The caravan proceeded toward Orario.
As everyone expected, with Level 2 Roy escorting them, the journey was smooth and uneventful. After all, they were just a small merchant guild, not a major target; only petty thieves would set their sights on them.
Roy only needed to make a slight move to easily slaughter the bandits cleanly. It was essentially like an advanced player smurfing in a low-level game.
Roy showed no mercy. After all, he needed to do the job thoroughly. This caravan wasn't a one-time thing. Letting the bandits go would only mean they would victimize others in the future.
Days later, the caravan reached a location over a hundred kilometers outside Orario, where the outline of the Babel Tower could already be seen.
Everyone was overjoyed. This was the smoothest trip they had ever had. Having a high-level adventurer on guard brought immense peace of mind. They even considered spending heavily to hire Roy long-term, but after accidentally learning Roy's identity along the way, everyone reluctantly abandoned the idea. This youth was not an ordinary Level 2 adventurer. He was the Astraea Familia's super rookie, titled "Bud of Justice." Such a promising adventurer would be wasting his talent by staying with their merchant guild.
"Mr. Roy, we owe this trip to you," the big man said, gripping Roy's hand excitedly.
"It's nothing. I also enjoyed this trip very much," Roy smiled. This wasn't just him being polite; it was the truth. In terms of food, clothing, housing, and travel, the caravan had served him very comfortably, treating him like royalty.
When he killed monsters and got blood on him, the caravan even used their precious water resources to let him bathe—a privilege even the Guild Master didn't have.
If he had chosen to return alone, he would have been living the life of a savage disconnected from civilization.
The big man secretly raised Roy's compensation to twenty thousand Valis. Beyond just paying the fee, there was also a hint of wanting to build a connection. If all went well, Roy would likely become a Level 5 or Level 6 adventurer in the future. Establishing a connection now would lead to unlimited benefits later.
Then, the big man clapped his hands. "We still have a distance to go, everyone be vigilant!"
Responses echoed throughout the caravan.
Suddenly, Roy calmly commanded, "Stop!"
The instruction quickly spread. The entire convoy immediately halted. The guards drew their weapons, their expressions cautious.
Roy was able to detect enemies before them, a fact that had been verified numerous times on this journey.
"There, about two hundred meters away."
Roy's gaze focused on a distant slope. A subtle presence emanated from the tall grass.
Zzzt! Zzzt!
Roy activated his magic. Golden lightning surged from his palm, changing form into a Lightning Spear. He gripped it in a reverse hold, tensed all his muscles, and forcefully stepped forward, throwing the Lightning Spear.
Whoosh!
Carrying a powerful sound of rushing wind, the Lightning Spear seemed to become a bolt of lightning descending from the sky. It instantly crossed the distance and plunged into the patch of grass. Two men lurking in the grass were directly pierced through the chest. The terrifying force of the spear pushed the two men back, pinning them to a large tree. The thick tree trunk trembled violently, and leaves flew everywhere.
The lightning on the spear spread throughout the two men's bodies, and they quickly lost all signs of life.
"Are you kidding me? That's two hundred meters!"
"It's magic!"
The bandits lurking nearby turned pale with fear.
"As usual, protect the caravan!" Roy shouted and rushed forward alone.
"Yes!"
The caravan guards shouted back, watching Roy's swift figure with eyes full of worship.
In just a few days, Roy had conquered these fighters with his overwhelming strength. His word held more weight in the caravan than the big man, the Guild Master. No matter where, powerful strength was the primary factor in gaining submission.
On the other side, a distance of two hundred meters was nothing to Roy.
In less than three seconds, Roy appeared in front of the tall grass. Like a fierce wolf charging into a flock of sheep, he relentlessly harvested the lives of this group of bandits. In the blink of an eye, bodies were strewn across the field.
This was a high-level adventurer. One person could often decide the outcome of a melee involving hundreds.
Just as Roy had killed most of the bandits and targeted a man with a sharp face and thin cheeks.
The man smoothly knelt on the ground and shouted urgently, "Wait! Bud of Justice, please spare my life!"
Roy paused, staring at the man's face. His memory was excellent—nearly photographic. After a brief recollection, "You're the Rudra Familia's 'Mole Man,' the one with an 80,000 Valis Guild bounty?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
The sharp-faced man forced a smile.
As members of the Dark Faction, they naturally didn't receive titles bestowed by the gods. Adventurers usually gave them nicknames based on their deeds.
Roy mused, "Sure enough, there are remnants."
The Rudra Familia hadn't registered their full numbers with the Guild, so no one knew their exact headcount.
Bounties enticed adventurers to take out some of them, and he and Ryuu had eliminated their main force on the 10th floor.
However, a very small number hadn't entered the 10th floor, staying on the upper levels. Seeing the situation go south, they ran away, as cunning as foxes.
"Do you think I'll let you go?" Roy counter-asked, a hint of malice in his smile.
"Bud of Justice, if you spare my life, I'm willing to give you information on the other remnants and help you capture them all..." To beg for his life from Roy, the man spilled everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube, giving a detailed account of the situation.
Listening to the man's story, Roy frowned. About ten people from the Rudra Familia had escaped, including three Level 2 members. With God Rudra sent back to Heaven, their Falna was automatically sealed. They didn't dare stay in Orario and fled to the outside, converting to another malevolent god's service, thereby regaining the power of the Falna.
This group saw the ruthlessness with which he and Ryuu eliminated the Apollo Familia and didn't dare return to Orario. They gathered a band of bandits outside, becoming mountain kings. They used the identity of bandits as a cover, making the adventurers pursuing them drop their guard.
That's why they hadn't been discovered for so long.
But that wasn't what made Roy frown.
It was the fact that this group, squatting on the surrounding major transportation routes, had captured many people. In memory of God Rudra, they burned a dozen people daily, sacrificing living people to their god in Heaven.
Such brutal acts would certainly be condemned in his past life, but in this world with various gods, Roy couldn't be sure if it had any effect.
"...That's how it is. I was forced into it. Since escaping Orario, I haven't killed anyone and have truly repented," the man wept hysterically, acting perfectly.
But if Roy believed a single punctuation mark of what the man said, he might as well bash his head against a wall and commit suicide.
"Since you are sincerely repentant, then come with me!" Roy clapped the man on the shoulder.
The man's face stiffened. "Where to?"
"To your main base, of course!"