Father-Daughter Crafting Team (6)
The Raid Memorial Crafting Competition—better known as the Raid Crafting Contest—was a storied event shining through its three hundred sixty-sixth iteration.
It had produced minions who went on to serve under Hephaestus, one of the Divine Realm's greatest blacksmiths, and its first-ever champion, Sarispe, was still turning out items competitive even in the Regular League—credentials that only burnished the contest's reputation.
That said, turnout was never especially high. Only minions on the cusp of entering the Regular League were eligible in the first place, and gods who fielded minions strong in the lifestyle disciplines—rather than pure battle content—were few and far between.
The minion of the god hosting the Raid Crafting Contest sighed as she scanned the entrant list.
"Thanks to the on-site registrations, we finally cracked a hundred participants. The pre-season rank-one didn't enter at all? Word is they took second in the raid. Skipping the festival to cook up raid strategy, maybe?"
She'd been quietly looking forward to whatever minion that one would send—the heir of a major house, drowning in resources. A shame.
"Lady Polapo. The contest is about to begin."
"Ah, right. Time to go host. Everyone's here? Anyone worth watching?"
"Yes."
A junior who'd arrived a full three centuries after Polapo handed over a few sheets of paperwork.
"First, the machine deity Shinpago is worth attention. As you know, mechanical races tend to craft exceptionally well."
"Depends on the race. Wait—that's an Echeg? If dwarves are the craftsmen of the biological races, Echegs are the craftsmen of the machine races. Instant favorite for the win."
"There's also the Arachne goddess Ellis."
"That race excels at clothing-type items. Anyone else?"
"Well… this entrant's skill is an unknown, but they're worth watching. A daughter and father entered together."
"Two on one team?"
Nothing in the rules forbade it, but it was hardly common. Even gods fishing for a lucky break usually split their two minions into separate entries rather than pairing them.
Polapo looked at the participants' photos and lost her words.
"…She's adorable?"
"Right? The daughter's cute, and the father is seriously handsome."
"Hmm…"
Polapo privately agreed with her junior. Even to her eyes—as a different species—the man had appeal. How much more so for a junior of the same race?
"All right. We'll center the pre-contest interviews on these three. Two powerhouses plus a cutie—the audience will eat it up."
"Oh, and I've got one piece of intel I acquired in secret."
Her junior had posted the participant's photo to a human community board under the title [Isn't this kid cute?], hoping for upvotes—only to get replies she hadn't expected at all.
"This man is the very minion who crafted the Ultimate Weapon -Me-."
"That Mad Human?"
Minions like Polapo—ones who'd shifted their focus beyond pure battle—were hypersensitive to Newbie League rumors. Her job was identifying raw talent and reporting it to her master, which made her even more so. She was rather good at the work people called scouting.
"Wow. This is the Mad Human? Doesn't look the part just from the face. Got it. I'm heading out."
Polapo stepped onto the hall floor and belted out with full force.
"To every god and every minion joining the three hundred sixty-sixth Raid Crafting Contest! Welcome! I'm your host, Polapo!!!"
—Waaaaah!!!
Only a hundred participants, but the cheer was enormous. Satisfied, the Raid Crafting Contest host laid out the rules.
"The format is simple! You'll craft items using rewards obtainable from the event raid, plus materials commonly available in the Newbie League! Produce a Rare-grade item and you clear the preliminaries! In the finals, rankings are decided by the item itself—design, versatility, effects, and so on!"
Polapo pointed to the dais with exaggerated flair.
"Our judge is none other than my own master, Lady Icekhai!!"
Icekhai—human-bodied, with a head of living ice—waved a hand.
—Give it your all, everyone.
—Waaaaaaaaah!!!
"What a roaring response. Excellent. We may need to cool things down a touch. First, I'll reveal the materials."
At Polapo's gesture, tables laden with every kind of material rose from both sides of the hall.
"While I conduct the pre-contest interviews, decide among yourselves what you'll use and what you'll make! I'll be off to interview!"
Polapo's first stop was booth three: Shinpago's minion. Human-sized in frame, but a machine with ten arms.
"Contestant's name?"
—RB-07.
"Yes! RB-07! What item are you planning to craft?"
—Tentacle Spider Laser Cannon.
Polapo faltered slightly. A laser cannon. Leave it to a machine race…
"And where is the one you serve, RB-07?"
—Here.
From the spectator seats, Shinpago emitted a mechanical tone. Polapo asked the ceremonial question.
"Who are you most wary of among the entrants?"
—The Mad Human, minion of Sexy Newbie.
Shinpago's remark sent a ripple through the hall.
"Sexy Newbie? That B-tick bastard is here?"
"Come to think of it, that punk did pick up a minion with craft skills. Of course they'd enter."
"Ha! Crafting takes more than a pair of clever hands! Where is that punk?"
Polapo hurriedly soothed the agitated crowd.
"Everyone, please calm down! Even if a B-tick Newbie—ah, Sexy Newbie—has entered, carrying on like this will only break the minions' concentration!"
Gods hoping their own minions would place well settled down.
In the stands, Sexy Newbie tried to bolt—only to be caught by Dohoyo.
"Let go…"
"Your karma, Sophia."
"Ugh…"
The minions wondered why Sophia was acting like that.
"Mom. Why's Master like that?"
"When the Mad Demon does Mad Demon things and gets hit for it, people call it karma, do they not? Master has a touch of the Mad Demon in her as well."
"Ahh!"
Sophia wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.
Meanwhile, Polapo found her second interview target.
"This contestant is an Arachne! A minority race with few entrants historically, yet always strong results! May I have your name?"
"Call me Elirihuaaa."
"And what item will you be making, Elirihua?"
"Hmm. Maybe some clotheees?"
Polapo's heart skipped at that uniquely Arachne, alluring smile. Arachne charm worked even on Polapo—same sex or not.
No wonder men still marry them knowing their kids will be Arachne.
"I see. And your resolve going into the contest?"
"Oh? Aren't you going to ask where my goddeees is?"
"Of course I will—after I hear your resolve."
"Lady Ellis said I have to beat that handsome-but-crazy humaaaan."
"Handsome-but-crazy human? Let's hear why from the goddess herself. Where is she?"
From the gallery, Ellis rose to her feet.
Cheonsol exploded at the sight of her.
"That thieving-cat spider entered too? Evrande—that goddess once tried to steal the Mad Demon away."
"What?"
Evrande glared at Ellis as well. The ever-unbothered Arachne goddess felt both women's stares and answered with a smirk.
"Lady Ellis?"
"How to put it… In battle, I got all-killed by the handsome-but-crazy human's femaaales."
"Pardon?"
"But that crazy human is stronger than his femaaales? He's a male who'd sire strong children. I was thinking I'd win this contest and try seducing that maaaale."
Grit.
Cheonsol and Evrande clenched their teeth.
"Mad Demon! Win this!"
"She's right, Mad Demon! You can't lose!"
"Yohan! Don't you dare lose!"
Polapo looked at the cheering women. An unusual lineup—elf, Vampir, and Lamia—plus two children in the mix.
The kids are adorable. Wait—that one looks just like the little elf girl from the paperwork earlier?
Aside from the short hair, they were identical. Polapo checked who the women were cheering for.
Sure enough—the father-daughter pair she'd seen before. So the minion the Arachne was trying to steal already had a child.
This is a full-blown melodrama!
Polapo was a woman who loved melodrama—one of the Divine Realm's favorite pastimes. The gods watching the contest would eat this up as entertainment.
Thrilled, she strode over to the father-daughter entrants and thrust out the mic.
"The human minion coveted by none other than an Arachne goddess! You are human, correct?"
Yohan scratched his head. Not from embarrassment. It just itched.
Because Cheonsol and Evrande are staring a hole straight through me.
Blaming the itch on his wives, he was about to answer when he caught Sophia's frantic gesturing—arms windmilling in a desperate plea for him to give a normal reply.
"Yes."
"A human after all! And you entered alongside your daughter?"
"Evni really loves her dad. She said she wanted to enter together. Figured it'd make a good memory, so here we are."
"What a wonderful father! And yet an Arachne goddess is trying to steal away such an excellent dad…"
Polapo, gleefully spinning her melodrama, suddenly paused.
"But your daughter is an elf. Is your wife an elf?"
"That's right."
"Is it that woman over there?"
Polapo pointed at Evrande.