News that the Astraea Familia and the Rudra Familia were about to engage in a War Game spread through Orario like falling snowflakes, leaving people dumbfounded.
Previously, most had not taken Ryuu's declaration seriously. And now they were being told it was real?
When people learned the actual rules of the War Game, even adventurers who lived with their lives on the line couldn't help but marvel—brutal, absolutely brutal!
Entering the Dungeon to slaughter one another!
It could be called the most dangerous War Game in history!
Between the Astraea Familia and the Rudra Familia, only one would be able to walk out of the Dungeon alive!
Adventurers who were slow to react rushed into taverns, bars, and restaurants like a cavalry charge.
As expected—the betting had already opened.
Piles upon piles of valis were stacked on the Rudra Familia's side. Though people despised the Dark Faction, money was money. Some of them even had business dealings with the Dark Faction themselves.
On the Astraea Familia's side, there were only a handful of pitiful money bags—so few it was almost laughable.
This was reality.
If it were the Astraea Familia of the past, no one would have doubted their ability to crush the Rudra Familia. They had once been a powerful familia with twelve high-level adventurers!
But the news that Alise Lovell and the others had met with disaster in the Dungeon—resulting in a total wipeout—had already spread throughout Orario. With only the lone Gale left, even with her Level 4 strength, she could not possibly stand against an entire familia.
Anyone who dared to bet on the Astraea Familia would simply be handing free money to the house. No one wanted to be a sucker.
Roy's condition had improved somewhat. He went out to buy ingredients together with Ryuu, who wore a cloak, and happened to see the odds for the Astraea Familia rise to 1:8.
"What a shame… no money on hand," Roy muttered softly. The thirty thousand valis he had thrown out earlier—using a vagrant to pass along a message—had been his entire savings.
The Astraea Familia's eighty million valis were deposited with the Guild and couldn't be withdrawn for the time being.
"Two hundred thousand valis on the Astraea Familia? Little girl, are you serious?"
Just as Roy was about to think of some clever way to earn starting capital, a booming voice came from a nearby tavern, drawing both his and Ryuu's attention.
Seeing the overwhelming amount of valis piled on the Rudra Familia's side had already made Ryuu feel disheartened by people's lack of faith. Hearing that shout, she couldn't help but look up.
Inside the tavern stood a gray-haired girl with well-defined features and a tall figure. She wore a green waitress uniform, a playful smile on her face—cute, lively, and easy on the eyes.
Two hundred thousand valis placed on the Astraea Familia alone—more than everyone else combined.
Facing the crowd's incredulous gazes, the gray-haired girl spoke calmly, "The Astraea Familia once fought to protect this city as well. If they are forgotten, then this city itself is truly pitiful—choosing to forget its own heroes…"
Those in the tavern who still had a conscience fell silent.
Living only for entertainment and money, forgetting the heroes who once protected them—it stirred a sense of shame.
But that shame quickly turned into irritation.
She made it sound as if they were despicable and she was noble. People would rather belittle others than admit their own ugliness.
Just as the crowd was about to erupt in embarrassment-fueled anger, the gray-haired girl smiled playfully.
"Well? That speech sounded pretty nice, didn't it? Of course, it's not like I don't want to make money too—the odds are just too good."
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter erupted both inside and outside the tavern. People seemed to find common ground with her—after all, Orario wouldn't allow anyone too noble to exist.
All of this was reflected in Ryuu's eyes.
Whatever the gray-haired girl's true intentions were, the fact remained—she had placed two hundred thousand valis on them. Ryuu stared blankly at that figure.
"Let's go back, Miss Ryuu," Roy said quietly, the thought of making money completely gone from his mind.
"Okay."
Her attention still on the gray-haired girl, Ryuu didn't even notice the change in Roy's tone.
Seeing the faint upward curve at the corner of Ryuu's refined lips, Roy felt alarm bells ringing.
That's dangerous.
Syr Flova.
Roy had recognized the gray-haired girl immediately—and precisely because of that, he felt danger. High-level adventurers from the Freya Familia had to be nearby!
To be honest, he had gone out of his way to avoid Freya's sphere of influence. For nearly a month since arriving in Orario, he hadn't dared approach the War Game Plains or the Hostess of Fertility.
The Goddess of Beauty's charm was terrifying.
Yet Freya still came looking for him personally.
There was no way it was a coincidence. Roy wouldn't believe that even if he were beaten to death. The only possibility was that someone had been targeted.
Of course, it wasn't him.
Freya chose people based on the color of their souls. As a former corporate slave in finance who had seen all the ugliness of the world, Roy knew exactly how murky his own soul was.
To put it bluntly—even if Freya took a liking to a male dog, she still wouldn't look twice at him!
Combining that with what Freya had said in the tavern, the one being targeted could only be the person beside him—Ryuu.
After turning several streets, Ryuu finally snapped out of it. Seeing Roy's troubled expression, her small face showed surprise.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just mentally exhausted."
Roy replied, vaguely recalling a piece of information—in the original timeline, Freya's favorite man and woman were the red-eyed rabbit and Ryuu Lion.
There was no way she would let go.
A Level 4 powerhouse… this is really giving me a headache.
If he ran away now, Ryuu and Goddess Astraea would have to face the Rudra Familia alone.
But if he didn't run—who knew what that madwoman Freya might do? The one she targeted wouldn't die, but the people around them might not be so lucky.
A crazed smile crept onto Roy's lips.
Being targeted by Orario's strongest familia was rationally troublesome—but the thrill-seeking part buried deep within him felt abnormally excited.
A contradictory existence.
The gray-haired girl also stared deeply at Roy's retreating back, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes.
…
Roy and Ryuu returned to the Garden of the Stars.
Before preparing dinner, there was one more thing to do—formally joining the Astraea Familia.
To participate in the War Game, he had to be a member of the Astraea Familia. He had finally reached this step.
Ryuu's expression grew complicated. Once he truly joined the familia, it would mean sharing life and death.
"Hurry up. We still need to make dinner," Roy said, taking off his shirt and revealing his well-built muscles.
Goddess Astraea pricked her finger with a silver needle, letting her divine blood drip onto Roy's back.
Name: Roy
Level: 1
Strength: 636 → 655 (C)
Endurance: 698 → 795 (B)
Dexterity: 1095 (SS)
Agility: 1290 (SSS)
Magic: 0 (I)
Skills:
My Lord Is Here:
With faith in the god, I become the god. Allows the user to freely update ability values according to their own will, independently choosing level-ups and developmental abilities.
Blood for Blood:
Accumulates damage received and returns it to the enemy in a single burst. Damage increases by varying multipliers based on emotional intensity.
Magic: None
…