Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (16 page)

“Why would I have a reason to complain? Bell will get a weapon made by the most famous blacksmith in all of Tenkai! In fact, I couldn’t ask for more!”

“Have you forgotten? This isn’t Tenkai, I can’t use my ‘power’ here.”

The gods and goddesses had a mutual agreement. All of them were forbidden to use Arkanam while on Gekai.

Hephaistos had made hundreds of weapons and pieces of armor for gods while living in Tenkai. But down here, the Goddess of the Forge was on par with an unblessed child, just a human in terms of strength.

“You think I care? I’m so happy you’re doing this!”

“……”

She didn’t doubt Hephaistos’s skill. Accepting her work with no conditions still made Hephaistos uneasy. It was written all over her face.

What bothered her most was that she didn’t care.

“… You will be lending me a hand. I’m not going to let you just sit around.”

“You can count on me!”

Hiding a small smile with her fingers, Hephaistos turned to leave.

Hestia followed her, bouncing up and down like an excited puppy.

Got to follow the customer’s wishes, don’t I?

Hephaistos was changing her mind-set from the leader of the
Familia
to that of a craftsman.

The blade that Hestia desired…

A blade that would clear the path for an adventurer.

A blade worthy of the name “Hephaistos.”

… Easier said than done…

Hephaistos dug through her memory to recall as much information about the boy as she could.

Bell Cranell. Human. A barely fourteen-year-old boy.

He was the only member of
Hestia Familia
. He’d received his Falna little more than two weeks ago.

Basically, he was a greenhorn as far as adventurers were concerned.

A high-quality blade useable by the most inexperienced of adventurers…

This was a very difficult problem.

Adventurers who tried to use too strong of a blade suffered for it. Their growth stopped as they tried to master the weapon. They couldn’t wield it in battle. To put it simply, they were not ready.

On the other hand, if she made a poor blade, it would damage the name “Hephaistos.”

Hephaistos considered herself a smith before a god. She took a lot of pride in everything she made. She wouldn’t allow herself to produce anything less than the best. It was her policy.

Anything worth making was worth making well. She decided to put her heart and soul into making the perfect blade.

She was between a rock and a hard place.

Well… how shall we do this?

She called on the knowledge that came from making countless other pieces.

It may be for a friend, but this order is a real pain in the ass…

Hestia looked on with bubbly eyes as Hephaistos went to work, cursing the whole thing.

The goddess left three days ago. She’s still not back.

I felt a little lonely eating breakfast in an empty room this morning. Going back to the Dungeon again today.

I have a job to do; it doesn’t matter if she’s here or not. Besides, I want to surprise her with a big pile of loot when she gets back. “Hey! Look how much I earned while you were away!” I can see her face now… Got to get the loot first, though. Quick check in the mirror; everything looks in order.

My leg holster has the two potions I got last night. My dagger is strapped to my lower back. Slip the backpack on over my armor, and I’m ready. Come on, Bell, you can do this!

“I’m heading out.”

There’s no one to hear me, but I feel like I should say good-bye anyway. Here I go.

My leg’s back to normal. Today’s the day I go back to the lower fifth.

A few days ago, I got carried away and went down there. It didn’t turn out so well. I ran away crying, literally. It’ll be different this time. I don’t know exactly how much, but my status is much higher now. Well, just to be safe, maybe I should talk with Eina before going into the Dungeon today…

Before I know it, I’ve climbed out of the hidden room under the church and walked my usual path through the ruins. I love how morning feels, so fresh and ready. Ah, already on West Main. Time is flying this morning.

Should loosen up a bit before getting to the Dungeon… A morning jog sounds good. This morning looks a lot like the morning I met Syr. The sun is in the same place, people are going about their business. I can run faster than this—speed up, man, speed up.

Yep, there’re the same two animal people talking on the corner. Someone’s setting up the terrace. The girl who was in the second-floor window of that shop isn’t here today, though.

“Oi! Wait up nya, white-head kid!”

White-head kid…? I haven’t heard “kid” since… Where did that voice come from?

Isn’t that The Benevolent Mistress? And that’s the catgirl waitress. Running over, her thin tail swishing, waving her arms like a maniac…

… Behind her, isn’t that the elfess who works there, too?

I remember the voice that called me “kid” all too well. It was that or “tomato boy,” and other things I’d rather not think about.

Is she really talking to me…? I returned Syr’s basket on my way home last night…

I point at myself and mouth, “Me?” The catgirl is still coming this way at full speed, nodding.

“Good morning, nya! Sorry to call nyou out like that, nya!”

“Ah, um, morning… Can I help you…?”

She’s bowing to me. Okay, I can do that, too…

That’s a very rehearsed bow, must be for work. She’s about to say something.

“Got a favor to ask nyou. Here, nya!”

“?”

“Syr is nyour friend, white-head kid. So I want nyou to give this to her, nya!”

It’s a cloth coin purse with a metal clasp. I’ve seen this style before. It’s popular.

There’s an unfamiliar emblem engraved on the clasp, and I can tell right away it was made by one of the
Familias
. The purse itself is purple, kind of cute and girlie.

Yeah, it’s cute and all, but I don’t understand…

Give this to Syr? What’s going on?

“Ahnya. You are not being clear. Mr. Cranell is confused.”

Ah, the elfess. She was the one on the terrace this morning. Maybe she can tell me what’s up…

… Hang on, she said, “Mr. Cranell”! She remembered me. Me!

“Lyu, nyou’re stupid! Syr forgot her wallet, playing hooky to go to Monsterphilia, nya. She nyeeds it, so I’m asking him to take it to her. Nyou knew that, right, white-head kid?”

“That is how it is. I apologize for the confusion.”

“Ah, no, I got it now. That’s what’s going on.”

The elfess named Lyu ignores her coworker’s pouting face and gives me a short, repentant bow. I lower my head, too; she sorted it all out for me.

The catgirl looks dejected, like she was left out in the cold. Her tail hangs limp, and she looks at the ground. I hear a small “hm” come from her nose. Is she angry at me?

“Please pay her no mind. Are you sure it is okay to accept our request? Ahnya, the other employees and I are too busy preparing
to go after Syr ourselves. I know we are interrupting your plans for today…”

“It’s not that big of a deal, but is it true Syr is skipping out on work?”

“Ahnya did not choose her words well. Syr is not playing hooky. Her situation is different because she doesn’t reside at our establishment like we do.”

I knew Syr wouldn’t skip work. She seemed to really enjoy it. Sounds like she has a day off or something. She doesn’t live at the bar, which means that she doesn’t need to work every day like these two. I bet that dwarfess, Mama Mia, had to give permission, though.

So she’s bound to have a day off here and there, right?

And it sounds like she went to some kind of festival…

“Monsterphilia…?”

“Yes. She went to see the opening events today.”

I heard those words in the basement of Babel Tower.

“Do you not know? All residents of Orario know about this event.”

“Actually, I haven’t lived here very long… Could you tell me about it?”

“—Nyay! Me will tell nyou about it, nya!”

As soon as I asked, the catgirl suddenly jumped in between us. She looked so depressed two seconds ago… Where did this energy come from? She’s talking really fast, too!

“Monsterphilia is an event put on once a year by
Ganesha Familia
, nya! We fill the stadium for a day and tame the monsters, nya!”

“Huh?… T-tame?!”

What the hell is she talking about?!?

Taming the monsters? Keeping those vicious beasts as pets?!?

“It’s nyot really that strange, nya? Nyou’re an adventurer, nya, aren’t cha, white head? Nyou have seen when a slain monster wakes up with a look in its eyes. It wants to be our friend, nya!”

“Uh… no. I can’t say I have…”

Should I believe her? Can I? I must look confused, because Lyu speaks up again.

“Taming has been recognized as a skill. I am being brief, but a person proves him- or herself more powerful than a monster. In turn, the monster obeys that person’s commands.”

“The monster obeys their commands.”… Sounds like I’m in another world.

“The monsters in the Dungeon have bad tempers, nya! So usually monsters already above ground are tamed. But
Ganesha Familia
’s tamers are good! They break the Dungeon-born monsters, too, nya!”

Ganesha Familia
… I’ve heard that name before. They are probably the most influential
Familia
in Orario. I’ve heard there is a ton of members, too.

“So, basically these tamers fight a monster until it submits. And people watch?”

“That’s right, nya! Like a really big circus!”

Except much more dangerous… Yeah, I got it.

“We wanted to go, too, nya! But Mommy Mia said nyo nyo… Syr said she’d buy us syomething, but she forgot her wallet, nya! She smiled and waved, but nyo money! Careless girl, nya!”

“Ahnya, I don’t believe you are correct…”

Ehh, I got this figured out. Syr can’t buy souvenirs, or anything else, without her wallet. I owe her, so it’s the least I can do to take this to her.

“I believe that the area around the stadium on East Main will be very crowded. If you head in that direction, you should find the stadium easily.”

“Syr just left, nya! Nyou can catch up!”

“Sure thing.”

My heavy backpack would get in the way, so I ask them to keep it at The Benevolent Mistress. I can swing by later to pick it up.

Clutching Syr’s wallet in hand, I make my way toward Babel Tower. I’ll need to go beyond it, but it should be a straight shot from here.

Monsterphilia… I wonder what it’s like…

Maybe I should check it out later?

East Main Street was alive with the songs and voices of the citizens of Orario.

It was now nine o’clock in the morning. While most adventurers were already prowling the Dungeon, throngs of townspeople were gathering on the streets.

A line of food stalls ran down the middle of the street, another two lines along the sides. Sounds and smells of their various confections spread out over an ocean of humanity. The street itself was decorated with long ribbons and vibrant flowers. Flags of many colors flew in the morning breeze. Some of them had the silhouette of particularly vicious monsters printed on them. The others had an elephant’s head, the emblem of
Ganesha Familia
.

A young animal boy, his face red with excitement, pulled his mother’s arm as they plunged into the crowd. The sun itself seemed to be celebrating the day, its bright yellow beams lighting up the sky.

East Main had been completely transformed by the fair.

“……”

The line of fairgoers ran from the east gate all the way up to the stadium itself. A pair of silver eyes watched them inch along from above the street.

From the second floor of a café, to be exact.

The café had a wooden interior and a very laid-back atmosphere. One woman was sitting at a table next to a glass window facing the street. She was wearing a navy blue cloak to prevent her face, and snowy-white skin, from being seen.

However, one layer of cloth was not enough to contain this person’s beauty.

Even though her face was well hidden under a hood, every set of eyes in the café was trained on her. Whenever she would trace the lip of her cup with her delicate fingers or her elegant chin peeked out
from under her hood for a moment, everyone around her held their breath. Many people who happened to see her stopped and stared.