Kaguya paused mid-stroke, her fingers tangled in her dark hair as her brows knit into a slight frown.
"Exercise is all well and good." She said calmly, but with a pointed sharpness in her voice, "but Evilus isn't just some minor opponent. They're strong. If they come at us with their full force, can we really hold our ground?"
Her piercing gaze slid toward Akira, a quiet question lingering in her violet eyes.
"You've had the most contact with them, Akira. Did you ever ask what, exactly, those two expect from us?"
Akira rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, letting out a light sigh.
"Honestly? We didn't get into specifics."
Then he paused, tilting his head slightly as if recalling something important. "But, hey, maybe you guys are thinking about it the wrong way. It's not just our Astraea Familia that'll be fighting Evilus. It's all the Order Familias working together, right?"
For a moment, the room fell into silence. Everyone blinked, then the realization hit.
"Ah… so that's how it is." Alise murmured as the tension visibly drained from her shoulders.
She gave a small laugh and nodded slowly, "I was seriously starting to think those two were picking on us, like they expected the Astraea Familia to handle all of Evilus by ourselves."
So it wasn't a matter of being singled out. If the burden was shared among all the Order-aligned Familias, the task suddenly felt far more manageable.
Of course, they weren't as powerful as the former giants, Zeus and Hera Familias, but Evilus could only operate in the shadows now. They wouldn't dare bare their fangs openly.
Thanks to the current level of suppression enforced by Orario's main forces, the most Evilus could do was strike from the darkness with hit-and-run tactics.
Surface-wise, Order Familias still boasted many top-tier adventurers. There was strength, enough to fight back.
Still, not everyone looked reassured.
Ryuu folded her arms, her brows furrowing as she raised another concern. "Even if all the Order Familias work together, coordination will be a nightmare."
Her voice was steady, but clearly troubled. "Most Familias are used to operating alone. If they're suddenly thrown into joint missions, there's bound to be confusion over who's in charge."
"Yeah. If something goes wrong mid-battle, and Evilus finds a weakness to exploit, it'll spiral fast." Ryana added with a grim nod.
The atmosphere shifted again, weighed down by the weight of their worries.
But Astraea gently clapped her hands, a gentle spark returning to her eyes as she looked up with a knowing smile.
"Then leave it to me."
Her voice was soft, but carried a quiet strength. "Just recently, Loki invited me to discuss some ongoing matters. I'll bring all of your concerns to that meeting and propose a coordinated response plan."
Everyone turned to look at her, their gazes brightening with renewed hope.
"We're counting on you, Astraea-sama. "
"Alright!"
Alise suddenly burst out with energy, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she threw her arms wide. It was as if all the exhaustion from earlier had vanished in an instant.
"Since the serious talk is over, how about we go take a bath together and relax?"
She turned toward Astraea and added with a playful grin, "Astraea-sama, come with us too."
With lively steps, Alise made her way to Astraea and extended her hand in a dramatic, exaggerated invitation.
Astraea blinked at the gesture, then brought a hand to her lips and chuckled, her smile filled with affection. "Yes, it's been a while since we all bathed together. Let's go."
As she stood up, her gaze shifted from the overly enthusiastic Alise to the one young man awkwardly looking away with a forced smile, Akira, who was clearly sensing imminent danger.
Kaguya said with a wry sigh, folding her arms beneath her chest, "Astraea-sama, you can ignore that rude and brainless captain of ours."
Akira flinched.
"Okay, I'm taking my leave first." He announced abruptly, hopping to his feet. "I smell like smoke and ash. Time for a quick shower, definitely alone."
He had to escape. He knew this pattern. He had seen this setup far too many times before. If he didn't get out now, he was doomed to be teased or worse.
The girls exchanged glances. Then, in the blink of an eye, Alise pointed dramatically at him.
"Iska! Don't let Akira escape. Grab him."
"Roger that!"
Like a tiger pouncing on prey, the Amazoness sprang into action. In a flash, she tackled Akira and hoisted him up with ease.
"W-Wait! You're serious!?" Akira shouted, flailing wildly as Iska tossed him over her shoulder like a sack of rice.
He kicked his legs and waved his arms, face burning with embarrassment.
"You can't just drag me like this in front of Astraea-sama. What are you even doing!?"
Iska, of course, ignored his pleas. With a confident smirk, she carried him with firm strides, completely unfazed.
Meanwhile, Lyra turned back, wearing a mischievous smile as she teased him from the front. "Oh please, what are you so scared of? We've already seen this kind of thing back during the expedition."
She shrugged, unfazed. "The elven girls followed along with red faces, but not one of them ever said no, you know."
The procession continued without pause. They reached the large bathhouse nestled in the left wing of the mansion. Located near the staircase that led to the second-floor living quarters, the bathhouse was nothing short of extravagant.
Well, 'bathhouse' might not even be the right word. It was more like a private spa palace. Every inch of the room had been meticulously crafted to reflect elegance and divine luxury, likely designed with the gods' comfort in mind from the very beginning.
The bath itself was a massive stone pool, large enough to accommodate a dozen people at once with room to spare. It utterly dwarfed the single-person stalls of the average shower rooms.
Of course, there was one minor issue. The bathhouse didn't have separate sections for men and women.
Why? Simple.
No one expected a guy to ever join the Astraea Familia.
Ever since joining, Akira had barely used this space, he preferred waiting until everyone else had finished or just cleaning up quietly in his room. It took mere minutes and avoided all unnecessary trouble.
But this… this was the first time he was being dragged in to bathe with everyone.
As the group reached the entrance, Alise boldly stepped forward, pushed open the ornate wooden door, and marched inside like a conquering general.
The room greeted them with a soothing hum. A steady flow of hot water poured from enchanted outlets into the massive stone tub, filling the air with steam and the gentle sound of ripples.
Warm mist curled around the edges of the room, reflecting the glow of soft magical lights embedded in the walls, bathing everything in a golden, dreamlike hue.
Without a hint of hesitation, Alise tossed her clothes into the nearby basket and cheerfully grabbed a towel from the wall.
"Everyone, hurry up!" She called, her voice echoing with joy as she dove into the tub with a loud splash, sending water flying in every direction.