The dwarf backed away from Arthur until his back touched the end of the couch. He raised both fists as if he wanted to fight. Seeing such a reaction, Arthur sighed.
"It's all because you scared him." He glared at Gala. "Listen, kid." Arthur turned to the dwarf.
"You are probably of the same age." Gala rested her hands on her knee with a smile.
"You're special," Arthur said sincerely. "I'm probably the only person who can see it. Let me help you awaken your affinity, and there are no items that you won't be able to craft."
"All dwarves have an affinity core on their chest," Gala mentioned. "That's what separates them from humans and makes them excellent craftsmen."
"She's right." The dwarf chimed in, his eyes still sharp and doubtful. "I'm special through my craft!"
"The one you got fired for?" Arthur smiled. "Those aren't your limits." He stood up and offered his hand to the young dwarf. "Work with me to create the strongest artifact the world has ever seen."
"Bold words!" Gala's eyes widened as she jumped excitedly. "That's right, Seika! You are the only person capable of making such promises!"
"Why are you excited?" Arthur sighed in exasperation.
"Seika?" The dwarf's ears perked as he started letting his guard down. "Your arm too… I heard about your arrival." He said with a frown. "They said you destroyed the last city you came to."
"Rumors are…"
"I'll follow you for the rest of my life." The dwarf stood up. "As long as you do me one favor. That's all I'm asking for."
"Oh?" Arthur raised his brows in surprise. "What favor is that?" He was curious as to what changed this dwarf's mind.
"Destroy this city." The dwarf calmly said as if he said the easiest request ever. Arthur and the two looked at him silently.
"Fine," Arthur sighed.
"Seika!" Gala and Dia stood up in protest. "You are already hated. This dwarf isn't worth it!" Dia was the more agitated one of the two.
"I'm kidding." Arthur smiled. "You don't think I'm that impulsive, do you?" He asked, but the two didn't answer. "You…" Arthur was speechless.
"You just insulted the Lord of this city." Gala shrugged. "And after what you did to his younger brother, I'm not surprised."
"Anyway," Arthur decided to change the topic. "Why do you want me to destroy the city? Given your goals, I might be able to help you some other way."
"That is…" The dwarf was hesitant. "No, forget it."
"Fine, I'll destroy the city," Arthur said. "I'll also kill every citizen in it. Would that be fine?"
"What? No!" The dwarf panicked while Gala and Dia looked at Arthur silently.
"Then I'll just destroy the city and kill everyone in the duke's house," Arthur said with an evil smile.
"NO!" The dwarf showed a stronger reaction. Arthur grinned as he started constructing an image of what this dwarf's goals were.
"You are not after the city but after the duke's position. You don't want him dead, at least not his family, but you want them to lose power. The duke's strength lies in his assets. If I destroy his establishments, the duke's power will weaken."
At that time, it would be very likely for the kingdom to replace him. This result was the dwarf's goal, but the only question was why did he want such a thing?
"Does the duke have a daughter the same age as me?" Arthur asked and saw the dwarf's eyes shake.
"Why? Are you finally taking my advice? The Knight of Courage mentioned something like that, yes. The duke has a daughter." Gala smiled, but she didn't notice the dwarf's expression.
"Oh," Arthur smiled. "Do you want to hear a story?" He stood up and walked to the dwarf. "Once upon a time, a young princess was shopping when she met a young dwarf. The dwarf fell for her and started giving her jewelry that he made."
"So, the reason he wants to destroy the city…" Dia turned to the dwarf.
"The princess's father would never allow such a thing to happen. I'm sure he did something to get the dwarf away from his love. We end up with a vengeful dwarf and an overbearing duke."
"You wanted to destroy the city just because you like the duke's daughter?" Gala frowned. "How can you be this selfish?"
"He's not selfish, but in love." Arthur shook his head. "I would have done the same thing."
"That's insane." Gala stood up. "What about the other people?"
"He refused anything that involves killing. That means he's after chaos and damage." Arthur turned to the silent dwarf. "I'll help you, dwarf."
"My name is Gruen." The dwarf said proudly. "It's as you said. Are you going to destroy the duke's properties?"
"Of course not, but I'll make you so valuable that the duke will think twice before refusing your advances." Arthur wrapped his arm around the dwarf's shoulder.
"How?" Gala asked with curiosity.
"Don't we look alike?" Arthur pointed at his face, then at the dwarf. "After all, we two are the same."
"Are you saying that he's also a Seika La Vega?" Dia furrowed her brows, skeptical.
"You don't believe me?" Arthur grabbed the dwarf's hand, making him panic. "Rest easy and follow my lead."
Arthur injected his powers of creation. As he did, he took out a sword. He placed the blade underneath the dwarf's hand.
"Bend it."
"I… I don't have my hammer."
"Just think of bending it." Arthur was unwavering. "Believe in yourself, and if you can't, then believe in me."
The room fell quiet as the dwarf focused his attention on the blade. Nothing happened for a while, and Gala opened her mouth to say something. At that moment, the sword gave a low hum and began to bend.
"It's true?" Dia stood up with shock. "Another Loved by Metals?"
"Another?" Arthur paused. "There is another one?"
"You don't know?" Dia was confused. "Solomon is the Seika of Metals."
Arthur let go of the dwarf's hand and massaged his forehead. A memory resurfaced in his mind: the appearance of young Solomon handing a metallic doll to his father. In that memory, Solomon was already able to bend ores at will.
"The powers of Seikas run through blood from ancient times," Gala explained with a frown. "This dwarf must be…"
"A distant relative of King Solomon." Arthur sighed. "This also means that King Solomon isn't purely human."
"His existence will jeopardize the peace of Freda and the surrounding nations. A full-blown war isn't unlikely." Dia stood up from her seat. "We need to kill him."
"I agree." Gala threw up her hand, and her spirits worked to isolate the room. "I'll take care of the body."
"Wait!" The dwarf backed away. "I didn't do anything!" He looked at Arthur for help. "You promised you'd help me."
"That was before you turned out to be the key to mayhem." Arthur sighed. "I think there's a mistake."
"What kind of mistake?" Dia frowned.
"I don't think the powers of Seikas can manifest in two people at the same time," Arthur explained. "Was Solomon being a Seika published or admitted by him?"
"No, but he did what this guy just did. He manipulated metal in front of his vault's members."
"That means he's not necessarily the Seika of Metals." Arthur walked toward the spirit. "You can stop now. No one is getting killed today."
"Seika, don't let greed blind you. You might covet his ability to forge your items, but he threatens the peace of this kingdom and the world."
"Would people turn away from Solomon if he turned to be half a human?" Arthur asked curiously.
After all, Solomon was known for his artifacts, not for his humanity. Gala shook her head silently.
"You might think it wouldn't, but it will. Freda was originally a human kingdom. King Solomon was the first king to propose a peace treaty, a kingdom where everyone can live. Freda accepted Demis afterward, and it passed The Law of Racial Equality." Gala sighed.
"If the king who proposed the law turned out to be a halfling, then the people would feel betrayed, and the human nobles would turn on their king." Dia elaborated.
"Great, we just picked up a weapon of destruction." Arthur turned toward the dwarf. "Why did you have to be so complicated?"
"Ah?" The dwarf looked frightened.
"I still think it's a mistake. King Solomon isn't necessarily the Seika of Metals, but something else. That way, they're not related."
"Either way, we can't help this guy anymore. If we reveal his powers, then questions and doubts would spread. We'll have to ask King Solomon directly to get an answer." Dia sat back.
"Well, can't say this won't be fun." Arthur smiled. "We'll have to help this guy get his girlfriend while also awakening his powers."
"Is he trustworthy?" Dia asked.
"He doesn't need to be." Arthur smiled at her. "If he betrays me after I help him, I'll just kill him."
