The silence inside the Head of the Guild's office felt far heavier than the tacky gold statues decorating the corners of the room. Royman Mardeel's last words still echoed in the air, carrying a request to deal with the anomalies from the remnants of the World Calamities.
In front of the polished mahogany desk, Alfia stood with a flat expression, but her heterochromatic eyes glared sharply at the two unrolled maps—the maps of Port Melen and the Kaios Desert.
As a former Hera Familia executive who participated in taking down those monsters alongside her comrades, investigating their remains indeed sounded like a very fitting task for her. The Behemoth died in the Kaios Desert, its magic stone destroyed by Zald, leaving behind a toxic ash field. Meanwhile, she had finished off the Leviathan, and its body was now used as an underwater seal strictly guarded by the Poseidon Familia. If any anomalies arose from the remnants of the creatures they defeated, Alfia knew exactly how to destroy them a second time.
However, truthfully, Alfia had absolutely no intention of going.
Her thoughts immediately went to the old church on the outskirts of the city. She remembered Meteria. Her twin sister was now six months pregnant. Meteria's belly had grown large, and this stage of pregnancy was the phase that most required extra attention. Leaving Orario now for an out-of-town expedition, leaving Meteria without her direct protection even with Aria there—Alfia would never let that happen. She didn't care about the Guild's logistical crisis; her absolute priority right now was solely the safety of her sister and the baby in her womb.
Slowly, Alfia shifted her gaze from the map. She turned to the side, looking at the petite young man in the green cloak sitting leaning back in the leather chair.
Hedin Selland, who had been standing near the door like a deadly guardian statue, did the same. He looked at his god, waiting for a decision. Followed by Royman who swallowed hard, shifting his pleading gaze from Alfia to the God of Wind.
Three pairs of eyes were now completely fixed on Venti.
The young man did not respond immediately. His face, usually adorned with a playful smile, looked very calm. His right hand was raised, his index finger tapping softly on the wooden desk beneath his chin with a regular rhythm.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Venti glanced at Alfia briefly. He could feel the reluctance weighing on her heart. And as a god who valued freedom and family, he strongly agreed with Alfia's priorities.
Venti's finger tapping stopped. The corners of his lips curved upward again, forming his signature cheerful smile.
"This is quite a troublesome crisis, Sir Royman," said Venti, breaking the silence with his light tone of voice. He looked straight at the Head of the Guild. "The Barbatos Familia will accept this special mission."
The plump Elf's face instantly brightened, but his relief lasted only a second before Venti continued his sentence.
"However, there is one adjustment. Our Familia will handle it, but it's not Alfia who will go there," Venti continued casually.
Alfia sighed slightly in relief, while Hedin adjusted his glasses calmly, fully trusting his god.
"W-What do you mean, God Barbatos?" asked Royman, his voice rising again in panic. "But... the main reason the Guild begged for your Familia's help is because of Miss Alfia! She is the only one who truly understands the Behemoth and the Leviathan. If she isn't deployed, who can guarantee the success of this mission?!"
Venti leaned forward, looking into Royman's eyes with a gleam of intelligence that silenced the bureaucrat.
"Let's use a little of your basic bureaucratic logic, Sir Royman," said Venti, his tone of voice flowing softly yet very striking. "You yourself know that Orario is currently in a very tense state. Not long ago, two gods—Dionysus and Ikelos—were forcibly returned to Tenkai in a single night. All the major Familias like Loki and Freya are in paranoid mode, suspecting each other, and monitoring every strange movement within the city."
Venti pointed at Alfia with his thumb. "Imagine if amidst this sensitive situation, the Guild secretly sent Alfia—a Level 7 adventurer—out of Orario. What would the Loki and Freya Familia think? They would definitely suspect that the Guild is hiding something huge, or worse, they would think Alfia had something to do with the repatriation of those two gods and the Guild is helping her escape."
Venti's eyes flashed playfully. "If Alfia leaves, the gods and familias will demand an explanation from you, Royman. But if Alfia stays quietly at our headquarters, doing her normal routine... the other Familias will remain calm. There will be no additional panic. Her presence in this city actually stabilizes the suspicions of the other familias. Let my other Familia members move to take care of the monster remnants secretly."
Royman's mouth hung slightly open. His bureaucratic brain spun quickly, and he had to admit that the God of Wind's logic was very precise. Sending an existence as conspicuous as Alfia out of the city amidst a string of incidents involving the disappearance of two gods would only invite sharp interrogations from other gods and Familias. Sending other members of the Barbatos Familia was indeed far safer politically.
"V-Very well... your argument makes a lot of sense, God Barbatos. As long as your Familia can guarantee these anomalies are resolved, the Guild will agree," said Royman, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his silk handkerchief.
"Excellent!" Venti leaned back casually again, clapping his hands together. "Now, let's discuss the most important part. You mentioned this is an emergency-scale special mission. What special reward is the Guild offering for the investigation of these World Calamity remnants?"
Hearing the question about compensation, Royman immediately straightened his back. He opened his notepad, returning to his comfort zone as a financial manager.
"For the resolution of the anomalies in Port Melen and the Kaios Desert, the Guild has prepared a high-level emergency budget. We offer a reward of Eight Hundred Million Valis," said Royman proudly.
That was a truly fantastic amount. A nominal figure enough to arm a mid-tier Familia with high-level equipment, or buy the most luxurious property in the city center.
Alfia was not impressed at all. During the Hera Familia's glory days, a figure like that was merely the logistical cost for a single expedition piercing through the 50th floors. Hedin didn't blink either; to a former king, money had no intrinsic value other than as a medium of exchange.
Venti whistled softly, his eyes widening as if in awe. "Eight hundred million Valis? Wow, that's a lot of money. I could buy the entire wine supply in Orario with that money."
However, a second later, Venti smirked. He tapped his finger on the desk.
"But, I have a more interesting offer, Royman. I want to exchange all that Valis reward for something else," Venti said calmly.
"Exchange it? What do you want, God Barbatos?" asked Royman, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"I want the Barbatos Familia to be granted special privileges," Venti answered straightforwardly. "Just like the special privileges possessed by the Demeter Familia because they are an agricultural Familia. I want my Familia members and I to be able to go in and out of Orario freely. Without questions, without complicated bureaucracy, and without needing to submit reporting documents every time we cross the gates."
Hearing this request, Royman's eyes widened. On one hand, the Elf's greedy instincts cheered with joy. Exchanging administrative rights for Eight Hundred Million Valis meant he could keep that emergency fund intact in the Guild's treasury for his other projects!
However, Royman wasn't that stupid. He knew giving overly free border access to a Familia housing a monster of Alfia's caliber was a security issue.
"Your offer is very tempting for our treasury, God Barbatos," Royman cleared his throat, trying to weave the best compromise. "However, I cannot grant completely free access. If a Level 7 adventurer and high-level adventurers can go in and out of the city without official records, it will confuse the Ganesha Familia guarding the gates and trigger security complaints from other major Familias."
Royman leaned forward, proposing his conditions.
"I agree to grant those special privileges, but with one absolute limitation. This free access in and out without bureaucracy only applies to you as God Barbatos, and your Familia members who are at a maximum of Level 3," Royman asserted. "Adventurers Level 3 and below will not trigger the threat radar of other familias. That way, you get the access you want, and I don't have to bother explaining to Loki or Freya why top-tier adventurers are disappearing from gate surveillance."
Behind Venti, Alfia only snorted softly, not really caring if she had to fill out paperwork when leaving the city; after all, she had no intention of leaving Meteria's side anytime soon anyway.
Meanwhile, Venti stared at Royman with a flat face. But in his heart, he smiled with satisfaction.
Maximum limit Level 3? Venti thought cheerfully. This bureaucrat is really giving me what I want. Sylphie is registered as a Level 1 adventurer. Dina and Vena are also registered at Level 3. Hedin and Hogni are also Level 3. The five of them can use this city entry and exit permit without anyone suspecting. And in the future, this exit permit document will be very useful for the mobility of other members.
"A very reasonable requirement, Sir Royman," said Venti, extending his hand forward with a bright smile. "Deal. Exchange the monetary reward for those permits, and my Familia will immediately take care of the problems out there."
Royman let out a very loud sigh of relief, immediately shaking Venti's hand. The Guild's money was saved, and the emergency mission found its executioners. "I will immediately prepare those special exit permit documents for your Familia, God Barbatos!"
"Thank you. We'll excuse ourselves first, we still have a lot of supplies to prepare," Venti stood up, straightening his green clothes.
Without much further ado, Venti turned and stepped out of the room, followed by Alfia and Hedin who closed the double doors tightly.
As the three of them walked down the quiet Guild corridor, Alfia finally spoke up.
"Sacrificing eight hundred million Valis just for a city entry and exit permit for low and mid-level adventurer members?" asked Alfia, glancing at Venti out of the corner of her eye. "I know you don't care about wealth, Venti, but what is your real goal in wanting access like the Demeter Familia?"
Venti chuckled, his steps as light as a breeze. His arms were crossed casually behind his head.
"It's simple, Alfia," answered Venti with cheerfully sparkling eyes, not thinking about complicated political tactics at all. "Money can be earned, but complicated bureaucracy is very annoying to freedom. With these special permit documents, our adventurers and I can freely go in and out of Orario anytime. We can take a walk to get some fresh air, visit villages out there to easily recruit new Familia members, or... just look for a good wine tavern in a neighboring town without needing to be questioned by gate guards every time we cross."
Hedin, walking behind, could only shake his head slowly hearing a reason so pure and free from power intrigues.
"A transaction worth hundreds of millions of Valis purely for the freedom to take walks and recruit members without hassle," murmured Hedin softly, smiling faintly. "Only you could think of something like that, Lord Venti."
"Ehe! Freedom is the most expensive treasure, Hedin!" Venti winked one eye. "Now, let's go home. We have to quickly tell Hogni, Dina, and Vena that they're going on a little business trip to deal with the remnants of past monsters!"
The wind blew through the open windows of the Guild corridor, carrying with it the echo of the god's laughter. A new mission awaited, and the Barbatos Familia prepared to spread their wings to the world outside the walls of Orario.
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