Name: Jeanne d'Arc Title: - Race: Human Class: Cleric, Adventurer Affiliation: Demeter Familia (Hart Familia) Level: Lv. 2 Deepest Floor: 17th Floor
Basic Abilities: Strength: S999 → I0 Endurance: SS1001 → I0 Dexterity: S999 → I0 Agility: S999 → I0 Magic: S999 → I0
Development Ability: Adjudication
Weapons: Banner Lance: Familia Crest Banner Lance One-handed sword: La Pucelle template replica, Fourth-tier armament (Leon's hand-drawn blueprint)
Equipment: Casual: White linen dress, brown soft leather low-heeled ankle boots Uniform: Women's suit-style school uniform, black over-knee stockings, leather shoes Formal/Training uniform Combat: Full-body enchanted silver-blue battle dress, form-fitting; armor surface decorated with cross motifs; edges inlaid with gold filigree; pauldrons, knee guards, and other pieces adorned with intricate relief carvings; chains and sashes at the waist for ceremonial flair; Fourth-tier adventurer armament. Magic: [Omitted] Skills: [Omitted]
...
Reviewing Jeanne's updated Falna in his mind, Leon's eyes half-closed as he thought it over.
He'd assumed her strongest stats would be Dexterity, Agility, or Magic.
What he never expected was that, like Rose, the stat where Jeanne broke the ceiling was Endurance.
It brought him right back to that borderline-supernatural tankiness of hers.
"Forget it. If I can't figure it out, I can't figure it out."
He shook his head and let it go.
"Works out fine, actually. With Jeanne and Rose paired up on the frontline, the whole team benefits."
"Now, the Development Ability... Adjudication."
He kept sorting through the information.
"Similar to Rose's Guardian. Both are defense-oriented. One directly boosts defensive performance, the other provides passive damage reduction. Net result's about the same: more tankiness."
That thought made him grin.
"Counting me, the Familia already has three Lv. 2 adventurers."
"Not bad. That's a real first step toward building something."
Then the practical implications hit him: three Lv. 2s meant they could hold their own in the middle floors and farm efficiently.
His smile stretched so wide it nearly left his face.
"Oh yeah..."
Leon kicked himself upright from the floor in one clean motion, rolled his shoulders, and clenched his fists, feeling the power coiled inside him.
"Once the deal with the Astraea Familia is locked in, I need to carve out some time for the Dungeon. Proper training."
"The gap between my stats and my actual body control after leveling up is killing me. It's like playing a twitch game on a thousand-ping connection."
He took a deep breath, picked up the soiled over-knee stockings from the floor, and headed downstairs.
He dropped them into the wicker basket in the washroom without breaking stride, then drifted back to the living room and sank into the sofa.
Only then did he notice Laurier and Aura were gone. The sounds of sparring drifting in through the window told him exactly where they'd run off to.
"Training on schedule. Good hustle." He smiled. "Or did Rose and Jeanne leveling up light a fire under them?" He shook his head. "Both, probably. They're getting impatient."
...
The rest of the morning slipped away while everyone trained, studied, or caught up on sleep.
When Laurier and Aura came back inside drenched in sweat, they found Leon wearing a brand-new monocle, brow furrowed over a thick Grimoire.
"Done already?" He looked up at the sound of their footsteps.
Laurier shot him a withering glare and huffed. "This is your fault. Miss Jeanne was out of commission today, so all we could do was cardio and basics."
"Oh..." Leon nodded with a perfectly neutral expression, as if Jeanne's absence had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Laurier's teeth clenched. Even Aura turned her head slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching, visibly struggling to keep a straight face.
"Shameless! Bleh!" Laurier pulled a face at him, grabbed Aura, and the two of them bolted for their room. Elves and sweat did not mix well; a bath was the first order of business.
"Man..." Leon shook his head with zero shame. "The whole Familia's weight is on my shoulders. Who even understands the burden? A guy's gotta unwind sometimes."
He paused, then added under his breath with a smirk, "Though what's on my shoulders isn't always responsibility..."
"Jeanne and Rose's legs alone... I could appreciate those for a year..."
He rubbed his chin, clicked his tongue twice, then pulled off the Gale-Force Reading Glasses, closed the Grimoire, and headed for the kitchen to make lunch.
"Today is another beautiful day!"
...
...
The lunch that followed, however, carried an atmosphere that was... off. Nothing like the warm family meal Leon had pictured.
Jeanne and Rose in particular had their heads together the entire time, whispering back and forth, trading glances, then turning matching provocative looks on Leon as though they were plotting something.
It threw him completely. He ate the entire meal in confusion, and even after clearing the dishes, he still couldn't work out what was going on.
Are they teaming up against me? Forming a united front? That's... that's not how this is supposed to work. He dismissed the absurd thought and pushed it from his mind.
He checked the Magic Stone clock, stood, and clapped his hands. "Everyone get ready. Time to head out."
...
First District. Demeter Familia headquarters. Wheat Manor.
Apart from Leon, none of them had been to the First District before.
Compared to the old-town Seventh District where they lived, the scenery here was a different world entirely.
"Wow, it's gorgeous here! Not quite our forest back home, but for a city, this is incredible!" Laurier and Aura walked ahead, turning back every few steps to chatter.
"Well, it is Orario's famous Luxury Residential District." Leon eyed the elegant estates peeking through the greenery on either side, a flicker of envy in his gaze. "Foreign merchants and nobles all buy property here. Land prices are brutal. Any Familia that can set up a base in this district has serious money behind it, at minimum."
"Jealous?" Rose's golden eyes read him like a book. She leaned close to his ear, her voice soft. "Are you?"
"Jealous? Just... a tiny bit." Leon pinched his thumb and forefinger together with an embarrassed grin.
Jeanne and Rose both smirked, sizing him up with knowing looks.
"Nothing wrong with being jealous," Rose said, dragging out the last syllable, her eyes narrowing with playful mischief. "Unless... Leon, are you one of those fragile-ego types?"
Leon's composure cracked. He glared at both women and ground out, "It's not that I can't build one. The land is just too expensive!"
"Pfft..." Laurier and Aura covered their mouths, stifling giggles. They never would have guessed Leon's shamelessness ran this deep.
Laughing and bickering, the group reached the gates of Wheat Manor's estate.
Leon stepped forward to speak with the guard at the entrance. A familiar face, surprisingly. He couldn't put a name to the guy, but he definitely remembered working the fields alongside him.
"Leon? What brings you here?"
"As you can see. We're here to see Lady Demeter."
"If it's you, no need to announce. Go right in."
"Appreciate it."
"Don't mention it."
Leon waved the others forward and led them through the grounds with the ease of someone who'd walked this path a hundred times.
...
In the vineyard.
"Hm? Leon?" Demeter was busy among the vines, straw hat perched on her head.
Leon walked over and inspected the grapes. Close to harvest, by the look of them.
"Good afternoon, Lady Demeter. Sorry to drop in."
"Drop in?" Demeter tipped the brim of her hat up and swept an amused gaze over the parade of girls behind him.
"My, my. Haven't seen you in a while, and look at you, living your best life." Her voice carried a barely detectable edge. "Recruited quite the collection of pretty young Familia members, haven't you?"
Leon shrugged, unbothered. "I go where the blessings take me, Lady Demeter."
"The blessings."
"Exactly those."
Demeter folded her arms and looked the girls over one by one. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Good eye, though. I suppose I shouldn't expect any less from you."
"..."
"Hmph, forget it. Like I don't know what kind of person you are." Demeter flicked a glance at Leon, then her expression shifted to a warm smile in an instant. She trotted over to Jeanne and the others, took their hands in hers, and started walking them toward the parlor. "You're all Leon's new Familia members, yes? Wonderful, wonderful. Such lovely girls."
"Lady Demeter, it's a pleasure." Jeanne and the others were a little stiff. Gender aside, Demeter was a genuine goddess with enormous contributions to Orario. She commanded respect on every count.
"Come, come, let's chat inside."
"..."
Leon watched, dumbfounded, as the women walked off arm in arm, laughing and chatting, leaving him standing alone in the vineyard.
What the hell?
When did they build this bond?
How do I not know about this?
How are they already best friends with zero warm-up?
A million questions and no one to answer them. The sheer frustration shot straight to his head and turned his face red.
Did someone hit me with King Crimson? Did time just skip? His mouth twitched. The inexplicable instant-friendship between women was something he would never, ever understand.
"Terrifying. Scarier than math is the female mind."
Leon muttered his lament, pulled his hat low, and hurried after them.
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