"Pull."
Haimer's voice rang out again, cutting Loki's grumbling off mid-sentence.
Hearing it, Loki immediately clenched her teeth, gripped the metal lever of the bellows with both hands for dear life, and yanked the handle backward with all her might.
"Whoosh ——!"
A great rush of air was forcibly driven into the furnace.
The flames inside surged in heat at once, brilliant white tongues of fire leaping up.
Haimer's right hand, gripping the pitch-black forging hammer, came smashing down with the rhythm.
"Clang!"
Sparks scattered in every direction, striking the surface of the pitch-black anvil with a crisp, cracking report.
"Loki, faster — the air's not enough."
Haimer stared at the ore on the anvil, slowly deforming under his blows, not so much as turning his head.
"Uwaaaah!!"
Loki was rocking her whole body back and forth as she heaved, complaining at the top of her lungs — yet her hands did not dare stop their motion.
She knew perfectly well the value of this deep-floor ore that had been brought back from below the fiftieth floor, and she knew perfectly well that if the heat went off because she had slacked, Haimer would absolutely chalk the lost material up to her account.
"You don't have the slightest consideration for a goddess! This god-awful temperature is about to roast my hair right off my head!"
Loki hollered, the sweat on her forehead sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the scorching floor, where it instantly turned into a wisp of white steam and vanished.
"If you don't want to do it, I can scrap the blade-extension plan you asked for earlier and save myself a step."
Haimer raised his hammer, and brought it down again with another heavy blow.
"Clang!"
"No no no! I'm pulling! I'm pulling, alright?!"
Loki shut her mouth at once, gritted her teeth and stepped up the tempo at which she worked the bellows in and out, the veins on her arms bulging.
Tsubaki, standing off to the side, was fixed on Haimer's technique with intent eyes.
That forging hammer rose and fell in his hand — the point and the force of every single strike not off by so much as a hair. The impurities inside the ore were being driven out at this extreme frequency of hammering, and the rough form of the blade was taking shape at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Tsubaki's single eye glittered with fervent light. She had even held her breath, terrified of missing so much as a single detail.
"Alright, get ready to quench."
Haimer set down the forging hammer, lifted the now glowing-red blade-blank with a pair of tongs, and turned to walk over to the quenching trough beside him.
Loki finally let go of the bellows handle, plopped right down on her butt, sprawled flat on her back with all four limbs splayed out, opened her mouth wide and gasped for air in great heaving lungfuls, her chest rising and falling violently.
"I'm exhausted... I swear, I am never taking on this kind of job again, not if you kill me..."
Meanwhile, on the other side of things.
Northwest Main Street — the great hall of the Guild headquarters.
Inside the VIP reception room.
Eina was sitting on a tall stool, holding the settlement form she had just finished filling out, the wrist of the hand gripping her pen still trembling slightly.
On the desk in front of her — besides the leather pouch filled to bursting with Magic Stones — was that thick, massive Mammoth tusk that took up over half the table.
"The count is complete."
Eina pushed the settlement form over to Kikakujou Mary.
"The intact tusk of a twenty-first-floor Mammoth, plus a large quantity of high-purity Magic Stones harvested from the Great Tree Labyrinth, plus drop materials from various other monsters..."
Eina swallowed hard, her voice a little dry, her gaze sweeping over the women standing nearby.
"For a grand total of eight million, five hundred thousand Valis."
Hearing this figure —
Kashima Ouka and Mikoto, standing behind, exchanged a look — both of their breaths catching for an instant.
Chigusa simply clapped her hand over her mouth outright.
Eight million, five hundred thousand Valis.
For their Familia — long worn down by the worries of making ends meet, the kind of people who couldn't even bring themselves to replace damaged equipment with something new — this was an unimaginable sum they wouldn't have dared to dream about.
"According to the current regulations, for an amount of funds this large, the Guild can deposit it directly into the exclusive account of [Haimer Familia]. All you need to do is bring this Magic Stone Card, and you'll be able to draw directly against the balance at any of the large trading houses in Orario."
Eina took from a drawer a black card inlaid with a fine line of gold trim, and held it out to her.
Kikakujou Mary took the card, inspected it to confirm everything was in order, then turned her head and looked toward Onigawara Rin.
Onigawara Rin nodded, turned around, and walked over to stand in front of Kashima Ouka and Mikoto.
"For hauling out the Mammoth tusk this time — the Guild's highest standard rate, plus an additional thirty percent as compensation."
Onigawara Rin held up three fingers, looking at the three across from her.
"Going straight to you."
"There's no need! Really, there's no need! We just lent a hand in passing — how could we possibly accept that much money?!"
Kashima Ouka kept backing away, hands waving frantically in front of her, him face flushed bright red.
Mikoto, too, stood off to one side, ramrod straight.
"We've received your kindness many times over. If we have to charge money even for helping out with something as small as this, then what becomes of our [Takemikazuchi Familia]'s honor?"
"This is a separate matter altogether."
Onigawara Rin did not lower her hand.
"You shouldered hard labor the whole way. Putting in the effort and taking the pay for it — that's only natural and right."
"If you won't accept it, then next time we run into each other in the Dungeon, we won't dare ask for your help anymore."
Hearing that, Kashima Ouka opened his mouth, but for the moment found herself with no words to answer with.
After all, the situation their Familia was in right now was extraordinarily dire — the shrine back in the far-off Far East was still waiting on this money to tide it over an emergency, and the bowstring on the longbow in Chigusa's hands had been worn down to the point it was on the verge of snapping.
Thinking of this, Mikoto let out a sigh, took a step forward, and bowed deeply to Onigawara Rin.
"In that case, we will shamelessly accept it."
"This kindness — we will keep it engraved in our hearts!"
...
With the matter of the Valis distribution settled, the women said their goodbyes to Eina — who was still working — and walked out of the Guild building.
The night had grown deep.
The pedestrians on the streets were a bit fewer than before, but the taverns running along the roadsides were still brightly lit, and from them spilled the boisterous noise of adventurers drinking and clinking their glasses together.
"I'm so hungry..."
Aihara Enju rubbed her shrunken-in belly.
"After a whole fight down in the Dungeon, I've used up every last drop of strength."
"Let's go buy some food and take it back with us."
Kikakujou Mary glanced over the stalls and shops lining both sides of the street, the aromas of food drifting on the night breeze.
"Lady Hestia and Reed and the others are still back at the mansion waiting for us to come home and serve dinner."
"Let's grab some jerky and grilled flatbreads — fill our stomachs at least."
With that line tossed off, Kikakujou Mary headed for a stall giving off the savory smell of roasting meat.
Not long after.
The group, laden with bags large and small of food, returned to the mansion in the high-end residential district.
They pushed open the heavy front door.
The Magic Stone climate-regulation system humming away in the great hall gave off a comfortable warmth.
"You're finally back!!"
A loud, drawn-out wail came from the direction of the sofa.
Hestia was clutching a completely empty plate, her entire body collapsed limp into the sofa cushions, her black twin-tails strewn in disarray behind her.
She turned her head, and the moment she saw the food in the women's hands, her eyes lit up at once, and she came tumbling off the sofa.
"Haimer ditched us and ran off who knows where! I'm so hungry I'm about to wither into a piece of paper!"
Hestia ran barefoot to the long table.
"Kami-sama is staying at the workshop tonight to deal with equipment. He's not coming back."
Holy Emperor set the bag of grilled meat down on the broad long table and unfastened the knot at the top.
"Naniii?!"
Hestia's hands, in the middle of tearing open her wrapping, froze. She snapped her head up, her face a picture of shock.
"Hard to say."
Amou Kirukiru pulled out a chair beside her and sat down, casually picking up a grilled flatbread and taking a bite.
"Kami is currently in the middle of a delightful little chat with a certain red-haired goddess."
"Red-haired? That flat-as-a-board Loki?!"
Hestia's eyes went wide at once, grinding her teeth, the meat-bun in her hand getting crushed out of shape in her grip.
"I knew it! That woman's definitely up to no good! Stealing Haimer away in the middle of the night!"
"Alright, food first."
Kikakujou Mary offered a soothing word, then turned her head toward the few figures standing somewhat awkwardly at the foot of the staircase.
Reed, Fei, Rania, and Aruru the Hellhound.
The Xenos that Haimer had brought up to the surface were standing right there.
They were watching the food on the table and swallowing back their drool — yet not daring to walk over freely either, just standing huddled awkwardly against the wall.
"You all come over and eat with us too."
"Today we earned ourselves a whole lot of Valis!"
Onigawara Rin waved over toward Reed and the others, and pulled out a few of the chairs nearby.
A grateful smile broke at once across Reed's feathered face, and only then did she shuffle her feet, walking over in small steps.
"We've been such a burden on all of you."
Reed walked up to the table and spoke quietly.
"Don't be like that. With Kami-sama out, we can't easily take you out and about either — we just have to inconvenience you with staying here at the mansion."
Holy Emperor's tone was gentle.
"Not at all."
Reed hurriedly flapped her wings.
"Being able to stay in a place this safe and this warm — not having to keep our guard up against monsters and adventurers every second — for us, that's already something we wouldn't have dared to even imagine."
"The kindness Kami-sama has shown us, and the care all of you give us — we honestly have no idea how to repay it."
The Xenos nodded one after the other, and then, with the women's help, took their food and started in on the meal.
Meanwhile.
Northwest Main Street — Twilight Manor.
This enormous mansion, lit by torches, still cut an imposingly solemn figure.
"Creeeak ——"
Accompanied by a stretch of heavy footfalls, the heavy double doors of the great hall were pushed open.
A figure that looked somewhat gaunt walked slowly inside.
Long golden hair stuck together in matted strands.
The originally pristine light armor was covered all over with crisscrossing slashes, and at several of the edges one could even make out the dried-on traces of green blood.
—— Ais Wallenstein.
Those golden eyes of hers carried a deep, heavy exhaustion.
Across her shoulder she carried an extraordinarily thick, white horn with a spiral pattern running over its surface.
—— a drop from the Unicorn, found in the lower floors of the Dungeon.
"Ais!"
Tiona, who had been sitting around in the great hall idly tossing an apple in the air, saw who had come in and immediately leapt up from her chair, breaking into a long stride to run over.
"You're finally back! These past two days — where have you been?"
Tione walked over as well, and at the sight of the white horn across Ais's shoulder, her brow arched.
"You've been holed up in the Dungeon killing monsters this whole time?"
Ais didn't say much.
She loosened her grip and let the heavy white horn drop to the floor, where it landed with a muffled thud.
She turned her head and looked at Riveria, who was seated behind the long table.
"Riveria."
Ais's voice was a little hoarse.
"I'd like to find someone to help me trade this in for Valis."
"The Guild buys quickly, but the prices are fixed."
"I want to use it to trade for more money."
Riveria set down the black tea in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly, then rose to her feet and walked over.
She looked at the traces of battle marking Ais's body and let out a sigh.
"Is there something you need to buy?"
Ais lowered her head, looking down at the tips of her own toes.
"Sword of Despair."
She drew, from her waist, that slim sword Haimer had recently reforged.
The body of the blade flashed with a cold, biting light in the lamplight — the notches along its edge had completely healed over.
"Lord Haimer... fixed my sword for me."
Ais slid the blade back into its sheath.
"So I want to save up enough Valis... to buy a fitting gift, as a gesture of thanks to Lord Haimer in return."
Hearing what Ais said —
The three of them in the great hall — Finn, Riveria, and Gareth — their expressions all turned somewhat complicated.
The three of them exchanged a look, and in each other's eyes they all saw the same worry.
The Three Pillars of Loki Familia knew Ais very well.
Ais held, toward the Dungeon, toward those monsters down there, a hatred carved deep into her very bones.
In her eyes, every single monster was an enemy that absolutely had to be exterminated — no room for negotiation whatsoever.
But now ——
"Ais."
Finn rose to his feet and walked slowly over to her.
"About Lord Haimer..."
Finn got that far, then paused.
He looked at Ais's somewhat exhausted face, and didn't know if telling her right now about Haimer giving shelter to the Xenos would cause her too violent an emotional reaction.
After all, for these past two days Ais had been buried down in the Dungeon — you could say she knew absolutely nothing about what had been going on up on the surface.
"What is it?"
Ais raised her head, those golden eyes carrying a flicker of confusion.
Riveria stepped quickly forward, cutting Finn's words off.
"It's nothing."
"As for selling the materials — I'll make the arrangements."
Riveria turned, looking toward the second-floor corridor.
"Lefiya."
Hearing the call, the red-haired elf girl who had been hiding behind the second-floor railing peering down hurriedly came running down, the hem of her long robe dragging on the stairs.
"L-Lady Riveria, I'm here!"
"Accompany Ais on a trip to the trading houses on Northwest Main Street, and dispose of this white horn."
"Tiona, Tione — you two go along with them as well, and look after Ais. She's far too worn out."
Riveria gave her instructions.
"No problem — leave it to me!"
Tiona thumped her chest.
Very soon.
Ais, Lefiya, and the twin Amazon sisters were carrying that white horn between them, walking out through the gates of Twilight Manor.
Watching the backs of the four girls disappearing into the night —
The mood in the great hall took on a heavy weight.
"You shouldn't have stopped me just now."
Finn sat back down in his chair, looking at Riveria.
"Lord Haimer has taken those monsters in — even gone so far as to declare them his own Familia."
"Ais will find out about this sooner or later."
"Given her attitude toward monsters, the moment she learns that the man she's so desperately trying to repay has now become the protector of a pack of monsters..."
Finn shook his head, his short golden hair swaying slightly.
"Even I'm not certain she'd be able to accept it."
"Indeed... this isn't something that can be hidden."
Gareth picked the cask of liquor up from the table, poured himself a mug of ale, and tilted his head back to take a long pull.
"These past two days, every street and alley in Orario has been talking about this thing."
"All she has to do is take one walk outside, and she'll find out everything she needs to know."
Hearing the words of her two old friends, Riveria walked to the window, her back turned to the two of them, gazing out at the pitch-dark night sky.
"Let her judge for herself."
"Even we ourselves can't fully see through Lord Haimer's way of doing things — perhaps Ais will have her own answer."
...
Now.
The streets of Orario.
The night wind blew past, carrying a hint of chill.
The four of them, carrying that heavy white horn between them, made their way along the flagstone road that led toward Northwest Main Street.
Even though the hour had grown late, the night-time streets of Orario were still packed with people.
The stall vendors along both sides were still loudly hawking their pre-closing clearance deals.
Adventurers were gathered in twos and threes, glasses raised in their hands, talking and laughing loudly about the day's haul.
Ais walked through the crowd, her golden hair shimmering faintly in the glow of the Magic Stone lamps.
Her face was expressionless, while inwardly she was working through what she ought to buy once she had the Valis in hand.
Lord Haimer didn't seem to be lacking for anything at all — what kind of gift could possibly express her gratitude?
As they walked along —
At a wooden table beside an open-air tavern, several adventurers, faces flushed red with drink, were having a loud discussion.
"Have you guys heard? The patron god of that Haimer Familia — the guy's a flat-out lunatic!"
"You said it! Brought a whole pack of monsters topside, just like that! Hellhounds, Harpies, the whole lot!"
"And he even calls those monsters his Familia!"
"For whatever reason every god in Orario is just letting him get away with it — try and pull the same thing as any other god, and you'd have been packed straight back up to the Heavens already!"
"Shh, keep it down. If those she-devils from Haimer Familia hear you, you won't even know how you died."
"Right, those she-devils from Haimer Familia are a pack of monsters themselves!"
Hearing what these adventurers were discussing, Ais's footsteps came to a slight halt.
She turned her head to one side, looking at the few adventurers seated at the wooden table.
A flicker of disturbance passed through her golden eyes.
"Ais?"
Tiona, walking beside her, turned her head, looking at the suddenly halted Ais.
Ais turned back, her gaze settling onto the faces of Lefiya and the twin sisters.
"Is what they just said true?"
"Lord Haimer — has taken monsters under his protection?"
At those words, the hand Lefiya had gripping her staff gave a slight tremor, and her red pupils immediately contracted.
She glanced about in a panic at her surroundings, then glanced at Ais's utterly expressionless face.
"That... Lady Ais... the truth is, it isn't like what you think..."
Lefiya stuttered and stammered, anxious enough that beads of sweat began to break out on her forehead.
"Is it true?" Ais did not acknowledge Lefiya's panicked flailing, just kept her gaze locked on her, asking once again.
Lefiya bit her lower lip, and nodded.
"It... it's true."
Hearing this.
Ais lowered her head, looking at the hilt of the Sword of Despair hanging from her waist.
Her fingers came to rest on the hilt.
Lefiya was so tense that even her breathing stopped.
One second.
Two seconds.
And then.
In the end.
"If Lord Haimer has decided things this way."
"Then he must have his reasons."
Ais, after thinking it over for a brief moment, spoke quietly and evenly.
Hearing this, Lefiya froze in place, her mouth hanging slightly open — for a good while she couldn't snap back to herself.
Tione, for her part, stepped forward and gave Ais a pat on the shoulder.
"Yeah — back then, Lord Haimer said he had those monsters under control already."
"And besides, just yesterday we asked Loki about it, too."
"Loki said that it really is a possibility."
"As long as that pack of monsters is now nothing more than puppets dancing on Lord Haimer's strings, there won't be any danger."
"It's just a pack of nobodies-who-can't-keep-up speculating maliciously about it."
Tiona, too, with her hands tucked behind her head, casually chimed in.
Ais, having heard the explanations of the two sisters, nodded as well — not pressing the matter any further — turned, and started walking again.
"Let's hurry. The trading house will be closing soon."
"Ah — okay!"
Watching Ais's back, Lefiya let out a long sigh of relief in her heart, and hurried after her at a trot, holding her staff.
The four figures very soon melted into the bustling stream of people on Northwest Main Street.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan in "P" for more!🔥👻
🔥 New history: Jujutsu x Mieruko: Oh no, am I a villain too?
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone