Hmmm....

　It's strange.

　What's strange is that my actions just now.
　By myself, I overwhelmed nearly a hundred Demon King's Army soldiers and drove them back.
　Quite frankly, it was a great success.

　It's not like me to play such a big role!

　And it's a very strange feeling.

　This me, Dariel, is the biggest dropout in the Demon King's army.
　I'm a demon, but I can't use magic, and that's not much of an advantage.

　It's a good thing that you can't use magic, or you'd be fired for not being able to use magic.

　I'm a warrior against the Demon King's Army I once belonged to.
　Well, it's just a squad of miscellaneous soldiers.

　I didn't realize that I'm not actually a demon, but a human, and I've learned to attack with weapons specially designed for the human race.

　I'm sure they can't get rid of the sense of discomfort for a while yet.

''Well.........''
""Dariel-sama!"
"What?

　An avalanche of dwarfs suddenly swarmed us.
　They were the sub-race knockers who originally lived in this mine.

"It's Dariel-sama!　It's the best!
"We're going to wipe out those evil demon soldiers!
"I didn't know you could be so powerful even in battle!

　Yes.
　I only just found out about it myself.

　I'm not familiar with the world because the knockers are a happy tribe as long as they keep digging holes, so I never noticed the difference between the fighting methods of the demon race and the human race.

　Well, it was more convenient that way.

''Thank you so much!　Dariel-sama gave me the courage to do it!
Oh, that's good, isn't it?

　The knockers, who were cowardly by nature, gathered their courage and rebelled.
　I was the main reason behind their disgusting behavior.

　It's a good thing that I'm not a fan of this kind of thing, because I've reached the end of my patience with the Demon King's army's absurd demands.
　But even so, the reason why they were able to resist is because they had me, and they were confident that I would be on their side.
　They were able to gather their courage and fight.

　I'm sure they didn't expect me to do it all by myself, and the pickaxe and shovel I held as weapons were somewhat hollow.

...So what are you guys going to do now?

　This wasn't going to be a victory and a happy ending.

　A squad of the Demon King's army has been driven back, but of course that's not all of the Demon King's army.
　The main unit is still intact and the battle has just begun.
　It's possible that the Knockers could see this as a rebellion and come to suppress it with a larger force.

　What do our own Knockers think about this?

Master Dariel will take care of him!
"If you do what Dariel-sama says, you'll have nothing to worry about!

　I knew I hadn't thought about it.
　I knew it was something like that.

　It's only because they can throw all the rest of the prospects at me that they could choose to rebel without thinking about the details!
　You bastard!

I'll be fine!　I believe in you, Dariel!
'If this is Dariel's decision, you have nothing to worry about!　It's safe!

　.....
　I don't trust you that easily.

　Why do you trust me so much?
　Because you used to be in charge of this place?　Because of your relationship with them?

　I don't remember doing such a memorable job for them.
　Was the rest of it really that bad?

　I'm not going to leave them alone.
　Now that they've rebelled against the Demon King's Army, the knockers in the Mithril Mine are a bunch of strangers.
　They will not be able to continue like this.

　The only way for them to return to a peaceful life is....

"...........!

　I spend a few moments in silence.

"Are you sure you can do what I say?
I can do it!

　A quick answer, huh?
　And that's a good answer.

"Will you ever regret it if you do what I say?
"I am certain that Dariel is the right man!　And I will not regret it!
Dariel, I will follow you to the ends of the earth!

　I'm rather under the impression that I'm the one being dragged to hell.
　Well, there's nothing to do.

　Let's do it then!

You're not going to be able to do that.

　And what I did was to go back to the Lax village.
　I talked to the village chief.

'What if I told you that you could take back the mine?'
"What?!

　I explain the story, hiding the fact that it's related to my previous history well.

I heard the village chief's story the other day, and I was curious to see what he had to say about the mine.
Then I found out that Knocker was being mistreated by the demon tribe, so I rescued him with a righteous heart.
He fights off the demons and is made a hero by the knocker.

　That's how it should look.

At this point, I think it would be best to get the knockers to show their respect for the mine.
Obedience?　To whom?
To the humans.
"For us?

　Since the knockers are called a sub-race, they are technically a small race that does not belong to either the demon race or the human race.
　So there is no principle rule that says they must belong to either one.

　It's not an absurd thing to say that I'm going to switch from the demon race to the human race because I'm dissatisfied with the poor treatment I've received.

''No, that would be reckless...!
Really?

　The village chief was stunned for a while, but eventually he collected his thoughts.......

I understand. If this becomes a reality, it will not only benefit our village, but also the entire human race. But that's why it's no longer possible for me to move things around on my own.
I understand.
I will send a messenger to the guilds in the city, and I will send more adventurers to defend the city. Then I will send more adventurers to fortify our defenses. I'll let someone higher up figure out how to handle the mines from now on.

　The village chief is a man of great courage and good judgment when it comes to making decisions.
　I'm sure I'm not the only one with a good decision to make, but many people were busy making their own decisions.

　I was in charge of guarding the mine and the knockers until the adventurers from the city arrived.

　Fortunately, the Demon King's army did not attack.

　Where it was discussed among the greats. It was decided that the Mithril Mine would be managed and operated by the human race.

　This is a great achievement for the human race, as it is the first time in decades that the source of the high-grade mineral mithril has come back to them.
　It is said to be a big deal in many circles.

　However, the most important thing is the treatment of the knockers who had returned to the mine with their families.
　It was decided that they would not have to worry about this either and they would continue to work there.
　Of course, they will be treated satisfactorily.

　The human race has been away from the mine for several decades and has lost all knowledge of its structure and equipment.
　It would be a great help to them if the Knockers, who were accustomed to living in the mine and knew it inside and out, could serve as their mentors.

　It would be great to see them smile again.

◆

　Now the changes are not only that........

　My village of Lax has been greatly affected by the changes.

　This reminds me of the story of the village chief in the past.
　The village of Laxx was greatly prospering as a bridge between the human tribe and the Mithril Mine.

　At some point, the mine passed to the demon tribe, and at the same time, Laxx Village fell into disuse.

　But now, the Mithril Mine had been returned to the hands of the humans.
　Along with the mine, the desolate village of Lax was also revived.

　I wasn't even aware of it.
　I wasn't even aware of it myself, but........

"We're in trouble.........