XElenea
patreon
CA : 50 Cheating?
🕑 Added 2024-11-28 16:00:02 +0000 UTCIn the dilapidated church, Hestia stood tall on the raised platform, arms crossed, looking down at Altair and Saeko, a barely concealed smile playing on her lips.
Altair and Saeko were both kneeling on one knee, gazing up at Hestia, waiting for her command.
"Very well, as the Head of the Hestia Familia, I hereby declare the first expedition of the Hestia Familia officially begun!"
"Yes!"
Altair, as the captain, responded loudly.
Seeing this, Hestia placed one hand on her hip and waved the other forward with enthusiasm.
"Then, go forth, my beloved Familia!"
Altair and Saeko stood up, turning to leave. But just as they did, Hestia's laughter echoed behind them.
"Hahahahaha!"
Standing on the platform, Hestia had her hands on her hips, laughing heartily.
"Every time I saw Loki's Familia set out on an expedition, she would always make these grand speeches. Now I finally have the chance to declare my own expedition!"
"So, how does it feel, Hestia?"
Altair couldn't help but chuckle at Hestia's joyful demeanor.
"Of course, it feels amazing! Haha, now my Familia can go on expeditions too!"
Hestia jumped down from the platform and threw herself into Altair's arms, hugging his neck with a beaming smile.
After celebrating with Hephaestus last night, the three of them had returned to the church. Hestia had excitedly declared that the next time Altair and Saeko went out, she would make an official speech as their goddess. Though the Familia currently only had two members, Hestia didn't care about the numbers. After all, she had initially planned for her Familia to consist only of Altair, so it would always just be the two of them in their little world.
Now, with a new member in the Familia, while it was no longer just her and Altair, it was a family she was happy to accept. So, why not kick things off with a dramatic expedition declaration?
Altair, ever doting on Hestia, naturally agreed to humor her and go along with the little performance.
As for the expedition, it was, of course, a joke. An actual expedition meant venturing toward the 50th floor, which even the level 6 and 5 members of the Loki Familia struggled with. Altair and Saeko, naturally, wouldn't succeed either.
So, they were simply entering the dungeon for their usual activities, and the expedition was just something said for fun.
"Hestia, we'll head out now."
"Okay, Altair-kun, take good care of Saeko. She's still new."
"Don't worry, we'll be back as usual, on time."
"Good. I'll be here waiting for you two to return, just like always."
As usual, Altair and Hestia shared a warm hug before he left the church with Saeko to embark on their expedition.
First, since Saeko had just become part of the Familia and wasn't yet an adventurer, they needed to register her at the Guild. Altair brought Saeko to the Guild and found his friend Eina, who had helped register him, to assist Saeko in becoming an adventurer.
Like Altair, Saeko chose light armor as her starting equipment from the Guild. As for weapons, they naturally had to go to Hephaestus for those.
They headed to Hephaestus' flagship weapon store atop Babel, the place Hephaestus had told Altair and Saeko to visit during their gathering the previous night.
"Hey, Altair, you finally made it. I've been waiting for you."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hephaestus."
As soon as they entered, Altair saw Hephaestus leaning on the counter, greeting him.
"I was at the Guild getting Saeko registered as an adventurer, so we're running a bit late."
"Alright, come take a look. After the party last night, I went back and found this. It's a sword one of my kids made a while back, but no one ever bought it, so it's been in storage. Took me half an hour to dig it out."
As she spoke, Hephaestus pulled a sheathed katana from behind the counter and placed it in front of them.
The sheath was entirely black, the handle wrapped in purple cloth, and the guard had an ornate dark gold design. Its appearance alone suggested it was a high-quality blade.
Altair stepped aside, allowing Saeko, the intended user, to inspect the weapon herself.
"Go ahead, give it a try."
Hephaestus made a welcoming gesture with her hand.
Saeko approached the counter, nodded respectfully at Hephaestus, and then carefully picked up the katana. She gripped the handle and slowly drew the blade from its sheath.
The gleaming blade emerged halfway, its reflective surface so polished that Saeko could see her face in it.
"A fine sword."
Coming from a family of swordsmen, Saeko was well-acquainted with katana and could immediately recognize its quality.
"It's more than just fine." Hephaestus added. "When one of my kids crafted this sword, they put a lot of effort into it. Especially after forging the blade, they imbued it with the sharpness and the rare Durandal attribute."
"Durandal?" Saeko asked, confused by this world's terminology.
"Durandal is a great trait. Sharpness is decent, but Durandal means the sword can last forever unless someone with overwhelming strength destroys it in one blow."
"That's quite the impressive blade, then."
After Altair's explanation, Saeko understood how valuable the sword was. As a swordfighter, she was highly satisfied with the weapon.
"Alright then, the sword's yours, Altair." Hephaestus beckoned to him.
Altair smiled and reached into his 4D Pocket, pulling out a pouch of valis, which he placed on the counter.
"I came prepared."
During last night's party, Hephaestus had already told him the price, and though it was a hefty sum, the sword was worth it. The Durandal attribute alone meant Saeko could use the katana all the way up to level 5.
"Well then, Hephaestus-sama, we'll head out now. I've still got to introduce Saeko to the dungeon today."
"Mm, go on. I had to get up early and rummage through the warehouse for this sword. Now that it's sold, I can go back to sleep."
Hephaestus waved them off, ushering them out.
"Alright, we won't disturb you any longer. We'll be off."
Altair nodded, turning to leave, with Saeko storing her katana and following him out of the store.
As they walked away, Altair glanced at Saeko's excited expression and couldn't help but smile, reaching out to take her hand.
"Let's go. I think you're going to enjoy fighting in the dungeon today."
"Mm, I can't wait!"
Saeko, full of excitement, leaned against Altair's shoulder as the two chatted and laughed while leaving. They didn't notice Hephaestus watching them from behind with a shocked expression.
"Altair… is he cheating on Hestia?"
