Her words caused another ripple through the crowd. If Liliruca really was chosen as the exclusive spokesperson, that meant she alone could determine whether or not the familia would even be included in the distribution deal. She alone could influence their entire future income. That made her someone they couldn't afford to offend.
Zanis had the strongest reaction. "Prove it? And how do you plan to do that?" he scoffed. "With that little dagger of yours?"
"What's it for, slaying goblins?" Some of the adventurers looked puzzled too, uncertain where she was going with this. But Liliruca ignored Zanis's mockery.
She held up the dagger—no, a magic sword—that Su Mo had gifted her.
Its silver sheen and elegant, glowing patterns stood out beautifully in the sunlight. Knowing it came from Su Mo made her hesitant to use it. But this moment was about him, too. She couldn't afford to let emotion get in the way of something so important. With quiet determination, she stepped forward. Holding the blade firmly, she aimed it at a patch of open courtyard. She wasn't exactly sure what the magic sword could do. But the magic she could feel within it told her—this was no ordinary blade.
So, she pointed toward the empty ground, behind which lay a section of ruins. No one lived there, so it was safe. With that in mind, Liliruca channelled her magic and activated the sword in her hand. A pale light began to shimmer along the blade.
Zanis too now understood—what Liliruca held in her hands wasn't just any ordinary blade. It was a magic sword. Still—"So what if it's a magic sword? What's that supposed to prove?" he scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
Magic swords were indeed rare and expensive, but for someone of his means, they weren't unaffordable. Especially lower-tier ones, which weaker adventurers could use—those didn't cost much at all. If Liliruca was trying to use a magic sword to prove her identity, then it wasn't nearly enough to be convincing.
Unless, of course, the sword was powerful enough—something only wieldable by adventurers of Level 3 or above.
If she truly had a weapon of such value, then that alone would speak volumes about the esteem in which her benefactor held her. And in that case, her claim to being the sole representative might actually be true.
With this in mind, everyone's attention locked on the small girl standing at the center of the courtyard. By now, Liliruca had fully activated the magic sword.
Whoosh!
A flash of silver light burst forth. Like the arc of a crescent moon, radiant sword energy rippled out from the blade. The brilliant silver wave swept forward, cutting across the ground.
Shrrrkk—!
The sound of silver slicing through earth rang out.
Boom!
The courtyard wall collapsed in an instant.
Hummmm…
Even the ground trembled with a deep, guttural groan, resonating beneath their feet. The lower-level adventurers stumbled from the shockwave, unable to keep their footing. In the distance, the silver arc of destruction continued to expand, slicing cleanly through a wide stretch of ruined terrain like a hot knife through butter.
Crashhhh!
Bricks, rubble, and debris fell in a cascade, echoing against the sudden silence that followed. It was as if the very world had paused to absorb what had just occurred. There, cleaving across the land from Liliruca's feet into the distance, a ravine now yawned—a deep chasm that split the ground wide open. Its bottom was out of sight, hidden in darkness. The very landscape had been changed by a single swing. The adventurers of the Soma familia were stunned speechless.
"Was that… divine power…?" someone whispered, trembling.
Many more remained silent, overwhelmed. Even Chandra, the dwarf, was frozen in place by what he had just witnessed. After a long pause, he finally found his voice.
"For something to cause that kind of devastation… only a top-tier mage—no, a First-Class adventurer—could manage that." A First-Class adventurer. Someone at Level 5 or above. And magic-users were a special case—in this world, a magic-user's offensive capabilities typically exceeded their level by one rank. Which meant… a Level 5 magic-user could unleash destruction on par with a Level 6 adventurer. That was the kind of power contained in that sword. And that was what Chandra's words implied—this single strike was equivalent to something from a Level 6 or higher. The moment that sank in, every adventurer in the courtyard was struck with awe.
A magic sword of that level…
Its value was simply immeasurable. Tens of millions? Hundreds of millions? It was easily within that range. And this weapon had been entrusted—to a girl. Not just as a gift—but without a hint of reservation. This was far beyond mere favor or generosity. Even if she were some noble's mistress, no one would give away something this valuable.
Realizing this, all doubts in the adventurers' hearts were obliterated. If someone was willing to give Liliruca a sword of this caliber, how could she not be the sole representative? Even if she wasn't officially named, her closeness to the benefactor meant she could decide the contract's future with a single word.
"This can't be real…" Zanis muttered. He refused to believe it, yet his face was pale. And then he remembered—with a chill crawling down his spine—that earlier, he had tried to slap this very girl.
If Liliruca had drawn the sword then… he might've been vaporized on the spot, without even a body left to bury. No matter how greedy or power-hungry he was, after witnessing that scar gouged into the earth, Zanis no longer had the courage to provoke her. Just as Zanis was about to give up entirely, a familiar voice rang out.
"What's going on here?" Hearing that voice, Zanis froze—then his face lit up with joy.
"Lord God?! Why are you only arriving now?!" He spun around, and sure enough, Soma—his deity and the one who had formed the familia—stood there, looking slightly irritated. It seemed the deafening crash of the magic sword had disrupted him. The god had been in the middle of distilling wine, but the explosive magic shock had pulled him from his sanctuary. As annoyed as he was, he'd come to check what was happening.
To him, any disturbance during brewing was a problem to be dealt with. Whether those causing it were his own familia members didn't matter to him. With a cold, impatient gaze, he scanned the adventurers gathered below. He didn't know why so many had gathered around Liliruca, nor why the air was thick with tension. Frankly, he didn't care.
"Zanis, explain. What is all this?" His voice was flat as he addressed the man he had once arbitrarily named captain of his familia. And hearing this question, Zanis couldn't believe his luck. Was there ever a better chance to plant seeds of suspicion? Especially when this god was such a fool—one who only cared about brewing wine and nothing else? Lying to him was going to be child's play. With righteous indignation, Zanis immediately began his performance.
"Lord God, Liliruca is attempting a rebellion!"
"I'm the captain you personally chose, and yet she dares defy your will. Her intentions are treasonous!"
"She even destroyed part of the familia's land—look for yourself!"
He poured every drop of honey and venom into his tale, painting Liliruca as a schemer who had not only deceived their god, but now dared to throw her weight around, usurping authority within the familia and undermining the god's name. Any other deity, hearing all this, might have immediately grown furious.
As Zanis basked in his self-congratulation, Liliruca couldn't help but feel a ripple of anxiety. Despite everything Su Mo had taught her about dealing with this particular god, she still found it hard not to be nervous. After all, he was a god—and humans instinctively feared beings that powerful. But the current situation hadn't yet deviated from what Su Mo had predicted. Watching Zanis rant, her fear slowly faded, replaced by a calm sense of confidence. And as Zanis finally finished, Soma's expression remained utterly unchanged.
Soma turned his gaze toward Liliruca. "What he said… is it true?" His tone was laced with impatience, clearly expecting Liliruca to confirm it so he could wash his hands of the matter and get back to his brewing. But rather than respond immediately, Liliruca calmly reached into her bag and pulled out one last bottle of wine. She unsealed the cork and stepped forward to offer it to him.
"This is—"
He had already noticed a tantalizing aroma lingering in the air earlier, and now, catching a proper whiff from the bottle, his expression shifted to one of surprise. Seeing this, Liliruca finally relaxed.
"Lord God," she said with composed clarity, "I've met someone who proposed a partnership. If our familia agrees, you'll receive more funds to purchase brewing equipment. And samples of this wine will be sent to you for research as well. As long as Zanis doesn't embezzle anything, you'll be free to pursue even better divine brews."
Strike where it hurts most. And for Soma, that meant his sacred art—brewing. She didn't bother answering his earlier question. Instead, she focused on what mattered to him: what she could offer. And to hammer her point home, she also subtly implicated Zanis.
Soma looked at her with some interest. This girl, once lost to the seduction of divine liquor, had grown significantly. Still, to him, anyone who had once fallen under the spell of divine alcohol was ultimately worthless. He didn't particularly care about her, but her proposition? That got his attention. The reason his familia had become such a disorganized mess was because he ignored everything that wasn't brewing. That negligence had allowed Zanis to seize power.
Soma didn't care who the captain was, as long as no one got in the way of his brewing. And if what Liliruca said was true, this partnership would be incredibly beneficial to him. Appointing a new captain was just a matter of saying a few words. But before doing that—
"This wine… it's infused with divine power? No, wait… this is Mystery, isn't it?" he muttered, catching on to something deeper within the wine's essence.
Realizing the wine had traces of [Mystery], Soma's interest was piqued even further. It wasn't that he was unwilling to use divine power in his brews—rather, the rules forbade it. And his current familia had no one who had awakened [Mystery]. That's why he had always brewed his divine wines with mundane techniques alone. But if someone with [Mystery] could assist… that would open up entirely new possibilities.
Unfortunately, the winemaker wasn't from his familia, and the chances of getting help were slim. Even so, it was worth asking. After savoring the wine, he turned to the more practical point—about improving his brewing conditions.
"Everything you just said… are you certain it can be done?"
Gods could tell when humans lied. Still, when it came to internal shifts within the familia, he wanted to be absolutely sure.
"I'm certain," Liliruca replied firmly.
"Lord Su Mo said we'd also be working with Loki Familia. There won't be a problem."
"Loki Familia…" Soma muttered, something clicking in his memory. He recalled meeting that deity before. And right on cue, a cheerful voice rang in from the entrance.
"That's right! It's me!" Loki herself pushed open the door, stepping inside with a dramatic flourish. Unnoticed until now, Su Mo had already made his way to the center of the courtyard. Taking in the scene, he gave a calm, confident smile.
"Looks like we got here just in time. Seems like the negotiation is just about wrapped up." The chaos had settled. With the arrival of the gods, the outcome was no longer in doubt. Zanis, just a common adventurer, had no place to speak anymore.