Elise knew very well what awaited the Astraea Familia in the future. She had seen the story.
As the Familia of the Goddess of Justice, these girls truly did things related to justice.
Just like the Ganesha Familia, the members of the Astraea Familia would, in the future, conduct regular patrols throughout the city, learning about the daily lives of Orario's citizens.
If there were thefts, robberies, or even more serious crimes, they would intervene without hesitation.
That was the justice they pursued.
So what about the current situation?
Adventurers robbing another adventurer. From the perspective of "justice," this was absolutely wrong—something that should never be done.
Those capable of such acts were certainly not "good" people. And when justice witnessed such things, it had to step forward and stop them.
It had been mentioned before that when Elise first obtained the skill Scales of Judgment, its consumption was so minimal that after leaving home, she had quietly placed its judgment upon everyone she encountered.
Good and evil could be determined at a glance.
She had seen these five before.
Previously, she had caught them robbing a supporter. If that supporter had refused to hand over his belongings, they had even shown signs of intending to kill him.
They were absolutely not good people.
Elise had warned them once not to do such things again. But judging from the current situation, they clearly had not listened.
Repeat offenders, were they?
If Elise stepped forward again, they would surely scatter and flee immediately.
But this time, she wanted Alise—the original captain—to handle it. Elise wanted to see just how far she could go.
Since Alise had once been personally chosen by Astraea, there must have been something about her that had caught the goddess' attention.
At the same time, to prevent anyone from tracing matters back to the Familia or seeking revenge against relatives, Elise had deliberately used Prana mimicry on Alise, achieving a semi-invisible effect.
"The skill is convenient, but... do I really have to stay invisible?"
Looking at her semi-transparent body, Alise was first astonished, then hesitant.
"We're a righteous Familia, right? And what we're doing is also righteous. So why do we have to act like this... sneaking around?"
She seemed to search for a gentler phrase, but in the end, she still used the words "sneaking around."
Alise didn't understand. Since when did doing good deeds require secrecy?
"Because..."
"There are too many people who don't want to see the banner of justice raised."
What era was Orario in right now?
The Dark Age.
This was when crime was at its most rampant. No matter who it was, it was almost impossible not to be tainted by something improper.
Among them were quite a few Familias—and certain merchants as well.
When justice appeared in their sight, what would be their first thought?
"If we keep doing this, will those so-called righteous people come after us?"
"Rather than change ourselves, wouldn't it be better to make them disappear?"
Once such thinking spread, those Familias and merchants would band together to protect their interests.
Unfamiliar Familias would grow hostile and spread rumors about you everywhere. Familias cooperating with you could immediately terminate their agreements. Merchants could simply refuse to sell you anything.
Some Familia that disliked you might even come over and step on you for sport. Even if they couldn't deal with you directly, harming your relatives was still well within their capabilities.
In other words, once justice was raised high, isolation was inevitable.
Unless you possessed absolute strength, being isolated meant there was only one possible outcome for a Familia—destruction.
Elise did possess strength, but she lacked a crucial element of it—Level.
Right now, she was only Level 2.
That was why she had sought cooperation with Freya, requesting that the Freya Familia quietly clean up some of Orario's dark factions, temporarily curbing the city's darkness.
At the same time, it allowed those Familias and merchants already tainted by evil to prepare themselves—and gradually grow accustomed to the feeling of being governed by justice.
Of course, this cooperation was never made public.
If Astraea openly allied with Freya while raising the banner of justice, then in the eyes of outsiders, the weak Astraea Familia would simply appear to be a vassal of the powerful Freya Familia.
Their so-called justice would become nothing more than a tool for Freya Familia's rule.
Even if they publicly denied it—or even if Ottar fought Elise—others would simply assume Ottar had gone easy on her.
After all, Level 2 defeating Level 6? That wasn't even a joke worth making.
That was not something Elise wanted to see, which was why she had chosen to cooperate in secret.
Even in the "eliminations of evil" she had carried out recently, she rarely used her original appearance. Most of the time, she either remained invisible or did not show herself at all.
Elise needed to raise her Level quickly.
Ideally to the first-tier Level—Level 5.
At that point...
She would be able to openly and forcefully plant the banner of justice into the heart of Orario. When that time came, neither Loki nor Freya would be able to block her path!
Yes. The greatest threats were not merely those dark factions.
In Elise's eyes, the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia were threats as well!
And there were also the Zeus and Hera Familias, whose remaining members were still unknown!
Hadn't there been a case in the original story where remnants of Zeus and Hera Familias cooperated with the dark factions?
Elise had considered almost every possibility she could think of.
This time, nothing unexpected should happen... right?
Thank you, Sacred Queen.
If not for you, she might not have been so cautious about the unknown parts of the story.
Elise had already made her decision.
Before reaching Level 5, the Familia's development would remain somewhat low-profile. Play it safe. Doing occasional good deeds was fine—just not too conspicuously.
But once she reached Level 5...
Sorry.
As the Saintess, I shall suppress all enemies in Orario!
Whether it be Loki or Freya, Zeus or Hera—just you wait!
...
After hearing Elise's explanation, Alise fell silent.
This was reality. Raising the banner of justice was difficult. Until their strength was sufficient, they could not expose their true intentions.
In other words...
Hide one's plans from the heavens?
Grow wealthy in silence?
Whatever the phrase, that was the idea.
In the end, Alise resolved the situation while remaining half-invisible.
Her strength was roughly on par with theirs. Fighting five at once was somewhat strenuous, but with Elise's invisibility and Barrier of the Stars assisting her, defeating them became much easier.
Moreover, before delivering the final blow, she chose persuasion instead and spared the five men. They left while shouting threats.
As for Elise, she merely made a small move—placing something onto those five individuals.
It wasn't anything particularly dangerous.
It simply had the ability to attract monsters.
As for whether they lived or died... that would be left to fate.