The Best of Both Worlds
“Good. Lead the way.”
Rune’s permission caused the gathered dwarves’ eyes to widen.
“You’ll actually help us?”
“First we confirm it’s something we can help with. I’ll report back and decide.”
That was a solid answer.
The dwarves facing each other broke into bright smiles.
Among them, the oldest-looking dwarf with the exotic brown mustache spoke first.
“I’ll guide you!”
Ten dwarves rose in perfect unison.
Curious, Rune asked, “By the way, where do you come from?”
The thick brown mustache dwarf stepped forward.
“Well, if we must split hairs, I’m from the Traditional Faction. And this young one here was originally from the Reformist Faction.”
Rune picked up on the strange aftertaste in the last words.
‘Was?’
The next words from the mustache dwarf cleared his confusion instantly.
“We now call ourselves the Gaetong-pa.”
Heungmi’s hand shot up instantly.
“I knew the answer, teacher!”
Jed, suddenly in “teacher mode,” extended his hand toward her.
“Yes! The hand-raised Heungmi. Speak!”
Heungmi laughed “Hee!” at Jed’s cue, then smiled and answered with a grin.
“‘Re’form and tra‘dition’! So Gaetong-pa! Right?”
The brown mustache dwarf—Scott—nodded with easy grace.
“Precisely. Such an intelligent young lady.”
He bowed politely.
‘That felt exactly like the etiquette lesson from Christina.’
Rune realized at once that Scott’s manners had been shaped by the continent’s standard etiquette, even though he belonged to the Traditional Faction.
‘He absorbed the Reformist style. So he’s Gaetong-pa.’
Scott turned back to Rune, flashing a cheeky smile.
“Lord Rune, in truth, the Black Smith Dwarves are a workshop made by dwarves deeply moved after hearing your words at the last blacksmith tournament. It’s rather special in many ways.”
“Really?”
Scott’s gaze grew nostalgic at Rune’s reply.
“The image of that young one from my childhood is still vivid. A hundred years ago…”
A hundred years earlier, Scott was the young dwarf troubled over his path as a master.
He had been present when the shadow race’s Rune first chose the tournament winner.
—Of the two paths—future and history—one must tread and claim superiority. That is not the spirit of dwarven pride as masters?
The young Rune had looked down upon the dwarves with calm wisdom.
That scene had ignited a fire in Scott’s heart.
“To witness such a sight in my lifetime… I am deeply moved.”
Scott gazed at the once-fierce young man with gentle eyes and spoke softly.
“You planted the dream in this young dwarf’s heart, Lord Rune. I must say, I am grateful.”
Scott glanced at Rune with hopeful eyes, as if waiting for response.
Since it was pointless to ignore him completely, Rune gave a light nod.
“Hm. That’s wonderful news.”
Scott spread both arms wide to explain further.
“We dwarves who gathered here have only created a new workshop less than a hundred years old. It has found its place as a third faction between the Reformists and Traditionalists.”
Rune thought immediately._The quiet support of Perdikion must have been behind it all._‘With the Traditional and Reform factions already at each other’s throats, having a moderate faction would be welcome.’
Scott’s words continued even as Rune pondered.
“Our workshop’s items are renowned for their elegance and uniqueness.”
“Fascinating.”
Rune wondered what kind of masterpieces they had forged in a furnace made of black dragon hatchling scales.
‘I hope their results are truly good. These might even be useful to me.’
Rune’s eyes sparkled.
The path gradually narrowed.
The sound of waterwheels turning echoed from afar.
Warmth and the faint, dark aura brushed Rune’s skin.
The smoke billowing from the roof felt like a living, rough breath.
The Gaetong-pa workshop, belonging to no faction, appeared before them.
“Here we are.”
Jed peered around, sounding pitiful.
“Aigoo… this is a real pain.”
Jed scratched his cheek and continued.
“The route to gather materials is inconvenient, and the way to the dungeon twists back on itself.”
Exactly as he said, the location was far from ideal.
Rune nodded and spoke up.
“Indeed. The path is longer than when we visited the Reform and Traditional forges, but…”
Scott and the other dwarves stiffened.
Rune added calmly, “What matters is what you make and how well. Show me the forges.”
Scott immediately composed himself and stepped forward.
“Of course. Come this way.”
The door opened, revealing a cozy interior.
‘It really is smaller.’
Rune had visited only the grand forges of the greatest masters.
If the Reform and Traditional workshops had been huge hotels, this felt like a snug little cottage.
It wasn’t bad, but it carried the intimate warmth of a private hideout.
“It’s not bad at all.”
That was honest.
The items were excellent.
Weapons and equipment emanating the dark aura without pressure.
And then…
“Is this a musical instrument?”
Pianos, flutes, and more.
Rune recognized the objects and turned to Scott.
The brown mustache dwarf naturally approached and lifted a violin.
“Correct. The power from the dark furnace and the materials we researched for playability show that creating musical instruments is the most efficient.”
The instruments crafted by master hands were all outstanding.
Some even carried the dark aura, giving them a sinister feel, but Rune still offered praise.
‘They did thorough research.’
Rune lightly touched the piano keys.
Ta-ran.
Ta-dan.
The tone was beautiful and captivating.
Rune played a familiar melody lightly.
Tan-tara~.
Tan-tara~.
Ta~ra-ra-ra~ra~ra-ra.
The haunting melody flowed through the rich sound.
After a few more notes, Rune turned around.
“Who made these?”
The dwarves, lost in music, snapped to attention.
“I, I did!”
The honest-faced dwarf, who had been most eager, raised his hand.
Rune stared at him a moment, then nodded twice.
“Well made.”
“Really?”
The dwarf’s eyes sparkled like gold at the dark lord’s praise.
The other dwarves quickly chimed in.
“I, I actually made this viola…”
“I made this trumpet…”
“I made this accordion; please give me an evaluation…”
“And this harmonica and harp too!”
As the dwarves fell in line, their requests piled up.
“Heungmi likes this harmonica! It sounds fun!”
Heungmi tried playing the harmonica at their urging and gave her verdict.
“The quality is excellent.”
“Other dwarves must have given good reviews.”
Their mood shifted—eager to request evaluations.
The honest young dwarf spoke up.
“Not really. The fact that we’re the only ones who like it is enough of a reason.”
He scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed face and added sadly.
“After all, dwarves don’t use musical instruments.”
True enough. To Rune, music felt distant from dwarven culture.
A woman’s voice followed.
“Exactly. Making this with rare materials is far better than washing clothes. You’d be beaten for it.”
The short-haired, cool-faced female dwarf master furrowed her brows.
Only then did Rune notice there were more female dwarves than in the other workshops.
Rune thought about the piano and the women.
‘Now I understand why they mentioned gathering materials elsewhere.’
Female dwarves could become great masters, of course.
Rune knew the dwarves who made Heungmi’s clothes were mostly female, and they were clearly suited for delicate, time-consuming work like fabric, leather, and engraving.
Weapons like swords and spears were present, but they weren’t yet at the level for the tournament.
Once Rune had seen enough, he turned and said, “Well done. Now show me the furnace.”
The dark aura from underfoot had been signaling to him all along.
Like a master’s call.
Scott led the way down the stairs.
“Lord Rune, this way.”
The area was sealed with mana stones infused with dark, fire, and light auras to contain the power.
Inside, the dwarves let out a “Kuk!”
The dark aura was so thick it felt like drowning in power.
Scott’s whole body trembled as he covered his mouth.
“Kuk… I didn’t expect so much power in such a short time!”
Heungmi and Jed, carrying fire and dark spirits, showed no unease and tilted their heads.
Then…
Poof.
“Piyak?”
Baekya began to glow softly above Heungmi’s head.
The bird’s superior fire ability cleared the panting dwarves’ lungs at once.
“Heh! Whew, I’m saved.”
“This bird is using something weird. I feel fire mana.”
The dwarves slowly crowded around Heungmi and Baekya.
Rune watched them and thought._‘I was going to cast a barrier anyway. It’s better to have them gather here.’
Rune looked around._The upper part was cozy like a cottage, but the lower part was surprisingly spacious and open.
He placed his hand on the golden bracelet and addressed the dwarves.
“I’ll go alone to check the condition. Stay right there for a moment.”
The dwarves, exchanging glances, nodded.
“Yes.”
“We trust you, shadow race. Descendants of the black dragon!”
“Please take good care!”
It was only a request, but their faces showed they would have died on the spot if refused.
In the midst of it, the dwarf Jed shouted.
“Lord Rune-! If it looks dangerous, come back right away! If I have to die because of it, I die!”
“….”
Rune nodded vaguely and pulled out the transformation bracelet.
The hatchling form of Rune shook his shoulder lightly.
“Kyuuu.”
[Shall we go?]
His tail wagging, the hatchling walked with a bouncy gait.
Many eyes followed his back.
Rune walked to the furnace as casually as someone heading to drink.
“Kyuwo.”
[As expected.]
The power was surging.
Like a bomb about to explode any second.
The dark force had been controlled with fire mana, but now that he was near Heungmi and the dark source, Rune, the carefully contained energy was exploding outward.
“Kyu.”
[Solving this won’t be hard.]
He might even receive an unexpected gift.
“Kyu kyu woo.”
Rune extended his front paws and began gathering the explosive force like fireworks.
‘I need to summon Grace. And…’
This situation would have been extremely difficult for the dwarves who innately handled fire mana.
But Rune couldn’t stay here constantly.
Grace, who wielded dark mana, would be perfect.
‘I need to use this power to create pathways.’
Rune smiled faintly.
“Kyuwoo!”
[If it works out, I’ll get the best of both worlds.]