Chapter 48: Discussion
"You've got to be kidding me."
At his words, Tsubaki seemed visibly angry. As if to manifest his anger, her fist against the table was enough to crumble it, which caused Haru to gulp.
He knew that she, being the Captain of the familia, was not weak at all, but that level of power was so destructive Haru could not imagine being able to reproduce it...
Haru was focused on guessing her power level as Tsubaki replied with the same look. However, she had different reasons for it.
"...But I understand the situation. I want you to answer some additional questions because what you have told me so far is not enough."
The situation was beyond atypical for Tsubaki. She knew a Monster Party was by no means weak. From what Haru declared, it was on the 8th floor. This boy who had entered the Dungeon for less than a week had managed to escape with his life. It was not commendable, but almost impossible.
She asked him a lot of questions as she needed to know more so that the familia could rest assured in the Dungeon. On the one hand, this would mark a great change in the Dungeon. However, it was positive for the Hephaestus familia. The familia was not an active participant of the explorations. But it had discovered something so important to save the lives of several adventurers who preferred soloing the Dungeon.
After a while, their conversation was interrupted by a voice they both knew well.
"Tsubaki...sorry for keeping you wait- Oh, Haru, are you here too?"
Hephaestus had completed the work. All she had left to do was deliver the product to the customer. However, She could feel the atmosphere in the room was tense.
Before she could ask what had happened, Tsubaki was faster to explain the core of the matter.
"...Your apprentice faced a monster party in the dungeon, and he came out alive."
Her words were like electric shocks that disturbed Hephaestus' mind. Her reaction was more than natural, knowing the information about the Dungeon until now, the chances a Monster Party would focus on a single individual was almost zero. But after a more in-depth explanation, Hephaestus asked Haru if he was injured, which caused him to look away. It would be difficult to explain a wound that even he did not remember receiving, but it was not like he could lie to her at all.
"...Perhaps it is better if you see directly rather than wasting time in explanations."
His words startled Tsubaki. She would have expected Haru to be shy from his age, but instead, he was proposing to directly show the result of his fight, as it was the fastest method to explain what had happened. What Tsubaki did not know, however, was that Haru considered who was in the room. He had no problem showing his body to "strangers", but Tsubaki was the head of his familia, someone Hephaestus trusted blindly, and it was normal he could place his trust in her as well.
Appreciating the trust Haru had placed in Tsubaki, Hephaestus agreed to cross over the details and show her his wounds directly. But when her eyes met his bare chest, Hephaestus was unable to remain calm.
But if Hephaestus felt a flicker rising from her back, Tsubaki calmly analysed the wounds. Although she did not specialize in such things, she could quickly conclude.
"...This wound...It's like it had been inflicted a long time ago, yet it's recent. Do you happen to have healing magic?"
Tsubaki had no details of his abilities whatsoever other than that he was a promising blacksmith. Hephaestus had revealed to her many things concerning Haru and the fact he took the promise more seriously than she expected, to the point of wanting to see her cursed eye. He would not go away instead of being afraid of it, even though Tsubaki doubted the boy in front of her was capable of such a feat.
To her question, Haru shook his head. He was lucky Tsubaki didn't ask him if he possessed magic in general. If she did, he couldn't have answered without lying, and Hephaestus would realize that indeed, Haru had secrets he couldn't reveal, as the price for it was the lives of not only him but most likely everyone else's.
Hearing their argument, Hephaestus remained silent. It wasn't Haru's fault, but for the umpteenth time, he was wounded, and this time the severity of the injuries was much greater. Contrary to what she expected, however, Haru added that on the Guild's side, by tomorrow he could be back in the Dungeon. It was evident from this wound. His self-healing ability had improved.
At his words, even Tsubaki found herself with surprise written on her face. Of course, the guild had recommended half a day off, but that did not mean he should immediately go back to the place that had almost killed him twice in a row.
'Assuming he doesn't have any trauma related to the Dungeon, and his desire to venture in it doesn't seem to have vanished even a minimum...it is clear that something so important is leading him...'
Tsubaki was firm on her thoughts. A boy who found himself with this wound still had the strength to face the Dungeon so quickly, without blinking an eye. She found herself smiling at his resolve.
But before she could say anything, Hephaestus made her way in the conversation.
"I think that approach isn't wise. Even if it takes little time for you to recover...is it worth going back to risking your life in the Dungeon, knowing there is something that can take your life away with ease?"
Hephaestus had to be strong and act as a mentor. She could have told Haru so much, yet she chose to look at things from the most rational and objective point of view possible. It wasn't her concern asking Haru to stop and think for a moment. She didn't want to put pressure on him, and whatever was pushing him to move forward, she wanted him to be ready for the Dungeon, and the lack of a party was one of the crucial points.
Explaining what he should do before re-entering the Dungeon, however, she was surprised to notice that Haru looked down, with an expression she could not describe well.
"I can understand the concerns my Goddess has, they are legitimate and I will do my best to be even more prepared than before, but a party is out of the question."
His eyes did not change in the slightest as he uttered these words. Haru turned out to be so serious, as if it could not change, no matter how much Hephaestus proposed to change his mindset, which raised some question marks in the minds of both women who listened.
"..Can I ask why?"
She knew from his expression, Haru's motivation could not be related to something as futile as splitting drops or to the fact that his parameters wouldn't grow enough this way.
Faced by this question to which he could not answer, Haru sighed.
"...The Dungeon hates me. If today's experience was to repeat itself, I wouldn't be able to protect my comrades, and they would be killed in vain."
...That's what he said, but there was more. If from the beginning, Haru was under the assumption that entering the dungeon alone was risky, but profitable for him, it had slowly become his preference.
In his previous world, Haru had chosen to face things head-on, even though he could not protect Asumi throughout his life, he could fulfil his selfish desire to see a smile that was intended only to him. Thinking about it now, however, His reasoning was wrong from the beginning.
If there hadn't been the opportunity to reincarnate, who knows how much Haru would torment himself in hell as his choices had caused immense pain to the people he held close to his heart. But this time, it was he who would put other people's lives on the line to be safer in the Dungeon, something he would never accept.
Hephaestus couldn't answer these words. She wanted to know more about what he meant by his first sentence. But when asked, Haru found himself without a clear answer, as it was nothing more than a feeling, strong enough to make him remain impressed that the Dungeon would treat him differently. In essence, it was as if the Dungeon increased the difficulty with him, but he could not tell her something so awkward. However, he was lucky for the second time, as Tsubaki returned to the conversation after the silence she had taken to reflect.
"...If the problem is the party, you have to be able to defend yourself in the Dungeon on your own. At this regard, I can help you with the training. If you can overcome it, I'm sure the problem will disappear at the root."
Tsubaki said these words with a smirk on her face. She was not particularly interested in what Haru could do as a blacksmith, but if his willpower was so great to push him beyond his limits, then Tsubaki wanted to see the results. If a boy who had not received any training, had been able alone to escape a Monster Party, then what would have happened, if he had received a real training from someone as experienced as she...?
Her words surprised Hephaestus.
"Would you do it? It's a great help. I apologize for the inconvenience, Tsubaki..."
Listening to Hephaestus and Tsubaki's words, Haru found himself alienated from the conversation for a few moments, while his thoughts that had hitherto remained stationary on the Dungeon and all that transpired, now converged on Tsubaki's words.
'...Do I have anything to say in this decision?'
Wondering if it was an option or a choice that would be imposed on him before entering the Dungeon again, Haru asked Tsubaki why the Captain of his familia would have to bother so much for him. To his words, however, she responded as if the answer was anything but obvious.
"...Why do you ask? It's not obvious? I want to reach the end of the tunnel to satisfy my curiosity. And if this can reassure Hephaestus and help someone in my familia at the same time, then why shouldn't I?"
Her words made Haru look elsewhere. He didn't think Tsubaki could have all these reasons to help him, but before he could thank her, Hephaestus ended the conversation with a smile on her lips.
"Tsubaki is a kind person. Even if all these reasons are real, you can rest assured. Her kindness is flowing out so much that it's obvious."
Concluding her words with a chuckle, Tsubaki sighed.
"What are you're saying now, Hephaestus-sama... don't make me look like a person who would help anyone in need, I've already specified my reasons."
Seeing Hephaestus nodding while shaking her hand, Haru had an imperceptible smile on his lips. From this small exchange, he had intuited how much Hephaestus could consider Tsubaki a person so precious she could joke and laugh with as if nothing had happened, which had distracted her a little by the concern of Haru's wounds...
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(The conversation hadn't reached the end, but my time did. I'm sorry if yesterday I couldn't post at all, but today I'll write another chapter. So don't think this story is dropped. Join my server discord to know when I have problems time-wise! discord.gg/y8VBZAp)
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