As the company entered the inn, the barkeeper pointed Spitfire towards Mira, who was drinking light alcoholic beverage. Noticing them, she left the glass, half-full, and turned around, gazing upon Solomon whom she had met earlier yesterday. Despite not remembering his name, she would not forget his height and appearance.

Alviona, on the other hand, was a different story. Spitfire was confused by seeing the same girl from the day before, having developed further in the beauty department, having a more adult body and taller height. This figure was not how she had marked her. Regardless, she was here to fulfill an order from her higher-up. Questioning anything not related to her mission and objectives would go against her professionalism. Therefore the woman did not end up asking anything and instead, waved to the party to come closer.

“Good morning folk. Glad to see you in good spirits. How are you today?” Spitfire greeted, as they approached her, putting on a smile and grinning, displaying to them that no ill intentions were harbored.

“Thank you for asking. We are doing well and are glad to be graced by your presence,” bowed Solomon slightly, showing his respect and greeting her back on behalf of his mistress first and then himself.

Spitfire was taken aback by the man’s gestures and his etiquette. It was rare for anyone to bow in front of her, let alone treat her with courtesy and respect. Most of the time, people did so because she was feared, but this man did not seem to care much about her rank, status or her abilities. This, for the woman who has been Lord Fornion’s right and left hand, was interesting.

*Cough*

“Ahem, I am here today to provide you with the payment as his lordship, Lord Fornion, had ordered it. First, let us move people out of here so that prying eyes and curious ears will not interfere,” stated the woman, snapping her fingers and ordering the guards to clear out the entire inn, including its owner and the staff. Ensuring that the place was clear of undesired witnesses, she retrieved an item granted to her from the Lord’s treasury and placed it on the ground. Satisfied, she moved her hand back to the cup with alcohol and lightly sipped it, face becoming slightly red and putting it back.

“Perfect. Nobody should hear us now. Well then. Lord Fornion, in his earnest show of gratitude for saving Lady Annel Belamej’s life, and to lay a solid foundation for our friendship, has ordered me to present to you his gift in the payment of one hundred and seventy thousand silver coins. Guards, please bring forth the presents.”

The knights obeyed, retrieving two medium-sized pouches from their armor belts and placing them in front of Solomon’s feet.

“You may open them and count it if you so desire.” (Spitfire)

Solomon, who was looking at the woman all this time, slightly shook his head and bowed yet again.

“No. I would not dare to be so rude towards such a benevolent Lord. My mistress gladly accepts your offering and hopes that we can be friends in the future…” replied the man, his words being humble, truthful and ridden of any malice, “However, if you somehow misuse my mistress, or break our trust, know that I will annihilate you and your Lord alongside you,” he finished.

The Knights rushed their hands towards their weapons, attempting to unsheath their swords but were stopped from doing so for Spitfire had raised her hand.

“Mind me prying where that confidence is coming from?” she asked, curiosity overflowing her body. Nothing from what this man had stated sounded like a bluff or an act. She was a very experienced interrogator and a hunter for her Lord. As such, she understood his words clearly. The man was willing to sacrifice himself for the service of that girl, who stood behind his back, so she wanted to hear his response. Slaying others was an easy task; making a right judgment and acquiring correct assets, on the other hand, required a different approach. Lord Fornion had ensured to teach her all of this.

“There is no confidence. I would not be able to defeat an entire faction by myself, nor would I wish to make an enemy out of you or your master. I assure you that if something were to happen to her, I would be infuriated and probably level at least half of the city to the ground, be it innocent lives or not.”

Despite him stating such a thing, the voice did not carry any malice or ill-will, but instead, just settled in as a warning. The grin behinds his face was also somewhat disturbing. Spitfire did not fear the man, but her gut and instincts were triggered, telling her that this opponent if he were to become one, would not let her out alive.

“Fu, fa, fua. You are indeed an interesting individual, mister. You genuinely care for your mistress, don’t you? Fear not, I was not offended. The affection you harbor towards that girl is the same that I have towards my liege. We can come to terms that the feeling is mutual,” grinned the woman, “Very well then. I am going to leave it out of my report that your companion here has grown in an overnight. We can also safely say that our conversation here has never occurred. How about it?” asked Spitfire, extending her hand and waiting for a response.

Solomon shook it with his left limb without any hesitation.

“Brilliant. You interest me now. May I ask for your name? I rarely do so, but have a feeling that yours is required.”

Looking at Alviona and waiting for her consent, the man nodded.

“Solomon.”

“Very well, Solomon. I hope to meet you again someday, preferably on a battlefield and on our side. With this, I bid you and your companions a farewell.” Grabbing the drink one last time, fully emptying it and putting the glass back on the counter, alongside five silver coins and fourteen copper, the woman raised her hand, gesturing to her guards to follow her, and disappearing into the street.

The man kneeled down and grabbed the coin pouches, handing it over to Alviona, who made it disappear into her .

*Stomach Growl*

“Well. That was quite… interesting. Now then, let us not think about this incident for now. More importantly how about we eat?” (Mira)

“Again?!” (Janine)

“Yep, the child is hungry.” (Mira)

“I don’t think she is a child anymore,” said Janine, glancing over at Alviona, who had pulled off the strangest thing in the world. What she saw in front, however, was anything but an adult. The girl was rolling on the floor, trying to wrestle with her growling stomach, which was getting louder.

“… Mira, forgive me. I never said anything.”

“Heh. That is fine. Let us eat and then go purchase gear. We will stay here tonight and tomorrow. Perhaps one extra day depending on when our orders will be finished. A lot needs to be taken care of. Alviona, what would you like to eat?”

“Bakery! Bakery, please. I would love to eat some more apple pie,” said the child, her eyes sparkling with excitement from hearing the topic related to food.

“Very well then. Let’s go.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

After eating their desserts at Velven’s bakery, it was 3 pm. The company set out towards the tailor shop where garments were sold. Upon entering the store, they were greeted by a man and a woman.

“Hello, welcome to Sarnila’s tailor house. How are you today?” asked the man, bowing and smiling.

“Good afternoon. We are here today to purchase garments for this child here,” replied Mira, pointing towards Alviona, whose head was moving around, curiously inspecting everything that the shop had, her eyes sparkling at different designs of clothing.

The man, shifting his attention to the girl, could not help but be a little hypnotized by her looks. Her entire figure screamed “Perfect” at him. However, her horns invoked a fragment of fear.

“Sarn, perhaps you should focus on our client's needs?” asked the woman who was standing beside him. She was not bothered by Alviona’s figure as much as the man was.

*Cough, Cough*

“I apologize. However, I could not help it,” replied Sarn, shifting his eyes at towards the girl that just spoke to him, bowing and kissing her hands.

“Hmm, Sarn… If your name is that, why did you name your shop Sarnila?” asked Janine, not trying to disrespect the man but instead to inquire, for the name sounded a little feminine.

“Oh, that is quite simple,” replied the woman with a warm smile. “My husband’s name is Sarn, and my name is Nila. So when we opened the shop, it was decided to give it our names Sarnila, for N is the ending of his name and a beginning of mine.”

“Wow! That is quite fascinating,” replied Janine, eyes filled with awe and admiration towards the couple.

“Thank you,” replied the woman with a blush and a smile. “Now then, what sort of clothes are you looking to purchase for your girl?”

“We are in need of several sets of underwear and pajamas, of no lesser quality than cotton. Next, we would like to look at some garments if that is all right,” answered Mira, smiling and looking at Alviona, who seemed to be carried away by the number of items available in the shop, understanding that it was her first experience purchasing wares for herself.

“Understood, then can you please come with me to take the measurements?” asked Nila to Alviona, taking a cloth tape measure. “Rest of you have to stay.”

Solomon, naturally, followed her but was stopped by a punch in the chest from Mira and Janine.

“W-what… why? I was with all of you the other day!” he exclaimed, confused by why they were acting so aggressively.

“Stop being so stubborn for once and realize that she is going to get her body measured. No peeking! No matter what!” they snorted.

“Ah, you poor soul. That is exactly how my wife was like before we got married. *Sigh* I feel your pain,” told Sarn to Solomon, his eyes slightly watering up.

“Darling, did you say something?” interjected Nila when she heard it, turning her head slightly and releasing a killing intent.

“N… N-nothing! Carry on. We are just talking about…” (Sarn)

“Ale…” finished Solomon in the man’s stead, for he seemed to be in danger of death if something was not said urgently. Nila shook her head and continued on her way to the fitting room, while Sarn glanced at his savior and grabbed his left hand, shaking it violently and expressing his gratitude.

“You do not know what you just saved me from.”

“And to be honest, I do not wish to know,” he replied with a frightened face, releasing the man’s hand and stepping back, taking a seat at the nearby sofa, where Mira and Janine sat, waiting for the child’s return. His gut feeling screamed at him that the high heels worn by Nila would somehow end up within his skull if he interfered again, resulting in a tertiary death experience at this point. Nope, this had to be avoided.

In the meantime, inside the fitting room, Alviona was undressed, and the tape measure was swirling around her body. Nila was double checking everything to get this girl a perfect fit for the bras. First, she measured the underbust, which was 26.4 inches, rounding it up to 27 inches. Next, she took Alviona’s overbust measurement, which was 37 inches, resulting in a Cup E size. Finishing up, she measured waist and hip size, which were respective 22 and 32 inches; in other words, a perfect hourglass.

“All righty then. You require the 32E size of bras. The thing is that I do not sell any of those and will need to tailor you one since most women in our Kingdom are either 34C, 36C, 34D and some nobles 36F. You fall in an exciting category, as your rib cage is much smaller than average and your proportions are a little too perfect. If you were to order it today, I can do it immediately and finish within 3 hours. I do have the panties for your fit, however. Anything you would like to ask me?”

Alviona shook her head, as she did not understand anything from the information that the woman was telling her. She did not even know what bras or panties referred to, so naturally, her expression was quizzical. The only thing that she did understand was when asked if her current underwear was tight, to which she nodded.

Returning to Mira, Nila talked to the elf about every measurement that she took, handing her a magical piece of paper and instructing her to keep it to get proper Armor pieces crafted. Upon finishing her report, the woman walked over to the counter and paid Sarn to sew eight sets of underwear for Alviona, paying a sum of fifty silver, due to the materials requested, magical enchantment of fitting and having to tailor it immediately.

“Alviona, we still have to pick you the basic garments, get you fitted with protection and a weapon.” (Mira)

“But I already have a halberd,” said Alviona, thinking about the weapons she had collected, but once she checked her inventory, it turned out that all of her loot except the golem, had become rusty. Seeing this, the child pouted and mentally sent a command to her inventory.

[: Would you like to destroy every non-currency items except the Golem’s body?

[Yes]

Recycle is complete. No runes were gained.

End of report]

“I was wrong. I apologize, grandma. It was all rusty,” said Alviona with a sad face.

“That is fine. Let us go pick out something neat for you,” giggled Mira, taking Alviona’s hand and checking out different items, fabrics, and garments that were available. After a thorough inspection, they picked out fifteen pieces of the material comprised of various colors and lengths.

Sadly, when it came to payment, Mira had to pay another sum of twenty-three silver and forty-four copper. The elf knew that her funds were going to drain out soon, but did not say anything. It was still sufficient for the next few months. I am the leader of this expedition and am solely responsible for funds. I should not ask Alviona to lend me any money. No. I promised when we were coming here to the mother how I would ensure her daughter grow, adventure and learn, thought Mira, shaking her head a little.

“All right! Now, child, tell me what sort of apparel and armor are we going to purchase. Let us walk towards the armory, as I explain the meaning behind my words,” said Mira as they walked out of the tailoring house, leaving Janine behind who was picking out her own set of clothing and such. Of course, Solomon followed his mistress.

Mira explained to Alviona how gearing worked in this world:

First, the armors were worn by every Magic school that was adventuring. Nobles and influential figures such as kings were often accompanied by their closest guards, equipped with the highest available gear for that kingdom. They were funded for it and even on battlefields, their equipment would be better than the “Average” for an adventurer.

On the other hand, the said adventurers had the luxury of going into dungeons that kingdoms had no interest in, ones where dangerous monsters spawned, lived and if slain, resurrected in, after some time. Those places contained treasures of all sorts, from gear to cursed items, class development items, weapons, etc. They even held loot such as copper and a little bit of silver. Gold coins were never available in them, as those were spawned in dungeons in veins and were gathered by the local Nobles and Kings.

The armor acquired inside of the dungeons and or lairs had better properties than most commonly crafted items. As such, they were sought after a lot by adventurers, since they could sell the ones they found no use for to others. Sometimes, when they wanted to reinforce their weapons and armor, they could go to blacksmiths who were skilled enough, pay them a hefty price and have these metals transformed into raw materials, with which they could craft better pieces of gear for themselves, of course, for a price.

The status of items and their durability strongly depended on the rarity of loot, ranging from Common to Legendary ranks. Some gear would have + 10 damage, others +7. Some would have a property such as an increased attack by utilizing Water spells, and if those were on martial weapons, usually they would be considered garbage for the Elemental Schools of Magic for they only used staves. As such, the said weaponn could be either scrapped to make something else or could be sold to a merchant who was interested enough.

There existed a God level, but deities only wore those items. Sometimes the gods would choose a champion to represent themselves when a massive overpopulation of evil occurred, and they would be granted some pieces of gear that were considered “Holy.” Those heroes would keep them until the corruption was purged, after which, the said relics would disappear.

Lastly, there existed runes that could be extracted from some pieces, but it was tough to do and rare. So the runes were priced very highly. For example, A +5 Laceration to any weapons would cost as little as 10 gold minimum. A +10 Boost to an attribute of fire could start at 100 gold, etc. Jewelry was also costly, with good ones being made of rarest of loots smelted into metal and then forged, only to apply enchants and runes afterward.

Monsters almost always spawned outside, in the wilderness and often formed tribes and assaulted nearby cities. So adventurers that had a good arsenal of gear and helped in exterminating them and aiding the country were rewarded well. This world never had a shortage of monster slaying activities.

To sum it up, the world of Dedrillon had a randomized loot system, where adventurers would not know what they would get until they acquired it. The adventurers Guild was self-funded, by taking in requests from merchants, citizens, nobles or country heads to exterminate monsters, thus paying the members out. It also offered itself as a hub to gather recruits and thrill seekers, sending them on their merry way to explore different dungeons, let them get stronger, acquire friendships and gain fame and fortune.

Entering the smithery, Alviona was excited to see all the different armors and weapons on display. Her eyes attempted to look for the halberd style weapon, but soon became saddened for they were absent. Regardless, she was still filled with curiosity, looking at all the different magically enchanted and protected glass cases that held the weapons.

“Oi, you there. How are ya? Bloody hell, a gal looking fo’ some’ o’ me wares, a beauty no less. What can I get fo' ya?” asked a stout man who walked out of the back room, grinning and gazing at the three people who visited his place.

“Afternoon,” replied Solomon, amused by the man’s high spirits, “We are here to purchase some armor and weapons for the girl. What do you have to offer?”

“Ho, ho! Straight to business ha, ya’ lass. Me quite like it. Ya’ from the noble house or an adventurer, perhaps a city guard ah?”

“Neither, nor.” (Solomon)

“Ah. Pity then lad. Me afraid can’t quite help but sell ya’ the basic leather ama.’ Them quite finicky ova he’e. Rules be rules.”

“That is quite acceptable. We understand that plate armor requires training and that it is not allowed to be sold to commoners. Her guardian will pay you for the leather armor, preferably one that can be slightly customized and where you can wear some garments under. Have anything like that?” asked Solomon, looking at Mira who gave the nod in approval.

“Ya’ lucky bastards! I sure as heck do. Gimme but a second, I shall go grab it fo’ ya kids” said the man with a laugh, turning around and disappearing into his backroom only to reappear with a leather cuirass in his hand.

The item was not a bad piece. It was crafted well and had been reinforced. The cuirass was sturdy, with banded leather enhancing the waist to allow for more natural movement of the body. The shoulder guards that came with it were made of steel, with cushioned padding inside to not discomfort the user and when struck, to mitigate the damage to the shoulders. The breast area also seemed to be magically enhanced so that if a woman were to wear this piece, the armor would adapt to it, not squishing their chest and causing pain or discomfort. Thankfully, this was a standard for most armor.

“Say, why don’t ya buy a steel tho?” asked the man curiously, looking at Alviona who definitely seemed to have interest in the Martial school of magic.

“She wishes to attend the Elemental school of magic, so for that reason we want her to get used to wearing as light armor as possible since it allows for a better breathing pattern and mana control,” replied Mira.

“Ah, understood ya, ma'am.”

“Child, what would you like me to purchase you this armor? It looks sturdy, has some positive aspects to it from what Solomon said, is light and since it is leather, it will reduce the incoming magical projectiles by 10%.” (Mira)

Alviona nodded and continued looking at the many weapons available.

“Found something you like, mistress?” asked Solomon, who knew very well of the girl’s passion towards weapons. Oh yes! came a mental, in such a joyful tone that it would feel like birds would start flying and singing around her.

“Mrs. Mira, I think she already knows what weapons she wants too.”

“Very well then. Alviona, could you please show the merchant what interests you?” asked Mira, curious to see what she would pick.

This time around, the girl had picked out three small weapons: a dagger, a gladius, and most importantly, a wooden shield that was equipped with a boss.

“Uhm… Child, are you certain that you need all of those?” inquired Mira with widened eyes. Magic casters were not known to utilize much of the close quarter fighting weapons. Swords here and there were acceptable, and a dagger was almost a must. However, a shield?! In the eyes of the druid, even a leather armor was excessive, for one would surely find a good set of robes sooner or later, but for now, it was required.

Despite her question, Alviona firmly shook her head, her eyes reminiscent of a pet begging for a treat. It was too adorable for Mira to refuse, so she paid the amount of forty-five silver pieces and fourteen copper, ensuring to also purchase leather boots and steel guards for them.

The moment Alviona received her items and they left the gear shop, she stored them in her . The party headed back to Sarnila’s tailor house, where they picked up the remaining items, urgently outfitting the child with her proper bra size and panties. Mira had ensured to purchase for her some regular clothing to wear, but most importantly, a little cloak that included a hoodie which was enchanted so that the face would be barely visible. Like it or not, Alviona had horns and was being labeled as a “Demon.” While the citizens in the streets and guards were not aggressive or discriminating towards her, they still gave stares, mainly since the girl was so beautiful.

Throughout the next day, the company ensured to purchase healing supplies, ratios, plenty of water gallons, camping equipment, cushions, hay bags, and blankets. More importantly, Mira bought an Ox and a magically enchanted wagon, which had extra space inside and neat compartments to seat Alviona. Naturally, she did not want to provide any discomfort for her.

After the time was approaching 8 pm, they finally reached the inn, deciding to take a bath once again and eating dinner. Alviona quickly fell asleep after eating and ended up being carried by Solomon to her bedroom, where Mira soon joined.

“Well then. An exciting day I suppose?” (Mira)

“Agreed,” replied Solomon with a chuckle, looking at the child and thinking how much his life had changed over the past week.

“Do you think we will reach the Kingdom of Dalei in one piece?" asked Mira, her voice expressing mild worry and curiosity all the same.

“Looking at this girl, I do not think we will avoid adventures. But will we reach the destination? Certainly,” Replied Solomon with a grin, one that Mira did not catch, for if she did, she would probably be petrified.

The next morning, the party was ready to set out for their journey.