I Became the Teacher of a Troll Tribe

Chapter 17: Iron Jesro (2)

A basement devoid of any light.

The low ceiling held a crude lantern, swaying slightly.

In short, it was the very image of a grim interrogation room.

“Name: Seong Jinyu. Age: 28. Troll language ability user. Earthling. Former profession: teacher…”

This was the information I’d shared on my first day in Zul Dron, in front of the shaman.

They’d recorded everything.

Their administrative system remains a mystery to me.

“Let’s proceed quickly.”

“…”

The one conducting the interrogation was an older troll, clearly the most seasoned among them.

Judging by his demeanor, he was at least on par with Morgan in rank.

Incidentally, the other trolls from the group hadn’t come down to the basement.

They were probably interrogating Stone Grunder in another room.

“Let’s start with a few confirmations.”

“…”

“Did you visit the Patrol Unit and the Empire’s spy, Stinson?”

Of course, this is where they’d start. I had to tread carefully.

“I did.”

“You stood before the [Totem of Judgment] there, correct?”

I nodded.

“At the time, Stinson identified you as a multifaceted ability user. Do you remember?”

Oh, I remembered.

I genuinely thought I was going to die.

I nodded again.

“So, how did you survive?”

Why are you asking me? I didn't even know for a while.

The only explanation was that being a multifaceted ability user mattered less than the fact that Stinson was an imperial spy.

“I don’t know.”

“…I see. Understood.”

Huh. They let that go rather easily.

They must know something I don’t.

As Morgan mentioned before, they’d been investigating Stinson for a long time.

“Can we assume that you acknowledge being a multifaceted ability user?”

“...Yes.”

“When did you first become aware of this? And are there any abilities besides aura that you haven’t disclosed?”

“I knew from the first day I woke up here. But for some reason, I couldn’t use my abilities right away. I only recently learned to control aura. As for other abilities…”

They were already aware of my [Descent of the Shadow], which I’d openly used.

I’d intentionally avoided showing [Master of Black Flames]—there were too many variables in this world.

The only witness to that was Stone Grunder, and he probably thought it was some kind of magic tool.

As for the rest of my hidden traits, they were all passive.

No need to mention them.

“There are no other abilities.”

“Hmm…”

The interrogator troll fell silent, lost in thought, before speaking again.

“Does anyone else know that you’re a multifaceted ability user? Colleagues at the language academy, students, neighbors—anyone?”

“No one.”

This was true.

Ever since learning that multifaceted ability users were marked for execution, I’d been extremely cautious.

I’d even gone to great lengths to hide it from Evelyn.

“This is a critical question. Are you absolutely certain?”

“I’m certain. Like I said, I only recently learned to use aura.”

“Grrk!”

“…”

Next up was Morgan.

“Stone Grunder told me you avenged the captain.”

‘…’

I got lucky.

Really lucky.

“How did you do it? Was it purely through aura?”

“They let their guard down. I could never pull it off again.”

“...Do you know who you killed?”

Oh, I knew.

That’s why you didn’t stick around to fight them yourself.

“I was just struggling to survive.”

“…”

A brief silence hung in the air.

Morgan and the interrogator exchanged a look.

I didn’t think they’d caught me lying, but…

What’s going on here?

It was Morgan who broke the silence.

“Professor. Are you scared?”

A little, yeah.

“...We still have more to investigate about Stinson. For now, you’re free to move around as you please. When we return to Zul Dron, you’ll have to resume teaching at the academy.”

Well, work is work.

It sounded like they were letting me go for now.

Seemed like I’d avoided the worst-case scenario…

“But, join the Green Root Intelligence Unit.”

Huh?

The Green Root Intelligence Unit?

“This isn’t a request.”

Morgan’s serious gaze left no room for argument.

The interrogator said nothing, indicating this had been prearranged.

“Refuse, and you die.”

***

I returned to the hospital room, my mind heavy with unease.

‘…’

The Green Root Intelligence Unit.

In terms of my world, it would be like the military’s intelligence division or counterintelligence agency.

Information about the unit was scarce, fitting for a group focused on confidentiality and security.

Even with all the research I’d done on Zul Dron’s internal organizations, it remained a mystery.

[Do not let today’s conversation leak. If it does, your death won’t be the end of it.]

Damn it.

Why is my life constantly on the line?

What a cursed fate.

‘Well, joining the intelligence unit is inevitable now…’

The real problem is what comes next.

They hadn’t bothered to explain anything.

They’d just thrown the offer out there and said I’d die if I refused.

The thought of working with these people made me miss Toka and Lactomar’s straightforwardness.

[Hidden Trait ‘Calm Mind’ is active.]

It’s oddly comforting, in a way.

A useful trait.

Given the situation, I decided not to think too much for the time being.

At least the worst hadn’t happened, right?

I just needed to focus on surviving long enough to get back to Zul Dron.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll explore the city.’

The official delegation would arrive in a few days.

Before that, I’d buy some souvenirs for Lactomar and Evelyn and get myself some new gear.

After all, you don’t get to see dwarven blacksmiths’ work every day.

***

True to my plan, I dragged Toka along for a city tour.

I’d thought about going alone, but it would’ve been boring.

Besides, she could speak Dwarvish.

Even with [Master of Languages!] boosting my learning speed, I wasn’t yet fluent enough to hold conversations with the locals.

It felt a bit like this:

“Dunis, pretty troll Tamis De Khan!”

“Sister, Hemian is beautiful!”

“Humans and trolls Kenis Zenka together?”

While I didn’t catch everything, one thing was clear: every shop seemed to comment on Toka’s beauty.

Seriously? Is she really that stunning?

“Hoho…”

Toka chuckled, clearly enjoying herself.

Look at that smug expression.

Sigh. If I’d known it’d be like this, I wouldn’t have bothered learning Dwarvish at all.

Hearing bits and pieces just makes it more frustrating.

Still, thanks to Toka’s apparently attractive appearance—at least by dwarven standards—we managed to score a decent meal.

After leaving the restaurant, we headed toward the street where the forges were clustered.

Clang! Clang, clang!

Shiiiik!

The moment we entered the forge district, the sharp, metallic scent filled the air, accompanied by the steady rhythm of hammering.

‘These guys are seriously all about their craft, huh.’

From what I remembered, the city’s size was roughly comparable to Zul Dron’s.

However, thanks to their advanced architectural techniques, Iron Jesro made much more efficient use of its space.

Even within the city’s organized layout, the forge district stood out as something special.

“...Jinyu, is this even real?”

The main central path stretched wide, flanked on both sides by countless forges as far as the eye could see.

“…There are too many. I don’t even know where to start.”

“T-That one’s got a whole three floors of forge! Woooow…”

It felt like the entire commercial district of Zul Dron had been condensed into a single street of forges.

Except this place was much cleaner and more orderly.

We wandered through the street, our eyes darting in every direction.

“Oh, wow!”

Whenever something caught our eye, we’d step inside for a closer look.

“Hehehe! Jinyu! That’s way too small for you!”

“It’s too small for you too.”

“...Get rid of it!”

We even tried cramming helmets made for dwarves onto our heads—unsuccessfully, of course.

“Denish! Poki!”

I attempted a clumsy negotiation in Dwarvish, only to be swiftly rejected by a scary-looking shopkeeper.

Sigh. Really.

Not even a week ago, we’d both been fighting for our lives.

Now, it felt like we were on some kind of vacation.

A fun, relaxing one at that.

“Hey! Look over there! That sword looks just like the one you used!”

“Hm?”

Following Toka’s pointing hand, I spotted a pair of blue-bladed twin swords.

They gleamed with a sharp edge, their craftsmanship unmistakably dwarven.

Any dual-wielding swordsman would be tempted by such weapons.

Even the length was perfect for me.

The only problem…

‘800,000 gold.’

I still had the payment I’d received from Aisona, so I could technically afford it.

But that was nearly three months’ worth of taxes.

Get a grip, Seong Jinyu.

You’re just a language teacher.

I was about to walk away with lingering regret when—

“Excuse me, mister, how much for this?”

“...”

Before I could stop her, Toka rolled up her sleeves and stepped in.

A short while later…

‘...This is unreal.’

“Hehehe…”

“T-Thank you.”

“Hehehehehe…”

What the heck did she say to him?

No matter how I looked at her, she seemed intoxicated with herself.

“You’ll treat me when we get back, right? Heheh! It’s all thanks to me!”

“Ahem.”

“Answer meee!”

“Alright, alright.”

I couldn’t deny it anymore.

At least in Iron Jesro, Toka was basically a celebrity.

She had managed to bring the price of an 800,000-gold pair of swords down to just 300,000.

Her broken Dwarvish had effectively earned us a 500,000-gold discount.

‘At this rate, she might just settle down here.’

“Is there anything else you need?! I think we could even get something for free!”

We browsed a few more shops, but unfortunately, that was the limit of her charm.

“Poki!”

“Hmph…”

Toka pouted, disappointed, as we left the forge district.

Even so, it had been a worthwhile experience. I think I finally understood why people spent so much money traveling to unfamiliar places.

Grip—

I was thrilled with the new weapon. Since it didn’t have an official name, we decided to call it the [Toka Twin Swords].

On our way back to the hospital, just as we were about to part ways…

“Jinyu! When’s your discharge?”

“Tomorrow.”

Come to think of it, my body had been recovering remarkably fast.

I could’ve sworn it wasn’t supposed to heal this quickly.

Normally, after sparring with Stone Grunder, I’d be sore for days.

Had I somehow absorbed some of the trolls’ regenerative traits just by being around them?

“Tomorrow? Ah…”

“I’ll probably be discharged in the morning. You don’t have to come by after that.”

“Hm… Alright, then.”

Why was she acting like this? It seemed like she had something to say.

“Okay! But don’t push yourself too hard!”

Sigh.

Trying to act cool again.

“Well, I’m… going! Good luck with your discharge!”

“Toka.”

“H-Huh?”

“Teach me more Dwarvish when we’re back in Zul Dron.”

“...!”

“I’ve actually started to enjoy learning it. Who knows? Maybe if the delegation talks go well, we’ll open a Dwarvish class at the academy.”

“O-Ohhh!”

“I can’t let my talents be limited to just Trollish! I’m counting on you.”

“Y-Yes! Leave it to me! I was hoping for something like this!”

Yeah.

No matter how busy things get…

I doubt I’ll ever regret spending time with this girl.

***

All members of the informal delegation gathered for the first time in a while.

There was a lingering tension between Morgan and me, but neither of us made it obvious.

Thud—

The massive iron gates of Iron Jesro slowly lowered, revealing a group of trolls.

Raptors and carriages emerged, followed by the banners of Zul Dron flapping proudly in the wind.

The official delegation entered the city with an air of grandeur.

Even as a human, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at the sight.

“Goooohhhh!!!”

For someone like Stone Grunder, whose heart was troll through and through, the feeling must’ve been overwhelming.

Under the escort of two battle commanders, a troll who appeared to be of elder rank dismounted from a raptor.

He was likely the leader of the delegation.

His faded mane spoke of his years of experience.

“This will… change the tide of war!”

“Let’s goooo!!!”

“Uwooooh!!!”

Amid the crowd, a handful of trolls roared at the top of their lungs, full of hope.

They believed this delegation would lay the foundation to end the war.

They hoped this moment would be remembered as a turning point in history.