Steel Mountain Range (4)

The daily routine of healthy food and exercise finally made Garuda explode.

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

Opening the smithy door revealed an unexpected sight.

“Now, watch closely! The pride of the dwarves!”

Garuda held up the diet plan high. The light of the furnace reflected in her hazel eyes.

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

With the sound of tearing paper, the diet plan was torn to shreds.

Her usual timid self was nowhere to be seen, Garuda’s shoulders trembled violently.

“Dwarves… dwarves, you know!”

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

“Dwarves need to drink beer and eat meat! It’s tradition, tradition! Beer is the blood of dwarves!”

She grabbed the non-alcoholic beer from the workbench and threw it away. 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 wildly in anger.

“Garuda, calm down.”

“I can’t calm down!”

She ran at me. She pounded my chest with her small fists.

Puk puk puk-

“Does it hurt? Hurry up and surrender and say you’ll give me beer! Or I’ll hit you more!”

Honestly, it didn’t hurt at all. It was actually cute. Like an angry hamster hopping around.

“Aaaargh!”

Eventually, a tired Garuda lay down on the floor. She rolled around on the floor, throwing a tantrum.

“Get up.”

“No!”

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

“I don’t like the contract or anything else! I don’t know! I can’t live like this! Cut me open, cut me open!”

A tearful voice. She bit her lip as if trying to hold back tears.

“Cut you open? Okay, come here, a naughty dwarf needs to be punished.”

I slowly drew the Holy Sword ‘Dawn’.

“Hiek!”

Garuda’s face turned pale. Her crawling backwards on the floor looked very pathetic.

“I was wrong! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! Please save me! I’ll exercise, I’ll eat salad too!”

Garuda did a dogeza. Her long hair swept the floor.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes! I’m serious! I swear! Exercise is good, the best! Getting healthy is the best!”

I laughed at the sight of her running to her workout clothes. Her small frame hurrying to change clothes was cute.

*

After the workout, Garuda was exhausted and collapsed on the floor. Her long hair was wet with sweat and stuck to her.

“Now… I really can’t…”

I slowly drew the Holy Sword ‘Dawn’. Instantly, Garuda flinched.

“Are you… are you going to cut me open again?”

“No, this time it’s different.”

I placed the Holy Sword on the workbench.

“You’ve been working hard lately, so I’ll give you a chance to study this.”

Garuda’s eyes sparkled instantly. As if the flames of the furnace were contained in her hazel eyes.

“Re… really?”

A trembling voice. Her gaze did not leave the Holy Sword.

“Really the Holy Sword…?”

She cautiously took a step closer. Her small hand reached out towards the blade, then stopped.

“Can I touch it…?”

I nodded, and Garuda stroked the blade with her trembling hand.

The way she examined the blade with her fingertips was like stroking a lover’s face… or rather, a reverent attitude like a believer facing a sacred object. Even the clergy of the church wouldn’t act like that when looking at the Holy Sword.

“Such balance… the flow of magic is perfect too.”

Garuda appraising the weapon with the eyes of an expert.

“The placement of the rune patterns too… this is really…”

A tremor was in her voice as she muttered to herself.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“Yes… no, the expression ‘like’ is not enough. This is… the ultimate masterpiece!”

Garuda’s fingers moved along the rune patterns.

An admiring voice. It was the most serious expression I had ever seen.

“Can I… can I make something like this too?”

Her voice trembled. A complex emotion mixed with the desire of a craftsman and self-deprecation.

“Of course.”

“Liar…”

“You can do it.”

Garuda’s eyes wavered. Her lips trembled.

“Really… do you really think so?”

“Yes. Your talent is enough.”

Garuda’s shoulders twitched.

“But, to do that, you’ll have to work hard, right?”

Her hand gripped the hammer tightly. Her usual timid self was nowhere to be seen, her eyes shone firmly.

“Yes… I’ll work hard.”

She headed to the workbench with a faint smile. Today, her steps felt lighter than usual.

“Let’s start again…”

A determined voice. She tied her sweaty hair back and stood in front of the workbench.

Kkang, Kkang-

The sound of hammering rang out. A different rhythm than usual. A deeper, more solid resonance.

“Good, that’s the attitude.”

I smiled behind Garuda’s back. A whip alone is not enough. Sometimes you need a carrot too.

But above all, what awakened her talent was this. The dream of a craftsman who wants to create the best weapon.

“That’s right, and…”

I continued as I headed to the kitchen.

“From today, I’m going to change the diet too.”

“Yes?”

Garuda’s eyes widened as I handed her a lunch box.

“T… this is…”

Her eyes widened as soon as she took a bite.

“It’s delicious…?”

It was chicken breast, but grilled with a special sauce and smelled of fragrant herbs. The vegetables were also stir-fried to enhance the flavor.

“T… this is healthy food?”

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

“No way… there’s no way it can be this delicious…”

Garuda ate ravenously.

“Ah, but you know.”

She asked with her cheeks puffed out.

“Why didn’t you do this before? You could have made it this delicious from the start, right?”

A smile appeared on my lips.

“Well, I was afraid you’d get spoiled if I gave you delicious food from the beginning.”

“Neee?!”

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

“So you deliberately… deliberately made it taste bad… a demon… a real demon…”

Garuda lowered her head. Frustration was evident through her long hair.

“Th… then the exercise too…”

“That hasn’t changed.”

“Ugh…”

But now her sigh was different too. Her longing for the Holy Sword was changing her.

*

On a peaceful afternoon with the sound of hammering, the smithy door was opened roughly.

Kwang-!

The smithy door was opened roughly. The midday sunlight poured into the darkness.

“Hey, Garuda! I know you’re here!”

Men rushed in with a rough voice. A dwarf with a magic-engineered prosthetic hand, followed by two orcs.

Garuda’s hand stopped. Her shoulders trembled.

“Th… that’s…”

Garuda’s shoulders twitched. Seeing her long hair trembling, I guessed this kind of thing happened often.

“We’ve come to collect the money. We can’t postpone it anymore.”

The dwarf took out a ledger. The numbers written in magic ink sparkled.

“Hiek!”

Garuda hid behind me. Her long hair trembled.

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

“J… just a moment! That was my father’s…”

“It’s the debt your father left behind. But you’re the heir, right?”

The man raised the corner of his mouth in a sneer. The mechanical prosthetic moved with a click.

“With this old-fashioned smithy, you won’t be able to pay off the debt in your lifetime, right?”

The orcs chuckled as they looked around the workbench.

“Traditional blacksmith? You’re talking nonsense.”

“Now is the age of magical engineering.”

Garuda’s hand gripped her apron tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“We’ve given you enough time. Now it’s time to decide.”

The dwarf took a step closer.

“Or sell your hammer to our magical engineering company. Then we’ll write off the debt.”

“Th… that’s not allowed…!”

Garuda’s shoulders trembled. The flames of the furnace reflected in her tears.

“Or… we’ll have to enforce it.”

The orcs chuckled as they looked around the smithy.

“How much would these old tools be worth?”

“Would we even get scrap metal prices?”

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

“N… no…”

A faint voice.

“This… this is my everything…”

“Hey.”

I took a step forward. The loan sharks’ gazes turned to me all at once.

“Who…”

“Now Garuda is my property.”

The smithy fell silent at my words. The dwarves’ beards shook in shock.

“Wh… what? As expected, human lust is….”

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

I placed my hand on Garuda’s shoulder. Her trembling was transmitted to my palm.

“So from now on, discuss money matters with me.”

Their gazes turned to my waist. The blade of the Holy Sword ‘Dawn’ shone faintly.

The dwarf’s face, who was wielding the ledger, hardened.

“J… just a moment. We were here first…”

“How much is it?”

“Yes?”

“How much is the debt?”

The dwarf lowered his head and muttered.

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

“Is 5,000 gold enough?”

I took out a pouch of gold coins from my pocket. It was money collected from hunting magical beasts.

“Let’s end it with this.”

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

“This… this is barely the principal…”

“Yeah, here’s the interest too.”

I took out another pouch. Gold coins spilled onto the floor with a heavy sound.

“Now what’s left?”

“That’s it. Th… that’s all…”

The dwarves counted the gold coins for a while, then hurriedly nodded.

“Now, if you’re done, get out.”

They hurried out of the smithy. As the door closed, Garuda’s legs gave way.

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

“Why… why are you doing this…”

Instead of answering, I took out the promissory note I received from them. Parchment with rune letters engraved on it.

Tear-

The sound of parchment tearing echoed in the smithy.

“Now there’s nothing holding you back.”

Garuda’s hazel eyes wavered. Tears dripped between her long hair.

“But… with that money… with that much money…”

“I don’t regret it.”

“How… how can you do that…”

“An environment where you can concentrate is more important.”

Her shoulders shook. The hand holding the hammer loosened.

“This much… I don’t deserve this…”

“You’re my exclusive blacksmith.”

Her small body fell forward. Tears flowed into my arms as I caught her.

“I… how can I repay you…”

“Repay me with the best work.”

Garuda’s shoulders shook. She sobbed with her face buried in my chest.

“I promise… I… I will definitely…”

Garuda couldn’t continue her words and sobbed. Her long hair shook along with her trembling shoulders.

“Now just focus on developing your talent.”

“Ugh… ugh…”

Garuda continued to sob, covering her face with hair longer than her own height.

“Cry as much as you want.”

I stroked her head. Her small body trembled in my arms.

“It’s my father’s… it’s the debt my father left behind… I…”

“You can forget about it now. You have something more important to do.”

Hazel eyes wet with tears met my eyes.

“Becoming the best blacksmith.”

The flames of the furnace reflected in her eyes. The flame of a craftsman rose in her tears.

“Yes… I will definitely… definitely become that…”

It was a trembling voice, but the determination within was firm.

*

Moonlight illuminated the streets of Iron Forge. At a time when the sound of the smithy’s hammer had subsided, I walked towards the creditors’ office.

‘The location is… here.’

The tracking skills I learned from Nia shone. It was easy for them to track the traces.

“Thanks, Nia. It’s all thanks to you teaching me.”

The thief’s skills are so useful.

The office revealed itself in the darkness. Unlike the flashy sign, the inside was gloomy.

‘Illegal funds… this is the hero’s share.’

Originally, fallen money or black money all belongs to the hero party. You could say it’s the cost of justice.

Still, I don’t break the jars in people’s homes, right?

I drew the Holy Sword. The light of Dawn split the darkness and smashed the door.

Kwang-

“Wh… what!”

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

“What? Why are you doing this…”

“Confiscating illegal funds.”

“What?”

I swung the Holy Sword towards the vault. The lump of iron was torn like paper.

“This… this is robbery!”

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

The dwarves tried to escape, but my feet were faster. I subdued them in an instant.

“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 huge amount. An amount dozens of times the money I gave.

“You’ve kept the ledger well too.”

A neatly organized corruption ledger. This will send you to jail for several years.

“Pl… please…”

“You were so arrogant earlier, now you’re backing down?”

Gray aura filled the office.

“I’ll tell you the rules from now on.”

I said as I slowly walked around the office.

“First, give me all the money.”

Gold coins poured out from the darkness. The illegally collected money covered the floor.

“Second, all the ledgers too.”

I picked up the corruption ledger. Records of greed written in neat handwriting.

“Third…”

One dwarf tried to escape. The light of the Holy Sword grazed his ankle.

“If you run away, you die.”

“Aaaargh!”

The dwarves’ faces turned pale.

“For reference, this money will be used for good.”

“Wh… what…”

“To raise the greatest blacksmith in the world.”

Terror crossed their faces.

“Now don’t touch Garuda.”

I left the office after leaving the final warning.

Before dawn, I have to look around all the loan sharks in this city.

“Now, where’s next?”

I muttered, slinging the Holy Sword over my shoulder. The night was still long.

Leaving behind the collapsing office and the groaning dwarves, I moved towards my next destination.

*

“Garuda! Morning exercise time!”

I shouted in front of the smithy at dawn. Garuda, who still appeared droopy, yawned widely.

“Neee… I feel like I’m going to die…”

“Don’t make excuses and start. Ten laps around the neighborhood.”

“Ugh…”

Garuda’s long hair fluttered in the morning breeze.

“Why the same time every day…”

“A healthy mind resides in a healthy body, I told you.”

A newspaper placed on a stand caught my eye. The title ‘Unidentified righteous thief, attacks loan sharks’ caught my attention.

“Huh?”

Garuda, who was running, discovered the newspaper.

“Someone punished the bad loan sharks, it seems?”

“I guess so.”

I answered casually, unfolding the newspaper. It’s interesting to read the contents.

‘A suspicious person attacked the loan sharks’ office… confiscated all illegally collected money… corruption ledgers also disappeared…’

“Wow, amazing!”

Garuda’s eyes sparkled. She was cute as she stretched her neck to look at the newspaper while running.

“By the way, who did it?”

“I don’t know who it is. It’s amazing.”

I placed the newspaper back in its place with a small smile on my lips.

“Focus on exercising again.”

“Neee…”

Only Garuda’s panting sound echoed in the dawn streets again.