A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

34 – Dwarven Persuasion

When Karaham Longbeard shot a remark, Karla laughed and responded.

“The master is hesitating like a little kid, wondering whether he should go or not. You bastards.”

“What? Did you just call us little kids!?”

“This asshole, really!!”

Seline and I couldn’t adapt to this harsh language and violent conversation. Despite the atmosphere that wouldn’t be strange for a fight to break out any moment, Karla was confidently laughing.

“Hey!! You bastards. What’s your goal?”

“Do you not know so you’re asking, idiot?”

“It’s to produce the best iron tools in the world!”

“Then try thinking for once. You senseless bastards.”

Karla suddenly stood up and made exaggerated and grand gestures as he continued in a tone close to shouting.

“What we have here is a damn huge blast furnace that can make you look like a little kid who wet the bed! A damn huge amount of molten iron pouring out from there! Not some pathetic wind blown by hand like you guys are doing now, but a damn huge fan that runs on high-purity magic stone and spews out hot wind!”

The attention of the tribe leaders and Chief Karaham focused on Karla’s words.

For the first time, their interest started to be directed towards them.

“Imagine iron being hammered beneath flames that are hotter than lava, flickering with flames that are much hotter than lava!”

“You damn idiot, where is there fire hotter than lava!”

“It exists. If we create a heating magic array using our high-purity magic stone, we can make it hotter than lava. Isn’t that right, Seline?”

Seline nodded in response to Karla’s words.

“Yes. With the high-purity magic stone, we can greatly increase the efficiency of the magic array. We can even improve the performance of the heating magic array beyond its current limit. We estimate that the temperature of lava is between 800 and 1200 degrees Celsius, right? The heating magic array can heat up to a maximum of 1500 degrees Celsius…”

“Ah! That’s enough! In short, it’s hotter than lava! Damn hot!! It’s hotter than Chief Karaham’s bed!”

Upon Karla’s words, the tribe leaders all burst into laughter. Even Chief Karaham, who was insulted, was laughing along.

“It would be hard for it to be hotter than my bed! Uhahahaha!!”

“Anyway! The method you guys are using right now to manually produce steel is much less efficient and produces much less compared to what we can do! You idiots! And we’re getting support from the richest person in the empire while doing it! Think about it!”

On the way here on the carriage, Princess Seline had endless discussions about what kind of objects could be created if high-purity magic stones and large-scale steel mills were built. That’s why Karla also knew what kind of objects would be developed if a steel mill was built.

She opened her eyes wide like a storyteller, shouted loudly, and made exaggerated movements. It was not the usual Karla that I knew, but this method was effectively getting through to the dwarfs to the point that it was terrifying.

“A damn huge hunk of iron roaring as it dashes across the continent! Then it’s filled with piles of stuff! And with your hands, you guys make the veins of the continent-like machinery! Using that damn huge blast furnace to produce high-quality molten iron!”

Maybe she was talking about trains.

“But that’s not all! Imagine developing a silent, moving carriage with your own hands! A silent, moving carriage! The wheels made of iron move automatically! Imagine thousands, even tens of thousands of them being produced and traveling all around the empire! Made with the steel you guys created!”

“C-Can we really make something like that?”

Karla looked at Seline.

Now Seline seemed to have realized how to appeal as well.

“We can create an incredibly powerful device with Go Sun Do and Ma Jung Seok! A silent carriage! It’s possible!”nnAfter hearing those words, the dwarves no longer laughed.nnWhat on earth.nnThey looked at us with the same expression as the dwarf who had found a magnificent pre-model.nn“What else can we make? If we produce iron?”nnThe dwarf Selene tried to explain, but Caria spoke more effectively to the dwarves in a single sentence.nn“There’s so much! Damn it, you guys! If you just work at the smeltery! You can create amazing things! From huge machines to the tiniest works of art! There’s no place your stuff won’t be used! Your iron, which you’ve extracted with your own hands, will become the backbone of the empire! You’ll become the unparalleled iron craftsmen!”nnCaria punctuated her speech with a final jab to the solar plexus of the dumbstruck dwarves.nn“And our sister told me something when she came to visit.”nn“What’s that?”nn“She said that if you guys made iron. She said we could create a fleet of iron warships and sail them on the sea. An entire fleet made of iron. Incredibly huge. A real motherfrakking big iron battleship.”nnThe dwarves couldn’t help but raise their hands in amazement at this revelation.nn“Selene Yellow! Landlord South!!”nn“Yes?”nn“We’re going! We’ll go to the smeltery you guys are making and work there!”nn“We’ll send everyone! Just trust us!”nnThe atmosphere changed suddenly.nnI couldn’t help but burst into laughter as I watched their transformation.nnYes.nnIt was just that my persuasive technique was all wrong.nnI grabbed the arm of the carpenter from the Great Hall.nn“Let’s do it! The age of iron!”nnEveryone roared in agreement. Caria and I, caught up in the mood, shouted together. The next day, we had to rest our throats and drink some tea while we prepared for the journey.nn“We’ll start preparations right away! Right now! When we’re ready, we’ll let you know, and then you can send the carriages!”nn“Of course! We’re waiting!”nn“Thank you! Landlord South! For this wonderful opportunity!”nnCarpenter Carra’s eyes seemed to take on the appearance of the colossal iron battleship they had created themselves, sailing across the sea. I smiled and bowed my head.nn“I believe you can do it. Then, we’ll be in touch!”nn“Looking forward to it!”nnThere were still many problems to be sorted out, but the most important thing was that they had made up their minds to move east. I smiled and, together with Carpenter Carra and the dwarf village, rode back to the carriages and set off for the nearest teleportation station, just beyond the Limna Plain.

While riding in the carriage, Princess Celene was excited and kept on chattering.

“I can’t believe it! We can finally build a proper large-scale steel mill!”

“Princess Celene, we will need a lot of your help. We need you to collaborate with the dwarves and create the blueprint for the large-scale steel mill.”

“hahahaha! Of course! There will be several scientists and wizards going crazy over this project. Even the alchemists will go insane! Oh my goodness! I never thought I could persuade those stubborn ones!”

As I watched Celene laughing like a child, I glanced at Karlia, who was sitting next to me.

Karlia’s face was turning red.

It seemed that she felt ashamed and lacking in dignity for cursing in front of me while drunk yesterday.

“Princess Karlia.”

When I affectionately called her name, she started pouring out words that I didn’t even ask for.

“I’m not always like yesterday. I don’t drink much either. It’s just that I have to persuade the dwarves while working on this project. And I’m not as vulgar and undignified as yesterday. I’m a princess too, you know? I took etiquette classes. Rando.”

“Princess Karlia. I know. I know.”

“Um, I hope I didn’t make a fool of myself yesterday because I was too excited. Rando. Believe me, I’m not always like yesterday. I really mean it. Because persuasion is needed. My sister and Rando seemed in a hurry, so I acted like a dwarf. It’s not like I would never… “

I gently touched her cheek.

What a twist of charm.

A woman who was always docile and obsessed with me had resolved things so beautifully.

“Yesterday, you were really amazing.”

“Uh…uh.”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not making fun of you. Thanks to you, the steel age will begin! We can now foster heavy industry in earnest. I have no reason to make fun of you. And frankly, you were hot and s*xy, right? A beautiful woman who curses well. It’s my type.”

“Se…s*xy…”

Karlia smiled bashfully at my compliment.

I patted her head and said.

And Celene, who had been watching the whole scene in front of her.

“Is it true that I slept with my little sister? Rando?”

*Clears throat.*

She made me cough.

I coughed loudly and then bowed my head.

“Well…”

But I couldn’t hide it forever. I sighed and nodded my head.

“Yes. That’s true.”

“Karia was the one who attacked you, right? Considering Karia’s power and strength, it would have been impossible for you to do it forcibly, right?”

“Yes, well… that’s correct.”

“Is that so?”

Selene didn’t say any more after that.

When I glanced up and observed her reaction, she had a peculiar smile on her face.

Remorse for Karia.

And gratitude towards me.

“Karia is a child with many wounds. Landoar, she has seen many unpleasant things. There have been many assassination attempts, and her mother passed away early, so she has many weak emotional areas. She is just strong in power. As a child.”

“Elder sister.”

When Karia murmured softly, Selene waved her hand as if to ask her to be quiet.

She looked at me silently and slightly lowered her head.

“Please take care of my younger sister. Landoar. I hope you can make her happy.”

A polite greeting and a sincere acknowledgment.

I hesitated for a moment and then lowered my head to meet her gaze.

“I am lacking, but I will do my best, Lady Selene.”

That was how the farewell went.

And Selene added a teasing remark with a slightly mischievous face.

“Be sure to practice contraception.”

“Elder sister!”

Selene burst into laughter as she saw Karia’s about-to-explode face.

The graceful Selene and invincible Karia continued to bicker and fight until they arrived at the teleportation station beyond the Limnakal Plains.

“I’m glad we didn’t come riding on a dragon.”

Not only was there not enough space to take all the gifts for the dwarves, but I secretly hoped that Selene and Karia would reconcile as they traveled by carriage.

And it seemed like that plan worked.

[Karia.]

In the original novel, Karia was the one who threw the first spark of a large-scale witch-burning ceremony, against Landoar and the sorcerers, scientists, and alchemists of Martop who were attempting to assassinate the emperor.

Under Landoar’s orders.

[Our sister. Close your eyes and throw it.]

According to the description, Karia howled like a beast and threw the torch towards her sister with her eyes closed.

I briefly looked at the two women in front of me after recalling that passage.

“Come to the capital often. I’ll prepare a lot of snacks, so let’s eat together and talk.”

“You’re busy, sister.”

“If it’s for you, I can make time occasionally. Understand?”

“……I understand.”

“Let me hug my sister for the first time in a long time.”

The sisters embraced awkwardly.

“Be happy, Caria. Understand?”

Caria hugged her sister tightly without saying a word in response to Selene’s words.

I also silently watched the scene.

“How about it? Landor Marquis? hahahahaha! You even saved your night’s sleep to create a battleship! How is it!!”

“Karham Longbeard. Isn’t this… Isn’t this a bit too fast?”

And two months later.

A large-scale steel mill was constructed in the coastal terrain of Clea Bay located southeast of Ailam.

There were several reasons why the steel mill, which was expected to take several years, was constructed so quickly. It was because the Dwarves obsessed with the construction of the steel mill without sleeping. It was also thanks to the Magicologists of Matop, who stayed up all night to create various items according to the blueprint.

But there was a more decisive reason for it all.

In short,

“Long time no see, comrades of the Limnakal Plain! I must help them when they ask for it! hahahahaha!”

“We quickly finished the tunnel construction. Lord Landor.”

The members of the Ironblood Legion were incredibly capable.