The Octopus Blacksmith
The faint glow of a lantern leaked from the small cabin that had suddenly appeared before us.
'This looks like something straight out of a fairy tale.'
It was so flimsy that it seemed like a wolf could blow it down with a single huff.
Leona strode toward the cabin without the slightest hesitation.
"The blacksmith is in there."
"You're telling me an actual person lives in that thing?"
I wasn't joking. One good lion's roar and the whole thing would probably collapse.
Full of doubt, I followed behind her. But I had to stop in my tracks almost immediately.
Because an unmistakable aura of another world was pouring out from inside.
"I know exactly what you're thinking."
Leona spoke without even turning around, as if she could read my mind.
"I reacted the same way the first time I came here. It's fine."
"Isn't that an avatar of the Outer Gods in there?"
"Strictly speaking, yes. However…."
She turned her head and looked at me with calm, steady eyes.
"We aren't the only ones with traitors."
"……."
So it was an avatar of the Outer Gods, but one that had betrayed them and joined our side.
"Now I get why they hide so thoroughly."
Even with my senses sharpened to their limit, I hadn't been able to detect this cabin from outside the barrier.
A barrier of this level was probably the only way to stay hidden from the Outer Gods' sight.
Leona reached for the door handle. In her eyes, I caught the reflection of an impossibly beautiful girl who looked just a little nervous.
That would be me.
"Then I'll open it."
"Yeah."
Leona nodded and slowly pulled the door open.
Would the blacksmith be a dwarf? Anyone called a legendary blacksmith had to be a dwarf. That was just how the cliché worked.
If a dwarf had even received power from an Outer God, just how monstrous could the weapons they created be?
'My heart's racing a little.'
Beyond the open door, a rather cozy interior came into view.
Unfortunately, the light was so dim it was practically meaningless, so the inside wasn't very visible.
"…They're tall?"
Extremely tall. Easily over two meters. Could a dwarf even be that big?
All the dwarves I knew were short and stocky.
Whether he knew we had arrived or not, he stood perfectly still without moving an inch.
Knock, knock. Leona rapped on the already-open door, and only then did he react.
[…Ah. We have guests.]
It wasn't spoken out loud. It felt more like words being hammered directly into my brain.
It was different from telepathy or sound transmission. An unpleasant sensation washed over me, as if something invisible had licked across my mind.
Squelch. Squelch.
He slowly walked toward us. The sound was like someone who had just crawled out of the water walking barefoot on land.
[Miss Leona, I see. Has it already been that long?]
"No. I've come for a different reason this time."
[A different reason?]
Oh dear goddess, save me!
I couldn't comprehend what was standing right in front of me. What the hell was that?
'Seriously, what is that thing?'
The blacksmith's true identity was something that made me doubt my own eyes.
Because… it was a tentacle monster. A tentacle monster wearing human clothes and walking on two legs.
The tentacles finished their conversation with Leona and turned their gaze toward me.
'Don't look at me, you squid freak.'
[It's our first meeting. May I ask your name?]
"…Regina."
[Ah, so you're Lady Regina.]
Why did he sound so refined? It was causing some serious cognitive dissonance.
'Is this what cosmic horror feels like?'
I felt like I was losing my mind. How could a person's head be an octopus? Even their arms and legs were tentacles.
[I just heard from Miss Leona. You wish to commission a weapon from me.]
"Y-yes…."
[And the materials are…?]
The octopus head slowly turned, and its gaze landed on Bella, who was holding the dragon's horn.
[…Oh. It's been quite a while since I've seen you.]
"It's been a while, Star Iron Duke, Ksael."
"…? Bella, you know this squid guy?"
"Yes. I met him a few times in the past alongside His Majesty the Demon King. He even made this scythe for me."
"I see."
So Bella used to travel with Dad… I nodded, absorbing this new information, when Ksael's head suddenly began turning bright red and purple.
[Squid…?]
"Oops."
Did I make him angry?
The tentacles that grew from his face like a beard were trembling and flinging mucus everywhere.
[Squid… Did you just call me… a squid?]
"Ah, um. I'm sorry…."
[I'm so moved…!]
"Huh?"
Ksael began twisting his body—no, his tentacles—together in delight.
[To say I resemble a creature of this world! As expected, the Demon King's daughter possesses great generosity!]
"…Ah, yes. I suppose I do."
[And not even an octopus, but a squid! To be compared to something so small and adorable!]
Mucus was flying everywhere. I couldn't even begin to guess how touched he was.
'But how did he know I'm the Demon King's daughter?'
Maybe Leona told him. While I was tilting my head at the sudden question, Ksael approached with wet squelching sounds.
[Since Lady Regina has looked upon me so favorably, I would like to present you with the finest weapon as a gift.]
"Wow, really?"
I gestured to Bella, and she quickly brought over the black horn.
[Oh. A dragon's horn.]
A tentacle from his arm section shot out with a slithering sound and took the horn. He immediately recognized it as the Mad Dragon's horn.
[Hm…? This is Lord Seiar's horn, isn't it?]
"How did you know?"
[I've met him often, so the shape of his horns remains in my memory.]
They met often…?
[Yes. He was a good man. He would often visit me just to talk.]
Ksael closed his eyes as if lost in memory and shook his tentacles.
[I once offered to make him a weapon. He refused, saying he had no need for one…. But afterward, he would occasionally come by and pull out several of my tentacles.]
"He pulled out your tentacles? Why?"
[He said they were wonderfully chewy and had an excellent texture.]
Maybe he just saw you as a snack?
[In return, he would occasionally give me a few drops of his own blood. When I consumed it, more tentacles would grow than the ones he had taken. It was a blessing.]
So not just any snack, but an infinite supply of premium-grade snacks.
[Once he even brought along a rude fellow called the Thunder Emperor of the Dark Heavens. That one didn't want tentacles and asked me to make a human-sized greatsword instead….]
If I let him keep going, he'd be lost in nostalgia forever. I quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, you can make a weapon with that, right?"
[It's impossible at the moment.]
"Why?!"
[If it were any other material, there would be no problem, but….]
Ksael shook his squid head from side to side and spoke in a regretful tone.
[To forge a weapon from Lord Seiar's horn, I would need to use the power of the Outer Gods. If I did that, no matter how strong the barrier is, my location would be exposed.]
"To who?"
The answer came from Leona.
"To the Abyss Star Cult. They've been searching for Mr. Ksael nonstop, coveting his abilities."
So that's why we ran into those cultists outside. No wonder there were so many of those rare bastards gathered in one place.
Of course. If the blacksmith who made the Thunder Emperor's greatsword started mass-producing weapons for them, the cult would gain overwhelming power.
[They haven't discovered the exact location of this barrier yet… but it seems they've narrowed down the general area, as they've been patrolling the vicinity constantly.]
"If those guys weren't around, you could make it?"
[That is correct, but….]
"Then just get ready to make my weapon."
[Hm…?]
I immediately turned around and left the cabin.
"My lady. What are you planning to do?"
"Isn't it simple? Just beat the crap out of every single Abyss Star Cultist around here."
I threw an arm around Rian's shoulders—he had been silently listening to stories about Seiar's past—and dragged him along.
"Whoa! W-wait?! Why are you doing this?!"
"Yong-bagi. You know how to open the barrier entrance, right?"
"I do, but…."
"Then what are you waiting for? Open it already."
From behind us, I could hear Ksael trying to stop me.
[It will be difficult on your own. There are more of them than you think.]
"Heh."
[Why are you laughing?]
"That horn you're holding? I cut it off myself."
Who did he think I was? I was the supreme martial arts genius beauty who had sliced off the Mad Dragon's horn.
I lightly kicked Rian in the butt as he crouched down, looking around nervously.
"Hurry up and open it."
"Eep…!"
Why is he making weird noises? It's gross.
Just like Leona had done when we entered, Rian poured holy power into the ground, and an exit appeared.
I grabbed his collar and dragged him outside with me.
"Let's go!"
"M-me too? Why me?!"
"Who's going to open the door if you're not here?"
"You could just ask Leona…!"
"Shh. Shut that cute little mouth of yours, my baby kitten. Just do what I tell you to do."
"Kyaah…!"
Once we stepped outside, everything was pitch black. The inside of the barrier had been bright thanks to the aurora.
"Hide somewhere safe."
I left the door-opener Yong-bagi behind and spread out my senses, searching for a suitable spot.
Ideally, somewhere high up with a clear view….
"Oh, this should work."
A tall tree stood alone in the middle of the path.
With a single light step, I was suddenly at the very top of the tree.
Like the spider-man in those hero movies who perches on a telephone pole to watch for criminals, I stood elegantly on the thin branch with my hands clasped behind my back.
'I'm going to become the greatest under the heavens one day. Do I really have to run around looking for them one by one? That's just lame.'
It wouldn't do for me to go find them myself.
The correct order of things was for them to come find me.
I gathered the magi I had drawn from the magic stone at the Zhongchong point in the center of my chest, then slowly raised it to soak the Tian Tu point at my throat and the Lian Quan point beneath my tongue.
'How should I draw aggro so that the story spreads far and wide?'
If I infused my will into my voice like this, it would become the Lion's Roar that shakes the six directions.
'Ah, this should do it.'
I slowly opened my mouth. Soon, my voice, beautiful as falling jade, would echo like thunder across the entire world.
I took a long breath and finally spat out the provocation that would drag every last Abyss Star Cultist out of hiding.
"Selling. Ksael. Brand new, never used."
The beautiful voice, like that of a celestial maiden, filled the entire world.
BOOOOM!
The sinister gray auras hiding all around began to surge violently.