"The Vice Captain is going to the Dungeon with Bell Cranel?"
Faced with Riveria's invitation, Tione, who had been listening from the side, was the first to react.
As an elf princess, Riveria had her own reservations about that status, but she had always fulfilled her duties as royalty.
Even setting that aside, with Riveria's personality, she was not the type to take the initiative to invite a man.
Tione immediately sensed that something was unusual.
"With Argonaut-kun? I'm going too."
Echoing her sister, Tiona raised her right fist, full of fighting spirit.
"Don't you have other work to do? Besides, nothing has been decided yet."
Riveria mercilessly snuffed out the Amazon girl's enthusiasm.
She turned to Bell and added softly, "Bell Cranel, you can think about what I said first. Decide after we've met Tsubaki."
"Yeah, I understand."
Bell answered at once.
His weapon was already broken. If he went into the Dungeon empty-handed, he might just become dead weight. That was why he had hesitated for a moment.
The group passed through the gate and continued on through the thunderous din of metal.
When they reached the depths of the workshop, the heavy smell of metal and the heat rolling off the furnace rushed straight at the boy.
Sparks flew everywhere. Hammer and magic sword collided with a sharp metallic clang.
A woman stood before the anvil, staring intently at the magic sword on top of it as she swung her hammer in a steady rhythm.
The forging was nearly complete.
From the timing, it looked like what she was doing now was only testing and fine-tuning.
Bell stared at her black hair, his gaze lingering for a long while.
"Bell Cranel, if I'm mistaken, then I apologize in advance."
Riveria paused for a moment, then spoke in a tone that sounded almost like a reprimand. "Isn't it rather rude to stare so fixedly at a woman's chest?"
At the end of Bell's line of sight, the black-haired woman's dignified features carried both the toughness and beauty of a smith.
Her lower body was covered by loose crimson hakama that hid her legs, clothing that seemed to emphasize her Far East origins.
What Riveria had noticed was the woman's upper body. She wore only a white tube top, leaving large areas of her bronze skin exposed.
With every strike, her magnificent breasts seemed ready to burst free, like two enormous melons trying to spring out of the tight cloth, delivering wave after wave of shock to the onlookers.
"Argonaut-kun is a pervert..."
Tiona glanced at her own flat chest and could not help shooting the boy a resentful look.
"You've got the wrong idea. Sure, that's definitely eye-catching, but I'm looking at that magic sword."
Bell answered honestly.
"Huh? So that's what it was..."
Tiona looked noticeably relieved.
"Sorry. I misunderstood. That magic sword really is beautiful."
Riveria apologized softly.
There was no visible change in her exquisite face, but her gentle voice seemed to carry the faintest trace of a smile.
"Yeah..."
Bell stared ahead and replied quietly.
The crimson magic sword shone brilliantly atop the anvil.
But the boy's thoughts were far from what Riveria imagined.
It was not the sword's radiance that had captured him. He had sensed something off.
Even though he was not a blacksmith, Bell could tell that this magic sword was somewhat inferior to the ones Welf forged.
According to the Goddess of Forging, the woman before him was the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia.
Leaving aside her Level 5 combat strength, in terms of smithing skill alone, she was unquestionably the strongest blacksmith in Orario.
And yet, even for someone who stood at the very pinnacle, the magic sword shaped beneath her hammer still fell a little short compared to Welf's.
If Welf leveled up, he would probably go even further...
The roaring suddenly stopped.
Bell pulled himself back to reality.
"Hm?"
The black-haired woman fitted a matching hilt onto the blade.
She picked up a prepared towel, wiped away her sweat, then turned around and noticed the group had arrived.
"Riveria, is this Little Rookie the boyfriend you were talking about?"
The black-haired woman wore an eyepatch over her left eye, and her face was lit by a meaningful smile.
"Huh? Boyfriend?"
"Argonaut-kun?"
The Amazon sisters looked as though they had fallen into a fogbound abyss, their mouths hanging open in shock.
"Tsubaki."
Riveria coldly called out her name.
She said nothing else. She simply gripped the staff in her hand and sent Tsubaki a frigid look.
"Sorry, sorry. Seeing Little Rookie reminded me of another blacksmith, so I felt like playing a prank."
Tsubaki apologized with a grin.
"..."
Riveria's brows drew together slightly, as if she was not very satisfied with that answer.
"Hello, nice to meet you, [Cyclops]."
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Bell stepped forward and greeted her brightly.
"...My Familia Goddess should have told you not to call me by that title, right?"
The smile on Tsubaki's face immediately dimmed.
Before setting out, Bell had heard from Hephaestus that Tsubaki absolutely hated that title.
Compared to "blacksmith," that title seemed to emphasize her monster-like combat power instead.
"Did she say that? I don't really remember, [Cyclops]."
Bell spoke the forbidden words again.
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
Tsubaki shot him a complaining look.
"No. Since you called me by my title, the proper thing would be for me to address you the same way. That's basic etiquette, [Cyclops]."
Bell answered without missing a beat.
"I told you not to call me that, damn you, Bell Cranel."
Tsubaki puffed out her cheeks, her face full of displeasure.
"..."
At first, Riveria was a little surprised to hear the exchange between them.
The boy was good at noticing details. He was not the kind of person who would latch onto something someone disliked and keep pressing it.
It did not take Riveria long to realize that this was Bell's way of returning the prank, something he had done on purpose to smooth over her mood.
"Hehe."
Riveria tried to hide her smile, but a soft sound still slipped from her beautiful lips before she could stop it.
Seeing the smile on the emerald-eyed elf's face, Tsubaki also understood what was going on.
"I'm really sorry... I was wrong. I shouldn't have said something so frivolous."
Tsubaki lowered her head and apologized solemnly.
Normally, a rough joke like that between adventurers should not have gotten much of a reaction from Riveria, especially after all these years.
Could it be that she really felt something for Bell Cranel...
Tsubaki did not let the thought continue. Wild speculation was the quickest way to invite unnecessary trouble.
"It's fine."
Riveria put away her smile and asked, "Tsubaki, do you still have any weapon materials here that would suit Bell Cranel?"
"None."
Tsubaki shrugged.
"If it's a matter of price, I can..."
Riveria stopped halfway through and let out a helpless sigh.
"It's not about the price. The only materials left now are defective goods. They'd just hold him back."
"Is that so... Then it looks like the only option is to go to the Dungeon..."
Riveria murmured softly.
Then she turned to face the boy.
Those beautiful green eyes seemed to be asking for his answer to her invitation.