Chapter 81

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Lucy quietly stared at the ring Thor was holding out.

Why was he suddenly giving her a ring?

And even kneeling on one knee?

A thought crossed her mind, but surely, it couldn’t be that.

Even though her height was similar to a dwarf’s, Lucy’s physical age was only ten years old.

Proposing to a ten-year-old girl was a bit much, wasn’t it?

Especially since they had just met today.

“…”

But looking at Thor’s serious face, it seemed like that might actually be the case.

Thinking she should ask directly, Lucy quietly opened her mouth.

“Is this…”

That’s when it happened.

“Lucy—!”

A frantic voice called out from afar.

Turning her head, she saw Finn flying toward her quickly.

“Lucy—!!”

Finn clung to Lucy’s face with a plop.

Lucy blinked.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a disaster!!”

Finn detached from Lucy’s face and then stepped on Thor’s head, who was still kneeling on one knee.

Then, panting heavily, Finn spoke.

“S-Some guys invaded!”

“Invaded?”

“They’re humans, and they took the sword Dracania or something! They also took Sophie! The dwarves were beaten and knocked out, and Hon got hurt too! I barely managed to escape without being noticed!”

“!!”

Lucy jumped to her feet.

Thor did the same.

This wasn’t the time to be lounging around.

They hurried toward Thor’s house.

◈

The inside of the house was a mess.

Furniture was scattered everywhere, and decorations that had been hanging on the walls were now lying all over the place.

Thor’s siblings were sprawled on the floor.

“…!”

Thor quickly checked on his siblings.

From the second oldest to the youngest, they were all covered in blood.

“Ugh, ugh…”

The second oldest struggled to open his eyes.

“Th-Thor, big bro…!”

“What on earth happened?!”

“Some humans took Dracania… We tried to stop them, but we couldn’t… And that rabbit girl too…”

After saying that, the second oldest lost consciousness.

They couldn’t be sure exactly who “those guys” were, but one thing was clear.

Dracania had been stolen.

And Sophie had been taken.

“Damn it!”

Thor’s beard trembled with anger.

“We need to find them right now…!”

Thor stood up.

That’s when a swirling black smoke appeared beside them.

“…?”

Something emerged from the black smoke.

It had a human-like shape, but it was much taller and entirely black from head to toe.

Its eyes glowed red.

“Keke, Lucy. Long time no see.”

“Amon, find Sophie, the beastkin girl. There should still be a scent on me.”

Amon bent down and sniffed Lucy’s clothes.

“Got it… A cute scent. I’ll find her right away.”

Poof!

Amon disappeared from the spot.

Thor blinked and stared at Lucy.

“Wh-What was that just now…?”

“A demon.”

“A demon?!”

“Yeah. I asked Amon for help, so we’ll find her soon.”

Lucy picked up hon, who was lying in a corner.

Hon was trembling pitifully, as if beaten.

“Finn, please heal them.”

“Leave it to me!”

Finn began healing hon and Thor’s siblings with healing powder.

Meanwhile, Lucy asked Thor what Dracania was.

“…Dracania is a sword I spent months crafting. It was for participating in the Mining Festival.”

The Mining Festival.

A traditional dwarven festival held once a year to celebrate the dwarves’ mining skills, blacksmithing craftsmanship, and unity.

“The Mining Festival originated to commemorate the day our dwarf ancestors first broke through the earth and pioneered the mines. It’s a time to give thanks to the earth and nature and to pass down our mining and crafting skills to future generations…”

Thor’s explanation continued for a while, but Lucy only half-listened.

What Lucy was curious about wasn’t the origin of the Mining Festival but the sword Dracania.

“It must be a good sword if they went as far as stealing it.”

“Of course. Dracania is made from a metal called ‘Dracorium.’”  (TN: Who could’ve guessed.)

“Dracorium?”

“Dracorium is a metal formed from the scales of ancient dragons, compressed and fused over thousands of years. 

It boasts legendary strength and durability, and it doesn’t deform under any conditions, making it indestructible. 

It’s also an extremely rare metal that’s nearly impossible to obtain now. I wouldn’t have had the chance to work with Dracorium if it weren’t for my grandmother’s heirloom.”

“…”

Lucy nodded quietly.

Just how many heirlooms did he have?

“Damn it…”

Thor made a frustrated expression.

“With Dracorium forged into a sword, winning the Mining Festival was practically guaranteed. But to have it stolen… Who on earth are those guys…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find it soon.”

“Lucy, I’m exhausted…”

Finn wobbled as she flew over.

Her face looked completely worn out.

Healing six dwarves and hon had left her utterly drained.

Thanks to her efforts, hon was fine now, and Thor’s siblings were slowly waking up.

Lucy gently patted Finn’s head.

“Thank you, Finn.”

As expected, Finn was useful.

[Found her.]

Amon’s voice echoed in Lucy’s mind.

[The beastkin girl is being held by the humans. What should we do?]

[I’ll go there.]

Lucy could instinctively sense Amon’s location.

She immediately left the house with Thor.

◈

Finn and hon were left in the care of Thor’s siblings.

“I won’t let this slide.”

Thor muttered under his breath.

In his hand was a blunt hammer.

“Not only did they dare steal my sword, but they also hurt my siblings and the young wolf. And on top of that, they took the rabbit girl…”

Though his words were resolute, Thor’s hands were trembling slightly.

To Lucy, it seemed like he was scared.

“No need to be afraid. I’ll handle it.”

“A-Afraid? Me?”

Thor stretched his body and put on a confident expression.

Truthfully, he was scared.

Thor had spent his entire life as a blacksmith.

He had never been in a fight before.

But he couldn’t show weakness in front of Lucy.

“Do you know what my nickname is?”

Thor asked, slinging the hammer over his shoulder.

“Thor, the Hammer of Thunder. Do you know why they call me that?”

“We’re here.”

Lucy stopped walking.

A building came into view.

“Huh?”

Thor tilted his head in confusion.

“This is Priscilla’s house.”

“Priscilla?”

“She’s my friend. Are you saying my Dracania and the rabbit girl are in this house?”

“Yes.”

Lucy looked up at the building’s roof.

Amon was standing there, motionless.

He had been waiting for Lucy to arrive.

“Let’s go in.”

Lucy took a step forward.

“Y-You bastards!”

Priscilla spat out harsh curses.

Her stout body was tightly bound with ropes.

“Betrayal, huh? I knew humans were…”

Slap!

Priscilla’s head snapped to the side.

Bron had struck her across the cheek.

“Shut your mouth. Before I kill you for real.”

“Ugh…”

Priscilla burst into tears.

◈

She was a female dwarf and Thor’s childhood friend.

Since they were young, they had bathed together, played in the mines, and grown up side by side.

They were practically family.

Perhaps because of that.

Thor never saw Priscilla as a woman.

Priscilla’s face was quite pretty for a dwarf.

Her figure was also exceptional.

Even her blacksmithing skills were among the best in the village.

So many dwarf men had lined up to court Priscilla, but she had always only had eyes for Thor.

It was Thor who first taught her how to hammer, and it was Thor who carried her on his back when she sprained her leg in the mines.

Priscilla loved Thor’s kindness.

She even loved his thick beard.

She wanted to marry Thor, take care of his siblings together, and live happily ever after.

But Thor didn’t seem interested in Priscilla.

Even when Priscilla made and wore a dress like the ones humans wore, Thor didn’t even glance her way.

Instead of a glance, he coldly said, “It doesn’t suit you.”

And for the past few months, he had been so absorbed in forging a sword that he hadn’t even spoken to Priscilla.

Thor had been crafting a sword using his grandmother’s heirloom, Dracorium, to participate in the Mining Festival.

Dracorium was an extremely rare metal, and forging it would give him a real shot at winning.

But what was the point of winning the Mining Festival?

All he’d get was honor.

Priscilla wished he’d spend time with her instead of chasing after honor that couldn’t even be eaten.

But Thor remained obsessed with forging the sword until the end, and Priscilla grew increasingly frustrated.

Then, Priscilla met two humans who had come to visit the dwarf village.

Bron and Daren.

They were mercenaries.

They said they’d do anything for money.

Looking at the two, Priscilla came up with a brilliant idea.

It was to steal the sword Thor was making and teach him a lesson.

It was a lighthearted plan.

She thought she’d watch Thor struggle a bit and then quietly return the sword.

Priscilla hired Bron and Daren.

She offered them money to steal the sword Thor was making, Dracania.

Bron and Daren accomplished the task without much difficulty.

But it was nothing like what Priscilla had imagined.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
The next cover will be uploaded soon!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Be wiser.

They would do anything for money, not do any job for money, heh.