The group proceeded to the blacksmith’s shop under Duke’s guidance.
“Consult with Lord Rex and choose the weapon that suits you best.”
Duke spoke, mindful of the flow of the original story.
After all, it was thanks to Rex that she had found her talent in the original story.
Having said that, Duke opened the door to the blacksmith’s shop.
Ding.
“Welcome, my lord.”
The blacksmith Albrek, emaciated to the bone, greeted Duke.
Duke could not help but worry about the blacksmith, whose appearance had drastically changed overnight.
“Did that man come by yesterday and cause a ruckus again?”
Duke recalled the Lord’s son.
However, Albrek negated Duke’s assumption.
“No, my lord. It’s just that I had my energy drained by a fox.”
“Fox? ···Ah.”
That was explanation enough.
Meanwhile, as Duke and Albrek conversed, Rex and Ari browsed the store, discussing equipment.
At first, the two were simply choosing equipment normally.
However, something inevitable happened when a couple went shopping.
– “I don’t need this kind of equipment, Lord Rex!”
– [I want to buy it for you.]
– “I’m a beastfolk! There’s no need for you to be so nice!”
Though they had entered the shop in a peaceful manner, somehow it had escalated into an argument between the person wanting to pay and the person who didn’t want to owe anything.
“Hmm. As expected, couples always end up arguing when they come shopping.”
Of course, the subject of their quarrel differed from that of a typical couple.
Ari was throwing a tantrum because she no longer wanted to act like a spoiled child to Rex.
Rex was merely cherishing his subordinate and comrade and wanted to buy him something good.
Duke, who had witnessed their argument while talking with the blacksmith, interjected at an appropriate moment.
Duke spoke sternly towards Ari.
“Lord Rex is not someone who is shackled by such notions.”
“My lord Duke, please do not interfere. I am a beastfolk…”
How acerbic.
Duke gave a pleasant smile to this acerbic baby tiger.
Still, apart from that, this was an opportunity.
At the moment, Duke was a rival battling her for the second-in-command position.
To convince her to submit and take her as his disciple later, it would not be bad to demonstrate the difference in capacity starting now.
In that sense, her previous line was a blunder.
The moment she brought up the ideology of the collapsed country, it was as if she placed Rex, to whom she was loyal, under that ideology.
Duke reprimanded her with a touch of sternness in his voice, suppressing the full satisfaction swelling in his chest.
“Do you think such meaningless notions of the Empire apply to this person?”
To secure the mentor position, it was necessary to put her in her place in situations like this.
Simultaneously, by emphasizing his stronger loyalty to Rex, he could also gain the upper hand in the loyalty battle against her.
“…I apologize.”
Though Ari did not fully comprehend Duke’s intentions, she acknowledged his rationale.
“Indeed, it was wrong of me to apply mundane ideologies to Lord Rex.”
Though it stung, Duke’s words were right this time.
Though it felt like she had lost in the battle of loyalty, she deemed this incident null and void.
‘This is invalid! Anyway!’
Thus, she came to fully accept Rex’s goodwill.
Excluding Rex’s contortions out of guilt, the misunderstanding had been resolved.
Duke then turned back to Albrek and said to Ari.
“Lord Rex’s investment in you is because he saw your potential. Instead of feeling burdened by this favor, consider how you can repay it.”
Leaving those words behind, Duke approached the blacksmith.
Though Rex glared at Duke with increased responsibility, Duke pretended not to notice.
“Of course, it’s all a misunderstanding.”
In any case, Rex’s suffering due to the misunderstanding was his burden.
– “Shopkeeper. I have some doubts about the performance of this helmet…”
– “Oh no! My lord! Please forgive me! Take my life!”
– “Stop making excuses. I saw someone who recognized me yesterday. What happened?”
– “Recognition suppression only affects those you don’t know at all! It has minimal effect on those you already know!”
That’s how the blacksmith desperately excused himself to Duke, while Rex and Ari finally chose her weapon after a discussion.
The skill that manifested that morning greatly influenced the choice of her weapon.
Though they had merely held hands and slept, Rex couldn’t understand why such a skill had manifested.
However, the fact that this skill had awakened turned her into a spear that disregarded hierarchy differences, which was a pleasant development.
“The more attacks and parries, the more this skill suits.”
Using this skill as a benchmark, Rex ordered her battle uniform, gauntlets, and boots.
He ordered flexible and speedy gauntlets from the blacksmith Albrek and ordered a uniform that could accommodate the agility of the feline beastkin from Albrek’s wife.
The two who took on the orders handed in their finished products almost simultaneously.
When Albrek saw Ari wearing the completed equipment, he chided his wife.
“What were you thinking making it like that?”
“You don’t understand a woman’s heart at all.”
“You’ll get killed in battle with that! You should only consider practicality!”
“Can’t we also aim for a bit of beauty if it doesn’t harm practicality?”
While the practicalist Albrek and the aesthete wife were bickering, Ari sought Rex’s approval of her gear.
“How does it look?”
Rex thought it was cute.
Albrek’s wife had modified her maid outfit as she made the battle uniform.
The modified maid outfit could be easily removed at any time, and if you untied the double buckle at the back, the dress and apron would naturally drop.
And what was revealed underneath was a white shirt and black shorts.
In other words, it meant she could switch to battle mode at any time while dressed as a maid.
Although it was a bit cumbersome to wear the maid outfit over the battle uniform, it didn’t matter much to Ari, who was abnormally attached to her maid outfit.
Rex tilted his head while looking at her finished appearance.
“Why are you so fixated on being a maid since yesterday?”
“I’m from the white tiger beastkin clan, am I not?”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t you think that clothes that harmonize black and white are the ultimate attire?”
“I see.”
In other words, she didn’t become a maid out of admiration but because the maid outfit was pretty.
Rex nodded understandingly.
“What about the battle uniform too?”
“Of course, it’s the same.”
The reason the battle uniform under the maid outfit harmonizes black and white is also for this reason.
Rex gave a warm smile to this unique maid.
‘Ah, this extent is fine.’
The old Rex would have been baffled, but the present Rex, who had become a mentor, didn’t find Ari’s quirks surprising.
Just then, the mentor approached.
“If you’re ready, I’ll wait for you at the training ground.”
With those words, Duke headed to the training ground.
Ari, watching his back, blew out an indignant breath.
“Lord Rex, I’ll show you!”
Ari, brimming with excitement over her new equipment, swung her tail back and forth.
Rex silently cheered her on, hoping she wouldn’t get hurt.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, Ari.”
“Duke, go easy on her.”
Ari’s eyebrows twitched again.
It was as if Rex believed she could never defeat Duke, even if heaven and earth inverted.
‘I’ll change that perception.’
She suppressed the indignation rising from deep within her chest and headed to the training ground.
The Rex group headed to the training ground arranged in the blacksmith’s backyard.
It was a space prepared to test weapons bought from the blacksmith by practicing on dummies or sparring for practice.
There, Duke and Ari faced each other on the wide open field.
Pahk!
Having already thrown off her maid outfit, she clashed her fists and declared.
“I’ll prove that I’m the one who suits being Lord Rex’s right-hand woman!”
The silver scales of her gauntlets reflected the sunlight.
In contrast, Duke neither removed his cloak nor drew his sword.
“What about your cloak? And as I heard, you were a swordsman.”
Just then, Duke’s voice came from behind the helmet.
“My apologies. I don’t carry a small sword with me.”
Saying this, Duke extended his left hand from under his cloak.
Gnash.
Ari gritted her teeth.
She created the characteristic vertical pupils of a tiger beastkin and signaled to Rex.
Rex sighed and announced the start of the sparring session.
“Start!”
The moment the signal was given, she disappeared.
Clash.
Like a pouncing tiger, she silently reached beneath Duke’s chin.
Duke’s gaze remained on where she had been.
‘Sure enough, he can’t even react.’
She smiled smugly and aimed for Duke’s chin.
However, the heavy impact of her punch that she expected did not come.
Her punch cut through the air in vain.
Duke avoided the attack simply by taking a step back without looking at her.
“Hmm.”
‘Then, what about this?’
She pulled back her uppercut right hand and swung a punch with her left.
Duke deflected this punch to the side, caught it with his left hand.
“?!”
Both Rex and she were astonished.
If it came to this, her skill effects would not be triggered at all.
Given her left hand was caught from the side, it was awkward to attempt another attack, and Duke’s skill was too overwhelming for any joint lock techniques.
It wasn’t even a case of being caught by sheer speed or brute force.
It was skill compensating for the disparity in power.
‘That’s impossible.’
She realized that Duke had blocked her attack purely with skill, leading her to clench her teeth in frustration.
There are many ways to boost physical abilities, but skill can only be improved through sheer effort.
In other words, this was evidence completely discrediting her suspicion that Duke had become stronger due to Rex’s pact skill.
“Tch.”
She clicked her tongue.
Just then, Duke spoke.
“Too many openings.”
Clunk.
Her knees bent.
It didn’t hurt.
Duke had merely nudged her calves with his foot.
The actual damage dealt was zero.
But there’s no mental attack more potent than this.
She clenched her teeth and pulled out a forbidden move during sparring.
“Hundred Lotus—”
At that instant, her vision spun around.
She realized a moment later that he had flipped her over completely by grabbing her neck and tripping her with his leg.
Dazed, Ari stared up at the sky as Duke waited, speaking to her.
“Did you think I’d give you the chance to prepare for my major techniques? It’s not a good habit to think everyone will gauge you by your standards.”
Though the words were lofty, in practical terms, they were close to an insult.
Meaning that Ari had underestimated Duke, but Duke had never once underestimated her.
Crunch.
Her body sprang up like a coiled spring as she returned to a fighting stance and questioned Duke.
“Why don’t you comment on my use of lethal moves?”
“Because there was no need to apologize for an attack that wasn’t threatening.”
Like he had been waiting for this, Duke momentarily freed his power.
For an instant, his power reached the 8th tier before he returned to her level.
Stunned, Ari shook her hands as Duke, casting shadows on his helmet, spoke to her.
“Fight me with all your might from now on. Prove your worth before your lord.”
The color drained from Ari’s face as she met Duke’s eyes through the helmet.
Meanwhile, Duke inside the helmet at this moment.
“Ugh. Ugh. Newbie… Arggh, get a grip.”
He was pinching his thigh under his cloak with his right hand.
“Ah, I should have spent more time socializing with people for the last 200 years.”
He couldn’t keep his head straight in front of this newbie he had met after 200 years.
