"Eh? Eh? Eh? Artemis!!!!!!!! You, you finally have a man!? That's, that's wonderful! Uuuuuu, we're finally free!"
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The sudden exclamation interrupted the two's conversation.
The voice sounded lively, carrying with it a thick sense of joy.
Looking at the other party's expression of breaking free from restraint and letting go of herself, Fron had no idea why she would show such a face!
"Lante, behave properly and be serious. You've completely disgraced our [Artemis Familia]!"
The scolding girl was a human girl with a short single ponytail tied behind her head. Judging by her youthful appearance, she seemed about the same age as Fron, around twenty years old.
The more lively girl seemed a little younger, though her words came out jumbled as if suppressed.
"Yes, sorry, Rethusa!"
Glaring harshly at the outspoken girl, the red-haired human girl stepped forward a few steps and respectfully saluted Artemis.
"Forgive me, Lady Goddess. To think I let you be alone…"
"It's fine, Rethusa. I myself requested to bathe alone, you are not at fault."
"…And this person is?"
As an adventurer, it was easy to feel from the youth's not-so-strong body a pressure as if from a great mountain.
Strong.
No, extremely strong.
"Ah, Rethusa, I've seen him before!"
"?" The human girl looked toward Lante, only to see her eyes filled with curiosity and interest as she looked at Fron.
"The [Night Weaver], Loki Familia's first-class adventurer, said to be the strongest of his rank, undefeated among equals, Fron, Fron Argon!"
"..." Rethusa's lips parted slightly, surprised as she looked at the young man smiling at them.
"The [Night Weaver], Fron Argon, the one everyone speculates is a monster whose power can surpass an entire level?"
"..."
"Ahem, although I'm happy to be acknowledged by such a beautiful girl, could you please stop always describing me as a monster~?" Fron spread his hands helplessly and complained a little.
"Uh, sorry, sorry. I was just too shocked. I didn't expect the famous [Night Weaver] would also come to the 『Great Tree Sea』, and by such coincidence meet our goddess."
"With this, Lady Goddess, you can rest assured. With such a powerful reinforcement here, even if that monster truly breaks free from its seal, it can still be dealt with!"
Knowing his goddess's worries, Lante immediately added.
"Hah, indeed. That can be considered the only good news."
"Lady Artemis, regarding 『Elsos』 and the sealed monster, could you explain the details to me? The contents written in the commission were very vague. So…"
"No problem, let's go over to the camp."
"Then I'll trouble you."
Since the other party warmly invited him, Fron of course agreed, joining the girls by the campfire in the wilderness, chatting as they roasted food, while three silhouettes seemed lonely under the night sky.
...
"I say, Lord Hermes. Now that we've come all the way here, shouldn't you clearly explain the details of the mission to us? Besides, the mission sheet stated that we were to rendezvous with another familia. Which familia exactly is it?"
The [Hermes Familia]'s pace was half a day slower than Fron's, but at this point they had also entered the territory of the 『Great Tree Sea』.
"And also… why is [Gale] here too? You really should explain that to us clearly, right?" Because of Fron, Asfi and Ryu Lion could be considered both rivals.
After all, having such a strong opponent motivated these strong-willed women as the best kind of pressure to drive themselves forward.
On top of that, with [Sword Princess] one step ahead of them, Asfi and Ryu's strengths had been rising like rockets recently.
"Ahem, too many questions. I'll explain one by one."
Since they were already close to their destination, Hermes no longer wished to keep things hidden.
"Ryu came because I invited her. After all, unlike the [Freya Familia] or [Loki Familia], our familia is not a powerful one. So, in terms of combat power… I decided it would be safer to invite [Gale] to join us."
"As for the familia we're supposed to rendezvous with, I believe you already have some guesses. Besides us, the [Hermes Familia], who spend most of our time wandering outside the city, there's only one other familia with the same nature. I think you can guess it, right?"
At these words, Asfi and Ryu immediately exchanged a glance and spoke the name in unison.
"[Artemis Familia]!"
"Ah, that's right, the [Artemis Familia]. They're active outside the city year-round. That goddess's personality… how should I put it? Similar to Astraea's, saving the weak, upholding justice. Hm… the biggest similarity is that the children they attract are all pure of heart."
"…So it's them. I didn't expect Lady Artemis to also be caught up in this situation."
But Hermes pressed down his hat and shook his head.
"No, Asfi. It's not Artemis who got caught up in this. Rather, this entire abnormal situation with 『Elsos』 and the seal was discovered by her in the first place. With no other options, she immediately sent the intelligence back to the Guild headquarters, which is why we are here at all."
"So that's how it is… two familias, plus Ryu in the lineup, just to deal with some ancient ruins on the surface…"
"Heh, don't underestimate them just because they're surface-dwelling monsters. The ones sealed within the 『Elsos Ruins』 is an Ancient Monster. Even the great spirits could only seal them rather than slay them. You can imagine how terrifyingly strong they are. More frightening is… monsters like 『Antares』, relics of ancient times, often possess special powers."
"Like what?"
"For example… powers that even the gods are helpless against."
"What did you say!?" As soon as Hermes finished speaking, Asfi's normally calm face broke down, and she cried out sharply.
Her reaction was entirely within Hermes's expectations, but… the god only gave a bitter smile, as if unsure how to continue explaining.
"As far as I know, the Arcanum of gods cannot affect ancient monsters. That's why we gods are helpless against them. To slay them, you children of the lower world must rely on your own strength. We gods cannot help, even breaking the rules and using Arcanum is of no avail. That is the true reason they were only sealed rather than destroyed."
Hearing Hermes's explanation, Asfi, Ryu, and the others were left completely stunned…
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T/N Bonus chapter for crossing 300 power stones; another bonus chapter will be posted in sometime~