu’s katana『Raikiri』was intact. His cross spear, however, had gone through the last few years on the battlefield in the state of disrepair with nobody capable of properly maintaining it. It had served its last on the previous battle.

Therefore, while keeping little hope, Shu spoke of his request to Galdor, to which the true dwarf replied:

[It’s alright. Leave it to me.]

That’s how it went.

Galdor was willing to accept Shu’s request.

During his youth, Galdor had travelled to various places to hone his smithing skills. There was even a time when he was famous as an adventuring blacksmith.

Of course, he had visited the eastern islands. The high level of smithing techniques fascinated him and he spent a considerable amount of time there to learn the techniques.

[Back then, I learned the smithing technique from a man called『Norimune』. He was also the one who taught me to craft this kind of spear.]

[Wha!? The 『Norimune』!?]

Shu was greatly surprised. The name『Norimune』belonged to a certain legendary blacksmith master in Yashima.

[But… I heard that Norimune never took a disciple…]

[I was never his disciple. We were partners. I taught him how to use magic stones to bequeath magic power unto a weapon. In return, he taught me the eastern style of blacksmithing.]

Galdor laughed after saying so.

[Well, please look forward to it. This spear will surely satisfy your need.]

Galdor spoke with confidence as he handed the cross spear over to Shu. Confirming that the spear was really in his hands for real, Shu proceeded to enter a fighting stance to have a feel on the spear. Then he soon laughed in satisfaction.

[Impressive. Much better than my previous one.]

Orichalcon was used to craft Shu’s new spear. The sharpness, magic power conductivity and durability were raised to a perfect level. A magic stone was embedded at the center, from which enormous magic power could be sensed.

Admiring the handicraft, Shu couldn’t help but smile like a kid, just like Sigurd.

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[Alright then…so far so good…]

Galdor then turned to Darius, giving the latter a frown.

[Oh? Is it time for my turn already?]

[….those two were quite unique works. But yours was…definitely something a human could wield. Anyways… here you go.]

After throwing a few barbs at Darius, Galdor motioned his two attendants to go to a separate room.

When they came back out, they were carrying a heavy looking spear shaped weapon.

[Just what kind of weapon is it that two dwarves are required to carry it…]

[Hoho…not half bad. This is a lot better than my old black iron spear that you also crafted. Let me test it a bit.]

Ignoring Galdor’s words, Darius picked up the weapon.

It was obviously a tremendously heavy weapon. But Darius could wield it one handed.

[This weapon of yours is called『Houtengeki』]

[Hou? What makes it any different than a halberd?]

[It’s similar to halberd…in that, it’s a weapon specialized in both piercing and slashing.]

Hearing Galdor’s words, all those present started to inspect the weapon.

It’s easy to see that the spear tip was made from a high quality material. But what really caught their eyes was the pair of crescent moon-shaped blades on both sides of the tip.

[Everything, including the handle, is made from black iron. That’s why it’s very heavy. But I know you like this kind of hefty weapon.]

Galdor had crafted several weapons for Darius before. Among them was the black iron spear that was cut down during his duel against Ares.

[Also, I used adamantite to make the tip more durable…because you always wield your weapon roughly. This way it shouldn’t break so easily. Normally, adamantite is too heavy to be made a weapon. That’s why it’s mostly used for armor… But for you, that shouldn’t be a problem.]

Galdor paused and took a deep breath, then continued.

[The crescent shaped blades are made of Orichalcon. With that, all the orichalcon ores entrusted to us by the Lord of Frontier has been completely used up.]

He laughed while saying that.

Whilst listening to Galdor, Darius swung the new weapon around to get a feel of it.

[Guh! Stupid idiot! Who in their right mind would swing that around inside this small room!]

Galdor shouted in a panicked voice.

Darius, on the other hand, responded shortly.

[I love this.]

He said with a smile.

[This is really good. I really like it. Makes me want to swing it around whenever I can.]

Looking closely, Sigurd and Shu actually had the same opinion.

[Ahー, if you want to swing it around, do it outside…with moderation. I’ll join you after I’m done talking to Galdor…]

Before Ares even finished speaking, the three had already jumped outside.

In the childish outburst of these veteran warriors, many had to suffer through the consequences.

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The weapons wielded by the right arms of the Hero Sovereign, the [Heavenly Armaments], were later stored in the treasury as national treasures.

These were weapons crafted by Galdor.

Sigurd’s『Dragon Sword Dragonia』

Shu’s cross spear, the『Shiranui』 (TL Note: Shiranui-Yari)

And Darius beloved polearm, the unnamed『Houtengeki』

All of them, like many other legendary weapons, would later be featured in various stories.