"This info is huge..." Tione muttered to everyone around.
"B-but... For there to be another entrance besides Babel, how can that be?" Lefiya asked.
"Yeaahh, but this is straight from the Gods..." Tiona added.
"It does make sense though. I mean, how else could you lug those giant flowers to the surface?" Tione shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room.
Everyone from the main tent, except for Ais, was dismissed a few minutes ago after their meeting with Hermes. Currently, they were staying in another tent to discuss what they heard from Hermes and how to avoid his questions whenever they were asked.
Inside the tent were the girls of the Loki Familia who came down to the 59th floor, Anakitty, Tsubaki and one more person, "But... I'm more worried about the thing with Ais." Tiona added.
Rubbing her chin, Alicia Forestlight, an Elf, said, "As I recall, Ais was the first to recognize that thing as a Spirit."
"And she got all weird when she saw it, right?" Narvi Roll added when she recalled the incident in detail.
With a chuckle, Tsubaki said, "Well, she always was a bit strange if ya ask me."
"Tsubaki-san!" Lefiya called out to her but she couldn't refute her words.
Tione then faced Anakitty and asked, "Aki, you've known her the longest. Do you know anything?"
Anakitty thought for a moment before shaking her head, "I'm afraid that I don't. Back then, Ais was even more reclusive than she is now. I've asked the Bosses about it before, but I got no clear answer."
"Spirits, Aria... Somehow, I can't help but think about that legend, 'Dungeon Oratoria.'" Tiona muttered.
"That legend's centuries old. Any connection is ridiculous..." Tione's voice trailed off as both of her and Tiona suddenly recalled something. It was about the man whom they met on the 50th floor and who battled the strengthened floor boss. It was also the same man who told them that Ais' body was damaged due to a 'time stasis' which may have put her to sleep for at least a year or maybe a thousand years.
Everyone, except for one, became confused about why the Amazoness sisters became silent and made a complicated expression. Lefiya was about to ask them what was wrong, but the last person among the group who was inside the tent finally spoke up, "Say... Why did you call me here?" Kisuke asked as he scratched his cheek with a wry smile.
While he only received a glare from Lefiya and a confused look from Tsubaki, Tiona faced him and answered, "We intended to find Yoruichi, but we couldn't find her anywhere, so we just decided to let you join. Either the Captain or Riveria should have also told you what happened on the 59th floor and our future plans from now on, so we're here to ask you for your input as the Captain of the Hestia Familia."
'The Loki Familia is strangely close with these people from the Hestia Familia... Do they have a prior agreement or something?', thought Tsubaki, but she didn't say anything and only watched the situation. In any case, Hephaestus also seemed to be close with them, seeing that they had her insignia on their strange weapons.
Kisuke was about to say something else, when Tione suddenly faced him with a serious expression and asked, "Aren't you the one who checked up on Ais? What did you find out?"
"Checkup?" Lefiya asked in confusion, but nobody answered her as Tione and Tiona finally remembered that the strange man referred Ais to Kisuke to get a check-up. They focused on Kisuke while the others didn't have any clue on what was going on.
Kisuke, in response, just smiled and asked, "What do you wish to know?"
"Her connection to the Spirit..." Tione answered.
Kisuke stared at her for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "I may have or don't have the answer to your question, but regardless of whether or not, I can't give any answer to you."
"...Why?"
"You see, as a Doctor, I follow a policy called 'Doctor-Patient Confidentiality'. Regardless of your question, I can't reveal any information which I got from my patient. If you want to know more, you have to ask Wallenstein herself." Kisuke explained.
Tiona and Tione stared at Kisuke for a while before both of them sighed and backed off. They realized that there was no way for him to talk about Ais, "In any case... Spirits couldn't have children..." Tione muttered.
"Hmmm... Guess we're stuck..." Tiona scratched her head.
"Actually, there is someone here with Spirit blood running through their veins, you know." Tsubaki suddenly said.
" " "Eh!?" " " Everyone exclaimed and even Kisuke was mildly surprised.
But instead of resolving their confusion, Tsubaki walked out after saying, "Wait here. I'll call him over."
A few minutes later, Tsubaki dragged a red-haired boy over and forced him to sit down in the middle, "Eh...?"
"As you know, this whelp here is the blacksmith for Bell Cranel's party. He's also one of the grunts in my Familia." Tsubaki explained.
"What the hell is going on here!? Hey, Tsubaki! Explain yourself!", complained Welf.
Wrapping her arm around his neck, Tsubaki introduced him to everyone, "This kid's name is Welf Crozzo."
"...Crozzo?" Tione muttered. It was a familiar name but she couldn't recall where she heard of it.
However, Anakitty immediately recognized that name, "Wait, you don't mean... That cursed Magic Sword-Smith Crozzo, do you!?"
"The very same." Tsubaki confirmed, "The maker of the invincible swords, the Crozzo Magic Swords of legend from the Kingdom of Rakia. This kid's a descendant."
Crozzo Magic Swords, weapons of legend known throughout the entire world. Before, magic swords could only produce weak magic in place of chants. However, Crozzo's Magic Swords went far beyond that. Their weapons were, without a doubt, the strongest swords in existence in terms of its ability to destroy.
"Crozzo...!!" Alicia gritted her teeth as she muttered and glared at Welf.
Tsubaki noticed this and immediately said, "Hold up, Alicia. I understand that Elven villages were decimated by the Crozzo Magic Swords. That anger is certainly justified. But, this kid actually disowned his Crozzo lineage."
While Welf was trying to remove Tsubaki's arm around his neck but to no avail, Tsubaki continued, "For reasons I can't even begin to fathom. Welfy despises his heritage and even hates his own abilities! He can forge circles around them when it comes to magic swords, but he won't touch them to save his life! Talk about wasted talent!"
Kisuke could see Tsubaki's frustration, 'I heard that the Crozzo's couldn't forge the same magic swords anymore due to some curse, but from her words, this Welf Crozzo seems to be capable of doing it but hates to do it... Indeed, what a waste of talent. Shows that he's still a kid.'
"He ended up leaving Rakia and his home behind. See, Alicia? You and him might have more in common than you think." Tsubaki continued to explain to Alicia.
"...!"
"Let's stick to the main subject here. Do you have Spirit blood, or not?" Tione set back the topic.
Hearing that, Welf gave Tsubaki a dirty look, "...Wait a sec."
"Hey, should be fine, right? You got nothing to lose." Tsubaki persuaded Welf.
Sighing, Welf decided to speak up. In any case, he wouldn't be able to get out of Tsubaki's arm if he didn't do so. But before he continued, he noticed that everyone inside the tent was a woman except one, so he stared for a moment at Kisuke and thought, 'What is he doing here?' With a bit of jealousy inside him.
Kisuke noticed his look and just shrugged his shoulders again, "I got dragged here, too." He said.
Welf was startled that Kisuke could instantly see through him, but calmed down immediately after feigning a cough, "Ehem, well, I don't like people prying into my life, but... since Tsubaki asked, I'll explain. Let me break down the Crozzo connection to Spirits."
"Back in ancient times, the first Crozzo saved a Spirit from a bunch of monsters. He ended up gravely injured as a result, so the Spirit offered her blood as thanks. Her blood not only saved his life but also granted him her miraculous Spirit-borne magic powers."
"The miracle of a Spirit..." Tiona muttered.
"Then the Crozzo's ability to mass-produce those ludicrous swords were..." Alicia also added.
"A by-product from the blood of our ancestor," Welf answered.
'Spirit blood can do that? I don't think that's possible according to my preliminary research regarding the Spirits... Then that means something else happened aside from handing over the blood or I still don't know a great deal about the Spirits... Nice~. I should thank the Amazoness sisters for inviting me to this 'Girls Tea Time~'. Kisuke thought as various possibilities emerged from his mind.
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Editors corner
Alexander: Did Kisuke bring any snacks to the party? It's a good opportunity to advertise his shop.
28th00: You know what? You make a good point! Side note, his reputation as a womanizer will only grow EXPONENTIALLY from being in that tent and patting Ais's head… Not to mention Riveria's seemingly infatuation with Kisuke from how much time she (and Ais) spends over at his shop, or with his harem…
Goyya: It'll explode exponentially after the male members of the Loki Familia spread the rumor of Kisuke going after Ais. Hehehe, the effort to direct attention will be pretty much useless after this head pat. He shouldn't have underestimated his head pats.
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