Swordsmaster Fox-girl

I almost frowned at the Demon’s reaction to Avaron’s name.

‘Does he know what Avaron is?’

{Fufu, seems like there’s someone who knows m—}

‘Shut up, let me think.’

The chance of him identifying me as Swordsmaster Nova was simply nil. No one, not even Ihwa, knew that Avaron was my possession.

That only left one option.

‘This guy…was he there when the Mage Spire fell?’

And his next words just confirmed my thought.

“You…where did you get this artifact? W-What is your relationship with the Mage Slayer?!”

I shuddered upon hearing that title.

‘Dammit, it’s so cringy!’

All I did was destroy the spire that housed the best mages of Vetrix Empire. Nothing too special. And yet, everyone started calling me the Mage Slayer.

Manhunts, bounties, and armies were utilized and mobilized to kill me. It’d gotten so bad that I had to fake my death and change my identity to avoid having my throat slit in my sleep.

‘Well, I can’t just tell him that I’m the Mage Slayer, so…’

“It’s a family heirloom,” I obviously lied.

However, to the Demon, my lie wasn’t so obvious.

“Heirloom, heirloom…” he muttered to himself, “they say that a thief was spotted running away from the Mage Slayer’s corpse when they found him. Since everyone’s Gift would turn into an artifact or Skill book upon death, everyone assumed that the thief had stolen Avaron.”

He then stared at me with an indescribable gaze. 

“It seems like I’ve just confirmed that theory.”

Closing his eyes and exhaling, he asked,

“Little girl, who are your parents?”

‘Ah, my plan succeeded.’

The most convincing lie is the one that you delude yourself into thinking that it is true.

And, with one simple sentence, I managed to fool the Demon completely. However, if I said the wrong thing here, I’d foil my own plan. Thus, after careful consideration, I slowly opened my mouth.

“None of your business.”

“W-What?”

“You shouldn’t care who my parents are. You’re a Blacksmith, are you not? Forge me want I want, or I’m leaving with my money.”

“Hah,” the Demon exhaled, laughing. “What if I don’t want you to go?”

“...Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t mess with someone like me?”

“Little girl, I’m a Demon. I’m used to having people hunting me for my head.”

Seeing the confident smirk on his face, I sighed.

“...Please reconsider. It’s for your own good.”

In response, the Demon snorted.

“What’s a little girl going to do to m—”

Before he could finish the blasphemous and insulting comment that could cost him his life, I quickly grabbed Avaron.

The Demon widened his eyes in surprise. He tried to grab his hammer, but it was too late. Thanks to my increased [DEX] stats, the tip of Avaron was already pointing at him when his hand was just half-way to his hammer.

“Don’t force my hand. Kneel down, now.”

I could see cold sweat running down the Demon’s forehead as he kneeled down with his hands raised up.

Slinging Avaron over my shoulder, I said,

“So, what ar—”

“HAHAHAHA!”

‘...Has he lost it already?’

I tilted my head in confusion as I looked at the Demon, who was laughing his ass off.

After a while, he calmed down, and said,

“Little missy has some fight in her, huh? Very well, I shall accept you as a real customer.”

“...What does that mean?”

“It means you’ve proved yourself to be worthy of my finest crafts.” He stood up; unafraid of my blade anymore. “Although I’d thrown away my pride, I’ll always follow the first precept Master taught me: ‘Find a person worthy of your craft.’”

‘That…does sound like what Druv would say.’

As such, I decided to set aside my suspicion…for now.

“Alright then, but if you run away with my money…” My voice turned severe. “I’ll hunt you down to the end of the world.”

“...It would sound more threatening if your voice wasn’t so cute.”

“S-Shut up!”

Regaining my composure, I continued,

“Then, when can I expect the scabbard to be d—”

“A-Ah, about that…” The Demon scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “...I’m nowhere near skilled enough to make an Inscription, much less a Scabbard for a Mythic-ranked artifact.”

“...You’re useless, then.” I sighed. “What can you do?”

“Well…” He caressed his chin as he scrutinized my body up and down. “...It seems like your endurance is bad, but your strength is just enough for you to wear some enhanced metal armor and not be weighed down.”

‘Huh? He could tell all that just from a glance?’

Truly, he was a decent Blacksmith.

“Very well.” I nodded. “Make me a set of armor. Then, about the mater—”

“No need to worry too about that, little missy. I have most of the materials ready. The only thing you need to provide is…”

“What?” I tapped my foot impatiently.

“...Octalicum’s silk.”

Hearing the name of the material needed, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“What are you even asking of a five-year-old? Do you expect me to fight a 2-star monster and come out unscathed?”

“Considering your earlier prowess, yes. Besides, with how rich you are, you can just buy it.”

“...True.”

But I still had another question.

“Why do you need the silk? I just want some sturdy armor.”

“It’s to add a specific enhancement.”

“Which is…”

“Auto-adjustment.”

At this point, I just wanted to point this guy’s face until his nose broke. Considering my [STR] stats, it would be a slow and painful process for him.

“Why would it even need that function?”

“Little missy, you’re still growing. You wouldn’t want the armor to be too tight for you after just a few months, do you?”

‘Well, he’s not wrong.’

But it was still annoying. The Octalicum itself wasn’t that dangerous, but fighting it was a hassle. Plus, I’d have to carve its bowel out if I wanted the silk to be in its best condition for forging.

Although I could just buy the silk for cheap, the quality wouldn’t be guaranteed. Not to mention, I couldn’t tell if this was a test that this bastard made to see if I was worthy or not. 

‘Arghh! Forget it! I’ll just get the silk myself!’

{I’m looking forward to seeing you get drenched in shit.}

‘Shut up!’

Mentally restraining myself from sticking Avaron up the Demon’s ass, I extended my hand out to the Demon.

“It’s a deal, then. I’ll get the silk and come back as soon as possible.”

The Demon’s eyes lit up as he grabbed my hand and shook it. 

Only now could I see how small I was compared to him. With every shake, my arms felt as if they were about to come right off. Plus, my tiny hands felt like they were being crushed in his big palms.

Eventually, he broke the handshake and placed a hand on my head to pat it.

“My name’s Erza. What’s yours?”

“Nova,” I said as I used both of my hands to lift Erza’s hand away from my head.

“Well then, hopefully, I’ll see you again, Nova.”

.

.

.

.

The content of Erza’s deal with me was as follows.

He’d make the armor and carve out the Inscription that the silk would be put in. All of this would take around a week or two.

I’d pay him six Golds and ninety Silvers up front. After that, I’d provide him with the silk. Then, depending on the quality of the armor, I’d give him more money, up to five Platinums.

After the contract was signed (with Ria’s supervision and approval), I left the smithy.

Only after coming back to the street did I appreciate the cold of the North. It was that hot inside his forge. 

“Achooo!”

Though…it seemed that Ria wasn’t appreciating the Northen cold.

Currently, it was the dead of night, with no one in sight. The previously rowdy streets were empty. The atmosphere felt a bit creepy, though, not having to constantly watch out for vials of acid was a trade I was willing to make.

The journey to our accommodation for the night was peaceful; only sometimes interrupted by the shouts of drunk men fighting in taverns...and Ria’s sneezes. Eventually, we arrived at the inn we were going to stay at: Sparrowhead inn.

As Ria opened the door leading inside the building, a warm orange light filled my vision. When my eyes adjusted to the sudden brightest, I could already see Ria chatting with the innkeeper.

“We’d like a room for two,” Ria said while sniffling.

“Oh, sorry, we’re nearly fully-booked.” The innkeeper smiled apologetically. “The only available room right now has only one bed.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Ria muttered.

After receiving the room key from the innkeeper, Ria led me upstairs and into our room.

“Young miss, I’ll sleep on the flo—”

“No.”

I couldn’t just let the Head maid sleep on the floor like that. From my years of experience, I knew how dirty the floor of some inns could be.

‘Besides, I don’t think Mom would appreciate it if she found out that I let Ria sleep on the floor…’

{Oh, for fuck’s sake, just say that you’re already growing fond of the maid.}

‘S-Shut up! You know nothing!’

Throwing Avaron into a corner, I pulled Ria into the bed with me.

Ria chuckled and tucked me in. Then, she hugged me from behind with her chin placed on my head.

“Young miss, it’s cold tonight, and I’m afraid that this inn’s blanket is too thin.”

“Mhm.”

Then, I let out a yawn.

The last thing I heard before I was whisked away into dreamland was Ria’s soft sigh.

“Thank you, young miss.”