The Quietly Changing Status

The noise continued for quite a while before the atmosphere Twilight Manor gradually calmed down.

The members who remained at the base camp began to take the luggage brought back by the expeditionary force and move it elsewhere, while the members of the expeditionary force went one by one to the surrounding towers to wash up and rest.

"Everyone should get some rest first; we can talk about the rest later."

Finn himself gave these instructions, and he even caught Loki, who had been scheming to take advantage of the female members.

"Stop fooling around, Loki. Everyone's exhausted. If you keep causing trouble, they won't be able to rest."

Only after Finn's somewhat helpless persuasion did the unreliable Chief God reluctantly stop.

"Alright, alright, everyone go and get some rest. Finn and the others too, get yourselves back in good shape first. You can let us know the expedition report later."

As he spoke, Loki slightly opened his eyes, which had been half-closed, and glanced at the travel-worn Leo and the tattered Ais, then smiled meaningfully.

"Judging from your condition, this trip is probably going to be tough. Just don't think about anything for now, go back and get a good night's sleep."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded and parted ways in the courtyard, returning to their respective residences.

"Get some rest, Ais."

Leo also gave Ais a word of advice, since the girl was still sore all over.

"The same to you."

Ais said, "We're in the same boat."

She was aching all over from overusing magic, and Leo's mental strength was also on the verge of exhaustion from constantly using magic. The fatigue in his eyes was no longer concealed, and he was only holding on by sheer willpower.

A certain deity saw through this, which is why he said those words just now.

Leo and Ais, realizing this, exchanged a wry smile, then, without further ado, greeted the people around them and headed towards their residence.

"Want to go take a shower together, Leo?"

On the way, Raul called out to Leo, inviting him to go to the bathroom to take a shower together.

Inside the Twilight Manor, both the male-only and female-only towers only have public bathrooms, not private ones. Members can basically go to shower whenever they want, except when they return from expeditions, when they need to go in batches. Although there is no explicit rule, everyone follows the unspoken rule that those with higher status within the clan have priority.

Normally, given Leo's level, he definitely wouldn't be among the first to enter the most advanced bathroom, since he's only Lv.3 and there are plenty of people ahead of him with higher levels.

In the expeditionary force, Lv.3 was just the lowest-ranking member, so it wouldn't be surprising if he was among the last to enter the bathroom.

But when Raul invited him to the bathroom, no one around him objected; instead, they all seemed to take it for granted.

Now everyone knows that Leo is no ordinary Level 3.

He can now defeat the floor master alone, which is currently the only one in Orario to achieve this. Based on this alone, his strength is stronger than most Lv.4s. In addition, his performance on this expedition has led everyone to regard him as a core member of the Familia, comparable to the top-tier adventurers within the Familia.

His magical firepower, comparable to a Lv.5 mage, and his superior magical control surpassed all the Mage in the expeditionary force except for Riveria, including Lefiya Viridis, who was hailed as Riveria's successor.

Not to mention, he also joined forces with Ais to defeat the female monster that had troubled the entire expeditionary force.

The scene of the boy and girl slowly walking out of the sea of fire together is still etched in the hearts of many people and cannot be forgotten.

Therefore, although it was his first expedition, Leo's status within the clan had already risen imperceptibly to a level comparable to that of the clan's officers, even surpassing that of Raul, one of the leaders of the Second Army.

Under such circumstances, no one objected to Raul inviting Leo to walk together. Even Bete Loga, who was passing by, only glanced at it before ignoring it and walking on his own.

"You guys go ahead." Leo didn't agree immediately, shaking his head and saying, "I'll talk to you later."

Leo had never been comfortable with the idea of a group of grown men going into a public bathhouse together.

Before coming into this world, he was a typical southerner. He was shocked to learn that northerners would go to the bathhouse together, let alone experience it firsthand now.

For more than a year, he only took a bath late at night when no one was around. After receiving the Falna and becoming an adventurer, he spent most of his time taking a bath in the Babel Tower, washing himself clean before returning. He had never bathed with anyone else.

Therefore, even though he was covered in dust and felt sticky everywhere, Leo still planned to wait until everyone had finished showering before going to the bathroom.

"Okay, then we'll go."

Raul didn't insist, and left arm in arm with the person next to him.

Leo went back to his room, closed the door, and shut out all the noise.

The quiet air finally enveloped him completely.

"I'm back----"

Looking at the room, which remained exactly the same as when he left, Leo first murmured something to himself, then walked to the full-length mirror and took off his Dragon Fang Sword, Emerald Staff, and pouch containing elixirs, placing them on the table beside him.

Leo also took off his Giant Battle Suit. This suit truly lived up to its reputation as a first-class special weapon. Even after so many battles and being bombarded by pollen bombs from female monsters, it still didn't have a single flaw and remained completely intact. However, it was covered in too much dust, blood, and sweat, making it incredibly dirty. He would have to clean it thoroughly and take it for maintenance later.

Weapons have durability, and so do armor. If you don't prepare, maintain, and repair it properly, the durability of this suit will definitely decrease significantly, and it might break down on its own one day. So, you must take the suit to be prepared and maintained whenever you have time.

There's also the Emerald Staff. We've been using this wand the whole time on this expedition, and the jewel on it is almost cracked. We need to take it to the shop that sold it for repairs or replace the jewel with a new one before we can continue using it.

As for the Dragon Fang Sword, since it was rarely used during this expedition, its durability did not decrease much and it is still very sharp. It does not need to be repaired; a little maintenance is all that's needed.

"I've used up quite a few elixirs, especially magic elixirs. These are practically necessities for me, and I need to restock them regularly."

Given the unique nature of my magic, if I can't always maintain a sufficient amount of mental energy, I certainly won't be able to fully unleash its power. Therefore, I must always keep magical potions on hand, and the higher the quality and the better the recovery effect, the better.

With various plans swirling in his mind, Leo took a shower alone, washed himself, and then collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep immediately.

Night fell quietly.

After an afternoon of rest, the members of the expeditionary force finally regained their energy and came out of their rooms, making the Twilight Manor lively again.

"Leo! Let's go eat!"

Raul also knocked on Leo's door and called him out.

Dinner was ready, and everyone was heading to the main dining room to eat.

After being woken up, Leo hesitated for a moment but did not refuse.

"Then let's go."

Previously, Leo didn't go to the main dining room much because Bete Loga disliked him, and many people in the clan also had strange thoughts about him.

But now, he has already gone on expeditions with most of his clan, not only fighting alongside them, but even...

Having shared a tent with others, the people in his clan had changed their opinion of him and no longer looked at him with strange eyes, making him feel uncomfortable.

Since that's the case, eating with everyone isn't such a bad thing.

So, Leo and Raul went to the grand restaurant together.

The space here isn't very spacious, with only a few rectangular dining tables. Loki, the Chief God, strongly advocates the principle of "everyone should eat together," so the group meals are only served when all members except those on patrol have arrived. This makes the already cramped dining room always packed, and even moving between chairs takes some effort.

However, since they had just returned from an expedition, no one had the energy to make a fuss. In addition, Loki had probably instructed beforehand that this meal should be more sumptuous to reward the returning expedition members, so everyone was eating heartily and enjoying themselves immensely.

Some people were telling those who stayed behind about the expedition, while others chatted animatedly with relaxed expressions. Overall, it was a harmonious and joyful occasion.

"My little ones! Eat your fill!"

Loki stood up abruptly from his seat, holding a large glass of wine in his hand, one foot still on the table, and roared loudly, drawing cheers from the surrounding band members.

Finn, Riveria, and Gareth sat beside Loki, ignoring the excited Chief God and chatting amongst themselves. Not far away, Bete Loga ate alone, clearly unwilling to join in the commotion.

As for Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya Viridis, they sat at another long table.

"Leo! Over here!"

As soon as Tiona saw Leo walk in, her eyes lit up, and she waved to him.

Ais also looked at Leo who had entered the room. There was an empty seat next to him, which was obviously reserved for him.

Those around who witnessed this scene silently averted their gaze.

"They've arrived."

Leo naturally wouldn't refuse, and after responding, he looked at Raul.

"I'll go over there!"

Raul quickly spoke first, then ran as if fleeing towards the long table where the cat-girl Anakitty, the elf beauty Alicia, and Lefiya and other core members of the Second Army were sitting.

That's where he should be. His heart isn't big enough to dare to sit with the clan leaders like Leo.

Leo certainly has the qualifications now, but he's far from them.

At least, that's what he thinks.

Leo found it both funny and exasperating to see the kid acting so cowardly, but he didn't say anything. He walked through the crowd and came to the long table where Ais and the others were.

How was everyone's rest?

After sitting down next to Ais, Leo picked up his fork and asked the others a question.

"It has been perfectly revived!"

Tiona, still chewing something, accidentally spat out some food crumbs while shouting, much to the disgust of Tione next to her.

"Don't talk so loudly while you're eating! It's disgusting!"

Tione complained with great dissatisfaction.

"Hehe----I had dinner with Miss Ais ----"

Lefiya Viridis ignored Leo, radiating a pink, bubbly aura, with a blissful expression on her face.

She was sitting on the other side of Ais, and this lily fairy had been looking like this ever since the meal started.

"I'm fine now."

When Ais noticed that Leo was staring at her, she replied softly.

She knew Leo was mainly worried about her, since she had been in so much pain all over and had been barely managing to stay afloat on the way back until she finally got back to the Twilight Manor and was able to rest.

Although I'm not fully recovered yet, the aches and pains in my body have subsided considerably.

Ais also observed Leo and noticed that the bloodshot in his eyes had disappeared, and he seemed much more energetic, which reassured her.

"That's good."

Leo felt relieved to see that Ais was in good spirits, and then began to eat.

The group chatted casually, with Tiona and Tione doing most of the talking, Lefiya Viridis occasionally chiming in timidly, and Leo and Ais eating their meal quietly.

At this moment, Loki, who had finished his drink, stood up and said something.

"We're going back to our rooms now. Anyone who wants to update their stats can come over, but please don't all gather together. You can come tomorrow or the day after."

After saying that, Loki left on his own.

Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya Viridis began their conversation.

Are you going?

"Forget it, we can go tomorrow."

"Then, then I'll too—"

None of the three women seemed to have any intention of updating their ability stats immediately.

Only Leo and Ais put down their cutlery and looked at each other.

"Are you going?"

Leo questioned the girl.

He's definitely going.

"Um.

Ais nodded vigorously.

No one wanted to become stronger than her, so the first thing Ais did after returning from each expedition was to update her stats.

Let's do it together then.

Leo was not surprised at all and extended an invitation to the girl.

"Good."

Ais didn't seem to be considering refusing; her answer was unusually decisive.

The two stood up together and walked out of the restaurant under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Do you think Leo might—?

"Probably not----"

I think it's very likely—

"After all, it's him, and this is his first expedition; he must have gained a lot—"

"I'm starting to look forward to it!"

Leo could faintly hear such conversations behind him, but he didn't hear them.

With a glimmer of hope, he and Ais headed towards the Central Tower and towards the Divine Room on the top floor.