The meeting ended sooner than expected, and Hutt hurried toward a small, inconspicuous forge beside the castle. As the Minister of Internal Affairs, he could not ignore a crisis of this scale in Dolez City. There was only one person he needed to inform immediately—the city's guardian, the dwarven warrior Bahang.
Hutt arrived empty-handed. Gifts were pointless when dealing with the old dwarf. Bahang accepted offerings without hesitation, yet never felt obligated to repay anyone. Hutt's family had learned this lesson well over the past century.
Stepping into the forge, Hutt endured the suffocating heat and the acrid metallic scent. At the center of the workshop, a bearded dwarf hammered rhythmically at a glowing piece of silver metal, sparks flying with every strike.
"Master Bahang! Master Bahang! I bring urgent news!"
The deafening clang of hammer against metal forced Hutt to shout at the top of his lungs.
"What is it this time?"
Bahang casually tossed the heavy sledgehammer onto the anvil, the impact echoing through the forge.
"Speak. If it concerns House Hyde, I'll listen. But remember—I swore to protect the Hyde family, not to act as their nursemaid."
When the dwarf finally turned toward him, Hutt instinctively stiffened, fighting the urge to retreat. The aura of a formal-level warrior was overwhelming.
"Master Bahang," Hutt began urgently, "a devastating plague has erupted across Dolez. Yet His Highness, deceived by that foolish knight, plans to allow infected refugees into the city. If the last heir of House Hyde falls ill… what will become of us?"
At that moment Hutt played the role of a loyal servant perfectly, his face filled with concern and devotion. Anyone unaware of his reputation might have mistaken him for a faithful retainer.
But Bahang barely looked at him.
To the dwarf, such a "disaster" was nothing more than a trivial plague.
He waved dismissively.
"A little sickness? Nothing worth worrying about. I can disperse it with a touch of battle aura. As long as I'm here, no disease will reach this city."
He reached for his hammer again.
"My lord, please! This plague threatens the very foundation of House Hyde—"
But Bahang's patience had already run out. His gaze hardened as he interrupted.
"My agreement was simple. If the Hyde family faces danger, I protect them. If they are safe, I continue my craft. If they fall, I avenge them. Everything else is none of my concern."
Without another word, the dwarf raised his hammer and struck the metal again, making his position unmistakably clear.
The conversation was over.
Hutt clenched his teeth in fury, cursing the stubborn dwarf in his heart. In the end, he could only leave in humiliation.
When Hutt stepped out of the blazing forge, his face returned to its usual gentle, benevolent smile.
But beneath that smile, his fists trembled with suppressed rage.
"If I had known how reckless that church was, I would never have cooperated with them…"
Regret gnawed at him as memories resurfaced.
As Minister of Internal Affairs, Hutt possessed enormous influence. More than half of Dolez's nobility followed his lead. Yet despite that power, he could never overthrow Gothra, the useless young lord.
The reason was simple.
Cascarser, the ever-vigilant Knight Commander, constantly opposed him. And Bahang, the ancient dwarven warrior, stood as an immovable shield protecting the Hyde family.
Against a warrior of Bahang's strength, Hutt's political power was nothing but a fragile illusion. And with Cascarser watching him like a hawk, his dream of ruling Dolez remained unreachable.
Just when he had nearly abandoned his ambitions…
The High Priest of the Church of Tishachar approached him with a proposal.
Hutt remembered that meeting vividly.
The priest had spoken of eliminating Cascarser, whose presence had long obstructed the church's expansion. The zealot priest could no longer tolerate the knight's interference.
Their interests had aligned perfectly.
Without Cascarser, and with Bahang indifferent to politics, Gothra would become nothing more than a puppet.
And Dolez City would belong to him.
Blinded by greed, Hutt had accepted the alliance. He had covered up the church's secret missionary activities, ignored their smuggling operations, and even helped them recruit followers within the army—all to weaken Cascarser's influence.
But at the time…
He had not realized how insane the church truly was.
Now, sitting inside his carriage, Hutt clenched his fists, whispering in fury.
"These lunatics… Do they even understand what they've done? Do they intend to provoke every faction of the good-aligned camp?"
The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.
"Drugging people just to increase their believers… Are they truly that desperate?"
His thoughts spiraled darker.
Did they not know that Dolez's priests had already begun investigating?
That even the Dylan Kingdom had grown suspicious of the city's strange situation?
Did they truly believe such madness would go unnoticed?
Then a terrifying possibility flashed through his mind.
One so horrifying that he immediately tried to suppress it.
What if the church had caused the plague themselves?
If that were true…
This would be far worse than a disaster.
But no matter how much he wished to escape now, it was already too late.
Hutt had boarded a sinking ship.
Even if he desperately wanted to sever ties with the mad church, a dreadful feeling told him things would never be that simple.
Meanwhile, Dolez City appeared as peaceful as ever.
Although the plague ravaged the countryside, it showed no signs of entering the city walls. It was almost as if the epidemic had deliberately avoided the grand city.
To most citizens, the crisis was nothing more than distant rumors.
Within the city, nobles continued hosting extravagant banquets, laughter echoing through glittering halls. Even the common people remained calm, believing the plague to be mere exaggeration.
Only one group moved with urgency.
The city guard.
Under the command of the righteous Knight Commander Cascarser, they were assembling at the gates—preparing to leave the city and rescue stranded refugees.
Cascarser stood at the front of the formation, gripping his lance tightly.
Nearby, a group of noblewomen gossiped disdainfully about the departing soldiers, their voices dripping with scorn. Many among the aristocracy had openly opposed his decision.
The sight filled Cascarser with deep frustration.
To him, the solution had always been simple. With proper quarantine and inspections, many innocent refugees could be saved.
But the nobles feared infection. They refused to let the poor enter the city, no matter how strict the inspections might be.
Even worse—
The common people had begun opposing him as well.
This realization filled the knight with quiet sorrow.
He had devoted his life to protecting this city, yet when faced with crisis, its people were ready to abandon their own without hesitation.
Still, public opinion would not shake his resolve.
Even as the crowd cursed and mocked him, Cascarser remained unmoved.
One of his soldiers approached.
"The lords near the Luxuriant Forest have sealed their territories. They refuse to accept any refugees from Dolez," the man reported grimly. "The refugees have nowhere left to go."
Cascarser's grip tightened around his lance.
Then there was only one choice.
Without hesitation, he led the city guard forward, marching through the towering gates of Dolez City—
Leaving behind a city that had already abandoned its own people.