章 112: Chapter 112

Soon, I arrived at Tsubaki's workshop, where I found her deeply engrossed in her smithing work, oblivious to my presence.

Startling her might have resulted in a negative reaction or even an accident given the hot metal she was handling. Therefore, I decided to keep my distance and instead returned to the door to knock loudly.

Bang Bang!

I knocked forcefully as Tsubaki was quenching the metal, considering it to be the least likely part to cause any injuries, although I admittedly knew very little about smithing.

"I thought I said no one should disturb me!" Tsubaki exclaimed, cursing aloud before turning towards me. "And who the hell are you?" she asked, showing her irritation.

Before I could respond, Tsubaki cautiously inspected me from head to toe. "Draco?" she hesitantly asked, recognizing me.

"Yea, the one and only," I replied with a hint of amusement.

"What happened to you? It's only been about a week since we last met," Tsubaki inquired, genuinely concerned.

"Well, I simply grew," I replied, giving her a very brief summary of how my body had transformed yesterday.

"I see," Tsubaki muttered, walking around me and inspecting my altered appearance.

"Ahem, I came here this morning to show you my new look and also to purchase some new armor that fit my new size. I need it to enter the dungeon this morning" I explained, trying to redirect the conversation.

"Ahem, I see. Hephaestus might like this," Tsubaki murmured, lost in her thoughts.

"And don't worry, I will stop by Hephaestus' office in the evening before Denatus to make plans for our date. I hope you will be there," I added.

"Sure," Tsubaki absentmindedly replied, her mind clearly occupied with something else.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" I asked, trying to bring her back to the present moment.

"You're no longer small enough for me to hug. I thought I had a bit more time before you grew," Tsubaki casually remarked, revealing her true nature as a shotacon. I didn't know how to respond to her comment.

'I did know that she had a slight attraction towards younger guys, but now it's confirmed,' I silently thought to myself.

Swish!

In a spontaneous moment, I swept Tsubaki off her feet in a princess carry. As I held her in my arms, a mischievous smirk formed on my face.

"I wouldn't be able to do this if I was still little" I said.

Looking down at her, I couldn't help but notice her well-endowed figure. She only had a sarashi strapped tightly around her chest, which came undone with my sudden action, causing it to fall to the ground.

'Come on, focus! You can't let your desires distract you now. I need to enter the dungeon soon,' I chastised myself, even as I found it difficult to tear my gaze away from her exposed chest. It jiggled like pudding before my eyes, something I didn't think was possible.

"Like what you see?" Tsubaki asked, her hands gripping tightly onto my arms.

My subconscious mind blurted out, "Yeah," before I could regain control of my thoughts. Realizing what I had said, I immediately released her and picked up her sarashi, hastily returning it to her, feeling apologetic for my actions.

Tsubaki seemed a bit disappointed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect that to happen," I apologized sincerely.

"Hmm, it's okay," Tsubaki replied, her tone slightly downcast. I was perplexed by her reaction but wasn't sure whether I should inquire further or not.

"Did you want to have gone further?" I cautiously asked, attempting to address the elephant in the room.

"Ahem, what are you talking about?" Tsubaki stammered, clearly embarrassed by the question.

Sighing, I realized I had read the situation righ. "I meant... I wanted to get to know you better and you know me too. Let's take things slow and the fucking will naturally happen ," I teasingly whispered into her now red ears, hoping to alleviate any doubts she might have felt.

As I finished my sentence, the warm ambiance of the workshop seemed to envelop us, creating an unspoken understanding between us.

Despite the momentary awkwardness and unexpected turns in our encounter, there was a glimmer of something deeper, a connection waiting to be explored.

Coming out of our daydream, I decided to acquire the necessary armor that I came for quickly before venturing into the dungeon.

"Ahem, do you have any lightweight and flexible armor suitable for a level 3 adventurer that can last me until level 5?" I inquired. Newbie smith works were no longer trustworthy now that I had reached level 3.

"I have some, but they do come with a hefty price tag," Tsubaki responded, returning to her usual self.

"Not to worry, I have a decent budget this time," I assured her, concealing my apprehension about purchasing from a renowned smith like her.

I could have solely relied on my scales for defense, but it was bit draining on my stamina to maintain them. Besides, I believed it was best to save my best defense for unpredictable situations in the dungeon.

"That's great to hear. I can already picture the expression on Hephaestus' face if she knew you chose my work over hers first," Tsubaki muttered amusingly.

I decided not to comment on that, knowing that I would need a budget of at least 100 million to purchase one of Hephaestus' creations.

"Wait, you're already Level 3? When did this happen?" Tsubaki asked, the news gradually settling in her mind.

"Yeah, I leveled up yesterday," I replied.

"This is fantastic! At this rate, you'll be able to help me gather materials in the dungeon, and we can even together to test my works," Tsubaki exclaimed, clearly delighted.

Tsubaki then presented me with a black chainmail armor, suggesting that it would suit me well. Surprisingly, it was lightweight, but I couldn't use it as it would interfere with my wings.

I took the opportunity to explain my abilities in more detail to Tsubaki, ensuring she understood what type of armor would work for me. In the end, I had to compromise and use the chainmail, but it was customized to accommodate my wings.

"That will be 30 million Valis," Tsubaki charged mercilessly, indicating that she wouldn't mix our personal relationship with business.

"Sure..." I hesitantly handed her the money.

"Alright, I have to get back to work. Stay safe," Tsubaki said, turning to resume her tasks.

As she started to walk away, I pulled her back and placed a kiss on her forehead, then turned to leave. "What a meanie," I heard Tsubaki say from a distance, and a smile formed on my face.

With my armor now taken care of, I purchased a larger and sturdier dungeon bag at an affordable price before making my way to the dungeon. It was finally time to put my new abilities to the test.

Flipping through my grimoire, I unlocked the use of several additional runes for elements such as ice, wood, metal, lightning, and more.

Creating usable spells for these elements would require some time and effort. Although I was disappointed that there was no rune for the space element yet, I was still grateful for the new runes and the enhancement to my spell's potency and range from my grimoire.

"Now, which floor should I visit to test my abilities?" I pondered as I descended into the depths of the dungeon.