Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 2

by Fujino Omori

  I have a Hephaistos-made knife on me right now; it was a gift from my goddess. She told me it was the only one in the world…How much did it cost?!

  “Welcome to our store! Can I help you find anything today?”

  The store clerk must have seen me staring and drooling at the sight of the crimson sword. She comes up to greet us in a bright, cheerful voice.

  The girl is short, but she looks extremely professional, with a very well-rehearsed smile glued onto her glowing face. Twin black ponytails bouncing around her head make her look very cute indeed.

  She wears a deep red apron-style uniform, which is being pushed up by breasts much too big for her body type, jiggling with her every movement…

  “…Um…Goddess? What are you doing?”

  “……”

  Her smile instantly freezes.

  So this is why. I thought she’d been more tired than usual recently. She’s been working here…!

  “Why are you here?! You don’t need two part-time jobs! Didn’t I just say that we can start saving money because I’m going deeper into the dungeon?!”

  “Listen closely, Bell. You are going to forget that you saw me here and quietly leave right now…! It’s too soon for you to be here!”

  “It’s too soon for you, too! Aren’t you getting thirty vals an hour at your other job?!”

  “Don’t make fun of my career in potato snacks!”

  “Forget about that! Come on, let’s go home. You’re a goddess! You can’t be seen like this, it’s embarrassing! Are you trying to become a laughingstock?”

  “Let go of me, Bell! Let go now!! Even gods have to throw away their pride when times get tough!”

  “And when are times ever tough for gods?! Just please, listen to what I’m saying!”

  I grab her right arm with both of my hands, turn, and try my best to pull her out of there.

  Why in the world is my goddess being so stubborn…?!

  I can feel Eina’s wide-eyed gaze on my back, but now is no time to worry about that.

  “Hey! New girl! Stop playing around! Back to work!!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Huh?”

  Boing! The goddess twists out of my grip and bounds away.

  I watch her twin ponytails dance behind her for a moment before she disappears into the back of the shop.

  “Goddess…”

  “W-well, just as interesting a goddess as ever, I see?” Eina doesn’t know how to respond to my pitiful voice, and she forces a smile.

  I feel a bit dejected, but I then remember I’m not alone today. I force myself to look up.

  …I’ll forget this trouble with my goddess, for now.

  “Sorry you had to see that…”

  “It’s all right. Shall we go upstairs?”

  I nod lightly a few times as the still-awkwardly-smiling Eina leads me back to the pedestal.

  We board the “elevator” (as the magical lift turns out to be called) and arrive on an upper floor soon after.

  “This is us.”

  “We’re here…”

  Eina pushes open the glass to reveal another level inundated with shops just like the fourth floor.

  Swords, spears, axes, war hammers, blades, bows and arrows, shields, armor, and many other pieces of equipment are on display at all the shops on this wide floor. The only difference is that there are more customers—more adventurers—here.

  That thought makes me flinch for a moment.

  “You’re thinking that you don’t have a place shopping at Hephaistos Familia’s shops, aren’t you, Bell?”

  I’m not in the best mood, and I shoot her a look saying it’s a little late for that now. But then I nod and agree with her.

  Eina looks down on me like queen over a servant, grinning.

  “Actually, that’s not completely true. But, seeing is believing! Follow me.”

  Eina guides me into the nearest shop—a spear shop by the looks of it.

  Leading me to the very back wall of the shop, she stops in front of a spear rack. All of the combat-ready spears stand on end, blades facing the ceiling.

  Just as I start thinking Here we go again, my eyes catch the price tag: 12,000 vals.

  “H-huh…?”

  I might be able to afford this…

  “Hee-hee, surprised, aren’t you?”

  “W-well, yes, but why?”

  This price is unbelievable. Shocking, even. Eina sounded like she was awfully pleased when she asked if I was surprised, too.

  I’m still staring at the spears, though.

  “What sets Hephaistos Familia apart from other smiths is that they have even their most inexperienced members make items and sell them in their shops.”

  “Is that…okay? I mean, compared to the masters…”

  “Of course, those weapons are not sold next to ones made by master smiths. But the new smiths get valuable business experience and they can sell their work directly to adventurers. It’s a real plus for the younger smiths to get feedback—both the good and the really harsh. It all helps motivate them to make better and better weapons.”

  I’m a bit surprised, but then again it makes perfect sense. Rather than being restricted to experimenting or practicing, getting comments and criticism from people in the real world would be a lot more motivating.

  “It’s good for the stores, too. They can sell these weapons to very low-level adventurers and get more customers.”

  So they can bring in newbies along with the all-stars. Once the newbies get stronger, they can afford better weapons from the same shop. Eina says it’s like a pyramid.

  The shops draw in as many of the new adventurers as they can to build as many relationships as possible. When the adventurers level up, they become regulars of that shop and buy high-level weapons.

  That’s what’s special about Orario. The large population of adventurers brings out all kinds of benefits and possibilities.

  “The most important thing here is that new adventurers and new smiths form bonds early in their careers. Doesn’t matter if it’s weak or strong.”

  What do you mean by that? I ask with my eyes.

  “New smiths are discovered by new adventurers through the items the smith makes. If an adventurer remembers the smith’s name, they might have a client. Very talented—but unpolished—smiths can be hidden in the rough of the business, just waiting for an adventurer with an eye for quality to find them. They might not become close friends, but adventurers who have used their items in combat, felt their armor on their skin, will give the most valuable feedback.”

  …Makes sense when she puts it like that.

  At the very least, I feel that way about my dagger and light-armor provisions from the Guild.

  “Smiths can bring out special properties in the items they make if they are forging them for someone in particular, especially if there is a strong bond between the smith and the adventurer…Or at least they claim.”

  Eina lightly sticks out her tongue. I freeze in place.

  Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined Eina doing something so…childish.

  “Kind of got sidetracked a little bit there, but what I’m saying is that there are items made by Hephaistos Familia that are in your price range. How much do you have on you right now, Bell?”

  “Um, should be right about ten thousand vals.”

  “I wonder if we’ll be able to find you a full set of new armor. Like I said before, there are diamonds in the rough made by raw ore smiths. We just need to dig them up! Let’s go!!”

  Eina seems more excited than I am. It’s all I can do to force a smile now that I’ve come to my senses a bit.

  She leads me to a shop that has a sign outside equipped with armor and a shield. Eina suggests, with a peppy smile on her face, that we split up to cover more ground. So I set foot inside without her.

  The view from my first step inside the establishment is that it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

  Just look at
these! Were they really all made by lower-level smiths? Everything looks amazing!

  Looking into the forest of armor is the highlight of the day so far.

  Pure white mannequin chests wear many different shapes and kinds of armor. It doesn’t matter that the head and arms are missing, the chest looks very dignified. A few full-bodied mannequins are equipped with the works. I can clearly see myself wearing those armored plates in battle.

  Shield and battle helmets on shelves line the walls. Some look impenetrable, some are simply gorgeous—there’s something for everyone.

  Male and female customers fill the shop, all looking for a piece of armor that suits them. It looks like you can try on the armor, too.

  I think…I’m starting to get a little excited…! What do I do now?…Huh?

  As I take in the sights and sounds, my eyes are drawn to a spot at the back of the shop.

  It’s the most ordinary-looking corner of the store. There’s a box filled with equipment pieces just sitting there.

  Are they…armor pieces?

  The rest of the store’s stock is equipped on the mannequins, so are these junk boxes? They’re just lying here like a pile of trash. Wait, there is another box next to it, and a few more after that. I guess these must be the items that the Familia deemed not worth putting on display.

  I’m sure they wouldn’t sell them if they were faulty, but maybe there are some imperfections or something like that.

  “Ah, yep, they’re for sale…”

  There is a price tag on the bottom of each box: 5,700 vals, 6,800 vals, 3,900 vals…All the prices are written in red ink by different people, but all of them are quite cheap.

  The full set of armor that I saw toward the front of the store is 15,000 vals, and my current light armor from the Guild is 5,000…Yep, I’ve probably got the right idea. These are in my price range.

  Then again, Eina would say that this is something that’s going to save my life, so I shouldn’t be stingy.

  “…?”

  I suddenly stop in front of a box in the middle of the row.

  This armor—its spirit is calling to me from within the line of boxes.

  Silver. Rather than having a reddish tint or darker black hues, this one shines like pure white metal.

  No flashy colors or fancy decorations, it looks like it just finished cooling from the forge. It’s tugging at my heartstrings.

  I bend down to get a closer look; it’s light armor.

  There are knee guards and a small breastplate designed to fit snugly against the chest. Under those pieces I find wrist and elbow guards, along with a plate that covers the lower back. It’s built to protect the bare minimum of the body to allow for maximum mobility. Kind of a patchwork armor.

  Lifting up the breastplate, I discover it’s very light—much lighter than my provision armor from the Guild. Just hitting it a few times doesn’t tell me much, but I think it’s sturdier than my Guild armor, too. At least it feels like it.

  It’s just my size…This is almost scary.

  I think I’m in love.

  It might be because this is the first one I’ve picked up.

  But suddenly all I can see is myself wearing this armor.

  I hold the breastplate up to the light for a closer look. Flipping it around, there it is: the maker’s signature is on the inside. “Welf Krozzo.”

  Looks like this wasn’t worthy of the “Ἥφαιστος” name.

  Welf Krozzo…

  I’ll remember that.

  My brain snatches the name from the armor like a hawk snatches a fish out of water. It’s a smith’s name I’ll be looking for from here on out.

  Eina told me about the bond between adventurers and smiths. So this is what it feels like.

  I’m already set on this light armor. I want to buy it, right now.

  Let’s just look and see how much it is…Gasp! 9,900 vals!

  That’s almost all of my money…

  “Hey-y, Bell! I found something really good! A protector and leather armor! They’re a little expensive, but it would be a good idea to get at least one of…Oh? Did you find something?”

  Eina has returned. She bends down over me, an unimpressed look on her face.

  Maybe she doesn’t like it because it’s being sold in a box, as though that’s somehow proof of its poor quality.

  “…Are you getting that?”

  “Yes. I’m buying this.”

  “Haaa…You really have a thing for light armor, don’t you? Just when I found some good things for you, too…”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Eina sees my shoulders shrink, as I didn’t have anything else I could say. She forces a smile and waves it off. “Don’t worry about it. You are the one who’s going to wear it. I do want you to think about your safety a bit more…but if you’ve decided to buy this, that’s good enough for me.”

  “…Thank you.”

  I stand back up again and pick up the box.

  After making my way to the counter and paying for it, I only have 100 vals left…

  Today has gotten very expensive.

  “Huh…?”

  Eina’s gone. I turn around with my new armor in a box strapped to my back, looking for her.

  Just when I start to wonder where she could’ve gone, I find her. She’d been standing right behind me, a sparkling smile on her face. Maybe she’d just come out of the shop?

  “Bell, here.”

  “…What?”

  She leisurely hands me a long, narrow vambrace.

  It fits just over the wrist and extends up the arm to the elbow. I can tell from the outer shell it’s designed to be used like a shield. The armor is the same color as Eina’s eyes, emerald green.

  “I-is this…?”

  “It’s a present from me, so please use it, okay?”

  “Whaa? N-no, I can’t accept this! I’m giving it back!”

  “Whaaat? Are you saying you can’t accept a girl’s present?”

  “N-no, it’s not that…I just feel so pathetic!” With sweat pouring down my face, I just blurt out how I really feel. No matter how much older she is than me, getting a present from a girl like this…It feels like I’ve done something wrong.

  Eina flashes a big smile as my shoulders start melting again.

  “I want you to have it. Not for me, for you.”

  “Wha…?”

  “The truth is, adventurers never really know when they’ll die. Even ones who are really strong just disappear as if by the whim of a god. I’ve known many who didn’t come back.”

  “……”

  “…I’d like you not to be one of them, Bell. O-ho, I guess this present is for me, after all.”

  Eina laughs a bit to herself but never takes her eyes off me.

  Those tranquil eyes.

  “Is that bad?” she asks.

  I look at the floor.

  My reddening face is hidden by my hair.

  I don’t have what it takes to refuse her gift after that.

  “…And Bell, you said that you loved me.”

  My face is beet-red now. My neck jerks my head up and I meet her eyes with my own.

  Looks like she’s blushing quite a bit, too.

  “That was, well…I was just so happy that you were encouraging me…!”

  “I was happy too, that you said you loved me. I realize you didn’t mean it ‘that’ way.”

  Both of us are blushing up a storm.

  “It’s not just because of that, but I want to give you strength. You’ve been working so hard, and I want to help you. Will you accept it, please?”

  Sniff. My nose is starting to run.

  I wipe it with my sleeve, nodding.

  “Thank you…very much……”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I can feel gentle warmth flowing from the emerald protector on my arm.

  “It’s gotten pretty late…”

  The sky is turning red. Late evening has arrived.

  I walked Eina
back to her dwelling after we finished shopping, and am now close to my own.

  I jog down West Main and find my usual side street that leads to the old church.

  To think I would get that nervous being around Eina…This isn’t good.

  I can just see Aiz Wallenstein looking at me with disappointment and yelling all kinds of things at me. This is all in my head, of course.

  I don’t want to think that I could be interested in someone else…Just a little while ago, I was thinking how great it would be to have a harem. Ha-ha-ha, I laugh out loud a bit and try my best to run away from that fact.

  The person for me is Miss Wallenstein; the only person for me is Miss Wallenstein…

  “…Footsteps?”

  I stop jogging.

  Thump, thump, thump. The sound of someone running comes from the other end of the side street. No…two someones, one big, one small. I can tell by the echoes of their shoes.

  “Where…?”

  I’ve just come off West Main. Looking back the way I came, I can still see people moving on the crowded street. The footsteps are getting louder, and they’re coming this way.

  They’re still a little ways from me, but I don’t like the idea of an incident happening so close to my home.

  Being as careful as possible, I timidly look around the corner of my usual route.

  “Ow!”

  “Huh?!”

  A shadow passing in front of my face suddenly crashes to the ground. It must have tripped over my foot as the shadow tried to turn the corner.

  Trying to keep my own scream down, I turn around for a closer look.

  …A prum?

  The person is a bit shorter than the goddess, with limbs so thin that they might break if I touch them. Seeing how small every part of the body is, the name of a certain race of demi-human came to mind.

  They are known for loving good food, dancing, and being merry.

  “Excuse me, are you okay?”

  “Eh…h.”

  The stuttering prum pulls her body off the pavement.

  She’s a girl. Her messy, chestnut-colored hair is long enough to hide her neck.

  She looks like a child. That would explain her small size. Her oversized spherical eyes make quite an impression on me.

  “Found ya, ya piece-of-shit prum!”

  I’m just about to extend my hand to help the girl up when a human appears at the other end of the street. His rage-filled voice is making the girl shake with fear. Poor girl.