"Hmm... Speaking of which, elves really do love the color green," Emiya spoke casually.
He often saw elves wearing green-colored clothing. When Ryuu concealed her identity, she also dyed her hair green. The desserts they liked were also deliberately smeared with green jam.
"Because elves are known as the 'Friends of Nature,' a tribe of the forest. The color that best represents nature and the forest is green. Moreover, the characteristic of the Elven royal family is their emerald-like hair color...", Goddess Demeter said.
"Wait a moment, the doorbell rang. At this time, who could it be?"
The front entrance of the flower shop was located at the street-facing position, but the doorbell that rang came from the back of the residence. Generally speaking, guests wouldn't come around to this side.
"Oh my, what a rare visitor. Miss Riveria, hello."
While eating cake in the kitchen, Emiya heard the voice of Goddess Demeter and subconsciously thought of that blonde little girl.
That girl had introduced herself as "Riveria of the Demeter Familia"... After that day, Emiya had not seen her again.
"Sorry to disturb you, Goddess Demeter."
The vice-captain of the Loki Familia, Elven Princess Riveria, politely asked, "May I ask if Mr. Emiya is here?"
"Shirou, someone is looking for you~"
Emiya met Riveria in Demeter's garden.
"I apologize. I shouldn't be disturbing you during your break," Riveria said, "However, right now, the Loki Familia has a time-sensitive commission, and we would like to request your help, Shirou."
"Is it a forging request?", Shirou asked.
Thinking about it, the only commissions he could receive from the Loki Familia would be tasks related to crafting weapons and equipment.
"I'll leave you two to talk. I'll go make some tea," Goddess Demeter said, leaving the space to Emiya and Riveria.
"Thank you, Goddess Demeter."
After Riveria finished speaking, she looked at Emiya and gave a slight nod, "Our Familia's next expedition—we hope to begin before next week, mainly considering the rebirth timing of the Dungeon's Lone King..."
Currently, the Dungeon's 37th-floor Lone King, Udaeus, had been defeated by the Ganesha Familia's expedition team. The Loki Familia hoped to complete their expedition before it respawned.
Since their expedition plan this time was to challenge the 49th-floor Lone King, Balor, they wished to avoid consuming supplies and the stamina of First-Class Adventurers on Udaeus.
"Shirou, let me ask first. Can you forge 'First-Class Armaments' now?", Riveria inquired.
Emiya answered directly, "I can."
"...Was the new weapon for [Gale] forged by you?", Riveria continued asking.
Before coming here, Riveria had first gone to the Hephaestus Familia's base and the [Hostess of Fertility] pub. It was due to the Fire Goddess's evaluation and the weapon in Ryuu's hands that she made her decision.
Emiya nodded, "That's right. Ryuu's sword was forged by me."
"In that case, on behalf of the Loki Familia, I would like to request you to forge a weapon for Alicia that reaches the level of 'First-Class Armament.'"
"No problem. I'm honored that the Loki Familia trusts me," Emiya agreed without hesitation.
He and [Pristine Garden] Alicia had shared life-and-death experiences. Back then, defeating the Black Goliath had been impossible without Alicia's fierce battle.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Shirou," Riveria said, "The payment for the weapon will be delivered on time, without any shortfall."
For some reason, perhaps an illusion, Riveria's tone seemed a little heavier when she said this.
"Understood," Emiya nodded, "By the way, Riveria-nee, I just finished making a cake. Would you like to try some?"
"A cake... No need...", Riveria politely declined.
Emiya: "It's a 'Forest Cake' that Goddess Demeter and I made together."
Riveria: "..."
A Forest Cake, and it was personally made by the goddess most skilled in cooking, Goddess Demeter... Riveria hesitated.
For non-members of the Demeter Familia, tasting the works of the Goddess of Abundance was not an easy opportunity.
'And also... He called me 'Nee-san'...'
"Speaking of which, what a coincidence," Emiya casually said, "I happen to know a girl with the same name as you, Riveria-nee. She is a member of the Demeter Familia."
Riveria: "...WHAT?"
———
Riveria tasted the "Forest Cake" made by Emiya, and she was full of praise for its flavor. So, Emiya shared half of the cake with Riveria and asked her to pass it on to Alicia and Lefiya.
Emiya also realized that among the people he knew, the proportion of elves was quite high. It seemed he would have to ask Goddess Demeter for more advice on cooking dishes favored by elves in the future.
Riveria also inquired about the other "Riveria" from Emiya and quickly identified the person based on his highly specific description.
A twelve- or thirteen-year-old, blonde, beautiful girl who uses a sword...
Even using her toes to think, Riveria knew who it was—[Sword Princess] Ais Wallenstein.
After all, little Ais's characteristics were far too obvious. The only reason Emiya failed to recognize her was that he had never seen [Sword Princess] before.
Instead, because of [Sword Princess]'s immense fame, Emiya had subconsciously assumed she should be around Ryuu's age or even a more seasoned adventurer, which led to the misunderstanding.
After leaving Goddess Demeter's residence with the cake, Riveria's expression gradually darkened, "After this expedition, I need to bring Ais over to apologize... Seriously, this child, if only she were half as sensible as Shirou."
Riveria flexed her wrist a little, 'Just bear with it for now. After the expedition, I'll give Ais a proper lesson.'
The reason was simple. If she 'educated' Ais before the expedition, she couldn't guarantee that the girl would still be able to stand and participate in it.
Before leaving, Riveria also bought a bouquet of jasmine flowers from Demeter Familia's flower shop to support their business and express her apology for disturbing the goddess.
As for Emiya, after resting peacefully for two days, he returned to his life as an adventurer and blacksmith.
First, he had to forge Alicia's weapon.
Before designing and forging Alicia's weapon, Emiya first crafted another sword, completing an order he had accepted long ago.
Back after his first dungeon adventure, he had promised Lefiya that he would forge a piece of equipment for her.
At the time, Emiya had yet to undergo a level-up and lacked the Development Abilities [Blacksmith] or [Mystery], meaning he was not capable of crafting high-level weapons.
Thus, his promise to Lefiya became a long-term commission.
But now, although he was limited to swords, Emiya had gained the ability to forge First-Tier Weapons, making it a simple task to fulfill Lefiya's request.
Moreover, Lefiya didn't need a First-Tier Weapon yet. [Thousand Elf] was only Level 2 for now, and a First-Tier Weapon would be too early for her.
Using overly powerful weapons too soon wasn't beneficial for an adventurer's growth. At this stage, a high-quality Second-Tier Weapon was more suitable for Lefiya.
Alicia had used a Second-Tier Magic Staff and a Second-Tier Elven Rapier all the way until she reached Level 5 before they were honorably retired.
'Lefiya's current staff is called [Forest's Teardrop], a gift from Riveria. It's a Second-Tier Weapon that is highly compatible with elven magic.'
It was similar to Ryuu's previous weapon, [Alf's Lumina], both being crafted from the sacred trees of the Elven Forest. The difference was in material grade. Ryuu's [Alf's Lumina] was a First-Tier Weapon.
'This staff will last Lefiya for a long time, and I can hardly make a better one... So, I should forge a melee weapon for her self-defense instead.'
Crafting staffs wasn't Emiya's specialty. He was more skilled at forging swords. Considering Lefiya's circumstances, Emiya quickly decided on the design.
Even though Alicia used a rapier, and Ryuu wielded a katana, neither of those weapons suited Lefiya. Their weapons required agility and swordsmanship skills, which Lefiya clearly lacked.
Lefiya wasn't a Magic Swordsman, but rather a pure firepower-focused artillery Mage. Her need for a melee weapon wasn't for attacking, but for self-defense.
She didn't need swordsmanship. Just the ability to stab or slash monsters when they got too close.
So, Emiya chose a straight-edged one-handed sword. The most basic and straightforward sword type, perfect for beginners like Lefiya.
She didn't need to train in sword techniques, only to develop the courage to face monsters. That alone would make the weapon useful.
Additionally, during the forging process, thanks to [Mystery], Emiya managed to imbue the sword with a simple Magic—or rather, a special application of magic power.
Plain and unembellished, it was literally Magic Release. By consuming magic power, the sword could generate a shockwave and wind pressure to blow away nearby enemies.
It consumed a considerable amount of magic, had no lethal power, but was practical. Especially for Lefiya, a "Magic Power Idiot" with absurdly high magic quantity and quality.
She wasn't lacking in magic, only afraid of close combat.
In other words, crafting such a secondary weapon for Lefiya took quite a bit of thought from Emiya.
Since it wasn't a primary weapon, he didn't use luxurious materials like sacred tree wood. Instead, he simply used Mithril and materials dropped by a mid-level dungeon bird monster.
Considering the sword's effect, Emiya named it [Wind Guardian].
However, forging Lefiya's weapon was merely an appetizer—the real challenge was Alicia's requested First-Tier Weapon.
Theoretically, a Level 2 blacksmith with [Blacksmith] could forge a First-Tier Weapon, but in reality, very few could do so independently. Even in the entire Labyrinth City, only a handful of smiths, including [Cyclops], were capable of it, and they were undoubtedly grandmasters.
Emiya was a born grandmaster in the field of swords, and fortunately, Alicia, like Ryuu, was a Magic Swordswoman. Her weapon of choice was also a sword.
'Alicia's combat style is based on Parallel Chanting, combined with high-speed rapier strikes and frequent magic-based control and attacks. A fast-paced assault type. Her magic [Hail Dust] is a rare ultra-short-chanting spell.'
For every one spell Ryuu chanted, Alicia could chant at least five times. [Hail Dust] wasn't extremely powerful, but its efficiency made it the core battle strength of [Pristine Garden].
'Right now, Alicia is still using a rapier and a magic staff together. But this setup is becoming outdated. What she truly needs is a sword that also functions as a magic staff.'
'Or perhaps... a weapon with [Transformation] properties...? No, that wouldn't be suitable. Alicia's main offense still relies on melee combat, while her magic serves more for control and support... A sword would be the best choice.'
'[Hail Dust]... Alicia has developed this magic quite extensively. If only it could be enhanced further...'
Emiya quickly became absorbed in thought, murmuring to himself, 'Ice... Ice's core properties are coldness and—'
His gaze fell on the pre-prepared sword-forging materials, among which were some special items. The Black Goliath's Bone and its hardened hide.
These were the drop items from the Black Goliath that Ryuu and Alicia had slain. Its magic stone had been destroyed by Lefiya's spell, but the adventurers had not forgotten to retrieve the remaining materials.
Looking at the giant's bone, Emiya had an idea.
"Shaping," He softly uttered another key characteristic of ice.
[Skadi of Ice]
This name instinctively surfaced in his mind.
In Norse mythology, Skadi was the goddess of winter. In this world, she resided not in Orario, but in the distant Northern Lands.
———
"Skadi, huh? When you first meet her, she feels like a cold and emotionless ice queen, but actually, she's quite absent-minded... At her core, she's just a natural airhead," The goddess Hephaestus described the fellow goddess Skadi in this way.
"Natural airhead?", Emiya wasn't quite sure how to evaluate that.
"Skadi is an unparalleled beauty, you know? She's not even inferior to those goddesses of beauty," Suddenly, the goddess Hephaestus started talking about something unrelated.
Emiya: "That doesn't really matter..."
The goddess Skadi resided in the distant, far-northern kingdom. If nothing unexpected happened, Emiya would probably never meet her in his lifetime.
"Hmm... In any case, with Skadi's personality, she wouldn't be angry just because you named a weapon after her."
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