Being able to stuff a precious potion like the "Panacea" into the medicine box, Ron was not so narcissistic as to think it was because the other party found him handsome or had other intentions toward him.
It was purely a matter of building goodwill with Eina.
It could be considered a return of courtesy for this special consideration, and it also resolved a potion issue that had troubled Airmid for quite some time.
He came once again to the Sanatorium. However, compared to yesterday, the "tail" he brought along today was the Loki Familia's genius girl—Lefiya.
Under the astonished gaze of the elven girl, the handsome young man walked into the non-patient passageway. Miss Airmid, who was helping patients check their injuries, showed not the slightest sign of irritation at being disturbed.
How strange.
Could it be that Ron was a member of Airmid's familia?
Lefiya felt as though she had discovered a new continent—fine weapons and equipment, rare Panacea potions—there was absolutely no way he could be a member of some small Orario familia.
But then again, what powerful familia would allow a newcomer to explore alone?!
Even though Ron had this layer of connection with the Dian Cecht Familia, the injuries he had suffered in the Dungeon were the result of protecting her.
The girl did not feel at ease simply accepting the other party's efforts.
Lefiya actively followed after Ron. Just as she was hesitating—about how to explain things to Senior Airmid, who had taken such good care of her as usual—
The conversation that followed, however, caused her expression to stiffen.
"Miss Airmid, I'm back."
"Mhm."
After resolving the issue with the patient in front of her, the silver-haired girl raised her head. When she noticed Ron's sleeve stained red with blood, she could not help but feel somewhat angry.
If he was injured, he should have taken better care of himself.
But when Airmid thought about it—about how Ron's injuries were very likely sustained in the Dungeon, and incurred while testing whether the new potion had any side effects—
No matter what, the girl could not bring herself to say any harsh words.
"Are you alright?"
"When fighting monsters, there may have been some damage to the arm muscles and ligaments, but after taking Miss Airmid's new potion, the effect was very obvious."
Ron moved his body a bit; aside from that, there was no discomfort at all.
Considering it a fulfillment of Airmid's request, he added seriously, "It's just that the potion's healing effect is relatively slow, so it can't be used for emergencies."
"Side effects…"
"They're also rather obvious. After drinking it, there's a strong burning sensation in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach—but if you think about it from another angle."
"Could this also count as a way to divert attention?"
Airmid patiently recorded the potion's effects. Overall, it was certainly no match for a Panacea—at best, it could save someone as long as they weren't dead.
But the further it went—
When she heard the words "strong burning sensation," the silver-haired girl finally sensed that something was wrong.
She raised her head and looked at Ron with an extremely complicated gaze. The latter noticed nothing at all, and even pulled over Lefiya, who was standing nearby and slacking off.
The young man spoke in a highly confident tone: "I can guarantee that all of this is genuine intelligence. There is absolutely no possibility of falsification—this includes even that bottle of new potion I drank."
"It was all given to me by Lefiya. She can testify for me."
The foolish elf did not understand this exchange that lacked context from beginning to end, but since she herself had been the one to feed Ron the potion, she chose this moment to step forward.
Lefiya smiled and nodded. "That's right."
"I even asked him at the time whether he wanted to drink a Panacea, but Mr. Ron said it hadn't reached that level yet, so he took a bottle of the blue potion instead."
Being trusted by Eina in this way,
the silver-haired girl had never doubted the authenticity of Ron's words. However, as she looked at Lefiya, Airmid hesitated for a moment before choosing to explain the reason: "I'm sorry. I didn't explain it clearly."
"Is there a possibility—"
"That the new potion isn't meant to be drunk, but only needs to be applied to the wound to take effect?"
And so—
The smile on the golden-haired elf girl's face vanished completely.
…
Then let me ask you this.
Setting the process aside and looking only at the result.
Ron successfully completed the "potion-testing commission," and even received from Airmid an Adventurers Guild check with a face value of one million.
The payment was made at the highest rate.
In Airmid's words: "If even drinking this external-use potion caused you no problems, then the side effects from topical application can be completely ignored."
Like a lab rat—but what she paid was simply far too much!
After leaving the Sanatorium, Ron looked at the elven girl following beside him, her expression uneasy. He truly did not want to get too close to Lefiya.
It was a matter of familia stance.
Making contact on his own initiative with a key figure being carefully trained by the Loki Familia—especially a golden-haired elf regarded as a successor to the Nine Valkyries—was tantamount to sending out a dangerous signal.
Secondly, the relationship between Loki and Hestia was absolutely one of deep-seated hostility.
"As you can see, my body has no problems at all right now. As for those Dungeon monsters—anything that can't kill me will only make me stronger."
"And regarding the matter of oral potions, you don't need to feel guilty either."
"—Until Miss Airmid explained the proper method of use, I had been taking them by drinking them directly." Ron stated the facts in a calm tone.
It really was a bit of a blunder.
But in exchange, he would not need to worry about financial issues for a short period of time, and his mood immediately eased.
He could forget about yesterday when the sun rose.
"Thank you."
She understood that Ron was comforting her.
Yet the guilt in the elven girl's heart did not dissipate in the slightest. She had originally thought—Ron was a newly recruited member of the Dian Cecht Familia.
But she had never considered that the set of equipment Ron was wearing was very likely purchased with money earned by serving as a test subject for "potion trials."
After directly enduring the Goblin Guard's full-power attack, even though the brass heavy shield had not been completely scrapped, the subsequent repairs would certainly cost a considerable amount of Valis.
This was probably the reality faced by bottom-tier adventurers.
From the "School District" to later joining the Loki Familia, Lefiya's life had gone smoothly; at the very least, she never had to worry about equipment or income.
Since Ron's body had no serious issues, she felt it was necessary to provide repayment within her capabilities in other areas: "Mr. Ron, regarding equipment repairs."
"I think—this can be entirely left to me."
"Our familia's high-end weapons are all custom-made by the Goibniu Familia. The damaged equipment on you can definitely be repaired."
The Goibniu Familia.
Even though it had relatively little presence in the original DanMachi, Ron was not unfamiliar with this familia. For example, the Sword Princess Ais Wallenstein—her Desperate Sword, a weapon with the "Indestructible" trait, was made with Goibniu's help.
The ability to grant weapons unique traits—this alone was extremely enticing.
If a rapier that already had a blood groove were granted the "Bleed" trait, then once enough damage had been accumulated, could it directly make a monster explode to death?
A brass heavy shield with a "Taunt" effect…
A greatsword that could additionally deal "Armor Break," or armor that increased the "Agility" attribute…
Ron looked at the elven girl who was eager to repay him. He had no intention of using up Lefiya's favor so quickly. After gently shaking his head, he explained: "You don't need to worry about equipment repairs."
"I have dedicated wool… a dedicated place where it can be repaired. But in the future, I might need Senior Lefiya to help introduce me to the Goibniu Familia."
"I want to commission some rather unique weapons and equipment."
"No problem."
He had already called her "Senior"—what else was there to say?
Most importantly—
Ron was different from the other adventurers she had encountered. Lefiya had even prepared herself to take a loss, yet she had not expected that he had no such intention at all.
Truly a contradictory fellow…
Clearly he was short of money—so much so that he had reached the point of improving his finances through potion trials—yet he was still willing to split the Dungeon's gains evenly with her.
He had also not used the life-saving favor to threaten her.
After thinking it over, the elven girl turned around. Her azure eyes, pure like amber, looked straight at Ron beside her, who had wiped away the dust and revealed a refined face.
Lefiya smiled gently and said: "Since that's the case, let me treat you to a meal—this should be fine, right?"
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