The Starry Court.
A week passed as Roy waited for Ryu to find the labyrinth and spent his time "playing the Holy Grail War game." His injuries were recovering at a staggering rate. Amid was stunned; by her original estimation, Roy would have needed at least a month to recover. Now, that timeframe had been slashed in half.
Even for someone as accustomed to "genius" adventurers as Amid, she couldn't help but be amazed. She finally understood why the gods privately referred to this youth as "The Miracle of the Lower World." It wasn't just that he performed miracles; it was that the boy himself was a living miracle. His achievements were already in the highest tier of all adventurers.
After checking him over and casting her healing magic, Amid's voice carried a hint of awe. "Mr. Roy, you will be fully recovered in ten days at most. During this time, please focus on your rehabilitation exercises. If anything feels off, notify me immediately."
"Thank you!" Roy replied with a smile.
Thanks to the attribute points gained from the Fate/Zero instance—which he dumped into Endurance until it broke through the limits—along with Amid's treatment and Goddess Astraea staying by his side at night, his recovery time had been drastically reduced. Roy could now get out of bed and move, though every step was still agonizing.
A person with weaker willpower might have chosen to stay in bed, but Roy insisted on daily rehab to promote blood circulation.
"You're welcome. It's my duty," Amid smiled. To be fair, her house-call fees were not low; the Astraea Familia had likely spent over ten million Valis on Roy's full treatment. However, compared to the Familia's earning capacity, this was a drop in the bucket. The Soma Familia was now a subsidiary of the Astraea Familia, giving them a share of the monthly divine wine auctions.
Amid's own patron god, Dian Cecht, was a drunkard with a flamboyant and arrogant personality who loved luxury. The divine wine was one of his passions, meaning he contributed a fair amount of Valis back to the Soma Familia every month. In a sense, Amid was just earning back the money Dian Cecht spent on wine. In Orario, this was the reality for most Familias: the gods lived extravagantly while the children worked themselves to the bone to fund it.
Once Amid left and news of Roy's rapid recovery spread, Astraea, Daphne, and Cassandra were overjoyed. Soon, a constant stream of visitors began to arrive. Previously, Astraea had blocked everyone to ensure Roy could rest, but now the doors to the Starry Court were open.
Lili arrived first, dragging the god Soma along. A week ago, when Lili heard Roy had nearly died, she was frantic with worry. Seeing him now, the ten-year-old girl couldn't stop her tears. Roy chatted with them about the Soma Familia and the wine auctions until noon. One was a god who preferred brewing wine in solitude, and the other was a Familia captain busy with daily management; neither had much free time.
The second visitor was Riveria. Looking at her "royal junior," her emerald eyes flashed with surprise, relief, and pride. The news of a Level 3 killing a Level 6 mutated Floor Boss had spread like wildfire. Walking down the street this past week, the name you heard most was Roy, the "Sprout of Justice."
Adventurers were shocked to their core. The gods were lamenting how they let Roy slip away. The goddesses, in particular, were moved to tears by the story of Roy risking his life to save his patron deity. They constantly pestered Astraea to recount Roy's heroism in the Dungeon. Roy had officially climbed to the number one spot on the "Most Desired Familia Member" list.
Riveria also carried a hint of guilt. Roy had paid them over a hundred million Valis, yet they had failed to protect him adequately. It was undeniably a lapse in their duty. If even a single Level 6 had been by Roy's side, a Level 4 Lambton wouldn't have dared to cause trouble. They had been too confident in Riveria's magic. While the colored barrier was indeed impenetrable, no one expected a Lambton to simply swallow the target whole.
The Loki Familia had even offered to halve the reward, but Roy insisted on paying in full. Without their reinforcements, relying on Ryu and the "small fry" of the Soma Familia to rescue someone from the 30th floor would have been far too inefficient. Besides, Roy knew the truth: Cassandra's "prophetic dreams" were destined to come true. Even if he had hired the Freya Familia as bodyguards, some freak accident would have separated them.
Roy's generosity left the Loki Familia feeling even more indebted to him.
After Riveria left, Hermes, Asfi, Eina, and the god Goibniu visited in turn. There were also merchants Roy had befriended and adventurers from the Ganesha Familia. The gifts they left behind could fill a small room. Looking at the long queue outside the Starry Court, people realized that the "Sprout of Justice" wasn't just a powerful adventurer—his network and popularity were terrifyingly vast.
By the time the last visitor was sent off, it was twilight. Daphne and Cassandra looked at Roy anxiously; he had greeted most guests personally, and they feared his body couldn't handle the strain. Astraea, however, having witnessed Roy's iron will, wasn't as worried. She wore a heart-stirring smile.
"I'm fine!" Roy laughed, patting his chest.
In truth, Roy enjoyed the company. Talking helped distract him from the pain. But once he finally relaxed, the exhaustion and agony surged back, making him stumble. Daphne and Cassandra quickly supported him and helped him back to his room to rest.
After dinner, a week after she had left, the elf girl finally returned. Ryu entered Roy's room. Roy breathed a secret sigh of relief—thankfully it wasn't late at night, or Ryu might have walked in on him and Astraea sharing a bed, which would have been an awkward scene to explain.
Ryu first expressed her concern. "How is your body?"
"As you can see!" Roy said with a voice full of energy.
Ryu's tension eased, and the corner of her mouth twitched into an almost imperceptible smile. Then, her expression turned serious. "I found it. The newest construction site of the Man-made Labyrinth."
Roy froze, his eyes flashing with raw joy. Finally. The anger he had suppressed for a week exploded in that moment, and a savage, cold, and murderous grin crept onto his face.
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Danmachi : Starting with an Elf (400 Chapter – Ongoing)
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