Chapter 102

Chapter 103: Riviria: “Why do I feel something’s off?” (Third update, please subscribe!)

Riviria wasn’t just a handsome member of the Elf Race but also royalty of the Elven lineage.

She was supposed to spend her life in the hidden elven village deep within the Forest, untouched even by the Deities, yet she arrived at this Labyrinth City after a series of complicated events.

To her kin, the royals were objects of reverence. Hence, including Refia, all Elves addressed her respectfully as “my lady,” which greatly displeased her.

Moreover, after making a name for herself as an Adventurer, this deference seemed to have intensified.

Not only from her kin, but even her comrades in her Familial Group treated her with a certain distance.

Riviria had worried about this situation many times. Even Ais and the other officers seemed to face similar issues among the members.

But there was no good solution so far.

Because such respect came genuinely from each member’s heart, it was hard to dissuade them.

There was more helplessness than anything else.

Very few people could interact with her naturally.

Excluding those she’d watched grow up, the only one left was Izay.

Despite his constant “teacher, teacher” calls, Riviria didn’t sense much distance from Izay.

For some reason, Izay’s attitude towards his teacher seemed closer to that of a friend?

If Izay knew about Riviria’s doubts, he would explain it to her like this: “Teacher during class, friend after class, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

In his past life, Izay always had great relationships with his teachers, occasionally even hitching rides home with them.

Modern teacher-student concepts still existed but weren’t as rigid.

Being both mentor and friend, and neighbors too—this phrase perfectly described the current relationship between Izay and Riviria.

Contentedly enjoying a cup of tea personally brewed by Riviria, Izay recounted the earlier event while sipping his tea.

“So Loki wants you to join the expedition as well?”

After hearing this, Riviria responded with a smile.

It seemed like she had anticipated this?

“Yeah, she’s probably discussing it with Finn right now.”

“Such impatience, she truly is herself.”

“Yep, I think so too.”

Finding common ground, they both nodded in agreement.

“By the way, teacher, how long will the next expedition last?”

Suddenly, Izay remembered this matter.

Following previous patterns, the next expedition should be coming up soon.

However, Izay overheard from Raul that the last expedition yielded abundant resources, almost twice as much as usual.

This meant the interval between expeditions would extend.

After all, among the various purposes of expeditions, resource acquisition ranked first.

As long as resources hadn’t been depleted, there was no need for another expedition.

“The next one might take some time. The resources brought back from the last expedition haven’t been consumed halfway yet. I’m not sure exactly when, since logistics are managed by Gress.”

Riviria gave a vague response.

“Is that so? Looks like we’ve got plenty of time.”

“Take advantage of this period to train properly. Afterward, I’ll give you more information about the lower and deeper levels of the Dungeon. It’s essential knowledge.”

Regarding the ultra-deep layers, Loki Familia hadn’t breached the ultra-deep region yet, so Riviria couldn’t guarantee her understanding of it either.

“Understood.” Izay obediently nodded.

Just then, Riviria changed the tone: “Speaking of which, Izay.”

“Hmm?”

“What has Refia been up to lately? Why does she keep coming back injured?”

“Ah, this…”

Izay froze instantly, his gaze wandering aimlessly.

How should he respond?

He couldn’t possibly say that the successor Riviria valued was tricked into sword training by him, could he?

If he did, Izay feared he might get beaten up.

“Is something wrong? Is there something you can’t tell me?”

Riviria tilted her head slightly, strands of emerald hair falling gracefully, her clear green eyes shimmering with curiosity, looking oddly cute and innocent.

Which Izay, in his panic, failed to notice.

Otherwise, seeing this pose from such an ice queen like Riviria would surely stir someone’s primal instincts.

“Well… it’s because of training!”

“Training?”

“Parallel Chanting training! Recently, Ais has been helping her with special training through combat, but the process has been somewhat…”

“I see.”

Before Izay could finish, Riviria already understood with a knowing expression.

Given her understanding of Ais, this child wasn’t the type to teach others.

Perhaps she learned quickly, but teaching and learning were two different things.

Refia must have taken quite a beating.

That explained why she’s been returning bruised these past few days.

Seeing this, Izay internally sighed in relief.

Thank goodness, she believed him!

Otherwise, Izay wouldn’t know how to cover it up.

“That… teacher, is there anything else? If not, I’ll leave first?”

“Are you going to the Dungeon? Be careful.”

“Sure thing!”

After bidding farewell and making a promise, Izay immediately bolted.

Watching Izay’s retreating figure, Riviria blinked.

Ah, something feels off…

A question mark appeared above her head, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

After a while, the manager tapped her cheek with her slender finger and shook her head.

Must be a hallucination…

…

Northwest Street.

Izay walked alone on the bustling street without any weapons, carrying a small backpack.

Looking toward his left hand ahead, where numerous weapon shops lined the street, Izay scanned them with interest.

Finally, he stopped in front of a shop.

Compared to its neighboring shops, this armory was twice as large.

The bright red paint reminiscent of flames stood out strikingly even on this street filled with shops.

The sign hanging on the heavy wooden door bore strange symbols.

These were [Sacred Characters], the exclusive language of Deities.

Having studied this language with Riviria, Izay easily recognized the inscription.

—[Hephaestus Familia]

The largest forging faction in Orario, they had established weapon shops in many places around Orario, including inside Babel Tower!

Needless to say, the quality was top-notch.

On his first visit to a weapon shop, Izay felt a bit novel excitement. After announcing himself as a member of Loki Familia, he was warmly welcomed by the staff and entered the store.

He mainly wanted to buy some experimental weapons for enchantment trials.

The quality didn’t need to be too high; for comparison, Izay chose to purchase multiple identical weapons.

Ultimately, Izay bought four Longswords and two Knives in the store.

The prices for the four Longswords:

Two cost 50,000 Valis each, and the other two cost 7,000 Valis each. The models for swords of the same price were the same.

The two Knives cost 10,000 Valis each.

The staff also gifted him a multi-holed scabbard capable of holding six Longswords.

“Four Doloans????”

Izay glanced back at the four Longswords strapped to his back and instinctively blurted out this term.

Brother’s got four Doloans, everyone else is trash!

But it was just a joke, after all, these four Longswords couldn’t provide percentage-based life drain for Izay.

With the weapons secured, Izay set off toward Babel Tower.

Today’s goal wasn’t exploration but experimentation!