Breakfast was generous as always.
Jeanne and Rose were on household duty this week, though judging by the quality of the cooking, Leon suspected Rose had done most of the heavy lifting. The kitchen had never been Jeanne's strong suit.
"We're heading out!"
After the meal, the four-person party minus Leon gathered in the courtyard in full gear to say their goodbyes. Their destination was the Dungeon, the main objective to adjust to their post-level-up bodies while running a routine exploration for income.
"Stay safe out there."
Leon waved them off without worry, watching until they disappeared from sight before snapping back to his own agenda.
He took a deep breath, slapped his cheeks to wake himself up, and got to work. He bundled the materials and Drop Items, slid a short sword into the back of his belt, threw on his hooded cloak, shouldered the pack, locked the door, and headed straight for the first district.
Orario was the same as ever today: bustling and loud.
Leon navigated the crowded main street on autopilot, and when he passed through the Babel plaza, he glanced sideways at the tower for a moment, thought briefly of Jeanne and Rose somewhere below, then picked up his pace toward the workshop district.
"Hm? Was that...?"
By the stone fountain, two figures were resting on a park bench. The elf girl sat up slightly, a small sound of surprise escaping her.
"What is it, Ryuu?"
"Nothing. I just spotted someone I know." Ryuu looked away.
"Someone you know?" Her companion blinked. As far as she was aware, this particular elf, with her severe standards, stubborn streak, and single-track mind, didn't really have acquaintances outside their own Familia.
Ryuu read the thought on her face and explained, keeping her expression neutral. "It's not what you're thinking, Adi. He's someone we met during the Floor Boss raid with the Astraea Familia. A comrade from that fight. His Familia actually has an ongoing partnership with ours."
"Oh, I see." Adi nodded, then scanned the plaza, confirmed nothing was amiss, and grinned. "Come on, we've still got several priority zones left to patrol. Let's move!"
"Right."
First district. Tsubaki's workshop.
"You're here?"
"I'm here."
Leon yanked off his hood, dropped the pack of loot onto the workbench with a heavy thud, sat down, downed several gulps of water, and let out a ragged breath before finally looking up at Tsubaki, who was already examining the materials with a practiced eye.
"This weather is murder. Is Orario's summer broken this year? It's like walking through a steam bath out there."
He kept chugging water between complaints.
If he'd known it was going to be this hot, he would have gone into the Dungeon with Jeanne's group instead. At least it was cool down there.
"And yet you're out here wrapped in that ratty cloak with the hood pulled up." Tsubaki turned a piece of material over in her hands, her expression openly amused. "You didn't notice the looks people were giving you on the street?"
Leon paused. Now that she mentioned it, he had caught more than a few strange glances.
He looked down at his thick, three-season cloak. The realization hit.
"That's why?" He smacked his forehead. "I need to get a summer-weight hooded cloak from a tailor. Wonder how much a decent one costs..."
Tsubaki stopped what she was doing, raised an eyebrow, and swept him head to toe with a look. "You know, you're not bad-looking. What's so terrible about just walking down the street like a normal person? Instead you're skulking around every day under a cloak like you're on a wanted poster."
Leon shook his head. "You wouldn't understand. Call it operational security. It cuts down on problems, especially in the Dungeon. You know what it's like down there." He paused, his tone dropping. "And the mood in the city lately... you've felt it too, right, Tsubaki? Something's off."
Tsubaki's expression shifted. She was quiet for a moment. "I've noticed. There's something brewing under the surface. Those Evilus lunatics have been way too active recently. If I'm not mistaken, they've pulled two indiscriminate attacks in the last three months alone?"
Leon nodded. "Two. Both city-wide, and the locations seem random. If there were a pattern, the Brave would've acted on it by now."
"Tch. What a pain." Tsubaki clicked her tongue in disgust.
"Forget those psychos." Leon rapped his knuckles on the pack. "Tell me what this stuff is worth."
Tsubaki nodded and began sorting through the materials.
"Oh? You've been busy. You've even got mid-tier floor materials and Drop Items in here. How did you..."
She picked up a Hellhound fang and a one-horned rabbit pelt, examined them closely, and looked up at Leon with mild surprise. He sat there looking perfectly relaxed.
"Come on, Tsubaki, you know me. I don't have the chops to hunt in the mid-floors." Leon waved his hands. "This was all riding on the Astraea Familia's coattails. Our party tagged along and grabbed whatever scraps we could."
"Oh? You managed to worm your way in with the Astraea Familia girls?" Tsubaki's eye lit up. She lunged forward, threw an arm around his neck, and yanked his face straight into her chest, nearly suffocating him on the spot.
"Mmph! Stop, stop! Can't... breathe!" Leon flailed, but the grip of a Level 4 smith was iron. His Level 2 Strength wasn't even close to enough to break free.
Mercifully, Tsubaki let go before he actually passed out.
"Spill." She planted her hands on her hips, circling him like a shark, her single eye scanning him up and down. "I need every detail of this gossip."
"It's not as exciting as you think." Leon rubbed his sore neck, annoyed. "We were poking around Floor 12 and ran into Alise's group heading to fight the Floor Boss. There were over thirty people total, counting other parties. You can guess the rest." He jerked his thumb at the loot on the table. "We rode their wake and picked up what fell off the table."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Nothing else?"
"Nothing else."
Tsubaki stared at him, her face a portrait of profound disappointment.
Leon shrugged innocently, palms up, eyes wide and clear. See? I don't lie.
"Ugh."
Tsubaki sighed, bored out of her mind, and went back to appraising the remaining materials with halfhearted attention. When she finished tallying, she slapped a parchment invoice down in front of him.
"Total: three million, eight hundred thousand Valis."
"The wing membrane from that little dragon is the big ticket item." She tapped the line. "Dragon-types among rare spawns always fetch a premium, and for some reason this particular membrane is a cut above anything else I've seen of its kind. I'm pricing it at three million Valis."
"The rest," she ran her finger down the list, "Level 2 quality materials and Drop Items come to about three hundred thousand combined. Everything else is low-value Level 1 stuff."
The mid-floor excursion had been a large group operation, so there'd only been so many scraps for Leon to grab. Most of the value came from the Infant Dragon on the upper floors, the Monster Party, and assorted other kills.
"Rare spawns really are walking treasure chests. Every single piece is money." Leon held the receipt, his eyes practically turning into Valis signs as he savored the number.
Tsubaki recognized the symptoms of his recurring condition and rolled her eye. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Never mind dragon-type rare spawns specifically, even regular rare spawns aren't something you can just go find whenever you want. This time was pure dumb luck."
Leon didn't argue. He just kept grinning.
With the loot squared away, he was eager to get home. Two new spells were waiting for him to study, and he had zero time to waste. He said a quick goodbye to Tsubaki and turned to leave.
"Hold on. Don't go yet. There's something I need to ask you." Tsubaki's voice stopped him, carrying an unusual edge of seriousness.
"Hm? What's up?" Leon, still basking in his payday, took a second to switch gears.
"That Infant Dragon you killed... something's off about it." Tsubaki fixed her single eye on him. "If my appraisal is correct, it was very likely a Strengthened Species. Have you been keeping up with the investigation commissions the Guild's been posting?"
Leon blinked. He thought for a moment, brow furrowing as he dug through his memory.
"Wait... now that you mention it, I think I do remember something."
He snapped his fingers, and the details surfaced clearly:
Adventure Commission: Investigation Request
Objective: Dungeon floors 11-12. Multiple adventurer parties have vanished under mysterious circumstances. Locate the cause and any relevant evidence.
Requirements: Experienced four-person party, Level 1 minimum, or individual adventurers Level 2 and above. Preference for veterans.
Reward: 300,000 Valis
Client: The Guild
"Is it this one?" Leon recited the commission details from memory.
Tsubaki crossed her arms and nodded, her face grim.
Leon's mind raced back through every detail of the Infant Dragon fight. His expression cycled through a rapid series of changes: confusion, realization, brief shock, and finally a shameless, ear-to-ear grin.
Tsubaki stared. What is wrong with this guy? Is he doing a one-man stage show? How does anyone shift emotions that fast?
Before she could finish the thought, Leon snapped his head up, eyes blazing with excitement.
"If I'm reading this right," he said, barely containing himself, "that means this Guild investigation commission has already been completed by our party. Accidentally."
"That's the gist of it," Tsubaki said, the corner of her mouth twitching involuntarily. She watched him practically vibrate with glee, sighed internally, and nodded. "Based on the results... yes, it counts as completed."
Leon's face trembled for a moment before he lost it entirely. "Ha! I can't believe it. There's a bonus round? That's another three hundred thousand Valis, just sitting there! Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."
He was already calculating when to collect the windfall when the grin froze on his face.
Wait.
If he walked into the Guild to confirm the commission, that was the same as publicly announcing that his party had killed a Strengthened Species Infant Dragon.
Which meant his team's real strength would be out in the open.
No. Absolutely not.
Alarm bells blared in his head. The Guild was a web of competing interests, with eyes and ears planted by every faction in the city. The moment his party drew that kind of attention, especially by demonstrating the ability to handle a Strengthened Species, the result would be scrutiny, questions, and speculation.
Worse, it would put them on Evilus's radar, along with whatever other threats lurked in the shadows.
He weighed every angle in the span of a heartbeat, and the tension on his face melted back into a sunny smile. He sidled up to Tsubaki, rubbing his hands together.
"Hey, Tsubaki. Think you could do me a favor?"
"I knew it." Tsubaki rolled her eye so hard it nearly came full circle, her expression screaming of course.
She'd suspected something was unusual about Leon for a while now, but adventurers all had their secrets, and the unspoken rule was to let them keep theirs.
So if Leon didn't want to stick his neck out personally, his only option was to find someone trustworthy, powerful enough to be taken seriously, and high-ranking enough to handle it on his behalf. And a Level 4 smith who also happened to be captain of the Hephaestus Familia, with a reputation beyond reproach, who was conveniently standing right in front of him? There was no better choice.
Tsubaki sighed in resignation, stood up, and dusted off her clothes. "Stay put."
"Yes ma'am! Not moving an inch!"
Leon sat up straight, beaming.