"Shirou~", Alicia leapt forward. With the full burst of speed from a Level 5 Magic Swordsman, Shirou had no chance to evade.
Alicia embraced Emiya, her broad bosom accommodating the boy's head.
"Really, thank you so much, Shirou. This is the most amazing sword I've ever seen."
"No, it's the most powerful weapon in the labyrinth city."
Nearby, Tsubaki sheathed her tachi, [Benishigure], shrugged, and thought to herself, 'Unfortunately, that's not the case~'
'Although the visual effect of the Ice Giant looks more exaggerated, [Higanbana] and [Tsubame Gaeshi] are still stronger...', This was Tsubaki's professional judgment as a blacksmith.
The most special thing about this sword was its material. [Bones of the Black Goliath], a unique material that was unprecedented and almost impossible to replicate.
In terms of craftsmanship, even though Emiya poured his heart and soul into forging [Skadi of Ice], just as he did with his other works, the essence infused into the sword was ultimately different.
Having seen the black-and-red twin swords, Tsubaki was not surprised by the strength of [Skadi of Ice].
Of course, she wouldn't dampen Alicia's enthusiasm at this moment either.
'You're truly remarkable. Now, you are undoubtedly the greatest blacksmith in the city,' Tsubaki looked at Emiya's figure and thought with satisfaction, 'The only one who could surpass you is probably the serious Hephaestus herself...'
That goddess of fire could forge a shield containing an entire world, recreating a world within a small space. Facing that shield meant confronting a world itself. Any attack would be isolated.
That was the true power of divine armaments.
Shaking her head, she stopped dwelling on distant matters and quickly adjusted her mood. Emiya's work had also sparked countless inspirations within her. As the [One-Eyed Giant Craftsman], she set new directions and goals for herself.
On the other side, Emiya was still tightly held by Alicia. Tsubaki chuckled and gently patted the shoulder of the still-dazed Tione.
With just one sentence, she instantly snapped the Amazon girl back to reality, "Lefiya's sword costs 50 million valis, and the expendable magic stones are separate. The price of [Skadi of Ice] is 600 million valis. Will you be paying in cash, or shall I put it on Loki Familia's tab?"
"600 MILLION VALIS?", Tione's loud exclamation drew everyone's attention.
"What... 600 million valis... could it be...", Alicia voiced her confusion, but in the next moment, she realized what it meant. Her voice trembled, and the fingers of her right hand, gripping the sword, turned slightly white.
Alicia: "This sword's price is... s-six... six hundred million valis?"
Tsubaki: "That's right~"
The single eye of the [One-Eyed Giant Craftsman] curved into an arc, seemingly enjoying the adventurers' terror at the astronomical price of high-level armaments.
As a proud blacksmith, Tsubaki never compromised on the price of her weapons and equipment.
It wasn't about money. Tsubaki had been the city's top blacksmith for a long time and had already achieved financial freedom. She might occasionally lack cash flow, but her workshop and treasury were filled with various collectibles, prototypes, and rare materials—any of which could be sold for a fortune.
To Tsubaki, however, the price of equipment reflected the blacksmith's talent, inspiration, and sweat.
The number represented the value of the blacksmith's effort. A weapon that could be sold for the best price was the greatest respect and recognition for its creator.
For Tione, Tsubaki was one of the toughest opponents to haggle with. And regarding that weapon [Skadi of Ice] she couldn't even find a way to negotiate.
"600 million...", Tiona couldn't help but exclaim, "My [Urga] was only 120 million valis..."
Generally speaking, the price of first-tier weapons ranged from 50 million to 200 million valis, mostly determined by the weapon's specifications.
For example, Tione's [Zolas] was priced at only 58 million valis due to its short dagger length. Meanwhile, heavy weapons like greatswords, lances, and battle axes usually cost over 100 million valis.
Additionally, staffs were often the most expensive type of first-tier equipment.
So far, the most expensive first-tier weapon Tione knew of was [Magna Alfs], the staff of [Nine Hell] Riveria.
It was forged by a blacksmith from the magic nation of Altena and was one of the [Five Supreme Staves] in the lower world, including the labyrinth city.
The oversized staff, inlaid with nine top-tier magic stones, could elevate magic potency to its peak.
Made of [Magical Metal] and [Holy Emperor Ore], the staff was not only highly efficient at conducting magic but also incredibly durable, strong enough to be used as a long-handled weapon.
Even without its gems, [Magna Alfs] was priced at 340 million valis, about half of [Skadi of Ice]'s 600 million valis valuation.
"600 million valis... this price is just too outrageous..."
"If you think it's not worth the price, you can reconsider," Tsubaki's voice was confident, "But let me be clear—once it hits the shelves, Loki Familia might not get a second chance."
"...No, I think it's worth the price," After a brief hesitation, Tione made up her mind, "It's just that we don't have that much valis right now."
"No problem. Loki Familia's credit is trustworthy," Tsubaki's attitude was amicable.
No one would doubt Loki Familia's ability to repay. A single successful expedition could bring in tens of billions in profit, and their credit was impeccable.
[Wind Guardian] – 50 million valis, paid on the spot.
[Skadi of Ice] – 600 million valis, temporarily on credit.
On the eve of their expedition, Loki Familia took on another massive debt.
The spoils from their journey, magic stones and materials, would likely go straight toward repayment, and even then, one trip might not be enough.
Loki Familia's expedition essentially turned into labor work for someone else.
Lefiya, gripping her shortsword, felt a bit nervous.
[Wind Guardian] was priced at 50 million valis, the upper limit for second-tier weapons. It was more expensive than the staff she currently used and was undoubtedly a huge sum for a mere Level 2 adventurer.
However, due to the shockingly high price of 600 million, Lefiya somehow felt that it was actually quite reasonable.
"Shirou's work was personally appraised and priced by Hephaestus herself. It's definitely worth the cost,".Tsubaki spoke calmly, "You should consider yourselves lucky. In the future, such weapons might not be available even if you have the money."
———
[Loki Familia Headquarters, Twilight Manor]
"That's how things happened, Lady Riveria," Alicia lowered her head in shame, like a child who had made a mistake.
Loki Familia had always had a tradition. When a member advanced to Level 5, the Familia would fund the creation of a first-tier weapon as a reward. Finn, Riveria, Ais, and Tiona had all benefited from this policy.
However, the price of every commissioned weapon had never exceeded a few hundred million valis. Riveria's bare staff was 340 million, and her fully-gemmed supreme staff was something she purchased privately as the Elven Princess.
Yet today, Alicia's sword alone had cost the Familia a staggering 600 million valis. Enough to forge five of Tiona's Urga or six of Ais's Desperate.
After the excitement of obtaining [Skadi of Ice] wore off, Alicia realized the issue and voluntarily approached Riveria to apologize.
"This has always been our Familia's rule. You don't need to feel guilty," Riveria responded with a composed tone.
Though she had nearly suffered a heart attack upon hearing "600 million valis," she maintained her dignity before her admiring subordinates.
"As long as it's worth the price, it's not a problem. In fact, acquiring such a sword is a gain for us," Riveria said, "Valis can always be earned again, but a weapon like this isn't something one can easily come across."
She had already learned from Alicia about the power of [Skadi of Ice]. Though she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, the descriptions. Such as the nearly three-meter-tall "giant skeletal frame" and its ability to easily block a full-powered strike from the [One-Eyed Giant Craftsman] were already more than enough proof of its value.
Alicia was adamant that the cost of the weapon should be paid by her personally. In the end, after her repeated insistence, Riveria agreed: the six hundred million valis for [Skadi of Ice] would be split evenly between Alicia and the Loki Familia, meaning three hundred million valis each.
At the same time, the familia's regulations were amended to include a new clause, going forward, the maximum funding provided by the familia for the weapon of a newly promoted first-tier adventurer would be three hundred million valis.
However, despite what Alicia said, her personal savings were actually empty. This sum of money was still registered as a debt under the Loki Familia.
Alicia declared energetically, "Don't worry, Lady Riveria! Even if I have to sell myself to Lord Shirou, I'll definitely pay back the three hundred million valis!"
Riveria: "…Please, just work hard using normal means."
Alicia pulled herself together and left Riveria's study, while the elven princess let out a deep sigh and slumped ungracefully onto the sofa chair.
Only when she was alone would the dignified elven princess reveal a slightly different demeanor from usual. She casually ran her fingers through her hair, allowing her gem-like emerald locks to spread out, with strands falling loosely over her slender, pale neck—creating a disheveled yet lazy beauty.
Riveria wasn't particularly troubled by the Loki Familia's financial situation. Although the familia was currently facing a debt crisis that was enough to cause a headache for its steward, Riveria understood that all of this was actually a result of the Loki Familia's rapid growth in recent times.
The new generation of children had borne the fruits of their talent, and even a veteran member like Alicia had broken through her bottleneck. The familia had gained five new first-tier adventurers in a short period, to the point that they were momentarily overshadowing the Freya Familia.
The essence of the Loki Familia's financial crisis was a happy problem. Although they had incurred massive debts, their foundation had grown stronger than ever.
As long as the fact remained that they were the "strongest group composed of multiple first-tier adventurers," the Loki Familia had nothing to fear.
What truly made Riveria uneasy, and even worried, was Finn's unintentional observation, the tides of a new era had already begun to surge.
The [Sword Princess], maintaining her astonishing speed of growth, had stepped into the realm of first-tier adventurers.
The [Gale], after a brief disappearance, had returned like a monarch, now catching up to the Sword Princess.
The emergence of new types of magic swords, whose power far surpassed those of the past.
First-tier weapons that seemed like creations from myths.
'And at the very center of this storm of a new era—
That child, Shirou Emiya.'
Suddenly, Riveria felt like she could no longer see things clearly. She couldn't keep up with the pace of these children, whose growth far exceeded her expectations. She couldn't grasp this era, which was becoming somewhat unfamiliar to her.
"Could it be that I'm getting old? But I'm not even a hundred years old yet," Riveria muttered to herself, "Should I also ask Shirou to craft me a sword…?"
———
While Lefiya and the others were testing swords at the Hephaestus Familia, the [Sword Princess] Ais was not resting either, she was training in the dungeon.
By studying Shirou's strategies, she had found a method to effectively train herself even in the upper floors of the dungeon, where monsters were relatively weak. High-speed movement combined with deliberately targeting specific spots.
She mimicked Shirou, only attacking a monster's single eye. For each monster, she aimed to strike just once. To plunge the Desperate into its left eye, stir it around, then withdraw it, ensuring a swift kill.
At the same time, she controlled her strength as much as possible, avoiding decapitating the monsters entirely with a single blow.
Even though any attack from the [Sword Princess] could effortlessly pierce or cleave through the seemingly tough hides and shells of monsters, Ais stubbornly adhered to this inefficient and laborious attack method.
The results proved that this kind of practice was highly effective. Ais' "Dexterity" stat was increasing at an accelerated rate, significantly outpacing the growth of her other stats.
One unintended consequence, however, was the growing rumors in the upper floors about a [Hunter of Eyes].
Since dungeon monsters quickly disintegrated into ashes upon death, Ais' rapid movements left little evidence. Yet, many still caught glimpses of the traces she left behind.
Now, many low-level adventurers were spreading exaggerated stories that a mutated monster species specializing in consuming eyes had appeared in the upper floors. Their paranoia had almost reached the point where they were ready to request a designated extermination mission from the Guild.
"Not enough… The current me is still far from matching the [Gale]…", Ais stabbed her sword into the left eye of a tiger-type monster, then dashed forward like the wind, seeking her next target.
She couldn't help but compare herself to the [Gale]. After all, being defeated by Ryuu had left a deep impact on her.
Since becoming an adventurer, Ais had certainly faced losses before. However, every enemy or monster she had failed to defeat in the past had always been of a higher level than her.
For example, the 'Great Demon King' Riveria. Aiz had been suppressed by her countless times, and even now, she still couldn't stand against Riveria's overwhelming force.
However, ever since unlocking her magic [Ariel], Ais had never once lost to an opponent of the same level.
Her only draw had been in a conflict with Ryuu several years ago, and back then, Ais had felt she held the advantage. If the fight had continued, she believed she would have won.
But this time, the [Gale] had outright defeated her. This battle had been a complete loss.
The slight arrogance and complacency she had developed after reaching Level 5 were utterly shattered, and Ais began training even harder. And because of her influence, the [Ferocious Wolf] Bete from the same familia also intensified his training.
Ryuu, having leveled up, had become a catalyst. Not only for the formerly laid-back girls at [Hostess of Fertility] but even for the Loki Familia.
'I lost to the [Gale] for two main reasons. First, the [Gale] is much more skilled in combat against humans,' Ais continued her precise monster slaying while contemplating.
This wasn't an excuse but a fact. Not only did Ais' skills specifically target monsters, but her combat experience was also mostly tied to dungeon exploration, training, and expeditions.
Whereas Ryuu, her experience in human combat was likely unmatched in the entire city.
Regarding this gap, Ais could accept it. After all, she had no enemies she wished to fight. Only one monster she absolutely had to defeat.
The Black Dragon.
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