Doubts About the Expedition

On the tenth floor of the Dungeon.

Liber and Lefiya stopped talking as they watched the monsters flying toward them.

The dark, bat-shaped monsters beat their thin wings, their bodies covered in a layer of down. Their two eyes glowed green in the dim underground, and sharp fangs protruded from their lips.

As the monsters drew closer to Liber and the others, their mouths opened wide. Though they made no sound, the two wary adventurers grimaced in pain.

Lefiya clutched her head with both hands and shook it, trying to ease the pain in her mind.

Liber's face was tense, but he was faring better than she was. Fixing his gaze on the three monsters as they approached with their mouths agape, he swiftly cut them down with a swing of his arm.

Only then did the pain begin to fade from their faces. Liber used magic to retrieve the Magic Stones dropped by the monsters.

Lefiya rubbed her brow and said,

"Evil Bats are such a nuisance for Mages."

"On the tenth floor, they should be pretty easy to deal with."

Liber waited until the pain had completely passed and his brow relaxed before replying to Lefiya.

Evil Bats were monsters that caused headaches. They looked a lot like bats, though their bodies were considerably larger.

Aside from their most dangerous feature, their sharp fangs, they had no other organs adventurers needed to watch out for.

Their strange ability was to emit bizarre sound waves that caused pain and distracted others.

People who often ventured into the Dungeon had a high tolerance for pain, so compared with other monsters, these creatures were not much of a threat on the tenth floor.

"Ugh... I wish I were tougher."

Lefiya sighed, looking troubled.

"You will be. You just have to believe in yourself."

Liber encouraged her in response to her lament.

As her teammate, he wanted Lefiya to gain confidence. She had changed a lot during their explorations, compared with how nervous she had been the first time they teamed up.

""Kree!""

The familiar shrieks of Imps echoed from farther down the passage.

The two of them had just started to relax, but now tensed up again. The sound was different from the cries of the group of Imps they had encountered earlier.

Unlike that group's frequent, continuous footsteps, the noise ahead was accompanied by a rumbling that shook the chamber.

A monster nearly three meters tall approached them, surrounded by a group of Imps.

It had thick fur on its limbs, a pig's head, blood-red eyes, and dark brown skin. Its body, packed with muscle, looked rather bulky. It was approaching them empty-handed.

The Imps clustered around it, like lackeys following their boss.

Different kinds of monsters were coming at them together.

"An Orc and Imps? The tenth floor really is a lot busier than the floors above."

Seeing the monsters appear before him in no time, Liber remarked with some surprise.

"But since they're all gathered together, it's your turn, Lefiya."

"Okay!"

An incantation rang out, and light appeared once more.

The monsters were bathed in light, then vanished as it faded.

After the two of them had defeated the monsters they encountered on the tenth floor, they explored for a while before deciding to turn back.

They were now walking along the passage connecting the tenth and ninth floors.

The environment here was completely different from the tenth floor. There was no fog drifting everywhere.

The terrain was flat, with few obstacles. The view was wide open, and they could see far ahead. Even monsters "being born" would be easy to spot.

The chances of being ambushed by monsters were greatly reduced, and quite a few adventurers could be seen resting.

The two passed several resting adventurers without paying any attention to their wary expressions.

As they headed back toward the upper floors, they chatted while walking.

"I heard the Familia is about to begin an expedition. I wonder if Lady Riveria has fully recovered."

Lefiya said to Liber, worry in her voice.

"Don't worry. The captain and the others have been her comrades for a long time. They wouldn't ignore Riveria's condition."

Seeing the worry on Lefiya's face, Liber reassured her.

"Besides, the supplies from the Freya Familia haven't all arrived yet. It'll probably be a while."

Thinking of the mountains of supplies that had piled up in the Familia over the past few days, Liber felt rather excited about the expedition ahead.

Seeing how eager Liber was about the expedition, Lefiya hesitated, then tentatively asked,

"Liber, you seem really excited about the expedition."

"Of course. Exploring the Dungeon with the Familia, going on adventures, and discovering the unknown—it's exciting, isn't it?"

Liber smiled as he answered Lefiya's question.

"But... you're still Level 1, aren't you, Liber?"

Lefiya spoke cautiously.

"That's right."

He looked at her in confusion and replied.

"Um... only adventurers who are at least Level 2 can join an expedition. Did you know that?"

She watched Liber's face, looking for any change in his expression.

"I know. But didn't the incident last time prove what I'm capable of? The captain acknowledged me, too."

He rubbed his chin and replied after a moment's thought.

"I... I see. Line had healing abilities, but even she didn't join the expedition until she reached Level 2. Maybe I was worrying too much."

Hearing Liber's answer, Lefiya let out a breath, and her cautious expression relaxed.

"Line, huh?"

Hearing her words, Liber's confidence about joining the expedition dipped a little.

Line Arushe was about the same age as him. She was the Familia's healer and supporter.

They had exchanged greetings at a Familia banquet. She had joined the Loki Familia very early on.

"Still, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll go ask the captain to confirm."

Thinking this, Liber remained confident that he would join the expedition.

He and Lefiya made their way up to the surface, bringing their day's adventure to an end.

"You won't be on the expedition roster this time."

Finn held a file as he calmly answered Liber's question about the expedition list.

"Why not?"

Liber asked Finn, confused.

"I explained the basics to you earlier. Everyone on an expedition needs to be at least Level 2."

Finn set down the file and patiently explained when he saw Liber's confused expression.

"Your abilities would be extremely useful during an expedition, and everyone saw how much you grew during the recent incident."

Finn's expression gradually turned serious.

"But the Dungeon beyond the Middle Floors is extremely dangerous. Even Level 2 adventurers can't keep up with us.

You haven't been in the Familia long. I can't put a newcomer with such outstanding potential in mortal danger just for the sake of convenience."

Finn saw that Liber was no longer confused, though he still looked somewhat reluctant.

"There's no need to be too disappointed. Expeditions are meant to explore unknown floors, but the main purpose this time is to raise the Familia's reputation. After all..."

Finn thought of how he had yet to surpass the achievements of those who came before him and sighed.

"Never mind. In short, this expedition is just to show the outside world what we can do. Even though I planned it well in advance, this string of events means it won't be perfect.

If you want to join an expedition, reach Level 2 as soon as possible."

Liber listened to Finn's patient explanation and reluctantly agreed.

After leaving the room, he closed the door and stood outside, lost in thought.

A little later, he murmured to himself,

"Level 2, huh?"

He turned and headed toward Loki's Divine Chamber.

Meanwhile, at the top of Babel,

the figure hidden beneath a cloak quietly closed the door to the maids' room once more.

As soon as the door shut, she straightened up and raised her chin slightly, then turned with confidence.

She had barely taken a step when she spotted a tall figure not far down the corridor.

The person under the cloak jumped back in fright.

"Ottar."

A sweet voice came from beneath the hood.

The tall figure stepped forward, revealing himself.

Ottar said in a low voice, "May I ask what you intend to do while wearing the {Eagle Feather Cloak} to lower your presence?"

He respectfully addressed the cloaked figure.

"Well, I suddenly thought I might go out for a stroll."

He listened to the playful voice from beneath the cloak.

"No."

Ottar replied solemnly to the person before him.

"Ottar, when did you learn to speak to me like that?"

A slender, pale hand emerged from beneath the cloak and slowly pulled back the hood.

Silver-gray hair and peerless beauty were revealed. The mere sight of her face displayed the full extent of feminine grace.

She looked at Ottar with a displeased expression.

Ottar stood motionless before her and said steadily,

"Our goddess Freya, you're looking for your (fated one) again, aren't you?"

Ottar had sworn to serve Freya, offering her all his reverence, devotion, and love. He naturally didn't want her going out alone.

If even the slightest scratch appeared on her flawless skin, the entire Familia, Ottar included, would want to punish themselves to atone. The Familia was extremely protective of Freya and cherished her safety above all else.

"Normally, I would never make such a mistake. But considering the disturbance you caused a few days ago, Lady Freya, and for the sake of your safety, we have no choice but to advise you against going out."

Ottar usually acted like the perfect servant, tirelessly doing whatever was asked of him. Now, however, he was unusually close to grumbling.

Ottar tried to persuade the goddess in excessively respectful language. Freya listened, at a loss for words.

Even though the Freya Familia was wealthy, the Guild's fine had been enough to make them wince.

And the compensation they had privately paid the Loki Familia had been enough to cripple them. Even so, the Freya Familia still had to ensure their goddess could enjoy herself.

For that reason, the executives, led by vice-captain Allen, were working day and night in the Dungeon to earn money, while also ensuring their goddess had everything she needed as they paid off the Loki Familia.

Freya understood that she might cause another uproar like that one, so she only showed her displeasure on her face.

"Even though you're by my side, you refuse to understand how I feel."

"...Please, calm yourself. We would gladly devote ourselves to fulfilling any other request..."

Ottar bowed his head slightly and spoke in a low voice.

"You're all just trying to keep me locked in a birdcage, just like those other gods."

She stiffened her expression, turned her face to one side, and waved a hand.

"You may leave."

Freya spoke casually.

Ottar straightened and looked at the goddess, watching her helplessly as he earnestly said,

"We will obey any order you give us, but the Familia cannot withstand another disturbance like the recent one."

"We beg you to at least take this child with you, to put everyone at ease. We ask nothing else of you—please, grant us this."

As he spoke, he pushed the petite figure behind him forward, bringing her before the goddess.

She was a girl with hair a similar color to Freya's.

Her long hair reached her waist, and her bangs covered her right eye. She stood straight, with a pretty face.

She was gazing fervently at the goddess's face.

"This child is... Heith?"

"Yes. She's a member you recruited a few days ago. I hope you'll let her stay by your side."

Ottar spoke respectfully.

Seeing how earnestly he asked, Freya smiled at the lovely girl and agreed.

From then on, the goddess Freya was often accompanied whenever she went out.

That night, the goddess Freya wanted to stroll around the city, but high-level adventurers on patrol spotted her and escorted her back to the Freya Familia.

After that, she repeatedly went out alone, only to be spotted soon afterward by members of her own Familia, who secretly watched over her.

Later, she learned that the Guild had privately informed the major Familias, hoping to prevent Orario from being thrown into another uproar over a similar incident.

They were to report her whereabouts to the Guild as soon as they spotted her, so her Familia could be notified.

This kept her quiet for quite some time.

But that was a story for later.