Ron's existence would bring about the destruction of the Apollo Familia?
That kind of statement—
Daphne would absolutely not believe it. But judging from the atmosphere at the scene, as well as the faint hostility emanating from the figure draped in an ash-brown cloak—
To say it had nothing to do with Ron was absolutely impossible!
'I have a feeling… things probably won't go as smoothly as Hyakinthos imagined…'
She could not discern the strength of the unfamiliar adventurer before her, but she clearly understood that, at this stage, the misunderstanding had to be cleared up. After all, the act of tracking someone in the Dungeon itself—
Would make any adventurer feel offended.
"Sorry."
"Mr. Ron, we didn't come to find you this time with malicious intent. It's mainly that… there was a bit of a misunderstanding before, and we wanted to explain it to you."
Facing his scrutinizing gaze, Daphne forced herself to explain.
As for persuading Ron to give up resistance and obediently join the Apollo Familia, she seriously suspected that if she said those words out loud—
The strange atmosphere would shatter instantly!
"Where is the misunderstanding?"
First of all, Ron did not consider himself the type to judge based on appearances. The main reason was that Daphne and Cassandra before him, in regard to their relationship with the Apollo Familia—
Had not joined that Familia of their own free will.
And what truly gave him a headache was actually the similarity between Apollo and Soma: they were basically both extremely clingy, like persistent nuisances.
"…."
"Previously, the trouble our Familia captain Hyakinthos caused Mr. Ron in Orario had nothing to do with us."
"Including coming to the Dungeon today to look for you—it was not our intention either."
Daphne did not mention anything about changing Familias.
Moreover, when facing Ron's exceptionally calm eyes—though they were both Lv.2 adventurers—what she felt from him was only an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Could it be an illusion?
No one could give her an answer, but her intuition told Daphne—
This muddy water is definitely not something she can wade into!
"Hyakinthos was carrying out Lord Apollo's orders. He wanted to bring you before the god. As for the specific reason, it was probably to persuade you to change Familias."
"The reason I came to find you was precisely to try to convince you to change your mind."
From having no sense of belonging to the "Apollo" Familia to begin with, Daphne decisively drew a line and cut ties with the Familia. Even toward the adventurer before her, who was facing the same predicament, she hesitated briefly.
In a candid tone, she said: "As for the Apollo Familia's subsequent actions, I'm not qualified to speak on behalf of the Familia's stance—but Cassandra and I will absolutely not take part in it."
"As for anything else…"
"It's that this group's methods will only be dirtier than you imagine. I hope, Mr. Ron, that you'll be prepared with a full set of countermeasures from here on out."
"…"
At the very least, the outcome was not as bad as he had expected.
As for Daphne and Cassandra—who had relatively little screen time in the original work—Ron could only say his impression was ordinary. He only remembered that they were both Lv.2 adventurers.
Especially now, after they had proactively stated their position and drawn a clear line between themselves and the Apollo Familia.
He could not exactly keep pressing them aggressively. Even though DanMachi was not the law-governed society of his previous life, if he were to drive things to extermination, he could not get past it psychologically.
He gathered his scattered thoughts.
Ron's gaze swept over the two girls in front of him, but more of his attention was on the timid blue-haired girl standing behind Daphne.
The princess who eulogizes the tragic world.
From Cassandra's wavering, evasive eyes, he could clearly read the meaning of fear!
His attitude eased slightly as he calmly tested the waters: "We shouldn't have met before, so why do you give me the illusion that you're very afraid of me?"
"…"
Even though his words were calm, they still made the girl standing there tremble like a sieve. Her already averted gaze shook as she buried her head even lower, and in a stammering voice she said: "It's just…"
"Something very scary."
'Don't casually strip me of my human status, you bastard!'
Ron tugged at the corner of his mouth and could not help but complain. Trying to get anything about "precognitive dreams" out of Cassandra was basically hopeless right now.
But he did not continue to make things hard for her, either.
His eyes swept over the ancient altar before them. The abnormal change in the Dungeon had not completely disappeared just because the monster behind the "Fog Gate" had been successfully slain.
"Forget it…"
"Lately, abnormal incidents in the Dungeon have been happening very frequently. If you really run into something like this, it's best to find a way to withdraw back to Orario."
It was, in a sense, a friendly reminder in return for Daphne drawing a clear line.
After finishing that explanation, Ron looked toward Ryuu—who wore an ash-brown cloak and had remained silent the whole time—as well as Mikoto, whose expression had become heavy after understanding the situation.
"Let's go as well."
"…"
Only after Ron, Mikoto, and the cloaked figure disappeared from sight—did Cassandra, who had been hiding behind her best friend, finally loosen her tight grip on the hem of her clothes. The girl raised her head, sweat covering her smooth forehead.
It could be confirmed.
Ron was absolutely the source who had appeared in her nightmares and jolted her awake in the middle of the night!
It was just that, during the brief contact just now, along with the other party's well-intentioned reminder, Cassandra felt somewhat dazed. Actually, he did not seem quite as… terrifying?
She raised her head again and looked at Daphne's expressionless yet extremely serious face, asking, "We… what should we do next…?"
"What happens next—"
"No matter to what extent the dispute between the Apollo Familia and Ron develops, it's best that we don't get involved. If necessary, we should find a way to avoid it."
This was the final answer Daphne gave after careful consideration.
She looked around at these architectural ruins that had never appeared before, as well as the Fog Gate behind them. These existences that broke common sense could only be the result of an abnormal incident.
Based on the clues at hand, discovering the true answer to the problem might not be as difficult as she had imagined.
But Daphne understood clearly—if one rashly probed into someone else's secrets, even after learning the truth, would the fire really not spread to oneself?
"Let's head back."
She shook her head lightly. Although they had not taken part in exploring the Dungeon, the fatigue from today's brief excursion had already filled the girl's eyes with weariness.
"We've said everything that needed to be said. Hyakinthos won't be able to find fault with us."
"I hope… that guy has good luck."
...
Just after Ron's group and Daphne's group respectively left the ancient altar on the 10th Floor, the thick frost-mist mechanism that had shrouded the current Floor quietly parted.
Immediately after, a figure appeared before the cluster of buildings caused by the "abnormal incident."
She did not hold a torch to break open the mechanism. Instead, it was as though she were an existence acknowledged by the Dungeon itself—the thick frost-mist voluntarily opened a path.
The cloak did not conceal her entire face.
Her slender elf ears revealed her extraordinary, non-human identity. When Filvis noticed the unprecedented special ecological niche on the current Floor, she paused — something she rarely did.
There was no emotion in her eyes. This unprecedented and important piece of information would probably be able to assist Lord Dionysus's plan.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---