***The city of Hemelin…***
The call of the First Deputy Priest for a crusade against Montserrant sent shockwaves throughout the land that still sided with the Golden Hammer. Perhaps tired of the long and boring peace, dwarves from all walks of life immediately answered the call of their god. Militias were formed, old flying machines refurbished, and their steam-powered war hammers and battleaxes oiled. In the upper echelons of the dwarf leadership, guild leaders and their lieutenants planned their own offensives against the 'heretical' city of miners, baited by the hope of absolution of their sins, as well as talks of getting exempted from the religious taxes.
On the ground, the dwarf media whipped up religious fervor. News coverage of the destruction in Hemelin were broadcasted, along with the rumors of the giant that 'kidnapped' the Golden Hammer. To further push the people to 'righteous anger,' the Church let dwarf celebrities join in the recruitment campaigns that targeted the dwarves from the lower strata of their societies.
"The miners of Montserrant want to destroy the progress our society has made! Only those who are righteous will take up arms to defend our freedoms and ideals!"
"If the dwarves of Montserrant won, then they will surely revert our land to the worship of the saints! Equality dropped that false religion because we all know the saints never cared for us! Look at the worlds of Chersea, Cherwind and Cherwoods; their peoples remain barbaric to this day!"
"Hi! This is your idol, Lahg Ahri! Never let darkness and tyranny win over freedom and courage! Let's go to war against Montserrant now!"
"…"
And watching all the things unfolded were Kuro, Lily and Lady Martelle. As they hid and evaded patrols hunting them, they had to enlist the help of the people on the outskirts of Hemelin, most of which were personally acquainted to the dwarf lady. Because of that, their group had no problems with accommodation and supplies, for the poor dwarves were willing to help them with whatever they had.
Kuro couldn't help but be impressed by what he witnessed. "It seems like you know everyone in these tunnels," he quipped.
"Haven't I told you about my connections in the underground?" Lady Martelle replied.
"Well, I'm aware you had connections, but up to this extent is quite wild. I mean, I can do the same; however, not up to the point where people would sacrifice their lives for me when they are just acquaintances."
"Acquaintances?" the dwarf lady asked. "Aren't you mistaking my connections to these poor folk?"
"Do elaborate."
"My apologies for butting in the conversation, human lord," their host—an old dwarf with his home near the lava rivers—said. "But almost all of our neighbors here know Lady Martelle. After all, she may be not in good terms with the church, but she does care for us poor dwarves."
"Hoh?"
Lady Martelle puffed her chest. "I'm sure you know of that story from your world, Kuro. Do you remember Robin Hood and his merry men?"
Now it dawned on the human. "So, you're basically saying, you're doing bad acts to help them?"
"Ah! That's quite an interesting story," Lily commented. "Do tell me about it when we get home."
"Sure," was Kuro's assurance to her. Nevertheless, hearing that these poor dwarves vouched for Lady Martelle's kindness to them increased his respect to her a little.
"A little?" the dwarf lady blurted out. "Hey! It's not easy to go against the criminals that run the Church! And you give me only a little respect?"
"Oi, helping your dwarves is still different from trafficking human ladies for your benefit," he countered. "Still, I have to give credit to what is due. For that, you have my respects."
"Shut up!" Lady Martelle averted her face from me, yet I could still see her ears turning red.
At that moment, their dwarf hosts entered the conversation once again. "While we don't know the exact circumstances of her situation in your land, human lord, we admire Lady Martelle's courage and understanding of what is happening in these remote parts of Hemelin. To us, we'll follow her more than the dwarves that always blabber about 'equality' and 'progress,' yet does the otherwise."
Lily asked, "Oh? So, there's really a divide between the dwarves in the upper levels, to the dwarves in these lower ones?"
"What do you mean by divide, human miss?" the old dwarf returned her question, but explained their situation nevertheless. "It's not really that we hate what the Church is preaching, but you know, when your stomach is grumbling and those that can help are more concerned about 'being equal' instead of actually helping us poor folk…Well, I'd rather look for food to feed my family instead of listening to their meaningless rhetoric."
The Iron Princess inadvertently stared at Kuro, as she knew that the ideas the dwarf was talking about came from his world. Still, the human duke remained silent, listening to their host.
"You see, my dear humans," it was Lady Martelle. "Talks about 'equality' and 'freedom' will only have true meaning to the poor folk if those would put something in their stomachs, or help them out of their situation. Isn't it the same in your world, Kuro? Louis has told me about these 'social justice warriors' who keep on doing annoying things for their 'good' cause. However, what they don't understand is, as long as their advocacies won't actually do something to the poorer folk other than inconvenience them, those 'shouts' and 'screams' remain as mere annoyance rather than a force to reckon with."
"Hence, we'd rather stay off the affairs of those on the surface," the old dwarf reiterated. "We still have problems with our food, yet the Church is worried more about their humiliation than help us. It's their problem; likewise, we'll solve ours. Maybe if the military recruiters come here with better promises and solutions, then we'd consider. If not, then, we'll continue to exist outside their sight."
"Better note that Kuro," the dwarf lady snickered. "After all, only time will tell when you'll get the chance to serve these guys."
"Of course," Kuro nodded. "I know that very well…"