Dollmaker in the DanMachi World

Ming Ge pointed to himself as well and said, "Ming Ge."

"Ming... Ge."

Unlike Ming Ge's voice, her pronunciation was awkward. Though they did not share a language, he said it smoothly, since this was not the first foreign language he had learned.

Moreover, Ming Ge was intelligent and an excellent learner. After hearing it just once, he had already remembered Meitellia's name and pronunciation.

But Meitellia could not do the same. Leaving aside how much a delicate young lady from the Middle Ages could have learned, her learning ability might not have been particularly strong to begin with. Chinese was also one of the most difficult languages in the world.

"That's right, Ming Ge."

Hearing the girl's awkward pronunciation, Ming Ge smiled and nodded.

Though Chinese pronunciation was complicated, it was concise enough that she could pick Ming Ge's name out from a complete sentence.

Encountering an unknown "traveler" like Ming Ge during such an unusual time also left Meitellia deeply astonished.

Though they could not communicate, the atmosphere between them was surprisingly pleasant.

"Come to think of it, are you the only one here?"

Ming Ge glanced around and asked curiously.

He pointed around them, then pointed at Meitellia.

Quick-witted as she was, she soon understood what he meant.

"Yes. My sister and the others have gone on an expedition. I don't have the talent to be an adventurer, so I can't help them. All I can do is pray here."

Meitellia gestured as she spoke, then clasped her hands together and assumed a praying posture toward the front of the church.

Perhaps because this way of communicating was rather novel, she suddenly let out a soft giggle.

"Praying for your family?"

Ming Ge blinked, roughly understanding what she meant.

So you dared to open the door for me even though you were alone?

A sudden worry rose within Ming Ge.

It was not Meitellia he was worried about. He was worried about himself.

The girl looked frail, but this was another world.

Despite being so weak, she had dared to open the door for Ming Ge by herself. Either she possessed abilities like "magic" and could kill him in retaliation.

Or she was a sheltered young lady who did not understand the dangers of the human heart.

There was one more possibility: Meitellia might appear gentle and kind on the surface, while secretly being like Aria, the noble lady from Akame ga Kill! who specifically preyed on country folk.

Though it was rude to think that way, if he was not cautious in this unknown other world, it would be perfectly normal for him to die without even knowing when it happened.

"Fear of insufficient firepower..."

Having no strength and arriving alone in this unknown world truly made him uneasy.

Perhaps sensing this, Meitellia took his hand and gave him a gentle smile. She said something as well, seemingly trying to comfort him.

You're a noble young lady-type character, yet you're directly holding my hand to comfort me? Are you really this gentle?

Her hand was soft, but when he thought of how those hands might pick up a scalpel and cut out his kidneys, Ming Ge's expression could not help growing even stiffer.

Chapter 2: Gentle Meitellia

Since ancient times, the Lower World had contained an underground secret realm known as the Dungeon.

The secret realm bred monsters, which emerged onto the surface and slaughtered endlessly.

Taking pity on the people of the Lower World, the gods sent down the great spirits—known as the first Familia and as incarnations of the gods—to help humanity.

Until the many interventions of the gods bore bitter fruit, and they decided—not to interfere with humanity directly any longer.

The gods sealed away their divine power and descended to the Lower World, creating a system that allowed humans to surpass their limits: the Blessing of the Gods.

Using divine blood as a catalyst, it expanded the "vessels" of humans who had reached their limits, allowing them to contain greater and stronger power.

This was the myth of the Familia.

And this city was called Orario—the center of the world, built above the secret realm known as the Dungeon.

The world's strongest adventurers, along with all kinds of humans, demi-humans, elves, spirits, and other races lived here.

Meitellia was a member of the Hera Familia, the "strongest in the world" Familia.

As a member of the strongest Familia, she should have been very powerful. Even if she looked frail, she ought to have possessed the strength to uproot a willow tree.

Unfortunately, Meitellia had no talent for becoming an adventurer. Moreover, after receiving the Blessing of the Gods, she had unusually developed a skill with a negative status effect.

It was as though she was losing health every moment. As time passed, the effects of the negative skill grew increasingly severe. Even items could not completely suppress its effects, leaving her body extremely frail.

"Cough, cough..."

Meitellia suddenly began coughing as she spoke.

Seeing how weak she looked, Ming Ge did not know what to do.

"It's all right. I'm used to it already."

Meitellia showed a fragile smile.

Only then did Ming Ge notice the unhealthy pallor on her face.

So this is what they call a sickly young lady... She's clearly suffering herself, yet she still came to comfort me.

Thinking of this, Ming Ge felt ashamed of himself for having viewed Meitellia with malice.

"More importantly, may I know where you came from?"

Meitellia eagerly gestured. It took Ming Ge quite a while to understand what she meant.

This... how should I answer?

Ming Ge thought for a moment, then pointed toward the sky.

"Could you be from the Heavenly Realm?"