"Master, where are we going?"
The next morning, Rin noticed they weren't heading to the training ground as usual, so she asked curiously.
Tris: "To the weapon shop, to buy you a warpick. We can't always rely on borrowing the one at the training ground."
Rin: "I'm surprised Master is letting me choose my own weapon. Since you usually use daggers and swords, I thought I'd be learning techniques for those."
Tris: "If you're going to choose, then of course it should be the weapon you feel most comfortable with."
Rin: "But what about combat techniques that require spiritual energy? I imagine sword techniques must be very different from those for a warpick."
Tris: "Usually, yes. But fortunately, the combat techniques I know are highly adaptable."
Rin: "Adaptable?"
Tris: "For example, the side punch and low kick I taught you before. After long practice and sparring, you realized they aren't fixed to those attack positions. With small adjustments in body movement and spiritual energy control, you can turn them into high punches or kicks instead."
Rin nodded. This was exactly how she had been training daily—refining her techniques until her strikes became sharper and less predictable, no longer bound by rigid stances.
Tris: "It's the same with weapons. If you chose a two-handed or long polearm, it would be harder for me to teach. But with a one-handed weapon like a warpick, there's no problem."
???: "Welcome… Hey, what are you kids doing here so early?"
As they entered the weapon shop, a gruff voice greeted them.
The speaker was a middle‑aged man with a somewhat gruff demeanor, a sturdy build, and hands covered in calluses.
It wasn't hard to guess he was the shop's owner.
Tris got straight to the point:
"We'd like to buy a one-handed warpick."
Shop owner: "Warpick? I thought kids only liked shiny swords. If you want warpicks, they're over there."
Unlike the swords displayed prominently, the warpicks were tucked away in a less visible corner.
Tris and Rin walked over to examine them.
Rin: "Master, which one should I pick?"
She whispered, clearly unsure how to judge weapon quality.
Tris inspected them carefully, then handed one to Rin.
It had a hammer and spike, plus a small blade at the top for thrusting.
Tris: "Try this one. It's not the most expensive, but the material is good, and the weight isn't too heavy. Suitable for you at this stage."
Rin: "Only for now? What about later?"
Tris: "Later, you'll need a weapon better suited for combining with magic."
Hearing that, Rin's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
From afar, the shop owner noticed the boy standing to the side while the younger girl tested the weapon.
He exclaimed, "Don't tell me the little girl is the one buying a warpick?"
Tris: "Do you have any others, or is this all you've got?"
Shop owner: "That's all."
Tris: "Then we'll take this one."
He also picked out a small buckler.
He quickly paid the listed prices for each item and then left with Rin, who was now carrying both the newly purchased warpick and buckler.
The shop owner had never thought he would see kids buying weapons so quickly and casually, as if they were shopping for food.
The fact that the warpick's new owner was a little girl only made the situation even stranger.
Could it be that the new way of courting girls these days is to gift them a warpick instead of flowers or food?
Watching the two small figures walk away, he felt the world had suddenly become truly bizarre.
* * * * * * * * * *
Back at the inn, Rin resumed training while Tris enchanted the warpick and buckler with his magic.
Seeing this, Rin asked:
"Master, instead of buying, couldn't you have made these yourself, like the puppets?"
Tris: "I could, but I don't want to waste time. Even some parts of my puppets are ordered from blacksmiths to save effort."
After finishing, he handed the items to Rin:
"Done. Try them out."
The first thing Rin noticed was their lighter weight.
Rin: "Master, they feel much lighter."
Tris: "Even light weapons are too heavy for a child. And you don't have enough spiritual energy to keep your body constantly reinforced. So I made them lighter, easier to carry, and use. I also increased their durability and strength, so their defense and attack power are even greater despite the reduced weight."
Rin swung the warpick, hearing it whistle through the air.
The reduced weight now allowed the girl to swing it easily without worrying about injuring her small arms, even before reinforcing herself with spiritual energy.
She then punched forward with the buckler, feeling her strike become stronger and more dangerous.
With her full set of equipment, Rin felt confident that if she faced those thugs again, she could easily defeat them quickly without resorting to an ambush.
Of course, due to Tris's unique way of teaching, even when dealing with opponents far weaker than herself, Rin would still choose to strike unexpectedly, seizing every possible advantage, no matter how small.
As Tris once said:
"If you can win more easily, why wouldn't you?"
He was the opposite of knights who valued honor and fairness in battle.
Rin, trained directly by him and shaped by her own survival in the slums, shared the same mindset.
And in truth, people like them had far greater chances of survival in harsh, dangerous environments.