Danmachi – Card Wizard

The following day, after a meal with Loki at the Hostess of Fertility, Aidan and Ais spent some time with Riveria and Finn. They examined their improvement in fighting while helping them adjust to their new speed and strength after the update.

"Well, the two of you have made great progress in swordsmanship and Aidan, you'll have to train a lot more on your telekinesis. There is a lot of development potential in that magic." Explained their two teachers.

"Yes." Replied the two youngsters as Aidan asked the question that had been on his lips for a while. "When will you take us to the thirteenth floor of the dungeon to kill level two monsters?"

With a frown on his face as he thought about the question for a while, he gave a glance at Riveria, who nodded her head. "Well, I'll bring the two of you to the dungeon after our trip to Melen."

"Our trip to Melen?" Asked Aidan, utterly confused as Ais slightly tilted her head, equally confused.

"It's a yearly trip for most of the familia members. It will take us an hour to reach Melen. We will stay for two days and come back afterwards. It's a trip organized by Loki to have us relax after we spend time fighting with our lives on the line. Although, we all know that it's just because Loki wants to see us in a swimsuit." Explained Riveria while muttering the last sentence loud enough for everyone to hear.

"So, what are we going to do there?" He continued Aidan as he wasn't very willing to stop going to the dungeon and increase his strength to go and relax for a few days.

"We'll be spending the time at the beach, and you'll get to know the other members of the familia. I'll also teach you two how to swim while we're at it since it can be useful in the dungeon." She explained as the two golden-eyed youngsters nodded their heads eagerly since they had heard about the water city on the 25th to 27th floor of the dungeon.

"When is the trip, and what do we need to bring?" Asked the young boy as his interest in the trip was instantly increased after hearing about learning to swim.

"We're leaving in two days, early in the morning. You only need to bring a swimsuit, money along with snacks and drinks if you want to read while going to Melen. Of course, there are swimsuit shops in Melen, so it's fine to buy one there." Explained the elf as she was better suited at explaining these things than the pallum.

With a nod of their heads, Ais immediately grabbed Aidan's hand and brought him out of the training field, with only a single goal in her mind. 'Let's go shopping for some swimsuits.'

——

Two days later, Aidan was woken up early in the morning by Ais as she was excited at the prospect of learning to swim from Riveria and to visit another city.

Still sleepy, Aidan prepared and followed the girl as she skipped to the door but regained a calm and indifferent look the moment she opened it.

With a shake of his head and a smile tucking at the corner of his lips, Aidan didn't say anything and followed the girl who seemed to know where she was going.

"Ah! Good morning Ais-chan, Aidan." Said Loki as she skipped next to them with a big smile on her face as she approached them.

"Good morning." Answered the two of them as Aidan gave glances to all the other people assembled in the square in front of the Loki familia manor.

"So, when do we leave?" He asked as he wasn't aware of the exact time of departure.

"We'll be leaving in half an hour. You can relax a bit or talk with the other members of the familia. I'm sure you'll learn about the dungeon and their experience, which could be useful for you two since you'll soon start fighting level two monsters." Explained Loki as she waved goodbye at them and approached their elven teacher, who was coordinating everyone.

---

"Alright, let's go!" Shouted Loki as she sat in a carriage which would go to Melen.

Melen wasn't very far from Orario, only three kilometres away from the dungeon city. Melen, the fishing city, was connected to Lolog lake, which was linked to the sea. Although in the past it was a hazardous location due to the lake being linked to the dungeon, it was now pretty safe since the carcass of the Leviathan blocked the route between Lolog lake and the 27th floor of the dungeon.

"When we arrive, let's go directly to the beach. I've never been there before." Said Ais in a small voice as she was sitting next to Aidan in a carriage.

"Sure." He nodded as he was also pretty much interested in the beach since he had never gone there either. "Hum, we're already almost there." He continued as he took a look outside of the carriage and looked at the walls surrounding the small fishing city.

As if seeing Aidan's dismay, an adventurer next to him started explaining the walls' uses. "In the past, there were a lot of monsters walking on the continent. Due to this, it was necessary to build walls to protect the city. Even today, some monsters still live on the continent, although they are mostly level one, there are still a few monsters who are higher levelled, and the walls can protect the city."

"This is the difference between Melen and Orario. Melen's walls are to protect the residents of the city, while Orario's walls are to keep the monsters inside the city and protect the continent. After all, if the monsters escaped from the dungeon, we will at least have the walls to contain the monsters for as long as possible." Explained the man in his thirties as he gesticulated with his arms to make his point.

"I see. I thought monsters were mostly located in the dungeon and that the monsters outside were weak enough that we wouldn't need walls." Nodded Aidan as he listened to the man explaining the origin of the walls. He was also shocked that the walls of Orario weren't to protect from outside monsters but to contain the monsters instead, which was quite dangerous for the civilians living in Orario.

Seeing the look on Aidan's face, the man immediately understood what he was thinking. "You don't have to worry, monsters haven't escaped from the dungeon ever since the three great calamities emerged, and Orario is safe." He explained with a smile as both youngsters in front of him nodded their heads.

"Alright, everyone can get off from the carriages. We've arrived at the gates." Shouted someone from the front of the line of carriages.

"Well, it was nice meeting you." Said Aidan before leaving the carriage with Ais and moving in between the other adventurers of the familia to reach the front of the line.

As they reached the front, they saw Loki climbing on top of a carriage as everyone stopped talking between each other and looked at their goddess in front of them with slight reverence.

"We will be living in this city for the next two days. You've all been made aware of the schedule. I only have a single rule, don't make trouble." She said before getting down from the carriage and motioning to Aidan and Ais to follow her as they didn't know what to do.

"Alright, you two, you'll be living in the same inn as me. I want to keep a watch over you two." She explained as she walked inside the city with the two golden-eyed partners following her. "We'll go and register at the inn, and then we'll go to a small part of the beach, which I've temporarily bought for a private beach for the familia." She continued as Riveria, Gareth and Finn soon joined them.

"Later, when we go to the beach, I'll teach you how to swim." Explained Riveria as they walked through the city in relative silence.

"Understood." Nodded Aidan as he looked at the city with wonder. Although the town was close to Orario, the infrastructure was completely different. It was made as if to resist the strong winds coming from the lake. Moreover, the city was a lot poorer than Orario as the streets were only made of stone on the public roads and the sub roads were still roads of dirt.

"Well, I'm quite interested in our short vacation." Thought Aidan as he glimpsed at the city.