At this time, Alise and the others were gathered together, expressions of relief and confusion on their faces for surviving the disaster.
When they saw Akira coming, Alise stepped forward, her eyes full of inquiry. "Akira, what's going on with that guy? He was targeting you, right? And he's incredibly strong."
The others turned their eyes to Akira, curious if he knew the adventurer who had suddenly appeared. Although the girls initially thought he was a cadre of evilus, after hearing what he said and witnessing his battle with Akira, they realized this matter was not so simple.
After all, not to mention the sword strike that didn't distinguish between friend and foe, the subsequent battle had their hearts pounding like a roller coaster. Now, however, they realized they hadn't suffered any serious injuries at all. So, the girls were very curious.
"Well... let's finish up here first." Akira pondered for a while, looking at the ruins.
Although it didn't matter anymore, the matter wasn't over. Besides, if he told them now, he might have to explain it all over again when they got back, which was too much trouble. He would just wait until everyone was present.
Under Akira's leadership, everyone quickly cleaned up the battlefield. Although evilus minions had scattered, there was no guarantee some hadn't slipped through the net. By the time the battlefield was cleared, late night had already fallen.
Akira followed Alise and the others back to the safe base to reunite with the others and hand over the mission to the remaining familia members.
Astraea familia had made a triumphant return.
Under the warm light of the magic stone lamp, Akira sat on a red velvet sofa, facing everyone's 'interrogation'.
After listening to Alise's story, Noin asked in disbelief, "So, while you were escorting the people, Alise, you encountered an adventurer who might be Level 6 or even higher? Is he that strong?!"
My goodness, can't you guys have a normal adventure for once?
"Yeah, our attacks had no effect on that guy at all. It was only until Akira came that he was driven away." Ryuu nodded, a sad look on her face.
She couldn't help but feel frustrated thinking that even her most powerful magic was dealt with by the other party like swatting a fly. While she hadn't used her full strength to avoid hitting mind zero, she suspected it wouldn't have worked even if she had.
Seeing Ryuu fall into a useless state of self-doubt again, Akira could only touch her head to comfort her.
Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest, which made her already impressive 'mountain' even more spectacular. She sat down next to Akira and bumped him hard with her shoulder, a clear reminder. Stop hiding it and speak up.
Watching Kaguya's actions, Alise asked Akira with a puzzled look, "Akira, do you know that guy?"
Thinking of the sentence, "If you only have this much strength, you don't even have the qualifications to stand beside Morning Star," she couldn't help but grit her teeth.
"...Yes, I know him." Akira answered truthfully. "After a battle, I saw that he was seriously poisoned, so I cured him, and we got to know each other."
"Let's not talk about why you're helping the other side with healing after a battle." Lyra complained, her forehead full of black lines. "So, to repay Akira for saving his life, he came over to beat us up? What a willful fellow."
With that, she grabbed the black tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp, muttering angrily. It was clear she wasn't happy about any of it.
Astraea sat quietly, a smile gracing her lips as she watched the commotion. With graceful movements, she picked up the teapot and refilled Lyra's cup.
"Although I don't know if my guess is correct, can I ask a question?" She asked, her tone brisk yet gentle.
Seeing her curious expression, Akira nodded. "Just ask."
"Akira, the person you're talking about should be Zald, Gluttony from the Zeus familia, right?" Astraea said, her tone firm despite framing it as a question.
She raised her hands elegantly, her fingers pressed together in front of her. Astraea remembered that not long ago, Akira had been in the library looking for books about the heroes of Orario. He had also encountered Alfia, the one called "monster of calamitous talent," "silence," and "witch."
Considering Zald's connection to Alfia and the level estimated by Alise and the others, he was a likely candidate.
"Ahahaha, as expected of Astraea-sama, you're right. That uncle is Zald from the Zeus familia." Akira chuckled, confirming Astraea's guess with a flattering expression.
The girls stared at him in disbelief. Akira knew they wouldn't be truly angry, but he had been hiding his relationship with a Level 7 adventurer. This was especially concerning because Zald's unstable temperament when they first met had left a strong impression.
For the girls, who cared deeply about Akira, this was not a safe situation. If their combined strength weren't so far below Akira's, they would have already been planning to twist his ears and persuade him to stay away from Zald.
Alise rubbed her temples, recalling the information she knew. "Didn't the Zeus familia leave Orario along with the Hera familia? Why are they back?"
The others agreed. In their memories, the two major familias had lost their main fighting forces and were greatly weakened. Loki and Freya had then expelled the two familias, which they viewed as thorns in their side.
Because these two major familias were gone, evilus, which had previously not dared to act so brazenly, began to threaten Orario, causing the city to enter the "Dark Age." This also had an impact on various parts of the world.
Seeing the girls look at him again, Akira glanced at Astraea for help, hoping she could explain. But to his surprise, he was stabbed in the back instead.
Astraea seemed to have suddenly remembered something and asked with a chuckle, "Ah, speaking of which, if Akira can actually cure that 'Gluttony,' what about that other person?"
She was curious if their relationship would improve if Akira cured Alfia. Based on her observations over the past two days, she suspected Akira had already cured Alfia, otherwise he wouldn't be so calm.
"Which one?" The girls asked in confusion.
Akira's lips twitched, and he groaned inwardly. Astraea bringing this up now had caught him off guard. Facing the girls' puzzled looks, Akira sighed helplessly, knowing he could no longer keep the matter a secret.
"Um... Don't look at me like that, I'll tell you what I can." Akira said, scratching his head.
"The one that Astraea-sama was talking about is Alfia, the Silence."
"Silence?" Lyra's eyes widened.
"The famous Alfia? How are you related to her, Akira?" She asked, quickly connecting the origin of the name through "Gluttony" Zald.
"Ahaha..."
Akira had no choice but to briefly recount how he met Alfia. He had helped her after she had a sudden illness on the 18th floor. After learning who the two were, he had tried to treat them out of kindness, and Alfia's condition actually improved.
Alise was so surprised she couldn't close her mouth. "So, not only did you get to know the Level 7 'Gluttony,' but you also saved the mysterious 'Silence'?"
"How many things are there that we don't know?" Kaguya asked, stretching out her hand and grabbing Akira's cheek with gritted teeth.
"I was just afraid you'd worry." Akira muttered incoherently. "And I didn't expect it to turn out like this. It was just a coincidence that I came into contact with them."
"It's better to admit your mistake. Ryuu, grab the other one."
"..."
Ryuu hesitated for a moment but still reached out and gently grasped Akira's other cheek. Although her movements were gentle, Akira's face was twisted into a strange shape under Kaguya's aggressive pulling.
"It hurts! I was wrong, I was wrong!" Akira begged for mercy, but Kaguya still had no intention of letting go.