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Not long ago...
Grandfather gave me a discreet heads-up that he would be heading to the Dwarf village.
'This is my chance to find out what’s really in the Crest Mine!'
Asking Ms. Jena, my guardian and representative, to probe Chief Baltar’s real intentions would have been pushing the limits of her responsibilities.
So, it was something I had to handle myself—face-to-face.
The problem was that I wasn’t going to the Dwarf village as Baron Oldman, but as a mere seven-year-old from the Count Travel family.
'Would Chief Baltar really chat about serious matters with a kid?'
There are individual differences, of course, but generally, races tend to share similar behaviors, temperaments, and personalities.
Thinking back to Grandma Marshall, she never treated children poorly—but she often told them to go play on their own because she found them bothersome.
'I should get some advice from Grandma Marshall!'
Grandma Marshall knew the truth about Baron Oldman’s identity—she was on my side. So, through Ms. Jena, I sent her a message asking for guidance.
I explained that I’d be going to the Dwarf village for an educational trip and wanted to get on good terms with Chief Baltar, and asked for any information about him that could help.
A reply came soon after.
“That old geezer Baltar has nothing in his head but the blacksmith’s spirit. Also, he still holds a grudge against the Travel family over something that happened three generations ago.”
That was the message.
Ms. Jena had received the reply, and Jackjack had delivered the content to me.
This was quite useful for someone like me trying to win the chief’s favor.
'Blacksmith’s spirit? So, he’s got a craftsman’s pride!'
In that case, having at least some knowledge in that field would help. If he truly embraced that craftsman’s mentality, his conversation would naturally center around those topics.
'Fortunately, I won’t have to cram for this.'
Another version of me had considerable expertise in gem appraisal and was well-versed in minerals. The Travel family had built their early wealth through mining, and I had studied those topics extensively behind the scenes.
All that knowledge was still intact in my mind!
“Young humans bleed the best.”
When I finally met Chief Baltar in person, it was obvious that he didn’t like children.
I wondered if it was because I was the youngest granddaughter of the Travel family.
'Hmm...'
Then again, what if I did something so shocking that he forgot I was from the Travel family?
This wasn’t the Travel household. My grandfather already knew how capable I was, and who knew if I’d get another chance to come to the Dwarf village?
So I figured—it was worth a try.
And the result is...
“When melting iron, the temperature reaches up to 1,200 degrees. That heat even spreads across the ground. That’s why it’s hot even here, away from the furnace.”
Huge success!
Chief Baltar was now personally giving me a tour of the dwarves’ blacksmith workshops.
Apparently, since each dwarf blacksmith prefers a different kind of working environment, the village has multiple forges so that each one can choose a place that suits their needs.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of hammers striking heated metal rang out all around us.
“Wow! Isn’t it hard working in front of such a hot furnace?”
“That’s just what it means to be a blacksmith. Our sweat is melted into the fire.”
“Wow…”
I kept a safe distance as I watched one of the dwarven craftsmen work. With every strike of his hammer, the red-hot iron transformed on the anvil into the shape he envisioned.
I glanced beside me. Chief Baltar’s expression was incredibly serious. His eyes were filled with the same sincerity I’d seen in Theon and my dad when they held a sword.
'Maybe it’s time I brought up the real topic...'
As fascinating as the forge was, this was technically a field trip—I didn’t have much time left. We had only been given two hours of free time.
I casually asked Chief Baltar a question, pretending it was just innocent curiosity.
“By the way, Chief—why is pearl considered the most perfect gem?”
At that, Chief Baltar noticeably flinched.
"So it wasn’t the correct answer after all...!"
If pearl truly were the perfect gem, he wouldn’t have reacted like that. He looked like someone who’d just been caught with a stash of emergency money.
“Wh-Why pearl, you ask?”
“Yes!”
“W-Well, I did send a reply to the Travel family… and I included the reason in it...”
It was painfully obvious—Chief Baltar was terrible at lying.
His massive hand, one strong enough to crush a steel sword, visibly twitched. Despite his calm tone, his eyes darted nervously.
“Aha! I should introduce you to another dwarven artisan—”
"Ah!"
He was clearly trying to shift the conversation away by dragging someone else into it.
Before he could finish, I cut him off deliberately.
“I just thought… if it were the dwarves, you’d pick something way cooler as the perfect gem!”
Pause.
Chief Baltar’s hand, mid-gesture to summon someone else, stopped in the air.
“Something cooler? …Are you saying you think I chose wrong by calling pearl the perfect gem?”
“I didn’t say it was wrong—it’s just personal taste, right? But pearls are so fragile… I didn’t think dwarves would be fond of something like that.”
“…And why would you think that?”
“Because—based on what I read, dwarves are incredibly strong and—”
“Hmm.”
Oh? Chief Baltar suddenly straightened his back and cleared his throat.
“…they have muscles hardened by labor and look really cool...?”
“Ahem.”
“Your blacksmithing skills are far superior to those of any other race…”
“Hrm-HRM—!”
“And also…”
Weak to flattery, huh?
I exhaled slightly through my nose as I looked up at Chief Baltar’s increasingly confident face.
At this rate, I might dig out what’s hidden in the Crest Mine faster than I expected!
***
“Sir Reytan!”
High Priest Holt of the Aubawth Church welcomed Reytan as he entered the banquet hall.
This was a major annual event hosted by the Church, to which he had been invited. Every year, nearly a thousand people gathered—royalty and nobles from all nations connected to the Aubawth faith.
“Thank you for coming all this way. Was your journey smooth?”
“Yes. Looks like you’re busy.”
“It’s a bit hectic, but manageable. It’s a big event, and many distinguished guests are attending.”
Holt then turned to Theon, standing beside Reytan, and smiled warmly. They had met previously during a visit to the sanctuary when Theon helped stop Windis’s rampage.
“Theon, you’ve come as well.”
“Hello.”
“The Grand Priest has spoken very highly of you. Didn’t Berry come with you?”
Theon was momentarily surprised that the Grand Priest had praised him, but quickly shook his head at the mention of Berry.
“She went on a field trip.”
“Ah, I see. That must be why you’re feeling down?”
“Me…?”
“No? Hmm, well—the main group is arriving now. Master Reytan, let me show you to your seats.”
Their conversation ended as the flow of people entering the banquet hall increased.
Reytan and Theon followed Holt’s lead. As they walked, Theon kept turning Holt’s words over in his mind.
He didn’t exactly feel bad… but something had felt off all morning. Everything seemed unusually quiet.
'It must be because Berry’s not around.'
Reytan gently placed a hand on Theon’s head. Theon looked up at his teacher.
Reytan gave a faint smile and asked.
“A bit overwhelmed by all the people?”
“Yes.”
“You just need to sit through the event. Once the Grand Priest and His Majesty the Emperor appear, all you have to do is clap. Nothing to worry about.”
Reytan’s words were meant to comfort his unusually tense disciple, thinking Theon might be overwhelmed by the scale of the ceremony.
But it seemed to have backfired.
“……”
Theon’s pupils trembled at his teacher's words.
If Reytan said anything more, he might make the boy cry.
So, he gently stirred a soft breeze to offer him a different kind of encouragement.
***
I was now sitting on a wooden chair, completely surrounded by dwarf master blacksmiths.
My flattery had worked too well.
Chief Baltar, emboldened by my praise, had called over all the top master blacksmiths in the village—one by one—until I found myself in this situation.
“Strong and mighty dwarves!”
“The world’s greatest blacksmiths!”
“You know it!”
The blacksmiths echoed my compliments with booming voices, showing off their bulging arm muscles as they toasted with wooden mugs.
'Oh no…'
At this rate, I felt like Mr. Callet would show up at any moment to drag me back home.
Feeling nervous, I raised my arm high while standing in the middle of the enthusiastic dwarf blacksmiths.
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