"Hyakinthos of the Apollo Familia took the initiative to find me—said that the god of his Familia wanted to meet, to avoid having too much contact with other Familias..."
"I directly refused..."
"That's roughly how things went."
After Ron finished explaining the whole sequence of events to Mikoto and Ryuu, with the example of the Soma Familia already having happened before, he did not feel particularly anxious.
After all, relying on his "Revival" skill, as long as he acted within the Dungeon, there was basically room for error.
What was truly troublesome was that the Apollo Familia might, within Orario's rules, directly initiate a War Game against the Hestia Familia.
The victor could obtain all of the opposing Familia's property, including its members.
And with the current strength of his own Familia, on the stage that was Orario, they would need to face so many Lv.2s as well as Lv.3 Hyakinthos at the same time.
The difficulty was very high.
Even becoming a high-level adventurer did not mean that he possessed the ability to single-handedly challenge an entire Familia.
The solution Ron could think of was to raise his own strength to a level comparable to Lv.3 before Apollo took concrete action.
"..."
After understanding the specific reason, the slight furrow in Ryuu's brows did not ease. She raised her head and looked toward the calm black-haired boy, and out of concern for her friend's safety, the girl softly asked: "What do you plan to do next?"
"I don't have any ideas for now, but improving my own strength is never wrong. I can't just give up directly after knowing the gap in strength is enormous."
The essence of Soulslike esoterica lies in defeating the strong with the weak.
And at present, the combat power that the "Tarnished" save file could display was enough, before his level had yet to ascend, to counter-kill the Lv.2 strawbag adventurers of the Soma Familia.
But if he truly had to face a long-seasoned Lv.3 Hyakinthos, could it achieve the same effect?
Ron remained doubtful.
However, at this stage, the situation was not unsolvable. Even if Apollo insisted on initiating a War Game, Hestia could refuse on the grounds of a large disparity in strength.
If it really came to that, then he would temporarily convert to the Hephaestus Familia...
"Since things have come to this, next we'll continue exploring the deeper Floors!" If there truly was no other way...
Then there was only one option—have "Great Fortune" charge forward!
He looked toward the fairy girl standing opposite him, whose face showed no ripples of emotion, and with a smile asked, "Senior Ryuu, are you returning to Orario next?"
"Mm."
Since Ron had safely returned from the world behind the Fog Gate, if she continued to stay here, it felt as though there was not much particular meaning in doing so. The restaurant was busy every day; after taking leave, Syr and Anya were surely overwhelmed.
Thinking of this, the girl gently nodded.
Only, when she was about to return to Orario, her steps paused slightly. "If you truly encounter trouble that cannot be resolved, relying appropriately on others..."
"That is, in fact, also a backup choice."
"..."
Was that a different kind of hint?
Only after the girl's figure completely disappeared from his sight did Ron withdraw his gaze. As for what he needed to do next, there was no need to elaborate.
'All tragedies are caused by the helplessness of those involved.'
The existence of the Apollo Familia was like the Sword of Damocles hanging above his head. To say there was no pressure would be false. What he needed to do was to turn this pressure into motivation.
"Mm..."
"The exploration plan needs to be adjusted a bit. The time at night cannot be wasted either."
"?"
Although she could understand the sense of urgency brought by the crisis, when Mikoto heard Ron's next plan, the corner of her mouth could not help but twitch.
Meaning, before dawn, earlier than all other adventurers, he would rush nonstop to the Dungeon to explore, and even the rare rest time at night would be taken away?
You damn monster — who could possibly out-grind you?!
Even so, the girl still closely followed Ron's steps, heading toward the deeper Floors of the Dungeon to begin their exploration, without any hesitation.
...
Apollo Familia Residence.
When Apollo, seated upright in a courtly chair, heard Hyakinthos's report, there was no visible ripple in his expression; instead, he appeared thoughtful.
Why had he become interested in Ron of the Hestia Familia?
The reason was quite simple.
It was nothing more than the fact that, back in the heavens, when he had confessed to that fellow Hestia in front of so many gods, he had been rejected without the slightest mercy.
After coming to Orario, Apollo had long since lost interest in Hestia. But upon learning that she had descended to the lower world and that the Familia member she had recruited had created a brand-new world record—in just sixteen days, rising from a rookie adventurer to Lv.2—the thoughts in his heart quietly changed. Since he could not obtain Hestia, then he would exhaust every possible method to seize her Familia member instead.
Excellent.
In terms of appearance, placed among the children of a Familia, he could also be considered refined and handsome. Most crucial of all was the talent Ron possessed—no god could refuse it.
Not only was his breakthrough speed fast, even his ability values were on a level comparable to "Sword Princess" Ais Wallenstein.
"Was what I said not clear enough?"
"No matter the cost, you must bring Ron into the Familia. Whatever treatment the Hestia Familia offers him, provide double."
"If double isn't enough."
"Then offer even more generous terms!"
Toward his favored Familia member Hyakinthos, Apollo ultimately could not bear to be harsh. Yet he also understood—his attitude during the first contact with Ron must have been poor.
No god would reject the development of their Familia.
He knew that the time left to him was limited. Once the Denatus convened, the miracle Ron had created would become known to all the gods of Orario.
By that time, he would absolutely have no chance.
"..."
"I… I will go find him again."
Even now, Hyakinthos could not understand why his god was so obsessed with Ron's existence. He did not know how to describe his current feelings.
If he had to say, it was probably jealousy.
Disobeying a god's will might prevent Ron from joining the Familia, but what he feared more was, after failing, facing Apollo's disappointed gaze.
Just as he was about to leave, Apollo, seated upon a courtly chair cast in gold, spoke in a calm tone and continued to instruct him: "Mm."
"Take this invitation as well. If Ron still refuses, then simply find any Familia member and deliver the invitation to the ball to Hestia."
"You know what to do..."
If he were rejected again, this invitation to the ball would be Apollo's backup plan. The price would inevitably strain the relationship between the Familia and Ron, but that did not matter.
He firmly believed in his heart that as long as he was willing to invest resources in Ron and grant him the greatest degree of freedom, there would always be an opportunity to make him completely loyal to the Familia.
Was this persistence a form of benevolence?
Even Apollo himself could not be certain before meeting Ron, but what truly captivated him was that talent—so intoxicating that even a god would become enthralled by it.
Merely thinking of this, an unusual flush spread across his face...
"Very good..."
"I truly cannot wait… to have you!"
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