Argana's affairs weren't Hestia's concern, this was Leon's romantic mess to handle.
Hestia had long since accepted her partner's charm, and the attention it drew from many women, even Artemis, who secretly harbored feelings for him. Prepared for the situation, Hestia didn't react nearly as strongly this time as she did when Argana first appeared.
"Don't you want to watch?" Artemis asked, her expression puzzled.
Hestia waved her off with a smile. "No need. Let Leon handle it himself."
With that, she strode into the library, Artemis following. The others trickled in after them.
Only Ryuu lingered outside. She had come to see Leon, but didn't want to overstay her welcome. A brief chat in the open air was enough.
...
Leon turned to Argana and Bache with a sigh. "You two really are persistent. But I have no feelings for either of you."
"Besides, your relationship with Tione and Tiona is… complicated."
"Do you understand?" Leon's voice was flat, but firm.
"Tione? Tiona?" Argana's eyes narrowed sharply at the names.
"Yeah. That's probably why you don't want to accept me." Leon shrugged, unwilling to elaborate.
Argana stared meaningfully at Leon for a long moment. "Alright, I understand."
Calling Bache, she turned and left. Bache glanced back at Leon once more before following.
Leon watched their retreating backs and felt a vague unease, but shrugged it off. With a few last looks, he turned and headed toward the library.
"Ryuu, what brings you here?" Leon asked with a smile as he approached the girl waiting nearby.
Ryuu blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the question.
What was her reason, exactly?
She'd heard Leon was back and simply couldn't wait to see him.
Why did she want to see him? She wasn't sure, only that she wanted to be near him, to be alone with him.
Thinking this, her cheeks flushed faintly.
"Since you're okay, I feel relieved. Goodbye, Leon." She murmured hurriedly, then fled before she could say more.
Leon stood frozen, watching her retreating figure.
What just happened? Why did she run off with a red face?
Could it be…?
Three days after returning to Orario, the joint expedition with the Loki and Astraea Familias was ready to begin. Everyone gathered at Babel Square.
By the time Leon arrived, members from both familias were already assembled.
Belle and her group came along, though they wouldn't join the expedition itself. They only accompanied the party for the initial part, up to the 36th floor.
With their combined strength, Belle's group could handle monsters on the lower floors. The expedition force was large enough that no one worried about safety.
Plus, with Haruhime's amplification magic and abilities, their strength was boosted further.
For the first two days in the lower layers, the weaker Loki Familia members, Levels 2 and 3, would get ample chance to fight and grow.
Once they entered the deeper floors, Level 2 adventurers would shift to support roles, while Level 3 members would team up to tackle tougher monsters.
Since monsters from floors 37 to 49 mostly ranked at Level 4 difficulty, even Level 2 adventurers found them extremely challenging.
The expedition would stay in these deeper floora for four days, with the team providing training opportunities for the second-class adventurers.
Afterward, they'd go to the 50th floor, staying there for some time.
Floors beyond 50 were reserved for first-class adventurers, no second-class adventurer could handle them.
Aside from Leon, the Loki Familia lineup included Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Tione, Tiona, Bete, Alicia, and Anakitty.
The Astraea Familia was smaller, with only Alise, Ryuu, and Kaguya, the rest were Level 4s.
A week passed quickly. During this time, Leon did not engage in combat like in previous expeditions. Instead, he maintained his support role, constantly using Gate of Heaven to aid the party.
Most monsters were beneath his level of concern, so he let others handle them. He didn't even face Balor in the 49th-floor.
In their last expedition, the group hadn't encountered Balor. This time, however, Finn suggested they purposely pass through to test their strength against the giant.
Yes, Finn had ranked up. Not just Finn, Gareth and Riveria had also gotten stronger after the last battle in the artificial labyrinth.
Finn wanted to challenge an opponent of equal might.
Balor was unfortunate. As the monster rex of the 49th floor, Balor's strength peaked at Level 7.
Even Ottar, a high Level 7, couldn't defeat him and had to retreat.
But now, Balor faced an all-star lineup. The Loki and Astraea Familias' heavy hitters had all reached Level 7.
Ais and three others had similarly reached Level 7 combat power. Bete stood at Level 6, while Alise and Anakitty were both Level 5.
Alise, Ryuu, and Kaguya joined the fight. Throughout the battle, Balor was thoroughly suppressed.
In the vast wilderness, numerous Level 7, Level 6, and Level 5 fighters emitted brilliant white light, encircling the enormous monster and relentlessly attacking it. Leon couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for Balor.
"Poor Balor." Lefiya standing beside Leon murmured, echoing his thoughts.
"Ahaha, that's true." Lyra said, standing on the other side. She wore a playful smirk as she observed the ongoing battle.
Since her resurrection, Lyra had completely abandoned her old grudges and focused solely on Leon, though she never showed it too obviously. Yet whenever an opportunity presented itself, she eagerly drew close to him.
Not only Lyra, but many of the Astraea familia members now preferred to stay near Leon. It was an unavoidable aftereffect of being resurrected by the Sephiroth Graal.
Leon didn't mind the attention. If they wanted to be by his side, then so be it, it wasn't a big deal.
Under the siege of so many first-class adventurers, Balor's fate was sealed quickly. The giant fell, leaving behind only a colossal magic stone.
"Leon, please." Finn's figure emerged from the battlefield, his voice firm.
Leon knew exactly what Finn wanted. With a blink, he was instantly beside Finn and the others. He examined the massive magic stone, towering several meters high, and without hesitation placed it into his system storage.
Such a huge magic stone, if taken back to the city, could easily fetch hundreds of millions of Valis.
It was a pity its level was only 7. Had it been Lv. 8, Leon would have slain Balor himself.
But for Lv. ? He didn't even need it.
Ellie and June were already Lv. 8 now, and a Lv. 7 magic stone couldn't help boost their powers at all.
Speaking of Ellie and June, Leon had noticed something recently. Since gaining divine power and signing a contract with him, the two elemental fairies had begun changing gradually.
At first, it was subtle. But over the past few days, Leon noticed faint traces of divine power manifesting within them. What exactly it meant, however, remained a mystery.
Ellie and June themselves were clueless about the changes. Though the divine power was present, it didn't seem to disrupt their bodies or minds. They couldn't even consciously channel or control it, it simply lingered within them.
Since even Ellie and June didn't understand the phenomenon, Leon couldn't have known either. With no clear answers, he chose not to pry, preferring to wait patiently for the truth to reveal itself.
Moreover, he felt this wasn't a negative development. It might actually be beneficial for Ellie and June.
"It's really convenient."
Finn sighed as he watched Leon take away the magic stone with his space magic.
"Without your space magic, carrying such a huge magic stone would be a real hassle."
Even for a supporter, transporting that stone required at least several people working together. But with Leon's spatial ability, it was simply whisked away instantly.
"Thanks for the compliment. Let's head to the 50th floor." Leon replied with a slight smile.
"Yeah, let's go to the 50th floor." Finn nodded in agreement.
Without delay, the group set off toward the 50th floor.