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Chapter 108: The Apollo Familia
The lavish roast meat radiated an irresistible, savory char, while the chilled fruit wine shimmered sweetly in their glasses.
Furina was locked in a sweet struggle with her final slice of strawberry cake, entirely unfazed by the dab of white cream smeared on her cheek, her mismatched eyes crinkling into happy little lines.
Yet, amid this noisy, cheerful backdrop, Aiden acutely picked up on a faint, discordant hum. Holding his glass, he casually swept his gaze across the room, though his eyes paused for a fraction of a second on a table not far away.
It was a group of adventurers wearing matching black uniforms. Their posture and demeanor exuded a rigid discipline entirely absent in the other, more relaxed adventurers. From the moment they sat down, several concealed, sticky glances—like spiderwebs—had swept over their table again and again.
Aiden's brow furrowed imperceptibly. Without betraying his reaction, he committed the golden bow and sun emblem on their uniforms to memory, preparing to investigate it fully once they returned.
Just then, an elegant fragrance—like starflowers—quietly wafted over. Robin had leaned in close to his ear without him noticing, her soft hair lightly brushing against his cheek.
Elegantly covering her lips with her hand, her warm breath brushed his ear as she whispered as soft as a breeze:
"They're from the Apollo Familia."
Having just leveled up, Robin's perception was even sharper than Aiden's. She had noticed the sneaking, spying gazes long before he did.
Unlike Aiden, who still lacked a deep understanding of Orario's major Familias, Robin—as the Vice-Captain—had been actively gathering intelligence on the various factions on a daily basis. The moment she saw them, she cross-referenced her memories and locked onto their identity.
The Apollo Familia.
Hearing that name, Aiden's eyes instantly darkened.
He didn't know why the Apollo Familia had targeted them, nor did he know if their prey was him or the girls beside him, but it was absolutely not a good sign. Even without going out of his way to investigate them, he had heard the rumors about the Apollo Familia.
Their patron deity, Apollo, had a notoriously vile personality. He swung both ways, and to acquire an adventurer he fancied, he would resort to the most despicable, underhanded tactics to back his targets into a corner until joining his Familia was their only way out.
The Apollo Familia members thought they were hiding well, but they had no idea that in this small tavern, Aiden and Robin weren't the only ones who had noticed them.
Behind the counter, Mia's hand paused as she wiped a glass. Her sharp gaze darted toward that corner for a split second before she casually resumed her work as if nothing happened.
The poster-girl, Syr, had also noticed. Looking down as she sorted plates, a deeply meaningful, faint smile curled on her lips. Apollo, is it...? she muttered under her breath, a tone only she could hear. You certainly have an eye for talent, but I wonder... will you get what you want this time?
Her intuition told her something very entertaining was about to happen.
On the other side of the room, Ryuu had also taken notice. She calmly walked over to Aiden's table with a fresh tray of drinks. As she set the glasses down, she leaned in slightly, her voice cool and low as she warned.
"Be careful. You're being watched."
"Huh?" Furina looked up, completely oblivious, a smudge of cream still on her lips as she blinked curiously.
Hyacine and Tifa's eyes instantly narrowed. Following Ryuu's subtle gaze, they locked eyes perfectly with the stares coming from the black-clad adventurers.
Realizing they'd been made, the group immediately pretended nothing was wrong, quickly dropping their heads and awkwardly cutting into the food on their plates.
"Thanks. I know what to do," Aiden replied, looking up at Ryuu with a grateful nod.
Ryuu hesitated, a flicker of conflict flashing through her cool eyes, but she still added, "If you find yourselves in trouble, you can come to me."
"I will." Aiden smiled warmly, accepting the elf's goodwill.
Fully satisfied, the celebratory feast finally came to an end.
Aiden stood up, politely bidding farewell to everyone behind the counter.
"Come back soon, nya!" Anya waved enthusiastically.
Syr gently reminded them, "Be careful on the road, Lady Focalors, everyone."
"I'm getting that mousse cake again next time!" Furina licked her lips, deeply satisfied as she followed Aiden out of the tavern.
The warm lights and roaring laughter were sealed behind the heavy wooden doors, leaving them in the cool chill of the night streets.
The exact moment they turned to leave, that lingering, ghostly stare from inside the tavern clung to their backs like needles.
A split second after their group vanished around the street corner, several figures slowly materialized from a dark alleyway.
Leading them was an impossibly handsome god with dazzling, sun-gold hair and crimson eyes. He wore lavish clothing, but his mouth was twisted into a sickeningly warped grin. Behind him, the uniformed adventurers of the Apollo Familia stood respectful guard.
Apollo's gaze was dead-locked on the spot where Aiden's back had disappeared, his face contorting into a mask of frenzied obsession.
"I knew my senses weren't wrong... He's like the avatar of the sun itself. Unbelievable. Simply... simply magnificent... Ah... So radiant..."
Apollo writhed with a sick, perverse glee, wrapping his arms tightly around his own shoulders. His handsome face flushed beet-red from pure ecstasy, his breathing heavy and ragged as if entirely lost in his own twisted fantasies.
Standing at his side, the Captain of the Apollo Familia—the tall, slender, brown-haired, blue-eyed Hyakinthos Clio—was also staring at where Aiden had left. Yet, his deep eyes seethed with unconcealed gloom and burning jealousy.
It was the very first time he had ever seen Lord Apollo so intensely infatuated with someone. This ultimate level of obsession—something even he had never received—drove him mad with envy.
Walking back to their headquarters, a bone-deep chill suddenly washed over Aiden. It felt as if a slimy, venomous snake had just locked its sights on him.
The stare was no longer a hidden peek. It was a blatant, unmasked glare dripping with burning lust.
He instantly guessed who was spying from the shadows, and in that same moment, he pinpointed their target. It wasn't Robin. It wasn't Tifa. It wasn't Hyacine. It was him.
A violent surge of absolute disgust erupted from the very bottom of Aiden's heart, freezing his blue eyes into pits of glacial ice.
If Apollo's target had been Robin or the others, he would have been furious. He would have been enraged. But he absolutely would not have felt the urge to vomit.
But the target was actually him. This was entirely intolerable. It made him genuinely murderous.
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