With the information that I had gathered, it was time I finally started on my conquest of this town. The first order of business would be meeting up with Damian, though it would be a problem seeing him earlier than we planned. As I recall we discussed in meeting back up in the inn after today so for now that left me plenty of time to myself. This probably would be a good time to complete the gathering quest I had accepted.

  According to the quest paper here, I was supposed to gather about five [Herb], and I’d be paid 5 [Silver Coin] though it did also say I could be paid additionally if I gathered more, which is something I could use right now. I’m a bit tight on money at the moment and even if I plan to take over this town, it doesn’t hurt to have some emergency funds on hand.

  So, I spent half the day searching the fields out of town that I was recommended to. I’d have to say, it’s times like this I wish I had V’s [Search] skill with me. After all that time going through various patches of grass, I only managed to find six [Herb], turns out its rather hard to find a plant that practically blends with the surroundings. After turning in the quest, I was rewarded with 6 [Silver Coin].

  With that done I decided to check on some of the other stores that I didn’t have time to check last time. I believe I was told by Damian that there was a blacksmith shop nearby, even if I could make my weapons myself with [Material Forge] even I have to admit that what I make is amateur at best and nothing would beat an expert’s skill.

  As I entered the shop, I was taken aback by the various types of weapons and armor inside. Not only that but there seems to be many random tools that could be useful for survival as well as everyday life. When I think about it thought, with a small town like this it would make sense to have a more diverse set of tools to suit for everyone here. As I looked around, I could hear the sounds of banging against an anvil in the next room over. It seemed the owner of the place was hard at work on crafting something at the moment. Out of curiosity, I ended up watching him while he works, fascinated by the process.

  As I did, I managed to get a good look of the guy. The guy was of a stocky build with beige skin. He was going shirtless, probably because of the intense heat of the nearby forge and I noticed that he had several scars around his arms attesting to his years of experience and his wild brown hair pulled back and tied together by a hair tie probably to make it easier for him to concentrate. He didn’t seem to notice me, that or he was ignoring me so he could focus on his work. From what I could tell it looked like he was in the final stages as I could tell what he was working on. It seemed to be a simple [Copper Blade] but without the hilt fixed on it.

  After forging many blades myself I could tell by comparison that what I produced was shoddy. He seemed to finally notice me as he set his tools aside and began to speak to me. “Oh, I see you’re a customer here, sorry if I held you up what can I do for you?”

  As he wiped the sweat off of his upper body, he walked up to the counter as he got a good look at me before raising an eyebrow. “You must be the new adventurer that Damian was helping the other day, what can I do for you?”

  I proceeded to take out my [Silver Short Sword] and [Copper Short Sword] and put them on the counter to let him take a look at them, though with my height I had to jump to reach it. “I was wondering if you have something better than these two or if there was some way to improve them.”

  The blacksmith took my two weapons in his hands and began to examine them for a solid minute. “Hmm, it’s good you chose a weapon with a length that matches your size.”

  …I’m going to choose to ignore that comment. Moving on.

  “This is interesting, I can definitely see that an amateur made this and yet… for some reason the metal themselves are of pure quality. It’s as if they took off all the impurity off the ore before shaping the blade and there doesn’t seem to be any chip on the edges at all. It’s as if they’re brand new.”

  He then proceeded to eye at the hilts’ designs “The handles could use more work though, it seemed there was zero thought put on the grip handle with the lack of proper curving to help better handle them.”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Harsh but fair words, I’ll keep that in mind. Once he was done looking at them, he gave me my weapons back. “Now, I could improve these two but what I suggest is that you should have a new one crafted instead. From what I could see, you had both of these made in order to handle both monsters and human situations. While I understand your reasoning, you must have a weight imbalance which would slow you down. Never mind how small you are.”

  ……

  I can’t exactly argue with that, considering my size having less weight to lug around could help speed me up.

  “Now what I can offer you would be this.” The blacksmith then grabbed a sword, [Silver-Tipped Copper Short Sword]

  “With this you could cover both your bases without the additional weight holding you back. Now the price is a bit more expensive but with the techniques needed to carefully meld the silver on the edges of the blade is worth the 13 [Silver Coins]”

  1-13?! That’s more than what I have at the moment, and it’s not like I have enough skill with [Material Forge] to do enough delicate work to craft it myself. So instead, I pretended to go through my leather pouch as I secretly pulled out some [Copper] and [Silver]. “What if I gave this, would you make something for less?”

  He proceeded to check the material out, a look of surprise crossed his face before it disappeared. “Hmm, sure with this I can make you a new sword that’ll be more suited for you for 7 [Silver Coins] and hey I’ll give you a discount and make it only 5 instead.”

  I didn’t want to miss the opportunity and immediately gave him the Coins. “Alright kid, I’ll have this ready tomorrow so come by then.”

  With that transaction done I returned to the inn and after paying for the night I was left with only 2 [Silver Coins] …. It seems I have spent almost as much as I made today….

  I noticed that Damian was there as well, as I signaled him to meet me up in my room later. Once we were in private, I took off my mask to let my head to cool off. No sooner had I did, I found myself suddenly grabbed tightly by his familiar black furry arms!

  “…. Do you have to do that every time?” I asked as I grumbled to myself, feeling embarrassed over the situation.

  I could feel his embrace around me get a bit stronger as he responded “Don’t worry Vladdy, there’s no one nearby to hear us. And I just missed you all day is all~”

  I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this side of him. Once again, I found myself discussing important matters with the black bear while being hugged by him. “Now then let’s begin talking about what we learned.”

  I proceeded to inform Damian about the possible invasion I heard from the gossiping ladies. This seemed to get his attention as he stopped cuddling me for a second and his expression changed to something more serious. “…. I see, that matches to what I had learned as well.”

  Apparently, the guild was requesting for Damian’s assistance for a possible battle in the near future, which we guess is the rumored invasion. They were willing to reward him decently for his efforts.

  Damian then let me go from his hug as he looked me in the eye with an intense look. “…. So do you have something in mind?”

  I nodded as began to explain my thoughts, chuckling to myself for what’s to come. “Of course I plan to take advantage of this. Now how would you think they react if they were saved when desperate?”

  “… They’d appreciate it, but I doubt it’d be enough to win them over as their leader.” Damian responded, raising a furry eyebrow.

  I then pointed at him, a sinister look forming across my face. “Of course that would be too easy now, wouldn’t it? No, I have something else in mind though it all hinges on you my furry Henchman~”

  I proceeded to explain my idea to him, he seemed rather surprised over it but after I was done, he grabbed me around his arms again with a smile across his face. “An interesting plan Vladdy, you got my support! ~”

  He seemed to be hugging me a bit tight, making it hard for me to talk “W-well now I just need to gather info around… their movements. I’ll have to return back to base t-to get V’s help…. Their [Search] and [Map] will definitely help the- ok can you loosen your grip on me a little!?”

  “Sorry~” he said in an unusually cute tone.

  Once he loosened his grip on me, I continued “Now, after I get my new sword tomorrow, I’ll return back in base. Hopefully I can use the same excuse I used before. Meanwhile I’ll need you to stay here for now. You know what you need to do once things start right?”

  Damian nodded in understanding, I figured with everything settled we’d retire in our own rooms for the rest of the night, but he seemed to have something different in mind. He kept me tight around his arms while pulling us to bed. It seems he wanted to have us sleep together in the bed while snuggling me. Damn it, I am not a plushie Damian!!

  Unfortunately, I had to let him have his way if I wanted to have his continued support. Well, I guess it won’t be too bad. Luckily his furred body is surprisingly comfortable enough to sleep around. I just have to hope sooner or later he starts to cool down on all this affectionate stuff…..