"We will help you, but I don't intend to do it for free. I need to speak with your queen."

Elf Leader: "Certainly, my lord, if you come with us—"

"Not now. There's another place we need to go first. You can either come with us or go to my kingdom."

Elf Leader: "May I ask where you're going?"

"North, to a city called Roskild."

Elf Soldier 1: "That disgusting dwarf city? They're nothing but rude and drunken dwarves."

"First humans, now dwarves? You talk too much for someone who can't get along with any race."

Elf Soldier 1: "Y-You!"

Aiden: "Seems like someone doesn't want a head anymore."

"Let me make a few things clear. I don't actually want to help you. Especially as a newly established kingdom, I don't want to jeopardize my people and military power. However, if we are to help you, you will listen to me, not the other way around. I intend to take anything I can from you, and also, you might want to teach this idiot how to treat the people he's asking for help."

Elf Soldier 1: "Y-You bastard!"

The Elf Leader drew a dagger from his waist and beheaded the elf soldier, killing him.

Elf Leader: "Forgive us for the disrespect. We truly need your help, and we can't get assistance from anyone else anytime soon. According to our queen, the attack will happen in a few months. Until then, please visit us. I'll draw a map for you."

"That works better."

After drawing the map of the elf kingdom on a piece of paper, the elf leader and the others gathered their belongings.

Elf Leader: "Let's go then. Take care, my lord."

"I will."

The elves quickly left our camp, and the moon continued to shine brightly above us. Aiden spoke up.

Aiden: "Hey, aren't you a bit too harsh, friend? Are you sure it's the right way?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I know I'm being tough, but as a king, I need to assert that I hold the power and control. Otherwise, those who already have a powerful kingdom might crush us."

Aiden: "I guess you're right."

"Also, if a kingdom with thousands of soldiers seeks our few hundred military forces, they must really be in need of help. I wonder how much that queen knows about me..."

Malik: "Queen? What happened while I was asleep?"

Aiden: "A queen who can see the future saw Daichi in her dreams."

Malik: "Really? Maybe she saw you while you were in the bathroom."

Aiden: "Perhaps she saw you too, but if she did, she probably mistook you for some kind of monster just because you were eating."

Malik: "I'm sure she didn't see you, or she wouldn't have sent soldiers all the way here for help."

Aiden: "Do you want to find out who's stronger, then?"

Malik: "I can beat you without using my abilities."

"I'm going to sleep, so it would be better if you don't make too much noise. Also, we'll be on the road all day tomorrow."

Aiden: "Consider yourself lucky, tubby."

Malik: "Talks like a scared chicken."

Maybe I shouldn't have brought them with me...

In the morning, we packed our belongings, fed the wolves, and set out on the road without wasting any time. We continued this way for six days, and finally, we came across a city built around a massive volcano.

Aiden: "Look at this! They've literally built the city next to a volcano. It must be scorching hot."

Malik: "I wonder if they sell ice cream."

"We should send the wolves back through the portal to avoid tiring them. We'll walk from here onwards."

I opened a portal to the Monster Kingdom and sent the wolves back. Now that we had reached Roskild, we could quickly travel back and forth through the portal. As we approached the entrance of Roskild, dwarf guards greeted us, heavily armored and armed.

Dwarf Guard: "Why have you come to our city?"

"We heard your blacksmithing is famous, and we wanted to see it for ourselves. We're all adventurers."

Dwarf Guard: "So, you appreciate real craftsmanship. After showing your badges, you can enter."

"Do you know a good blacksmith around here?"

Dwarf Guard: "Hmm, almost everyone here is a blacksmith, but the best among them is Smith Torin. He's someone even the gods of blacksmithing envy."

"Gods of blacksmithing?"

Dwarf Guard: "You know, Vulcan, Gobannus, and even Hephaistos wanted to make him their heir, but that stubborn old man rejected them all. He constantly talks about not bowing to anyone and how proud he is. Even if you ask him for something, he only swings his hammer for the people he wants to, and he charges them an exorbitant amount."

"I see. Thank you."

The only thing missing was a grumpy blacksmith; it feels like the number of colorful characters in my life is increasing.

We entered the city and started looking around. Roskild's cobblestone streets, filled with the intoxicating scent of iron, created a mesmerizing atmosphere. Every corner revealed a world of blacksmith shops, flaming forges, and the sounds of hammers ringing in a symphony. The stories about the dwarves' craftsmanship were indeed not exaggerated; the weapons and armor displayed in the showcases dazzled with extraordinary details and ornaments.

Aiden was getting lost among the weapons, examining each one with great admiration. Malik, on the other hand, was more interested in the food stalls, trying the unique flavors of the dwarves.

"We need to find Smith Torin's shop," I said, trying to gather the group.

"It won't be easy to find it among so many shops."

Aiden was looking at a shop with shiny armor in the window.

Aiden: "Maybe this is it. They have really nice armor."

Malik's mouth was full: "Mmm, maybe the best place for food," he murmured.

We knocked on the door of the nearest shop to ask about Torin's shop. An elderly dwarf came out, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Looking for Smith Torin? His old shop is at the other end of the city, next to the Great Fire. You won't have trouble finding it; although it's the only shop there, the sound of his hammer hitting the iron is the loudest in the city."

Thanking him, we set out. When we arrived at the described location, we understood that this was indeed the noisiest place in the city, so finding Torin's shop didn't take long.

The sign on the shop's door read "Smith Torin" and below it "Closed," but the sounds coming from inside indicated Torin's presence.

The hammer hitting the iron felt like the ground was shaking. As we entered, the intense heat and the sharp smell of metal filled our noses.

Torin, a middle-aged, broad-shouldered dwarf, was so focused on shaping a piece of iron that he didn't notice us.

Without realizing it, we all got caught up in watching him. Even Malik stopped chewing his chicken and stared in awe.

Finally, Torin noticed us and, dropping his hammer, said, "What are you doing here? Didn't you see the 'Closed' sign on the door?"

"Although we saw it, when we heard the voices-"

Torin: "Do you enter everywhere you hear a sound? Have you ever entered your parents' room when you heard sounds?"

Malik: "Well, I did enter once."

Aiden signaled Malik to be quiet.

Malik: "I just wanted to say..."

"We don't want to disturb you, sir, we just had a request."

Torin: "I don't accept requests; I gave up blacksmithing a long time ago. Especially not doing anything for a handful of adventurers."

"But-"

Torin: "No 'buts', get out of my shop."

I turned around and headed for the door, but before leaving, I said the following words loud enough for Torin to hear:

"Well, I guess you can't forge this material either..."

Torin: "Stop right there."

Haha, gotcha, old man.

"We didn't think you could help us."

Torin: "What do you mean by 'forgeable material'? Are you claiming there's something even Torin, who rejects the gods, can't forge?"

"Yes, exactly. I have a small piece with me. Would you like to see it?"

Torin looked at me with great curiosity, and deciding to put aside his grumpiness in favor of curiosity.

Torin: "Show me this material; I'm sure I can forge anything you claim I can't."

I took out the black stone I found in the forest from my pocket and showed it to Torin.

Torin: "T-This, this dark color, and this suffocating feeling... I've never seen a metal like this before."

Torin reached out to grab the stone, but I pulled it back at the last moment.

"Wait a minute; I'll give you this stone on one condition."

Torin: "W-What, you disrespectful kid! Do you think you can offer me a condition?"

"If you want this stone, I want you to give up blacksmithing and open a blacksmith shop in my kingdom."

Torin: "Your kingdom? A kid like you as a king?"

"You'll find out when the time comes. Do you accept my offer?"

As sweat dripped from Torin's forehead, he pondered for a moment, and after a few seconds, he said:

Torin: "If that stone is as good as you say, I'll accept your offer."

"Agreed; we'll be here for a few days, so take your time."

Torin: "A few days? Do you think it will take that long to forge this stone?"

"Better get started quickly."

Torin: "You disrespectful kid!"

Torin started grumbling again, but I was too tired to listen, so I left the shop to find an inn in the city. 

Malik: "He was quite grumpy; he didn't even want to hear my story."

Aiden: "No one wants to hear about what you've seen in your family's room."

Malik: "But why? They were eating without telling me; I just wanted to share that!"

Aiden: "Eating? I guess for a family living with you, that's an activity that needs to be done secretly."

Malik: "Why is that?"

Aiden: "Because you eat all their food. Maybe you should consider going on a diet soon."

Malik: "All of these are muscles; if you work hard enough, you can be like me too."

Aiden: "I'm good as I am, thanks, my friend."

"That inn over there looks good; I'll get a room for the three of us. If you want, you can explore the city."

Aiden: "I could use some sleep, and then we can explore the city."

Malik: "I'm a bit hungry; I'll grab something to eat and join you later."

I opened the door of the inn and went inside. The atmosphere inside was warm and cozy. I asked the innkeeper about the rooms and reserved one for three. After entering the room, I immediately laid my tired body on the bed.

Aiden: "What was that stone you gave him?"

"Do you remember when I told you I got beaten up for six days? All of this was to get a small piece of that stone."

Aiden: "Is that Torin guy some kind of sadistic maniac?"

"You could say that."

Aiden: "Do you think he'll be able to forge that stone?"

"It depends on how resilient he is, but I have a feeling he can."

Aiden: "So whether he forges the stone or not, you'll be the winner. I can't believe you came up with such a cunning plan."

"He'll want to come even more if he understands how good that stone is. Imagine, the most famous blacksmith in a city of blacksmiths coming out with a stone he has never seen before. What do you think a person like him, who is crazy about his work, will want after realizing how good this material is?"

Aiden: "More."

"Exactly, and if he wants more, the only place where the stone is right now is the Monster Kingdom."

Aiden: "So, whether he forges the stone or not, you'll win. I can't believe you made such a clever plan."

"This cunning man needs a bit of sleep; I could hardly sleep at all because of Malik's snoring."

Aiden: "You're right; I better get some sleep before he arrives."

Suddenly, we heard voices from the lower floor of the inn. Malik was talking with his mouth full.

Malik: "Guys, take a look at these meals I found!"

"..."