Halflings were a... rather unusual race. They weren't good at fighting, most of them had few abilities, and the majority didn't even like fighting. So, while halflings did have an army, well...
Most of the shops on the street belonged to halflings. They were generally short, averaging around 1.1 to 1.2 meters tall, yet every one of them was dressed to the nines. They warmly welcomed customers, constantly using honeyed words to coax them into stepping inside for a look.
Wherever there were humans, there were halflings. Halflings had once held an extremely low status in the Empire. They had no rights, yet were saddled with harsh taxes. Each halfling had to pay taxes at the same rate as an ordinary human, while earning only between a fifth and half as much as a human worker. Their employers believed they didn't need as much money for food and sleep.
Some human nobles even regarded halflings as "two-legged sheep." Whenever they were short on money, they'd squeeze halflings for every last coin. If any refused, they'd slaughter them without mercy. That was the darkest era for the halflings. They struggled even as they endured, searching for a chance to rise up and earn recognition.
The turning point came during the Great Holy War, a hundred and fifty years ago.
After Ludwig the Savior successfully united the armies of the various races and established the Allied Order Army, he discovered an awkward fact: this army, nearly three hundred thousand strong, faced a serious supply problem. The war-torn Empire no longer had the means to provide it with logistical support. The Allied Order Army might run out of food before it could even face the Chaos army.
Just then, the halfling elder Mut appeared. He humbly offered nearly all the food and wealth