817 Complete Surrender
"Well…"
Gaping mouths from all the spectating Dwarves faced the two humans who stood among a pile of Automaton and Drone parts.
"... It's just as I said. You Dwarves don't stand a chance."
They were completely unscathed, smiling ever so confidently as if the several high-end specialized machines that were thrust at them were nothing but small fry. Despite some of the reservations that the Dwarven Leaders had regarding the two, they never expected mere humans to stack up so well against their creations.
Yet… what was this?
Justin and Belle had disconcerted expressions as they looked at the Dwarves, who were now pale with fear. They recognized the consequences of their actions, and none of them wanted to face them.
Certainly not Councilman Frank!
"P-please spare us! I'm willing to cooperate!" He stepped forward, swallowing what was left of his pride as a bead of sweat fell from his face.
The two humans looked at him with a smirk, and while he despised the smugness they displayed towards him… he couldn't help but swallow his grievances and give a rubbery smile.
"F-Frank!"
"A-are you serious right now? You'd sell your own people to save yourself?"
"W-what are you thinki—?!"
"SHUT IT, YOU OLD FARTS!" Frank yelled out, his voice causing every single voice of criticism to cease.
All the Leaders stared at him with shock, completely taken aback by his tone.
Frank wasn't done, though.
"Do you think we have a choice here? We'll be killed if we resist. Our people will needlessly suffer… and we'll continue to experience this until we finally give in."
It wasn't just him that recognized this, was it?
"The Dragons are still on our case, and our resources diminish with every passing moment. These people are offering to help us with that, but only if we cooperate." He added. "The alternative is conflict… and can we really afford to allocate more resources to fight? If they don't destroy us first, the Dragons will!"
The way Frank saw it… this was checkmate from the start.
"I do this not just for my sake… but for the sake of the Dwarven Race. If you love our people, you should all let go of your pride and do the same." Frank still felt a bitter sting in his heart, as well as a rising apprehension, anytime he remembered the huge mistake he made with the Giants who first delivered Ater's letter.
'If only I had been this rational back then…' He once again glanced at the two humans, and they met his gaze with amused grins and slow nods.
'It seems they'll keep my secret now that I'm on their side.'
He didn't want to betray his colleagues like this, but there was no other way to go about things. Perhaps they could overthrow this Ater and his Master sometime into the future, but until then…
"I-I also concede."
"I understand. I won't resist any longer."
"M-me too."
… Surrender was the only option.
In merely a few seconds, joining the wreckage of metal and ores that were scattered all over the floor, the Dwarven Leaders knelt and bowed their heads in obeisance.
"Now that's more like it." Belle beamed sweetly, and so did Justin.
They both seemed glad by the change of heart—not that they had any doubt of it ever going sideways.
After all, Ater had already informed them of the situation with Frank, and how his cooperation would be instrumental in garnering the surrender of the remaining Dwarves.
"They belong to a collectivist society. Even if all of them are thinking the same thing, no single one will want to step forward first. That will label them as a scapegoat… an initial traitor. Which is why an additional, personal incentive must be given to one of them in order to make them take that leap of faith. Once one steps forward, the others will follow suit." Was what Ater told them when they asked how the whole thing would go.
They had also made a follow-up question regarding the incentive to be used, but he only chuckled at their question.
"There's no need to worry about that. I've taken care of it already."
Just as he said, Ater had handled every single detail to ensure smooth sailing for both Justin and Belle.
Fighting the Drones and Automatons just happened to be a mild hiccup.
"Haa… why couldn't they have summoned stuff like Monsters? We didn't even get a chance to Level Up…"
"Right? They weren't even that strong."
As the two spoke among themselves, the kneeling Dwarven Leaders watched with confusion and very bruised pride. They all glanced at the Head of Science and Technology, and the poor Dwarf looked like he was about to cry.
They could only imagine his pain.
"In any case… since you've all agreed to surrender, there's just one more thing we need from you." Justin stepped forward, clearing his throat as he stared at the crowd before him.
"Shall we get started?"
*********************
The final battlement stood tall, but everyone that remained on it knew this wouldn't be the case for long.
This was especially true for Councilman Finn.
He and his subordinates were outnumbered, outgunned, and overall outmatched.
This was an overwhelming loss for them, and the fact that the entire Fortress City had been surrounded by the enemies meant the place would fall before long.
… Perhaps in a few hours, in the best case.
'If we lose the Fortress City, we're all doomed. If the Giants don't do us in first, then it would be the Dragons.'
Either way, the Dwarven Civilization was on the brink of extinction.
"WE SURRENDER!"
A loud voice permeated the Fortress City—including the battlefield and the battlement where the brave Dwarves were standing on, ready to throw their lives away to stop the impossible enemies that were before them.
"W-what is… that…?"
Councilman Finn raised his head, his eyes widening as he witnessed the holographic display of the rest of the Councilmen.
All the members of the Senate were kneeling, their defeated features evident on the massive screen that was laid bare for everyone in the City to see.
Heck, even the enemies could probably see the screen if they had a special Skill, Tool, or Magic to aid them with it.
"T-those fools! What are they doing?!" Finn muttered, his fists clenched as he watched them grovel before the enemy.
'Have they no shame? No pride?!'
Why were they surrendering to an enemy who invaded their territory and caused so much chaos and destruction? Why would they—?
"D-does this mean we won't have to fight those things?"
"T-thank goodness!"
"I really thought I would die…"
"S-so I don't have to sacrifice myself? What a relief."
"The Senate made the right call…"
As Councilman Finn heard these murmurs from the soldiers around him, his widened eyes bulged even further.
'A-ahh…?' He turned to look at them, and he could see relieved expressions on their faces.
He noticed how pale their faces had become, and the beads of sweat that enveloped their visage. All this time, he was only aware of his fear, but now… after seeing just how scared everyone was, he could understand.
'We would have all been slaughtered. While it pains me to surrender now, it seems this is the only alternative.'
It left a bad taste in his mouth, but…
'....I suppose we'll have to ignore all the fatalities we have… h-hold on, fatalities…?' At this point, the Councilman's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
He looked around him, and then turned to the devastated battlements.
'H-how am I just noticing this?!'
No matter how hard his eyes scoured, he could not see a single corpse. None among the troops were even injured in the slightest.
Yes, they had lost a lot of infrastructure, but no one had been hurt.
Councilman Finn was not haughty enough to believe that this was due to his exceptional leadership and strategies.
No…
'... They intentionally caused no casualty!' He looked ahead, watching the army that remained still, and gulped.
The reason the Dragons remained still, rather than using their powerful breath to destroy the battlements… the reason the Undead Army had halted its advance, and even now… the reason why the Main Army was keeping its distance…
'... It's not because they're being cautious of us at all.'
They were being considerate.
All this time, while the Dwarves were fighting with everything they had, while fearing for their dear lives, the enemies never had the intention to kill them.
'From the very beginning, things would have turned out this way.' He made a wry smile and loosened his clenched fist.
He looked at the army of giants… at the Grand Knights, and at the one who sat on the throne.
The man was smiling with pure satisfaction and amusement.
Even then, Councilman Finn had to accept everything. His jaws loosened, and before he knew it, he was uttering words to the men around him.
"At ease, soldiers. We are surrendering…"
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