"James's adventurer team… has now completely lost contact."
"…"
Within the War Game, Familias with sufficient financial means generally use special communication items to ensure that the Apollo Familia maintains an absolute advantage during battle.
As a god, Apollo did not stint.
These communication items were naturally distributed to each adventurer team, so that Daphne, as the commander, could better coordinate the deployment of the adventurers.
Before engaging in battle, requiring each adventurer captain to report their situation was a rule set in advance.
And when she heard that James had encountered the main force of the Hestia Familia—Ron—she began paying attention. But no matter how she attempted to call out afterward, James made no response at all.
Daphne then realized that the battle had already ended—and even the victor was Ron, who had never been favored. She had to come up with a countermeasure.
After thinking for a moment, she looked toward the map of Orario.
"Miller."
"Stanley."
"Change direction. Take your teams to the southern main street and intercept Ron. He has already broken through James's team and is advancing toward the Familia's residence."
"Understood."
"Understood…"
The member called Miller led the largest number of adventurers. His role was to quickly bring his team close to provide support once Ron's whereabouts were discovered, to prevent the opponent from concealing his true strength.
After all, could Ron, who was only Lv2, simultaneously withstand the siege of dozens of adventurers?
The answer was, of course, no.
After receiving Daphne's orders, Miller did not show much resistance. Executing the commander's assigned tactics was precisely what they were required to do.
"The commander is like that."
"She only needs to stand behind the scenes and direct us in participating in the War Game, while we, the combat members, have many more things to consider."
"Target the southern main street—intercept the prey!"
"…"
However, just as Miller and the group of adventurers circled out of the abandoned alley and were rapidly closing in on the southern main street where Ron was located, ahead in the distance, a figure wearing a gray-brown cloak stood upright.
As a strong wind swept past and blew back the hood atop the girl's head, what appeared before Miller and the others were the fairy's eyes—cold and clear like an iceberg.
There were no words, only that trace of killing intent flowing through the air.
"If I'm not mistaken…"
"This fellow should be a supporter of the Hestia Familia?" Noticing the wooden katana the unfamiliar elven girl had drawn from her waist, Miller's gaze sank to the depths.
Before the clash had even begun, he could already feel the pressure brought by her strength from this unfamiliar adventurer. His mood was extremely complicated.
"…Hmm."
"It seems that, for the time being, we won't be able to reach the southern main street."
...
"I told you."
"As for Ron, I won't comment on his other aspects for now—but when it comes to creating miracles, I've never once doubted his ability."
As a Familia member, if he could even harbor those kinds of thoughts toward Hestia, a goddess, then what was there that he couldn't do?
Looking at the scene before her, Hephaestus's smile was filled with teasing. When Ron first encountered members of the Apollo Familia and battle broke out..
Then, with a fighting style that could make even the gods' eyes light up, he crushed them like dry branches and rotten wood.
As for the outcome of the War Game, she had already made her judgment in her heart. Compared to the final gains of the wager, Hephaestus's gaze swept around.
What she was more curious about was how these idle gods would react!
"…"
"He does indeed have considerable combat talent. In some respects, it's even more eye-catching than the talent he possesses. It seems he's an interesting new adventurer."
The one giving this evaluation was Freya. On the battlefield wastelands, she had witnessed no small number of battles. Yet Ron's particular style was more akin to a ninja from the Far East.
It was just a pity that the radiance of his soul was far too mottled; the trace of appreciation in her eyes gradually faded.
And when, at the top level of Orario, the gods—regardless of stance or wager—had purely cheered for Ron, who was beginning to show his edge, and the applause gradually subsided, Freya looked toward Loki with interest.
"What do you think?"
"It only proves that Ron is indeed an outstanding adventurer among Lv2. I don't believe the Apollo Familia has no response at all."
"…"
An exceptionally dazzling battle.
Yet the smile of certainty hanging on Loki's face did not waver in the slightest. The Apollo Familia's chance of victory relied on their overwhelming number of adventurers.
Most crucially—
Once the real fighting began, absolutely no one would be able to support Ron!
And then, the magic projection shifted to a bird's-eye view of the southern district. Just as Loki had described, the nearby adventurers quickly took action.
In total, three adventurer teams were heading to intercept Ron.
However, when Miller's unit—the one with the largest number of adventurers—was stopped by the cloaked figure of an adventurer, even Loki sat up straight.
Counting the number of members in the other two teams, even if the total came to twenty adventurers—
"Surely…"
"Surely that many adventurers can't fail to stop Ron, right?"
Loki did not voice her inner speculation. In truth, even members of her own Familia might not be able to withstand so many adventurers at the same level.
Even if the Apollo Familia's members were somewhat inflated in strength, under the same level conditions, facing the siege of five or six Lv2 adventurers, achieving a swift victory would absolutely be extremely difficult—let alone with other adventurers assisting.
"…"
There was no answer.
All Loki felt was the silence in the air. When she looked toward her friend Hephaestus and saw that confident, composed expression on her face, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
'Surely… Ron isn't actually Lv3.'
Including the War Game, the "wager" in which Hephaestus appeared to be acting charitably but was in fact determined to win—had it been a trap from beginning to end, just waiting for her to jump in with money?
She could not help but form this suspicion in her heart.
"How could that be…"
"Breaking through to Lv2 in sixteen days was already outrageous. Surely he couldn't have undergone another level ascension in just ten short days?"
"…"
Loki admitted that she was indeed a little anxious. On the day of the banquet, when she heard Hephaestus's suggestion, she had briefly considered betting on Hestia.
Even if the five million Valis mortgaged in equipment were to go down the drain, she would not have cared that much.
But when the amount reached thirty million Valis, and she thought of the children in her Familia who were currently on an expedition, as a god, she could not possibly cause trouble at home as well.
If the wager were won, she could earn that much money for nothing—
But now?
The unease deep within Loki's heart even surpassed her concern for the children of her Familia participating in the Dungeon expedition. Her gaze was fixed tightly on the projection screen.
As if to confirm her speculation, the magic shifted again.
Immediately after, what entered the sight of all the gods at the top of Babel Tower was the airtight defensive line the Apollo Familia had formed on the southern main street after completing their regrouping.
And—
The upright, solitary figure of the boy who had halted his steps.
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