And just like that, Elise became the first member of the Astraea Familia, while simultaneously serving as its captain.
Well, for the moment, she was the only member.
"Now that the familia matter has been settled, let's quickly deal with the situation in Kate Village."
Seeing that Elise had finished dressing, Astraea reminded her that it was time to resolve the issue there.
Why exactly was the kingdom's army eyeing Kate Village so hungrily?
"Please tell me the reason!"
The kingdom's squad captain, whose soul had been devoured by Elise, was now prostrating himself at her feet.
"Yes. It is like this."
In a dull, vacant tone, the Level 2 captain revealed the entire truth.
"So the reason the land around Kate Village is so fertile is because there is an underground ruin beneath it?"
"And the kingdom intends to obtain the treasure it desires from within that ruin?"
If that were the reason, then it made sense.
Ruins were generally remnants from the era of ancient heroes. If one was lucky, it might be possible to obtain the treasures of those legendary figures.
But if one was unlucky, it might release ancient monsters instead.
And what the kingdom was doing...
"Isn't this just gambling with the fate of the nation?"
Could it be that they were the parallel counterparts of those fellows who liked to gamble recklessly in another world?
Elise felt speechless. They were truly wagering everything their country had on the future.
Was this what people meant by one thought leading to heaven, another to hell?
"Tell me all the arrangements you have made in Kate Village."
"Yes."
"Our forces are divided into three teams. The first team disguised themselves as bandits and went to attack Kate Village. The second team remained in place to provide support and respond to unexpected situations."
"The third team is responsible for locating the entrance to the ruins. If they find it, they are to conduct immediate reconnaissance."
There was a third team?
Elise and Astraea exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously asked, "Where is the third team?"
"Not long ago, the third team sent a signal. They have already found the entrance to the ruins and may be attempting to enter it."
"That's not good. We need to hurry back!" Elise turned to Astraea behind her. "Forgive me, Lady Astraea."
"Hm?"
Elise scooped Astraea into her arms, mobilized her Prana, and leapt into the sky.
Looking down at the shrinking figures on the ground, Astraea then glanced at Elise's focused expression and wrapped her arms around Elise's neck.
In just a few short hours, Elise had already brought her quite a number of pleasant surprises.
"You truly are a rather special existence, Elise!"
A benevolent goddess was still a goddess. Astraea could sense that the future would surely hold many interesting developments.
...
Today had truly been a day full of calamities.
Since the founding of the village, Kate Village had never experienced anything like this.
First bandits attacked, and then the kingdom's army launched a sudden strike.
The old village chief could only say that he had never seen such a scene in his life.
Although the goddess and that powerful human had gone to resolve the situation, he still felt uneasy. Perhaps there had simply been too many disasters recently—his eyelids would not stop twitching.
In the end, after the one human and one goddess departed to handle the problem, what the village chief feared finally came to pass.
Boom—boom—
On the plain not far from the village, the once lush green grassland suddenly collapsed inward. A terrifying, massive hole appeared in the earth, and from within came waves of roaring.
The enormous cavern had appeared far too suddenly. Many people had not even had time to react.
And by the time the surrounding nation realized what had happened, it was already too late.
Large numbers of monsters poured out from the vast ruin beneath the hollow, launching attacks against everything around them.
And the first to bear the brunt of it was Kate Village, the settlement closest to the ruin, which almost directly endured the monsters' full assault.
However, because of the earlier bandit attack, the villagers had remained on guard and made several preparations.
So when the monsters struck, they managed to withstand the first wave and, before the next assault arrived, successfully fled with their lives.
Perhaps this could be called a blessing in disguise.
Now the monsters' offensive spread out in all directions. The villagers' pressure lessened, and they became relatively safer. It was the surrounding nation that might suffer instead.
"Hah—"
The Sacred Demon Sword slashed toward a minotaur. Although the creature saw the attack coming and threw a punch in response, under the sword's might it was reduced to dust.
Elise's flying speed was far faster than running on the ground. It did not take long for her to find the villagers and eliminate the monsters chasing behind them.
"But this cannot continue."
Astraea stood at a high vantage point, gazing into the distance.
"Monsters are still continuously pouring out from underground. If we do not resolve the root of the problem, no matter how many we defeat, it will be useless!"
"We must deal with the ruin beneath the earth!"
"I think the same, Lady Astraea. We must prioritize solving the source of the problem." Elise stepped to Astraea's side.
"Elise, with your strength, can you handle these monsters?" Astraea asked with concern. "I hope you will tell me honestly."
"I wish to protect the innocent, but at the same time, I must be responsible to my familia."
"If I force you to undertake a task you cannot accomplish, then I would be unfit to call myself a god."
"Of course, you also have the right to refuse."
As a benevolent goddess, Astraea naturally wished to save the people of the lower world. Although this disaster was the result of their nation's own actions, there would surely be innocent individuals among them.
She would not blindly rush to save others. She also had to consider whether her familia's strength could support such a decision.
Just as she said, if Elise did not have the ability—or did not wish to save them—she had the right to refuse.
Did Elise want to save those people?
Of course not.
Elise believed that if one caused trouble, one should resolve it oneself.
Back in the world of Elementalists, it had been because she had caused a problem that she chose to stay behind.
But Astraea was not wrong either.
Within a nation, there were bad people—and there were good people.
Should the good, or the uninformed, bear the consequences of the bad?
This was clearly a danger created by those at the highest levels of the kingdom—one far beyond their ability to control. And yet it would drag innocent bystanders into disaster.
"I will deal with the monsters, Lady Astraea."
Elise chose to save them—not because she wanted to, but because a saintess would undoubtedly make that choice.
So Elise chose to save them.