Arin was sitting alone in the smithy, done with all his work.

Dealing with thought when he joined the smithy. After he recovered he was told to repay the debt by working as he didn't have any other means to repay but he was unable to work as he did not know anything and even he failed to understand the calculation as he didn't get an education well in the forest there is no one telling such thing seeing this Dustin took arin with him and decided to teach him smithy well with his current calculation it will take one more to him pay his debt after which Arin will go for finding Gracillia.

Putting his thought aside he saw a few metal scraps of broken sword and moved to put it away when he heard a sudden knock at the door.

"Knock... knock..."

Thinking it was the old man, Dustin, returning, Arin ran to the door and opened it eagerly. "You are—" But before Arin could see who was at the door, he was pushed back violently.

"Oh, I didn't see the small boy," a dwarf with a patch on his left eye said, swaggering into the smithy and plopping down near Arin. "Looks like that old man has made quite a bit of money to even buy a young human slave for work."

Arin, who had fallen from the impact, stood up straight, unfazed. "You are not Dustin. Who are you?" he demanded, clearly and without fear.

The man behind the patch-eyed dwarf snickered mockingly. "Haha, this slave can't even recognize us. Who do we look like?" With a menacing pause, the patch-eyed dwarf grabbed Arin by the collar, lifting him effortlessly. "We're here to wreak havoc, you slave boy."

It was Arin's first time encountering people like this. Despite living in the village, bandits never dared to cause trouble before because the guards were always vigilant. Arin’s mind raced. What did these bandits want? And why were they targeting him?

The patch-eyed dwarf tossed Arin aside like a ragdoll and strode toward the furnace. He pulled out a wooden stick from his back and hurled it into the flames, then began to survey the smithy.

Arin, sensing an opportunity, quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small iron bolt. With a swift and subtle flick, he sent it skittering across the floor. If I can distract them, I might have a chance, he thought. The bolt rolled unnoticed into the path of one of the bandits, who was too focused on searching the place to watch his step. As he stepped forward, his foot landed on the bolt, causing him to lose his balance.

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The bandit stumbled forward, arms flailing, and crashed into a pile of tools with a loud clatter. "Ah, clumsy fool!" the patch-eyed dwarf spat, kicking the underling with his heavy boot. "Get up and help me search this place!"

Seizing the distraction, Arin scrambled to his feet and dashed to the door. I have to get out of here! But the patch-eyed dwarf was too quick, catching Arin with a vise-like grip. "Think you can escape us, little slave?" he sneered, his breath reeking of ale and smoke. "We'll teach you what happens when you cross us!"

Arin struggled and kicked, but the dwarf's grip was unyielding. He was dragged back into the smithy and thrown into a corner, landing hard on the stone floor. "Search the place!" the patch-eyed dwarf barked at his underlings. "Find anything of value, and don't leave anything intact!"

Amid the chaos, one of the bandits noticed Arin's necklace, which had been revealed by the fall. His eyes gleamed with greed. "For a slave, you have quite a nice necklace," he sneered, reaching out to grab it. "Give it to me!"

No, not this! Arin thought desperately, clutching the necklace. Just as the bandit's hand was about to touch it, a black blast erupted from Arin, throwing the dwarf out of the smithy and smashing a hole in the wall. The explosion left everyone stunned and silent.

The patch-eyed dwarf's eyes widened in shock and fear. "What in the name of the gods was that?" he muttered, backing away from Arin. The other bandits, equally terrified, began to retreat, leaving Arin alone amidst the wreckage of the smithy.

Arin stood, his heart pounding, the necklace glowing faintly against his chest. What just happened? he wondered, his mind racing. Where did that power come from? He didn't know what had just happened, but he felt a strange power surging within him, a power that had just saved his life.

The patch-eyed dwarf quickly regained his composure. "Get those two and check outside!" he barked at the remaining underlings. Despite the commotion, no one in the surrounding area was visible, as Dustin's smithy was far away from the village near the mountains. He then drew a knife from his back and advanced on Arin.

Arin was still in shock, his mind reeling from the strange burst of power. As the dwarf approached, Arin tried to think of a way to defend himself or escape. How can I get away from this dwarf? He was almost upon Arin when a commotion outside drew their attention.

The underlings had been captured by the royal guards, who had returned to the area. Seeing his comrades restrained and the guards approaching, the patch-eyed dwarf panicked. Desperate to save himself, he grabbed Arin and pointed the knife at his neck. "Stay back, or the boy dies!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear.

Arin's heart raced. I can't believe I'm a hostage now. What do they even want from me? His eyes darted around, looking for any opportunity to escape.

The captain of the royal guards entered the smithy, his presence commanding attention. "Release the boy," he said calmly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

The dwarf tightened his grip on Arin and pressed the knife closer to his throat slightly cutting the epidermis layer of the skin. "I said stay back!"

In one swift, fluid motion, the captain drew his sword and hurled it with precision. The blade struck the dwarf, killing him instantly and releasing Arin from his grasp.

The captain approached Arin, who was still shaking from the ordeal. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice gentle but firm.

Arin nodded slowly, his mind struggling to process everything that had just happened. "Thank you," he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

The captain looked around at the wreckage of the smithy and took the remaining attacker too questioning where they got to know from one of the attackers. "We received a quest to destroy this smithy for a hefty sum of money. We thought it would be an easy job, but it seems we made the biggest mistake of our lives." while looking at Arin

Captain of the knights turned to Arin and said. "Let's get you somewhere safe." And escorted Arin out of the smithy.