Until the luxurious carriage emblazoned with the Guild's emblem faded into the distance with the rumbling of its wheels.
Only then did the air on the first floor seem to flow again.
"..."
"Um... Lord God..."
The one to break the silence was Hanasaka Warabi, the most straightforward of them all.
She had been peering out the window since a moment ago, watching the carriage disappear at the end of the street. Only then did she turn around, her face filled with great confusion.
"That guy just now..."
"Is he really the Guild Master of this Guild thing?"
Hanasaka Warabi gestured at Royman's exaggerated physique while grumbling with a frown:
"Even though his title sounds intimidatingly grand, like he's the boss in charge of this city..."
"But..."
"Why does he seem to have less courage than a mouse?"
"Seeing him bowing and scraping before Lord God just now, he was exactly like a mouse seeing a cat, not even daring to breathe loudly."
"And the most ridiculous part is..."
At this point, as if she had discovered a new world, Hanasaka Warabi dug into her ear and looked at Ryu.
"That guy might look... well, a bit hard to put into words."
"But his ears are pointed too, huh?"
"Could it be..."
"A guy with that kind of appearance is actually an elf?!"
As soon as she said this...
Beside her, Rin couldn't help but nod, her face full of disbelief.
"Yeah!"
"I noticed that too!"
"The books clearly say that elves like Miss Elf are all supposed to be beautiful and noble, right?"
"How come that Guild Master..."
Rin thought for a moment, seemingly trying to find a less rude word, but ultimately gave up and spoke bluntly:
"Is so greasy-looking?"
"He doesn't look like an elf at all!"
"Our Miss Elf is much more pleasant to look at!"
"Exactly!"
Kikakujuo Mary chimed in from the side, her gaze shifting between Ryu's elegant and refined profile and the image of that greasy fat man's back, finally reaching a conclusion.
"As expected, someone like Miss Elf is a true elf."
"Could that Guild Master be a genetic mutation?"
"..."
Faced with these merciless and somewhat lookist complaints from the Five Swords.
As for Ryu, who was the subject of comparison...
At this moment...
...her thoughts were completely preoccupied and unable to process any of that.
After all...
...these children who had only been in Orario for a few days didn't understand.
But having spent so many years in Orario, how could she not?!
The Guild Master!
Royman, mockingly called the "Pig of the Guild" by everyone!
Although he was greedy and had a terrible reputation—to the point where he was practically being disowned by the elven race...
...he was indeed a powerful figure in Orario!
In many cases, he dared to negotiate directly with the gods.
Under normal circumstances...
...let alone personally delivering items to one's door with such subservience...
...even the Patron Gods of the major Familias would have to visit him in person if they wanted a meeting!
As a result, right now...
Royman's earlier display of utter trepidation—nearly breaking into a cold sweat and almost kneeling after just a few words—was still fresh in their minds...
Just why?
The one standing behind Royman was Great God Ouranos himself!
Why was he terrified to such an extent of this... black-haired god, who seemed gentle, harmless, and even joked with his Familia?
"It seems..."
"This God's background..."
"Is much greater than I imagined..."
It wasn't just Ryu.
Even Chloe and Lunoire—the two usually most well-informed—were currently shrinking their necks, exchanging horrified glances.
Though they loved gossip, they knew who they could provoke and who they couldn't.
They had originally thought it was just a new god's faction with some strength.
But now it seemed truly bottomless.
At the very least, he was a Great God from the Heavens!
"Alright."
"Stop talking over there."
Heimer clapped his hands, interrupting everyone's thoughts.
He reached out and opened the exquisite wooden boxes Royman had left behind.
A rich and fresh herbal fragrance instantly filled the air.
Inside were several rows of crystal potion bottles containing a pale golden liquid, neatly arranged.
Even a layman could see the extraordinary nature of these potions just by looking at the color of the liquid.
"Since these are items Ouranos tacitly sent over,"
"There's no need to be polite."
After saying that,
Heimer opened the wooden box.
Inside were over a dozen bottles of potions, neatly arranged.
The liquid was a pure, translucent pale gold, shimmering with a charming luster under the light; one could feel the powerful vitality contained within just by looking at it.
—[Dian Cecht Familia] Special Supply, Highly Concentrated All-Purpose Recovery Potion.
It could not only instantly heal most external injuries but also rapidly restore physical and mental strength in a short time.
In this Dungeon, this was practically a second life.
This was a high-quality item that money couldn't buy on the open market.
"Take them."
"Since you're going to the Dungeon for a trial today, and Miss Tsubaki isn't leading the team,"
"These things can save your life at a critical moment."
"Everyone take a bottle, just in case."
"Though I hope you won't have the chance to use them."
"But..."
"After all, the Dungeon has never been a place that listens to reason."
"You never know which will come first: an accident or tomorrow."
"This thing can save your life at a critical moment."
"Carrying it with you is a form of security."
"Don't be reluctant to use it."
"Compared to these external possessions, your lives—even a single strand of hair—are much more precious to me than this."
"Yes! Thank you, Lord God!"
Hanasaka Warabi was the first to take a potion. Like a child who had received a new toy, she held it up against the sunlight streaming into the central courtyard, watching the golden liquid slosh around with a face full of excitement.
"Is this for us?"
"It looks so high-grade!"
"Naturally."
"Recovery potions specially supplied to the Guild by the [Dian Cecht Familia]."
"The quality is bound to be much better than those sold on the market."
Heimer smiled and distributed the remaining potions to the other members of the Five Swords.
Hanasaka Warabi, Rin, Inaba Tsukuyo, Tamaba Satori, and Kikakujuo Mary.
One bottle for each person.
Finally.
A few bottles remained in the wooden box.
Heimer took a look, thought for a moment, and set two of them aside separately.
"This bottle, leave it for Kirukiru."
"When she wakes up, this will be somewhat useful for her current recovery."
"As for this last bottle, I'll keep it with me for now."
"Alright."
Having finished distributing the supplies,
Heimer slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over this group of vibrant young girls.
He didn't say anything more sentimental.
He just smiled and gave them a gentle nod.
"Go ahead."
"The same words as before."
"Stay safe."
"I'll be waiting for your triumphant return to have dinner."
"Yes! Lord God!"
The girls immediately responded in unison, their voices crisp, pleasant, and full of vitality.
Then.
They all rubbed their hands together in anticipation and turned to walk toward the door.
However.
Just as the girls were filing out the main gate,
Inaba Tsukuyo, who had been silently following at the back of the group, suddenly became hesitant in her steps.
She looked at the confident backs of her companions ahead.
Then she looked back at Heimer, who was standing in the hall seeing them off.
A flash of conflict appeared in those ruby-like eyes.
"..."
After all, this morning,
from the moment she woke up until now,
because of that shameful accident last night,
she had been acting like a shrinking turtle.
Avoiding eye contact, not daring to speak, she had even finished her breakfast with her head buried down.
Although the Lord God hadn't blamed her and had even comforted her gently,
because of that...
Inaba Tsukuyo still had a knot in her heart.
—She was dissatisfied with herself.
"This... won't do..."
"I... I can't keep being this cowardly..."
Looking at Heimer,
the impulse in Tsukiyo's heart finally triumphed over her shyness.
And so,
"Phew..."
Inaba Tsukuyo took a deep breath, as if to squeeze out every bit of cowardice from her chest.
Then,
just as the girls were about to cross the threshold, and even while Ryu and the others were still watching from the side,
the small figure that was Inaba Tsukuyo, who always followed quietly at the end of the line, suddenly stopped, turned around, and her small feet clad in white stockings went "patter-patter-patter" as she jogged back to stand before Heimer.
"Lord God."
Because Tsukiyo had run a bit fast and was nervous,
her voice trembled slightly, and her exquisite doll-like face turned bright red, even the tips of her ears burning hot.
But she didn't give up.
She tried hard to keep her moist red eyes, which still held a bashful mist, wide open, looking directly at Heimer without flinching.
"Um..."
"I..."
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