Arthur And Gawain

“Ah—what a shock.”

Though the ground had collapsed and he’d fallen to considerable depth, Arthur instantly healed his broken limbs and crushed internal organs and stood back up as if nothing had happened.

His awareness was practically nonexistent, but his healing powers were still genius-level as always.

“It’s so beautiful…”

As he brushed off the dirt from his clothes and looked around, he saw ore that shimmered as if it emitted light—it had an almost fantastical glow.

Even the unsophisticated Arthur couldn’t help but breathe out in admiration. But the mood was shattered by a groaning sound, dragging him back to reality.

“Ugh…”

“Hey, are you alright!?”

Arthur rushed over to Gawain, who was groaning with blood running down his forehead and his leg bent at an unnatural angle, and immediately began healing him. His reasoning was simple: Gawain clearly wasn’t a noble lady, so it was fine.

“Arthur-sama… such precious power, spent on someone like me…”

“Shut up!! If I didn’t have you, I’d be in serious trouble!”

“Arthur-sama… so you really do depend on me…”

Gawain looked shocked, but Arthur was dead serious.

Because, really, I’d be completely screwed without him…

Without Gawain, Arthur couldn’t even start a fire, let alone read a map or navigate the mining tunnels. Alone in a place like this, all he could expect was doom.

He could probably run from a monster, but starving to death? Yeah, that’d do it.

Besides… Gawain had reached out to help and fallen with him. Leaving him to die would’ve left a bad taste in his mouth.

He was healing him 90% for his own survival, but Gawain—having witnessed how battlefield healers struggled with the critically injured—was deeply moved.

Had it been anyone but Arthur, an average healer would’ve collapsed from exhaustion, and both of them might have died right there.

“My body feels so light already… this speed… it was you who healed Marianne’s forehead, wasn’t it?”

As Gawain asked, stunned by Arthur’s skill yet confident in his conclusion—

“…No idea what you’re talking about.”

Arthur feigned ignorance, worried that if Morgan ever found out he used healing magic on Marianne, he’d be in serious trouble. Gawain, however, mistook this modesty for humility and—moved to tears—grabbed Arthur’s hand.

“Such modesty, never claiming your good deeds… and this overwhelming power!! You are truly worthy to be king of Britannia!! I, Gawain, pledge my loyalty to you! I swear to protect you with my life!!”

“A-ah…”

Gawain was overcome with emotion—not just because his life had been saved, but because his most precious sister had been healed, and Arthur hadn’t even boasted about it.

Arthur, however, didn’t understand a thing.

Why is he so hyped up in this situation…? Dude’s way too intense…

He was more than a little thrown off by his suddenly overly enthusiastic bodyguard. Still, now that Gawain’s injuries were fully healed, he took a look around.

“Looks like we’ve come pretty deep into the mine… There are rumors monsters appear in these unmaintained tunnels, but fear not!! My swordsmanship is unmatched, and as long as the sun exists, I fight with three times the power!!”

He proudly puffed out his chest. In this world, there were people like Arthur and Elaine who possessed special powers—and it seemed Gawain was one of them.

But there was a problem.

“…But we’re in a mine, so you can’t see the sun, right?”

“Heh. My sun is always with me.”

As if waiting for that question, Gawain flipped his cloak inside-out—revealing dozens of postcard-sized portraits of girls of all ages sewn onto the fabric.

Wait… I recognize that face…

“These are all… Marianne?”

“As expected of you, Arthur-sama!! Yes! These are reproductions of Marianne’s portraits, drawn every year on her birthday from age zero to now!! Behold my sun—my beloved Marianne—isn’t she the cutest!?”

“A-ah…”

Arthur was thoroughly confused by Gawain’s proud display.

Well, maybe it’s fine between siblings…? Nah, even if someone offered me money, I wouldn’t want paintings of Rod or Mordred…

Then, as if to cut their odd exchange short, a sound echoed from deeper in the tunnel.

“That must be a monster!! Allow me to demonstrate my strength!! Unless one of the Five Great Beasts appears, there is no foe I cannot defeat!! I have ascended beyond even Asura himself!!”

Gawain charged toward the sound, radiating confidence, and Arthur followed close behind.

“No way… the Harcon Turtle’s been eaten…!?”

Elsewhere, Gazeff had descended deeper into the mine to search for Arthur and Gawain, only to groan in disbelief at the scene before him.

There lay the withered, desiccated corpse of the Harcon Turtle—its body completely stripped of its ore-covered shell.

“What kind of monster could do this to something so tough…?”

One of the Dwarves cried out in shock—and with good reason. Though the Harcon Turtle didn’t have high attack power, its body was coated in Orichalcum, giving it incredible defense.

That was why they had designed specialized pickaxes using all of Dwarven ingenuity just to chip away at it. And now it had been reduced to this…

“I know of only one monster capable of this…”

“No way… you mean… that one…?”

The Dwarves, trembling, pressed Gazeff to continue. Their faces paled with fear and despair as a single monster came to mind—

The very monster that had once threatened Dorf years ago.

“Yes… the one we fought to protect the mines. One of the Five Great Beasts—nicknamed the ‘Mine-Eating Acid Metal Slime’!! So it’s awakened already…”

To Dwarves, who lived in harmony with the mines, it was the worst kind of natural enemy. The Acid Metal Slime grew by feeding on trace toxins found in ore, increasing its size steadily.

It devoured any ore it encountered—its appetite so immense, it could literally consume an entire mine.

Even with Flugel and the Dwarves fighting together and throwing every resource they had at it, they had only managed to subdue it by feeding it magically enchanted ore that put it to sleep.

If Arthur and Gawain were attacked now, there was no way they could survive alone.

“Hurry!! Those kids are in danger!! If we don’t at least save them, the name of Dwarves will be stained with shame!!”

Gazeff shouted, driven by the threat to their newfound friend—the one who had reignited their spirits. Of course he was scared.

But abandoning Richard, who had helped them, was unthinkable.

The other Dwarves felt the same—and together, they raced forward.