Chapter 10: Short Times Pass

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The darkness on the floor was not the sky but the crystal of the dungeon in air, Floor 18 right now was quite peaceful and quiet. Muramasa after daydreaming and slowly losing his bad mood would turn to some sound in the air which he took noticed of who is was from the cliff side he at on by himself. 

"Hestia?" He questioned it as no god should be down here, It brings to much risk for a quake. He stood up and walked down to the sound, "Better check it out."

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"We beg for your forgiveness" The girl bowed, This was one of the members along side with a tall guy and some other girl with bandages around her neck, They were the ones that pass paraded them back in the dungeon which did mess up the journey with all the creatures focusing on them. Muramasa, Lili and Bell looked at the bowing girl, "Listen, you dont have to do that" He tried to reason with her. "You can say sorry but you cant just expect us to forgive you, You caused us so much trouble and nearly got us killed!" Lili bit back at them, Muramasa stayed quiet, Observing the scene and taking glances at Hermes and Hestia. "Hermes... Why are you here" Muramasa wondered.

"It was inexcusable... We are very sorry" the neck bandage girl spoke, "I understand that you all have every reason to be angry at us, I take full responsibility" The bowing girl responded before the tall man finally spoke... "If anyone is taking the blame then I am the one who deserves it, I chose this and I still dont believe it was the wrong decision" The surprised Bell and Lili though it didn't surprise Muramasa. "I can see your viewpoint on why it was a smartest decision despite it not being morally right" This caught the people attention to the swordsmith. "Considering I am a level 4 with only 2 people with me, It make sense why you would pass paraded us but it doesn't excuse the risk Bell and Lili was in during then. You had a injured member which you have my respect for doing your best to protect them and choosing the smartest decision" Lili looked confused at Muramasa while Bell think over it and realizes that what Muramasa is mentioning is actually a right move on their part.

"It would have been a smarter decision however to give us a warning and not running pass us without a single word, That alone is dangerous and something you need to think about young man" Muramasa scolded the tall man as well the other Girls. Hermes was as amused by Muramasa attitude as ever.

After Bell give his small speech of understanding their reason and added more to Muramasa words but in a more nicer tone, The blue hair women with glasses explained the plan to leave the dungeon, They will have a day of free time before leaving on the 2nd day.

With the small meeting over, Everyone went their separate ways. Muramasa stayed in the tent with Bell and Lili. "Night Master Bell and Master Muramasa" Lili yawned, "Night Lili and Muramasa" Bell responded before he laid on his back and tried to get to sleep. "Night" Muramasa then feel to sleep. 

This was the first night in the dungeon on floor 18.

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"Why did you decide not to go into the nearby town, Muramasa?" Finn asked as he and Muramasa stood beside a crate, with Finn inspecting some gear for a future plan.

"Not the biggest fan of that town. Way too pricey for my taste" Muramasa replied, placing down a crate with a sigh. Finn couldn't help but chuckle at the response.

"Really now? That is surprising, considering the prices for your weapons and all" Finn remarked with a neavous smile as he remember the price that Muramasa weapons sold at.

"To be honest, I prefer not to sell them for such a high price. But my Goddess insisted that I keep it high for the aspect that if everyone got themselves a Muramasa blade, then it would be bad news. I do, however, understand and never did planned to make them too cheap" Muramasa explained.

Their conversation was interrupted when Bete arrived from the surface, shocked to see Muramasa there. "Old Man?! What the heck are you doing down here?" Bete exclaimed, but Muramasa quickly admonished him for using foul language.

Finn smiled at the exchange between Bete and Muramasa, who acted like a father or grandfather figure to the younger adventurer. Finn explained that Bete and his party had encountered trouble on the upper floors and had found their way down to where they were.

"You had trouble on the floors above us? PFFFT HAHAHAHA!" Bete laughed, seemingly surprised at the notion. "I doubt you of all people would have trouble. So who was even in your part--aaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Bete suddenly yelled in confusion, pointing behind Muramasa.

Muramasa turned around to see Bell and Hermes engaged in conversation. Lefiya, who had also arrived with Bete, greeted Muramasa with a short bow before picking up Bete's bag of antidotes and heading towards a tent, completely unaware of Bell's presence.

Finn was in the midst of explaining to Bete the circumstances that led Bell to be in their party when Bete, looking severely annoyed, suddenly yelled, "Why the hell is that stupid tomato kid here?!" Finn maintained a calm smile as he responded, "Yeah, it's kind of a long story, but he's with Muramasa's party." Unexpectedly, Bete grabbed Finn and began shaking him vigorously, demanding an answer. "Why must he stay here then? Tell me nooooowwwww!" he shouted, while Finn couldn't help but laugh.

"Children nowadays" Muramasa sighed, shaking his head in response to the commotion before heading off to assist others with various tasks, including lifting crates and aiding adventurers who had been poisoned.

Lefiya, who had been present with Bete, thanked Muramasa for his help with a small bow as a sign of respect. "T-Thank you for helping, Muramasa-sir" she said, showing her gratitude.

"Think nothing of it, also just call me Muramasa, no 'sir' needed" he replied kindly as he helped a young adventurer swallow an antidote.

Lefiya, still somewhat nervous and flustered, stammered out her next question. "Is it alright for me to ask something? You don't have to say yes or something!" She waved her hands in a panic, trying to maintain a respectful demeanor but failing due to her nervousness.

Muramasa observed that Lefiya was struggling with her confidence and occasionally wore her emotions on her sleeve. However, she also had difficulty hiding some of the negative aspects of her emotions, especially nervousness. He decided to put her at ease with a gentle smile and asked, "Of course, what is it you wish to know, young one?"

Lefiya visibly relaxed a bit with Muramasa's calming presence. "She wears her emotions on her sleeve, but she's also not very good at hiding some negative emotions, like nervousness" Muramasa observed internally as he continued to interact with the small elf girl.

"I've heard a lot about your name from everyone in my Familia, but how come? How did you make such an impression on them?" Lefiya asked, her tone tinged with sadness. It was becoming increasingly clear to Muramasa that the girl had emotional issues, and her powerful mana could become problematic if her emotions weren't managed properly. "I know Riveria, Gareth, and Finn are already aware of her mana and potential with it, but they also should know about her flaws."

Muramasa could see right through Lefiya's emotional struggles, but he knew it wasn't his place to delve too deeply into her personal issues. Instead, he decided to offer a brief explanation. "Me and everyone in the Loki Familia have some history together from the past, but nothing too serious. We just became good allies soon after meeting" he replied, not disclosing all the details of their history. The story was a long and complex one, and he didn't want to go into it while they were focused on helping the sick adventurers.

Lefiya nodded in response and continued to assist the adventurers in drinking the antidote. She also thanked Muramasa for his answer. It was clear that he hadn't shared everything, but she seemed satisfied with the response he'd given. Muramasa recognized that sometimes, a simple answer was enough to alleviate someone's curiosity or concerns, and he was content with leaving it at that for now.

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