The Dwarf Who Didn't Fit In

Amuro nodded painfully. "That's right. Our Ironfoot Tribe was one of the survivors back then. This village only formed after our people split into several branches."

The Dwarven race had fragmented quite thoroughly. It seemed the effects of that devastating destruction of their nation still persisted to this day.

"So the Dwarven Kingdom was destroyed by the Demon Race?"

"Yes!"

Amuro had only been a child at the time, but the scenes from that day remained vivid in his memory even now.

A Giant Magic Circle had covered the entire Dwarven Royal City, and countless Monsters had poured forth from it. Though the capital had possessed a great number of elite Dwarf warriors, they still could not withstand such a massive horde of Monsters, especially with the Demon Race commanding them from behind.

From that day onward, the Dwarven Kingdom vanished from this world.

The Monsters and the Demon Race became the common enemies of every living creature on the continent.

At the thought of it, Amuro slammed his wine cup heavily onto the table, splashing cloudy liquor everywhere. "The most ironic part is that the source of power for the Magic Circle used by those Demons was an Ancient Sacred Relic unearthed by us Dwarves!"

The Dwarves' greed for gold and gemstones had driven them to dig deeper and deeper into the mines, until they uncovered an Ancient Sacred Relic.

At the time, the Dwarves had been ecstatic over their discovery. They never imagined it would become the root of their destruction.

Hmm. This plot felt oddly familiar.

I wonder if the Arkenstone exists here.

"What was that relic?" Rhode continued asking.

"A Red Stone Tablet."

Serie suddenly interrupted, "Where is that tablet now?"

Amuro shook his head. "It disappeared on the night the kingdom fell. It might be in the ruins of the Dwarven Kingdom. In any case, those Demons never got their hands on it either."

Rhode did not understand why Serie had suddenly spoken up, so he looked at her. Yet she fell silent again, clearly with no intention of saying anything further.

It seemed he could only ask her when they were alone.

"Lord Rhode, I have a presumptuous request."

Amuro looked at Rhode. From what he had observed, Rhode seemed to be the one handling most of the interactions between the two, while Serie hardly involved herself in such matters.

Perhaps the arrival of these two travelers in their village was also the will of some god.

"Go ahead. But let's be clear first: we're just ordinary travelers, so don't expect too much from us."

Considering how good the Dwarves' liquor was, Rhode did not mind agreeing to a few inconsequential requests.

Besides, this group of Dwarves had quite an advanced civilization. Their various silk fabrics and complete sets of armor fully demonstrated their impressive craftsmanship.

He had to swipe some things before leaving, at least a few blankets, so he would not have to sleep on that rock-hard ground every night.

"Actually, I want you to spar with my son."

Amuro's words caught Rhode off guard, and even Serie raised her head.

"Why?"

"That unfilial brat dreams of going out on adventures every day. I want you to crush that ridiculous idea of his."

At the mention of this, Amuro nearly failed to suppress his anger.

It was precisely because he had once gone adventuring himself that he knew how dangerous the outside world was. His disobedient son was still only a forty-year-old child. How could he possibly feel at ease letting him run off to adventure?

Only by using the gap in strength between him and these travelers could he make the boy see himself clearly.

In truth, Amuro could guess why his son Som wanted to go adventuring. Unlike ordinary Dwarves, he was practically an outcast among Dwarves.

Drinking gave him headaches, so every feast in the village was destined to have nothing to do with him. He was not particularly good at Dwarven smithing either, instead becoming obsessed with textile work, a craft considered insufficiently masculine.

In fact, in Amuro's village, there was no real difference between male and female Dwarves. Female Dwarves could don armor and fight on the battlefield too.

But Amuro could not accept his son taking an interest in such a craft. More importantly, his son could not grow a beard!

Could a beardless Dwarf still be called a Dwarf? Wouldn't that make him one of those ugly goblins next door?

That was why his son had been unpopular among the villagers since childhood, and why he had developed the idea of going out to adventure.

"Headaches whenever he drinks? Could he be allergic to alcohol? Though not having a beard really doesn't seem very Dwarven."

In a village where even female Dwarves grew beards, he truly counted as an oddity.

It was like a Sphynx cat mixed into a group of Hachimi. The other Hachimi would definitely hiss at it.

"What do you think, Serie?"

If they were going to spar, Serie would naturally have to take the field herself. Rhode had a clear understanding of his current strength.

"Fine."

Of course, Serie would not refuse an opportunity to fight someone.

"Then let's go meet your son."

Led by Amuro, they arrived before a house. Not long after he knocked, a figure emerged.

Rhode had never imagined that one day he would use the word delicate to describe a Dwarf, but the Dwarf before him truly deserved that description.

Did not having a beard really affect a Dwarf's appearance that much?

Meanwhile, Som spotted Rhode and Serie at first glance. He had also been on the front lines during the Monster attack that day, but he had been clad in armor and wearing a helmet then, so Rhode had not noticed him.

"Old man, shouldn't you be taking our benefactors to the feast? What are you doing here?"

Amuro kept a stern face. "Som, haven't you always wanted to go adventuring? As long as you defeat these two, I'll agree to it."

Som's eyes lit up instantly. "Really?" He looked excitedly at Rhode and Serie. "Just watch!"

He was so confident that Rhode could barely suppress a smile.

Serie merely looked at Som indifferently. "Interesting."

Som eagerly spun around and rushed back into the house. A moment later, he came out carrying a strangely shaped long-handled battle axe.

Rhode noticed that the axe blade was covered in intricate patterns. Rather than a weapon, it looked more like a work of art.

Som naturally could not forge such a formidable weapon. This piece of equipment had been made by his father, and it was also his father's proudest work. It had accompanied him through many battles before being passed down into Som's hands.

Serie carefully examined the patterns. "Dwarves cannot use magic, but they possess the finest forging techniques. They carve magic into weapons in the form of patterns, allowing the weapons they forge to possess certain magical effects as well."

Serie was actually explaining it to Rhode, because she knew he definitely would not understand these things.

"Magic Enchantment, huh? Pretty interesting. I wonder if I can learn it?"

"I'm afraid not." Since the two had not bothered to avoid speaking in front of others, Amuro naturally heard Rhode's remark as well. "The Dwarves' forging techniques cannot be learned by other races, and the same is true of these magical Runes."