Richard

Richard is the dwarf tank in Josh's C-rank adventuring party. He is distinct from Sir Richard, House Nord's human knight captain in the later Skadi arc.

Biography

Frontline defense and household work

Richard joins Josh, Sophia, and Lucy on the monster-camp mission and accepts Kai LuForia as the party's porter. His job is to absorb the first impact: when an ogre attacks, Richard catches the blow on his shield, allowing Lucy to blind it, Josh to cut its tendons, and Sophia to finish it. He later helps lead prisoners out of the cave and fights the monster army that surrounds them, remaining focused on protection even when the odds turn against the party. (Chapters 16–20)

After the rescue, Richard jokingly attempts to move into Kai's main house and is redirected to the men's guest house. Kai later hypnotically assigns Richard and Josh to obtain hunter licenses and earn household money, a command Richard accepts as a useful way to contribute. He remains present in Hearthwood and takes up arms when the household's magical defenses fail. No later appearance under the name Sir Richard belongs to this dwarf. (Chapters 20–25, 175)

Appearance and personality

Richard is an adult dwarf with a beard and the compact stature typical of his species. He carries a hammer and shield and drinks alcohol; the supplied chapters do not specify his hair color, eye color, armor, exact height, or age. (Chapters 16–20)

He is loud, sociable, brave, and fond of drink. Richard quickly accepts Kai, jokes about claiming household space, and faces ogres from the most dangerous position. His only early warning to Kai is not to touch his alcohol. (Chapters 16–22)

Powers and abilities

As a C-rank tank, Richard uses a shield to withstand blows that would crush less durable companions. His hammer supplies blunt-force offense, although the corpus emphasizes his blocking role rather than a named attack. He depends on party formation and is endangered by large monster numbers; no mana tier, racial passive, or formal technique is stated. (Chapters 16–20)

Relationships

• Josh, Sophia, and Lucy: Richard's adventuring party, whose formation relies on his shield creating safe openings. (Chapters 16–20)
• Kai LuForia: Richard respects Kai after the rescue and lives in his guest house, though Kai later directs his work through hypnosis. (Chapters 16–25)

Items

• Hammer: Richard's unnamed primary weapon. (Chapter 16)
• Shield: His defensive equipment, strong enough to stop an ogre's strike long enough for the party to counterattack. (Chapter 18)