Is it wrong to Speak in a Dungeon? Chapter 14 (Patreon)

I do not own Danmachi/Jujutsu Kaisen or any other referenced franchise, only my own OCs.

{Thoughts}

“Speech”

Character Sheet / System Text

“Tvs, Radios, Texts, and newspapers…”

(Disclaimers)

*Onomatopoeia*

“Cursed Speech”

…

…

As I walked to the courtyard to begin training with the girls behind me, the manor’s bell suddenly rang.

I blinked.

… I don’t know who’s outside…

One is a God, but I’ve never met either of them.

“Who is it!?” Hestia yelled from the living room as Loki scoffed and rolled her eyes while staring at me with a ‘get a load of this guy’ look.

I raise an eyebrow at her. “I do not know.” I exclaim in reply to her before I hear tapping and Hestia appears in the hallway with a shocked face.

“You don’t know!? Impossible!” Wow, okay, Hestia. I guess being able to sense when someone is coming in and out of the house and usually knowing who they are, immediately makes me omniscient now. Guess I know everything.

“How in the hell is he supposed to know, Itty-bitty? He ain’t even opened the door yet!” Loki smirks at Hestia like she’s an idiot as Hestia huffs and rolls her eyes, not bothering to reply to Loki and simply walking to the door.

As I watch Loki seethe in anger, I feel a bit of pride begin to enter me.

I taught her so well…

“Hello? Who is- Take!?” Hestia opens the door with a curious expression before exclaiming the last part while pointing to Takemikazuchi, the war god or something from the Far East.

Yes, I remember his name now. Throwback to my first day in Orario where I didn’t even remember his name. He’s the dude that has the hot samurai girl that had something something honor-code and had a sauna fetish or something,

Yes. Of all things I could remember about Danmachi, *that* is what I remember. I have priorities and if Omori is gonna give us fanservice, I’m gonna take that fucking fanservice.

Speaking of the hot samurai girl, I stare to the side at the one accompanying Takemikazuchi and nod my head knowingly. That is indeed the hot samurai girl. My wisdom is unparalleled.

[... Focus dumbass…]

“Ah, Hestia. It’s been too long since we’ve last seen each other! I’m quite happy to see your Familia doing so well.” Takemikazuchi smiles a similar smile to an anime protagonist, with the closed eyes and all, as my eyebrows rise to the top of my head.

“... It seems the rumors of you being a natural gigolo are not simply fake news.” I suddenly comment out of nowhere as the entire atmosphere freezes for half a moment before both Hestia and Loki burst out laughing.

Takemikazuchi stares at me with shock for a second before his head snaps to Loki after hearing her laughter and his eyes widen even more at spotting her with a few of her executives with her. Yamato is staring at me in shock herself, blushing in shame at how I addressed her god as I smirk.

“Ya hear that Take?~ Even the kiddos know of yer machinations with the ladies~” Loki mocks with an irritating smirk after pushing me to the side so she can stare at Takemikazuchi face-to-face.

“L-Loki!? What are you doing at Hestia’s place?! Don’t you guys hate each other to death??” Takemikazuchi exclaims in surprise while pointing at Loki with a shaky finger.

“Oh absolutely. I cannot stand this bitch.” Hestia immediately agrees with a nod before she’s smacked on the head by me for swearing while Bell’s in earshot.

Loki and Takemikazuchi both look at her in astonishment at hearing Hestia of all people swear. Loki then realizes what Hestia just said and lunges forward to begin attacking her only to be held back by an exasperated Tione.

“What’d ya say you damned Itty-bitty!? I’ll show ya who’s a ‘bitch’ once I get my hands on ya!” Loki began screaming and kicking as Tione pulled her away from the door while sheepishly staring at me as I huffed with amusement and nodded my head.
“Tiona, please take your sister and Loki and begin doing as we did last time. I’m sure you’ll make greater progress against a more strength-focused opponent like your sister, so make sure to give it your all. Lefiya, stay behind for a second so I can give you instructions on what you’ll do as Bell is busy today.” I commanded while staring back at the group as Tiona saluted excitedly and dragged Loki and her sister away. Lefiya nodded and stood awkwardly in the same position while looking at her departing Familia nervously.

I turned my head back to Takemikazuchi as I watched him grow shocked at my casual tone with the Executives as well as how casually I commanded one of them to drag their Familia Goddess and sister away.

Skill issue.

“Hmph. Flat as a board Loki.” Hestia snorted at the leaving Loki before turning back to Takemik- fuck it. Take. “Not that I mind your visit, Take, but is there something you need? I can’t say I’m not surprised seeing you visit so suddenly…”

Take laughs sheepishly a few times after regaining his composure and rubbing the back of his head. “Well, don’t get me wrong Hestia, I have been meaning to visit you for a while ever since you descended… especially after I heard one of your Familia members leveled up! I just haven’t gotten the chance to do so until now… and, well, I don’t come bearing the greatest of news.” He admits with a slightly grave expression as Edias doesn’t ping inside me and I narrow my eyes.

“Please come in, Lord Takemikazuchi. A friend of my goddess is a friend of our familia, so make yourself at home.” He seems like a good guy despite his harem protagonist energy, so I don’t mind his presence.

Also, the hot samurai girl helps. Did I mention he had a hot samurai girl in his familia? It’s crazy, he has a hot samurai girl in his familia.

[... What is it… with you and… ‘Hot Samurai Girl’...?]

{Have you not heard? I’m a fucking filthy weeb. What better than an Asian waifu with a sword in a kimono?} I answer Edias with a serious ‘tone’ as I lead the smiling Take into the living room, finding a confused Lily and Bell there.

[... Noted.]

NICE.

Anyways.

“Please just call me Take, Mr. Inumaki. I’m not one for unnecessary titles and I know how much of a bother my long name is sometimes.” He humbly offers me with another bishonen smile as I suppress an amused smile and nod.

“Then just call me Michael or Mike, I see no reason to not offer the same. That goes for you as well, Miss Yamato. Now, please excuse me for a second while I talk with Lefiya, you should catch up with Hestia for a few minutes.” I nod again to the group and take Lefiya away as Hestia gives me a thumbs-up while sitting between Bell and Lily.

Lefiya blushes slightly as I lead her by the shoulder into a private room before closing it behind me and turning around to face her. I look at her, and I see her eyes look almost haunted as she stares at the room we’re in.

Oh, how adorable. She’s remembering when I almost teased her to death in this room.

[... The vibes in… this room are… off… What did you… do…?]

I chuckle mentally at Edias’s suspicious question and stay quiet as I’d rather if Lefiya didn’t get another Goliath dropped on her head outside of the dungeon.

I move my hand upward to pat Lefiya’s head as she narrows her eyes at my movement before relaxing once I simply pat her head. “How was your expedition, Lefiya? The… latter, part of it.”

“Ah… It was… I-interesting…? I wouldn’t say it was n-normal… but it wasn’t… b-bad…?” She explains hesitantly, probably confused about how to explain that the dungeon took it easy on her the entire time down.

“I see. I’m glad you made it out safely, Lefiya.” I decide to reply, leaving the whole Edias ‘explanation’ spiel for later. Too many people around right now.

Lefiya blushed at my words and quickly took out a paper from her pockets, roughly shoving it in my hands before turning away in embarrassment. “A-anyways! I-I had a ton of progress on this expedition! Even Lady Loki was surprised by the amount of my stat gains! A-are you proud…?” I blink in surprise and take a look at the paper as my eyes widen.

Name: Lefiya Viridis

Race: Elf

Level: 3

Ability Scores:

STR: I- 49 —> I- 98

END: H- 108 —> H- 169

DEX: H- 173 —> G- 217

AGI: G- 215 —> G- 265

MAG: B- 791 —> A- 849

Development Abilities:

Mage: H

Abnormal Resistance: I

Magic:

• Elf Ring

Summon burst magic that is able to use any Elf Magic. To use it, the user must know the chant and the effects of the magic. It uses mind for the summon burst and for the magic summoned. If the user has the Mage development ability, the user's magic circle will change color to match the owner's magic circle color.

“I wish upon the name of Wishe…”

“Ancestors of the forest, proud brethren… Answer my call and come to the plains.”

“Connecting bonds, the pledge of paradise. Turn the circle and dance around. Come, ring of fairies.”

“Please - give me strength!”

• Arcs Ray

Fire off a blast that can change trajectory to home in on its target. The blast attack can be remotely exploded without hitting its target by the chant “Alio!”.

“Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree.”

“You are an expert of the bow. Shoot, sniper of the fairies.”

“Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy!”

• Fusillade Fallarica

Unleash a wide-range fire attack over an expansive area.

“Proud warrior, snipers of the forest.”

“Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows.”

“Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies.”

“Falling like rain, burn away the savages!”

Skills:

• Fairy Cannon:

Increases the effects of all magical spells used drastically. Effects are doubled in power if the spell being cast is an attack-based spell.

…

…

… Fuck.

I immediately put my senses on max as I ensure that absolutely NO ONE is nearby, not even a few feet near the door of the room or anywhere near us. I continue to strain my senses for anyone, feeling the Loki Familia in the backyard, Take and Hestia with the children in the living room, and no one else on our manor’s land.

I even pulse a few probes with my Cursed Energy above to make sure Freya isn’t watching while somehow escaping my senses. That is how serious I am at the moment.

Lefiya stares at me with confusion as I continue staring at the paper silently with an intense gaze, slightly wilting at my lack of response as I sigh and quickly look up, wincing slightly at how disappointed that may have looked.

“... I’m proud of you, Lefiya. A 262 point increase is massive. Almost unheard of in Orario, I’d say. At least without stockpiling for years upon years.” I quickly compliment her once Lefiya almost looks like she’s going to have a heart attack.

Her face brightens up immediately and she smiles contently while standing a little straighter, making me smile wryly before I stare back down at the paper.

Well… Oh. OH!

I suddenly come to an even greater realization as I’m standing there, feeling several different lines slowly intertwining to reveal the completed puzzle.

“Lefiya.” She stiffens. “When did you get your Status Update?” I ask seriously as Lefiya blinks.

“U-uhm… L-Loki had a lot of updates to do, so I had to do m-mine at 1 am… Why…?” She hesitantly answers before asking as I shake my head and furrow my brows more.

That’s before my own status update, and after the last status update I had before my most recent one… It makes it more plausible…

There is one last thing I can check.

I place my hand on Lefiya’s head as she stares at me with shock and confusion before I close my eyes and open our link.

… Oh…

… Yeah… Yep… That’s it.

“... Lefiya, I need to confess something to you.” I take my hand back and open my eyes as I seriously speak and Lefiya erupts with red.

Ah, I may have misspoken there. Oopsies.

“No, not that, you still need to beat me in a fight for that.” I smirk as Lefiya breathes out a sigh of relief before looking up at me with indignation, embarrassment, and a little disappointment.

“Anyways, you remember the binding vows I had you do?” She nods her head with a tilted head as I continue. “... Well… It may have added some… unforeseen side-effects after you agreed.”

Her face blinks in confusion and turns slightly worried as I quickly bring my hands up. “Nothing bad. In fact… well… Let me explain it this way… I may or may not have accidentally created a bond between you and me that allowed you to experience my increased growth through the bond, which is why you’re able to grow so much.” I decide to just drop the news on her as bluntly as I can as Lefiya freezes.

“... U-um…” She shifts around uncomfortably- “What does that m-mean…?” Ah, right.

Might’ve been expecting too much thinking she’d understand without context.

“... We’re connected on a spiritual level to the point where our Falnas have a minor connection that allows you to draw onto one of my skills. This specific skill boosts Excelia gain and growth speed, allowing you to gain Excelia much faster.” I explain while using more Orario-based terms as Lefiya’s eyes widened in shock and she gaped speechlessly.

“... C-connected!? W-wait… you have an e-excelia boosting s-skill? A-and I can u-use it now!?” She speaks the first word under her breath before suddenly exclaiming the last part with surprise. I quickly put my hand on her mouth with a deadpan.

“Yes, yes, and yes. You are using my Skill… but as a side-effect, I’m gaining some of your Excelia through the link.” I reveal to her with furrowed brows as she blinked in shock. “You normally gain about… 5% of the Excelia that you actually gather in the dungeon, you can say now that you’re gaining 50% while I am taking the other 50%.”

Lefiya silently continued to stare at me in shock, not saying anything despite my hand being on her mouth. I sigh and shake my head, already dreading the incoming drama.

“I understand if you find the idea of having your falna connected to someone else’s and some of your growth being reaped away uncomfortable, I should be able to sever this connection if that’s what you desire-” “No!”

Lefiya quickly pushed my hand away and denied with intensity as I stopped speaking and stared at her with a raised eyebrow, surprised at her immediate refusal.

“A-ah, s-sorry.” She quickly apologized before shaking her head. “I-I don’t wish to cut this c-connection with you… I-I’m… actually quite h-happy that I get to s-share my growth with you…” She shyly admitted as I wryly stared down at her with an amused smile.

It seems there’s no drama today ladies and gentlemen. Rejoice, it’s a False Alarm.

“I see. I’m glad, then. This connection would make your growth a lot faster than I had thought it would be at first, I’m glad you decided to keep it.” I sigh again and pat Lefiya on the head while internally making a few plans now that I’ve settled things.

“U-um… D-do you mind if I a-ask what your skill is, S-shishou?” Lefiya’s question breaks me out of my planning as I blink and shrug.

“... I don’t mind. It’s called ‘Privative Gathering’, and boosts my Excelia gain depending on the amount of Cursed Energy intake I’m currently experiencing.” I quickly gave a brief description as Lefiya’s eyebrows rose at my mention of CE.

“C-cursed energy!?” She exclaimed with worry as I chuckled slightly.

“Yes, it’s a type of energy I am capable of harnessing that is created from the negative emotions of all living creatures. You probably already guessed it, but this city is overflowing with that energy.” I explain again as Lefiya’s eyebrows furrowed, seemingly in thought.

“... I-Isn’t a power like that… B-bad…?” She asks hesitantly before her eyes widen. “N-not that I’m calling you b-bad! I was j-just asking…”

“... Perhaps. But you do not realize that the sadness, anger, and negative emotions that are normally inside all living creatures are instead stored inside of me. Is it not more heroic that I save humanity from their own negativity by storing it inside of me?” I chuckle and ask as Lefiya’s eyes widen before sparkling.

“Right! Is it possible to learn this power??” She asked excitedly as my smile strained slightly.

Not from a Jedi.

“Unfortunately, it’s an ability you must be born with. I’m not aware of any way for me to teach it to you or anyone else. Sorry, Lefiya.” Her smile becomes downturned before she shakes her head and returns to normal, simply nodding.

“No, I understand. Y-you can’t do anything about something like t-that. Though… Y-your ability is hereditary…?” She asks with an indescribable tone as I have a mini-flashback for a second.

“Yes. I am from a special lineage named the Inumaki Family, and we get to control that energy by becoming Jujutsu Sorcerers. Now, I believe you have a Familia waiting for you that might get suspicious if you’re here for too long. Prepare some training weapons for the both of us and watch Tiona and her sister until I get there, okay?” I pat Lefiya on the head and move to exit the room as she nods shyly and scurries away.

… Now to deal with whatever it is Takemikazuchi has in store for me.

I slowly re enter the living room as I nod to everyone present and take a seat at the head of the living room.

“Lily, mind going outside and sitting with Lefiya until I’m done here?” I look at Lily calmly as she looks startled for a second before quickly nodding and rushing away.

I look back to Take and Yamato. “Well, I believe congratulations are first in order. I believe Miss Yamato has recently leveled up, no?” I begin amiably as they both blink before Yamato blushes slightly.

“P-please just call me Mikoto, Michael. It’s only fair.” I nod to her deeply as Hestia gives me a weird look and Take laughs.

“That’s quite rich coming from you, 3 week wonder.” Oh god… Do people call me that? I’ll actually kill myself… “Though thank you nonetheless. I’m very proud of my children, especially Mikoto.”

Mikoto seems to take pride in his words as she puffs her chest out proudly at his words, making me nod in appreciation… of her god’s words of course.

What a great god.

I must really be going insane if I’m playing the ‘Asian fetish’ bit so hard in my head. I know I haven’t gotten a break in weeks, but I need a chill pill. The thirst is strong with this one…

“It is of no issue. Now, I believe you had some bad news you wished to deliver?” I decide to get straight to the point, leading to everyone in the room look at me exasperatedly for breaking the friendly atmosphere so casually.

“... Ah… Yes… Well…” Take seems to be struggling to breach the subject as I patiently wait for him to finish. He eventually sighs.

“... The Royal Court demands you return to the Far East as you’ve not yet registered yourself as part of one of the Royal Court’s Familias before transferring out…” He drops with a look of regret and resignation on his face as the entire room freezes.

The living room is engulfed in silence as everyone, including Yamato, stares at Take with shock. I, myself, am staring at him in surprise at the sudden name drops I wouldn’t have known anything about if not for my research.

The fuck does the Royal Court want with me?

… Dumb question. They think I’m from the Far East.

“... The Royal Court has no authority over me. Neither I nor my parents answer to them.” I immediately shut down without hesitation as Takemikazuchi’s eyes widened in surprise before he laughed nervously.

“... I see… Unfortunately, the Royal Court has been making moves to cull all independent towns and groups in the Far East and to absorb them… and they’ve declared ownership of everything Far Eastern… including the people…” He explains apologetically with sad eyes as my eyes widen in surprise before I chuckle mirthfully and shake my head.

“You misunderstand, I have absolutely no relation to the Far East besides sharing a similar culture. Neither I, nor any of my parents, have ever been to the Far East. None of my ancestors have ever belonged to the Far East. Our lands are closer to Orario than they are to the Far East.” Because whatever brought me here yeeted me into Orario, making it the closest anything in this world has been to Japan. “I am not from the Far East.” I finish off with finality.

Everyone in the room turns to me with shock, the two mortals staring at their respective gods to check if I’m lying and turning more shocked once they see their facial expressions.

“W-what!?” Hestia exclaims in surprise while staring at me, confused. I never did tell her that I was technically not from the Far East… mostly because it didn’t matter.

What am I gonna do? Take them to Japan for a visit?

“... Sorry, Hestia. I never thought it’d matter since my land’s culture is close enough to the Far East that it wouldn’t matter if I was from there or not. I never would’ve expected that the Royal Court would try to pull something like this.” I pat Hestia on the shoulder while continuing to stare at Takemikazuchi, not wanting to miss whatever reaction he might have to this new information.

“... I… W-well… That’s… surprising… What land do you hail from then, if that’s the case…?” Takemikazuchi eventually asks in astonishment. “Your name is undoubtedly Far Eastern, but you very clearly did not lie…”

I sigh with exhaustion. “I come from Japan, a country similar to the Far East in its culture and… traditions, but not directly connected to it. As for my name… I am from a somewhat noble heritage, Inumaki that is. It’s a very respected family, but not one of the great three families that basically ruled everything.” I try to elaborate as best as I can without explaining anything too detailed, watching them grow shocked at my admittance of basically being a noble.

“... Oh, my… I did not expect you to be a noble… but I guess it does make sense… These three great families… Do you have any connection to them…?” Oh? Asking for a way in with them? A fruitless endeavor, they’re not in this world.

“... My teacher, Gojo Satoru, is the… head member of the Gojo family, as well as the strongest Sorcerer in the world. He was… basically at the top of all other families. You could call him the ‘Royal Court’ of our land.” I am very important, yes, bow to me or whatever.

Everyone looks at me with horror at my casual admittance, though Takemikazuchi looks like he’s contemplative.

“... I cannot help but notice your usage of ‘was’...” He speaks gravely as everyone blinks and turns to stare at me with surprise.

“... I’m the last Japanese person in this world.” I admit with a sigh as their eyes widen and the atmosphere turns sad.

Do I really have to play the pity card every time my past comes up? Damn the day I decided to call myself Far Eastern. Though, considering how I look, this probably would’ve happened anyway.

“... I… I apologize for asking…” Take lowers his head slightly as I nod my head in acceptance. “... Though… the fact that you are one of the only remaining nobles of a fallen land… only makes you all the more enticing for the Royal Court…” He gravely admits as I sigh.

“... I thought that would be the case. Please, do not be alarmed by my question, Takemikazuchi, but… where do you stand as of right now regarding the current dilemma with the Royal Court…?” My eyes sharpen as I stare at Takemikazuchi, Mikoto stiffens next to him and gazes at me with vigilance.

Take stays silent for a second before sighing. “I am… one of the only ‘members’ of the Royal Court in Orario as of right now… I have only been ordered to inform you that you are ordered to return to the Far East. I have no intention to do any more, or any less…” He stands up and bows to me deeply. “I apologize for troubling you, Hestia, Michael… I am as low as one can get in the Royal Court hierarchy, I have no pull in the political scene… If I do not follow orders, the Royal Court may punish me by aiming at the shrine back home with the children…”

Mikoto looks horrified at his words as she turns to stare at me with alarm, worried at my reaction to Takemikazuchi’s explanation.

“... You have no need to fear retaliation from me, Takemikazuchi.” Edias did not ping inside of me, he’s fine. “I merely wished to ensure that you were not going to personally do anything to my Familia. You are a friend to my goddess, Hestia, I could never attempt maliciously targeting you thanks to that.” Hestia beams at me happily from those words, and Take stops bowing and smiles gratefully before sitting down.

“... Thank you, Michael. I promise, I have no intention to disclose anything told in this meeting.” He quickly reassures me as I nod gratefully before watching his smile grow slightly smug. “In fact… This meeting was supposed to happen a few weeks in the future… I just so happened to have passed by your home and decided to pay a friendly visit to my old friend Hestia… who just so happened to have you in her Familia…”

My eyes widen at his admittance before I release a few loud laughs of amusement at his audacity.

Doing something like that takes major balls. He’s indirectly going against the Royal Court just so he could help his friend, Hestia, if only by giving them a warning ahead of time.

“... I thank you greatly for the information, Take. Though personally, I don’t remember any information being given in this little gathering, don’t you think so too…?” My face sports a grin as Take matches it with his own and nods. Hestia’s eyes widen slightly before she also begins to grin and nod her head.

“Indeed. I’d dare say we were only having a small chat about you and little Mikoto’s new level-up, no?” Mikoto finally realizes what we’re talking about as she grows surprised before quickly nodding her head with realization in her eyes and a small smile of amusement.

“Yep! Nothing to see here!” Hestia agrees with a chirp and pinches Bell’s waist as he jumps slightly and quickly nods his head in agreement.

“I’m glad, then. I suppose now that we’re done… speaking about you and Mikoto’s recent level-up… I believe we should be on our way.” Take nods with amusement and stands up from his seat as Mikoto quickly does so as well. “Though… One last thing I needed to ask about something you said earlier, Michael… You said that your teacher’s family name was… Gojou?” He asks with an indescribable tone in his voice as I tilt my head.

“Yes… Gojo Satoru, the Strongest Sorcerer in the world.” Put some respect on that fuckin’ name. That’s the honored one.

“... I see. One of the great noble families here also has the name Gojou, alongside the Sanjou family and 6 other great families… I would not recommend associating with the Gojous, or even any of the other families… especially not that one. That’s all I can tell you. Thank you for your hospitality.” He speaks with a heavy tone as I lead him to the door and furrow my brows.

I’ll need to research the families there, then. I’d rather not be blind-sided in a few weeks.

“... Thank you very much for your advice, Take. If you ever are in need of aid, remember that you have an ally in the Hestia Familia.” I nod my head in gratitude as his face grows surprised before he laughs happily. “I would definitely not be opposed to your familia visiting ours every now and then.”

“Well, I’ve made quite the reliable ally it seems. I will be sure to visit more often with my Familia in the future. Thank you, Michael.” We nod and he begins walking away with a bewildered Mikoto in tow as I wave and close the door.

“... So, when did you plan to tell me?” … Ah, shit.

I turn around with another sigh to face Hestia as she glares up at me with her hands on her hips, staring at me with disappointment and sadness.

“... I’m gonna need you to elaborate on what exactly you wanted me to tell you.” I decided to be an asshole because I need some amusement today.

“Don’t you try this with me right now, mister! You’ve been tricking me into thinking that you’re from the Far East this entire time, and haven’t even told me that you’re actually nobility while being the student of apparently the ‘Strongest Sorcerer in the world’! Who is also apparently at the top of your home’s hierarchy!” She points at me with a glare while puffing her cheeks, Bell stands next to her with a deadpan aimed at me.

“... Was.” I correct her, as… Well, he doesn’t technically exist here. Hestia winces at my correction and lowers her hand and head shamefully.

“... Ah, sorry… I probably shouldn’t be so confrontational about something like this… I understand if you didn’t feel well about sharing such a thing…” Ah nice, all according to Keikaku. Now the heat has passed and I can glide through without the whole ‘keeping things hidden’ spiel.

I am of course… ‘traumatized’ at being the last of my home’s people. It makes sense that I’d obviously not want to speak about it much, even to my Familia.

The only problem here is…

[... I don’t like… it when you… lie… We’re going to… have a talk… later… I understand that… you have your… secrets but… you need to… speak to someone…]

… Edias’s lie detection abilities are far superior to a normal God or Goddess, being able to often catch misleading and half-truth words.

{... Yes, honey. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight…} I ‘exasperatedly’ reply through the link as Edias ‘rolls her eyes’ and suppresses her embarrassment.

[... This won’t be… an interrogation… I’m just worried…]

Haah… {I understand, we’ll talk later.} I reassure.

“... Forgive me, Hestia, Bell. I’ll tell you… One day.” I move to the two of them and ruffle their hair with a somber expression before wordlessly walking off, having some guests that need attending.

Just before I left, I looked back as I remembered something important. “If a red-haired man named ‘Welf’ drops by, please let him in and inform me of his arrival.”

I rounded around the corner and slowly made my way to the back of the house, already hearing sounds of punching and shockwaves courtesy of Tiona and Tione.

As I exited the back door, I quickly raised my hand into the air and cast a simple Curtain to hide everything going on in the backyard. The sky began to crack and black darkness covered the atmosphere for a second before returning to transparency, revealing the sky once again.

Everyone stared at the sky in alarm for a second before turning to me with confusion as I continued calmly walking to the group sitting on the sidelines.

Lily quickly jumps off of the bench and runs to me with irritation on her face as Lefiya sighs at Loki, who’s currently smirking at me knowingly with a raised eyebrow.

“Neat trick, kiddo. What’d it do?” She asked carelessly as I shrugged.

“... Good question.” She tsk’d and crossed her arms, but I ignored her in favor of patting Lily on the head.

“She didn’t do anything to you, right? I heard she’s got quite the reputation for being a good-for-nothing pervert.” I ask Lily while bending down slightly as she grows horrified at my words and turns to Loki with fear.

Loki is deadpanning at me with a pout that does not suit her at all.

“N-no… She tried to though…” Lily answers after seeing Loki not doing anything.

“Oh? Is that so?” I slowly move my head up to glare at Loki as she rubs the back of her head with a few sheepish laughs. Lefiya sighs and looks at me apologetically as I return the sigh.

“Heyyyyy! What was that?!” Tiona suddenly appeared next to me and held onto my shoulder while shaking me curiously as her sister smacked Loki on the back of the head with an admonishing glare.

“Behave. Captain Finn instructed me to keep you in check, and I won’t have you ruining my perfect record!” Tione lectures Loki while breathing out a captivated sigh at the mention of Finn.

Wow… She’s really smitten.

“Just a little trick of light.” I use the same thing I said last time while standing up and patting Lily one last time. “I see you guys got a little excited while fighting?” I gesture to the absolutely ruined training grounds as Tiona pouts at my non-answer before laughing sheepishly.

“Ahaha… Our bad! We got a bit excited…” Tiona grinned apologetically as her sister sighed.

“I apologize, Tiona got a bit too excited and I had to match her if I wanted to win.” Tione deflected the blame immediately as Tiona gasped with betrayal and glared at her twin.

“It’s of no issue. As I’ve said before, these training grounds are made to be destroyed anyway. Lily, you can return to Bell and Hestia now.” I shake my head and look at Lily. She quickly nods and bolts away.

“Mikey, I wanna fight you!” Tiona suddenly declares as my eyes widen. “I haven’t gotten a taste of Haki directly yet, and I’ve been itching to have a fight with you ever since you beat those Soma people!” She punched the air in front of her enthusiastically with a ‘determined’ expression.

… Fight her, huh?

Lefiya looked at me worriedly while Tione seemed exasperated at her sister. Loki just stared at me silently with an indescribable expression.

“Tiona! He obviously won’t-” “... Yeah, sure.”

Tione froze in the middle of her words as I casually accepted and slowly began walking towards the field without another word.

I do want to fight a level 5. I’ve… struggled hard against a level 4 like Ryuu. How bad am I gonna lose against someone even stronger?

“Awesome! Any special conditions?” Tiona happily skipped next to me with her hands behind her back as I replied with a hum.

“... I will require a weapon to have even a chance of giving you a good fight. I believe you use heavy weapons…” I pull out a gigantic sword out of my cloak with an amused smirk, hearing the choking noise Loki and Lefiya released at the sudden appearance of such a gigantic weapon.

“Oh! Nice!” Tiona took it from my hands and inspected it. “This isn’t bad! It’s nowhere near as good as my Urga, but it’s not bad for a little spar.” Tiona notes while tracing the blade as I stare wryly at her.

That’s… one of my better blades. I guess stuff I find in the 20s won’t be anywhere near as good as the stuff they use.

“I’ll be using my abilities for this, as I’d like to actually give you a good challenge during this instead of a complete slaughter.” I inform her as we separate on opposite ends of a little piece of land.

“Sounds good! Give me a fight I won’t forget!” Tiona punched her palm with a grin as I simply nodded and took my spear off my back, raising it forward.

A few seconds later, the weapon’s entire tip is engulfed in a black substance everyone recognizes as Haki. Several more moments later and a purple aura engulfs the entire spear as my eyes sharpen.

“... Ready or not, here I come.” I inform Tiona with a serious voice as she laughs and gestures for me to come with confidence.

“Take your time! I know how scary it might be fighting a level 5-” Tiona is interrupted as I dash forward and close the distance between us in less than a moment, much faster than any level 2 should have any right being.

She only releases a single sound of surprise before my pierce is blocked by her blade. Immediately, she pivots her weight around and slashes her large blade in a powerful cleave as I’m forced to parry the attack while taking a step back.

An intense rattling shakes every bone in my body as I parry her attack. I feel my body react quite strongly in alarm at the extremely dangerous attack and my senses sharpen into overdrive as I quickly bring my spear back and swing it at the side of Tiona’s torso with focused eyes.

Tiona punches the spear strike away and dashes forward with a grin as I have a single moment of surprise before I’m forced to duck under a powerful front kick from the enthusiastic Amazon. I’m only capable of doing so by utilizing the early warning of my Observation Haki, which I trained extensively with Ryuu a few days ago, bless her heart.

“Jūryoku no Hakai.” I quickly chant with barely a whisper as my spear strikes Tiona’s blade, releasing a loud clashing sound. My body is gravitationally pulled back just in time to dodge an Ax kick from Tiona’s earlier front kick.

I roll in the air for a second to right myself and land on my feet. I watch Tiona’s eyes grow shocked at my odd third-dimensional movement, and I quickly attempt to capitalize on that surprise by lunging forward at her.

She raises her blade to respond quickly, not having any trouble refocusing but is once again surprised when her body begins to feel 10 times heavier and her quick parry misses by a few inches, landing me a direct hit to her stomach.

We both freeze as the spear hits… and harmlessly bounces off of her skin.

… I’ll admit, I blunted the spear out of concern… but… not even a bruise?

“... Uh… Nice hit…?” She offers with a grimacing smile as I roll my eyes with a huff and quickly swipe at her head with my spear.

She dodges easily to the side and lunges at me with a grin with her fist cocked back as I quickly reverse gravity upwards while intensifying it. I watch her let out a squeak before she’s launched into orbit.

I calmly walk under the spot she was in before she was launched upwards as I raise my spear into the air while staring at her quickly falling silhouette. I prepare to pierce her from under while using the fall’s momentum as leverage to do actual damage this time.
Just as I prepare to commit to that thrust, I notice a grin on her face as she quickly spins in the air and raises her greatsword into the air while staring at the tip of my spear. I blink and wait a single moment before quickly spinning myself around and swinging my blade vertically at the falling form of Tiona as she commits her attack downward expecting to clash with my spear, only to strike at air.

My strike lands perfectly square on her shoulder and she’s knocked back several meters by the attack. I feel my bones rattling again from the impact, like I just punched a falling boulder.

I quickly take a deep breath and stare at the dust cloud Tiona formed when she landed on the ground with narrowed eyes, already knowing what’s inside using my senses.

[... Need my help…?]

{Holy fucking shit Edias… I’m not trying to pull out a nuke for a fucking spar!?} I quickly reply with incredulity on my face as Edias snorts.

[... Fine then… Lose for all… I care…]

{Ok, Tsundere.} She let out a small feeling of mock irritation before staying silent as the dust settled.

“This… is so uncool!” Tiona’s voice complained childishly as the dust cleared, looking no worse for wear as she placed both hands on her hips and pouted at me. “How am I supposed to face my Familia now that a level 2 was able to get first blood on me!?” Scratch that, a small bruise on the side of her smooth stomach could barely be spotted. It was so small it could be mistaken for a bit of dirt.

“... I wouldn’t call that ‘first blood’, personally…” I wryly state and roll my eyes, spinning my spear in my hands while preparing myself for our next clash-

My eyes abruptly widen in alarm as I see Tiona blitz me with a powerful punch faster than I can react and launch me into a wall.

I blink and quickly shake my head, seeing Tiona huffing and stomping the ground- she’s going to dash forward!

My Observation Haki screams at me as I quickly try to bring my spear up to defend, but I watch in horror as Tiona grins and moves forward at speeds I can barely track and punch me in the stomach with the most force I’ve ever felt in my life as I feel pain overwhelm my mind.

I’m slammed into the other side of the training grounds as I impact the wall and enter an Inumaki-shaped crater. I feel my head impacting the wall after I’m launched away, making my pain multiply and blind me with an unbearable throbbing in the back of my head.

I don’t remember what happened for a few minutes after that hit. I eventually regain enough coherency to feel Edias’s overwhelming worry and concern, as well as a healthy (not really) dose of rage.

A few more minutes later and my eyes flutter open, the sunlight reaching them as I let out an irritated sigh and try to stand up from wherever I am at the moment. I feel my body being pulled down into something… soft…. as I try to make sense of my surroundings.

As the light from the sun stops overwhelming my vision, I first see Lefiya’s worried face staring down at me from above. I notice Loki and Tione berating Tiona in the corner of my vision, with Tiona sitting on her knees with a pout while staring at the ground shamefully.

“Shi- M-mikey…?” Lefiya’s soft voice asks from above me as I realize…

It’s the dreaded lap pillow!

Yes, dreaded, not legendary. Do you know what Lefiya’s fate is gonna be considering Edias’s overwhelming emotions right now? If I didn’t know better, I’d be extremely worried…

“... Lefiya… It seems I lost.” I blink some dirt out my eyes and sigh as Lefiya’s face scrunches and she shakes her head exasperatedly.

“... Mikey… You weren’t expecting to win against a level 5, right…? Especially against someone like Tiona who is best suited for a fight like this while your specialties lie elsewhere… You’re amazing, but even you have limits…” She smiles sadly halfway through her speech as I stare at her blankly.

I pinch her legs as she lets out an ‘eep’ and stares at me with embarrassment. “Haah… Give me a month or two and I’ll show you my so-called ‘limits’ as I take revenge on Tiona for that sucker punch…” She blinks in surprise before giggling and nodding her head while running her hand through my hair.

“... I believe in you, S-shishou…” Lefiya’s voice softly whispers as I blink and wryly smile at her.

“The hell’s a Shisho? Ya givin’ each other pet names already?” Loki’s obnoxious voice suddenly speaks up as Lefiya jumps in shock at the sudden appearance of her goddess, paling while looking at me before turning to the smirking annoyance.

“W-w-w-w-what?!? W-wait… P-p-pet names!?” Lefiya squeaked at Loki as the goddess chuckled and stared down at me with a glint in her eyes (despite being shut. I don’t know how she does it), which I return with a blank expression and a raised eyebrow.

“... You’re quite funny, lady Loki.” I speak without emotion as Loki flinches and narrows her eyes further at me, her mouth morphing into a scowl at the lie.

“I’m freakin’ hilarious, thank you very much! I’m goin’ somewhere else, to a place that’ll actually appreciate my amazin’ humor!” She huffed and stomped away as I continued staring at her blankly before moving my head back up to stare smugly at Lefiya.

Lefiya blinked in shock before staring down at me and gaining a look of realization. She giggled and smiled gratefully at me as I shrugged with a smirk and slowly made my way out of her lap.

“... I was out for only a few minutes I believe, correct?” I pop my neck to the side and rub it slightly as my head continues throbbing lightly. Lefiya stares at me with slight disappointment as I help her stand up from the ground.

How cute…

“Um… Yes. I’m… a-actually quite surprised you woke up so fast…” She almost sounded disappointed at that last part. I raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly looked away in embarrassment.

“M-Mikeyyyyyyy! I’m sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyy…!” Tiona quickly jumped away from her position on the ground once Tione looked away for a moment. She quickly ran to me and I had a single second to brace myself before she hit me with the power of a missile.

I released an ‘oomph’ as I almost fell to the ground if it were not for Lefiya holding me up from behind. “... You’re forgiven, just calm down Tiona…” I plead and pat the distraught amazon on the back as her sister begins stomping our way and Tiona quickly spins around to the other side of me, putting me between her and her twin.

“Tiona! The first thing you do when you see that Michael woke up… is jump at him!? He’s clearly very injured! When I get my hands on you…” I quickly raise my hands at Tione wryly as she pauses, Tiona whimpering behind me.

“I’m fine, Tione. I accepted the request to spar and Tiona simply showed me what it was like fighting a level 5 just as I wished to see. I’d appreciate it if you forgave her on my behalf, as I myself am not angry.” I pat Tiona on the head behind me as I blankly stare at Tione, who’s torn between ignoring me and admonishing her sister or listening to me and forgiving her as that would be more in line with what Finn asked of her.

Eventually, she gave up and sighed. “Fine. Tiona should’ve known better than to use her full power on a level 2, no matter how ridiculously strong they are for a supposed ‘level 2’, but I’ll forgive her since you seem to not be angry.” That didn’t stop her from glaring at Tiona as the smaller amazon hugged me gratefully with a grin.

“Yeah! Thanks, Mikey! You’re a lifesaver!” Tiona hugged me tight enough to make my ribs ache as I sighed and continued patting her on the head.

“... No problem, please let go of me.” She grinned and did so after a few more seconds of hugging me as I happily took a deep breath of sweet, fresh air.

“... Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still standin’ kiddo. That was a pretty serious punch from Tiona, not somethin’ a level 2 like you should be standing up from after a few minutes while lookin’ relatively fine.” Loki commented from the corner she was standing in, which apparently had people who appreciated her humor (it’s empty).

“... I’m a man of many talents.” I commented ‘humbly’ while smirking at her as she snorted and looked away with annoyance.

“Ah! You were really strong though, Mikey! You’re like Captain Finn, fighting with your mind just as much as you are fighting with your body! Also, your magic is totally cheating…” Tiona grabbed onto my arm again with excitement as her sister snorted and looked away with her hands on her hips.

“Sure, he’s strong for his level, but he’s nowhere near as strong as Captain Finn~” Tiona and I wryly stared at Tione as she closed her eyes and held herself like a maiden in love, sighing contently as if Finn himself was holding her.

“... She’s like that sometim-... uh… most of the time…” Tiona turned to me with a half-grin and sheepishly commented as I nodded with amusement.

“... I noticed.”

Lefiya cleared her throat behind us as we both turned to her. She’s staring at both of us unamusedly with a slight blush, clearly unhappy with something quite obvious. “I hate to break this up, but I believe we have training to do.” She spoke with slightly narrowed eyes as I shook my head with amusement before nodding and moving out of Tiona’s grasp.

That’s an Edias moment right there.

[... Excuse you…? What is an… Edias moment…?]

Fucking dungeon intuition somehow reading my mind without me projecting my mind. {Nothing~ also I’m already sleeping on the couch, don’t make me sleep in the dog house!} I pouted mentally as Edias scoffed and returned to her silence.

“Very well. This is what we will do…”

…

…

[A few hours later…]

“... That’ll be enough for today. Good work everyone, I’m sure you’ll begin making great progress if you keep that up.” I sigh and stand up from my meditative position as Tiona immediately bounces onto her feet, as she was probably barely holding herself down.

“... This was… an experience, I suppose. Thank you for the training, Michael.” Tione also stood up and spoke with a tilted head, clearly surprised by something.

“... It was my pleasure, Tione. Now, I believe I’ve taken enough of your time ladies. I have a guest I need to attend to and a shower that’s calling for me. Will you all be fine making your way home?” I expressionlessly help Lefiya up and begin walking into the house as the girls all follow behind me, all with varying amounts of fatigue.

“Oi, who do you think my girls are? ‘Course we’ll be fine makin’ our way home!” Loki crossed her arms smugly as I blinked at her and nodded without another word.

“H-he was just being polite, Loki…” Lefiya tried to defend me and Loki turned to her with a smug grin that scared the young elf off immediately.

Such little loyalty… Just kidding, Loki’s that creepy. I don’t blame her.

We slowly enter the living room and I see Welf sitting with Hestia and Bell, seemingly having a conversation of some sort before they notice us entering and stand up to greet us.

Welf looks horrified once he finds Loki herself swaggering into the room next to me with some of her top members behind, and I take a moment to appreciate the number of people I’ve scared by simply having the Loki Familia at my house.

“Ehhh?~ Ain’t you that Crozzo boy? Whatcha doin’ here?” Loki immediately notices Welf at first glance as her eyebrows raise and she stops walking.

“... And what if I am? I’m here to sign a contract with Mr. Inumaki.” He narrows his eyes at Loki, and I sense some bad blood between the two of them as I quickly realize what happened.

Loki tried to get him to make her magic swords. Failed. She mocked him and he didn’t like that.

How foolish… on Loki’s part, that is.

To ostracize the person that could possibly create magic swords that are comparable to a spell cast by a level 4-5+. At a mere level 1…

Oh well. Her loss, my gain.

“Ah, really? If yer lookin’ for a good blacksmith, I know a couple I could hook ya up with, Mikey~” Loki glances at me with a smirk as I raise an eyebrow and notice Welf looking at me worriedly from the corner of my vision. “This one ain’t nuthin’ special, and the one thing he’s good at he refuses to do stubbornly. I ain’t seein’ no talent in a boy like that.” She smirked at Welf as he looked like he was about to protest furiously, but I beat him to the punch.

“I thank you for your concern, Loki, but I believe I’ll trust my own eyes more than I will yours… No offense, but your eyes remain closed for so long I wouldn’t be surprised if they forgot how to properly see.” I smirk visibly at Loki as she recoils before barking out a few laughs while eyeing me dangerously.

“Ehhh?~ That’s how it’ll be, is it? How fun~...” She smirked at me with a glint in her eyes as Lefiya stared at me worriedly from behind Loki. “We’ll see how well ya trade verbal jabs then, Mikey!”

I shrug to Loki and look at Welf with a small, amused smile. “Please sit for a second, I’ll be right back.” I continue walking the Loki Familia to the door as Loki begins chuckling about something evilly.

“Ah, right…! Hey~, Lefiya, how about you catch up with us later? Me and the girlies here have to… do something important! We’ll catch you later!~” Loki abruptly turned around once we reached the front door and turned to Lefiya with a mischievous smirk. She grabbed Tiona & Tione and quickly ran out of the manor with haste while laughing hysterically like a maniac, leaving a dumbfounded Lefiya behind.

She slowly turned to me with confusion as I sighed and closed the door.

“... She thinks the reason we’re so close is that we’re dating, not that I am your teacher.” I slowly explained to Lefiya with amusement as the elf exploded like a firework and quickly covered her blushing face with both of her hands, her face growing horrified.

“D-d-d-dating!?” She screamed out in embarrassment before she quickly covered her mouth with both hands and paled further while somehow blushing deeper. “W-why would she assume w-we’re… d-d-dating…?!?” She whispered to me with increasing mortification.

I stare unamusedly at Lefiya despite my actual amusement before answering. “One, Lap pillow. Two, ‘pet names’, or rather your use of ‘Shishou’ which she assumes to be a pet name. Three, your extremely obvious favorable disposition towards me, I mean… really Lefiya? Defending me after Loki made a small comment as a joke? You’re really making it obvious. Fou-” Lefiya has almost exploded from embarrassment by now, and as she sees me preparing to speak my fourth point she decides that enough is enough and quickly covers my mouth with her hands while staring at me with teary eyes.

“E-enough! I-I get it already…” I stared at her blankly as she glared at me light-heartedly before squealing and taking her hands off of my mouth as I licked them. “W-what are you d-doing!?”

“First, don’t cover my mouth or order me to be silent, that’s my job as your teacher.” I bonk her on the head lightly as she lets out an ‘eep’ and raises her hands to rub her head. “Second, it worked didn’t it? Take this as a lesson: Sometimes the most irregular tactics may be the ones that grant you victory. That is the art of Guerilla Warfare.” I wisely instruct Lefiya while pulling shit out of my ass as I convince her that I licked her hand not because I’m childish, but because I am a genius tactician.

I love being a living troll.

Lefiya looked at me with immeasurable confusion but quickly nodded her head in understanding, her face growing in determination as if absorbing my lesson and taking it to heart.

Adorable. This teacher thing is not as bad as I thought it’d be.

“Y-yes! B-but um… What will w-we do about L-loki’s misunderstanding…? N-not that I’m o-offended by the idea or anything!” I watch wryly as Lefiya begins stuttering and blushing without any input from me whatsoever.

Eventually, I karate-chop her on the head as she stops stuttering and stares at my blank expression with an embarrassed silence. “Let her have her misconceptions. It will only cover up what we’re actually doing better and give you an excuse to drop by regularly to do ‘couple stuff’, aka training.” I sign two air quotes as Lefiya blushes at ‘couple stuff’ but nods her head thoughtfully.

“... That is a more plausible explanation in their perspective…” Lefiya notes with a hand on her chin before her face darkens in horror. “... O-oh no… W-what will happen when Lady R-Riveria finds out…?”

“... I don’t see why she has any right to dictate your relationship status. Is Nine Hells some sort of dictator to her students?” I raise an eyebrow at Lefiya as she flushes.

“N-no… W-well…” Lefiya suddenly gains a haunted expression as she remembers something traumatic and stops shaking her head negatively. “... Maybe you’re right… E-enough books…!”

How sad… her other teacher is a slave driver and one that uses books as the torture method? Despicable.

“It’s okay, Lefiya. I promise I’ll be a lot gentler with my teachings than your other teacher.” I promised Lefiya while patting her head, totally planning to not make good on that promise and completely obliterate her during training.

Lefiya blushes with the expression of a deer caught in a headlight as I blink and realize how bad that sounds out of context.

Wait, why does she of all people understand that hidden innuendo despite not being corrupted by the internet?

I narrow my eyes at Lefiya as she mumbles something under her breath with glazed eyes, remembering something, and I realize.

She reads smut. Huh. Didn’t think any elf had it in them.

Well, they are elves, and… well, the internet really warps your perspective regarding them if you research for even a few minutes.

“... I believe I have a guest I need to return to, Lefiya. Once you recover from your little episode feel free to join us.” I leave Lefiya to her little 50 shades of gray moment and walk back into the living room as Welf stands up to greet me with a grin and shakes my hand enthusiastically.

“... Thank you for defending me earlier, Inumaki. I appreciate it greatly.” He whispers to me with gratitude as I simply nod in return.

How could I not have? If Loki is gonna make it so easy for me to tie you to me while she burns bridges with you, then it’d be criminal for me not to defend you and reap that goodwill!

“... Don’t mention it. As I said, I see much potential in you even if you aren’t making normal magic swords.” I reply this despite my thoughts though as Welf grins wider and nods his head as we both take a seat.

“Alright! So, what do you want the exact details of our contract to be?” Welf claps his hands in excitement as he makes himself comfortable. I bring out a paper from out of nowhere and place it on the table before turning to him.

“I have a few conditions of my own that are mostly non-negotiable. First of all, I would like to claim complete client priority permanently from now on. All items requested by the Hestia Familia take precedence over any other orders from other Familias.” Welf easily nods with a grin at that condition as I continue. “Next, I wish for Client Confidentiality regarding everything in the Hestia Familia. Nothing is to be revealed without permission from I, the Familia Captain, to anyone outside of the Hestia Familia.”

Welf blinks in surprise but then shrugs and nods. He probably never saw a clause like this in the few contracts he had, which is good for me.

“Third, and most importantly… Welf Crozzo is to deliver top products to the Hestia Familia as long as they fulfill their conditions sufficiently. In return, Welf Crozzo becomes the main blacksmith of I, Inumaki Michael. Welf Crozzo has the option to claim any monster drops gained in Hestia Familia expeditions for the sake of creating equipment for the Hestia Familia. Welf Crozzo is to be paid a monthly rate of 1,000,000 Valis, not counting the expenses that special commissions may cost.” Welf’s jaw drops at the monthly rate I offer him as he looks around and noticed no one else batting an eye (except Lily, who’s gawking like a bird).

“Additionally, Welf Crozzo is granted a permanent party slot for all Hestia Familia expeditions for the sake of enhancing his strength and gathering necessary drop items and loot for himself. That is as long as he follows the commands of the current expedition leader, namely, Inumaki Michael.” I finish writing the terms of the contract on the paper and present it to Welf with a pen while staring at him expressionlessly.

“U-uh… h-... O-one million!? I-I mean… I appreciate how much you value my potential, but as of right now, it’s just that… Potential… Are you sure you can spare that much every month without-” His jaw slams shut for a second before dropping on the ground as a heavy bag of Valis lands on the table in front of him. He turns to stare at me with incredulity as I stare at my nails carelessly and shrug.

“That’ll be quite fine. I can easily pay that amount and more without a dent in our Familia coffers. The faster you progress with your equipment, the more that amount will increase.” I point out with a blank expression, tilting my head nonchalantly at Welf as he stares at me with more shock before quickly grabbing the pen and quickly signing the contract.

Gotcha.

“I accept the contract!” Welf declares excitedly as a binding vow is initiated unknowingly to him, binding these conditions to both of us permanently.

“I’m glad we were able to settle the contract so quickly, Welf. Please call me Michael from now on. I believe that down payment will be sufficient in terms of money, but I also have a diverse collection of drop items I’d like to give you to begin working with.” I take out another bag and pass it to Welf as he excitedly catches it with the Valis bag in the other hand while grinning like a lottery winner.

“Awesome! You won’t regret this, Michael. I need to head back home to begin working as soon as possible- Oh! I can grab that awesome anvil that caught my eye the other day… This is gonna be so awesome!” He begins rambling about all the upgrades he’ll install in his smithy as everyone laughs at his excitement.

With that, I’ve gained possibly the best blacksmith of the new generation of heroes.

Even with the Royal Court now looming behind my back, I cannot help the small spark of glee bubbling inside of me as I stare at my progress.

Just wait, Danmachi. You’ll all be conquered by me… Eventually.

…

…

I’ve decided that I’m going to relax a bit on my schedule until I feel better, so I won’t limit myself to only posting 1 chapter per week. Still, I’m also not going to force myself to write if I’m having writer’s block so that my quality doesn’t take a drop. I hope you guys are okay with this new system until I can pull my shit together.

Here we are. Chapter 14. A small teaser to a future arc and a glimpse at Michael’s current power level compared to level 5s. We also got the OP blacksmith. All in all, a good day.

Poor Michael though. All of this chapter and the last happened on the same day. He really needs a vacation soon… Or some form of stress relief.

Hi Patreons. Sorry about not posting last week. I’ve had an extremely terrible few weeks and I’ve been working on fixing my fucked up shit. I hope this chapter wasn't affected by my current shit, making it shit. Thank you all for your support, I really really appreciate it. Your kind comments on the last chapter was what helped me finish this one despite all the shit going on irl. Ramadan Kareem by the way to all the fellow losers that have to fast.

…