Chapter 99: The Dwarf Arrives

Boom—!

Suddenly, a tremendous sound thundered from the northwest corner of the Second Home Garden.

Startled, I rushed toward the source, only to find, beyond the barrier, a massive human figure.

It was a towering man with a frame of solid muscle, but his height wasn’t exceptional. His legs were short, giving him a stocky, squat appearance.

The lower half of his face was obscured by a full, magnificent beard. For a fleeting moment, I thought he might be a monster—but no, he was unmistakably human. Though, judging by his appearance, he was probably a dwarf.

Dwarves were known for their dexterity despite their stout forms, skilled in blacksmithing, stonework, and other crafts. Occasionally, I had seen some wandering the streets of Arcel.

But I had never seen a dwarf this broad, this powerfully built. Most dwarves were shorter than me, rarely exceeding my height, yet this one seemed at least as tall—or perhaps taller.

“Hmmm… quite perplexing. It’s as if an invisible wall stands before me,” the dwarf muttered, tilting his head in puzzlement as he examined the barrier.

Thanks to the Garden Concealment skill, from his perspective, there appeared to be nothing there at all. The barrier stretched high into the sky, unlike a mere wall; he couldn’t simply climb over it.

Then, as if deciding on a sudden course of action, the dwarf stepped back from the barrier and let out a deafening roar:

“Nuooooooh!”

He charged forward with terrifying force.

Boom—!

The collision echoed like thunder. That earlier sound had been the impact of the dwarf ramming the barrier.

The barrier vibrated violently, so much so that I worried it might shatter—yet it had withstood a full-on charge from a Blood Elephant before without flinching.

“Seems like a dead end… No choice, I’ll have to go around,” the dwarf grunted, finally giving up. He began walking along the perimeter of the barrier.

I couldn’t exactly blame him, but I had to keep this garden a secret for as long as possible. I had let Io slip in earlier when she had opened a part of the barrier—saving her when she was nearly dying. Though in the end, she had just been hungry… nothing more.

“Kweeeeee!”

“Huh?”

“Ah—”

From above came that grating, ear-piercing cry. Looking up, I saw it: the enormous bird monster.

“Stuparides…!”

That was its name, I had learned after a little research.

But, of course, the garden barrier prevented it from entering, and its poisonous droppings were now ineffective. Besides, with the Garden Concealment in place, it shouldn’t even be aware of us.

Yet the dwarf outside the barrier was another matter entirely.

“Kweeeeee!”

“Whoa!?”

The Stuparides swooped down, scattering its toxic droppings toward the dwarf. He dodged just in time, but the droppings were insidious—the foul stench alone could infiltrate the body and wreak havoc.

I couldn’t just watch and do nothing. I partially lifted the concealment and the barrier, shouting:

“This way!”

“!? Where did you come from!?”

“Never mind that! Get inside the barrier, quickly!”

The dwarf hesitated, suspicious, but then ran toward me. I closed the barrier immediately, reactivating the Garden Concealment.

A faint stench still seeped through. I decided to drink a little Anti-Poison Potion, the one I kept in my belt pouch after the last incident. Just a sip for myself, then I offered some to him:

“Please, drink this.”

“Huh? Is this… an Anti-Poison Potion?”

“Yes. It’s very effective—you’ll feel better almost instantly.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Eh? But from the Stuparides’ poison—”

I stopped mid-sentence as I noticed the dwarf standing before me—healthy, utterly unaffected.

When I had inhaled the fumes from the poison droppings, my body had gone into distress, my vision blurring. He, on the other hand, remained perfectly fine.

“Now that you mention it, I did feel a slight irritation in my nose and mouth, but that’s all.”

…Wow. I didn’t know whether it was because he was a dwarf, or if this one was exceptional, but he seemed completely immune.

“Kweeeeee…?”

The Stuparides circled overhead, confused by the sudden disappearance of the dwarf.

“Hmph. What an annoying bird,” the dwarf muttered, producing a hammer from seemingly nowhere.

“There!”

He hurled it straight at the Stuparides.

“Wait, but there’s a barrier—eh?”

I expected the hammer to bounce off, yet it passed through effortlessly.

Could it be that the barrier only prevented intrusion from the outside, but allowed passage from within? I had never realized that before.

“Kweeeeee!?”

The bird screeched in panic, attempting to flee—but it was too late.

Bang!

The hammer struck true, shattering the monster’s head. It tumbled to the ground, colliding with the barrier.

“Hmm? It’s hovering in the air?”

The dwarf’s eyes widened in surprise.

“The hammer flew far away… is that okay?”

“No worries. It’s a special one I made. No matter how far I throw it, it always returns.”

“Really? That’s incredible.”

Sure enough, the hammer began returning on its own.

Thud!

It struck the barrier and stopped.