"The Astraea Familia... I've heard of them from Hermes. They're the ones who rose to prominence during the so-called dark age of Orario after we left."
Zeus stroked his beard as he looked at Alise and Ryuu.
"Seriously?! Level 7?!"
"You really should read the adventurer profiles the Guild hands out!"
Faced with her captain's exaggerated reaction, Ryuu nearly blacked out from embarrassment and couldn't help raising her voice in reply.
"So noisy."
Alfia frowned. Her voice wasn't loud, but Ryuu instantly fell silent.
Despite it being their first meeting, the usually proud Ryuu didn't dare talk back even once. That shocked Alise. More than a simple difference in level or strength, it felt like some kind of innate suppression, as if Alfia was her natural superior—though Alise had no idea why.
Unlike Alise, Ryuu, as an elf with an innate sensitivity to magic, could sense the flow of mana swirling around Alfia's body as though it had formed a field of its own. Even among elves, that was rare. Ryuu had grown up in the land of the elves, yet this was the first time she had ever felt a legendary magical presence like this.
This wasn't something that came from level or raw strength alone. It was the result of a lifetime of study, training, and mastery over magic itself.
And the one who had achieved it was a human.
"Wait—did you just say Artemis is in this hospital too—?!"
Zeus's expression changed immediately. Before he could turn and flee, an arrow shot in through the doorway. Thanks to the instincts of a seasoned warrior, he barely managed to dodge the sneak attack.
"That was dangerous! Artemis, didn't your children teach you not to shoot arrows so casually into other people's hospital rooms?!"
After avoiding the shot, Zeus shouted toward the doorway without even thinking. There was no need to guess who had fired it.
"Lady Artemis! No weapons in the sickroom!"
Lante's flustered voice followed from outside as she entered the room together with Artemis.
"I know. That's why I didn't put an arrowhead on it."
"That still doesn't make it okay!"
"That absolutely still doesn't make it okay!"
Lante and Zeus protested in unison.
"Haha, it's really lively today, isn't it? Since the occasion is so rare, how about we all go feast? My treat."
Seeing more and more people filling the room, Charldo only grew more excited. It had been years since he'd attended a proper banquet, and now that both he and Alfia had recovered, he desperately needed a great feast—whether to satisfy his famished iron stomach or to celebrate. Since money wasn't an issue for him, Charldo proposed the idea without hesitation.
"...Sigh. I can't be bothered with all of you anymore."
Faced with the enthusiastic response from everyone, Alfia let out a sigh, losing all interest in continuing the conversation. She had originally intended to question them further about the Astraea Familia, which for some reason irritated her, but with the discussion hijacked like this, everyone's thoughts had already shifted entirely toward food.
The discharge procedures were handled quickly. Both of them had only been unconscious; now that they were awake, there was no reason to remain in the hospital any longer. Though hospital rooms were indispensable for adventurers, no one actually liked them. Aside from the obvious reason that being there meant you were injured, the cost was also outrageous.
Amid the noise and chatter, Charldo soon led everyone to the finest restaurant in Campbell. As both a gourmet and someone with no shortage of money, he knew exactly where the best food could be found.
But the seating arrangement turned out to be rather strange.
"Um... why am I sitting at this table?"
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill and moved into a private room, Alise was no longer as carefree as before. After Ryuu's explanation of just who Charldo and Alfia were, she had become much more restrained. On top of that, the other two at the table were gods. She couldn't understand why she, of all people, had ended up here—especially since that traitor Ryuu had taken the first chance she got to slip away.
"It's nothing much. We've all been away from Orario for a long time, so we need someone who knows what's been going on there recently. I mean, look at me—I'm putting up with sitting at the same table as the one who just shot an arrow at me."
Zeus answered without any concern.
"Yes, and it would've been even better if that arrow had drawn blood. Better yet, if by some accident it had sent a god back to Heaven, I'm sure the goddesses would've applauded. And those idle busybodies would probably have accepted it as reality for the sake of the entertainment value. Honestly, just thinking about a good boy like Duncan being raised in your Familia is enough to make me worry he'll be corrupted."
Artemis gave a cold laugh.
At the side, Alfia nodded faintly, seeming rather approving of Artemis's opinion. Bell was already showing signs of being led astray, and Alfia had been relying on her fists to set him straight. Just hearing him talk about wanting to go into the Dungeon to find a fateful encounter was enough to make her blood pressure rise.
"That's not something you need to concern yourself with. As a god, trying to stop your children from finding the opposite sex is ridiculous—especially when Amazons are involved."
Zeus shot right back.
"Hey, girl over there. Tell us about the current state of Orario."
Seeing the two gods about to start bickering again, Alfia, already fed up, turned her gaze toward the well-behaved Alise seated nearby.
"Huh?!"
Caught off guard, Alise jumped. But she was naturally good with people. Though she felt a little stiff in front of such overwhelming company, there was no way a Level 4 adventurer would actually lose her composure that easily. After adjusting herself, she began explaining the general situation in Orario.
The level of detail in her report surprised not only the two gods—who stopped their argument to listen seriously—but even Alfia, whose face showed rare astonishment. It was unusual for any adventurer to understand Orario so clearly. Even second-tier adventurers—even Familia captains—rarely managed that.
"That's about everything I know."
After a long while, Alise finally stopped and sat back down.
"That's honestly impressive. I didn't expect a mere Level 4 to understand Orario this well. You've made me think better of you."
Even Zeus couldn't help applauding after hearing her.
"That's because our Familia is responsible for patrolling Orario and maintaining order. During the dark age, we exchanged a lot of information with other Familias. But there are still quite a few remnants of the Evilus faction left at large, so Orario still isn't truly safe."
"No matter the era, there are always those annoying fools. Even when time is running out, they still stay loyal to their own desires. I suppose that really is just what you'd expect of the gods."
Zeus sneered at the thought.
"Um... what do you mean, 'time is running out'?"
Alise asked curiously.
"You don't need to know. Level 4 is still too weak. Orario's current strength is laughable. It calls itself the City of Heroes, yet it's being toyed with and can barely cope."
"So you intend to return to Orario? Bringing your child with you and ignoring the terms of exile?"
Artemis frowned as she sensed the anger behind Zeus's words. The true reason Zeus and Hera had left Orario had never been made public, but one thing was certain: they had not been driven out by Freya and Loki as the rumors claimed. After all, at the time, they had still had two Level 7s in their ranks. Even injured and sick, those two were more than Freya Familia and Loki Familia could have dealt with.
The secret deal behind it all wasn't something outsiders were meant to know. But from that day onward, neither Zeus nor Hera had set foot in Orario again.
"Don't try to bait me into talking, Artemis. I'm not going to Orario—not now, at least. Let Freya and Loki keep the spotlight for themselves. Right now, there are more important things to do."
Zeus answered, his gaze burning intensely.
....
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