If he had been in his normal state, Torvald would have fainted with one blow. However, even Torvald could withstand Grondal's weakened blow.
He grabbed his head and shouted.
"Please, tell me! Tell me! This is how I ran away from home because it's like this every day! How old am I!"
"Who is this rascal rebelling in front of right now!"
Grondal lost his temper and struck Torvald again. All the dwarves around him ran over and grabbed Grondal.
"Stop it!"
"There are outsiders here, and it's embarrassing…"
"Let's fight when we're alone!"
Grondal, exhausted by the dwarves' attempts to stop him, grumbled and retreated.
One dwarf smiled awkwardly at Giselle and the others.
"You've shown an embarrassing side. Our prince is such a troublemaker…"
Everyone nodded with blank expressions.
Grondal, who was quick to fight rather than talk, was also a problem, but no one took Torvald's side. It seemed that he was really treated as a loser here.
Giselle, who was a former loser(?), looked embarrassed at the violent father-son relationship.
'Hmm, if you get hit like that, you'll go astray.'
He himself had not been subjected to domestic violence. Rather, he was raised with a lot of love from Belinda.
However, he grew up to be a troublemaker. So he thought that Torvald could be like that.
'Well… … It's well known that dwarves have a harsh parenting style… … .'
Since most of them were warriors and blacksmiths, they couldn't help but have rough personalities.
Of course, dwarves don't try to fix that by labeling it as 'warrior-like' or 'cool.'
In such an atmosphere, it was understandable that a rebel like Torvald would emerge.
After getting hit a few times by Grondal, Torvald quietly stepped back and shouted.
"Anyway, Gramdir should be given to the right person! Isn't it our dwarven belief that treasures should be taken by those who deserve them?"
All the other dwarves nodded at his words.
As craftsmen, they had one rule. No matter how great a masterpiece they made, they should not get caught up in it. That's because that's how they can continue to improve.
If you keep it by your side, you can't help but be drawn to it, so they should generously give their work to those who deserve it.
All dwarves did not forget this teaching that had been passed down for a long time.
Torvald, who gained confidence from the dwarves' reactions, shouted again.
"Gramdir is a weapon after all! It should be used by the strong! My father doesn't even use a sword? That human fought the enemy brilliantly using Gramdir! If he's not worthy, who would be worthy of holding Gramdir?"
Torvald, who had already become a follower of Giselle, continued to speak with a spit in his mouth.
"And he is the one who helped our dwarves! Are you saying that such a treasure is a waste? Are you saying that treasure is more important than the future of our Valskrum and the lives of the dwarves?"
The dwarves nodded again.
No matter how precious the treasure is, it cannot be more important than Valskrum.
If Valskrum were to fall, all the treasures would have been stolen or destroyed anyway.
Grondal glared at Torvald with a sullen expression.
'You're not wrong.'
He agreed with that. It's
just that I have a fiery personality, so I was going to take Gramdir first and think about it.
I'll try to fight Astion once.
However, even if it's right, the weight of what you say depends on who's saying it.
"Where did you hear that thief scolding you?"
Bam!
"Ouch!"
Torvald covered his face at the sudden attack. Grondal's fist began to fly again without mercy.
"Hey, you pathetic bastard. Do you think I'd be impressed if you, a thief, told me what to do?"
If other dwarves had said this, Grondal would have calmed down and agreed.
The Yulien Mercenaries were Valskrum's precious guests and benefactors. It wasn't hard to give them a few treasures.
However, he couldn't stand a disobedient, rascal rascal scolding him.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Torvald jumped back in a fit of rage at Grondal's punch and shouted.
"Ah, stop it! Can't you have a conversation with me without using your fists?"
"Huh? Are you hurt? Why don't you come here?"
"I don't want to be here because you only use violence!"
"It's not because you always cause trouble! You deserve to be beaten more!"
Torvald didn't want to be here with his ill-tempered father. No, to be exact, living with dwarves didn't suit him.
He also liked making things, like a dwarf. But I couldn't adapt to the rough and rigid social atmosphere of the dwarves.
So he left home. He planned to leave for another place after making money in the trading city.
Gramdir had only stolen to piss off Grondal.
Grondal was caught by the other dwarves and pounded his chest.
"Ah! That pitiful guy is my son!"
He admitted that he had a bad temper, but his son was too weak-willed.
He didn't like that, so he treated him even harsher. But the more he did, the more he became twisted and caused trouble, and he felt like he was going to explode.
Giselle and the Yulien mercenary group just looked at him awkwardly. They couldn't interfere with other people's households.
Instead, Giselle looked back and forth between Grondal and Torvald's faces several times and tried to remember.
'The face of the dwarf king in my dream… … .'
They both had beards and looked similar, so it was hard to tell exactly. Even in my dream, he was quite far away and slightly blurry.
Giselle shook her head as she thought about it.
'I don't think it's Torvald.'
Unlike Erenes, he had neither talent nor interest in battle. There was no way someone like him could have displayed such power in the great war.
In fact, the dwarf king who fought in his dream was using a huge halberd. It was the same one that Grondal was using now.
'Hmm… … Then wasn't Grondal destined to die here?'
If he hadn't intervened, Grondal might have survived.
And he might have led the remaining dwarves to participate in the great war.
It wasn't impossible. If Rahamod had definitely destroyed the elven forest, there wouldn't have been two prophets here.
In other words, Iraniel might have been the only one who died in the past.
Then what was Torvald's role in the past?
'He was just a thief.'
In fact, he couldn't guess anything else.
Still, if he was Grondal's son, he might have been in charge of something important. Wasn't the skill of stealing Gramdir not ordinary?
Grondal and Torvald glared at each other, grumbling.
Giselle was lost in thought for a moment.
Strangely, I kept thinking about Torvald. So I told him honestly.
"Will you come with us?"
"...?"
Torvald looked at Giselle with a surprised expression. Everyone else was the same.
Giselle shrugged and continued.
"It seems like you're not used to it here and are being looked down on, so I'm saying you should go on a trip with us. You'll gain a lot from experiencing the outside world. What do you think?"
When Giselle asked Grondal while looking at him, Grondal nodded and shouted.
"Yes! Take him with you! I'll give you anything you want, so take him with you and make him come to his senses!"
He knew that Erenes had joined the Yulien mercenary group with Iraniel's permission.
Iraniel was a very wise elf. At least in terms of wisdom, he was incomparable to him.
If Iraniel gave permission, it meant that the Yulien mercenary group was trustworthy.
In fact, Grondal himself had a very high opinion of the Yulien Mercenary Corps. They were not only skilled but also very good-hearted.
If he joined the Yulien Mercenary Corps, Torvald would come to his senses.
'The outside world may be dangerous, but… I can't let them continue living like that.'
Although he treated his child harshly, there was affection behind it. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have gotten angry.
For the sake of his beloved child, Grondal thought that he would try to make them independent, even if it was dangerous. He thought that
he would be unable to persuade them any longer with his own power.
The other dwarves also thought that Torvald would readily accept it. This was because Torvald really hated being in Valskrum.
Erenes, in particular, could understand Torvald a little. She also hated living only in the Elven Forest.
"…."
Torvald looked around at the people without saying anything.
Valskrum was a place he had always wanted to leave.
This time, he decided to leave for sure and stole Gramdir.
Then, after watching the fight of the Yulien Mercenaries, he had a different thought.
'I want to join them.'
He thought that sincerely as he watched the fight.
He wanted to go on an adventure with them. He wanted it so intensely that his heart pounded.
And he even had a strange feeling.
'There… I think there is a place for me.'
Torvald definitely felt that way.
It wasn't a feeling that he simply wanted to be with them. It was
a strong, inexplicable pull. He had a premonition that he would become a member of the Yulien Mercenaries.
It was an absolute certainty, almost a destiny or a mission.
And the suggestion just now proved that the attraction he had felt was real.
But… … .
Torvald shook his head.
"No, I will stay here."
Grondal and the other dwarves were surprised by his words.
Torvald, who always talked about wanting to leave Valskrum, had tried to run away from home several times.
So I thought he would happily leave, but he refused!
Torvald suddenly looked at Grondal with a serious expression.
"Father."
"...Why?"
"I want to become strong like my father."
"...!!!"
Grondal looked at Torvald with a blank expression. He
was a kid who ran away because he didn't want to become a warrior. No matter how much he was beaten, he wouldn't listen.
But who would have thought that kind of thing would come out of that kid's mouth!
Grondal stammered and asked,
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"It's exactly as you said. I want to become the strongest dwarf like my father."
Torvald had not only seen the fights of the Yulien mercenary group.
He had only heard that his father was the strongest
dwarf in the world. He had never seen his father fight in person.
All he had seen since he was a child was him drinking and playing around, or swinging his fists roughly.
However, his father risking his life to protect the dwarves… … It was no exaggeration to say that he was truly the guardian of Valskrum.
He was not pushed back when fighting the powerful prophet. No, he was even slightly ahead of them in one-on-one.
He had never dreamed that his father, a drunkard and domestic abuser, could be so cool.
Watching the fight, Torvald had a new dream.
'I want to become strong like my father.'
He didn't want to wander anymore.
He wanted to focus on one goal and achieve something.
The guardian of Valskrum.
Now, that was his new dream.
And the person who would lead that dream was very close.
In the name of his father.
Grondal stuttered with an expression of disbelief.
"I, really? You want to become a warrior now?"
"Yes, I realized how much time I've been wasting. I won't be scared and run away anymore."
Torvald hated fighting. He had been afraid of the life of a rough warrior and avoided it.
He had a strong artistic temperament, enjoying imagining and creating things.
All dwarves have that side to them. However, Torvald had to work harder on his training as a warrior due to his status.
He had avoided it because he hated it, but now he realized that he shouldn't do that.
He had come to know that sometimes there are things that he must do even if he doesn't want to do them.
Just like his father Grondal risked his life to fight the enemy.
Giselle let out a small exclamation of admiration at the sight of Torvald speaking confidently.
'It's changed.'
The atmosphere surrounding him had changed. There was a heavy determination that only those who had escaped from their worries had.
At that moment, Giselle felt a strange feeling.
'Huh?'
Giselle looked around without realizing it. She
didn't simply sense a change in Torvald alone. She felt that something more fundamental had changed.
However, she couldn't explain exactly what had changed.
Grondal smiled brightly and grabbed Torvald's shoulder.
"Good idea! Very good idea! You finally came to your senses! Then, you should do it! That's how you fulfill your responsibilities!"
Grondal, with his cheerful and simple personality, forgot that he had been criticizing Torvald a moment ago and laughed heartily.
He felt good just hearing that the child who had been causing him trouble had changed his mind.
The other dwarves also smiled happily. They did not doubt Torvald's true intentions or say that they would watch him like humans do. They
simply believed in him and supported him with his determination to try.
The once tense atmosphere became cheerful in an instant.
Torvald smiled and said to Giselle,
"Thank you for the offer. I really want to join the Yulien mercenary group… but I don't want to avoid what I have to do."
"No, that's a good idea. Everyone has times when they wander. What's important is that you've found your way now."
The two smiled and shook hands.
Torvald was truly sorry, but he thought his decision was right.
He thought this was his path and his destiny. He had finally found the right direction.
He clearly thought so… … .
bang.
Torvald felt something snap in his head.
'This is… this feeling is… '
The confidence he had felt while looking at the Yulien mercenary group just a moment ago…
was slowly fading away.