Chapter 44: Nightfall

Raine acutely noticed the Dwarf's strange behavior.

He broke off a piece of bread, dipped it into the last bit of rich, savory gravy in his clay bowl, and unhurriedly placed it in his mouth while observing the Dwarf across the table from the corner of his eye.

The Dwarf's breathing had become somewhat rapid.

His light brown eyes were slightly widened, his gaze locked in a daze on the new Short Sword's understated dark gray luster.

He reached out with a heavily calloused, large hand and gently stroked the blade, his fingers sliding slowly along the spine toward the tip.

That gentle gesture didn't seem like he was examining a weapon. Instead, it was as if he were looking at a long-lost clansman, or touching a homeland he hadn't seen in ages.

But soon, his thick eyebrows knitted together, as though the Short Sword had transformed into a red-hot branding iron, searing into his memory.