# Enhanced Translation
The situation was indeed urgent as Nabelun had said. Ivan and Enrique had to head straight to the Council Chamber at the dwarves' insistence.
Ivan had rarely seen so many unarmed dwarves sitting together in his life. (Which implies he had seen it before. But now he would never see it again.)
All the council members, except for the dwarves who had come to greet Ivan, were showing wariness toward the two humans who had suddenly barged in.
"Have you finally lost your mind, Comrade Nabelun? How dare you bring humans into the Council Chamber?"
"That's ridiculous. Wasn't it the Council's decision to request The Shadow Sword's support from Krasilov in the first place?"
"Look at Krasilov's answer to that request!"
The dwarves gestured toward Ivan, who stood with his arms crossed beside Nabelun.
"I don't want to repeat the same commotion, so let me make one thing clear. Do I have permission to speak, Nabelun?"
"Speak freely, Shadow Sword. You are now an official envoy of Krasilov."
"Good, then everyone listen."
Enrique stepped into the center of the Council Chamber, stood tall, and declared:
"As the official envoy of Krasilov, I shall present Krasilov's official position. Dwarves, councilors of Andgrund. We standing here are the only support Krasilov can offer..."
Angry shouts erupted among the dwarves. Nonsense! Stop this charade, human! Are you trying to insult us!
Enrique continued without flinching amid the chaotic chamber:
"And the most powerful support. Let me introduce myself: I am Enrique, Enrique Sergeyevika. A member of the Hero Party and a witness who was present at the very moment the Demon King was slain. I am someone who has never once yielded my position when naming the single most powerful force Krasilov can offer. If anyone still doubts my abilities, step forward and demand proof."
The dwarves still wore disgruntled expressions. But none among them dared challenge Enrique.
Enrique scanned the crowd and spoke:
"This man standing here is my disciple who has learned everything from me. He is the executioner of Aviditas and the commander of the Counter-Intelligence Command. Colonel Ivan Petrovich Yeremov. In the era you knew him well, he would have been a Major. Yes, the Spider."
"The Spider... Ivan! We heard he was dead!"
"Are we obligated to disclose our personnel administration to you?"
The dwarves fell silent at Enrique's words. Their silence was all but forced. Every council member in the chamber couldn't hide their expressions of bewilderment and terror.
The atmosphere in the chamber was clearly changing. The emotional currents swirling around one man were almost visible. Fear, hatred, anger, and again, 'fear.'
The Annihilation Squad that Ivan personally led had inflicted more damage on the dwarves than any single military unit in this world. During the war, the dwarves had retreated from only one front.
The defeat of that time transcended the tactical realm. Because the news of defeat was never made public. Because no survivors returned to report the defeat.
On that defeated front, an enormous expansion of military achievements took place. Only after the number of lost troops exceeded a critical point could they recognize and respond to the defeat.
As the intelligence network buried within the mountains gradually darkened, and all 'unexplored areas' beyond the shadows of the tunnels turned into 'danger zones.'
The dwarves realized their fear. The fear that 'the Spider comes for those left alone at the end of the tunnel.'
"These people are not our enemies, comrades. This is about punishing Aviditas's minions and the fools who dared rebel against the Secretary. Put down your axes and let's begin the dialogue."
At Nabelun's words, the crowd regained composure. They looked at Nabelun and the two humans with sunken eyes, then spoke:
"But we cannot share our front line maps with that 'Ivan,' can we? Even if we win with his help, what future do we have afterward? If Krasilov can identify all our tunnels beneath the mountains when a direct line to Andgrund is opened, what future does our race have?"
"Do you have a future otherwise?"
Finally, Ivan spoke. The dwarf who had first spoken flinched and stepped back.
"The Secretary's son has been kidnapped, half your race has risen in rebellion, and behind the rebellion's leader lurks the Seven Dragon Generals' legion. Can you truly turn the tide of war with your strength alone in such a situation?"
"...That's why we requested military support from you."
"That's why I'm standing here."
Ivan walked to the center of the chamber. He looked around at the still cowering dwarves, trying to make eye contact with each person one by one.
But no dwarf dared to look him in the eye.
"I understand your reluctance to share Andgrund's front lines with me. So I won't force you. Instead, I can make a promise."
"A promise?"
"Assuming I have no prior information about this region, I can accomplish the mission objective within half a year."
Ivan had been part of the Annihilation Squad, which was fundamentally an operational unit that infiltrated deep into enemy territory. Even when moving with the Hero Party, he aimed to identify potential dangers along the party's route and survive.
Therefore, he was an agent specialized in exploring 'areas with no information,' gathering intelligence, and surviving. He had never made a mistake on any front, which is why he was able to survive the Hero Party's beheading operation.
So this situation, where friendly positions are clear and enemy garrisons are also clear, is hardly a challenge for him.
Interrogating enemy troops encountered for the first time, identifying the location of their command post, striking the command post to interrogate, and infiltrating toward the next operational point. All these processes were ingrained in him to the point of calluses on his hands.
So.
"If you share the front line situation with me, I can accomplish the mission objective within two months."
"Two months...! Is that even possible...!"
"And if you transfer the front line situation, actual field command authority, and appropriate fire support capabilities to me, I can accomplish the mission objective within one week."
"...One...week!"
The dwarf who had first spoken stammered:
"What... is your expected mission objective?"
"One of two things. Either rescuing the Secretary's son as per your request. Or annihilating Aviditas's subordinates who are behind this war."
"Both of those..."
"That's impossible."
Ivan shook his head briefly. Claiming the impossible is possible is the behavior of a con artist. A trained agent should honestly convey the feasibility assessment of an operation.
"The Secretary's son is a kind of hostage. He's merely a deterrent against all of you. The moment Aviditas's subordinates die, the hostage will also die. Conversely, the moment the hostage is rescued, those who have lost their deterrent will certainly start an all-out war. At that point, assassination becomes virtually impossible."
"Are you predicting the current war situation?"
"If they've taken a hostage, they're not conducting an all-out war. That means they're inducing a delaying action while buying time, which suggests they're preparing something to turn the tide."
"Do you have any other opinions? I'll listen."
This must be some kind of test. Whether he's really Ivan Petrovich, and if he's as capable a commander as rumors suggest. That's fine. The Annihilation Squad always had to be more capable than rumors suggested.
"The reason the front is deadlocked is obvious, isn't it? Both sides are dwarves. Both defense and offense are excessive."
Even a basic dwarf infantry soldier has nearly perfect plate armor. When engaging in close combat, the formation of clustered dwarf warriors is like a barrier.
It blocks not only small arms but also close combat weapons easily. Even bringing in a decent superhuman wouldn't provide much advantage. Therefore, if dwarves engage in close combat, the front line naturally becomes protracted.
But at the same time, the dwarves' firepower is too excessive. They are fundamentally a race that builds cities underground by digging tunnels.
Contrary to many people's misconceptions, this doesn't mean they excavate the ground with shovels and chisels. They have developed highly sophisticated blasting explosives over their long history.
At this point, with all earth-network excavators lost, dwarf excavation technology relied almost entirely on blasting explosives.
And just as dynamite did on Earth, when industrial explosives are thrown at people, they become the prototype for weapons of war.
The dwarves' war weapons have excessive firepower. While they would be an absolute threat when fired above ground, that's not the case underground. This is because they can too easily fire shots that collapse entire tunnels.
In the dwarves' civil war, firearms had to be restrained if they didn't want to collapse the ground throughout Andgrund. Just as nuclear war on Earth is restrained to prevent mutual assured destruction.
"So Aviditas's minions, who already know all this, must have another plan."
"Another plan...?"
"Either they're excavating Aviditas's remains, or they're producing undead troops through large-scale sacrificial rituals. There are many reasons to buy time, but not much information. Maybe it's both."
Aviditas's skyship, [Fortress of Desire], crashed near the Sky Mountains. Although Aviditas was annihilated when his soul vessel was destroyed, his corpse would still be buried somewhere in the ground, lying at the bottom of the fortress.
Along with the many legacies he collected during his lifetime.
Aviditas's disciples would naturally want to recover their master's legacy. If several hundred years were to pass, a second Aviditas might be born.
So, they need to settle this now, before such a situation occurs.
Ivan felt a certain destiny. A destiny regarding the Seven Dragon Generals who had taken everything he had loved.
Now he had returned to turn everything Aviditas cherished into ashes and dust.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. It's time to gift oblivion to the undying specters who fled from death.
This is revenge toward each other, and an incense offering for the memories they both held.
Revenge and an offering for the subordinates of the Annihilation Squad who died at Aviditas's hands, and for Aviditas who was annihilated by the Annihilation Squad.
Ivan closed his eyes tightly.
The memory of that day still echoes in his ears. Their last words were always the same.
-Don't die here.
They said that with a smile to their comrades, even as they themselves were being swallowed by death.
Those words, first breathed by a comrade as he died, continued through the last comrade's breath and finally reached Ivan.
He alone remained. The wish of the entire strike team had become the motivation that kept him going until now. Don't die here. Don't die like this.
For all those who lived with purpose and died worthily. Let me at least remember them until the very end.
When Ivan finally opened his eyes, the assembly was watching him in silence.
"Now I believe. You are indeed the Spider from those days. Will you accept our apology?"
"It's meaningless."
Ivan shook his head briefly. Rather than indulging in such formalities, it was right to carry out the operation as quickly as possible. The enemy's forces would be quantitatively increasing every hour.
From that terribly efficient demeanor, the dwarves realized.
The reason why dwarves feared this man during the war. Because he was chillingly rational, translated that rationality into competence, and that competence invariably produced malicious results.
"The Secretary wishes to meet with you personally. We will share the complete map of Andgrund afterward, at the tactical meeting."
"Is Durantrain Elorvandi still serving as Secretary?"
"...Could I ask you to use proper honorifics at least?"
"I'll keep that in mind."
Ivan nodded and followed Nabelun.
The Secretary's palace was located deep down a massive staircase so large that five dwarf armored carts lined up side by side couldn't fill it.
Stone statues of dwarves holding axes and hammers lined both sides of the staircase, looking down at those approaching.
Old dwarf runes were embedded in gold at the arched entrance of the palace. [At the end of this path lies the center of the world.] Typical dwarf arrogance.
Unlike Nabelun, who trembled with awe, Ivan could remain indifferent, knowing that the planet's core couldn't possibly be this shallow.
-Thud.
-Rumble...
The palace doors opened, raising dust. The thick stone gates opened, and between them came the faint metallic sounds of clang, clang.
Clang, clang, clang. And the hissing sound of tempering metal. Sounds that would normally be heard in a forge echoed throughout this vast hall.
After walking for some time, Ivan was led to a massive furnace where heat rose intensely.
"Have you arrived?"
A short dwarf, covered in soot and hammering in shabby attire, turned his head toward him.
"It's quite an experience to face the human with the highest bounty in our world."
"Excluding the Demon King and the Seven Dragon Generals, your bounty was also among the highest in our world."
"Not anymore?"
"Not in the future."
At the sight of peace being discussed amid the bad blood accumulated during the war, this old dwarf laughed weakly.
"I am Durantrain Elorvandi."
"Ivan Petrovich Yeremov."
"Thank you for taking the time. Though I shouldn't say this as the one asking for help, I really wanted to see you in person."
"You were listening to the conversation in the council chamber, I presume?"
"That's what egalitarianism is, isn't it?"
Ah. Ivan nodded. True dictators don't easily reveal themselves. They know that the shadow cast from behind a curtain guarantees the greatest dominance.
"Isn't this work too trivial for the Secretary?"
"Forge work? It's not about who does it. It's more important whose hands it ends up in. Whether weapons or equipment, what matters is who wields them and what they aim to achieve."
The Secretary wiped the soot on his cheek with the back of his hand. But since his entire hand was already dirty with charcoal, his face ultimately became even blacker.
He looked at Ivan with a casual smile.
"What weapons do you use?"
"I don't discriminate."
"Your preferred weapon."
"Axe."
"Wait. Comrade Nabelun?"
Nabelun, who had been blankly listening to the conversation between the two, stepped forward in astonishment.
"Yes, Comrade Secretary!"
"Open the treasure chamber and give him the best weapon. Grant him whatever he wants, and supply him with anything he needs, even if we have to strip all of Andgrund."
The Secretary looked at Ivan with clear eyes and then turned back to stand beside the anvil. He placed the piece of iron he had been tempering on the anvil and raised his hammer.
"In return, give us back the remaining half of this mountain range."
"I will do so."
"Deal. Tell your master that I hope the next envoy will be a civilian. You may go."
The Secretary began hammering without waiting for a response.
Ivan gave a brief bow and followed Nabelun. The sound of hammering, clang, clang, echoed behind him.
A man like steel.
If Ivan ever had to come back to this underground city on Krasilov's orders to plot against it, it wouldn't be easy. Thinking this...