"Outside Orario? Why?"
Cid whipped his head toward Astraea—his shock was only half an act.
Astraea hadn't mentioned this at all, though he could guess the reasoning.
And the answer was obvious.
"Orario hasn't been peaceful lately. Cid—you can go outside and lay low for a while."
Indeed, Astraea hadn't explained this beforehand.
Given the current situation, whether Cid chose to leave temporarily or stay, she felt either choice was reasonable.
As for why she hadn't told him earlier—that was Hestia's request. She wanted to see Cid's reaction.
"Leave Orario…? Absolutely not!"
Cid didn't hesitate for a second. He rejected it outright.
In this world, Orario—favored by the gods—was naturally the eye of the storm.
If he went outside Orario, interesting things would decrease dramatically.
He was leaving Astraea Familia partly so he could dive deeper into the Dungeon later and level up—and partly so he could more conveniently act as "Shadow."
If he left Orario, what was the point of changing Familias at all?
Besides, Astraea had already paid a one-million-valis potion bill for him. Wasting that would be disgraceful.
That was one million!
If he didn't drink every last drop, the pain in his heart would never be soothed.
"So you're staying? Orario is going to be dangerous from here on out—especially Astraea Familia. If they get into trouble, are you going to help them?"
Hestia deliberately used a threatening tone… but with her voice, it wasn't actually scary.
Still, it wasn't an empty warning.
Hestia might be lazy, sloppy, and childish—barely "godlike" in many ways—
—but she'd still lived for hundreds of millions of years, and she understood plenty.
In struggles between justice and evil, the ones who die first are usually those at the very front.
She'd already asked around: Astraea was currently on the front line against the Dark Faction.
Their overall strength was decent, but they weren't top tier. Even their strongest captain was only Level 3.
The Dark Faction was at a disadvantage, yes—but judging by how stalled the front lines were, the true decisive clash still hadn't happened. The outcome was far from settled.
Even if Orario did win, casualties would be beyond estimation.
And if luck turned sour, Astraea Familia being wiped out was entirely possible.
"Then I definitely can't leave now. I have to help Big Sis and everyone!"
Cid refused again—this time, it wasn't even a lie.
He, the great Shadow, could he really stand by and watch his companions fall into danger?
A deserter wasn't cool. Not even slightly.
And besides—there was no darkness in this world worthy of making Shadow retreat!
Hestia, being a goddess, could tell Cid wasn't lying.
Hearing this, her eyes lit up.
"Astraea, you really weren't lying. Cid really is a good kid."
Hestia raised a thumbs-up.
Truly worthy of being the fourth of the three great virgin goddesses.
Astraea was a straight shooter—someone you could trust!
"So you're agreeing, then? In that case—please take care of him from now on."
Astraea bowed in thanks.
In truth, her feelings were complicated.
To walk the path of justice meant facing the darkest enemies in the world.
From the start, she'd feared the worst. That was why she'd agreed to let Cid transfer Familias—to leave a spark behind, just in case.
If Cid stayed in Orario, it meant her original consideration had come to nothing.
Still, after Cid awakened his magic, she had already anticipated this outcome.
If Cid truly couldn't help at all, Astraea would have found a way to persuade him to leave.
As long as justice wasn't extinguished, anywhere could be Orario.
But now that Cid possessed powerful magic, he might play a decisive role at a decisive moment.
And that was exactly why Astraea had been willing to take out a loan for him—she'd been confident he wouldn't leave.
This little "performance" was really just Astraea helping Hestia evaluate him.
"Then it's settled—no backing out! Cid, from now on, you're my Familia!"
Hestia hugged his arm.
They'd only just met, but she already liked her first Familia member a great deal.
But… the child was only Level 2. Not strong. There was a very real chance he would die in the coming storm.
As Hestia smiled, she also looked at Cid deeply.
She'd carved his face into her memory—and had already prepared herself for the possibility that he might die in the decisive battle.
Many adventurers had asked the same question before—
Evil gods aside, why didn't even the good gods step in and save the lower world from crises like this?
The reason was simple: if good gods intervened, they would break the rules of the game.
A handful of little gray-haired troublemakers liked to say, "Rules are made to be broken," but most people couldn't afford the price of breaking them.
If a benevolent god acted, then the wicked gods would act as well—and that would create a disaster even more terrifying than the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
Even if humanity somehow survived, a war between gods was not something humans could interfere with.
At that point, the story of the mortal world would no longer be ruled by mortals—it would become a battlefield for gods.
Fragile human society couldn't endure that kind of "play." Humanity's light would be completely drowned out beneath the shadow of divine conflict.
Compared to that ending, it was better to obey the rules of the game.
"Hestia… if you know it's dangerous right now, then why come down to the lower world at this time?"
Cid was curious about Hestia's thinking.
In this world, humans killing gods whose powers were sealed wasn't unheard of.
And those reckless Dark Faction maniacs were the last people who would let gods remain uninvolved.
Descending now meant Hestia was risking being speedrun straight back to Heaven.
"Meh. It's all about the same. If we lose this battle and the world gets covered in darkness, then I wouldn't have any reason to come down in the first place."
Compared to a world smothered in darkness, Hestia much preferred lively souls.
As for Cid possibly dying—she'd be heartbroken, but she would accept it.
In ten thousand years, she would find his reincarnation.
Once she acknowledged someone as her Familia, Hestia wasn't the type to care for them for only one lifetime.
"Cid—before you go, there's one more thing I need to warn you about. From now on, you're no longer a 'mob character' of Astraea Familia. You're the captain of Hestia Familia. You must bear the responsibilities you ought to bear…"
Astraea had wanted to say something sentimental.
She'd watched this child grow up. Now that they were parting, she truly had so much she wanted to say.
But when the words reached her lips, what remained was only guidance.
…She really was strict.
"I will, Lady Astraea. Even after I leave, I'll always be everyone's companion."
Cid offered a solemn farewell.
Back in his old life, his pursuit of magic had once driven him into a near-deranged obsession.
But after coming to a world where magic truly existed—and where there was a real path to becoming strong—that obsessive spiral never returned.
To him, whether he played a mob character or played Shadow… they were both hobbies now.
After all these years in Astraea Familia, he had changed quite a bit compared to his past life.
In his heart, his hobbies still carried the greatest weight—but he'd carved out a space for justice as well.
If that hadn't happened, he never would have let the Dis sisters go earlier.
"That's good. Cid—take care of yourself from now on."
After saying that, Astraea watched as Hestia led Cid away.
Only once their figures disappeared did Astraea finally turn around.
....
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