"Wait a mont."
Just as Eiji stood up from his seat, a voice suddenly called out to him.
"Eiji, although your skills are indeed impressive, it's best not to venture too far into the lower levels (below the 12th floor) at the beginning. Before entering the dungeon, I suggest you visit the guild headquarters first and buy so necessary items like potions."
The one who called out to Eiji was Finn.
In front of him was a large black fish almost as tall as he was. Pretending not to notice Tione's eager gaze, he smiled and offered his advice to Eiji.
"I understand."
Eiji raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded.
Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he turned and left the cafeteria.
"You seem to think quite highly of him, Finn."
Lefiya turned her head, her calm eyes directly eting Finn's, her erald-green hair swaying gently.
"After all, he's a newcor with great potential. Like you, I'm also looking forward to seeing how he grows."
Finn continued to ignore the large black fish in front of him and responded to Lefiya's words with a smile.
"But, are his achievents real? Without receiving any blessings, he managed to defeat several Level 2 adventurers in a row. When I heard about it, I almost dropped my bowl."
Gareth stroked the beard on his chin, clicking his tongue in amazent.
"Of course, it's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Tiona thumped her chest loudly, vouching for Eiji with absolute certainty.
"...I heard his swordsmanship is very strong."
A golden-haired, golden-eyed girl silently bit into her sandwich, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the group. Hearing Tiona's firsthand account, her eyes flickered with interest.
"That's right, incredibly strong! You could say his victories are largely due to his extraordinary swordsmanship!"
Tiona puffed out her chest, brimming with pride as if she were the one being praised.
"Is that so..."
Ais nodded, lowering her head, lost in thought.
"Does hearing about a strong swordsman spark your competitive spirit, Ais?"
Lefiya raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze eting Ais's, her expression softening in a way it didn't for others. "Are you wondering if, as an ordinary person, you could defeat Level 2 adventurers like he did?"
"...Yes."
Ais's eyelids drooped slightly, her expression unreadable but exuding a sense of frustration.
"Moreover, I feel like I probably couldn't do it."
The difference in strength between an ordinary person without blessings and a Level 2 adventurer is severalfold.
Although she is Level 5 and has honed her swordsmanship to the point of being known as "Orario's strongest female swordsman," the idea of defeating a Level 2 adventurer as an ordinary person still feels like a fantasy to her.
When the gap in strength is too large, skill becos irrelevant.
Yet, he effortlessly defeated several Level 2 adventurers, and his achievents are undeniably real.
This has left her deeply intrigued. She wanted to speak with him several tis this morning, but considering they had no prior relationship, she hesitated, fearing that probing too deeply would co off as intrusive, so she ultimately held back.
"Hmm, our princess finally has a proper worry, doesn't she?"
Lefiya's lips curled into a faint smile, her expression one of amusent, causing many of the male companions around her to stare in awe.
"There's no need to worry, Ais. Since you're both mbers of the sa familia, just build a good relationship with him. If it's you, I'm sure he won't dislike your approach. Even if he doesn't want to reveal his swordsmanship, he won't avoid you."
After all, Ais's appearance is truly adorable, and no man would reject soone like her.
Lefiya felt a sense of pride in this.
Ais, who grew up in the Loki Familia, was practically raised by her.
"Tch!"
A soft clicking sound ca from the corner, drawing the group's attention.
"And then?"
Sitting in the corner was the werewolf Bete, his head of slightly curly white hair lifting as he raised his head, his eyes narrowing as if in displeasure.
"What about the possibility of him being a spy?"
"Bete! Are you just looking for trouble?!"
Before anyone else could speak, Tiona exploded, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.
"Shut up, love-struck Amazoness. Finn, you must have considered this possibility, right?"
Bete shot her an impatient glare before turning his cold gaze toward Finn.
"Indeed, I have considered this possibility."
"Finn?!"
"However, you can rest assured."
Finn chuckled and waved his hand, calming the shouting Tiona, his expression as gentle as ever. "Yesterday, I had Loki grant him a blessing directly in the reception hall."
"As expected of you, Finn. No loopholes."
Lefiya remained calm, her deanour steady and composed.
"So, you must have seen his blessing, right? How was it? Was he a 'convert'?"
Although many gods of the lower world gather in Orario, not all of them do. There are also many gods who live outside Orario, granting blessings to those in the lower world and establishing their own familias.
Gods can grant blessings to those in the lower world, but they can also seal those blessings.
Once a blessing is sealed, the status of the adventurer temporarily disappears. It only reappears when another god lifts the seal.
This act of leaving one familia to join another is called "conversion."
Using conversion to plant spies in hostile familias is a possibility that cannot be ignored.
"He's a complete novice. He had never received a blessing before, and all his stats were zero. He couldn't have been a convert, so the possibility of him being a spy is nonexistent."
Finn clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them.
His words caused Tiona to puff out her chest proudly, showing off to Bete, while the other listening companions breathed a sigh of relief.
If Finn said so, then it must be true.
"His exquisite swordsmanship likely stems from so past experiences or secrets, but so what if he has secrets? Don't all of us here have our own secrets? With the pride of our Loki Familia, and your own pride, is there any need to dig deeper?"
"As long as it doesn't harm the familia, there's no need to investigate further. That's my stance."
In fact, within the Loki Familia, there are quite a few adventurers who previously belonged to other familias and converted over. Bete is one of them.
From this perspective, Eiji is even more pure than Bete.
Finn's words put the matter to rest, drawing a clear line under it.
Tiona nodded repeatedly, looking extrely pleased.
"Bete, don't go causing trouble for him either."
Finn turned his gaze toward the werewolf, a warning glint in his eyes.
Bete's tendencies were well-known within the familia.
"Don't treat like so petty bully!"
Bete snorted, his face filled with disdain.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30 advance chapters! Your support helps write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon/aarvan🔹
Thanks for being aweso! ❤️
Reviews
All reviews (0)