“What... what in the world...?”

The dwarf’s eyes widened as he continued to examine the ring. Although it was obvious that there was no way the ring would wear down just from being looked at, his intense gaze was so heated that it made me worry that it might wear out from sheer enthusiasm. The concern he had for the missing Dragon Orb had long since vanished from his expression, replaced by fascination.

‘Dwarves, as always...’

With the exception of a few outliers, most dwarves are utterly dedicated to creating excellent craftsmanship. While they take immense pride in the things they make, they aren’t so arrogant that they can’t appreciate something superior when they see it.

At least, that’s how they are now. I’ve heard that they were different a long time ago, but I’m not too sure about that.

It’s not easy to impress their eyes because the things they craft are almost always of superior quality, even when hastily put together. So, for a dwarf to react like this to my ring? It meant that it was definitely no ordinary item.

“Can’t you take it off and show it to him? ...He’s asking,” Da-eun translated.

“No,” I responded firmly.

“It makes sense to be attached to something like that.”

Though disappointed, the dwarf nodded in understanding, backing off from his request. The real question came from another source.

“Why don’t you just take it off and show him? It’s not like he can steal it, and it would be a lot more comfortable than holding out your hand like that for so long.”

Da-eun’s question was logical. It would have been more comfortable to hand over the ring and let him take a closer look than standing there with my hand extended for what felt like an eternity, enduring the occasional puff of excited breath that tickled the back of my hand.

“Is it that precious to you?” she asked.

“Precious... maybe not. But it’s definitely valuable,” I said.

After all, it was a ring made by a dragon, once a national treasure of Grasis. Well, since Grasis had already fallen, I suppose it would be more accurate to say it used to be a national treasure.

“Heeeek...!”

Da-eun, who had until now been viewing the ring as just a pretty piece of jewelry, let out a startled noise when I explained its origin.

“This... this is that national treasure?”

“Yep. I didn’t tell you before?”

“No! I just thought it was a pretty ring...”

Da-eun murmured in shock, still reeling from the realization.

“I guess it makes sense why you never take it off. If it’s that valuable, of course you wouldn’t.”

“It’s not that I won’t take it off. It’s that I can’t take it off.”

Who knows what strange things might come after me if I did? Dragons can be troublesome creatures...

 

Is this made from a Dragon Orb? It doesn’t quite feel like it though...”

“That’s enough. Stop looking at it.”

“Huff...! Just a bit longer! Please!”

I ignored the dwarf’s pleading as he stretched out his hand. If I left him to his own devices, he’d probably stare at it for days.

“You’ve seen enough. Let’s get back to business.”

I hadn’t shown him the ring to indulge his fascination or to sharpen his eye for fine craftsmanship. I did it to capture his interest and make our conversation easier.

There’s an old saying that liking free things will make you go bald. Ever heard of it?

The dwarf flinched and reflexively ran a hand through his hair. Even dwarves, who put such emphasis on their beards, seemed afraid of going bald.

“...So, that’s what happened.”

Let’s sum it up, then.

“You told your apprentice to fetch some supplies yesterday, didn’t tell anyone else, and when you woke up today, the Dragon Orb was gone... is that correct?”

“Yeah. That seems to be the case.”

“So, where’s your apprentice now?”

“I sent him to get some tools we’ll need for the work. He went up the mountain. After sending him off, I opened the chest for some inspiration and found that it was empty.”

“Hm...”

That was all the dwarf had told us. There wasn’t much to go on.

As I pondered, Da-eun leaned in and whispered.

“Hey, don’t you think the apprentice is suspicious? He’s the only one who knew about the Dragon Orb, and it went missing right after he left for his errand.”

“True, it does seem suspicious...”

Could the apprentice really be the culprit? If he were the type to be that greedy, he wouldn’t have brought the Dragon Orb to his master in the first place.

Even if he didn’t know it was a Dragon Orb, surely he would have opened the box out of curiosity.

While the apprentice was the most obvious suspect, we didn’t have enough evidence to jump to conclusions just yet. Plus, if the master didn’t suspect his apprentice, it would be odd for outsiders like us to accuse him.

“Ah... that’s true. So what do we do now?”

“For now, we wait for the apprentice to come back.”

Even if he wasn’t the culprit, he was the person closest to the situation. He might have seen something suspicious.

With no other leads, it was all we could do.

“When is he coming back?”

“He left early this morning, so he should be back in a few hours.”

We made small talk while waiting, such as exchanging names. It was through this that I learned the dwarf’s name was Brondin.

“Why are you helping me?” he asked.

“I got curious after seeing you freak out over losing something as valuable as a Dragon Orb. If I help, maybe I’ll get something out of it.”

“...Dwarves like honesty, but isn’t that a bit too honest? Well, if you really do help me find it, I’ll reward you generously... though unfortunately, I’m flat broke right now.”

And so the conversation went.

“What do I do? I make weapons, armor, tools, instruments, and magic devices... a little bit of everything.”

“Wow... You can make all of that? That’s amazing!” Da-eun exclaimed.

“Hmph, it’s not that amazing... Here, this is something I made last year. What do you think? Interested?”

“Oooh... it’s incredible!”

The dwarf beamed as Da-eun marveled at his work. Her genuine admiration must have been the highest compliment to a dwarf so proud of his skills. The atmosphere between us softened considerably.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long.

 

“Kana?”

I turned my head, sensing a presence outside. Among the many footsteps passing by, one set was headed straight for this workshop.

The door creaked open, and a young man stepped inside—

“I’m back, Master— huh?”

“...!”

He stopped dead in his tracks, half-straddling the threshold, as our eyes met. Sunlight from outside streamed in, scattering across his muscular frame. His well-built, gleaming body and handsome face would have surely captured the hearts of many women.

And all I could think was...

‘...Why is he walking around shirtless?’

Did he really feel the need to show off that much?

Objectively speaking, he did have a good physique, but since I had zero interest in seeing a shirtless man, it was more of an eyesore than anything.

I averted my gaze from the assault on my eyesight.

“Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing...”

Screech.

Click.

The young man moved past the doorframe, regaining his composure as he entered the workshop. Ignoring the stunned looks from the others, he set down the load he was carrying.

“So, you’re Brondin’s apprentice?”

“Is that what he told you? Haha, he always denies it, claiming he’s not my master, but here he is calling me his apprentice behind my back. He’s so not honest with himself. By the way, your tone hasn’t changed at all.”

“What’s wrong with my tone?”

I frowned slightly at his casual jab about how I spoke.

“If anything, your tone is the odd one.”

Unlike others who would put on airs or act formally, he always spoke in an easy-going, familiar manner, like we were old friends.

While there was nothing inherently wrong with his tone, it wasn’t exactly fitting for someone of his status.

He smirked, ignoring my complaints, and casually responded, “Anyway, it’s good to see you again, Canaria. Oh, wait, you don’t like it when I call you that, do you?”

“Not really. And I’m not particularly glad to see you, either.”

“That’s harsh.”

Still, there was a strange feeling seeing a face I had thought long dead.

Da-eun shuffled closer and whispered to me.

“...Do you know him?”

“Oh, so you’re one of Edel’s Apostles? Fascinating. Nice to meet you!”

“Uh, uh... nice to meet you too?”

The young man’s friendly approach caught Da-eun off guard, and she awkwardly returned the greeting. Even though Da-eun was no slouch in terms of sociability, he was clearly a step ahead of her.

Or maybe it was something else.

I couldn’t help but notice that Da-eun’s face had turned a bit red, and her eyes kept darting toward his exposed upper body.

“You like that type?”

“?! N-no! I was just surprised he’s shirtless, that’s all!”

“It’s fine. It happens. I support you.”

“It’s not like that!”

I, on the other hand, had no feelings about the sight, but it was understandable for Da-eun. She was at the age where such things might have more of an impact.

“You might not care about things like that, but hearing it from you still stings a bit,” the young man muttered, smiling wryly. Da-eun, still flustered, was utterly confused by the exchange.

Meanwhile, I broke the silence with a grumble of displeasure.

“Not that you’d know anything about that.”

“Actually, I’ve gotten used to that kind of sting. So, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“My body. Even I think it’s perfect. What’s your opinion?”

He twisted his body, flexing his muscles. Every movement made his muscles ripple like they had a life of their own.

I coolly glanced at him and threw out a single word.

“Disgusting.”

“...”

“I don’t understand why you’re walking around shirtless.”

“I—”

“It’s weird. Unpleasant. Dumb. You look like an idiot.”

“P-please... stop... I’m sorry, okay? Just stop...”

The young man staggered under the relentless barrage of insults. Serves him right for flaunting his body for no reason.

I scoffed as he stood there, defeated.

“I don’t know what’s going on anymore,” Brondin muttered, clearly bewildered by the situation.

Once things calmed down a bit, the young man found some clothes from somewhere and sat down with us on the floor of the workshop. Though he managed to cover himself up, the clothes were clearly too small for his build, looking like they could tear apart at any moment.

In the midst of all this awkwardness, Da-eun decided to take the lead.

“I’m Journey, and I’ve been traveling with Kana. As you noticed, I’m one of Edel’s Apostles.”

“You’ve been traveling with her? That must be tough.”

“Stop saying unnecessary things.”

“Unnecessary? I’m sure Journey agrees with me.”

“A-ahaha... It wasn’t that tough,” Da-eun said with a nervous laugh.

That’s clearly a lie...

Seeing the young man’s skeptical look, I kicked his leg.

“Ow! Geez, that’s a rough kick for a girl!”

“...But you seem to have known Kana for a long time. Does that mean you’re from Grasis?”

“Whoa, did she tell you that? Wow... Kana must’ve mellowed out quite a bit.”

“Do you want to get kicked again?”

“I’ll pass on that, thanks.”

He quickly backed down when I raised my leg again.

After clearing his throat, he spoke, “Yeah, your guess is right. I’m from Grasis, born and raised. You could say Kana and I go way back.”

“‘Way back’ is an exaggeration.”

“Well, I guess it’s time for a proper introduction.”

The young man suddenly stood up and bowed with exaggerated formality, folding his arms elegantly. It was a slightly over-the-top gesture, but it exuded a certain grace and refinement.

Da-eun, impressed by the nearly flawless display, clapped in awe.

The young man flashed her a bright smile and introduced himself.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Asier Grasis.”

Once upon a time, I was the prince of Grasis.