The plan was settled by that evening: the fresh-faced Lv.1 adventurer, Aether (Renjiro), would devote himself to fighting for the bright future of the Frigg Familia.
But come the next morning,
"I suddenly understand the true meaning of the phrase 'being stretched too thin.'"
"Hehe~"
Early in the morning, Aether (in his Starfire state) and Lumine left the Tower of Babel together. Both had their own busy agendas for the day.
Lumine, naturally, was headed to the Loki Familia to go shopping with the girls' team, strengthening bonds of friendship. Supposedly, Tiona and the others were brimming with energy, determined to sweep through multiple shops, selling their expedition loot at high prices to balance the books.
As the fiery Tione had declared:
"This is to ease the Captain's burdens. We cannot afford to slack off."
Meanwhile, Aether's plan was to head to the Hephaestus Familia, to continue training with Welf in the basics of forging. He also wanted to set a schedule for when they'd dive into the Dungeon together.
Aether hated breaking promises.
And besides… if things go well, maybe I'll take the chance to introduce my real body to him. After all, both of us are Lv.1. Teaming up to explore the Dungeon would make a lot more sense in many ways.
If he phrased it more bluntly: Welf's "Magic Sword Bloodline" skill, plus his anti-magic spell Phantom Bluefire, were both prime analysis targets.
The truth was, no one in the future Hestia Familia was a freeloader.
That red-eyed bunny boy aside, he had Experience Boost ("Single-Minded Longing") and Explosive Growth ("Hero's Wish"), hitting Lv.5 in under a year, only after pushing all his stats to S-rank. A total author's pet.
And the others,
Liliruca Arde, the former Soma Familia prum: Her low-cost transformation magic Cinder-Ella gave her near-perfect disguise skills. Pair that with her precision mini-ballista: she could snipe the straps of an adventurer's pack without even scratching them. Shooting through a ring? Child's play.
Yamato Mikoto, from the Far East and once of the Takemikazuchi Familia: With her gravity spell Futsunomitama, even as a fresh Lv.2 she once pinned down a Lv.5 monster from the Deep Floors, the Black Skull Sheep, for several seconds. On top of that, her twin skills Yatagarasu of Black and Yatagarasu of White made her a living map hack. The first revealed all nearby monsters, preventing ambushes. The second tracked allies' locations, the perfect tool for rescues.
Haruhime Sanjouno, the fox girl of the former Ishtar Familia: Her Uchide no Kozuchi magic boosted a comrade's stats by a whole level for fifteen minutes. Later, her second spell Nine-Fold Blessings let her buff multiple adventurers at once. Together with Cassandra the Pessimist and Aisha the Dea Saint, she was one of the "Three Big Cheats" of Orario.
Honestly, I don't like making friends with an ulterior motive. Whatever my "Crown of Wisdom" skill can analyze… unless it's an emergency, I won't force it. Better to let things happen naturally.
On this point, Freya understood him well. Just yesterday, when the Crown of Wisdom manifested, she'd warned him bluntly:
"If you want to treat people sincerely, then the one thing you must never reveal is that this skill can even parse divine authority."
Thinking of that… today I'll probably try forging a weapon with Welf. Good chance to test what I've learned lately.
On the busy street, Aether (Renjiro) turned to Lumine.
"Once we both finish our business, let's meet up at the Hostess of Fertility."
"I already booked us a table for a banquet."
"Got it."
So, out of courtesy, Aether (Renjiro) first escorted Lumine to the Loki Familia's base, Twilight Manor. There they greeted old acquaintances, exchanging pleasantries before he excused himself.
He didn't even bother hiding his plans, openly telling Finn and the others that he'd spend most of the day at the Hephaestus Familia, trying to forge his first proper work.
Hearing this, no one mocked him. Even though Aether (Renjiro) had chosen forging as his first Development Ability, just as ridiculously as Ying had, they considered Ying's rare talents and kept quiet.
In fact, many looked forward to seeing if Aether (Renjiro) could also deliver some unexpected surprises.
"Once you've got the time, if you're interested, I'll introduce you to Goibniu, the smith god." Finn used the chance to score goodwill. "He loves crafting custom weapons. You might hit it off."
"That would be a huge help. Thank you." Aether (Renjiro) gratefully accepted.
And while he went off to hammer metal all day,
On the silly little sister's side,
"Lumine-chan, did you eat breakfast before coming here with your big brother?"
Inside the grand hall of Twilight Manor, the ever-innocent Tiona leaned close, dropping heavy hints to the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl in a white dress.
In the end,
"All right, all right. Come with me to the kitchen."
"Yay~!"
With a cheerful jump, the Amazon girl bounced up. The other girls of the ladies' squad immediately followed suit, clearly well-trained in this routine.
And of course,
"Today we're having grilled steak again~!"
"Grilled steak this early in the morning?"
"Stupid Amazon, all you think about is meat…"
"Shut it, Bete! You're so annoying~"
"If only you could cook something lighter, Lumine."
================
It all felt so casual, so domestic, as if this had become their normal routine. Everyone from the expedition gradually rose and followed along.
Seriously, Finn, Riveria, Gareth… you three are supposed to be the veterans, the "Big Three." Don't encourage the youngsters like this!
At that moment,
I think I've spoiled their appetites.
Lumine let out a sheepish laugh.
"Is this what they call digging your own grave?"
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