Danmachi – Infinite Mana System

Chapter 22 – Issues with Aiz / Mikoto



[Chapter Size: 2481 Words.]
Lucius POV

Guild.
...

...

"Here it is!" Rose handed me the paper with the address, and I thanked her deeply. But not before also asking for Demeter's address, which I had always wanted from Hestia, and she always denied. Rose squinted, wondering why I wanted the address of a goddess, but I just smiled, saying I had a message from Hestia to Demeter. I left after she handed me the information.

As I was leaving through the large doors, I noticed Aiz on the street. When she saw me, she automatically drew her sword in a quick movement, not because of me or the nickname I gained as an enemy of her family, but because of Riekling, who was by my side.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Are you thinking of attacking my partner, huh?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Monster..." She muttered without lowering her sword. Many people tensed up at this moment in front of the guild, but I was angry, and Riekling was afraid, as Aiz was level six at this moment and could intimidate anyone, even I could feel the pressure that I was no challenge in front of her when angry.

"Don't even think about it, do you see this?" I took out a paper and showed it to her, even though we had stayed at a certain distance from each other.

"I know you have your issues with monsters, but Riekling is a tamed monster. If you want to kill them, go to the dungeon!" I said angrily, and by now, the commotion had already affected the entire guild. Because who wouldn't recognize the sword princess in Orario?

But to my horror and Riekling's, she didn't care about it and advanced. Riekling lost his head in the next second...

Silence settled in for a few moments until the sound of flames appeared.

*Flames* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

Aiz was quick to dodge my attacks easily as I bombarded her in front of the guild, to the horror of all the witnesses. Never in their lives did they imagine that today, one of the great names in this city would attack a goblin in the middle of the street, and another unknown adventurer would be casting spells on the level six adventurer.

I didn't cast many spells, just enough to make her back off, even though I was already drawing attention as I cast these fire spells so quickly. I didn't want to be too conspicuous.

"Why did you attack him!?" I shouted.

She didn't answer, still waiting for my second attack. She probably didn't even understand why I was defending the goblin. Looking at his body beside me, the body and backpack disappeared with a light, catching the attention of the crowd, as it should disintegrate with a magic stone left behind.

"If you really want to attack, then bring it on!" I shouted angrily. [- INVOCATION SPELL, GOBLIN!!] A magic circle appeared on the ground in front of me. And a goblin emerged from it to the sighs of the witnesses, trying to understand how someone could resurrect the goblin again. But in reality, it's an invocation, and no matter how many times it's destroyed, it can be restored with all memories and attack him in front of me without harming anyone irritated me a lot.

"HEEEE!!!" Riekling protested when he appeared.

"And now? Are you going to kill him again?!" I shouted frustrated and mocking the level 6 adventurer. She looked stunned for the first time, I had no chance against her, but was I going to lower my head? Of course not, even if I have my bones broken, I will face this without regret.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!" A new voice was heard from the guild entrance. A fat elf was at the entrance, surrounded by many employees, Rose among them with a worried look.

"I'm being attacked here. I'm inviting her to attack my licensed goblin again; I can summon him all day." I said without taking my eyes off Aiz; I really felt angry at the irrational woman.

"HEE!" Riekling didn't like that.

"Stop this madness here!" He said threatening both me and Aiz.

"Tsk, I'll make you pay for this someday, Aiz!" I said to myself as I looked at her with cold eyes.

"Let's go, Riekling, let's get out of here." I said taking my eyes off Aiz while my goblin followed me. I didn't even need to talk to that elf because I knew I had the goblin's documentation with Rose, while Aiz herself was looking complicated after witnessing my goblin come back to life.

"Wait, about Bell..." She tried to say, but I gave her a stern look at that moment.

'Is she serious about wanting to talk to me after what she did?' I got annoyed at this thought. 

"Do you still want to talk to me and know about my family member after everything? Go ask your advisor over there." I pointed to where the guild staff were, who had come out to see the origin of the commotion.

"Eina Tulle is her name. Now, I'm not in the mood to talk to you. Goodbye." I said, distancing myself with coldness.

Today would be the day she would meet Bell and start training him, but I didn't want to see her face anymore.

Without wasting any more time and in a bad mood, I passed through the crowd that was still stunned by what happened. A bit further away, I checked Riekling's backpack; it seemed that everything in it before his death reappeared, to my relief.

"I'm sorry for this, Riekling. I never thought that woman would attack you like that." I said to my companion.

"HEE." I took Riekling with me to the east side of the city, where there was a part of oriental culture.

Passing by various sushi restaurants and blacksmith workshops, I found a classic Japanese mansion; this was the location Rose had given me.

[Author's note: This part of the city I mentioned is a location I'm creating here, it's not canonical. Another thing, I had Aiz attack Riekling; I believe it makes more sense if she encountered some monster in the city. Knowing Aiz and her unconditional resentment for monsters, I know she hates dragons above all, but I don't think she wouldn't attack a goblin if she saw it in the streets of Orario. I believe it makes much more sense for this attack to happen if she saw Riekling. And of course, Lucius would attack Aiz; first and foremost, my character is a chaos creator. I never liked fanfics where the MC is friends with everyone; there have to be tensions and disputes, which is not difficult with his personality.]

At the gate, I noticed a small bell on the side and shook it to ring. I didn't have to wait long because 1 minute later, a man with a serene look and black hair tied on the sides came out of the mansion through the main entrance; he was dressed in classic oriental clothing. He looked at me surprised not to know me, but that probably increased his curiosity with my visit. I knew who this man was since he is identical to the character from the anime. What I found strange is that the god himself came to greet me at the gate, even though it's a small family, it's still strange for a god to do this personally.

"Hello, Mr. adventurer, may I help you?" He said, calling me an adventurer, as he could sense my falna. Gods can sense that; Hestia invited me to her family at the time because, even though I had excelesia in my body, I didn't have falna at the time.

"Hello, God Takemikazuchi, sorry for the visit, in case I'm disrupting any of your business, but I would like to ask you a favor." I said sincerely. He was a good God, so I had to be respectful to him; I treat people as they treat me; this is my universal law.

"And what would that be?" He opened the gate to talk.

"My name is Lucius Drakenar; I'm a level one member of the Hestia family, but I'm not here on behalf of my goddess. I came on my own because I need sword training and would like to know if I can learn the oriental style with the katana, which your family masters!" I said sincerely.

"Hmmm, let's go in and have tea to talk." He said calmly, but he noticed the small monster by my side, hoping it wouldn't mimic Aiz, I introduced him quickly.

"Ah, this is Riekling. Don't worry; he is tamed and quite polite! Isn't that right, Riekling?" I said, a little embarrassed for not having introduced my partner before.

"HEEEE!" My support confirmed my words.

He accepted my explanation, seeing that the goblin behaved well. We entered the place right behind him, but I was thinking. 'I doubt he would agree to talk to anyone who asked for sword training in the oriental fencing. As rare as that might happen, because I'm from the Hestia family, he gave me a chance to state my reasons.' I thought to myself.
We sat in a place that reminded me of a dojo; after entering a room, there were many katanas hanging on the wall. I was fascinated while he waited for me to examine the details of the blades.

"So, Mr. Lucius, I wonder why your interest here and in the oriental fighting style?" He asked calmly while picking up the tea that an oriental woman brought to the small table in front of us. I had to get used to sitting with my knees on the tatami while imitating the god in front of me with Riekling by my side, but he simply sat with his buttocks on the floor. Hiding my smile a bit with my companion and his lack of etiquette, which I didn't mind; he had just died some time ago, it wouldn't be fair for me to criticize him at this moment.

I looked at the god Takemikazuchi; he wanted my reasons for why I came here specifically. I could try elsewhere; Aiz would never be an option after today. I can't imagine talking to her again. But honestly, I'm more inclined towards the oriental style, something that most swordsmen here don't master, and I've always liked the katana more; I identify it as my personal style. I always had the idea that, because the sword is curved in the shape of a katana, it can be faster and more agile than a classic medieval one; maybe I'm wrong, but it won't make me like the samurai style any less.

"I am a mage, God Takemikazuchi, and I am more powerful than anyone else in that department at level 01. However, I still have physical weaknesses and don't know any fighting style, besides swinging the sword and a 2-year experience in the dungeon on upper floors." I said and sighed before continuing. "However, I need to improve this physical aspect, increasing my prowess with more sword fights than spells, and I identify with the oriental style. I know that this is my fighting style." I concluded my answer.

"Hmmm, interesting. I can do that for you, but can you do something for me in the future? Since you're not on behalf of Hestia, I'll ask directly of you." He pondered on what I said but showed no surprise at my statements. In the end, he accepted my reasons and was willing for a small price, one favor for another favor, fair enough for me.

"I accept, God Takemikazuchi. I will do everything within my means to repay this great help!" I said sincerely. As I said, I treat people as they treat me.

"Great, then let's introduce you to your new teacher." He said, getting up from the tatami while I followed. We passed by some other members of his family, who didn't appear in the anime. From what I understood, they were more focused on their oriental businesses than going to the dungeon. My goblin didn't cause a commotion this time, as I was walking with his God without him caring about Riekling's presence. We reached the back of the house, and I began to hear the sounds of wood hitting and someone making small sounds with their mouth "HA, HA, HA" rhythmically.

When I saw the small courtyard behind the mansion, I saw a classic view of a Japanese backyard in a clan. There was a stream with a waterfall and bamboo that went up and down as its content filled with water, with a medium-sized lake just below, with many koi carp. There were bamboo shoots as well, like a mini-forest.

In addition to the magnificent view of the environment, there was a girl in a kimono outfit, training on a wooden dummy. She was hitting it very accurately with her movements and was controlling her breath with each strike with the bamboo stick. After each strike, she let out the "HA" that I heard before arriving.

This girl is Yamato Mikoto. She is extremely beautiful like Rose; she has always been one of the top 5 women I found most beautiful in anime. I can say that if I were to create a harem in this world, Riviera, Rose, Mikoto, Haruhime, and Hestia would be among my choices as my favorite characters. However, I am a man of one woman only, who wants to avoid a headache from dealing with a variety of women in a relationship! Not to mention that Mikoto is in love with Takemikazuchi, so for me, just her friendship is enough.

Mikoto, seeing us approaching, stopped hitting her "opponent," and she looked at me trying to recognize me, but her god took her out of her thoughts.

"Mikoto-kun, this man is Lucius Drakenar. He is a mage from my friend and colleague Hestia; he has physical deficiencies as a mage and wants to learn our oriental style. I would like you to teach him." He said calmly. Mikoto analyzed me for a moment, thinking if I should learn from her or not. She must be thinking of some condition. But fortunately, she nodded as soon as she saw Riekling, making the word "cute" escape from her lips.

'Riekling can be a great blessing sometimes!' I exclaimed internally.

"I can teach, however, you must call me Sensei!" She said in silence while staring at the goblin. "Eh? Is that your big condition?" I let slip. I was hoping she would call me Lucius-dono, but I won't die if I call her Mikoto-Sensei.

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