Chapter 16: Soft
At an inn, a dark figure entered the room. Her appearance was alluring, almost... captivating.
Closing the door behind her, she muttered something under her breath.
"GASP!" A loud sound resonated from her hip as Chrone, the sword's eye ornament, suddenly came to life. "Could you warn me next time you do that?" Chrone, who had just snapped out of Blade's charm, floated in front of her.
"That was terrifying. I never want to feel that again." Chrone spotted the bed. "A bed!" He instantly flew over to it and sprawled across it.
"Aaaah~" A moan of bliss escaped from Chrone as he lay there. "When was the last time I felt a bed? Days? Months? Years, even!" He turned his eyes to Blade, who was performing a spell.
Blade, after creating a ward to repel prying eyes, rapidly transformed. Her black hair turned silver, and a black blindfold appeared, covering her dull gold eyes. Fox ears emerged from her hair, and a large tail unfurled behind her.
Surprised by the change, Chrone asked, "So this is your true appearance?" He scanned her closely, especially her ears and tail, recalling her race as a fox-kin.
"Indeed," she replied, her tail lazily swaying as she approached the bed and lay face-down beside Chrone.
Fatigue washed over Blade, which is understandable after traveling day and night through the wilderness for five days straight without rest to reach the capital.
"Uh, weird request... but can I touch your tail?"
"Do as you wish, so long as it doesn't disturb my sleep," she replied, drifting off to sleep.
Excited, Chrone floated closer to her tail. On their journey to the capital, he had gained several skills from defeating monsters, one of which was Edge Manipulation, a fusion of Edge Chipper and Sharpening.
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Name: Edge Manipulation
Mastery: Intermediate
Level: 4
Description: Allows the user to manipulate the sharpness of any blade. The level of sharpness depends on mastery and skill level.
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Though it seemed simple, it was useful, making it so Blade no longer needed to sharpen Chrone personally. Combined with Self-Repair, Chrone was practically maintenance-free, given enough time.
The second thing Chrone discovered after becoming more attuned to his abilities was the existence of levels. When he first checked Blade's status, it had only displayed Mastery for her abilities, but his own skills revealed levels, which made things more complex. Each skill he obtained seemed to come with its own level, allowing for gradual improvement to the ability itself without the need to increase it's Mastery.
When he pondered this, Chrone realized that leveling up these skills required spending unassigned points, which were granted upon each level-up. The process seemed straightforward, but it raised questions about why he had this unique system when Blade, a powerful being herself, did not.
Chrone speculated that whoever had brought him into this world had granted him these privileges—an idea that gave him a sense of self-importance. However, if he were being honest, the theory would have been fueled by his sense of self-importance, than any solid evidence.
'It’s probably because I’m special' Chrone thought smugly.
After dulling his edge, Chrone cautiously ran his blade along Blade's tail.
"Soft," he whispered accidentally, running his blade gently through the fluffy hairs.
The tail felt like freshly fallen snow, light and soft.
"Hmm~" Blade's breath escaped unconsciously as she opened her eyes, noticing Chrone enjoying the sensation of her tail.
"Enough." Blade said. Chrone backed off and lay on the bed again.
"Aaah~ that was satisfying. I don't know how to describe it, but it felt relaxing," he said. After a pause, Chrone hesitantly asked, "Can I touch your tail again sometime?"
Blade who covered her face under the pillow considered his request in silence before answering. "If you want to feel my tail again, gather useful information about the city. If the information is sufficient, I'll allow it."
Sitting up, Blade took hold of Chrone. Before he could respond, she muttered something under her breath.
"Illusion Technique: Illusion of Body." After tossing Chrone into the air, a man's form began to envelop him.
"Huh? What's happening?!" Chrone panicked as he watched a human body rapidly materialize around him.
Eventually, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes stood in his place, dressed in common clothing.
"Wh-Whoa," Chrone marveled, opening and closing his hands. "You can do this? Why didn't you tell me?!"
Blade, her face slightly flushed most of her face was covered behind the dark blindfold, 'gazed' at him. Without a word, she used sword intent to lift him up and kicked him out of the room.
"Ow, that was rude," Chrone grumbled, rubbing his sore behind. "She's never been that mad before... Did I rub too hard?" He murmured, looking down at his new human hands.
"To be human again... how... nostalgic," he said, his hand instinctively reaching for his hip. He stopped, realizing he wasn't wearing his usual gear with hidden knives and a revolver.
"I miss Spade..." His hands lingered on his empty side before he sighed and headed toward the inn's exit to gather the information Blade needed. With his new body, he could freely explore the city—without needing Blade's camouflage.