Bidding farewell to Queen Arwen, the members of the Loki Familia enter the Twilight Manor along with Bell, where they will each go about their business.

Bell prepares to leave the mansion because, having explored the dungeon once, he must be prepared for what is to come.

That is why he carries with him a bag full of valis to be invested in materials for his weapons, especially for his ranged weapons. In addition, he carries his musket with bayonet attached. When he was ready to leave, he runs into none other than his new captain, Finn.

- I never thought I would see you here, Bell -

- How are you, Captain? Everything all right? -

- Yeah, not to worry - the hobbit replies - Looks like that you are going somewhere -

- Exactly. I will go to buy arrows, materials for my ammunition and what I need most of all, gunpowder.

- Gunpowder? -

- Yes, it is required for my musket. And while I am at it, I will look for a blacksmith to make copies of the bayonet -

- That will require a lot of valis. Do you have enough? -

- The queen asked me about 100 000, will it do? -

- It will do. You will go alone, will you not? -

- I doubt anyone will accompany me.

- I know who will - Finn observes a blonde elf who passes by the two of them - Alicia, do you have something to do today? -

- No, Captain -

- I am glad, because you are going to be Bell's escort -

- Huh? Is he going to the dungeon? -

- You are wrong. He is going to buy materials for some of his weapons, but he is not familiar with the places to buy them. That is why I am asking you to accompany him and know how to get there -

- I understand... - Alicia looks at the Siberian - May I accompany you? -

- Of course. Thank you for your help -

The two leave the mansion, Alicia being the guide to buy the materials she needs. Meanwhile, Riveria approaches Finn because she saw the other two leaving.

- Hey, Finn, where are you two going? -

- Well. Bell is planning to buy materials and I assigned Alicia to guide him since she was the first one who showed up when I was talking to him.

- I see -

Finn notices in Riveria's right hand the sword <Enigma>.

- Riveria, what are you doing with Bell's sword? -

- He agreed that he studied the sword and looked for it to return it -

- Well, they are fiancés after all - Finn opines with a smile, but in reality, he is annoying her.

- I have not fully accepted yet, Finn. Stop teasing -

Riveria leaves a bit annoyed to go to her room while Finn holds in his laughter.

Riveria arrives in her room with the sword and sits down on her bed to sigh,

- [Why will you not accept my mate at all, princess] - Eira asks the elf.

- Suddenly meet him and immediately engage with him. My mother always does that sort of thing to me -

- [That is a good point, but I assure you that he will do everything he can to satisfy you] -

Eira, having finished speaking, realises that Riveria has turned completely red.

- [I am not talking about that kind of satisfaction, but you admit that you want that] -

- Do not say such nonsense! Do not you dare talk to him about that -

- [I know, he is still too young for that, though he should do it with a Siberian when he is at his age, not with you] -

Riveria was confused, she has no idea about the last words Eira has spoken so far.

- What do you mean by that? -

- [There are things Bell has no knowledge of about his race, such as mating. It is not forbidden for a Siberian villager to be with someone else, but it is forbidden for a nobleman and more so for royalty] -

- Noble? I doubt Bell is a nobleman -

- [Actually, he is. His father was a warrior and belonged to the common people, but his mother belonged to the Siberian nobility] -

- So, whether from the father or the mother, is he a nobleman if only one of his parents is also a nobleman? -

- [Exactly] - Eira answers instantly.

- And how do you know that? -

- [Between us we told each other the situation of each one of them] -

After hearing the answer, Riveria places the sword on the bed and gets up to leave the room, but stops when Eira speaks some more.

- [Do not think that only you are in that position, he is in that position too, he just has no idea about it] -

Riveria leaves the room and closes her door. As she closes, Eira transforms into her humanized version, but she does not show up with a smile this time because she had remembered something about Bell, but hasn't told him yet.

- (Would it be a good idea to tell the princess that Bell is with the Morozov curse?) -

××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

- Here we are -

Alicia told Bell that they are already at the place to buy their materials.

- Well, Bell-sama... -

- Pardon? - Bell reacts a bit confused.

- It is just that, as Riveria-sama's fiancé, we should also speak to her with respect -

- There is no need, Miss Foreslight -

- Alicia, Bell-sama. Call me Alicia -

- All right, Alicia-san -

- What do you plan to buy first? -

- A great source of power -

- And that is...? -

- Gunpowder -

Alicia was confused about gunpowder, she only knows it for fireworks in case of parties in the city. Anyway, Alicia took him to one of those shops where a lot of fireworks have been displayed.

- Hello, Miss, are you looking for any artefacts? - speaks the shopkeeper to Alice.

- Actually, he is the one who is going to buy - replies Alice.

- So, what are you looking for, boy? -

- Do you sell gunpowder? -

- Do you have fireworks? -

- No, I need it for my musket - Bell shows the musket to the merchant.

- What is this...? What a strange weapon... -

- The musket, I need gunpowder to shoot -

- I will give you some to fire -

- Lucky I have a bullet at hand -

- What do you have a bullet for, Bell-sama? - asks Alice.

- In case I run into a thief or rapist. I investigated Orario's current situation during the trip -

The shopkeeper gives her some gunpowder for Bell to reload his musket. Both Alice and the shopkeeper see that Bell first pours in the powder and then the projectile by pushing it to the bottom using a metal rod. Once the reloading is done, Bell is ready to fire.

- Where can I shoot, sir? -

- Luckily I have a shooting target. We can use that -

Having said that, the merchant takes out the shooting target from among his sales products and places it to the side.

- You can shoot there -

- I see -

Bell steps back a little and prepares to aim at the target and then makes the bang provided by the shot.

*PUM!*

The torment of many who felt the terrifying sound caused by the shot and fearfully approached the Siberian with the elf accompanying him was pronounced.

Bell, Alice and the merchant noticed a hole that is visible in the shooting target and Bell, in addition to the hole, manages to spot his projectile and goes to pick it up using his turquoise claw. The trader, now nervous, tries to speak to the Siberian.

- Y-You want p-powder, d-do you? -

- Of course I do.

- H-How much do you want? -

- 3 kilograms, I suppose.

Bell acquires the 3 kilograms of powder and pours some into a small sack.

- Ready, Alice-san. Where can I buy arrows? -

Alicia guides Bell to a shop dedicated to arrows and buys four dozen without paying much money. In addition, she also guided him to a stall to buy lead where she bought several small pieces accumulated in kilograms.

- Now, Bell-sama, only the bayonet is missing? -

Bell nods, but they do not go immediately as Alice has one more doubt.

- Apparently, that thing can be forged. If so, I do not know whether to take it to the Hephaestus Family or the Goibniu Family -

- I do not think many blacksmiths here know about the bayonet -

- Well, you are right. They are more into swords -

- Do you know who is the best among the blacksmiths? -

- Well, I hear he belongs to the Hephaestus Familia. Do you want to go? -

- All right -

Alicia takes Bell to the northwest shop of the Hephaestus Family in search of the blacksmith she mentioned.

- Right, let's go in - Alicia indicates for both of them to enter the shop.

Upon entering, Bell notices a display of weapons with prices that, at first glance, seemed high.

- How much do these weapons cost? - Bell asks, looking at the prices of each one.

- Well, they say they are products of the sons of Hephaestus and she will not allow them to be sold at a cheap price.

- It's understandable... -

They both continue on their way, but were stopped by a question from a blacksmith.

- Good day, what weapons do you wish to look for? -

- Excuse me, is Hephaestus-sama here? -

- Yes, follow me -

Alice and Bell were led into Hephaestus' office where they noticed a woman with red hair and, as they looked at each other, a patch over her right eye.

Hephaestus

- What happened? - said the woman, looking at one of her sons and the two young men.

- Apparently, they both have business with you, Hephaestus-sama - replied the man and immediately left the place.

Hephaestus recognises the elf as a daughter of Loki, but does not know the Siberian at all.

- What can I do for you? -

- Is Sir Gareth's blacksmith here? - Alice asks the goddess.

Before Hephaestus can answer, the aforementioned woman enters the office.

- What a day... Eh? - the woman notices the presence of Bell and Alicia, especially the former.

The woman is a semi-dwarf with brown skin, her hair colour is black and she has a patch like her goddess, the difference is that this patch is located by her left eye, but her right eye is red. Currently, the woman is analysing Bell by bumping into each other's red eyes several times.

- It seems that I finally see a shiro-akai in person... -

- Do you know about them, Tsubaki? -

- I have heard of them, but I have not seen one in person. My name is Tsubaki Collbrande. Nice to meet you, Whitey -

Tsubaki Collbrande

- Likewise, Bell Cranel - the Siberian replies in this way.

- What can I do for you here? - Tsubaki asks the two visitors.

- I have come to ask for replicas to be made for me.

Hephaestus and Tsubaki were confused at Bell's request when they heard about making replicas.

- Is that what you came to ask for? Please... We do not do that, we make our own weapons. Besides, what sword or axe are you going to replicate? -

Bell answers nothing and immediately removes the bayonet from his musket and hands it to Tsubaki.

- According to Alice-san, you are the best blacksmith in the city. However, hardly anyone knows the bayonet and I thought you might be able to make one or make a replica of it. Hearing about my race, you'll know the weapons I use being one of them.

Tsubaki receives the bayonet and sets about analysing it, Hesphaestus does the same as he approaches her child. The big surprise for them is the part where it was inserted into the musket, the bucket, which is attached with the blade thus allowing melee and ranged combat for the person using it.

- Tsubaki, he is right - Hephaestus speaks - To make this kind of knife is not easy -

- Yes. I am already noticing - the black-haired girl agrees - (I understand the reason for looking for me...) -

- So... What do you say? - Bell asks the blacksmith.

- A query, if you agree to me, will it be for the bayonet or for creating a sword? -

- For now only the bayonet. Later, if you allow me, I will ask for the creation of swords.

- Then I have only one condition for you -

- I hear you -

- We are going to sign a contract, by accepting it, you will not be able to use another blacksmith to forge weapons or armour, do you understand? -

- Understood -

- I know it is a bit complicated to make them, but I wonder how many do you prefer?

- Four -

- Of the same quality? -

- Yes. Or maybe of some similar material. How much will it cost? -

- If I make it out of adamantite it will be around 72 000 in total and, although it is not pure adamantite, it is of good quality -

- No problem for me.

- All set. Looks like there will be more business, kid - Tsubaki speaks in a jovial tone.

Bell made the contract with Tsubaki to pay for the bayonets and then they agreed that tomorrow morning he will pick them up. With that confirmed, Bell and Alicia said goodbye to Hephaestus and Tsubaki and then headed back to Twilight Manor.

On their return, they were greeted by both Finn and Riveria.

- How did it go, guys? - asks the hobbit.

- Captain, Riveria-sama, the purchase was successful. Bell-sama got everything she was looking for... - Well.

- Well. Will you not leave the mansion, Bell? -

- Later I will go outside to create ammunition, I have a frying pan with me to melt the metal and use the turquoise to mould it - Bell replies while showing the turquoise to his captain.

- Are you tired? - this time Riveria asks.

- A little, but it is no problem -

- I am about to take a little walk, will you join me? -

- I leave my materials and come with you, Riveria -

Bell immediately went to drop off everything she had bought while Alicia went to her room, but she didn't expect that several girls were there waiting for her.

- You finally arrived, Alicia - speaks the older Amazon.

- W-What happened? - Alicia asks a little nervously.

- Is not it obvious? - speaks the younger Amazon - You will tell us what happened with Riveria's fiancé - What happened between you and Riveria?

- Did something happen between you? - asks a curious brunette.

- I-It is not like you think, Elfy! - reacts the elf, increasing her nerves even more.

Elfy Colette

- Do not worry, it's just between us, right girls? Especially you, Elfy - speaks a black-haired cat girl.

They all nod in agreement to the aforementioned girl's statement.

- I appreciate it, Aki -

Anakitty "Aki" Autumn

- Do not worry, you can count on it -

- Well... - Alicia starts to tell what happened - First we went to look for gunpowder -

- What is that for? - Tiona asks confused.

- Bell-sama explained to the merchant that it's used for firepower.

- Unbelievable - Tione thinks - What else? -

- I led him to the place where you buy arrows and then we went to buy lead -

- What is lead for? - asks Lefiya.

- He bought small pieces to melt to create those bullets - as he finished answering, Alicia showed him the lead projectile.

- How did you get it? - the elf asked Alicia.

- She gave it to me. And she offered to teach me how to use the musket.

- Why is that? - asks a red-haired girl in surprise.

- I wonder about that too, Narvi. However, he explained to me that at least one of us should learn how to use it.

Narvi Roll
(There is no colour image of her, unfortunately)

- I see, and what did they do next? - asks Narvi.

- We went to find Sir Gareth's blacksmith and signed an exclusive contract with her - the answer left everyone in surprise, but she continues with the explanation - Then Bell gave the bayonet to her to create replicas because creating other models is not very easy -

- About the bayonet, you mean that blade on that device? - asks a black-haired girl while imitating Bell inserting the bayonet into the musket before the duel.

- That is right, Line. Exactly that -

Line Arshe

- He seems to be preparing too much for tomorrow - says the elf who accompanied the Siberian.

- Well, it is normal for him to prepare - says Lefiya - Just like us, we have to do it every day -

- You are right, Lefiya - says Tione - So we can conclude that the newcomer is trying to contribute to the family with what he has -

The girls nod and close the meeting and go back to their respective rooms.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

An hour has passed, Bell and Riveria have returned to the mansion where they went back to the room they share.

- Welcome back, princess, Bell - speaks Eira in her human form to the two mentioned.

- Thank you, Eira-san - replies Bell.

- How did it go? -

- It was quiet, while many greeted me, many children were curious about Bell. One of them mentioned that he looks like a rabbit -

- Interesting... -

- Riveria, I am going to make ammunition outside -

- All right, do not be late, in a little while we are going to have dinner -

- Do not worry, I will have dinner and continue -

- Right -

Bell picks up the sack of lead pieces, the frying pan he carried during the trip to Orario and the turquoise to create the projectiles outside the mansion, goes to the area where Finn assigned him for the creation and goes to light the fire.

Once the fire is lit, Bell places the frying pan and then places a small piece of lead to watch the metal melt. Once melted, Bell carefully pours in the turquoise to mould the melted lead in a matter of seconds and the bullet is created.

Bell repeats the process several times until he has created about 21 projectiles where he suddenly vomited blood due to the curse, but this time he was seen by an elf.

- Bell-sama! - the elf comes running towards the Siberian.

Bell turns his head while covering his mouth to acknowledge the elf.

- (Lefiya-san...) -

- Are you alright, Bell-sama? -

- Yes. But remember, you have not seen anything -

- Why do you say that? -

- No one must know about this. Absolutely no one, not even Riveria -

- But Riveria-sama could cure it -

- I tried with several doctors and people who use healing magic in secret, but no result -

Lefiya understood the reason and told him to go to dinner, Bell went with Lefiya to the dining room where he had dinner next to Riveria and when he finished dinner, he continued with the production of projectiles.

After finishing the production and then extinguishing the fire, Bell cleans the place specially where the blood has spread and waits for the frying pan to lose heat to pick it up and return to the mansion where he cleans himself and then goes to sleep next to Riveria.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

End of chapter
End of arc
But not of the story...