Time kept passing as Kazuma and Darkness continued exploring Babel Tower, reaching as far as the 20th floor. Here, every item for sale was extremely expensive. Low-level adventurers could only look in from outside, biting their lips in frustration.
As they walked, they came across a store displaying a sword priced at 120 million Valis. It was one of the weapon shops owned by the Hephaestus Familia.
"What the heck? Why is this sword so ridiculously expensive?"
Kazuma was a bit shocked when he saw such an expensive sword. Even though he could afford it with his current finances, he felt it wasn't quite worth spending around 10% of his wealth on a single sword.
A shopkeeper came out of the store when he heard someone complaining about the sword's price. He was a short, tough-looking older man with one eye covered by a black eyepatch.
"What's the matter, young man? Don't you know why this sword is priced so high?"
"Yeah, so what exactly makes this sword special?"
"This is a magic sword. When you use it, it can unleash incredibly powerful magic."
"What?? A sword that can cast magic? Isn't that super powerful?"
"Yeah, it's certainly a very powerful weapon. But even an incredible weapon like this has its drawbacks: the sword can only be used three times. After it unleashes its magic three times, it shatters completely."
"What? That's so disappointing! Who would want to buy a sword that can only be used three times?"
"Of course, it's for saving your own life. This sword is incredibly useful when you're in dangerous situations in a dungeon. Whatever threat you face down there, as long as you have a magic sword, you have a high chance of surviving and escaping to the surface. Surely, you'd rather spend your money than lose your life, right?"
"Yeah, you got a point. But still..."
"So, how about it? Do you want to buy it? Aren't you the guy who just won the War Game against the Loki Familia yesterday? You must have a lot of money right now."
Even though the old man's explanation made sense, Kazuma still felt a bit hesitant about an item that would break after only three uses. He already had a mage in his party who could only use magic once a day, and now he was being offered a sword that would shatter after just three uses.
"Hmmmmm...."
Kazuma considered whether he wanted to buy the magic sword or not.
'But wait... maybe I could replicate a sword like this. I have a smithing skill—even if I'm not a master blacksmith, I can still make swords. Plus, I recently gained a new ability called "Mystery" that lets me create magic items. If I try crafting a sword and infusing it with magic, I might be able to make my own magic sword. No, not just a magic sword—I should be able to make other items with magic, too!'
After thinking it over, Kazuma decided to buy the magic sword and try making a replica of it later at home.
"Alright, I'll take it. Also, do you sell the ore used to make this sword?"
"A wise choice, young man. And yes, we sell ore as well, but why would you want to buy it? If you like, we could craft a custom item for you."
"Yeah, I want to try making something myself. I'm not exactly a blacksmith, but I do have a bit of experience repairing weapons and armor."
"Well, whatever you plan to do isn't really my business. Anyway, this sword was made with adamantite—the second strongest material you can find in the dungeon. So, how much adamantite do you want to buy?"
Kazuma then spent quite a while negotiating with the old man about what he wanted to purchase. Meanwhile, Darkness just stood by, watching the two men argue over prices for quite some time.
After 30 minutes, both Kazuma and the old man were too tired to continue haggling. They eventually reached a deal that satisfied both sides. Kazuma spent a total of 200 million Valis on the magic sword, some adamantite, and various lower-quality materials. Given the hefty amount Kazuma spent, the old man wasn't rude enough to make him carry all the materials himself. He offered to have everything delivered to Twilight Manor, and Kazuma gladly accepted the offer.
After completing the transaction, Kazuma and Darkness left Babel Tower, each carrying their respective purchases. Kazuma held the magic sword he had just bought, while Darkness carefully carried all the clothes she had chosen.
As Kazuma and Darkness stepped outside Babel, the sky was already a vibrant orange. The sun, clearly visible without a cloud in sight, began to hide from the view of the people below.
Growl....
Growl....
The stomachs of the two individuals growled simultaneously.
"Kazuma... are you hungry?"
"Yeah, I think so... Darkness, do you want to have dinner out?"
"Yeah, that's not a bad idea."
"Then let's eat at our usual place."
.....
.....
Kazuma and Darkness headed straight to the Hostess of Fertility after their shopping at Babel. On their way, they noticed a flat-chested black-skinned woman following them. She was Tiona from the Loki Familia.
Although Tiona thought she was following them unnoticed, everyone in Orario could see her clearly. Even Kazuma and Darkness, aware of her presence, realized someone was tailing them.
"Kazuma... did you notice her?" Darkness asked.
"Yeah... I could tell even without using my enemy detection skill. The person following us has really poor stealth abilities."
"So, what should we do?"
"Just ignore her as long as she doesn't do anything. We already got into big trouble yesterday, and I don't want any more problems."
"Hmmm... I suppose that's not a bad choice."
Darkness nodded, following Kazuma's advice as they continued walking toward the Hostess of Fertility, ignoring the person trailing them.
Upon arriving at the Hostess of Fertility, they were greeted by an elf with a flat expression. The elf had short blonde hair and blue eyes. She was Ryuu Lion.
Although she currently appeared to be an ordinary maid, she was actually a former powerful adventurer who had become a fugitive after wiping out an entire Familia in an act of revenge. Strangely enough, none of the city guards in Orario had ever attempted to capture her, even though she worked openly at a pub without hiding her identity.
While Kazuma and Darkness were eating, Tiona continued to follow them, staring without diverting her gaze for even a moment. She peeked at Kazuma and Darkness from the entrance of the Hostess of Fertility. However, the term "peeking" didn't quite fit; it would be more accurate to say that Tiona was openly watching Kazuma and Darkness, fully displaying her face right in front of the Hostess of Fertility.
Kazuma, who had been holding back his frustration, finally lost his patience since he couldn't enjoy his meal at all.
"Hey, damn it! You're from the Loki Familia, right? If you have a problem with us, just come out and say it to our faces!"
"EEEEEEEEK!"
Tiona jumped and fled from the Hostess of Fertility the moment Kazuma acknowledged her presence.
"It seems like you're dealing with quite a troublesome situation," Ryuu said in a cold tone, although there was a hint of sympathy behind it.
"Yeah, it seems like the Loki Familia still holds a grudge against me."
"That's not what I meant."
"What do you mean? Isn't it obvious that girl just now is from the Loki Familia?"
"Yeah, but that's not what Ryuu-chan is getting at."
Syr slipped in from behind when she noticed something slightly interesting.
"Syr-chan, what's going on? Why don't you just explain what you mean?"
"The girl who was following you earlier is named Tiona; she's an Amazoness."
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"As I suspected, Kazuma-san, you don't know anything about Amazonesses, do you?"
"Ugghh... what's the big deal about Amazonesses?"
"Amazonesses are a race that consists solely of women and can only give birth to female offspring. They are a warrior race, and one of their traits is having a strong instinct to bear strong offspring. They also tend to fall in love with those who defeat them. That's why when they're beaten by a man, they want to have his children. I've even heard of extreme cases where an Amazoness has raped a man who defeated her because of her intense love."
"Hiii! That's so terrifying!"
Kazuma shivered in fear, recalling his traumatic experience when he nearly got raped by a lot of female orcs.
"Darkness, let's get out of he…"
Before Kazuma could express his thoughts, he noticed Darkness with a flushed face, drooling excessively.
"Aaaah... this girl... she must be thinking something weird."
Kazuma could only lightly smack his forehead, resigned to Darkness's current state. Reluctantly, he continued his dinner while staying alert for anything unexpected. Although Kazuma was a single man eager to lose his virginity, that didn't mean he would just hand it over to a woman he didn't know—especially not in a rough manner.
After finishing dinner, the two of them quickly headed back to Twilight Manor. However, Kazuma made a stop at the guild first to make a contract and purchase a large quantity of magic stones. This time, Kazuma spent 100 million Valis on magic stones from monsters found above floor 10. Naturally, with that amount of money, he received a substantial number of magic stones. Because of this, Kazuma asked the guild to deliver the magic stones he bought the next day.
Once his business at the guild was done, Kazuma and Darkness went straight home to Twilight Manor without stopping anywhere else.
At the entrance of Twilight Manor, two girls were waiting and standing guard with fierce expressions on their faces. They were Megumin and Aqua, who had been left behind by Kazuma and Darkness for their date.
Their expressions darkened even further when they saw Kazuma and Darkness returning with smug smiles on their faces.
"Trashzuma, Scumzuma, Weaklingma....."
Megumin unleashed every insult she could remember towards Kazuma.
"You're so unfair, Kazuma! How dare you leave me and Megumin for a date with Darkness while we were sleeping?"
Aqua joined in to protest Kazuma, although her complaint wasn't due to jealousy over Kazuma going on a date with Darkness.
"Darkness... it seems we need to have a private chat as fellow women," Megumin said, locking her gaze onto Darkness with seriousness.
"And Kazuma... you can't sleep at home tonight!"
"Whaaa... wait a minute...???"
Before Kazuma could protest, Megumin refused to listen and turned her gaze to Aqua.
"Aqua, please seal this entire place so Kazuma can't get in!"
"Alright, leave it to me!"
Aqua pulled out her magic staff and recited an incantation incomprehensible to mortals. Shortly after, a half-spherical barrier enveloped all of Twilight Manor.
And that night, Kazuma found himself stranded on the streets, barred from entering his own home.
(To Be Continued)