Apollo Familia's stronghold.
At this moment, it was the most languid time of the afternoon.
Several high-ranking members of the Familia were gathered, idly chatting.
The air was filled with a sickening aura of decadence.
They discussed topics that would make any normal person uncomfortable, with a morbid pleasure.
The thin man laughed with a sharp voice, his face full of schadenfreude.
"Lord Apollo is out looking for new 'treasures' again? How pitiful for the poor soul who's about to be lured in, haha."
The muscular Beastman stroked the Familia crest on his arm, his eyes filled with fervent possessiveness.
"How greedy, isn't it enough that he has us, who are so loyal to him?"
The mage licked his lips, letting out a chilling laugh.
"Heh heh, what I love to see most is the twisted, desperate expression on the faces of those unwilling individuals after they're forcibly brought in, an expression they can't escape from~"
"Speaking of which, wasn't there a newcomer who tried to escape yesterday? I caught them and gave them a good lesson. Their cries were truly delightful."
"Hahahaha! How could those rookies, who haven't even experienced much adventuring, possibly escape our surveillance~"
"Don't say that, it's also Lord Apollo's deep love~"
Several Familia executives burst into unrestrained laughter, their voices filled with malice and superiority.
Not far away, several ordinary Familia members who were cleaning heard this, and without prior arrangement, they pursed their lips, lowered their heads, and silently clenched their fists.
Damn it… when will these days end?
Even if we were captured by the Dark Faction, it wouldn't matter. Anyone, please, save us…
But the next moment, the girl wiping the window showed a bitter smile and shook her head helplessly.
Forget it, waking up every day with such unrealistic fantasies, in the end, nothing ever changes.
Even risking their lives to report to the Guild yielded no results whatsoever.
Ultimately, because Apollo Familia was a "righteous" Familia, and these people who were forced to join didn't appear to be in any physical danger, no one cared whether they were willing or not…
It was even possible that some would mock them for being overly sensitive, and perhaps even secretly ridicule them for being ungrateful.
As she thought this, the girl continued mechanically wiping the cold window, the laughter of the executives in the distance growing increasingly unrestrained and piercing.
Just then, a black dot rapidly expanded in her pupils.
"Eh?"
The next second.
Bang——
In her widening pupils.
In her rapidly widening pupils, dilated from shock!
A lithe, ice-cold cat-girl elder sister, with a chilling sneer, brazenly broke through the window from next door.
Glass shards exploded like scattering butterflies, but her agile figure landed steadily, her black sleeves and silver-white hair gently swaying with the strong wind that rushed into the room.
"We are the Hestia Familia."
She spoke, her voice clear and melodious, yet carrying an undeniable power.
"We came on Rhodes' command to free all adventurers who were forced here. Could you please point out who Apollo's loyalists are?"
The girl was completely stunned.
Hestia Familia? Free?
I… I didn't mishear, did I?
She had heard the name Rhodes in Apollo's morbid boasting.
He seemed to be a legendary figure who had recently stirred up trouble in Orario.
At the time, she felt pity, thinking such a prominent figure, targeted by the fanatical and twisted Apollo, would inevitably be helplessly "invited" here.
But now…
Ke Luoyi tilted her head, her fair right hand waving in front of the girl's face.
"Can't you speak?"
"Never mind, looking at the resentful expression on your face, you don't seem like a loyalist."
"And…"
The dagger in Ke Luoyi's hand spun deftly. She smiled and turned, looking at the several Familia executives who, having heard the commotion, were rushing over, shouting, from not far down the corridor.
"At least these guys are definitely the priority targets to deal with."
"Hey, who are you?!"
"How dare you attack our Apollo Familia! We won't let you off lightly!"
"Just obediently take…"
Boom—!!!
A deafening roar interrupted all their shouting!
Like divine fire punishing the guilty, it descended from the sky, instantly engulfing those adventurers!
The violent explosion stirred up a furious airflow and flames!
The adventurers still had ferocious smiles on their faces; the next second, they let out ear-piercing screams in the scorching flames.
Ke Luoyi's hair was messed up by the strong wind. She helplessly pressed down on her cat ears, turned her head, and complained out the window.
"Izumi! These are the 'goods' Lord Rhodes wants! What if you blow them all to death, meow~"
Under the girl's dumbfounded expression, a group of maidens "standing in mid-air," like angels descended to the mortal world, appeared at the window.
"Eh… Th-this…"
Shimomura Izumi expressionlessly pulled out a new round of ammunition from behind her, skillfully reloading the rocket launcher on her shoulder.
"It's fine. I've experimented with it. This specially made non-lethal ammunition can't kill Lv.2 adventurers."
Ke Luoyi's mouth twitched slightly.
"May I ask who you experimented with, meow?"
"Asta-senpai."
"I knew it was that dwarf, meow… I really don't know how you convinced her, meow…"
Of course, it was in exchange for returning to the demi-human world to buy custom-made bikinis that perfectly fit a dwarf's figure.
Of course, Shimomura Izumi had promised Asta-senpai to keep this absolutely confidential and could not reveal it.
Seeing Shimomura Izumi about to raise her rocket launcher again, aiming at another group of adventurers rushing over, Ke Luoyi quickly stopped her.
"Wait! This place is going to be bought by us later, meow!"
"If you blow it to smithereens, it will cost a lot of money to repair, meow!"
Shimomura Izumi, hearing this, reluctantly put down her rocket launcher, an undisguised look of regret on her pretty face.
"It's rare that I specifically had her carry so much ammunition over…"
Ke Luoyi's gaze fell upon the huge ammunition box on the transparent IBM's back, and her eyelids twitched wildly.
She covered her forehead, complaining weakly.
"Are you planning to attack all of Orario?! Besides, Izumi, don't you have those less powerful weapons, meow?!"
Shimomura Izumi somewhat disdainfully pulled out a huge sniper rifle.
"Master said that using a rocket launcher looks more like a justice warrior than a firearm."
"Although I don't know why, when I pulled the trigger before, I did feel a lot more comfortable."
You're just a pure violent maniac, aren't you?!
"In any case! I'll be responsible for dealing with the main force of the Apollo Familia! You take them and stay on the perimeter to prevent anyone from sneaking away, meow!"
After speaking, Ke Luoyi, without looking back, threw a flying knife with a backhand, accurately knocking the weapon out of an adventurer's hand who was trying to ambush her from behind. Then, her figure flashed, and she charged towards the most densely packed group of enemies.
Just then, the girl, who had finally recovered her senses, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly gathered her courage to speak.
"Um…! If you're looking for those executives, I can lead the way for you!"
[Multiple A-rank quests triggered.]
[Content: Rescue all adventurers who were forced here. Reward corresponding Prayer Points based on the number of people.]
After Ke Luoyi pulled the girl and rushed deeper into the building, Shimomura Izumi turned back, looking at her new companions who were stunned by her weapon.
"Well then, let's get moving too. As the Familia's first collective action, we can't fail, okay~"
Aisha licked the corner of her mouth, and the powerful aura and brutal presence unique to Amazon warriors instantly erupted from her, looking at the red-haired Amazon girl beside her.
"Hey, fellow countrywoman over there, is your name Ilta?"
Ilta frowned, looking displeased at this fellow countrywoman who was more feminine than herself.
"What do you want to do?"
Aisha proactively offered a suggestion.
"They are all children who still need time to grow, and you also have rich combat experience. How about the four of us each lead a team and spread out in four directions?"
"Protecting the future of the Familia is also our responsibility~"
Protecting others, huh…
Can I, who only know how to destroy, really do something like that?
Ilta's heart was quite complicated. She snorted coldly and turned her head away.
"As if I needed you to tell me!"
Aisha's eyes showed a smile.
How rare, a tsundere fellow countrywoman.
So the group immediately split into four teams.
Aisha and Rurune were responsible for the north, Lina and Narvi for the west, Samira and Daphne for the east, and Ilta and Sophia for the south.
The remaining Shimomura Izumi and Naza provided fire support from the air.
The Apollo Familia was a large Familia with hundreds of members, but because there weren't many top-tier adventurers, even though their numbers were few, the situation was quickly brought under control.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Even without receiving Grace, the dog-girl Naza's archery was already dazzling enough.
She drew arrows from the quiver fixed at her waist, nocked them, and through precise and swift continuous shooting, she persuaded or hindered adventurers attempting to escape from various corners.
"You are very talented… In the future, can you teach me archery?"
Shimomura Izumi, lying on the IBM and accurately knocking an adventurer's weapon away with a sniper rifle, said without raising her head.
"Eh?"
Naza was startled, and this arrow almost directly blew off a certain unlucky adventurer's… egg.
"But… your weapon is much more powerful than a bow and arrow…"
Shimomura Izumi spoke indifferently, her voice devoid of emotion.
"This kind of weapon, when fully developed, is indeed very strong. But by then, it will no longer require human effort."
"Bows and arrows, however, are different. While their upper limit is extremely high, they can also train various attributes of a human."
Naza didn't quite understand these words, but the fact that a powerful senior in the Familia was asking her about such a thing still made her feel a little happy inside, and her fluffy tail wagged joyfully.
"I-if senpai doesn't mind, I can train with you!"
"Hmm, that's good. Speaking of which, I wonder if any of the new fairy companions are good at archery."
Shimomura Izumi sighed softly, complaining to her new companion, and with another casual shot, she scared an adventurer attempting to climb a wall, making him tumble back. Afterward, that adventurer was promptly beaten up by the arriving Ilta.
"Miss Ryuu and Miss Selty are both fairies, but one is a magic swordsman and the other is a long-range mage, even though fairies are also very talented in archery."
Naza's ears twitched, and she said somewhat shyly.
"Um… actually, I wanted to become an alchemist…"
"…"
Shimomura Izumi was silent for a moment.
"It's okay. Master once said that an archer who isn't best at archery is the best archer."
Naza was a bit confused by this, only managing to laugh awkwardly twice.
"I-is that so…"
About twenty minutes later, the Apollo Familia was completely liberated.
Ke Luoyi rubbed her sore waist, completely sprawled on Runova's back, complaining loudly.
"Using a knife to make so many adventurers powerless to resist yet not dead, this is absolutely the most troublesome mission I've ever done in my life, meow!"
"Clearly, this kind of thing is more suitable for you to do with your fists, meow!"
Not far away, Hyacinthus, who had been specially brought over, appearing perfectly intact on the surface but with all four limbs broken, showed with his actions: Absolutely correct.
At this time, the second team of newcomers, led by the beast-person Tabitha and three fairies, also happened to arrive on foot at the Apollo Familia's headquarters.
Anakitty looked at the messy courtyard and the dozens of adventurers lying on the ground wailing in the corner, her eyes wavering.
"She's actually so strong… The test just now was like she was just playing with us…"
Loli Ai, beside her, also sighed.
"I thought we could help when we came over, but the seniors are so capable that it makes us seem incompetent."
The older beast-person Tabitha smiled and clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright, don't forget what our Captain sent us here to do! Next, this is our battlefield~"
—Clear and inventory all of the Apollo Familia's supplies!
Calculate the corresponding value of all usable rare materials, items, weapons, and potions, and "buy" them with Falna.
However, since the person who could accept payment was no longer present, these Falna would all be used to purchase food from the Demeter Familia, according to Rhodes' wishes.
Later, in various parts of the city, the Hestia Familia, in conjunction with others, would distribute it for free to the needy public.
At this time, Rhodes, Hestia, and Maliu were on their way to the Demeter Familia to discuss this matter.
The girls, hearing Tabitha's reminder, also recovered their senses and prepared to head to the Apollo Familia's warehouse, though the expressions on their faces were somewhat subtle.
Using other people's money to do charity and earn one's own reputation…
And incidentally, using the name of righteousness to silence everyone…
One could only say that their Captain was truly cunning… ahem… In short, his actions were completely out of step with the style of the entire Orario.
Upon learning that the girls were from Hestia Familia and had come to rescue them, the freed adventurers cheered, transforming into the most enthusiastic guides.
You see, besides the public warehouse, the Familia's base also held the private stashes of those loyal executives!
The executives lying on the ground stared with wide eyes, cursing loudly in anger.
"Damn traitors, have you forgotten how Apollo treated you?"
One of the rescued male adventurers stopped and gave a cold glance to the executive who had once been so high and mighty.
"He forcibly took us, and now we take your things. Doesn't that perfectly align with his teachings?"
The executives were choked speechless, their faces flushed red.
The male adventurer sneered, casually tossing the uniform representing Apollo Familia to the ground and stomping on it several times.
"What's more, these Lords of Hestia Familia are going to donate those things to all the residents of Orario. Isn't their approach far nobler than that hypocritical Apollo's?!"
"Damn it, aren't you afraid they're just tricking you?! How could anyone be so foolish as to do something like this?!"
"Hmph, that only shows how narrow-minded you are. Since it's Lord Rod's promise, I believe he will keep his word."
After speaking, he ignored the executives who were on the verge of spitting blood from anger and smiled at Tabitha and the others.
"Please follow me. I used to be responsible for washing clothes for those executives, so I know where many of their private stashes are hidden."