"Fortunately, I've spoken with the captains of the Dian Cecht Familia, Goibniu Familia, and Hephaestus Familia. They understand that this is a special situation and are willing to continue supporting our future expeditions," Finn said.
The creditors of the Loki Familia were emotionally stable, which was good news.
Riveria nodded, then changed the topic and asked, "Finn, what exactly happened in the dungeon?"
"I don't know," Finn answered honestly, "Loki probably knows something, but since she hasn't explicitly stated it, that means we don't need to know…"
Riveria: "Or, even if we knew, it wouldn't be of any use."
Finn nodded, "That's right. If I had to say, it might be an issue outside the city. Shortly after the earthquake, Hermes borrowed a flying dragon from the Ganesha Familia and hurriedly left the city."
Hearing this, Riveria closed her eyes, her brows tightly furrowed.
To most people, Hermes was just the god of a mediocre, unremarkable mid-tier familia. But Finn and Riveria, with their status, naturally understood this god's uniqueness.
Finn: "Riveria, do you know something…?"
"I do know a little. It's something from when I was a child. Before you were even born," Riveria reminisced.
Finn: "Over eighty years ago? Even my father wasn't born then… Go on."
"I once read about it in a forbidden book when I was a child. It recorded how ancient monsters were sealed or slumbered in various places beyond the city…"
———
Half a month later, at the edge of the Great Forest Sea.
Hermes: "These so-called ancient monsters originally came from beneath Orario's labyrinth city, from the great hole suppressed by Babel Tower. After the gods descended to the lower world, humans who received divine blessings suppressed the monsters. They sealed the hole and exterminated the monsters left on the surface."
As he spoke, he jumped off the flying dragon. These creatures, raised by the Ganesha Familia from hatchlings, possessed extremely high flight speeds. Thanks to their help, the travel time to the destination had been cut in half.
"Because they originate from the great hole, these ancient monsters often resonate with the dungeon. This 'Scorpion of the Great Forest Sea' likely awakened due to the recent violent earthquake in the dungeon. Its gradual revival also triggered tremors within the dungeon."
The Traveler God brushed off the dust on his clothes while explaining the world's secrets to the familia captain beside him, Asfi, the Omnipotent One.
"But, being able to sense the dungeon's disturbance means it was already close to waking up. Whether it happened now or within the next few years wouldn't have made much difference."
Asfi: "Ancient monsters… Could it be that the Black Dragon is one of them as well?"
"Exactly. The Black Dragon is one of them, and the most restless one… But don't worry. The 'Scorpion' of the Great Forest Sea is nowhere near as powerful as those dragons, serpents, or bulls."
"In ancient times, before people had divine blessings, this monster was an undefeatable foe. The only option was to seal it away. But with Orario's current combat strength, as long as nothing unexpected happens…"
Hermes spoke as he walked toward the figure who had fired the signal flare, summoning him from the skies.
"Artemis—", Seeing that figure and realizing her condition, Hermes' voice became uncharacteristically serious.
"You've broken our rules. You've committed an unforgivable sin," He spoke in a low voice.
"I know. I don't seek forgiveness—only redemption," The Moon Goddess' mournful voice dissipated into the wind.
[T/N: So far, it seems like Arrow of Orion arc and Scorpion Monster is Antares. But, I will wait for a little more context before confirming it]
———
The Great Forest Sea was a secret land ten thousand miles away from Orario. Even on a flying dragon, a round trip would take nearly a month.
While Hermes traveled back and forth, life in Orario remained unchanged for its residents and adventurers.
After the minor earthquake, the dungeon showed no further disturbances, and most people had already forgotten about it.
The Loki Familia's expedition remained on hold. However, this time, Loki noticed an unusual stance from the Guild. Due to some unspeakable reason, the Guild strongly insisted that the Loki Familia must not embark on an expedition now, and that their elite forces had to remain on standby.
Realizing this, Loki took advantage of the situation, half-persuading and half-threatening the Guild into granting various benefits, including a 50% tax reduction for the year. This significantly alleviated the familia's financial troubles, and the members' frustrations over the halted expedition also dissipated.
It wasn't just the Loki Familia. The Freya Familia and Ganesha Familia also reduced their dungeon activities. Even the Ishtar Familia, which had only one Level 5 adventurer, who had been humiliated by Ryuu and labeled as the "weakest first-rank adventurer", canceled their lower-floor expeditions.
The city maintained an illusion of peace, but beneath the surface, turbulent undercurrents surged.
However, none of this concerned Liliruca Arde, a pallum girl who was, in both size and status, a true nobody. Compared to world-class crises brewing in the shadows, she was more worried about her own future.
Early in the morning, Lili woke up in her small rented room. These apartments were specifically for low-level adventurers, offering extremely cheap rent but only barely decent living conditions.
In Orario, not all familias had their own headquarters. Many gods were homeless themselves, let alone capable of providing housing for their adventurers.
In fact, over half of the city's familias only had simple residences as their headquarters, like the Takemikazuchi Familia, or had no fixed base at all.
But people only paid attention to the prestigious, powerful familias, never these minor ones.
Though her rental room was small, due to her pallum size, it didn't feel cramped. Compared to the spacious estate of the Soma Familia, Lili preferred this place.
She was once a member of the Soma Familia. Or rather, the former Soma Familia. She hadn't left the familia; the familia ceased to exist.
The Soma Familia provoked someone they should never have angered. That person stormed into their base and, within a single day, defeated every member, exposed their captain's criminal record, and had their god, Soma, imprisoned by the Guild.
The familia was forcibly disbanded. Their former captain mysteriously died in prison.
That man made his name in one swift move. Within half a day, a large familia with two Level 2 adventurers was crushed, its god jailed, its members scattered, its captain dead.
Clean. Efficient. Ruthless. Unstoppable. The terrified survivors whispered his title: "Demon King of the Sword."
But to Liliruca Arde, that man wasn't a nightmare. He was her savior, her idol, her god.
On the wall beside her bed, two portraits hung. One of Fianna, the goddess of the pallum, and the other, a painting of him, locked in battle with Amazon warriors.
Looking at the portrait, Lili softly whispered his name: "Lord Emiya…"
The Soma Familia had never been her home. Only a hell she couldn't escape from.
Born to Soma adventurers, Lili was bound to the familia from birth. When her alcoholic parents died in a dungeon, she was deemed too weak to be an adventurer and forced to become a supporter.
From that day forward, her life became a curse.
The Soma adventurers, scum who delighted in tormenting the weak, made her their favorite target. They ordered her to distract monsters, stole her earnings, forced her to steal from others, and beat her for fun.
She endured. Until the day the sword fell from the heavens, severing her curse and chains.
"Lord Emiya… actually, we had already met before that day…", Standing before his portrait, Lili clasped her hands to her chest and whispered, "That day at Babel Plaza, when I searched for an adventurer needing a supporter… the moment I saw you, I just knew. If I could grasp your hand, my future would be saved."
"…You didn't need a supporter. I couldn't take your hand."
"But… you still came to save me."
To her, it was fate.
Emiya had never spared her a second glance, yet he still rescued her.
To her, wasn't this akin to a god? Gods did not watch over mortals, yet they would extend a hand at crucial moments.
Lili's gaze grew ever more determined.
As always, Lili left her rental room early in the morning. She headed to Babel Tower. Lately, this had been her routine. Working at the tavern at night, scrubbing dishes until late to cover her daily expenses, and during the day, waiting at Babel Tower for an opportunity.
Due to her long nights, deep shadows had formed under her eyes, yet her gaze was brighter than ever, burning with an almost maddening fervor, "Maybe… today is the day."
Lili thought to herself. Her heart was pounding harder than usual, it felt like an omen.
And today, she finally saw it. That flame-like red hair appeared once more at Babel Tower, at Hephaestus Familia's weapon shop.
It wasn't Emiya, but the goddess Lili had been waiting for all this time—Hephaestus.
After a long absence, the goddess had unexpectedly decided to inspect the Familia's exclusive shop.
The tiny Pallum girl mustered an unimaginable burst of strength, forcing her way through the crowd. She pushed past everyone in front of her and arrived at the goddess's feet.
With a loud thud, Lili fell to her knees, the sound crisp and clear.
Under the goddess's surprised gaze, the Pallum girl bowed her body forward, pressing her forehead tightly to the ground.
"My name is Liliruca Arde. Please allow me to join Hephaestus Familia!"
The surrounding people turned their eyes toward her, most of them sneering in mockery. Just a mere Pallum, trying to reach the heavens in a single bound through such a shameful act.
"Putting on a show, thinking she's clever. What a ridiculous sight, truly befitting a worthless Pallum. That kneeling posture is perfect, though. She must have practiced it countless times..."
As the crowd was brimming with scornful ridicule, Lili shouted once more, cutting them off, "I POSSESS MAGIC—UNIQUE, special magic!"
The moment Liliruca declared those words, the air around her froze.
Instinctively, the surrounding people wanted to refute her. Rare, unique magic appearing in such a weak Pallum? It was an absurd notion, one too difficult to accept.
However, most of them realized she wasn't lying.
Soma Familia had already disbanded. Any of its former members could now freely join a new Familia. Hephaestus only needed to place a drop of divine blood on her back, and all of her abilities, magic, and skills would be revealed.
Even a worthless Pallum wouldn't fabricate a lie that could be immediately exposed.
In fact, such a hassle wasn't even necessary. Simply standing before her, Hephaestus could already see that this girl wasn't lying.
She did possess special magic.
And at the very least, Lili herself had complete confidence in her magic's uniqueness.
However, simply possessing rare magic or skills did not guarantee acceptance into a great Familia. For Hephaestus, other qualities mattered more.
"Why do you want to join Hephaestus Familia?", Hephaestus asked.
Lili kept her forehead pressed firmly against the ground and replied, "Because Lord Emiya saved me. No matter what, I want to repay his kindness... I want to work for Lord Emiya."
Hephaestus gazed down at Lili, observing her carefully. After a long silence, she finally spoke, "Come with me."
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Liliruca Arde]
[Lv.1]
Strength: I35
Endurance: I94
Dexterity: I39
Agility: I31
Magic: I22
—: Magic :—
[Cinder Ella]
— Transformation magic; alters appearance.
—: Skills :—
[Artel Assist]
— Enhances carrying capacity.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Within Hephaestus Familia's Etna Volcano, the goddess mentioned the new Pallum recruit to Emiya.
Instead of bringing Lili back to the Familia headquarters, she had placed her in one of the Familia's equipment shops.
Not the main store at Babel Tower, but a newly built branch in the northern part of the city. For now, Lili would work there as a shop attendant.
To put it bluntly, Lili was completely unsuited to be an adventurer. She lacked talent in every attribute. Even after years as an adventurer, all of her abilities remained pitifully low.
By contrast, Emiya had surpassed her years of effort in just half a month after receiving Falna. In simple terms, Lili had almost no talent for combat.
Moreover, due to both her racial limitations and childhood malnutrition, her physical strength was weaker than even that of a rookie adventurer of the same level. Even with divine blessings, she might not be stronger than an average adult male.
In the Dungeon, her only role was that of a supporter, leveraging her [Artel Assist] skill.
Yet, Hephaestus did not look down on her for this. A king has the talents of a king, and a chef has the talents of a chef. Lili was an incredibly gifted girl—just not in combat.
Lili had a sharp mind. Her memory was excellent, her perception keen, and she had a natural affinity for numbers. Even without formal training, she displayed remarkable mathematical abilities.
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