At the Hearth Mansion.
According to the explanation given by the prum girl at the flower shop, occasionally watering the bouquet with a spray bottle could somewhat prolong the blooming period of the flowers.
Naturally, Hestia did exactly that.
Even though the Familia's finances now meant that filling the entire garden with Cecilia flowers wouldn't be a problem at all, she still chose to do it this way.
The reason was simple.
She wanted Ron to understand her feelings.
And so—
Watching Ron return to the Familia residence close to midnight, the black-haired girl raised her head in surprise, immediately noticing the smile on his face.
"Ron."
"You're back?"
"Did something good happen?"
"Yeah."
"At the very least, the upcoming Familia expedition will definitely go smoothly." Ron didn't mention his negotiations with Finn of the Loki Familia.
His gaze fell on the watering can in Hestia's hand.
And—
The pure white bouquet she was tending to. It looked unfamiliar; at least, he had never seen it before coming to this world. Its appearance resembled an orchid.
It was probably a native flower of Orario.
Since when did his goddess have a hobby like flower arranging?
Ron really didn't know. But thinking about it, it made sense—before, she had to worry about rent and daily expenses, working at the weapon shop every day.
Even though that was still the case now, having a hobby in her spare time was always a good thing. It was certainly better than going back to that shut-in lifestyle she had in the heavens.
"That's good."
She didn't ask further.
Mainly because Ron had his own considerations. What Hestia wanted wasn't much—just that he could safely return from every Dungeon exploration.
She didn't continue the topic.
Instead, she shifted her gaze to the Cecilia flowers arranged in a glass bottle and asked tentatively: "Ron, what do you think of this bouquet?"
"It looks nice."
"And then?"
Cecilia flowers.
Their floral language represented the true feelings of a wandering heart.
With more and more women appearing around Ron lately, Hestia had a strong premonition that he was heading in the direction of becoming exactly that.
The girl looked at him expectantly.
"This should be an orchid, right? I've never seen this kind before…"
"…?"
The moment Ron identified the bouquet as an orchid—
She was completely drained.
All the words Hestia had prepared got stuck in her throat, as if lodged there. So… was she just playing a lute to a cow?
Her smile stiffened.
"Uh…"
"Then let's just say it's an orchid."
...
Loki Familia.
Inside a two-person dorm room, a girl with short, slightly curly brown hair—tied into a small braid near her earlobe—watched her roommate busily working, her eyes filled with confusion.
This was Elfy Colette.
The celebration banquet had just ended tonight.
Logically speaking—during the following period, all members of the Loki Familia should have a short, relatively free vacation.
And yet—
She saw Lefiya organizing her equipment and armor.
Given her lively personality—and the fact they were roommates—the girl immediately asked: "Lefiya…"
"The Familia expedition just ended, so why are you organizing your gear again? Don't tell me something happened in the elven forest and you need to go back?"
"It can't be that you're slacking off on training just because it's a break… right?"
After receiving the notice—
That over the next half month, she would be joining the Hestia Familia's Dungeon expedition as a supporter—
Lefiya was naturally excited.
Before meeting Ron, she had never even heard his name in Orario.
But after returning from the expedition and learning about the feats he had accomplished during this period—it was hard not to feel shocked.
But even more than that—
After witnessing it firsthand and learning that the source of the abnormal situation in the Dungeon was Ron—
A deep curiosity welled up within her.
'Just what kind of difficulty could lead to that kind of growth?'
Lefiya desperately wanted an answer.
But the stance of the Familia was there. Even if she was curious, she couldn't act on it.
Yet when she received a clear notification from her master, Riveria—
The elven girl didn't hesitate at all.
She decisively chose to accept.
Even though she had just finished a Dungeon expedition not long ago—and was about to head into an even more intense one.
Perhaps the difficulty would be extremely high.
She might even encounter the ancient dragon Lansseax again, the one she had faced on the 12th Floor.
But precisely because she understood the danger—
Lefiya accepted so decisively.
A rookie adventurer had caught up to her in just over a month.
If she didn't work harder, she would definitely be left behind.
Fatigue was inevitable.
After enduring a month-long Familia expedition under the high-pressure environment of the deep floors—
But that fatigue couldn't extinguish her drive.
Instead, her curiosity about the Dungeon's abnormal situation—and about Ron—reached its peak.
Perhaps this was a chance…
A chance to truly understand him.
'I want to push myself.'
'It's not about chasing after some senior… I just don't want to be left behind by a friend.'
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"You working this hard makes me feel ashamed!"
Elfy dragged out her tone, more teasing than anything else.
To be precise, after graduating from the School District and undergoing the kind of Spartan training Lefiya had received—
This behavior didn't surprise her at all.
She understood and respected it.
The brown-haired girl also wanted to grow stronger—
But she knew she could never push herself to that extent.
"It's not like that…"
Hearing the teasing from her roommate and close friend—
Yet thinking about the Dungeon's abnormal situation and her curiosity about Ron—
Lefiya's cheeks flushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
She recalled her earlier conversation with Riveria.
Only she would truly participate in combat.
The two seniors traveling with her, like Tiona, were only there to ensure safety.
As for the choice of supporter—
It hadn't been finalized yet.
At that thought—
Lefiya turned her gaze toward her friend Elfy.
As a member of the second expeditionary unit, she was also a Level 2 adventurer.
In past expeditions, her role had been combat support.
Joining this expedition might be a good choice.
After all, this expedition would last around half a month—
Without a supporter, it simply wouldn't work.
More importantly, her talent was recognized by everyone.
If there was any issue…
It was probably her resistance to harsh training.
But perhaps once she realized the danger of the Dungeon's abnormal situation—
She would find her motivation.
Most importantly, Elfy could improve the team atmosphere.
Her lively personality was undeniable—
She could do many things that Lefiya couldn't—
Like acting as the unique emotional link within the team.
Lefiya really wasn't good at interpersonal communication.
Perfect plan!
The light in the elven girl's azure eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Since her master Riveria had entrusted her with choosing the supporter—
Then—
A slight smile curved her lips: "There's something else."
"Elfy, you too—start preparing for Dungeon exploration."
"This time, we'll probably be unable to return to Orario for half a month."
"As for the specific mission…"
"It's to join the Hestia Familia's expedition as a supporter."
"I… I'm going too?"
Lefiya's smile turned a bit sly, then she gave a reason Elfy couldn't refuse: "Of course. This is also Master Riveria's decision."
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