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After concealing his presence, Anos stepped toward the place where the noise had come from.
Several people were surrounding a small girl.
Standing behind a massive wall, he used his sage sensing technique and immediately identified them.
"So it's her…"
He quietly observed the scene.
"Hey! Hand over the money you earned yesterday!"
One of the men viciously kicked the small figure curled up on the ground.
"Cough…!"
A trace of blood spilled from the little girl's mouth.
She said nothing.
That money was her only hope of leaving the Soma Familia.
If she couldn't leave, this miserable life would continue forever.
Her name was Liliruca Arde.
There were only two things special about her.
First, she possessed a transformation skill that allowed her to disguise herself as other races.
Second, she had been raised by the god Soma.
Unfortunately, just like the other members of the familia, she had fallen victim to Soma's divine wine.
To Soma, anyone who succumbed to the wine was the same.
He no longer cared about them.
The people beating Lili were technically her familia companions.
But the Soma Familia had no such concept as companionship.
They only wanted to squeeze money out of weak members like her to buy more divine wine.
In the Soma Familia, the god himself did not matter.
Only the wine did.
And for that wine, they would do anything.
Bullying the weak was the simplest method.
"Ugh…"
Lili shut her eyes tightly.
Fear.
Hatred.
Those emotions filled her heart.
Why her?
Why were they beating her?
Why did she have to belong to the Soma Familia?
Why were adventurers so greedy and cruel?
The seeds of resentment had long been planted.
Now they were simply growing.
Then suddenly—
A wind swept through the corridor.
"BOOM!"
A violent gust passed across the men's faces.
"What the hell?!"
They looked up.
Dozens of red eyes glowed in the darkness.
The Dungeon today was not normal.
At least on this floor.
Because Anos was nearby, the number of monsters had increased dramatically.
Three times the usual density.
In some places, even dozens of times more.
"Tch!"
"Use her as bait!"
One of the men kicked Lili toward the approaching monsters.
They had no choice.
If they stayed, they would die.
Today's monster surge was too strange.
The group immediately fled.
Leaving Lili alone on the cold stone floor.
But perhaps, in her mind…
The Dungeon floor was still warmer than people's hearts.
"Maybe… dying here wouldn't be so bad…"
That thought crossed her mind.
Life had crushed her.
Every day was the same.
Pain.
Fear.
No hope of escaping the Soma Familia.
And with her current injuries, escaping a monster swarm was impossible.
If Anos had not been there, she would soon be devoured.
Though ironically, without Anos nearby, this monster swarm would never have formed.
Just as Lili waited quietly for death—
A voice spoke beside her.
"If you're going to give your life away so easily… why not give it to me instead?"
"Eh?"
Lili froze.
That voice didn't belong to any of the adventurers from earlier.
Then—
A magic circle appeared beneath her.
Pure white.
It radiated a soft glow.
Under that light, every monster froze in place.
Then—
"BOOM!"
A surge of pure magic exploded outward.
Every monster was erased instantly.
"What… just happened…?"
Lili heard footsteps approaching.
She tried to move her battered body and turn around.
But before she could—
Warm arms wrapped around her waist.
She instinctively assumed she would be lifted in a princess carry.
Instead—
She was hoisted sideways and tucked against someone's hip like a bag.
"…Um… who are you?"
Lili asked cautiously.
Had she been kidnapped?
"Oh, nothing special, I just saw someone who didn't seem interested in living. And my house happens to be missing a maid to serve tea."
Lili heard the calm voice.
Before she even processed the meaning, she noticed the voice itself.
Warm.
Gentle.
Almost… sacred.
It took her several seconds before she realized what he had actually said.
"You're a human trafficker?"
That was her first conclusion.
But then she realized something didn't add up.
Someone who could instantly wipe out that many monsters had to be extremely strong.
At least Level 3 or higher.
Why would someone like that kidnap people?
"Um… I belong to the Soma Familia. You know taking someone from another familia can cause problems, right?"
She spoke carefully.
After a brief moment of dazed admiration, her usual cautious personality returned.
"I know And I happen to have some business with Soma anyway. I'll just ask him to transfer you."
"…Transfer?"
Lili blinked in confusion.
"Oh... It means switching familias."
Anos smiled.
Honestly, he simply needed a maid.
The mansion was huge.
Hestia was a goddess and terrible at housework.
Bell came back exhausted from adventuring every day.
And while Anos could use cleaning magic, setting up automatic systems in such a large house might attract the attention of other gods.
So hiring someone was easier.
Lili was clever.
But she was also someone who repaid kindness.
The best way to earn her loyalty was sincerity.
Anos simply didn't have the time for that.
Placing her beside Bell and Hestia would naturally solve everything.
According to his calculations, within a month she would become completely loyal.
A girl who had suffered so much naturally longed for warmth.
"You… want to change my familia?"
Lili's eyes widened.
She couldn't tell if he was lying.
She didn't believe she was valuable enough for someone to pay the fee required for a transfer.
In the Soma Familia, however, transfers were simple.
As long as someone paid.
Soma didn't care about his followers anymore.
And since the gods sealed their divine powers in the lower world, Soma also needed money to continue researching wine.
So transfers could happen without the god's personal approval.
"Anos… who is she?"
Soon they returned to where Ais and Bell were waiting.
Ais looked at the small prum girl in his arms.
Even she didn't realize it But there was a hint of tension in her voice.
And the faintest trace of jealousy.
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~Support with 300 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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P-atreon/iamxeno
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