Let's see... Today is Thursday, so next Monday is one, two, two-three, four... four days away. I need to procure the adamantite for the spear, along with another metal for the gauntlet, within the budget... Still, assuming the funding comes through as proposed... I can estimate the materials at roughly half the total.
"Hmm... In that case, the shaft should be... Whoa."
Thud, flop.
I rounded a corner and lightly bumped into someone. I only staggered slightly, but the other person must have been rather small, because they seemed to have fallen backward.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Here..."
When I held out my hand, what I saw before me was a cascade of brilliant blond hair. Her remarkably slender arms and legs suggested that she was a girl. And when she raised her head...
Though their color was bright gold, what those eyes held was a darkness as deep and profound as an abyss, utterly removed from light.
Other than her eyes, I could not take in her nose, mouth, ears, or forehead. I could barely tell whether what stood before me was a girl or darkness wearing the shape of a girl.
It was only after the girl took my hand and stood that I barely escaped the illusion her eyes had shown me. What irony—that I escaped the illusion her eyes showed me because she had taken my hand.
"Who... are you?"
"Ah, I'm Smith of the Hephaestus Familia. My alias is [Homeros], and I came here to make Captain Finn Deimne's weapon. And you are?"
"Miss...? I'm Ais, from the Loki Familia. Ais Wallenstein. My alias is [Tempest]."
"So you're the famous record holder. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice... to meet you."
So this was Ais Wallenstein. Even in the original story, before meeting Bell, she had been so obsessed with killing monsters that people sometimes called her the War Princess rather than Sword Princess, her unofficial alias. Her desire for revenge against monsters... It really was incredible. Most people would be crushed by the pressure just from meeting her gaze.
"What are you doing here...?"
"I was on my way out after finishing my discussion with Captain Finn Deimne, but I got lost in thought, failed to watch where I was going, and bumped into you. I apologize."
Nod.
Even while speaking, her expression did not change in the slightest. Aside from the movement of her mouth and jaw, neither her cheeks nor eyebrows—nothing moved at all... The word doll suited her perfectly.
"Then I should be going now... but could you tell me which way I need to go to get outside?"
Nod.
Tap tap tap.
...Cute.
.
.
.
.
.
A young man follows along.
.
.
.
.
.
"This is...?"
"Training ground."
"Yes, I can see that, but...?"
"...?"
"...?"
"Ais, who is that person standing there?"
"Gareth."
"Yes, I'm Gareth. So who is the person beside me?"
"Ah, I'm [Homeros] Smith of the Hephaestus Familia. I came here to negotiate the forging of Captain Finn Deimne's weapon."
"I am [Ele Garm], Gareth Landrock. So, why are you here?"
"Well... I ran into Miss Ais on the way, and when I asked her for directions to the exit, she brought me here..."
Scratch scratch.
"Ais?"
Tilt.
Gah, she tilted her head without changing her expression! My heart can't take this...!
"Sigh... I apologize. I imagine she brought you to me because she could not explain the route out in words... The problem is that the exit is in the exact opposite direction from here."
Holy shit...?
"Now, now, don't make that face. It was a child's mistake; what can you do...?"
Gareth's expression looked oddly enlightened... This must happen often...
"You have it rough..."
"Something like this... Something like this... Sniff..."
"Stay strong... You mustn't break down here...!"
"That's right... I am, I am the shield of the Loki Familia...! I cannot fall here..."
As we carried on that skit—though Gareth seemed completely sincere—Ais's indifferent gaze gradually made me feel as though something inside me were being shaved away, so I stopped.
"Ahem. So, which way is the exit?"
"I need to head out myself soon, so let us go together."
"Ah, thank you. If there's ever an opportunity, I'll see you later, Miss Ais."
I reached out and shook Ais's hand—her hand was incredibly tough, considering how much she must have swung a sword—then turned away... before looking back at her and speaking.
"Miss Ais?"
"...?"
"This may be unwanted meddling, but let me say one thing. Uncontrollable vengeance and a blind obsession with strength... may someday become a cutting wind that destroys you and wounds even those around you. Please be careful."
"?!"
"Well then, I'll be going. If you ever need a weapon, please do come and find me."
After finishing my own little piece of advice, I headed over to Gareth. He was looking at Ais with a complicated expression. Of course he had heard it.
"...Someone had to say it someday. But we were too close to her, so we could only speak around the matter... You have my thanks for saying it directly."
"Well... I have heard much about the endings reached by people with eyes like hers... Even if my words cannot have much effect right now, it will be enough if she remembers them even once someday, when her heart has been stained by darkness."
"...Let us hope so. Let us be on our way."
And so, until we reached the entrance, we simply walked in silence without saying a word.
"Then I'll see you later."
"I expect that when next we meet, you will be bringing Finn's spear. I look forward to it."
"Haha, I'll bring you a fine one."
With that, I left Twilight Manor and returned to Lemnos Island, the home of the Hephaestus Familia. Just as I thought... No matter how large and magnificent somewhere else might be, home is the best.
"I'm back!"