Jeanne noticed Lorie's awkward state as well.
She stepped forward, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently held Lorie's trembling hand.
"It's okay now, Lorie. You're safe. Don't be afraid."
Ronan watched the scene with a faint smile.
As expected of Jeanne, she was naturally good at making people relax. She had only just met Lorie, yet the girl was already starting to calm down around her. In that regard, Ronan still had a lot to learn.
He shifted his attention and looked at Lorie and the unconscious Aura.
Neither of them had the feel of adventurers.
They looked like complete beginners.
Not ordinary city beginners, either, but the kind who had grown up sheltered and knew very little about the world.
After being tricked, it was no surprise they had fallen straight into a trap.
While Ronan was thinking, Lorie gradually calmed down under Jeanne's gentle comfort.
In a low voice, she began to explain what had happened to her and Aura.
...
...
After hearing the story, Ronan nodded.
"It's pretty much what I thought. I don't blame you. If anything, I'd say you were lucky. The people who caught you were from a reckless group that had only recently come to Orario themselves and hadn't gotten involved with the deeper parts of the city yet. That's the only reason you had a chance to escape."
"Take this as a lesson. What happened this time was painful, but it can still help you later."
Lorie bit her lip and nodded hard. Ronan's words felt reasonable to her.
"I... I understand."
Seeing that she had settled down, Ronan smiled and asked at the right moment,
"Lorie, would you and Aura like to join the Familia Jeanne and I belong to?"
"Huh?"
The sudden question caught Lorie completely off guard. She blinked, looking from Ronan's smiling face to Jeanne, who was quietly encouraging her with her eyes.
"I..."
She twisted her fingers nervously, clearly wanting to say something but still hesitating.
Ronan saw the concern in her movements and spoke honestly.
"Don't force yourself. Joining a Familia is a major decision, and it matters to both sides. If there's anything you want to ask, go ahead. As long as it's not something I can't say, I'll answer honestly."
Lorie finally seemed to gather her courage. Looking up with clear eyes, she asked softly,
"Which... which Familia do you and Jeanne belong to?"
Ronan had expected that.
Most people asked that first.
After all, for a person choosing a Familia, the god they ended up serving could shape the rest of their life.
If you were lucky and met a decent god, things could go well.
But if you were unlucky and ended up with a useless one who only cared about having fun, then your future would be miserable.
After thinking for a moment, Ronan spread his hands and explained,
"On the surface, we are connected to Demeter Familia. You should know at least a little about Goddess Demeter, right?"
Lorie nodded.
Even though she had only just arrived, she had already heard of that goddess and knew she held a lot of influence.
"As for the real situation, it's a little complicated. It touches on some of our Familia's private matters." His tone turned more serious. "But I can swear to Goddess Demeter that we have nothing to do with Evilus or any other shady group people would call villains."
"Of course, if you want the full story..." He paused on purpose and gave Lorie a small wink. "Then I can tell you after you join."
"..."
That explanation only left Lorie even more confused.
Still, there was one thing she was sure about.
Ronan and Jeanne could not be bad people.
The reason she trusted them so quickly was not because Ronan had some special charm that made people follow him.
It was because of Jeanne.
The sense of warmth and closeness Jeanne gave off felt natural even to an elf. Someone truly twisted could never give off that kind of feeling.
If Ronan had known what Lorie was thinking, he would not have known whether to laugh or cry.
In the end, Lorie softly gave her answer.
"Okay. I'll join."
Ronan and Jeanne both smiled.
"As for Aura," Lorie added firmly, "I think she'll make the same choice once she wakes up."
The unconscious Aura still had no idea that her good friend had already made the decision for her.
Still, Aura was lucky.
If Ronan had known exactly who they were from the start, he would have understood even more clearly just how close the silver-haired elf might have come to a terrible future if he had not stepped in here.
...
...
When it was time to perform the Falna ceremony for Lorie, Ronan stayed focused.
Jeanne stood nearby with her arms crossed, watching him closely.
Under those conditions, even if he had wanted to do anything unnecessary, Jeanne would probably have hit him immediately.
So Ronan behaved himself.
Even so, for an elf, the Falna ceremony was still embarrassing.
"I... I have to show my back... What kind of god came up with a ceremony like this? It's so embarrassing..."
With Jeanne's help, Lorie lay face down on the bed. Her back was exposed for the Falna ceremony, while the rest of her body remained wrapped in a blanket.
During that time, Jeanne had pointedly made Ronan step out of the room.
Only after Lorie was ready did Jeanne call Ronan back in.
Using the Familia Invitation's authority, Ronan pricked his finger with a silver needle and let a drop of blood fall. As he guided the Falna ceremony, he answered helplessly,
"Who knows? Maybe it was just some god with a bad sense of humor. If anyone knows, it would probably be Lord Ouranos at the Guild."
Ronan had already done this many times, so the steps were familiar.
Soon, a flash of magic light passed over Lorie's back, and the ceremony ended successfully.
Only then did Jeanne finally relax. She gave Ronan a satisfied look, clearly pleased that he had behaved himself.
"Welcome to the Veyr Familia, Lorie Suval."
Ronan printed the Status onto a piece of parchment. After Jeanne helped Lorie get dressed again, he handed it over to her.
"Huh? Veyr Familia?"
Lorie froze.
"Didn't you say you were connected to Demeter Familia?"
Ronan gave her a meaningful smile and pressed the parchment into her hand.
"How can you be so sure that the god everyone sees is the one truly at the center? You're still young, kid. Orario is a much deeper place than it looks."
Lorie's mind went blank. Her eyes were filled with clear confusion.
Name: Lorie Suval
Race: Elf
Occupation: Adventurer, Magic Swordsman
Affiliation: Veyr Familia
Level: 1
Ability Scores:
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Development Ability:
(None)
Magic:
Gale Chant: Covers the entire body in invisible wind armor. Raises all ability scores while deflecting attacks. Greatly increases attack power, attack speed, and movement speed.
(Enchantment Magic)
Finishing Move: Arashihana
Chant: Howl, storm!
Skills:
Emblem of Favor (Hidden): Blocks detection. A disguise effect that prevents gods from easily sensing abnormalities, lies, or hidden information.
Increases potential and capacity. Allows extremely fast improvement.
Fairy Song: Increases magic effects.
Increases Mind efficiency.
Shadow of the Gale: Increases perception. Range and effect are greatly strengthened after using magic.
Increases movement speed and attack speed.
Increases Agility and Dexterity.
Wind Frenzy Dance:
Increases all ability scores.
Aside from a few extreme exceptions, Lorie's Status was clearly excellent.
Ronan guessed that such a strong Falna result was not only because Lorie was an elf with high natural potential. His own skill had likely played a major role too.
Yes, it was Blessing of Favor.
Clearly, Blessing of Favor and Emblem of Favor were connected.
As long as the right conditions were met, every member of the Familia would gain them.
By now, Ronan already had a rough idea of what those conditions were.
As for the cost, he also had a rough guess.
During the Falna ceremony, had Lorie's potential and that skill reacted together?
That was the only explanation Ronan could come up with.
In the end, he decided not to think too hard about it.
There were still too many unknowns. Since the result was clearly good, he would just let things develop naturally.
After getting dressed, Lorie held the parchment in both hands and stared at her own Status.
She could hardly believe it.
Is this really me? Is this really Lorie Suval? Why does it look this strong?
She had always had a rough idea of her own talent.
As the elders in her village used to say, she was not the worst, but she was definitely not among the best either.