Chapter 12. It's Her, But It's Not Her

[Arc3] - 12. It's Her, But It's Not Her

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Without adventurers, supporters are merely weaklings who cannot survive in the dungeon—mere dependents. Knowing how weak she was, unable to refute this fact, she could only go with the flow.

What's the use of earning billions of Valis?

She didn't kill the monsters; she was merely a porter. She should be grateful she wasn't kicked aside…

Lili held a large bag of Valis in silence.

She had received a third of the loot as a supporter, while Cyd, who did all the fighting, only took four shares.

"I didn't do much," Ryuu initially refused her share.

"Next, I'll need your help selecting equipment, which will probably take up a lot of your work time. If I don't compensate you, I'll feel guilty," Cyd insisted, forcing the money pouch into Ryuu's hands.

"Well then... Lord Cyd, I'll take my leave now," Lili said tentatively.

"Mm, thank you. You were a great help," Cyd waved.

"Uh... thank you," Lili felt a bit uneasy under Cyd's clear gaze. She bowed and then hurriedly disappeared into the crowd as if fleeing.

"Did I scare her?" Cyd tilted his head in confusion, feeling a bit downcast.

"Who knows," Ryuu glanced at the sun in the sky. "We should have enough time if we go to pick out equipment now."

"I'll be relying on you again today," Cyd smiled, placing his hand on Ryuu's shoulder.

Ryuu was momentarily stunned, staring at Cyd in strange silence.

The suddenness made Cyd's smile a bit stiff.

Did I mess up…

"That guy just touched an elf."

As Cyd hesitated, a small voice reached his ears, full of schadenfreude, clearly expecting something amusing to happen.

Cyd swallowed nervously, watching Ryuu's slightly widened eyes, unsure whether to pull his hand back.

"Mm, it's fine," Ryuu glanced at the hand on her shoulder and nodded, walking past Cyd, her indifferent demeanor as if nothing had happened. "I'll take you to the Hephaestus Familia shop."

"He didn't get hit!"

An adventurer who had clearly suffered before opened his mouth wide in disbelief.

"Um…" Cyd caught up to Ryuu, "I didn't offend you just now, did I?"

"There's no problem," Ryuu replied expressionlessly.

"Then… could you at least look at me, Miss Ryuu?" Cyd scratched his face, feeling as though Ryuu was speeding up to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Just call me Ryuu," she quickened her pace.

"Can't you at least look at me!"

Despite Cyd's relentless pestering, Ryuu never explained. However, he soon saw a familiar figure standing in front of a shop, acting as a poster girl. Although she tried hard to signal him not to approach with her eyes, he…

"Yo! What are you doing, Goddess Hestia~" Cyd smiled, approaching Hestia.

"As you can see…" Hestia lowered her head in resignation and pointed to the sign next to her, "I'm working."

"Weren't you working at a snack shop?" Cyd gestured to the sign that was nearly as big as Hestia.

"Well… You said you wanted to get Bell new equipment, right? As his Familia Goddess, I have to do something… So I asked an old friend for a favor, and she wanted to see my commitment."

"Mm-hmm. Can I meet your friend?" Cyd narrowed his eyes in curiosity.

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, feeling that Cyd was looking forward to meeting Hephaestus.

"Uh… you can, but don't do anything unnecessary. If you make her angry, it'll be troublesome for me," Hestia glanced at Cyd's bulging money pouch, reluctant but eventually pushed open the shop door, "She's in the workshop at the back."

"Good luck working hard for Bell," Cyd patted Hestia's head.

"Hmph, as if I need you to tell me! Bell isn't yours," Hestia huffed.

"I'm his teacher, after all~" Cyd chuckled as he walked into the shop. "A teacher can't always stay by a student's side, but you are his safe haven…"

"You…" Hestia opened her mouth, but the door had already closed. "Tch, when it comes to my love for Bell, I definitely won't lose!"

Hestia clenched her fist.

"This scent really brings back memories," Cyd ran his hand over the weapons displayed on the shelves. "But… it's not you…"

"What did you mean earlier?" Ryuu followed Cyd, asking quietly. "About not always being by Bell's side."

"Isn't it obvious? I'll train Bell, help him become the person he aspires to be," Cyd approached the workshop door. The sound of hammering grew louder, and Cyd sighed softly, placing his hand on the door. "When that time comes, as his teacher, I'll be able to leave with peace of mind."

"He'll probably be very sad," Ryuu tilted her head. "He really looks up to you."

She could already imagine the young boy, like a rabbit, crying his eyes out.

"That's why I'll make him a mature adult," Cyd pushed open the door, a faint smile tugging at his lips, one that Ryuu couldn't decipher. "A teacher's job is to help their students avoid all the misfortunes they once encountered."

He would leave. Someday, he would leave, because this place wasn't his final destination.

But at least, he wanted Bell, the small boy who dreamed of becoming a hero, to grow into a reliable hero.

Only then could he leave with peace of mind.

"You really are a strange person," Ryuu lowered her eyes.

"Am I?" Cyd shrugged and walked over to the red-haired woman standing by the forge, holding a hammer. "Nice to meet you, Goddess of the Forge, Lady Hephaestus."

"Hmm… I should've told Hestia not to let others in," Hephaestus raised an eyebrow.

"Well, she's so small, and we just forced our way in," Cyd glanced at the forge. A short sword had already taken shape. "Also, I'm here to request you to forge a weapon."

"Then make an appointment, follow the procedures," Hephaestus shot Cyd a glare before turning back to the short sword on the anvil. "I'm very busy right now."

"Let's go," Ryuu tugged at Cyd's clothes.

Hephaestus's attitude clearly indicated she didn't want to deal with them. If they stayed and annoyed her, they might jeopardize future equipment orders.

"It's fine," Cyd patted Ryuu's hand and approached Hephaestus at the forge.

Ryuu stared at her hand, falling into silence.

Again… he touched her, not through clothes but directly. What was this strange feeling of comfort?

Ryuu clenched her fist.

"I told you to leave, didn't I?" Hephaestus frowned in annoyance.

"I might be able to help a bit," Cyd placed [Reforged Pandora] on the ground.

"I wasn't joking…" Hephaestus's eyes widened as she stared at [Reforged Pandora] on the ground, or more precisely, the line of text on it.

What in the world is that!

"Hey, if you mess this up, I'll still charge you." Hephaestus glared at Cyd in displeasure. "And you'll have to explain that box to me later!"

"Understood, oh willful goddess~"