The two left the Babel Plaza and returned to the Star Garden, walking in silence down the quiet, secluded path.
Roy could not tolerate this awkward atmosphere and approached her. "Ms. Ryuu, you fought so beautifully just now. Those kind of scumbags should never be let go. My admiration for you flows like a mighty, never-ending river…"
With Roy's extravagant compliments, even Ryuu's composed demeanor couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. A faint blush flashed across her cold little face.
It was a fleeting glimpse under the pale moonlight. Fortunately, Roy's eyesight was good. Damn my own libido!
"Don't mention it. You… weren't bad either."
Ryuu hesitated before slowly replying. A look of reminiscence surfaced in the depths of her sky-blue eyes. If Arnya and the others were still here, they certainly wouldn't have stood by and watched the Apollo Familia hunt a girl.
She hadn't stepped forward immediately.
She had only felt compelled to act after seeing Roy surrounded. The "Justice" she once upheld had been shaken. Could a shattered mirror ever be made whole again?
The skirmish with the Apollo Familia was merely a minor interlude for the two of them, quickly forgotten.
Would the Apollo Familia even dare to come looking for trouble? Ryuu had beaten Hyakinthos in front of hundreds of people, and their own Familia members hadn't dared to interfere.
When the two returned to the Star Garden,
They saw an unexpected sight—not the Apollo Familia, but Guild staffer Remmel.
"The Gale, Mr. Roy."
Remmel was pacing at the entrance. Seeing the two return, he rushed over as if he had seen his saviors.
Roy and Ryuu exchanged glances. They had just beaten up the Apollo Familia less than half an hour ago. Even if they filed a complaint, the Guild wouldn't react so quickly.
It must be something else!
Roy asked, "What is it, Mr. Remmel?"
"Mr. Roy, the Gale, take a look at this." Remmel handed a parchment scroll to Roy, a flattering smile on his face.
Roy frowned, taking the parchment. Remmel's smile inexplicably felt familiar.
When he opened the parchment,
Roy's eyes widened. He finally remembered where he had seen Remmel's expression: it was the look of a bank employee going to collect money from an old debtor in his previous life.
In this era, the debtor was king!
Emergency Meeting of the Astrea Familia!
The magic stone lamps were all on, illuminating the entire spacious hall. Saving money now was meaningless.
Roy threw the parchment onto the table. "Goddess Astrea, what is going on?"
A look of doting fondness appeared on Astrea's flawless face. "Why ask me about such a simple matter? Roy is still a child, it seems."
Roy's face darkened. She's treating me like a kid, huh? Well, purely based on age, compared to a Goddess who had lived for hundreds of millions of years, or even longer in the celestial realm, even he, having lived two lives, was indeed just a little brat.
But this matter had nothing to do with age.
The first step in calculating the Rudra Familia was the 80 million Valis reward. That 80 million Valis was collateralized by Goddess Astrea, using the Star Garden and all the Familia assets to secure the loan from the Guild.
It was written word for word on the parchment. Goddess Astrea's personal seal and the Familia seal were on it. There could be no forgery.
Roy's gaze shifted to Ryuu.
Ryuu softly sighed. When Roy handed her the document, seeing the Astrea Familia seal on it, she had faintly guessed the truth.
The chase after the Rudra Familia members by Arnya and the others had taken them all the way down to the 30th floor of the Dungeon.
It was essentially an "Expedition."
Before going down, they had spent almost all the Familia's stored Valis on buying potions and armor, maintaining weapons, and various supplies.
And Arnya's group was completely wiped out. This meant the money was essentially thrown away, with not a single cost recovered.
When Roy brought the reluctant Ryuu back to the Star Garden, they noticed that the magic stones in many of the living facilities had run out, but Goddess Astrea hadn't replaced them.
They were truly impoverished.
At the time, Ryuu's mind was consumed by the fire of vengeance. She only wanted to destroy the Rudra Familia, not caring about her own life, much less this debt.
Before the War Game, Orario's adventurers had killed 183 members of the Rudra Familia, along with three mercenary groups and eight merchant guilds that colluded with them.
They divided nearly 60 million Valis among themselves.
However, the Rudra Familia was not like a typical Familia. They had no fixed assets in Orario. Their God was sent back to the celestial realm, and all their members were killed cleanly.
As for the equipment of the fallen members, which remained in the Dungeon, Ryuu wouldn't take it, and Roy didn't care for it. Now, most of it had been scavenged by other adventurers.
Despite winning the War Game and wiping out the opponent, Roy and Ryuu did not acquire a single Valis.
The 60 million Valis debt fell squarely on their shoulders. Remmel was here to collect the debt. If they couldn't repay it, the Star Garden would be reclaimed by the Guild.
"Is it too late for me to leave the Familia now?"
Roy said with a chuckle. 60 million Valis! He wouldn't dare burn that much even for his ancestors.
"You can. Ryuu and I won't blame you."
Goddess Astrea's face looked mournful. "Losing this residence, Ryuu and I, this lonely Goddess and her Familia member, will be homeless."
As she spoke, the Goddess's cherry lips were tightly pursed, and crystal-clear tears welled up in her phoenix eyes. She was devastatingly beautiful and pitiable.
The most terrifying weapon a woman had was crying, arguing, and threatening suicide. She didn't even need the latter two tactics; just the crying made Roy's scalp prickle.
And this was no ordinary woman—it was a Goddess!
Goddess Astrea covered her face and wept.
Roy, who was closely watching her, keenly caught a fleeting glimpse of cunning in the depths of her eyes.
Ryuu, paralyzed by deep guilt, completely missed this. I actually caused Lady Astrea to shoulder such a heavy debt...
Ryuu said earnestly, "Lady Astrea, I will repay this money as quickly as possible!"
"Ryuu, there's no rush. We'll pay it back slowly. No matter how long it takes, I will stay with you," Goddess Astrea returned to her usual elegant and dignified demeanor, offering a gentle smile to console Ryuu, the "culprit."
This attitude only made the single-minded Ryuu feel even more guilty. She resolved in her heart that she must repay this debt quickly. If Lady Astrea ended up homeless, how could she face Arnya!
The Guild also didn't dare to press too hard. They granted a six-month repayment period with very low interest.
Even a cornered rabbit bites, let alone the struggling Astrea Familia.
If Roy and Ryuu were to secretly flee with Goddess Astrea, the Guild would be weeping in the bathroom. They had paid out real money, and even if they reclaimed the Star Garden, they might not recover their costs.
But the righteous Astrea Familia would never do such a thing, the Guild staffer silently prayed.