Thanks to the use of space magic,
Raven and Ryuu left the city in secret without having to go through the Guild's tedious procedures.
After all...
Ryuu was still a wanted criminal with a bounty on her head.
Going through the formal entry-and-exit process? Impossible.
As a registered adventurer of Orario—along with his familia and patron deity—
it was normally very difficult to leave the city.
That's because the Labyrinth City is extremely sensitive about the outflow of military strength.
To put it bluntly:
Veteran adventurers forged through the Dungeon's trials—
like those from the powerful Loki Familia—
could become a catastrophic threat if they ever left and turned against Orario.
The reason Orario is called the center of the world
is because it's protected by the strongest forces on the planet.
That's why the Guild and city authorities do everything in their power
to prevent the city from losing its defenses or creating powerful enemies.
Thus, familias—especially powerful ones—who want to leave the city
must undergo strict Guild investigation and complex procedures.
Even more so for the gods themselves.
Even if familia members were to leave,
as long as their god remained in the city, they could still be used as leverage or hostages.
Except for special cases like Hermes Familia,
almost no one was free to come and go as they pleased.
Getting in was easy.
Getting out? Extremely difficult.
It was an unspoken rule, widely accepted by the citizens of the Labyrinth City.
At that moment,
Raven and Ryuu reappeared on a remote stretch of land to the east of the continent.
This was the maximum range of the space-transfer magic.
To use the spell again, they would have to wait a 30-minute cooldown.
"Let's fly the rest of the way."
"Okay."
"[——Wings of Silent Radiance]"
As the chant ended,
a pair of dazzling radiant wings burst forth from Raven's back.
Without waiting for the cooldown,
he princess-carried Ryuu and soared into the sky.
Channeling his magic at maximum output,
Raven accelerated and flew at Mach 2 speed toward the heart of the continent.
Several hours later...
"Up ahead… that's the territory of the Great Magic Nation, Altana."
Recalling the map given by Asfi, Ryuu quickly recognized the region.
"Great Magic Nation?"
A glint of curiosity flashed in Raven's eyes.
"Let's take a break.
I need to recharge my magic anyway."
"Let's look around a bit while we're at it."
He began to slow his flight.
Outside of Orario, there were a handful of nations considered true global powers.
Altana, the Great Magic Nation, was one of them.
Among the world's top five powerhouses,
Orario, the Labyrinth City, naturally ranked first in terms of combat strength.
Next was the Warring Nation Telskyura, ruled by Kali Familia.
Then came Altana, followed by the Rakia Kingdom.
Last was the Sea Nation, where Asfi, a royal princess, hails from.
(Author's note: info on the Sea Nation will be revealed in Asfi's special story around October.)
All four nations were familia-type countries.
The Rakia Kingdom is ruled by the War God Ares.
Altana is governed by Hecate Familia.
Hecate is a goddess of magic, abundance, and the undead.
She was also once the patron deity of Fels.
You could say that Altana follows a strict magic supremacist ideology.
Its mages and magic-users are fiercely elitist,
believing magic is everything.
Even daily life there relies entirely on magic.
More than half the population is composed of elves.
This shows how deeply rooted their philosophy is.
But because of that...
Altana has long viewed Orario as a thorn in its side,
especially because Orario houses so many powerful mages.
To be specific, Lefiya and Riveria Lorelei are frequently targeted.
To prevent Orario from monopolizing magical supremacy,
nations like Altana have invested heavily in magic development.
They are doing all they can to compete.
After landing just outside the borders of Altana,
Raven gently set Ryuu down, and the radiant wings on his back faded away.
"Let's enter through the front gate."
"I want to see if I can pick up a few advanced grimoires and some magic tools."
"Alright."
Ryuu nodded.
Raven possessed a rare passive skill: [Heavenly Demon Chaos].
Its effect greatly amplified the power of magic tools and magic swords.
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