Lefiya's enthusiasm was way beyond what Evan had expected.
Early in the morning—when he'd just set up his stall and was getting ready to start the day selling fried potato balls—she was already standing by the roadside waiting for him.
The problem was, she didn't know where the Astrea Familia's home was. Yesterday, they'd agreed to meet around noon at the Hostess of Fertility tavern.
But maybe she was just too excited.
Before the sky had even brightened, she'd run all the way from the port city of Melen back to Orario again.
"Aren't you tired?" Evan asked, sounding a little sleepy.
Last night she should've gone from Orario back to the School District around midnight, right? And now she'd already rushed back again. Was her energy seriously that insane? Or was this what "top student execution power" looked like?!
"Hehe~"
The elf girl just scratched her head and smiled stupidly, then asked when he was going to the Dungeon.
For adventurers, staying up all night wasn't that big of a deal. A god's blessing didn't just grant power beyond ordinary people—it also came with tremendous stamina. Being able to fight in the Dungeon for days without sleep, or keep going after only short rests, was normal for high-level adventurers.
It also slowed aging, and even extended lifespan to a certain degree—something that had long been proven.
Anyway, Lefiya was a Level 2 adventurer. Going without sleep for a day didn't affect her at all. Evan was about the same—he just wasn't used to it yet.
Back in Solingen, there weren't any monsters that forced him to pull all-nighters. After coming to Orario, he'd only been hanging around the first floor, so he could always just go home and sleep whenever he felt like it.
So—
Before her familia internship officially began, Lefiya helped Evan sell fried potato balls all morning.
She was surprisingly skillful, and her customer-service smile was flawless. No matter the race, no matter the gender, no matter old or young—she greeted everyone warmly. And you could tell it came naturally to her. She genuinely enjoyed talking to customers, finding it fresh and fun.
Evan didn't really know other elves, but whether back in Solingen—one of the elves' least favorite cities, since forging consumed huge amounts of wood, iron, sand, stone, and other resources and damaged forests and the environment—or here in Orario…
Most elves he'd seen on the streets had looked cold and distant. Their proud self-esteem and their rejection of other races were obvious at a glance.
That was partly because Lefiya's hometown was the Forest of Wishe.
It lay within the "Sea of Great Trees" in the center of the continent—a place different from most elven settlements that were closed-off and hated outsiders. Wishe was open to the outside world. It was even one of the continent's major trade routes. Because it connected in all directions, merchants from everywhere passed through on their way to anywhere.
So the elves there weren't just good at interacting with other races—they were curious about the wider world. They naturally left the forest to explore, completely unlike their more traditional kin who clung to closed, old customs.
And there was another reason, too.
The founder of the Forest of Wishe was said to be one of the most famous bards of all, from a thousand years ago—back before the gods had descended to the Lower World. Many famous fairy tales, including The Argonaut, were written and spread by her.
Her deeds influenced a group of elves. They came to Wishe's legendary homeland, reclaimed the land from monsters, and founded the Forest of Wishe. They lived there ever since, still keeping their spirit of openness and their passion for the world.
"When I was little, I'd always run into taverns and ask every stranger I didn't know to tell me stories."
The endless sea, waterfalls hidden deep in mountains where no one knew they existed, the Chaos Desert where mirages rose from the sand, the mighty imperial capital… and the one place everyone mentioned most of all—
The Dungeon.
"In my hometown, I have a secret base."
"You go through this gap past a fallen tree trunk—covered in moss, so old it's practically melted into the ground around it. The crack is so narrow you have to crawl on your belly to get through. But if you push forward just a little more, you'll reach a secret garden!"
"It's full of tiny white flowers. It's so pretty!! I'd lie there all the time, imagining what faraway places looked like… and what I'd become someday~"
While working, her mouth never stopped.
Being with Lefiya wasn't boring, that was for sure. The elf girl was talkative to an almost frightening degree.
You could call her a social menace.
Most of the time Evan just listened, though he did tell her a few stories about funny things that happened back in Solingen with Cecil.
Like the time Cecil forged an axe that couldn't even split firewood. She came over to take a look, then suddenly got mad and snapped the firewood in half with her bare hands.
That was the first time Evan got a truly vivid understanding of what "adventurer strength" meant. Cecil was usually soft, airheaded, and only knew how to act tsundere like an idiot girl…
…
The morning work shift flew by—probably because Lefiya was helping.
Before long, Cecil arrived just like always, driving a wagon to pick him up. She was also surprised to see Lefiya there.
Then the three of them went together—first back toward Daedalus Street along the way, and then Evan led Lefiya to the familia home so she could meet the goddess.
A familia internship was a very formal program.
In theory, it needed to be witnessed by a Guild official. You'd sign a contract with the god, then register on the spot as an adventurer—while also replacing your current blessing with the internship familia's blessing.
For example, Lefiya was currently a member of Baldr's familia. Her Status could only be updated and improved by Baldr.
So they needed to "transfer" her—move her from Baldr's familia to Astrea's.
It wasn't complicated, but the Guild had to make sure everything was done with both sides' consent.
Evan didn't know how the goddess planned to handle it. Last night, after he told Astrea about Lefiya, she said she would personally take the elf girl to the Guild—rather than going through the normal official process (to avoid drawing attention).
So, with Lefiya tagging along like an endlessly curious kid, they threaded through the maze of Daedalus Street and returned to the familia home.
They handed Lefiya over to the goddess, had lunch together—
And then Evan left right away.
Because he'd promised Lefiya he'd wait for her to come back from the Guild, and once she officially joined the Astrea Familia internship, they'd go to the Dungeon together.
So Evan decided to go help Cecil instead—go with her to deliver the Demeter Familia's produce and meat to various taverns and restaurants around the city.
It didn't take long to catch up to Cecil's wagon. Evan already knew her delivery route, so it wasn't a big deal.
But then—
The moment he climbed onto the wagon, a certain cat-girl pounced on him.
"Heh heh heh! Come with me, meow!!"
"Anya, what are you doing?" Evan groaned, already getting a headache.
A pair of cat ears suddenly popped up from behind the wagon, and Evan instantly recognized her. Of course he did—she was one of the rare people even dumber than Cecil. How could he not remember?
Even Cecil had no idea when Anya had climbed onto the wagon.
Probably when they'd passed by the Hostess of Fertility?
"Anya, you'd better watch it! Mia-Mama's gonna beat you up if you keep running around like this!"
Mia-Mama was the tavern owner—a female dwarf around 180 centimeters tall, with arms thicker than Evan's thighs.
"!!!"
The moment Anya heard Mia-Mama's name, she instinctively shrank her head and covered it with both hands. But then she forced herself to act tough, planting her hands on her hips.
"Meow today is my day off! I don't have to work!! Now hurry up and come with me, meow!!"
"What do you even want?" Evan said.
Both he and Cecil had no idea how her brain worked. Meanwhile, the cat-girl just muttered angrily under her breath, fuming.
"I'm gonna prove myself! Tch!! You actually think I'm stupid!! I'm a super amazing adventurer, meow!!"
-------
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