The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 117 - 04: Setting Out (4)

Chapter 117: Chapter 04: Setting Out (4)

The sunlight shone at an angle, and the wind blew gently through the mountains and forests.

The dwarves were all tied up like cargo and piled together. The Silver Moon Knights spread out, with some still searching the mountains for any remaining dwarves who hadn’t been caught. Even though Club claimed all his men were here, Carl didn’t seem to believe him entirely.

As for the problem Club didn’t know how to describe, Gray didn’t respond, only continued to quietly watch him.

This made Club start to break out in a cold sweat, and he began to spout nonsense one after another:

"How about I toss you an apple?"

"Or give you a manicure?"

"I can also do belly dancing... uh, if you don’t like it, I can also scrub your back?"

Club babbled on incoherently and the dwarves nodded in agreement, making muffled noises along with him.

Standing beside them, Shelley was so embarrassed she couldn’t hold her peace, and interrupted with her hands on her hips: "Is this how dwarves plead for mercy?"

"What are you talking about? Who’s pleading for mercy!? I’m not pleading for mercy! No! Proud dwarves would never plead for mercy from humans! I’m just, just trying to enhance mutual trust!"

"Why should we trust a bunch of robbers?"

"We are robbers, yes, but we are trustworthy robbers! You shouldn’t treat a group of trustworthy robbers this way!"

"Then how should we treat you? Should we kill you all?"

Upon hearing the word "kill," the dwarves’ faces went as white as ghosts.

Club’s mouth twitched, and he stammered, "We, we’re just doing a bit of robbery, that’s all."

"That’s all? You think robbery is a minor issue? How many people have you killed during your robberies?"

"None! We’ve never killed anyone! We only rob! We don’t kill!" Club struggled hard in his denial.

"Do you think I believe you?" Shelley snorted.

"We really haven’t killed anyone! You can’t kill us! You can’t!"

The other gagged dwarves beside them also made muffled noises.

"Calling out won’t help you, you know how we humans deal with robbers?" Shelley said word by word. "We hang all of them!"

The dwarves immediately shouted even louder.

"You can’t do this! You can’t! We’re just a bunch of pitiful dwarves, we’re only trying to survive! We’ve never hurt anyone!" Club began to wail.

The one truly holding the decision-making power, Gray, remained silent, silent enough to make Club’s scalp tingle. Especially with Gray wearing a mask, it added a feeling of depth, as if they could be sentenced to death at any moment.

Club kept struggling, perspiring nonstop.

Carl and other Silver Moon Knight Order members were used to Gray’s silence; they knew that in moments like these, Gray’s mind was a battlefield of thoughts.

Finally, after Shelley had exhausted herself arguing with the dwarves, Gray softly asked, "Are you willing to pledge allegiance to me?"

"Uh... what did you say?" Club was a bit dumbfounded.

Not only were the dwarves bewildered, but so were Shelley, Andrew, and the surrounding Silver Moon Knights, Black Cat, Vivian, and Catherine.

Gray slowly stood up, looking down at Club, and continued, "I asked if you’re willing to pledge allegiance to me? Follow me, fight for me. Didn’t you say you were just trying to survive? If so, following me, survival will no longer be a problem. I have lands to sustain you. Additionally, as a Holy Knight, I can pardon your crimes. Of course, the premise is that you atone for your errors."

A deathly silence ensued.

Club and the other dwarves stared at Gray in fear.

This request was a bit unexpected.

After a while, Vivian in Gray’s mind was the first to speak: "Gray, I don’t think what you’re doing is right. They are dwarves, not humans. Andrew has to cover his ears when walking amidst humans; imagine the effect of having a group of dwarves among people?"

"I also think it’s inappropriate," Black Cat whispered in agreement.

Catherine remained silent, saying nothing.

"Gray, you really want to take a group of filthy dwarves along?" Shelley frowned, her face full of disdain.

"Dwarves and elves are sworn enemies, I strongly oppose this. Even though my opposition might not mean much," Andrew also didn’t approve.

Jones and Dora, however, seemed indifferent, shrugging their shoulders: "We’ve seen weirder decisions, haven’t we? This isn’t too much."

However, Gray clearly had no intention of taking anyone’s advice. He seriously continued, "I can provide you with salaries, ensuring your livelihood. If you pledge allegiance to me, as a return, I will protect you. How about it? This condition should be reasonable, shouldn’t it? Unless you still plan on continuing your robbery here."

Club, finally coming to his senses, gritted his teeth and said, "No way, as proud dwarves, we can’t pledge allegiance to humans!"

"Alright then. If that’s the case, I’ll tie you all up and hand you over to a local lord. As a Holy Knight, I can’t let you keep committing crimes here." With that, Gray turned, ready to leave.

"No!" Club screamed in terror, "Don’t! Don’t hand me over to the human lords! I mean, you could coax me a little more. A bit more persuasion, after all, dwarves have their dignity, my men are watching me. If I agree too quickly, it would be disgraceful! Coax me a little more, maybe then I’ll agree!"

Gray turned back and quietly gazed at him.

Club swallowed hard.

Club’s subordinates all swallowed hard along with him.

"How do I know that persuading you once more would make you agree?" Gray asked.

"How will you know if you don’t try persuading me?" Club retorted.

"But I don’t want to try. What if you still don’t agree?"

"No! I will agree, I swear, just try once more, and I will agree!" Club was about to burst into tears.

So, in this awkward atmosphere, Gray asked again: "Are you willing to pledge allegiance to me?"

"Willing! Although reluctantly, we are willing!" Club shouted, and he immediately felt a sense of relief.

Gray turned and said, "Untie them."

"Just like that? Untie them? Isn’t it inappropriate," Shelley blinked.

"It’s fine. The first time, I choose to trust them. If they choose to betray, I’ll capture them and hand them over to the King of Fides," Gray said, waving his hand gently. Carl and the other members of the Silver Moon Knight Order immediately stepped forward and, without a word, cut the ropes binding them one by one.

The dwarves looked at each other, and after a moment, they burst into tears in unison. The scene was quite spectacular.

Beside them, Andrew rubbed his forehead, looking utterly annoyed.

Shelley also frowned, seeming somewhat unhappy with the dwarves’ inclusion.