The moment Inuki was inspired by seeing Lucy Allen, he left the street of Soul Academy.
“Master! Didn’t we already rent the forge?” “Do you think you can make proper weapons in a place like that?”
Originally, Inuki had planned to rent a decent street forge to make armor. It turned out the facilities were much better than expected, so he thought that would be enough.
However, that was only when making weapons for promising knights. Since he had decided to craft a weapon that would carry his entire life’s worth of effort, everything had to be perfect.
“Are you seriously going to come back after all this time and demand that I hand over my forge?”
One of the few blacksmiths Inuki respected had been reluctant when Inuki, after many years, asked to rent the forge for a few days.
“Unlike you, who only makes weapons for people you like, I’m a business. How could I not work for a few days?”
Inuki handed over some of the material that Lucy had once called "demon earth."
He had given Lucy more than half of it, but for some reason, following his instincts, he kept the rest. He didn’t know exactly what he would use it for, but when he faced Lucy, he found clarity. The thoughts that filled his head could be called nothing short of a revelation.
“So, you’re saying you’ll mix this worthless-looking dirt with iron?” “It’s not just iron. I’m going to use mithril.” “...Are you senile?! Why would you mix this valuable material with dirt?!”
The blacksmith shouted in disbelief, but Inuki calmly ignored him.
The blacksmith, who had reluctantly accepted Inuki due to their past connection, watched with suspicion as Inuki worked with his apprentice.
“Is that guy sane? Inuki isn’t the type to mess with metals.” “He was his usual grumpy self yesterday. So, yeah, I guess.”
“Hey! You, stupid apprentice! Stop gossiping about your master and come help!”
Inuki watched as the mithril melted in the high-heat furnace he had created using fire magic.
Mithril was called a miraculous metal because of its lightness and incredible magical conductivity.
However, the reason blacksmiths loved mithril most was because of its unique ability to fuse with other materials.
This extraordinary metal, clearly a gift from the gods, embraced everything. Just as the Divine looks upon the world with equality, it accepts all types of magic or energy.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
So, whatever was inside the dirt, mithril would absorb it as well.
As Inuki mixed the dirt into the molten red mithril, he soon became convinced that his thoughts were right.
He didn’t know exactly what the change occurring in the mithril was, but it was clear that this was the will of the great one who had bestowed the revelation upon him. All he had to do now was hammer it out.
Following the inspiration in his mind.
Reflecting on the vision that couldn’t be erased.
Again. And again. And again.
For days, Inuki forgot to sleep and hammered the metal tirelessly. When he finally saw the result, he couldn’t help but grin.
“Hey, Inuki. Are you seriously going to say this is it?”
However, the blacksmith, who had been observing the armor Inuki made, frowned.
“Is there a problem?” “There is! Are you out of your mind? You’re going to have a knight wear this in battle? Are they supposed to dodge blows by evading them instead of taking them head-on?!”
To put it plainly, the armor Inuki made had too many gaps. It seemed like it would be easy to inflict fatal wounds wherever one struck.
“Who in their right mind would commission an armor like this?!” “Do I look like the kind of person who would accept such an order?”
“No! You’re doing this because you’re not thinking clearly! I can’t understand what’s going through your mind!”
The blacksmith’s frustration grew, but the armor itself was astonishingly well-crafted.
Despite the numerous gaps that made the armor impractical, Inuki’s work was so beautifully crafted that even the blacksmith, who had a sense of pride in his own work, was impressed.
The armor, even in the dim light of the forge, shone brightly. Even the blacksmith couldn’t help but admire it and wish he could have created something like it.
And that made him even more annoyed. With such great skill, why would Inuki make an armor with so many bare spots?
“Is it because you're running low on mithril?! I’ll give you some more!” “There’s no shortage. I still have some leftover for you.”
“What?” “I’ve already paid for it. Oh, and if you want to see the true potential of the armor, come to Soladin’s Allen Territory in a few days. You’ll see for yourself.”
Leaving behind the angry blacksmith, Inuki’s next stop was the Academy Street.
There, Nikis, upon seeing Inuki’s armor, immediately realized who it was made for.
“Is this for Lady Allen? It’s truly beautiful, but it’s hardly armor.” “Enough with the comments. Make something to wear underneath it. You remember her measurements, right?”
“Of course I remember. Sigh. You’re still stubborn. Fine. But in exchange, go visit Karia and get the thread from the Red-Tipped Moths. This armor won’t work as armor unless we add something more to it.”
The Red-Tipped Moths were a monstrous species that only appeared in dungeons in the far eastern regions.
Their threads, found in the humid swamps they inhabited, were so tough that even swords couldn’t cut through them, and they could even stop flying arrows.
These threads were rare, as the dungeon where the moths emerged was hard to find, but if they could make clothing out of it, it would outperform any mediocre armor.
“I’ll have to dip into the slush fund.”
Hearing Inuki’s request, Karia, though reluctant because of how difficult it was to acquire, promised to bring the materials for free because it was for Lucy.
Within half a day, Karia had obtained the thread and Nikis immediately began weaving it into the clothes.
“I’ve tailored it to fit Lady Allen’s body. She should have no trouble moving in it.” “Good.”
Inuki nodded with satisfaction, then immediately headed toward the Allen family’s estate, eager to see Lucy Allen wearing his creation.
“If it’s the young lady, she’s likely training inside.” “Could you guide me there? I want to deliver the armor to her personally.”
Kal, one of Lucy’s guards, seemed to hesitate for a moment, but Benedikt’s loud laughter from the back allowed Inuki to go inside.
With this opportunity to meet Lucy directly, Inuki entered the training grounds with Kal.
And there, he witnessed it.
Lucy dancing the fairy dance.
Her steps were light, like hopping above petals.
Her movements were as smooth as if she were flying with the wind.
Every time her feet moved, warm divine energy etched its traces on the ground.
Watching the playful and light-hearted yet incredibly beautiful fairy dance, Inuki soon realized that the divine energy that had scattered around wasn’t just fading.
It had become a magic of its own, lighting up the land.
A sacred realm, formed from the warm divine energy, enveloped the fairy dance and made the stage shine, purging the evil darkness around.
Seeing Lucy dancing in the center of this divine realm, Inuki imagined her in the armor he had created.
Lucy, dancing in her new armor, was even more beautiful than Inuki’s rough imagination.
Perhaps that’s why Inuki couldn’t contain his excitement and walked toward Lucy.
And then he called out.
The armor made for you is ready.
Inuki, as a blacksmith, was certainly someone with extraordinary skill.
Blacksmiths who can create hidden items are always legendary figures.
When I heard that Inuki, one of those legends, had finished creating the armor, I awaited it with a pounding heart.
What kind of item would it be?
A fantastical knight’s armor? The conventional, but still cool and impressive.
A full plate-style armor would be practical and nice too.
Ah. But of course, it can’t cover the face. If that mischievous smile is hidden, the provocation ability would drop.
“This is it.”
I had expected the heavy, classic knight’s armor, but when I saw the armor Inuki handed me, I froze.
Upon seeing it, a lot of thoughts ran through my mind.
Why was the armor so revealing, like a swimsuit?
If this much skin is exposed, doesn’t the armor lose its meaning?
Among the many thoughts swirling in my head, they could be summed up as this:
“Hey, old man♡ Does this look like armor to you?♡ To me, it looks more like the obsession of a perverted freak trying to embody the wish of a flaccid penis.♡ Do you just want to make something useless that no one can even wear?♡”
Is this really armor?! If arrows come flying, it looks like you’d have to take them on your bare skin!
This kind of thing is meant for stories in games, not in real life!
Why would anyone try to make such armor in reality, you perverted freak?!
“This is it.”
I had expected the classic, heavy, and imposing knight's armor, but when I saw the armor Inuki handed me, I froze.
Seeing it, many thoughts ran through my mind.
Why is the armor so revealing, like a swimsuit?
If that much skin is exposed, doesn’t it defeat the purpose of armor?
Among all the thoughts swirling in my head, they could be summed up like this:
“Hey, old man♡ Does this look like armor to you?♡ To me, it looks more like the obsession of a perverted freak trying to embody the wish of a flaccid penis.♡ Do you just want to make something useless that no one can even wear?♡”
Is this even armor?! If arrows come flying, you’d have to take them to your skin!
This kind of thing is meant for the story of a game, not in real life!
Why on earth are you trying to make such armor in reality, you perverted old man?!
“This goes underneath, and you wear it on top. That’s how it works.”
“Are you so obsessed with lust that you’ve gone deaf?♡ What if you get so excited that you have a heart attack and die?♡ If a perverted freak like you disappears, the world would be more beautiful, but I’d feel disgusted in my heart.♡”
“I know what you’re thinking, but just try it on. You’ll understand once you wear it.”
What the hell is wrong with this perverted old man? Did he open his eyes to his true nature while making this armor?
I glared at Inuki with a look of utter disgust, but his gaze remained serious.
Ugh. What is this? With the face of a craftsman who seems to have burned his soul, he hands me this armor.
...Is there really something to this?
<"I don’t know exactly what it is, but try wearing it. If nothing happens, you can just throw it away."> ‘It feels like I’m being played by some perverts, and I don’t like it.’ <"I understand your feelings, but at least you don’t have to doubt the blacksmith standing in front of you. His eyes are those of a craftsman."> ‘By that logic, I guess even the pervert-assassins would have the eyes of a craftsman.’
Sigh.
Well, it’s a piece of work made by a great craftsman, so I might as well try it on.
I wore the bunny girl costume before, so what’s stopping me from trying this armor?
I kicked the two people out and called Erin to help me put on the new armor.
And then I realized.
I understood why Inuki was so obsessed with this armor.