"Repairing the armor," he said, "I just don't want my Familia's goddess to worry."
This was the most unusual reason Eina had ever heard. Looking at the perfectly fine Keare, he didn't seem injured at all. As for the specific reason?
Due to their relationship, she didn't voice her inner confusion.
But being willing to consider other people's feelings, how could that not be a kind of gentleness? She thought simply, "If you want to repair armor, you need to go to the 5th floor of Babel Tower."
"If you're not familiar with the location, I can take you after work."
"..."
Was this forced overtime?
After finishing work, having to go out and socialize was something Keare had experienced frequently before transmigrating. However, when the situation applied to others,
It didn't seem so hard to accept!
Regarding the Dian Cecht Familia's Amid's request for Blue Butterfly wings, when asking directly at the Adventurer's Guild, one needed to be a bit mindful of the environment.
"Then I'll trouble Miss Eina."
"No..."
"You two?"
Eina and Keare's conversation was very natural.
So much so that Misha was directly ignored. She looked at the two with such a good atmosphere, always feeling that she was extremely superfluous standing there!
Unauthorized disclosure of quest information was a violation at the Adventurer's Guild.
Not only did Eina do this, but she was also willing to spend her free time after work accompanying Keare to Babel Tower to repair his weapon.
There was definitely something going on.
A strong intuition told her that things were definitely not as simple as she thought!
"Um..."
Being a third wheel was bad behavior, but having gossip right in front of her yet being unable to partake was torture for Misha:
"Why don't you take me along?"
"I remember you have to go home to help take care of your younger brother tonight. You don't need to trouble yourself with such a simple matter."
Eina decisively refused. After so many years of interacting in the school district, how could she not know what her best friend was thinking?
Helping Keare.
Indeed, part of the reason was based on the good impression he had left on her!
—
Leaving the Adventurer's Guild, aside from the rare drop items, the total earnings from today's Dungeon exploration exchanged for about 45,000 valis.
The remaining 7 pairs of Blue Butterfly wings were sold separately to Amid.
Skipping the Guild's profit-making process, if the profit margin here was small, Keare wouldn't have complicated the sale of materials.
As for the armor repair.
Keare hadn't expected that this signboard lady would actively help.
At this moment, night was already about to envelop Orario. He looked at the tall figure in front, wearing a black women's suit, and actively expressed his gratitude.
"I'm really troubling Miss Eina, bothering you even at night."
"Not at all."
"I just happened to be coming here to deliver some materials. The weapons sold cheaply to new Adventurers at the Guild are all sourced from there."
However, they were all inferior goods.
Of course, Eina wouldn't say such a thing. Arriving at the Central Plaza, looking at the Babel Tower soaring into the clouds in the night, she patiently explained:
"Floors 4-8 of Babel Tower are all places that sell high-end equipment, but there are also some shops here that can provide equipment repair services."
"If the damaged area of the armor is quite large, my suggestion is to buy new ones."
"I'll consider it."
It was a pity that Recovery magic could only be used on living beings. If equipment could also be restored to its initial stats, wouldn't that be a kind of perpetual motion machine?
He wasn't particularly familiar yet.
Their relationship hadn't reached the point where they could ask each other about hobbies. Keare shifted the topic to the rare drop items he cared about most.
"Miss Eina."
"When is the deadline for the Dian Cecht Familia's acquisition of Blue Butterfly wings?"
"The day after tomorrow. My suggestion is... if you have time tomorrow, sell these drop items early. Each pair of wings gives 5,000 valis more than what the Guild offers."
"After this matter is dealt with, as a thank you, I hope you'll do me the honor of letting me treat you to a meal."
The best way to maintain relationships was through reciprocal favors.
Keare was well aware of this. Just simple information could earn him an extra day's worth of valis from Dungeon exploration. What more could he ask for?
He would definitely continue to interact with her in the future.
Perhaps there would be some insider information that would also be conveniently conveyed to him.
"I won't be polite with Mr. Keare."
Eina didn't refuse, but... their simple interaction always gave her a sense of incongruity. Keare's registered Adventurer age was 14.
When they actually interacted.
Through the details, she could tell... this was simply not the way a person of his age would conduct himself.
Unlike how she received other Adventurers, where the goal was practically written on their faces, such rare maturity must mean he had experienced many things, right?
They arrived at the 6th floor of Babel Tower.
The shop Eina recommended was reliable in terms of quality and pricing. It had no sign, only constantly piled weapons that made movement difficult.
She smiled easily: "This is the place."
The lead weaponsmith was a middle-aged, bearded Dwarf. After he noticed Eina's familiar figure, his eyes showed some surprise.
Then he looked at Keare and asked:
"Are you buying a weapon or armor?"
"I'd like to repair this piece of armor." Taking off the brown leather armor that had been pierced by a crossbow bolt, Keare handed it to the Dwarf weaponsmith.
Given Hestia's financial situation, buying a new set of similar armor wouldn't be expensive.
But the meaning was completely different. It was a gift from a beautiful young goddess. Even if he got other armor later, this gift,
He intended to keep it as a collectible.
"A similar style of armor costs 10,000 valis. For repair, it would probably cost half the price. There's no need for that."
After scanning the style, the Dwarf weaponsmith quickly picked out a replacement from a basket.
"The meaning is different."
"Alright."
When a customer insisted on paying, why would he refuse? However, as he took the armor from Keare's hand and noticed the slope where the crossbow bolt had pierced it,
The Dwarf weaponsmith looked up at the brown-haired young man, who showed no signs of injury.
His calm eyes gradually filled with curiosity, but the most taboo thing was to ask a customer's private matters: "5,000 valis, thank you for your patronage."
"Come back later to pick it up."
After paying the bill.
Keare didn't just wait. When he encountered the rare Blue Butterfly, he clearly realized that his combat methods were very limited.
He couldn't possibly rely solely on magic swords for monsters he couldn't attack, could he?
Having the opportunity to visit a weapon shop, he could choose other types of weapons he liked, and then directly find the War God Takemikazuchi to learn about these weapons.
At least he wouldn't be as clueless as he was at first.
Keare pointed at the dazzling array of weapons and said to the Dwarf weaponsmith: "Alright, I'll just browse the weapon shop, should be fine, right?"
"Go ahead."
The Dwarf weaponsmith looked at the brown-haired young man, especially when he noticed that even after using two-handed weapons, there were no signs of injury.
He noticed the Guild staff member with gentle eyes who hadn't noticed anything unusual, and asked in a low voice: "Is this the Adventurer you're in charge of?"
"Something like that."
"He just registered as an Adventurer a few days ago," Eina said softly.
Upon getting the confirmed answer, the Dwarf weaponsmith couldn't help but click his tongue: "This Adventurer you brought is probably not as simple as you think!"