Rather, they were the renowned Zeus Familia and Hera Familia.
Back then, those two great Familias had suffered devastating losses in a calamity, with their main forces almost entirely wiped out. They were then driven out of Orario by Freya and Loki working together.
When people left, the tea went cold.
"Girl, have you ever thought about becoming an adventurer?"
"I did before, but now I only want to spend the rest of my time in peace."
Ritsuka could not understand the old man's look and silently shook her head.
Even the strongest, Ottar, was only level 7 and amounted to no more than that. Her expectations for a "blessing" immediately burst like a bubble.
The stronger someone was, the less effective this sort of self-enhancement became. If she received a god's blessing, the first few levels might not even give her the slightest sensation of improvement.
And leveling up was not easy. Even the Sword Princess, who held the fastest record in history, had taken a year to go from Level 1 to Level 2.
Ritsuka had never considered herself a genius. She understood that deeply, and she no longer had any motivation to grow stronger. Her mission had already ended—the moment she successfully sent Miyu to another world.
It was a peaceful world. At the instant her wish had come true, she had been fortunate enough to glimpse a fleeting future.
That was enough...
"Pfft, hahaha! Girl, you sound far too mature. You should smile more if you want to look younger."
The old man suddenly burst into laughter, shaking so hard that the peanut held between his chopsticks fell.
Ritsuka nodded without arguing. "Yes. Smiling more would probably be better."
What flashed through her mind was Miyu's figure.
Her expression had been calm and gentle, while her eyes seemed to have witnessed countless tragedies. They were somewhat clouded... yet tranquil...
Those dim golden eyes seemed to say that they had once shone brightly too, but that was all in the past. Once the fervor had faded, only endless emptiness and the weariness of time remained.
An Ordinary Passing Citizen
After settling down in Orario, Ritsuka began living a peaceful daily life.
Whenever she ran out of money, she would sneak into the Dungeon and farm a few waves of Minotaurs. Whenever she had enough money, she would enjoy a quiet retired life.
Playing chess with the old man next door from time to time and drinking tea with a group of elderly men and women had gradually replaced Ritsuka's usual routine. It was as if her age had become misaligned.
The improved No. 1 version of Mapo Water was completed on her fourth day in Orario.
It did not have the violent intensity that could send someone straight to heaven, but it had gained some pleasant balance. Adding a little to a bowl of mapo ramen made it taste excellent.
Of course, she had not given up on the original Mapo Water either and had made a few improvements to it as well.
Based on the original, she doubled the spiciness. During the first taste test, even Ritsuka had nearly collapsed face-first into the bowl.
After all, having endured the torment of Hydra poison, her willpower was undoubtedly rare in this world.
Perhaps it was just as that woman with the King of Heroes Class Card had said—her ability to endure had been entirely due to a twisted obsession and a chilling resolve like that of the dead.
"Improved mapo ramen... Girl from the Emiya family, are you trying to murder people for money?"
The old man next door, who had come visiting again with nothing better to do, looked up in shock at the board hanging on the wall.
It was covered with the items offered by the shop.
Having seen that hellish color, he would never dare try it, even though Ritsuka ate it without changing her expression. Unless he wanted to leave this damned world early, that was.
That was not something an ordinary person could eat and continue living afterward!
"How could that be? The Father Mape who invented the original might have been a devil, but I definitely am not."
"I greatly reduced the spiciness of the original ramen. It's a little like soy sauce ramen with some chili peppers added."
Of course, it was not that simple.
Mapo Water itself was somewhat mysterious. She had only barely cracked the ingredients, while she had had to figure out the entire production process by herself.
"Want a bowl? You haven't had breakfast yet, right?"
Because of the old man's previous care at the library, as well as their neighborly relationship, Ritsuka decided to give him a fifty percent discount.
Though it had not been expensive to begin with...
Before long, the old man's breakfast was ready.
She added several chopsticks' worth of noodles to the red Mapo Tofu, then added the No. 1 improved Mapo Water. Finally, she fished out a tea egg and tossed it into the bowl.
"Sorry for the humble fare."
Taking the money from the old man, Ritsuka spoke in Matsuoka's voice.
"Mmm, it tastes great. This was absolutely worth it."
"Oh, right. Old man, can you watch the shop for me? I need to buy a few things."
Ritsuka opened the cabinet, took out a small flask of sake, and placed it on the table. The payment was accepted without hesitation.
The old man beamed. "Leave it to me! I guarantee there won't be any problems!"
Ritsuka passed through the bustling streets and headed toward her destination.
The No. 1 improved Mapo Water was finished, but it differed enormously from Father Mape's original version. She still wanted to recreate the original.
The only missing factor was probably the differing heat levels of various peppers.
As she passed Northwest Street, Ritsuka paused slightly.
Northwest Street was also commonly called Adventurer Street. It was where the greatest concentration of adventurers gathered in Orario.
Including the Guild headquarters, the administrative organization of Orario—or rather, the Dungeon—there were numerous weapon shops, item shops, taverns, and other stores essential to adventurers.
After making a small turn off the main street and entering a back alley, she found it packed with old and strange shops as well.
Perhaps some god with a terrible sense of humor had secretly opened them...
It was just past nine in the morning.
Comfortable sunlight fell across her face. Ritsuka narrowed her eyes contentedly and went around Northwest Street.
At this hour, many people had just finished breakfast and were preparing to head into the Dungeon, so the avenue was crowded with adventurers getting ready for labyrinth exploration.
There were beastmen carrying greatswords, Pallum mages, and many supporters with huge backpacks following adventurers.
After four days here, Ritsuka had more or less filled in her knowledge of Orario's common sense.
She knew little about Familias, and among Orario's "strong ones," she only knew the "Brute" Ottar and the "Sword Princess" Ais Wallenstein.
It was not that she looked down on them. Ritsuka had simply never been particularly interested in such things. That pigman Ottar had also performed terribly. For an unarmed Ottar, that day had truly been a nightmare.
Because he had underestimated her, he had been kicked flying in a crowded plaza...
How embarrassing.
"Come to think of it, the uproar was covered up so quickly. Is that the power of the Freya Familia?"
The influence of a massive Familia really was formidable. The matter of Orario's strongest being kicked away had been suppressed in just one day, which surprised Ritsuka somewhat.
Shaking her head and tossing aside those thoughts, Ritsuka hummed as she headed toward the fruit and vegetable market.
"Robbery!!"
Suddenly, a woman's shriek rang out. Immediately afterward, a masked man ran past Ritsuka.
The vendors around them instantly entered spectator mode.
Ritsuka looked at the woman still crouching on the ground, who had just had her belongings stolen. Orario has robberies too? Shouldn't all that hot-blooded energy be thrown into the Dungeon?
Complaints aside, Ritsuka reacted quickly.
Without time to think, she immediately used fifty percent of her speed. Under the puzzled gazes of the onlookers, she dashed out and leaped onto the awning of a nearby apple stand.
Her legs bent, then launched her forward, sending splinters flying behind her.
The petty thief could not have gotten far in less than three seconds. Ritsuka caught up to him in the blink of an eye, and the sound of wind tearing behind him made the robber's heart pound in terror.
In Orario, the biggest problem with robbery was that there were simply too many adventurers.
What if one of them liked playing hero? Wouldn't the robber get beaten to death right in the street?
The robber noticed Ritsuka about to catch up and cursed his bad luck at running into an adventurer who liked meddling.
He hurriedly turned a corner. This man, who had once been an adventurer himself, nearly collided head-on with a green-haired girl walking out of an item shop. "Damn it, move!!"
The man roared, drew a knife, and stabbed it toward the elf girl(?).
"Heh, what is this... a cornered dog jumping over the wall?"
Suddenly, a black shadow crossed overhead. It gently pushed the girl(?) aside while catching the man's hand.
Then came the cracking sound of bones being dislocated.
It made one's scalp go numb.
"Urghhhhh..."
After effortlessly subduing the knife-wielding criminal, Ritsuka applied a little force and snapped the knife, which was little more than a toy to her, in half.
The weapon fragments clattered onto the ground.
She kicked out. The man's knee was struck head-on, and he dropped to his knees on the spot. Amid his miserable screams, his leg bent backward and suffered severe damage.
Perhaps in the future, this man would light a cigarette in his spare time and talk about the past—
Until his knee took a kick.
"...You, you bastard... Mind your own—"
Grabbing his head with five fingers, Ritsuka slammed the man directly into the ground. His body plunged face-down into a muddy puddle left by the rain. Since the rain had been heavy last night, the puddle was still fresh and wonderfully soft.
He went right in.
As Ritsuka picked up the bag the woman had had stolen in the market, she turned to look behind her. "Are you all right?"
The elf girl(?) was still frozen in a daze. She nodded blankly, her heart filled with shock.
She had not even been able to see that speed just now...
"As long as you're fine. I'll be going, then. I still need to return this bag to its owner."
Ritsuka smiled and nodded, then lifted her foot to leave. The Guild's administrators would arrive soon, and she did not want to deal with official people.
She immediately prepared to slip away.
"Wait! What's your name?"
"Don't mind it. I'm just an ordinary passerby citizen."
Elf Girl(?) Riveria
After returning the bag to its owner, Ritsuka took a large red apple as payment and quickly slipped away amid the woman's thanks.
The gods of this world had terrible senses of humor. Ritsuka had heard the old man next door complain about it many times, and she had felt it herself because of the goddess Freya living atop the Tower of Babel.
Although defeating the "Brute" Ottar had made that Familia quiet down, whenever she passed through the plaza, that burning gaze would fall upon her.
It was incredibly annoying, but she could not exactly rush up the Tower of Babel and hang goddess Freya up for a beating, could she?
In the end, she could only swallow her irritation and accept it. At worst, she could just avoid passing through that area whenever possible.
In the minds of most ordinary people in Orario, gods were beings worthy of reverence. They had brought the power of "blessings," allowing ordinary races to gain the strength to resist monsters. They were symbols of holiness, majesty, and every other word of praise.
In Ritsuka's estimation, some gods probably did feel godlike, perhaps giving people an atmosphere as gentle as a spring wind.
Freya was genuinely different from everyone else. Her gaze practically wanted to swallow Ritsuka whole, burning as though she intended to roast her alive with her eyes alone.
Anyone who did not know better might think Freya was the goddess of Barbecue...
"Boss, is this thing spicy?"
Before you continue