A few days later, the long-awaited day finally arrived.
"At last."
Today was the first day of the expedition into the Dungeon's deep levels, following Loki Familia.
On days like this, for some reason, your heart just started pounding like you were going on a picnic.
In fact, I had even lost a little sleep last night, which was pretty immature of me.
I should have been keeping myself in peak condition, and yet... no, I needed to reflect on that.
"Let's see. I don't think I forgot anything, right?"
Before leaving the shop, I looked around the place I would be leaving empty for a while and carefully checked everything one by one, making sure I hadn't accidentally overlooked something.
"First, Lili."
Lili was the most important thing to me right now, and I felt uneasy about leaving her here alone, so for the time being she would be staying at Hestia's residence.
Bell would be staying there too, of course... but let's trust in Hestia's feelings for the boy on that front.
"The lessons are just a continuation of the basics for now, so that should be fine."
If possible, I wanted to teach her that Magecraft, but Lili still hadn't even mastered the basics, so there was nothing to be done.
Instead, I had given her a failed imitation of Archer's bow, one that only copied its performance a little, to use as a weapon, so she should be able to protect herself to some extent.
"Failed imitation" was the term, but the performance itself was perfectly ordinary and harmless, so there shouldn't be any major issues there either.
"As for Bell, hmm..."
I fell into thought for a moment.
There was no doubt the item itself was genuine.
Its performance, its effect, its form, and the process behind it had all already been tested through my own body.
So for now, there shouldn't be any major problems.
No, in a way, it might actually be better for the boy if some kind of "problem" did arise.
It was a little awkward to say that as the person who made it, but...
That thing fed on its owner's hardship and trials to produce its effect, so that was all the more true.
I had thought it over from every angle, but for a boy who seemed to lack talent in many ways, I could say with confidence that there was no more helpful item than this.
"Though the frightened way he reacted when I told him to get into the coffin for installation was rabbit-like enough to make me doubt him a little."
Still, precisely because he was such an amateur, I had high expectations for him.
Bell.
I wonder what kind of person you'll become after this.
I was deeply curious.
"Well, I'll leave that anticipation for later."
Other than that, there was nothing much to worry about.
I hadn't received any other requests, and I didn't have any outstanding debts.
The workshop was perfectly organized, and the dormancy and safety of the ongoing experiments were also fine.
Of course, the shop's security was also perfe—
"You're still a bit rude, aren't you?"
"I'll apologize for that in advance."
In an instant, someone emerged from the darkness inside the shop, a black shadow taking shape.
His name was Phels.
The Guild's damned shadow dog.
It had been a while since that time.
What business had brought him here today?
"I've heard the news. You're heading into the deep levels with Loki Familia, aren't you?"
"As expected of the Guild. Your information network is fast."
"If it weren't, we wouldn't be able to manage a city this large."
Annoyingly polite as ever, the bastard's smugness made me tell him to get to the point already.
I had no interest in wasting time on anything unnecessary except naps.
"So. What's the request?"
"As before, it is a request. But this time, I'll ask only one thing, and it won't be anything that pushes you too hard."
As he said that, Phels handed me a small crystal ornament.
From the faint mana I could feel, it seemed to be some kind of magic tool.
"What is this?"
"That is a magic tool called an 'Oaks.' A kind of long-distance transmitter."
"A transmitter, huh... I see. So the Guild is very curious about what's happening down there."
"You're free to do whatever you like once you go down. Just make sure to wear that."
"Hmm. It feels like I'm being monitored, which I don't like."
I complained for a moment, but soon decided it was meaningless.
So I simply did as I was told and casually attached the ornament to the outside of my bag.
Then, as I passed by, I said one more thing.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot to mention this."
"Hm? What is it?"
To the puzzled Phels, I gave him a meaningful smile and said it.
No, I warned him.
"You'd better prepare a few more leashes before I come back."
"W-what? W-wait! What in the world does that mean...!"
Startled by my words, Phels called after me.
But I didn't answer and simply left the shop.
Then I headed straight to Loki Familia and arrived there.
When I got there, everyone was busy preparing for the expedition.
"Wow, what a sight."
The sight of many members moving in perfect order, stacking things up one after another, was already a splendid scene in itself.
I stared at it blankly for a moment, then spotted a familiar face in the middle of it all and walked over to her right away.
She noticed my approach immediately—Tiona.
"An! You're here!"
"Hey, Tiona~"
Clap!
We high-fived each other in greeting.
My hand hurt like crazy because of it.
How could a kid have so little restraint when it came to strength?
Was she really that excited just because it had been a while since the last expedition, like a child going on a picnic?
...I wasn't exactly in a position to talk, was I?
"Looks like everyone's busy."
"Yep! If we forget even one thing on an expedition, it'll be a disaster!"
"You're as energetic as ever."
"Hehehe."
Anyway, once I no longer had to stand awkwardly in this strange atmosphere by myself, I followed her around and made myself known to people here and there.
After all, I was an outsider who had suddenly joined them. If I didn't at least get acquainted with the Familia members like this, it might become a headache later inside the Dungeon.
So this was a necessary step.
It was definitely not some convenient way to kill time.
"Hey, that person..."
"Ah, that's the one..."
"Tiona looks incredibly happy..."
Hmm, the chatter behind me was getting noisy.
But it wasn't anything important, so I ignored it and kept walking.
Then, at that moment—
"No way, look who it is!?"
Squelch~
""Eh?""
Something soft and pleasant touched the back of my neck.
And an indescribably appropriate weight pressed down on both my shoulders.
Wow, what in the world was this!
This overwhelming sense of relief and comfort.
Ah, if possible, I'd like to keep feeling this happiness a little longer...
"W-what do you think you're doing!?"
"Ugh!"
Ah.
Happiness drifted away.
My will to live was suddenly crushed flat.
Uuugh, this is total misery~
"An, get a hold of yourself! What are you doing, all hella-hella like that!"
"Hah! Where am I? Who am I? Could this be a Stand attack?!"
"Waaah! An's broken! Come back already, Aaaaan!"
Tiona was clinging to my collar, on the verge of tears.
That was all well and good, but could you let go of that iron grip first?
I was starting to run out of breath, and I could see the River Styx in the distance... no, I'm absolutely not going there, Mr. Charon!
Stop smiling so happily about it!
Even if you're a TS beauty, there are limits!
If you really want to take me, at least bring the goddess of the underworld herself!
Then I'll clear my schedule for a day and go with you!
"Hup."
Thud!
"Cough! Gah, cough, cough!"
With a blow to the pit of my stomach, my breathing came back.
I-I'm alive...
"An, sorry! Are you okay?"
"Hahaha! You're still the same, mage. When did you seduce that Amazon again? As expected, you've got talent. Truly amazing."
As I exhaled the breath I'd regained and got my vision back, I saw Tiona looking miserable.
Then I turned my head to the side and saw another familiar face.
A beautiful woman with skin darkened by fire and heat, yet somehow still carrying a healthy vitality, with one eye covered by an eyepatch.
"What, you're a one-eyed?"
"It's Tsubaki. Just when are you going to start saying people's names correctly?"
Her name was Tsubaki Collbrande.
The head of Hephaistos Familia, a Level 5 first-class adventurer, and the undisputed greatest blacksmith in Orario.
The epithet people called her by was "Cyclops."
I didn't know who came up with it, but it was a nickname that really captured her perfectly.
And the chief god she served suited her just as well.
At this point, was it intentional, goddess of fate?
"Of course. Until the moment I receive the blessing of the goddess of the underworld."
"So you're saying you'll never call me that. Persistent bastard."
"Aren't you the same?"
"Fair enough."
"...What is it with you two? Why are you so close? Do you know each other?"
As we were exchanging jokes after meeting again after so long, Tiona started glaring at us with that familiar dark expression and dead-eyed stare.
At her question, the two of us thought for a moment, then—
""A business partner I absolutely never want to work with.""
We answered at the same time, both of us completely sincere.
We clearly acknowledged each other's skill, but never compromised on our methods.
And yet, somehow, if we kept pushing forward, we would always end up reaching our goals to some extent.
That was the bizarre combination that could describe the relationship between Tsubaki and me.
In other words, a pair of bad friends who weren't close, but still ran around together.
"Seriously, how did I end up knowing a guy like this?"
"Ha! That's my line, mage! Back then, you barged in out of nowhere and..."
Maybe because it had been so long since we'd last met.
The two of us ended up happily badmouthing each other and chatting away.
Unable to stand our strange bond any longer, Tiona finally cut in.
"Uuuugh, what is this, what is this, what is this! You're leaving me out! Tell me everything about how the two of you know each other, alllll of it!"
"How?"
"Know each other?"
At Tiona's request, which was somehow hard to refuse, the two of us looked at each other for a moment and recalled what had happened back then.
That would have been a year and a half ago, if I remember right?