Chương 23: Attracting Attention
Ais' words blindsided Isaac as he hadn't expected her to be aware of what the term 'dating' actually referred to. Still, he nodded in confirmation. No matter how one looked at it, both of them spending some time alone together could be considered to be a date, technically.
"Yes. How do you know what a date is?"
Feeling no need to hold back his curiosity, Isaac tried to find out who had introduced his pure Ais to such 'adult' knowledge.
"I consulted Riveria."
-----
It was the middle of the night and Riveria was still in her study. She was diligently burning the midnight oil and brooding over the supply line organization for the next expedition to the dungeon's lower floors. After she would finally finish coming up with a proposal, she would then introduce it to Finn and Gareth to get their opinion on the matter and make any necessary adjustments.
"We can leave this part to Orba…"
As the mature elf was diligently writing down her ideas, a sudden knock came from the door of her study. Without looking up, Riveria just gave a short and distracted reply.
"Enter."
When she looked up for a moment to take a look at who wanted to speak to her so late at night, she was a little surprised, as it was Ais, who usually never went out of her way to bother her at such an hour.
"What's wrong?"
Even though she had already turned most of her attention back to the expedition-related plans, Riveria's tone of voice was still very caring and concerned.
"What's a 'date'?"
Distractedly, Riveria answered Ais' question while basically on auto-pilot.
"A numbered day in a month, often given with a combination of the name of the day, the month and the year."
This dictionary-style definition did only confuse the golden-haired girl further, so Ais tilted her head slightly and murmured.
"Then what does 'taking someone out on a date' mean…?"
These words finally got her Riveria's full attention. The elegant elf had hastily turned around to face Ais, a shocked and slightly angry expression on her face.
"Who did you hear these words from?"
While Ais didn't understand why her trusted friend was so interested in this, she unhesitatingly replied.
"Tiona and Elfy asked me whether Isaac had 'taken me out on a date yet'. I didn't know what they meant."
Even though she had originally been incensed at whoever had introduced her little Ais to such a thing, Riveria knew that it was only a matter of time until she would have to explain things of such nature to the ill-informed girl formerly only chasing after revenge. Ever since that young man had joined the familia, things were bound to change. Still, she hadn't wanted it to be this quickly.
'These girls…!'
Because she knew there was no use in crying over spilt milk, Riveria soon regained her composure and looked deep into Ais' eyes before clarifying.
"There is a second meaning for the word 'date'. It refers to a planned social meeting. It's usually between two people who are or might soon be in a romantic relationship."
When Riveria saw Ais' eyes light up with excitement, she suddenly felt compelled to add another detail to her explanation.
"Slaying monsters in the dungeon would usually not fall into this category. Most people only consider time spent in non-combat related situations to be an actual date."
-----
Isaac couldn't help but smile wryly. Riveria could practically be considered Ais' foster mother at this point. But honestly, to ambush the overworked elf at such a late hour...
Before going on their date, they decided to return to the Twilight Manor to take a shower first. Even if one ignored the whole date-part, Isaac still didn't feel comfortable in trying on new equipment when he was still covered in dirt from the dungeon. It would just be a very inconsiderate thing to do, especially because most likely, other people still had to try it on later, as well.
At around 5:30 p.m., both Ais and Isaac arrived at Babel, wearing casual clothes instead of their adventuring outfits. All along the way, Isaac had earned the envious glares of Ais' fans and stalkers. However, he wasn't really bothered by it, no matter how creepy a feeling it was. He knew that by being so close to Ais in a crowded place like Babel, he was just inviting disaster. But if he couldn't deal with the consequences, why would he have ever decided to meet Ais in the first place?
Compared to the last time they were here earlier in the day, they now went to slightly more high-end stores of the Hephaestus Familia. Not the flagship ones, however, as Isaac wouldn't even be able to afford a single piece of equipment showcased there. Additionally, the better the gear, the less blacksmiths could produce it. So in the foreseeable future, Isaac would have to directly contact an experienced blacksmith to make his equipment. Otherwise, his chances of finding fitting gear would be rather low.
Only a few minutes after they had entered a store, Isaac found himself stuck in a changing room with Ais constantly bringing him new and more optimal sets of equipment to try on. Contrary to what one would expect, Ais didn't do so just to see him in different outfits or to judge the overall look. Instead, she evaluated what she was seeing based on how useful the gear would be against the foes Isaac would have to face in the future and whether or not it restricted his movement. Additionally, the set also needed to fit him perfectly size-wise.
Even though Isaac wasn't too happy about having to change more than twenty times, he didn't mind doing so as Ais was only putting him through this for his own safety. At the same time, upon being in such a cliché situation with the girl of his dreams, his heartbeat quickened. Of course, he blissfully ignored the fact that their roles were more or less reversed.
After about an hour of Isaac changing in and out of various equipment sets, Ais was finally satisfied with her choice. And although it would make him 530.000 valis poorer, Isaac was happy with the result as well.
He still wore the same black vambrace he had bought earlier today, as that was already one of the best he could find in the other armour store - it would be of sufficient quality for now. Besides that, he wore a dark-red shirt-style gambeson made of fur and leather gathered from beyond the 18th floor. As both he and Ais hadn't focussed too much on the visual aspect, there weren't any decorations whatsoever. It was just a supreme quality, extremely comfortable and non-restrictive gambeson. It would be more than good enough for even the strongest of Level 2 adventurers. Padded trousers and leather boots made of the same material rounded off that layer of his equipment.
Just as before, a set of light armour was chosen for him to wear above the gambeson-layer. It was simply to provide him with the easiest, most dexterous movement possible and didn't differ much in shape from what he had previously been wearing. Instead of the steel his old armour was made from, this one was made from green-silver metal scales, which had been melted in the crafting process. The weight of the armour was even above a standard suit of medieval plate armour: around 30 kg. Still, as it was made for Level 2 adventurers, who could easily disregard such a pitiful amount of weight, and it had to survive monstrously strong hits, the weight wasn't much of a surprise. In fact, Isaac considered it to be rather light. It wouldn't be hard to forget that he was actually wearing armour.
Even though he didn't wear anything ornamental or fancy, the sheer quality of his dungeon delving equipment made Isaac appear quite dashing. He seemed like a usual Level 2 or 3 adventurer, from his equipment alone. Usually, it was recommended for adventurers to not wear equipment that was too far out of their skill's reach, as they would grow dependent on it and stunt their growth. Luckily, this simply wouldn't be the case for Isaac, so he had no reason to artificially hinder himself.
After paying, Ais and Isaac made their way to a weapon store. This time, Ais didn't try to help Isaac with his selection, as weapons were only able to be properly evaluated by the one who actually had to use them. Luckily, the store's weapons were professionally organized, so it wasn't hard for Isaac to find weapons within his 500.000 valis price range. He could further narrow down his search by only looking at one-handed swords, whose blades were about 80 cm in length. Once he had asked the nearest clerk for permission, he swung each of the eleven remaining blades for a while, to see which one felt the most natural to him. As every person had a different center of gravity and arm length, only an ideally weighted sword would feel like an extension of one's arm.
The one Isaac finally decided on was a sleek, seemingly fragile blade made of the melted down weapons of minotaurs. Apparently, its hardness was just slightly below damascus. Contrary to his original world, however, damascus steel was a lot more impressive in this one - it was simply stronger and more durable, most likely because it was infused with magic. Even though the sword looked more on the delicate side, according to the clerk's words, he wouldn't have to worry about it getting damaged before he reached Level 3. In other words, Isaac would have to get a new one when he became one of the stronger Level 2 adventurers out there, as he was simply unreasonably skillful.
Yet again, his weapon of choice came with a plain, black leather sheath, which admittedly made it quite pleasing to the eye. Satisfied, Isaac paid the 480.000 valis and left the store. Now, he only had less than 60.000 valis left. From a millionaire to a pauper…
As the two of them were leaving Babel, Ais suddenly grasped Isaac's sleeve shyly, after she had refrained from doing so for quite a while. If Isaac didn't realize what she wanted him to do, he would simply be an idiot. Bracing himself for what was to come, Isaac grasped her hand.
The moment he did, what had been just envy and jealousy before instantly turned into killing intent showering him from multiple directions. Still, the people it originated from didn't make a move. It would be foolish to attempt to harm someone the Sword Princess was intimate with in her presence, after all. No matter how irrational and obsessed these few people were, they wouldn't recklessly throw their lives away.
'What a bother…'
With thoughts like these and an exasperated sigh, Isaac chose to ignore the stalkers, as simply by being with Ais, he was perfectly safe. He then lead Ais back home, hand in hand. Although they had done so in private before, to hold Ais' hand in public was a whole new step. An innocently happy smile spread across Isaac's face.
At this point, it was inevitable for people to look into him and his acquaintances. Once the rumour about the Sword Princess dating someone spread far enough, it would be hard for his students to avoid all of the prying eyes. He had to take some precautionary measures to protect his party members as soon as possible. Thankfully, he was already prepared for all of this.
-----
"All alone here, little beauty?"
With these words, a man about 25 years of age, wearing a long-sleeved green-beige shirt and khaki trousers, abruptly sat down opposite of Mina. His brown gloves innocently played with the feathered hat he was wearing, as he flashed her a smile from the other side of his light-brown scarf. Without exuding a hint of danger, his orange eyes stared at her from beyond his unkempt blonde hair.
Just minutes prior, Mina had come back to the inn she was staying at, taken a bath and ordered dinner. Usually, nobody would talk to her here. With a confused and cautious look she glanced at the amicable newcomer.
"Yes…"
This wary answer made the good-looking man display a pitying expression. He sighed a little before showing an innocent smile.
"So distant… If you're like that, have you been able to make any friends in this town?"
After the horrible reception she had received, it was no wonder why Mina wasn't exactly open to people approaching her anymore.
When she heard the word 'friends', however, Mina's mind immediately wandered to her lord, which made her eyes light up in excitement. She only stayed like that for a short moment, before she turned back into her cautious self.
Why did this stranger want to know about such a seemingly random topic? Before she could give him a reply, however, the friendly man in front of her had already continued speaking.
"No need to be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you."
As if he wanted to pat her head, the handsome man reached out his right hand towards Mina. At that moment, a plethora of alarm bells suddenly went off inside of her head. Although he seemed just like a normal, nice and concerned person, who might be hitting on her a little, for some reason, something inside of her was screaming at her not to trust him. She couldn't be sure about what exactly it was, however.
Before she could get ready to dodge, someone had already caught the man's hand with a speed faster than her mind could even process.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
The one who was grasping the man's hand was a young woman with aqua blue hair and cyan coloured eyes, which were hidden behind her glasses. She wore a white cloak draped over a beige, long-sleeved gambeson that reached down to the middle of her thighs. Besides that, she wore many leather pouches, brown leather gloves, a corset-like belt and knee-high caligae, which were a kind of sandal.
Staring at the obtrusive man with an annoyed look on her face, the blue-haired woman pulled him up and away from Mina without giving him a chance to reply, before turning around and giving the chienthrope girl a slight bow.
"I apologize for his bothersome behaviour. Have a nice evening."
Before Mina could even react, the woman had already grabbed the unusual man's arm and dragged him away, towards the exit. The strangest thing was that the man, even though he was handled so roughly and complaining about it, did look more than happy with how he was being treated. If one paid attention to the blissful smile spread across his face, that is.
"I haven't done anything. I'm innocent!"
After the weird pair had finally left her sight, Mina had some time to eat dinner. Thinking about how unusual of an encounter this was and recalling the frantic warning bells that went off inside of her head, she decided to tell her lord about this matter tomorrow. Better safe than sorry. If even Isaac didn't know what was going on, nobody did.
Whether this implicit trust almost bordering on delusion was the product of Isaac being her saviour from certain death, his competent lectures and training or the system's influence on his subordinates was hard to tell. Most likely, it was a combination of all of these factors that was slowly fostering an unshakeable belief in her lord.
Upon leaving the inn, the blue-haired woman finally let go of the man she had been dragging around without resistance, before chiding him harshly.
"You were far too rash, Lord Hermes! If you're going to be this direct, we won't be able to investigate, our behaviour would simply be too suspicious. Our mission is to investigate the irregularity 'Isaac Blackshaw', with him being none the wiser, you got that? How could you mess up like that?!"
In response to her accusations, Hermes scratched his cheek with a guilty but pleading look on his face. Some of his actions had truly been a little too rash - most people would be freaked out by them..
"But Asfi, I just couldn't resist talking to the girl. She is such a cutie!"
As soon as these words left Hermes' mouth, he already regretted them a little. After all, Asfi was now giving him a brief death glare and pouting unhappily, clearly disappointed with his amateurish, skirt-chasing behaviour. Before she could say anything to voice her displeasure, he hurriedly clasped her hands.
"I'm sorry, okay? You'll always be my number one, don't worry!"
Instead of responding positively to his words, Asfi just looked away annoyedly.
"As if I would want that."
-----
"What's with this commotion?"
A figure clad in a black robe, expertly hiding all of her features, was walking along the northern main street. Although nothing else could be discerned about her, her especially pleasant voice made her seem female.
In the distance, she could see multiple quite obviously shady people hiding along the rooftops, apparently following someone. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were observing a young couple, which was happily strolling hand in hand.
When the figure observed the two, lamenting their current situation and the tragic fate they probably couldn't escape in the near future, her glance suddenly fixated on the young man.
Yes, he was quite handsome and wouldn't have a problem sticking out in a crowd. That physical aspect was not what caught the figure's attention, however. Compared to everyone else in her field of view, he didn't seem to harbour that flame of life - a soul. As if he was hidden behind a dense mist, no matter how hard she focussed, the figure wasn't able to register anything important about the young man. The harder she tried, the less of his figure she was able to perceive. It was as if a veil was draped over her eyes, one which she couldn't pierce through.
Right at that moment, the young man cast a seemingly random glance in the figure's direction, before ignoring her promptly.
"Did he notice me? No, that can't be. It was probably just a coincidence."
The figure reassured herself like that, before a strong desire started to sprout inside of her. After all, she had never encountered someone whose soul she couldn't see, someone hidden from her eyes. The young man was a mystery that just begged to be solved. Someone interesting and fascinating.
"Just who are you…?"
In an effort to try to find out as much as she could about the young man for now, the figure focussed on his companion, an exceptionally beautiful golden-haired girl. The moment she did… she promptly froze up.
"Loki Familia!"
These words escaped her mouth under her breath. But although the figure was visibly surprised, she calmed down quickly. She took a last look at the young man and disappeared in the crowd as if she had never been there in the first place.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
Shiro_the_Hero
Shiro_the_Hero And so, the plot thickens.
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