"…"
Totosai did not answer immediately. He scratched his head in annoyance, carefully scrutinizing Baal.
"Why do you want… the power of a Youkai Blade?"
"What's the point of such a question?" A hint of surprise appeared on Baal's face, then she answered as a matter of course, "This world is so dangerous. If I don't have power, won't I easily get killed?"
"...That's it?"
Totosai picked his ear, his lightbulb-sized eyes revealing boredom, his voice carrying arrogance and disdain.
"I won't forge a blade for… such a low-level reason."
"...What kind of low-level reason is that?" Baal's beautiful eyes widened in anger, her cheeks puffed out slightly in dissatisfaction. "If I can't even meet my basic needs, then having more wishes is meaningless!"
"Ah… what you said is not wrong!" Totosai tugged at his beard, looking at the angry girl with a pained expression. "But, you have this incredibly strong Miko protecting you… Will you be unsafe?"
He pointed at the Miko standing nearby.
Although Kikyo, standing by, said nothing, this did not mean Totosai would underestimate her. This Miko definitely possessed the power to kill Great Youkai on her own; she was a truly formidable individual.
With this Miko protecting her, did she still need to worry about safety?
"…"
Baal followed his gaze to Kikyo. Meeting Kikyo's eyes, the gentle and tolerant look made her not doubt that Kikyo was willing to protect her safety, giving her a sense of security from the bottom of her heart.
"No, I don't want to be protected by Kikyo forever."
She shook her head gently, her voice firm.
"People have the responsibility to protect themselves. I don't want to shamelessly turn my own responsibility into Kikyo's responsibility."
The atmosphere suddenly solidified.
Beside her, a hint of surprise appeared in Kikyo's eyes, her clear gaze rippling slightly.
As a Miko, she would always be in the role of a protector and had grown accustomed to it.
Therefore, Baal's answer touched her.
"…"
Totosai scratched his head helplessly, as if understanding some essential aspect of the girl, then let out a helpless sigh.
"Meaning."
He said, as if in disdain, then stood up and went to the materials, picking them up and examining them for a while.
"There are many ways to forge a Youkai Blade. Which one do you want to choose…?"
"Uh… what kinds are there?" Baal's eyes showed confusion, and a slight blush of embarrassment appeared on her face. "I don't know much about these things. Could you explain a bit?"
She didn't understand forging techniques at all. Her knowledge of forging was limited to swinging a hammer wildly and shaping a piece of iron into a blade.
It could be said that her related understanding was extremely meager.
"Cough… I'm a bit thirsty."
Totosai pinched his throat, glancing at the tea table nearby, revealing a somewhat irritating smile.
"Really, my mouth is dry… no strength to explain."
"…"
Baal didn't get angry. She readily went and poured a cup of tea, then handed it to Totosai.
"I won't go into the complicated details," Totosai accepted the tea with satisfaction, took a sip, and then began to explain, "There are Youkai Blades that can be used immediately after being forged, and then there's another type that you nurture with your own demonic power!"
"What… is the difference?"
Baal asked softly.
"The power of a Youkai Blade forged directly can be estimated." Totosai put away his frivolous expression, becoming uncharacteristically serious. "Choosing to nurture a Youkai Blade with demonic power depends on your… inherent aptitude."
After saying that, he reverted to his casual demeanor, picking his ear.
"The legendary Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, taken from Orochi's tail, is a Youkai Blade nurtured by demonic power. Such a Youkai Blade is most compatible with its master. However, if the master is too useless, choosing to nurture a Youkai Blade with their own demonic power will instead waste… the Youkai Blade's materials."
"…"
Baal fell silent.
If she chose to forge a Youkai Blade that could be used directly, she would undoubtedly gain power to use immediately.
However, correspondingly… if she chose to forge a Youkai Blade with her own demonic power, she would get the most suitable Youkai Blade, but the upper and lower limits of its power could not be guaranteed.
Perhaps, it could be very strong… or very weak.
"Baal, I believe in your aptitude and talent." Kikyo suddenly spoke, her voice filled with firm trust. "A Youkai Blade nurtured by Baal's own demonic power will definitely be more suitable than a directly forged Youkai Blade."
"…"
Baal was slightly stunned. She hadn't expected Kikyo to trust her so much. To be honest, she had originally planned to choose a directly forged Youkai Blade to use, not intending to take the risk and gamble.
"Ah… I understand."
She nodded gently at Kikyo, then looked at Totosai and stated her choice.
"I choose… to nurture the Youkai Blade with demonic power."
"Hmph, it seems you… are very confident." Totosai nodded slightly, a hint of mischievous expression appearing on his face. "I hope you can maintain this appearance when your Youkai Blade is nurtured."
After saying that, he walked to the side and began rummaging through some tools.
In fact, if a Youkai had no potential, he wouldn't even offer the option of nurturing a Youkai Blade with demonic power.
After all, he didn't want to… waste his own efforts.
"…"
Baal sighed softly. Since the choice had been made, she couldn't regret it, even if the nurtured Youkai Blade turned out to be weak.
She would not feel regret about it.
She wanted to live a fulfilling life without regrets. Even if she made the wrong choice, she would continue to move forward.
She would not linger in regret, self-pitying.
"Come, open your mouth." Totosai held a pair of iron pliers, revealing a mischievous smile. "Since you're forging your own Youkai Blade, you'll need to add a few of your own teeth."
"…"
Baal fell silent, instinctively stepping back a few paces.
She didn't want to have teeth pulled at all. In this era, there was no anesthetic, so one could imagine how much it would hurt.
"Aren't they just a few teeth?" Totosai shook his head, looking exasperated. "Pulling teeth doesn't hurt that much. If you're not afraid of getting hurt in a fight, why would you be afraid of having teeth pulled?"
"...No, absolutely not!" Baal covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head vigorously. "If I'm missing a few teeth, won't I be hideous?"
Her eyes were wary, like an angry kitten, as if approaching her would result in her extending her claws and scratching several times.
Even if she didn't care much about her appearance.
But, she still didn't want to… become toothless.
"Don't worry, Youkai teeth can grow back." Totosai opened and closed the pliers in his hand, patiently comforting Baal. "If you're worried about looking ugly, you can wear a mask to cover it."
"…"
Baal hesitated slightly, then looked at Kikyo beside her, finding Kikyo with her eyes lowered, remaining silent.
"...Alright, then. Be quick about it."
She lowered the hand covering her mouth, slowly opened her mouth, revealing her pearly white teeth.
Totosai was quick, his pliers like lightning, directly clamping onto the girl's tooth, then pulling it with force.
"Ah!"
A piercing shriek echoed through the volcano.