Clang.
Clang.
The sharp ringing of metal echoed by his ears.
Bell walked along a street in the northeastern district. The factories processing Magic Stones around him hid their interiors from view.
Workers in uniforms carried Magic Stone products back and forth, while burly craftsmen argued red faced with customers, insisting that some of the weapon materials had flaws.
Amid the thunder of forging metal, Bell made his way toward the workshop Hephaestus had pointed him to.
When they parted, Hephaestus had told him,
"Bell Cranel, your other weapon broke too, did it not? You should try your luck there. You might find some good materials left over."
Following Hephaestus's suggestion, Bell came to the industrial district.
Compared to a finished weapon, what he needed now was raw material, so he could have a weapon suited to him forged from scratch.
For the sake of efficiency, he would need to handle this at the same time as gathering strands of hair.
Bell looked toward a somewhat shabby building in the distance and walked straight toward it.
"Argonaut-kun!"
Just as the sounds of forging grew even louder, a voice as bright as an angel's came from his right.
"Hello, Tiona-san, Tione-san."
Seeing the Amazon girl, as cheerful as a sunflower, Bell found a faint smile spreading across his own face.
"Bell Cranel, are you here to see Tsubaki? The vice captain happens to be in the middle of a discussion inside, so you will probably have to wait a while."
Tione reminded him softly.
The twin sisters stood guard in front of the workshop door, clearly there to stop anyone from disturbing Riveria.
"Then I will come back later."
Bell turned around and politely stepped back, making it clear that he had no intention of eavesdropping.
But after only a few steps, the younger Amazon sister latched onto him.
"Come play with us, Argonaut-kun~"
Tiona laughed brightly. In her exotic dancer style outfit, her navel and a wide stretch of wheat colored skin were left exposed.
A unique scent and a warm embrace pressed against him from behind.
"..."
Bell smiled gently.
He looked at Tiona's eager face, then turned toward Tione, who was still standing where she was.
"Sorry, she heard about the Goliath incident, and now she is a little out of control."
Tione shrugged and replied,
"Bell Cranel, it is fine for you to stay here."
Her long black hair swayed in the breeze, and the older Amazon sister looked rather helpless about her younger sister's natural behavior.
"But Riveria-san's private discussion..."
Bell replied softly, worried he might cause trouble for the sisters.
"With the sound of all this forging, nobody is going to hear anything. And the vice captain definitely would not blame us."
Tione said it with complete confidence.
"Then I will wait here with you."
Bell stopped refusing.
Since they trusted him so much, he ought to accept that kindness.
"Yay! Over here, over here."
Tiona bounced happily on the spot.
She impatiently grabbed Bell's hand and pulled him toward an outdoor bench nearby.
"Try showing a little restraint. At this rate, you are going to make Lefiya angry."
Tione did not sit down, instead standing to the side as she poked fun at her sister's clingy behavior.
"Lefiya would get mad? Why?"
Tiona tilted her head and thought about it in confusion for a moment.
The next second, she threw the question aside.
"More importantly, Argonaut-kun, hurry up and tell me a hero tale!"
"What would Tiona-san like to hear?"
Just sitting beside the Amazon girl was enough for Bell to feel her enthusiasm.
She was like a child at bedtime, eagerly waiting for a grown up to tell a fairy tale.
"The story about Goliath!"
Tiona answered without hesitation.
"Hmm... it was really dangerous back then. Everyone had already lost the strength to fight. There were no potions, no items, and we could not even squeeze out enough strength to run away. A lot of people had already started writing their wills."
Bell slowly began recounting the past.
"And then? And then?"
Tiona widened her eyes and looked at him expectantly.
Tione, standing to one side, also stepped a little closer and listened in silence.
"Then I had no choice but to go alone. That giant's eyes were bloodshot, and every time it threw a punch, it blasted a huge crater into the ground. Its speed and power were both terrifying."
Bell described the situation as simply and clearly as he could.
"Huh? But I heard from Lefiya that Argonaut-kun is only Level 3, right? Were you really okay?!"
As if she were right there inside the story, Tiona started worrying about the boy in it.
"Yeah, I barely managed to hold on with magic and things like that."
Bell glossed over the matter of [Argo's Ship].
"So amazing! Fighting a giant all by yourself, that is exactly like a hero tale!"
Tiona blinked with excitement.
"A hero tale?"
Tione softly cut in.
"It is the story of [Hero David]. He fought a giant one on one and eventually became the ruler of an ancient kingdom."
Bell explained it for Tiona.
When he had used Argonaut, the hero he had set his longing on fire for had been that very legendary figure.
"Argonaut-kun knows that hero tale too?!"
Like a kitten that had found treasure, Tiona happily moved even closer to him.
"Yeah, I really like hero stories."
Bell answered honestly.
Talking with this cheerful Amazon girl required no beating around the bush at all.
"Me too! Argonaut-kun, did you throw a stone at Goliath?"
As if testing him, Tiona brought up a scene from the hero tale.
"I did not have a stone, but I blasted the giant's eye with magic and managed to rush into its blind spot."
Bell smiled lightly.
Remembering the story he had once admired, he added,
"And when I finally defeated Goliath, I used the same kind of weapon as in the story. Do you know what it was?"
"I know, I know, of course it was..."
Tiona excitedly gestured with her hands.
"A greatsword!"
The two of them spoke at the same time.
Their cheerful voices overlapped, and the shared understanding brought matching smiles to both Bell and Tiona.
"...."
Tione felt like the two of them had woven a wonderful little barrier around themselves, one that made it impossible for her to join the conversation.
Just then, the workshop door opened.
"So soon... Argonaut-kun, let us talk about hero tales together again next time~"
Tiona sounded reluctant to let him go.
The conversation had only just started, and she still had countless stories she wanted to share with him.
"Yeah, it is a promise."
Bell said, making the promise.
Sunlight spilled over emerald green hair. When Riveria saw the boy, the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
"Bell Cranel, I heard you were recovering from your injuries. I had planned to visit you, but I have been too busy with work to make time."
Riveria gently expressed a trace of apology.
"The fact that you intended to is already more than enough for me, Riveria-san."
Bell answered politely.
"Are you here because of your weapon, to look for materials?"
Riveria guessed at once why Bell had come.
"Yes."
"Then I am afraid you have come for nothing. Because of our arrangement, there are no spare weapon materials left."
Riveria thought for a moment, then asked softly,
"Bell Cranel, would you like to accompany me into the Dungeon?"