[Two days later]
"Haaah!"
Clung!
Thing!
"On the right, Brenda!" Apricot's sharp voice cut through the mess of steel and grunts. Her tone carried urgency, though her footing betrayed nerves.
"They're getting better," I muttered, resting my head lazily against Kayda's shoulder as I watched the chaos below. To any outsider it might look like a simple sparring session, but it was more like a squad-sized street brawl with rules that were barely holding together.
"They still need a lot of work before they can be called a proper black ops unit." Kayda sighed heavily, and her wings twitched faintly, as if her body was also frustrated with the lack of discipline.
"That's true," I said, snorting softly as Apricot miscalculated her step and collided with Brenda. Brenda's stance broke immediately, and she nearly toppled, saving herself with an awkward stumble.
"Sigh… they're so unorganized." Kayda shook her head, but she didn't look away. She was studying everything, her eyes trained on the flaws that others would miss.
"I guess the mock battle is doing its work. At least it's pointing out the flaws." I lifted my gaze briefly to the opposing side.
"Mm. But the opposing side is becoming overly confident. Kayda gestured with her chin toward the enemy leader, who lounged in a chair as if he were in a tavern instead of overseeing a training exercise. His posture screamed arrogance—an arm draped carelessly, a leg crossed, a faint smirk on his lips.
"Well, it is twenty-three against seven," I said with a shrug. "From his perspective, this is nothing but a waste of time."
"It is a waste of time," a deep voice said from behind us, startling me enough that my ears twitched.
I turned and blinked up at the man approaching. "And you are?"
He was… big. A whole head taller than me, wide shoulders filling his black suit as though the fabric had been stitched directly onto muscle. His head was large and square, his short black hair trimmed neatly, and his face hard like chiseled stone. No visible weapons, but I could feel the hidden steel on him. Stacy's fingerprints were all over his type—the kind that looked simple but killed before you ever noticed your mistake.
"Good morning, Miss Kayda. Lady Kitsuna. My name is Special Major Tony Sanderson. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand politely toward me.
"Oh, a special major, huh?" I reached up and gripped his hand firmly. "So they're your squad? And don't call me 'lady' again."
"Will do, miss," Tony said smoothly, dipping his chin in acknowledgment.
"Tony," Kayda spoke then, her tone sharpening slightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, you're the acting head general, aren't you? Who else am I supposed to bring reports to?" His head tilted, his smirk subtle but pointed.
Kayda ignored the jab. "Did you find anything new?"
"No, ma'am. I only found that the dust from the corpses is composed of black organic matter. Tony's face tightened just slightly as he spoke, but his delivery remained professional.
Both Kayda and I sighed almost in unison.
"Black organic matter? That doesn't give us shit," I muttered, clicking my tongue in frustration.
"Has the forest calmed down?" Kayda asked next, rubbing her forehead.
"Somewhat, ma'am. Just the usual—territorial wars between monster clans. Thirty-five towns were destroyed." Tony glanced down at the small folded paper he was carrying, as if to double-check the number.
"Sheesh. Thirty-five…" I muttered under my breath. The number was staggering, even for monsters.
"And the new monster in the forest?" Kayda asked, her voice calm but edged.
"We tracked it to a cave dungeon. It hasn't moved since arriving."
"So it's not a danger?" I asked, one brow arching skeptically.
"Not at the moment, ma'am." Tony gave a crisp nod.
"Good. Tell all the special agents to observe from a distance. If anything above the allowed strength shows up, neutralize it." Kayda's tone brooked no argument.
"Will do, ma'am."
"Oh, but do you know what kind of monster it is?" I asked, tilting my head, softening my voice like butter wouldn't melt on my tongue.
"Not yet."
"And it'll stay that way until the thing makes a move," Kayda added firmly. Both Tony and I nodded in agreement. No need to waste lives chasing shadows.
Tony shuffled slightly, then said, "One other thing, ma'am. We found the blacksmith."
"Oh?" Kayda's brow lifted. "And who is he?"
"We don't know much personally. But his family has lived in the city for forty-five years." He handed her a slip of paper.
"That long…" Kayda hummed. "Is this a Federation long game?"
"I doubt it, ma'am. I think he was desperate."
"Why?" I asked, curiosity sparking.
"Blacksmiths have struggled recently. Business was poor before the influx of adventurers. I suspect he was just… cornered."
I nodded slowly. "So this was before all the adventurers arrived."
"Yes."
"But aren't adventurers barred from entering the forest?" I asked, frowning.
"They are, unless proper procedure is followed—like when your group went in. Authorization from the quest giver or direct approval from leadership is required. Tony explained smoothly, his words almost mechanical.
Kayda accepted the paper and gave a curt nod. "Thank you, Tony. If there's anything else, bring it to me."
"Will do, ma'am."
"Oh, and put all of this in writing. I'll consolidate it for the supreme general."
Tony groaned softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sigh… will do, ma'am." He turned and walked away, shoulders stiff.
I smirked the moment he was out of earshot. "I love it when you get so serious about your job. It's quite hot."
Kayda jerked slightly, her cheeks going pink. "W-what?"
"Hehe, you're adorable, you know that." I slipped my arms around her waist from behind, grinning against her neck.
"Kitsu, not now," she hissed, trying to pry me off.
"Winners are the elite!" a voice bellowed across the field.
I looked over just as the match ended. "Oh, they lost. Not surprised."
"Well, at least they took out half of them. Better than the first time."
"First time?"
"They only took out two."
"Wow. So, from two to eleven? People might call that improvement, but the elites didn't even take the difference seriously." I wrinkled my nose. "Dumb name, too."
"Yes, and they know that," Kayda said, narrowing her eyes at me. "So don't push them."
"I wasn't planning on talking to them anyway," I said with a lazy wave.
"Sigh. You really don't understand tough love," Kayda muttered.
"Probably not. Anyways, you want to go see that blacksmith?"
"Not today. I'm too well-known. You go alone. Tomorrow we'll go together." She passed me the paper Tony had given her.
"… Are you sure you want me doing the work alone?"
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy to have something besides training?" She smirked knowingly.
"I actually like training," I admitted, scratching my cheek.
"You're already in the final stages of invisible mana. The forest fights helped, didn't they?"
I sighed mentally. I can cut through Adamite now, though it burns too much mana. I'll need to see Steve soon and finish that challenge.'
Kayda poked my shoulder. "So go explore this smith's shop."
"Alright, alright. Good luck with the depressed kids," I teased, nodding toward the squad dragging themselves toward her.
"Thanks," she muttered, bracing herself for the headache.
I glanced at the paper again. "Grumpy Shaman? What the hell, Tony? That name's a joke." Shoving it into storage, I shook my head.
[45 minutes later]
"Grumpy Shaman. Seriously, what an absurd name," I muttered for the tenth time as I walked through the slums.
The directions took me further into the poorer districts, where the air was filled with the smell of smoke and damp earth, and half of the buildings leaned as if they were too worn out to stand straight.
For effect, I shifted into a tiger demi-human with dark green fur. My tail swayed lazily, my ears twitching. Better to stand out—intimidation and allure in one package. A rare race, a rare sight. Most would stare but not approach. Especially here.
Weapons hung on my waist, each one deliberately visible.
"I know what Tony said about desperation," I muttered, "but that can't be the whole story."
"Hello, oh fine lady," a slurred voice called. "What brings you to the slums?"
I turned my head slowly, locking eyes with the man. He froze mid-step, legs trembling as though his instincts screamed at him to run.
"Y-Yes?" he stammered.
"Tell me where the Grumpy Shaman smithy is." I tapped the hilt of my katana.
"R-right there, ma'am." He pointed shakily toward a broad, soot-stained building at the end of the street.
"Good. Next time, don't approach armed people so casually." I tapped his neck lightly, sending him crumpling unconscious to the ground.
My eyes narrowed at the building. Smoke poured steadily from the chimney. The rhythmic clang of a hammer striking metal echoed even from this distance. Definitely the place.
Thing!
"Oh, a customer this early?" A woman's cheerful voice greeted me as I stepped inside. Her smile faltered when her eyes scanned me, narrowing suspiciously.
'Hmph. I guess I'm overdressed for the occasion, I thought, noticing her rags—like most here in the slums.