**Martelle/Helgath**
There was an air of strange silence as we sat by the campfire the Iron Princess kindled for us. While the humans ate their food, I couldn't bring myself to eat after that dream. And Kuro was visibly concerned about my sudden sour mood.
"Oi, milady, what is it that you dreamed about?" he asked. "You've puked a lot in your sleep, and screaming stuff, that we thought you're going to die. Never drink that much beer again, alright?"
I was in no mood to answer him, nor counter his sarcastic comments. If anything, I just wanted to sit there forever. I didn't want to sleep again, or continue on the journey. I knew what lies ahead of us, and I didn't like to go through it again.
Yes, the disappearance of my people had something to do with the dwarves…though again, my memories are hazy. The details are incomplete, or maybe, I'm just trying to forget it.
And honestly, I had no idea what Kuro and the Princess would think of me, should they learn the truth. The giants they knew were the gentle, civilized ones who could get along with the dwarves, as recorded in the books. Even I was fooled of it until now. While I was aware of how my people disappeared, the reason for that disappearance was buried deep in the remote places of my mind. I…I loved the dwarves, and slowly, I could remember befriending many of them in the past. And in their eyes, while they were afraid of us giants, they could always trust me.
I guess that's also why I became the dwarf saint…even though my real body is not even a dwarf!
"Lady Martelle!"
My chain of thoughts stopped when Kuro shook me back to reality.
"Your Holiness," it was the Princess. "You're getting pale again. Are you alright?"
"Here," Kuro gave me a cup of water. "Drink this. I'll cast the healing god-power of the Human Saint on you so you'd feel better. And you really should take a bath; the smell of vomit is all over you. Will you let me clean you up? I swear it won't 'violate' you, since I'll use the god-powers of the Elf Saint."
Well, I just let him; refusing help won't do us good, anyway, and this human's pretty stubborn. But damn…now that it was slowly returning to me, I felt terrible. And everything started to make sense: my fate as the 'last living giant,' my closeness to Louis, the dwarves' reverence for me…and their eventual 'switch' of faith…
Who would worship a person who killed and ate their loved ones? And even though the dwarves don't remember that ugly past, I'm still someone different from them…
"…"
Hence, I became close to Louis when he came to Equality. Louis and I were both alienated by our differences from the dwarves, and I really made him my 'safe place.' I relied on him so much I never ruled as the Saint, and passed the responsibilities on him.
"Your Holiness!"
"K-Kuro…" It was then that I noticed the humans were focused on me. The Princess was feeling my forehead, while Kuro was about to finish in his 'bath.'
"Ah, finally, you snapped out of it!" he clapped his hands when he heard me speak for the first time in a while. "Tell me, what dream did you have that made you deaf and mute?"
"Is it really that terrible, Your Holiness?" the Princess asked, trying to touch me; but my reflexes slapped her hands away. Honestly, her gentle face and voice wanted me to just fall into her and pour unto the Princess my concerns. However, I was afraid that they would fear me. Now that I realized it, these two…they were really concerned about my well-being; only Louis treated me the same before.
"Oi, Lily's just concerned about you. Don't push her away like that," Kuro said, though he smirked. "Well, I guess we can let that off; seems like you're really traumatized by what you've seen, Your Holiness."
"Kuro…Princess…" it was difficult to say what I have in mind. "W-What if, I…turned out to be an evil person?"
"Say what?" Kuro snickered. "Are you telling me that peddling unwilling women at your tavern-turned-brothel isn't a sign of being evil? And hiring goons to bully people is good? Well, let me tell you, Your Holiness, even saints in my world fucked up sometime in their lives. What is important is we realize it, and try to reverse the bad things we did."
"N-No, you…y-you don't understand! It's more than that!"
"What? Don't tell me you're killing people and eating them?"
At that point, I wasn't able to contain my urges anymore. I vomited, much to the surprise of my human companions. I heard Kuro say, "Oh shit, looks like it's true!"
"I-I'm sure there's a reason for it," the Princess countered. Deep inside, however, I could tell they suddenly were afraid, though not much, for both of them knew they could fight against a monster like me. But then, when everything settled, Kuro's mind was saying, 'well, cannibals in my world can have a great turnaround, so why wouldn't she?', while the Princess had 'I've done worse; at least Her Holiness is repentant.' Deeper in her thoughts, I saw bloody images of a person called the 'Bloody Witch of Meldech'…
These two are really weird…
"O-Once I give you the god-powers…" Now that the truth was out, I told Kuro, "You can leave me alone! You guys don't have to accompany a monster!"
"We'll have to go back to your real body for that to happen, right?" he said, trying to lift the mood. "So, it'll be awhile that we'll remain with each other!"
"Then, by all means," I tried standing up, but he pulled my arm. Nevertheless, I insisted, "let's finish this journey so you guys can move along!"
"Your Holiness," the Princess backed him up, blocking me with her body, and pushed me to sit down. "Everyone knows you're unwell. We can't force you, and you can't push yourself!"
"Don't say that," I smirked, trying to hide the pain I felt. "I eat people…giants used to eat dwarves! And I also find humans tasty!"
"That's bullshit!" Kuro replied with a chuckle. "Stop with your dramatic lines, Your Holy Dolt! Don't give me that 'I eat dwarves for breakfast, so I'll eat you too' stupidity! In the first place, you won't become the Dwarf Saint if the dwarves didn't acclaim you!"
"And acclaiming a saint is proof that those people love and trust you!" the Princess followed.
"But I did eat dwarves!" I reiterated. "It's all coming back to me now, those ugly memories my mind tried to suppress for a long time! It's also the reason I didn't serve as a Saint for the dwarves, and they ended worshipping someone else!"
"Let's say you really did that," Kuro countered. "It's all in the past now, though. The Lord Louis trusted and loved you before, so why can't we?"
His argument made me stop. But, it didn't just end there…
"We all did some fucked up shit sometime in our lives. Want to know mine?" At that moment, my eyes were pasted not on Kuro, but towards the Princess. I mean, she really said those words…and here I thought she will never cuss.
----------
***The city of Hemelin***
Having brought the 'war' into the capital dwarf city, Seirna lured the attention of Hemelin's allies from attacking Montserrant to defending the holy temple of their god. As their planes flocked to help their beleaguered master, the air forces of the miners' guild had a field day setting up ambushes and relieving pressure from their home base.
The disappearance of the Golden Hammer made the unified military efforts of the crusaders impossible. The commanders of the Church bickered amongst themselves on who would lead the punitive expedition to Montserrant. As it was a 'rebellion' never before seen in Equality recently, it was apparent that whoever conquers the Miners' Guild city would end having great power and influence over the faithful. It was a crusade, after all. The conquerors not only were absolved of their sins, but also get the right to live off with the plunder from their unholy enemies.
And the leaders of the other dwarf cities were aware of that. Combined with their own desires, the result was the disastrously uncoordinated attacks.
Their actions brought unintended, but pleasant, consequences to the forces rebelling against Hemelin, for it intimidated the other 'neutral' dwarf cities (but with tendency to remain in the fold) to maintain their 'neutrality', as opposed to outright supporting the Church. Some newly-converted faithful of the Lord Kuro's faith even took a step further. Convinced by the 'superiority' of their 'god,' they began a 'bombing campaign' that saw Hemelin and her allied cities bombarded by leaflets calling for their conversion to the 'one and true' faith…or risk destruction.
"…"
Encouraged by news of the crusaders' defeat, there were rumors of 'witch hunts' erupting in other cities and guilds, targeting the hated church officials, and their faithful. To Seirna, she just let it happen. Having had the original plan of just 'enlisting' the miner guild's help Kuro's group sneak inside the Golden Hammer's temple, the Overseer Saint never intended to draw the dwarves of Montserrant away from the Church. Nevertheless, when she saw they were ready to drop their religion from their fake god, it was 'criminal' of her to let the opportunity pass.
She meant to destroy that 'living blasphemy' sometime later, anyway.
Crucial to her 'edited plans' was the cooperation of the Miners' Guild, and to keep their beliefs in the 'otherworlder,' she had to give them impressive victories and make it appear that the entire 'rebellion' was also supported by people outside this land. After all, the dwarves' greed is something any sane person shouldn't cross; the Church made that mistake by instituting 'tithing' and 'temple taxes.'
"…"
Of course, Seirna was aware of the 'negative' effects of the ensuing violence. However, while there was the risk of strengthening the 'Seductress,' the benefit of turning the people back to the faith of the Saints and gaining a new god outweighed the possible bad results. So, she was now determined to 'evangelize' the dwarves…or kill them if they resisted.
The otherworlder knows that strategy called 'Faith and Sword.' It is from his world, after all.
Seirna could always opt to go the 'fast' route; with her god-power she could force the dwarves' conversion. Nevertheless, the Overseer Saint thought that their unbelief deserved punishment, so they would never repeat the same mistake in the future. It was her duty as saint, ever since time immemorial.
"Your Holiness!" A dwarf pilot interrupted her thoughts while they besieged Hemelin from the sky. "Another aerial army is approaching from the North. It looks like they are reinforcing the Golden Hammer's forces and got past through our blockade."
The Overseer Saint turned towards the direction shown and saw battered squadrons of enemy planes. Seirna smiled, and pulled her rapier. "Ah, they really ran through the gauntlet, but their wishes will end here. Let's see how their fake god will deliver them from my hands!"
----------
**Kuro**
Well, there were certainly a few bits of big surprises in this journey of ours.
"…"
When Lady Martelle finally calmed down, thanks to Lily, we resumed our travels. According to her, the other end of the dwarf tunnel was the giant roads themselves, and from there—I surmised—the travel time would be easy. After all, I doubt if the dwarf temple guards would follow us here, given that this place was largely a secret to everyone else.
"Are you okay, milady?"
"Y-Yes…just let me stay beside you for a while…"
Meanwhile, I couldn't be more thankful for bringing Lily with me. I mean, while I wouldn't judge the Dwarf Saint after that revelation, the fact remained that the Iron Princess would relate more on her issues. Both of them did something they believe was 'worst' in their past, and both were ladies, so if there was anyone who could console the former, it was Lily.
And really, I've noticed that the dwarf lady has gotten more attached to her.
As we moved away from the glow of the lava rivers, we had to switch to our own lights, though we really had to 'ration' what we turn on so the batteries that we brought with us with last until we reached Temun. We've talked about our options: the ancient giant roads connected the mountains, though, as Lady Martelle guessed, it might be full of uncharted dangers. It's been long abandoned, so I wouldn't be surprised if what she said was true. So, we must choose between 'flanking' the border checkpoints around Hemelin—which was a huge dwarf city encompassing several mountains, or travel to the giant roads all the way to Temun. The first option would take us several days to traverse, as once we knew we're out of Hemelin's limits, only then will we 'surface' on the next dwarf city.
The problem is, Lady Martelle have forgotten where Hemelin's boundaries ended. She has been away from this place even before Maddie was born, so her memories are wonky. Not to mention, Hemelin is the main dwarf city, so it's possible that they added more 'mountains' under their jurisdiction between Lady Martelle's days here to present.
So, determining if we got out of Hemelin would surely take time, as we'd 'surface' for every distance we traveled, to check if we're really out of the city.
The second option was fairly fast, as Lady Martelle—in her 'giant form'—would run through the roads up to Temun. But, as I've said earlier, the place was uncharted and long abandoned, so we didn't know what trouble we'd encounter, should we pick that choice.
"…"
My mind's been calculating the risks and the benefits of our options. It was obvious that the first one was safer, if we're going to remove the possibility of running into temple guard patrols. However, I find that probability near to impossible; the dwarves would never relent on finding us, for we 'humiliated' them greatly. Plus, it was prudent to avoid underestimating your enemy, or you'd end up being outwitted.
The second one frees us from the dangers of being caught, in exchange for possible surprises. Add to that fact that we were hurrying to Seirna, and I would end up picking the latter. I mean, compared to 50% chance of meeting the temple guard patrols, or running into their checkpoints…plus extended travel time, when we should arrive in Temun as soon as we could, I think the 100% surety of avoiding the temple guards via the ancient giant roads was way better.
And so, we're back to our current situation.
"I think we're nearly out of the dwarf tunnels!" I heard Lady Martelle say. And true enough, the darkness that covered the path we took slowly faded into the white brightness of the outside world. The dwarf lady was the first one to head out, checking the surroundings before extending her hands to help us as well.
"!!!"
What immediately greeted us were the damp, cold, and foggy temperate jungle, interspersed with boulders on the ground that we knew were artificially arranged, to serve as 'pavement' for the road we're searching for. Huge—and I mean, giant-level huge—trees dotted the landscape. I think one of those would take hundreds of humans to form a circle around it. Leaves were unnaturally large, at least to my standards…maybe about the size of my chest. And the fallen 'branches' were akin to the size of fallen trees in Chersea. I couldn't help but admire the beauty of Equality's 'untouched' nature; it felt like we were in another world.
"Well, you're quite right, Kuro," the dwarf lady quipped. "This is a world far different from what the dwarves up there in the mountain peaks know."
"When you said up there," Lily asked her. "You're saying that we're at the foot of the mountains, Your Holiness?"
Lady Martelle nodded. "And have I already told you, those are not mountains by the giant standards. For us, those are just hills!"
----------
We stopped for a moment to rest. Traveling from the bowels of the 'dwarf mountains' and into the cold and damp jungle outside exhausted us humans. And, really, I felt like I'd like to stay here, even if it's just for a minute longer.
Lady Martelle pointed to the ground immediately beneath us. "I'm sure you've already noticed these boulders unnaturally lined up like the cobblestone streets in Chersea. Well, this is one of the ancient giant roads, though it was lost in time's passage."
"I know I should've expected it, since the word 'giant' is in the name, but this sure is big—no, huge, milady." True to its name, the boulders that comprised the road reached up to my waist, and could fit two human adults lying down. If this was used as a table, it could easily fit the 'king's dinner table' description.
"Well, again, you've seen the size of my real body when I transformed in Hemelin. However, I'm small and sickly compared to my peers," she replied. "Of course, big creatures need big spaces."
"That's fair."
"Your Holiness," Lily came to her. "Since we have the time to talk, why don't you tell Kuro what you told me?"
"H-Huh?" the dwarf lady was visibly troubled by the Iron Princess' words. "Do…Do I really have to?"
"Well, what's the harm?" I encouraged her. "I've seen a lot of fucked up stuff even before getting summoned here. Besides, I don't think it's the right time to doubt you, milady. We've been through a lot together, and never once did you betray us. Why would we fear you now?"
Lady Martelle said nothing, but she never took her eyes away from me. And, to be honest, this was the first time I saw her so vulnerable. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath, paused for a few seconds, and said, "Y-You see—"
"I forgot to tell you, milady," I added, interrupting her, "I'd love to know the secret histories of the places I visited."
"Damn it, Kuro," she slapped me on the head. "Once I began to speak, let me finish!"
"Sorry." Well, I guess the power of the Human Saint was already working on her; Lady Martelle was in a better mood compared earlier. Proof of it was when she hit me.
"No worries. I know you did that to lighten the mood," the dwarf lady chuckled. "To start with, let me say that this land had two races living together in its ancient past; the dwarves and the giants. Long ago, those peoples cooperated, the giants building monuments and the dwarves assisting them."
"It says so in the books," I pointed out.
"Yes, it does," Lady Martelle smirked. "Only, those books tell lies."
"You said earlier that your kind is eating dwarves," I reminded her. "Somehow we already have an idea that not everything we read in those books is accurate."
"All of those aren't," she added, clearly amused at our confusion.
Lily and I stopped on whatever we're doing and chorused, "What?"
The dwarf lady nodded. "Yes, lies…even I was deluded at some point, until now. In reality, dwarves…" she paused for a bit before continuing; her face contorted a little, "…they are livestock for us giants."
As she had already revealed that, I wasn't surprised by her revelation. Nevertheless, it reminded me of that popular anime/manga I watched and read before; it was all about that race of people who transforms into cannibalistic giants, and wreaking havoc in the world they existed in.
"Yes, it's like that," Lady Martelle confirmed. "Only, in your manga, the giants are mindless. Here, we know what we're doing…which makes it worse!"
"Well, it's no use to return to that stuff; it has already happened, and we can't do anything about it." I gave her a little pat on the back. However, the dwarf lady continued on her story…
"It's slowly making sense to me…" she said; her head was going around as if she was afraid of something that could be lurking behind the fog cover. "The tunnel that we just went through are part of an elaborate network of dwarf 'defenses' in case our giant 'farmers' gathered them for meals. And the reason I became the dwarf saint is that I was the only one who refused to treat them as 'livestock.' Even so, I killed many of them in the past…"
We said nothing, as Lady Martelle told her story. I mean, I wanted to console her; but really, I don't have the words to say. The terror in her eyes were real, which grew more severe the longer she went on with her past. Nevertheless, it was at that moment that Lily intervene and made her stop.
"Princess…those dwarves can think! They can feel!" the dwarf lady muttered. "It didn't feel right for us to feed on them!
"Yes," the Iron Princess hugged her. "It's okay; we all made big mistakes in our past…"
It's not that I was willing to pursue the matter with Lady Martelle any longer; it was something painful for her. However, I couldn't help but think there's more to the story she was telling us. There were things that would 'lack' in logic, or remained unanswered.
For instance, the disappearance of the giants…and the truth about this land.
"Kuro."
"!!!" My thoughts dissipated when I felt Lady Martelle touch me. Then, once she had my attention, she gestured towards the fog cover. "I know you wanted to learn more about this place's past. It lies deep behind these mists…"
"Hey, I understand your sentiments, Your Holiness!" I reassured her. "Don't force yourself to cater to my whims! If this is uncomfortable to you, we can wait…or better yet, let's drop this topic altogether."
However, the dwarf lady shook her head. "I'll…be fine, probably. But I guess, this is also the good chance to face my past, so I can put it into a conclusion…no matter what the result might be."
"There are some issues that don't deserve to see the light of the day," I countered.
"Don't think of me as some weak, and pampered human noble. I may shed some tears, but dwarves are of different make…and so are giants," she replied, trying to flash a smirk, yet I could tell she was really pushing herself. "Coincidentally, I identify as both. Besides, Kuro, you wanted to treat me as an equal, then I'd oblige. Let's go."
I glanced at Lily, who answered me with a nod.
"Kuro," Lady Martelle tapped on my shoulder. "You aim to be a god, right? Well, part of the duties of being a deity is knowing the land you'll govern…the good, and the sick, parts of it."
I can't deny she makes sense.
"Listen, Kuro, duke of Maverny and the future god of this world…" the dwarf lady started walking into the fog. Of course, Lily and I had to follow her. "…what you'll see ahead are the truths that made Equality into the world that it is today."
----------
Walking for a few more distances into the fog cover, and we eventually reached a clearing. The human-sized boulders disappeared, as well as the thick vegetation. To me, it felt like we're walking into 'swirling whiteness', and basically, I had to put my hands up to 'feel' my way. The danger of bumping into something, or losing my companions, was high. Still, Lady Martelle trudged ahead as if she could see through the fog cover. Her dark silhouette contrasted against the whiteness, while I never let go of Lily's hand.
"…"
And then, the dwarf lady finally stopped. Naturally, we followed her lead.
"Anything wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing," she told me. "It's just that…this place, it feels so nostalgic."
"You can see through the fog?"
Lady Martelle shook her head. "But I know this place well."
"!!!"
At once, her hands glowed in emerald green. Then, I heard her say something in a strange language, which intensified the glow. Lily and I slowly felt our legs quiver; much to our horror, the ground itself shook…though the dwarf lady was unperturbed. Finally, just as we regained our balance, the earthquake stopped, and a powerful wind blew that nearly caused us to fall. Fortunately, Lady Martelle was quick to catch my hand, and help us stand.
"What did just happen?" was Lily's question for her.
"Observe, Princess…and Kuro," the dwarf lady quipped as the fog slowly dissipated and the light of the skies landed on the ground for the first time in a long while, revealing the ruined landscape before us. "This is the land of Equality…no, the land of the Giants and Dwarves, Cherhom."