"Finn, you're back."
Inside the Loki Familia's private room, Riveria was the first to notice Finn's return.
"What are you holding in your hand?"
"A gift."
Finn returned to his seat.
"I just concluded a large deal with Cain. He was in a good mood, so he gave me a steak."
As he spoke, Finn picked up his cutlery, cut off a piece of meat, and placed it into his mouth.
"Whoa, this flavor... It is even better than I imagined. Riveria, do you want to try some?"
"No, I am not hungry yet."
Riveria shook her head and immediately returned the conversation to the main point.
"You just mentioned making a large deal. What exactly does that refer to?"
"Some expedition supplies."
Finn pulled a biscuit box from his coat and explained the matter of the Compressed Biscuits and energy bars.
"Hmm... The taste is not bad."
Riveria took out a biscuit and sampled it, discovering that the flavor was indeed exactly as Finn had described.
During expeditions, food often became monotonous, and prolonged battles caused considerable fatigue.
Bringing portable rations that combined both taste and nutritional value would certainly be very useful.
"By the way, how did things go with Ais? You did not forget the main purpose, did you?"
"Of course not."
Finn turned his gaze toward the other side of the room.
"Tione, Tiona, Lefiya. Come here for a moment."
"Captain, what is it?"
Tione was the first to approach.
"To train his Breathing Technique, Cain will begin exploring the Dungeon with Ais starting tomorrow."
"I have already discussed this with him. At that time, the three of you will accompany Ais into the Dungeon as well."
Finn explained the situation briefly.
Although he did not spell everything out directly, Tione immediately understood the meaning behind his words.
The original assignment had not changed. The only difference was that instead of secretly following Ais, they would now act openly as a team.
"Wait! Exploring the Dungeon?"
Bete's voice suddenly cut in.
The werewolf youth, who had been drinking gloomily since earlier, frowned and looked toward his captain.
"A Level 1 and a Level 5 entering the Dungeon together? Finn, you are not joking, are you?"
"I am not joking. Also, Cain has already advanced to Level 2."
"So what!"
Perhaps because he had drunk too much divine wine, Bete's voice grew louder.
"Even if he reached Level 2, he is still just a weak little brat!"
"How could someone like that possibly be qualified to accompany Ais? Do not joke around!"
"Bete, calm down."
"How am I supposed to calm down!"
Bete slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Letting that kind of trash accompany Ais into the Dungeon. No matter how you look at it, it is a complete waste of her time!"
"Hey! You are being way too loud!"
Although she had only met Cain once, Tiona had formed a fairly good impression of him.
Seeing Bete stubbornly trying to provoke trouble, she stepped forward even though she had been watching from the side.
"Even if it is a waste of time, it is Ais's time to waste! What does it have to do with you!"
"Shut up! You noisy hag!"
A vein bulged on Bete's forehead.
"If it has nothing to do with you, then stay qui-"
Boom!
Before he could finish his sentence, a fist the size of a sandbag smashed down from behind.
Without any chance to react, Bete was punched straight into the floor and immediately lost consciousness.
"Seriously. So noisy."
Setting down the wine bottle in his hand, Gareth somehow produced a rope and began tying Bete up.
"Finn, is this alright?"
"Of course. Honestly, you helped a lot. Otherwise I would have had to handle it myself."
"It is nothing. I simply did not want to watch this idiot ruin everyone's mood."
After dragging Bete into a corner, Gareth pulled another bottle from under the table and placed it on top.
"This is divine wine from the Soma Familia. Since we have the chance, you should have a few drinks as well."
"Divine wine from the Soma Familia... If I remember correctly, this is Loki's favorite alcohol."
Finn seemed to recall something and chuckled softly.
"Unfortunately she did not come today. If she misses today, there will not be another opportunity to buy divine wine at such a low price."
"Huh? Now that you mention it, why did Lady Loki not come with us today?"
Lefiya looked around and only then realized Loki was absent.
Finn answered casually.
"She drank too much yesterday and was still sleeping in her room when we left."
"Then we should bring a bottle back for her. Otherwise she will definitely complain once she finds out."
Riveria spoke from the side.
After settling the matter concerning Ais, her mood had improved considerably, enough that she could even spare some concern for Loki.
The private room soon filled with lively conversation. As Finn and the others drank divine wine, they gradually began reminiscing about past adventures.
At the same time, Cain, who was busy in the kitchen, received a new visitor.
"What brings you here, Ryuu?"
"I wanted to discuss something with you... about monsters."
Glancing briefly at the Soma Familia members helping nearby, Ryuu pulled a letter from her coat.
"This is all the information I managed to gather recently. Take a look and see whether it is useful."
"You have been quite diligent."
Cain paused his cooking, opened the letter, and quickly read through its contents.
Without exception, the document recorded information regarding the smuggling of Xenos.
From the records, it was clear that Xenos trafficking had been going on for quite a long time, with buyers spread throughout various regions of the world.
"This information... You did not obtain it from the Hermes Familia, did you?"
Ryuu was slightly surprised.
"How did you know?"
Cain shrugged.
"Just a guess."
The information was far too comprehensive. It was not something that a single person could gather in a short period of time.
Considering Ryuu's connections, the Hermes Familia was the most obvious source.
Cain handed the letter back.
"Ryuu, you still remember what I said before, right?"
Ryuu nodded.
"Of course."
Half a month earlier, she had accepted Cain's request to help investigate Zanis's involvement in Xenos trafficking.
After obtaining evidence, Cain claimed that within half a year he could reach Level 5, with combat strength comparable to Level 7.
At the time Ryuu did not believe him. She even fought Cain personally.
The result had shaken her deeply.
Even though Cain had still been Level 1 at the time, she had been forced to fight seriously in order to defeat him.
"Are you saying that half a year is not enough and you want to extend the deadline?"
Since Cain had been busy managing the restaurant recently and had not entered the Dungeon often, Ryuu assumed that he was bringing this up in order to postpone the agreed schedule.
However, contrary to her expectations, Cain shook his head.
"You misunderstood. What I want to tell you is that my progress has been very smooth."
Cain activated Current Propulsion.
Golden lightning coiled around his body as his aura surged dramatically.
"As you can see, I have already advanced to Level 2 and obtained a magic ability that suits me."
"If everything continues smoothly, I should reach Level 3 within half a month and Level 5 within three or four months. Well within the half year deadline."
"..."
Ryuu fell silent.
Looking at the young man wrapped in golden lightning before her, who now emitted a powerful sense of danger, she felt a strange sense of disbelief.
Did this person truly need her assistance to deal with the remnants of the Dark Faction?
"Ryuu, I need you to do me a favor."
As if hearing her unspoken thoughts, Cain spoke again.
"For the next stage of my plan, I need you to investigate someone for me."
T/N- Will update next chapter, in few hours.
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