At this moment, everyone in the bar stopped whatever they were doing as their gazes turned in unison toward Riezel, who stood there with a calm smile.
A wary tension rippled through the air, and some even quietly reached for their weapons beneath the tables.
"..."
Ais, on the other hand, keenly sensed that something was wrong as she noticed that the very instant Riezel approached the woman in the white cloak, the nerves of every adventurer in the bar tightened at once, as if they all shared an odd, synchronized awareness.
It looked as though someone had seized their vital point or as if their leader had fallen into enemy hands.
Yes.
It was clear these people were all part of the same group.
Ais silently gripped the hilt of Desperate, her whole body radiating a chilling aura, ready to draw her sword at any moment.
However, that gesture seemed to provoke everyone present further.
Seeing the Level 6 Sword Princess had entered a standby state, ready to strike at any second, they understood exactly what that meant.
Naturally, the pressure that realization brought was immense.
Some of the weaker-willed among them couldn't bear it anymore—they instinctively drew their weapons and stood up, ready to act.
"Stop!"
Finally, the woman in the white cloak could no longer sit still and, with a sigh that sounded like a headache coming on, she stood up.
"Your opponents are two First-Class Adventurers bearing the title of 'strongest.' Even if you try to fight, the only outcome will be your defeat. Put down your weapons and sit back down."
At the woman's words, the adventurers exchanged uneasy glances before finally loosening their grips and returning to their seats.
"My name is Riezel Brynhart."
Standing beside the cloaked woman, Riezel acted as though nothing had happened, calmly continuing the introduction he had started earlier.
"Of course, I know you. Loki Familia's monster rookie, Orario's strongest magic swordsman..."
After saying this, the woman fell silent for a moment before finally speaking again.
"It seems my identity's already exposed. Guess there's no helping it—I'll just come clean."
With that, the woman pulled back the hood that had concealed her face, revealing her true appearance.
Beneath the hood was the face of a beautiful female adventurer with short, neat hair the color of water, and a single lock dyed white. Her eyes were a matching shade of blue-green, and she wore silver-rimmed glasses that gave her an impression of elegance, composure, and sharp intellect.
She was dressed in a pure white cloak and wore sandal-like boots adorned with golden wing decorations. Beneath the cloak, a belt was visible around her waist, with a short sword and several pouches hanging from it.
"You're…"
As soon as Ais saw the woman's face, her eyes widened.
"Asfi Al Andromeda…"
Clearly, Ais recognized the woman at once, which was no surprise, for the water-haired female adventurer before her was a figure whose fame rivaled her own.
Asfi Al Andromeda possessed a development ability known as 'Mystery.'
It was said to be a development ability capable of producing miracles akin to those of the gods themselves, turning ordinary things into divine items and making the impossible possible.
Those who held that development ability were renowned for their skillful hands, able to craft items imbued with wondrous powers.
Long ago, there had been a sage who possessed Mystery and had refined it to its highest rank, creating the legendary item known as the Philosopher's Stone—an item said to grant immortality.
Such feats spoke volumes about the incredible craftsmanship of those with this development ability.
In modern Orario, it was said that fewer than five people possessed the Mystery development ability.
Among those few, Riezel had only met one before—the woman known as Dea Saint, Airmid Teasanare.
Airmid, wielder of the city's top-class healing magic and famed for being able to sustain an entire battlefront by herself, had used her Mystery development ability countless times to create medical magic items for the wounded.
Now, before Riezel and Ais stood another such genius—a master of magic item creation, equal to Airmid herself.
Asfi had invented countless secret potions and items, many of which were still sold throughout Orario for use in dungeon exploration and other fields.
For her endless stream of brilliant inventions, the gods had bestowed upon her an alias—Perseus.
Perseus, Asfi Al Andromeda—the human master of magic item creation—had appeared here, on the 18th Floor of the Dungeon, in this very bar.
"It's been a while, Sword Princess." Asfi looked at Ais and gave her a polite nod. "Didn't expect to run into you here."
'That line should've been mine...' Ais retorted silently in her heart.
Honestly, she was also surprised—no, astonished—to see the renowned Perseus here of all places.
"Well, this would be our first meeting, then." Asfi turned to Riezel, adjusted her glasses slightly, and extended a hand. "As what Sword Princess said, I'm Asfi Al Andromeda. A pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." Riezel smiled faintly as he reached out to shake her hand. "It's an honor to meet the most famous master of magic item creation."
"I'm merely a maker. I don't deserve the title of master." Asfi shook her head. "Still, if you ever need a magic item crafted, you may come to me. I'll even give you a friendly price."
"Oh, that sounds great." Riezel replied with a smile, though whether he truly meant it or was just being polite, no one could tell.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he quickly scanned the room filled with adventurers who were all watching them closely.
"Are these people your guys?"
"Yes." Asfi replied with a nod. "They, like me, are adventurers of the Hermes Familia."
Hermes Familia—in Orario, this familia was a rather special one, special for two main reasons.
For the first reason, it lay in its nature.
Outwardly, this familia claimed to be an exploration-type familia, much like the Loki Familia, dedicated to dungeon exploration, but in reality, they seldom delved into the Dungeon openly.
As long as there was profit to be made—be it through business, trade, or any other venture—they would take part in it.
Some mocked them as a merchant familia wearing an explorer's skin, while others cursed them as shameless, willing to do any dirty or tedious work, brazenly stealing others' business.
For that reason, although the Hermes Familia's average level of its members wasn't high—the highest publicly known member being only Level 2—they were widely known throughout not only Orario but outside the city as well—their fame was vast, for better or worse.
As for the second reason, it lay with their god—Hermes.
Hermes was one of the most uninhibited gods among the eccentric gods.
He had established his familia's base in Orario but often left the city, wandering around the world.
To put it kindly, he was a free spirit.
To put it bluntly, he was idle and carefree.
Thanks to his influence, the Hermes Familia operated uniquely because, with their god being so free-spirited, it was only natural that his children were just as unruly, with hands in every possible trade.
Asfi served as the captain of this familia and maintained a neutral stance among the many factions within Orario.
Upon hearing that the adventurers in this bar were all her people—members of the Hermes Familia—Ais seemed to realize something.
"...You're the helpers that robed person mentioned?"
At Ais's question, Asfi went quiet for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
"Since you've already said that, it must mean you two are the ones that person referred to."
Needless to say, Asfi, or rather the Hermes Familia, were the helpers that the mysterious magus had prepared for Riezel and Ais, clearly accepting the magus's quest and waiting here for the allies the magus had mentioned.
What the Hermes Familia hadn't expected, however, was that their supposed allies would turn out to be none other than the famed First-Class Adventurers of the Loki Familia—Riezel and Ais—who had recently caused a sensation across Orario by leveling up in rapid succession.
"Allow me to confirm the details of the quest first." Asfi said, slipping into a professional tone while pushing up her glasses. "Our shared objective this time is to investigate the irregular monster outbreak appearing on the 24th Floor, and to resolve it if possible, correct?"
As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward Riezel, seemingly to have already realized that among Riezel and Ais, it was the famed monster rookie who led the way.
Even though it might have seemed strange, considering Ais was the higher-level adventurer and his senior, she had willingly let Riezel take the lead.
It wasn't just trust—it was mutual understanding.
Ais had left all decisions to her companion, and Riezel, knowing that she wasn't good at handling such matters, had naturally taken charge.
"How much information do you have so far?" Riezel asked calmly.
"Not much."
Asfi's expression turned serious as she responded.
"Since the cause of the irregular monster outbreak remains unknown, calling it irregular feels somewhat unnatural—it doesn't seem to be a spontaneous phenomenon from the Dungeon, but rather something influenced by external, man-made interference."
"All we know is that the source of the monster outbreak might be traced back to the Pantry—something had happened in the 24th Floor's Pantry."
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next chapters early at: patreon.com/VALRRR]