Meanwhile, at the New Stardust Garden, Astraea sat in similar disbelief.
She had just finished updating Lyra and the others' falna, and the sheer leap in their stats left her stunned.
Thousands of points increment in a single expedition.
She'd expected growth, of course, but this?
It was when she got to the updates for Ryuu, Alise, and Kaguya that she really froze.
Ryuu: Level 7. Triple S stats.
Alise and Kaguya: Both Level 6. Double S stats.
Before this, only Ottar had held the title of Level 7. Even the combined strength of other top familia didn't include a second Level 7. Now, suddenly, Astraea Familia had one too.
Alise gave a proud smile. "Told you so. We had a hunch we'd all level up this time."
"It's really all thanks to Leon…" Kaguya added quietly.
"We would've never dared push this hard if he wasn't with us." Ryuu admitted.
"He protected us, enabled us to fight with everything we had, and gave us the freedom to go all out without fear."
The rest of the familia, especially the lower-level members, looked on in awe.
"I'm so jealous…" Lyra muttered. "If I were Level 4, I could've gone too…"
"You'll make it." Alise said, beaming. "You're already close. One more expedition and you'll definitely hit it."
"That's right." Ryuu nodded. "The third greatexpedition will probably set our course deeper than ever before. You'll come with us next time."
The term Great Expedition had now become their name for expeditions beyond the 50th Floor.
Only adventurers with first-class combat power were eligible, either Level 5 or above, or exceptions like Lefiya with her powerful magic.
"I'll make it. Just you wait." Lyra declared, puffing her chest with mock arrogance.
Astraea, smiling warmly, joined in. "Then let's hear about your Great Expedition."
"Right." Alise grinned, ready to recount everything.
Back at the Starry Library.
After Hephaestus' treatment ended, Hestia practically dragged her to the bedroom with stars in her eyes.
"You have to let me dress you up."
Hephaestus had always avoided makeup or dressing up. Her old scars had kept her from even trying.
But now?
Now she had no reason to hide.
Tsubaki joined with a mischievous grin. "Ohhh, I'm not missing this."
Meanwhile, Leon didn't join the makeover fun. Instead, he remained in his room, preparing something equally important.
In his hands, two magic stones pulsed with monstrous power, the cores of Behemoth and Leviathan, each a crystallized essence of destruction.
Standing silently, he summoned his two elemental fairies. Ellie and June materialized before him. Both had recently reached Level 8.
He handed them the magic stones. Ellie devoured Behemoth's magic stone, and June took Leviathan's. The moment the stones entered their bodies, the two fairies' auras began to change. They fell into a deep, unconscious sleep.
Leon stood guard, ensuring nothing disturbed them.
After over three hours, when they awoke, their power had transformed again. Both had reached Level 9, an evolution that defied all expectations.
"Good." Leon murmured.
With a thought, Ellie returned to her spot hidden in Hestia's hair accessory, where she always quietly remained by her side.
June disappeared, heading back to his stationed clone, resuming his duty of watching over the Xenos.
With nothing urgent to do, Leon lazily reached out for the book that had been sitting on his bedside table for days. Despite its age, it was spotless, testament to the enchantments that kept the library dust-free.
He leaned back against the headboard, opened the cover, and quietly began reading.
More than half an hour slipped by. Eventually, Leon closed the book and turned off the lights, preparing to rest. He let his body relax into the familiar embrace of his bed.
However, not long after the lights went out, the quiet creak of a door opening broke the silence.
Leon didn't react immediately. He heard soft footsteps approach... and then felt someone slip under the covers beside him.
Thinking nothing of it, he instinctively reached out and pulled the figure close, assuming it was Hestia. But the moment he hugged her, something felt off.
Her scent… her figure… it wasn't Hestia.
"…Hephaestus?"
"Leon… don't move."
"???"
On the other side, in Hestia's room, two women lay side-by-side on the bed, chatting in whispers.
"Hey, Hestia." Tsubaki grinned teasingly, "I didn't expect you of all people to be so generous. Letting Hephaestus sneak into Leon's bed? You're not worried?"
"Hmmph. She's my best friend. Besides, if it's Hephaestus, I'm okay with it." Hestia replied with a small smile. "Leon's just lucky, that's all."
"Then does that mean I can try too, Hestia?" Tsubaki raised an eyebrow mischievously.
"You?" Hestia narrowed her eyes. "Don't think I haven't noticed you flirting with Leon when you think I'm not looking."
"Eh! I've been exposed?! Aahahaha!"
The next morning, Leon was promptly dragged out of bed by Hestia for a familiar ritual.
Whenever he returned from the dungeon after a long trip, Hestia would always take him shopping, an unofficial tradition at this point. This time, however, Hephaestus and Tsubaki came along too.
The four strolled through the bustling streets of Orario, basking in the morning sunlight and the joyful chatter of the city.
Halfway through their walk, Leon glanced around curiously.
"By the way, where's Artemis? I haven't seen her since I got back."
With the Artemis Familia headquartered next to the Starry Library, her absence was unusual. Given her current attitude toward him, Leon found it odd that she hadn't rushed over to greet him like she usually did.
"Oh, she went to visit Demeter." Hestia replied casually, not even turning her head. "Rethusa and the others went into the dungeon."
"Ah, that explains it." Leon nodded in realization.
So that's why Artemis hadn't shown up. It wasn't that she didn't care, she simply didn't know he'd returned.
The group continued shopping until sunset, leisurely browsing stores and catching up on conversation.
As they returned to the library, Leon spotted a familiar figure waiting by the entrance of the house next door.
"Leon! Hestia! You're back."
The moment she saw them, Artemis lit up and dashed forward.
She called out both their names, but as soon as she reached them, she ignored Hestia entirely and dove straight into Leon's arms.
Hestia puffed up her cheeks in mild jealousy, arms crossed. Next to her, Hephaestus and Tsubaki giggled.
"He really is popular." Hephaestus muttered playfully as she elbowed Hestia.
"I know, right?" Tsubaki added with a grin. "And you're just as involved as the rest of us."
"Ugh. I'm used to Artemis at this point." Hestia huffed, looking away dramatically.
After a brief exchange, the group entered the library.
Inside, Artemis explained her request, she wanted Leon to bring Rethusa and her party along for the next expedition.
"No problem." Leon replied without hesitation. "They're your people, and technically… my people too."
Since Rethusa and the others had been resurrected by his hand, he considered them part of his camp in a way. Just like the Astraea Familia members before, it was natural to bring them along to help them grow.
"Thank you, Leon." Artemis said with a soft smile, her eyes shining.
At that moment, Hestia chimed in, "My familia is joining next time too. Let's all help each other out, yeah?"
"Of course." Artemis nodded. "We'll cooperate as needed."
Leon then turned to Hephaestus and Tsubaki, who were sitting nearby. "The weapon order from last time… all settled?"
"Yep! All done." Tsubaki replied cheerfully.
"In that case, come with us next time." Leon offered. "Last expedition, we made it all the way to the 65th Floor, but our weapons took a serious beating."
"If you two come along, we can get mid-expedition repairs and save time."
"Heh. You don't even have to ask." Tsubaki laughed. "I was already planning on it."
"I didn't join the last run because of that backlogged commission, but I'm free now."
With preparations underway, Leon excused himself and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Later that evening, Hephaestus, Artemis, and Tsubaki all said their goodbyes and left the Starry Library. Only Leon and Hestia remained. Back in their room, the two cuddled on the bed, enjoying the quiet.
"When are Belle and the others coming back?" Leon asked as he hugged her.
"They should return in two days." Hestia replied with a smile.
"They've been staying with the Xenos, helping to bridge communication with surface adventurers. Surprisingly, it's going well."
"Some of the adventurers on the 18th Floor have accepted the Xenos already. Even a few surface folks have come around."
"Wow…" Leon blinked.
He hadn't known. June was still stationed near the Xenos to protect them, but he only reported back if there were threats, not political progress.
"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."
"Mhm." Hestia nodded proudly.
After being apart for half a month, the two had much to catch up on. They talked deep into the night, whispering stories, trading laughs. Eventually, they turned off the magic stone lamp.
In the darkness, Hestia's voice floated playfully into Leon's ear.
"Leon, It's been more than half a month. Let's see if you've gotten rusty."
Leon: "…"
The next morning, Leon left the library bright and early and made his way to the Guild headquarters.
A thought had crossed his mind the night before, back when he'd been healing Hephaestus. Something he had forgotten.
Eina's mother.
He remembered hearing that she'd once passed through the region where Behemoth had been sealed and suffered a grievous injury as a result. Since then, her health had steadily declined, turning her into a frail, sickly woman.
Now that he possessed Divine Healing, capable of restoring even divine disfigurement, surely he could help her. That was his reason for visiting the Guild today.
But as soon as he arrived, Leon was met with an unexpected surprise.
"Wait… Ais and the others… they'veranked up?"
***
50 Advanced Chapters on
patreon.com/alex_1000