## Chapter 131 – 131. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into A Baron’S Family
131. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into a Baron’s Family
“I am succeeding the chieftain. Brother.”
Pesus pulled the sword that had pierced Ehans out. Blood splattered onto the ground.
I watched the situation with interest. Pesus Notley. A character who also appeared in the original story. He was Ehans’s younger brother, but their relationship wasn’t good.
“Wh-what is this…! Why are you doing this in this situation!”
“I have only lived for 100 years. I haven’t even lived half of my lifespan. Please understand, brother. I want to live, even if it means becoming a slave to that human.”
“Become a slave! Do you not know what that means?!”
“I know. When we came of age, the education we received was the history of the dwarves. Once, dwarves were slaves to humans.”
“Knowing that, you still say you will become a slave!”
“It’s still better than dying. If we die, everything ends. Brother. We live longer than humans. If time passes, there will be a chance to escape slavery. Dwarves have a history of slavery, but that’s just a part of history.”
“You madman! A honorable dwarf should fight to the end! The Frost Hammer Clan will not live as slaves!”
Ehans raised the blue hammer, the symbol of the Frost Hammer Clan, the Frost Hammer, and prepared to swing it.
Pesus swung his sword faster, cutting off Ehans’s arm. The arm holding the hammer fell to the ground with a thud.
“Aaaargh! You bastard! Pesus!”
Ehans slumped to the ground. He was already critically injured from being stabbed by the sword, and now his arm was cut off. The fact that he was still alive was probably thanks to the tenacious vitality unique to dwarves.
“Brother. Rest now. You will die as a dwarf, not as a slave. Isn’t this the situation you wanted so much?”
Pesus threw away his sword and picked up the Frost Hammer that had fallen to the ground. He threw away Ehans’s arm, which was still holding the handle, and firmly gripped the handle of the Frost Hammer.
“Pesus! If you think that killing me will make the clan members recognize you as chieftain, you are greatly mistaken! Put down the Frost Hammer! You are not qualified!”
“If not me, then who else will wield the Frost Hammer? Whether the clan members recognize me or not doesn’t matter. What matters is my master’s intention.”
I was impressed. Pesus was already calling me master. His change in attitude was incredibly fast. I knew from the original story that he was a despicable guy, but I didn’t know he was this bad.
“Advisor! Advisor Malef!”
Ehans called out to the dwarf wizard Malef, who had been quietly watching the situation from the side.
“Yes, Lord Ehans.”
“What are you doing! Help me quickly! Use your magic to kill my insane brother, Pesus!”
“That would be difficult, Lord Ehans. It would be faster for Chieftain Pesus to swing the Frost Hammer at me than for me to use magic.”
“Chieftain Pesus?! Are you out of your mind? Advisor!”
Ehans was shocked. He hadn’t expected Malef’s betrayal at all.
“Chieftain Pesus is right. What good would resisting do here other than death? Death leaves nothing behind. It’s better to live as a slave and look for an opportunity. We can’t live in a refuge called paradise forever.”
“Malef! What you’re saying is different from before?!”
“Dealing differently depending on the situation is a basic virtue that an advisor should have.”
“You, you bastards! I won’t stand for… Ugh!”
Ehans, whose face had turned bright red as he shouted, collapsed to the ground with a short scream. He wasn’t moving, so he must be dead.
Pesus looked at Malef with a wary gaze.
“Advisor. Will you follow me?”
“Chieftain Pesus. Your choice is right. I will acknowledge that you are the rightful successor of the Frost Hammer.”
“Indeed. The advisor has an enlightened mind.”
“It is my job to give appropriate advice.”
I swallowed a hollow laugh.
Appropriate advice? Or appropriate flattery?
Anyway, the situation was good for me, so I decided to watch quietly.
‘Five minutes have passed. I can’t control the golem anymore.’
I wasn’t worried. The situation had already ended in our victory. Even without the golem, there were less than 50 dwarves who could move. If Yuria and I joined forces, taking down the dwarves would be a piece of cake.
Pesus, firmly gripping the Frost Hammer, stepped forward and spoke to the dwarves.
“Listen! I have become the rightful chieftain of the Frost Hammer Clan! All clan members, throw away your weapons and kneel! We will survive, even if it means becoming slaves!”
It was a given, but there was bound to be resistance.
“Don’t be ridiculous! You disgusting parricide! Who would recognize a man who killed his own brother!”
“Pesus! We all saw your atrocities! You are not qualified!”
“We would rather die than live as slaves!”
Not everyone resisted. About 20 of them. Those dwarves were shouting and pointing their swords at Pesus, not me.
It seemed they couldn’t forgive Pesus for killing the chieftain more than they couldn’t forgive me for trying to make them slaves.
“Hmph. Do you think I don’t know that you covet the Frost Hammer! The rightful leader of the Frost Hammer Clan is me! Advisor Malef! Use your magic! Those guys are foolish traitors who don’t think about the future of the clan!”
“That’s right. New master of the Frost Hammer! Fireball!”
Malef’s fireball struck a fellow dwarf. One dwarf’s body was engulfed in flames.
“Aaaaargh!”
The dwarf, who had let out a terrible scream, staggered and collapsed to the ground.
The dwarves were preparing for battle.
‘This isn’t good.’
My goal was to make them slaves. I had intended to kill some of them earlier for management purposes, but now that a great manager like Pesus had appeared, I wanted to save as many dwarves as possible.
“Stop! You are my precious assets! I can’t allow you to fight and die as you please.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Human! Who said they would become your slave!”
A dwarf protested.
Pzzzzzzzt.
The lightning gathered in my hand crackled threateningly.
“You’re already finished. You’ve been decided to be my slaves. Just accept your fate quietly. Yuria. Knock out anyone who resists.”
“Yes, Master.”
The dwarves charged.
I unleashed lightning at the dwarves, electrocuting them. The electrocuted dwarves collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
•••
In the center of the Frost Hammer Clan village square. I sat on a large, ornate chair that Pesus and Malef had prepared, looking down at the dwarves kneeling before me.
A total of 88 people.
The total number of Frost Hammer Clan dwarves currently alive, and the slaves I had acquired.
More than half of them were looking at me with defiant eyes. The particularly rebellious ones had their arms bound with chains. It seemed the saying that dwarves were a race of craftsmen wasn’t just an empty boast, as they had quickly made chains in just 30 minutes. They looked like roughly made chains, but they felt quite sturdy when I touched them.
‘What’s interesting is that they hate Pesus more than they hate me.’
They seemed more angry at Pesus for killing the chieftain and taking his place than they were at me for making them slaves.
‘That’s a good thing for me. The more animosity there is towards Pesus and Malef, the easier it will be to manage them.’
Pesus and Malef had chosen me over their own clan members. They must have thought it was more promising, and their judgment was correct. I intended to have them rule the Frost Hammer Clan.
“Pesus Notley, the chieftain of the Frost Hammer Clan and a loyal slave of the master, greets the master. This dagger is the finest sword in the village. I offer it to the master.”
Pesus bowed respectfully and presented me with a dagger. When I nodded, Yuria, who was standing next to me, took the dagger and handed it to me.
“This is… hmm. Good. What’s its name?”
“It’s called the Eradicator. It’s a dagger that the previous chieftain, Ehans, made 20 years ago.”
I picked up the dagger and looked it over. The blade was sharpened to the point where it felt like it could cut, and the handle and hilt were inlaid with jewels, making it look very ornate. It could even be used as a decoration.
What was unusual was that the blade was quite long for a dagger. But it was too short to be called a short sword.
‘I’m not really drawn to daggers.’
I am using a dagger now, but the Fire Lotus Flying Daggers suit me better. Soon, my body will grow enough to use the Fire Lotus Flying Daggers.
“Yuria. You use it.”
“……Is it alright for me to use such a great sword?”
A dagger made by a dwarf. And one that is even called a masterpiece. If a dwarf, who is picky about objects, acknowledges it as a masterpiece, its value must be enormous.
“It’s okay. You’ll probably use the dagger more than I will.”
I cleanly gave up the dagger. I probably wouldn’t use it much even if I had it.
“I will use it gratefully. Master.”
I nodded in response to her greeting and stood up from my seat.
“Pesus. You have presented me with an excellent item, so it is only right that I bestow an item upon you.”
I deliberately spoke loudly. I had to make a show of it at times like this.
Look. Even Pesus has a happy face.
‘He’s a guy who knows how to play politics.’
The important thing wasn’t what item I gave, but the fact that I had bestowed an item. If you think about it, it also means that I am treating Pesus differently from the other dwarves.
“Oh…! It is an honor, Master!”
I took an item out of my inventory.
It was a whip.
“That is….”
Pesus’s face hardened. He probably didn’t expect it to be a whip.
“I will tell you the power of this whip.”
I swung the whip at Pesus. The whip struck Pesus’s right shoulder accurately.
Crack!
“Kuaaaagh!”
Pesus let out a piercing scream and rolled on the ground.
“Don’t be dramatic, get up, Pesus. Are you planning to disappoint me?”
“N-no…! Master!”
Pesus got up. He was looking at me with eyes trembling with fear.
I raised my index finger and pointed at Pesus’s right shoulder.
“Look at your shoulder.”
“…This can’t be! There’s no wound!”
“This is called the Whip of Pain. Those who are hit by this whip are not injured. Instead, they only feel pain.”
I spoke solemnly.
The Whip of Pain. It was an item that had come out of a random draw sometime ago. It was relatively cheap at 15 points compared to its effect.
“Oh…. A, a great item…!”
“Pesus. You must have realized why I am giving you this Whip of Pain.”
“I think I understand. Master is planning to entrust me with the management of the Frost Hammer Clan members.”
“That’s right.”
He was a guy who would even kill his own brother to survive. I had confirmed that he had a desire for power by becoming the chieftain. It wouldn’t be difficult to handle Pesus.
‘If he wants power, I’ll give him power. Even if it’s the king of slaves.’
Power is power. As long as Pesus doesn’t seek higher power, he won’t betray me.
“You are the chieftain of the Frost Hammer Clan and the slave manager. And Malef. You are to assist Pesus.”
“I, Malef, will do my best to assist Chieftain Pesus.”
“You two are not slaves. Don’t forget that.”
Pesus and Malef were the type of guys who would rather be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon.
Of course, I had no intention of completely trusting these guys.
‘I should either coax one of the slaves or plant a spy.’
Pesus and Malef bowed deeply towards me.
“Thank you, Master! I will never disappoint you.”
“I will do my best!”
Afterwards, I forced the dwarves to eat the Ten Deadly Poisons.
I wasn’t going to believe their oaths of loyalty just because they swore it in front of me. What I trusted was the Ten Deadly Poisons that Yuria had made, not their oaths.
“Take this. It’s the Ten Deadly Poisons. If you don’t take the antidote within ten days, you will die.”
“…You didn’t have to use such a poison….”
“Don’t want to eat it?”
When I asked back, Pesus and Malef quickly shook their heads. They knew what would happen to them if they refused.
“…I will eat it.”
I watched with my own eyes as all 88 dwarves ate the poison without exception.
Now, these guys had no choice but to follow my orders in order to survive.
“I will give you your first order.”
