<h4>Chapter 52 : Equipment Choice of The Dragon Girl</h4>


    After the battle for the breakfast seat, Aria asked Ste if she wanted to be an adventurer like her. In hearing such a question, Ste immediately agreed to it with her eyes shining with excitement.


    They headed for the city and entered Vulcan’s shop. Ste would need equipment for her new profession. With the owner’s help, Ste seemed to find a set that satisfied her. Vulcan, however, had to make sure her client was satisfied.


    「Nyaa~… Are you really okay with that, Ste-nya~n? 」


    「Yup! This is perfect! 」


    Aria couldn’t help but ponder why Ste was so excited since she had no memories.


    However, she didn’t know Ste did have some degree of information about the world, information that she acquired as the Earth Dragon.


    As the Earth Dragon, she had fought some adventurers while inside thebyrinth. Ste had secretly enjoyed meeting those people… Secretly yearned to be one of them.


    To her, Aria’s proposal was a godsend.


    「Don’t you think it’s better if you equip at least a gauntlet first, Ste-chan? 」


    Aria asked, trying to make Ste wear more equipment. She saw how happy Ste was while wearing an adventurer’s gear, but couldn’t help but be concerned about her safety.


    The gear Ste chose was extremely revealing. It barely covered the essentials.


    The topmost part of her chest was covered in bandages, sarashi-style*, with her underboobs exposed.


    *[A sarashi is a long, thick cotton cloth that is tightly wrapped around the chest and worn under a kimono.]


    The lower gear consisted of pants with the maximum level of exposure. The design was extremely risqué.


    Looking from the front, one could not see the difference between those pants and female underwear.


    Looking from the back, the visual became even more erotic. Those “pants” barely covered her buttocks, leaving the fleshier parts exposed…


    The style that wasmonly known as 〝Hanketsu?.


    Those hot pants were, originally, an extremely popr design. But when Ste tried it on, she asked Vulcan to modify it. She wanted less fabric clinging to her body, with half her buttocks uncovered, making it easier to move.


    「Please give me leg armor, I don’t need any equipment for my arms!」


    「…? Why do you want the leggings but not the gauntlets, Ste-chan?」


    「Uhm?　I guess it’s faster to show it, here we go! 」


    Ste could tell Aria was confused by her statement. She then got into a stance, letting out a groan, and her arms and buttocks began to glow with a brilliant light that gradually increased in intensity.


    After a few seconds, when the light subsided, Aria and co. couldn’t mask their surprise.


    (Wha…?! This form… !)


    「Your arms are like a dragon’s, and you even have a tail! 」


    「Amazing! Could it be you’re actually a 〝Dragonewt?, Ste-chan?! 」


    Surprisingly, Ste’s arms had grown in size, bing four times bigger than normal. They were covered with earth-colored reptile scales, no doubt a feature preserved from her Earth Dragon form.


    Sharp ws grew from her fingertips and, from her buttocks, a tail had appeared. Just like her arms, it looked like it belonged to a reptile, covered in the same color of scales.


    Her new appearance reminded Aria of the Dragonewt race. However… They were supposedly people who had dragon blood in their veins.


    Their outer appearance was extremely simr to that of a normal human, but they could change their limbs to a draconic appendage at will.


    Dragonewts could draw even more power from their dragon blood. Aria had heard stories about their incredible strength, capable of smashing a rock with only their draconic arms.


    To Aria and Vulcan, it made perfect sense. The reason Ste managed to survive in thebyrinth with her memories wiped was that she was a Dragonewt.


    The part about losing her memory was a misunderstanding, though.


    「Dragonewt? I don’t know what that is, but this is what I look like when I unleash my power!」


    Ste’s power of semi-draconification was unrted to being a Dragonewt, as Aria suggested. Instead, it was inherited from her previous life as a dragon.


    Tama, on the other hand, got more curious the more he stared at Ste.


    (This appearance… She resembles the Dragonewts I saw in my previous life so perfectly. Could it be that the Dragonewt race was created by a dragon who reincarnated as a human? Or perhaps a descendant of one?)


    He had worked with a Dragonewt before, back when he was a human. She had been in the same chivalric order as him.


    In the battlefield, she changed her arms to their draconic forms and wielded a gigantic battle-ax, sweeping down her foes with overwhelming power.


    She had been Tama’s partner. Her overwhelming power and his myriad sword skillsbined established their partnership as the best among their peers.


    (She was just like Ste, wearing those skimpy outfits. Well, it was better than ripping her clothes off every time she transformed.)


    Tama fondly recalled his previous partner’s preference for revealing outfits. Amongst his most cherished memories were the ones of her running across the battlefield, the armor exposing her arms and buttocks…


    「Now I get why Ste chose those clothes!」


    「Nyaa, now that we’ve decided on her adventurer set, it’s time for armaments! What kind of weapon do you prefer, Ste-chan?」


    「Ooh, a weapon! Do you mean something like a sword or a staff?」


    As soon as she heard the word “weapon”, Ste’s eyes shone with excitement. She couldn’t contain her glee anymore.


    They didn’t know it, by having a weapon was one of Ste’s deepest desires. Ever since human adventurers used weapons against her when she was a dragon, she had wanted to try one.


    「Hm… The first weapon that I can think of is a sword! But before that, I want to try THAT first!」


    Ste started rummaging around the store. Vulcan had prepared a lengthy exnation about weapons for her, but seeing Ste moving around like an eager puppy made her reconsider.


    Both Vulcan and Aria felt that interrupting her right now would only dampen her excitement, so they merely waited. Ste soon unearthed what she wanted.


    「Found it! This one first!」


    They followed her voice and headed to a corner of the room. It was stockpiled with shields and Ste stood right in the middle of them.


    「Nyaa!? That’s ameowzing, Ste-chan! I can’t believe you’re capable of lifting that ck iron shield with just one hand! 」


    「EH? Am I seeing this right? Didn’t you already cancel your transformation, Ste-chan?」


    (She can lift that huge ck shield even without transforming? Just how powerful is she?)


    The trio stared at Ste holding up a shield that was almost her height. It was pitch-ck and gave a dull luster, proof that it was made from ck iron, a metal famous for its excessive weight.


    Who would have thought that even without her transformation Ste would be able to lift that shield? At first sight, it seemed heavy, definitely not something a frail girl could lift with one hand.


    No wonder Tama, Aria, and Vulcan were shocked by the scene.


    「 Incredible… I never expected anyone to be able to handle that shield, aside from Sakura-chan nya~」


    「Is this the shield that Sakura-san used?」


    「Correct, nya, that shield was sent to my shop after she found out she was pregnant.」


    The dark shield made of ck iron ingots was called 〝Mega Shield?. It had been made for Sakura, the former toon captain of Cedric.


    It was gifted to her after she had retired from her post and joined Vulcan in the adventuring business.


    「Sakura-chan had the skill 《Iron Wall》. It was a passive skill that ignored armor weight and nullified any damage as long as it wasn’t fatal.」


    「I see, that’s how she became the most powerful tanker in the city.」


    Aria had an understanding look on her face as she heard Vulcan enthusiastically talk about Sakura, her formerrade.


    Tama gave them a sidelong nce as he focused on Ste.


    ―― I’m surprised you picked a shield. Since you were so aggressive as a dragon, I was sure you’d go for an ax or a sword first…


    ―― Oh, so you chose a shield because of myst attack?


    ―― Actually, it’s normal to be scared of being injured. I just felt it was strange. Learning how to defend oneself is important. Truth is, I’m the one who should be scared of you.


    ―― … As long as you’re okay with it.


    Tama couldn’t find any more words after hearing a second love confession from Ste. He felt guilty about killing her to the point he couldn’t even outright refuse her affections. Her honesty just made it worse.


    With a light heart after confessing to Tama again, Ste went back to her treasure hunting in the weapon corner of the shop, a childlike smile adorning her face.


    「That shield is light enough I can move around with ease, so it should be enough for defending. Now it’s weapon time! Ooh! That weapon looks promising!」


    Tama smiled wryly as he watched Ste choose her weapon.