"Whatever it is you want us to do, Onii-chan, we'll do it!"
"Yeah, yeah! Just tell us straight what you want us to do!"
"We'll make sure to finish the mission properly~"
"Even if you want this one to keep you company in bed tonight, that's totally—no~ problem at all♪"
"Enju-chan, that's enough! Don't say things that'll cause misunderstandings!"
The girls started bickering again mid-sentence.
In the blink of an eye, the lively chatter turned into playful roughhousing.
Izumi could only smile wryly. By now, he was long used to scenes like this.
"Alright, calm down," he said, raising a hand.
"It's not anything weird."
"We're currently in a special world, and I'm planning to have you go explore a dungeon."
"Are you willing to do it?"
The moment they heard his words, the girls' eyes lit up.
"A dungeon… exploration?"
"I'm fine with that! But can I cut monsters?"
Hiruko Kohina was the first to raise her hand.
She was practically vibrating with excitement.
After staying inside the Small World for so long, she had been bored out of her mind.
Now that she could finally go outside and fight monsters, there was no way she wouldn't be thrilled.
The others nodded eagerly as well, all expressing their agreement.
Only the sharpest among them, Senju Kayo, suddenly spoke up.
"Onii-chan wouldn't send us out just to play, right?"
"Is there something you need us to do?"
She was unusually calm.
Kayo didn't believe for a second that Izumi was letting them out just for fun.
Hearing that, Izumi nodded.
"That's right."
"I want you to collect magic stones from the dungeon, as well as items dropped by monsters."
"They're all excellent materials for alchemy."
"I need a large quantity of them."
"At the same time, I also want you to get some real combat experience."
That was the main reason he had come to this world.
Not only to let the girls train and grow stronger, but also to have them help gather materials he needed.
They were the vanguard.
Once they became familiar with the dungeon, Izumi planned to gradually let the others out as well and have them continue exploring.
After hearing his explanation, the girls all nodded in understanding.
"No problem! Leave it to us!"
"We'll collect everything properly!"
They were already raring to go.
Being able to fight monsters was simply too exciting.
Seeing how fired up they were, Izumi couldn't help but chuckle.
"Alright. But before that—"
"You'll need to receive this goddess's blessing first."
"I'll grant you the ability to gain experience and level up, just like in a game."
The moment he said that, the girls grew even more excited.
Their gazes all turned at once toward Hestia.
Hestia had already been completely captivated by these adorable girls.
Now that they were all staring at her with sparkling eyes, she jumped to her feet.
"Come on, come on! I'll give you my blessing right away!"
She was just as excited herself.
If her Familia was made up entirely of such cute children, then who cared if she was treated like a tool goddess?
Hestia eagerly led the girls into a nearby room to begin granting them her Falna.
While that was happening, Izumi began preparing weapons for them.
Resting a hand on his chin, he thought for a moment before activating his Omni-Creation ability.
For Aihara Enju, he created the Sandals of Hermes.
For Hiruko Kohina, he chose Kanshou and Bakuya.
For Mibu Asaka, he forged a long tachi—the very blade once wielded by Sasaki Kojirō.
As for Senju Kayo, Tina, and Fuse Midori, Noble Phantasms weren't suitable.
Kayo and Tina specialized in firearms, while Midori fought using claws.
So Izumi had to create custom equipment for them.
After some thought, he took out several rare alchemical materials.
A flash of light erupted—
—and two Desert Eagles appeared in his hands.
Next, Izumi engraved magic circles directly into the pistols.
Since Kayo and the others currently had no magic power, ordinary firearms wouldn't do.
These Desert Eagles were powered by magic, converting it directly into bullets.
After finishing the handguns, Izumi moved on to crafting a sniper rifle.
Then came a full set of equipment for Fuse Midori—
a pair of gloves that could freely transform without ever tearing.
Using modern weapons inside a dungeon might look strange, but Izumi didn't care in the slightest.
Whatever was most convenient was best.
Without magic or spells yet, they couldn't use more exotic gear anyway.
Otherwise, Izumi would have already given them outrageously powerful equipment.
After finishing the weapons, he also created a set of defensive armor with excellent protection.
Only then did he finally stop.
One could say he had poured his heart and soul into preparing for these girls.
Just as Izumi finished everything, Hestia suddenly burst out of the room.
"Izumi-kun!!"
"What is going on with these children?!"
"Why do they have viruses and curses inside their bodies?!"
Hestia was clearly panicking.
When she granted them her blessing, the Falna had manifested properly—
—but those inherent curses were another matter entirely.
Izumi was left speechless.
At that moment, Kayo and the others—now fully dressed—walked out as well.
Aihara Enju immediately complained,
"You're way too flustered."
"Yeah, we do have curses, but we're totally fine."
"Izumi-sama already helped us. Everything's stable now!"
A mere virus was nothing.
If Izumi hadn't been worried that removing the virus entirely would also erase the power it granted them, he would have dealt with it long ago.
Without mystery, such a mysterious virus was easy to eliminate.
That was why he had chosen suppression instead of complete removal.
Hearing this, Izumi shook his head.
"There's nothing to worry about."
"There won't be any problems."
"And your divine blood has already entered their bodies."
"When they level up in the future, they'll only grow in a better direction."
"So there's no need for concern."
That was precisely why Izumi had decided to bring the girls out to level up.
To let them draw out the potential of the Gastrea virus.
Hestia understood that much—
—but that wasn't what she wanted to ask.
"What I'm asking is why they have such a virus in the first place."
Her brows furrowed deeply.
What kind of person would inflict something like this on children?
Izumi pursed his lips, then gestured toward Kanase Kanon.
"Kanon, explain it to her."
"I'll get Enju and the others equipped."
With that, Izumi stopped paying attention to Hestia and handed the prepared equipment to the girls.
Kanon gently pulled Hestia aside and began quietly explaining their pasts.
The girls themselves didn't really care.
What interested them far more was the equipment Izumi had made.
Enju's eyes sparkled as she asked excitedly,
"Oooh! Is this like Le Fay-oneechan's magical girl outfit?!"
"Can I transform into Heavenly Jewel Magical Girl too?!"