T/N: Honestly, I did not understand the meaning and used google
———————-
“What does it mean to ‘give those Pousehai’?,” asked the trembling voice of the Dwarf King. It was understandable, given that those individuals had killed his wife, tried to kill his daughter, and sought to destroy his kingdom. As a king, he could not forgive them.
“No, I have found a way to make use of them. I cannot guarantee it will work,” Lynos replied.
“First, let me hear your proposal.”
“If things continue as they are, all the Pousehai will undoubtedly be sentenced to death.”
“I am not considering that. While the ringleaders will be punished severely, those who did not actively participate will receive lighter sentences.”
“You should reconsider. Their sense of family is unbreakable. If you take any more of their lives, they will undoubtedly recognize the Dwarf Kingdom and the king as their enemies. If that happens, you will always be in danger.”
“Hmm…”
“If the Pousehai accept my proposal, then all will be well. If not, then I leave everything to the Dwarf King. May I be allowed to talk to them first?”
“Very well. As for my request, it concerns the wife of Basam, Lady Meirias.”
Me and Mei exchanged glances.
“What is the king’s request?”
“Would it be possible for Lady Meirias to stay in the kingdom for a while?” the king requested.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He was talking about restraining Mei’s movements. If I thought about it rationally, the answer should be no. Mei would be here. I wouldn’t have the chance to spend those erotic, no, intimate nights with her anymore. Those soft, marshmallow-like breasts would be gone. I couldn’t allow that.
“Lady Meirias is an excellent pharmacist. We dwarves, being long-lived, have not been particularly concerned with taking care of our own bodies. Diseases, like the current outbreak, could spread at any time. Therefore, we dwarves must learn new defensive measures. We want to make use of Lady Meirias’s skills.”
Certainly, there were almost no pharmacies in the principality. If something was wrong within the body, it would either be cured with recovery magic or the individual would rely on their willpower and tenacity to heal. However, there might be a disease that could not be healed with magic like the current outbreak. Therefore, they wanted to make use of Mei’s knowledge as a measure against that possibility. This was not something that could be refused.
“What do you think, Mei?”
“I don’t mind, but what about you my lord?” she replied.
“Um… let me think about it…”
After negotiations, Mei will use my teleportation barrier every day to visit the principality and teach the dwarves about pharmacy. In the evening, she will return to the empire to have dinner with her family. She also requested to have weekends off, as well as holidays during the year-end and New Year’s holidays. She was also granted paid leave and other benefits. With these conditions, the Dwarf King’s request was accepted.
“I’ve always wanted to come to the Niza principality, so I’m happy to be able to come here every day,” Mei said.
“Oh? You have that much interest in our kingdom. Do you like weapons or armor?” the Dwarf King asked.
“No, my late father was a dwarf. I used to help him with his blacksmithing when I was a child. I thought that if I could come to the kingdom, I could learn various techniques from the dwarves. Your Majesty, may I visit the dwarves’ workshop in my spare time?”
“Of course, that’s fine… but what was your father’s name?”
“Yes, my father’s name was Shimaya.”
“Shimaya… Did he have a large scar on his left arm?”
“…Yes, Why do you ask?”
“…I see, so Shimaya is dead. He was a great blacksmith. So he had died…”
“What was his relationship with the Dwarf King and his wife?”
“He was the King’s disciple.”
“A disciple??”
The Dwarf King was the top blacksmith of the Dwarf race, known as the best in the world. Naturally, his skills were unmatched even among the Dwarves. The King had disciples around him to help with his protection and chores, and in return, he would pass on his knowledge and train them. Mei’s father was one of the top disciples.
“He was a man who cared for his own disciples. When I tried to entrust one of my tasks to one of hmy disciples, Shimaya recommended one of his favorites instead. When I declined, we had a small argument that turned into a fight. Shimaya’s scar was the result of when I cut him.”
… It was just a childish fight, wasn’t it? What are these grown men doing?
“I see, so you’re his daughter. Then you must have considerable blacksmithing skills as well. If you have the opportunity, please visit various workshops and learn as much as you can. You have the potential to achieve great things.”
The King didn’t know that Mei already possessed divine-level blacksmithing skills. Later on, Mei would learn all of the Dwarf’s techniques in no time, and not only that, she would create new techniques that the Dwarves had never even thought of. Everyone among the Dwarves would eventually bow down to Mei. However, that is a story for another time.
————-
A few days later, I went to the grand hall located in the basement of the palace to meet with Pousehai and the others who were imprisoned.
“Hey. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you guys, and you look quite worn out. You stupid rabbits,” I said as I entered the room where Pousehai and the others were being held captive. Their lives had been quite harsh since being imprisoned in the palace, and everyone looked exhausted and unwell.
“…What do you want from us? If you’re going to kill us, just do it already!”
A young Pousehai glared at me with a murderous look in his eyes.
“What’s your name?”
“…Chiwang.”
“Chiwang, you seem like a young man with some backbone, but you also seem like a fool. Understand your position. If you release your killing intent towards me again, I will kill every single one of the Pousehai here, understand?”
“…,” Chiwang turned away and trembled, looking at the ground.
“Now, Black Rabbits. You will be disposed of soon, whether you live or die is up to me. I came here to see you all today for one reason: I have a proposal that is good for both of us. If you accept my proposal, all of you will be spared. If you do not, the Dwarf King will pass judgment on you. The fate of your entire clan is in your hands. That’s what this is about.”
All the Pousehai looked at me. I ignored their gaze and started to speak again.
“My proposal to you is that I can make you the best in the world. Wasn’t being the best in the world the ultimate goal of your clan? I will make that happen. However, it’s up to you whether you take advantage of the environment I provide or not.”
“We can become the best in the world?” Chiwang muttered.
“By putting in effort, it’s possible. All of you seem to possess skills in healing magic and pharmaceuticals, and some of you are blacksmiths. Some of you also possess the skill of illusion magic. Well, that’s good. You can use those skills to your advantage.”
“We lost to the dwarves. Are we going to challenge them again?”
“Are you stupid? There’s no way we can win on their turf. We need to fight on a different playing field.”
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone, become doctors.”
“Doctors…?”
“Use your skills to save as many people suffering from illnesses as possible.”
“Can we become the best in the world by doing that?”
“Yes, you can. Are you all happy with your current situation?”
“… “
“If you can’t answer immediately, it means you’re not happy. Of course, you’re all in prison, living a terrible life.”
“It’s all your fault, you know? Do you know that happiness is effort multiplied by luck? We have terribly luck. It’s zero. No matter how much effort we put in, it will be zero. Do you understand?”
Everyone furrowed their brows and recoiled slightly. “It’s okay. We’re prepared for that. We welcome failure.”
“You’ve put in a considerable amount of effort. However, you have no luck. Do you know how to increase your luck? You don’t know, do you? Luck increases when you help someone. It increases when someone appreciates you. You’ve done nothing for others. You’re unhappy because of that. If you can increase your luck, your evaluation will rise immediately. So become doctors and save the lives of humans, beastmen, and Pousehai. Be appreciated. That way, your lifespan will increase, and you’ll become the best in the world. What do you think? It’s not a bad proposal, is it?”
Everyone was speechless. Not a sound was made.
“Well, you can’t decide all at once. Think about it for a day. You guys can decide. Oh, and Chiwang, report to me at the same time tomorrow. I’ll inform the guard.”
With that, I left the room.
“Hey, are they all in different cells? They might not be able to talk it out if they are. Oh well. They’ll figure it out somehow.”
A slight uneasiness crossed my mind, but I decided to assume that everything would be fine.
The next day, Chiwang appeared in front of me with a look of regret on his face and conveyed that they accepted my proposal without trying to hide it. I didn’t ask how the Pousehai talked it out.
I informed the Dwarf King of their decision. The king seemed visibly displeased but eventually agreed to make them all criminal slaves with me as their master.
Later, a slave trader from the Niza Principality was called in to bestow slave magic on all the Pousehai. It took quite a bit of time since there were almost forty of them, and we finished late at night.
When I returned to my room in the palace, exhausted, Mei was there.
“They informed me that you’re running late, you won’t return to the mansion until later” she said.
“I see. Thanks. I wonder if everyone has already gone to bed?”
“Yes, Rico-sama said she would rest first. And, she asked me to give you a midnight snack.”
I looked inside the basket and saw the food.
“This is quite a lot for one person. Is Mei not hungry?”
“No, I…”
“If you’re not full yet, help me out. I can’t eat all of this alone, and it would be a waste to leave it.”
“Well, then… Okay.”
Despite her initial hesitation, Mei ate quite a bit. It seemed like she was quite hungry.
“Mei, do you want to take a bath?”
“Y-yes.”
May blushed and answered shyly, making her look even cuter.
We washed our bodies and got into the bathtub together. As expected of a palace, the bathtub was spacious. The royalty had wider bathtubs made for their attendants and servants to accompany them during baths.
“Nevertheless, it’s strange,” she said.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I never imagined that even Pousehai would become our subordinates.”
“Does Mei dislike it?”
“No. Although they were enemies of my parents, I’m actually grateful to them now.”
“Grateful?”
“Yes. My parents were killed and I was sold into slavery, but that’s how I met you. I’m able to enjoy such happy days because of Pousehai. Of course, my parents’ deaths was sad, but now I’m grateful to them.”
“Mei, you’re amazing,” I said and hugged her beside me.
“My master is the amazing one. He resolved the crisis in the Niza Kingdom in no time. I have to work hard too.”
“I see. Then, if you don’t mind, after we get out of the bath, I’ll make you work hard,” I said with a grin.