“Wow.” Yena can’t help but stare slack-jawed at the entire array of armor and weapons placed strategically within the medium-sized shop. It's a place she never pictured visiting back then.

But ever since Yujin picked a fight with her back then, Yuri kept saying that it’s best that she had something to protect herself with - and in the process, Yuri as well, since she is her master, after all. It won’t hurt having a mode of protection or two. They won’t have to negotiate with their opponent for a weapon like they did last time with Yujin.

Visible from the moment they entered are five sets of armor, some just plain metal, others a blinding color of gold or some other color scheme that is hella cool to see on a battlefield when Yena tries picturing it being used in her head. On the north are bows with intricate designs, ranging from wood to metals speckled with precious stones. In the east are the swords, all sharpened and polished with varying lengths, and in the west are polearms, some even surpassing her height.

“Welcome!” A man with a buzz cut, his thin shirt hugging his muscular form, greets them energetically, an enthusiastic toothy grin upon his face. His eyes are slanted upwards, his thick eyebrows bushed up, making him look extra fiery. His eyes then get drawn to Yuri, and he raises an eyebrow. “Oh? A Hwalgeori Academy student? Little miss, you must be lost. The magician’s supply store is still a few blocks down the road.”

Yuri shakes her head. “No. We’re getting a weapon,” she says, waving her hand at him in denial. “-for her.” 

Yena feels Yuri grip her elbow, snapping her out from her stupor at the myriad of weapons on display before her eyes, before pulling her by her side. Yena then feels the intense gaze from the man, eyes roaming at her from head to toe as if scanning her for some error. After a few seconds, the man’s shoulders slacken, a sigh escaping through his lips.

“For this lass? A weapon? Are you sure?” he says with a hint of exasperation in his voice, sitting on the chair behind the counter. “This is not a playground, little miss.”

Yena’s expression slowly becomes sour with the man looking down on her - well, literally, man’s easily as tall as a tree. Difference in size aside, with a fighting spirit larger than her soul herself, Yena looks him in the eye, gaze unwavering, lips twitched up in a combative smile.

“Mister, give me a broadsword,” she says bluntly, eyeing the section filled with wide-plated swords spreading the wall evenly from side to side. The size of one is enough for one to appraise its weight. However, Yena spares a glance at her runes, clenching her fist in reassurance to herself.

An abrupt snort escapes through the man’s nostrils, bursting into a fit of guffaws, clutching his shirt. His heavy laughs last for more than a few seconds until he wipes the edge of his eyes with the back of his thick hand, sighing at the end of his laughing fit.

Yena’s eyebrows crease in increasing displeasure, her jaw clenched. She spots Yuri watching with a semi-amused look on her face - probably because she had always been on the receiving end of her constant teasing and seeing Yena getting belittled this time around is something nothing short of refreshing.

“Whoo, boy. That’s the hardest I’ve laughed all month,” the man says, can’t help but keep the edges of his mouth up. “Look, even I have a hard time lifting a broadsword, lass! It would crush you,” he tells her, casually plucking one off the wall, a slick black broadsword with a metal hilt. Contrary to his words, he carries it like a regular stick. His expression doesn’t even change when he examines the sword, flipping it around to check it with perusing eyes. “Yup, this one’s one of the lighter ones. Wanna try?”

Yena can’t help but fume at the man’s smug expression as he beckons her closer.

“Yena, that’s a little too big for you,” Yuri reminds her from behind, snapping her out of her exasperation as if she is Yena’s voice of reason. “Be practical, you dolt. You’d carry that around.”

“I… I know. I just wanna try,” Yena says, her voice tripping a bit as she tries to keep her annoyance down, stepping forward at the storekeeper, who is waving the enormous sword single-handedly at her with a mocking smile. 

Oh, she’d so slash that old man and his smug face with that sword if she gets ahold of it - in her head, of course. Can’t have jail time in another world. Although Yuri could probably break her out with her noble powers or something… No, she’s kidding. She doesn’t have it in her to kill anyone. Maybe just a kick in the shin would do the trick.

The man lays that sword horizontally on his thick, calloused hands, holding it out to Yena as if bestowing it to her. It reminds her of the scenes where the knight would receive a sword from someone more advanced. “Here. Don’t break any bones now, alright? This store won’t cover your recuperation.”

Every word from the man seems to pluck at her nerves, and Yena’s annoyed glare deepens as she lays out her hands wordlessly to receive it from him. The man then places the sword on her hands, still snickering. As soon as he lets go of the sword, the gravity just pulls Yena’s hands downwards, the weight of the sword barrelling down her palms. She feels a sudden strain of the weight on her arms, and she soon kneels on the floor due to the sheer weight, holding back a curse from rolling off her tongue.

Boisterous laughter booms across the room once more. “Oh, Founder! You can’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Yena can feel the heat rising to her head as she kneels helplessly on the floor, trying to find a way to stabilize the sword in her hand without getting wounded with its sharpened blade. At that moment, Yena’s gaze meets Yuri’s, who had been watching the scene silently, the edges of her master’s lips twitching up a little. 

“He did warn you.”

Yena frowns up at her, a small pout on her lips. “Whose side are you on?”

Yuri just smiles down at her, seemingly not affected by her pity-inducing display. “The reasonable side.”

“And I thought you’re supposed to be my partner through thick and thin…” 

However, despite the sword being as heavy as a filled suitcase, Yena refuses to let herself yield. It would be embarrassing after she specifically asked for this. Gnawing on her bottom lip, she grips the cold hilt, hoping for her powers to work instantly on the peak of desperation. Thankfully, no longer than a second later, the runes on her hand light up, and the previously heavy broadsword feels as light as the sword Yujin gave her some time ago. There! This is it, the feeling. She feels her mood brighten up with her powers heeding her call.

Smirking, Yena stands up as if the shameful display didn’t happen mere seconds ago and points the sword skilfully at the man’s impressed face. “What did you say again?”

Yuri grimaces in her direction. “Look at you acting as if you didn’t just struggle a moment ago.” 

Yena grins, flashing her pearly whites. “I just had to pretend a bit. For the surprise factor,” she says, her tone unwavering as if she didn’t just say a blatant bluff. Just a fleeting thought, but she thinks she would be a good poker player if she learned. This bluffing thing is something she had been great at ever since.

“Like hell that was for the surprise factor. You obviously had a buff,” the man says, sandwiching the broadsword pointed at him with both of his palms flat on each side, hinging it to the side to see Yena better and make heads or tails with her sudden boost. He then shifts his gaze to Yuri. “Little mage, did you cast a strength buff on this lass just now?”

Yuri raises an eyebrow in the shopkeeper’s direction, seeming to say, why am I dragged in this? “Mister, I’m not even holding my wand.”

Truth to be told, Yuri is just standing there, her bag slung at her shoulder, her wand tucked away. No accessories hang around her neck, nor her arms or fingers.

“Then how…” he trails off as he looks at the wooden floor as if drifting into his thoughts. He then shakes his head. “Anyway, I won’t think much on it, for your stature and the fact that you can’t hold it without some sort of buff, or whatever it is you’re doing right now, a smaller weapon would do you good,” he says, seeming to finally take Yena seriously, relieving her of the broadsword. “Sorry for the disrespect. Your stance seems to suggest you’re a honed warrior. Have a look around.”

“Hehe, for an arrogant old man, you have a great eye.” Yena grins up at him, her demeanor now much more friendly. Yena is someone who forgets conflict rather easily, as long as it’s nothing too major. 

He laughs heartily, his deep voice booming into their eardrums. “I was a former knight who had my fair share of battles. I know someone who can fight when I see one.”

“Ha! But, I think the girlie is still a green bean.” A feminine voice cuts into the conversation, making everyone’s heads snap in the voice's direction. Their gaze stops at nothing but a blank east wall of the shop. The tone is haughty and prideful as if the owner of the unknown voice really had a basis for what they are saying.

“Oh, that must be her again,” the man grimaces, scratching his head exasperatedly.

“Her?”

“Insults my customers left and right, comparing them with her former master or whatever,” he says, going to the pile of old-looking weapons stacked in a corner by the eastern wall and yanking a bronze dagger out from the heap. “Tried destroying this thing multiple times now, but it won’t sustain a scratch.” He looks down sternly at the dagger. “You. The only reason I won’t toss you out till now is out of respect for the blacksmith who forged you.”

“Dream on. It would take a god or two to even put a dent on me,” the voice says, seeming to come from the weapon in his hand. “Plus, I’ve told you multiple times, go ahead and toss me, I don’t care. I could use the adventure more than being stuck away in a musty shop like this one.”

Yena gasps, narrowing her eyes at the dagger in the man’s hand. The man can’t possibly be the one talking. The voice is a few pitches higher than his. There are no other people in the room who can hit that pitch in normal speech other than her and Yuri.  “That dagger… it’s talking?”

“As you are. But you don’t see me saying anything about it,” the dagger says, its voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Hush. Off in the back, you are.” The man walks behind the counter, a deadpan look on his face as he holds the dagger tightly as if he can shut the dagger up if he held it off enough.

“Wait. Daeho, that girl, who is she?” the dagger suddenly says. “Bring me to her.”

“What now? We don’t have time for your games.”

“Just do it,” the dagger demands.

Daeho then hesitates for a moment before looking at Yena. “Would you mind? Or would you rather not?”

“Let me have a look,” Yena holds out her hand without hesitation. With a sigh, Daeho takes a few steps closer to hand her the dagger. 

Yena then inspects the dagger closely. There’s a small insignia of sun rays on its hilt, tiny runic letters running vertically on the side. It’s relatively short, its blade mainly made of bronze, contributing to the slight heaviness it encompasses despite its size. Yena doesn’t know why, but the dagger feels like it resonates more with her. Like it was originally a part of her a long time ago.

“Are you…” the dagger trails off. Yena can sense it watching her for some reason, even if it lacks anything that resembles an eye. “No. It can’t be. He’s been dead for centuries. And you’re obviously a girl too. What am I thinking? What’s your name, young girl?”

Judging by how the dagger says the words ‘young girl’, it seems to see her as someone very young. “Just how old do you even think I am…” Yena mumbles under her breath. “Anyway, I’m Yena Choi.”

“Yena Choi…” the dagger pauses as if to contemplate. “Mhm! I like it! Go on and buy me,” the dagger says, sounding confident and determined, in contrast to its ‘I give zero s’ tone a moment ago. “I may have lived a millennium, but I’m as sharp as I used to be fresh out of a forgery.”

“There are a lot of shinier weapons around,” Yuri suddenly cuts in, seeming to know where the conversation is heading to. “Are you sure you want that?”

Daeho nods at Yuri’s words. “I agree. That old thing would only piss you off, most likely,” he seconds. “I know she pissed me off.”

Yuri looks up at Daeho, her arms crossed. “The sword is a girl?”

He shrugs. “Hansol sounds like one at least.”

“How many times do I tell you, Daeho? I’m a weapon that happens to have a high-pitched voice. How foolish.” the dagger snaps. “The blacksmith who forged me named me Hansol. ‘Han’ for the hatred he was harboring as he forged me. It was summer at that time, if I recall, and thus, ‘Sol.’”

“Weapon of hatred? Explains the temper,” Yena muses, twirling it around to get the feel of the dagger in her hands. She likes her weapon expertise power as it gives her the ability to do cool stuff like these without getting any injury. If she had done it with a kitchen knife back home, she would have walked away with dozens of band-aids on her hand. “You’re easy to wield too. I like you! Yuri, I’m taking this.”

“Huh? But it’s a strange talking old dagger? Yena, think carefully,” Yuri protests, grimacing at the dagger in Yena’s hands. “Why do weird things always flock to me?” she mumbles.

“Yup! I’m sure about this one.” Yena beams as if she received a hundred thousand won. A talking dagger sounds like a sidekick character from RPGs. She likes it.

Daeho rubs the stubble on his chin, a pleased smile on his face. “Alright, just a hundred coppers would do for that one.”

Yuri’s head twists at him swiftly. “Just a hundred coppers? You’re practically giving it for free.”

Daeho shrugs. “You’re doing me a huge favor by taking ‘er off my hands.”

★彡

“Isn’t a chain mail underneath my clothes and these leather gloves a bit too much? I like this cloak though,” Yena says, examining herself in front of Yuri’s full-body mirror. She looks like an assassin from the RPGs - though less shady as she didn’t have the sharp eyes to go with the look. “And you even got me throwing knives.” Yena pats the knife kit beside Hansol’s scabbard hanging on her leather weapon belt. She wonders if she has to refill it every time or if she has to take the throwing knives from the opponent if ever she used it. It’s not like the knives would magically reappear in the kit like in the games.

It’s already late at night after they get home from shopping. Thankfully, the curfew doesn’t apply on weekends since some students enter the dorms even at midnight after traveling from their hometowns.

“There’s a lot left on the budget I set out for your weapon,” Yuri explains, crawling under the sheets after getting herself cleaned up. “Plus, with that questionable weapon, I best get you equipped well. Who knows what will happen again?”

Hansol lifts itself slightly from its scabbard. It seems to have the ability to move itself to some extent since it shakes in surprise whenever they see something surprising throughout the day as it asks