“Ugh...”

Da-eun let out a half-dying groan.

“The sound of the hammer won’t leave my ears... Kana, am I even speaking properly?”

She rubbed her ears, her cheeks flushed, not sure if she was hearing herself right due to the ringing in her ears. I gestured for her to come closer. At first, Da-eun looked at me curiously, but after my repeated gestures, she understood and bent down to her knees.

Now we were at eye level.

I leaned in and whispered in her ear.

“How about we double the training tomorrow to make up for what you missed today?”

“?! W-wait, but we already did it earlier!”

“You can hear me just fine.”

Diagnosis: no issues at all.

Still, I didn’t blame Da-eun for being overly dramatic. Listening to the hammering sound while standing in front of a blazing forge could make anyone feel like they were the chunk of metal being hammered on the anvil.

“Kana, isn’t that a bit much? How can you say something so terrifying with such a straight face?”

Da-eun grumbled as she straightened her knees again.

“So, you still haven’t found the right place?”

“No.”

“...Are their skills really that bad?”

“No... it’s not that.”

I quickly denied her whispered question, lowering my voice to make sure no one else heard. If I said the blacksmiths in Valtora weren’t skilled, then most blacksmiths across the continent might as well retire.

It was just that the conditions didn’t quite align. Some places only dealt with weapons, while others only specialized in armor. When I finally found a place that made magic tools, the partnered magician had conveniently gone on vacation.

In some places, they didn’t have the materials I wanted, or they were so backed up with orders that it would take a month just to start working on my request. I could wait a week, maybe, but a whole month was a bit too much.

There was one place that would have been perfect, but since I couldn’t afford to wait a whole month, I had no choice but to walk out with regret.

If I had just decided to buy a pre-made item, I wouldn’t be going through all this trouble, but custom magic tools were a different matter altogether.

But no, it wasn’t self-inflicted suffering... It was an investment, yes.

“Should we take a break?”

“Yes, please.”

At Da-eun’s desperate plea, we sat down by a fountain on the side of the street, taking a moment to rest. It was obvious we were in a dwarven city—there were intricately crafted structures everywhere, just like this fountain, showcasing their craftsmanship.

Da-eun dipped her hand into the water, playing around, her face finally looking alive again.

“I could never work in a forge. I’d die.”

As if they’d even give you a job.

I thought to myself while quietly rolling the candy around in my mouth. It was shaped like a beer mug, so I had high expectations, but in the end, it tasted like any regular candy.

“It’s just regular candy.”

Da-eun, having popped one into her mouth as well, shared my sentiment.

“You know, there used to be this cheap candy shaped like a beer mug. I thought it would taste like that, but it’s a bit disappointing. Then again, that cheap stuff wasn’t really good either, but it had nostalgia going for it, so I was a little hopeful.”

For the record, Da-eun had initially tried to stop me from buying the candy, claiming children shouldn’t drink alcohol. Even though it was just candy, she was adamant about not letting me have anything remotely alcoholic, only handing it over after the merchant confirmed there was no actual alcohol in it.

As much as dwarves are obsessed with beer, they wouldn’t really put alcohol in candy, would they?

...Then again, considering they were dwarves, maybe they would.

While I was pondering seriously over that thought, Da-eun gently placed her hand on my head.

“Were you that curious about what beer tastes like?”

“Not really...”

“In a few years, you’ll be able to drink it yourself. And when that time comes, you might regret ever wanting to try something so gross.”

“I wasn’t that curious.”

Though I kept denying it, Da-eun didn’t seem to believe me at all.

Why bother explaining? I knew she’d just pat me on the head and baby me again.

Instead of wasting my breath on a fruitless argument, I decided to enjoy the sweetness of the candy. Even though she knew my real age, Da-eun still treated me like a child.

Just like earlier.

She claimed it was because she was older than me, but I knew it had more to do with my appearance than anything else.

No matter how many years passed, I doubted her attitude would change. My body was unlikely to grow much beyond its current state. Even if it did, it would take a lot longer than normal.

“Even if you make that pitiful face, no means no! You’re still a child, Kana, so you can’t drink alcohol yet!”

“...?”

Da-eun continued mumbling to herself, making strange remarks.

“I’ll buy you more beer candy instead, so just bear with that, okay?”

“I don’t need it.”

It’s not special, nor is it that good, so why bother?

Even though I said I didn’t need it, Da-eun still went ahead and bought a handful of candy from the merchant. Well, it’s not like she was using my money. If she wanted to spend her own, who was I to stop her?

I shook my head.

Crash!

“Huh?”

Just as I was swaying gently on the fountain, enjoying the peace, a commotion broke out nearby.

Curious, I craned my neck, scanning the area to find the source of the noise.

The disturbance seemed to come from a forge. Like the other forges, it emanated a gentle heat, but unlike the others, there was no sign of customers coming or going, nor the usual hammering sounds. Yet, loud crashing noises kept coming from within.

Were they breaking something?

Just as I wondered, the noise subsided for a moment, then—

Bang!

Smash!

“It’s gone! It’s gone!”

A dwarf tumbled out of the forge, rolling along with a pile of junk that had been flung out with him. He frantically darted his eyes around, clearly searching for something.

After circling the forge several times, he collapsed in front of it, gasping for breath, looking as defeated as a gambler who had just lost his life savings.

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

It reminded me of a subordinate who once lost his wedding ring. He spent the entire night looking for it, only to return to work the next day more exhausted than after fighting monsters for days. He finally found it later that evening, looking utterly defeated.

The dwarf sitting before me now, while not necessarily missing a wedding ring, had the same look of someone who had lost something incredibly valuable.

Other dwarves started gathering around him.

“Wonder what’s going on?”

“Who knows. Maybe there was a theft?”

Da-eun’s voice was filled with curiosity, while mine remained indifferent.

If it really was a theft, well…

“Too bad for him.”

“...Huh? That’s it?”

“What else is there to say?”

“You could help him find what’s missing, or maybe catch the thief…”

“I’m not a guard.”

I wasn’t a detective or even a mercenary who worked for hire.

Even if I offered to help, would the dwarf even appreciate it? Having some random outsider, especially a kid, offer help would probably just make him suspicious.

“It’s different. If someone like you offered to help, I’m sure they’d find it endearing.”

Da-eun’s perspective was a bit different, but regardless, I had no intention of getting involved.

“Let’s go.”

No point hanging around. We could get swept up in something we didn’t want to be part of.

Da-eun had enough rest by now. Time to move on.

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

“No.”

She wasn’t tired; she just wanted to stick around and watch.

Ignoring her complaints, I held out my hand, and despite her grumbling, she obediently took it.

In moments like these, I couldn’t help but think maybe Da-eun was the one being treated like a child, not me.

Hand in hand, we walked toward the next forge.

“My precious Dragon Orb… all of my savings…”

“...!”

If it weren’t for the words that came from behind us.

I didn’t need to understand Arkish to know the word 'Dragon Orb' when I heard it.

‘Dragon Orb?’

For someone to be searching so desperately, it must be something important. But to have lost a Dragon Orb?

I could understand the dwarf’s desperation, but I couldn’t help but wonder, how on earth did he lose something so valuable?

Most people would hold onto it like their life depended on it, sleeping with it in their arms.

Unless, of course, they were so rich they didn’t care, but this dwarf certainly didn’t seem like that type.

“...Hmmm.”

I was starting to get interested.

“Uh, Kana? Where are you going?”

“Over there.”

“I thought you didn’t care?”

“I do now.”

How could I not be interested after hearing about a Dragon Orb?

I pushed through the crowd with Da-eun in tow.

It wasn’t hard to weave through the dwarves, but… being the same height as them didn’t exactly make me feel great.

“Huhuhu… It’s over for me!”

In the center of the crowd, the dwarf was now beyond despair, pounding the ground and sobbing.

His beard was soaked with tears as he cried uncontrollably. I stepped closer.

“Huhuhu... U-uh? Sniff! And who might you be?”

The dwarf, red-eyed and still sniffling, looked me up and down.

His gaze lingered on the exposed arm holding Da-eun’s hand, and his face crumpled.

“Looking at your body, you seem like one of us. But isn’t it shameful for a dwarf to have arms like that?”

“Pfft!”

“...”

Da-eun quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late; she had already heard everything.

Judging by her reaction, I could guess what the dwarf had said.

...Hold it together.

Suppressing my rising anger, I squeezed Da-eun’s hand tighter.

“I’ll help you.”

The dwarf’s brow furrowed when Da-eun translated my words.

“What? Help me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know who you are. How can I trust a stranger with such a task?”

I expected his suspicion, so this was still a surprisingly soft response. He was probably so desperate he didn’t care who helped.

All the better for me.

“Look at this.”

“A ring? Why are you showing me—”

Careful not to let others see, I extended my hand toward him, revealing the ring on my finger.

At first, the dwarf seemed uninterested, but when he realized what it was, his jaw dropped.

His eyes bulged, and he reached out with trembling hands to touch it. But I pulled my hand back, leaving his fingers grasping at empty air.

“That’s all you get.”

“P-please, just a little more!”

“No.”

If you want more, you know what to do.

The dwarf nodded frantically.