Published: March 21, 2026
Just barely safe!
A little less than usual.
In the morning I opened my eyes and a beautiful girl was right in front of me.
I froze for a few seconds, then finally understood the situation.
Oh right—I had fallen asleep holding Amelia last night.
A fluffy bed, the soft feeling of a girl, and an unbelievably beautiful girl in front of me.
Is this heaven?
No, maybe it's a kind of hell designed to keep me from working?
While I was brooding, the bed in the back creaked.
I lifted myself a little and peered past Amelia; the huge Night was getting up from the bed.
'...'
Night, who’s weak in the mornings, frowned as he rose and gave a long stretch.
He came around behind me, grabbed my clothes in his mouth, and started tugging them off.
"Ah, w-wait, Night?"
I loosened my arms so I wouldn’t wake Amelia and moved away from her.
Night dragged me off the bed and, without a word, began helping me take my clothes off.
I tilted my head but obeyed Night’s urging and changed clothes.
After getting me dressed, he woke Amelia and helped her change as well.
"Night, what’s wrong?"
Looking at Night’s face, he yawned once and finally spoke.
'I visited an acquaintance blacksmith last night. He said he’s coming now.'
With that he said nothing more and languidly returned to the bed.
We exchanged baffled looks.
"How does he know he’s coming now?"
As we both tilted our heads, someone knocked on the door.
Well, it was pretty forceful knock—maybe more like pounding.
"...Come in."
I slipped a hidden weapon into my hand just in case, then answered. Haru entered, followed by a beastman black cat he’d brought.
"This is Crow, the blacksmith. He’s acquainted with the familiar, so I did a body check before bringing him."
The beastman named Crow glanced at Night lying on the bed, then eyed me and Amelia as if licking us with his gaze.
"Ah, ah, thanks Haru."
Haru left after saying, "Take your time."
Once Haru had completely gone, Crow spoke.
"Your arm seems good, but you’re still childish mentally. That so-called 'Adrea's Nightmare' demonic beast doesn’t even need to obey. And that elf over there goes without saying."
"Adrea's Nightmare"?
If I remember right, that was the beastmen capital.
Also, his way of speaking was intentionally irritating.
'Master, this one is probably the best blacksmith in the world. He’s got a difficult personality, so customers rarely come,' Night muttered, looking at the wall while lying on the bed.
I heard that and nodded in understanding.
Heroes, after all, and geniuses tend to be difficult personalities.
"Thank you for the introduction. Being called 'Adrea's Nightmare' like that is embarrassing, though," Crow said, tail twitching slightly. He didn’t look embarrassed at all, but the tail betrayed that he was pleased.
I see—he’s tsundere.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Oda Akira. This is the High Elf Amelia."
Crow nodded faintly and offered his hand at my introduction.
He tilted his head, then, irritation showing, Crow spoke more sharply.
"Bring me the weapon you want fixed."
I handed over the Night Blade God.
The moment Crow saw the Night Blade God, his eyes widened for an instant.
I didn’t notice and placed the sheathed sword into Crow’s hands.
"...Hmph. You haven’t neglected maintenance, but it’s not enough. You probably dragged it through human labyrinths and overused it."
Just one glance and his precise observation drew an impressed sound from Amelia.
"Can you fix it?"
When I asked, Crow shook his head.
He seemed to say, "Oh dear."
"Who do you think I am? But gathering the materials will be tough."
Crow examined the sword thoroughly—looking from the side, tapping it, holding it up to the sun—while Night provided commentary.
'If he repairs it, we’ll have to cover all the materials and the cost. Funds can be obtained by hunting demonic beasts, but the materials will be tricky.'
I nodded "I see" and looked back at Crow; he was disassembling the sword.
He handed back the guard and hilt with a flick.
"Those parts are fine. I’ll take the blade itself. I’ve given the material list to that demonic beast over there."