Chapter 36 : Steel Mountain Range (4)

A life that insists on healthy food and exercise, Garuda finally exploded.

“I really can’t take it anymore! I can’t live like this!”

When she opened the blacksmith’s door, an unexpected scene unfolded.

“Now, look closely! The pride of a dwarf!”

Garuda lifted the diet plan high. The light from the furnace reflected in her amber eyes.

“Now, with this, you won’t be able to torment me anymore!”

With the sound of paper tearing, the diet plan shattered into pieces.

Where did her usual timid appearance go? Garuda’s shoulders shook violently.

“A dwarf is a dwarf!”

Watching the sparks fly from the furnace, I sighed. Here we go again today.

“A dwarf must drink beer and eat meat! It’s a tradition, a tradition! Beer is the dwarf’s blood!”

She grabbed a non-alcoholic beer from the workbench and threw it violently. The plastic bottle rolled and hit my shoe.

“Salads are for rabbits! I’m a dwarf, a dwarf!”

Garuda even took off her workout clothes and threw them. Her brown hair danced in anger as it scattered.

“Garuda, calm down.”

“I can’t calm down!”

She charged at me, pounding my chest with her small fists.

Thud, thud, thud—

“It hurts, right? Say you’ll surrender and give me beer! Or I’ll hit you more!”

Honestly, it didn’t hurt at all. It was actually cute. Like a furious hamster bouncing around.

“Aaaaah!”

Eventually, Garuda, exhausted, collapsed onto the floor. She rolled around, throwing a tantrum.

“Get up.”

“I won’t!”

“It’s all in the contract. Health management, exercise, everything.”

“I don’t care about the contract! I don’t want to! I can’t live like this! Forget it, forget it!”

Her voice trembled. She bit her lip to hold back tears.

“Forget it? Alright, come here. A naughty dwarf needs to be punished.”

I slowly drew the holy sword ‘Dawn.’

“Eek!”

Garuda’s face turned pale. She crawled backward, looking very clumsy.

“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! Please spare me! I’ll exercise, I’ll eat salad!”

Garuda prostrated herself. Her long hair swept the floor.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes! I’m serious! I swear! I love exercise, it’s the best! Becoming healthy is the best!”

Her attempt to run to her workout clothes made me laugh. Her small frame fumbling as she changed was so cute.

After the workout, Garuda collapsed on the floor, exhausted. Her long hair stuck to her, drenched in sweat.

“Now… I really can’t take any more…”

I slowly pulled out the holy sword ‘Dawn.’ Garuda flinched.

“Are you… are you going to cut my belly again?”

“No, this time it’s something else.”

I placed the sword on the workbench.

“Since you’ve been working hard lately, I’m giving you the chance to research this.”

Garuda’s eyes sparkled in an instant. It was as if the flames of the furnace had reflected in her amber eyes.

“Is… is this really true?”

Her voice trembled. She couldn’t take her eyes off the sword.

“Really, the holy sword…?”

She cautiously stepped forward, her small hand reaching out to touch the sword’s blade, but stopping.

“Can I touch it…?”

I nodded, and Garuda gently stroked the blade with trembling hands.

Her fingers examined the blade as if caressing a lover’s face… or rather, like a devotee reverently facing a sacred artifact.

Even the priests of the order probably wouldn’t act like this when seeing the holy sword.

“The balance… and the flow of magic is perfect.”

Garuda, with the eyes of an expert, appraised the weapon.

“The rune pattern arrangement… this is truly…”

Her voice, muttering to herself, trembled with awe.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“Yes. No, saying I like it doesn’t even cover it. This is… the ultimate masterpiece!”

Garuda’s fingers followed the runes.

Her voice was full of admiration. It was the most serious expression I’d ever seen.

“Do you think… do you think I could make something like this?”

Her voice trembled, a mix of desire and self-doubt.

“Of course.”

“You’re lying…”

“You can do it.”

Garuda’s eyes wavered. Her lips trembled.

“Do you really… really think so?”

“Yes. With your talent, you can.”

Garuda’s shoulders flinched.

“But, to do that, you need to work hard.”

Her hand tightly gripped the hammer. Gone was her usual timid demeanor, her eyes now shone with determination.

“Yes. I’ll work hard.”

She smiled faintly and headed for the workbench. Today, her steps seemed lighter.

“Let’s start again…”

Her voice was resolute. She tied her sweat-soaked hair back and stood in front of the workbench.

Clang, clang—

The sound of hammering echoed. It was a different rhythm than usual. A deeper, firmer resonance.

“Good, that’s the way.”

I smiled behind Garuda. You can’t just use a whip. Sometimes, a carrot is needed too.

But above all, it was this—her dream as a craftsman—to create the best weapon, that would awaken her true potential.

“Right, and…”

I continued as I headed to the kitchen.

“From today, let’s change your diet.”

“Yes?”

When I handed her the lunchbox, Garuda’s eyes went wide.

“T-this… this is…”

After taking a bite, her eyes widened even more.

“This tastes amazing!”

It was chicken breast, but grilled with a special sauce that gave off a fragrant herb aroma. The vegetables were stir-fried to enhance the flavor.

“Is… is this really a healthy meal?”

“Yes. It’s chicken breast and vegetables.”

“That’s a lie… it can’t be this delicious…”

Garuda ate it quickly.

“Oh, but…”

She asked, cheeks puffed up.

“Why didn’t you make this for me before? You could’ve made it this delicious from the start!”

A smile tugged at my lips.

“Well, if I gave you something tasty from the beginning, you would have developed bad habits.”

“What?!”

Garuda’s chopsticks clattered to the floor. Her amber eyes widened in shock.

“So you… you purposely… purposely made it tasteless… you’re a demon… a real demon…”

Garuda lowered her head. Despair was written all over her long hair.

“So… so what about the exercise…”

“That hasn’t changed.”

But now, even her sighs sounded different. Her longing for the holy sword was changing her.

On a peaceful afternoon, as the sound of hammering echoed, the blacksmith’s door was suddenly thrown open.

Bang-!

The door of the blacksmith’s shop was slammed open. The midday sun poured into the darkness.

“Hey, Garuda! I know everything that’s going on here!”

With a rough voice, men barged in. A dwarf with a magically modified mechanical arm, followed by two orcs, entered.

Garuda’s hands stopped. Her shoulders trembled.

“Th… that is…”

Garuda’s shoulders flinched. Seeing her long hair tremble, it seemed like such things had happened before.

“We came to collect the money. We can’t delay any longer.”

The dwarf pulled out a ledger. Numbers written in magical ink glittered.

“Eek!”

Garuda hid behind me. Her long hair trembled.

“The principal is 3,000 gold… and the interest… 5,000…”

“Wait, that’s… my father…”

“Your father left this debt. But you’re the heir, aren’t you?”

The man sneered, his lips curling up. His mechanical arm clicked as it moved.

“You won’t be able to pay off this debt with such an old blacksmith shop, will you?”

The orcs snickered as they circled the workbench.

“A traditional blacksmith? Ridiculous.”

“Now it’s the era of magical engineering.”

Garuda gripped her apron tightly. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

“We’ve given you enough time. It’s time to make a decision.”

The dwarf took a step closer.

“Or, you can sell your hammer to our magical engineering company. Then, we’ll consider the debt as paid.”

“Th… that’s not possible…!”

Garuda’s shoulders shook. The furnace’s flames reflected in her tears.

“Or… we can proceed with forced execution.”

The orcs circled the blacksmith shop, snickering.

“How much could these old tools be worth?”

“Maybe just scrap metal?”

Garuda’s lips trembled. Her hand gripped the hammer tightly.

“No… no!”

Her voice was faint.

“This… this is all I have…”

“Hey.”

I stepped forward. The moneylenders’ gazes turned toward me.

“Who…”

“From now on, Garuda is mine.”

At my words, the blacksmith shop fell silent. The dwarves’ beards trembled in shock.

“What… what did you say? I knew it, human lust is…”

“No, I misspoke. I should say she’s my personal blacksmith.”

I placed my hand on Garuda’s shoulder. I could feel her trembling through my palm.

“From now on, if you want to talk about money, you’ll discuss it with me.”

Their gazes moved toward my waist. The holy sword ‘Dawn’ glinted faintly.

The dwarf, who had been waving the ledger, froze.

“W-wait. We were the ones who…”

“How much is it?”

“Huh?”

“How much is the debt?”

The dwarf lowered his head and mumbled.

“The principal is 3,000… and the interest…”

“Is 5,000 gold enough?”

I pulled a pouch of gold coins from my pocket. It was money I’d gathered from monster hunting.

“Let’s settle it with this.”

Their eyes widened. The hands counting the gold coins trembled.

“With this, we can cover just the principal…”

“Here, I’ll give you the interest as well.”

I pulled out another pouch. With a heavy sound, gold coins spilled onto the floor.

“Now, what’s left?”

“That’s it. With… with this, it’s all…”

The dwarves paused to count the coins, then nodded quickly.

“Now that it’s settled, get out.”

They hurriedly left the blacksmith shop. When the door closed, Garuda’s legs gave way.

Tears streamed from Garuda’s eyes. Her lips trembled.

“Why… why are you doing this…”

Instead of answering, I pulled out the promissory note they had given me. A parchment inscribed with runes.

Tear.

The sound of the parchment tearing echoed through the blacksmith shop.

“Now, there’s nothing to hold you back.”

Garuda’s amber eyes wavered. Tears dropped from her long hair.

“But that money… that much money…”

“It’s not a loss.”

“How can you say that…”

“What’s more important is that you can focus on your craft.”

Her shoulders trembled. The hand holding the hammer lost its strength.

“To go this far… I… I can’t…”

“You are my personal blacksmith, aren’t you?”

Her small body collapsed forward. As I caught her in my arms, tears fell.

“How… How do I repay you…”

“Just repay me with your best work.”

Garuda’s shoulders trembled as she buried her face in my chest and sobbed.

“I promise. I will… I will definitely…”

She couldn’t continue, sobbing as her long hair shook with her trembling shoulders.

“Now, focus on growing your talent.”

“O… okay…”

Garuda, hiding her face with her long hair, kept crying.

“Cry as much as you want.”

I gently patted her head. Her small body trembled in my arms.

“My father… My father left this debt, but I…”

“Forget about it now. You have more important things to do.”

Her tear-soaked amber eyes met mine.

“To become the greatest blacksmith.”

The furnace’s flames reflected in her eyes. Within her tears, the fire of a craftsman began to glow.

“Yes. I will definitely become that…”

Her voice was shaky, but the determination behind it was firm.

The moonlight shone on the streets of Ironforge. When the sound of the blacksmith’s hammer quieted, I walked toward the creditors’ office.

‘The location… it’s here.’

The tracking skills I learned from Nia were coming in handy. Following their trail was easy as pie.

“Thanks, Nia. It’s all because you taught me.”

Thief’s skills turned out to be really useful.

In the dark, the office appeared. Despite the fancy sign, the interior was gloomy.

‘Illegal funds, huh… This is the hero’s job, after all.’

Usually, the fallen money or black money belongs to the hero party. It’s the cost of justice, I suppose.

Still, I don’t break family jars, right?

I drew the holy sword. The light of dawn cut through the darkness, shattering the door.

Crash—

“What, what’s this!”

The startled dwarves jumped up. But it was already too late.

“What’s going on? Why is this happening…”

“Seizing illegal funds.”

“What?”

I swung the holy sword at the vault. The metal tore like paper.

“This… this is robbery!”

“Robbery? No, it’s the realization of justice.”

The dwarves tried to flee, but my feet were faster. I quickly subdued them.

“Ugh…”

“Does it hurt? My heart hurts too, so it’s the same, right?”

I checked the money in the vault. As expected, it was a massive amount. It was tens of times more than the money I had given them.

“You’ve kept the ledger well.”

The neatly organized corruption records. With this, they’d spend years in prison.

“P… please…”

“You were so arrogant earlier, but now you’re tucking your tail?”

A gray aura filled the office.

“Let me explain the rules now.”

I walked slowly around the office, speaking.

“First, give me all the money.”

Gold coins spilled from the shadows. The illegal funds covered the floor.

“Second, all the ledgers.”

I picked up the corruption ledger. The records of greed written in a neat hand.

“Third…”

One dwarf tried to escape. The light from the holy sword brushed against his ankle.

“Run, and you die.”

“Ahh!”

The dwarves’ faces turned pale.

“By the way, I’ll use this money for something good.”

“W-what…”

“I’ll use it to raise the world’s greatest blacksmith.”

Fear flashed across their faces.

“Now, don’t touch Garuda.”

After giving my final warning, I left the office.

Before dawn, I had to visit all the loan sharks in the city.

“Now, where’s next?”

Muttering, I slung the holy sword over my shoulder. The night was still long.

Leaving the crumbling office and the groaning dwarves behind, I took steps toward my next destination.

“Garuda! Time for morning exercises!”

At dawn, I shouted in front of the blacksmith shop. Garuda, still drooping, appeared and yawned widely.

“Yeeah… I think I’m gonna die…”

“Stop making excuses and start. Ten laps around the neighborhood.”

“OO…”

Garuda’s long hair fluttered in the morning breeze.

“Why do we do the same thing at the same time every day…”

“You know they say, ‘A healthy body hosts a healthy mind.'”

I noticed the newspaper on the stall. The headline read, ‘Unidentified bandit raids loan sharks’ offices.’

“Huh?”

Garuda, running, spotted the newspaper.

“Someone must’ve taught those loan sharks a lesson.”

“Looks like it.”

I answered nonchalantly as I opened the paper. The content was interesting.

‘A suspicious figure raided the loan sharks’ office… Seizing all the illegally gathered money… The corruption ledger has also disappeared…’

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

Garuda’s eyes sparkled. Her cute neck stretched out as she tried to read the paper while running.

“By the way, who do you think did it?”

“I don’t know. It’s pretty impressive though.”

I smiled slightly as I placed the paper back.

“Now, let’s focus back on the exercises.”

“Yeeah…”

Only the sound of Garuda panting echoed through the dawn streets.