"But..."
Hanabishi Warabi pouted, looking aggrieved.
"Fierce Man is really scared of pain too..."
"Awooo..."
The black bear on the ground seemed to understand his owner's meaning. He obligingly let out a cry, then rolled over on the floor, putting on an air of being "ever so fragile."
Tsubaki: "..."
The corner of Tsubaki's mouth twitched.
Seeing the girl and bear shamelessly play innocent,
she sighed helplessly.
"All right, all right. You win."
Tsubaki sighed helplessly, then turned and waved at a few familia members moving goods.
"Go get that dusty thing in the corner of the warehouse."
A moment later,
a somewhat crude-looking but extremely sturdy set of Beast Armor was brought over.
It didn't cover the entire body.
But thick leather and metal plates protected the chest, back, and key joints of all four limbs.
The chest piece in particular had an extra layer of steel plating.
"Here, try this."
Tsubaki had them drop the armor on the ground.
The black bear knew quality when he saw it.
He immediately got up and sniffed the pile of armor.
Then, without anyone's help,
he expertly wriggled into it himself.
Hanabishi Warabi hurried over to fasten his straps.
"Click."
The fit was surprisingly good.
With the armor on, the big black bear, who had looked rather goofy before, instantly took on the air of a ferocious war beast.
"Wow! That's so cool!"
Hanabishi Warabi looked thrilled.
"Now Fierce Man is Orario's number one war bear!"
"Don't celebrate just yet."
Tsubaki folded her arms and leaned against a shelf, watching them as she spoke evenly.
"This was originally commissioned by a beast tamer from another familia."
"He was another oddball who kept monsters as pets. He spent quite a bit on this equipment."
At that point,
Tsubaki paused.
A hint of the detachment only seasoned adventurers understood crossed her eyes.
"The equipment was finished, but he never came back."
"I heard he died somewhere in the twenties. They couldn't even recover his whole body."
"So this thing's been sitting in the warehouse for almost two years."
"Since it fits your bear, you can have it."
At those words,
Hanabishi Warabi's hands paused slightly as she excitedly fastened Fierce Man's buckles.
"D-dead?"
"Is that so strange?"
Tsubaki glanced at Hanabishi Warabi.
"In the Dungeon, people dying is as ordinary as eating and drinking."
"Once someone enters the Dungeon, no one can guarantee they'll come back alive the next day to collect their custom equipment."
"So this is what you'd call profiting off the dead."
"If that bothers you, there's still time to take it off."
Hanabishi Warabi swallowed.
Looking at the dark red marks on the armor, her excitement cooled a little.
But soon,
she gritted her teeth.
"We're wearing it! Why wouldn't we?"
"It's free!"
"Since this is something a senior left behind,"
"Fierce Man will definitely inherit their luck along with it!"
"Arf?"
Fierce Man seemed to understand something and hurriedly grunted in agreement.
At that, a look of approval appeared on Tsubaki's face.
"Hmph."
"You've got the right attitude, at least."
Tsubaki grinned.
She didn't dampen the newcomer's enthusiasm.
After all, in Orario, anyone who lacked even that much resolve would be better off going home to farm.
Meanwhile,
out of the corner of her eye, Tsubaki spotted a figure heading deeper into the armory.
It was Haimo.
She saw him
standing before a rack of polearms, his gaze lingering on a spear with a silver-white shaft and a dark red tip.
Then,
he reached out
and grasped the shaft.
"Humm-"
As the spear was lifted, it seemed to let out a low, trembling hum.
Holding it in one hand, Haimo casually twirled the spear.
His movements flowed effortlessly, without the slightest awkwardness.
"Oh?"
Tsubaki raised her eyebrows in surprise and strode over.
"Lord Haimo, are you choosing a weapon too?"
"But you're a god."
In the mortal realm, gods possessed endless lifespans.
But while they were in the mortal realm,
ironclad rules forbade them from entering the Dungeon or using their divine power.
The vast majority of gods couldn't even truss a chicken.
Much less wield a spear designed specifically for killing.
Faced with Tsubaki's puzzled look, Haimo held the spear upright at his side and smiled.
"My title does have something to do with martial arts, after all."
"Even if I can't go into the Dungeon to fight monsters,"
"my hands still itch for action sometimes."
Haimo rubbed his thumb over the patterns on the spear's shaft.
"The War God, huh..."
Tsubaki nodded thoughtfully.
Although she didn't know this god's exact divine domain,
judging by that casual spear flourish, he clearly knew his way around a weapon.
Tsubaki asked no more questions.
She turned back to the girls, now fully armed and so excited they looked ready to pick a fight on the spot.
"In that case,"
"you've got all your equipment."
"Next comes actual combat."
"What do you think, Lord Haimo?"
"I take it this is these newcomers' first time in Orario?"
"How about..."
Tsubaki pointed at herself.
"Once they've registered as adventurers, I personally take them for a look around the Dungeon?"
"I don't have anything to do right now anyway."
"And I'd like to see just what these new recruits of yours are made of, Lord Haimo."
"While we're at it, I can teach them a few of the Dungeon's rules."
"Consider it an orientation tour?"
Tsubaki had her own reasons for offering, too.
For one, she wanted to do Haimo a favor.
For another,
as a smith, once her new weapons had found owners, she always itched to see how they performed in actual combat.
Hearing that, Haimo gave it some thought.
It really was a good suggestion.
After all,
as a god, he couldn't personally lead the party into the Dungeon.
With an experienced Lv.5 veteran who knew the Dungeon's ecosystem guiding them, their efficiency would undoubtedly improve considerably.