Chapter 309: Weapon Management (1)

After resolving my sexual urges with some bedroom playtime with Hye-eun since morning, I greeted the day feeling refreshed that morning.

After confirming Hye-eun, who said she had things to do in the afternoon, ate breakfast and headed home, I also stealthily slipped out in the late morning to take care of my own business.

There were two main tasks to handle today.

One was to retrieve the spear I had entrusted for repairs at Areum’s workshop last time, and additionally, to ask her to repair the spear I had lost during the last White Crystal Spider Queen subjugation.

The other was to finalize the detailed schedule for the heat-relief appointment with Min-ah tomorrow.

It was about time for Min-ah’s heat cycle to return if I didn’t relieve her soon. I’d have to meet her one more time before the year ends to relieve her.

The heat cycles of Beast-kin hunters affect their condition if not regularly relieved. Especially, any decline in the condition of Han Min-ah, a scout, could pose a risk to the entire Sky Blue Shield.

Of course, nowadays, heat suppressants are readily available, so it wasn’t impossible for her to suppress it without me. However, if possible, a natural remedy would be best rather than artificially suppressing instincts with medicine.

Moreover, since I was now also part of the Sky Blue Shield along with her, managing Min-ah’s condition held considerable importance for me too.

Frankly, even setting aside other trivial reasons, relieving Min-ah’s heat cycle was a rather enjoyable time for me as well.

Requests that she would normally have vehemently rejected with curses like ‘get lost’ were often reluctantly granted during her heat. Like letting me freely touch her sensitive ears and tail, or forcing her transformation by inserting fingers into her rear.

Especially last time, I even succeeded in unlocking anal sex, which she would never have permitted normally. The thought of her gradually being ‘developed’ by me inevitably brought on a strange excitement.

Should I advise her beforehand to clean her rear before we meet this time? Or should I just hint at it subtly and hope she prepares herself?

While Han Min-ah, who reluctantly complies with such demands while getting angry, is hot in many ways, I also don’t want to give up on a cute Min-ah who prepares herself for anal sex without me even asking first.

As I indulged in various fantasies about her, who brought such a pleasant smile to my face, I soon found myself nearing the first destination, Areum’s workshop.

As soon as I stepped inside under the sign that read ‘The Flame of Creation,’ the ownerless counter greeted me, just like last time.

「Press if the shop owner isn’t here!」

Imagining Areum’s tone, which I was now somewhat accustomed to, I pressed the call bell on the counter.

Immediately, she appeared from the workshop connected to the back of the counter-she, a half-dwarf.

“Yeah, yeah, comin’ out!”

Areum, who had apparently been busy working inside the workshop, burst out with soot smudged on her clothes and face, her eyes immediately meeting mine across the counter.

She immediately broke into a welcoming smile and ran towards me, her large breasts swaying side to side.

“Ah, Unnie!”

“…….”

…I try not to look at Areum with lustful eyes, but it’s an unavoidable natural phenomenon that my gaze is drawn to those aggressive breasts. Ever since recognizing the ‘breast support incident’ from last time, my attention kept getting drawn there.

I really don’t want our relationship to become awkward by thinking only in this direction. It would be best for both of us to forget about it as soon as possible. After all, I didn’t want to lose a dwarf blacksmith connection I found with such a trivial reason.

…If Areum herself wanted it, the story might be a little different, but fundamentally, Areum currently perceives me as a woman, so that’s impossible.

“…Unnie? Why are you spacing out like that.”

“Sorry, I just had something to think about.”

“You came to pick up the spear you left for repairs last time, right? I’ll bring it right away, so wait just a little bit.”

“……Yeah.”

While I was momentarily lost in thought because of her chest, Areum disappeared behind the workshop, having anticipated my business on her own.

My mind went blank again, captivated by her breasts that protruded from her sides, expressing bust-morphism.

The moment I saw Areum return from the back of the workshop carrying a spear, my male instincts flared up again, in a different sense.

“Unnie! I brought the one you left last time!”

%.

A symbol that could describe her approaching me, with the long spear shaft wedged between her breasts, in just one character.

Considering how she carried the Mithril Greatsword last time, using it as a breast support, it felt almost intentional. Her movements were so unguarded that I even fantasized whether she might actually be seducing me if she knew I was male. Conversely, it was precisely because she perceived me as a woman that she displayed such unguarded behavior.

I felt quite complex and subtle emotions about whether I should like this situation or not.

“…Unnie? Aren’t you taking this?”

“……Ah, yeah. Sorry.”

“You seem a bit strange today, Unnie? You keep spacing out? Are you tired?”

“…A little.”

“Aha! Being full of vigor is good, but you need to manage your condition! What did you see last night to be so tired?”

“…….”

“Huh? I was just saying that casually, but it seems it was true. Do everything in moderation! Otherwise, your bones will rot, you know, ahaha!”

Seemingly mistaking my momentary confusion at Areum’s words for affirmation, she wore a triumphant expression and burst into hearty laughter. I was simply flustered by the lewd joke that came out of Areum’s mouth without hesitation, unable to respond. Perhaps because it was dirty talk I hadn’t heard since my school days, my body couldn’t react instantly. Unlike Min-ah, Hye-eun rarely makes such jokes openly in front of me.

Are all dwarf women as boisterous as Areum? If someone like Areum were in the family, it would probably be fun in many ways.

“I’ll take it easy from now on.”

“Aha, alright, alright.”

Strictly speaking, Areum’s deduction wasn’t wrong, so I nodded appropriately and played along. Having fought four consecutive rounds from last night until this morning, it was undeniably true that I had overexerted myself.

Taking the spear shaft that diagonally cut across her chest, I immediately took out today’s commission item from my pocket and handed it to Areum.

“Areum-ah, and I need this repaired too, please.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“The same one I asked you about last time.”

“……Don’t tell me it’s that thing again?”

“……Yeah.”

Seeing Areum’s gaze turn strangely cold, it seemed she was definitely determined to say something this time. Just as I was about to properly confess that it wasn’t a junior’s item but one I used myself, Areum cut me off, her anger erupting.

“No! What kind of woman is this junior of yours, making you work like her errand girl?!”

“……Huh?”

“I don’t really care if you handle weapons roughly! Monster hunting is inherently dangerous, so of course, your life is more important than your weapon! In fact, it seems like you’re using it well, so I don’t regret making it for you!”

“Hey, Areum-ah. Actually, that item wasn’t from a junior, but….”

“But seriously! What kind of person destroys their weapon like they’ve thrown it into a furnace and doesn’t even come to see where it’s made or repaired?! What kind of scumbag is that?!”

Areum unleashed her fury, directed at the imaginary junior, soaring sky-high. The situation was becoming increasingly difficult to confess the truth, so I quickly cut her off and confessed.

“Making our Unnie come all the way here just to work like her lackey, and everything else she does is just infuriating! I may not have much experience, being a newbie, but we don’t need someone who doesn’t know their place and lacks common sense! If they want repairs, they should come find me themselves!”

“…Areum-ah, that spear wasn’t actually from a junior; I broke it.”

“I’ve never seen such a shameless bastard in my life… Wait, Unnie? What did you just say?”

“…It wasn’t broken by a junior, but by me during use.”

“…….”

“…….”

Areum’s mouth, which had been raging and spewing curses at the imaginary junior just moments ago, snapped shut. Soon, an awkward silence momentarily filled the space between us.

“…Uh, Unnie, you don’t need to say that just to cover for your junior. I apologize if my words were harsh.”

“…I wasn’t covering for anyone; I really broke it. As a multi-awakened, I’m skilled not only with swords but also with spears.”

“……Really?”

“Yeah.”

To convince Areum, who still looked doubtful, I casually demonstrated a few spear techniques in the backyard of the shop. As soon as I showed her swinging the spear a few times, she seemed to acknowledge that what I said was the truth, not a lie.

“Oh, so last time when you brought it back destroyed, that was also you….”

“…Sorry. I thought I had handled it too roughly, so I couldn’t tell you the truth.”

“Oh, ohh….”

Seeing my sincere apology, Areum became flustered and fidgety. It was understandable, now that she knew the imaginary junior she had been cursing excitedly moments ago was actually me.

“…Uh, Unnie? You know I wasn’t serious just now, right?”

Seeing Areum, who looked unsure of what to do, apologize to me instead, a sense of embarrassment welled up in my chest too.

…Indeed, I should have said something earlier.