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My face is turning red and my throat is so tight that getting the word “thanks” out of my mouth takes everything I have.

To top it all off, Syr is giggling at me…

“Lilly was worried sick about you. Her heart was breaking over and over…”

“I-I’m sorry, Lilly…”

“…But you looked really cool, Mr. Bell.”

I can’t take much more of this…

Lilly leaning up to my shoulder with her big smile is the finishing blow.

Her cheeks are rosy pink, and those large, chestnut-colored eyes of hers are so close I can see myself in them.

It could be the alcohol, but my entire body feels hot.

“Mr. Cranell, what is your plan going forward?”

“?”

“I am curious about what the two of you are planning.”

After talking with Lilly, I hear Lyu’s voice again as I’m trying my best to fight off the effects of the ale. Without really taking time to think about her question, I start talking about my plan for tomorrow.

“Well, tomorrow Lilly and I are going to go buy some new equipment. My old armor was completely destroyed.”

“…About that, Mr. Bell.”

“What is it, Lilly?”

“There are many things at the shop where Lilly is staying that need to be done…It doesn’t look like she will be able to join you tomorrow.”

“What, really?”

I can see Lilly shrinking in her chair, looking very apologetic. But considering all the shop has done for her after everything that’s happened, it can’t be helped…so I tell her not to worry about it and start thinking about what I should do.

I want to start going into the Dungeon again soon, and I need new armor in order to do that.

I should be able to find new equipment on my own, right? I could go by myself tomorrow.

Sure, I’m not as good at judging quality…but this will be a good learning experience.

“In that case, are you going to go shopping alone tomorrow, Bell?”

“It looks that way.”

“Then, would it be all right if I came with you?”

“Huh?!” Syr’s suggestion catches me off guard; I can only choke up a surprised response.

Lilly jumps, too, but soon crosses her arms and lowers one shoulder at Syr. She looks like a boxer before a fight…

“Wh-why do you ask?”

“I need to buy some things pretty soon anyway…I might get in the way, but if it’s okay with you, Bell, I want to go shopping with you.”

“No, Mr. Bell! Miss Syr only wants you there to carry her bags! That’s right, Lilly can see your hidden agenda! Mr. Bell, she’s planning to make you carry so much that your bones will crack! Turn her down!”

“I-I’m not going to buy that much…”

A bead of sweat rolls down my face after Lilly’s outburst. She’s standing right next to me, so I look up in Syr’s direction.

But she seems unfazed and smirks at Lilly. “Why would I do something like that?” says Syr, with her light gray eyes gazing warmly down at me.

Wh-what do I do…?

I don’t mind going shopping with her, and I’d feel bad to refuse her invitation…Ah—then again, things tend to happen when I go along with her suggestions. There was the night when I came here for the first time…And just a few days ago I ended up washing dishes to help her out.

I’m trapped between Lilly’s objections and Syr’s warm smile. Just as I’m about to crumble under the pressure—the wooden floor creaks.

A large shadow falls over Syr from behind.

“Don’t push yer luck!”

“Ugahh!!”

Wham!A tray appears out of nowhere, slicing through the air at an angle, and slams into the back of Syr’s head.

It’s Mia. She’s standing and glaring menacingly down at Syr. She must’ve hit her pretty hard; Syr is holding her head, with tears bubbling up in the corners of her eyes.

“Don’ be thinkin’ you can take time off that easily, ya little brat. Gettin’ full o’ yourself, eh? What’s the big idea, playin’ hooky whenever ya feel like it,” Mia growls under her breath.

Supporting her shaking body by putting her elbows on the table, Syr looks back, only to see Mia’s burning death-stare.

She twists her body to face Mia directly. I can’t see her face, just her light gray hair tied into its usual bun with a ponytail coming out the middle. But based on her aura, I’d say she’s glaring right back at Mia.

“Those eyes’ll get’cha nowhere. Here, I’m the law, got that? Lyu, keep an eye on ’er tomorrow.”

Mia’s nostrils flare in anger as she turns on her heel before Lyu can answer, going back behind the bar counter.

Our table becomes a silent island in the middle of the sea of happy voices.

The tension continues for a few moments before Syr turns to face me.

“Bell, I’ve become damaged goods. Would you please pat my head and cheer me up?”

“So, Mr. Bell! Enjoy your shopping trip tomorrow and find some good stuffalone. Lilly can’t wait to see what you buy!”

I’m worried that these two will never be able to sit at the same table again.

“Mr. Cranell, what about after that?”

“Eh?”

“My question is, what are you planning to do after you have found suitable equipment?”

“What do you mean…by that?”

“I’ll take a more direct approach. Mr. Cranell, Miss Erde, do you intend to go to the middle levels as soon as you return to the Dungeon?”

So that’s what she’s been asking all this time.

Lilly and I look at each other for a moment—we are in the same party, after all—before looking back at Lyu.

“For starters, I’d like to test out my new strength on the eleventh level. If everything goes well, I’d like to go to the twelfth.”

“Yes, that is very wise.”

I go on to tell her that I want to test my leveled-up abilities in the upper levels, and the best place to do that is on the twelfth level. Lilly and I had agreed that after warming up on that level, so long as everything looks good, we’d go to the middle levels together.

Lyu might be worried about us, I think.

“It may not be my place to say this…but I believe that you should not proceed to the middle levels at this time.”

“In other words, Miss Lyu, you believe that Mr. Bell and Lilly aren’t good enough to make it in the middle levels?”

“It was not my intention to insinuate that you are weak. That being said, the upper levels and the middle levels arevery different.”

Of course Lyu doesn’t leave her explanation at that.

“It’s not a problem of individual strength or ability. It becomesimpossible for a solo adventurerto dispose of every monster. That’s the kind of place the middle levels are. While I’m unfamiliar with the level of support Ms. Erde can provide, I’m afraid that Mr. Cranell will be unable to deal with the monsters and the Dungeon layout on his own.”

“So then, Miss Lyu is saying…”

“Yes. You should add additional members to your battle party.”

A three-man cell is the most basic party formation for dungeon crawling. At the very least, that’s what the Guild suggests.

The three-man cell—a formation that allows for attack, defense, and support roles.

One member focuses on attacking the front line while another member covers him or her from monster counterattacks. The third member stays at long range, sometimes assisting the front line with a ranged weapon, spells, or healing items when necessary.

The same holds true when attacked from behind. If the person in the supporting role also has the ability to hold their own againstmonsters, then it’s possible to withstand wave after wave of attacks until the table turns into their favor.

It’s easy to get surrounded when working in a two-man cell, not to mention solo. Conquering the deeper floors of the Dungeon will be extremely difficult for us without at least one more party member to turn the tide in a pinch.

Adding a third person won’t have much impact on our individual strength, but it will make our unit exponentially stronger.

Knowing all of this, Lyu probably thinks that our two-man cell party wouldn’t be strong enough to survive in the middle levels.

“But wait a minute, Lyu. Wouldn’t it be easier for them to run away if it’s just Bell and Lilly? The more people there are, the more likely someone is to be left behind, right?”

“While your reasoning is not flawed, Syr, the only time adventurers consider retreat is after being cornered. It is much more practical for adventurers to avoid those situations rather than plan their escape.”

An awestruck sound comes out of my mouth.

Since she was once an adventurer herself, Lyu’s calculated words carry a lot of weight.

“You must prepare for everything. Find someone worthy of your trust and add them to your battle party.”

I get what she’s saying. I see Lilly nod out of the corner of my eye and start thinking.

But…I don’t know anyone like that who I could invite to join us. If I did I would have already asked them. I suppose that’s why she told me to find someone…

I would ask her, but I’m sure Lyu has some circumstances. The only other person who would be an option would be Nahza, inMiach Familia. But no, she’s no good, either. I don’t want to take anyone suffering from monster trauma into the Dungeon with me.

Would scouting out someone to join myFamiliabe the best option?

I start massaging my temples.

“Ha-ha! Having some party problems there, ‘Little Rookie’?!”

“Wha?” I’m so shocked by a sudden loud voice that I can’t respond right away.

While I recover from the surprise, the customer—a male adventurer, followed by two of his friends—comes up to our table. They stop directly across from me, and right behind Lyu’s chair.

These guys are…huge.

Their square faces are covered in scars…Enough to make me cringe.

“We heard your troubles! You need allies, yeah? Then why don’t you joinus, you little bastard?”

“Eh?!”

Okay, now I’m surprised.

Who would’ve expected a square-shouldered, red-faced man I’ve never met before to invite me into his own battle party?

“E-excuse me?”

“This ain’t that hard. It’s quite easy, actually. One of my fellow adventurers has a problem, and so out of the kindness of my huge heart, I’m gonna help you out. Hee-hee, doesn’t that sound good to you?”

“W-well, I wasn’t really…”

“Of course it does! It’s called havin’ your back, havin’ your back! And considerin’ it’s you, we don’t mind at all if you join us…Yeah!”

“Uggh…?!”

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How much ale did this guy drink?!

A wall of alcoholic stench assaults me from across the table. Syr is grimacing next to me, and Lilly has a look of absolute loathing on her face. Oh yeah, that’s right, she’s allergic to adventurers…

Lyu is the closest one to them, so she should be the hardest hit by that smell. But she is just calmly sitting in her chair. Her stoic face hasn’t changed a bit.

“So here’s the deal! We’ll take you to the middle levels, and in exchange…”

…Huh?

Is this situation getting worse?

“Let us have these ladies for a while?! I’m takin’ this cute little fairy of an elf for myself!”

…Whoah.Whoah.

“I’d like to have an elf fill my jug, if you get my drift. Don’t know how much you’re spendin’, but we scratch your back, you scratch ours. That’s the basics, don’t you think?”

Sure, I’ll end up spending a lot of money tonight…But what does that have to do with anything?

The man in the middle is looking down at Lyu, and his buddies are eyeing Syr and Lilly. They look strange, like they’re imagining something extremely perverted. I’ve never seen Lilly look so angry.

…This is not good, not good at all.

I will never shake hands with someone who looks at women like that.

I’m not good at this kind of thing, but I have to be the “man” here. I can’t let anything happen to my friends…!

I start building the refusal in my head.

“That is not necessary. He does not need you.”

However, before I can open my mouth—

Lyu suddenly speaks up out of the blue.

“…Ohhh? What was that, little fairy? Are you insinuatin’ that we can’t protect that kid?”

“Precisely. Now leave.”

“Hi-hi, you guys, you hear that? She’s sayin’ we’d hold the rookie back! Not the other way around, ha-ha-ha!”

All three of the men laugh out loud. Not only have I lost my chance to stand up, I’m lost for words, too.

I’m already halfway out of my chair, but I don’t know if I should get all the way up or sit back down.

“Listen, girly, we’ve been in and out of the middle levels for years now.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right, Level Two. The lot of us, yeah.”

“Thank you for the information. Now, begone. The likes of you are not worthy of him.”

Silence. The men who had been laughing up until now go quiet, their faces contorting in anger.

Their grins come back a moment later. But their eyes…They’re like the dark, dead eyes of a mask.

Even I can tell the tension around the table has shot way up.

“Girly, what are you tryin’ to say? That we’re trash, lower than that punk-ass kid?”

The man takes a step forward and reaches out to put a hand on Lyu’s shoulder.

Ah! I’m about to jump to my feet when I remember something someone told me not too long ago:

—Elves do not allow someone they don’t trust to touch their skin.

“Hands off.”

Lyu’s next movements are all a blur.

She reaches out and grabs my nearly full ale jug with lightning speed, and slams it back over her shoulder toward the oncoming hand.

A heartbeat later,THUNK!

The man’s hand is now crammed into the sturdy jug, his eyes wide in shock. A soft “Eh?” comes out of his mouth.

Lyu turns around and jumps to her feet, twisting the jug in the process.

“Ow-ow-ow-OOOWWWWWWWW!!”

The man screams at the top of his lungs; his elbow points out at an impossible angle.

“I apologize. It appears that my reasoning was much more selfish than I originally thought. I don’t want Mr. Cranell to join your battle party.”

Her words were like whips slicing through the air, the man writhing in pain beneath her.

“And I will not allow you to look down on him. He is my good friend.”

She zeroes in her icy glare on him and gives the jug yet another twist.

The man’s scream goes up an octave. His buddies rush to his aid and start pulling.

POP! PLUNK!The man’s hand finally comes out of the jug and he lands flat on his ass.

“…You BITCH!”

“Frickin’ girl!”

“The hell are you doin’?!”

Did Lyu just really say that about me? A warm feeling grows in my chest as the enraged men converge on her.

In no time at all, Lyu has a small sword in her grasp. All three of the adventurers move to attack her together. But before they can—

SMASH! BANG!Two loud cracks erupt from behind his buddies’ heads.

““Ghaaah?!””

Both of the men fall to the floor with a dull thud.

Two cat people are standing behind where the adventurers once were, holding broken chairs over their shoulders.

“—Nyfufufu. Gotta watch yerback, meow!”

“Men are such a pain, meow—”

Chloe is laughing like she’s one of the gods herself, while Ahnya’s ears are twitching back and forth out of annoyance.

I know the girls snuck up behind them but…down in one hit?! Those guys were Level 2!

“Sir. Our elf tends to be rather violent. Backing down now would be a good idea.”

Runoa calmly walks past the scene, carrying a ton of dirty dishes in her arms, and gives the man a friendly warning.

He’s completely outnumbered in a small space, but he looks like he’s itching for a fight. Am I seeing this right?

“Ah—ah, there they go.” I can feel the eyes again, and many people are saying things. But they’re not scared, it’s like they knew this was going to happen. Their stares move past me and onto the man. He’s on his own little island now, and the center of attention.

“…Wh-what the hell are you people?!”

Bathed in a magic-stone lamp spotlight, the man reaches behind his back and draws a white blade.

It’s a shortsword. He’s consumed with rage, his body shaking. There’s no way to tell when he’ll make his move.

The staff of The Benevolent Mistress all have their eyes locked on him.

Zing!A shiver shoots down my spine.

I have a feeling things won’t end well for this guy. Just then—

Anexplosioncomes from a different direction.

What is it this time?!

Every head in the room snaps in the new direction with blinding speed…And now I’m really lost for words.

The counter…It was waist height just a moment ago, but now it’s in the shape of a largeV. The poor customers sitting at the counter…Their mouths are hanging open in shock.

And standing at the base of theVis Mia, her outstretched fist right in the center.

Runoa and all the other waitresses suddenly shiver with fright.

“If you wanna brawl, take it outside. This place is for eatin’ and drinkin’.”

Silence falls over the entire bar. All the waitresses immediately break eye contact with Mia and go back to work.

Finally, Mia stands up straight and squares her shoulders directly at the adventurer himself.

“And you, ya blockhead. Be sure an’ take those idiot lumps on the floor out with ya. If ya try an’ cause any more ruckus—y’all will wind up six feet below my bar.”

Doesn’t that mean he’ll be…A bead of sweat rolls down my face as the adventurer silently nods up and down.

Lifting his fallen comrades up by their shoulders, he makes for the door with his buddies’ feet dragging behind him.

“Hey, crap-fer-brains! You gotta pay first!!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!!”

The man drops what looks to be all his money onto the floor infear of Mia’s rage. A bag full of coins clinks as it hit the ground at her feet.

After the three of them practically fall through the door, the usual din of the bar starts back up again. Prums start drinking and singing as if nothing ever happened, their voices echoing through the building.

A bar where Level 2 parties run away in fright…

All I could do was watch…

“My apologies, I have destroyed the atmosphere on your special night.”

“N-no, don’t worry about it…”

“Hee-hee, Miss Lyu really is very strong…Lilly’s lower back is still tingling.”

I’m still trying to shake off the panic that overtook me, and here’s Lilly teasing Lyu about her apology.

Am I the only one here who’s not used to something like this…?

Tension is still in the air from what just happened when Syr suddenly claps her hands together and stands up.

“Well, shall we try this again from the start?”

…She’s pretty strong, too.

She orders a new round of drinks for all of us and a moment later we’re clinking glasses again. I can’t help but smile as I watch her work.

Once again I’ve been reminded of what the staff of The Benevolent Mistress is capable of doing.

After that, we enjoy good food and ale well into the night.

Beautiful blue skies and a light breeze in my face.

It’s the morning after my party at the bar.

Using my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, I look up at the massive structure in front of me.

A white tower, Babel.

I’ve decided to go toHephaistos Familia’s weapon shop to find the equipment I need.

I don’t have to worry about the quality of weapons and armor sold here. Considering I don’t know how to tell the good stuff from the bad, there’s no reason for me to look anywhere else. But above all, Eina brought me here before, so I don’t feel nervous going in.

I’m not concerned about money today, either. I’ve been able to save up quite a bit recently…Not to mention the Minotaur’s magic stone was worth 50,000 vals. Lilly told me that even the clerk at the Exchange was surprised, so I’m pretty sure that Minotaur was something special…It was wielding a sword, after all.

Anyway, I have more than 100,000 vals on me right now. I walk through Babel’s main gates with a smile on my face.

Rather than riding the elevator, I take the stairs all the way to the eighth floor.

The best part about the stairwell is definitely the view out of the windows. The blue sky is absolutely stunning today.

Ah, here it is.

The eighth floor.

The layout is like a big doughnut, with a hole in the middle for the elevator to go through. The shops are built on both sides of the circular hallway. Each shop has its own combination of swords, spears, and the like outside its entrance or on its sign as decoration.

Stopping to take a look at some of the tenants along my way, I arrive at my destination.

Since the thing that protects my body, my light armor, was completely destroyed, coming here first makes the most sense.

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Just like before, it’s like a forest of armor in here. Most of it is designed to protect the torso, but the color schemes are a lot plainer than the last time I was here. There’s a lot of black and gray.

As long as I stay on this floor, I should be able to buy…pretty much anything?

I take a look at the price tags on the armor closest to me…21,000, 35,000, 46,000…Yeah, I should be okay. I can’t splurge, though. Armor isn’t the only thing on my list.

To think that a day like today would come…Even a few weeks ago I couldn’t even imagine it.

…Are they not selling it anymore?

From the very sturdy to the downright gaudy, this shop has a wide selection of expensive armor on display. But I’m looking for the work of one particular smith.

I wore his work every day until it was destroyed by the Minotaur. Its name was rather…strange—“Pyonkichi”—But it was light, strong, and fit my body like a glove.

I walk all around the store before swinging by the corner where boxes of parts of armor not on display are kept and have a look. This is where I found the smith’s work before.

And they have…nothing.

“…”

I can feel a knot of disappointment growing in the pit of my stomach. There’s no reason I have to buy somethinghemade, but still.

Welf Crozzo…

…Well, I might as well ask.

Feeling defeated, I drag my feet toward the customer service counter.

There should be a ton of armor that’s as good as or better than my old stuff in this shop, but I can’t bring myself to take a look.

When did I become this guy’s fan?

“Why such…horrible…!”

“?”

Just as I’m getting close to the front of the store, an angry voice shoots out from beside the counter.

There are actually two counters at the front of the shop, and a customer seems to be having a very heated argument with aHephaistos Familiaclerk.

“Why always…the middle of nowhere…! You have something against me…!”

The closer I get, the more words I can make out.

There’s a young man, a human, exchanging words with an extremely exhausted store employee. He’s wearing what looks like a long black coat…but it’s in really rough shape, almost like rags.

He’s got a head full of flaming red hair, and he looks a little bitolder than I am. Maybe a little taller, too, and muscular but not beefy.

I can see his face as I step up to the counter. But the front of his hair looks rather strange. It’s like his short-cut hair had grown out, but he took scissors to his bangs because they were getting in his eyes.

There’s a box of light armor parts on the counter in front of him. Judging by his choice of words and angry demeanor, my best guess is he’s also an adventurer. Maybe the armor he bought was defective?

“This is my lifeblood, you hear me? At least treat me like everyone else!”

“This was a decision made by management…It needs to sell, and without that…”

“Oh, so you’re going to bring that up, huh?! Well then, I’ve got a few things to say—!!”

The adventurer in the black body-length jacket is refusing to back down, his rage building.

The clerk behind the second counter watches the argument with a slightly annoyed look on her face until she realizes I’m standing in front of her. “Welcome!” she says with a smile.

Doing my best to ignore what’s going on next to me, I rest my hands on the counter and prepare to ask my question.

“Can I help you with something?”

“Yes. Do you have anything made by Welf Crozzo…?”

—Silence. The argument stops on a dime.

The clerk’s eyes go wide, and the two people at the other counter slowly turn to face me.

Huh…wh-what?

Three sets of eyes are locked right on me; this is so awkward.

“…U-um, are you looking for Welf Crozzo’s work…?”

“Y-yes. I want to buy armor made by Welf Crozzo…”

I’ve never heard someone so scared to ask a question in my life. Just responding felt like something bad would happen if I said something wrong.

But the first person to react isn’t the clerk in front of me but theyoung man who had been arguing at the other counter just a few moments ago.

“Hee…ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Would you look at that! There is at leastonename on my list of clients!!”

After laughing at the top of his lungs, the young man turns to face the clerk before slamming his hand down on the counter.

The clerk can’t respond, he just stands there doing his best to avoid making eye contact.

I am so confused right now…The young man must have noticed the look on my face because now he’s looking this way.

“Yessir, adventurer, if you’re looking for Welf Crozzo armor…”

“Eh?!”

“Right here.”

Swish.He picks up the box and slides it onto the counter in front of me.

Inside is a full set of shiny, white light armor.

The shape is a little different from what I was using before…but there’s no mistaking it, this is his work!

“So how ’bout it? Will you try it out?”

“Eh? Umm, isn’t this yours…?”

Is that a strange question? Because as soon as I finish speaking, he blinks a few times before smiling like a kid in a toy store.

He looks me square in the eyes before saying, “Yep, it’s mine, all right…I forged it, you see.”

“—Huh?”

“Please allow me to introduce myself, fan number one. The name’s Welf Crozzo, currently a low-level smith belonging toHephaistos Familia. Want an autograph?” he says with a genuine smile on his face. He has a very brotherly aura about him…Mr. Crozzo gazes at me for a moment as I try to collect my thoughts.

“Seriously? You’re Little Rookie?! The new record holder!”

“N-not so loud…What you mean by ‘record holder’?”

I have no idea what he’s talking about, so what else could I say?

There is a small rest area on the eighth floor of Babel Tower, right next to the elevator entrance. Mr. Crozzo and I are having a conversation on chairs just inside the rest area.

After we met in the shop, he asked to talk to me in private and led me out here.

I guess he wants to talk to me because apparently he’s sold only two pieces of his work in the past, and I’m the only one who’s come back looking for more.

Everything that’s happened to him up to this point…doing everything he can to get a good reputation from the store and yet being treated like trash, the first item of his that sold was returned to the store, the underhanded tricks that his fellow smiths inHephaistos Familiahad used to get their way…He told me quite a bit.

He seems to have lost himself in the excitement that someone wanted to buy his work. Sure, he looks rather grown-up and mature, but every so often he starts laughing. I know I just met him, but he strikes me as a good-natured, wear-his-heart-on-his-sleeve kind of smith.

“You really are younger than me. Then again, age doesn’t matter much to adventurers, does it?”

The moment I finish introducing myself, Mr. Crozzo lightly tilts his head to the side. His red hair swishes slightly at the same time.

He has a very masculine face and speaks with a lot of confidence—like an honest worker who would never go back on his word, always sitting up straight and facing forward. I know this is coming from someone who can only roll with the punches, but he looks really cool.

His build isn’t all that robust—actually, he’s rather thin—but I can see the bulging muscles around his shoulders and chest because the collar on his robe-like jacket is very loose. There is no doubt in my mind that they were built up over many hours of hard work in a forge.

“Um, Mr. Crozzo, can I ask how old you are…?”

“Nineteen this year. One other thing: Could you stop calling me Mr. Crozzo? I’m not particularly fond of my family name.”

That’s a strange thing to say right in the middle of a conversation.

He tells me to call him by his first name. But, not only is he older than me, he made an armor that I really liked. I should show him more respect…but since he insists…

“Well, um…Mr. Welf? You said you wanted to talk to me about something…?”

“Hey, hey, what’s with the ‘Mister’?…Eh, not important now. Okay, here’s the deal.”

He stands up from his chair and looks down on me from above.

The box of armor parts from the shop is at his feet. “I made them, so it’s no problem if I take them, right?” He had said that to the clerk, took the box off the counter, and brought it out here when we left.

“To be completely honest, I don’t want to lose you.”

“?”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s weapons or armor, my stuff doesn’t sell. I don’t want to sound too full of myself, but I know I’m making good, high-quality pieces. The only other thing I’ve sold was returned almost immediately. I can’t figure it out.”

“…”

Pyonkichi…I want to tell him maybe the problem is the names he gives to his finished pieces, but I can’t bring myself to say it to his face.

“Despite all that, here you are. An adventurer who recognizes the value of my work.”

“And that means…?”

“You came to buy my armor again, my work. That makes you my customer, my client. Am I wrong?”

Well, when he puts it like that…it sure sounds like it.

Even when I was wading through the forest of armor, I never considered anything else but Mr. Welf’s work.

“Truth is, lower-level smiths like me have to fight over clients, steal them from each other. Once one of us gets famous, everyone and their mother will go to them, asking for weapons and armor.The same is not true for the unknowns. We fight tooth and nail to talk with adventurers, get their advice, and sell our work. That’s the world we live in. You with me so far?” he asks.

I struggle to nod.

Fighting over clients…They have to figure out if someone will be a loyal customer or not. It’s the most basic part of the business world. Also, should an adventurer become famous, the maker of the weapons he or she uses would also become well known. Their name would become famous even if that smith lived in obscurity until that point.

I wouldn’t say adventurers become walking advertisements…but it looks like the connection between smiths and adventurers is far more important than I originally thought.

[AI ERROR / SAFETY BLOCK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

“Oh, it’s important, all right, when a smith’s work is recognized by an adventurer. Like I said before, you recognized my armor. There is nothing that could make a smith happier than that. You’re my first, so I don’t want to let you get away…I can’t let that happen.”

Despite his rather coarse choice of words, he always keeps that same brotherly smile on his face.

He may be a little overbearing at times, but I can’t help but like and respect Mr. Welf as a person.

He’s a good man, a good smith.

“So then, you would like me to continue to be your customer?”

“While you’re right about that…I’m after something a little bit more permanent.”

Mr. Welf’s face turns from a warm smile to a shrewd grin.

“Would you sign a direct contract with me, Bell Cranell?”

—A direct contract?

Seeing the look of confusion on my face, Mr. Welf sums it up for me.

It’s a contract that binds individual smiths and adventurers together in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Adventurers bring drop items back from the Dungeon for the smiths, who in turn use them to make strong weapons for the adventurers at a reduced price.

Mutual benefit. Smiths and adventurers helping each other out.

And the icing on the cake: Weapons tend to have stronger characteristics when they’re made for a specific person rather than for general sale.

So that’s what Eina had been talking about.

“Are…are you sure it’s okay?!”

“Hey, hey, that’s my line. You’re already Level Two, and I’m a no-name, low-level smith who hasn’t even learned the Forge Ability yet. When you think about it, this isn’t that fair, is it?”

I’m about to say that’s not true at all, but when I think about it again, he has a point.

If I try to tell Mr. Welf otherwise, it will sound less like modesty and more like sarcasm to him.

It takes a great deal of effort, but I manage to stop myself from speaking and close my mouth.

At the same time that I’m thinking, Mr. Welf leans over and wraps his arm around my neck, pointing my head in the direction of other shops. I can see a smile on his face out of the corner of my eye.

“Have a look over there, past all the swords, axes, and shields, to those guys standing there. They’re staring right at us.”

“Y-yes…”

The gazes of many humans and demi-humans meet right where we are.

It’s almost like they’re expecting something to happen…

“All of those guys, they’re after you. They want to sign a contract with you, just like me.”

“Huh?”

“Not just you. For better or worse, all adventurers who level up to Level Two are targeted. That’s the difference between lower and upper class, my friend.”

S-seriously…?

My head still locked firmly in place, I shift my eyes to look at Mr. Welf’s face.

He’s sending all of the other smiths a very smug look, as if he’s already won. “Well, that’s how it is,” he says with a grin and releases me.

“I want to be your go-to guy for smithing. If I sit back and twiddle my thumbs, some other smith is gonna sign you, and I’ll lose my first customer. So I have to pull out all the stops to get you first.

“And it’s really good for my rep if I can sign an adventurer with a lot of potential like you,” he adds with another laugh.

“…On a bit more of a personal note, your Level doesn’t really matter to me, believe it or not. Never thought there would come a day that someone would say they want my work, after looking at all the other options out there…You get it?”

“…”

“It’s like, this awesome feeling inside me just piling up, you know? It’s a smith’s badge of honor,” he adds shyly.

Finally able to read between the lines, I’m not happy that he’s after a direct contract from the start.

He went a little overboard putting on this show. But the thought of the two of us novices working together warms me to the idea.

I don’t really understand it myself…but I think it’s a good sign.

“…All right, then. I’ll sign a direct contract with you, Mr. Welf.”

“That settles it! Don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d said no!”

I stand up and take his outstretched hand.

“Looking forward to working with you, Bell,” he says, his face beaming with enthusiasm.

Not only is his hand bigger than mine, it’s as hot as a furnace.

“We’ll worry about the official contract later, but for right now…”

He vigorously shakes my hand up and down as he speaks.

The other smiths who were watching us droop their shoulders and turn to leave. Mr. Welf is putting on another show to let them know he won.

After watching the last one go, Mr. Welf immediately releases my hand and drops his head in apology.

“I know this is a little early…but would you be willing to do me a favor?”

My eyes pop open as I look back at him.

“Of course, I’m not expecting you to help me for nothing. I’ll make any and all equipment you need for free.”

“HUH?!”

“Don’t be so surprised. It’s common sense that adventurers want items from smiths, right?”

Not even in my wildest dreams did I think that I’d ever get a new set of equipment for free.

If what he’s saying is true, then I don’t need to replace anything else that was broken…

All of the muscles in my face suddenly let go; I’m sure I look like a dumbfounded idiot right now.

“Here it is. You ready?”

“…”

I hold my breath and wait for his next words.

“Let me join your battle party.”

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