18 chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Level Up Report and Commission

Our first stop would be the guild to report my level up.

Luckily, this month's Denatus would be held in a couple of days, so I will quickly get my first alias. Although seeing some of the other aliases out there, I'm not that eager to receive one.

I'll have to remember to beg Mother Astraea to get me a good name and not something stupid.

Notably, we received many stares making our way toward the guild, usually, this would be due to the popularity of the Astraea Familia, with the looks being filled with admiration and respect.

Now though, the eyes were filled with wonder and lust, there was no doubt it was due to Ryuu.

Although she tried to dismiss the attention by firing a cold gaze toward the spectators, that in itself created its own charm, so her attempts didn't work.

Eventually, the stares became too much for the poor Elf, so we were now stopping by a small clothing shop on the way to get her a cheap cloak to cover up her appearance.

"Hey, shopkeeper, would 100 valis be enough?"

"Huh? That thing? Sure, thanks for taking it off my hands kid."

Quickly closing the deal, I then turn to Ryuu and wrap her in the cloak, tying it closed with its frayed laces.

"Thank you, Sirius. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Haha, it's fine Ryuu. It seems that you were too beautiful."

I would normally get flustered at such blatantly flirtatious words, but her current shy appearance, hiding under the cloak with a blushing face, was simply too cute not to tease.

Wait.

Did I possibly awake something?

Am I a sadist now?

No.

A teasing sadist?

Coming to terms with my discovery of self, we eventually found ourselves in front of the guild's reception desk, specifically Rose's desk.

"Astraea Familia, what can I do for you?"

"Heya Rose! We have a level up to report!"

"I see, did you finally become a first-class adventurer Alise?"

"Nope, something even better! Come on up Sirius!"

Waving to Rose after that embarrassing introduction, I notice her eyes widen in realization while her ears perk up.

"C-Certainly that makes sense after your encounter with the irregular Infant Dragon. Though it is still surprising that you beat the Sword Princess's record so handily. Now, sign here to confirm your new level, I don't doubt you, but do keep in mind lying about a level-up is a serious offence."

Brushing off her surprise so fast with her professional atmosphere, that's just like Rose.

Quickly signing the paper, which essentially ensures that you are the person reporting the level-up and will face the consequences of lying, we then bid Rose goodbye and started towards Babel, where our main task for today awaits in my new set of armour.

On our way, I decided to ask Alise something that had been bothering me.

"Hey, Alise. I know that when I started adventuring, I was making nothing so that's why I didn't contribute to the Familia, but with my savings now, wouldn't I make a significant dent in our Familia's savings?"

"Hmm, well first off, with Lyra as our head in economics, we're a pretty frugal Familia. Second, most of our needed funds come from quests and expeditions, which is why Lyra took a lot of money from when you completed that quest. Lastly, for big purchases that will last the member a long time, like the armour you're buying, any money the member doesn't have enough of comes out of the Familia's funds, within reason of course, so even if you gave a bunch of it to the Familia you would end up spending a lot of it anyways."

"I see, I guess I have to contribute to expeditions before I can help out the Familia properly."

"Relax, you've done plenty already, and us being such a small Familia, we don't have very many expenses. If you want to help the Familia, then survive, and stand for justice as you did saving, who was it again? Ah, yes, Naaza."

"Naaza?"

"She didn't tell you her name? Well, I guess it was a pretty hectic situation. Naaza is the girl you saved yesterday, you know, she was pretty cute wasn't she?"

"Mmm, I guess, her dog ears looked quite fluff- Ouch!"

I look to my side where a cloaked Ryuu had just poked me with her level 4 strength.

Looking up at me with a cold gaze, she puffed her cheeks out in a pouting manner.

"Indecent human."

I and Alise then looked at each other, holding our stare for a moment, before simultaneously chuckling at the adorable scene, making Ryuu even madder.

Now, I am not oblivious to the quite obvious sign of affection Ryuu has been showing me, and I myself am immensely attracted to her.

But there comes with that a few problems.

One, what is my age in this world?

And what morals should I follow concerning a relationship as far as ages go?

Even as a 17-year-old, Ryuu is immensely mature.

In fact, you could say a 15-year-old here could be considered an adult in terms of maturity from back on Earth.

Regardless, I decided long ago that I would only date someone once they reach 18 and not think any longer on the subject.

Second, my place is in the Astraea Familia.

I, as a man, am allowed to be a member because they trust me to not be a lustful asshole, if I started dating Ryuu, how would that affect my standing?

And don't even get me started on what would happen if we somehow didn't work out.

Third, Ryuu is an Elf.

Her increased lifespan due to her race isn't a problem as once I reach level 7, ageing begins to slow rapidly, so at least I wouldn't be leaving her alone after I die.

But it's due to her culture.

Elves only ever take one partner, for life, so I can't exactly 'date' her so casually, the only option for a romantic relationship would be marriage, and I cannot be certain I love her 'that' much just yet.

Lastly, I'm not certain Ryuu herself realizes her own feelings yet.

Most likely due to her Elven upbringing making her extremely innocent with matters about relationships.

So waiting a year until Ryuu turns 18 will come before I ask her to be mine.

Not only would it become my acceptable age for a partner, but it would also give both of us enough time to sort out our feelings and not make me seem like a pervert to the whole Familia.

After all, if a year and a half of abstinence aren't enough to gain their complete trust, what would?

Though I should probably talk to Mother Astraea about all this, I would also ask her to get Ryuu to confront her feelings before I essentially pop the question.

Even if her confused and flustered response would be extremely satisfying to see.

Yup, I'm definitely some kind of sadist.

Ending my internal monologue, we reach Babel.

Specifically, the floor where Hephaestus Familia's best smiths sell their wears and take custom orders.

Alise has a quick talk with the receptionist before she brings us to a separate room, where the constant hammering of metal echoes past the door.

"Here is Dvalins Forge, please do not hesitate to ask me any further questions."

The receptionist then leaves, presumably to return to her desk.

"Hey Alise, why are we here? All you said to her was 'We're here for armour' and she dropped us off here."

"Oh, Dvalin is contracted to the Astraea Familia to make all of our armour. Of course, anything he made you before would've been too expensive and out of your league, but now you got the strength and money to get you something from him."

"I see, I can assume he made your armour as well?"

"Yep, apparently my Crimson Flower Heat Dress is still considered one of his best works, and that was two years ago, so he should be able to make you something good for that amount of money. Hell, you might be able to get a first-class set of armour with how light you like it."

"I see, did he make yours too Ryuu?"

I receive a nod in response.

"Ok. Uhh, are we gonna go in?"

"I already knocked so he'll come once he's finished with his hammering. It's rude to interrupt a craftsman during their work you know!"

We wait outside for another few minutes in silence, if not for the constant clang of metal, before the hammering stops and the door is opened to reveal an old man.

The old man looks to be in his 50s, slightly shorter than me while having a wide frame filled with muscles and a large beard, singed at the edges.

Truly the stereotypical appearance of a Dwarf, nothing like the feminine Asta.

"Scarlet Harnel, The Gale, good to see you. Who's the brat?"

"Haha, Dvalin! Nice to see you again, the last time we were here was for Ryana, right!? Anyways, this is Sirius, our newest Familia member and a new level 2, so you can't just call him by his alias just yet!"

"A level 2? You know I don't make anything below second-class armour."

"Of course, but you know, he isn't your regular level 2. I mean, he levelled up in only 5 months and can already be considered an elite level 2 in terms of combat prowess."

Seeing Alise instantly switch from her playful mood to her serious mood is always a spectacle.

It is also very hot, but I have a feeling if I said that out loud I would get more than just a poke from a certain Elf.

"5 months? Whatever. Kid, show me what you got. You got your sword there, swing it around a little, and what's your budget?"

"I have 900,000, and that's my entire savings so I can't budge on it. I can start my movements but I am still recovering, I also haven't gotten used to my new strength."

"That's fine kid, just need to see how you fight. Also, take off your clothes, makes it easier for how your muscles move."

I then get slightly flushed, knowing that the two girls are still in the room.

Turning towards them I answer a sudden question that just came to me.

"D-Did you guys do this too?"

Their shocked faces quickly snap out of their daze, and both girls frantically shake their heads in unison, quite a comical sight.

"N-no of course not! What the hell Dvalin!"

"What? If you don't want to watch you girls can leave. Since he's a man, his muscles should clearly show through his skin, while you girls don't have nearly as much definition."

""Are you calling us fat!?""

While they have their argument, I slowly tune out the world to forget my embarrassment, a common technique I've learned to obtain maximum focus during training.

Taking off my shoes, pants, belt, and finally my shirt, I pull Infinite Eclipse out of its scabbard and begin my regular training routine, instantly noticing the difference in strength and speed.

Luckily it seems that my perception and senses have increased along with it, so I don't suddenly move faster than I can think, that would be unfortunate and dangerous.

Lost in my movements, I begin enchanting my body with stellar magic, slowly rolling the thrum of power along my limbs, stretching and condensing the area of enchantment, before finally bringing it all towards my sword.

Feeling resistance, I push the stellar magic into the sword, willing the phenomenon that had given birth to my strongest attack into creation.

Eventually, I break through the barrier, and my sword hums with power, shining brightly while simultaneously being coated in pitch-black darkness, truly a curious sight.

Returning the stellar magic to my body, I do one final slash, ensuring not to lose control of my newly acquired strength, before returning my sword to its sheath and returning my attention to the world.

Looking back, I see three faces filled with surprise and amazement.

While initially wanting to bask in their astonishment, I quickly remember my state of dress.

My face turned beet red in embarrassment, I am barely able to muster a sentence.

"Y-y-you two were watching?"

My words seem to break the two out of their state of wonder, both quickly forming blushes surpassing mine before running out and closing the door behind them with a concurrent 'I'm sorry!'.

Taking a deep breath to calm down my rapidly beating heart, I then turn to Dvalin, seeing a face filled with approval and excitement.

"They weren't wrong to call you special. That sword technique is already among the best in Orario, in technique only that is. And the way you enhance yourself with magic like that, and chantless as well. You got this old man's heart beating in excitement kid!"

"Ah, thank you Dvalin, did you need anything else?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind, keep doing some overhead swings and stabs back and forth."

"Alright, and you still need my clothes off?"

"Of course!"

About an hour passed, with Dvalin watching me do different stances and swings, sometimes rolling a measuring tape around parts of my body.

Although it was slightly embarrassing to be nearly completely nude in front of this random Dwarf at first, his professional attitude quickly dispelled any awkwardness.

"All right, that should be everything. It'll be 850,000 with you paying half up front. Come back at the end of the week and I'll tell you what it does. Goodbye."

After hastily putting my clothes back on and giving him the money, I was unceremoniously thrown out of the forge.

Before meeting Dvalin, it would have been extremely rude.

And while still being rude, I now know that it just means he's passionate about starting the project.

Returning to the lobby, I see Alise and Ryuu looking at a scarf.

Burying any lingering feelings of embarrassment, I make my presence clear to them.

"Hey girls, I'm done."

Alise then turns to me, only averting her eyes for a second before taking a moment to compose herself.

"Fuu, Alright! Then let's continue, what else did we need to get today?"

I guess we're just collectively going to ignore what happened.

I'm quite fine with that.

"I need a new backpack, belt, potions, dagger, and boots."

Yes, unfortunately, while my bag was destroyed in the fight, it at least did its final job of keeping everything within it safe.

So I don't need to recreate my pocket notebook filled with maps, that would've been annoying to remake.

"Ok! Let's get going!"

She then pulls Ryuu along with her down the stairs of Babel, me following closely behind her.

After that, it was an uneventful afternoon of me buying new equipment, except for the belt, according to Ryuu, it would be best to wait until my armour is made to get a new one.

Returning home, I stored everything I had away, quietly lamenting that my savings have essentially gone down to 0, before having a celebratory dinner at the 'Hostess of Fertility'.

The next day, Orario was shocked at the news of a new level 2, one having become one in 5 months, setting a new record.

But I did not know this, as I had spent the next couple of days training at the house, adapting to my new status.