◉◉◉◉◉
"So… you're not actually from the East?"
Mikoto's voice carried a hint of disappointment.
She had thought the Holy Child might be from the same homeland as her.
"No, I'm not, but thanks for looking out for me."
Anos smiled.
"I appreciate you coming all this way to offer help, but you've probably heard what happened today. A lot of people came to see me, and I turned every one of them down."
"I-I'm not here for that…"
Mikoto's face flushed as she tried to explain herself, She hadn't come here to confess or anything like that. She had simply wanted to help someone she thought might share her roots.
She wasn't like those shameless women.
Definitely not.
"I know... I'm just saying I don't think I need help."
Anos smiled lightly.
"Miss Mikoto, I won't be taking many people into my Familia before the war. But afterward… would you be interested?"
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Huh?"
Mikoto froze.
An invitation?
And not just any invitation, but one to join after the war?
Was he really that confident? The Familia War hadn't even begun, and he was already planning for what came next?
"I… already belong to a Familia."
She quickly explained, thinking he might not know.
"I know... So… would you consider switching? We even have top-tier hot springs."
Anos extended the offer again.
"I-I already have my own Familia…"
At the mention of hot springs, Mikoto swallowed unconsciously, but she still answered firmly.
Still…
Even though the Hestia Familia was newly formed, their residence was already this luxurious.
Compared to that, the Takemikazuchi Familia did feel… a bit modest.
"No, no, I shouldn't think like that… It's disrespectful to Lord Takemikazuchi."
She hurriedly pushed that thought out of her mind.
"So having a Familia means you can't transfer? We even have a maid who moved over from another Familia."
Anos said with a smile.
"Ugh…"
Mikoto hesitated.
So someone really had taken that first step before?
Still, hesitation was just that. A fleeting moment.
In the end, she wasn't that kind of person.
She decided to stay with her companions.
What she didn't know was that it wouldn't be long before she came back here again to see Anos.
…
The next day.
Anos had learned his lesson.
Even if he went out to hunt monsters, he wasn't passing through public areas anymore.
Why bother, when teleportation magic existed?
And so, someone ended up disappointed.
"He didn't come?"
Ryu had worked diligently until ten, but Anos never showed up.
She had been watching his movements the day before under the pretense of helping her close friend Syr.
But in truth…
Even she didn't fully understand why she had been observing him.
She just felt like she couldn't look away.
"Ryu, are you taking the day off?"
Syr asked in surprise.
She had rushed over the moment Mia told her. If Ryu was taking leave, there could only be one reason.
"Mm... There's something I need to take care of."
Ryu quietly prepared her gear.
She was still a wanted person. Mia had taken her in at the Hostess of Fertility. She couldn't afford to cause trouble.
Of course, she wasn't leaving.
She was just preparing stealth gear so her identity wouldn't be exposed.
"Ryu… are you going to the Hestia Familia to find the Holy Child?"
Syr asked directly.
Ryu froze.
She hadn't expected Syr to guess her intentions instantly.
"…Yes... Don't worry, for your sake, I won't let anything happen to him."
She answered as a devoted friend.
"So you knew I was worried about him too… Just like you, Ryu."
Syr smiled warmly.
On the surface.
In reality, the sharper her innocence appeared, the deeper her hidden side ran.
What she actually thought was: When did I ever say that? You're just deciding that on your own.
What she said instead was: Yes, that's exactly how I feel. Go ahead and act for my sake.
"…I'll head out now."
With Syr's "approval," Ryu's resolve strengthened.
For now, she would head into the Dungeon.
Based on Anos's actions yesterday, she was certain he would be there again today, grinding for experience.
For some reason, that thought made her chest tighten slightly.
He must be under a lot of pressure.
But this was something he couldn't back down from.
With that thought, and the promise she had made, Ryu set off for the Dungeon.
…
Meanwhile, Anos had already descended deep into the lower floors.
While he didn't need to take the Apollo Familia seriously, leveling up was still necessary.
Besides, letting everyone think he was struggling because of Apollo gave him time to handle other matters.
"It seems a mere floor boss isn't enough for me to level up anymore."
He let out a quiet sigh.
Before him, the freshly respawned Udaeus had just been reduced to ashes… again.
He was currently Level 3.
To reach Level 4, he needed a great feat, such as defeating a floor boss.
But for him…
That wasn't enough.
"Hm?"
Anos suddenly noticed something.
A green figure had entered this floor at high speed.
"…Ryu?"
He raised an eyebrow.
Had she come this deep?
Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't be too surprising.
But after the chaos he had caused, the difficulty of every floor had increased significantly.
"She followed me?"
Though it seemed obvious, Anos still activated his ability to confirm.
[Yes.]
"So I matter that much to her?"
He smiled faintly.
"Determine. Did she come on her own, or was she sent by Syr?"
[The individual known as Ryu Lion came of her own will.]
"Oh?"
That caught him off guard.
For a moment, he even felt a little concerned about the state of her friendship with Syr.
…
While Anos was still processing this, Ryu froze upon seeing the battlefield.
The Dungeon's ground had been transformed into a crystalline expanse, shimmering like glass.
It looked like a wasteland struck by a meteor.
"What… happened here?"
The earlier destruction had been shocking enough.
But this?
Even Udaeus shouldn't have been capable of this level of heat-based devastation.
"Found him."
Her gaze quickly locked onto her target.
A black-haired boy stood calmly on the crystalline ground.
His clothes were spotless, untouched by battle.
Quiet. Untainted.
Seeing him, Ryu instinctively made her already silent footsteps even lighter.
"Was this all his doing… or the monster's?"
She remembered that the Holy Child was supposed to be a swordsman.
Could a swordsman cause this kind of destruction?
Or… was he also a powerful mage?
Either way, it was unbelievable.
No matter how she looked at it, the fact remained.
Udaeus had been soloed.
"Normally… it would take someone at least Level 6 to defeat Udaeus alone…"
That was what shocked her most.
Udaeus was a Level 6 monster.
And yet, the Holy Child was only Level 3.
By all logic, someone capable of defeating Udaeus should have no trouble crushing the Apollo Familia.
And that led her to a startling realization.
Maybe…
The Holy Child hadn't been forced into accepting the Familia War at all.
Maybe that had just been everyone else's assumption.
He had never once claimed he was being forced.
He had simply responded to their provocation with even greater defiance…
And calmly accepted their challenge.
"No wonder he rejected so many confessions… He has absolute confidence."
Ryu glanced down at herself, recalling the list circulating around the city.
She should fall into the "average" category, right?
But… so did Syr.
Did that mean she and Syr were rivals?
"…No, that's not right."
Ryu snapped back to her senses.
"Anos is someone Syr cares about. I'm only here to check on him."
She finally reminded herself of her reason for coming.
She was here for her friend.
Not for someone she personally cared about.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 300 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!