"To be able to annihilate a Familia as strong as Artemis Familia, who did it? Could it be Evilus?"
That was the most logical assumption, so Charlie voiced it even though in his heart he already knew the real answer.
Logically, Evilus was the prime suspect. Although they had lost in the great crusade in Orario, if there were remnants of them, they were hiding in the Dungeon, not daring to show themselves.
However, outside Orario, the situation was different. Evilus could thrive in areas less monitored by large Familias. For example, the Whiro Familia that Charlie had recently annihilated in the Kaois Desert; that was just one of many Evilus in this world.
"The culprit isn't Evilus." Astraea answered while slowly shaking her head, then revealed a far more terrifying truth. "It's a horrifying monster sealed in the Elsos Ruins by the Great Spirit in Ancient Times—Antares."
"However, as time passed, the seal restraining it weakened, allowing it to regain part of its power. Artemis Familia received a request to investigate that location."
"Antares slaughtered them all. Only Artemis remained, but the monster absorbed her, gaining forced access to her Arcanum."
The truth Astraea revealed was truly shocking.
The notion that a god, a being considered untouchable and noble by many lower world residents, could be devoured by a monster was almost unthinkable. If this news leaked to the public, trust and social order could collapse.
Faith would waver, and chaos would reign.
"The situation is truly critical." Charlie sighed, but there was no panic in his voice, a calmness that seemed odd to ordinary people.
Not noticing that almost unnatural calmness—or perhaps attributing it to Charlie's mental strength—Astraea, still immersed in sadness over her friend's fate, continued:
"After absorbing Artemis's Arcanum, Antares now possesses a small portion of the Moon Goddess's power. As the strongest archer among the gods, Artemis's power is tremendous. Even Antares, who has just begun mastering this power, has already become a world-level threat."
"Most adventurers won't stand a chance against it."
"Our only hope rests on Hestia's child, Bell Cranel, who received recognition from Orion's Spear. With that, there's still a possibility Antares can be defeated. For that, Bell will be the vanguard in this crusade."
"Through Hermes Familia, the Guild has issued an emergency Quest to exterminate the scorpion monster army—part of Antares's forces—which are now spreading terror wherever they go. On the surface, this task is to protect villages and towns, but the real purpose is to buy time until the destined one is truly ready."
Astraea paused, then looked at Charlie with a very serious expression full of pleading.
"Right now, Hestia Familia and Hermes Familia are preparing to head to the Elsos Ruins. Charlie... I want you to participate in this Quest."
"..."
Under the gaze full of hope and slight guilt—for asking her child who wasn't even properly part of her Familia to plunge into such great danger—Charlie just remained silent for a moment. Then, he nodded slowly.
"Alright. I'll go."
Astraea's eyes immediately sparkled, relieved and grateful. However, her sense of responsibility made her immediately remind, "Charlie, this is very dangerous. Even with your power, Antares is no ordinary opponent. It has the power of a god."
However, Charlie showed no signs of changing his mind. "I understand."
"Thank you... thank you for listening to my selfish request, Charlie." Astraea said with a beaming smile, the cloud of sadness on her face slightly lifted.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
After the decision was made, it was time to act. Charlie decided he would only bring Aishia and Est.
However, Astraea refused to stay behind. She firmly insisted on going, following the example of Hestia and Hermes who would also take direct action. They couldn't just sit and wait while their precious Familia members faced the monster that had devoured the Moon Goddess.
The situation was urgent, there was no time for lengthy debate. Finally, Charlie agreed to bring Astraea.
Although everyone believed Antares could only be defeated with Orion's Spear, Charlie had a different perspective.
As dawn began to break and Kei still slept soundly without realizing their departure, the small group left Empyrean Citadel.
Orario's streets, usually bustling, were now deserted, leaving remnants of the Holy Moon Festival festivities that had just ended a few hours ago.
Their meeting location was at the top of the giant wall surrounding Orario. When Charlie's group arrived, Hermes appeared busy distributing travel equipment and more suitable clothing for outdoor terrain.
"Wow, this is amazing help! Astraea managed to recruit Level 6 reinforcements. This is good news!" Hermes smiled broadly, though his eyes briefly glanced with curiosity toward Est and Aishia standing beside Charlie.
"Good morning, Charlie-san. We meet again." Bell greeted, trying to smile despite looking tense. "With your presence, a Level 6, the situation isn't too bad."
The burden of being the world's 'savior' felt too heavy for a Level 2 adventurer like him to bear.
Charlie observed the team composition: Bell, Artemis, Hestia, Hermes, Welf, Lili, as well as his own group. Ten people total.
Noticing Bell's anxiety, Artemis gently extended her hand and grasped the youth's fingers.
"Orion..."
"Grrr!!!"
Hestia immediately gritted her teeth, her eyes glaring with jealousy seeing Artemis so affectionate with Bell.
"What else are we waiting for?" Charlie asked, unconcerned with that minor tension.
Hermes immediately answered, "The distance between Orario and Elsos is about a month's journey by horse carriage. If we wait until we arrive, everything will be too late. So, I managed to borrow some tamed flying dragons from Ganesha Familia. With those, travel time can be cut to three days."
The Elsos Ruins were located at the edge of the continent, hidden deep within an ocean of primeval forest. Conventional transportation clearly wasn't an option.
"The problem is, the number of people going is more than initially estimated. Only three flying dragons are available. Not enough for everyone."
Hermes appeared to massage his temples from the headache. He seemed to be thinking whether he should return to meet Ganesha to borrow more.
"No need, God Hermes. I have a method to bring everyone to the Elsos Ruins."
After saying that, the entire group's attention focused on Charlie.
"Prepare yourselves. Don't be shocked."
Without further explanation, he began to act.
Everyone there was astounded when they saw the change in Charlie's sky-blue eyes. Suddenly, his pupils transformed into an enlarging dark crescent moon with pitch-black sclera.
Senrigan!
An ability to project the user's consciousness to any location in the world, allowing sight and hearing from afar as if being there.
Currently, Charlie had locked onto the Elsos Ruins coordinates.
"Found it. Next..."
With Senrigan still active, he used Hundred Gauntlets.
*CLICK!*
A gentle finger snap that sounded clear in the dawn silence.
Causality manipulation directly enveloped the ten people there. Charlie didn't use flight magic or open a spatial portal. He used the principle of status reversal.
For him, the status "being in Orario" and "not yet reaching Elsos" was merely a cause-and-effect relationship that could be exchanged.
Cause: This group of people is in Orario (Reality A).
Effect: Elsos is a place they haven't reached (Reality B).
In the blink of an eye, the coordinates of their existence were reversed. For Bell and the others, the world seemed to "blink."
No sensation of movement.
No travel wind.
Only in one blink, the view of Orario's wall vanished completely.
"Huh?"
Before anyone could process what happened, they were no longer at the top of Orario's wall.
The fresh morning air changed to the damp and cold atmosphere of the primeval forest. Before them stretched large stone structures overgrown with moss and roots, magnificent and eerie ancient ruins, shrouded in thin fog.
"This... the Elsos Ruins!" Artemis exclaimed in an incredibly amazed tone.
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