The Guild itself was in the wrong on this matter, so it would likely be difficult for them to implement any negative policies against the Hestia Familia.
And Rose, who participated in the entire event, was cleverly manipulated by Suzuki Jun into becoming a notary.
She personally witnessed many items that were found and could serve as physical evidence, which further silenced the Guild.
In fact, on the surface, the Guild should even be thanking the Hestia Familia for maintaining order in Orario.
The fluffy crimson tail behind Rose swayed weakly.
"Ugh... Miss Suzuki, you've really put me in a tough spot."
Rose's shoulders drooped, and her pretty face, which usually carried a mature aura, now showed a rare look of lament.
"I'll probably get scolded by that troublesome superior when I go back."
"And I might also be resented by other Familias, who will think I took bribes from you and conspired with you to carve up the entire Apollo Familia."
Suzuki Jun narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze like that of a cunning fox.
"I heard... Miss Rose is a veteran who has worked at the Guild for many years, right?"
The wolf ears on top of Rose's head twitched. She put her hands on her hips in exasperation, revealing a pair of small canine teeth.
The tight black and white uniform perfectly accentuated the figures of the staff members.
And when this werewolf lady puffed out her chest, the shirt over her bosom was stretched taut, and the buttons felt like they could pop off at any moment from the strain.
"Though that's what I said! I'm only 21 and in the prime of my youth!"
Suzuki Jun revealed a subtle, almost imperceptible smile, then leisurely shared the news she had picked up while searching for someone at the Guild.
"Hehe, I'm quite curious. As a Guild advisor, you should maintain close relationships with adventurers, but it seems… you deliberately keep your distance from them?"
Rose slightly turned her face, avoiding Suzuki Jun's gaze.
She crossed her arms and said stiffly.
"I, I'm just a difficult person to get along with! Besides, why are you suddenly talking about me?"
Suzuki Jun pressed a finger to her smooth cheek, a brilliant smile on her face, tinged with a hint of understanding.
"Miss Rose, you truly are a very gentle person… You're afraid that adventurers might die at any time in the Dungeon, so you're forcing yourself not to get emotionally invested from the start, aren't you?"
Rose, whose thoughts had been seen through, showed a look of wavering emotion, her body stiffening slightly.
"!!!"
Suzuki Jun leaned close to her ear, chuckling seductively.
"You might be ostracized if you go back anyway… So, why not join our Familia instead?"
Rose's eyes widened.
She probably never thought that someone would poach from the Guild.
After all, no Familia had ever done such a thing.
Although she was somewhat tired of the Guild's monotonous life, unfortunately, she had no desire to become an adventurer…
Just as she was about to refuse without hesitation, Suzuki Jun, as if reading her mind, spoke again.
"Of course, this isn't asking you to become an adventurer, but rather hoping to use your rich knowledge and experience to serve as an exclusive advisor for the new members."
"And most importantly, this way, the problem you were initially worried about won't happen at all."
Under Rose's puzzled gaze, Suzuki Jun's lips curved into a devilish smile.
"After all, we don't die~"
Finally, the usually stylish and efficient staff member walked back to the Pantheon with a dazed expression.
A dog-person approached, his expression serious.
"The Chairman already knows what happened with the Apollo Familia and is currently furious."
"Although I've tried my best to explain the complexity of the situation, you should still be prepared to be reprimanded."
Rose snapped back to reality, looking at her direct superior who had always taken care of her, and suddenly showed a relieved smile.
"Squad Leader Remel, thank you for always looking after me. I'm going to resign."
Remel blinked blankly, and when he saw Rose's utterly serious expression, he knew she wasn't joking. He frowned and tried to persuade her.
"Don't be impulsive. You know how hard it is to find a stable job in Orario these days…"
"I've been invited to join the Hestia Familia."
"…You… want to become an adventurer?"
"No, they've recruited many new members, so they've directly hired me as a professional advisor."
Remel was silent for a moment, then finally let out a long sigh.
"You no longer trust the Guild… But if it's Brother Rhode's decision, I can understand."
"The Hestia Familia might not be a bad place to go, but isn't it a bit too sudden… Do you want to consider it for a while longer?"
Rose felt a wave of helplessness inside.
She wanted to, too… The problem was that having been forced to learn the secret, she had no other choice.
That being said, Rose didn't harbor any resentment because of it.
Because she could feel that Miss Suzuki Jun had genuinely worried about her being ostracized and targeted, which was why she had deliberately done this.
Perhaps, there was also a hint of apology for involving an innocent person like herself.
In any case, this action both forced her to make a decision and ensured that her Captain… no, her future Captain, would definitely take her in.
Thinking of this, Rose couldn't help but sigh.
An unknown girl, possessing such cunning, yet still holding Brother Rhode in such high regard and respect.
This indeed sparked a strong curiosity and anticipation for the man she had never met.
"No need, I've decided to move to the Hestia Familia's new base tonight. They should have already bought new bed sheets and quilts, and temporarily prepared some new rooms."
Remel was stunned.
"So soon… Ah, alright. You don't need to worry about the handover. I'm much more familiar with your tasks than you are."
Rose bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Thank you."
Remel scratched his head, waving his hand helplessly.
"No need, it's just that with you leaving, I don't know when we'll be able to recruit new talent to fill the vacancy."
"Sigh, I hope the next batch of graduates from the academic district will have excellent girls like you who choose to join the Guild."
After speaking, Remel saw Rose walking straight upstairs and quickly called out.
"Hey, you're going the wrong way."
Rose's fists clenched with a crunch, and she turned back with an incredibly kind smile on her face.
"No, I'm not wrong."
"Since I'm not working here anymore, that means I can finally give that fat pig a good punch in the face! I've wanted to do that for a long time!"
Cold sweat instantly poured down Remel's face. He quickly cleared his throat, turned, and walked towards his office, while saying in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"I didn't hear anything you just said. And I definitely won't tell you that he's the only one in the Chairman's office right now."
After a moment of surprise, Rose's eyes instantly ignited with a blazing fire of excitement.
It seemed she wasn't the only one in the entire Guild who wanted to see that guy make a fool of himself.
A short while later, a furious roar of anger first erupted from the Chairman's office, followed by pig-like screams and desperate pleas for mercy.
And at this moment, even the usually stern security guards seemed to have gone deaf simultaneously, as if they heard nothing at all.
Rose, carrying a paper bag filled with her personal belongings, walked out of the Pantheon, feeling refreshed and wearing a relaxed smile she hadn't shown in a long time.
It was already evening.
Magic stone lamps lit up one by one.
The streets were crowded with adventurers returning from the Dungeon, and laughter from hotels celebrating their safe return could be heard everywhere.
Suzuki Jun was waiting at the entrance. Seeing her come out, she waved with a beaming smile.
She didn't even ask about the scream that had echoed throughout the Guild, which caught Rose, who had been prepared to explain, somewhat off guard.
Suzuki Jun said with a smile.
"Let's go, it's time to go home. Everyone is waiting. Izumi specially ordered a lavish feast from The Benevolent Mistress to bring to the new base."
Home…?
At that moment, Rose suddenly understood why adventurers loved their Familia so much.
However, at this moment, she subtly clutched the paper bag in her hand, feeling a strange nervousness.
"Uh, will we see Brother Rhode… the Captain… when we go back now?"
"He's having dinner with Goddess Hestia at the Demeter Familia and won't be back until tonight, so we can ignore him and have fun first. It's a welcome party, after all."
Suzuki Jun shook her head, a smile on her face, seemingly also looking forward to the dinner party.
"Besides, he himself doesn't really care about titles. Brother Rhode, Brother Rhode, Master, (acdi) Lord… there are all kinds of titles!"
"Ma-Master?!"
Rose's fluffy, fiery red tail suddenly stood up straight with a "whoosh," and her face turned crimson.
Suzuki Jun chuckled playfully.
"Of course, calling him 'Daddy' in private is also fine. But I advise you, it's best not to do that in front of Goddess Astrea."
"The last person who did that was severely reprimanded by that Goddess!"
Rose's mind instantly conjured up a myriad of indescribable things, and the wolf ears on her head twitched incessantly.
But she couldn't suppress her strong curiosity and asked in a low voice, blushing.
"Um… I'm curious, what is the relationship between the Star Maidens of the Astrea Familia and Brother Rhode…?"
Suzuki Jun's eyes narrowed slyly, playing coy.
"Well, you'll find out after the dinner party tonight."
The old Apollo Familia base.
Over sixty liberated adventurers were incredibly enthusiastic. They assisted the girls, and in just one afternoon, they discarded all the old personal items, then launched a thorough cleaning, tidying up more than thirty clean and neat rooms.
Although this building would certainly undergo extensive renovations later, as a temporary residence, it already made the girls very satisfied.
Suzuki Jun, who was in charge of management, was also very generous, giving them an advance on their salaries to buy their personal belongings, which made the girls even more excited.
Although everyone had been strangers before, participating in such an exciting major event right after joining the Familia made them much more familiar with each other.
They gathered in twos and threes and happily went shopping.
The new Hestia Familia, including the five of Suzuki Jun, plus the newly arrived Rose and the Goddess herself, had a total of 35 girls.
While the girls and Brother Rhode hadn't returned yet, the returning girls completely let loose.
Ke Luoyi pulled Anya, who had come to deliver food, and encouraged the serious Anakitty of the same race to drink alcohol.
As a result, after Anakitty got drunk, she completely forgot to hide her verbal tic, hugging the wine bottle and loudly meowing, causing the girls to burst into laughter.
The usually taciturn elf, Susea, forcibly dragged two bewildered compatriots and enthusiastically started gambling.
And in the Amazon group, Aisha and Ilta arm-wrestled each other, while Lina and Samira excitedly cheered them on from the side.
The most normal group was at the human table, where Che Huiyi, who had already arrived, was exchanging experiences in leading and commanding with Daphne.
The girls had been having fun for an unknown amount of time when the main door suddenly opened.
The playful noise inside the house abruptly ceased.
The girls were instantly startled, staring blankly at Brother Rhode, who appeared at the doorway with a helpless smile on his face, and behind him, a pouting Hestia with her hands on her hips.
"Eh… Eh?!!!"
"What, what! You're having so much fun behind my back, your Main Goddess! This is unforgivable!"
Although Hestia's words were accusatory, the excitement and smile on her face couldn't be hidden at all.
She eagerly rushed in with a flying leap into the beast-person group who were having a pillow fight.
"I want to play too! Now let me show you how powerful the Goddess is!"
The girls looked at each other, then at Ke Luoyi's excited call, immediately resumed their playful antics, only this time, the battle became even more chaotic.
Brother Rhode shook his head, not disturbing them, and quietly retreated.
The matter of the contract could wait until tomorrow morning.
Then, just as he was thinking of finding a quiet place to ponder Lyra's special wish.
A soft, wine-scented body hugged him from behind.
The tipsy Che Huiyi, like a clingy kitten, pattered over and tightly embraced Brother Rhode from behind.
Two marshmallows pressed against his back without reservation, and a pair of fair arms wrapped around his neck.
At this moment, Che Huiyi had completely lost the aura of a mature woman, a national hero of H Nation, and was as charmingly naive as an unreasonable little fool.
From behind, she gently bit Brother Rhode's ear, mumbling indistinctly.
"It's all your fault…"
Rhode silently held her hands clasped around his neck.
He knew what she wanted to say.
Rhode's appearance had completely derailed her life from its original, normal trajectory.
While gaining unimaginable excitement and power, it also meant she would forever lose the ordinary love of "one person for one lifetime."
For her, coming from modern society, this must have been a difficult psychological hurdle to overcome before.
But in fact, she had already prepared herself mentally when she decided to follow Rhode to this world.
It was just that now, seeing so many beautiful and cute girls added to the Familia, she couldn't help but drink a few more glasses, and the complex emotions suppressed deep within her instantly erupted.
He was ready to indulge this girl's small act of capriciousness.
As a result, after a series of indistinct grumbles, Che Huiyi began to gently rub her soft cheek against Rhode's neck.
"Rhode… you smell so good…"
"…"
Rhode took a deep breath.
Already stimulated all afternoon by Demeter, the Goddess of Fertility, and now being enticed like this, he simply couldn't control himself.
He abruptly turned, reached out, hooked Che Huiyi's legs, and lifted her entirely into his arms.
They faced each other, and Che Huiyi's astonishingly long legs naturally wrapped around his waist.
Rhode carried her directly into a freshly tidied empty bedroom, walked in, and then kicked the door shut with force.
Che Huiyi's pretty face was flushed with a captivating blush, and the love in her eyes, which usually held a hint of determination, seemed to overflow like water.
She stared blankly at Rhode, then suddenly let out a silly laugh.
"Rhode… I really like you…"
And that night, Che Huiyi completed her coming-of-age ceremony.
Rhode postponed his plan to complete the wish for her, and thus, they fell asleep in each other's arms, spending this night of her life's transformation together.
Outside the door, Rose stood in the hallway, clutching a pillow, her face crimson, completely at a loss for what to do.
This, this is my assigned room!!!