Leon's home.
"What did you say?!"
Rose shot up from her seat, her shocked cry shattering the quiet of the small courtyard.
Beside her, Laurier and Aura's faces were painted with alarm.
Seated across from them were Goddess Demeter, her expression clouded with worry, and at her side the calm, composed figure of Persephone, the Familia captain acting as her escort.
"Rose, I know the situation isn't great, but don't panic. You all know Leon's strength better than I do, and combined with that cautious approach of his, he's going to be fine."
Goddess Demeter spoke gently, trying to settle her nerves.
Rose's expression shifted back and forth, and she said nothing.
Then she spun on her heel and strode toward the equipment room.
"No. I have to go support him."
Clearly, she was going to suit up.
"We, we'll go too!"
Seeing this, Laurier and Aura jumped up and made to rush upstairs.
"That won't be necessary."
A calm voice came from the doorway.
Jeanne, having just walked in and caught the news, placed the purse containing the checks firmly into Kureha's hands.
Then she swept her gaze over everyone, her tone steady and resolute:
"Laurier, Aura, the two of you stay here with Kureha and look after the house. Protect Goddess Demeter."
"As for backing up Leon, Rose and I are enough."
With that, she left them a reassuring, unwavering back and hurried to catch up with Rose.
"Jeanne's back? With her and Rose heading out together, I feel much better."
Goddess Demeter watched the two women rush upstairs and visibly exhaled.
Then her tone shifted, her voice dropping lower with a hint of inquiry:
"This incident is no small matter. I heard... Loki and Freya seem to be making moves of their own. Most likely because their Familias had members attacked in the Dungeon too?"
"If the word's accurate, then on Leon's end... there shouldn't be any real trouble."
"Loki Familia?"
"Freya Familia?"
Everyone present, Kureha included, drew in a sharp breath.
"Looks like the Evilus holed up in Rivira are in for a very bad day."
Goddess Demeter laughed softly, and the mood eased a little.
"Haha..."
Kureha quietly let out a breath of relief. Over this stretch of time, aside from sticking with her recovery training and learning the basics of this world, she'd picked up quite a bit about Orario's major Familias and top-ranked Adventurers.
Those two pillars of the city... were not things you provoked lightly.
Just then, Kureha felt a searching, half-amused gaze settle on her.
"G, Goddess Demeter?"
She looked up a little awkwardly.
The goddess's eyes glittered as she took her in with a smile, her tone laced with playful teasing:
"So you're the new girl. Oh my, Leon, that guy, the companions he recruits aren't just cute pretty girls, each one is more gorgeous than the last."
Hearing Leon's name, Persephone's pretty face instantly shifted to undisguised disdain.
She elegantly pushed up her glasses and coldly produced two precise words:
"Trash man."
Everyone: "..."
They looked at each other, then snorted with laughter.
"It seems our dear Leon's reputation is past saving at this point."
Goddess Demeter blinked:
"And that's not all. Even Astraea knows now."
"Heh, Astraea isn't like me. If Leon starts cozying up to her Familia, who knows, she might cut him down with one stroke of her sword when she finds out."
"Eeehhh..."
Thanks to Goddess Demeter's cheer, the courtyard's mood lifted a little more.
Right then, Jeanne and Rose strode out of the room, fully armed.
"Goddess Demeter, we're heading out."
"Mm, stay safe."
"Understood."
...
Leon's companions had already mobilized.
The two major Familias that Ais and Heith, both trapped below, belonged to were hardly going to stand idle either.
Ais aside, as the princess of the Loki Familia, her being cornered on Floor 19 by an Evilus scheme wasn't something they'd ignore. The Loki Familia didn't deploy all their forces because they needed to guard against possible attacks on the surface.
And Riveria was still at her side, so the situation wasn't critical. In the end, they only dispatched Gareth, Bara, and Noir.
Gareth needed no introduction. A top-ranked Lv. 5 heavy warrior, one of the three pillars of the Loki Familia.
Bara, an Amazon, Lv. 4, specializing in close combat.
Noir, a human, Lv. 4, specializing in swordsmanship.
A lineup like that was enough to steamroll every Evilus member on Floor 18.
Not to mention that the Freya Familia was sending heavy reinforcements of their own...
...
Folkvangr, Hall of the Silver Moon.
"Ottar," Goddess Freya's voice carried an unquestionable authority, "go to the Dungeon and bring Heith back safely."
"And while you're at it... clean up those cowardly rats hiding in the shadows."
"As you command, my goddess."
The hulking Boaz man, standing well over two meters tall, gave a respectful chest-salute to the goddess's back and then silently retreated, leaving the room.
As he softly closed the heavy door, Ottar's eyes turned razor-sharp, and an immense pressure suddenly radiated from him.
"Tsk!"
From the shadows of the corridor, a Cat Person cradling a long spear, whose height barely reached Ottar's upper arm, clicked his tongue in displeasure:
"You, you on magic potions or something? Rein in that bloodlust!"
Vana Freya, Allen Fromel, Lv. 5 warrior.
"Allen..."
Ottar's deep voice rumbled:
"I'm leaving the duty of guarding the goddess to you. I'm heading to the Dungeon."
"Hmph, you don't need to tell me twice!"
Allen snorted coldly, still leaning against the wall, though his posture had quietly gone taut.
After giving Allen a long look, the Boaz strode off with powerful steps and vanished into the shadows of the corridor.
Warlord, Ottar, Lv. 6, captain of the Freya Familia, the strongest in the city.
Moving out.
...
...
Dungeon, middle floors, Floor 19.
Leon had no idea that Evilus's suicidal antics in Rivira had already poked a hornet's nest, drawing out real monsters.
Right now, the makeshift four-person party of Riveria, Ais, Heith, and himself was racing at full speed toward the passage leading to Floor 18.
"If we can't stop them from triggering the Irregular, then we cut them off at the passage entrance and wipe out all the monsters in one go?"
"If it's you doing the work, Lady Riveria, the plan should be foolproof."
Riveria shot a sideways glance at the man flattering her.
A fragment of memory she couldn't control flashed through her mind: that night, losing her composure after tasting the Monster Hunter Special.
A faint, barely perceptible red crept up the tips of her pale ears. She shot Leon a cold glare and answered in a perfectly flat tone:
"My magic is not all-powerful. No matter how wide the coverage, some will always slip through. Besides... Evilus aren't idiots waiting to be cleaned out. They'll have prepared something."
Leon threw a thoughtful glance at Heith, then nodded:
"So our core task is: make sure you get your Chanting off and unload the artillery-class magic. Once the magic clears the field, we close in together and mop up any surviving Evilus members. Is that the plan?"
"Correct. That's the heart of the tactic." Riveria confirmed his summary.
Leon nodded to show he understood.
But inwardly, he couldn't help grumbling:
Simple plan on paper. A lot less simple in practice. Who the hell knows how many monsters those Evilus lunatics dragged over? With the strength and density of Floor 19 monsters, the entire passage exit is probably so packed not even a fly could slip through.
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