"Danger and Suspicion"
After the banquet, everyone dispersed. Drake, however, deliberately found a spot out of Ais's line of sight before enjoying a satisfying meal.
That night, at the Twilight Manor, after settling the other members, especially the intoxicated ones, Finn went to Loki's room.
Loki instinctively hid the wine bottle behind her back, relieved to see it was Finn. "Oh, it's Finn! I thought it was Riveria!"
Finn, well aware of—or rather, used to—his goddess's habits, said, "Why didn't you join us for the celebration if you wanted to drink?"
Loki made a sour face. "It's all Riveria's fault. She heard I bought expensive Soma wine during your expedition, so not only did she confiscate my precious wine, she wouldn't let me go to the celebration!"
Finn sighed. "I can't do anything about you."
Loki took a swig from the bottle. "So? Did you have fun at the celebration?"
Finn replied, "Everyone was tense during the expedition, so the celebration was mainly for relaxation.
But I did meet someone interesting."
Loki put down the bottle. "Oh? Interesting enough to impress you? What kind of person?"
Finn said, "A newcomer to the Hephaestus Familia, supposedly skilled in forging magic swords.
And I suspect he's the one who defeated Revis."
"A magic swordsmith!"
Loki immediately understood. "No wonder he defeated Revis. Hephaestus has found another exceptional child!"
As they spoke, someone knocked on Loki's door.
"Come in!"
Ais entered.
"Loki, as promised, I'm here to have my ability scores updated."
A lovestruck expression appeared on Loki's face; her fingers twitched. "I've been looking forward to this. Forgive me if I get carried away!"
Finn sighed, about to leave, when he remembered something and addressed Ais. "Ais, why were you staring at the Hephaestus Familia member during the celebration?"
Ais's gaze had been too obvious for Finn to miss.
Ais thought for a moment. "I've seen that person before."
"What?!"
Before Finn could speak, Loki exclaimed, "When? Where? Damn it, is he trying to seduce my Ais-chan?!"
Finn, though exasperated by Loki's antics, also wanted an answer.
Ais replied, "During the expedition, I saw him on the eighteenth floor."
"The eighteenth floor?" Finn pondered, realizing something he'd overlooked.
Hephaestus only told Loki that her Familia member encountered Revis in the Dungeon, not the floor level.
Reaching the eighteenth floor meant Drake was at least Level 2.
His ability to forge magic swords implied he'd obtained the [Forging] skill, indirectly proving he'd already achieved the feat required for a level-up.
Loki also realized this; the smile vanished from her face. She and Finn exchanged a look but said nothing.
Finn addressed Ais. "Ais, you wouldn't have paid special attention to him just because you'd seen him before, would you?"
Ais nodded. "He's unusual."
Finn despaired at Ais's limited expressiveness. "What's unusual about him?!"
Ais tilted her head, as if saying unusual was unusual; what was there to explain?
Finn facepalmed. "What makes him different from other adventurers?"
Ais seemed to understand. "Dangerous. He's dangerous! More dangerous than Finn!"
Loki and Finn were stunned. Ais's simple description evoked much thought.
"Dangerous," in Ais's context, meant powerful. Ais felt Drake was even stronger than Finn, which was unbelievable.
Finn, a genius who awakened a magic spell and two skills upon receiving his Divine Blessing, is now a Level 6 adventurer at the pinnacle of Orario's power.
Yet, Ais considered Drake stronger. They suspected Ais might be mistaken.
But Finn was more puzzled by something else: why hadn't he sensed the "danger" Ais described when interacting with Drake? Why did only Ais perceive Drake's uniqueness?
Ais herself didn't know. Perhaps she sensed a similar aura to her father, or maybe it was an intuition between those with similar goals.
Both ultimately aimed to defeat a Black Dragon… though not the same one.
Drake, of course, was unaware that Ais's inexplicable intuition had reignited Finn's suspicions. Even if he knew, Drake wouldn't worry.
He'd hidden himself before to avoid trouble and focus on his studies and research. Now that his basic studies were complete, Drake was confident he could handle any trouble!
The day after the Loki Familia's celebration, Drake's workshop was repaired.
However, Drake had run out of materials, and his research into sacred script was stalled. He decided to go out for a change of scenery.
Besides his first day in Orario, searching for a Familia, Drake hadn't properly explored this labyrinthine city.
Orario is divided into eight sections arranged in a cross pattern. The Hephaestus Familia's headquarters and workshops are located in the northeast section.
Adjacent to this area is the bustling northern commercial district, home to most of Orario's shops and clothing stores, as well as many street vendors.
Drake visited this area for the first time and had to admit that Orario felt more like a fantasy world than anywhere he'd been before.
Most people he saw were adventurers in armor, carrying various weapons. Their conversations were filled with tales of their Dungeon adventures.
As Drake walked, he noticed a popular stall.
Orario has a famous snack: fried potato balls, affectionately called Potato Maru-kun by adventurers.
Like the hand-held pancakes of Drake's previous world, Potato Maru-kun comes in various flavors. Ais particularly loves the red bean cream flavor.
However, Drake wasn't interested in the snack itself but the vendor… a goddess.
Standing behind the stall was none other than Hestia, expelled from Hephaestus's home.
While Hephaestus outwardly seemed heartless in expelling Hestia, she secretly cared for her old friend.
She found Hestia a derelict church to live in and helped her find work.
Drake had heard, however, that Hestia had accidentally blown up an entire street half a month ago while using a fire-starting device. She'd earned the nickname "North Street's Calamity."
The compensation was apparently paid by Hephaestus.
Seeing the goddess, Drake remembered that Bell Cranel should have arrived in Orario by now!
For some reason, Drake suddenly felt a strong urge to meet this boy who dreamed of becoming a hero.
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