Dwarf Admiration

What Gazeff saw upon arriving to rescue Richard and the others was a knight called Gawain crushing the core of the Acid Metal Slime using a mineral. The sight left him visibly stunned.

And for good reason. The Acid Metal Slime—one of the Five Great Beasts—was a fearsome creature. Even with the combined strength of the knight order led by Gazeff’s predecessor and friend, Flugel, and the dwarves who followed Gazeff, they had only managed to put it to sleep, never defeat it.

Its power was overwhelming. Gazeff still remembered the terror and rage he felt as he watched seasoned dwarven warriors and knights helplessly melt and be crushed by its tentacles.

Since a frontal assault was hopeless, they had paid a great sum to the famous mage Merlin to seal a sleep spell inside ore to be used as bait. When the Acid Metal Slime unknowingly consumed it deep within the mine, they took the opportunity to seal off the path.

That mine was home to the Harcon Turtle, a creature that housed rare Orichalcum, but there was no choice—they had to seal it for the greater good.

“You guys actually defeated the Acid Metal Slime?! How on earth…?”

“Ah, you’re the dwarves, right…? As I thought, this really was the Acid Metal Slime—one of the Five Great Beasts that nearly brought ruin to Dorf.”

Parts of Gawain’s armor and cape had melted, and drained of all his strength, he leaned against the wall and set the lump of Orichalcum he was carrying on the ground. Looking proudly at Richard, he said,

“I merely dealt the final blow. It was all thanks to that person.”

“Richard… did?”

When he turned to look, Richard—striking a smug pose while pointing at the mineral—was dressed in garments that had largely melted away, exposing parts of his skin, yet bore not a single wound.

As Gazeff stared in disbelief, Gawain spoke with eyes sparkling like a boy meeting his hero.

“Once he realized I stood no chance against the Acid Metal Slime, he deliberately threw himself in as bait.”

“What nonsense!! The Acid Metal Slime’s acid is lethal! Even dwarves wearing mithril armor were melted away instantly… Wait, are you saying he healed himself while being dissolved?!”

As Gazeff shouted in shock, Gawain nodded with a proud smile.

“Yes, and not only that. When he learned antidote spells wouldn’t work through the tentacles, he deliberately provoked the slime to make it eat him, then cast the antidote from within to weaken it. I only finished it off. He probably gave me the credit because I, a knight, had been so useless.”

“That’s impossible… no—if he’s standing here, it means he actually did it… But then, someone with that kind of healing power could only be the Saintess Elaine of Jerusalem, or… Prince Arthur! No way!”

“Heh, I’ll let you use your imagination.”

With that, Gazeff understood everything. The boy before him was Arthur Pendragon.

He should’ve realized it earlier—the way he recovered from fatigue so rapidly was beyond ordinary.

Gazeff had heard the rumors about Arthur. The stories said he possessed healing abilities rivaling the Saint King, but also that he demanded exorbitant fees for his services and was consumed by greed…

So when Arthur looked his way and smiled, Gazeff thought he was about to be hit with a donation request.

“Looks like I made you worry. Sorry for getting separated all of a sudden. Anyway, with all this Orichalcum and minerals, this should be enough, right?”

“…Enough for what…?”

“Huh…? Didn’t you guys say it yourselves? ‘Let’s hurry up and get the Orichalcum, sell all the minerals, and bankrupt that bastard!’ or something like that?”

“Wha…”

Arthur spoke as though all these ores were free for Gazeff’s group to use. Taken aback, Gazeff asked again.

“Are you saying we can use this?”

“What are you talking about? Of course you can. You guys dug those tunnels because you wanted minerals, right? With all this, you should be out of danger now. I mean, it’s not like these rocks are any use to me.”

Hearing Arthur say that so matter-of-factly, Gazeff felt ashamed for ever thinking ill of him. Normally, monster drops belonged to the one who defeated it.

Yet Arthur offered everything without hesitation. He even said this would stick it to Lord Glutton. And at that moment, Gazeff knew.

Arthur had come here incognito for one reason—to stop Lord Glutton from abusing his healing powers. He had come to personally correct his subordinate’s misconduct.

A royal… and such a noble one at that…

By chance, Gazeff had reached the same conclusion as Marianne.

Of course, the real reason was much simpler: Arthur was simply unaware that defeating a monster entitled one to its loot…

“Oh, but right. There’s this woman I’m indebted to. I’d like to send her an Orichalcum accessory. Could you make one for me from this?”

“Leave it to me!! I’ll craft you a masterpiece!!”

“Ah, uh…”

Arthur looked a bit put off by the sudden enthusiasm, but Gazeff was too excited about this savior to notice.

Flugel… The future of Britannia is bright. The heir to the Saint King has appeared, defeated the Acid Metal Slime, and even saved your granddaughter. I… I want to follow this man…

Dwarves, by nature, don’t open up easily to the stiff and arrogant nobility. That’s why they’re rarely seen in the royal capital.

However, if a dwarf fights alongside someone or owes them a debt of gratitude, they’ll devote their entire life to repaying it. And so, with Gazeff—the leader of the dwarves—feeling indebted to Arthur, how might that affect his life… and Arthur’s Good Deed Points…?