Roy didn't say any heartwarming words—those would be useless to Ryuu right now, with her mind filled only with revenge.
Ryuu hesitated and stopped, but Roy took the lead, pushing the door open without a care. "You can stay there if you want, but if it's just me alone inside, I can't guarantee what I might do to the noble and beautiful goddess."
Ryuu's small face instantly turned cold. Forgetting everything else, she hurried after him. "If you dare show any disrespect to Lady Astraea, I'll cut you down!"
Roy grinned. "Then you'd better stay close."
Ryuu felt a headache coming on. This man was full of mystery—sometimes as steady as an old dog, sometimes as cunning as a ghost, flamboyant to the extreme. She couldn't tell which side of him was real…
The two entered the mansion. As expected, the vast hall was empty, not a single person in sight, silent and still.
The Astraea Familia had a total of eleven members, all female—nine at Lv.4 and two at Lv.3. Aside from Ryuu, everyone else had been killed in the forested ravine on the 30th floor by the newly born Juggernaut.
"Ryuu?"
That gentle call was like a lark's song—clear, melodious, and pleasing to the ear.
Roy turned his head. Before him stood a tall goddess, long brown hair cascading down like a waterfall and carrying a faint fragrance. Her facial features were so perfect they took one's breath away—a small, delicate nose, cherry-like lips as light as feathers, and blue eyes that sparkled like gemstones.
She wore a blue-and-white evening dress that accentuated her excellent figure without appearing seductive. A calm, serene smile rested on her exquisitely beautiful face, her temperament elegant and noble—truly a beauty capable of toppling nations.
Most eye-catching of all were her generous curves.
Ryuu's figure was by no means small, but compared to Goddess Astraea, she was clearly outmatched.
Roy could swear on his life that the goddess before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in both his past and present lives combined—there was no comparison. She seemed to be a masterpiece shaped by heaven and earth themselves.
"Lady Astraea!"
Ryuu forced back her tears and dropped to her knees, pressing her smooth forehead tightly against the floor.
Goddess Astraea's gaze moved back and forth between Ryuu and Roy, faintly understanding what had happened.
There was a divine blood connection between gods and their familia members. When the familia was annihilated, she was the first to know.
Goddess Astraea knelt down, doing nothing but gently stroking Ryuu's small head.
Under Astraea's soothing touch, Ryuu felt as though she had returned to her mother's embrace. An overwhelming wave of exhaustion surged up, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Astraea carefully moved Ryuu's head onto her lap.
Roy felt blinded by the sight—it was a lap pillow.
Astraea looked up at Roy.
Roy sat cross-legged, bringing his line of sight level with hers—negotiation skills ingrained deep into his bones.
One could not lie before a god.
Roy was extremely straightforward. "My name is Roy. Ryuu intends to abandon her justice and assassinate members of the Dark Familia and those connected to them. I want to help her take revenge."
Goddess Astraea let out a soft sigh, looking at Ryuu with eyes full of pity and heartache. If Ryuu were awake, Astraea would never show such an expression.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Do you have money?"
"How much?"
"As much as possible!"
Astraea and Roy exchanged questions and answers. Playing games with a god was impossible, so the negotiation proceeded unexpectedly fast. Free from the social maneuvering of his previous life, Roy instead felt relaxed.
Astraea looked deeply at Roy, as if seeing through his heart. "Can you guarantee to me that you will not harm Ryuu in any way?"
"Of course!" Roy nodded firmly. Such a useful fighter—he'd cherish her if anything.
They stared at each other for a long time. In the end, it was Goddess Astraea who conceded.
"Wait for me one hour."
Astraea spoke softly. One hand slipped beneath Ryuu's snow-white, perfect neck, the other under her legs, lifting her up like a princess.
Ryuu's small, delicate body curled up in Astraea's embrace, sleeping soundly.
Watching this bold scene, Roy's image of Goddess Astraea as gentle and virtuous was shattered. A woman may be soft, but a mother is strong. With the familia wiped out, the only one left to care for the elf girl was this goddess-mother.
Astraea carried Ryuu back to her room, then left the mansion alone, leaving Roy in the living hall. She showed no concern that Roy might harm the sleeping Ryuu.
In other words—he couldn't.
Only beside Astraea would Ryuu fall asleep.
If Roy so much as drew a little closer, Ryuu would awaken immediately. That was the vigilance of a high-level adventurer.
Roy took the opportunity to take out his system rewards.
First were the Windchaser Boots, made from soft leather. Even with his broad knowledge, Roy couldn't identify what kind of animal the leather came from, yet it was astonishingly soft. A gale-like pattern was engraved on them, as if one were treading on wild winds.
"A magic item!"
Roy recognized what they were and looked surprised. In the DanMachi world, weapons and armor forged by blacksmiths were fundamentally different from magic items.
After reaching Lv.2, adventurers had a chance to awaken a "Development Ability," which became their secondary profession.
Blacksmiths generally had the Development Ability "Forge."
To create magic items, the Development Ability had to be "Mystery." In all of Orario, the number of adventurers with "Mystery" could be counted on one hand.
The most famous was Asfi Al Andromeda, captain of the Hermes Familia—known as the "All-Rounder," and one of the rare magic item craftsmen in the world.
As an aside, the red-eyed rabbit's Development Ability was "Luck," extremely rare. Time and again, in desperate situations, he would seem to coincidentally encounter a turning point—lucky to an absurd degree.
The Windchaser Boots in Roy's hands were also a magic item. Unable to wait, he took off his "village-quality shoes" and slipped his size-40 feet into the oversized Windchaser Boots, which looked at least size 42—clearly not a good fit.
But in the next instant, the boots suddenly contracted, clinging tightly to Roy's skin, fitting him perfectly and comfortably.
Roy's eyes lit up. This was a real magic item. He stood up and stomped hard on the ground, instantly feeling a speed boost, as if he were about to take flight.
Next came the Mystic Ice Blade and the Refined Iron Longsword.
The former was a magic sword capable of releasing magic without chanting—extremely convenient. Even a child could use it to cast spells, making countless adventurers flock to it.
The latter was a genuine village-quality sword. Its quality was about the same as the longswords Roy had seen at the general store, worth around 500,000 valis. Claims of it being worth a million were nothing more than a merchant's exaggeration.
Roy played with his equipment with great interest, all the while adjusting to his enhanced body.
Even now, the excitement of obtaining extraordinary power hadn't faded from his heart.
An hour passed quickly. Goddess Astraea returned to the mansion and placed a parchment scroll before Roy.
"This is a note worth eighty million valis."
Seeing the Guild's seal stamped on it, Roy could only marvel inwardly—ridiculously rich.