Inside the Starry Sky Garden, the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence as Ryuu and Roy stared at each other.
The smart Elven girl understood Roy's meaning perfectly, and a self-mocking smile appeared on her face. "What purpose does an empty Familia have?"
The Familia, once her spiritual pillar and the embodiment of her bond with Alise Lovell and the others, had been an empty shell since the day they were wiped out.
The guilt of personally casting the magic that killed the Juggernaut and Alise weighed on her like a mountain. Unable to take revenge, and unable to forgive herself, her only remaining path was to succumb to despair and choose self-execution.
"Would you dare say that in front of Goddess Astraea?" Roy scoffed.
A flash of anger showed in Ryuu's eyes. This guy always attacked her from the most devastating angle.
She glared at Roy like a startled kitten. After a long moment, her expression softened, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. Her thin lips moved slightly. "Can Alise and the others truly be resurrected?"
Roy's expression turned serious. "I can't guarantee it, but I am willing to risk this life to try!"
The young man's unwavering gaze moved the Elven girl slightly. A smile appeared on her face. "Then I should start seriously helping you hunt monsters!"
Roy clutched his chest, pretending to be deceived. "So you weren't serious before?"
"It's not too late to start being serious now..."
Ryuu's eyes darted around as she muttered softly.
...
Outside the Starry Sky Garden, the Astraea Familia's victory had undoubtedly caused an uproar.
Two people defeating over a hundred, with a modest level difference—this was unprecedented. The entire city of Orario was shaken.
Countless people rushed to the Guild headquarters, desperate to know how Roy and Ryuu achieved this. The Ganesha Familia did indeed submit a complete report to the Guild.
But the information the Guild released was minimal.
Details about the Pure Titans and the zombies were suppressed and classified as top-secret within the Guild.
People only knew that a Dungeon anomaly had occurred that day, a Monster Feast, with a large number of monsters, and even new types of monsters, leading to the annihilation of the Rudra Familia.
Dungeon anomalies were common, and those unaware of the truth simply felt the Astraea Familia was incredibly lucky to achieve such a comeback at that critical moment.
But some things were far beyond the explanation of mere luck.
Ryuu was highly renowned in Orario, which meant many people knew her well—and knew she was incapable of strategic planning. That left only the other person.
Roy officially entered the radar of a certain group of people.
Twilight Manor (Faldna).
The Big Three, having ended their expedition, gathered in one place. All were LV.6, among the strongest adventurers in the city.
The Hero—Finn Deimne! The Bold—Gareth Landrock! The Nine Demons' Princess—Riveria Ljos Alf!
"You suspect the anomaly we encountered on our expedition is related to the Astraea Familia?" Riveria asked Finn, her emerald eyes fixed on him.
Gareth also frowned. While they were on an expedition in the deep floors, a sudden roar from beneath the ground instantly increased the strength of all monsters by one level, causing them great trouble.
This forced them to end their expedition prematurely.
"I can't be sure, but that's my current hypothesis." Finn licked his thumb.
When danger was near, Finn's thumb would ache faintly—this was his special intuition. Thinking back to the monster riot that day, his thumb felt an unprecedented sting.
"Using the bounty to force the Rudra Familia into accepting the War Game, and then completing the revenge in one fell swoop inside the Dungeon... but how did they convince the Guild..."
Finn muttered, a flash of wisdom in his eyes. He heard that when the Astraea Familia was wiped out, someone also heard a strange roar.
For Ryuu to annihilate the Rudra Familia, there must have been an expert guiding her from behind. Whether that person was Roy, Finn couldn't yet confirm.
Gareth said, "In any case, the remnants of the Dark Factions won't be having an easy time."
Finn and Riveria shared a knowing smile.
After this War Game, the arrogance of the Dark Factions was suppressed. The Familia, merchant guilds, and thugs who collaborated with them had all quieted down considerably.
Finn suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, why is there a sign hanging at the main entrance that says, 'No Admittance to Dogs or Other Scum'?"
"That was after Bete got drunk and called Loki an eternal flat-chest. After we left for the expedition, Loki said she didn't want to see any werewolves for a while, so she had someone hang that sign at the entrance," Riveria explained.
Bete, who didn't enter the Dungeon, spent most of his time drinking, and his drunken behavior was terrible. He even called Riveria an old hag sometimes. Riveria occasionally taught him manners the 'physical' way.
"Isn't Bete a werewolf?"
"Loki said it's all the same, and 'dog' sounded catchier," Riveria said, a wry smile appearing on her beautiful face when she mentioned the matter.
Finn noticed the anomaly. "What's wrong?"
Riveria had no choice but to recount the situation to Finn truthfully. On the day of the War Game, one of their Familia members at the Babel Tower recognized Roy.
Roy had previously visited the Twilight Manor, lingering for a long time, trying to join the Loki Familia. He was turned away by that very sign, and Loki refused to see him...
Listening to Riveria, even Finn couldn't help but show a look of astonished, helpless amusement.
Was this the capriciousness of fate?
Their Chief God clearly had a preference when recruiting Familia members, being especially fond of beautiful women, leading to a highly imbalanced gender ratio within the Loki Familia.
If Roy had been accepted that day, they might already know the truth behind the Dungeon anomaly and the annihilation of the Rudra Familia, saving them from this brainstorming session.
What a willfully capricious Chief God.
Loki had essentially pushed Roy toward the Astraea Familia, allowing a cooked duck to fly away.
"Wait a moment!"
Finn spotted a blind spot. "In other words, that young man hadn't joined any Familia even half a month ago, yet his movements don't look like a rookie's."
Riveria and Gareth's expressions grew slightly solemn. Upon reflection, Roy's steady movements were comparable to those of a veteran LV.1 adventurer.
Riveria raised a question. "Could he have been in another Familia before and just accumulated ability points?"
Finn said, "The Ganesha Familia might have his entry records into the city. Send someone to investigate."
"Finn, is this worth that much attention?"
"I'm somewhat concerned. Let Raul handle it."
Finn gazed at the brilliant night sky outside the window. If his guess was correct, this was huge. A young man had arrived in Orario, and things were likely to become exciting.
Finn sighed, "Also, remember to take down the sign on the door. I'll explain it to Loki."
"Understood!"
...