A door made of rotting wood opened, and a man who looked nothing like I had imagined stood there. First, he was tall. Close to two meters.
Right then and there, my stereotype of a dwarf was completely shattered, but what was more shocking was that he was clean-shaven, without even a beard. Lastly, he was young. At a glance, he looked to be in his thirties.
If he would just soften his grumpy expression and unpleasant impression a little, he could even pass for his late twenties. A tall, youthful, clean-shaven dwarf. Is this what a dwarf is?
If he were carrying a bow, I felt I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between him and an elf. As I met his gaze with a slightly uncertain look, Brimdal furrowed his brow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Ah, my apologies. I was just surprised because you look a little different than I expected."
"You humans are always like that. With dwarves, just because one shaves his beard, you treat him like someone who cut off his own limbs..."
Grumbling, Brimdal looked at Linmel, as if he had no interest in me. His gaze was worlds apart from when he looked at me, filled with a fiery passion.
"You, living, breathing steel. Draw your sword."
Linmel didn't answer and looked at me instead. Only after I nodded did she draw her sword, swing it horizontally once, and then smoothly sheathe it. It was neither too fast nor too slow.
To me, it just looked like she drew her sword, swung it once, and put it back. And in reality, that's what happened. Oh, what a fluid movement.
That was the extent of my impression, but— Brimdal's reaction was beyond intense.
"Ooh..."
Nodding his head as if greatly satisfied, he took a step forward with a wide smile and stood before Linmel.
"I knew someone like you had to exist somewhere in this world. Do you have a master? No, that's not important. I will prepare everything for you—" The timing was perfect.
I said to the bewildered Linmel.
"Thanks for your help. You can go now."
"Okay! I'll be waiting in the carriage."
"?"
Brimdal reached out his hand in surprise, but Linmel had already left through the door without a single look back. Only Brimdal and I were left in the hut. An awkward silence lingered for a moment.
It was Brimdal who broke it.
"... Well, I don't know who you are, but it seems you've prepared thoroughly."
"She's a good girl who listens to me very thoroughly."
The demonstration was over. As if he had clearly realized that fact, Brimdal's burning eyes turned to me.
"Who in the world are you, and what do you want from me?"
"First, please read this."
I handed him the letter I received from Karin. Brimdal tore it open carelessly and frowned as he read.
"Karin? Is this guy still alive?"
"Did you know each other from long ago?"
"Yes, he was quite a decent piece of raw ore. I forged him enough to be able to take down an ox, even if he couldn't become a masterpiece sword."
Does he see people as swords? If he were a mage, he would have surely become a fallen one. As I was having such thoughts, Brimdal approached me.
Up close, he felt even more intimidating. He held out a hand larger than my face and commanded.
"From the looks of this letter, I have a rough idea of what you want from me. Hold out your hand."
"Yes."
Brimdal held my wrist and did something for a few minutes, then blinked and let out a deep sigh.
"What is this... What happened to you? It looks like you've been on the verge of death numerous times."
"How did you know? More importantly, wasn't it written in the letter?"
"It just said, 'Please take good care of this boy.' That was all it contained."
True, if he included all that in the letter, it would be quite long. Trusting the reasonable judgment that this eccentric dwarf would have very few people to talk to, I revealed my identity. Otherwise, I couldn't even begin.
"I am a fallen one."
"I thought so. Then the world is a mana field, and this is the Great System."
"Yes. That's...?"
Suddenly, I realized.
Great System.
That was a term used by the Red Lotus.
"... Where did you hear that?"
"Why? Am I not allowed to know?"
It was hard to believe that this young-looking dwarf knew something even Dersia didn't. Should I prepare for a fight? As I slowly backed away, Brimdal's expression soured.
"What kind of misunderstanding is this wet-behind-the-ears kid having? Our race has been killed the most by them."
"Since we were kids, we've always been told, 'If you see those bastards who use magic without mana, either kill them on sight or run away'."
"I heard the Red Lotus was active in the very distant past. Do you still have records from that time?"
"We never forget what was done to us. We don't forgive, either."
"We just wait for the right time. It's the same for humans, elves, monkeys, and dragons, not just the Red Lotus."
"When the opportunity comes, we will repay everything."
"I'm curious what the monkeys did to you."
"You'll get hurt if you know."
Brimdal circled around me, roughly kneading my shoulders, stomach, head, and so on. The result, well... it didn't seem very good.
"You're a hopeless case. Did the Red Lotus make you a fallen one?"
"Perhaps?"
I wasn't sure about that myself yet. It was possible I had been tortured before I was five. At my vague answer, Brimdal narrowed his eyes.
"What are you even saying... Anyway. Let's make a deal."
Thump.
Brimdal sat down right on the floor, without a chair. Wondering if this was a dwarven custom, I followed suit and sat down. He then pulled a dagger from his pocket and stabbed it into the ground.
"Let's set the terms. Persuade that girl to become my disciple. Do that, and I'll give you a clean death."
"I don't think I'm very familiar with the dwarven language, so let me ask a question. In human language, does the word 'deal' mean something like 'death threat' or 'robbery'?"
"Fine, it seems I jumped straight to the point. I'll explain."
"There's no need for that."
I pulled out the dagger, which was trembling from the impact of being stabbed into the ground, and placed it neatly down.
"You are going to die soon. A painful death. So painful you'll wish for it. Therefore, I will kill you cleanly before that happens. Isn't that what you're saying?"
Looking at Brimdal, who was blinking for a moment, I calmly said what needed to be said.
"I can't even be bothered to count how many times I've heard it."
"'It's better to die,' 'I'll give you a peaceful death,' 'How are you still alive,' 'You poor, pitiful thing'... I can't help being pitied, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to break my will as well."
"... Then."
Brimdal asked in a slightly softer voice.
"If you understand that, then what are you trying to live for?"
"Living. For its own sake."
I didn't add the follow-up thought that it was a question not even worth answering. But it probably showed on my face. Brimdal still looked down on me as if I were pathetic.
But at least he no longer showed the same annoyance as before.
"A walking corpse comes to me and asks to have his wounds treated... what kind of troublesome thing does he want..."
Or not.
Grumbling, Brimdal held up three fingers.
"You will have to make three promises to me. First, I have no intention of solving your burden in the slightest."
"Because I don't know how. Knowing about the Red Lotus doesn't mean I know what kind of things they do."
"That's fine, as I'm receiving help from someone else for that."
"Whether you receive help or not, your death is a foregone conclusion. So if you die from your burden while learning, I'll have just wasted my time."
I understood what Brimdal was worried about, so I nodded.
"I will tell Linmel that if I should die, she is to become Sir Brimdal's disciple."
"Good. Second, I will teach you, but if you can't keep up, that's none of my business."
It was an irresponsible thing to say, so I furrowed my brow.
"That condition seems to leave too much room for malicious interpretation."
"Malicious? Ha. I have only ever hammered steel in my life."
"I've hammered other miscellaneous things, but they were all metal. I've never thought of hammering stone, nor do I know how."
".... Am I stone?"
"Less than that. What do you think of your own talent? Of all the squires I have seen in my life, yours is the most pathetic."
"It's not like I need talent for this, right? I'm just asking you to help me not melt away."
"You'll find that out as you learn. Anyway, I will hammer you like steel. If you break, I won't care in the slightest. That's what I'm saying."
"If that's all it is, I understand."
As long as he doesn't mean he'll do a half-hearted job, I don't mind. When I answered with that thought in mind, Brimdal scoffed and folded his last finger.
"... You've got guts. Third, write a will to your master."
"A will?"
"Yes. To mean that since this is the training you chose, she shouldn't come looking for me and bothering me."
"That's really easy."
I immediately took a piece of paper from my backpack and wrote a will.
[Lady Dersia. If you are reading this will, Master, it must mean I am dead. It's probably largely your fault for not even knowing my condition and hiding away in shame because of it, but please don't blame yourself too much. It's all my fault. Knowing your personality, Master, I trust you won't take revenge. You can dissect my corpse as you please.]
"It's done."
As I hastily wrote it, Brimdal let out a deep sigh.
"... You're just stubborn as a mule. Do you really have no intention of dying peacefully?"
"None at all, so just keep your promise."
"Tsk..."
He probably thought that if he threatened me this much, I would get scared and run away. I'm not that easy. As I sat there composedly, Brimdal sluggishly stood up.
"We don't have much time, so let's start right now."
"Yes."
"The lecture, well, I'll keep it short. When I took your pulse, I guessed that you must have overcome the threat of death several times. What do you think is the reason for that?"
"I don't know."
"It's because you haven't melted yet and are still alive."
"?"
What does that mean? As I was thinking, Brimdal picked up a sword and a hammer from a shelf one by one and began to ponder.
"Not this one... Why do you think a talentless guy like you hasn't melted away after receiving that mana with your whole body for over a year?"
"No, I did think that was a bit strange. I never even thought I would melt away, you see. Because I was perfectly fine."
In reality, unlike the burden, my body was perfectly fine. If Karin hadn't told me, I really would not have noticed. He said people melt after just a few months, so it was hard to understand how I was fine after almost a year had passed.
It was even more so when I considered that I wasn't particularly talented.
"It's possible because you have already set foot into the magic‑reinforced body."
"... What? But I've barely even held a sword before."
"Ha, the training for a magic‑reinforced body is not about swinging a sword. If it were, the level would be determined by one's swordsmanship."
Meanwhile, Brimdal, having chosen a small hammer, looked it over with satisfaction.
"Human adaptability is superior to that of any other race. However, it's not a skill that manifests so easily."
"Only in truly extreme situations. For example, like a soldier whose leg was cut off but still ran dozens of laps around a castle, only when death is near do they begin to adapt to the situation."
"... Ah, so you're saying."
"You are already in your own mana field. And you must have endured the brink of death many times. In the midst of that, you unknowingly struggled to adapt to your environment."
Is that so. Almost dying from the burden, almost dying because of the Red Lotus, almost dying because of Dersia (that one was the most painful). Without even realizing it, I had dipped a toe into the training process for a magic‑reinforced body.
That's how I was able to endure.
"That's fascinating. So, have I already mastered the magic‑reinforced body?"
"This is just the beginning."
Brimdal stood before me, holding the hammer. What is it? No way, I thought, but looking back at our conversation so far, the possibility was high.
I tried to suppress my anxious feelings and asked back.
"Is that really the only brutish method you have?"
"I informed you of all the dangers. And you accepted."
"What about healing?"
"Of course, I can do that. How many people do you think I've hammered? I can perfectly distinguish between actually dying and not."
"You will be in a situation where you feel like you're about to die, but you won't, so don't worry."
"So, you're really—" "Yes. Starting today, you will have to cross the line of death twice every hour. Until your body becomes accustomed to your world and grows gills."
It seems the fish metaphor is quite a major one when explaining the magic-reinforced body. Brimdal shouldered the hammer as if giving one last piece of advice. This time, his gaze was clearly filled with pity, looking down at a pathetic creature.
"It's not too late."
"Do you really want to fill the end of your life with something so terrible?"
"Why not just enjoy whatever you want to your heart's content, and then, while you're asleep, without even feeling it—" "Sir Brimdal."
"What is it."
I took a deep sigh to steel my resolve and glared at him.
"Just bring that thing down."
"... Fine."
My tone was almost like a command, but— Brimdal didn't seem as offended as I thought he'd be. For the first time since we started talking, he let out a small laugh and raised the hammer.
"If you're a stone, you should at least have that much resolve."
I gritted my teeth. It seemed that in order to not melt, I couldn't afford to break either.