The Guild Hall. Specifically, Eina's office.

"You... want me to what?"

"You heard me. Give me every single court case ever filed, as well as all the information you can get on the Freya Familia. Not only that, but if you can, I want summaries of each Denatus as well."

Eina blinked and then took off her glasses to massage the bridge of her nose. After that, she glared at me and said, "Do you even understand what that will look like? Or the amount of work that will cause me?"

"...Oh. Right."

I forgot that information wasn't free or instant in this world...

God I missed the internet.

But anyway... Yeah, that would be suspicious. A newbie adventurer suddenly checking out everything about the Freya familia and all the court cases in Orario...

"...Then could you get me the general information about the Freya Familia? Maybe a historical record of the strongest adventurers too? And after that, all the information you can get about the monsters in the Dungeon. Traps too and common hazards- No, make that the rare and freak accidents that suddenly caused party wipes."

I already had a reputation around the place as being the guy who liked overprepping after the first meeting I had with Eina. And with the meticulous notes I turned in, there wouldn't be too much suspicion for me doubling down on research.

Eina put her glasses back on and then frowned.

"What?"

Eina sighed. "Nothing. Just... Well, I suppose this is better than you rushing into the Dungeon right now with all that's happening."

"Hm?" I frowned and said, "What's happening in the Dungeon?"

Eina placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. "A lot." She looked at me and said, "I don't know whether you're lucky or unlucky, Bell, but ever since you've become an adventurer, the Dungeon's been acting up. You haven't been the only one attacked by hordes of monsters recently."

I blinked. "Wait. I haven't?"

I thought it was just a me thing. Like I was too OP and Dungeon-chan felt threatened.

But... maybe it was just bad timing?

Well, I'd still assume it was a me thing, but that was interesting...

Eina nodded. "Right. Recently, a lot of adventurers have been attacked by hordes of monsters. Thankfully, it's mostly the upper floors so it's been manageable. But the other day the Loki familia just returned from an expedition after being attacked by a horde of unknown monsters. And now there's the report about a variant War Shadow roaming around the first floors and hunting down any adventurers who make too much noise..." She sighed. "It's a mess."

"...Well." I let out a nervous laugh and said, "All the more reason to study instead of diving in, right?"

Yeah... Let's not head back in before I finish prepping enough to outlast dooms day. Which includes getting at least one of every type of weapon to account for different attack ranges, practicing swapping weapons mid-swing to conserve and add momentum, trying to fight in melee while doing cover fire...

And more Zenkai abuse. Definitely more of those.

Should also learn some magic too while I'm at it...

Eina smiled. "That's right. Other people might be seeking adventure right now, but you should-"

"Be prepping and take it like a normal job instead of going out in a blaze of glory like a dumb hero."

Eina blinked and then laughed before giving me a warm smile. "I wouldn't say it like that... But yes."

A sudden tingle down my spine.

I leaned back a bit and said, "Um. Eina."

"Yes, Bell?"

"...This might be a bit rude, but you aren't coming onto me or anything, right? Because while you're a very intelligent and beautiful woman, I've already got someone in mind."

Eina blushed and then said, "W-What gave you that idea?! H-Honestly, just when I was starting to respect you..."

"Just saying."

Eina rolled her eyes, her face still a bit red. "Anyway... All the advisors are a bit busy right now with the mess, but I'll see what I can do." She paused and said, "...You definitely won't be able to take the books out with you though. Are you fine reading here?"

"Yeah. I'm basically planning to hole up here and study overnight for the next few days anyway."

"..."

"What?"

Eina sighed and said, "Why do I even bother?"

"Because I'm like an adorable little brother?"

Eina rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing I have a little sister instead then. If you were my brother I'd have gray hair by now."

"Hahaha..."

Eina shook her head and said, "Just sit tight then. I'll be back."

And like that, it was me alone in Eina's office.

The moment she left though, I let out a sigh of relief. "*Definitely* a close one. Is it because I've got two goddesses head over heels for me? That affection there looked like it was dangerously close to turning into a crush..." I rubbed my face and muttered, "Gotta be more careful in the future and nip that in the bud ahead of time when I meet new girls. Dammit, Bell. Why do you have to have such high class looks?"

I shook my head and then pulled out my notebook again. "Well. Until Eina gets back... Let's see. For a to-do list... gotta figure out a way to fly to avoid pitfalls. Maybe a remote operated bot or something to check the area ahead for traps. Definitely should try to tame a War Shadow ASAP since it'd be helpful for that. Need to get more weapons... Gotta remember to ask Welf about that. Also about making magic weapons. Then there's the issue of making a child with a goddess..."

It seemed like Freya had gotten a misunderstanding about me, Tia, and Fina.

Unfortunately, that was a misunderstanding that was hard to fix.

Not only that though, while Tia said she was okay with it, I also got the feeling that she was forcing herself. Not only that, but while she called 'dibs', she also seemed a bit uncomfortable at jumping to 'that' right away since we hadn't even gone on a date or anything yet.

So I need to figure something out.

A way to make a child between a person and a god without intercourse...

Wait. There was that game or anime whatever where the main characters created 'star children,' wasn't there? Conception or something.

Mixing energies in a container that acted like an artificial womb...

"...And all this thinking just to avoid a one-night stand." I sighed. "Well. Gotta set a good example for Fina at least. Not to mention how easily relationships can go out of control trying to date more than one girl..."

Yeah. Let's keep it simple, silly. Don't be greedy and appreciate the loving and kind goddess who's practically your wife already and is being both extremely supportive and super tolerant.

...And also more than a bit self-sacrificing.

I tapped my fingers on Eina's desk and muttered, "When is she going to get back already? I need that info..."

xxx

"Would you like some tea, Hestia?" Freya rummaged in her pantry and said, "I have quite a few different blends."

Hestia let out a stiff smile and said, "I'm fine."

"Then perhaps some red wine?" The silver-haired goddess pulled out a bottle from the pantry and said, "It's not often I have a guest up here. Especially one who's such a dear friend."

"...Well. If you insist-"

"I do."

"...Then I guess a little bit of wine is fine."

"Perfect. Just give me a moment then..."

HappyVainGlory

This was originally going to just be an author's note, but I felt that'd be a bit mean so I wrote a little bit to whet your appetite.

Just to clarify the plans for the story, I won't be updating daily anymore because 1) I'm out of stockpiled chapters and 2) I want to enjoy my time writing the chapters without the stress of daily updates.

That means three things.

1. Updates will be bi-weekly at best (probably on Saturday and Sunday) or weekly at worst.
2. Chapters will (probably) be chunkier at around 3-4K range
3. Chapters will (probably) move the plot a lot more 

Anyway, that's it for now. See you in a week!