Eileen came to Lillian’s side and truthfully recounted everything she had seen.
Lillian exclaimed, “What a coincidence!”
By this time, Lillian had already filled all the carts with silver coins.
She was only waiting for Purshka to gather enough men before they could begin preparing for their resistance.
Lillian said to Eileen, “Time is becoming increasingly urgent. We have to take down Dolechute within at least five hours, otherwise, Master Eileen might be in danger.”
“There is no need to be so tense. Besides, you do not have to call me ‘Master’ every time. Normally, you can just call me by my name.”
“Alright, Eileen. Can you help me find Master Purshka’s eldest son? He is the coachman who drove us to Thor Village earlier!”
“That is not a problem, but what use is finding him?”
“He should be looking for the legendary ‘Dwarven Berserkers.'”
“Those dwarves who were exiled from the clan?”
“Do you remember that desolate village we passed when we first arrived here?”
“What about it?”
“That is the settlement where the Dwarven Berserkers reside, and the coachman is likely there as well.”
“Understood. I will go check it out.”
Despite her inability to interfere with anything in this timeline, Eileen possessed the strength of a Demigod.
By relying on her jumping ability alone, her speed far exceeded that of a carriage; it was no exaggeration to say she was comparable to a Wyvern.
However, because the distance was quite far, it would still take her some time to complete the round trip.
Combined with the time needed for the investigation, it would be a substantial wait for Lillian.
***
Just as Eileen left, the blacksmith Purshka arrived at his doorstep with the remaining twenty or so blacksmiths to assemble.
“Why are there only twenty-some people? Does your village not have over thirty households?”
“Reporting to Lady Lillian, our village has a total of thirty-five households. Six of them have sworn loyalty to Dolechute, but the heads of the remaining twenty-nine households are all here!”
Lillian did a quick head count, and there were indeed twenty-nine men.
Each was a dwarven blacksmith who looked middle-aged and was dressed in ordinary, even somewhat impoverished, clothing.
“Do not let our aged appearance fool you.n In fact, the oldest among us is only forty!”
“Master Purshka, how old are you?”
“I am twenty-nine!”
“Huh? So young?”
“Dwarves have long lifespans! My father is at home warming himself by the fire; he is fifty-six this year. My grandfather is eighty-four, and my great-grandfather is 114! My great-grandmother is 110! She says she can live for several more decades. She wants to see her great-great-great-grandchild!”
Lillian had underestimated the actual population of the dwarven settlement.
“Then why did you not call your father out to join the resistance?”
“It is not that we do not trust you, Lady Lillian, but we want to hear your plan first.”
Lillian acted decisively.
First, she displayed all the silver coins and announced loudly, “Forge six sets of top-tier armor and six sets of top-tier weapons within two hours! These silver coins will all be yours!”
Seeing the ten carts filled with silver coins, the young dwarves were all stirred by the sight.
Seeing that her plan was working, Lillian continued to shout, “If you can build more carts, I can fill those with silver coins as well, but I have one requirement!”
Purshka echoed her, “Please speak, Lady Lillian!”
“The six sets of equipment and weapons must be enough to allow the six ‘Dwarven Berserkers’ to exert their maximum power! This will require your best efforts!”
As soon as they heard the term “Dwarven Berserker,” the crowd began to waver again.
The men started whispering among themselves.
“We have to forge equipment for those six lunatics?”
“She is not trying to get us killed, is she?”
“But she really does have a lot of money…”
“True. If she tries to cheat us, those six lunatics will surely kill her too.”
Seeing the crowd’s hesitation, Purshka stood forward and shouted, “Neighbors! Lady Lillian has already met my son! She promised she would help my son get his revenge and rescue Marishka!”
The dwarves fell silent for a moment, but they soon began talking amongst themselves again.
Purshka raised his voice once more and shouted, “She holds Village Head Grishka’s ‘Demon Slayer Sword’! This means her actions have already received the village head’s approval!”
This time, the dwarves fell silent.
If it was the village head’s wish, then perhaps they really could trust this outsider.
Furthermore, although she looked young, she was truly beautiful.
Even if she was not quite as striking as Marishka, she possessed a unique, regal aura.
Most importantly, she promised to give the entire village a vast amount of money!
With money, they could buy many things and acquire more resources.
They would not have to worry about food or clothing, nor would they fear the cold.
They could build sturdier roads—roads that would not be blocked by ice and snow.
The dwarves all cast looks of trust toward Lillian.
Lillian felt that the time was right.
She raised the Demon Slayer Sword—a weapon that looked incredibly sharp but was clearly unfinished.
Just as she was about to continue speaking, Grishka walked out from the crowd and said to Lillian, “Do you know why my daughter cannot escape Dolechute’s grasp?”
Lillian lowered her sword and replied politely, “I assume it is not merely because of his threats and bribes?”
Grishka said, “That is right. She is the genius of our village, the only one who has ever forged a ‘Holy Sword.’ But three months ago, just as the Holy Sword was nearing completion, Dolechute appeared. He seized the Holy Sword and kidnapped her. He wants her, or perhaps her ‘talent,’ and he placed an unbreakable Restriction on her.”
Hearing this, the dwarves were filled with sorrow and indignation.
Lillian, however, remained full of confidence.
She said, “It does not matter. Dolechute will die. Once the caster is dead, the Restriction will be lifted.”
Grishka spoke again, “I am actually more worried that my daughter will fall into despair because the Holy Sword was destroyed. That is also what her lover is worried about.”
Purshka added, “Her lover is my eldest son, Rolshka.”
As Grishka spoke to this point, his anger flared even more.
“That bastard Dolechute… He has been lurking in our village for ten years, asking around about the Holy Sword. Three months ago, he revealed his true nature. Not only did he kidnap my daughter, seize the unfinished Holy Sword, and injure poor Rolshka, but he also demanded that we forge another Holy Sword within one year…”
Purshka placed a hand on Grishka’s shoulder and looked into his eyes, signaling for him to calm down.
Grishka suppressed the fire in his heart, took a deep breath, and said slowly, “I hope you can give me a little more time. I will help you complete the Demon Slayer Sword. It should be of use to you when you go to strike down Dolechute.”
Lillian looked at Grishka and said calmly, “So, you actually accepted my proposal from the very beginning?”
Grishka nodded and said, “I originally had no hope, so I did not tell you the whole truth. But since you were able to unite the people of this village, I will naturally do my utmost to save my daughter!”
A fire of rage burned within the village head’s eyes.
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