An Extra's POV

816  Ater's Messengers

Perfect decorum.

No one uttered a single word as they witnessed the two humans introduce themselves.

Perhaps it was because they understood that underestimating them would lead to no positive outcome. The mere fact that they were able to approach the Senate so quietly had to mean they could bypass all the security measures and protocols that had been put in place throughout the building.

Even now, with them being in the meeting hall, none of the defense protocols were activating.

Why?

The Dwarves didn't even know they were present until they heard their voices.

Just how sneaky were they? How long had they been in the hall? They couldn't answer those questions, and so much more, which made them quietly stare at the boy and girl.

All the Leaders had one thought in their head.

'Who are they, really?!'

"We come with a message from Ater, Presiding Chief of the Giants. The last time a letter was sent, you killed one of his messengers, so I'd advise you to be a lot less impatient with your decisions this time." This time, it was the boy who spoke.

He had a letter with him, and a bright smile on his handsome face.

The Dwarves were still recoiling from confusion—particularly Councilman Frank.

He had indeed been informed of Giants who approached the walls with a letter from a certain "Ater", but he just assumed that there was no such person, and that the Giants were merely seeking another way to attack.

He remembered being amused by the rather unique choice of the Giants, but he didn't think anything more about it before telling his subordinates to attack with full force.

'S-so… Ater was real?!'

A bead of sweat fell from Councilman Frank's face immediately.

In a way, all of this war and mayhem was his fault. If he had just listened to the Giants back then, accepting their letter of goodwill… perhaps things wouldn't have escalated to such a level.

'Fuck! This is bad!' He stared at his fellow Dwarven Leaders, but it seemed none of them had thought of things to that point.

He was probably sa—

'A-ah!' One look at the two humans told him that he wasn't out of the woods just yet.

The boy and girl were staring directly at him, with knowing eyes and cunning smiles that told him that they knew exactly what he was thinking.

They were aware of his carelessness!

"Now then… I shall read the letter." Belle said, her smile broadening as Justin passed her the letter.

"Greetings, Dwarven Leaders. My name is Ater, and I desire peace between both Giants and Dwarves… all leading up to an Alliance with my Master. Of course, I understand there will be pushbacks, which might spiral into acts of violence. But rest assured… you will accept this proposal one way or the other. The choice is in your hands right now. If you choose peace, and by extension an Alliance, the Dwarven Republic will be spared from annihilation. I also promise to assist you with the scarcity problem you have, and offer support regarding the Dragon War with the resources at my disposal…"

She paused for a second, observing the reactions of the Dwarves.

"R-really…?"

"He'll help with the scarcity issue? H-hold on, how does he know about that?"

"D-does that even matter?"

"How can we even trust him?"

"He'll assist us with the Dragons too?"

"This is too suspicious, isn't it? Who is his Master?"

As they murmured among themselves, Belle and Justin shot themselves a knowing look.

They already knew this would happen.

"... But if you refuse this offer, there will be dire consequences." As soon as Belle said this, every Dwarf fell quiet instantly.

Their faces seemed to ask the same question.

"What consequences?"

"For starters, all of you here will be killed. The Senate will then be replaced by more sensible leaders who know the best choice for their Republic."

Their faces went pale instantly.

"One way or the other, the Dwarves will be allied with the Giants and serve my Master. If you know what's best for you, it's best you accept very quickly before I have to resort to more… convincing methods."

The Dwarves all glanced at the large screen that floated above their table, which displayed the current state of the battlefield.

At this point, it was clear that Ater—leader of the Giants—was phenomenally stronger than what they had ever expected.

He was too strong for them to stand against using conventional means.

Still… what he was asking for was too much!

"You make valid points. It's true we have been outdone by this Ater person…" The person who spoke was the Leader of the Scientific and Technological Advancement Sector.

He tilted his goggles as he spoke.

"However, he made one small oversight. He sent just the two of you to deliver his letter. Do you really think we'll let you walk out of here after coming into our territory like this?"

~DRRRRIIIINNNGGG!!!~

That very instant, a blaring alarm spread within the massive hall, with bright red lights filling the air.

In a flash, several machineries appeared all over the room—specifically Drones and Automatons.

"We can just capture you two and use you as leverage." The crazy Dwarf grinned.

"A hostage situation, eh?" "Exactly!" He turned towards the boy who spoke. "Or are you saying this Ater person doesn't care about your lives? In that case, should you really be working for him?"

At this point, the two humans looked at each other with barely contained grins.

"Well… he does care about our lives. Despite putting us through all kinds of things, he has made it clear that he will protect us from any harm that would kill us."

"T-then… that means you're valuable! Hahaha!" The Dwarf grinned maniacally, ordering his machines to close in on the two.

"Fools! You should have pretended to be dispensable!"

As he laughed, with the other Leaders—particularly Frank—still conflicted about what to do, Justin and Belle retained their aloof expressions.

"Why, though?" This question from the blond girl caused the Dwarven Leader to cease laughing, slightly confused by their overly calm demeanor.

"You Dwarves don't stand a chance against us. If you did, Ater wouldn't have told us to deliver the message.

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* n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

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[A/N]