Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 6

by Fujino Omori

  “Ohh!” The deity jumped on the spot in surprise at the girl’s visit.

  Mikoto must’ve interpreted his surprise as an affirmative and opened the door with a slight bow.

  “…? Has something happened, my lord?”

  “N-no. Everything’s fine. Nothing to worry about.”

  The girl tilted her head as Takemikazuchi hastily straightened his hair.

  Forcing an air of calm, the deity closed his mouth and looked upon his follower. She, too, wore a distressed expression similar to his own.

  Her silky black hair was tied back in its usual style. However, she carried herself without her normal level of confidence, shoulders uncharacteristically drooping. Even her violet-colored eyes were trembling as she met his gaze.

  The two stood face-to-face in silence.

  The tension building, Takemikazuchi gave in and opened his mouth.

  “—Mi-Mikoto.”

  “—Lord Takemikazuchi!”

  The two spoke at exactly the same moment.

  Both paused, saying, “My apologies, go ahead,” and, “Speak first, I insist,” back and forth.

  Mikoto was the first to accept the offer.

  She took a deep breath and made eye contact with her god.

  A moment later, she threw herself to the floor at his feet. Takemikazuchi Familia’s special technique, the prostrate bow.

  “Please forgive me!”

  “Wh-what?”

  Takemikazuchi was taken aback by Mikoto’s sudden plea, her hands, knees, and forehead on the floorboards.

  She didn’t look up, only raised her voice to be heard clearly despite speaking directly into the floor.

  “Please allow me to go assist Sir Bell!”

  Takemikazuchi’s eyes shot open.

  “Despite nearly causing his death, I haven’t done anything to atone for my actions! I also made a promise; we made a promise to help each other!”

  Mikoto’s body shook as her voice took on a more serious tone.

  “This is my chance. I can’t abandon him in his time of need…”

  The look of surprise gradually left Takemikazuchi’s face as he watched his follower bare her soul to him.

  His shoulders relaxed, arms hung loosely at his sides.

  So we both came to the same conclusion…

  He had been with her for so long and yet he had failed to anticipate how she would react to the situation. It was shameful.

  Takemikazuchi grimaced before a genuine smile grew on his lips.

  “Ahhh…” He let out a long sigh. Mikoto’s shoulders shook once again.

  The deity looked back up at the ceiling and mumbled under his breath.

  “One year…Such a long time.”

  Mikoto looked up with a start.

  It was a rule among Familias: A child who had been transferred to a different group with Conversion could not be transferred again for at least one year.

  Mikoto immediately understood what his words meant. Her face grew brighter and brighter by the second.

  “But it will pass. Learn as much as you can from Hestia’s children and come back stronger than ever.”

  “—Yes, sir!”

  Mikoto brought her fist and palm together as Takemikazuchi smiled upon her.

  Lastly, she gave him her Familia emblem for him to hold on to until she returned.

  Mikoto Yamato had joined Hestia Familia.

  “…”

  Hephaistos sat at her desk, examining a dagger in her hands.

  She was visiting one of her Familia’s shops located on Northwest Main. Rather than working in her private office, she was focusing on this particular weapon.

  There was a story behind its maker. A rather difficult child, his skills had been rather unpolished at the time he forged this dagger, but passion for his craft alone gave him incredible potential—that “passion” could be felt by anyone who used the blade.

  Hephaistos herself could feel it coursing through her when there came a knock at her door.

  “Enter.”

  She opened one of the desk drawers at her side, returned the blade to its sheath, and placed it inside.

  Closing the drawer, Hephaistos looked up to see the silhouette of a young man in a black jacket standing in the doorway: Welf.

  “What is it?”

  Rather than answering, Welf walked up to the other side of her desk.

  Showing no hesitation, he came as close as the desk would allow and met her gaze.

  “I’ve come to say good-bye.”

  He closed his eyes and continued.

  “I’m joining Hestia Familia. Please allow it.”

  This was not a request for permission, but a demonstration of strong will and determination.

  Leaving Hephaistos Familia would mean that he would be forbidden to use her logo as a smith. Despite attaining his dream of becoming a High Smith at long last, he was willing to forfeit the right to engrave “Ἥφαιστος” into any of his work and leave Hephaistos behind.

  “And what makes you think I would allow such a selfish decision?”

  “Because the goddess I know and love would scold me if I didn’t.”

  Welf responded without missing a beat.

  Hephaistos displayed no emotion, her face stoic as she asked another question.

  “Didn’t you want to overcome the blood in your veins, create a weapon that exceeds magic swords?”

  “As long as I have a hammer, metal, and a good flame, I can forge weapons anywhere. The one who taught me that was you.”

  Even apart from her, he would work to spread his name and reach a higher plateau.

  He answered her without any hesitation.

  “And what was it that inspired this intense enthusiasm?”

  Welf raised his chin and grinned.

  “Friendship.”

  At long last, a smile appeared on Hephaistos’s lips.

  “Then I accept.”

  Hephaistos stood up from her desk and walked toward a long line of hammers on a shelf behind her.

  She selected one that was the same crimson color as her hair and eyes, and picked it up.

  She approached Welf, still standing in front of her desk, and handed the hammer to him.

  “A parting gift. Use it well.”

  Hephaistos said her good-bye by bestowing him with the soul of a smith. Welf grinned from ear to ear and graciously accepted it with a bow.

  “Thank you for everything.”

  The fabric in his black jacket ruffled as he turned to leave.

  Leaving the goddess he revered behind, Welf confidently strode out of the office.

  Welf Crozzo had joined Hestia Familia.

  “…So that’s how it is. Would you mind helping out again?”

  Hermes kept a close eye on her face as he asked.

  They were a little ways away from The Benevolent Mistress, inside of the wooden building where the employees lived. The elf Lyu sighed at Hermes’s forced smile.

  “God Hermes, are you mistaking me for some handmaiden?”

  “Sorry! But do this for Syr. Bell needs your help!”

  “I would like you to refrain from using Syr as a bargaining chip…”

  “S-sorry, Lyu…”

  “Syr, your apology is unnecessary.”

  Three figures huddled together inside Lyu’s private quarters: Hermes, Syr, and Lyu herself.

  There were only a few days left before the War Game. Hermes had lobbied to allow outside involvement for just this reason, to request her help.

  The condition: said outsider must belong to a Familia outside Orario—must have the blessing of a deity from outside its walls. Since Lyu’s goddess, Astria, had not been in the city for some time, there would be no objection to her participation.

  Hermes felt slightly guilty for being directly responsible for forcing Bell and Hestia into the extremely disadvantageous Castle Siege and this was his way to, kindly, offer his assistance.

  “Should I fight, there is a high prob
ability that my identity will be revealed during the War Game.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll convince everyone that you came from someplace on the other side of the mountains before the fight begins. No one will believe you’re a waitress at a bar once I’m through with them.”

  Several events in the recent past had landed a hooded adventurer on the Guild’s blacklist—there were still many who resented the “Gale Wind.” Hermes already had a plan to help keep her and those living with her anonymous and safe.

  Lyu sighed. “Mother Mia will scold me again.”

  Either way, the ex-adventurer couldn’t abandon Bell to his fate. The elf agreed to Hermes’s request.

  The room itself had very little decoration. Lyu walked a few paces to the corner and grabbed a knapsack along with a wooden sword.

  “I’ll handle the paperwork with the Guild. It’d make it a lot easier to jump through the hoops if I had your Familia’s emblem. Do you still have it?”

  “I do. Be sure not to misplace it.”

  “It’ll never leave my sight,” he said with a nod as he took the badge engraved with the sword of justice and wings from her.

  Lastly, Lyu approached Syr, who was holding out her cape.

  “Do your best, Lyu. I’ll come up with something to say to Mama.”

  “You have my gratitude, Syr.”

  Lifting the string of her knapsack over her shoulder, Lyu flashed a soft smile.

  Hermes and Syr saw her out of the building and watched as she disappeared into the night.

  Lyu Lyon had joined the War Game.

  Blades clashed in vicious flurries.

  A silver flash, lashing forward at tremendous speed, was blocked head-on by the downward swing of a crimson blade. Knife and saber collided under the reddish glow of dusk, their wielders’ blond and white hair flowing in the breeze.

  The boy’s long shadow passed over the stone surface, slamming into the girl’s shadow over and over. Each time he was thrown backward and each time he charged again.

  Their brutal training was taking place on top of the city wall around Orario.

  “You learned how to…react without seeing…”

  “D-do you really think so…?”

  It was already the fifth day.

  Aiz lowered her saber, signaling a brief pause in the action. Bell took a deep breath and took a look at his own body. What was left of the evening sunlight illuminated all the cuts, scrapes, bruises, and dried blood that littered his skin. Completely covered in sweat, the boy’s condition showed just how intense these training sessions had been.

  After gathering supplies and setting up a small camp, Bell had committed himself fully to sparring with Aiz. They started just before the sun rose each morning and continued until the stars lit up the night, dramatically increasing the length and intensity of their sessions from the last time they were here. They ate meals together and slept at the same time; neither of them had gone into the city even once. A dirty pot and the remains of a fire sat on top of the path just inside the chest-high stone wall, a guardrail on the city side of the wall. Three water bottles and three sleeping bags also sat at the base of the guardrail.

  Bell had his eyes focused on the cuts crisscrossing his arm when suddenly—whoosh! A saber came at them from his blind spot without warning. His instantaneous reflexes brought his weapon into the path of the oncoming blade, deflecting it before he jumped backward.

  Looking very rabbitlike, standing with his left shoulder higher than his right, he stood at the ready for the next attack. Aiz seemed very satisfied as she nodded over and over.

  “Guess who’s back!”

  Bell and Aiz turned to face the owner of the cheerful voice.

  Emerging from the doorway of the tower that housed a stairwell connecting to the city street was Tiona with a very large backpack over her shoulder. She skipped her way up to them and plopped the backpack at their feet on top of the stone path with a light “Hup!”

  “Picked up a ton of meat and fish! Bread and water, too!”

  “Thanks, Tiona…”

  “Sure thing! Ah, Argonaut, these blades work okay for you? I bought about five of them.”

  “Y-yes, thank you very much…s-sorry for the trouble.”

  Bell stood next to Aiz, scared stiff, as Tiona withdrew the weapons from her backpack one after another.

  Tiona had been supplying the two of them with food and items for the past five days. It was thanks to her that Bell and Aiz could focus solely on training.

  Bell couldn’t shake the feeling that he was building up quite a large debt to the always smiling, happy-go-lucky Amazonian girl Tiona. With the exception of Ushiwakamaru, he couldn’t count how many blades had snapped in half or been damaged beyond repair during their combat sessions.

  “Well, I heard quite a bit around town. First off, the War Game is four days from now.”

  “Four days…”

  “Yep. It’s gonna happen outside of Orario, so we have to think about travel time…I’d say you’ve got maybe two more days left.”

  Tiona continued to relay the information she had collected that day.

  Her update complete, Bell looked out over the guardrail and across the beautiful cityscape.

  “Exactly one week…Goddess.”

  The five days of training plus two more would make one week. Bell said a quick thank-you to his goddess, who had managed to deliver on her promise.

  Bell’s ruby-red eyes smiled; he knew that somewhere in this gorgeous city, Hestia was smiling back.

  “Also, you’ll never guess what was posted on the Guild’s bulletin board. Hestia Familia has some new members.”

  “Eh?!”

  “Soma, Takemikazuchi, Hephaistos…Looks like all three of them transferred someone.”

  Bell fought to contain his surprise and delight until Tiona was finished talking. The two girls watched as his face lit up and tears of happiness rolled down his face.

  Hestia had saved Lilly, plus Welf and Mikoto were coming to help him. He didn’t need to know the details because he already understood. The black void that had been eating away at him finally lifted, a new warmth flooding his soul.

  Bell stretched out his arms. He looked at Aiz and Tiona with renewed strength and willpower, feeling stronger than ever.

  “Another round, please!”

  The look in his eyes made Aiz and Tiona smile.

  “Yes…”

  “Try to keep up!”

  The two girls went on the offensive beneath the red sky.

  Three sets of legs dashed about with blinding speed.

  Aiz, Tiona, and Bell mixed attack with counterattack in the very limited space on top of the city wall. Two daggers, one silver saber, and two insanely wide swords struck with jolting impacts, sparks lighting up the twilight sky.

  “Ehsaa!”

  Bell did everything he could to keep the attacks of two top-class adventurers at bay. All the while he couldn’t take his eyes off the massive blades in the Amazonian girl’s grasp. Despite learning how to defend against attacks from the side, knowing that another blade exactly like that edge of death was following right behind it sent shivers up his spine.

  He knew immediately that the weapons were order made. Seeing her wield the thick, heavy blades as if they were nothing more than shortswords was the stuff of nightmares. The Amazonian girl smiled, practically laughing as she danced her way into every strike.

  Rather than trying to defend against such an attack head-on, Bell chose to get out of the way.

  Jumping back to avoid the first and to his right to dodge the second, the boy managed to get clear. However, Tiona charged forward even though her weapons weren’t poised to strike.

  “Hup!” Spinning in midair, Tiona unleashed a kick right into Bell’s face.

  “Geh?!”

  The wheat-colored skin of her bare foot buried itself in his cheek, sending the boy flying backward. Hitting the stone floor and bouncing several times, Bell rolled to a
merciful stop.

  “Try not to use potions. If you take one after every hit, you’ll run out really quick. Better to kick the habit.”

  “I-I’ll try…”

  Tiona approached him with her swords over her shoulders, looking like wings from hell. Aiz wasn’t too far behind. Tiona gave him some advice as soon as she saw the boy’s hand reach for his leg holster.

  “That’s the thing about being an adventurer. We still have to be able to move even after the crap’s been beaten out of us!”

  Although she was holding back, the kick of a top-class adventurer to the face can inflict immense damage. Bell slowly nodded as feeling returned to his head. Just as she’d suggested, it would be a good idea to learn how to fight well when not at full strength. The lesson had literally been beaten into him.

  Gritting his teeth, Bell climbed to his feet as Tiona looked on with a satisfied smile.

  “My turn.”

  “?!”

  The session started back up. Bell was forced to use both knives in order to repel Aiz’s direct attack.

  Not only that, Tiona circled around to his blind side and continued her assault. Two of the greatest sword wielders in Orario weren’t holding back any techniques on top of the city wall. Bell desperately intercepted each strike, deflecting the blades out of his ever-changing path. However, he hadn’t come here to learn how to defend. He had to find a window for counterattack.

  Fighting off his own cowardice, Bell surprised both of them by charging forward.

  “!”

  Aiz’s posture slipped ever so slightly.

  Her feet and shoulders weren’t on the same page, moving in different directions as Bell came in for his attack. Bell couldn’t believe his luck. The girl’s feminine frame was trying to retreat, leaving her side wide open. This was his chance and he didn’t hesitate.

  A golden opportunity—score a hit on the Kenki.

  Taking aim for her ribs, Bell took a quick step forward and thrust the dagger in his left hand toward his opponent.

  “Hm.”

  “—”

  But Aiz spun her body around like a top, armor a blur.

  Taking advantage of his outstretched position, Aiz easily dodged the weapon and traded places with Bell. Now directly behind him, she whipped her saber forward with less than her full strength and nailed the light armor protecting the boy’s back.