Chapter 41

The craftsmanship of the dwarves is the most outstanding among all races. Even the elves, who dislike dwarves, acknowledge this. Items made by dwarves are incredibly sturdy and rarely break easily. However, right now, the Mithril Alloy Shield that Bagran proudly showed off was shattered into pieces by Ariel’s light punch.

“Y-you must be disappointed, right?”

Bagran fidgeted nervously, pacing around Ariel. Ariel was staring at the scattered remains of the shield on the ground with a very dark expression.

“She must be disappointed…!”

If Ariel were an elf with immense strength, it might be understandable, but to anyone looking, Ariel was just a petite and delicate young elf. For the shield to shatter so easily from her light tap, any other dwarf would have laughed their head off.

“Haha! That’s a shield? Even a goblin could make something better!”

Even if they were mocked, there was nothing to say.

“Father… I trusted you…”

Bagran blamed his late father. If he was going to make something, he should have done it properly. What kind of disgrace was this?

It was fortunate that it hadn’t sold due to its high price. If it had, it would have definitely caused problems. Selling such a defective product would not only plummet the dwarves’ trust but also get Bagran expelled from the Dwarf Mountain Range.

Meanwhile, Ariel, who was staring at the scattered remains of the shield on the ground with a downcast gaze, was also fidgeting internally.

The shield was a precious memento of Bagran’s father, and she had ruthlessly destroyed it. It was something she should never have done. It was an act so evil that even a demon would cry.

“Haha, by the way, we haven’t even introduced ourselves yet, have we?!”

Bagran awkwardly opened his mouth, trying to change the subject.

“My name is Bagran. As you can see, I’m a dwarf. Um, the elf lady’s name is…”

“Lady Ariel.”

Rakia, who was standing to the side, spoke in a very authoritative voice.

“……”

Bagran turned his gaze to Rakia.

She had a dignified aura with her golden hair and elegant dress. She looked about the same age as Ariel, still young, and judging by her demeanor, she was undoubtedly a noble.

In the Dwarf Mountain Range, human nobles often came to buy items, so Bagran wasn’t unfamiliar with them. However, the combination of the large wolf behind her and the fairy sitting on her shoulder was slightly unusual.

Moreover, nobles usually brought a bunch of escort knights, but there was no sign of any.

“…Are you all friends?”

“We’re not friends. I am Lady Ariel’s subordinate. My name is Rakia. By the way, I’m a dragon.”

“Ah, I see, a dragon.”

Bagran nodded. He seemed to accept it surprisingly easily, but internally, he didn’t believe it at all. If you’re a dragon, then I’m the Demon King, he thought.

Of course, he didn’t show it outwardly. Rakia seemed a bit prickly, and he felt that dragging out the conversation would only tire him out.

‘Kids are all like that.’

Besides, Rakia was quite beautiful.

Bagran, who was endlessly lenient towards cute and beautiful beings, wanted to accommodate Rakia’s mood as much as possible.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the side.

Bagran glanced over and saw Ariel crouched on the ground, picking up the pieces of the shield.

“Ah, don’t do that, you’ll get hurt.”

Startled, Bagran grabbed Ariel’s wrist.

Ariel looked up at Bagran and asked,

“Can this be fixed?”

“Fixed? Why…?”

“It’s a precious shield. It holds memories of your father.”

“……”

For a moment, Bagran felt a surge of emotion.

“I’m sorry. For breaking it.”

When Ariel apologized, Bagran felt his vision blur.

“She… wasn’t disappointed… She was actually worried about me…”

Soon, tears like chicken droppings began to fall from Bagran’s eyes.

*

“That dwarf is crying. I heard dwarves don’t have tears.”

“He’s ugly when he cries. It’s like a rock crying. Truly an inferior race.”

“By the way, how is our sister so kind? She’s comforting that rock.”

“Lady Ariel is as strong as she is generous.”

While Roo and Rakia were muttering, Ariel was patting Bagran’s back.

Bagran had suddenly burst into tears.

‘It must be because of the shield…’

Thinking it was her fault, Ariel diligently comforted Bagran.

Even though they were about the same height, Bagran, who was about three times Ariel’s size, was crying like a baby in her arms.

“Sniff, sniff… sob, sob!”

Unable to stand it any longer, Roo and Rakia approached Bagran.

“Hey, shorty, stop crying already. It’s annoying. If you keep crying, I’ll turn you into ashes.”

“Don’t cling to our sister too much.”

Bagran quickly wiped his tears and stood up.

“S-sorry, I suddenly started crying…”

Dwarves are not emotional. They are a tough race, like rocks. That’s what dwarves are. Crying like this is not at all like a dwarf, and Bagran was well aware of that.

So, the crying stops here.

“Shall we go outside?”

Even though he had invited them to his home, with this mishap, it seemed better to go outside.

Coincidentally, there was a festival in the Dwarf Mountain Range, so there was plenty of food and entertainment.

“Okay.”

Ariel nodded, and so they followed Bagran out to the Dwarf Mountain Range.

*

Dwarves are not only excellent in craftsmanship but also in architecture. Therefore, the Dwarf Mountain Range, although a mountain range, had well-constructed roads and buildings. The streets were also very wide, allowing several carriages to move around comfortably.

Bagran and Ariel’s group were walking down such a street.

Dwarf, elf, human, fairy, wolf.

With such a combination walking together, it was natural to attract attention.

Especially the dwarves who saw Ariel’s pointed ears showed hostility and cursed Bagran, who was walking with her.

“What’s so good about that idiot hanging out with an elf?”

“He’s not even worthy of being a dwarf!”

Moreover, Ariel and Bagran were holding hands so amiably that it made Roo and Rakia, who were following behind, uncomfortable.

“How dare a dwarf hold our sister’s hand…”

“Ah, I haven’t even held Lady Ariel’s hand a few times…!”

Despite the killing intent from all around, Bagran just grinned.

“Ariel, look at that. That’s an ancient statue of a hero who defeated the Demon King. But doesn’t he look weak? Honestly, just looking at his face, he doesn’t seem like he could last a single punch. Anyway, according to my father, my grandfather’s grandfather participated in making that statue. Impressive, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, and that’s a food that dwarves enjoy, but it’s not very tasty. Dwarves prefer hard things over soft ones, so most of their food is like that. It’s definitely not suitable for Ariel. And that’s…”

As Bagran chattered excitedly and Ariel quietly nodded along, they eventually stopped at a spot in the street.

Dwarves were bustling around, and quite a few humans were also visible.

“Ah, it seems like it’s about to start.”

Just as Bagran said that.

[Everyone!]

Someone shouted loudly.

[It’s here again this year! The Bare-Handed Destruction Contest you’ve all been waiting for!]

“Wow!!”

Cheers erupted from the surroundings.

[Who will be this year’s champion? Ah, of course, this year’s prize is also prepared!]

“…That’s the annual Bare-Handed Destruction Contest. Winning doesn’t bring much honor, but the prize is quite decent.”

At Bagran’s words, Ariel turned her gaze to where the dwarves were gathered.

Large rocks that seemed to be the targets for destruction were lined up, and a dwarf who appeared to be the organizer was accepting participants.

Bagran continued.

“The Bare-Handed Destruction Contest is quite an entertaining spectacle. Not only dwarves but also humans participate. Well, since mana can’t be used according to the rules, dwarves always win. After all, pure strength is something dwarves have over humans.”

Ariel nodded slightly. That certainly seemed to be the case.

Dwarves have thicker hands and arms than humans, so naturally, they have an advantage in breaking rocks bare-handed.

[Now, let me introduce this year’s prize!]

The organizer dwarf shouted.

[This year’s prize is none other than this! A Mithril Alloy Shield! Give it a round of applause!]

“Wow!!”

Enthusiastic cheers erupted from the surroundings.

“……”

Ariel looked at the prize the organizer dwarf was holding.

A Mithril Alloy Shield.

It looked much bigger and better than the one she had broken at Bagran’s house.

“Haha, seeing that suddenly makes me feel embarrassed again. Ariel, in case you misunderstand, the one at my house was definitely a defective product. But that one is a proper shield. Since it’s made of mithril, it must be sturdy and durable… huh? Ariel…?”

Bagran looked around.

Ariel, who had been right beside him, was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah, Ariel?”

Before he knew it, Ariel was standing in the line of participants for the Bare-Handed Destruction Contest.