Here is the Twilight Manor.
"Ain't it about time we figured out what kind of guy that was? He keeps nagging at me somethin' fierce."
"The mage Tiona and Ais were talking about, huh. Loki, the way you put it, he must be no ordinary person."
"He definitely wasn't ordinary. Just look at him handing over something like this without hesitation as a so-called bribe."
"Oh? So this is that spear. I can definitely feel something unusual about it."
The goddess of the Familia and its most senior executives were having a serious discussion.
Their conversation revolved around only two things.
One was the outside guest who had visited earlier that day.
And the other was the spear he had left behind as a gift.
"What do you think, Riveria? Can you make anything of it?"
"No. It feels different from the magical knowledge I know. It's clearly a magical phenomenon caused by mana, but I can't tell why. Maybe it's one of the newly rediscovered branches of ancient magic that have now been forgotten."
"That's disappointing. The name 'old witch' is going to cry itself hoarse."
The beautiful elf Riveria frowned slightly at the teasing rebuke from the large dwarf Gareth.
What did this ignorant, clueless dwarf know?
"Shut it, Gareth. I'm not a mage in the first place. I do know a fair bit of related knowledge, but that still doesn't put me on an expert's level. At the very least, you'd need to bring in Hermes Familia's 'all-rounder.'"
"So it really is that kind of item."
Finn's expression turned grave.
Loki, the goddess, asked him in puzzlement.
"What's with that reaction, Finn? You weren't just saying that because you already knew, were you?"
"Of course not. I'm only a warrior, Loki. Still, the moment I saw it, I got a very strong feeling. Gareth would probably agree with me, too."
"That's right. A warrior can't help but understand the value of a thing like this."
The two men nodded at each other.
Riveria continued, as if she didn't fully agree with the statement but could understand it to some extent.
"One thing is certain: the mana in this spear is extraordinary. And as the material used to make it, a divine body was employed."
"Good grief, that's scary. If the Guild were to find out, there'd be quite a stir. We'll have to keep it under tight wraps so no one gets the wrong idea or tries to pin anything on us."
"Of course. It's not as if we have any duty or obligation to report honestly to them in the first place."
At the two women's warning, Finn's gaze shifted to the spear in question.
A golden spearhead so long it would not have looked strange even if it were a sword.
And a long, extremely sturdy black shaft that was just as faithful to the role of a spear.
Though its unusual structure would require a certain degree of skill to use, for a first-rate adventurer like Finn, that was hardly a problem.
Rather, it was a masterpiece among masterpieces, something he could stare at forever without ever growing tired of it.
No, in a certain sense, it was even more than that...
"Still, the more I look at it, the more I want it. And the fellow who made this is supposed to be joining the expedition, right? If I asked, do you think he'd make me an axe or something?"
"He said he won't be taking any additional requests for the time being."
"Is that so? Tch, what a shame."
At Finn's words, Gareth clicked his tongue, genuinely disappointed.
Finn then, with a faintly smug air, offered him one possibility.
The kind of leeway that comes with being a victor who already has the advantage in hand.
"You never know. If you get close to him during the expedition, maybe you could get one after all."
"Hahaha! Now that's a pricey friend! For a first-rate adventurer to have to go out of his way to get close to someone!"
In the end, Gareth burst into a laugh like a booming roar.
Riveria scolded him for being noisy, but it had no effect whatsoever.
"Are you looking forward to meeting him too, Riveria?"
"Well, as a mage, I can't exactly say I'm not."
What I'm more concerned about isn't something like that.
Riveria answered Finn's question with a strangely stiff expression.
Since Finn and Gareth had some idea what that meant, they too hardened their expressions and listened closely.
"Aria. Even we only know that story because Ais told us. So what exactly did he hear on the 24th Floor to make him react like that? What else does he know, and what is he trying to uncover in the Deep Floors?"
"I can't be certain, but from what he said during the day, it doesn't seem like he knows everything. Still, he did seem to have something close to a conviction about Ais."
To her worried question, Finn added a few words as if to calm her unease.
But that did nothing to ease her anxiety.
Instead, she looked at her old comrade with an even more restless expression.
"Honestly, I'm uneasy. He's an unpredictable variable. Can't we refuse his participation even now, Finn?"
"Hmm..."
Finn fell into thought at her suggestion.
Just then, Loki, who had been timing her opening, cut into their conversation.
"Now, now. Quit with the pointless doubts. If Riveria keeps frettin' like that, she'll be wrinklin' up in no time. Everything's best in moderation, moderation."
"Tch! I'm not that old yet, Loki!"
"Yesss, yes~ Our dear mama over here is actin' like she doesn't care, but she's secretly all worked up~"
"Who are you calling mama!"
At the goddess's light teasing, the atmosphere in the room warmed up.
In many ways, the unnecessary tension that had been hanging between them was eased somewhat.
As expected of a god.
Age and experience were not things to be underestimated.
"So what are you going to do, Finn? Looks like you're the one who has to make the final call."
"I thought about it a bit, but my answer is still yes."
"Finn!"
"Hear me out, Riveria. It's not because of this spear in particular."
"It's not entirely unrelated, is it?"
"I won't deny that."
Finn merely shrugged once at Riveria's glare and Gareth's sarcasm.
But right after that, he wore a serious expression and calmly explained the reasons for his decision.
"Apart from that, there are three reasons I want to go with him. First, keeping him close so we can find out what he knows and what we don't."
"Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer, huh."
"Exactly. On top of that, he possesses an unknown power we don't understand. I think it would be worthwhile to see that power for ourselves this time."
"And the last one?"
"The same thing: information gathering. We need to confirm whether he truly is a hostile threat to us or not. I'm sorry to say this about Tiona, but we can't judge everything based on the word of just one girl, can we?"
"So if he turns out to be a friendly contact, he's someone we absolutely need to bring in."
"Well, something like that."
When Finn finished explaining, Gareth and Riveria both nodded in agreement.
As he said, with so little information about the other side, there didn't seem to be any better course of action than this.
"If that's how it is... I don't particularly object either."
"Riveria's settled. Then what about Loki?"
"For now... I'm on the side of approval too."
Loki likewise agreed with Finn's question.
At that unexpected answer, Finn looked rather surprised and asked her why.
He had expected that, since she cared for Ais as much as Riveria did, she would at least oppose it a little.
"That's unexpected. Could you tell me the reason?"
"Well, two people are already in favor, aren't they? That's enough. And I don't have much of a reason myself. It's just... I feel like if I get close to that guy, I might learn something more."
"Come to think of it, Loki, you said something strange during the day, didn't you?"
Only then did Finn remember what had happened earlier.
The image of Loki pressing him and the mage avoiding her at all costs flashed through his mind.
It was only natural that he would have questions about that.
"What exactly did you mean by that?"
"I told you, I don't really know either, didn't I? Just thinking about that guy from earlier today makes it feel like my head's about to split open."
But Loki herself didn't know the proper answer, so there was nothing she could say.
All she could do was mutter softly, still wearing a puzzled expression.
"How can one human give off the smell of life and death at the same time? He's a fellow I can't make heads or tails of."
Her incomprehensible remark.
At the very least, no one in the Lower World except the gods would be able to understand the meaning of those words.
*
Changing scenes, this was a corner of a bar somewhere in Orario.
"So. What kind of person was he, Asfi?"
"Without question, he was a very dangerous man, Lord Hermes."
The god of travel and his subordinate, Asfi, were having a secret conversation of their own in that sparsely populated place.
Of course, the bartender who owned the bar had stepped away to take care of something.
Thanks to that, there was nothing to worry about when discussing this sort of topic.
"Hmm, as I thought."
"But..."
"But?"
Hermes nodded as if he understood.
But at Asfi's next words, he turned a questioning gaze toward his subordinate.
Asfi answered earnestly with her own thoughts.
"He was just as pitiable a person."
"Heh, pitiable, huh. So that's how Asfi felt."
Hermes nodded as if he understood that as well.
But for some reason, his expression wore a faint smile.
A smile much like that of a prankster.
"Yes. His methods and way of thinking were certainly extremely dangerous, but his intentions themselves were just as pure."
"Hahaha, pure, is it."
At that, he finally burst out laughing.
When Asfi frowned as if she didn't understand, Hermes stopped laughing for a moment and looked at his beloved subordinate with an affectionate expression.
Unlike before, it resembled the pleased smile of an adult looking at a child who still knew nothing of the world.
"You know, Asfi? Just because something is pure doesn't mean it's good."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well now, what could I mean?"
At Hermes's cryptic words, he took a sip from the drink in his hand and recalled a moment from a very long time ago, yet one still vividly remembered.
It was a love story between one male god and one female goddess.
But the male god's heart was always fickle and ever-changing, while only the goddess left behind in the end always kept the same feelings as before.
It was obsession in its purest form.
What greater terror could there be in this world than such 'madness'?
"Perhaps Hera would have understood him far better than Zeus did. After all, her jealousy was driven by purity too, if you think about it."
As Hermes recalled an old memory that now felt almost nostalgic, he finished the rest of his drink and stood up.
Then Asfi silently followed after him as he left the shop.
But with worry written all over her face, she looked pitiable to anyone who saw her.
The cause needed no explanation: it was the god standing right in front of her.
"What are you planning to do now?"
"Heh-heh~ Well now, why don't you try guessing what I'm up to, Asfi?"
"No, I'll pass. I'd rather not know. Haa..."
Unlike her ever-smiling god, she let out one heavy sigh after another.
Please, if only she could pray for it.
May the blessing of the god of medicine be with her chronic headaches.
Though, to be honest, it probably wouldn't help much anyway.
*
Changing scenes once more, this was the 10th Floor of the Dungeon.
"Bell-sama~ An-sama says to come to the shop early tomorrow morning. It looks like the item Lady Hestia requested is finally finished."
"Really? A magic item just for me. I'm really looking forward to seeing what it is!"
"An-sama's skill is the best, so you can expect something amazing."
"Something amazing, huh... Ugh, I can't even imagine it."
"You'll naturally find out tomorrow anyway. It's late today, so let's head back now, Bell-sama."
"Yeah. Got it, Lili."
The innocent boy and the rescued girl waited for tomorrow with hope in their hearts.
What would lie before them, I wonder?
Radiant glory, or...
Or the promised despair of trial?
All will be revealed next time.
To be continued.
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