Chapter 9

"Hmm, Lord Tio~"

"A, Airis, please walk steadily..."

On the way back—

Tio was troubled by Airis, who was leaning on him.

She must have been very happy to be in a party with Tio. Airis had been drinking, and before they knew it, she had become a drunk sword maiden.

Somehow, Tio managed to get her to the inn, laid her on the bed, and was about to return to his room... but—

"Lord Tio, I've caught you~!"

"Whoa!?"

Just as he turned his back, Airis hugged him from behind. She leaned her weight on him, and they both fell onto the bed.

"Hehehe~, I won't let you go!"

"Mmmmm~!?"

As they fell onto the bed, Airis hugged Tio and once again forced his face into her bosom.

Under the soft sensation, Tio wriggled, but then stopped halfway. He noticed that Airis had started to snore quietly.

(I can't move...)

He tried to slip out quietly without waking her, but she held him tightly, making it impossible to move.

"Lord Tio, I like you..."

Airis mumbled in her sleep. Her expression looked very happy.

(Well, maybe it's okay for today...)

Seeing Airis's happy face, Tio decided to give up on trying to get out. It was impossible to resist such a happy expression—

◆

The next morning—

"Uu... I'm sorry for yesterday..."

At breakfast, Airis bowed her head. She seemed embarrassed by the trouble she had caused while drunk.

"Well, well, it's in the past. But be careful not to drink too much, okay?"

Tio smiled wryly and gently scolded Airis.

Airis replied with a shy "Yes..." It seemed that while she was fine with physical contact when sober, she was embarrassed by what she had done while drunk.

"Lord Tio, are we going to the dungeon today?"

"Yes, but before that, I want to go to the armory. I changed my class to a Black Mage but forgot to buy a 'Magic Device.'"

"Oh, that's right, Lord Tio didn't have any weapons. ...And you could cast spells at that speed without a Magic Device!?"

Airis exclaimed in surprise.

A Magic Device is a special type of weapon that enhances the casting speed of magic-based skills. It can be a staff, sword, spear, or various other types.

Airis was amazed that Tio could cast spells at a speed that even a Lesser Dragon couldn't react to, without a Magic Device.

After finishing breakfast and getting ready, the two headed to the city's armory.

◆

"Meow~! Welcome to the Armory Val~!"

When they entered the armory, a bright voice greeted them. A girl walked over from where the voice came from.

"Good morning, Val."

"Good morning, Airis! By the way, who is that person? It's unusual for Airis to bring someone here!"

"Val, this is Lord Tio, my fellow adventurer."

"I'm Tio, nice to meet you."

Tio greeted the girl in front of him after Airis's introduction. The girl in front of him also introduced herself.

"I'm Val, the owner and blacksmith of this shop! Nice to meet you~!"

Val seemed carefree and cheerful.

Her skin was a light brown, and she was dressed in a bold outfit of just an overalls over her bare skin. Her chest was not as large as Airis's, but it was still well-developed, and her shiny cleavage was quite revealing.

Her hair was a dark blonde, short, and on top of her head were cat-like ears that twitched.

(So, she's a 'Tiger-Eared' person.)

Tio immediately recognized her species from her appearance.

Tiger-Eared people are a rare race with tiger blood. They are several times stronger than ordinary humans, making blacksmithing a suitable profession. Despite her young appearance, it made sense for a Tiger-Eared person to be a blacksmith.

"So, what are you looking for today?"

"I came to buy a Magic Device. If possible, I'd like a long staff..."

"Leave it to me! I'll go get it!"

Val said and disappeared into the back. A moment later, she returned with several long staffs in her hands.

"...? They're all made of metal, aren't they?"

"You have a good eye! These are special models with 'Mistletoe' embedded in the core and coated with iron. The tip is sharp, so it can be used for thrusting as well!"

When Tio showed interest in a silver staff, Val explained it to him.

This was the first time Tio had seen such a staff. He learned that it was made using a special technique taught by her master.

"Yeah, the magic convergence speed is not bad. I'll take this one."

"Thank you for your purchase! By the way, how about a short staff as a secondary Magic Device? I actually have a recommendation!"

Saying that, Val suddenly stuck her fingers into her cleavage. Tio involuntarily gasped, "…!?"

Val pulled her fingers out of her cleavage, and a short staff appeared.

It seemed she had stored it there because her hands were full when she brought the long staffs.

"Please try it~♪"

"E, er... e?"

Val squeezed her cleavage and moved closer to Tio.

Was she asking him to take the staff from there...? As Tio shuddered—

"Val! Don't tease Lord Tio!"

—Airis raised her voice, slightly irritated.

Val stuck out her tongue and said, "Hehe, I got caught~♪" She seemed to have been enjoying Tio's innocent reaction.

Despite her cute and young appearance, she had a good personality.

Tio smiled wryly and decided to buy a short staff as a backup weapon in case his main long staff was unavailable.

Incidentally, when Val tried to hand him the short staff from her cleavage again, Airis shouted, "Prepare another short staff!" and tried to stop her with all her might—

【To the Readers】

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