Leon nimbly dodged Ais's outstretched hand.
The blonde girl blinked, clearly thrown off for a moment. Then her gaze hardened. Her face as cold as frost, she reached out again, her tone icy and stubborn:
"Give it to me. However much it costs, I'll pay."
Leon retreated a few steps without changing his expression, shielding the approaching Riveria behind him.
"Ahem, it's not a question of money, Miss Wallenstein. How about... we hear out Lady Riveria's proposal first?"
On Ais's tense little face, those golden eyes turned utterly cold, as if sheeted over with ice.
"Blocking me from getting stronger. Bad person."
Leon: ?
Bad person? Me?
"Pfft..."
His mouth twitched. Face dark, he turned to look at Jeanne and the others.
"Laurier..."
Leon's voice drifted over, faintly sinister:
"I think your expression management training isn't quite up to standard. Perhaps some extra after-class tutoring is in order. What do you say?"
Laurier's reaction was lightning-fast. Like a startled rabbit, she whooshed behind Jeanne in an instant, leaving only a small head poking out, her eyes twitching at Leon in a rapid signal of distress.
"Bad person, hehe!"
Leon: "..."
...
On the other side.
Riveria's voice carried composure and reassurance:
"I understand your urgent desire to grow stronger. But when facing food whose origin and effects are not yet fully verified, caution is necessary. I think we should at least conduct some practical tests first, and then discuss the terms of further cooperation. What do you think?"
Ais: "..."
She stayed silent, the stubbornness in her eyes not entirely softened.
Riveria let out a small sigh and continued patiently:
"Besides... they are adventurers of Demeter Familia. Their familia's base is right there. They can't run. As long as we verify the effect is truly as he says, we can head over at any time to formally finalize the cooperation. So there's no need to rush right now. All right?"
Ais: "..."
Riveria kept up her low-voiced persuasion for a good while, mostly with "appeals to reason and emotion," supplemented by a certain amount of "intimidation." Only then did the desperate urgency in Ais's eyes finally fade a little, and she reluctantly accepted the suggestion to hold off.
The royal elf quietly let out a breath of relief. She led the still somewhat unwilling Ais back over, her calm gaze settling on Leon.
"Then, Mr. Leon."
Riveria's tone returned to its usual poise and authority:
"Now, let us discuss the particulars of cooperation regarding this food."
Leon's brow lifted in a motion almost too subtle to catch. He understood.
This was as good as done.
"Of course, Lady Riveria."
He offered a fitting smile and gave a slight nod.
...
Dungeon, Floor 5.
"Hey, hey, hey, look over there! It's Loki Familia's Nine Hell and Sword Princess!"
A young voice rang out, thick with surprise.
"What's so shocking about that?"
A seasoned adventurer beside him let out a dismissive snort:
"When are Loki Familia's people not diving into the Dungeon? This is nothing new."
"Right."
Another voice chimed in:
"Forget Nine Hell and Sword Princess. I've seen plenty of combos like Gulliver and Sword Princess, or Braver and Sword Princess."
"Huh?"
The young adventurer was clearly lost.
"Kid, you're Lv. 1, aren't you?"
The veteran shot him a sidelong glance.
"You'd never see them hanging around the upper floors. Sword Princess has been Lv. 2 for a while now. If you want to train her, obviously you'd come to the middle floors."
"..."
The young adventurer had his eureka moment.
So it wasn't that the sight was rare. It was that his level was too low, so he'd simply never had the chance to witness it.
"Then those guys walking beside them, they can't be ordinary either, can they?"
Hearing the young adventurer's question, a few of the veterans glanced in the direction he pointed.
When they noticed the emblems on the cloaks, a "figures" sort of look crossed their faces.
Someone let out a soft laugh.
"Heh. Anyone walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Loki Familia's Nine Hell and Sword Princess, an ordinary person?"
"See the crest on their cloaks? That's Demeter Familia's emblem. Don't tell me, kid, that you don't know Demeter Familia."
"Holy shit... Demeter Familia? That massive agricultural power?"
The young adventurer sucked in a sharp breath.
"What did you think?"
The veteran's tone was matter-of-fact:
"It takes a behemoth of that caliber to even qualify for a conversation with Lady Nine Hell."
"Isn't that obvious? Or did you think small fry like us could ever catch that lady's eye?"
"..."
All these adventurers were no slouches themselves, and they hadn't made any effort to lower their voices. The other party wasn't avoiding the topic either, so naturally Leon's group and Riveria's group heard every word clearly.
Leon rubbed his nose, a little awkward, and said in a low voice to Riveria:
"Uh... them talking about you like that, doesn't it offend you to hear it?"
Riveria's expression was calm, her gaze unperturbed.
"There's nothing to be displeased about. You get used to it."
She paused, her voice carrying a trace of the clarity that came from seeing the world:
"The world of adventurers is a mixed bag to begin with. There are all kinds of people. I can't hold others to my own standards, and I certainly shouldn't impose my expectations on them."
"I see."
Leon nodded thoughtfully.
...
The group made it out of Babel without incident, exchanged their Magic Stones for heavy gold coins at the Exchange, and finally arrived at the familiar fountain statue.
Leon handed a bundle over to Riveria:
"Consider this Monster Hunter Special a show of our good faith. Take it back and test it. Once you have your results, we'll talk price in detail. How does that sound, Lady Riveria?"
Riveria took the bundle, anticipation in her eyes.
"No problem. We'll send someone to contact you afterward."
Leon gave a slight nod and waved.
"Very well. Then we'll take our leave."
Watching Leon and his group gradually disappear into the bustling crowds of the main avenue, Riveria and Ais slowly pulled their gazes back.
"Ais, your conduct today was very disappointing."
The royal elf turned to Ais. The gentleness was gone from her face, replaced by sternness.
Ais blinked. A flicker of confusion crossed her golden eyes.
Riveria's voice carried an undeniable note of reprimand:
"It seems what you need to study isn't just combat technique, but how to conduct yourself and treat others."
"Starting tomorrow, you are not to leave the base. You'll be confined to the library for a week."
"Huh!?"
"No! Riveria, please!"
Ais's eyes went wide in an instant, showing a rare flash of urgency and resistance.
"This isn't up for discussion."
Riveria cut her off with finality, then turned and strode away, leaving Ais rooted in place, her small face written all over with grievance and reluctance.
...
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