Chapter 96

“Good grief, I have no idea what kind of trick you used to make a Dragon Queen your companion.”

“Indeed. I wish you had told us from the start.”

“I said I was sorry. I didn’t think Aoi would get that angry, either.”

Carrying the torch lit by Aoi’s flames, I followed behind Dowal and his brother. They were grilling me relentlessly about the Dragon Queen who had suddenly appeared. Aoi was probably listening to this conversation via Telepathy, but I decided to keep quiet about that.

We were currently heading toward Dowal’s workshop—the same place where he had forged Rou for me.

“Regardless, this is going to be another massive job. These materials are every bit as formidable as Fenrir fangs; I might be pulling all-nighters for a while.”

“You’re right, Brother. We have the flames from Lady Tiamat, but using them to craft something worthwhile depends entirely on our skill. This is truly our time to shine.”

“Obviously. In fact, if we fail, that Queen will likely kill us.”

Dolf shuddered at his own words. He was probably remembering the terrifying “Queen” persona Aoi had displayed earlier.

“You’ll be fine. As long as you don’t do anything to provoke her, Aoi is actually very kind.”

“…Isn’t that just because you are her Master, Sir Ryu?”

“Who knows? Aoi was incredibly strict with me when she was training me. At any rate, she probably won’t acknowledge you unless you show her what you’re capable of.”

Hearing that, Dolf seemed to fire himself up. After all, being recognized by the Dragon Queen was also their best path to survival.

As we talked, we arrived at the workshop. Inside the impeccably cleaned space, a single flame was burning. The fire in the wall sconce was Karin’s flame.

“You still had that?”

“Of course. It would be the height of folly to let such a precious flame burn out so quickly.”

“Sir Ryu, for us blacksmiths, even a single flame is a precious treasure. There are many swords that cannot be forged without a specific type of fire. Your Rou is one of them.”

Well, when you put it that way, it makes sense. If they wanted more, I could always give them some of Karin’s fire.

“Dolf, put the flame into the furnace.”

“Yes, Brother.”

Aoi’s azure flames entered the furnace and began to burn quietly. When a claw was lightly touched to the heat, its color began to shift faintly.

“Good. With this fire, it looks like it’ll work out. Ryu, what about you? Are you going to watch?”

“Of course I’m watching. But it took a long time with Rou—how long do you think it’ll take this time?”

“We should be finished within a week. Since the materials are from the same dragon, it’ll go faster than last time.”

“Also, give me Rou now. I’ll maintain it first.”

I handed Rou over to Dowal. As he looked at the blade, his expression soured.

“Just what on earth have you been fighting? The edge is chipped—so slightly it’s almost invisible, but it’s there.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“What kind of opponent causes this? A shortsword made from Fenrir fangs chipping so soon… was it that Queen of yours?”

Ah—that probably happened when I fought Azi Dahaka. No wonder I felt a slight bit of resistance when I swung it. So it was chipped…

“It was probably a scratch from a fight with a different dragon. More importantly, can it be fixed?”

“This much? Yeah, it’ll be fine if I whet it. However, you should at least learn the technique for sharpening a blade yourself, if you’re going to carry a katana.”

“Then teach me. Most of the people around me are the type to fight with their bare hands.”

And so, my training in blade maintenance began. I also realized I needed to improve my swordsmanship so I wouldn’t chip the blade again. Dowal and Dolf agreed to help me improve my sharpening skills today; apparently, they wanted to teach me now so they could focus entirely on the forging later.

From then on, I spent my time sharpening kitchen knives. Blacksmith-certified maintenance skills were certainly worth having, but because it was a different discipline from combat, it took a while to grasp. Still, by using my Sixth Sense, I managed to get the feel for it.

We were currently taking a break. It was surprisingly physically demanding work.

『Master Ryu, we have a problem.』

A sudden report from Aoi. For someone as powerful as her to call it a “problem,” had something truly catastrophic happened? At that exact moment, a soldier burst into the workshop.

“King Dowal! Sir Dolf! Unexpected guests have arrived!”

“What is it? Why the rush?”

“Who has arrived?”

“The Hero’s party has entered the country!”

…Aoi, was this the “problem”?

『Yes. While I was on guard, I confirmed the Hero, the Sage, the Knight, and the Priestess on horseback. I checked with Lord Gen of the Intelligence Department; it seems they came here based on his report.』

Ah, right—he did say he’d sent a report. But do they usually show up on the same day?

『Shall I interfere?』

『No, just get to my location as fast as possible. They haven’t entered the city proper yet, right?』

『I am told they are currently at the gates.』

『Then I’m moving all my familiars inside my body. Come here… though I guess I don’t have to tell you where I am.』

『We are on our way.』

The telepathic link cut out, and I could feel them approaching. All of them were closing in by following the bond formed by our contracts.

“What is their objective?” Dowal asked the soldier.

“Well, that is… they are searching for someone.”

“Searching for someone? Who exactly?”

“Um, apparently a Tamer named Ryu.”

Dowal, Dolf, and the soldier all turned to look at me. Seriously, do I have to explain myself here, too?

“I’ll explain, just wait a second. Ril and the others are on their way.”

“When will they arrive?”

“They’re already here.”

Dowal jumped at my words. Aoi was standing right behind him. Beside her were Ril, Karin, and Ouka, all in their human forms.

“Everyone, get inside me, quick.”

Ouka, Karin, and Aoi entered my soul space in that order. Aoi gave Dowal a sharp glare before she vanished, though.

I thought Ril would be the last to enter, but she suddenly pulled me into a hug. It was that familiar, comforting sensation; come to think of it, I hadn’t hugged her lately.

“Ryu, be careful.”

“I know.”

After I said that, she gave me a light kiss, then turned red and entered my body. Naturally, I could hear the protests from Karin and Ouka inside, but I just told them I’d deal with it after this mess was over.

“So, is there no mistake that the person the Hero is looking for is you?” Dowal asked.

“Yeah. The Hero and I are old acquaintances—friends, basically.”

“I see…”

“And, for certain reasons, I ended up being treated as a missing person, so she came all this way to find me.”

When I gave them the rough summary, Dowal and Dolf looked grim.

“Is it really going to be okay? Regarding Lady Ril and the others?”

“That’s why I told you I had a bone to pick with you. Two of my familiars are the exact monsters she’s hunting.”

“…”

Dowal went silent. Dolf spoke up instead.

“But how will you deceive her? I have heard that Hero Thea is incredibly sensitive to the presence of monsters.”

“That’s why I had them move inside me just now. In this state, even if she senses something from me, she’ll just assume she’s mistaken.”

“But what if Hero Thea decides you are some monster disguised as her friend?”

“In that case, I’ll start shouting about all the embarrassing things from her past.”

That ought to convince her.

“But what will you do after this? In this situation, even delivering the finished katana will be difficult.”

“I’ll find a way to fake it. I’ll tell her I became an adventurer and came here to get weapons made. Also, keep the fact that I’m connected to you two a secret—it’ll definitely turn into a headache.”

“Understood.”

“I’m leaving the castle now. If we meet in a place like this, our relationship will be obvious instantly.”

I took Rou and left the workshop. From here on, I had to talk my way through it.

“Ryu, I will give this blade the finest finish possible. I likely won’t be able to hand it to you directly, so it will have to be through a knight.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“No… my apologies for the trouble.”

With the katana fully in Dowal’s hands, I started coming up with excuses for Thea.