Gin huffed and knocked on the door, letting himself in before a response even came.
He viewed the interior of the building, noticing numerous blades and armor pieces displayed without seemingly any rhyme or reason to it.
The swords displayed on the racks and walls captured his attention in an instant.
He didn't know much about swords and the like, but he could tell that they were well-made.
His gaze turned to the price tag beneath one, before looking away just as quickly.
That was the first time he'd ever actually felt physically ill from looking at numbers.
He made a point not to get too close to the goods on display, wary of accidentally breaking them and having to sell his virginity to pay for the damage.
"Oh, a customer? Or not… you're an archer, aren't you? Sorry pal, I am in the mood to create swords and axes right now." The unknown woman, probably the owner of the building, scratched her head disinterestedly.
"…No, that's fine. I left my wallet at home anyway," Gin said to her. "Besides, I'm just here to take shelter from the rain."
"Oh, that's cool then. I am Tsubaki Collbrande, a smith. Contact me when I am in the right mood and I'll make an awesome bow for you."
"Nice to meet you too. I am—"
"…Gin." Ais spoke quietly, interrupting his introduction.
He turned to her, acting as surprised as he could. "Oh, Ais? Didn't notice you there. What a coincidence, huh?"
"Are-are? You two know each other? Are you both from the same familia or something?" Tsubaki asked.
"Nah, I just freeload at her familia's home. I am Gin Hvergel from the Hel Familia. She's Ais Wallenstein from the Loki Familia."
"Ais Wallenstein? Ah, the Doll Princess, huh?" Tsubaki hummed.
'Doll Princess? A second name? Ais was still Level 1 though, so that wasn't an actual alias given by the gods.'
'Doll Princess… Was it because of her monotone face? Or maybe her short stature and pretty face?'
"I've heard about you, alright." Tsubaki nodded to Ais before shrugging at Gin. "Not about you, though."
"No surprise there. I am just a newbie, after all. Only a month of adventuring under my belt doesn't really make for an impressive feat," Gin said.
"Oh, if some restaurant talks about a walking disaster with an endless appetite, that definitely isn't me."
"Ah, I see. Keep returning back alive from the dungeon and that will change sooner or later." Tsubaki turned her attention back to Ais.
"So what do you want, Doll Princess?"
"A sword," Ais answered instantly. "I want a sword that won't break. All of the swords I use break… So I want a sword that won't!"
"And what will you use that sword for?"
"I will become strong with it."
After a moment, Gin could see a smile on Tsubaki's face.
For some reason, he somehow knew from that smile what Tsubaki's response was going to be.
Ais wasn't going to like this.
"Then, I refuse."
…As expected.
That was a smile you made when you saw a problem and decided not to take part in it.
He'd really become good at reading people's expressions!
"W-why!?"
"I am not interested," she replied. "No, 'I can't stomach the thought' might be more correct. Anyway, give up. I am not interested in doing your request. Your answer makes me sick to the core, you see? The fact that it came from you is just a red flag for me."
"Besides, 'a sword that won't break'? If you want a sword that hasn't broken yet, there's one right here, see?"
Gin watched as Tsubaki pointed straight at Ais.
"…Eh?" Ais looked down at herself, probably searching for a literal sword she might have brought with her.
But, of course, there was none.
She didn't even carry her sword belt.
He could see her mind working to process Tsubaki's words.
The moment she arrived at the right conclusion, he could see Ais's mind cracking before breaking slowly, like glass.
She was the sword.
The sword that hadn't broken yet.
The sword that would break someday.
As Gin caught a glimpse of the expression on Ais's face, he decided Tsubaki had gone too far.
"Ais, let's go."
She wouldn't budge even as he tried to pull her away.
If he pulled harder, he would end up dragging her across the floor. Dammit.
Gin knelt down and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her head to his chest and supporting her body with his arms.
He could feel her trembling.
…This really pissed him off!
"Tsubaki, thank you for having us. We'll be going since the rain has stopped."
"Hmm? Sure, sure. If you ever want to commission a bow, then just come here and find me."
"Oh yeah, Tsubaki?" Gin turned back to her one last time, giving her the same smile she had before.
"Next time smartass words are ever going to escape your mouth, you better swallow them back and choke on them."
"Hahaha! I'll keep that in mind. See you later, Gin." Tsubaki gave him a little wave as he exited the building.
...
Ais stayed silent the entire way home.
Not knowing what to do, Gin simply patted her back slowly.
This was going to be a long walk...
"…Gin."
"-! Ais, are you still feeling bad? Do you want to stop for a while?"
"…She—I, she called me a sword." Ais didn't cry.
He sure as hell preferred her crying like a girl her age rather than being shaken into this state of shock.
"I… I am a sword."
"No, you are not."
"B-but she said—"
"And I say you are not! Holy Hel, do you trust some random smith more than me!?" He looked her in the eye.
"Remember that cake we ate together yesterday? Those cookies you took from me this morning? Like hell a sword can enjoy those!"
"Listen to me, okay. If anyone else thinks that you are a sword, then I couldn't care less, but if you think of yourself as a sword, then I'll be damned if I keep quiet!"
"Ais, you are a human. A little girl. A spoiled, sweet-toothed little shorty. You are a picky eater. You skip your meals to spar with Finn and Gareth. You hide and run from Riveria after forgetting your homework. You pout if I eat candy without you. You are human. It's obvious, isn't it?"
"But what… what if I, sword?"
"I'll change you back. No, to hell with that. I won't let you become a sword to begin with."
"Ais, listen. I am Gin Hvergel. I am the Champion of Hel, The Nightmare Eater, The Gluttonous One. I promise to you—"
"I will become your hero."
"…Hero?"
"Yep."
"Gin is… will be my hero?"
"Yeah, you are free to cry in happiness right about now."
"I see… Thank you, Gin…"
"Ais?" He listened as a quiet snore escaped her lips, judging by the wet spot on his shirt, drool probably came out as well.
Seriously… this was a touching moment and she just fell asleep on him.
'What a kid.'
"Where can you find such a troublesome sword? Stupid little sister."
...
A lot of changes had occurred since that day he made the promise to Ais.
On Ais's side of things, the changes were largely positive.
After he told Riveria, Finn, and Gareth about the episode with Tsubaki, they had taken their own approach to helping Ais.
Gareth immediately taught Ais how to properly care for her sword.
He explained to her how weapons could be considered an extension of their owner's body, and how neglecting their care and using them recklessly—like Ais had done—had left the swords "wounded," so to speak.
He explained how Ais's lack of care also extended to her own well-being.
That was something Gin had noticed was the main reason Tsubaki had refused Ais's request. Ais was reckless, careless, and suicidal.
She hadn't really taken care of herself, let alone her weapons.
Tsubaki must have known that creating an unbreakable sword for Ais would simply end with Ais being broken instead.
"If they are given proper care like this, see, they will gain back their luster. Breaking down isn't the only fate for a sword. If you can put together the broken pieces, they can be reborn too," Gareth said to Ais, showing the sword once he had finished its maintenance.
"That's why you have to take care of your weapon and yourself too. If you can do that, it will be the first step to becoming truly strong."
Following that sermon from Gareth, Ais started to take care of her weapons and herself.
She took proper rest, finally ate her meals regularly, and even let Riveria comb her hair once in a while.
For Gin, however, things didn't go quite as smoothly.
He realized that accepting his position as Ais's 'kind of a big brother but not really' brought a lot of problems to the table.
Be it the fact that he needed to spend more money to buy her snacks, how she started inserting herself into his free schedule, or how Raul seemed to undergo minor PTSD attacks whenever she plopped herself beside Gin at the dining table.
But now he finally faced the most troublesome problem since he accepted his role.
"Gin, help me bathe."
His hand reacquainted itself with his face.
He silently grabbed 'Like a Mother: Child Rearing for The Foster' and opened the book up…
By the way, this book appeared out of nowhere and he totally didn't borrow it from the library!
"Give me a sec." Gin flipped the pages around before finding the chapter he was looking for. "Let's see, Ais, you are seven years old, right?"
She nodded. "But, I'll be eight soon."
He looked down at the book.
'Bathing together between siblings of opposite gender should not be done past the fourth year.'
"Yeah, no. Can't do. Just be patient, I'll look for Riveria or Loki."
"Why?"
"Ais, males and females shouldn't bathe together after they are older than four years old, okay. It's wrong."
"You are lying." She pouted. "You are avoiding me, Gin."
"I am not. It's common sense, Ais." He cleared his throat and opened the book again. "You see, at a certain age, boys and girls should be aware of the difference in gender. You need to know that there are certain places on your body that shouldn't be seen or touched by those of the opposite gender."
"…I don't understand."
"I see."
Well, the book did say it was normal for children to have a hard time understanding the differences between male and female, but it also emphasized the importance of driving the knowledge home during an early age.
He needed to do this!
'Persevere, Gin Hvergel.'
He made up his mind. "Sit down, Ais. I'll teach you what to know about male and female bodies."
"? Okay." She looked confused for a moment but obediently took a seat in front of him.
"The biggest difference between male and female is their genita—"
"OUT!!"
Before he could finish the word, the door to the room burst open.
Both Gin and Ais looked toward it, witnessing Loki entering mid-air, probably from landing a flying kick to the door.
Gin and Loki looked at each other.
Gin with confusion, and Loki with anger.
"Gin! How dare ya try to stain my little angel! After NTR-ing Hel-tan from me, now ya want to do a sex education play with Ais-tan too!?" Loki took a fighting stance. "I'll send you to the afterlife myself!"
'…What?'
"…Right. Anyway, Ais, you need to understand that not only are there differences in genitals, males and females also undergo different growth in secondary sexual characteristics."
"Don't ignore me, ya bastard!" Loki stomped toward him and Ais. "You think you can fool me with those legitimate sex-ed sounding facts!? I can see that you are—!"
Her tirade stopped as she looked at the book in front of him.
She nabbed it away and skimmed through it. "A child-rearing book? Ya got someone pregnant, Gin?"
"…No. Anyway, any questions, Ais? Any part you don't understand before we move on?"
She cocked her head to the side. "What's a secondary sexual characteristic?"
Ah, yeah, those were difficult words for kids.
"Like this, for example." Gin pointed to his Adam's apple. "It's basically a growth that happens depending on if you are a boy or a girl. Boys get an Adam's apple, cool mustaches, and facial hair, and girls get larger hips, menstrual cramps, and fuller breasts."
"…?" Ais's eyes turned toward Loki.
"Oh, what is it, Ais-tan? Anything you want to ask me?"
"Loki's chest is empty…? So Loki is male?"
Something cracked inside Loki, Gin could tell.
As Loki seemingly died inside, Gin bit his own tongue to stop a future where Loki killed him for laughing at her misery!
...
"I-I see, so that happened when we were away! Pu—!" As Riveria turned away, hiding her laughter, Gin knew he needed to wait for another minute before his mentor regained her composure.
"Riveria, you shouldn't laugh at that. It's disrespectful."
"Your line lacks persuasion power when you just finished laughing yourself, Finn." Gareth wiped a tear from his eye.
"I thank the gods and my ancestors for sending you here, Gin. It's not every day you get to hear Loki get demolished like that."
"Ahem! Thank you again for taking care of Ais, Gin. I will make sure she can wash herself so she won't bother you again," Riveria said.
"That said, I still can't believe you got yourself a child-rearing book. So you're finally embracing that inner big brother, eh, Gin?" Gareth gave him a knowing look.
"…Big brother? What? Who are you talking about here? Me? Hell no." Gin deflected his accusation, all the while keeping his heart in silence, calm as a water surface.
"You are clearly drunk, Sir Gareth."
"Hoo? Drunk, eh? Now that you mention it, I might crack open a few bottles in celebration of the best brother in Orario."
"Judging from this book, Gin might be aiming for the mother seat rather than the big brother part, Gareth." Finn chuckled and lifted up a book.
His—no, a mysterious book that Gin had never seen before!
"I've never seen that book in my entire life."
"Property of the Orario Central Library, borrowed by Gin Hvergel," Finn read the green card inside it.
"…It was recommended by the librarian," Gin said. "It seemed like a good book, and it is. It's been a very thrilling read so far."
"So you do read this." Finn smirked.
"Ais keeps tailing me everywhere. The only option for me is to face her head-on, and so… Know your enemy and all that, you know? That book is a treasure trove of survival tips against kids like Ais."
"Alright, and what have you learned from this?"
"Ais's eight-year-old birthday will be my nightmare. Do you know that age eight is the most difficult for parents? Constant mood swings, preparation for puberty, and they still look for hugs after ruining your day. Kids are unbelievable."
"I see, then we will be counting on you when the day comes, Gin," Finn nodded solemnly.
"Hah! We need not fear when the best big brother is in the house." Gareth patted his shoulder, smiling the whole time.
"So what other things did you learn there, lad? A cookie recipe, perhaps?"
"Alright, that's it! I'm leaving!" Gin glared at the both of them and turned away. "This conversation's over! Over!"
He angrily walked toward the door after bowing to the three of them.
"Oh, Gin," Riveria called out to him. "We are planning to give Ais a present next month. We will commission a sword from the Goibniu Familia."
"…And?"
"If you want to give a present to Ais, that will be a good time."
A present, huh?
"…I'll think about it. Good night, everyone."
...
Another month passed quickly as he kept on grinding in the dungeon's upper floors.
Nowadays, it was rare for him to explore without Raul and Aki in tow.
The three of them had built quite the teamwork as they continued to help each other in the dungeon.
His record when traveling alone was now the 7th floor, while with his usual party, the record floor they had achieved was the 9th.
In actuality, the three of them had taken some steps onto the 10th floor, but he didn't count that since they had promptly beat a hasty retreat when a group of orcs appeared not long after entering.
Now, after another status update, he realized that maybe, just maybe, he might actually be an awesome adventurer.
Why? Because…
Gin Hvergel
Level 1
Str E 487
End I 87
Dex D 562
Agi G 201
Mag B 702
...
He had reached B rank in Magic… in a mere three months after he started.
Even if he included his brittle Endurance, which had stubbornly stuck at I rank, he could still be considered strong by newbie standards.
He was awesome!
Hel had said so as well, countless times before, but this was the first time he actually agreed with her assessment of him.
Who knows? Maybe he could even level up in the not-so-distant future, but right now, he was content to go adventuring as usual.
Besides, right now he had a more pressing matter to decide on.
…What the hell would a bloodthirsty and kind-of-reckless girl want for her birthday?
If he went with a normal choice, a doll or a stuffed animal should do the job.
He could look for a cute-looking… or maybe knowing Ais, he could look for something sweet and snack-related. It was inexpensive… but did Ais like stuff like that? Stuffed animals were useless except for filling up a room.
…Would a coat work?
A coat was pretty useful, yeah? It could be used to protect yourself from the cold and rain, and you could even use it as a substitute sleeping mat if you really needed to.
Coats from undine cloth or salamander wool might be a bit too much for him, since their prices ranged from 95 to 120 thousand Valis, but a normal, high-quality coat should be feasible.
He had also thought about buying a compass.
It was a nifty little item that worked like magic.
It always pointed to the north, which was particularly helpful for people who needed help with directions.
He wasn't quite sure if that thing would still work in a dungeon, but if he bought a good-looking one, it would still work as an accessory at the very least.
Writing stories and compiling them into a book might be a nice choice as well.
He read stories to Ais once in a while when the mood struck her, and a story personally written by him would mean more than stuff he could buy anywhere, right?
Though… he would need to work extra hard to make it before her birthday arrived.
Or… he could prepare something safe… Like an all-you-can-eat ticket for Jagamaru-kun.
Ais loved them, and one of them only cost 30 Valis anyway.
Even if Ais managed to eat 100 of them, he would only need to pay 3,000 Valis.
Right… Birthdays only come once a year, so the present should be special.
He heard that the sword Finn, Riveria, and Gareth commissioned cost no less than one million Valis.
It might sound pretty dumb, but he didn't want his present to be a sideshow to that fancy sword.
His present should be special!
Something that only he could give her.
Something that would last forever with her.
Yes.
Lord Gin was going to write a story!
With his course of action set, he quickly bought the necessary items to create a proper book.
He was quite confident that this would work out pretty well.
'I mean, how hard could writing a story be?'
He just needed to infuse his soul into his pen and let his imagination run free!
Right after he dipped the pen into the ink bottle and stared at the blank pages in front of him, he realized that maybe… just maybe, he had made the wrong choice.
'No!' He gritted his teeth.
He was no quitter!
He had managed to survive that stupid dungeon for two months, shooting down poison-spreading moths, dodging the ambush of cowardly shadows, and running away screaming at the top of his lungs as a colony of dog-sized ants chased after him.
He was a fighter. He could do this. He could do this! He could definitely do this!
...
He actually did it.
The past few days were a blur of ink, pages, uncontrollable sobbing, and a lot of alcohol, but he had finally done it.
He finished the story.
He looked down proudly at his first work as an amateur author.
Alice in Wonderland: Steal, Bolt and Rum.
It was a story of a little girl who is transported to another world after falling down a rabbit hole and ends up competing in a cross-country race to win the ancient swords of the world's savior.
He smiled, read it, closed it, and sobbed uncontrollably again.
What the hell did he write, dammit!?
...
The day of reckoning had come.
Right now, Ais was being taken to receive her new sword from the Goibniu Familia, and Gin was currently trying his best to save his reputation as an intelligent, peerless, charming kind of brother figure.
He calmed his breath as he pocketed the hastily written all-you-can-eat Jagamaru-kun ticket.
That was his last resort if things turned south with his new story.
Just in case Ais skimmed it and started to sob uncontrollably too. He could at least treat the story as a joke gift while the ticket became his real present.
Not only that, he also made sure that his dignity would come out unscathed if the story turned out to be poorly received by Ais.
He glanced at the name under the title.
Rather than the words "Gin Hvergel", the name that entered his sight was an unknown one.
Yes, it was a fake author name.
This was a stroke of brilliance on his part. No one would know that he was the one who wrote this story now.
"Kukuku… Kuhahahaha! Witness my genius world! Now my sins shall remain hidden and an imaginary being shall become the scapegoat for the pyre!"
A small voice in his mind said that he was starting to lose it, but whatever.
"Welcome to this world, O' Cursed One! For you shall bear all of the evil inside these pages! Right, for you are—"
"Nig Gelverh!"
This was it! No one would be able to trace it back to him! He was a fucking genius!
And so, with the book in hand and the ticket in his pocket, Gin walked down the corridor of Twilight Manor, heading toward Finn's office.
When he entered the room, Finn and the others were already there, with Ais happily (at least, he assumed) holding her new sword.
She turned to him, noticing his arrival.
"Gin?"
"Hey, happy birthday, Ais." Gin knelt in front of her, giving her a slight grin. "Cool sword. Did you properly thank Riveria and the others for it?"
"Hmm! Of course."
"Good! Thanking someone is very important. At least you firmly got that part down already." He patted her head.
"Don't treat me like a kid."
"Yeah, sorry. You are an eight-year-old adult now, aren't you?" She nodded, not understanding the irony behind the comment nor her lack of distaste toward the head pat.
The others smiled wryly at that.
"Well, it's a shame. I will sincerely miss the days we ate sweets together."
She looked alarmed at that. "What do you mean!?"
"Well, adulthood means bye-bye cookies. I assure you adults don't eat any of them. They only drink black coffee and eat peanuts."
"But you are an adult, Gin!" She pointed at him accusingly.
"I am a child at heart, stomach, and tongue. Forever young. Nice privilege, huh?"
"You cheat. I hate you."
"Yeah, that's fair. I don't want to be hated, though, so…" Gin gave her one final pat and took out the book from behind his back.
"I got you a present. A peace offering, if you will."
"A book?"
"Yeah. I fought tooth and nail to get this for you, just so you know."
Not a lie. Writer's block was a real thing, brah.
"I see. Thank you, Gin. I love it." Ais received the book and looked at it in wonder. "Ais in Wonderland: Stell Ball Run?"
"You misread that. It's Alice in Wonderland: Steal, Bolt and Rum." Gin sighed. "I guess you still need me to read it to you, huh?"
"I can read."
"Yeah, yeah, of course you can."
She pouted at his lackadaisical comment and frowned in concentration, probably trying to read the other words.
"Written by… Gin Hvergel?"
Gin choked on his own spit. Cold sweat started to form on his back.
'Dammit, calm down, Gin. Calm down.'
"…You misread that too. See? That's 'written by Nig Gelverh.' Geez, Teach, didn't you teach her how to read? Ais might need some extra reading lessons." He turned to his currently shaking mentor.
She was laughing at him again, wasn't she?
"Th-that's right. Ais, you need to study harder." Riveria knelt down beside Ais too.
Gin could see her struggle to maintain her composure.
"Let's look for books by this Nig Gelverh, okay? We can—pu! We can read it together as study material."
Gin's horrified look only elicited laughter from everyone else.
-------
Someone makes a suggestion that MC should recruit familia members from otherworld... so MC will have a skill that can summon someone that's already die in their world to Danmachi world, and the summoned person can't be stronger than the MC to not break the balance... it'll happen in at least 7 chapter or 8 chapter from now..
MC can summon 1 dead person per level up.. the rest of the familia will be fill with side character and OC.