"A pretty boy like this is an adventurer too?"
"How disappointing."
Tione, the elder of the Amazon twins, had the air of a delinquent girl.
Her sitting posture was anything but proper, and she was perched right on top of a table, leaving the tavern owner furious but too afraid to say anything.
That expression of hers was unbearably smug too, deliberately looking down on others with one eye half-lidded in open contempt.
Rayleigh's expression stiffened after being called a pretty boy, and a dangerous aura began to seep from him.
At that very instant, Tione suddenly jumped down from the table and took up a fighting stance facing him.
A little cold sweat appeared on her face, and her pupils trembled as if she had sensed something unbelievable.
"Nee-san..."
Beside her, little Tiona also shifted from her careless attitude, calling out solemnly to warn her sister of the threat she had felt.
"Yeah, no need to say it. I felt it too." Beneath Tione's slightly horrified expression, the corners of her mouth split into a grin, her voice trembling as she said.
"This guy isn't some pretty boy at all. He's dangerous!"
Her tongue and lips trembled, and every muscle in her body was drawn tight.
What Tione felt now was a mixture of fear and excitement.
The instincts she had trained since childhood told her that the opponent before her was dangerous.
But precisely because of that, her instinctive thirst to fight a powerful enemy stimulated her nerves, urging her to challenge the person in front of her.
"Haha, no doubt about it."
"This guy is completely different from those losers earlier!"
Tione could no longer hold herself back!
The blood of an Amazon was boiling in her veins.
She was going to attack right now.
Rayleigh sensed her fighting spirit, but he had no intention of clashing with her here.
He did not know when Loki Familia would arrive after hearing the news. He could not even be certain whether they would come today or several days later.
If anyone wanted to tame these Amazon twins, only a few Familias in the city were capable of doing it.
As for the reason, it was simple.
These sisters were too strong.
Both of them were only twelve years old this year, yet they had already reached Level 3.
Even a mid-tier faction like Apollo Familia only had a Level 3 as its captain.
For Orario, these two who had come from Telskyura were like treasures that had dropped from the sky.
Subduing them without harming them would be no easy matter.
Rayleigh did not think that would be particularly difficult for him, but there was no benefit in defeating them either.
First of all, neither of them was a smith, so they were not suited for Hephaestus Familia.
In all of Orario, the Familia most suited to them was undoubtedly Loki Familia.
Ganesha Familia served as the city's military police, and with the twins' personalities, they would hate being bound by strict rules.
As for Freya Familia...
That could already be considered a religious group, made up of the goddess Freya and all of her devoted worshippers.
There were other Familias capable of subduing the two, of course.
For example, Ishtar Familia.
That was also a Familia led by a Goddess of Beauty, but the industry they dealt in was far too special.
Among Amazons, these sisters were actually quite innocent, so they were not suited to enter the pleasure business.
Besides, the darkness hidden within Ishtar Familia would be purged sooner or later.
Only Loki Familia could properly raise these two.
"I don't intend to fight."
Rayleigh let out a light sigh, then shook his head and prepared to leave.
He retreated half a step back.
But that tiny movement, in the eyes of Tione, who had already entered combat mode, was an excellent opening.
So she instantly lowered her body, the muscles in both legs bursting with terrifying strength.
Her small body sprang up, curving into a C-shape in midair, her bent leg pulled in tightly.
Whoosh!
Tione's whip kick tore through the air.
It came down straight toward Rayleigh's shoulder.
Seeing this, Rayleigh immediately raised his left arm above his head, and blue patterns appeared across it.
Bang!
"Huh...?"
Tione's strike, which she had been certain would land, gave her an unfamiliar sensation the instant it connected.
She released the impact and flipped backward.
After landing on the ground, she immediately lifted her face to look at Rayleigh.
Then she discovered that he had not moved at all.
How was that possible?
That attack just now had no effect at all?
Tione froze for a moment.
Rayleigh lowered his arm and lightly shook his sleeve. Then he checked whether his clothes had been damaged.
Still, as expected of an Amazon, that had been a powerful strike.
Compared to an ordinary Level 3, her instantaneous explosive power was about sixty percent stronger.
Seeing his composed appearance, Tione, who had just been stunned, immediately became so angry that she clenched her teeth.
"Don't get cocky!"
"I'm not though."
"I'm gonna beat you flat!"
Tione moved again.
She leapt backward and took a running stance.
After gathering power for a short moment, she shattered the floor and ground beneath her, launching herself forward in a violent burst.
Her entire body flew into the air, both legs stretched straight.
A flying front kick powered by a running start.
It looked incredibly strong.
"Go, Nee-san! Take him down!" Tiona shouted from the side, cheering as if she wished the chaos would grow even bigger.
Rayleigh felt a headache coming on.
These two children were far too different from the sisters he knew, but considering the four or five-year age gap between then and now, perhaps that was only natural.
These two girls—or rather, these two little troublemakers—had none of the charm they would have in the future.
He had to admit, growth truly was a mysterious thing.
While thinking about such things, Rayleigh strengthened his wrist with Reiryoku, then reached out and grabbed Tione's incoming ankle.
'Eh?' Tione was stunned.
'No way.'
'He actually caught it!'
Holding Tione with one hand, Rayleigh lifted her up with a single motion.
'Eh, eh, eh, eh?'
Tione was filled with confusion.
'Seriously?'
'The difference between our strength was this big?'
Having her full-power attack broken so easily made Tione's mind freeze.
"Let go of Tione!"
Seeing Tione caught, little Tiona rushed in as well.
Her small fist nearly stirred up a gale as it came smashing toward him.
Rayleigh brought his fingers together and raised his palm.
With a light, crisp smack, he stopped the little girl's ferocious punch.
'Eh?' Tiona was shocked.
She had already hit him with all her strength, but it did nothing!
'Amazing!'
Taking advantage of Tiona's daze, Rayleigh moved his finger near her forehead and flicked her.
The little girl was sent flying by the forehead flick and landed directly on a chair.
Then came Tione.
With a gentle swing, Rayleigh tossed her onto another chair.
The twin sisters, now forced into sitting properly, looked at each other and saw the same shock in one another's eyes.
Just then, a sudden commotion came from outside the tavern.
Hearing those astonished reactions, Rayleigh thought to himself.
'They're finally here.'