After somehow clearing breakfast together—potato soup, for the record—we fidgeted in a heavy, awkward silence.
I was awkward because I had shown him the pathetic sight of myself crying, while Limus was probably embarrassed by what he had said...
"Um..."
"Uh..."
Ah, fuck, we talked at the same time. This is awkward as hell!
"...We don't have to pretend it never happened, but let's not bring up what happened today."
"Will you be all right?"
"It's fine. A man lets out all the stuff he's been bottling up once, and that's that. Why keep clinging to it like some pathetic mess?"
"If you're okay, then I guess you're okay... Still, if anything's bothering you, tell me."
And then we fell silent again... Awkward...!
"Ahem. Then I'll head over to the Hephaestus Familia and apply to join."
"Right, and I should get the shop open soon. But can you even get from here to there?"
...Come to think of it, he was right.
I had been dropped into Daedalus Street without knowing a single road in Orario. What was I supposed to do...?
"Hey, pick a day sometime and show me around Orario."
"Denied!"
"Ah, why?! Friends can do at least that much for each other!"
"I'm busy enough just making a living, so why should I? Once you join a Familia, ask the seniors there to do it! I don't get around Orario much either, so I only know the eastern Main Street area!"
"You shut-in!"
"What's it to you, you muscle pig?!"
"..."
"..."
"Pfft, pfft—bwahahahahaha!"
I really did not know why, but I got along ridiculously well with this guy.
We glared at each other for quite a while, only for it to end in laughter.
"The Hephaestus Familia is... probably in the industrial district, so I'll at least take you as far as eastern Main Street. And if you don't want to get lost in Daedalus Street..."
Limus rummaged through a nearby drawer, then handed me a sheet of paper.
"Memorize this first. It's a map of the landmarks in Daedalus Street. I'll write down the location of the shop too, so remember it well."
"Gah, why is this so complicated?"
"Don't underestimate the other labyrinth of the Labyrinth City... Heh heh heh."
"Wow... You sounded like a real mastermind just now."
"Ahem. And if you really can't find your way, grab anyone and ask where Azure Wind is. Almost nobody around here hasn't relied on my potions, so they'll probably help you."
"But what does this shop mainly deal in? Potions for adventurers?"
"No, we mainly deal in ordinary potions for civilians who don't have Falna.
Potions made for adventurers with Falna are far too strong for civilians in the first place, so our shop mostly carries cheap, low-grade potions that civilians can use safely. We do make adventurer potions, antidotes, and explosive items too, but those are usually made to order."
"Oho..."
We chatted about this and that, and quite a bit of time passed.
"Don't you need to get going and apply to join a Familia now?"
"You need to take me there."
"Tch, what a troublesome guy I've gotten stuck with... Let's go."
"Let's go~!"
After making our way through twisting paths that climbed upward and descended again, we reached a broad avenue. Beyond it stood a massive tower: Babel.
"So that's the Divine Tower, Babel... It's enormous..."
"Yeah, that's Babel—the lid on the Dungeon. I have no idea how the gods built something that absurdly huge.
Then again, maybe they could build it because they're gods..."
To be honest, I had seen plenty of skyscrapers in the modern world, so I did not think I would be all that surprised. But this was beyond my expectations. As far as I knew, Babel was fifty stories tall, a little shorter than the 63 Building.
But when every other building was only four or five stories at most, it alone stood fifty stories high... It was impossible not to be awed. So this was what it meant to stand head and shoulders above the crowd.
"This is eastern Main Street, where we are now. The slums and all sorts of other miscellaneous districts are gathered around here. If you head south to the southeast district, you'll find the cemetery area and the pleasure quarter. If you head north into the northeast district, there's the industrial district where the Hephaestus Familia you want to join is located."
"Ooh... This is pretty thorough, huh?"
"Well, to explain it simply, the eight Main Streets of Orario serve as reference points. The area between northern Main Street and northeastern Main Street is District One, and the districts are numbered clockwise from there. The district containing Daedalus Street, where we just came from, is District Three."
"Then the industrial district I'm headed for is District Two, and if I cross this avenue and go in that direction, I'll enter the industrial district?"
"Yep, that's right."
"Thanks for bringing me this far. I'll ask for directions and make my way from here."
"Be careful. You're built like a brick house, so people probably won't pick fights with you, but Orario's security is at its worst right now. Murders happen whenever you turn around, and people get kidnapped at the drop of a hat in this town. Come back to the shop before dark if you can."
"Okay, okay, don't worry. I'll be back~"
With that, I crossed the avenue.
And then a familiar atmosphere, a familiar smell, and... familiar heat washed over me.
"Just as I thought... A forge really is the place that suits me best..."
Now that the refining [Prologue] was over, it was time for the forging [Main Story].
Shall I go light the furnace?