Today, the Loki Familia's girls' squad wasn't spending the morning shopping as usual.
While Tione and Lefiya went to the Dian Cecht Familia to trade monster drop items, Ais and Tiona instead headed to the Goibniu Familia, planning to ask the forge god himself to maintain and service their weapons.
As for Lumine, she tagged along with the first pair, using the excuse: Unlike Aether, I'm not interested in forging.
Naturally, Tione's two short swords, shaped like Earth's Nepalese kukri and considered top-tier Lv.1 adventurer arms, were also taken along to the Goibniu Familia by her younger sister.
For the next few days, none of them would be entering the Dungeon. Finn, or rather, Riveria, had issued strict orders: everyone must properly rest.
Without question, that warning was meant especially for Ais.
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"Grandpa Goibniu, Riveria asked me to tell you not to prepare any spare weapons for Ais this time."
"Understood."
Inside the Goibniu Familia, the lean, long-bearded old god nodded. He accepted the Desperate Sword from Ais, only to notice the usually expressionless girl pouting ever so slightly.
A rare display of emotion, like she was sulking.
Seeing this, the god remarked,
"I do believe you ought to listen to your elders' advice now and then."
Goibniu was a rigid, rule-bound deity. Though his Familia was smaller than the mighty Hephaestus Familia, they also handled structural repairs alongside forging. And the quality of their custom-made weapons was high enough to rival even Hephaestus' works.
Drawing the Desperate Sword, the old god frowned the instant he saw the blade.
"You've battered this indestructible weapon again with such recklessness… just what were you hacking at this time?"
"Um… Deep Floors obsidian soldiers, some floor dwarves… oh, and I fought an elite lizardman wielding a natural Dungeon weapon. Oh, and a Middle Floor firebird."
Ais listed them off honestly, almost like she was reciting a menu. She didn't notice the god's face growing darker with every word.
Thankfully, Goibniu was calm and dignified, a true master craftsman. He didn't easily resort to yelling.
Still,
"I'll remind you once more. Though this Desperate Sword carries an indestructible property, if you continue abusing it, its sharpness will degrade."
"The maintenance fee this time is ten million valis."
"Ugh~"
They say even heroes can be humbled by a lack of coin. The same applied to the famed Sword Princess.
I need to earn more money… but I can't go into the Dungeon… what do I do?
The expressionless girl sank into troubled thought. Then, her golden eyes lit up, as if she'd just found the perfect loophole.
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"Dame~!"
Tiona, who had just handed over her twin greatblades for servicing, suddenly crossed her arms into an "X" before her chest, shaking her head wildly.
"Ais! The last time I followed you barehanded into the Dungeon, Riveria locked us up for three days! And we only got to eat vegetables! I almost starved! So absolutely no way this time."
"Emmmm~"
Ais resumed her deep pondering. Clearly, another outrageous plan was forming.
As proof…
Expressionless doesn't equal obedience. Sometimes the quiet ones were even more reckless than the loudmouths.
Thanks to Tiona's desperate efforts, Ais was finally stopped from charging ahead with her scheme. The girl had nearly been dragged away from the Goibniu Familia, still eyeing a roadside stall as if she'd bought a random dagger and stormed into the Dungeon with just that.
Her logic seemed to be: If going into the Dungeon unarmed gets me locked up, then bringing a little dagger (just for show) means I won't get punished.
Ais' brain really worked in terrifying ways sometimes.
Luckily, even the cheerful Tiona knew to back down in situations like this. Compared to Ais, she was nowhere near as reckless.
After much coaxing, Ais finally abandoned her looking-for-a-scolding plan. After all, when "Mama Riveria" got angry, it was truly terrifying. And Tiona wasn't about to go asking for that kind of doom.
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Meanwhile, about half an hour later, Tione and Lefiya finished their business at the Dian Cecht Familia. During that time, Lumine was introduced through them to the famed Dea Saint.
And to her surprise,
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lumine-san. How did the Panacea you purchased from us last time work for you?"
Amide Teasanare had apparently already taken notice of the Twin Stars.
But…
"Don't find it strange, Lumine."
Already familiar with Amide, Tione slipped the stamped Dian Cecht receipt deep into her ample cleavage, clearly expecting some brave Hero to try retrieving it. Then she smiled and waved a hand dismissively.
"Amide just makes a point of remembering every customer who's come to this shop."
That level of professional memory… impressive.
No wonder Dian Cecht himself had left right after they'd arrived, leaving Amide to handle everything. It was both a sign of trust, and, well, typical absentee management.
At present,
"I'm guessing you won't have many chances to need the Panacea anymore, Lumine."
As the one bridging this meeting, Tione decided to find them some common ground. Of course, she had long since asked Lumine's permission to mention this.
"Lumine here can make a kind of special cuisine, its healing effects actually surpass the Panacea."
"Oh?"
At that, Amide's composed expression shifted. Her eyes glimmered with deep curiosity. From what Lumine could see, her gaze carried no jealousy or suspicion, only a thirst for new knowledge and the desire to investigate further.
With such a heart, it was no wonder people called her "Saint."
To such a person,
"If the opportunity arises, I'd love for you to try my cooking, Amide-san. And if you're interested in its healing properties, we could even research it together. Though… don't laugh at me, I can make this special food, but I have no idea how it actually works."
Lumine's smile was gentle, her tone friendly.
"Cuisine with healing properties… medicinal cooking… yakusen?"
Amide, dignified and rarely one for levity, was in her own way another kind of expressionless girl. After a short pause, she nodded slightly.
"I would very much like to witness such a cuisine myself. When the time comes, I shall pay you a visit, Lumine-san."
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