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Weeks passed by very quickly.
Every day, the team went down into the dungeon.
They fought monsters, gathered magic stones, and shared their rewards.
One evening, Lili sat on her small bed inside the church.
She carefully counted valis in her leather pouch.
Her brown eyes lit up. A huge smile spread across her face.
"I have enough,"
Lili announced to the room.
"I finally have enough to pay my debt."
Bell clapped his hands happily.
"That is great news, Lili!"
"I will go to their camp tomorrow morning,"
Lili said. She tied the pouch tightly.
"I will give them the money and buy my freedom. I will go alone."
Dee instantly stood up from her chair.
She crossed her arms and shook her head.
"No way,"
Dee said firmly.
"You are not going there by yourself."
Lili blinked in surprise.
"But I have the money. They promised to let me leave if I paid them."
"Bad people do not keep promises,"
Dee told her seriously.
"They will just take your money and force you to stay. Eli and I are coming with you."
"Dee is right,"
Elias agreed, leaning against the wooden wall.
"We will make sure they actually let you leave."
Lili looked down at her pouch.
She wanted to prove she was brave, but she was still very afraid of her old family.
"Okay,"
Lili whispered.
"Thank you. I feel much safer with you two."
Later that night, Elias and Dee sat outside the church on the stone steps.
"Are you expecting a fight tomorrow?"
Elias asked quietly.
Dee looked up at the stars. She thought about the story she knew.
"I know how this group works,"
Dee explained.
"The God Soma is not actually an evil person. He does not care about money. He does not want to hurt kids like Lili."
"Then why is his family so cruel to her?"
Elias asked.
"Because he only cares about making the perfect wine,"
Dee answered.
"His wine is like a powerful drug. His followers drink it and go completely crazy. They steal, lie, and hurt people just to buy one more drop. The God ignores his children, so the bad members make their own cruel rules."
Elias frowned deeply. He crossed his arms.
"A leader who ignores his people is still a bad leader,"
Elias stated flatly.
"If he lets his family rot, he is to blame."
Dee smiled softly and leaned her head against his arm.
"Tomorrow might get messy,"
Dee warned him.
"The captain of their family will not want to let Lili go."
"That is fine,"
Elias said. His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
"If they try to keep her, I will smash every single wine barrel they own."
The next morning, Elias, Dee, and Lili stood in front of the Soma Familia gates.
Lili took a deep breath.
She pushed the heavy wooden doors open.
The courtyard was full of adventurers.
They looked tired and sick.
A man with a fancy coat walked out to meet them. He was the captain.
Lili held out her pouch.
"I brought the money,"
Lili said. Her voice was steady.
"I am buying my freedom today."
The captain took the pouch. He opened it and smiled.
Then, he tossed the pouch to one of his guards.
"Thank you for the payment, Lili,"
The captain said.
"But the price went up yesterday. You still owe us a lot of money."
Lili took a step back.
"You lied,"
Lili whispered.
"You are a Supporter,"
The captain sneered.
"You belong to us. You will work until I say you can stop."
He looked past Lili and stared at Elias and Dee. He let out a loud, ugly laugh.
"Who are these losers?"
The captain mocked.
"Did you hire a bodyguard? A man with no armor and a pale, skinny girl? She looks like she would break if I pushed her. What a pathetic team."
The guards around them laughed loudly.
They pointed at Dee.
Elias stopped smiling.
The air in the courtyard instantly turned freezing cold.
Dee did not look scared.
She just sighed and stepped behind Elias.
"You can insult me,"
Elias said.
His voice was low and dangerous.
"But you do not ever insult her."
Elias reached out his empty hand. A dark light flashed.
A long polearm appeared in his grip. It was his Naginata, Twilight.
"Kill him!"
The captain yelled.
"Take his weapon and sell it for wine!"
Ten guards rushed forward with their swords drawn.
Elias did not hesitate. He swung Twilight in a wide, fast circle.
He did not aim for their bodies. He aimed for their weapons.
The dark blade shattered their iron swords into tiny pieces.
The force of the swing knocked all ten men to the ground.
Elias walked forward.
He walked past the fallen men and went straight toward the large storage building.
"Stop him!"
The captain screamed in panic.
"The wine is in there!"
Elias raised his Naginata.
He brought it down hard on the heavy wooden doors.
The doors exploded into splinters.
Inside, hundreds of wooden barrels were stacked to the ceiling.
Elias stepped inside. He spun Twilight with terrifying speed.
*Crash. Crash. Crash.*
Wood broke. Metal rings snapped.
The dark purple wine spilled everywhere, flooding the stone floor.
The sweet smell filled the air.
The Soma Familia members fell to their knees.
They cried as they watched their precious wine soak into the dirt.
Elias walked back out.
He pointed the tip of Twilight right at the captain's chest.
"Liliruca Arde is free,"
Elias stated clearly.
"If anyone tries to find her, I will come back. And next time, I will not just break the barrels."
The captain sat on the wet ground.
He shook his head wildly, completely terrified.
"She is free!"
The captain cried out.
"Just take her and leave!"
Elias made his weapon vanish.
He turned around and offered his hand to Lili.
"Let's go home,"
Elias said gently.
But Dee stopped him. She shook her head.
"Wait, Eli,"
Dee said.
"We are not done yet."
Lili looked up, feeling confused.
"What is wrong?"
"You cannot join Hestia yet,"
Dee explained softly.
"The God Soma must cut the connection first. If he does not take his blessing back, Hestia cannot give you hers."
Elias looked down at the captain.
"Bring your God out here,"
Elias commanded.
The captain shook his head fast.
"I can't!"
The captain cried.
"Lord Soma never leaves his room! He never talks to anyone. He will not come down!"
Dee stepped forward. Her dark eyes looked up at the tallest tower of the building.
"That is fine,"
Dee said calmly.
"I am not asking."
Dee raised her pale hand. She closed her eyes.
The air grew very heavy.
The shadows on the ground twisted.
Dee curled her fingers inward. It looked like she was grabbing an invisible rope.
She pulled her hand down hard.
A sudden gasp echoed in the courtyard.
A man appeared out of thin air. He fell onto his knees right in front of them.
He wore a messy robe. His hair was completely wild.
It was the God Soma.
Dee had reached across the building, grabbed his soul, and pulled him outside.
"What..."
Soma mumbled. He looked around in a daze.
"Where am I? My work..."
Dee walked up to the fallen God.
She looked down at him.
"Look at this girl,"
Dee told him, pointing at Lili.
Soma blinked.
He barely looked at the small supporter.
"A child,"
Soma whispered.
"Leave me alone. I need to get back to my brewing."
Dee leaned down.
She placed her cold hand on his shoulder.
Soma instantly froze.
A feeling of pure, absolute death filled his mind.
"Listen to me carefully,"
Dee whispered.
Her voice was sweet, but it held no mercy.
"You will release Liliruca Arde right now. You will erase your mark from her back."
Soma tried to pull away.
"I do not care about the kids,"
Soma mumbled.
"Do what you want. Just let me make my wine."
"If you do not erase her mark,"
Dee continued,
"I will erase something of yours. I will kill your ability to make wine. I will make sure every drop you touch turns into dirty water. Forever."
Soma gasped loudly. His eyes filled with real terror.
For him, losing his wine was worse than dying.
"No!"
Soma yelled.
"Please, do not do that!"
"Then free her,"
Dee commanded.
Soma scrambled to his feet. He walked over to Lili. His hands were shaking.
He pressed his thumb against Lili's back.
A faint red light glowed through her shirt, and then it faded away completely.
"It is gone,"
Soma said quickly. He backed away.
"She is not mine anymore. Please, spare me."
Dee smiled. The heavy, cold feeling vanished from the air.
"Thank you,"
Dee said cheerfully.
Lili touched her back. The heavy weight she had carried for years was finally gone.