The Hermes Familia.
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The light-blue, slightly wavy short hair hung loosely over her shoulders, but on that delicate yet spirited face was an expression of deep frustration, her brows furrowing sharply.
"I say, Lord Hermes. Can't you at least discuss it with us next time before taking on a commission? I won't even bring up the last time, on the 24th floor our Familia nearly got wiped out! If it hadn't been for the help of Fron and Ais, who knows how many of us would still be able to stand before you right now."
"Ah, ah, sorry, Asfi. It's not that I didn't want to discuss it this time. It's just that the client was an old acquaintance from the heavens, and it would've been awkward to refuse. Plus, the commission was time-limited, so… sorry, sorry."
"..." Asfi kept her face tense, but in the end she softened and let out a sigh.
"Just don't make us fight weird, inexplicable things again. If it's something reasonable, then fine."
"Ma, maa, don't worry, everyone. This isn't the Dungeon, after all. Monsters on the surface have grown weaker generation after generation, you all know this well. Even if their numbers are large, it won't be a problem. After all, you're all upper-class adventurers!"
As for their god's personality, the Familia members had long since figured it out. Just by looking at their doubtful eyes, it was clear, this god of theirs didn't exactly inspire much trust.
"Oh, right, Asfi. This time we're not the only ones who accepted the commission, there are three parties in total."
"What? One commission given to three teams at the same time? Are you kidding me!"
"Ah, but that way, everyone shares the risk, right? It makes sense, doesn't it?"
After quickly weighing the pros and cons in her mind, Asfi adjusted her silver-framed glasses with her middle finger and finally let out a breath of relief.
"That's not so bad. A smaller reward doesn't matter, safety is what's important. The last commission scared me enough already."
Her companions had nearly lost their lives right before her eyes. As the captain of the Familia, who else could truly understand the pain in Asfi's heart, and the crushing burden on her shoulders?
Not to mention, the [Hermes Familia] was essentially a single-core lineup. If her comrades were to die protecting her, even if she survived, she could never forgive herself.
"Alright, let's hurry on the road. At your pace, we should reach the destination in about five days."
"Yes!"
...
The labyrinth city Orario, inside the Loki Familia headquarters, the 『Twilight Manor』.
The male members had all been sent out by Loki to earn money for the Familia's massive debts, leaving only the women in the manor.
"Ais? What's that you're holding?" The girl was holding a long object wrapped in white cloth, marked with the Loki Familia crest.
"Mm… it's a drop item from Udaeus, a great sword."
"Eh? It hasn't been sold yet? It's been sitting around for a long time, hasn't it?"
"I'm not planning to sell it. I'll leave it for Fron to use."
"..." Tiona and Tione looked at each other, while Lefiya turned completely pale, muttering to herself.
"T-that despicable, shameless bastard! To think that even after leaving Miss Ais, he still leaves such a huge influence on her, how infuriating!"
"Lefiya?"
"Ah! N-no, it's nothing! Hehe, hehehe…"
"By the way, what did Loki keep us here for? After several days I'm getting restless. And I just advanced to Level 6, my hands are itching!"
"I heard she's taking us outside the city, but I don't know the details."
"Outside the city? That's great! I haven't been outside in ages, I'm kind of excited."
"Ais? Aren't you looking forward to it?"
"No."
"...Eh? No way, Ais. You mean you haven't left the city at all these years?"
The girl's cheeks reddened slightly, and she turned her eyes away, embarrassed.
"Oh, right, right! I heard from Riveria! Ais wasn't like this at all as a child, apparently she was a super rebellious problem child, always running off to the Dungeon. If she wasn't fighting monsters, she was on her way to fight monsters, super scary!"
"...Tiona!"
"Hehe, so Ais actually has that kind of side too."
...
Leaving aside the apparent calm within the city, and the undercurrents of darkness stirring below the surface.
Thanks to exceptional endurance and the physique of a first-class adventurer, Fron reached the entrance to one of the world's three great unexplored regions, the Great Tree Sea, by the 15th day after leaving the city.
The Great Tree Sea, just from the name, you could picture the vast sea of green.
A gigantic forest that stretched endlessly. From the sky, it extended as far as the eye could see.
Massive, ancient trees whose trunks took several people linking hands to encircle.
Flourishing plants and flowers competed in brilliance, while the cries of birds and beasts rang through the forest, accompanied by the rustling of leaves, together forming nature's grand symphony.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he felt the refreshing sensation of being embraced by nature, a feeling never experienced in the city.
"In two lifetimes, this is the first time I've ever been in such a vast, primal forest. I can't help but feel a bit eager."
With a smile, Fron stepped into the labyrinth and set off toward his destination.
As he walked, he pulled the parchment commission scroll from his pouch, carefully studying its contents.
"Investigation target: the ancient ruins 『Elsos』 in the center of the Great Tree Sea."
"According to intelligence submitted by guild branches and various Familia, large numbers of outside-Familia adventurers have gone missing near the 『Elsos Ruins』."
"The reports are limited, but the only certain point is that the monsters there have been exhibiting highly abnormal behavior."
"Such anomalies would be normal in the Dungeon, but on the surface… something must have happened."
Narrowing his eyes, Fron combined what he knew with the Guild's information, attempting to deduce the truth behind this abnormal situation.
"In those ruins, if I remember correctly, something known as an 『Ancient Monster』 is sealed, its name is 『Antares』."
In the [Loki Familia] archives, Fron had learned a historical truth unknown even to him before.
『Antares』, a calamity-class monster.
In ancient times, before the gods descended from the heavens,
『Antares』's power was on an entirely different dimension. It absorbed energy from everything, plants, animals, all phenomena of the lower world, and grew ever stronger.
Such a dangerous being was far beyond the ability of mortals to defeat.
In the end, only by the combined power of several great spirits was 『Antares』 finally suppressed and sealed away.
And the true nature of the 『Elsos Ruins』, was precisely the place built atop that seal.
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T/N: Just a note: The Great Tree Sea is not the name of the Third Unexplored Region; it is still unnamed even in canon;
And the Elsos Ruins is not located in the region called Great Tree Sea; Elsos Ruins is located at the end of a continent far away from Orario.