When Celes-san comes in front of me, she looks at Theresa and me in turn and smiles happily - how friendly she is, but her face is so well-defined that she makes me a little nervous when she looks at me.

'But there are some interesting people, aren't there? You hire sub-humans as mercenaries, but few want to take them along for the ride and they seem to be well-liked. He's been in a position to protect Arithito ever since I came out.
..........
'Theresa, you don't have to be wary of Celes-san... or should you be? Running a blacksmithing workshop with moving armor, it's normal to think there's something behind it.
It's all very true. If I were a suspicious person, I wouldn't be able to reveal my secrets so easily. I took a liking to you, and we had a heart-to-heart talk, but that's not a very nice thing to say.

　Touching her flaxen hair in a fine braid, the owner of the workshop, who looks like a girl, blurts out, "Sir, it's very rare for your master to show himself.

'Sir, it's very unusual for master to show himself. It's understandable to be suspicious, but please, can you trust me? If you leave it to us, I promise you that we'll do a better job than you deserve.

　Mr. Steiner puts his hand to his chest, like a knight in armor - apparently in a saluting posture.

'No, I'm not seriously doubting you. It's just that a part of me wonders if it's really okay for you to reveal that much of your secret.......can you really trust me so much, since we've never met?
It's not much of a secret. To put it bluntly, I like you. He's always willing to walk around town with a subhuman, and they're always looking out for each other. It's not as common a sight as you might think.
'I didn't really care about Theresa being a sub-human or anything like that from the beginning. I'm not sure I want to keep it that way, although I'd like to change it back.
"...there's nothing wonderful about it. Master, this man is.....
I know the path is not easy, and I will not hesitate to help in any way I can. I know it's not an easy road, and I will do everything I can to help you if you still want it. Now, sir, what kind of work would you like to see done in the workshop?

　I showed them the ores, magic stones and runes that I had.

Hmmm, two 'Elmina Iron', 'Poisonous Crystal Stone', two 'Eye Stone', 'Confusion Stone'... and this rune. That's the rune of the Magia.
Maguire what happens to it when you put it on?
You can convert weapon attacks into magical attacks. It's an effective way to deal with demons and the like that will painfully counterattack physical attacks, but the possibilities are even greater when combined with other runes. You'll need a weapon with two or more slots, though.

　I guess the true essence of weapon enhancement with runes is when you can use multiple precious runes to combine them. But in the meantime, let's have the demon runes attached to my sling. Igarashi-san's weapon armor also has one slot each, though I hope to eventually fill in the holes.

''This ebony sling, can I have the rune fitted to it?
"Mm, good. We can incorporate up to three magic stones, do you want to put them all in?　You'll be able to make your opponent suffer anomalies with both physical and magical attacks.
'Yes, nice to meet you. What can I use the Elmina Iron for?
It can be used to strengthen armor. It can also be used to strengthen weapons, but the best thing about Elmina Iron is that it's light and strong.
'I see but I didn't bring any of my companion's armor with me, so what should I do?
I'll have to get a courier to bring it to you. As the leader of the party, you'll be able to view your friends' equipment under license. You are the leader of the party, you'll be able to get a license for your friends' equipment.
'Thank you. Are there any of these things that I should enhance?
''Yes........wouldn't it be nice if these girls' equipment had a greater range of defensive strength through reinforcement?''

　Igarashi-san, Theresia's armor is strong enough, and it's hard to see the changes even with the enhancements, but when it comes to Misaki and Suzuna's armor, it seems to visibly increase their performance.

　I added a protector to Suzuna's torso equipment to protect her chest to make it easier to shoot her bow, and I asked her to do the same for Misaki. It is said to be "+1", which will increase defense performance and reduce weight.

''Well then, I'll finish Atobe-sama's weapons before the armor arrives.
First, we need to get the rune to settle in the rune slot. When it comes to removing the rune, don't force it off; leave it to the experts. If you're good enough to get one of these, you won't be in this sector for long.
I'll bring it in here if I can. I have a merchant in my group, so I'm sure you can request processing from a remote location.
That's very nice of you to say. Well, when you've got your hands on a valuable rune, call on me. It will be safer for you.

　Celes-san laughed at that, but her expression turned serious as she took my weapon and fitted the rune into the rune slot.

'O powerful letter, become one with the lifeless............Enchanting Runes!

　Current Situation

　Ceres activates the Enchantment Rune, which is a success.
　Ebony Sling" changes to "The one that shoots black magic bullets".

''It's totally different from the processing with the magic stone........''
It seems to have worked... a weapon with a rune attached to it is said to change the meaning of its existence. It's fundamentally different from attaching a magical stone to a weapon.
The next step is to embed the magic stone in the hilt. Next, I'm going to embed the magic stone in the hilt.

　With an unseen dexterity, Steiner activated the skill of 'Attaching Magic Stones' and fitted three magic stones into the sling. Then he got an extra plus, "The one that shoots black magic bullets +3". It looks like it's very strong, but the blows it delivers remain the same.

　Now, I can use 'Support Attack 2' to add a status defect with everyone's attacks. How effective it actually is, I want to verify it in the next exploration. Remember that the purple magic stone is poison, the peach color is confusion, and the black and white is stare - in other words, it's a stun effect.

'Runes can be transferred to the stronger weapons when they are found. Demon runes are relatively plentiful, but you may only find one every three months in Sections 8 and 7. It will take a lot of luck and time to collect enough magical stones to compress them.
'Yes, thank you for telling me all this.
..........

　Theresia shows up with a shortsword. If that's the case, let's get a stun effect on the weapon.

''Good for you, Theresia-san, you've come all this way with your master, but it would be sad if you didn't have any gifts.
.........

　Theresia is startled by a freak out and shakes her head. She seems to be very reserved - I'm well aware of her modesty, but I didn't expect her to react like this.

''...........''
'Wow, I know. It's a little different than a gift just to enhance Teresia's equipment, right?
..........

　I thought I had followed up, but Theresa squirmed the opposite way. It seems to me that she wanted a gift, but she was embarrassed and was in a hurry.

What are you talking about? A gift is a gift in any form. "What do you mean? A gift, in any form, is a gift.
..........

　I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid or not, but I'm sure I'm being paranoid.

I'm not sure if that's my favorite thing to say. "I suppose that's what you mean by 'cherish', Alihit. Your heart to heart with Theresa reminds me that the world is not all about salvation.
''It's been a long time since the master has liked a human being. Normally he leaves it up to me when we have a business meeting, but to see him speak so eloquently...''
When I'm in a good mood, I talk more, too. Now, when you're done processing your equipment, I'll deliver it to your quarters.

　When I write down the location of Mrs. Orelles' mansion, Mr. Ceres exclaims in admiration. Her appearance still looks innocent, and I suddenly want to ask her - I choose my words carefully because I might be rude.

''Um, Celes-san is now........''
I'm 115 years old this year, but I've ceased to exist at 15. It could have been longer, but when you live long enough, your memory gets fuzzy.
''One hundred ... isn't that already like immortality?''
'Time is passing, no matter what species you are. Time passes, no matter what species you are. As you live, your soul and body become weaker and weaker, until you are stripped of your body and reborn in another. It is only that the cycle is longer for us than for other species.

　When I was reincarnated, I felt like I was full of life, even though I didn't change my appearance from my previous body - that's exactly what I felt, as if I was reborn. It could be because my soul was transferred to a new body.

　In the Labyrinth Country, the existence of the 'soul' has been proven. Even if they died, it's not the end of the world yet, it means they still have a chance to be resurrected.

Some of the highest-ranking explorers even choose to reincarnate within the labyrinth," he said. It is said that their souls are also worn out, so they have a limit of about a thousand years to live. Therefore, our race is not the only one that can live longer. As long as you're prepared, any race can do it.

Hmm, I wonder. There are some people who are 150 years old and die of old age while they are young. If possible, you should have your blood before you die.

　Theresa stands in front of me and spreads her hands out to the side - is she protecting me? No, I don't think Celes-san meant it that way either.

'Hmph.......don't worry, I won't think of such a thing in a day, no matter how much I like it. I'm sure Alihit can't find a woman with such a young appearance.
'Well, um I'm sorry, I don't know what to comment on...'
You think I'm a child, don't you? It's a pleasure to tease a young man about his boredom.

　Ceres says, laughing with laughter. The gesture of laughing, with her mouth hidden by the sleeve of her robe, is bewitching, even if she looks like a girl - I guess it comes from the length of time she has lived.

　At that moment, the doorbell rings and Steiner-san responds. Apparently, he has been sent some armor to process. Suzuna and Misaki's body armor was brought in.

I'm sure you'll find that they are all made for women. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it is a good idea to gather a group of friends as you desire, but restrain yourself from injuring the explorer's life.
'I think I'm all female myself, but I'm not doing it for the sake of it... hey Theresa, aren't you?
..........
The master's love of women is a problem. If you have a lot of resentment, just push him down. They say men don't like ready-made facts.
.........

　What a thing to say - Theresa turned bright red at once and walked out. And she is looking at me from behind the door.

''Although Celes-sama is a person who is troubled in this way, please be broad-minded and patronizing. I will study your fees.''

　Ms. Steiner said, tapping her own chest armor. It wasn't going to be fatally awkward between her and Theresa, but there was no doubt that she would be shy and awkward in her behavior for a while.