The Danmachi world was a fantasy world.
It had gods, and it had monsters of every kind. With the existence of supernatural powers, many ingredients in this world came directly from monsters.
Because of that, even an ordinary chef could prepare delicious food using monster meat.
Emiya had asked Tiona about this before, and her answer confirmed it.
"This is bone broth. We added some wild mushrooms too."
Emiya asked, "So it's the bones of a high-level monster?"
"Not really," Tiona replied. "Minotaurs aren't high-level monsters. Though for a newbie like you, they'd still be hard to deal with. I had a tough time with them when I first started too."
Emiya nodded.
Minotaurs were indeed dungeon monsters, but they weren't something a level one adventurer could handle.
He remembered that in the story, Bell had once been chased by one. That was how he met the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, gained his skill, and started walking the path of a hero.
Normally, dungeon monsters turned into dust once their magic stones were removed.
However, sometimes, even after extraction, certain durable body parts would remain.
These were known as drop items.
That was where the bone broth came from.
"Ais, Ais! Over here!"
While Emiya was thinking, Tiona suddenly stood up, waving her arms and loudly calling out the name of Danmachi's main female protagonist.
Emiya followed her gaze.
The first thing he noticed was a head of golden hair.
Long, straight golden hair that flowed down to her waist, gleaming with a luster rivaling real gold.
Her slim body was wrapped in light blue armor. Delicate limbs extended from it, clean and well-proportioned.
A silver chest plate engraved with an insignia restrained her ample chest, paired with matching gauntlets and a sword.
A youthful, doll-like face sat atop that slender frame.
And golden eyes.
This was Emiya's first meeting with the Sword Princess.
Ais Wallenstein.
Hearing Tiona's call, Ais-who had been looking for a seat-walked over without hesitation, carrying her breakfast and sitting beside Tiona.
"Good morning, Tiona."
"Morning, Ais!"
Tiona enthusiastically hugged her, rubbing her cheek against Ais's face.
Ais remained expressionless but didn't resist.
She was clearly used to Tiona's enthusiasm.
After setting down her plate, Ais glanced at Emiya.
"So this is the legendary newbie?"
Emiya nodded.
It seemed he had already become a topic of conversation.
"Nice to meet you, Sword Princess. I'm Emiya."
"I'm Ais Wallenstein. Nice to meet you."
She gave a small nod, her tone calm and distant.
To others, she might have seemed cold. But Emiya, who knew the story, understood that beneath that exterior, Ais was actually a natural airhead.
So her attitude didn't bother him.
Even if she really were cold, he wouldn't have cared.
They weren't close. A little distance was normal.
"What are you doing today, Ais?" Tiona asked eagerly. "Going into the dungeon?"
"Yes," Ais replied.
"Then come with us! Let's go together!"
Ais looked at Emiya. "Is he going too?"
"Of course," Tiona answered cheerfully.
Ais fell silent for a moment. "Won't that be too hard for him?"
She and Tiona were both level five. The areas they usually explored were dangerous even for level three adventurers, let alone a level one.
"We won't go anywhere dangerous," Tiona said. "Today's just about taking care of newbie-kun."
Ais shook her head. "I'll pass."
She wanted to grow stronger and didn't have time to babysit.
Not everyone received the same treatment as the protagonist.
Tiona looked disappointed but didn't push further.
"Alright. That's a shame. Next time, then. We'll go together next time."
Ais nodded.
After breakfast, Tiona took Emiya and left Loki Familia, heading straight for the Guild.
The Guild was the Adventurers' Guild, the organization responsible for managing the dungeon.
Its founder was the first god to descend.
Ouranos.
In Greek mythology, he was the first king of the gods and Zeus's grandfather.
In this world, however, their relationship didn't seem to follow that structure.
Regardless, after descending, Ouranos reorganized the existing systems and formed the current Adventurers' Guild.
To be precise, the dungeon had existed even before the gods arrived.
At that time, it was smaller, but a city had already been built above it, and a primitive version of the Guild supposedly existed.
Later, Ouranos unified those systems and established the Guild as it was now.
Today, any adventurer entering the dungeon had to register with the Guild.
Emiya was no exception.
After entering the Guild headquarters, Tiona led him into the spacious lobby.
Under her guidance, Emiya went to one of the registration windows.
The clerk was a beautiful young woman.
She had pointed ears, clear emerald-green eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair with a healthy shine.
Her features weren't as sharp as an elf's, but they had a gentle, natural charm.
Her slender figure fit perfectly into the Guild's black uniform.
Looking at her composed, professional demeanor, Emiya felt she looked familiar.
Someone from the story.
Thinking for a moment, he recalled her identity.
Eina Tulle.
A Guild receptionist and adventurer adviser.
And, in the original story, Bell's adviser as well.
Because she was kind, considerate, and easy on the eyes, she was especially popular among male adventurers.
~~~~~
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