Chapter 189: Chapter 14. The Novice Shield
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"It's done."
Hephaestus, exhausted, tossed a white round shield to Cyd.
Cyd caught the shield, and a series of softly glowing runes appeared along its edge.
"Its name?" Cyd raised an eyebrow.
"Call it whatever you like," Hephaestus stretched lazily. "Only those who inherit the will of a hero can use this shield. It wouldn't be wrong to call it the Hero's Round Shield."
"Let's call it the Novice Shield," Cyd said seriously, stroking his chin.
"This shield... is truly a powerful piece of equipment, and you're calling it the Novice Shield?" Hephaestus twitched.
Unlike the Hero's Blade, she hadn't held back at all when crafting this shield, making it as strong as possible. However, relying solely on a weapon's power doesn't make one a hero. If the user ever thought, "As long as I have this shield, I'll be fine," they'd lose the right to wield it.
"It's a novice shield because that guy..." Cyd laughed lightly, placing a pouch of coins on the table. "He's still just a novice stumbling along the path of a hero."
"Not enough," Hephaestus glanced at the pouch and shook her head.
"Huh?" Cyd was taken aback.
"That amount is far from enough~" Hephaestus began counting on her fingers. "This shield could easily be used by someone at Level 6. Add in the fact that you made me work overtime without a reservation, and we're talking five billion Valis."
Cyd's eyes widened.
"That's already a bargain," Ryuu whispered into Cyd's ear.
"But that's way more than I can afford," Cyd's mouth twitched.
"You could work for me," Hephaestus suggested, spreading her hands. "A few hundred years should be enough."
"That won't work~ I already owe someone thousands of years of blacksmithing," Cyd replied, regretfully glancing at the shield in his hand.
Looks like I'll have to grind a few dozen floors in one go to make some cash.
"Tch, forget it. Take your money back," Hephaestus clicked her tongue. "We don't do installments here. Pay me when you've got the five billion."
"So, this shield..." Cyd hesitated, waving the round shield in his hand.
"I can't use it," Hephaestus waved him off like she was shooing him away. "Take it, take it."
And so... Cyd obtained the Novice Shield, along with a debt of five billion.
"Five billion..." Cyd groaned, slumped over the bar. "After grinding so long today, I only made a few hundred thousand."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Goddess Hephaestus didn't say you had to pay her right away," Ryuu, now back in her maid outfit, approached Cyd and placed a plate of fried rice in front of him.
"So, you're adding to my debt?" Cyd chuckled helplessly.
"This is on the house. I made quite a bit today as well," Ryuu wiped her hands. "You haven't eaten anything today, have you?"
"Thanks a lot," Cyd said with a smile, picking up his chopsticks. "Then let me have a taste of Ryuu's cooking."
Ryuu blushed and turned her head away. "Shut up and eat."
Poke—
Cyd's mouth twitched.
I can't feel anything!
Poke, poke, poke—
A vein bulged on Cyd's forehead.
"Hey! I said—" Cyd suddenly turned around, but he was met with a delicate face, so close that he could almost smell the faint fragrance of the girl in front of him.
After all, their faces were practically touching.
Cyd's eyes narrowed as he stared at the girl. He wasn't like Bell, who would blush and stumble away. No way he'd back off.
Hurry up and act like a shy girl, covering your face and running away!
However, the girl, seemingly waiting for Cyd's next words, blinked and stared back at him expressionlessly.
Stare—
"Ryuu, this is for you," Mia handed Ryuu a jar of chili sauce.
Ryuu blinked in confusion.
"Hey! Don't look at Ais-chan with such a disgusting look!"
Just then, Loki, with her ponytail swaying, charged at Cyd from a distance.
"Die!"
With a scream, Loki leaped up, aiming a perfectly executed flying kick at Cyd's head.
If it hit, Cyd would probably go rolling.
If it hit...
Slap—
Without even looking, Cyd raised his hand and caught Loki's ankle.
"Huh?" Loki tilted her head.
Boom—
"Owww... that hurts, Ais-chan, eh heh heh..." Loki, with a red nose, clung to Ais's waist, crying loudly. If not for the creepy smile on her face, maybe—just maybe—someone might have felt sorry for her.
Slap—
With a crisp sound, Loki, now sporting a red handprint on her face, collapsed onto the table, motionless.
"Uh... sorry about our goddess embarrassing herself," the short boy scratched his head, embarrassed. "I'm Finn Deimne."
"Ais Wallenstein," Ais tilted her head.
"Tch, Bete Loga," the wolf-like man Cyd had knocked out earlier clicked his tongue, his fierce gaze suggesting he might pounce at any moment.
"Riveria Ljos Alf," the elf who had kicked the unconscious Bete earlier raised her hand.
"So? What do you want with me?" Cyd tilted his head. "It's not like we're that... close."
"True, we've had some... minor conflicts," Finn laughed awkwardly.
The source of the conflict, Bete, looked uncomfortable and turned his head with a huff.
"Ahem, actually, we wanted to invite you to join our expedition team," Finn cleared his throat.
"Why?" Cyd raised an eyebrow. "You're one of the strongest Familia here. Why would you need someone like me, whose strength you don't even know?"
"Well... we've run into some issues while exploring unknown floors," Finn sighed. "We can explain the details if you're willing to join our expedition."
"I refuse," Cyd shrugged, standing up and heading back to the bar. "I was never interested in dungeon exploration to begin with."
"Is that so? What a pity," Finn shook his head, glancing at the still-motionless Loki. "That's what he said."
"Tch, just as I thought..." Loki sat up, her expression unusually serious. "His power..."
"His power?" Ais tilted her head. She had witnessed Cyd's inhuman power firsthand—a light as brilliant as the sun.
"Damn it... I knew something felt familiar, but a few things didn't match," Loki exhaled, slowly opening her perpetually closed eyes. "Looks like I'll have to confirm it at the next divine banquet."
Cyd stared at the fried rice in front of him, which resembled molten lava, falling silent. The culprit was clearly Ryuu, who stood there holding the now-empty jar.
"Yo, kiddo, this is Ryuu's specially prepared dish. You better clean your plate~" Mia gave a thumbs-up.
Cyd's mouth twitched.
Hopefully... this won't kill me.
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