I was surprised to hear that Raus and the others got into trouble with those idiots, but I’m glad they were unharmed.
Of course, I wasn’t *that* worried, since Raus and the others wouldn’t possibly lose to common Thugs.
After finishing our investigation of the Krater Labyrinth, we had the monsters from Krater and Feel processed and requested their parts to be salvaged, and returned to Alka for the first time in a while.
I immediately began working on the Communication Tool at the Crafting Hall, while the ladies were taking a bath to sweat it out.
Marina, Feena, and Fiana were working at the Crafting Hall, but they were dragged to the bath by Reina and the others who had returned.
“The Krater Labyrinth is quite a troublesome place, isn’t it?”
After dinner, we were relaxing in the living room on the second floor of the main hall, sharing our respective reports. Apricot, Prim’s mother, was also participating.
Apricot had been working as a part-time Healer at the Healer’s Guild even before the war with Solemne and was on standby to rush to emergency cases.
She had passed her rank-up exam and was promoted to P-rank Healer, but the wall to becoming an M-rank Healer was apparently quite high, and she had failed twice.
Mako, on the other hand, was promoted directly to A-rank Healer, which is likely due to the significant difference in basic knowledge.
“I was thinking of going there next, but if it’s that troublesome, I’d just be a hindrance.”
“I don’t mind, but if you’re serious about coming along, you should at least have some kind of weapon.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Ed was also surprised by the difficulty of the Krater Labyrinth.
A labyrinth where G-rank monsters appear on the first floor, P-rank on the second, and M-rank on the third, didn’t exist in Helios Orb.
Still, I don’t mind if they come along.
However, Ed and the others are primarily Crafters, so they don’t have weapons.
They didn’t have weapons in the Solpreza Labyrinth or the Instant Labyrinth either, but given that this one is more difficult, I think they should at least have some self-defense weapons.
“I’ll think about the weapons.”
“Please do.”
For Dwarves, axes and hammers come to mind, but it’s problematic for someone inexperienced like Ed to use them.
I think weapons like the Celestial Globes used by Aria and Reina would be best, but they seem troublesome to both make and use, so a short sword would be safer.
“Ed, I saw Camellia’s greatsword, but have Ciel-sama and Seras-sama’s weapons been completed?”
Mana’s question also piqued my interest.
After the war, Camellia decided to make a fresh start and changed her weapon from a one-handed straight sword to a two-handed greatsword.
The reason she used a one-handed straight sword until then was that it’s a basic weapon for Hunters and widely used.
However, after avenging her adoptive parents in Solemne, Camellia, for some reason, requested to change her weapon to a greatsword.
A greatsword and a one-handed straight sword are used completely differently, but since it was her request, I accepted it and asked Ed to make it with Lapis Laz.
The design, of course, is from the game in my Engraving Tool.
Simultaneously, I also commissioned Ed to create weapons for Ciel-sama, the Daughter of Grand Duke Lichtenfels, who is now engaged to Emperor Reinhardt, and for Seras-sama, Ciel-sama’s younger sister, who is engaged to Raus.
The formal engagement is scheduled to be announced at Float the day after tomorrow, and at that ceremony, Emperor Reinhardt and Raus will be presenting weapons as tokens of their engagement, so it’s highly likely they are already completed.
Oh, and the short swords have already been handed over.
“They’re ready. Here they are.”
What Ed took out from storage were a Celestial Globe and Twin Swords.
The Celestial Globe is for Ciel-sama, and the Twin Swords are for Seras-sama.
“Wow, they’re well-made.”
“It was quite difficult.”
The Celestial Globe has a round frame surrounding the central Tenma Stone, with crystal-like decorations on the top, bottom, left, and right, and a small curtain-like attachment at the bottom.
The orbiting stars are card-shaped, just like in the game, and the elemental Tenma Stones are embedded in the round frame.
Like Aria and Reina’s Celestial Globes, Ciel-sama’s Celestial Globe also has a built-in mechanism. The surrounding cards are made of Lapis Laz, so like Mako’s Magic Fan Lapis Cherry Blossom, they can be used as ranged weapons and also as shields.
The cards are about A3 size, which I think is sufficient as a shield on its own.
However, since Ciel-sama has no combat experience, the curtain made of Gold Dragoon leather attached to the round frame can be connected using Craft Magic “Connecting” to make it a shield up to A1 size, and it can also defend key areas.
On the other hand, Seras-sama’s Twin Swords look like ordinary Twin Swords, but the hilts have “Connecting” and “Locking” applied, allowing them to be connected. Furthermore, the right-hand sword is a Multi-jointed Sword, enabling highly versatile attacks.
It will be difficult to master, but Seras-sama intends to live as a knight of Libertà and has been diligently studying swordsmanship, so I believe she will be able to master it by the time she comes of age.
“Both are exactly as requested. Thank you, Ed-san.”
“As always, I enjoy doing it.”
“Also, Seras-sama’s Crest Defender Coat is finished. Here you go, Raus.”
“Thank you.”
Marina had also finished tailoring Seras-sama’s Crest Defender Coat.
Seras-sama’s Crest Defender Coat also reflects her own wishes.
The color is crimson, and both arms are Magic Gauntlets with “Shielding” applied.
Given her status as a Daughter of Grand Duke, it has an armored dress-like design, but with less armor.
The shoulder guards are minimal, the chest plate is worn underneath, and the skirt armor is a bit elaborate.
Incidentally, Ciel-sama’s armor is being tailored by Lord Regent Aiver.
This also takes Ciel-sama’s wishes into account, and I’m sure Aiver will finish it on time.
Raus received the Crest Defender Coat and Twin Swords and carefully stored them in his storage.
He will be handing them over directly to Seras-sama the day after tomorrow, and after that, Seras-sama will be living in Alka.
She will be joining the Union, and for that purpose, Seras-sama mentioned she had already completed her Hunter Registration.
“With the weapons and coat ready, we’re prepared to go to Float, aren’t we?”
“Yes. As for whether there will be side effects on the day, that’s something we can only know when the time comes.”
Ah, the severe muscle pain, or rather, growing pains due to side effects when evolving into High Class.
Indeed, that’s something we can only find out when the time comes.
One healer can apparently alleviate it by using Healing and Dispelling, but even so, they say they won’t be able to hunt that day, so we can only pray there are no symptoms on the day itself.
“Mako and I will also continuously use healing magic, but whether symptoms appear on the day itself is indeed a matter of luck.”
“That’s right. Even if we create Tenma Stones imbued with healing magic, we don’t know if they’ll be effective. If symptoms don’t appear, they’re useless, so it’s hard to decide.”
It’s truly unpredictable when the onset will occur.
There were times when it occurred for three consecutive days, and other times when it didn’t occur for a week.
The idea of imbueing Tenma Stones with healing magic is good, but for High Class healing magic, even with Tenma Stones, the magic power consumption is intense, so it’s unclear how long they will last.
Also, Yuri mentioning continuously using healing magic… Yuri himself sometimes becomes incapacitated by severe pain, so he should worry about himself before worrying about others.
“I’m feeling much better, but Yuri-sama, Raus-san, and Rebecca also seem to be suffering.”
Although Carol is 15 years old, she will turn 16 in the spring, and her symptoms seem to have eased considerably.
I thought it would be difficult until she reached adulthood, but when I think about it, Lydia and Ludia, who are 16-year-old minors, are not experiencing symptoms, so perhaps around 16 years old is the turning point.
Athena is also equivalent to 16 years old, but she is a Dragonian, so her actual age is 84. I’m not sure about this case.
“Speaking of which, what are Reina and Camellia’s levels now?”
Reina and Camellia have both suffered from acute magic fluctuation syndrome due to rapid level-ups multiple times, but the subsequent evolution to High Class entails excruciating growing pains, so we also need to be mindful of that.
Unlike Reina, who is still 12, Camellia is 16, so I think she’ll be fine.
“We’ve reached level 37!”
“I’m level 42. I haven’t been able to evolve yet, though.”
Both of them are leveling up nicely.
Camellia, in particular, is on the verge of evolving into a High Human.
“Camellia could evolve at any time, but Reina might need to slow down a bit.”
“It was fine for us, so it should be fine for Camellia too.”
Lydia and Ludia, based on their own experiences, judged that Camellia would be fine.
Since both of them have already evolved into Ancient Dragonewts, their words and experiences carry weight.
“I’ve always admired evolving into a High Human, but I never thought it would happen so quickly.”
“We felt the same way.”
“Let alone High Class, we evolved into Ancient Class without even realizing it.”
Mina and Flam seem to understand Camellia’s feelings, offering wry smiles.
Well, it’s true that we evolved into Ancient Class a few months after evolving into High Class, so it was fast, if you think about it.
“What about Fiana?”
“I’ve reached level 33, but I’m prioritizing my studies as a Crafter.”
Fiana, Feena’s younger sister and Reina’s older sister, has also reached level 33.
Although she hasn’t gone hunting these past few days, Fiana is registered only with the Crafter’s Guild and is aiming to become a blacksmith under Ed, so there’s no need to rush.
Still, with Ed, Marina, and Feena having evolved into High Class, Fiana probably aims for High Class evolution as well.
“She’s still 15, so there’s no need to rush the evolution.”
“Yes. However, I’d like to be taken along next time we go to a labyrinth.”
That’s perfectly fine.
Moreover, as a member of Wing Crest, it’s quite possible she could get caught up in trouble.
While it’s possible to escape to Alka using the Gate Crystal, it’s never a bad idea to have the strength to protect oneself.
“I don’t mind that, but we’ll be busy for a while, so it’ll be summer at the earliest.”
However, in reality, we won’t have the luxury to enter labyrinths for some time.
Not only the governance issues in Solemne, but it seems there’s also some movement in Valentia, and the reconstruction of Libertà is also important.
And above all, we don’t know how Abaricia will move, so we need to pay close attention to the actions of Retisencia, who is their puppet.
“That’s fine.”
Fiana is quiet and doesn’t assert herself much, so I’d prefer to take her along soon, if possible.
“We also want to go to the Krater Labyrinth fairly soon, but that’s just how it is.”
“Yeah. Oh, and tomorrow Yamato is going to Bestia, what are all of you doing?”
Tomorrow.
As Athena mentioned, I’m scheduled to report on the Krater Labyrinth investigation at the Hunter’s Guild in Bestia with Hilde, but not everyone needs to go, so it’s basically a rest day.
However, what everyone else will do hadn’t really been decided.
“We’re interested in Mylight, so we plan to check on it.”
“We’re not accustomed to fighting in snowy conditions, so we plan to do some hunting. Ah, and we’ll accompany Camellia for practice cuts.”
Prim, Mana, Mina, and Flam will be checking on Mylight, while Lydia, Ludia, and Athena will be hunting with Camellia to get used to fighting in snowy conditions.
“I have to catch up on my duties.”
“I’ll be studying for the Healer’s rank promotion exam.”
Rika-san, as a Lord and Provincial Governor, has no choice but to work.
Apricot-san is studying to retake the M-rank Healer promotion exam.
Good luck to both of you.
“I was also thinking of studying for the Healer’s rank promotion exam, but if it’s not a problem for Yamato-sama, I’d like to accompany you.”
“I don’t have any particular plans either, so please let me accompany you to Bestia.”
Yuri and Aria want to accompany me to Bestia.
I don’t feel troubled by that at all, and I’m perfectly fine with it.
“I also have some things I want to buy, so I’ll be going to Bestia.”
Mako is also going to Bestia.
She says she has things to buy, but I wonder if they aren’t sold in Feel or Float?
“We’ll be doing our usual.”
“That’s right.”
“What about us… what should we do?”
“We can just relax in Alka.”
“That’s right. Hunting would be fine too, but we’ve been hunting for the past three days, so even if it’s okay for us, Reina must be tired.”
Ed, Marina, Feena, and Fiana will be holed up in the Crafting Hall working, while Raus, Rebecca, Carol, and Reina will be resting in Alka.
Still, Wing Crest has become quite a large group.
It started with just me and Prim, but now there are 25 people, and with Hilde, Mirei, Seras-sama, and Apricot-san scheduled to join, if we scout a Butler, we’ll exceed 30 people.
I sometimes wonder if I should be the leader of such a group, but it’s customary for the highest-level Hunter to be the leader, and it also contributes to the safety of the members.
Still, I’m not used to it yet.
Well, everyone supports me, so I’ll just do what I can, bit by bit, and protect Wing Crest.
