Having said this much, Amou Kirukiru spread her hands.
"They're still just a herd of meat targets that only know how to lunge forward on instinct."
"They don't know how to adapt, don't know how to anticipate, and least of all don't know how to use tactics."
"If we keep going to the Dungeon once every day like clockwork, then turning right back around—"
"—unless we go through several more Monster Feasts—"
"—then this kind of repetitive grinding will only make the pace of our growth slower and slower by the day."
After hearing all this.
The girls who had been sitting off to the side, wiping down their weapons and planning to head into the Dungeon to keep farming monsters, all stopped what they were doing and fell silent.
It was true.
These past few days they had been doing nothing but monster battles.
Facing those mindless monsters, steamrolling them outright with the overwhelming stats granted by God's Grace—it was a complete cakewalk from start to finish.
But this kind of combat was doing less and less to hone their fighting instincts.
Haimer sat on the sofa at the head seat, a freshly brewed cup of black tea in hand, and nodded in approval.
"What Kirukiru says is right on the mark."
"The monsters of the Dungeon are, in the end, only monsters."
"What can truly make a person transform rapidly—"
"—has always been the fight of person against person."
Haimer set his teacup down on the table with a soft clink.
Adventurers were not like monsters.
Adventurers could think, could cheat in a hopeless situation, could adjust their tactics according to an opponent's weaknesses, could seamlessly link magic and physical attacks together.
A match of endless variation, where things could capsize at any moment—that was the ideal hotbed for forcing out one's potential.
Hacking away endlessly at unthinking wooden posts would never forge a peerless blade.
"Looks like it."
"I really ought to find you all some suitable sparring partners."
Haimer rapped his fingers against the armrest.
At the words "sparring partners,"
the girls' eyes instantly lit up.
Especially Amou Kirukiru.
"So we finally get to cross blades with those so-called top-tier adventurers? I can hardly wait."
Amou Kirukiru licked her lips, her eyes brimming with a sickly fervor.
Beside her, Onigawara Rin, having finished wiping down her blade, rested her hand on the edge of her mask, her eyes likewise itching for action.
Watching their reactions, Haimer understood what was on their minds, and began calculating in his head.
If he was going to find sparring partners, naturally they had to be ones with real strength.
Finding ordinary adventurers wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between this overly energetic bunch of girls' teeth.
In that case.
In Orario as it stood now, once filtered down, only two usable options remained.
The Ganesha Familia, and the Loki Familia.
After all, at present only these two Familias could be counted, within the circle of the gods, as firmly bound together with himself.
Asking them for help would naturally be a good deal safer.
But as for Ganesha's side...
That fellow may have had formidable strength, with a whole crowd of high-level adventurers under him—not only handling public security but also overseeing the running of the Monster Festival.
But Lady Shakti had already helped him out plenty, from buying a house to all manner of cleanup jobs, even gritting her teeth and watching as the heretic children he'd brought were paraded through the streets.
To go exploiting her people now as sparring partners would seem a bit inhumane.
Which left only the last option.
——Loki.
If it was that fellow.
Haimer thought it over.
If he went now to borrow a few of her people as sparring partners,
she would probably grumble all the while, even as she schemed over how to wring a bit more profit out of him.
After all, with so many years of dealing with each other, the two of them knew each other inside and out.
Just last night he'd dragged her into the workshop to forge iron all night long; today she was surely sprawled out in that big mansion of hers, playing dead.
Still, as long as he could grind out this bunch of girls' combat strength, she could ask for whatever she pleased.
And besides, those members of the Loki Familia were all beings called monsters in their own right.
With these monstrous old veterans to teach them, plus a bit of pointers from himself now and then, it would definitely save a lot of effort.
"Let's go."
At this thought, Haimer rose to his feet and smoothed out the pure-black, long-cut formal robe he wore.
"Go where?"
Tendou Kisara hung her black tachi at her waist and asked.
Haimer walked toward the doorway.
"In a little while, you'll all find out."
The whole troop marched in a grand procession down the streets of Orario.
The weather today was fine, sunlight spilling across the flagstone road, the shops on both sides of the street opening up to greet customers.
But.
When the roadside vendors and adventurers saw Haimer striding at the head of the group, the once-noisy street instantly quieted by several decibels.
Haimer walked at the very front.
Behind him followed a group of girls, all of them Lv.2 with fearsome battle records.
Not only that.
At the tail of the procession, Hanasaka Warabi was riding atop the neck of the giant black bear Kyoubou, while a little cub trundled along behind, swaying from side to side.
As a black bear of absurd size, Kyoubou's footsteps landed on the ground with dull, heavy thuds.
The surrounding pedestrians and adventurers all lowered their heads and scattered to either side of their own accord, forcibly opening up a broad passage through the crowded street.
No one dared court that misfortune.
That was, after all, the rumored Haimer Familia—the one said to be able to tear apart a Hellhound bare-handed, and to make monsters obey as meekly as puppies.
Haimer had long grown used to this; without so much as a glance at his surroundings, he walked straight ahead.
They passed through several broad streets.
The buildings ahead gradually grew more imposing, and the flagstones underfoot changed from a grayish-white to larger, flatter slabs of bluestone.
Soon, a sprawling, magnificently scaled luxury mansion came into the group's view.
Towering perimeter walls, a wide front courtyard.
Upon the main gate was carved an emblem of a grinning clown.
The Twilight Manor.
This was the headquarters of the Loki Familia.
Two fully armed guards stood at the gate. Seeing this group barreling straight for the entrance, they instinctively tightened their grips on the spears in their hands.
But when they got a clear look at the man walking at the very front—
the two guards exchanged a glance, hurriedly stowed their spears, and obediently withdrew to the side of the gate, clearing the way—skipping even the usual questioning procedure entirely.
After all.
Yesterday their own patron goddess had been forcibly hauled away, and the half-dead, wretched state she'd been in when she returned early this morning had been witnessed by the entire Loki Familia.
Haimer strode straight up the steps, leading the group of girls across the front courtyard.
There in the hall at that moment, Loki was sprawled out with her legs crossed on a cushioned chaise, popping a green grape into her mouth, a chilled fruit wine set beside her—the very picture of someone who had already made up for every bit of the suffering she'd endured yesterday.
"See, what'd I say—Finn and those guys were so happy to get their new weapons they couldn't tell which way was up. We didn't lose out one bit; we even mooched a whole pile of top-tier enhancements for free. Aiyaya, being a patron goddess really isn't easy, I've gotta cook up ideas for my Familia at every turn—today, no matter who calls on me, I'm just gonna..."
Loki was only halfway through her muttering when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the figures walking in through the main gate.
Haimer was looking at her with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
Behind him stood a whole row of girls bristling with bloodlust, plus a black bear as wide as a wall.
"Hsss——?!"
At the sight, Loki sucked in a sharp breath, and the green grape lodged in her throat got stuck fast.
Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, both hands clamped desperately around her own neck as she rolled wildly back and forth on the chaise.
"Thud!"
It wasn't until she'd tumbled off the chair and cracked her head against the floor that she finally hacked the grape out by sheer force.
"Cough, cough, cough... Hai-Haimer!"
Loki braced both hands against the floor, scrambling and crawling backward.
"I'm telling you!"
"There's no way I'm going with you today!"
"Whatever miserable chore you've got, go find Hephaestus for it! I was practically dehydrated from exhaustion yesterday! Today, even if the sky falls, I am not setting foot outside!"
"Relax, I'm not here to drag you off as a laborer today."
Watching Loki's expression—as though terrified he'd cart her off—Haimer wore a speechless look as he pulled over a nearby chair and sat down.
Hearing that, Loki stared at him suspiciously, her body still not yet risen from the floor.
"Not dragging me off to work, so what're you suddenly bringing this big a crowd over for? What, you planning to rob me?"
"Nothing of the sort."
Haimer pointed at the girls behind him.
"It's just that lately, in the Dungeon, they've been doing nothing but chopping vegetables. They're fine against brainless monsters, but when they run into opponents who actually use their heads, they come up a little short. Didn't your Familia just get back from an expedition a while ago? Since you happen to have these couple of days free, help train them a bit."
"Train them?"
Loki blinked, and was just about to open her mouth to haggle.
"What are you talking about, Lord Haimer—your willingness to let them come here is an honor for our Loki Familia."
As it turned out, in the midst of their exchange, several core officers of the Twilight Manor who'd heard the commotion came filing out one after another.
——The 「Braver」, Finn.
Half a step behind him came the emerald-long-haired elf woman Riveria, along with the burly, thick-bearded dwarf Gareth.
Following close behind were the Amazon twins Tiona and Tione, clad in cool, skin-baring outfits, their skin a healthy wheat-brown.
Further back was the werewolf Bert, hands shoved in his pockets, his face full of impatience.
Walking at the very rear of the group was Ais, with her long golden hair and a face as exquisite as a doll's.
And beside her, poking out half a head fitted with a pink hairband, was the elf Lefiya.
The strongest fighting force of the Loki Familia—the officers of the First Battalion—were assembled almost in full.
Finn walked to Loki's side and came to a stop, his gaze sweeping once over the girls Haimer had brought before turning to Haimer.
"Lord Haimer, what are your instructions?"
Haimer wasted no words and got straight to the point, laying out his idea of having the Loki Familia's experts serve as sparring partners, to give his own bunch of girls—all stat-sheet and no real person-to-person combat experience—a lesson.
After hearing the purpose of Haimer's visit,
the Loki Familia's officers, far from showing any aversion, all wore especially relaxed expressions.
Finn in particular glanced at the [Sovereign Spear] in his hand—which, after Haimer's reforging, had not only surged in power but was now inscribed with holy script—then turned his head and exchanged a look with Riveria and Gareth.
The group accepted gladly.
After all, although the materials used to reforge their weapons had been precious ones they'd retrieved from the deep levels of the Dungeon, materials were, in the end, just external things.
Being able to forge those dead objects into first-rate equipment capable of turning the tide of a battle relied entirely on the heaven-defying craftsmanship of the god before them.
What's more, to have a god possessing such conceptual authority personally lend a hand in the forging—were it placed on a normal trading market, the handling fee alone would be an astronomical figure beyond all reckoning.
The debt of gratitude owed was simply too great.
Merely serving as sparring partners to coach some newcomers was nowhere near enough to repay it.
"Of course, no problem at all."
Finn nodded with a smile.
"For the members of Lord Haimer's Familia to have such resolve to refine their martial skills, naturally we're more than happy to spar and exchange pointers."
Haimer nodded back politely.
"Then pick whoever you like. This bunch of girls all have different temperaments, and their fighting styles differ when they throw down too—take a look, and whoever catches your eye, take them off to train."
Haimer handed the choice over to the other side.
Riveria stepped forward, her emerald eyes carrying the composure peculiar to elven royalty.
Her gaze swept over this group of girls before her one by one, sizing them up.
When her line of sight passed over the Holy Emperor,
this woman hailed as Orario's strongest mage, the [Nine Hells], felt the corner of her eye twitch sharply.
Though the Holy Emperor merely stood there quietly, Riveria's keen perception—honed over long years of dealing with magic—instantly sensed the thing hidden within the other's body.
A surge of magic so vast it seemed about to overflow the flesh, like a bottomless abyss, terrifying in its immensity.
Even she, a Lv.6, felt her heart quail.
Next, Riveria's gaze shifted to the Tendou Kisara beside her.
A black sailor uniform, a ramrod-straight stance, one hand pressed to the hilt of her blade.
This girl gave off no magic at all, yet she was wreathed in an extremely pure, ice-cold, bone-chilling killing aura.
Riveria made up her mind.
"Lord Haimer, these two—leave them to me."
Riveria pointed at the Holy Emperor and Tendou Kisara.
Then, with a smile, Riveria turned her head to glance at Lefiya, who was hiding behind Ais and peeking out furtively.
"And Miss Mary as well."
After all.
Yesterday Lefiya had, of her own initiative, spent a whole day wandering outside with Kikakujou Mary—it was the first time Riveria had ever seen this introverted little elf get so close with anyone other than Ais.
At this thought, Riveria looked back at the slender rapier hanging at Mary's waist and continued:
"The elven race has some insights into the nimbleness of light blades—I can instruct you."
Hearing Riveria name Kikakujou Mary,
Lefiya immediately leapt out from behind Ais in excitement, waving vigorously toward Kikakujou Mary.
Kikakujou Mary broke into a smile as well, raising a hand in response.
As a royal elf with decades of accumulated mastery, Riveria was without question an excellent choice of mentor.
Haimer nodded and gladly agreed.
After Riveria finished choosing her people,
the atmosphere in the venue grew lively.
Hanasaka Warabi sat on Kyoubou's back, the cub circling below. Gareth strode over with a great laugh and slapped a hand against Kyoubou's thick fur, showing keen interest in this beast that possessed Lv.2 strength, loudly hollering that he wanted to test his strength against the bear.
At the same time.
Aihara Enju glanced around.
Her orange-red eyes quickly locked onto a target.
After all.
Only one person had eye-catching metal boots equipped on both legs.
That was Bert.
An instinct for leg techniques cut from the same cloth led her to make an immediate decision.
At this thought, Aihara Enju went bouncing and skipping over, running all the way up to Bert before stopping, tilting her head up, her twin tails swishing behind her head.
"Hey! Can you teach me? Big Mister Werewolf?"
Hearing this odd form of address,
Bert lowered his head and looked at this little girl in an orange hoodie who didn't even reach his waist, his brow instantly furrowing deeply, the corner of his eye twitching violently.
"Hah?"
"You want me to babysit a brat?"
Bert's face was full of displeasure.
The thing he hated most was looking after a little squirt like this who looked like she'd topple over in a gust of wind.
Hearing this, Aihara Enju was none too pleased; she pulled a big face at Bert, planted both hands on her hips, and glared right back with her orange-red eyes, refusing to back down.
"I'm not a brat! I'm a Lv.2 adventurer now! Watch it, or I'll beat you flat!"
"Haaah——~???"
"Big talk for someone so small."
A few veins popped out on Bert's forehead, the fur on his body bristling slightly.
"You stinking brat! With those puny little bones of yours, I could kick you all the way from here to the shopping district with one foot!"
"Then come try it!"
Aihara Enju shouted out as if in a fit of pique, not shrinking back in the slightest.
Her legs suddenly tensed with force.
There came a muffled "crack."
The hard flagstone ground beneath Aihara Enju's feet, unable to withstand that terrifying force erupting in an instant, faintly split into several spiderweb-like cracks, bits of gravel bursting high into the air along the fissures.
Bert's gaze had been resting on Aihara Enju, but at the sound, his line of sight dropped.
When he saw those cracked flagstones, his narrow, sharp wolf eyes instantly narrowed slightly.
As a martial-arts master specializing in leg techniques, he knew all too well just how terrifying an instantaneous burst of power it took to shatter high-strength flagstones with nothing but a crouching wind-up, without any preparatory motion whatsoever.
At this thought, Bert put away his earlier contemptuous attitude, twisting his neck and producing a string of "crack, crack" sounds.
"Heh, interesting little brat."
Bert split his mouth into a cold sneer.
"Since you're so eager for a beating, then today I'll teach you a proper lesson—let you, you arrogant little brat, learn what they call a gap in strength!"
"Hmph! Who's afraid of who!"
Aihara Enju gave a snort, and after turning to ask Haimer and receiving a smiling nod of approval, she followed Bert off.
Seeing this scene.
Off to the side, Tiona's eyes rolled around—she too had long since fixed her gaze on Hiruko Kohina, who had two black short tachi tucked at her waist. Barefoot, she charged straight out and scooped Kohina up in her arms.
"Come to think of it, I've had my eye on this cute little sis for ages!"
"And besides, the look in her eyes is so fierce!"
As an Amazon, Tiona felt no fear at this; on the contrary, all the more excited, she nuzzled Kohina's cheek and looked up to shout at Haimer:
"Leave this kid to me, Lord Haimer! Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of her! I guarantee I'll train her up to be even stronger!"
With that said.
Tiona went dashing off in a whirlwind toward an open lot on the other side, Kohina in her arms.
That left only Amou Kirukiru, Onigawara Rin, Nomura Satori, and the ever-quietly-standing Inaba Tsukuyo.
The three of them—Amou Kirukiru, Onigawara Rin, and Nomura Satori—exchanged a glance.
Because they'd already heard that this short-statured Pallum of the Loki Familia, the one called 「Braver」 who wielded a spear, was the number-one figure of the Loki Familia.
For these three, who venerated martial skill, the strongest opponent naturally held the most lethal allure.
And so.
The three of them strode in unison toward Finn's direction, ready to ask him for guidance.
However.
They had only just taken two steps.
A figure cut across like a bolt of lightning, planting itself firmly between them and Finn.
——It was none other than Tione.
There she was.
Tione spread both arms like a mother hen guarding her chicks, her eyes full of hostility as she stared at these three dangerously-auraed women.
Are you kidding me!
How could other Familias' women be allowed to crowd around her own captain!?
And from the looks of these women's posturing, they'd set their sights squarely on her captain.
That absolutely would not do!
"You three, come with me!"
Tione brooked no argument, her tone forceful as she pointed at Kirukiru and the other two.
"You with the sword, you with the tachi—whatever it is you use, I'm going to school you all on what you've got today!"
"Amazons—I've heard about you lot, and as it happens I'm interested in you too."
Amou Kirukiru halted her steps and arched her brow ever so slightly.
Though she had no idea why this Amazon woman had suddenly butted in.
Still.
As far as she was concerned, as long as it was a strong fighter, it made no difference who she fought.
Onigawara Rin and Nomura Satori exchanged a glance, and didn't mind either.
After all, since someone was actively challenging them, naturally they wouldn't refuse, and so they followed Tione deeper into the training grounds.
As for Finn, blocked off behind her, he'd witnessed this whole scene from start to finish.
How could he not know what little scheme Tione was up to?
The corner of his eye twitched; he let out a helpless sigh and could only tacitly accept this arrangement. Turning his head, he looked at Haimer with an apologetic expression and scratched at that head of golden hair.
"My sincere apologies, Lord Haimer. My subordinate is a bit impulsive—forgive the embarrassing display."
"It's fine."
Haimer was well aware of the sort of feelings Tione harbored for Finn, and he too smiled and waved a hand.
It was just that now...
there was still one person who hadn't been assigned a sparring partner...
Inaba Tsukuyo...
After all, Inaba Tsukuyo's situation was far too special.
If she were merely an ordinary blind person, one could still offer a bit of guidance.
But as it happened.
Inaba Tsukuyo was, aside from the monster-tearing Amou Kirukiru, the rising star with the greatest renown.
Blind in both eyes, congenitally disabled, and yet possessed of surpassing strength.
This kind of extremely specialized fighting style was truly enough to give anyone a headache.
Over on the Loki Familia's side, there really was no one who could have absolute confidence in properly instructing this kind of swordsman who relied purely on perception.
Just as Ais, standing at the edge of the crowd, saw Inaba Tsukuyo left on her own and was about to raise her hand to take up this task of her own accord—
As it turned out.
Haimer had already spoken up a step ahead of her.
"Tsukuyo, I'll take you on myself after all."
After all.
Inaba Tsukuyo's skills were known only to him and the other girls of the Familia; to lightly entrust her guidance to someone else risked leading her astray.
Moreover, Inaba Tsukuyo was somewhat lacking in a sense of security; for him to personally step into the ring would, in terms of affirming Inaba Tsukuyo's inner self, yield a better effect as well.
Hearing Haimer's words.
The girls who had already found their respective mentors all turned their heads, glanced at one another, and nodded in understanding.
After all, everyone had seen it plainly—Tsukuyo's stunning iai slash truly did require guidance of a higher caliber.
It was just that, at the edge of the crowd—
having heard this, Ais quietly lowered the hand she'd raised halfway.
But seeing the way Ais had just raised her hand only to set it down again,
Loki, standing off to the side, instantly lit up like a hundred-watt lightbulb!
____
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