Optional Quest

The Tower of Babel stood above the dungeon, like a massive "lid." The first floor served as the entrance to and exit from the dungeon, while the second and third floors were public spaces established by the Guild for adventurers.

Floors four through twenty were filled entirely with shops serving adventurers, offering everything from equipment and items to materials.

As for the floors above the twentieth, only the deities of Orario's high-ranking Familias were qualified to reside there.

The master of the Tower of Babel's highest floor was named Freya, the true "Goddess of Beauty." Back in the Heavenly Realm, she had captured the hearts and bodies of countless male gods with her beauty and abilities.

She was unquestionably the number one goddess in the Heavenly Realm.

This goddess was very mysterious. Aside from gods and members of her Familia, few people were fortunate enough to glimpse her beauty.

Yet at this moment, on the highest floor of the Tower of Babel beneath the starry night, Freya, holding a wineglass in her hand, suddenly trembled and crouched to the floor.

"Too beautiful..."

Slender pale fingers brushed across her cheek. Her snowy, smooth face possessed beauty beyond description.

Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, was currently displaying her charm in an exceedingly ungraceful posture. The infatuated expression on her face was enough to make one sweat.

Muttering softly beneath her breath, Freya stared dreamily with her beautiful eyes at Emiya Ritsuka, who had swiftly fled the plaza beneath the Tower of Babel after sensing her gaze. She looked as though she were about to climax.

Perverted goddess.

The reason she had lost her composure like this was because she possessed an incredibly wondrous pair of eyes.

Those eyes could see through the essence and radiance of souls. Exceptional people had nowhere to hide in her sight.

Because it was an innate gift, she could still use it even after descending to the lower world and having her Divine Power sealed. The strength of her Familia was inseparable from those eyes.

If her eyes did not approve of someone, she naturally would not accept them into her Familia.

And those whose souls radiated brilliance often went on to achieve great things. Naturally, the strength of the Freya Familia rose accordingly.

Although she was a goddess, she was obsessively fascinated by shining souls. Thus, from the moment Ritsuka entered her sight, she could no longer look away.

That exceedingly bright soul was almost dazzling to the point of hurting her eyes.

And most puzzling of all, that soul was covered in a layer of lonely gray...

It made Freya completely unable to stop herself.

"A great hero who once looked down upon the world, but whose heart has been clouded and who has lost her way?"

Sitting in a duck-like pose, Freya blankly stretched her hand toward the direction where the radiance had vanished. Her beautiful eyes were slightly moist, and her cheeks were flushed red.

At that moment, compared to a soul that might become a hero in the future, she took an immense interest in this figure who might already be an unparalleled hero, yet had shut herself away.

There was probably nothing more exhilarating than awakening the dormant passion in a hero's heart...

(In truth, what she saw was merely the outer disguise created by Heracles's Twelve Labors Great Achievement.)

"I must have her... She is mine..."

"My Lady?"

Through the open door, the man who had just arrived at the top floor of the Tower of Babel changed expression and hurried into the room.

This man was Orario's legend, the only level 7 adventurer, the undisputed strongest—the boaz "Mighty Warrior," Ottar!

The next moment, Freya waved her hand and turned to look at her trusted retainer, Ottar.

"Ottar, notify every member of the Familia. Find a girl with orange-red hair... She belongs to me alone!"

"Orario really is quite an interesting place."

Early in the morning, Ritsuka, who had spent the night at the library, stretched by the roadside and muttered as she recalled the information she had gathered last night.

In only a dozen or so minutes, Ritsuka had learned all the basic information. She had then rested well on the library's second floor for the night. It was not that she did not want to hurry and learn more detailed information—it was that she could not understand a single book in the library.

She did not recognize this world's writing.

Although everyone seemed to be speaking Japanese, the words in the books gave her the feeling of returning to the age of myths.

After seeing the Demi-humans filling the streets that morning, that sense of déjà vu from the age of myths grew even stronger.

This world was practically a real-life monster-grinding leveling game. Receive a god's "Blessing," join their Familia, and grow stronger through dungeon adventures—it sounded perfectly suited to the framework of a classic hot-blooded adventure story.

"Ah, I'm out of Pocky."

The Crystal Dice opened. On the side containing snacks, only a few bags of potato chips and similar things remained. The biscuit-stick section had nothing left but an empty box.

She helplessly put the box back, then calmly gazed at the blue-and-white sky.

"Miyu..."

She raised her hand as though trying to grasp the sky, her lips pressing together.

Even though she had survived against all expectations and arrived in such an interesting world, she still felt a strange emptiness. Her heart felt hollow.

No matter how interesting this world was, it could not make her feel as safe as the Emiya Residence, which was not large but could occasionally be lively.

"Emiya lass, I made some vegetable pancakes. Want to come have some?"

Behind her, the kind old man from the library called out.

Thanks to the suggestion magecraft from last night, Ritsuka had learned a little about him as well. He was an elderly man who had not joined a Familia and had no family.

But he had a cheerful personality, and after she removed the suggestion magecraft, he had treated her quite well.

"Hehe, then I'll gladly accept. But I can eat a lot, you know."

Laughing as she entered the library, Ritsuka sat with the old man at a small square table. On it were several vegetable pancakes and two bowls of rice soup. The meal was not plentiful, even somewhat plain, but it carried a hint of warmth.

Ritsuka pressed her palms together and silently said, Let's eat, before beginning her morning energy replenishment.

Back when they had little money, Miyu and she had eaten this sort of breakfast too...

After breakfast, Ritsuka left the library. Having agreed with the old man to stay there for several more nights, she went out for a stroll.

For the moment, she had no intention of becoming an adventurer. She even wanted to learn more about this world before opening a restaurant, where she could also research the highly destructive Mapo Water.

Before leaving that world, she had secretly filled a bottle at the mapo ramen shop and stored it in the Crystal Dice.

A short while later, Ritsuka, with not a single coin in her pocket, happily munched on a bag of fried potato balls as she once again stepped into the large plaza outside the Tower of Babel.

A scorching gaze fell upon her, as though it wanted to roast her alive.

"Who the hell is it? So annoying."

Ritsuka bit into a Fried Potato Ball and gave a dead-fish-eyed stare.

The gaze from the Tower of Babel was incomparably intense and showed no sign of restraint. Just as Ritsuka was preparing to make a quick escape, a robust figure blocked her path.

The newcomer wore a long robe, his hood obscuring most of his face, but Ritsuka could sense that he was staring at her.

After a moment's thought, Ritsuka narrowed her eyes. "Did the one up in the Tower of Babel send you?"

"Yes. The goddess of my Familia wishes to see you."

The boaz Ottar met Ritsuka's gaze with overwhelming pressure, while his brows furrowed tightly.

With his strength, unless the other party was a Level 6 adventurer, it was impossible for her to remain as calm as if nothing had happened while eating fried potato balls.

But there were only a few Level 6 adventurers in all of Orario, and Ottar was not old enough to be forgetful.

There was something strange about this girl!

"Let's skip the meeting. Please move aside. I'm not interested in your goddess."

Conflict was on the verge of erupting, yet no one around them noticed.

Ritsuka casually ate her fried potato balls when the Crystal Dice suddenly reacted. It appeared, and an image slowly emerged.

Section 58: Chapter 52: An Optional Quest

The standoff with the unfamiliar Demi-human quietly faded away, and Ritsuka paid him no attention at all.

Compared to this adventurer who had come looking for her on a goddess's orders, she was far more sensitive to the changes in the Crystal Dice. This thing was her Golden Finger.

Amid her tense emotions, a few lines of small text appeared on the transparent screen.

Quest name: The Road Ahead

Quest Type: Optional

Quest requirement: Join any Familia and become an adventurer

Quest difficulty: Low

Quest reward: A brand-new Character Template (corresponding to the current world)

A brand-new version... Ah, no, a brand-new Quest. For the first time, the Crystal Dice displayed something different from what Ritsuka remembered.

This thing actually issued Quests?

But it seemed rather laid-back. Completing the Quest brought a reward, but not doing it did not matter either. The Crystal Dice had not demanded that she complete it; the Quest Type was "Optional."

That was quite interesting.

Multitasking, Ritsuka considered the Crystal Dice and the Quest while observing the burly man before her, a boaz adventurer.

The other party was probably not weak. The pressure rolling toward her was somewhat startling. Though he was not as strong as the girl who had used the King of Heroes Class Card, he was still quite a formidable opponent.

He was probably just a little stronger than the one who had used the Saber Class Card... if Noble Phantasms were excluded.

Most importantly, this guy was seriously tall. In Ritsuka's memory, the only one who might surpass him in height was giant-like Heracles.

At a rough glance, this boaz had to be at least two meters tall.

"Whether you meet the goddess of my Familia is not up to you."

"Hm? Then is it up to you?"

Ritsuka took a slight step back, ready to move at any moment.

The next instant, Ottar's obviously sturdy hand grabbed at her, but she easily twisted aside and evaded it.

A trace of surprise flashed through Ottar's eyes. At the speed he had just used, even Level 4 adventurers would find it difficult to dodge, yet the girl before him had done so effortlessly, even with a hint of ease.

A serious expression appeared on his face as Ottar stepped forward, intending to seize Ritsuka, who moved incredibly slickly through the crowd.

She was someone the goddess wanted, so naturally he could not hurt her.

This guy is underestimating me...

Ritsuka suddenly struck with lightning speed.

Her five fingers clenched into a fist, and she threw a ferocious punch.

Her slender arm erupted with astonishing strength. Acting on reflex, Ottar crossed his hands and forcibly took the blow. He immediately let out a muffled grunt as his feet slid back a meter.

Sliding low and shifting her weight, Ritsuka immediately planted both hands on the ground and kicked both feet straight into Ottar's stomach.

The boaz man's feet instantly left the ground, and his body flew backward in a C-shape.

This boaz did not seem particularly skilled at speed...

Bang—!!

The robust man crashed through a group of Passersby and slammed straight into the statue at the center of the plaza. The statue, made from some unknown material, shattered on impact.

After kicking Ottar away, Ritsuka landed in a backflip, then immediately turned and ran.

"What happened?"

"No idea. Why was there suddenly such a loud noise?"

"...Wait, wasn't that person who got sent flying the 'Mighty Warrior,' Ottar!?"

The crowd grew noisy. Many people gathered to watch out of curiosity, while the more observant ones began searching for whoever had sent Ottar flying.

But Ritsuka ran incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, she had vanished.

With her speed at full force, Ritsuka leaped onto the rooftops of the shops, then sprang from platform to platform like an agile monkey—somewhat like that one from a Chinese-American co-production.

After shaking off the commotion in the plaza, Ritsuka jumped from the rooftops into an alley and lightly tapped her chest with her palm in midair.