The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
What lies ahead, I don’t know.
But there’s no way an important person would come just to make small talk.
I can assume a serious problem has arisen.
Therefore, I have to make proper preparations.
Stock up on food and water.
And…
Prepare weapons and armor in case things get rough.
“Oissu~ desuwa!”
“Ossan, oissu.”
Together with Iris and Tina, we paid a visit to Gantz’s shop.
…Has Iris grown fond of that strange greeting?
The first time she did it, I was genuinely worried she’d lost her mind.
If possible, I’d really prefer her to stop.
“Ohh, Rain and the gang, huh. Welcome.”
“I got the letter saying the gear I ordered is ready…”
“Aye. It ended up taking longer than planned, but I made sure to finish it up properly. If I say so myself, it’s a masterpiece.”
Saying that, Gantz showed me the gauntlets first.
While we were at it, we’d also decided to have Narukami upgraded—
so we asked him to craft a new version incorporating some fresh ideas.
“Yeah, this feels really good.”
The new Narukami came as a pair—one for each hand.
They retained the same basic functions, with wires and hidden needles embedded inside.
But there was also a new feature.
Pressing the third button, after the wire and hidden needle buttons…
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Is that… a shield?”
On the back of my hand, near the side of Narukami, a softly glowing shield of light formed.
About thirty centimeters across—smaller than a typical shield, but one on each hand.
And the durability was excellent.
“Yeah, this is really nice.”
“Honestly… You sure made me work for it this time, asking for two gauntlets and shields. It was a challenge.”
“But it was worth making, right?”
“That it was. You really know how to bring out the craftsman’s spirit in a man.”
Gantz and I exchanged a sly grin.
Meanwhile, Tina floated lightly over and tapped on the shield.
“What’s this made of?”
“It’s formed by magic. It uses the wielder’s mana to create a small but sturdy shield.”
“You sure come up with clever stuff. So, what are you gonna name it?”
“If it’s the successor to Narukami… maybe Narukami Mark II?”
“…Iris, your sense for names is… questionable.”
“Questionable how?”
“…A name, huh.”
I thought for a moment.
“…Maybe I’ll call it Aegis.”
“That has a lovely ring to it.”
“Yeah, sounds good to me.”
The name was unanimously approved.
The new gauntlets were thus named Aegis.
“And… here’s the main attraction. Rain, your new weapon.”
What Gantz brought out was a unique weapon with blades on both ends—a double-blade.
The blades gleamed a clear emerald green.
Like Kamui, it had a trigger built into the grip.
And near the grip was a large jewel embedded.
“Wow, that’s a pretty blade. Is this rare orichalcum? I thought it was supposed to be red…”
“It’s not unusual for the color to change after processing.”
“Huhhh.”
“This stuff was a nightmare to work with—I had to pull three all-nighters.”
“Oh no, are you okay?”
“Bah, us Earthfolk are tough. Three nights without sleep is nothing.”
“But why a double-blade? Rain, you’ve always used daggers before.”
“I’d been feeling like my attack power was lacking. So I decided to change things up and go bold with a double-blade.”
Handling a double-blade is difficult—
but it not only allows for wide-area attacks, it also more than doubles the number of strikes.
If you’re looking for offensive power, it’s actually a pretty optimal weapon.
“But if you’re the one who came up with the idea, Lord Rain, then surely it’s not just an ordinary double-blade? Doesn’t it have some kind of interesting gimmick?”
“Well, you could say that.”
“This order really gave me a lot of trouble, though.”
“Haha… sorry about that.”
I’m sure it was even more work than his words let on.
I should think of some kind of thank-you gift, separate from the payment.
“So, what kind of features did you add?”
“First, like Kamui, it can borrow everyone’s power. The basic idea is the same, but now it can be charged in advance and used whenever you want. See here? There’s a cartridge slot. You can load charged magic stones into it, and then you can unleash them anytime. You can set up to three stones at once, so you can even fire off a triple attack at full power.”
“Whoa, that’s amazing! …But won’t that break it or something?”
“Not at all. The material is rare orichalcum, after all. It’s strong enough to withstand even the so-called awakened forms of the strongest species without a scratch.”
“Incredible… So, what about the other features?”
“There are a few more… but I can’t really show them off here.”
“That makes sense.”
“Well, you’ll see the new features soon enough. There’s even a special hidden function, but you’ll need practice to use it… so that’s for another time.”
Since I’ll need to practice anyway, I should be able to unveil it before long.
“So, what are you gonna name this one?”
“Good question…”
I need to name this new weapon too.
Giving it a name helps you grow attached to it…
It even feels like the weapon will respond to your feelings if you do.
“How about… Super Kamui?”
“…Iris, your naming sense really is…”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, nothing at all.”
Setting aside Iris’s naming sense…
What should I name this new weapon?
I thought it over carefully…
And then, the perfect name popped into my head and slipped out of my mouth.
“I think… I’ll call it Kusanagi.”
“Ho, Kusanagi, huh.”
“Yeah, that’s a good name.”
“I personally think Super Kamui would have been better… but if that’s what you say, Lord Rain, then I see no problem with it.”
“Alright, it’s decided.”
And so, I acquired my new equipment.
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