I renewed my Falna and headed home.
"Haa... I am never doing that again..."
The moment I stepped inside, I flopped face-first onto the sofa.
"I did manage to get some good materials, though..."
Expeditions are absolutely exhausting.
I had to fight under someone else's orders, forge and deliver magic swords nonstop, and on top of all that, I had to act as the cook.
And then, to top it off, they had the nerve to tell me to make more just because it tasted good.
"..."
Normally, that would be the highest praise and honor for a chef, but I'm a blacksmith.
I'm not a cook who makes delicious meals; I'm a smith who crafts equipment.
"...Sigh... for now... I'll just rest for a bit..."
My head is throbbing...
"...B...el...f..."
"Ugh..."
"Bellf..."
"Stop shaking me..."
"Bellf, wake up."
"...I'm awake, so stop shaking me!"
While I was drifting off into a short nap, Aiz had shaken me awake.
"What do you want?"
"Loki said to come to the expedition after-party."
"...When?"
"Today. At the Hostess of Fertility."
"..."
I glanced at the wall clock; the hour hand had already passed five and was closing in on six.
"...Sigh... Fine, I'll go."
Actually, that's good. I was too lazy to cook anyway...
"...But aren't you going back?"
Aiz, who had delivered Loki's message, didn't leave. Instead, she simply sat down on the sofa.
"This is more comfortable."
"Is that so..."
Before long, the sun had fully set and the moon had risen.
"Clothes don't really matter, right?"
"Yeah."
I threw on a nagrang and headed into the Hostess of Fertility with Aiz.
"Aiz-chan! Over here!!!"
"Those two always seem to be together whenever I see them."
"Ugh... why is Aiz here...?"
The Hostess of Fertility was packed with Loki Familia members who had participated in the expedition.
Aiz and I took our seats at the large table where Loki and the executives were gathered.
"All right, now that everyone's here! Let's drink!!!"
"""Ooooh!!!"""
With a few exceptions, most of the Loki Familia members immediately began drinking heavily.
"Loki. I want some too..."
"Aiz-chan, absolutely not!!!"
"Bellf, you're not drinking?"
"I've got something to make tomorrow, so I'll pass."
The adventurers washed away their accumulated stress with alcohol and comforted their exhausted bodies by tearing into plates of meat.
"Ah, right! Bellf, you're coming on the next expedition, right!?"
Bete, his face flushed from the drink, shouted the question.
An expedition, huh...
"I'm not."
"""What!?"""
The noisy atmosphere of the Hostess of Fertility fell silent in an instant.
The executives—especially Finn, Riveria, and Gareth—looked completely shocked.
"Aren't you Aiz's exclusive blacksmith!? Then why aren't you going!?"
"The contract doesn't say anything about joining expeditions."
"T-Then what about the cooking!? The magic swords!?"
"I'll do what I always do."
"Then what about the potato snacks?"
"I'll pack them up for you."
For some reason, the executives all looked desperate, as if they were pleading with me to change my mind.