In the dim, spacious tavern hall, a catperson girl was sniffling and sobbing.
"Ryuu was so mean, nya. If I hadn't dodged, I would've been seriously hurt, nya!"
Chloe wiped at tears that weren't there while sneaking a glance at the boy. "At this point, unless a handsome young man takes me home and cuddles me every day, I'll never be able to recover, nya..."
Her deliberately pitiful voice brushed against Bell's ears, while her slender black tail swayed from side to side as if teasing him.
"That sounds wonderful. I'll go buy a collar right now. Chloe-san, come home with me."
Bell played along with her joke.
"Nya? I was just saying that, nya. Besides, I'm not a puppy. Even if there's a collar, you're the one who'll wear it, nya!"
Chloe dropped the whiny tone and revealed the mischievous smile she had been hiding.
"Huh?"
Bell realized she had slipped something rather shocking into what was supposed to be a joke.
"Nya?"
Chloe blinked, realizing she had said too much. "That didn't count, nya! I'm a very proper person, nya!"
"Yes, I understand perfectly now. Chloe-san is an utterly terrible woman."
Bell answered with a soft laugh.
"Nya-nya?! If you keep saying things like that, I'll take advantage of Syr not being here and use my tail on you, nya!"
Swept up in the cheerful, flirtatious atmosphere, Chloe's expression grew much livelier.
A faint, almost imperceptible blush mixed into her wicked grin, and her tail curled into the shape of a collar.
"I don't really mind. Because of you, Chloe-san, I've already been marked by a certain violent Elf."
Bell answered calmly.
"T-that's not my fault, nya. Ryuu is the weird one. Only Syr can stop her, nya."
Chloe showed no remorse at all.
Although she had already apologized to Ryuu, the situation back then should have been within acceptable limits. Judging from past experience, Ryuu would at most have thrown a knife into the doorframe, not aimed it at Chloe.
And now Ryuu had been called into a room alone by Goddess Astraea, which was suspicious no matter how she looked at it.
"Speaking of which, Chloe-san, did Syr not come to the tavern today?"
Bell changed the subject.
After all, Ryuu was upstairs, and since he and Chloe had been the ones to act rudely first, continuing to talk about her would hardly be gentlemanly.
"No, nya. Since she finally got a day off after so long, Syr seems to have something else to do, nya."
Chloe answered honestly.
"I see..."
Bell knew Syr's personality well. He was not worried about her, but he did sense a hint of secrecy in the air.
As the two chatted, a blue-haired girl walked in.
"Flirting with another girl behind Astraea-sama's back, Bell Cranel? You've got some nerve."
"Cecil-san, it's been a while."
Bell greeted her politely. "Weren't you always against things between me and the Goddess before?"
"Against it? I never said that. I just thought things were moving too quickly. It was hard to believe."
Cecil wore her hair in a high side ponytail, and her handsome, beautiful face carried the firm resolve of a blacksmith.
She studied Bell's face for a moment, then continued, "The [Orion] who saved the Goddess and the [Young Hero] who defeated the giant alone. That was you, wasn't it?"
"..."
Bound by the Guild's orders, Bell fell silent and did not acknowledge those rumors, whose truth was difficult to confirm.
But Chloe answered in his place. "New girl, you're right, nya. My information is never wrong, nya."
"I knew it."
Cecil stepped closer and looked Bell over with fierce intensity. "So, where are your weapons and armor? They must need repairs, right?"
"..."
In this beautiful young woman, Bell caught a glimpse of Airmid.
Although the two focused on completely different fields, their uncompromising seriousness toward their work was almost identical.
"Actually, I was just hoping to ask Cecil-san to modify my armor."
Bell thought for a moment, then added, "Aside from repairs, I also obtained [Goliath's Hide]. You can process part of it, and I'll use the rest as a scarf."
The material dropped by the Floor Boss possessed extremely high defensive power.
Bell had tested it before, swinging a small knife with his [Strength], yet the Goliath's Hide had come away completely unscathed.
Considering its toughness, even a lightly processed cloak made from this material would likely serve as decent armor. But Bell felt that would be a waste, so he decided to divide it for different uses.
After all, to avoid exposing one's weaknesses, the higher the level of combat, the more defense needed to cover both vital points and the body as a whole.
"Such a precious material... I'll pour my heart and soul into forging a one-of-a-kind suit of armor!"
Fire blazed in Cecil's eyes.
"I'd like to say there's no need to go that far, but I'll look forward to it..."
Bell found himself swept up by her fighting spirit as well.
Perhaps the topic of forging had sparked Cecil's enthusiasm, or perhaps it was the joy of meeting again after so long, but this girl who lived alongside iron momentarily failed to keep a proper distance.
The space between them had grown quite small.
Unfortunately, that very scene was witnessed by one person and one Goddess.
"Cecil, seeing you and Bell getting along so well puts my mind at ease."
Astraea spoke gently.
"C-Cranel-san..."
Ryuu avoided the boy's gaze, an inexplicable blush on her face.
"Astraea-sama? You misunderstand! I was only talking to Bell Cranel about forging!"
Cecil hurriedly pulled away.
"But when you discussed forging with other men before, you never stood this close."
Astraea saw right through her Familia member's wavering.
"T-that's..."
Cecil had no reply.
Astraea looked at her red-faced Familia member and added, "There is no need to explain it to me. You are going to help Bell forge armor, aren't you? As a blacksmith, seek your answer in steel."
"I understand..."
Cecil followed the Goddess's words and escaped from the embarrassing topic.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Bell. Let's go to Hephaestus first."
Astraea slowly walked toward the boy.
Before attending the tea party, she needed to settle matters with her own Familia members and ask Hephaestus to provide Cecil with a forging space.
This trip to Orario was only a secret visit. In order to obtain the Guild's approval, Astraea had been forced to shorten her stay.
The main purpose of this trip was to update Ryuu's Status, and the second was to have Cecil maintain the boy's armor.
But when Astraea actually saw Bell, an indescribable, unfamiliar emotion welled up inside her.
In the face of this reunion, those two earlier purposes seemed to pale.
"I'll leave my protection on the road to you, my handsome lover."
Astraea elegantly offered him her left hand.
"Mm."
Bell took the Goddess's hand and gave her a gentle smile.
Ryuu stood by the stairs and took in the entire scene. She lowered her eyes slightly and watched in silence as they left.
What emotions were rippling in those sapphire-blue eyes?
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