The Dwarf and the Workshop
These days, unlike when I was young, the dreams I had no longer dwelled on the past.
Memories and recollections, once jumbled together into something meaningful, had been pushed aside, further and further back. No matter how I lay down and closed my eyes, they refused to bloom.
Instead, what unfolded in their place—shoving the past away and claiming my dreams for itself—was always a vision of the future.
But now, the cast had changed.
“Hey, rookie, what do you think of this? I reckon I made it pretty close to what you described.”
Horn held out some object as he grumbled those words.
“Ain, um… this reagent’s done too. It’s complete, of course, though the failure rate’s still sitting at 45%… haha.”
Aberly was still showing his true colors as a probability scammer.
“Ain hyung, Lucia noona says she’s rested up enough, so she wants you to go do some relief work for the commoners in the border towns.”
“Ain oppa, Lucia unni said to bring back any orphans you see on the way.”
The twins, who’d shot up and matured in the blink of an eye, crowded around me.
“Hehehe, praise the nobility of this body, which thinks of the common folk! Ahh, what a splendid aristocrat… what beautiful noblesse oblige! This is the true elegance of Lucia Vicente Todorica Simeo!”
“Waaah~ As expected of Lady Lucia Vicente Todorica Simeo! So cool!”
“More! Praise me more! There’s no lady finer than Eileen Phrygia Delfinium!!”
The two eccentric noble ladies were as weird and wondrous as ever.
“Ain, you damn brat! Come here and take this already!”
Mr. Rendo thrust a basket overflowing with groceries at me.
“I need new research materials, Ain. It’d be great if someone could fetch some from somewhere.”
Idrin peeked out from behind a stack of research books clutched in both hands.
“Ain, even if you’re not adventuring, swing by the shop and buy something. Business has been shit lately.”
Mr. Yansen approached with a bored expression, demanding I patronize him.
“Just do 30 sets of bench presses today, nice and light.”
Instructor Rini kept hoisting dumbbells, spouting his usual nonsense.
“Son, take some side dishes with you while you’re here.”
“Yeah. You look so worn out these days—we’re worried, son.”
My parents stroked my face with their usual worried expressions.
These were undoubtedly the landscapes of the future I desired.
They were the stories I hoped would unfold someday, after I safely completed this journey.
And in those scenes, there had to be a woman calling my name.
“…Ain.”
Smiling gently, slipping close to take my hand.
“Ain.”
Looking up at me softly, speaking like any ordinary person.
“Ain.”
That was the ideal ending to the story we were writing together—or so I believed.
So…
“Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, Ain, ”
Uh.
“I love you.”
No.
“I love you.”
This wasn’t the Asha I’d dreamed of…
“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Fuck, shit.
“I love you. Ain, I love you. I love you. Ain. Ain, I love you. I love you. Ain, I love you.”
What the hell.
Fuck, why’s the dream suddenly doing this?
“Ugh, crazy…!”
I bolted awake, pale-faced, at the dreamscape’s abrupt twist at the end.
The sun was already up, the inn room brightly lit, my still-sleeping companions visible.
And there.
“Ain? You’re up early. You must be tired.”
Asha sat elegantly at the table by the kitchen, sipping tea. She propped her chin on one hand, gazing at me with a beaming smile.
“Uh… yeah. Just… happened. Yeah…”
“Hmm, something wrong? You’ve got cold sweat on your forehead.”
She crooked a finger, and a breeze whooshed in, wiping the sweat from my brow. My frantically pounding heart slowed bit by bit, and soon a cup of tea floated over to me.
“No… just a nightmare? Or was it? It was a good dream at first… uh, um… thanks for the tea.”
“It’s a calming blend. Drink it while it’s warm, Ain.”
“Yeah.”
I took the cup from her and sipped slowly. It was nice and hot, steam still rising, with a pleasant aroma that really did soothe the mind.
As I caught my breath over the tea, Asha watched me intently.
But the fingertips of her slender, chin-propped hand brushed ever so slightly against her ear.
“…”
That faint touch on her ear made me flinch, shoulders jerking.
Of course—the short-range telepathy earrings we’d bought together last time dangled from her lobe.
“Ain, got something to say?”
No way.
“Nah… no. Just, the tea’s good.”
“Hehe, I’ll pour more when you finish.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
It couldn’t be that, right? Shaking off the thought, I sipped again. My rattled mind gradually settled.
Anyway.
Horn’s endless tale had dragged on all night without end, so everyone except me and Asha slept in late. Usually, we all rose early to start the day, but today, it was nearly lunchtime before eyes opened.
“Ah, a bit tired. Well, now that you’re all up, let’s grab some food, kiddos. There’s a great place right nearby—wanna try their lunch specials.”
The culprit, who’d rattled on nonstop, stretched casually and hopped out of bed like nothing happened.
“Ugh… I’m tired… hungry and tired…”
““We’re hungry, but… still so sleeeepy…””
Eileen and the twins mumbled, limp with exhaustion. Even these food-obsessed kids were picking bed over breakfast—must be rough.
“Haha… I’m hungry, so maybe eat and crash again after…”
Aberly, who usually pulled all-nighters on research, rubbed his eyes groggily as he rose.
Horn scooped the droopy kids from their beds, slung them over his shoulders, and turned to me.
“Let’s go, rookie. I’m starving.”
Everyone’s starving, huh. His story had started skipping dinner and gone till just before dawn, so yeah, empty stomachs all around.
“Yesterday you were a weepy old dementia case regressing to childhood, but now you’re perky and normal.”
“So what? Quit teasing already, you punk. I’m hungry.”
“Fine, eat first, tease later.”
“Argh, you annoying little shit.”
I grinned mischievously, taking the twins off his shoulder. Asha sidled up, grabbing Eileen’s hair to prop her up.
“Ow… it hurts. Hurts… Asha-nim…”
“Then stand properly if you don’t like it.”
“Ugh, be nice to me too…”
“…What a pain.”
Of course, after Eileen’s whine, her touch turned mysteriously gentle as she supported her.
We rose to head out for lunch.
Knock knock. Just as I reached for the door, a knock sounded from the other side.
Hm. Who’d knock this late in the morning?
I tilted my head curiously and swung the door open—strangely, no one was there.
“Huh, nobody?”
I’d opened it right after the knock, peered down the hall—empty.
“…Makes me think of those Veritas Hotel rules for no reason. Rule 4: Even if someone knocks, never open the door.”
Maybe payback magic from that haunted hotel fiasco. I half-joked to the others, but the reply came from the edge of my lower vision.
“Rude human. That’s some real dwarf-hating talk.”
Then I saw him. The dwarf elder from yesterday—the one Horn called Shillin—staring up at me from knee height, looking exasperated.
“Ah.”
“Here to talk to Horn, rude human.”
“Uh, sorry… wasn’t trying to tease.”
“Whatever. Rudeness is human tradition anyway. Humans lack manners by nature.”
And damn, he was Horn MK2. Species supremacist. These KKK dwarves. I swallowed the thought, glancing at Horn behind me.
“What’ll you do?”
“Hm, you lot go eat. I’ve got talking to do.”
His eyes weren’t dead or droopy like yesterday.
“You good?”
“I’m good now, rookie.”
Probably ’cause he’d spilled all his pent-up baggage to us. I stepped aside for Shillin, who nodded curtly, brushed past, and faced Horn.
I watched the two dwarves’ backs for a moment, then turned to the others.
“Let’s head out.”
“Yeah, Ain.”
“Haha… hometown folk… lucky.”
We’d talked till dawn; now it was their turn. We slipped into the hall, easing the door shut—and glimpsed the two dwarves, eyes already reddening.
More tears left after yesterday’s flood?
“Hm, two crybaby geezers now.”
“Ain, that’s mean.”
Guess I’d tease ’em more when we got back. I grinned.