As Danzel was still mesmerized by the beautiful sight before him, he felt a light nudge behind his back.

"Hmm?" Turning his head around, he blankly stared at the Gerak who had his head raised up with a nervous expression.

"And? How is it Danzel? Is it safe?" Gerak whispered as he tried to look past my body.

"Ehm...yeah, nothing to worry about" Danzel said, while stepping aside to let the dwarfs come out.

"Finally! Freedom!"

"It was so stuffy in there."

"I cant feel my legs...."

Watching the dwarfs coming out of the tree together with their remarks I would have rolled my eyes if I could.

`Damn drama queens Danzel thought to himself as he stared at his status window and was seemingly lost in thoughts.

Gerak who was equally as tired and saw the absence minded Danzel staring at a tree with worrisome attention, he decided to step in.

"Alright guys, lets take a small break before we continue. Make sure to check your stuff and eat before we start again."

Hearing that, the other dwarfs put a relieved face before collapsing to their butts before bringing out all kinds of food.

"..." Looking at the dwarfs starting a picnic in the middle of a forest, outside a hidden pathway made Danzel wonder if they realized in what kind of situation they currently were in.

"Dont be too harsh on those guys, after what happend to those guys they trully are in need of some stress to relieve." Gerak said who noticed my stare.

`I guess he is right, those guys almost became slaves and who knows what kind of treatment they received in there. Staring at the dwarfs, Danzel remembered the group of slaves that he had to silence once.

Looking back when he traveled together with Oliver and the slaves, he remembers seeing their bruised and scarred skin.

Though their situation was worth pitying about, he didnt regret killing them back then.

After all, he had no idea what kind of consequence he would receive if words got out that he killed a slave trader.

Remembering the path where Oliver was guiding the carriage back then, he clearly aimed to bring me to that warehouse full of slaves.

If I werent for the fact that I decided to kill him and get out of there. I would probably had died back then.

Meeting that Bald Fist back when I first came inside the capital would even spell my death.

Heck, the two magic casters would probably be enough to reduce me into a pile of bones!

In a sense, killing both Oliver and the slaves was actually jumping over a pit of fire!

Nodding towards Gerak, he pulled out the flamberge from his spatial storage ring and gave it to Gerak.

"This is what you wanted right?"

Taking the massive sword in his hands, Gerak was almost dragged down by the weight alone. Staring at the wavy blade Gerak was all smile as if he met his long-lost lover at last.

"Thats my baby! Thank you for bringing it back to me, Danzel"

As Gerak was still observing the wavy blade with a gentle look, turning the other side of the blade he froze like a statue.

"D-Danzel...are those..." Gerak said with a shaking voice of excitement.

Staring at the engraved words that resembled the word `Ser, his hands holding the blade began shaking with excitement.

"You might have guessed it, I put one of my runes into that `baby of yours. As for what kind of rune it is I dont really have to explain dont I?" Danzel said looking at the excitement dwarf half his height.

Realizing that he was embarrassing himself, Gerak bowed towards Danzel.

"I am in much gratitude, Danzel. With this, I am confident to pass the apprenticeship test."

Looking at Gerak blankly, Danzel leaned his back towards a tree.

"You know Gerak? On the last day where we ended up in this situation, I was thinking and thinking about not being able to decide something...Do you know what I mean?" Danzel stared unemotionally towards Gerak.

"Huh? What do you mean by that? If something is troubling you I might be of help." Gerak said confused.

Shaking this head, he replied.

"Gerak, to be honest with you, I've been thinking if I should kill all of you here right now or let you live. And I aint sure if you can help with this decision."

Hearing that, Geraks eyes turned wide open while taking a step back.

"W-What?" Gerak said with a shaking voice.

He felt as if he was stapped with a cold blade through his heart, completely frozen in fear with the bright rays of light from the sun behind him turning into a dark light.

He was shocked beyond believe at what he heard.

Staring the shocked look of Gerak, Danzel wasnt surprised.

"Gerak, you shouldnt be surprised by that" Danzel said with this cold voice.

"Why..? Why would you be thinking of killing us?" Gerak said, still shaken by what he heard.

Danzel in response just shrugged his shoulders at Gerak.

"Why you ask? Isnt already obvious?" Danzel said with a mocking tone.

"Though when I came to the capital I didnt know much of the importance surrounding being a runesmith. Now I know."

"And the one who contributed the most of me finding that out was none other than you, Gerak." Danzel said before staring silently at Gerak.

"..." Gerak, who had already dropped the Flamberge, stared at Danzel with silence as if he realized something.

"...You should know, that letting you guys live puts my own safety at risk-"

"Danzel, do you really think that we are going to give away information about you." Gerak said, with this voice sounding a bit betrayed.

Danzel who noticed that simple pointed at the lying flamberge to the ground.

"Even if you dont say anything, if you were to give that sword for your test, those guys that you mention will find out..."

"Or are you telling me, that a master blacksmith wouldnt realize that this sword has runes when a journeyman blacksmith realizes that by just a look?"

Gerak opened his mouth to object, but not a single word came out.

He stared at the Flamberge with shaking eyes.

`He is right, the moment I give this blade to the masters to judge, they will find out that it has runes. Although by rules I should find an apprenticeship, the secret of knowing a runesmith will come out.

Realizing that Danzel was right, he turned his head and stared at his fellow dwarfs joking around with food in their hands while appraising each other weapons that they planned to present.

`I should even listen to father back when I left home, that money isnt everything...

`I sold countless weapons in the black market and dealt with hundreds of sketchy figures. I receive resources that no other dwarf of my age could possibly hope to gain.

`Though I knew it wasnt right to do that. With those resources, I could rise my skills in blacksmithing and craft items of higher quality, with that Flamberge being my absolute master piece.

`But now in the very end, those decisions seemed to come back and bite him. Gerak thought while having a bitter smile on his face.

"Danzel...can you make me a favor?" Gerak said.

"Favour? You sure got the gut-" Before Danzel could curse at Gerak, he got interrupted by Gerak.

"Can you let the others go?" Gerak said with a serious tone.

"..."

"Danzel, I am determined to go back to my kingdom with that sword no matter the cost." Gerak pointed at the Flamberge.

"Although those guys know that you are a runesmith, they cant possibly prove that and with the one that saved them being you. The chance of them snizzing on you is none existent."

"But that doesnt count for me. If I go back they will know- No, I will make sure that they know that you are a runesmith." Gerak said as he stared directly at my helmet.

"Spare them, but kill me, Danzel."

"..." Danzel, who silently stared at Gerak moved close to him with this hand on Verens hilt.

Closing his eyes, Gerak prepared himself from the incoming blade.

But the long-awaited blade never came.

"Huh?"

Opening his eyes he saw Danzel going past him and walking towards another direction of the forest.

"Danzel! Wai-!"

Danzel who turned his head around replied.

"That will be our parting now, Gerak. I decided to let you guys live, dont make me regret my decision..." Saying that, dark green ethereal mana flare through his body.

"Dont forget that you own me one, Gerak."

Saying that Danzel dashed towards the forest, and shortly disappeared from the dwarf's sight.

The dwarfs who were eating peacefully by now looked in the direction where the dark knight left before turning their heads towards the frozen Gerak.

"Hey, Gerak! Did something happend or why did he leave?" Smithen said with his mouth still full of food.

"..."

`You are a cold person, Danzel... Gerak thought before explaining to the other dwarfs that he left.