"Bellf. My sword's gotten dull."
"Let me see it."
It had already been a month since I became her exclusive blacksmith.
Somehow, it felt as though my duties consisted of nothing more than maintaining her equipment and accompanying her into the Dungeon.
I knew that being an exclusive blacksmith was primarily a support role, but still...
"...Ah, Aiz. Do you want to try out a magic tool?"
"?"
While experimenting with Mystery, I had ended up with a few magic tools piling up in the corner of my house. Since I was already her exclusive blacksmith, I figured it would be best to provide her with some specialized gear.
"Interesting."
I brought out the magic tools that had been neglected in the storage room of my new home and showed them to Aiz.
"Try whichever one catches your eye first."
"Okay."
The first item Aiz picked up was a ring set with a crimson gem.
"...How do I use this?"
"Try casting your magic."
"Okay. Open up, storm."
Aiz activated Aerial.
The ring on her ring finger began to glow with a red light, and sparks of flame started to bloom within the swirling winds of her spell.
"The fire-attribute enchantment on the magic worked, then."
"It's warm."
"It'll get hot if you use it for too long. You should deactivate it before you get burned."
"Okay."
"If you want it, you can keep it."
As she released the magic, the flames and wind dancing around Aiz scattered into the air.
"You aren't hurt anywhere, right?"
"No."
"Then it's a success..."
"What about this one?"
"Ah, that's..."
While we were testing several tools and discussing which ones to improve or discard,
"Aiz-chan! Are ya in there!?"
"Loki?"
A loud knock echoed through the house, accompanied by a thick, boisterous accent.
"I'll get it."
"Okay."
A few days prior, Loki had come across a certain piece of news.
Her precious Aiz had signed an exclusive contract with some random brat, and the two of them had apparently become quite close.
"Loki, do you really have to do this?"
"I sure do! As her goddess, I gotta see for myself if this guy's actually skilled enough to be in a contract with Aiz-chan!"
"He didn't seem that bad when I saw him before..."
"I'll be the judge of that! Bellf Crozzo, or Croz—whatever his name is, I'm gonna see him with my own eyes!"
Loki had been tied down by work for the past few days, but now that she finally had a moment of free time, she arrived at Bellf Crozzo's home—the location of which she had squeezed out of Hephaistos through negotiations—accompanied by [Brave] Finn Deimna.
"Aiz-chan! Are ya in there!?"
Loki hammered on the door with reckless abandon.
"What is it?"
"Oh... ooooh!"
When Aiz opened the door, dressed in loose-fitting clothes and drenched in sweat, Loki became instantly worked up, but then...
"A-Aiz?! What's that ring!?"
"Bellf gave it to me."
"Ghk! Ke-heeegh..."
Upon spotting the ring on Aiz's ring finger, Loki collapsed on the spot.
"Finn. Loki is acting weird."
"...She's always weird, so just ignore her. But why are you dressed like that?"
"I got hot while using the magic tools."