After hearing her statement, Rod's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he didn't say anything immediately.
Riveria stroked her long elf ears and pondered.
"No wonder, with my experience, I've never heard of this country's name."
Taruvi's heterochromatic eyes widened in surprise.
"Although I know elves live long, is this beautiful elder sister already very old?"
Ais, holding her longsword like a doll, spoke blandly with a poker face, ready to utter the forbidden number.
"She's already… Gu-wu…"
Bang—!
A lightning-fast hand chop precisely created a visible lump on Ais's small head.
Riveria retracted her hand like lightning, not forgetting to secretly glance at Rod beside her. Seeing no unusual expression on his face, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, she found it unbelievable that she would even have the absurd thought of "worrying about Rod knowing her age."
Rod truly is a mysterious and magical guy…
The closer girls get to him, the more they change.
Even I am becoming a little unlike myself…
Rod recalled information about this country in his mind and slowly spoke.
"Belden, the Misty Nation that possesses the Spring of Life."
The Spring of Life in that place was a miracle that could never be born in the lower world. Although it couldn't cure incurable diseases, it could suppress them!
That thing might well be a divine weapon disguised.
When he first met Alfia, he hadn't yet developed the multi-purpose use of the Wish System, and he had thought of relying on the Spring of Life to temporarily sustain Alfia's life.
In addition, the goddess of that country, Vera, was also one of the targets of his plan for a contract.
But even though he knew everything, he couldn't just actively offer himself up.
If he planned it properly, this time he might be able to directly obtain a true Divine Authority through a wish, for free!
Taruvi's eyes instantly lit up with a "whoosh."
She looked up in surprise, tightly clasped Rod's hands, and excitedly shook them.
"You've actually heard of our country?!"
Riveria looked at Rod with a helpless expression.
You know that too now?
Are you not even pretending anymore?
Rod ignored the Elf Princess's strange gaze, merely looking into the distance, where Hestia, who had finally ceased fighting with Loki, was sitting on the ground, panting heavily.
Seeing Rod's gaze, she proudly formed a "V" for victory sign.
Hestia and Vera almost fought a battle in Heaven.
"In a sense," Rod retracted his gaze and said meaningfully, "you and I do have an indirect connection."
Taruvi was curious and wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that Rod clearly didn't want to elaborate for now, she obediently chose to change the subject.
"Oh, speaking of which, it's a bit of a shame…"
"It's rare that I specifically came here to celebrate becoming an 'adult.' I also wanted to see Orario's legendary Holy Night Festival with my own eyes."
"As a result, besides that amazing dance earlier, there's no festive atmosphere at all!"
"Could it be that the books got the time wrong?"
Amid and Ais, the two little ones, simultaneously asked in confusion.
"Holy Night Festival?"
Taruvi nodded vigorously, holding her hands over her heart, a look of immense longing on her face.
"Yes! Of all the stories I've heard, my absolute favorite is about the Holy Night Festival! The book that merchant brought had an illustration of the Holy Night Festival."
Her voice was full of yearning, and her heterochromatic eyes sparkled.
"That illustration was so beautiful, so incredibly captivating! I so want to personally set foot on that land, I so want that beautiful scenery to truly enter my eyes!"
"I've always wondered what kind of scenery the real Holy Night Festival of Orario has, what kind of fragrance fills the air, and what kind of happy people live on the streets."
At this point, Taruvi suddenly gave another "hehe" laugh, a cute blush appearing on her face.
"However… even though I didn't see the Holy Night Festival, I met all of you, and I even danced with Mr. Rod! So now, I'm super, super happy too!"
Ais clearly hadn't heard of any Holy Night Festival and still looked bewildered.
"Does Orario have this festival?"
Alfia looked at the somewhat unusual girl in front of her, her gaze lingering for a moment on her strange eyes.
This is the first time I've seen someone with heterochromatic eyes besides myself…
The girl's eyes were blue on the left and gold on the right, while hers were grey on the left and green on the right.
This subtle sense of déjà vu made her, uncharacteristically, speak to an outsider, her voice cool and clear.
"No, the book is correct. In previous years, this time was indeed the Holy Night Festival."
"But after the Zeus and Hera Familias left Orario, a long dark period began here, and people who were already struggling just to survive haven't held festivals for a long time."
Riveria beside her had a somewhat awkward expression.
This was clearly because they didn't have the suppressive power of those two great Familias from back then.
But at the same time, she grew even more puzzled by this "Elder Sister Alfia." To know even this kind of information, was she really a newcomer to the Hestia Familia??
Leaving aside the Monster Festival, which hadn't yet been born due to the Xenos and might not even be held in the future.
Orario has many grand festivals, mainly the Requiem Festival, Goddess Festival, Holy Night Festival, Great Day, Divine Moon Festival, and so on.
The Holy Night Festival was probably similar to Christmas in his previous life.
Alfia paused, then looked at Rod beside her.
"If possible, if you come to Orario again at this time next year, you'll be able to see the Holy Night Festival."
"Next year, huh…"
A hint of undetectable sadness flickered in Taruvi's eyes, but she immediately covered it with a radiant smile and quickly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, even though there's no Holy Night Festival, since I've come all the way to Orario, are there any recommended places to visit?"
Riveria's emerald eyes scanned the shadows in the street.
"Although some taverns and vendors are still open, it's very dangerous to wander alone at this time."
Taruvi was about to continue speaking, but suddenly, clear sounds of armor rubbing and hurried footsteps came from a distance.
"Damn it, we have to find her no matter what!"
"Is she here?"
"Quick, gather up!"
Taruvi's expression changed. She slumped her shoulders in dejection and mumbled softly.
"Is this the end…?"
Swish, swish, swish, swish—!
Before she finished speaking, four figures in heavy full plate armor descended from the sky. The heavy landing sounds, accompanied by stirred snow dust, completely surrounded Taruvi.
A grim-faced male elf slowly approached, expressionless, with a hint of relief in his eyes at having found his target.
"Finally found you, I…"
The next second.
He and his four knights all widened their eyes, their bodies stiff as stone statues, not daring to move even a single finger!
Time, it seemed, was frozen at this moment.
A golden flash cut through the night, Ais's figure moving so fast that only an afterimage remained.
Her Despair Sword was silently aimed at Knight A's heart, the cold blade tip just an inch away from piercing him.
Ryuu had appeared behind Knight B at some point, holding the seemingly harmless wooden sword with a reverse grip, placing it at a cunning and lethal angle against the vulnerable part of the opponent's neck.
A Di's small frame confronted Knight C head-on.
Alfia didn't even use a weapon, merely slowly extended her fair right hand, aiming it remotely at Knight D's head.
Riveria, with her magnificent magic staff, aimed at the leading male elf, the magic power condensing at the tip of the staff humming dangerously.
Amid and Metria immediately shielded Rhode.
In an instant, the corner of the plaza, which had just been filled with laughter and joy, was enveloped by a chilling, bone-piercing aura of killing intent.
The aura unleashed simultaneously by several top-tier adventurers seemed to solidify the very air!
Taruvi stood frozen in place, too stunned by the sudden turn of events to speak.
Alfia spoke calmly, as if asking what was for dinner.
"Should we kill them all?"
Taruvi suddenly snapped back to reality and hurriedly waved her hands in a panic.
"W-wait! It's a misunderstanding!"
Despite her words, the girls present remained motionless, all their gazes fixed on Rhode, still awaiting his final command.
Taruvi reacted, quickly clasping her hands together pitifully, her voice even carrying a hint of a coaxing tone.
"Mr. Rhode~ Everyone's misunderstood! They're actually my companions, here to find me after I snuck out to play!"
Rhode narrowed his eyes, meeting the male elf's gaze, which was filled with surprise and wariness, for a moment before gently raising his right hand.
Only then did all the girls slowly withdraw their hands.
The four armored knights exchanged glances, seeing the relief of having narrowly escaped death through the slits in each other's helmets, and quietly let out a sigh of relief in unison.
After clearly seeing Riveria's face, the leading male elf hesitated for a long time, then finally, with a hint of uncertainty, respectfully asked,
"Are you… are you perhaps of the Royal Family?"
Riveria looked helpless, furrowing her beautiful brows.
"Just call me Riveria, elf from a foreign land."
The male elf paused, but still insisted on bowing.
"Lady Riveria, my name is Uskali."
"But please forgive me for not being able to pledge allegiance to the Royal Family, as I already have my liege, which is… Princess Taruvi."
A Di exclaimed in surprise.
"Huh? Taruvi is a princess?!"
Perhaps because the crisis was completely resolved, the four armored knights also started shouting loudly, their voices even carrying a tone as if they were about to cry, as they circled Taruvi with concern.
"Your Royal Highness! Are you hurt?"
"Did you get your clothes dirty?"
"Are you hungry?"
"Are you alright? I was so worried about you!"
"Hey, you short leader! Stay away from Her Royal Highness, you're already within five meters!"
Taruvi scratched her head, a shy blush appearing on her face, and pointed to herself with her finger.
"Ehehe, I am indeed a [Princess]~"
Uskali's peripheral vision scanned Rhode, who was at the center of the group, and a subtle sense of wariness arose in his heart. He turned to look at Taruvi.
"Alright, Your Royal Highness, it's getting very late. Let's go to the inn first; we need to put away our luggage in advance."
Taruvi secretly glanced at Rhode, her eyes full of reluctance.
"Eh~~ It's so hard to come to Orario, let's explore a bit more!"
Uskali's eyelid twitched sharply.
"We have three days this time, how about we explore again tomorrow?"
Taruvi was not an unreasonable person. After a moment of regret, she looked around, seemingly wanting to imprint everyone's appearance seriously in her mind.
"` ¨ Hmm… I want to have more interactions with the adventurers of Orario. So, if it's convenient, can everyone be my friend?"
A Di immediately showed a bright and cheerful smile.
"What are you talking about? Aren't we already friends now?!"
None of the girls present said anything to refute her.
Taruvi instantly jumped with joy, bouncing in place happily.
"Really? Wow~~ I'm so happy! The world feels like it's lit up! I'm so blessed, I must thank the heavens for this encounter!"
"Then… can I see you all again tomorrow?"
Now A Di hesitated a little.
Because gathering this particular group of people together again would be quite difficult.
Just then, Loki, rubbing her sore lower back, climbed up from the ground. She looked deeply at Taruvi, then waved her hand grandly.
"It's fine. Riveria, Ais, I'm giving you a week off."
Although Ais wanted to return to training immediately, she was indeed somewhat curious about visitors from outside Orario. After thinking about it, she ultimately did not refuse.
Riveria, however, looked back at Loki, who had an inexplicable smile on her face.
Usually, when she wore that expression, it meant she had thought of something bad…
Loki, that fellow, was never this generous.
"…Although the Dark Faction has been well-behaved lately because of Rhode, the Familia has no plans for a major expedition in the short term, so a little relaxation occasionally isn't a bad thing." She finally agreed.
Alfia and Ryu, seeing that Rhode did not object, also nodded slightly in agreement.
Only Amid weakly raised her hand.
"Um… my Main God might not let me go…"
Rhode turned back, smiled, and extended his hand again, ruffling her soft silver hair, which earned a shy huff of annoyance from the future Saintess.
"It's fine; if he has an opinion, I'll close the door and let Loki bite him."
"Haha, exactly! That old geezer is no match for me… Wait! Rhode, are you treating me like a dog?!"
"That's what you said yourself, Loki~"
"Ugh ah ah ah ah! Damn it! All of you in Hestia Familia are the same!"
"Ha? Flat-chested, what? You're not convinced?!"
"Ugh….. (Li De Zhao)."
After deciding on the meeting place for tomorrow, Taruvi happily waved goodbye and left with the knights.
When their figures completely disappeared from everyone's sight, Loki and Hestia immediately stopped their playful banter, their expressions simultaneously becoming serious.
"Hey, shorty, did you notice?"
"Yes, it's a hybrid."
"And… it seems intentional. No, one could even say it's deliberately to the point of obsession."
Everyone present, upon hearing this, became somewhat solemn, evidently thinking of something unpleasant.
Even A Di no longer had her earlier smile, and perhaps only Metria, who was less experienced, hadn't yet realized what had happened.
Loki's crimson eyes gleamed with an inquiring look. She patted Rhode's shoulder beside her.
"You've been so calm from start to finish; you must know the inside story."
"I know a little."
Rhode nodded frankly, then looked at Loki.
"We need to leave Orario for a trip later; you find a way to get us a pass."
"Huh? Why are you ordering me around?!"
"Isn't it because Ais is about to level up, and you want her to train with me?"
Loki, shaking her crimson head, clicked her tongue unhappily.
"Tsk, I've been seen through… Who exactly is the god here?"
Perhaps Loki had also keenly noticed Ais's eagerness to become stronger, which was why she made such arrangements.
Rhode didn't mind spending some time with Ais anyway; Loki's plan would surely be like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone forever.
Loki thought for a moment, glanced at this team, most of whose members were heavyweights, and frowned slightly.
"However, the Guild won't let so many high-level adventurers leave at a time like this."
Rhode shrugged indifferently.
"I write the application, and you approve it, isn't that all there is to it? Don't tell me you can't handle that Guild pig."
Because they were taking quite a few people out this time, including members of other Familias like A Di and Amid, it was best to go through official channels.