46 A New Dawn

Waking up feeling more refreshed than ever, Cairn couldn't prevent a smile from developing across his face. He was usually spent after one, maybe two shots, but the previous night, he and Elle had gone at it six times in a row. They had also experimented quite a bit, changing positions more than a dozen times, leaving Cairn questioning if what they had been doing before could even qualify as sex...

"Someone's in a good mood," mused Vira, once again sitting in the chair next to Cairn's and Elle's bed.

"Try not to ruin it," quipped Cairn, causing Vira's usual, somewhat creepy smile to become more prominent.

"If anything, this ought to improve it," said Vira, preempting Cairn's query by materializing her tablet and tapping its surface a few times. Once she was finished, Cairn's 'smartphone,' known colloquially as an Omni-Comm, began vibrating atop the nearby nightstand.

Since Elle was a deep sleeper, Cairn wasn't too worried about waking her as he reached over to grab his Omni-Comm, unlocking in response to his thumb and distinctive mana signature. When he saw its contents, he read aloud, "C-Rank Party, Cairn and Company, has received authorization to enter the following Dungeons..." followed by a lengthy list of Dungeons in, near, and far from the Capital.

Raising his gaze to meet Vira's, Cairn remarked, "You don't waste time..."

"Which is why I have a request for you," appended Vira. "I want you and Kai'ankh to reach Level 30 before adding that Sand Cat or recruiting other members to your Party. To facilitate this, I will lend you a special device that increases Experience gain below Level 40."

"What's the catch...?" asked Cairn, narrowing his eyes and frowning in suspicion.

"Well, the device was designed to make it easier to rear beasts, so it has a very 'bold' design," mused Vira. "Beyond that, I wanted to remind you that your Fledgling Hero Title will vanish once you reach Level 20 if you do not upgrade it."

"I'm well aware..." replied Cairn. However, as the upgrade method of the Title was just a bunch of question marks, he didn't know how to proceed. Unfortunately, though Vira saw through his introspections, she couldn't help him, teasing, "If one could simply be told how to become a Hero, the world would be filled with them. The only advice I can give is to remain true to yourself. If that isn't enough, then you simply weren't meant to be a Hero."

Undercutting her words, Vira rose to her feet and abruptly raised the hem of her skirt, unashamedly exhibiting her lack of panties. Cairn turned away quickly, but not before he saw the 'tattoo' engraved above Vira's pussy, a runic symbol resembling the Roman numerals IX.

"Oh, you can't even look at another woman now?" asked Vira, raising her skirt even higher and flapping it as she teased, "Ms. Dakota is going to be disappointed the next time she asks you to help her pick an outfit~."

"You're unbelievably annoying sometimes..." replied Cairn. However, as if to show he wasn't intimidated by Vira's nakedness, he looked toward her, staring at the symbol above her crotch as he asked, "That supposed to be a serial number?"

"That's actually on the inside of my body," answered Vira, subsequently using her right hand to trace the numerals as she mused, "This represents my standing among the most powerful beings in Plainaire. I'm presently Rank 9th, but it's been around 3500 years since I actively tried to improve it."

"You're the ninth strongest...in the world?" asked Cairn, his eyes widening despite Vira being the progenitor of the Dwarves and the President of the Freelance Company. It made sense that she had legitimate power to back up her authority.

Exhaling an amused chuckle, Vira allowed her skirt to fall as she asserted, "The only Ranks that matter are the top three, presently held by the Pope, his mommy, and the self-titled Sea God. My rock-headed sister, Yuddha, is also a monster, but her inability to swim prevents her from securing the third position for herself."

Seemingly remembering something, Vira added, "On the subject of my sister, you should avoid crossing paths with her. Unlike me, she doesn't concern herself with things like 'consent.' If she takes an interest in you, there isn't much you can do but wait for her to get bored."

"..."

Taking advantage of Cairn's silence, Vira exhaled a throaty chuckle as she vanished into thin air. In the wake of her departure, though she was likely still present, Cairn solemnly promised himself that he would avoid visiting Thania at all costs. If Vira was going out of her way to warn him, Yuddha, known throughout the Central Continent as the 'Battle God,' had to be an exceptionally dangerous individual...

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Though Kaia usually waited outside his door, Cairn wasn't too surprised by her absence as he and Elle descended the nearby stairs to the dining area. There, they found the bunny-eared girl sitting at a table. However, while she was knitting, as usual, Cairn had to raise his brows when he saw Felix sitting on her back, braiding her thick mane of hair while smiling and humming.

"Ah, Boss~!" exclaimed Felix, smiling even brighter as he waved Cairn and Elle over, waiting until they reached the table to ask, "I take it the two of you had an enjoyable evening~?"

Before Cairn could tell Felix to mind his own business, Elle returned a smile and gave a thumbs up, unhesitantly revealing, "It was amazing! Cairn was like—"

"That's enough out of you..." said Cairn, plopping his hand on Elle's head and gently ruffling her hair, causing her to giggle and stick out her tongue.

"I see our Boss is the humble type that doesn't like to brag," mused Felix, his gaze focused on Cairn and Elle while his hands skillfully braided Kaia's hair.

"Something like that..." replied Cairn, turning his attention to Kaia to ask, "Did you get the message?"

Understanding that Cairn was referring to their Dungeon authorization, Kaia nodded affirmingly, stating, "I'm ready to depart whenever you are."

Beaming excitedly, Felix asked, "Are we going somewhere~!?" in an eager tone. He didn't consider himself much of a fighter, but he had an almost overwhelming desire to see and experience new things. He also received more money if he accompanied Cairn and Kaia into the Dungeon, so Felix didn't mind tagging along. If nothing else, then to see what his seemingly affluent employers were capable of...

"It will just be me, Kaia, and that traitorous little rat," asserted Cairn. He was also considering taking Reine with them, but that could wait until he acquired a spare Statuette of the Goddess and reached Level 20, at the very least.

Though he was somewhat disappointed by Cairn's refusal, Felix laughed it off and teased, "Well, so long as I receive my dues, I'm fine with hanging out at the Inn. Though, on that note..."

Meeting Cairn's gaze, Felix asked, "Rather than sitting around all day, do you mind if I go out and earn some extra money? I mentioned this before, but I have a lot of younger brothers and sisters depending on me to send money home."

"That's up to her," said Cairn, gesturing at Kaia with his head. In response, she unhesitantly replied, "I'm fine with it, but if you're going to be out and about, there's someone I want you to investigate. You don't need to do so directly, but if you can acquire information on him, it would aid our cause."

"If it's for you, fluffy-butt, I'd even spy on the King," said Felix, surprising Kaia by reaching around the front of her body and hugging her. She didn't mind the familiarity, but her eyes instinctually darted to Cairn, worried he might get annoyed if she and Felix were 'too friendly.'

Noticing Kaia's gaze, Cairn's smile cramped as he felt a pang of guilt. In truth, he 'was' annoyed by Felix's antics, but he did his best not to show it, piggybacking off her words to ask, "Are you talking about Philip?"

Regaining her smile, Kaia nodded her head and replied, "Indeed. It might not be necessary, but I believe it's better to have excess information than not enough. If Philip and his men target the Inn while we're away, it could put Ms. Dakota in a difficult situation."

Drawing everyone's gazes to her, Elle proposed, "Mari and I could always expand the basement and build a sub-basement underneath it. She plans to join our expedition, so I don't see why she can't stay here. Then I won't have to commute to and from her workshop."

Though he would have refused a few days prior, Cairn didn't hesitate to respond, "Sounds good. I was going to deliver the letter to Asim's sister, but I can do that tomorrow and focus on helping with moving stuff from Mari's workshop today."

"Well, aren't you a gentleman~" mused Elle, pulling Cairn's collar and standing on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. It was a little awkward due to Felix watching them with his seemingly unblinking eyes and over-friendly smile, but Cairn adopted one of his own before pulling the petite Dwarf closer and planting a kiss on her head, causing her to giggle...

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"They're multiplying..." muttered Fleur, looking between Cairn and Felix with a surly yet adorable look on her face.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing~" mused Felix, undaunted by Fleur's distrusting expression and tone. Seventy percent of the reason he had become a Freelancer was to send money to the orphanage that took him in when he was abandoned and on the verge of starvation, so he had a soft spot for kids, especially those who regarded the world and certain types of people as their enemy.

"Don't call me cute..." replied Fleur, her frown deepening as she puffed out her cheeks.

"But it is my nature to speak my mind~!" exclaimed Felix, placing his hand over his chest as he added, "And cute things must be acknowledged! The world demands it! If it didn't, you wouldn't be so adorable~!"

Frowning deeply, Fleur looked like she wanted to say something but turned her attention to her food, stabbing at a piece of sausage with a two-pronged fork. As she did, Reine gently caressed her hair, teasing, "You know, Fleur, it only makes you appear even more adorable when you pout..."

Looking up at her mother with disbelief written across her face, Fleur asked, "Really? Then..then what should I do...!?" in a childishly panicked tone. She didn't want boys to think she was cute, but she also didn't want to change since everyone said she looked like her mother.

Answering in Reine's stead, Felix weakly slammed the table as he stood up, shouting, "Embrace the cuteness and weaponize it! That way, when people you don't like call you cute, you can lure them into a false sense of security before, BLAM, you kick them right in the–"

"Oi," interjected Cairn, his expression and tone flat as he said, "Don't go saying weird shit in front of an eight-year-old..."

"But you can't deny it's effective," mused Felix, sticking his tongue out and winking. Fortunately for him, Reine supported his statement, saying, "It is. That's why I already taught it to my daughter when she started attending lessons at the Church. Isn't that right, sweetie~?"

Once again reminding Cairn that he was in a different world, Fleur smiled widely and enthusiastically replied, "Uh-huh! First, you hit them as hard as you can below the belt! Then, if no adults are around to help, you jump on their head with both feet and then run as fast as you can...!"

"That's right~" affirmed Reine, caressing her daughter's head with a loving smile. However, if one were to look closely, there was a flame of hatred in her eyes, not for any particular person. Rather, it was the ember of fury all mothers had for those who would harm their children, appearing as a tiny mote but capable of becoming an intense blaze the moment their children were in danger...

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(A/N: Grab his thing and twist it...!)