Chapter 108: The Black Maw?
Lillian zigzagged through the crowd of commuting students, her face twitching. How was she going to find Marionette in such a crowded place?
Of course, such a problem could only be solved by that troublesome accessory around her neck.
While Lillian was pushing through the crowd, she felt someone accidentally push her over, causing her to stumble forward.
After regaining her balance, she found herself at a stall that sold weapons.
Weapons of various lengths. Weapons of various widths. Weapons that were either sharp or dull.
This was the very same stall where she had bought her rapier—the Sonata of Revenge. But it seemed that the trader who manned this stall had either undergone a rapid transformation or had decided to leave it to a trustworthy partner.
This was because the person who now ran the stall was tall and slim. In his right hand, he leaned on a narrow wooden cane adorned with metal embellishments. He wore a brown leather half-top hat that hid his curly maple-brown hair.
Although Lillian hadn't paid much attention to the previous trader, she remembered them as being quite rotund and large.
"Lillian?"
She turned to the side, meeting a familiar gaze as a pair of red eyes stared into her own.
A raven-haired woman stood beside her, tilting her head.
Lillian pointed at her scoldingly. "You! Stop wandering off, would you? I would rather not have to go on a wild hunt again!"
"Pick whichever you want."
"Eh?"
Marionette stared at her before gesturing toward the collection of weapons the trader had to offer.
"Pick whichever you want. I would like to compensate you for losing your weapon due to my actions."
"Y-you... don't have to do that, Marionette. I can pay for my own rea—"
"If you don't pick, I will choose for you."
"H-hold on, fine! I'll pick..."
While Lillian looked a bit reluctant on the outside, she was quite jubilant. After all—who doesn't love free things?
Even if she meant to buy a new one sooner or later, she was... kind of put off by the thought of having to pay an exorbitant price.
'But... the Sonata of Revenge was quite a meaningful purchase.'
She doubted she would endure the cursed Beetle's charge without it sacrificing itself. She felt somewhat melancholic at the thought before shaking her head and focusing on what to buy.
Lillian held her chin, leaning over and skimming through the weapons.
She then asked, "What's my budget?"
As she was about to look back, a pair of arms wrapped around her neck.
Marionette leaned down to Lillian's ear and whispered, "None. Spend whatever amount you want. I can afford it for you, Lillian."
"... Are you... sure? These can get quite expensive..."
Marionette nodded in understanding. "You are right. But these prices would only be a drop in the ocean. If you feel so guilty about using me, you can just buy one."
"..." Lillian grinned. "Can I buy two? Or even more?" Although what she was asking for was shameless—if she were given the opportunity to grow her arsenal, why shouldn't she?
She was currently weak against the strong but strong against the weak in her class. The only ones she doubted she could defeat were Marionette and the Prince.
She shuddered at the memory of having her arm easily shattered by the Prince's attack.
She trembled at how powerless she was against Marionette's persistent chase while being pursued by the metallic bear.
It was at this point that she began to feel these memories of her pain were too annoying to recall.
'Let's think about the present and future.'
She scoured through the collection. She remembered the Dwarf's suggestion.
She waved her hand and called out to the trader, "Excuse me! Do you happen to have something like a Jian?"
Her call drew the trader's attention, and he tapped his chin. Then he pulled a notepad from his pocket and looked through it.
"I, unfortunately, do not. But I do have another eastern-inspired weapon."
"Another...? What do you have, may I ask?"
He held up a finger before turning around, opening a long wooden crate, and pulling out a long-sheathed weapon.
The weapon resembled an odachi.
Long was an understatement.
The blade, hidden under a sheath fashioned with overlapping plates of dark scales, was about 140 cm long.
The hilt, wrapped in dark leather purportedly from some monster, was around 40 cm long.
And between the sheathed blade and the hilt was a draconic maw acting as the guard.
Its open jaws formed a crosspiece, almost as if it were eternally frozen mid-bite.
Lillian felt an imposing aura emanate from the odachi as it was handed to her.
It was heavy—possibly weighing a few kilograms.
She firmly gripped the hilt and placed her hand on the sheath, stroking the scales—perhaps once belonging to a dragon—before gently yanking it off.
Once the sheath was removed, what lay behind it was a nearly black blade with jagged, serrated edges.
The black blade was polished to a near-metallic sheen but seemed to have an almost reptilian texture to it.
Lillian narrowed her eyes at the blade and peered into its details, excited by the history behind such a deadly-looking weapon.
[Item Name: Black Maw]
[Item Type: Weapon]
[Item Rank: 5]
[Item Description: The Black Maw, unlike its current form, was a monstrous Drake of the Prime rank.
It was a cunning predator which, despite its overwhelming strength compared to its nearby competitors, preyed upon a small human fishing settlement for countless dreadful years.
That was until one day, upon arriving at the docks under the starry night and the shining moon, it discovered a young Hunter.
What followed was a savage brawl that tore apart the docks and destroyed a large portion of the settlements.
The battle raged on. Between land and sea. Claw against steel. Brute force against sheer skill.
When the sun finally rose, the Hunter stood over the lifeless, mutilated corpse of the once-fearsome Drake—a shattered blade in their hand as proof of their victory.
It was an overwhelming victory, for amidst all the destruction they had caused, not a single casualty occurred.
From the remains of the Black Maw, a magnificent weapon was forged as a reward for the Hunter's bravery and strength.]
[Enchantments...]
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