"So, seriously, don't joke about something like that with us!"
Inside the Astraea Familia's living room, everyone had gathered together.
"If we hadn't just learned the truth, I would've already gone out and killed that scumbag who dared to defile you..."
"Haha, that joke earlier really was a bit too much. I'll apologize to everyone here."
Elise's attitude was fairly sincere, so no one made things difficult for her. Instead, they turned their attention to the little girl—Ais.
"That aside, why did you bring this little girl back to the familia? We do help people, sure, but taking in children... wouldn't it be better to leave that to those more suited for it?"
The underlying meaning of those words was clear—don't casually bring outsiders back, even if it's just a child.
Although the Astraea Familia upheld the banner of justice, it was still a familia at its core. All its members were like one big family.
Within Orario, it was rare for people to visit another familia. Most of the time, visits were just for asking questions, seeking advice, or catching up.
Unless...
"If it's a special situation, then pretend I didn't say anything."
"It is a special situation, Kaguya!"
Elise pulled Ais—who had been resting on her lap—upright, then settled her back down before hugging her from behind.
"She may be young, but she has astonishing potential. In the future, she'll definitely become an outstanding adventurer!"
Huh?
From Elise's tone, it sounded like she intended to recruit this little girl—who looked only about six—into the familia?
For a moment, everyone turned to look at Ais, and an inexplicable pressure filled the room.
Of course, they weren't doubting Elise's words.
Everyone in the familia knew just how extraordinary Elise was. Whether in strength or talent, they had never seen anyone more powerful than her.
Unless she chose not to say something, anything she did say was almost certainly true.
"Then I have no objections. Adding some new members to the familia would be nice—it'll bring in more energy."
"And she's such a cute girl. Everyone will definitely be happy."
The other members reacted similarly. They trusted their captain completely, so all that remained was their goddess' opinion.
Elise turned her head and looked toward Astraea. Ever since seeing Ais, the goddess had been silent—perhaps deep in thought.
"Letting her join the familia isn't a problem. If anything, having such an adorable child join would make me very happy."
"But I don't want to hide anything from you all."
Astraea let out a sigh before continuing, "This child's identity is rather special. Elise, you should already know, right?"
"Mm!" Elise nodded. "I know a little about Ais' background. She's a descendant of a spirit, right?"
A spirit?
The others immediately perked up, staring at Ais in surprise.
Anyone who had read the hero tales knew what spirits were. In those stories, their power was legendary. Many of the monster disasters in ancient times had been resolved by spirits.
Everyone present could say with certainty that they had never seen a spirit before—perhaps they truly only existed in legends.
But now, what had they just heard?
Ais was actually a descendant of a spirit?
In other words, did she possess the same kind of talent as a spirit?
If that were the case, then it wasn't so hard to understand why Elise wanted her to join the Astraea Familia.
This was a once-in-a-legend genius!
"But it's precisely because she's a descendant of a spirit that countless difficulties will await you all in the future. So... are you prepared to face them?"
"If Ais truly decides to join our familia, then until she grows strong enough, everyone will have a harder time."
The members of the Astraea Familia exchanged smiles. They all understood what Astraea meant.
"So what? Haven't we already been surrounded by trouble all this time?"
"And we're a familia of justice! So what if there are difficulties? We'll overcome them!"
"Most importantly, our captain is the strongest adventurer in Orario! Who could possibly beat her?"
The strongest in Orario!
Elise, the legendary adventurer who defeated a Level 7 while only being Level 4, had already become famous across the world. Practically no one didn't know her name anymore. She had become the very symbol of overwhelming power in this new era.
Anyone who wanted to act against the Astraea Familia would inevitably have to face Elise. Unless you possessed strength at Level 8 or higher, it was better not to court death.
"Yeah, none of us are afraid!"
Astraea smiled in return. Her earlier words had simply been a reminder to everyone.
To be honest, ever since Elise devoured Freya, Astraea felt that there was nothing in this world Elise couldn't accomplish.
Especially that development ability of hers—Divinization. She really was planning to become a god...
Perhaps having Ais join their familia would turn out to be a very good choice.
"I'll ask you one last time. Have you truly decided to join my familia, Ais?"
Astraea's expression turned serious. Joining a familia would shape one's entire future. Even though Ais was just a child, Astraea still chose to speak in such a formal tone.
"Mm, I want to become stronger!"
At that moment, Ais slipped out of Elise's embrace and answered Astraea with utmost seriousness.
However, Astraea noticed something—there seemed to be something hidden within Ais' expression...
"There are things I absolutely must accomplish, so I have to become stronger! And..."
At this point, Ais' little face turned bright red.
"Elise... big sister is here too."
"I want to stay and be with her!"
Originally, Ais had intended to continue calling Elise "Mom," but after sensing the terrifying aura emanating from her, she immediately changed it to "big sister."
In that sense, it was quite similar to how mothers sometimes insisted their children call them "big sister" to seem younger—something that happened often enough.
"Then come with me, Ais. Elise, you too."
"Everyone else, take a break for now—head back to your rooms and get a good night's sleep. Before long, our familia will have a new adorable member."
After saying that, Astraea stood up first, then led Ais and Elise to her room.
It was time to engrave the divine blessing onto Ais.
...
Swish, swish, swish!
Inside the goddess' neat and tidy room, the procedure for accepting a new member was underway—the engraving of the blessing.
The blessing itself had no fundamental differences. No matter which god performed it, its effects were roughly the same.
This was because the blessing's true function was to stimulate an adventurer's potential, allowing them to achieve things they were already capable of—like a catalyst.
If something was absolutely impossible for an adventurer, then even the blessing could not make it happen.
And Ais' potential was undoubtedly among the very highest in this world.
Elise stood quietly to the side, waiting, occasionally glancing at Ais' back... Don't misunderstand, she was only checking her skills and magic. Nothing else.
A finger stained with divine blood traced across Ais' back. The process itself wasn't difficult—it only took a few minutes at most.
As the pattern of a sword and wings appeared upon her back, Ais officially became a member of the Astraea Familia.
Before long, her status sheet was revealed.
Astraea froze for a moment, then looked toward Elise with a mysterious smile.
Having seen many extraordinary things—and having been shocked by Elise several times already—the goddess was starting to grow accustomed to such surprises.
Still, Ais' status was indeed impressive. Even within the familia, it would rank among the top.
All her basic abilities were I-0. Since she had only just become an adventurer, having nothing yet was perfectly normal. However, the sections for magic and skills were completely different from those of ordinary adventurers.
Magic: [Ariel]
A short-chant magic that wraps the body in wind, enhancing attack, defense, speed, and granting short-range flight. A highly versatile spell.
Perhaps due to her lineage as a wind spirit, Ais' abilities were also wind-related, making this magic particularly well-suited to her.
The next skill, however, carried a more dangerous aura.
[Avenger Princess]
Greatly increases attack power against all monster-type enemies, and massively increases it against dragon-type monsters. The enhancement scales with the intensity of hatred.
It was no surprise that Ais possessed such a skill. A thousand years ago, she had likely witnessed her parents being killed by monsters, which gave rise to this terrifying hatred.
Even within the entire world, this was an extremely fearsome ability.
As for Elise, she wasn't particularly surprised by these two abilities, since they were ones Ais had originally possessed anyway.
However, it seemed Ais had gained more than just those.
Elise noticed that at the end of the blessing, there appeared to be one more ability.
"This skill... is related to you. Or rather, the bond between you and Ais?"
[Companionship of Love]
When growing together with a companion, growth speed is greatly increased.
When fighting alongside that companion, all attributes are greatly enhanced.
When fighting alongside that companion, the user can temporarily borrow the companion's abilities.
"This skill...?"
Elise had not expected Ais to awaken such a special growth-type ability.
"Companionship of Love... isn't that basically me?"
Thinking back to the time she had spent with Ais since they met, she hadn't done anything particularly special.
She had simply taken her out for a walk, bought her some food, and done things no different from what a normal family would do... Wait, family?
Perhaps Ais was especially sensitive to that idea. Bringing her out like that might have triggered memories deep within her.
If that was the case, then gaining such a powerful skill made sense.
From the description, as long as Ais was with Elise, she would receive an incredibly powerful boost.
Faster growth, enhanced abilities across the board, and even the ability to borrow Elise's power.
The skill didn't specify the limits of that borrowing. What if she could even borrow Elise's faith?
That would have an enormous impact on the world.
"Still, if guided properly, it will definitely be a huge help to Ais' growth."
Looking at Ais, who had finished dressing and walked up to her, Elise gently patted her head.
"How are my abilities?"
Although Ais' expression remained blank, her voice trembled slightly—perhaps she was worried her abilities were too weak, afraid of being abandoned by Elise.
"Mm, your abilities are amazing, Ais. But don't let my praise make you arrogant, okay?"
As she spoke, Elise lightly flicked her small nose in a playful gesture, trying to cheer her up.
Receiving affirmation, Ais finally let out a quiet breath, the burden in her heart easing.
"Mm, Elise big sister, I won't become arrogant."
Back in the living room, the members of the Astraea Familia were still waiting. The engraving process didn't take long, so they had agreed to give the little girl a surprise.
After a while, when Ais appeared before them again, a burst of enthusiastic applause immediately filled the entire room.
"Welcome to the Astraea Familia, Ais!"
Seeing this scene, Ais' eyes widened slightly. She had never experienced being welcomed like this before, and a flower-like smile bloomed across her face.
Once the applause gradually subsided, Elise stepped forward to explain Ais' situation.
"Because of Ais' age, the familia can't assign her a room of her own for now. So for the time being, someone will need to look after her..."
Before Elise could finish speaking, everyone raised their right hands and pointed their index fingers—straight at her.
They were all good people.
Seeing this, little Ais was clearly overjoyed. She carefully memorized each person present, silently vowing to repay them in the future.
Then, imitating the others, she also pointed her finger at Elise.
Elise: ...
You really don't need to join in on this!
"Fine."
Compared to the others in the familia, Elise already had experience taking care of Est. Adding one more child wasn't a big deal.
Ais didn't seem like the kind of child who would cause trouble anyway.
Probably...
And so, Ais officially became a member of the Astraea Familia, and Elise began a new experience—taking care of two children at once.
However, compared to the somewhat jealous Est, Ais was much more well-behaved. Whatever Elise said, she was willing to listen.
Est: ?!