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/BONK!/
"GUAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
"Sigh, I take my eyes off you for a moment and you already cause this much trouble. How did this even happen?" Riveria asked as her eyes fell on Silver
"I greet her highness, princess of the great woods." Silver said as he bowed formally
'I hope I'm doing this right.'
His bow was so perfect and in line with customs even Riveria was stunned.
Loki jumped from the ground, "Stop trying to curry favor with her! She's mine!"
/Bonk!/
"GAAAAUG!!!"
"Stay put for a moment, you've caused enough trouble for the day."
"Woah! You're far more impressive than I thought! Way to go!" Tiona exclaimed from behind as she
Ais nodded eagerly.
Riveria, however, was not as eager. Her eyebrows sharpening, she turned to them with a stern gaze, "Hm? You two, what are you doing here? Turn around and go take a shower!"
"Ah, come on, Riveria, everyone's sweaty here in the gym. No one gonna notice a thing… Some might even say there's some romance to that." Loki claimed as she raised an eyebrow at Tiona and Ais
Tiona cringed, "Gross."
Ais stepped back, her expression darkening as she put her hands over her body.
"Agh! It's just a joke, guys!"
Riveria's eyelids twitched, but her thoughts seemed to be elsewhere…
"You look like you understand!" She said as she looked at Silver, "Come on! Don't you agree with me?"
"No."
Loki's expression turned extremely serious as she put her finger on his chin, "Oi, you're lying!"
He gently pushed her hand away, "Don't pull me down with you. I have no interest in partaking in this conversation!"
She snickered, taking a step back as she smacked her lips, "Coward! A man should be honest with his feelings!"
"There is a big difference between saying what you believe out loud and letting your intrusive thoughts out."
'There's also a very stern difference between a slightly sweaty girl and one that smells of monster entrails… not that it makes any of the options "romantic".'
Loki bickered with a shrug, "Is there? I think it's the same."
Riveria took a deep breath as she finished her thoughts, "Sigh… everyone, disperse. This matter is over!"
"As for you two, I think I made myself clear… especially you, Ais. Will I have to throw you in the pool again?"
Ais shook her head, running away with Tiona after her, "A-Ais!"
/Chattering…/
While Silver and Loki threw words at each other, the rest of the crowd dispersed amidst whispers.
With that, Riveria approached the two of them, arms crossed, "So? Who is this man? You already seem fairly acquainted with him." She asked bluntly
He bowed again, "Mellios Silver, Captain of the Hestia Familia."
"A pleasure, though I do not have a fancy title like yours, I'm afraid…"
Loki jumped between them, hands in her waist, "What do you mean, Riveria?" She then turned to Silver, "Listen up, mob scrub! This elf over here is Nine Hell! I picked up that alias for her because…"
Riveria pushed her head aside, "Loki… do not embarrass me any further." She said as she sighed deeply
"Anyhow, I need to go back to work."
"Aww, stay around a bit longer."
"I'm inclined to do so given your antics, but we're pressed for time. We need to finish things before the new year…"
She looked at Silver, and Loki scoffed, "You don't need to hide it around this guy, he'll be coming with us on our next expedition. Just ask Finn when you are able, he'll fill you in on the deets."
Albeit her expression remained calm, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, "Is that so? Mark me curious for this unexpected addition. You're not one to accept others so easily on such a short notice… especially Finn."
"You'll understand when you listen to him. I'd tell you here, but I'd rather not ruin the surprise." She said with a smile as she scratched her chin, "I think you'll like him."
"What makes you think so?"
She shrugged, "Who knows? Guess you'll have to go ask Finn."
"Sigh… is it difficult to just say it here? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
Silver pointed at his chest, "Me? I know nothing… you heard her, you should probably go ask Finn." And shrugged, "I'm just your average Joe."
Loki smiled, much to her annoyance.
"You shouldn't go along with her antics… but fine. I can't go back to work with this distracting me."
She turned around, "Don't cause anymore trouble."
"Yes~…"
"Why are you looking at me?…"
They both waited for her to leave before she added, "So? Should we go cause some trouble?"
Silver smiled smugly, "What kind? Mild? Funny? Annoying to someone else but highly entertaining to us?"
"Ho? Didn't know you were an expert in this. I took you to be more… how do I put it?…"
"Mature?"
"That's not the word I'd use, but sure. Given your goddess personality, I'd take you'd be more of a boring ass like her, all dainty like. They say the first child resembles the deity the most."
"Does it? Guess I'm the exception then."
"But say, I'm not one to butt into another's business…" She asked as she walked around him
Silver looked at her, full of doubt, he raised an eyebrow at her statement as he followed her with his head.
"Take your cheeky gaze out of my face! Alright… I do… sometimes… go a little too far…"
"Do you swear on your soul?"
"Why would I need to do that?!… Whatever then! I don't care anymore."
"… A shame, allow me to butt into your business then. I have a question."
"And what makes you think I'd answer it?"
"You will."
"Confident are you?! Alright then! Throw it at me! If it isn't entertaining, you'll do something for me, hehe…"
Silver smiled, taking a small picture from inside his shirt.
"Do you recognize this man? I heard from the Guild that he was once part of your Familia." He said as he gave her the picture
Loki raised an eyebrow at his unusual statement, "What's this about?… !!!!"
Loki's eyes opened wide as she looked at the picture, immediately understanding what this was about.
The shock was so great she was momentarily left in utter disbelief. It was a large family picture of nine individuals.
At the center of the picture stood a small boy with bright platinum eyes, smiling as he raised his arms high.
To his left and right were two humans, a man and a woman. Black and red hair with quite distinctive features, and behind them, middle-aged humans, likely their parents.
But what grabbed her attention were the two extra people in the picture…
"… D-Damn…"
'To think I'd see you two in such an inconspicuous place…'
A middle-aged man and an Amazon of the same age…
Silver stood beside her, pointing at the picture, "This man over here is my grandfather, and this one over here…"
Loki's expression turned a rare soft as her eyes remained fully open. She caressed the picture, sighing, "Noir Sachsen… I know him very well… there's no point in asking here… but what's your relation to him?"
"He's my granduncle. Can't you see how he resembles my grandfather?" Silver asked as he pointed at the picture again
Unfortunately, when put side by side, they didn't look anything alike… one was bald and burly, a blacksmith, and the other was thin and tall…
(Image?)
"Who are you trying to trick here, brat?…"
But she knew he wasn't lying, which was why her expression was somber, "What do you want from this? You look as if you already knew everything there was to know."
He looked at the picture, "I want to see it for myself… it's what my grandfather would like."
'Grandfather lost contact with his older brother years ago and feared the worst. Unfortunately, with the city being in the middle of wartime, doing anything wasn't possible, so he left it to me to check it out.'
'This kind of story isn't anything rare. Back in the village, at least two dozen had family back in the city. It isn't that strange given that it's common for people to migrate to Orario in search of their dreams…'
Loki looked at the picture with complex emotions before looking back at Silver as he looked at her with his dumb smile…
"… Urg… I really can't stand it!" She said all of a sudden as she looked at his face
"What?"
"You don't look like him at all! How can you share blood with him?!"
He shrugged as he took the picture away, "Grandfather used to say I pushed my mother's side of the family more… as you can clearly see from my features, there is actually some degree of Elven blood in me. That comes from my grandma… her grandma was a half-elf."
"What an overly complex family line!"
"How is it complex? It's just your average human-elf relationship… though sometimes I wonder if my Elven ancestor is still alive… but I think we're moving out of the subject."
"Granduncle only came to visit once when I was little. This is our only picture of him… and he came with this lady, though I don't know who she is exactly. Only that her name is…"
"Bara… I'm starting to remember now, dammit… so that's why Noir left all of a sudden all those years ago… it was to meet you of all people."
She didn't seem upset, if anything, she was amused and even a little glad.
She looked him up and down and mumbled something to herself.
"Bara went after him because she was worried he was going to get into trouble…"
Silver scratched his head, "Now that you say it, I do remember a few things… I remember my granduncle talking about uh… the sexiness of a widow?"
'I do remember everything, but it would be a little odd to say that given how small I was. Most don't even have a memory, much less full recollection.'
'Granduncle was a free-spirited man who said whatever was on his mind. I guess one could say my personality resembles his the most.'
'Maybe one day I'll share those moments with her… she seems to care a lot about him.'
"Of all the things you could remember, it's that?!" She exclaimed as her eyes popped open again
'Noir!! You really shoved those thoughts into your grandnephew!!'
But as the mood died down, the heavy truth loomed, "… How did he go?"
"You really don't hold back, do you, kid?" She said as she smacked her lips
"I'd rather be honest then to lie… The truth is I never had much of a connection with him, but that's not the same for grandfather, he'd like to know how things went down… while they share different names, that's merely because he took his father's name while granduncle took his mother's…"
"Yeah, because he knew he would never leave behind any descendants, so he changed his last name so others would remember her name instead through his actions." Loki added as she crossed her arms
"That I didn't know. I'll add it to my notebook."
"Notebook?"
"Yeah. I keep many of my grandparents' and my parents' memories written on them. This way I can remember their tales anytime, kind of like a biography. I was thinking about looking for great-grandparents, but that'll be a monumental task…"
"Do you know whether Noir had any other relatives? That would help me a lot."
She shook her head, "Noir was a loner. If he had any parents alive, he'd have told me… but I know some stories…"
"Would you mind sharing them?"
"Like this? Bah!… My lips are dry."
Silver looked at her with a judgmental gaze… "You win… wine or beer?"
"Whiskey."
"You sure are fancy… sure, here you are." He said as he opened his pocket space and pulled a translucent bottle to her
"Hehehe… huh?… Hey hey, hey! You think I'm blind? This is nearly translucent!!"
"Of course it is; that's pure alcohol."
"Do you want to kill me?!"
"I just thought that we might cut to the chase, yeah? Might as well get drunk faster. Makes it easier to share stories."
"Yeah, right… so drunk I'll go right back to heaven!" She exclaimed as her forehead tensed, "Get this out of my sight!"
Silver scoffed as he threw the bottle onto a swirling vortex of darkish fog, "So demanding… do you want some snacks to go with your drinks, madam?"
Her left eyebrow raised, "You have snacks on ya?"
"Of all shapes and sizes."
She smiled, licking her lips, "Now we're talking! Say, aren't you considering changing Familias?"
"No, and even if I were, I wouldn't consider joining you after this. I'm not going to be your private fridge."
"Tsk! I'd treat you well at least! Keep you well stocked at all times!"
"As if I had any difficulty doing that myself…"
"You're hard to get. Fine, looks like I'll be taking this fight with someone easier…"
"Don't go bother my goddess, please. She won't shut up about it for the next week. Do you know how much it took me to make her forget she met you at the theater?"
"How about we go back to what we were talking about before? Do you want a snack?"
"Anything spicy? It goes well with wine… But say, interested in taking a look around? We can talk a little on the way."
'Maybe you'll reconsider staying with that shrimp if you take a look around my castle! Rumors say she lives in an abandoned church in the middle of nowhere.'
'If I can't convince you with words… actions it is! I can't lose a moving fridge!'
"… Fine."
'I can tell your motives from miles away, but whatever. If this makes her better, so be it.'
'There's much I'd like to hear from this goddess… and I'd prefer if she was doing all the talking. I can't help but feel she's dissecting my every word whenever I say something.'
"Awesome! Here, let me show you around the place!"
...
While Silver and Loki went on with their antics… above them…
/Shuaa…/
The ladies of the Loki Familia took their well-deserved showers after a long night in the Dungeon…
(Image??)
"Hummn~"
Tiona let the warm water fall on her face as she hummed a song. She reached out to the wall, but as she kept tapping the wall, she realized something was missing.
"… where is it?… Ugh…"
She opened her eyes, and realized she had forgotten all of her things… so she did the most sensible thing and jumped on the wall beside her, looking at the girl showering beside her:
"Hey, Ais, can I borrow your shampoo? I forgot mine in the lockers."
As Ais rubbed her arms with a circular bar of white soap, her expression froze as steaming water ran down her face, "… I forgot mine too."
"Heee?… guess we two came rushing in…"
A hand poked out from the other side of Ais' shower, "You can have mine."
"Thanks Alicia! You're a lifesaver."
"Just don't use half of it like last time. If you do that again, I'm having you wait in line to get me another one."
"Haha… its just so foamy…"
"Are you a child?!"
"… Thank you, Alicia. I like your shampoo."
A chuckle echoed from the other side, "It's nothing, Ais, use as much as you want."
"What's this difference in treatment?! Also, can a have some soap?"
"… Keep it."
/Fwoop!/
A bar of soap flew over Ais, splashing some soap in her eyes.
"!!!"
While Ais cried in silence, Tiona smiled, "Thank you! I'll buy you another next time!"
"And don't you forget it."
"…"
Tiona looked down and grimaced, "… Are you okay, Ais?"
"My eyes… they burn…"
""…""
From the other side of Tiona's shower box… "Tiona, can you pass me that soap later? I'm thinking of changing things a little. Maybe an elven smell will attract the Captain?"
Alicia almost fell down… "E-Elven smell… do we have a unique scent?"
"I wouldn't say you all have…" Tiona said as she scratched the back of her head
"A flowery scent? Like being in a grass field?" Ais asked as she rubbed her head
"That's it!"
"I… I didn't know that… I thought it was normal…"
"It's okay, every girl has their preferred scent, isn't that right, Tione?"
Tione looked at her from behind the shower, "What matters is not what I like but what will make Captain look at me, but if I were to pick favorites… I particularly like those soaps from…"
The girls continued their conversation, albeit for most of the time, it was only Alisha and Tione going back and forth about their preferred perfumes.
For poor Ais, who couldn't quite understand the point of it all, and Tiona, who didn't care much, all they could do was agree absent-mindedly.
'Is it really that big of a deal?' Ais thought as she looked at the wall
Deep inside her, curiosity seemed to surge.
…
Later, after Tione left the shower first and ran down the hallways to find Finn, the two of them went downstairs together, looking around the place as they entered the gym again.
There was only one reason they were here…
Tiona approached Arshe as she left the gym with her things, "Hey, Arshe! Good morning!"
"Morning, Arshe."
"Good morning, you two. Seems like you two of you went into the Dungeon again. Sneaking out without me, huh…" She said with a faint pout as she placed her tower over her shoulder
"Haha… this time we went quite far. We went all the way to the Lower Floors after all…"
"I understand. It would be too much for me to assist you, even as a supporter… Then? I was about to take a bath."
"That's not true. Arshe is a very capable supporter." Ais reassured her as she gave her a nod
Arshe blushed a little, "It's just a joke, but thanks, Ais… anyhow, how may I help you?"
"Have you seen that Telekinesis man?"
Line tilted her head, "Huh? Who?… You mean the man who was with Loki? They left about half an hour ago? Probably less…"
"Do you know where they went?"
Arshe scoffed as she was reminded of what just happened. She looked around before shrugging.
"They left after those fights in the ring… I think I overheard her talking about dragging him around? If anything, they're probably still around here." She replied with after thinking about it for a little while
"But really, he's quite impressive. Not to say his raw skill, he actually has some powerful magic. It's not every time you see someone with an Enchant-Type and… whatever type teleki… telki… tlekilnesis…is... you understand."
"Right? He's quite interesting! Especially given he hasn't been an adventurer for long!"
Line's expression fell as she grew a little sluggish, "Ahh… there's that too… I completely forgot about it. It's crazy to think that when we first met, I deemed him to be a Level 3 or higher adventurer… I never thought such a thing was possible."
"Arshe? Are you still going to take a bath?" Someone asked from afar
"Yes, Narvi!… I'm sorry, but I have to go. You should probably ask someone else, they probably paid more attention to it all."
"Thanks, Arshe!"
Ais nodded, "Until next time."
Arshe left with a wave while Tiona thought about what to do, "Looks like we have a little investigation on our hands… what do you think, Ais? Should we go after them?"
Ais nodded again, this time more eagerly, "I want to know… how he grew this fast. The day is long, and I have nothing else to do."
"Fair enough! I'm quite curious about that as well, but we can get our answers once we find him. Onwards!"
…
"What do you mean he left?!" Tiona exclaimed as she looked at Loki
"I just said it. He left not long ago after he remembered something. Rude brat, I didn't even finish showing him around… does he not know how few have such a privilege?!"
"Especially after everything he said! One day, I'm going to drag him around all day long for this!"
"Come on…"
"You seem eager to meet him? D-Don't tell me?!"
Thunder seemed to echo around her…
"Huh? Nothing of the sort." Tiona claimed as she waved her hand, "I just want to fly in the skies!"
"I figured… it doesn't take much to play around a little, huh?"
"You're the only one who thinks like that."
"Tche! Everyone's so rude… anyhow, you two are coming with me, we're going to meet Finn." Loki said as she pointed behind her
"Ehh? Why? Did we cause trouble again?…"
"Did you?"
"No!"
"Then why ask? He has something to say to you two, and it involves that little friend of yours… besides, if you have anything to ask him, just wait till tomorrow when passes by again."
'As for me, I'll dissect as much information as possible from loli-boobs in the party! Let's see her deny his existence after I press her!'
"He'll come here again? Neat! Should we go, Ais?"
"… Yes."
Ais looked at the city through a window, following Tiona and Loki soon after.
"Also, has anyone seen Bete? I haven't seen him today." Loki asked as she walked with her arms behind her back
Tiona touched her lips as she thought about it, "Bete was running some commissions in preparation for the expedition. I heard the last one was something about delivering supplies to the safe point on the 39th floor. I think some Familia's expedition got stuck there and asked for help."
"That sucks, I hope everyone comes back safely…"
'Perfect chance to show off to whomever deity those kids belong to~.'
She touched Tiona's back and pushed it forward, "He'll be back for one hell of a surprise then. Let's go, I bet Finn has had enough of Tione for the day and is waiting for us with Riveria and Gareth."
"If not, we're fetching them too, so get on to it executives!"
"Yes, yes. No need to push..."
…
Not long after, Tione's cry rang in the castle.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY HIS MAGIC WAS???"
"Sis… don't scream so suddenly…"
Their reactions were… very much in line with the expected.
…
/Meanwhile…/
/Cling cling cling…/
Silver stepped inside a shop, wondering to himself, 'Is this the right place?'
"Good afternoon, customer." A voice rang from his left
He turned to the left as the door behind him closed. Behind a low counter stood a woman of incredible beauty. Her long platinum hair remained behind her, shimmering as she bowed down gently in his direction.
Her uniform resembled that of a nun, which only made her look cuter… Silver knew who this woman was; if not for her clothes, her hair gave it away.
"Good afternoon…"
'Looks like I'm in the right place.'
(Images?)
He approached the counter, nodding at her as he rested his hands on the counter.
'So this is her, the Silver Saint, one of the two great healers of Orario, and the strongest healer in the world… Armid Teasanare.'
'She's one of the few lower-rank adventurers I've memorized, though her being low rank is not a diminishing factor in any way.'
As the captain of the Dian Cecht Familia, Airmid is the best healer in the world with an immense talent for both medicine and creating healing magic items such as elixirs as well as being the best prosthesis maker in the city.
All of her accomplishments were in fields Silver was greatly interested in, and if not for his desire in exploring the Dungeon and growing as an adventurer, he might've considered joining their Familia.
A shame they're just too passive for his tastes.
"How may I help you today, customer?" Airmid asked as she took a step closer to the counter
'He's tall.'
That was Airmid's first impression of Silver. A tall man with wide shoulders, nothing unusual for an adventurer.
"Hi, I'd like to make a commission." He said as he opened a small, brown leather bag on his waist. It was similar to the one a mailman would use
She pulled a small notebook from underneath the counter, "Of what kind? Medicine? Materials?"
"I'm looking for chemical materials. I was hoping you could make the items on this list for me if possible." He said as he gave her a long list of materials
"Let's see… hum… huh?"
Airmid eyes scanned the paper carefully, stopping quickly as she realized the uniqueness of this request.
'I recognize most of these materials. They're rather unique solutions and chemicals. It is the kind of thing Dian Cecht-Sama often blabs about amidst his experiments… but some of these I don't understand.'
'But others… are quite dangerous. Sulfuric acid? That's not something I hear coming from a customer... I don't think I've heard any non-alchemist talk about it before.'
She took another glance at him, 'And he doesn't look like an alchemist either...'
After a while, she put the list down, "We can concoct most of these just fine, but some… may be difficult to produce."
"Is there any material missing? I can always procure what's needed myself."
She shook her head faintly, "It's not a matter of availability, it's a matter of safety. Some materials on this list would require permission from my superiors to be made."
'I just can't see it. I don't understand what a burly guy like him would need such materials for. It seems to me he's trying to brew something, but that's as strong of a shot as believing a smith would make a sword by buying iron.'
'Hum... we don't deal with sketchy customers.'
She seemed to be scanning his face for a reaction, but Silver barely reacted, already expecting this development.
"That's okay. I would like to commission all materials on the list in their respective quantities, if possible."
She nodded, picking the list, "Give me a minute and I'll confirm the values for you. Feel free to peruse the shop, we've just concocted a new batch of Elixirs." She added as she pointed at the wall behind her
"I'll take a look, thank you."
'I do burn through a bunch of Mind potions… restocking a little wouldn't do much… but I don't know how much all of this will go through and I've already spent quite a bit in the past few days… spending money is far easier than making it around here…'
'Maybe I should open a shop of my own one day.'
While Silver looked around the place, Airmid returned. This time, with an elderly man in golden robes.
His expression was heavy as he looked at Silver, as if looking for something in his expression. Up and down he scanned fingers, eventually settling on his fingers, where he scoffed out loud as he crossed his arms and turned to Airmid:
"So this is the crazy bastard that asked for those materials. Get out, you crazy lunatic!!" He said as he pointed at the door
Silver was taken aback by the sudden change, "… What?"
'This man must be… there's only one old man that fits this appearance and personality... the white cape laced with gold… this must be him, Dian Cecht, head of the largest Medicinal Familia in Orario.'
(Image)
Dian Cecht looked at Silver and snickered, "Don't play dumb with me! You may try to hide it, but I understand full well what you're trying to concoct with these materials!"
"What?"
'Impossible. Most of these are generic materials used for a hundred thousand other purposes. How can he put it all together like this? Even for a god of alchemy, this is too much.'
"This is the last time! I'll report you to the authorities next! You crazy bastard who has no regard for his body!"
"!"
Silver finally showed some emotion as his lips shook, 'He actually figured out?? That's why I hate talking with the gods… they always figure things out and more.'
'But I have a solution. I didn't come here without a plan. I came to this overpriced shop exactly because of that...'
"What's the problem with buying these materials? Many alchemical materials are dangerous in their raw forms. What matters is how you use them."
"That's the last straw! I'm reporting you!"
"On what basis? I only came here to buy some things. Besides, I'm not asking for much. Whatever I do with what I buy is my business only, old man."
He turned around, "So what? This isn't the first time a crazy fuck like you has entered this shop! I'm not letting some no-name…"
"Fifty million Valis." Silver said all of a sudden as he took a step forward
Dian Cecht stumbled as he put his hand on the wall for support, "S-Some no name…"
Silver's face grew resolute as Airmid sighed, "One hundred million Valis."
Dian Cecht's expression turned sharp as he went from extreme anger to professionalism in under the blink of an eye, "Please take a seat, cherished customer. Airmid, please go brew some tea for this gentleman."
""…""
Silver and Airmid looked at each other in silence.
…
"… Haaaa… there goes all my money." Silver said as he sat on the edge of a house overlooking Orario
'Looks like I'll be starting the next year in debt… guess I'm now fully integrated into the middle class now.'
'Having to throw ten million up front was already taxing on my wallet, but having to pay ten more every week will be a pain in the ass... its been a long time since I've been on the unfavorable side of a contract.'
He tilted his haed, "I'll have to figure out a solution… I have a few ideas, but for now… I'll take a nap, I'm a bit tired."
'Maybe I'll pass by the School District again. Now that I have a temporary pass, getting in and out is fine. While getting the money is one thing, I can't let them leave without collecting enough material to study for the next three years.'
"Being an adult is such a pain… I liked it when all I had to worry about was having enough sleep in the village…"
With a sigh, Silver returned to the church. From then on, he focused solely on his tasks.
After a short nap, Silver went to the School District, spending the rest of the day in the library before doing his tasks in the Dungeon.
Only later did he return to the church where he spent the next few hours in his workshop continuing his studies and work.
Later, Silver slept with Hestia as always after talking about their day and plans for the future, welcoming the next day with tired eyes.
…
/One day and several hours until the new year…/
"… Silver! Help me!"
"Huh?"
'What is it this time?'
Silver put his pen down as he walked out of the workshop. Walking through the heavy snow, Silver approached Hestia who waited for him at the church's door.
"Help me zip the dress!" She claimed as she turned around
He stepped forward, sighing, "Trying your clothes on? Didn't we do that already yesterday?" He said as he touched her back
"I just wanted to test it one more time to make sure nothing was wrong! You know how it is…"
"I think you're pretty good like this already." He said casually as he zipped her dress up
"Ugh… Don't say such things casually!"
As she stepped away, turning in his direction, Silver took a good look at her dress. It was a long blue dress with several red lines mimicking flames that covered most of her body. She had delicate gloves and heels to complement her style.
"Isn't the party later in the day? We have lots of time."
"A woman needs lots of time to get ready!... That's what Demeter said... I'm still going to pass by the goddess bathhouse before going to the party."
"Uhum…"
"D-Don't misunderstand! It's only for appearances!" She said as she sneaked some glances at him
He smiled, but did not respond, "Like always, you're beautiful. Don't let anyone say otherwise. If they do, tell me, I'll kindly remind them of the truth."
He patted her head, but this time, she only sighed... "I don't know if I should smile or scold you… whelp! That was all; you can go back to your things now."
"I was mostly done, anyway. I'll probably go back to the School District…"
She stepped closer to him, "For someone who claimed he wasn't going to cause trouble, you've been going there quite frequently."
"Are you betraying me?!" She asked as she had the urge to jump at him, or rather, she tried, but he stopped her
"Careful now, else your dress is going to rip…"
"Don't change the subject! I… d-don't leave me, Silver…"
"I'm just… don't cry, come on…"
'How can you change and cry so quickly? She's more dramatic than actors in a soap opera...'
"I'm just going there to study. I'm too old to join, and neither do I have the interest in joining them." He replied as he tapped her head
"Really?"
"I'm not one to lie."
"…"
"F-Frequently!!"
"I believe you. You wouldn't lie about this."
"Right… anyhow, are we going to eat somewhere or…"
Hestia put her palm in front of his face, "I already have something planned with Demeter. She's going to help me with the makeup, so we're going to the bathhouse together."
"I'm glad you have friends, I'm proud of you."
"Don't look at me as if I were a child! I have many friends!" She claimed as her face went red
"Right, you do…"
"Humph! What about you?! You have no friends!"
"Well…"
"All you do is go to the Dungeon and study! You're worse than me by multiple magnitudes!"
Silver grew a little embarassed, "Ahem… I mean… there are some... circunstances..."
"I don't wanna hear it! I'm packing my things!… See you later…" she said with a gently smile as she turned around
But as she walked downstairs, "Humph!!"
"…"
'Pick a side…'
Silver turned to look at the snow, spending a few moments enjoying the scenery before closing the door and going back to the workshop.
After he was finished, he went to the Guild and worked as normal throughout the afternoon, returning only to meet up with Hestia as she went to the party.
After all, there was no way he was going to miss this.
…
.
.
.
Notes
Just a few more chapters until the new year. I think things are progressing quite well.
Thank you for reading, and until the next chapter!
(It may be sooner than this one was)