God's Blessing on this Wonderful Dungeon

By Icura and Special FX

~o~

Interlude Collection 3: Prelude

~o~

Tsubaki

The rhythmic clanging of metal echoed throughout the forge, mixing in with the crackles of fire and the hisses of steam. Tsubaki Collbrande wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, her muscles moving fluidly under her sun-bronzed skin. She set her hammer down, inspecting the blade in front of her. After examining it for a moment, she nodded her head, satisfied with the result before she dipped it into the nearby water barrel to cool it down. The water bubbled and hissed in response, but it was nothing she hadn't seen so many times before.

It was just another day in the life of a blacksmith.

She opened her notebook and checked another order off the list before her eyes moved onto the next one. The life of a blacksmith might not have looked as exciting as the life of an adventurer, but for Tsubaki, the process of creating a weapon was far more fun than diving into the dungeon. She would know, since she routinely went down there in search of rare materials to experiment with. Adventuring was just a means to an end for her; the true goal in her life was to craft the ultimate weapon.

One that could even rival the gods' creations.

That was something that she was willing to stake her life on. Just like how an adventurer would risk their lives to reach the dungeon's depths, her dream was something worth dying for. This was all for the sake of crafting her magnum opus. In that pursuit, she willingly accompanied adventurers deeper into the dungeon in order to search for rarer materials.

"Tsubaki! You got customers!"

"Send 'em in!" she shouted back in response.

There wasn't a point in going out to greet her customers. That was what the apprentices were for. Besides that, her regulars knew how valuable her time was after all. If they wanted to meet with her, it would have to be in her forge unless it was a special occasion.

That was just how she worked.

A few moments later, the door to her personal forge creaked open. Satou Kazuma walked in with a bit of a sheepish look on his face, not meeting her eyes. His fellow familia member, Megumin, followed in behind him.

The members of Eris Familia were some of the few adventurers that she had a personal contract with. She was the best damn smith in the city so it was only natural that she would only make a contract with adventurers who could meet her standards. After what Aqua had done for her patron goddess—and her own injury—she already knew that Eris Familia was destined for greatness. Even then, however, their rate of growth still managed to exceed even her wildest expectations.

"Hey, Tsubaki." Kazuma scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, need another sword."

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow in response.

"Again? What happened now, Kazuma?"

After Eris Familia had returned from the joint expedition with Loki Familia, he had shown up at her doorstep with the very same request. From what he had told her, he had lost Chunchunmaru the Second in a battle against Balor. Considering how deep they were in the dungeon and the fact that Balor was a Monster Rex, it wasn't surprising to lose some equipment, especially since she hadn't designed the sword to withstand that level of strength in the first place. It was a wonder how he managed to even fight with it.

Though, she was a bit curious as to what happened to his newest sword this time. After all, this wasn't the first, second, or even third time he had stopped by to ask for a new weapon.

"Ah, well…" Kazuma looked away. "Look, before you get mad, it wasn't my fault!"

Tsubaki crossed her arms over her chest.

With her other clients, it was typical for them to bring back damaged equipment for her to repair. With Kazuma, however, rather than repairing, she usually had to craft an entirely new weapon instead. That was because Kazuma was able to repair his equipment himself thanks to his skill, though he wasn't able to create new weapons. Or at least, not up to a reasonable quality. Which meant that the only time he ever returned to her forge was when he destroyed something to the point that even he couldn't repair it.

Or he could have lost it. She wasn't sure which was worse.

"What happened?"

"It blew up," Megumin sagely answered. "It was a worthy sacrifice."

"It blew up…" Tsubaki dubiously repeated.

"Indeed." Megumin proudly nodded in response. "Chunchunmaru the Fifth went out in a blaze of glory! A fitting end to the greatest of swords!"

Kazuma had a sour expression on his face, almost like he had just sucked on a lemon.

"And how did that happen?" Tsubaki asked as she looked at the man in question.

"It's not my fault," Kazuma raised his hands in surrender. "I keep getting attacked by Evilus!"

That wasn't a surprise to hear. Kazuma was one of the top individuals leading the charge against Evilus so it was natural that he would be on their hit list. Still though, what kind of battles was he getting involved in where he needed to blow up his sword?

"You know what? I'm not even going to ask." Tsubaki uncrossed her arms from her chest. "I'm just going to make sure that the next iteration of Chunchunmaru doesn't break."

Her pride as a smith wouldn't allow anything less since it almost felt like Kazuma was mocking her abilities with just how many times he had shattered his swords beyond the point of recovery. She would have to make sure that the next one wouldn't break even through ten explosions! Already, a dozen or so ideas popped up in her head about how she would go about doing it, some more useful than others.

Perhaps she would use Durandal as the base material for the next one…

"Uh…" Kazuma slowly raised his hand. "Why is it already decided that my next sword is going to be named Chunchunmaru…?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Megumin questioned. "It shall be granted the illustrious title of Chunchunmaru the Sixth!"

"What? No! Stop using the same goofy name, damn it! I'm calling it—"

"How dare you look down on the noble lineage of Chunchunmaru and its proud history!" Megumin pointed accusingly at him. "The line of Chunchunmaru goes back generations…"

"No, they didn't! They weren't even made that long ago!"

"... where they fought against the forces of evil!" Megumin continued, completely ignoring what Kazuma had said, while nodding contently to herself. "Their line must remain unbroken. It's only right!"

"Would you stop ignoring everything I—"

"Is it really true?!" Tsubaki interrupted with stars in her eyes. "Does it really have such a vibrant history?"

"...what?" Kazuma turned to Tsubaki. "Well, technically, yes, but…"

"Then I can't let its proud lineage end!" Tsubaki dramatically declared, though the smile on her face showed that she was playing around. "The sixth shall be the last, Chunchunmaru the Immortal!"

"Stop calling it that, damn it! I'm not naming it Chunchunmaru!"

"It's Chunchunmaru the Immortal!" Megumin shouted with similar sparkling eyes. "Or better yet, Chunchunmaru the Sixth Immortal!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Tsubaki just laughed at the ensuing argument between her two clients as she started to map out in her head how she was going to begin the creation of Chunchunmaru. It was always a riot whenever Kazuma and his buddies showed up. Not that she minded, it was nice to be around people who knew how to have a good time.

Maybe she'd take them out for drinks later.

~o~

Chloe Rollo

"She went this way! Find her!"

The fourteen year old cat girl pressed herself against the wall of the alleyway, seemingly melding into the shadows. Just then, four adventurers rushed by the alley entrance, but thankfully, they didn't notice her. Only after she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

While she looked somewhat presentable at first glance, with her hooded cloak being new—having been recently stolen—the rest of her outfit underneath was actually in a much sorrier state, torn and bloodied. Likely smelly too. She had already gotten used to her own stench, but she probably stunk up a storm. Her short black hair was now longer than the usual length she liked to keep it, and it was also matted and frayed with enough split ends that it would cost her a pretty valis to fix.

That was, if she actually had any valis on her…

After finally completing her goddess' unreasonable task and being allowed to leave her familia, Chloe had headed to Orario for a fresh start. The first job that she had gotten was to take out a second-tier adventurer for so much money that she could probably afford a mansion and a harem of young, handsome boys.

Unfortunately, if it looked to be too good to be true, it probably was.

Blinded by greed, she didn't pay any attention to the signs. To be fair, most of the contracts she had taken on in her familia had been negotiated and delegated by the veteran members or her goddess so her experience in that was less than ideal. Not only that, but her preparations for the assassination were not as thorough as they should have been. She didn't prepare nearly as much as she did when she had to complete her former goddess' unreasonable task of assassinating a level 3 with only a knife. So she went into the job with unfounded confidence and minimal preparations.

Even worse, at the time of her assassination attempt, there had been another assassin.

Because of that, it became a three-way battle since, obviously, she wasn't planning on splitting the bounty. Then, somehow, the battle became a two-way one between her and the other assassin. Even looking back on it, she wasn't even sure how that had happened. Just that, by the end of it, they were both worn out when their target had popped out of nowhere and sent them scrambling away.

If that was the end of it, it wouldn't have been so bad. She would have either just tried again or gotten a different target. However, their target, Satou Kazuma, didn't let it go. Instead, he put a bounty on her and the other assassin that far exceeded even his own bounty. Quite frankly, if she didn't have her own bounty to worry about, she would have definitely gone after the other assassin like a cat on fish.

Of course, her troubles didn't end there.

No, it had gotten far worse when Kazuma got his familia's artist to draw a super accurate portrait of them both. She had seen it herself, and it was like looking into a mirror. How it was possible for that artist to create a picture based just on his words and descriptions was…

Well, it was the reason why she was being chased everywhere and given so little time to rest. After two months, she was nearly at her wits' end. The constant starvation, fatigue, harassment, and filthiness obviously made her angry, but more than that was a bone-deep tiredness. While this was not the same tiredness, it was of a similar variety to the kind that had made her leave her familia in the first place.

"I hate this, meow."

Moving through the alleyway, onto the rooftop, and into an open window, Chloe soon found herself inside a plain inn room. However, there was another occupant in the room, currently lying on one of the beds.

The other assassin, Lunoire Faust, opened her eyes the moment that Chloe came through the window, even before the cat girl's feet touched the floor. However, she took her time leisurely, pushing herself up until she was sitting up.

With stains in her short blonde hair, it looked more dirty than anything else, clumping up in bundles. Her clothes showed a lot of skin, though it was hard to tell if that was by design or not since they were pretty roughed up. Her face was covered by a mask, though that cracked mask had definitely seen better days; it was discolored by traces of both vomit and blood.

"Did you get the information?"

"Of course, meow." Chloe laid down a piece of paper, dirtied by her hands but still legible. "Aqua's in there right now, home alone."

The plan was a simple one.

They were going to kidnap Aqua, force Kazuma to take down their bounty, and then ransom the healer off to him for oodles of money. Simple and effective. Once they had the valis, they would need to get out of Orario, but finding a place at the edge of civilization where they wouldn't be found would be easy with the amount of money they would be getting from the ransom.

The fact that they were going to need to split the money was a bit of a downer, but then again, if there was only one person left in the end, there was no need for that, right?

"Alright, let's get this over with."

They both climbed out of the window and up onto the rooftop with Chloe leading the way, being the stealthier of the two.

It was sundown by the time they navigated their way to the massive cathedral that was their target's home. Chloe made sure that they wouldn't be spotted on the way—or if they were, it was by someone that seemed harmless. Normally, she would prefer not to be seen at all, but they were on a time crunch. Even though her sources had told her that the rest of Eris Familia was busy, that could easily change on the fly. If any of them came back, it would be a big problem that they would probably have to abandon the mission.

It was usually not recommended to attack a god or goddess' home due to the chance of having an accident with said god or goddess. That was because if that god were to somehow get sent back to the heavens because of this, it was almost guaranteed that the perpetrator would be eternally tortured when they eventually reach the afterlife. Imagining herself futilely pushing a boulder up a hill until the end of time was more than enough to make her shiver uncontrollably.

Getting into the yard, they climbed the church and snuck in through the belfry, making sure not to accidentally ring the giant bell. They made their way down the stairs, swiftly, yet quietly. When they reached a floor with a door, they immediately opened it and walked in. There were doors to rooms lining the hallway, easily more than what would be necessary for a small familia. Though, some goddesses were known for their extravagance.

Unfortunately, that was when their luck finally ran out. A blaringly loud siren rang out as the hallway was suddenly bathed in flashing red light.

"W-what is this?!" Lunoire looked around in shock and anxiety.

"No time, meow! Run for it!"

They ran down the hallway as if their life depended on it. And quite frankly, it probably did. They didn't know who would be alerted by the siren, but that just meant that their window of opportunity was simply closing sooner than expected.

If they could just reach Aqua before—

"Look out!" Lunoire pushed Chloe out of the way, just as ropes shot out of the walls and wrapped around her arms and legs.

"Lunoire!"

The blonde girl was lifted up as the ropes tightened their hold. Even more ropes came out of the ceiling, snaking around her body until it was a complex mesh of knots and bindings.

"Wait a moment, meow! I'll get you out!"

"No, don't! There's no time! You have to get to Aqua, now!" Lunoire shouted, squirming in the many rope bindings as she hovered near the ceiling. "And it doesn't actually hurt, though it's kind of riding up my… Anyway! You can get me out after you capture Aqua! Go! I'm counting on you!"

"I won't take long, meow! Just hang in there!" With unshed tears in her eyes, Chloe turned and ran down the hallway.

Luckily, her target was in the hallway, having come outside to check out the commotion. With victory in sight, Chloe ran and pounced with her hands outstretched. It was a bit of a risk, but what could a healer possibly—

"God Blow!"

One moment, Chloe was in the air. The next, she was lying on her back, her consciousness fading in and out.

"That's for interrupting my beauty sleep! Now, who are—wait, aren't you… You're that assassin girl Kazuma made me draw!"

Her body felt heavy, and her vision started to blur. She tried to move, but it was just so hard…!

"Hehe. Now, he has to give me the bounty! Ooooh, I'm going to buy so much soma! And maybe some bubbly too. And snacks. I always need more…"

That was the last thing Chloe Rollo heard before she fainted.

~o~

Liliruca

The pallum girl of eight years fell to the ground, face down. Her cheek pressed against the dry dirt, pain suffusing her being. Her hands were blistered, and her body was bruised to the point that it was faster to say what didn't hurt than what did. Despite suffering beyond what the members of Soma Familia used to do to her, she pushed her palms against the ground, slick with her sweat and saliva. Surprisingly, there was no blood, despite feeling that her organs would fall out at any time now.

Still, Liliruca Arde had no room to complain.

That was because she asked for this. There were so many times that she wanted to call it quits—and they would have let her do it. It didn't matter to them what she chose to do or what she chose not to do. She was not a focal point of the goddess Freya, and everyone in the familia knew that. Just a side product that came along with something better that could easily be tossed aside.

However, that was fine with her.

"Get up."

The gruff voice, unused to talking for long, was both blunt and curt. However, by now, she knew that there was kindness in that; he waited for her to rest a little before voicing that statement out.

It was his consideration for her.

Despite her aching and protesting body, the pallum girl pushed herself up, staggering to her feet. There was a constant pain at the back of her skull, and she had to bite her bottom lip to the point of tears to manage it properly. It was then that she remembered that she left her training spear on the ground. Holding back a groan, she bent over and picked it up, feeling like her brain was shaking from the motion.

The boaz warrior stared down at her all the while, patiently waiting for her to steady herself. He readied his own training long sword, but he paused, furrowing his brow in consternation for a few moments.

"...keep an eye on your spacing."

"I will." Liliruca spread her legs apart, pulling the spear into a stance. The moment that she did so, her eyes became sharper.

Ottar—the boaz warrior—nodded in approval. At that signal, the short pallum charged at the tall boaz. Being a third of his size, the tip of her ears reaching only to his waist, it was reminiscent of a child facing a mountain.

While Ottar mostly concentrated on blocking the piercing stabs of the spear, he did counterattack to punish recklessness and carelessness. For her part, she was trying to avoid those pitfalls while attacking with measured strikes, improving at an almost visible rate.

They had tested out many weapons for her, but none had clicked so well with her as the spear. There was something about it that called to her, and the rate of improvement that she was experiencing justified that instinctive urge.

More than anything, both teacher and student fought similarly, relying on beast-like instincts that bordered on the preternatural. For Ottar who had trouble speaking, it allowed him to fulfill his duty in a far easier fashion than it would have been otherwise; he only needed to beat the knowledge into her. For Liliruca, it had been early enough in her life that her instincts had not been diluted by too many thoughts in the heat of combat, a habit that would have been exceedingly difficult to break later on.

Ottar regulated his strength down to the lowest it could be, but even then, each time their weapons met, Liliruca's arms ached from the impact. However, as the spar went on, the pain and throbbing slowly faded away, vanishing like morning mist. She became faster and stronger, second by second, pushing her body beyond its limits without notice or consciousness of it.

By the time that her spear fell from her hands, most of her fingers were broken—some in more places than one. The pain only came to her then, slowly rising as if waking from a long dream.

The tears and moans came soon after.

"What a mess." From another part of the Freya Familia's training ground where many warriors and mages were engaged in life and death struggles that only vaguely retained the label of training, Heith Velvet's fatigued form came over. Her tired eyes traced over the bruised and battered body of the young pallum.

She wordlessly walked over to the pallum and nudged her with the tip of her boot. Upon finding a reaction, she chanted the words of a healing spell and soon casted it on the girl. Ottar nodded wordlessly to her in thanks, but Heith simply left without caring, off to attend to her next patient.

It took a few more minutes before Liliruca could finally get back up, making sure to remember to pick up her spear as she did so this time. However, Ottar simply shook his head.

"To take you into the dungeon, you will need equipment."

"I don't have money…"

"It will come from the familia's funds."

"I will pay it back."

"No need," Ottar said with another shake of his head. "It is at Lady Freya's behest."

There was nothing more that Liliruca could say to that.

After cleaning up their spot on the training ground and putting away their training weapons, the two made their way out of the grounds. They entered the familia's mansion, Folkvangr, and changed out of their sweaty and dirty clothes—more for Liliruca's sake since Ottar didn't exert nearly as much effort. After that, they left the mansion through the front gates and began walking through the streets of Orario.

Unfortunately, at this time of day, the streets were quite crowded.

The markets were in full swing, and the number of people present was enough to push Liliruca against her teacher. Despite walking next to each other, most people's attention was on the giant, completely missing the tiny one next to him. As a result, they jostled and pushed her without meaning to. Just when her annoyance was about to reach its peak, she felt two thick hands under her armpits, lifting her into the air. Just before she could scream, she saw that those hands belonged to her boaz teacher.

Without a word, Ottar placed her onto his shoulder.

"Wha…?"

"Do not fall off," he simply said. "Train your balance."

Even though he couldn't see it, Liliruca nodded her head. Without having to wait for her to keep up, Ottar simply strode through the crowd, and they made way for him due to both his appearance and reputation. And with her on top of his shoulder, they soon arrived at their destination.

The main workshop of the Goibniu Familia.

As this was the workshop rather than the weapon store of the familia, there were mostly only members of Goibniu Familia here. Still, sometimes adventurers came in for custom weapons. In fact, there was even a customer before them when they arrived, but the two were quickly led aside and into the smithy itself since they had an appointment. It was a short walk before they came before the god of the familia himself, Goibniu.

The god was an old man, having a large head for his wiry but muscular body. The shoulder-length wavy gray hair and beard could not hide his numerous wrinkles, making him look both wise and grouchy. His default expression was a frown, one that didn't waver as he came around his forge to stand before them.

"Thank you for seeing us," Ottar said, bowing his head.

"No, when I heard that it was custom equipment for a pallum, I wanted to see the person for myself," Goibniu cryptically replied. "This was simply my own whim."

Ottar nodded and reached up, pulling Liliruca off of his shoulder and setting her down in front of the god.

"Let's see here…" Goibniu bent down on one knee to look the pallum girl in the eyes. "You're very young. Tell me, what's your name?"

"Liliruca Arde…" Nervousness filled her voice, even when she tried to will it not to.

"Liliruca Arde," the god intoned, feeling the name on his tongue. "I have some questions for you. Answer them, even if you think you can't. They will determine what kind of weapon I make for you."

The pallum girl slowly nodded, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Who is Liliruca Arde?"

"I am…a girl…" She swallowed her saliva. "...who wants to be better than I am."

Goibniu simply nodded.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to get stronger."

"Why do you want to get stronger?"

"It's because…"

Liliruca first thought of Aqua, of the hand that she extended to her. However, it wasn't just her. The husband and wife of the flower shop. The goddess Freya. Ottar, her teacher and mentor. In this short amount of time, she had been helped so many times. Having fallen in between the cracks, when she thought that she would sink without anyone hearing her silent cries, she had been saved.

Regardless of everything—connection, cost, or reason—she was saved.

Closing her eyes, Liliruca pressed her hands to her chest.

"...I want to save those who need help, just like I was saved."

When she opened her eyes, Liliruca found the god staring at her with a profound gaze, as if staring into the depths of her soul.

"It's been a long time since I heard an answer like that," Goibniu said solemnly. "I had longed to hear such, once upon a time."

The god got up from his knee, standing back up in an almost regal manner.

"The pallum are a brave race, brought and kept down by hard times," he continued. "I have always admired them, long before the advent of the gods to the lower world."

He turned and moved, walking around his forge while motioning for only Liliruca to follow. With a nod from Ottar, Liliruca did so, shadowing the god as he moved through a door and down a hallway deeper into the building.

"In the forest of Elan, there is a type of metal that can only be found there."

As they went further in, there were fewer and fewer familia members. Of course, since their god was there, no one stopped the pallum girl despite the fact that she was an outsider.

"Oathtree and Valorian Steel." His words echoed through the now nearly empty hallway. "I've made a promise to myself that I would make a weapon out of that material only for you pallums."

"Why…?"

"Because it is steel that has been bestowed with the bravery of the fallen pallum knights by the trees of Elan, holding still to the oaths made long ago."

Goibniu reached the last door at the end of the hallway, unlocked it, and opened it. Inside, there was only a display case for a single weapon.

"Inspired by a tale, I made this a very long time ago, but of all the pallums that I have spoken to, none were suited for it."

It was a spear of white, gold, and blue, giving off a sense of regal purity. The dark blue shaft of the spear ended in a long spearhead reminiscent of a short blade, razor sharp on not only the point but the sides as well. Beneath that, at the neck, was a mantle of gold, encrusted with a red jewel at its center that served as both its decorations and its guard. What followed was a white and gold hand rest, beautiful in its simplicity. At the bottom of the shaft was a white conical point, a counterweight to the hefty blade on the other end.

Entranced, Liliruca stepped past the god without noticing—unaware of the rudeness it implied—and came up to the case. She pressed her hand against the glass, feeling something beyond simple wants and desires. Almost as if the weapon was calling out to her.

"None that is, until I found you."

~o~

Alfia

It was so noisy.

The city of Orario was the same as it was before. Noisy to the point where she couldn't even sleep in peace. Now she remembered why she detested this land. Silence was golden, and this city was bankrupt everywhere it truly mattered.

The moon shone overhead in the night sky, casting a silvery glow over the city as Alfia walked down the familiar cobblestone path to the place that her sister loved to visit when she was still alive. The night air was cool and crisp, which helped provide some semblance of peace and quiet in spite of all the noise. Even though she hated the noise, she would endure for the simple fact that her sister had loved that old church.

To go and pay her respects was the least she could do.

As she approached the location of where her sister's favorite church should have been, she soon found herself rooted in place. Rather than the small church from her memories, in its place was something that could only be described as a magnificently grand cathedral. The moonlight reflected off the building's stained glass windows, giving the massive church an almost ethereal glow. However, her moment of shock soon faded, replaced by an odd feeling.

An intricate golden gate barred the path forward, but she simply jumped over it and approached the cathedral's large wooden double doors.

Gently pushing open the doors, she was greeted with the sight of an equally impressive interior. There was a long aisle—filled with beautifully crafted wooden pews on both sides—that ended with an altar near the back of the room. The interior was dimly lit by a series of magical lanterns that hung on the walls and pillars, their light dancing gently in the dark. Along with the stained glass windows on the walls hung many massive paintings that looked as if they had been crafted by only the greatest of artisans. She didn't know who was depicted in those paintings, but she saw that many of these same people appeared in multiple pieces around the room.

While the church was far different from what she remembered it being, it still gave off the same comforting embrace just like when her sister used to visit.

Alfia walked down the aisle, her hands gliding along the wooden pews all the while. Once she reached the end, she sat down on one of the wooden pews at the front. The lantern light and the moonlight shining through the stained glass windows really made the place feel like hallowed ground. It was different from the church that her sister loved, but with how much care and effort had gone into its new form, she was sure that Meteria would have embraced it all the same.

She soon closed her eyes and relaxed.

Within these halls, even the noise from the city couldn't reach her. The silence was profound, almost sacred, broken only by the occasional rustle of the night's breeze. Meteria had loved this place, visiting often to seek comfort within its hallowed halls. She could still see her sister's serene face, eyes closed and lips moving silently in prayer.

It was…nice.

Alfia didn't know how long she stayed there, lost in remembrance. Perhaps she would have even stayed there and fallen asleep through the night had she not heard a pair of incoming footsteps. She cracked open one eye to see who it was that intruded upon her sanctuary with their unwelcome noise. The boy had brown hair and green eyes—the very same boy who appeared on some of the various paintings scattered throughout these very halls.

How curious. The look on his face reminded her of when Zald had eaten something he didn't like. In spite of his ability to eat anything, that man was surprisingly picky with his food.

"Oh, great…" The brown-haired boy grumbled. "Look, if you're another assassin, I'll pay you double whatever your boss is offering you to leave me alone."

Alfia turned her attention back to the altar. "If I were an assassin, you would already be dead."

"Sure," Kazuma said with skepticism oozing off his voice. "If you're not an assassin, then what are you doing here?"

She could hear his footsteps approaching her. The noise was grating to her ears; with every step he took, she could hear the clanking of his armor. For a moment, she was tempted to silence him for good, but thought better of it. She wouldn't dare soil her sister's holy ground with blood.

That would almost be like spitting on Meteria's memory.

"...my sister loved this place."

The footsteps stopped.

"Your sister…?"

"Yes. She used to visit this place often."

"Oh. Uh…sorry about changing everything then," the boy replied awkwardly. "We didn't know people actually came to this church."

So he was the one who had renovated this place. She supposed that it made sense, with how often he was featured in the various paintings throughout the room. Though, she would say that it was a bit vain to have so many paintings of oneself. Still, it was good that she didn't silence the one who had fixed up her sister's favorite church.

"It's fine," she said aloofly. "The church was already starting to fall apart even when she was visiting so I'm sure she would have appreciated what you've done."

She could hear his footsteps awkwardly shuffle against the ground. She really did dislike the noises that armor made. Zald's clanking always did annoy her to no end.

"Oh. Uh…well, I live upstairs so…" he trailed off, glancing toward the staircase. "You can stay as long as you want."

"No. I should be taking my leave anyway," she replied before standing up. "I've already stayed too long."

Alfia brushed off her dress before she made her way down the pews again. She walked past the brown-haired boy in silence. When she nearly reached the large wooden doors, she heard the boy open his mouth once again.

"Hey. Tell your sister that she can still come by to visit whenever she wants."

Alfia stopped walking. She could feel her lips curve into a ghost of a smile before she resumed her steps toward the door.

"Thank you. I'll let her know."

~o~

Authors' Notes:

Icura: I always thought Lili's Artel Assist could be used for something better than carrying baggage.

Special FX: And that's the last of the interludes. We'll be heading into Astraea Record next.