Strange Encounter, Everyone's Panic.

"I'm counting on you."

The woman collapsed on the ground raised her head, gazing at the boy standing before her.

Liber watched as the woman sitting on the ground lifted her head, revealing the lower half of her face.

Her pink cheeks were slightly flushed, and as her cherry-like lips parted, they revealed teeth as smooth and white as pearls.

Strands of gray hair slid down to her shoulders with her movement.

Even with only half her face exposed, Liber found himself staring blankly at her exquisite features.

Seeing the boy's dazed expression, the corners of her mouth curved into a stunningly beautiful line, and she gently placed her hand into his palm.

Liber felt the soft, boneless hand suddenly appear in his grip.

Only then did he snap back to his senses, tightening his hold and applying a gentle force to pull the woman up from the ground.

As she stood, her loose robe clung to her body, outlining the breathtaking curves of her figure.

Once she was standing upright, those alluring curves were completely hidden by the robe once more.

Seeing the woman steady, Liber released her hand.

Lingering on that soft, delicate sensation, a sudden feeling of reluctance welled up in his heart.

Noticing these strange emotions surging within him, Liber shook his head violently to calm himself down.

Watching the boy's odd behavior, the woman asked in a sweet, elegant voice, "Hey, could you do me a favor?"

Having just calmed his emotions, Liber felt his face flush red again at the sound of her voice, and as if nervous, he pulled his body slightly away from the woman before responding.

"Please, tell me. I will do my best to help."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his nervous, shy expression suddenly shifted into a frown.

Why had he made such a promise to a stranger for no reason?

Liber sensed that something was off.

The woman shrouded in the robe saw his thoughtful expression and laughed, saying, "Hehe, would you mind accompanying me for a short walk?"

"I suppose I can, but..."

Liber began to realize that something seemed wrong, and he responded with hesitation.

"Then let's go."

Upon receiving his affirmative answer, the robed woman ignored the rest of his words and continued walking forward.

His gaze followed her form as she passed by his side, not pausing for a single step, her gait calm and composed.

Faintly, he could catch the scent of jasmine lingering on her.

Liber stood in place, staring at her back, and after a moment of doubt, he quickened his pace to catch up.

He fell in step beside the robed woman, scanning the surrounding crowd while casting glances at her, attempting to catch a glimpse of her hidden face.

He looked around and discovered that the people nearby paid no attention to the strangely dressed yet stunningly charming woman beside him, as if they were completely ignoring her existence.

Liber began to suspect whether he had encountered some sort of ghost or phantom; after all, in this fantasy world, spirits were a tangible reality.

He wasn't about to star in a Western-style ghost romance in this world, was he?

Besides, who meets a female ghost on the main street?

He let his mind wander, trying to ease the tension of the strange situation he found himself in.

The robed woman seemed to sense the boy's bizarre fantasies and spoke slowly with a hint of a smile.

"Are you a rookie adventurer?"

"...Yes, I am."

Hearing the woman's voice beside him, Liber recalled his previous unseemly behavior and raised his guard, responding to her slowly.

"Oh~ and which Familia do you belong to?"

The robed woman seemed intrigued, pressing Liber for an answer.

"Loki Familia. Why are you asking?"

Hearing this, Liber quietly shifted to the side, increasing the distance between them as he countered her question.

"Loki Familia? Interesting."

Ignoring his question, she spoke to herself: "However, your radiance is still a bit dim; I fear you still need some polishing."

"Radiance? What are you talking about?"

Hearing her strange words, Liber stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed as he stared at her back and asked.

"Who knows? What could it be?"

The woman noticed him stop but continued walking forward.

"You--"

"Look, look."

His gaze grew serious, and he prepared to press for more answers.

Suddenly, the orderly flow of people began to grow chaotic, and various noisy, clamorous sounds erupted from the crowd, cutting off his words.

Liber looked around in confusion, noticing that people were not looking in his direction; there seemed to be some sort of disturbance at the street corner ahead.

He shifted his gaze back to the front, only to find that the woman before him had begun to pick up her pace.

Watching the figure ahead start to flee, Liber, who had been left behind, began to give chase and called out to stop her.

"Wait a moment, what exactly do you mean?"

Seeing that he was about to catch up to the figure, he watched as the cloaked silhouette paused for a moment, then turned and headed into the surrounding crowd.

Liber followed her into the throng, but after scanning the dense mass of people, he could not see the figure he had been chasing.

Suddenly, his nose caught that scent of jasmine, and that moving voice reached his ears.

"You are not the destiny I am looking for. Curious child~ do not follow me anymore."

Liber whipped his head around, but he did not see the cloaked woman's figure; it was as if the voice he had heard was merely an illusion.

He rubbed his chin, lost in serious thought.

Seeing the surrounding crowd becoming increasingly panicked, he decided to temporarily set aside this strange encounter.

Liber reached out to stop a passerby who was about to walk past him and asked, "What happened up ahead? Why is everyone so panicked?"

The passerby tried to push away the arm blocking his path, but after a few attempts, he realized the other party hadn't budged an inch, so he spoke with a tremble.

"Someone is blocking the road ahead, and a large number of fully armed Ganesha Familia members are maintaining order."

"Ganesha Familia? Why? Do you know the reason?"

Liber was even more confused after hearing this, and he grabbed the passerby who was preparing to turn and run, continuing to press for answers.

"Who knows!! It might be just like a few years ago. Let me go, no matter what, I need to get home quickly."

The passerby tugged at his own clothes, trying to pull them free from Liber's grip.

Hearing that the passerby didn't know either, Liber let go and watched the person's back as they left without looking back.

"The Ganesha Familia, known as the 'Military Police of the Labyrinth City,' has actually mobilized on such a large scale."

"Could it really be as that person said, that a Familia is about to go to war?"

"Even if there were a war, the confrontation between ordinary, small-scale Familias wouldn't be enough to make the Ganesha Familia deploy so many people, right?"

Liber couldn't figure it out for a moment, when suddenly he saw the surrounding crowd beginning to move in large numbers toward the direction behind him.

Gradually, chaotic shouts erupted from the crowd.

"Stop pushing! Up ahead, those guys from the Freya Familia are in a standoff with the Ganesha Familia."

"Don't block the way! You bastard!"

"Get out of the way, don't pull on me!"

A sense of chaos and panic spread through the crowd.

Hearing what the people around him were shouting, Liber couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "A Familia has really mobilized in full force!"

"But, the Freya Familia?"

He muttered to himself in confusion, then suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his expression changed, and he sprinted toward the direction of his Familia's base.

His face was filled with worry.

"I hope things aren't what I think they are."