"So why did this kind of job end up falling to me?"
At the entrance of the Ganesha Familia, Ryuu clutched her head in distress. Just now, Alise had brought her a shocking piece of news.
Originally, the one who would interact with the Ganesha Familia was supposed to be Alise, since she was lively and outgoing.
But for some reason, this responsibility had been assigned to Ryuu by Elise.
That meant Ryuu would have to frequently communicate with someone called Adi from now on.
But...
I don't particularly dislike her, but is it really okay to be this close right from the start?
And... how should I put it...
Maybe it's just my imagination, but Ryuu felt that the way Adi looked at her was like a hungry wolf staring at a little lamb...
In short, it was terrifying!
"Let's get along well from now on, Lion!"
"Stay away from me!"
As expected, Adi had already stuck to her so quickly!
"If you keep this up, I'm going back to tell Elise about this!"
At the mention of a certain name, Adi's expression instantly changed. She pressed a hand to her forehead, looking troubled.
"Elise, huh..."
Eh?
Seeing her reaction, could it be that something had happened between her and Elise?
Even Ryuu couldn't help but grow curious at that moment.
"Ah, don't make that face." Adi looked at Ryuu's expressive reaction and immediately realized she was overthinking things. "There's nothing special between me and Elise. We've just met once before."
Though that meeting hadn't exactly been pleasant...
"Come to think of it, the reason I was able to leave the Familia after all this time is also thanks to Elise!"
"By the way, is Elise still in the Familia recently? I've got a score to settle with her!"
"Huh?"
The moment those words came out, not only Ryuu but even Alise—who had been watching the scene unfold—froze in shock. The two of them exchanged a glance, silently communicating their thoughts.
Is something wrong with this girl's head?
Elise might only be Level 5, but she had once defeated a Level 7 opponent!
The strongest adventurer in Orario!
Ranked first for two consecutive years on the "Most Wanted as a Wife" list!
Ranked first for two consecutive years in Orario's solo combat rankings!
And her name appeared at the top of countless other rankings as well.
As members of an allied Familia, neither Alise nor Ryuu believed Adi could be unaware of these facts. In other words, she was making this decision fully informed.
"Are you serious?"
"Elise is extremely powerful. You might not be her opponent. How about waiting until next time?"
Anyone who truly understood Elise's strength wouldn't choose to oppose her—unless they had a compelling reason, or something was wrong with their head.
As for Adi, they still intended to persuade her a bit more.
"Heh! Of course I know Elise is strong!"
"But so what? What does that have to do with me wanting to challenge her?"
"If you avoid fighting just because your opponent is strong, then why call yourself an adventurer?"
"Adventurers are meant to seek adventure!"
Uh...
Alise felt like they might have underestimated this girl.
She might be a bit foolish, but her courage was commendable!
"And more than that! If I can defeat Elise, then the title of Orario's strongest will be mine, hahaha!"
Alright, Alise decided to take that back. She really was just dumb!
"Fine, I'll take you to meet Elise..."
"Alise?!"
Ryuu was startled by Alise's words, but Alise quickly cut her off.
"Shh, Lion."
"Look, she's probably the stubborn type. If she doesn't achieve her goal, she won't give up."
"Instead of letting her keep bothering us, we might as well just grant her wish. Besides, since she knows Elise, she probably won't get beaten too badly."
Probably...
Those were the two words Alise added silently in her mind.
"I see. I understand. Let's take her back then."
Normally, Ryuu would never agree to something like this. But... perhaps after spending so much time around certain troublemakers in the Familia, she had been influenced?
At this moment, an image seemed to appear in her mind—Adi being beaten while letting out miserable screams.
I'm such a terrible person!
Ryuu couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself. But there was no helping it—if she didn't handle things this way, the trouble later might be even worse.
She also seemed to understand what it meant to make trade-offs.
"Great, thanks, Alise and Lion!"
"Let's set off together!"
"I've really been wanting to meet everyone from the Astraea Familia!"
With a bright smile on her face, Adi grabbed the two of them by the hands and sprinted toward the Astraea Familia.
Little did she know...
They were arriving at just the right moment!
...
Within the Astraea Familia.
"Hey, hey, you're not joking, right?" Lyra stared at Elise in disbelief. "Didn't we just do this not long ago? Why are we doing it again now?"
"Could it be... something unexpected happened?"
"Or are you planning to travel far away, Captain?"
Faced with the members' questions, Elise gave a firm answer.
"Yes, just like Noin said. After a while, due to some special circumstances, I'll be going on a long journey. It may take some time before I return."
"So before I leave the Familia..."
"Let's take care of everything that needs to be done. For example, special training."
You devil!
We knew you had bad intentions!
The members of the Astraea Familia had followed Elise for so long—how could they not understand her personality?
This woman who disguised herself as a Saintess just wanted to beat them up, didn't she?
Heh! Even a sacred appearance couldn't hide that rotten heart of hers!
Their thoughts were practically written all over their faces. Only little Ais, who had never experienced the training, kept looking around in confusion, not understanding what everyone was talking about.
"Ah!"
Elise lightly covered her mouth with her hand and asked in mild surprise, "Could it be... you're unwilling?"
"No, we love special training. Let's start right away!"
If they actually said they were unwilling, Elise would definitely make up for it later in private, wouldn't she? That would only make things worse!
"Very good. Then without further delay, once Alise and Ryuu return, we'll begin."
Because of some matters with the Ganesha Familia, Alise had been sent out on an errand, along with Ryuu, who had gone out for a walk.
"We're back! And we brought a new friend with us!"
In the eyes of everyone in the Familia, the two people they had just been talking about suddenly pushed open the door and appeared before them.
At that moment, everyone turned to look at Elise...
Could it be that all of this had been part of her plan? Otherwise, how could they have returned at such a perfect time?
Noticing everyone's surprised expressions, a faint smile curved at the corner of Elise's lips.
"Hey, we meet again, Elise!"
Adi strode forward without hesitation and declared her challenge to Elise.
"What you said to my sister last time caused me a lot of trouble! This time, I came specifically to challenge you. As long as I win, the title of the strongest will be mine, right? Hahaha!"
For a moment, everyone present began to admire Adi's courage—even Astraea herself was no exception.
As for Elise...
Alise, Ryuu, and Adi returning together was somewhat beyond her expectations. After all, she wasn't constantly monitoring Orario.
But Adi's words did surprise her. The original Adi wasn't someone so reckless, unless...
She came here specifically to get beaten?
Did Shakti tell her something?
Elise didn't know what had happened earlier, but that didn't affect what she planned to do next.
"Since everyone is here, let's begin. Everyone in our Familia, plus our temporary addition—Adi."
"Although it won't last long, I guarantee it will leave a deep impression on you all!"
Astraea Familia training room.
Everyone stood in place, fully alert, staring intently at the blonde figure in the distance.
"Ais, when the fight starts, just follow us and run. Don't hesitate, got it?"
Maryuu, one of the older members and a healer, immediately grabbed Ais beside her.
"Huh?"
"It's just training. Why do we need to run?"
Ais was puzzled. Shouldn't training involve fighting with weapons?
But after hearing Ais' question, Maryuu simply cast a melancholic gaze into the distance.
"You'll understand soon enough. We're not trying to harm you. Maybe we'll even help you escape this suffering sooner."
"O-Okay... I understand."
Because of her outstanding talent, Ais had always received a different level of training from the others. She didn't need to push herself as desperately as they did.
And Elise had never hit her before.
Today, taking advantage of this opportunity, Elise decided to let her properly experience what "motherly love" meant.
But the price... might be quite painful.
A blossoming pain.
Specifically, her backside blossoming!
"Without further delay, let the battle begin!"
Elise casually picked up a wooden sword from the weapon rack and spun it lightly in her hand.
"Heh, today I'll finally get to see your true strength, Elise!"
Adi drew her custom-made weapon from her waist—one she had spent a great deal of money on—and pointed it at Elise.
"I've long been curious about Orario's strongest!"
Then...
The battle began!
Thud thud thud thud...
Before Elise even made a move, a series of sounds erupted nearby. What followed was a scene that left Adi utterly shocked.
"Agaris Alvesynth!"
"Flash Strike!"
"Moonlit Embrace! Beastification!"
Alise, whom she had known for quite some time, activated her most powerful enhancement magic without hesitation, greatly increasing her speed and close-combat ability—though the emphasis was clearly on speed.
Kaguya also assumed a stance and unleashed her powerful technique—a lightning-fast slash that allowed her to move at incredible speed.
The werewolf Neze directly activated Beastification, significantly boosting all her attributes, including speed.
And not just them—everyone else showed their own abilities, each using powerful skills to enhance their speed.
Only Ais was a bit slower to react, as it was her first time witnessing such a scene.
But soon, she used Ariel and quickly caught up.
Although their abilities differed, they shared many similarities. For example, they all enhanced speed—and they were all moving in the same direction.
The exact opposite direction of Elise...
Left behind, Adi stood there blankly, watching everyone flee behind her.
"Hey!"
"What are you doing? Why are you running backward? Elise is right in front of us!"
Completely confused, Adi shouted at the fleeing group—until someone responded.
"We're not running—we're just attacking from a different direction!"
"That's right!"
"Our goal is to break the Barrier of the Stars! You wanted to fight Elise, right? Then we'll leave her to you!"
"Oh!" Upon hearing that, Adi instantly became excited. "Then thank you! I'll definitely have a proper showdown with Elise!"
Out of her sight, Alise and the others quietly raised their thumbs, a sly smile appearing at the corners of their mouths.
The plan worked!
If they encouraged Adi like this, she should be able to hold out a little longer, right?
That would give them just enough time to break through the barrier Elise had created and escape!
"Have you all finished talking? Then shall we begin the fight?"
After waiting for a moment, Elise slowly walked toward Adi. Her pace was leisurely, as if she were taking a stroll after dinner.
"Of course! I've been looking forward to fighting you for a long time, Elise!"
Though she said that, Adi was steadily stepping backward. She could clearly feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from Elise.
"As expected of Orario's strongest... but I won't give up so easily!"
"Won't give up?" Elise paused slightly before breaking into a delighted smile. "That's wonderful."
"Huh?"
"Back when Alise and the others surrendered, I still took quite a while to finish with them..."
"If you don't surrender, you should be able to last longer than they did, right?"
Fear gradually spread across Adi's face. By the time Elise's hand touched her cheek, she finally realized what kind of monster she was facing.
"Aaaaaah! No!"
...
The members of the Astraea Familia, who had been frantically attacking the barrier, paused slightly when they noticed the distant area had suddenly fallen silent.
"What's the status of the bait?"
"Adi... she's already been defeated!"
"Only ten seconds and she's gone?"
"What should we do now?"
"Keep attacking the barrier! Also, observe a moment of silence for Adi!"
"One second?"
"Alright!"
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