MTLNOVEL Chapter 25
After one round of exorcism (physical).
In the process of climbing the 9th floor, Elise consistently poked her face out as if she were stamping her presence.
I considered whether to lodge a complaint about the rash decision to unleash three bosses, but I left it as it was, believing that Saha would handle it smoothly if a similar situation arose again.
So today, it’s the 9th district of the 9th floor.
…It’s a bit tantalizing since it ends at 9 units.
I should really set aside a day to return to my routine of one floor per day.
From the 11th floor onward, aerial monsters will appear, and maze mechanics will be added…
It’ll become bothersome.
Anyway.
I managed the rankings by expending five attacks even in Dilenna.
For today’s daily dungeon, I tearily headed to the Gold Dungeon to recover from the operational losses.
Thus.
“Dismissed! Thank you for your hard work. I’ll see you at the Guild House this evening.”
“Yay! Yo-hena, shall we go shopping? How about Saha?”
“Sure, Ari. Let’s go together.”
“I appreciate the kindness, but I’ll decline today. I need to return to the Order.”
“Don’t run away, Tynia! You’re going to study!”
“Eeek…”
The heroes departed to enjoy their own lives.
…Tynia didn’t seem to be enjoying herself, but oh well.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Hang in there! Future shop manager!
* * *
“Phew.”
I spent all of my remaining 500 points to build an alchemy workshop on the 2nd floor.
…Now my points were zero.
However, as the shop’s reputation increases, the rewards from daily quests also rise, so if I keep developing steadily, a spring day will come.
And.
“Hehehe…”
This splendid alchemy pot will guarantee my bright future.
In the original work, Alchemy was an essential system for acquiring missing items in Last Felix.
It could produce tokens of one attribute from surplus tokens of another.
It could create favor items from materials obtainable from monsters.
It could combine various materials to create rare ingredients or magical equipment that could not be made in a forge.
Moreover, when the workshop level rises, one could enchant a hero’s equipment or create magical potions for temporary buffs alongside smelting…
It truly was the heart of the matter.
And.
“I’ve played this game!”
I shouted a line I inexplicably wanted to say.
That’s right.
I am the reincarnator!
A man who memorized nearly all the alchemy combination recipes!
That’s me!
Furthermore.
Even materials that should not be obtainable yet if one climbed the tower normally…
Thanks to the customers at the shop selling them in small amounts, our store was overflowing with all kinds of materials.
I yelled down to the first floor.
“Tynia? Let’s tidy up the storage.”
Tynia squeaked and climbed up the stairs, panting.
You’ve chosen the path of a shop manager.
Endure with tenacity.
“Master…?”
“I’ll make you something delicious later.”
“Ugh…”
Taking the opportunity, I dumped all the materials I had stored in my inventory into an empty box.
I felt like my smartphone was just a tad lighter.
Then I peeked around.
While Tynia was fussing and diligently starting to organize the storage, I grabbed a few things I had been looking for over her shoulder.
Tears of a fairy.
Something you can only get by defeating fairies in the 20th-floor range.
Brilliant feathers of a phoenix.
Loot from phoenixes that only appear on the 30th floor.
A deactivated circuit from an ancient golem.
Also something that only drops from the 30th floor.
…Where on earth are our non-contracted heroes finding these things?
Is there a material utopia I don’t know about?
Anyway, after picking up a few items like that.
I ignited the magical flame in the alchemy furnace.
Fwoosh──
A different kind of warmth than that of the forge enveloped my body.
It was hot, so let’s finish this quickly.
Simultaneously with the alchemy workshop opening, I uncorked a few of the alchemical reagents unlocked in the shop and poured them in.
I tossed in all the gathered materials and stirred with the alchemy ladle beside me.
My arm hurts.
Stir, stir, stir.
As I stirred, finally, something beautiful and magical began to shimmer in the cauldron.
“Oooh…!”
This resplendent glow…!
“Wow…!”
Before I knew it, Tynia, who had been organizing the storage, came over and started watching with shining eyes.
This is nothing, it can be expected.
While humbly forgiving her dereliction of duty,
With all my heart, I stirred away.
And.
Shimmer!
In an instant, a huge light flashed from the alchemy furnace.
Come forth! An ornament imbued with the soul of a phoenix!
A 7-rank accessory obtainable through alchemy!
It’s a glorious blade equivalent to a Galaxy S3 in smartphone terms… no, an accessory!
Twinkle, twinkle!
“Eh? Ehh? Master! It’s dangerous!”
Tynia screamed and pulled my hood to drag me back just as…
Boom, bang──!
A tremendous explosion erupted.
And something like a stone fragment came flying toward me──
Thwack!
“──!”
I lost consciousness with a scream.
* * *
This kind of daily life is fine.
Led by Ari’s hand, I wandered around the market.
Yo-hena was relishing her long-awaited leisure time.
Taking a moment to set aside the goddess’s power that was always activated.
I temporarily left the equipment worn in the tower at the Guild House.
Feeling the vitality of the people while in normal and comfortable clothes alongside Ari.
“Look, Yo-hena! Isn’t it pretty!”
“Yes, Ari. It’s cute.”
I gently let down my red hair that was always tied up.
With a hairpin designed to resemble Lumi stuck in her bangs, Yo-hena smiled happily at Ari.
“By the way, there are really a lot of people now.”
“True! I haven’t been in a while, but I heard that since the tower started being cleared, people are gathering from all over the world.”
I see.
We are gradually changing the world for the better…
Yo-hena felt a sense of pride.
Of course.
– Elise? Didn’t you shove orcs into a pit last time? Can’t you do a bit more of that?
…Recalling the memories of clearing the tower, I felt a tad disheartened.
Yo-hena briefly paused her thoughts.
“Next, let’s check that! The tailor over there. They have a lot of pretty clothes!”
“Yes!”
While passing by earlier, I noticed Lumi was playing with the children in the plaza.
Each of us must be living our lives like this.
With that thought in mind, while navigating the market, I tried on slightly indecent clothing prompted by Ari and even wore some accessories I had never attempted in my entire life.
In doing so, Yo-hena alleviated a bit of the burdens she had carried as a saint.
However.
Suddenly.
‘If only I could spend this time with that person…’
Huh.
What was I just thinking…?
Caught off guard by the impure thought that slipped through my mind, Yo-hena couldn’t help but flush red.
After all, that person is the lively woman right in front of me.
Ari’s lover.
Recently, I haven’t seen them acting all lovey-dovey.
…I wonder why I haven’t seen them? Did they have a fight?
“Ari, is there any problem with Ark recently?”
Yo-hena had a personality unable to quell her curiosity.
Ari tilted her head.
“Hmm? Not at all. Aren’t they just getting along as a hero and a divine being?”
She replied with an innocent expression.
‘…?’
Hero and divine being.
It’s correct but…
…Isn’t their romantic relationship usually flaunted around here?
The saint’s circuits began to rewind backwards again.
“Weren’t you dating?”
“…Me? With Ark?”
“…Then what on earth.”
I couldn’t directly ask about what happened that night.
But the initiative for the offensive had already shifted.
“Ahahah! Yo-hena, what’s this? Were you imagining something? Isn’t it inappropriate for a saint to have such impure thoughts~?”
Ari, having caught onto something, began to poke and tease Yo-hena in the side.
“Ugh…! T-t-t-t-t-that’s impure…! Ughh…!”
Since it was true I had such impure thoughts.
I was unprepared to respond and began to take indiscriminate fire from words and fingers from Ari.
Eventually.
“By any chance, that night…”
Yo-hena couldn’t suppress her curiosity and, with a red face.
In a very soft voice, asked.
“…Saint, that’s impure…! But it’s so innocent…! Crazy, crazy!”
Ari was flailing about, grabbing Yo-hena’s wrist.
They settled at an open café, ordered drinks.
“Well, you know? It’s not a kiss or sleeping while holding hands…”
Whispering.
“C-c-c-could it be…! No, how, that’s absurd, how could…”
With her three-inch tongue, Ari blew devilish whispers into the saint’s ear.
Thus.
The innocent child that was Yo-hena died.
And…
A new Yo-hena awakened with the eyes opened to adult secrets.
In the shock of her previously well-structured world of fairy tales and sacred stories crashing down in an instant.
She lost the thought of drinking her beverage and buried her head down for a while.
“Hmm? Isn’t that Tynia?”
While teasing Yo-hena, Ari sharply caught sight of the familiar crown and color combination approaching from a distance.
Finally lifting their heads, Yo-hena and Ari.
Took in the sight of Tynia gradually getting closer.
“Uh…?”
“Is something wrong?”
The always smug little demon’s face showed urgency.
And there were tears glistening in her eyes.
Both women stiffened at the ominous premonition.
And.
“Master…! Master got hurt…!”
As soon as Yo-hena heard Tynia’s voice, she instantly drew upon the power of the hero──
Throwing aside dignity and grace, she dashed with all her strength.
Moments later.
“Gah….”
“Ark?! Ark, are you okay?!”
Upon hearing Ark’s groans from the second floor of the shop.
Yo-hena rushed up the stairs as if to break them.
In her line of sight.
“…?”
Was Ark, with a gash on his forehead, bleeding profusely.
And in his hand, he held a strange object.
It was blackened, thick, long, and blunt at the end…
Something resembling what Ari had whispered about as forbidden knowledge…?
“Heal!”
At that point, Yo-hena stopped thinking.
She acted as she should as a saint.
Today, she was overwhelmed with impure thoughts.