Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

A short, awkward silence followed after the pair walked away before Ellie brought out another slime and the girls returned to gushing about golmini and the slimes.

Seth took the chance to finally approach Leana.

"Tower Master! Where's Fin?" she greeted him and asked disappointed when she could not see her guest of honor.

"She already ran off."

Seth vaguely gestured in the direction of the buffet.

"I-I see. Did you already meet the other participants?"

"I met Ellie, the slime rancher," he said with a smile.

"And what do you think?"

"She's interesting, i guess?"

"I was talking about providing equipment."

"I don't think I have a lot for her. Minas Mar has only one tamer and Evan took most of the items I made that have worth for a tamer or summoner."

She sighed. "Can't you just make some for her?"

"Hmm,i have a good idea. How about you listen to my proposition first."

"Oh, what is it?"

Seth described Minas Mar's plan to open a trade route to Y-City towards the southeast. He did not go into the details about the forces he would use to do so.

"What do you think?"

"It's interesting, I guess?" she answered with a humored smile. Mirroring his earlier tone.

"Childish." Fin suddenly commented from the side.

"F-Fin?! Weren't you at the buffet?" the princess asked shocked and blushed furiously.

She gave Seth a wronged look as if he had tricked her.

"I didn't think my lady would be this childish." Fin said in played disappointment, piercing Leana's heart.

"No~ Fin listen-!"

With the fairy brute as the wingman, they soon came to an agreement concerning the trade route. Mary would contact her later to sort out the details. In exchange, Seth promised to take making personalized items for the participants into consideration.

He didn't mind equipping Brock, Elza, Marcel, to begin with. Ellie seemed like a good girl, too. As for the others? He could sell them stuff from the storage, but whether he would waste his time making something for them was uncertain.

He left Fin with the princess and returned to Mina. He soon realized his mistake and regretted leaving the fairy alone with the princess. Leana entered the stage.

"Since everyone is here, I would like to direct some words to everyone."

With a short speech, the banquet was officially started, and the dancefloor was opened. This had to be the work of Fin! It had been less than five minutes since he left her with the princess. There was no way that fairy-geek would let go of Fin this easily.

He was a terrible dancer, but a promise was a promise. At least he could not step on the fairy's feet, since she would be flying.

Fin was already waiting on the dance floor. A small weight fell of Seth's heart when he heard that the music was modern club music and not something classical. He had even less knowledge of classical dance than of dancing in a club...

With awkward and non-specified dance moves he closed in on the fairy who was waiting on him. He noticed that his dancing had vastly improved since he made music and trained in fighting. He only bumped into a few people on the way.

"You came!"

"I promised, didn't I? Even if I will probably embarrass myself," he said as his limbs flailed uncoordinatedly to the music.

"No Worries, Fin will take the lead!"

He didn't know what she was trying to say until he saw her take out a golden ring.

"Wha-Where did you get that fin? Wait!"

It was too late; she had already put on the ring made of <Arcane Gold>. It was one of the experiments Seth had done earlier, using the gigantification enchantments of the craftsman tier. A normal person could turn into a 3-meter-tall hulk.

However, the enchantment used a lot of magic and was a little unstable.

"I found it in the workshop. Now, Fin and Seth can dance... Nooo~" she exclaimed in dismay when Seth still towered over her like a giant.

Fin had grown... to the size of an elementary schooler.

"Oh, Fin..." Seth couldn't help but chuckle, seeing the child-sized Fin grumble as her plan failed. It seems that she had not tested it before.

Tears started welling up in the fairy's big, black eyes.

"There, there. It's okay Fin. We can just dance like this."

"B-but I wanted to... and- and... I'm too heavy to fly now..."

Golmini? Humbold? This was the cutest thing this evening. He hugged her tightly and lifted her up.

"You tried really hard."

"I-I - Fin did."

"it's okay, Fin. Just talk normally with me."

"You knew?"

"Oh please. You think your cute act is perfect? I watched you get dead drunk and fleece demons in gambling." he teased her. "Let's just dance and have fun. No matter how embarrassing it is." the last part, he only said in his mind.

"...Okay."

The act was awkward, and people soon started evading the weird dance couple, as Seth bumped into people. Before people formed a safety perimeter around them, he broke more than one foot.

However, Fin and Seth started having fun. Once the fairy returned to her original size, she would fly in front of him, as they exchanged weird original dance moves.

-----Off the dancefloor----

"... I did not expect him to be such a wacky person," Ellie spoke to Mina as they watched the two let loose.

"He's like that at times. You are not much better. I think it's good if people can keep such a side, despite the kind of world we live in." Mina smiled and didn't let Seth out of her eyes.

Seeing Fin grow like that, gave the cat woman a few ideas. "If Seth perfected that kind of ring.." she thought and licked her lips.

"You are thinking something lewd," Ellie said with a grin.

"No, I don't, shut up," she said with a mischievous smile.

Their happy mood was rudely interrupted by someone else's conversation. Mina's sensitive cat ears easily listened in on their talk.

"This guy is supposed to be more handsome than Rich?"

"He is good-looking, but dancing like an idiot is definitely a red flag."

"Yeah, what's the point of a nice face, if you embarrass yourself like this."

"Look at Rich, how elegantly he dances. If not for the looney pair, all eyes would be on him!"

A group of women was whispering and pointing at Seth.

Ellie saw the cat assassin's eyes sharpen and followed the gaze to the group of women. Although she had not Seth's appraisal eyes. She could recognize the simple dresses that lacked any system amplifications.

The slavemancer's harpies. The slime rancher did not like the handsome lad with slicked-back hair. He had not wronged her, but his pushy behavior, bragging and trying to recruit her as a slave had seriously rubbed her the wrong way.

Especially, the last part.

It did not help that the people, guys, and girls, in his entourage were seriously enraptured with the guy for no apparent reason.

Mina's intent gaze did not stay unnoticed and one of the young women came closer.

"What are you looking at, with those scary eyes, huh? Do you think you are special or cute with those cat ears?"

Despite the nice dress, she looked rough with many scars revealed by the dress. It seemed that she was used to fighting and intimidating people, even before the apocalypse.

"What am I looking at? A bunch of brainless corpses," she said and her killing intent brushed over the thug-like woman.

The woman's eyes widened in fear. She tried to speak, or scream, but it was stuck in her throat. She kneeled down under the pressure as visions of death filled her mind.

The killing intent of an assassin close to level 70 was nothing to laugh at.

Mina retracted her killing intent after a few seconds. What was only a moment had felt like hours to the woman? She was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Her eyes were filled with fear when she looked up at Mina, who looked as if nothing happened at all.

"What did you do to her!?" her compatriots came rushing over.

Mina did not answer and only lifted an eyebrow, acting innocently.

Ellie only thought for a moment before stepping up. Golmini is cute. Cat-ears are cute. Fin is cute. Cuteness is justice. She chose her side.

"What are you even talking about in a situation like this! Your friend suddenly had a panic attack, and your first reaction is blaming others? You should get her to a calm room or something!" the slime rancher said righteously.

"Aren't you that rude slime girl that flipped rich off!?" one suddenly recognized her.

"Ah! Aren't you the woman that came with the looney on the dancefloor?" another remembered Mina.

"I see. You heard us! Is this your retribution for making fun of your boyfriend?" a third suddenly spoke with venom dripping from her tongue.

A shower ran down the women's spines when Mina used the assassin's version of <Observation> on them, which made them feel like facing a predator. One had to admit, that they were not low-level with an average of lv. 50.

However, it was far from enough to face the almost 20 levels higher Mina. They felt the difference as the appraisal skill revealed all their secrets.

"Th-this is not over yet!" the third-rate mob character dropped a cliche line before the women picked up their rude friend and ran off.