With their defeat in the War Game, the Apollo Familia, once numbering over a hundred, was wiped out in an instant. A mid-tier Familia vanished from Orario almost without a sound.
The vast majority of its members regained their freedom and felt little attachment to Apollo. Some returned to their hometowns, others went back to their former Familias, and some placed themselves under neutral gods, choosing to live as lone wolves.
In the end, aside from the fanatical Hyakinthos, who was barely clinging to life and followed Apollo into exile, not a single person from that once-great Familia was willing to go with them.
The desolate sight of the two leaving Orario drew sighs from onlookers—never to return again.
This incident also served as a warning to the gods: forcing others into a Familia would never end well.
All assets of the Apollo Familia were transferred to the Astraea Familia. After years of accumulation, Apollo's Familia possessed over thirty million valis in cash alone; including fixed assets, the total was close to one hundred million valis.
Apollo's mansion was filled with his tasteless indulgences, statues of himself everywhere. Neither Roy nor Astraea had any desire to waste time clearing it out, nor to live there. The Stardust Garden was more than sufficient as their base.
So the luxurious mansion was sold outright.
The proceeds were more than enough to clear the Familia's debts, and their finances instantly became abundant—proof that taking down the rich was indeed the fastest way to get rich.
For the gods, the spectacle had been immensely entertaining.
Although they failed to uncover the secret behind Roy's rapid growth, they had still witnessed plenty of fascinating things.
A Lv.2 with status values capable of matching a Lv.3, mysterious bracers with special effects, and chantless magic—
That boy was practically a walking treasure trove. Who knew what else would be unearthed in the future? Some gods had even prepared a "Roy Observation Journal."
Looking back, people realized a chilling fact: in a very short span of time, two Familias had already been destroyed by the Astraea Familia.
Even after the Astraea Familia had once been annihilated and its numbers drastically reduced, justice had not faded—
It had become even more ruthless.
Mercenary groups and merchants with ties to the Dark Faction trembled in fear.
Back when Alise Lovell and the others were still around, the worst punishment those villains faced was a severe beating before being tossed into prisons run by the Ganesha Familia.
Under Roy's generation, however, things escalated quickly—people died, Familias were wiped out. The style was completely different.
In truth, harsh measures were effective in chaotic times. Since the Great Feud two years ago, the dark clouds hanging over Orario had finally begun to disperse.
Even ordinary citizens could feel the change.
Street brawls between adventurers had become far less common—no one wanted to draw the attention of that ominous star named Roy.
The Guild felt both joy and concern.
Familias in Orario were classified by rank and paid taxes to the Guild. Losing a mid-tier Familia meant losing a stream of revenue.
But from another perspective, it was a good thing. Roy's battle had inspired countless adventurers.
A fervent age was sure to follow, and progress in exploring the Dungeon would accelerate.
Some worried, some rejoiced—and Roy's group was undoubtedly among the latter, having claimed a decisive victory.
"A toast to our victory in the War Game!"
At the Stardust Garden, a small celebration was underway. The guest list was modest—Hermes, Asfi, Shakti, and several goddesses close to Astraea, all of them stunningly beautiful.
"Roy~ little brother~"
"When are you coming to visit us?"
The goddesses gathered around Roy, hearts in their eyes, nearly ready to tear his clothes off with their enthusiasm.
Their fervor was almost too much for him to handle.
"Roy, little brother, that was a magnificent fight. Now no one can say the Astraea Familia's justice has vanished," Hermes said with a smile.
Just like Roy's title, it was also the gods' expectation—that a new bud of justice would grow strong and one day become a towering tree sheltering the weak.
Goddess Astraea also seemed in high spirits.
"However, we're about to get busy."
Busy?
Roy managed to extricate himself from the goddesses and looked at Astraea with a puzzled expression.
After the War Game and clearing the Familia's debts, this should have been the easiest period.
As if sensing his confusion, Astraea said, "These two children will be joining us."
As her words fell, two girls peeked in from outside the door. Astraea stepped forward and gently pulled them inside.
They were Daphne and Cassandra, newly freed. With the dissolution of the Apollo Familia and nowhere else to go, the two had chosen to join the Astraea Familia.
They spoke solemnly, "Lady Astraea, please allow us to join your Familia!"
"Of course," Astraea agreed immediately.
Daphne had been subjected to Hyakinthos's private punishment, nearly beaten to death, yet she never revealed Roy's plan.
When her friend was injured, Cassandra had disregarded her own safety to seek out Roy for help.
Their courage deserved respect. How could Astraea possibly refuse such outstanding children?
"That's great!"
Joy lit up their faces as they embraced. Daphne's injuries had yet to fully heal, and she gasped in pain, her expression a mix of tears and laughter.
Astraea turned to Ryuu, who was acting as a server.
"Ryuu, I'll leave these two to you. Help them become proper adventurers as soon as possible."
"Yes!"
The elven girl replied seriously. With more newcomers joining the Familia, as its sole veteran member, she felt it was her duty to take care of them—at the very least, to revive the Familia.
In this moment, the new members were happy. The gods were happy to see the Astraea Familia grow stronger. Ryuu, having found a new goal, felt good as well—and Astraea went without saying.
Only Roy felt conflicted.
This was bad—really bad!
Ryuu was going to take care of Daphne and Cassandra? She was his Lv.4 powerhouse for Dungeon runs!
Looking at Astraea's radiant, flawless smile, Roy could only think one thing—
There was a dangerous god in this Familia!
"Hehe."
Astraea's mood was the complete opposite. Seeing Roy's bitter expression, she smiled warmly.
Roy hadn't consulted her before scheming against the Apollo Familia and triggering the War Game.
She had kept score of that little account very clearly.
The Familia's debt had originally been a way to divert Ryuu's attention, to keep her from fixating solely on revenge. Now that the debt was gone, of course she needed to give Ryuu something else to focus on.
Reviving the Familia—what a wonderful goal.
The boomerang came flying back and struck Roy squarely.
Roy had spent a week mastering his Lv.2 power. His original plan was to wipe out the Apollo Familia, quickly clear the debt, and then get back to Dungeon runs.
The Apollo Familia was gone. The debt was cleared.
But his Lv.4 carry had been taken away.
Bitter liquor burned his throat as it went down. Gulp, gulp, gulp.
While Astraea chatted with the other goddesses, Hermes sidled up to Roy with a grin.
"Roy, little brother, do you know about the Three Great Adventurer Requests?"
Roy gave him a strange look.
What are you plotting now?