Chapter 72

“Ugh…”

Da-eun let out a half-dead sound.

“I can’t get rid of the hammering sound in my ears… Kana, am I speaking properly?”

My ears were ringing, so I wasn’t even sure if I was speaking correctly.

With her cheeks flushed, Da-eun fiddled with her ears as she spoke.

I gestured towards her.

Da-eun, looking puzzled, picked up on my gestures and bent her knees.

Yes, now our heights matched.

I whispered into her ear, which had finally come down to a perfect level.

“How about we make up for today’s training by doubling it tomorrow?”

“?! But we already did it earlier!”

“Sounds like you can hear me just fine.”

Diagnosis result: no abnormalities.

Still, I didn’t fail to understand Da-eun’s overreaction.

When listening to the hammering sounds of metal while feeling the heat emanating from the forge, it really felt as if I had become a piece of iron lying on an anvil.

“Isn’t that a bit much, Kana? How can you say something so terrifying without changing your expression?”

Da-eun grumbled and straightened her knees. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“But, have you still not found a place you like?”

“Not yet.”

“…Is their skill that lacking?”

“Umm… no, not really.”

I lightly denied Da-eun’s whisper, as if she was afraid someone might overhear her.

If I said that the skills of the blacksmiths in Baltora were lacking, most of the blacksmiths across the continent would probably have to retire.

It was simply that the conditions hadn’t been right.

Some places only dealt with weapons, while others only handled armor.

Just when I finally found a place that made magical tools, they said the partnered wizard had gone on vacation.

There were even places where satisfactory materials were unavailable, or where I would have to wait over a month to start working because of backlogs in bookings.

I could wait for about a week, but a month was pushing it…

I really liked the place, but I couldn’t afford to wait a month, so I reluctantly left the workshop.

If I had planned to pick something up that was already made, I wouldn’t have gone through this trouble, but I needed a custom magical tool, which caused the hassle.

Not that I was complaining about the trouble.

This was what you would call a necessary investment.

“Shall we rest a bit?”

“Yeah. Please.”

At Da-eun’s earnest request, we sat by the fountain located on one side of the workshop street.

As expected from the city of Dwarves, there were structures throughout the streets that showcased their skills, just like this fountain.

As Da-eun played with the water gushing from the fountain, she finally looked like she was coming back to life.

“I don’t think I could ever work in a forge, even if I died.”

I didn’t think they’d let me work there anyway.

While I was lost in those thoughts, I quietly rolled a candy around in my mouth.

I had high hopes for the beer-shaped candy, but it only looked like a beer mug; its taste was just like regular candy.

“It just tastes like candy.”

Da-eun, who also put the candy in her mouth, shared the same sentiment.

“Remember those snacks that looked like beer? I thought this would taste similar, but I’m a bit disappointed. As you guys said, it wasn’t really that tasty, but I had some expectations because of the memories.”

By the way, Da-eun had initially tried to dissuade me from buying this candy.

She had said that kids shouldn’t drink alcohol or something like that.

No matter how much it was just candy, she strictly prohibited me until she received confirmation from the merchant selling the candy that it didn’t contain any alcohol.

Even if Dwarves were crazy about beer, there’s no way they would put alcohol in candy…

…Wait, thinking about it, Dwarves might actually do that.

As I pondered seriously, Da-eun gently placed her hand on my head.

“Were you that curious about the taste of beer?”

“Not really…”

“In a few years, you’ll be able to drink it too. By then, you might even regret why you wanted to eat something tasteless like this.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not curious.”

I repeatedly denied it, but Da-eun clearly didn’t believe me.

Better to die than complain.

Knowing that my words would only elicit an “Awww, poor you” reaction, I decided to abandon the unproductive banter and savor the sweetness of the candy.

Even after learning my age and realizing I wasn’t a child, Da-eun continued to treat me like one.

Just like what happened a little while ago.

She said it was because she was older, but… I suppose a larger reason was my appearance.

So, even after a few years, her attitude probably wouldn’t change.

Given that my body likely wouldn’t grow any taller from this short stature.

Even if I did grow, it would probably take more time than others.

“Kana, even if you make such a pitiful face, what’s not allowed is still not allowed! You’re still a child, so you can’t drink alcohol!”

“…?”

Da-eun mumbled something to herself, as if having a conversation of her own.

“Instead, I’ll buy you more beer-flavored candy, so let’s make do with that, alright?”

“No, I don’t need it.”

It’s not something special, and it’s not even that tasty, so why bother?

Even though I said I didn’t need it, Da-eun insisted on buying a handful of candies from the merchant and came back.

It’s not like she’s spending my money; it’s her own, so who am I to stop her?

I just shook my head.

Crash!

“?”

I was sitting by the fountain, lightly swinging my legs, savoring the peace, when I sensed a commotion nearby.

Wondering what was going on, I craned my neck to get a better view of the source of the noise.

The epicenter was a workshop.

Like other workshops, it exuded a faint heat, but there were no customers coming in and out, and no sound of hammering—only loud crashing noises echoed from inside.

Were they breaking something?

Just when I thought the chaotic workshop had quieted down a bit—

Bang!

Crash!

“It’s gone! It’s gone!”

The door swung open, and a dwarf tumbled out, along with a heap of random objects.

He didn’t seem to care about the scattered items and instead whipped his head around frantically, searching for something.

After circling around the workshop a few times, he collapsed in front of it, gasping for breath.

He looked utterly devastated, like a gambler who had lost everything.

‘…Did he lose his wedding ring or something?’

It reminded me of one of my subordinates who had once lost his wedding ring.

His face was just like this—wandering around late into the night, eventually dragging his feet back, empty-handed.

The next day, he showed up to work looking even more exhausted than after battling monsters for days on end.

The saddest part was that he found the ring that same evening.

His expression of complete emptiness left such a deep impression on me that I vowed never to lose a wedding ring if I got married someday.

Then again, I realized that if I were to get married, I would be the bride, so I quickly dismissed that thought from my mind.

Anyway, the dwarf I was watching now didn’t lose a wedding ring, but he looked like he had lost something just as important.

Other dwarves started gathering around the despondent dwarf, one by one.

“What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a thief broke in.”

Contrary to the curiosity in Da-eun’s voice, I sounded indifferent.

If it really were a thief, well…

“That’s unfortunate.”

“…Huh? That’s it?”

“What else is needed?”

“Like helping him find the lost item or catching the thief…”

“I’m not a guard.”

I’m not a detective, and I’m not even a mercenary who moves for a commission.

And if I did try to help, would that dwarf even welcome it?

Some outsider, a kid at that, suddenly stepping in to help?

It would be lucky if I just got kicked out. More likely, he’d find me suspicious.

“Really? If a kid like you offered to help, I’d find it heartwarming.”

Da-eun seemed to think differently, but I still had no intention of intervening.

“Let’s go.”

If we linger around here, we might get caught up in it.

I figured we had rested enough to regain our energy and told Da-eun to get up.

“Eh, can’t we rest a little longer? I’m still tired.”

“No.”

It’s not that she’s tired; she just wants to keep watching.

I firmly rejected Da-eun’s plea and held out my hand.

She grumbled a bit but obediently took my hand.

At times like this, it feels like I’m the one taking care of her, not the other way around.

Hand in hand, we started heading toward the next workshop.

“My Dragon Orb that I spent my entire fortune on…!”

“…!”

If it weren’t for what I heard from behind at that moment.

Even though I don’t know Arkish well, I could still understand the words within that sentence.

“Dragon Orb” was pronounced the same way in both Granic and Arkish.

‘Dragon Orb…?’

Seeing how desperately he was searching, it seemed he had lost something quite important. Could it really be the Dragon Orb he had lost?

While I understood the desperate look of the Dwarf, I couldn’t help but wonder how he had managed to lose something so valuable.

Most people would probably sleep with it cradled in their arms out of anxiety.

Unless someone was wealthy enough that money poured in like water, but judging by the Dwarf’s lost expression, he didn’t seem to be that way.

“…Hmmm.”

My interest was piqued, just a little.

“Uh, uh? Kana, where are you going?”

“Over there.”

“You said you weren’t interested before.”

“Now I am.”

It’s said that someone lost a Dragon Orb, how could I not be interested?

I led Da-eun as we squeezed through the crowd.

Most of the crowd was Dwarves, so it wasn’t hard to get through…

…But the fact that my height was similar to the short Dwarves didn’t feel particularly good.

“Ughh…! I’m done for!”

In the center of the crowd sat a Dwarf who had gone beyond despair and was now wailing while pounding the ground.

I stepped closer to him, who was crying so hard that his proud beard was soaking wet.

“Ugh… Ugh! What’s this? You little one.”

The Dwarf stopped crying and looked me over with reddened eyes.

His gaze, which seemed ready to pierce through my hood, landed on the arm exposed outside my cape, which was holding hands with Da-eun.

He grimaced at my arm, which had been revealed because of our clasped hands, with tears streaking down his face.

“You look like you belong to the same kin, but Ugh! How can a Dwarf have such arms and not feel ashamed?”

“…Pffft!”

“…”

Da-eun quickly covered her mouth after hearing the Dwarf’s words.

By that point, she had already heard everything, though.

Seeing Da-eun react like this, I could somewhat guess what he had said.

…Just endure it.

I suppressed the anger rising from within and tightly pulled Da-eun’s hand.

“I’ll help.”

The Dwarf raised an eyebrow, having heard my words through Da-eun’s translation.

“What? You’re going to help?”

“Yeah.”

“Although I’ve never seen your face before, what makes you think I would trust you to take on this job?”

I had braced myself for immediate suspicion, but this response was surprisingly gentle.

Perhaps it was because he was feeling hopeless.

Either way, this kind of reaction was good for me.

“Here. Look at this.”

“…A ring? Why are you suddenly showing this—”

I discreetly extended the hand with the ring in front of him, making sure others couldn’t see.

At first, he responded with indifference, but as he examined the ring, his mouth gradually opened wide.

The Dwarf, whose eyes seemed ready to pop out, trembled as he reached for my hand—more specifically, the ring.

However, because I withdrew my hand, he ended up grasping at thin air.

“The demonstration ends here.”

“J-Just a little more! Show me a bit more!”

“No.”

If you want to see more, you know what to do, right?

The Dwarf nodded like crazy, his expression frantic.