“Grimnir Luedbrumdar.”

“Jadhund Heimhunter.”

A taz and an inko dwarf sat at a table, locking eyes with each other. The taz dwarf was significantly larger and had a bulky build with flaring orange hair and two ram-like horns, whilst the smaller, but more well-proportioned, inko looked like your stereotypical dwarf. Similar to Ogni, the blacksmith I met in Firwood, this inko had a long well-kempt beard, hardened from the tips to the middle with rock.

“Lad!” The inko named Jadhund shouted at one of the nearby train engineers, commanding the young man to scramble next to the table. “Tankards. A whole barrel. Now.”

The order was swiftly filled. Two tankards were quickly placed in front of the two master artisans, while four other dwarves carried over a barrel large enough to accommodate three ogres. With a loud slam, the barrel was dropped next to the table, the sound of splashing waves of dwarven mead filling the room.

A large block of rock also was transported over, shoving the barrel of mead to the side. The same four dwarves from before grabbed the barrel once again, activating several bright runes in the process, and lifted the massive keg without any difficulty into the air, throwing it directly onto the stone. A spigot was then hammered at the bottom of drum, oozing golden brown liquid from it.

“You got weak from all the human fruit juice, zuekluk?” Jadhund spat out as he handed his tankard to one of the dwarves to fill up.

All the dwarves had stopped working in the train station, instead coming over here to watch this scene. They had tankards in their hands, banging them next to the stone floor or wooden tables to create drumming music. It made me anticipate something exciting.

“Hmph. Fill it.” Grimnir handed his mug over to the same dwarf, but unlike with Jadhund, the young man just scowled at Grimnir. However, this was quickly fixed when Jadhund shouted at him.

“You fool, are you here to dishonor me? FILL HIS DAMN TANKARD! How is he supposed to compete with a dry mug, you larrunda! Bladdarg! Go away.” Jadhund impatiently shoved the dwarven man away after taking Grimnir’s tankard to fill it up himself. As he handed the drink over, another dwarf took the shoved man’s place.

“Drink. Zuekluk.”

The banging of the tankards intensified, echoing inside this room like a loud festival. Ellaine, Tasianna, Reajaen, and I were weirded out by how much they were building up to each drink, while Mother just smiled peacefully. Daichi was the only one who was moved by the atmosphere, clapping his hands to the rhythm.

And at the climax of the banging, the two dwarves instantly downed their drinks at the same time, banging their tankards right on the table.

““Next!”” they shouted!

“Bruuuuu, unda sahmaliet te! Hoi! Hoi! Hoi!”

Fill, drink, slam. Fill, drink, slam, Fill, drink, slam. The constantly banging of the tankards began to show color, displaying vibrance as the singing of the dwarves mixed into it. Cheers erupted, egging on both contestants as they kept on drinking. The sounds of their full gurgles, their swallows, and the mead flowing through the spigot all joined into this weird symphony.

Such simply sounds, honestly. It was just a bunch of dwarves making sounds and banging their mugs, but by joining all of them together, you could call this music. Some might call it rowdiness, but after being around adventurers whenever I visited the guilds, I was used to it. I liked the energy!

“Bruuuuu, unda sahmaliet te! Hoi! Hoi! Hoi!” More and more dwarves began to sing that single sentence, continuing whenever the two master artisans had to wait for their mugs to be refilled.

“Hmm, you can still drink like a man, Grimnir? Ha, that’s the least I should expect from any master,” Jadhund complimented Grimnir, followed by the crowd shouting “Hoi” in response. “Still, let’s spice it up. This is too easy. Bring on the sake!”

“Ha!” Grimnir laughed while the audience blurted a worried “Oooooooh?” as if this match was about to end. “I was waiting for this. You can’t understand how long I’ve waited for real Ankoran wine after having to deal with that distilled rice wine we sell to humans! Come on, bring it in faster! We have a thirst to quench!”

““Aye!”” Surprisingly, the dwarven engineers cheered back at his request.

For some reason, the animosity and hostility everybody had been showing Grimnir at the start disappeared, replaced by the festive mood of this drinking contest. I was flabbergasted when they filled up Grimnir’s sake glass with the rice wine willingly, without needing to be threatened by Jadhund.

Wait, did Grimnir even need me here? I asked myself as the two dwarves drank their wine.

“Urgh! Guek!” Grimnir grabbed his throat and banged on the table with his fist.

“Gahahaha! Ahack! Bladdarg! That’s strong stuff! Urgh!” Jadhund grabbed the table and shook his head, throwing droplets of mead hanging from his beard to the ground. “Gahahah! You seem weak against the stuff, zuekluk!”

“““Hahahaha! Bruuuuu, unda sahmaliet te! Hoi! Hoi! Hoi!”””

“Bladdarg! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Grimnir roared out and slammed his head against the wooden table, breaking it in the process.

What the fuck?!

“Gahahahaha! Those damn taz horns! Gahahahaha!”

“““Hahahahahaha!”””

“Master Grimnir, don’t give up! Beat him!” Daichi cheered on.

“Shut up, lad! I know that!” Grimnir responded with a croaky voice before downing his own tankard to moisten his throat again. “Come on! Drink!”

“Drink! Gahahaha!”

Jeez… these two are already drunk. And it looks like all the dwarves are drunk from the atmosphere alone…

Certainly, this drinking challenge was a spectacle, especially with both contestants puking their insides out, then taking two more chugs, before puking it out again and then falling into their puddle of vomit, laughing. In fact, they were laughing together so much, we help but think they were lifelong friends.

After a couple more drinks, Grimnir called it quits in the end after they both drank another shot of the rice wine. Jadhund tried to celebrate with all the engineers around him, but he just fell right back onto the stone floor. I thought he would have got a concussion from it, but he was still conscious and laughed it off. Yup, he definitely had a concussion so I healed him before he became even more stupid.

And this was why I disliked drinking. Saori and Yorshka showed me too many times how they could go out of control. Not to mention Mother’s “accident.”

Urgh…

Tasianna pulled out a few hangover curatives, giving them to the two dwarves before we told all the other engineers to leave the room. With Mother around, it was easy enough to persuade them.

Once Grimnir and Jadhund had settled down, massaging their heads, Tasianna gave them a quick shower to get rid of the puke while I dried them up. Since they were still relatively drunk, Tasianna gave them another hangover potion. With the number of people in our company who were heavyweights with alcohol, Tasianna needed to keep making them.

“So… why was that exactly necessary?” I asked after I gave them long enough to rest.

“Lass, it’s just a tradition amongst us dwarven artisans. A master visiting another master usually had to earn the respect of each other through action,” Grimnir answered. “It’s like that smithing challenge I did in Cedaraille. With mastery comes arrogance, and to beat arrogance, you must show your own talents. However, what happens if you meet a master from a different field? How would you earn their respect then?”

“A drinking contest. Dwarven men need to know how to drink,” Jadhund answered as he stood up and kneeled before Mother and me. “I apologize for not doing this sooner. Empress and Princess of Kargryx, this dwarf humbly greets you. I, Jadhund, am at your service.”

“You know us?” I asked after telling him he could stand up.

He nodded. “Mhmm. We dwarves might isolate ourselves from the rest of Estralia, but I still pick up rumors when I visit the merchant guild to file taxes. Also, I felt her Imperial Majesty’s presence the last time you came here. It was hard to ignore all of my workers shouting ‘zuekluk’ all the time, so I knew what the two of you looked like.”

He then turned around to Grimnir after we gave our introductions, offering our blacksmith a handshake. “Grimnir, right? I heard quite a lot about you.”

“…” Grimnir stared at his hand, standing there as if he was frozen. After Daichi and Ellaine both spoke up, he shook his head and took Jadhund’s hand. “Honor to your ancestors, Jadhund. I am not talented enough to be known like this.”

“Mhmm. Being from the Luedbrumdar clan makes you famous, but for bad reasons.” Jadhund then turned his head around to Ellaine and began looking at her hands. He then moved closer to her and asked her if he could inspect them.

Ellaine agreed reluctantly. Jadhund then began touching her hand, feeling them out for the calluses from both her training as a fighter and as a manatechnician. He nodded contently, thanking Ellaine for her time.

“You’re an artificer, right?” he asked and Ellaine nodded. “Who's your master?”

“Master Grimnir,” Ellaine answered, causing Jadhund’s eyes to widen in surprise. He then closed them and sighed deeply, before returning to Grimnir.

“So the rumors were true? Broggart is dead?”

Grimnir nodded. “An accident on the road. Cousin had a hard head, but not hard enough when he fell off that cliff.” Grimnir then took a seat, sounding and looking more solemn as he spoke about his cousin Broggi. “Broggi… Bleidla cursed us after what we did, I say. Bladdarg. I sent my cousin home, hoping our clan would at least grant him a proper burial. I guess that’s how you heard about it.”

At the mention of that, Jadhund shrugged and shook his head, causing Grimnir to sigh. Seeing he needed some time for himself, Jadhund left Grimnir alone for a moment before turning over to Reajaen. “You’ve seen better days, foxian.”

“Ha… A price worth paying for what I gained.” Reajaen then pointed at me and asked Jadhund to take a seat. “Come. Time is money, and my Lady wishes to have you speak with her a bit.”

“You’re always been too hasty for your own good, Reajaen…” Once we all settled down, he skipped over the small talk and bluntly asked me why I am here. “I'm gonna assume you, as her Mistress, already know what’s going on, Princess Hestia. But, how much?”

I nudged Tasianna and she created an [Air Shield] around us. I then placed the artificial heart on the table. Jadhund nodded.

“It shouldn’t be outlawed, right? The only rule is that a dwarf must be the one who makes it, although…” I frowned when he acknowledged the artificial heart he help make for Parilostro. I had removed the one mana battery Reajaen’s son made, only showing the dwarf the ones he made. It wasn’t necessary for anybody to know what Parilostro did… for now.

Can’t believe I am keeping blackmail now… I shook that thought away as Jadhund began to speak.

“Sure. But I knew what Reajaen was doing. Makes me no better than the humans who did all those things to the faefolk years ago. Hmph. In my situation, I’m nothing more than a zuekluk.” Jadhund then turned to Tasianna. “Is she the one who will bring me in? I had thought a Haireti would capture me, but you don’t look like one, yflei.”

“I am Lady Hestia’s maid,” Tasianna answered.

“… Then, I apologize for what I did. Certainly shines a bad light on me after what happened to the fairy’s youngest princess.”

It seemed like the news of Princess Schuri’s death was also known by the dwarves. It seemed Jadhund already knew Reajaen was at fault for it.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“I’ll be the one who will answer for my crimes, Master Jadhund,” Reajaen tried to comfort him. “You helped my son out of goodwill. I never asked you for more than was necessary. Never told you more than you needed to know. You are not at fault for the faefolk I killed.”

“Ha! I am not a fox like you, foxian. Dwarves live by their honor and we die by it. An artificer needs to take responsibility for his creations, and because I made batteries which could help you, I doomed the lives of so many faefolk.” Jadhund stood up. “It’s enough. I should have announced this to the officials a long time ago. Now that you found out, it’s time for me to—”

“Sit, Jadhund.” Grimnir suddenly grabbed the inko’s arm and pushed him back on his seat like some thug.

“Blackmail?” He raised an eyebrow. “I thought after that drink I could trust you, Grimnir. But it seemed like you were a zuekluk to the end. You spit on your cousin’s legacy, you know that? Well, try as much as you want, but I’m gonna—”

“Master Jadhund, I am a merchant,” Reajaen put her foot down during the discussion. “I know how to use blackmail. Don’t take me as an amateur, it’s demeaning. We aren’t here to blackmail you, we’re here to ask you for a favor.”

“A favor?”

Tasianna nodded. “We’ve made peace, for now. That’s why Reajaen is alive and why my Lady was gracious enough to grant her son a new heart. Our Lady requires you help to rally the dwarves to our side to make Reajaen the president of Estralia.”

“What?” Jadhund looked at us as if we were crazy, but Reajaen took no heed.

“Master Jadhund, do you know of the lost dragon egg of Kargryx?”

“Hmm? Well, of course, every damn dwarf would know about that. It was sent to every major hold and clan. I learned it from the railroad guild, as the High King ordered everybody to keep an eye out.” He then turned to me and Mother. “But, what does that have to do with getting Reajaen to become president? How is that supposed to help you find your sibling, Princess?”

“She is the lost dragon princess, Master Dwarf,” Ellaine answered, shocking Jadhund. To prove it, I even gave him my ID to see. “Princess Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, Third Princess of the Dragon Empire, Kargryx, and the daughter of the Sixth Empress, Melloxtressa. Outside of the obvious, the Kingdom of Artorias has also vetted her identity.”

Ellaine produced her ID and showed the insignia of the Kingdom of Artorias and her house, Helvas, proving her claim. Jadhund then read my profile using his party bracelet, noting everything.

“16-years-old? Hold on, no, this cannot be. At best, if she hatched last year when her egg was lost, the princess has to be one at max! This has to be a lie!”

Oooh, bad choice of words.

And Jadhund quickly regretted ending that sentence as the room’s temperature quickly fell into the shivering territory. Jadhund’s head slowly moved around to Mother, who was glaring at him as if he had made the worst mistake in his life.

“Dwarf, are you saying I cannot even make out my own whelp? My own child? That my nose cannot differentiate the scent of another dragon? Should I freeze you until you figure out an excuse for what you just said there?”

“I-I-I-!” He couldn’t form an answer!

Shit! She’s serious!

“Mother!” I placed my hands over her eyes. If a stare could kill, then hers certainly could also turn people into popsicles. “You know how much dwarves like to joke around, right? He’s probably still drunk. You know, drunk. Like when you were that one time. You nearly froze everybody in the guildhall, remember?”

“… Oh.” And the cold disappeared, slowly rising back up. After I let out a sigh, I let my hands go from her eyes, where she nodded in understanding. “True. Dwarf, you should drink less. You speak like a fool.”

“… Yes, maybe I should do that. May Crustacia forgive me for this mistake.” He looked as if he had aged twenty years.

Regardless, after things settled down again, I began explaining the plan to Jadhund.

“Well, to make you understand, I am the lost dragon royal. Yes, I hatched last year and am now a year old, as you can see on my ID. Now, I think the crazy part about this is that, if I’ve been found, why am I not in Kargryx? I am not old enough for my adulthood pilgrimage. That’s what you are thinking, right?”

He nodded. As expected.

“Well, the reason for that is pretty clear and also confusing at the same time. Ahem. Nihonjin-desu.” (I’m Japanese.)

Jadhund tilted his head, widening his eyes like a fish while his jaw dropped.

“What did you just say?”

“I heard from Grimnir that the railroad guild also acts as the Church of Chihiro, right? Since the train is Chihiro-sama’s greatest work. As such, you should also have learned to use certain Japanese words from her, right?” I continued. “Honestly, during all my entire time in Peolynca, I’ve only heard people use the word ‘rice wine.’ Not sake, like you, Jadhund-san. Actually, wait, what would be the honorific here, Daichi-kun?”

“Gijutsu-sya, since that fits an artificer or manatechnician the most, I think. Hestia-san, your Japanese is extremely simple for even a half-Japanese.” Dude is speaking sass with me now.

“Oh jeez, come on, It’s not like I went to school in Japan. I learned it from my family. It’s enough to get my point across, though, so cut me some slack, teacher’s pet.”

Daichi and I continued bantering around, making sure to emphasize our real origins with everything we said. Jadhund’s head followed the one speaking. He remained mostly silent, not interrupting us for even a second until we were done. The both of us then turned to him, smiling.

“… As the apprentice of a master artificer who worked with the Honored Chihiro-sama, I have never truly spoken with an otherworlder before. Are the both of you—?”

“I am a visitor, she is a reincarnator. Like the Revolution Queen,” Daichi answered.

“…” He fell silent once again, so I had to continue my explanation.

“That should answer why I’m so young. Now, the second point is that, similar to the Revolution Queen, I was brought to this world due to the wishes of an Origin God. Goddess Crustacia summoned Chihiro-sama, while I was summoned here by Goddess Aurena. For a Divine Quest.”

This outcome was planned out beforehand. I already knew how much the dwarves, especially those loyal to Chihiro, loved the notion of otherworlders due to the chance to learn from their knowledge. It wasn’t recommended to expose this secret of yours, since some people would love to take advantage of it, due to how extremely rare we were.

However, in this case, Grimnir explained how this probably would be the best way to gain a member of the railroad guild’s trust. Although it might not be effective on all dwarves, they would at least treat us with great respect. Especially the wise-woman council, a faction composed out of the most talented women to serve as advisors for the Ankoran High Kings and Queens.

I continued, “And to fulfill this goal, I need Reajaen to become the President of Estralia at all cost.”

Aside from our deal with Shaturein for them to track down and monitor Saori’s students stuck in the Empire, Shaturein was also our ally in these other matters. With Shaturein slowly taking control of Estralia’s underbelly, they would start rooting out any source of power from the other senators. Meanwhile, the Layavete cartel with the Resurrection would start recruiting allies for the future Presidential vote.

We needed it to take control over Gleisvale and, as such, the western trading hub of Altrust. To make sure we would succeed, Reajaen had to do the one thing no Estralian President had done in over 200 years — bring the dwarves back into the ecosystem of Gleisvale. To make the Dwarven-Made Human City regain its former ally.

However, that was just one of our goals. And Jadhund seemed to have noticed that since Grimnir was here.

“But you want more, right?”

Ellaine showed Jadhund the mana batteries he made. “Master Grimnir told me these batteries were made with his cousin’s technique. Master Broggi, the owner of the scrolls and book I am currently learning from.”

He nodded. “Aye. Broggart was a talented artificer, the best from the Luedbrumdar clan, really. He wasn’t as well-known in the guilds, due to his lack of achievements and inventions, well, until the day he and Grimnir stole the technology of Chihiro-same — the gun blueprints. Grimnir, is that—?”

“Aye.” Grimnir unsheathed his blasthammer from its leather holder and transformed it into its gun form, showing off the bright mana flowing through its circuitry like a river. “The one Broggi made was destroyed in a battle. I’ve made a new one with my apprentice. This human lass here, Ellaine. I fixed up the metal, but she did all the artificer stuff by herself.”

“Hmm? Truly?” Jadhund was surprised, looking at Ellaine for a confirmation and was even more flabbergasted when she nodded. “… Grimnir, can I look at it for a moment.”

Our blacksmith acquiesced, opening up a plate to reveal the wires and other machinery inside of Grimnir’s treasured weapon.

“Hmm? Runes, huh? Fire and ice? Hmm, to cool down and warm up. A counterbalance. Smart. Hmm, but… Lass.” He waved Ellaine over, pointing at certain spots inside of the blasthammer. “This is wrong. With how you wired it, there will be a longer delay with the mana transfer. And this, I can see the attempt to copy Broggart’s technique, but you are doing it all incorrectly. The mana paths need to create a reversed spiral to move the cogs!”

“Lass!”

“Huh? Yes, Master Grimnir!” Grimnir surprised Ellaine.

“What are you doing there looking like a fool! Get your pen and slate out and write those tips down! You are getting tips from an actual artificer master!”

“Yes! Right!”

“Lad!”

“Yes, Master!” Even Daichi was called out.

“You and Ellaine are supposed to work in unison in the future. A blacksmith needs to understand the usage of his creations to make them properly. I can only teach you so much until you have to learn and see it for yourself. Do the same and listen with Ellaine!”

“Of course, Master! I am too slow and unworthy of your advice!”

Ellaine and Daichi committed themselves to Jadhund’s care, intently writing down everything he had to say about the blasthammer. At times, he shouted and criticized Ellaine nearly as harshly as Grimnir would do it, but through her time with the latter, she weathered it well. Daichi was nowhere near to his cross-fire, but being studious, he asked his own questions, earning himself the artificer’s ire in exchange for tips and advice.

After the three were done, Ellaine and Daichi looked exhausted, but were still full enough of energy to compare notes. Was this a school? We had to leave those two alone in their own world as we continued our discussion.

When Jadhund asked us to speak earnestly, Grimnir voiced his favor. “As the blacksmith in the service of Princess Hestia, I have a responsibility to make the best equipment for her and our company, Aurora. But, with my current equipment, I can’t do that.”

“… You want access to your workshop and Broggart’s, I assume?” His guess was a bull's eye.

“Aye, in particular, I need Broggi’s tools.” Grimnir then tapped his gauntlets, drawing Jadhun’s attention to them. “I am currently ‘sinning’ in the eyes of Bleidla. I am planning on using the lass’s knowledge to create an armor nobody in this world has ever seen. And, from the looks of it, I need to do it now. I need to become stronger than anybody else.”

Grimnir’s eyes then locked onto mine before he nodded, prompting me to do the same. Grimnir was already committed to making a set of armor and weapons for himself that would help him to become a stronger combatant for Aurora. It seems to have become an obsession after his meeting with the demonkins.

Despite how well his creations did in combat against the fire demonkin of wrath, he was still disappointed how he still almost died even with them. Arcane Corruption was his problem. He had to find a way to resolve that. In addition, he knew he had to create armor and weapons for everybody. Weapons able to kill even the largest beasts. His pride as a blacksmith was damaged when he saw Tatsuya and Kyouya on the brink of death.

“I don’t mind what you want to do in the future, Jadhund,” I stated. “However, before you face justice or whatever, could you do me this favor? Please? We need help.”

“He… Bleidla already knows what I did. If I help you, I will only anger the god even further.” He looked at me straight into my eyes. “Deal. But you owe me one for this, Princess Hestia. If I’m getting exiled, I expect a place where I can live afterwards.”

“Got it.”

And with a strong handshake, the deal was settled. Ellane’s and Grimnir’s trip to the dwarven capital was assured; in addition, he would bring most of the students and the RV with him. Now, why would I exclude certain other people and myself in the list?

“Hey, Saori. You ready?”

After we were done at the train station, we said goodbye to Reajaen after giving her a set of [Room] runes and then returned to the RV. Inside the subspace, I greeted Saori waiting at the nexus point with Tatsuya, Kyouya, and a now fully adventurer-dressed Asaka. No longer did she look like a priestess of any gods, she just looked like a girl ready to go on an adventure.

Well, everything but her face, really.

“Yup, supplies are ready. Tools and other stuff are inside our storages. The garm’s pelts are also with me. And, of course…”

Rajah suddenly jumped out from her shadow and walked over to my side. With a loud rawr, he growled like a growing tiger.

I smiled and picked him up, stroking his stomach before looking at the four. “Don’t forget to come back into the [Room] whenever you’re in trouble. Yorshka will be on standby if you need her help, or any other person around.”

“Yeah, we got it. Don’t worry, Hestia-san,” Tatsuya reassured me.

A scar was clear to be seen on the side of his head. A wound he picked up during the demonkin battle and healed with Tasianna’s [Ocean Healing]. Unlike [Major Heal], that spell could leave scars behind.

“Yeah. The impromptu armors Grimnir made us fit well enough. I think we’re much stronger than before,” Kyouya smiled as runes shone on his armor.

As I was the one who took care of Kyouya, he showed no signs of any scars on his body. The burns weren’t there anymore. However, what I couldn’t heal was his hair. Singed away, he was now bald and was missing his eyebrows. A shame, since he had a handsome face. It will take a bit for him to regrow them.

“Yay, team,” Asaka cheered sarcastically. Even if she wanted to do this for herself, she really wasn’t into it.

On the other hand…

“You got this, Saori. Show that old wolf who’s the true alpha.” I grinned at her, prompting Saori to smile wryly.

“I’m not planning on fighting him… but, if what Ilsaphone said was correct, then I should expect something rough. Haaaaa, anyways, expect a new fenrir to appear the next time we meet, Hestia. Until then, stay safe.”

She embraced me. I reciprocated it.

“You’re a real drama queen. You know we’ll meet up every then and so.”

“Who knows. Maybe we’ll be too preoccupied to enter the subspace. If that’s the case, then we better hug and wish each other luck, no?”

“… True. Good point. As expected from you, Saori.”

Three parties.

For the first time, Aurora will be splitting up.

Grimnir’s group would head to the dwarven capital with Jadhund’s help and the train, where he was planning on creating his masterpiece, the power armor we’ve kept hyping him up for. Saori and her three students would enter the Belaz forest to meet up with her ancient grandfather, Belzac, the S rank fenrir. She had already spoken with Ilsaphone, learning his motives, and now she wanted to confront him about it. In my opinion, I think Saori was going there to understand herself.

Her fenrir self.

Meanwhile, Artorias and Estralia would be run by our allies. All towards the goal of the dwarven summit in three months. In three months, even I had to be done with my goal.

And what was it?

Divine Quest: The Champion of Yeostar

Quest Giver: Origin Goddess of Light, Healing, Miracles and Kinship, Aurena

Description: Hestia, I would like you to travel to the Principality of Yeos inside the territory of the Five Princes. The Divide of the Five Princes, as they call it. There, a festival will be held in the honor of one of my subordinate gods, Yeostar. Not only will there be plenty of fun and festivities, but also a tournament will be held there. The reward for winning the tournament is to become the Champion of Yeostar through the ingestion of “his blood” synthesized by the ruling royal family. I want you to go there and assure the blood does not get into the hands of the demonkins or anybody with malicious intent. This is a personal request from Yeostar himself.

Reward: [Idol] proficiency gain, [Venerated Saintess] proficiency gain, a reward from Yeostar, Unique Job Unlock, +2 level

A divine quest, of course. And those who were accompanying me on this mission included Tasianna, Mother, Rajah, and the twins. If Yorshka and Priscilla were to come, too, this would have been a full-on family trip, you could say.

And, it was also an important family trip for my royal self, too. After all, during the discussion I had with Aurena, she told me something interesting.

My big sister was over there.