I slept like a log and woke up only after midday, still sitting at the table that I fell asleep last night. I shouldn’t have been surprised about it really, considering I was talking to Lavita from the middle of the night until almost dawn. Although, it felt like we’ve talked for only twenty minutes at most. In the end, I felt happy and gutted at the same time. Talking to Lavita was such a bliss and it lit a fire under my ass to go massacre the monsters in the dungeon until I become strong enough to finally learn where she was and go meet her. But first things first, Ranalaiya and Sylfrin had literally jumped on my neck at the same time after seeing me finally wake up. Apparently, they were very worried about me for not waking up for so long, so I had to reassure them I was fine.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. I was simply tired, that’s all,” I patted them on the heads while they were clinging to me.

“We were worried about you so much, Master,” Ranalaiya rubbed her cheek against mine.

“Yes. You wouldn’t wake up even when we tried waking you up, Master Rockin,” Sylfrin was more open to reveal it.

“Ok, well… something happened last night and that was probably why I needed a proper rest afterwards,” I told them, both of them perking up for some reason.

“Huh? You mean… you’ve been together with Savirei before coming back here, Master Rockin?” Ranalaiya asked the question I didn’t expect her to ask. Well, maybe a little, considering both of them knew Savirei was all for spending some private time with me last night, but still.

“Ah, no,” I answered, feeling perplexed.

“So, was it Navirei you’ve spent time with last night, Master Rockin?” Sylfrin asked next.

“Huh? Nooo…” I rolled my eyes. “And before you ask, I haven’t been with Virghel either.” I made a frown before adding. “I spoke to Lavita after I’ve put you two to bed.”

“Lavita?” Ranalaiya’s green cat-like eyes sparkled.

“You… spoke to the woman who announces our experience gain, Master?” Sylfrin became confused instead of excited like Ranalaiya.

“What did you speak about, Master Rockin?” Ranalaiya asked, her face showing she was very curious to know.

“Can you actually speak to Lavita, Master Rockin?” But Sylfrin was yet to believe it.

“Yes,” it was Ranalaiya who answered Sylfrin’s question. “Master Rockin had spoken to Lavita before.”

“Really? But how come we couldn’t hear it?” Sylfrin wanted to know.

“Because both of you were asleep last night?” I wasn’t actually asking a question, but I made it sound like I did.

“Oh, yes,” Sylfrin remembered it, a mild redness jumping on her cheeks. “But what about the times when Lavita speaks after we kill monsters in the dungeon?”

“Ah, those are just random messages to announce my experience gain or when I find any magical items. Lavita isn’t actually talking during those times,” I tried to explain it, but it sounded confusing even to me.

“Ok.” Fortunately, Sylfrin looked like she got the message.

“So, what did you talk about with Lavita, Master Rockin?” Ranalaiya asked again, still waiting for the answer.

“Well, she didn’t tell me where she was,” was the first thing I said, making a frown too. “But we had such a pleasant conversation that I hadn’t noticed when the morning came, with Lavita telling me her time was up.” I let out a sad sigh at the end.

“So, you don’t know where Lavita is, Master Rockin?” Sylfrin asked, feeling curious.

“Apparently, I am too weak to go to where she is which was the reason Lavita wouldn’t tell me. If I understood her correctly, Lavita is locked in some dungeon somewhere and the monsters inside that dungeon are so dangerous, I’m not even one tenth strong enough to fight them,” I said, making an irritated facial expression. “Well, I am a little stronger than I was when I spoke to Lavita for the very first time, but the fact that I am too weak to get to her still remains.”

“I want to help you become stronger, so you can meet Lavita, Master Rockin,” Sylfrin suddenly announced with an unwavering conviction in her voice.

“Yes. I will help you too, Master Rockin,” Ranalaiya joined her, determination jumping in her eyes.

“Aren’t you two adorable?” I looked at the two beauties in front of me, a sly grin entering my mouth.

“Hey, I am very serious here, Master Rockin,” Ranalaiya pouted her lips, a flush dressing her cheeks.

“Do you not believe us, Master Rockin?” Sylfrin asked me, making an innocent baby face that would melt an iceberg.

“Of course I do and I appreciate you wanting to help me with it,” I said, showing a kind smile this time. “But first things first, you haven’t eaten anything yet, have you?” I squinted my eyes before dipping my head to give them a slightly angry look.

“Huh? Oh,” Ranalaiya and Sylfrin averted their embarrassed faces away.

“You two…” I spoke in a scolding manner before crossing my arms in front of me. “Listen, I appreciate you caring for me so much, but you need to take care of yourselves as well. You and I know that the two of you are slaves, but I am certain Savirei would’ve arranged something for you to eat despite that.”

“Ahh…” both of them squirmed, shifting their bodies one way or the way.

“Come on, let’s go eat. Oh, and good morning too,” I made Ranalaiya and Sylfrin feel at ease by coming closer and giving them kisses.

“Good morning, Master Rockin,” which instantly helped them relax and cheer up too.

The diner was open and bustling with people, just like any other normal day it would. Of course, Savirei was extra delighted to see me as well. However, it was midday and she was super busy, so we didn’t talk that much. Although, Savirei revealed she was a little sad I didn’t come back to wish her a good night sleep after taking Ranalaiya and Sylfrin to the room we had spent the night at, so I had to make up to her by giving Savirei a good morning kiss on the cheek even though it was midday now. Other than her heartbroken act, Savirei had a surprise waiting for me, or two even. Before we finished our food, she presented ten gold coins for me, saying that was the clan’s registration money. I wanted to instantly refuse taking money from her, but she explained that everyone had chipped in to help me cover the clan registration costs, insisting I should take the money which I had no choice but to accept in the end.

The second thing she surprised me with was she offered to make her diner our clan’s meeting place. Savirei said she had already spoken with the others in the morning, with everyone agreeing to it as well. It actually made sense from the practical point of view. Meeting at Alragus’ workshop or Navirei’s inn would’ve been a little strange to say the least. Besides, Savirei had food and drinks to offer as well, so it was a win-win for everyone. Although, I felt like I’d be indebted to Savirei for using her diner as our clan’s meeting place and I knew she’d definitely want something in return for it.

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“Ok, agreed,” but again, I had to give in.

“Wonderful,” Savirei clapped her hands, smiling as wide as her face allowed for her to do so.

“Right, can you pack us some of your cake to go, Savirei? We’ll be going to the dungeon after I register our clan at the Guild,” I remembered to ask her before leaving.

“You’re going to the dungeon already? But you’ve just got back not that long ago,” Savirei said, making a sad facial expression.

“Yes, well… I need to get some materials and… do some quests to raise my Adventurer’s Rank,” I came up with an excuse, which wasn’t exactly a lie. In truth, I didn’t want to tell her the real reason why I wanted to go to the dungeon which was to slaughter as many monsters as I could and become stronger as fast as possible, so I could eventually meet Lavita.

“Oh my, you’re really serious about showing a good example to your future clan members, aren’t you, Rockin?” Savirei pulled out an even better excuse I could add to my current ones.

“Aah, yeah… A clan leader who is only an E-Rank Adventurer doesn’t sound very appealing or trustworthy, does it?” I said, adding a silly laugh.

“I personally don’t care about your rank, Rockin, but yes, there is some truth to your words,” Savirei had to agree. “Please give me a short while to prepare some food for you to take with you.”

“Thanks,” I said with a smile.

After we received our food from Savirei, we were off to the Guild.

“Rockstars Clan? Wow, what an usual clan name,” Rozalina gasped after reading my clan’s name out loud when I presented her the papers. “And… Meribel Willmint is vouching for you?!” Rozalina exclaimed when she read that part a little too loud. “Oops, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well…” I simply smiled. “Oh, and here is the registration fee also.” I presented her the money.

“Right, thank you, Rockin. Please give me a moment to register your clan for you,” Rozalina said, taking the payment and the papers before disappearing from behind the counter. We’ve waited for about ten minutes for her to come back, Rozalina placing a parchment on the counter in front of me upon returning. “Here is your clan’s registration certificate, Rockin.”

“Oh, nice. Thank you,” I picked up a crude yet sturdy looking paper parchment with my clan’s main information on it.

“I don’t want to make any assumptions, but if you need any help or information… like how to register quests under your clan’s name or recruiting new members feel free to come talk to me at any time, Rockin,” Rozalina offered, a kind smile showing on her face.

“Right. Yes, will do,” I understood what she meant and I was grateful she was very tactful about it. “Ok, that’s all for now. So, thanks for your help again, Rozalina.”

“You’re welcome, Rockin, and please be careful in the dungeon,” Rozalina smiled.

“Will do. Bye for now,” I waved her goodbye, us leaving the Guild after that.

“Congratulations on creating a Clan, Master Rockin,” Ranalaiya was very happy for me.

“Yes, congratulations, Master Rockin,” as so was Sylfrin.

“Thank you, you two,” I felt unusually excited about it. As a future clan’s leader, I knew I had a lot of work waiting ahead of me, but I had a more pressing matter in front of me right now. “Ok, so before we reach the dungeon, I want to explain what my plan is. I want to see if I can craft a new armor for Ranalaiya from the Tarkee skins that I have have. I think I’ll start with the bracers which would be the easiest to craft anyway. However, I am unsure which combination would work best at this point. I’m thinking of trying to combine Tarkee skins with Carnabbit fur first. If that not gonna work, I’ll use Tarkee skins and Rhaki skins to see what kind of bracers will come out of it next. And lastly, I’ll use all three materials to craft one more pair of bracers and then compare all three to see which one is best. Once I find out which option works best, I’ll craft the remaining armor pieces using that exact method.”

“You want to craft a new armor set for me, Master Rockin?” Ranalaiya lit up like a candle upon hearing me mention it.

“We agreed we’ll help each other become stronger and getting new and better equipment is part of it too. However, higher level gear is difficult to come by, and since I have my Crafting skill, I figured I should use it to the fullest. Having said that, we will need to collect a lot of crafting materials and you already know that Tarkee skin is a very rare drop, so we’ll be staying in the dungeon for longer this time,” I informed my two beautiful female companions.

“Yes, Master Rockin,” I shouldn’t have expected anything else other than Ranalaiya and Sylfrin happily agreeing to it.

“Ok then, let’s go to the dungeon,” I said with a smile.

{two days later at Savirei’s diner}

“Welcome. A table for two?” One of the waitresses working at the diner greeted new guests that entered through the door.

“Ah, yes… please,” a middle aged, brown hair wearing timidly-looking woman responded. She had another person with her as well. However, the other person, another woman from the looks of it, was wearing a cape over her other clothes while hiding her face under the hood. Both of their clothes were rather worn out and slightly dirty too.

“Ah, this way, please,” the waitress motioned with her hand for the women to follow her, leading them to a free table. “Here you go. I’ll give you a few minutes to look at the menu before returning to take your order. Take your time.” The waitress smiled before leaving them be. However, instead of attending to another patron, the waitress went to find the diner’s owner.

“Is something wrong, Nara?” Savirei asked, seeing her employee looking distressed.

“I’m sorry, Miss Savirei, but two suspicious-looking people had entered the diner just now,” Nara informed her.

“Suspicious-looking people?” Savirei took Nara’s comment seriously. “Did something happen?”

“No, nothing bad happened yet. I simply led them to one of the tables, but one of the two women I spoke to doesn’t look to be trustworthy… or look to have money to pay for the food,” Nara made a pause before delivering the rest of her message.

“Really? Can you show me where they sit, Nara?” Savirei asked politely.

“Over there, Miss Savirei,” Nara hinted with her head towards the direction.

“Thank you, Nara. I will take it from here,” Savirei said, showing a smile before turning to take a better look at the two people that Nara mentioned.

In the meantime at the table that the two women were sitting at.

“But we don’t have enough money to pay for the food,” the woman under the hood spoke to the other middle-aged lady after the waitress was gone.

“It’s ok. I still have a few bronze coins with me. It should be enough to order at least something to eat,” the woman who wasn’t wearing a hood responded.

“But what about the…” The woman under the hood wanted to say something, her voice trembling.

“Don’t worry about it, daughter,” the other lady placed her hand on her daughter’s right hand. “This is a small town, so we should be safe here for a while.”

“Yes, but…” her daughter clenched her fist, her mother feeling the young woman’s frustration.

“Good day to you, my name is Savirei, what would you like to order?” Savirei asked after coming to their table.

“Oh, ah, yes. Please, can we…” the woman not wearing a hood scrambled to say something. They hadn’t looked at the menu yet, so she didn’t know what to say. “Actually, what could we get for this amount?” The woman placed three bronze coins on the table.

“Three bronze coins? Hmm…” Savirei made a pause, looking like she was thinking about something while also making the two women sitting at the table feel uncomfortable. “I could offer you a portion of roasted Carnabbit meat.”

“Yes, Carnabbit meat is fine,” the mother responded.

“Ok, coming right up,” Savirei said yet she didn’t pick up the coins from the table.

“But you don’t eat that kind of meat, mom,” the daughter spoke after Savirei was gone.

“It’s ok. I’ll be fine. You need to eat more than I do,” her mother responded.

“That’s not good. You haven’t eaten anything for almost two days,” the daughter was worried about her mother.

“Don’t worry about me. It is you who needs to keep your strength up,” the mother argued.

“Here is your order,” before they could continue their conversation, Savirei returned with a plate of steaming hot meat that she placed on the table.

“Thank you,” the mother said, but didn’t start eating.

“I’m sorry, is something wrong?” Savirei inquired, noticing their hesitation.

“Excuse me, but…” the woman under the hood spoke.

“What are you doing, daughter?” The mother scolded her daughter.

“You need to eat something too, mother,” her daughter responded in a stern voice before turning to Savirei again. “I’m sorry, can I talk to the owner of this establishment, please?”

“Of course you can. Her name is Savirei and she’s standing in front of you,” Savirei introduced herself.

“Huh? You…” the daughter was taken by surprise a little upon learning that. “Well, in that case, do you have something to eat that doesn’t have meat in it?”

“Something that doesn’t have meat in it? How about a vegetable soup then? It is only two bronze coins,” Savirei suggested.

“Yes, that would work, but…” the daughter said.

“But…” Savirei noticed the woman under the hood wanted to add something else, but for some reason didn’t.

“Well… we don’t have any more money… but I can work for you to cover the cost of the food,” the young woman offered after a bit of hesitation.

“Work for the food?” Savirei was taken by surprise to hear such an offer. “I’m sorry, but I cannot hire someone to work for me who isn’t even willing to show their face to me.”

“Daughter, no…” the mother wanted to protest.

“I’m sorry, mother, but we have no other choice,” but her daughter had made up her mind, standing up and taking off her hood to show her face to Savirei. “My name is Lilfira. Please, I’ll do any work you ask me to do.”

“Oh my, never thought I’d see your kind visit my humble diner,” Savirei said, touching her furry cheek with one hand.