“I think attaching something like your shield, Brother, would probably offer better effects,” Fohl replied. The original use of a gauntlet was for defense, that was true. Fohl was using them as impact weapons, but they had a defensive side. There were things like bucklers, which I could copy as well. I wondered if it would count as a copy or an accessory for Fohl. It might be worth trying to attach a small shield as an accessory. I wasn’t sure what judgment my weapon would finally make, but if it increased my pool of weapons, then that suited me. Making the distinction between accessory or armor, though, that was something else—and whether it would count as blacksmithing or not was something else too. I’d have to talk to Ren about it later.
“What kind of accessory is Ren looking for, anyway?” Mamoru asked. He knew that all of these had primarily been created for Ren to use, but he didn’t know the reason why.
“He’s trying to improve his abilities with float skills. We’re really looking for an accessory that will work as an aid for him,” I explained.
“Float skills are convenient, I’ll give you that,” Mamoru replied. Both he and I popped out our own Float Shields. It was like having extra arms, making defense a lot easier to pull off.
“You have a pet Dragon Emperor, correct? Why not get him to donate a fragment or two and turn those into accessories? That might provide a different means to control weapons,” Holn suggested. She hated dragons, but she didn’t seem averse to making use of them. That made me think of the Demon Dragon, who at the moment was nothing more to me than a voice that murmured in my mind when I incanted magic. The reduction in casting time was great, but she could be obnoxious.
“In that case, the Water Dragon might be our only option,” I stated. Gaelion was still in the future, and the actual Demon Dragon was in another world completely. Raising a new dragon in this time would be a pain in the ass—and the last thing we needed was more of them.
“I do understand how the Sword Hero feels,” Filolia said, cackling to herself. “A floating sword is a beautiful thing to behold.” She definitely shared the same adolescent tendencies. “Ren, is it? Filolia, the Maniacal Dark Brave, can understand where you’re coming from! Let us both descend into this darkness together!”
“Naofumi!” Ren looked at me, a pleading expression on his face as Filolia closed in. She had a hand covering one side of her face again, her visible eye twinkling, like a hopped-up goth teenager. Ren wanted to move on from this aspect of himself—perhaps seal all memories of it away forever—but circumstances around him were not allowing that to happen. I almost felt sorry for him. He might be in a similar position as me and my rage, wanting to move past it but also still needing to make use of it.
“Okay, I know. Try and use that to help with your forging. I bet you’ll be able to make good stuff even when I’m not around. Think of it as trying to master your own past, okay?” I told him.
“That’s just mixing words! You’re still asking me to dig up my own dark history!” Ren replied. He looked mortified almost as soon as he said it. He’d been keeping his outbursts under control recently, but I’d probably also been mocking him a little too much. He couldn’t stay quiet forever. The whole business with that out-of-control sword had been pretty embarrassing for him. There was only so much a person could take.
“You have to believe that your adolescent angst can save the world!” I replied.
“Brother takes a big swing!” Fohl chipped in. I would’ve preferred he stayed silent.
“Mr. Naofumi, you said something similar to Kizuna, didn’t you?” Raphtalia recalled. “About believing that laziness could save the world. Have you taken a liking to saying things like that?”
“It could also be considered just passing the buck,” I said.
“I don’t think that’s something you should admit to so openly,” Raphtalia chided.
“Please!” Ren extended a hand toward me. I dodged out of the way, while Filolia closed in. “Why can’t I escape my past!” Ren lamented.
“That kind of line is exactly the angst we’re talking about,” I commented. I shook my head but decided to help Ren out. I pointed at Filolia’s keeper, Mamoru, indicating he should do something about his ward—while making sure Ren also saw the gesture.
“Hey, Filolia. Give the guy a break, okay?” Mamoru said.
“Why?” Filolia objected. “If he joins me in working hard at this, he’ll only get stronger too!”
“Sure, but look at him. We guys can be sensitive about stuff like this,” Mamoru told her.
“Seriously? You can’t be a hero if stuff like this makes you embarrassed,” she retorted.
“What’s so embarrassing about being a hero?” I asked.
“You stand out, for one thing! You need to be cool so that others will follow you! You won’t get anywhere if you’re always shy and embarrassed!” Filolia opined. Both Mamoru and I were giving her disapproving looks. But I had to admit, I’d heard making people look cooler with things like military uniforms would boost morale. “This is the time for the darkness inside Ren to awaken!”
“Naofumi . . .” Ren pleaded again, seriously coming to me for aid. Filolia wasn’t listening to anything Mamoru had to say on the subject. I decided to try something else.
“Ren, what do you think of this accessory?” I asked him. I showed him the Cross Glawick Third Eye that Imiya had made.
“Huh? What’s this got to do with anything?” Ren asked, puzzled.
“The design looked kind of embarrassing, maybe, but once it’s actually fabricated and attached to a weapon, see? It doesn’t look all that bad, does it?” I replied. Ren didn’t say anything, just looked at the Cross Glawick Third Eye. “Even if it’s embarrassing for the one making it, when considered objectively, it’s not that bad,” I told him. Imiya’s work was impeccable, that was for sure. The fact the design was right up Ren’s alley—and yet once it was finished, it didn’t look that adolescent at all—spoke volumes about Imiya’s skills. When it came to embarrassing articles . . . those lures that Kizuna had made were far worse.