A Transfer Application.
And it was even proactively proposed by Takemikazuchi. Ron truly had no experience facing such a situation. He looked toward the girl who had remained silent the whole time.
Only then did he recall—
That inexplicable question he had asked when he and Mikoto were exploring the "Ancient Ruins."
From an objective standpoint, for Mikoto—who had mastered the "Futsunomitama" magic—she was absolutely an all-rounder talent within the Dungeon, with no reason to be refused.
And in terms of talent—
Perhaps she could not yet reach Orario's top tier at present, but under the high-intensity trials of the "Soulslike Dungeon," her room for growth would certainly increase.
Her future was absolutely promising.
The reason Ron had not agreed immediately was that the current situation of the Takemikazuchi Familia was not particularly good. If one were to poach one of their few Lv2 members...
"I very much welcome Senior Mikoto transferring into the Familia."
"But would this affect the normal exploration of your Familia, Lord Takemikazuchi?"
"You can rest assured about that."
He was not raising conditions.
On the contrary, he was concerned whether Mikoto's departure—as a pillar of the Familia—would impact his own Familia. Just this kind of mature and steady character alone was enough for Takemikazuchi to feel at ease entrusting the child to Hestia.
He did not conceal anything and said seriously, "In a few days, children from the Far East will be arriving. The Familia's membership will be effectively replenished."
"With Mikoto's talent, I believe keeping her in the Familia to train newcomers would be a waste."
"In that case… welcome, Senior Mikoto."
Ron did not think Hestia would refuse. Considering that in the future the Familia would need to go on an expedition, the final objective might only be the area of the 18th Floor.
But the Soulslike difficulty forced him to develop the Familia.
And Mikoto, as an all-round combatant, could greatly ease the pressure. As for what the Familia currently lacked, there was only one reliable supporter left to find.
"At present, the Hestia Familia has only the two of us as members. The conditions may be somewhat harsh."
"…Thank you."
After learning that Ron had already broken through to Lv2, the girl felt that being called "Senior" was somewhat grating. "Um, you can just call me by my name."
"As for the other matters—"
"I don't think any of that is important… As long as I can make progress on the path of martial arts, it's all worth it." Mikoto did not dare meet her companions' gazes.
After all, was her behavior not, in a sense, a kind of desertion on the eve of battle?
But next—
All she saw was Kashima Ouka, as the former captain, standing up with an honest smile. He raised his wine cup toward Ron and patted the boy on the shoulder.
"We're all friends."
"I won't ramble. If Mikoto does anything poorly, you can come to me directly. She's very serious—she definitely won't cause you trouble."
"Captain…"
"Your captain now is Ron, but we will always be family."
"…"
The atmosphere of the Takemikazuchi Familia was very warm.
It was precisely this kind of farewell ceremony that made Ron seem somewhat out of place. Setting talent aside, during the time since he had transmigrated to Orario, all he had encountered were friendly faces.
Of course, setting aside the Soma Familia and the Apollo Familia as a potential hidden danger.
After the celebration banquet ended, Ron took Mikoto back to the collective dormitory. When he noticed the girl crouching in the corner, draped in a gray-brown cloak, he felt an ominous premonition in his heart.
Liliruca Arde.
The best method was naturally to ignore her, and Ron did exactly that. However, she did not intend the same. The prum girl calmly lifted her head.
Even with light makeup applied, it was still possible to see—the bruising at the corner of Lili's eye, as well as the arm wrapped in bandages. She stated without any fluctuation in her tone: "I want to make a deal with you."
"Reason."
"An adventurer from the Apollo Familia went to the Soma Familia tonight to see Zanis. The target they discussed was you. I don't know the specifics."
Lili was the same as usual.
She looked at Ron's completely unperturbed eyes. Though they had not had much contact, she was well aware that this guy would absolutely not sympathize with her.
Moreover, the girl did not think there was anything about herself worthy of sympathy. "Zanis's behavior is very abnormal. He may take action against you afterward."
"Oh."
Considering that the Apollo Familia was regarded as a faction on the side of justice, bringing the problem to the Soma Familia—who had conflicts with him—and using that method to take action, Ron did not find it surprising.
As for what kind of methods they would employ next, that remained unknown for the time being.
He simply looked at Lili in front of him. To be honest, in her current state, whether she could hold out until that kind-hearted Bell arrived in Orario—
That was indeed an unknown.
"If it's just a deal, the bargaining chip seems a bit insufficient, doesn't it?"
"I can pay."
"As long as you can help me leave that cesspit of the Soma Familia." At least there was still room for negotiation. But given the current overall atmosphere of the Soma Familia, Lili could not see any hope of escaping the mire.
She forced a smile, yet no matter how one looked at it, the smile appeared exceedingly bleak. "If the bargaining chip isn't enough, I'll find a way."
"…"
It was indeed an opportunity to make money.
But what Ron needed to consider was whether the risk investment and the return could truly be proportional. He did not answer directly. "Then we'll talk after you're prepared."
"…"
As for Mikoto, who had been a bystander the entire time, having never experienced the Soma Familia's pursuit incident, she only felt completely confused. Soma and the Apollo Familia—any adventurer knew of them.
But why were they connected to Ron?
Out of curiosity, after Lili's figure gradually walked away, the girl frowned and asked, "Did something happen?"
"A little."
"Most likely, we'll be directly confronting the Apollo Familia."
"…"
After hearing Ron's understated reply, Mikoto stood there. So she had just been preparing to transfer into the Hestia Familia, and things were already going to get this thrilling?
...
Soma Familia.
After paying the compensation for the pursuit of Ron, Zanis truly did not want to see this guy ever again. After all, purely from a strength perspective, continuing to drag this out—
To be honest, he could not find any possibility of revenge. Instead, the hard-won stability within the Familia would be completely thrown into chaos.
But if he could truly swallow his anger…
Then Zanis would never have been able to sit in the position of captain of the Familia. And this desire for revenge, upon coming into contact with members of the Apollo Familia, could no longer be suppressed in his heart.
Most importantly, there was not much that needed to be done. As long as he could cause trouble for Ron and cooperate with the members of the Apollo Familia in their actions, as for the so-called reward—
Seeing that guy fall into misfortune was already enough.
As for the Apollo Familia's specific motive, Zanis truly could not quite guess why they were deliberately targeting Hestia and Ron.
But he did not conceal the anticipation in his eyes at all.
"As long as we can provoke a dispute with the Hestia Familia, the rest will be left to the Apollo Familia. Then let's see this Familia conflict…"
"To what extent it can develop!!"
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