The Supreme Puppet

At the training grounds, I elegantly spun around and swung my sword, unleashing a powerful breeze throughout the room. After training, I put Excalibur back in its sheath and walked out.

After Blacksmith left to rest, exhausted from our training session together, I continued training by myself to further improve my fighting skills to be of better use to him. I practiced different styles and attacks using Excalibur, swinging my sword and thrusting it. I moved around the room testing my agility and my evasive skills, practicing my acrobatics. As I trained, I learned to manage and control my strength.

I headed upstairs and walked down the hall to Blacksmith's room. I quietly opened the door and took a peek inside, finding Blacksmith lying on his bed with his back turned towards me.

He was still asleep. The last time he slept, I came into his room after having nothing else to do and laid down beside him to stay by his side. In doing so, I woke him up. Now having learned my mistake, I will try my best not to wake him up again.

I grabbed onto the knob of the door and fully opened the door. I carefully took one step inside his room.

"Is there something you need?"

"...!"

I stopped and looked at him. Blacksmith sat up from his bed and faced me.

I failed...

I was disappointed in myself. Even when I tried to be quiet and stealthy, it didn't work out so well. I accidentally woke him up for a second time.

"If you thought you woke me up, don't worry. I've already been awake for a while. It's not your fault," he said, reassuring me.

"I see."

Blacksmith yawned, covering his mouth. "So? How was your training? Was it enough to keep you active?"

I nodded. "It was well. I've learned a lot, even though it was only for a short time."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Blacksmith got up from bed and went to open the curtains. Outside the window, he looks to see the bright orange sun in the beautiful blue sky and birds chirping as they flew in the air.

"It's daytime," he said to himself. "Hm...maybe after eating breakfast, I'll go out."

"Go out where?" I asked.

"Windebenen," he replied. "I'm running out of some metals and wood. I think I'll visit the town to buy some materials. While I'm there, I'll sell the parts we had left over from the trolls and wyverns. I won't be back until some time later."

"I see."

Windebenen was the town down south Blacksmith mentioned to me before. It was a place where many humans lived together. I've never been to a town before. I wonder what it was like. Were they all similar to Blacksmith? What did they do in a town? So many questions came into my mind.

"What is it, Celeste?" he asked, noticing me and tilting his head.

"Blacksmith-sama, is it alright if I could come along?" I asked.

Surprised, his face lit up. "Why?"

"I want to learn more about the outside world, including the human towns and cities. I want to see what it's like."

He placed his hand to his chin. "I don't want anyone to find out about you, but...I suppose this would be a good chance to see how you would act and adapt to the environment around you."

"I can go?"

He nodded, then raised his finger. "However, if you're coming with me, you can't do anything unless I tell you to. You have to keep your identity as a puppet a secret. If anyone asks you who you are, tell them you're a friend of mine. Understood?"

"Hm."

*****

Walking down the dirt trail, Blacksmith and I arrived at the town of Windebenen. At the front of the entrance, there stood two guards on both sides. They both had on a set of steel armor with brown leather clothes underneath and wielded a steel spear in their hands.

Blacksmith walks over to the guards and reveals a copper card to them. After checking it, and a few words spoken by Blacksmith, we went past the guards into Windebenen.

Upon entering, I found the town to be lively and crowded. There were hundreds of people walking through the streets, each one of them unique and different from each other. Children—little boys and girls—laughed as they ran around playing games. Adults ate and drank together, talking about their daily lives and struggles. Elders casually strolled through the town and took in the scenery, accompanied by young men and women.

I took a glance at everything around me. The buildings, varying in small and large sizes, were made of white clay and wood with roofs made of brick tiles. On the sides of the streets, there were wooden stalls set up where many merchants were selling their products. There was jewelry, food, drinks, clothes, and some tools and weapons as well. There was a whole variety of many different things for people to buy.

So this is a human town...

It was an interesting yet strange place. Everything feels surreal to me, different than when I was in Blacksmith's house. There is so much to see, and so many things I'll have to learn.

Blacksmith stopped at a nearby stall where they sold ores, metals, and wood. The stall had shelves of materials ranging from iron to steel to bronze, and oak to spruce to birch.

"Welcome!" a vendor greeted us. "Is there anything here that you're looking for?"

"We're just taking a look around," Blacksmith replied.

"Take a look around as long as you like! Feel free to ask me any questions."

As Blacksmith was shopping, I stood in the back and watched him. Unlike him, I wasn't an expert on metals or wood. So, as he was picking them up and examining them, I stayed close by his side and waited for him to finish.

All of a sudden, I heard something bouncing. I turned to my left and saw some small brown rubber ball coming my way. It bounced up and down in the air, but started to stop. The ball slows down and rolls on the ground, ending up at the tip of my shoe.

I picked up the ball from the ground and stared at it in my hand. "What is this...?"

"Excuse me~!" a voice shouted.

Upon hearing the voice, I turned and looked to see some four kids running towards me. There were two small boys, one small girl, and one teenage girl following behind them. They all came to a stop by me.

"The kids here I was watching were playing a game with that ball and ended up kicking it here to you. I sincerely apologize for our actions!" she said, bowing to me.

"Hm. It's alright."

"Hey, are you going to give it back or not?" said one of the boys.

The teenage girl karate chops him on the head. "Mind your manners in front of people!" she scolded him. "I'm really sorry for that!"

"No, you don't have to apologize," I said.

I handed her the ball back and she took it. She bowed and thanked me, then grabbed the heads of the other children, making them bow as well. The four of them waved me goodbye, then walked away.

"A game..." I repeated her words from earlier.

The kids were playing a game with the ball. I wonder what kind of game they were playing with it. What kind of games were there in the world? Were any of them fun?

"Hm?"

I faintly smelled something fragrant and aromatic in the air. Turning around, there was a stall where I saw an middle-aged woman cooking, stirring some lovely stew in a pot on a stove. She had short brown hair and brown eyes, and wore a white shirt with a brown apron and white hat. Around her stall, there were small children staring at the pot of stew, smiling and drooling. Intrigued, I walked over and took a glance.

"Welcome!" she greeted me. "Are you here to try some stew?"

I shook my head. "No, I just wanted to take a look."

I used some words I learned from Blacksmith when he spoke to the vendor. As he said to me before, I needed to keep a low profile. I didn't want anyone else to find out who I really was. Since I was a puppet, I couldn't really eat anything here.

After some stirring, the woman scoops some warm stew and puts it into a few wooden bowls. On a tray off to the side, she puts the bowls of stews in rows for everyone to see.

"Fresh stew! Three copper coins! Get it while it's hot!" she shouted.

The children who were around the stall began reaching into their pockets. A few of them pulled out some coins and handed it to her while others came out empty. Those who paid each grabbed a bowl of stew, then started to eat it. For the kids who couldn't buy it, they frowned and stared at the stew in front of them.

"What is the stew?" I asked.

"My very own sweet and spicy venison stew," she replied.

There was venison meat, which was collected from some adventurers and hunters. Along with that, there were some potatoes, tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and the broth made from venison bones and peppers.

Unlike the soup Blacksmith usually had, this dish was more sophisticated. It had a lot more ingredients and seasonings. From the faces of the kids who were eating the stew, it seemed to be quite flavorful. Like how there were different qualities of weapons, there were different qualities of food and dishes as well. Very interesting.

"Young lady, are you perhaps planning to learn how to make this for your lover?"

"Lover?" I repeated. "What do you mean?"

The woman pointed across the street and I turned to see she was pointing to Blacksmith.

"We're not lovers. We're just friends."

"Just friends, hm~?" the woman said with a smile on her face. "Ah, I get it! You're trying to win his heart, aren't you? I can see it well! I was once someone in love too!"

I remained quiet at this and tilted my head, confused. The woman seemed to misunderstand my words. Blacksmith and I were only friends, nothing more. I wasn't trying to win his heart in any way. This concept of love was confusing to me.

The woman gestured to me to come closer and I did so. "I can tell you the recipe if you like. I can also give you some ways to get closer to him if you wanted," she whispered.

"Ways?" I repeated.

"That's right! One of the best ways to get a man's heart is through their stomachs, and I'm speaking from experience."

I was still confused about what she was talking about. However, I decided to listen and take a mental note since I wanted to know how to understand Blacksmith better.

"Celeste!" Blacksmith shouted, calling my name.

"I will be going now. Thank you." I bowed and returned to Blacksmith.

"What were you doing over there?" he asked.

"I was curious about what she was cooking," I replied.

"I see. Well, shopping's over. Let's go to the guild."

"Hm."

As we walked and made our way, I took a look around. In the alley way, I happened to notice a woman along with a man. The man was smirking, talking to the woman and getting closer to her. The man looked out of his mind and his face was red, indicating he was probably drunk. Creeped out and scared, the woman slapped the man, knocking him to the ground, then she ran away.

"What was that?" I asked, pointing to them.

Blacksmith turned to look. "Some people tend to mess around with others sometimes for their own pleasure. If they get bothered, they often tend to hit them back or push them away. If needed, guards or other people nearby would intervene, but it looks like the woman there could clearly handle herself."

"I see."

*****

Blacksmith and I arrived at the Adventurer's Guild. Entering through the doors, we found it to be lively and crowded full of adventurers. Many of them sat at tables, talking and drinking liquor with one another.

The adventurers were interesting. They were all very unique and different. Some had high-quality equipment and rare weapons, while others, who were beginning their journey, had basic clothing and common weapons. From what I read about adventurers, they start out as copper-rank. By doing quests, they could rank up. The order was copper, steel, silver, gold, platinum, and then mithril-the highest rank.

"Blacksmith-sama, have you visited this guild in Windebenen before?" I asked.

"I have," he replied. "During the few weeks I've stayed in the forest, I often came to town and visited their guild many times to sell anything I don't need over to them."

"I see."

Blacksmith and I moved past the adventurers and headed to the front desk. There, we saw a young woman with short red hair and pink eyes, wearing a dark-green uniform and hat with a white shirt and red tie. She appeared to be the guild's receptionist.

"Oh, welcome back, Blacksmith-san!" she greeted him.

"It's nice to see you again, Rayne," Blacksmith greeted her back.

From the looks of it, it seems Rayne, the receptionist, and Blacksmith were already well acquainted with each other.

"Are you here to sell your drops again?" she asked.

"I am."

"I see, I see! And..." Rayne looked at me. "I don't believe we've met before. Who is this?"

"This is Celeste. She's a friend of mine from overseas who came to visit the Northern Continent."

To cover up my identity as a puppet, Blacksmith prepared a story beforehand to tell people. By saying I was from overseas, no one would be suspicious as to who I was. After all, not many people from the other continents often come here to visit a small town such as Windebenen.

"Ah, a traveler from overseas? We don't get many people like you around here. It's nice to meet you, Celeste-san! I'm Rayne!"

"It's nice to meet you as well, Rayne-san," I greeted her with a polite bow.

"Please~, no need to be so formal with me, Celeste-san!" she said, waving her hands at me. "So, Blacksmith-san, do you have everything ready?"

He nodded, then pulled out a large and full leather bag onto the desk. Before we arrived here at the guild, Blacksmith and I retrieved everything we collected from the wyverns and trolls we slayed from his magic pouch and put it in a bag. This way, nobody would pay much attention or be suspicious of us.

"Hm...let's see..." Rayne began examining the drops and separating them into groups. "Wyvern teeth, wyvern bones, wyvern claws, wyvern flesh, troll flesh, troll bones, a few vials of troll blood, and troll tusks. There's also...frost wyvern and frost troll parts?"

"That's all of it."

"W-Wow! This is a lot! These are all very valuable and rare, especially the frost wyvern and frost troll! It's my first time seeing it. We've never had many reports of frost wyverns and frost trolls near the mountains!"

"We were surprised as well," he said. "We never thought we'd face a frost troll riding on a frost wyvern in the mountain caves."

"Riding? You mean they were working together?"

Blacksmith nodded. "And another thing..." Blacksmith went in closer to whisper. "Apparently, there was a mine of everfrost ice we found deep within the caves."

"Everfrost?!"

The adventurers in the guild suddenly turned their attention to us and Rayne covered her mouth.

"S-Sorry..." she said. "But wait, everfrost? Are you sure?" He nodded.

"I think the reason why there was a frost troll and frost wyvern in that cave was because they consumed some of the everfrost ice. We collected some of it, but there was more in that cave. I don't know if you can do anything, but if any more wyverns and trolls consume any of it, it may be a problem for the adventurers."

"I see. I'll have to speak with the Guild Master, but thank you for telling me."

"You must be joking," a voice said from behind us.

We turned around and looked to see a group of three young male adventurers. Two of them had short brown hair, one having brown eyes and the other having blue eyes. The third adventurer had long blonde hair and hazel eyes. They all wore steel armor over their brown leather clothes. The two brown haired adventurers had steel swords to their sides and the blonde haired adventurer had a well-made bow on his back. From the tags they had over their necks, they were steel-ranked adventurers.

"Everfrost? Frost Wyvern? Frost Troll?! Do you honestly think we'd believe that?!"

"You are?" Blacksmith asked.

The blonde man stepped forward. "I apologize for his rudeness. My name is Carl. My friend here is Henry, and he's Noah."

"H-Hello..." Noah greeted us.

"I see. What problem does Henry have with me?"

"These drops!" he shouted, pointing to the materials on the desk. "I may only be a steel adventurer, but I know damn well you couldn't have been able to get all of this!" Carl and Noah nodded in agreement.

Although the three of them were skeptical of us, Henry was the only one angry and expressing his feelings about it. We came in here with wyvern and troll parts, which was quite difficult and rare to get for most adventurers. Along with that, we brought frost wyvern and frost troll parts, which were monsters many of them haven't seen before at the mountains. Henry and the others were frustrated about this. Afterall, Blacksmith didn't look like the person able to do this.

"I understand you wouldn't believe it, but it's true," Blacksmith said, crossing his arms. "I went up to the mountains down south, faced wyverns and trolls, and killed them. No, let me correct myself. It was Celeste here who killed them. I just went along with her and watched."

The three of them turned to look at me. I was beautifully dressed and unfazed. Like Blacksmith, to them, I didn't seem like someone who could handle dangerous situations. I had a sword by my side, but they couldn't see me as someone powerful enough to handle powerful monsters like wyverns and trolls alone.

"Look, just admit it! You're nothing but frauds and thieves! You stole all of this from some powerful adventurer who did all of the work!" he shouted, veins bulging on his head, gathering attention from all of the other adventurers.

Blacksmith sighed and turned away from them. He was tired of Henry shouting and accusing him of doing such an unjust act.

"H-Hey, please calm down, Henry," Rayne said, waving her hands. "Blacksmith-san comes here to the guild to sell his drops every now and then. He really is telling the truth!"

As I was watching this unfold, I couldn't understand what was happening. We fought the wyverns and trolls, and we killed them. Yet, none of them believed us, even though we had the proof on the desk. I turned to look at Blacksmith. All of their yelling and accusations seemed to be bothering him.

What did Blacksmith-sama say before...?

I started to remember that time where I noticed a woman in the alley who slapped a man, knocking him to the ground. Blacksmith told me that when people were bothered by others, they often pushed or hit them away.

"Hey," I said, calling out to him.

"Huh? What do you-"

With the palm of my hand, I slapped Henry in the face, sending him flying over a few tables, crashing into the wall of the guild. Everyone in the guild turned their attention to the large hole. Once the dust cleared, Henry let out a painful groan and slowly fell down from the wall to the ground. Everyone in the guild was speechless, frozen in shock, eyes widened and jaws dropped.

Blacksmith grabbed my arm. "Celeste! Why did you do that...?!" he sharply whispered to me.

I tilted my head. "You said when people are bothered by others, they often push or hit them away. I saw you were being bothered by him, so I thought I would slap him like how the woman slapped the man from before."

"I understand your logic, but this was completely unnecessary...!"

Henry, who was on the ground covered with rubble, twitched in pain. Everyone in the guild who watched started to clap, cheering and applauding for me.

"A-Amazing! That girl's strong!"

"Frauds? After what I saw, I think they're the real deal!"

"Hey!"

Just then, there was a loud voice that caught everyone's attention, silencing us. Turning around, we look to see a muscular old man with gray hair and a beard standing on the stairs, glaring at all of us.

"G-Guild Master!" Rayne nervously called him.

The Guild Master turned to look at me and Blacksmith. I was honestly confused and clueless. As for Blacksmith, he placed his hand over his face, embarrassed.

*****

In the Guild Master's office on the second floor of the guild, Blacksmith and I sat next to each other on a couch, staring at the Guild Master in front of us. He had his eyes closed and arms crossed, having a stern look on his face. Rayne stood close beside him, just as nervous as Blacksmith, acting quiet and awkward due to the silence in the room.

"Ahem. Before we talk about anything, I would like to sincerely apologize for Celeste's actions. What we did was wrong and out of line."

Blacksmith bowed and eyed me. Although I was confused, I followed him and bowed as well.

The Guild Master sighed. "It's fine. I understand the situation thanks to Rayne here. Those three adventurers were bothering you, questioning and yelling over such trivial matters. What you did was merely an act of self-defense." Both Blacksmith and Rayne let out a sigh of relief. "However...I will say that this girl has piqued my interest a little. Celeste-san, was it?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Hm. I'm quite surprised at how strong you are. You know, I took a good look at the wall. It was almost completely broken down. The man you hit, Henry, was knocked unconscious with multiple broken bones. I'm impressed."

"U-Um...Guild Master, should that really be something to be impressed about?" Rayne asked, concerned.

"Ha ha ha ha! Of course it is! You don't really get many strong people here in Windebenen nowadays!" he said happily.

"Thank you for your kind words, Guild Master," I said.

"There's no need for formalities here. Call me Markus. Markus Eisenholz."

"Markus...hm. It's nice to meet you."

Markus nodded, then turned to Blacksmith. "Hey, Blacksmith-san, where did you find such a beautiful and powerful woman?"

"Celeste's a friend visiting from overseas. She's staying with me in the meantime."

"Ah, I see. I've met some people who came from overseas, but none of them were as powerful or unique as you are, Celeste. Tell me, how would you like to become an adventurer?"

Hearing this, Blacksmith turned to look at me. "An adventurer?"

"That's right. They're people who venture into the unknown and face the dangers no one else can. They're the ones who help the people when they need it. Does it interest you?"

I glanced at Blacksmith. The idea of being an adventurer did sound intriguing, but I don't think I want to give up being with Blacksmith. Unless he tells me to, I have no reason to become an adventurer.

"I'm sorry, but no thank you."

Markus sighed and crossed his arms. "I see. Well, it would've been great to have an adventurer such as you."

"Ahem. With the jokes out of the way, can we talk about payment? I think it's best we leave as soon as possible to avoid any more problems."

"Ah, of course! But before we pay you, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"As I said before, I heard everything from Rayne. I know about everything you told her." Markus' face turned serious. "Is it really true you encountered a frost wyvern and frost troll in the mountains?"

Blacksmith nodded. "We did."

I nodded as well. "I slayed them both."

Markus chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did. So then that means what you say about there being a mine of everfrost ice is also true." We nodded.

"As I said to Rayne, I think the reason why there was a frost wyvern and frost troll there was because they consumed some of the everfrost ice. Seeing there's a lot of it, more of them may show up."

There were many variants of wyverns out there in the world. A few of them were lightning wyverns, desert wyverns, death wyverns, and frost wyverns. At a young age, wyverns only have their venom and stinger, but as they grow, they eventually gain the ability to breathe fire. However, young wyverns can consume certain materials to change the element within them. In this case, in order for a wyvern to become a frost wyvern, they had to consume ice magic crystals or everfrost ice to get the ice element.

"We'll ask a few of our most talented adventurers to go up to those mountains and take care of the everfrost ice. The longer we wait, the more frost wyverns and frost trolls there will be than we can handle." We nodded. "Well, that's all I wanted to say. Rayne."

"Yes, Guild Master?"

"If you be so kind, give our guests the details of their payment."

"Of course! But...what do you want to do about the frost wyvern and frost troll parts?"

"Since they're rarer than normal ones, double their price," he replied.

She nodded and pulled out a paper notepad. "Then I'll start telling you the payment," she said. "Forty-three gold coins and thirty-two silver coins for the wyvern teeth, wyvern claws, wyvern flesh, and wyvern bones. Five gold coins and sixty-three silver coins for troll flesh, troll blood, troll tusks, and troll bones. Twenty-eight gold coins and eighty-eight silver for frost wyvern teeth, claws, flesh, and bones. Two gold coins and thirty-eight silver coins for the frost troll flesh, tusks, vials of blood, and bones. After conversion, your total is eighty gold coins and five silver coins."

Rayne was incredibly talented and smart. She managed to calculate the prices of all the drops into one total in such a short time without any help.

"That much? That's quite a lot," said Markus.

"Indeed," said Rayne.

"Is it really that much?" I asked.

"Yes, it is."

There are four types of currencies used on this continent: wood, copper, silver, and gold. Wood was the lowest, and gold was the highest. One hundred wood coins would equal to one copper coin, and one hundred copper coins would equal to one silver coin. It was the same with the rest. Wood coins were more common and more used, as it was cheap and easily obtainable. For gold coins, it was more valuable and expensive. So in other words, one million wood coins would be worth one gold coin. It was indeed a lot as they said.

With the help of the other guild members, Rayne calculated and put together Blacksmith's money, then handed it to him in a bag.

"Here you go, Blacksmith-san!"

"Thank you, Rayne," he said. "By the way, how has Felsen been doing lately?" he asked.

"Ah, he's doing quite well. After you came here and teached him, his work has been doing well. Thanks to him, the guild's been growing strong!"

"I see. I'm glad to hear that."

"Who's Felsen?" I asked.

"He's our blacksmith here at the guild. He's the one who makes all sorts of weapons and equipment for the adventurers to buy." I nodded in understanding.

The work of blacksmiths was very important to everyone. Their weapons, tools, and equipment were used by so many people.

"Blacksmith-san, do you have any plans to leave the area anytime soon?" Markus asked.

"Celeste and I might stay here for a few more days, then we'll leave."

"I see. So you don't have any plans on staying here long-term then?"

He shook his head. "I'm a traveler. I'm not going to stay in one place forever."

"Ha ha ha ha! Well, if you say so."

*****

With our conversation with Markus and Rayne over, we said goodbye and left the guild. The sun was coming down, and it was getting dark. Everyone who was at their stalls were closing everything up and leaving for the day. Guards were walking around, patrolling the town and ensuring its safety.

Our walk back was silent. Blacksmith was quiet and I was quiet. I turned to look at him and saw how stressed he was. I thought back to everything that happened today. I wondered if it could've been better had I not acted on my own.

"Blacksmith-sama," I said. "I'm sorry that I broke our promise. Instead of following your orders, I acted on my own without realizing the consequences of my actions."

Blacksmith sighed and looked up at the sunset. "It's fine."

"But..."

"You're a puppet, Celeste. You wouldn't understand anything about humans or society at first, even after I taught you a few things. It's not your fault." I stared at him in the eyes, then nodded in understanding.

For Blacksmith, I will learn from this mistake of mine and improve myself.

*****

I finished my training at the training grounds and headed upstairs. I entered the dining room, hoping to see Blacksmith awake, but he was not there. I walked down the hall into his room, and inside, I saw him still sleeping in his bed.

It was already morning, but I closed the door and decided to let him sleep for a little bit longer. In the meantime, I stayed in the dining room to wait for him. Before I realized it, a few hours had passed as I stared down the hall.

Blacksmith-sama must've been really tired...

I suddenly recalled the woman I met yesterday. When the two of us were talking, she shared with me the recipe for her stew, as well as a few tips to get close to Blacksmith.

I looked back at Blacksmith's room. I haven't done anything yet to repay him. Maybe while he's resting, I could go out and buy some ingredients to make the stew for him. This will also be a good opportunity for me to learn more about human society and how to take care of myself. But first, if I wanted to go out, I needed money.

*****

After borrowing a pouch of coins from Blacksmith's room and leaving him a note, I left the house and arrived at Windebenen. At the entrance, there stood the two guards I saw the other day.

"Your permit or identification, ma'am."

"My permit or identification?" I repeated, confused.

"Yes. Do you have one?"

I thought back to how we entered Windebenen. If I remember correctly, Blacksmith had some sort of card with him. Perhaps that was it? Either way, I didn't have that on me.

"Is there another way I could get in?" I asked.

"Well, usually a travel permit or identification, such as an Adventurer's Guild card, would be needed to enter. But we also have the option of paying a fee," said the guard.

"A fee?"

"Yes. Two silver coins."

I nodded, then reached into my pouch and pulled out two silver coins. I handed it to the guard and he nodded.

"Have a good day, ma'am!"

With their permission, I went past the guards and entered. I walked through the streets, going the same path Blacksmith and I went before, arriving at the stalls. Like the other day, Windebenen was lively and crowded with many people.

"Hey, over here~!"

I suddenly heard a familiar voice. Turning to my right, I saw the woman who sold the stew waving at me and walked over to her stall.

"Good morning! You're back again!"

"Hm. Good morning."

"What are you doing out in town all alone?" she asked, looking around me.

"Blacksmith was resting, so I thought I'd go shopping to make that stew of yours," I replied.

"Ah, I see! Congratulations on taking the first step," she whispered, teasing me.

"Can you tell me where I can buy the ingredients?"

"Oh, wait here just a moment!"

The woman pulls out a piece of paper. She wrote a few things on there, then handed it to me.

"This list will have all the ingredients you need. I also wrote where you can get them. You're going to need some venison meat, which you can get over there further down the road from Rockwood-san."

"I see. Thank you." I reached into my pouch and pulled out three gold coins. "Here. For your trouble."

Her face lit up. "Wh-What?! No no no, I can't accept this!" she said, shaking her hands.

Confused, I tilted my head. "Don't you give money to those who work at stalls?"

"It's only when you buy things from our stalls. All I did was give you advice."

"I see. But I already have the coins in my hands. Please, take it."

The woman was speechless and stared at the gold coins. She smiled, then took them from my hands and bowed.

"Thank you. I will forever be grateful to you for this."

I nodded. "By the way," I said, "I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I'm Celeste."

"I'm Claire," she introduced herself.

"Claire...hm. I'll remember that. Goodbye, Claire-san."

"Yeah. Good luck!"

*****

Blacksmith

I opened my eyes and woke up from my sleep. I sat up straight and looked around my room. From the curtains of the window, a small glimmer of light came through. It seems like it was morning.

As I moved to get up from my bed, I noticed something. On my desk near me, there was a white piece of paper. Curious, I grabbed it and took a look.

"What is this...?"

Hello Blacksmith-sama. If you are reading this, that must mean you're awake now. I have left this note here on your desk to tell you that I have left to go out to Windebenen to do some shopping. I borrowed your bag of money you usually carried with me. I'm sorry if what I'm doing angers you in any way, but this is what I wanted to do for you. ~Celeste

"Celeste..."

My puppet...the one I built...is out there on her own. Celeste, who knew very little about being human, was out there in the town of Windebenen alone.

I crushed the piece of paper in my hand. "For the love of..."

*****

Celeste

I roamed around town to look for ingredients. First, I was going to need some venison meat. Going to a stall Claire recommended to me, I met an old man who was working at the stall. He had gray hair and blue eyes. He wore a brown cap, dark-brown clothes with a white shirt, and black pants with black shoes.

"Hello," I greeted him.

"Oh, hello there, young lady," the old man greeted me back.

"Is Rockwood-san here?"

"He is. I'm Rockwood-san. Is there something you'd like to buy?"

"I'm looking for some venison meat," I said. "Claire-san told me I can get it here."

"Ah, so Claire sent you. She is always a kind woman, isn't she?" I nodded. "Well, I have the venison meat you're looking for. I sell it in small and large packs. Small packs are one pound each, and large packs are three pounds each. Claire usually comes here to buy the large packs."

"I see. In that case, I'll also take the large pack."

"That will be ten wood coins."

I opened my pouch to pay him, but when I looked inside, I only found gold and silver coins. Noticing I didn't have any wood coins, I pulled out one gold coin and handed it to him.

"G-Gold? N-No, this is too much!" he said, waving his hands.

"I know, but this is all I have on me. Please, take it."

Rockwood was speechless. "...Very well, but I have to apologize. I don't have enough change for this gold coin."

"It's alright. You can keep the change."

"A-Are you sure?"

I nodded. Rockwood stared at me and the gold coin in my hand. He takes it from ,e and clenches it, then bows.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to pay you back for your kindness."

I tilted my head. "What do you mean you'll pay me back?"

"That's what people do," he said as he wrapped up the venison. "When people are kind to others, they pay them back with other kind gestures in return. Be kind to those who are good."

Rockwood handed me the large pack of venison and I took it. "I see. Thank you, Rockwood-san."

"No problem. Have a good day now!"

With the venison meat collected, I left and continued going around town to buy the rest of the ingredients. I bought many vegetables, seasonings, spices, and herbs for the stew, paying them all with gold coins. The vendors, like Rockwood and Claire, were surprised yet grateful to me.

Now with shopping done, I made my way back to the entrance. As I was walking, I happened to hear a loud commotion coming from nearby. I turned and looked to see a cloaked man, who looked threatening and bad, shouting at a middle-aged man—a vendor—who was selling weapons and tools.

"Hey vendor! I just bought this new sword from your shop. I was using it to kill some monsters earlier when it broke out of nowhere. I think I deserve a new one for free! Something stronger, more durable. Maybe damascus steel. Hell, I'd be satisfied if you gave me adamantine or mithril as compensation!" he snarled.

The vendor sighed and crossed his arms. "I refuse."

"Huh?!" the cloaked man shouted in anger. "What are you saying?! Isn't this your policy?! If any of your weapons or tools didn't satisfy the customer, or it was flawed in any way, you'll give them a refund or new weapon or tool for free!"

"I remember my policy, thank you. But you forget that I have to be the one to confirm whether or not I should give it to you," he explained. "For starters, I can't believe anything you just said. My weapons are made of steel and iron, and they're strong enough to take down any common monsters around here. On the other hand, when it comes to something like wyverns, trolls, or other stronger monsters, they're certainly not a match. And I state that very clearly to all of my customers. Taking a look at the condition of this sword, I assume you didn't listen to me."

"Tch!" he grunted. "Hm...hm hm hm! Fine! If you're not going to give me what I want, how about I go out and tell everyone about your little shop and how terrible the service is? You won't be able to make any sales once everyone's heard how horrible you are."

With the vendor rejecting his demand for a better sword, the cloaked man was now blackmailing him. It was obvious to me that he was someone with bad intentions trying to get what he wants.

The vendor squinted his eyes, glaring at him. "Go ahead."

"Huh?" he said, surprised. "W-Wait, aren't you scared what will happen to your reputation?!"

"Of course. My reputation means a lot to me. But when the complaint comes from someone so crooked as you, no one's going to take you seriously," he said with a smirk on his face.

"You...!" he grunted, gritting his teeth. "Who do you think I am? Huh?!"

The cloaked man stepped back and threw his arm. In doing so, he bumps into me, making me drop my bag of groceries. Potatoes and carrots scattered all over across the cobblestone ground.

"Watch where you're going, lady!" he shouted at me.

Ignoring him, I crouched down and started picking up the vegetables to put back in my bag. The cloaked man, who was already pissed with the vendor, grunted and clenched his fists. As I was about to pick up one of the potatoes, he came forward and stepped on it, crushing it into mush.

"Show me some respect!" he shouted.

I stood up and stared at him. I was confused as to what was happening. Why did he crush my potato? Why was he so angry with me?

"Hey hey, leave the girl out of this!" said the vendor, stepping in the way.

He grabbed the cloaked man, trying to calm him down and leave me alone. Instead, he pushed the vendor away, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey you, apologize to me now!" he shouted, pointing at me.

I tilted my head. "Apologize? I'm sorry, but I don't remember doing anything wrong."

"Oh? You don't remember? Then let me remind you!"

He started yelling, rambling about what I did and how much it offended him. As he talked to himself, I started to think about what I should do.

I reminded myself of what happened between me and the rude adventurer at the guild. Blacksmith did not like what I did, but I only did it because he was bothering him. Now, I was in a similar situation. The cloaked man was not only bothering the vendor, but myself and everyone else.

Hm...

"Hey, are you even listening to me?!"

The cloaked man reached for me with his hand. Before he could touch me, I slapped him in the face, sending him flying through the streets past people, crashing into the wall of a small building. The vendor and everyone around were shocked and speechless. The dust from the building began to clear, and from the rubble, we all looked to see the cloaked man knocked out and twitching from his injuries.

"A-A-Aagh..."

Hm...I was sure I held back that time. Was that still too much?

I pushed those thoughts aside for now and turned my attention back to my vegetables on the ground. I crouched down and picked it all up, putting it into my bag. Once I had everything, I stood back up.

"Wooooooh!!!"

All of a sudden, everyone started cheering and applauding for me. Confused, I tilted my head, wondering why they were all clapping for me.

Just then, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. From behind the crowd, I saw a group of guards, wearing steel armor and leather clothes as the ones at the entrance, coming my way. Pushing past the people, they came to look at the scene where the cloaked man was. One of them, who looked like the one in charge, came forward.

"My name is Clive Eisenholz, captain of the Windebenen Guard," he introduced himself to everyone.

Eisenholz? He has the same name as the Guild Master...

"Seeing this was done in front of everyone, I assume someone here can care to explain to me what happened?"

Everyone surrounded him and started explaining it all to him. As he listened and learned more about the story, Clive gave a few glances towards my direction. Once he heard everything he needed, he came towards me.

"They say you're the one who knocked him into the wall. 'A hard slap', apparently." I nodded innocently.

"Please, Captain Clive! Don't punish her!" the vendor shouted. "She did nothing wrong! She was just defending herself!"

"That's right!" everyone else shouted, backing him up.

"Calm down for just a moment, everyone!" Clive shouted, raising his hands.

"Another tough day on the job, huh, Clive?"

A familiar voice came from among the crowd. People moved out of the way as the Guild Master, Markus, came forward.

"Nii-san," Clive greeted him.

"Nii-san?" I repeated.

"Nice to see you again, Celeste!" Markus greeted me.

"Hm," I nodded, greeting him back. "Markus, if you don't mind me asking, are you and Clive related?"

"Yeah. Clive's my younger brother," he replied.

"Nii-san, do you know this woman?" Clive asked.

He nodded. "She's one of Blacksmith-san's friends, the one who is passing by town every now and then."

"Ah, him." Clive turned to me. "To think he knew someone who was this powerful..."

"Ha ha ha ha! Right?" Clive sighed at him. "Hey, about what happened today. You mind letting her go this time? She's quite new to Windebenen."

"You know I can't do that. She destroyed this building by knocking that man into it. It doesn't matter whether she's a local or a guest, I have to ask her to pay for the damages."

"Ah, don't worry about that. I'll have the guild pay for it," he said, waving his hand.

"What? Are you sure?"

Markus nodded. "It's the least I can do for one of Blacksmith-san's close friends. Besides, you heard the people. She was just defending herself. If you punished her for that, it'd be wrong, wouldn't it?"

Clive stared at Markus in the eyes, then turned to look at everyone else. They all nodded and supported Markus with this decision.

He let out a sigh and placed his hand over his face. "You're always the same, aren't you, Nii-san?"

"Ha ha ha ha! I'm grateful to you, Clive!" he said, grabbing him with his arm. Clive, however, gently pushed his older brother away.

The guards, who had been taking care of the scene, apprehended the cloaked man due to his actions regarding me and the vendor. Then, one of the guards came up to Clive.

"Sir! You're not going to believe this, but the man we've arrested is apparently one of the criminals we're looking for."

"Is this true?"

The guard nodded. "He had one of the symbols belonging to the criminal group on his arm."

Clive placed his hand to his chin as he took in this information. "I see. Thank you for telling me this. Take the man to the prison and interrogate him as soon as possible."

"Understood sir!"

The guard saluted to Clive, then walked away and left with the other guards, taking the cloaked man.

Clive sighed, then turned to me. "I suppose I'll have to thank you for this, Ms. Celeste."

Confused, I tilted my head. "For what?"

"It sounds like you don't know," he said. "Here in Windebenen, there's been a few criminals running loose among town. We've been trying to catch them for a while now, but we've had no luck. But today? You actually managed to catch one of them."

"So...is that a good thing?"

"Of course it is!" Markus said, having a smile on his face.

"I see."

With the situation now resolved, Clive said goodbye and followed behind his fellow guards. The vendor and everyone around bowed to thank me. Apparently, the cloaked man had been haggling and complaining to all of them for a long time. He always tried to rip them off, saying how he had problems and demanded their products for free. They were glad he was taken down.

I was surprised. I didn't realize my actions today have done good for all of these people. I only came here to do something for Blacksmith and learn about humans, but it seems like I did more than I planned.

"Hey Celeste, what are you doing in town by yourself anyways?" Markus asked me.

"I was going around shopping to make Claire-san's stew for Blacksmith. But then all of this happened."

"I see. Claire always did make the best stew in town. I'm sure you'll cook it well for him."

"Thank you."

I said my goodbyes to Markus and headed on my way back home. I had my bags of groceries in my hands, all fully resupplied by the vendors I bought them from. And along with that, I also received a few gifts from everyone else for what I did today.

Upon arriving at the entrance, I saw Blacksmith standing there waiting for me. He had a serious look on his face.

"Hello, Blacksmith-san," I greeted him, giving a kind and gentle wave.

"...Do you mind if we talk?" I stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

*****

The two of us left Windebenen and walked on the dirt trail back home. As we walked together, I started explaining how I came to town alone to buy ingredients to make some stew for him while he was resting. Claire, the woman who sold the stew, gave me advice on how a home-cooked meal would be great for him. So, after receiving a list, I went around town shopping.

I paid Rockwood and everyone some gold coins for the ingredients I bought. They were surprised to receive it, yet thanked me for my generosity. As I was about to head out, I happened to come across a cloaked man arguing with a vendor who was selling weapons and tools. The man was mad and he happened to bump into me. He started shouting out loud, bothering everyone around him. So, I slapped him into the wall.

In doing so, everyone started applauding for me. The guards came, and Clive, the captain and Markus' younger brother, questioned everyone about what happened. Although I did damage one of their buildings, with a few words from Markus and everyone else, the situation was resolved. The cloaked man was arrested and everyone thanked me for what I did.

"I see. So that's what happened," he said, letting out a sigh and placing a hand over his face.

I tilted my head. "Are you angry with me? I did leave without your permission after all."

Blacksmith remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I'm not mad at you."

"You're not? But your face..."

"I was just stressed after hearing what you said," he explained. "That, and because I was worried about you."

"Worried?" I repeated.

"You're powerful, Celeste. You're a puppet and my greatest creation. You're worth a lot to me. As your creator, I didn't want anything to happen to you," he explained. "When it comes to fighting, I can trust you to handle yourself. But when it comes to interacting with other humans, I'm honestly afraid of what would happen to you."

"Blacksmith-sama..."

He let out a sigh. "But...seeing how you told me how everyone treated you, it seems like I didn't need to worry at all."

"I see."

So Blacksmith was just worried and protective of me. That's why he wanted me to be close to him at all times, and for me to only act when he orders me to. Blacksmith is a very kind and considerate person.

"By the way," he said, changing topics. "Do you even know how to cook?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped upon thinking about what he said.

"No...I don't."

"So you went shopping to make some stew you don't know how to cook?"

I held the bags of groceries tight in my hands. "Can you teach me?"

Blacksmith chuckled. "Yeah."