Chapter 512.1
At the Planned Stadium Construction Site
A few days after my visit to the training ground, I was at Rogard Empire again, this time to visit the stadium that was still under construction.
After exiting the imperial castle by the door, I flew a little towards the stadium, and soon I heard the sound of hammering, men shouting, and even the sound of some kind of large machine – or rather, something that looked like a large magical tool being moved.
I could feel the energy and enthusiasm of the workers.
“Okay, put that construction material over there. You idiot, that’s not the right order! It’s a big building. If you make a mistake in one place, everything you do above will be wrong! Be careful.”
Among them, the one who was directing the construction work, with his voice one level higher than the rest, was the Dwarf King Doda.
He was responsible for the construction of this stadium.
The construction was led by the dwarves, but the king of the dwarves also came personally and organized all the craftsmen together.
Moreover, since the start of the stadium construction, he had not returned to his village even once, but stayed overnight and continued to work on the stadium.
He told me, “It has been a while since I had my craftsman’s blood boiling with joy to the point that I couldn’t help but continue working. This is such a happy workday!” while laughing loudly.
The human, beastman, and demon craftsmen who were working with the dwarves were also surprisingly skillful. I couldn’t help but think, ‘These craftsmen are really spectacular.’
I didn’t want to mention this, but one of the human craftsmen said, “This is a shameful thing to say, but we alone would not have been able to achieve this fantastic construction speed.”
It couldn’t be helped because it was only with the help of the Dwarves that they were able to build the stadium at such ridiculous speed.
One of the Dwarf craftsmen chuckled and told the human, “I’m glad you appreciate it, but…I have to tell you that we can only build at such a speed, perfectly and to the last detail, when that person is responsible for the project.”
The Dwarf King Doda supervised the entire project. He could spot differences in the progress instantly, efficiently allocate work, perfectly grasp the consumption of materials, look for wear and tear of tools. He basically made sure everything was being done as effectively and efficiently as possible.
One of the craftsmen told me before that the King was able to work things that way because he already had a clear picture in his mind of what he expected the work would look like when it was completed.
And that the King was also the best craftsman in the Dwarves, so I was amazed.
His main job should be a blacksmith, not a carpenter…but anyway, he must simply be good at making anything in general.
I called out to the Dwarf King when I was sure I was not interrupting his work.
“Hey, still working tirelessly, aren’t you?”
“Oh? –if it isn’t Yuki! I’m glad to see you in good health.” (Dwarf King)
“You too. It’s interesting to come back here after a while and check the changes in how it looks compared to before.”
“Well, we are honored to be a part of such interesting architecture. So, what’s up today?” (Dwarf King)
“Nothing much, I simply wanted to see what’s new here. I brought you some food. The cooks at the castle did a great job cooking, so there should be enough for everyone.”
I opened my item box, set up a few tables, put three big pots of hot food on them, and prepared as many plates and spoons as I could find.
It was for several hundred people, so the number of plates alone was enormous.
“Oh, thank you! It smells so good! All right, boys, time for a break!”
The Dwarf King’s thunderous shout halted the work at once, and the craftsmen gathered at our location.
Hmmm, it appears that he was perfectly leading the people here.
After they gathered, the Dwarf King gave them quick instructions, and they soon created a system to serve food and distribute it to everyone.
After everyone expressed their thanks to me in a loud, wild voice, they started to eat….
“What’s this, yummy! This is delicious!”
“I never thought I would find food like this here.”
“This might be the best food I’ve ever had in my life.”
“I think I’m going to cry a little.”
The castle’s cooks – the Court Chefs, in other words – prepared beef stew.
The ingredients were mainly meat from monsters I hunted in the Demon Forest, so there was no doubt that it was, in fact, a dish made with plenty of top-quality ingredients.
And so, while the craftsmen were gorging themselves on the food and recharging their spirits, I exchanged a few words with the Dwarf King.
“Ah, I almost forgot. –Enne, the old man Dwarf King is here. Say hello.”
I took Enne’s main body out of my item box, and Enne immediately transformed into human as she appeared, bowing a little to the Dwarf King.
“…Hello, Uncle.” (Enne)
“Oh, Young Lady Zaien! …As usual, your appearance is quite astonishing, but I’m glad to see that you’re doing well. Are you eating well?” (Dwarf King)
“…Hm…yes. I’m eating a lot and working out a lot.”
The Dwarf King patted Enne on the head, looking at her with the eyes of a grandfather looking at his grandchildren.
“…Children are good, aren’t they? Hopefully, this competition will lead to a good future for them.”
“…Yes, I agree. That’s part of our goal in completing this structure and event.”
The Dwarf King, as I remember, was childless.
He did have a wife, and in fact, I greeted her once before when I visited the Dwarf Village… From the looks of it, I could tell that his wife also loved children, so there must be a reason why they didn’t have any.
It might be something I shouldn’t ask… lightly, you know.