As their exchange came to an end, Persephone's red lips parted slightly in surprise, her eyes fixed on Jeanne in astonishment. She'd clearly caught something critical from the conversation between those two:
Jeanne possessed an ultra-rare precognition skill.
"You... you have a precognitive skill?"
Shock was written all over Persephone's elegant features.
"As far as I know, the only Adventurer in all of Orario with that kind of ultra-rare skill is Braver. There's practically no one else!"
Leon's mouth curled into a smug little grin.
"Revelation. Think of it like a maxed-out danger sense, except Jeanne's version just straight up gives her the correct answer from the world itself."
Persephone's carefully maintained composure finally cracked.
"What did you just say? The world gives her the answer? Doesn't that mean..."
Leon chuckled, walked up to her, and pressed his index finger gently against her lips. He leaned in close to her ear, his breath warm against her skin.
"Shh, Persephone. Some secrets are better left unsaid."
"Just keep it to yourself."
The sudden intimacy left the cool, aloof beauty's mind a blank. A prickling current shot from her toes to the crown of her head; her legs gave under her, her thoughts scattered, and red bloomed helplessly across her pale skin.
"Leon!"
Jeanne's brows shot up, one hand on her hip, glaring daggers at him.
The message was clear: one more inch and she'd be delivering a merciless Holy Maiden's Punishment.
"..."
Sensing the variety of looks the women were giving him, and remembering they were still in the middle of the very dangerous Dungeon, Leon reluctantly stepped back from Persephone, his face full of regret.
"Man, what a waste..."
"Hmph!"
"..."
Having successfully driven off a certain restless man, Jeanne pulled the still somewhat dazed Persephone to her side and snapped at Leon:
"Rose and Kureha are handling the tents. Since you've got nothing to do, go collect firewood and fetch some water. It's getting late. Time to start on dinner."
"Fine, fine."
Leon shot one last lingering glance at the gorgeous captain whose flustered gap was absolutely devastating, his regret deepening another notch.
Still, not a total loss. He hadn't noticed before, but Persephone seemed to be the extremely sensitive type?
In that department, she was even more intense than Jeanne.
Heh. So that's what's hiding under the ice-cold exterior? No wonder she keeps up the glacier face all the time. She's terrified of anyone finding her weak spot.
With a knowing look, Leon turned and headed into the dense forest.
Just as he was about to go to the stream for water and gather firewood to get the campfire and dinner going, something else was unfolding nearby.
Laurier and Aura, the inseparable pair, were carrying a basket brimming with delicious berries and some expensive sugar crystals they'd been lucky enough to find, when they came face to face with a massive party heading straight toward them.
"Hm? If I remember correctly... you're from Demeter Familia, aren't you?"
"Laurier Swall and Aura Moriel, am I right?"
Seeing Riveria walking toward them with a smile, holding her exalted staff and wearing the ceremonial robes of elven royalty, Laurier and Aura panicked instantly, nearly dropping their basket on the ground.
"L-Lady Riveria, good afternoon!"
"I never expected to run into you in Under Resort of all places. What an honor!"
Laurier stammered through her excitement, drawing a helpless smile from the elegant elven royal.
"Haha, Riveria. Everywhere you go, you cause a scene."
Gareth stroked his great beard as he and a smiling Finn walked over.
"Since the two of you are here, then... Mr. Leon Hart and Miss Jeanne d'Arc should be nearby as well?"
"You're here because...?"
Compared to the flustered Laurier, Aura was far more composed. In front of outsiders, she demonstrated flawless elven etiquette, first bowing to Riveria with the highest elven greeting, then offering Finn a polite nod.
"Yes, Lord Braver. Mr. Leon and Jeanne are nearby as well."
Finn glanced at the basket of berries in their hands and a smile crossed his face.
"Camping? Sounds like this trip to the Dungeon is more than your usual daily expedition."
He gestured behind him, where his Familia members were already unloading equipment and supplies, busy setting up their own camp.
"We've just set up here ourselves. If it's not too much trouble, could you pass along a message? We'd like to come pay a visit."
Laurier blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Huh? Visit us?"
Aura let out a quiet sigh at her friend's reaction, stepped forward slightly, and replied with calm composure.
"Of course, Lord Braver. We'll be sure to relay the message."
"It's just... we still have a few things to take care of, so if you'll excuse us..."
Finn nodded.
"Of course. Go on ahead."
"Then we'll take our leave, Lady Riveria, Lord Braver."
"Go on!"
Watching Laurier and Aura slip gracefully into the forest, Finn narrowed his eyes and murmured, half-smiling:
"Have you noticed? Loki Familia's luck has been absolutely terrible lately."
"I've had this feeling for a while now... after such a long streak of bad luck, we were overdue for a change. And wouldn't you know it, the moment we arrive at Floor 18, a nice surprise drops right in our laps."
Riveria half-closed her eyes and cast a cool sidelong glance at the Pallum, a note of warning in her voice.
"What are you scheming now?"
"I'll remind you, Demeter Familia is an important partner for Loki Familia. Without the Monster Hunter Specials they supply, even with Hephaestus's smiths backing us up, our odds of successfully charting unknown territory with nearly half our supplies gone would be less than ten percent."
Finn's smile didn't waver.
"Why would I scheme against them? With the kind of influence and importance Demeter Familia has in the city, I'd sooner put them on a pedestal. And I'm not stupid. If we burned that bridge and lost our supply of Monster Hunter Specials, the damage would be irreversible. I'd never make a short-sighted play like that."
"Besides, you're misreading me. What I'm thinking is..."
"Since they're also exploring the Dungeon, and it's a full-team formal expedition, they should have brought a substantial stock of Monster Hunter Specials with them, right?"
Riveria and Gareth exchanged a glance, then both turned to Finn.
"You're saying...?"
"Exactly. We borrow some from them. With a solid supply of Monster Hunter Specials, our chances of charting unknown territory go way up. And in return, we escort them safely to their target floor and share whatever intel we have on it. How does that deal sound to you?"
[Read 40+ chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/NiaXD]