Evening soon arrived.
Because he had used the second grimoire, Riezel, just like the night before, had fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
By the time he woke up, the sun was already close to setting, and only then did Riezel finally step out of his room.
From the familia members who passed by, he learned that while he had been asleep, Ais had finally come out of her room.
It seemed that the girl had been forcibly dragged out by Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya, and after that, the four of them had gone out shopping together.
Apparently, they had been running wild outside all day and still had not returned, even now.
Hearing this, Riezel felt relieved instead.
'As long as she was willing to come out.'
What Riezel had feared most was that Ais would shut herself inside her room, seal off her heart, and refuse to accept any words from the outside world.
Fortunately, with same-age, same-sex companions like Tiona and the others around her, Ais had finally been pulled out of her own world.
'As expected, girls of the same age and same sex find it easier to open up to each other.'
Riezel gave high praise to Tiona and the others for successfully handling the situation.
Only afterward did he learn that Ais's willingness to leave her room also seemed to have something to do with Riveria.
Riveria, who was practically like Ais's mother, had apparently learned about Ais's situation after waking up, so she had made a special trip to Ais's room and talked with her for a while.
Because of Riveria's concern, Ais's mood had improved considerably, and only then had Tiona and the others been able to forcibly drag her out of her room, even taking her, who only knew how to fight, out into the streets to have fun.
Now that things were going on like this, there should not be any more problems.
Convinced of that, Riezel finally set aside his worries about Ais and prepared to handle his own business.
For that purpose, he asked a passing familia member about someone's whereabouts, and after learning where the person was, he headed in that direction.
===
Twilight Manor, Reception Room.
Even though this place was called a reception room, this room did not really feel like a place meant specifically to receive guests. Instead, it felt more like a space where familia members used to relax, and it was now often used by them as a chatting room.
Riezel himself had not been here in a very long time, and the last time he had come here was when he had just advanced to Level 2. Back then, Lefiya, frustrated because she had not been able to help him, had hidden herself here, forcing him to search for her everywhere.
Today, he came here once again, and here he found the person he had been looking for.
He was a human youth who looked extremely unremarkable, even giving off an impression of being unreliable.
"I'm serious, back then I almost lost my life..."
No one knew exactly what topic they were discussing, but the human youth kept pouring out his complaints, making the surrounding familia companions burst into laughter one after another.
"Well, who told you the Captain took a liking to you, Raul?"
"Ever since way back then, the Captain has liked taking you along everywhere."
"Heh, that's only natural, right?"
"In the familia, Raul, you're considered a senior, so of course you have to take the lead."
Everyone spoke in a manner that sounded half like teasing and half like affirmation.
"I feel like I'm still far from being good enough..."
The one muttering such self-denying words in a low voice was none other than Raul, the leader of the second strings beneath the executives of the familia.
The people around Raul were also the second strings of the Loki Familia, such as the cat-people girl Anakitty, the human girl Elfy, the elf girl Alicia, the human girl Narvi, who, like Elfy, was also human, and the chienthrope boy Cruz.
All of them were figures second only to the executives, who were First-Class Adventurers within the Loki Familia.
Almost all of them, like Raul and Anakitty, were Level 4 Second-Class Adventurers, the ones closest to becoming First-Class Adventurers, and they had long been the ones supporting both the top executives and the executives.
When Riezel arrived, the one who noticed his presence first was, as expected, the beast-human with sharper senses, Cruz.
"I-It's Mr. Riezel!"
Cruz exclaimed in surprise, unable to help himself as he stood up.
"Mr. Riezel!"
Anakitty also stood up, seeming extremely surprised by Riezel's arrival.
"Mr. Riezel."
"Good evening."
"What brings you here?"
The rest of the members followed, standing up one by one, and just like usual, they greeted Riezel while also carrying a hint of respect in their attitudes.
Needless to say, this respect was for a familia executive, and it was also proof that they acknowledged his abilities and trusted him.
Raul was included among them.
Highly regarded by Finn and practically acting as the commander whenever Finn was not around, he did not become nervous when he saw Riezel appear, but he did straighten his posture and adjust his attitude.
"Good evening, everyone."
Riezel, just like before, responded to these familia seniors with the etiquette of a junior, not changing his attitude in the slightest, simply because he was a familia executive and a First-Class Adventurer.
"Am I disturbing you?" Riezel asked apologetically.
"No, not at all!" Raul quickly shook his head. "We're just chatting here. We're not doing anything that we'd be worried about being interrupted."
"Yup!" Elfy said in a somewhat lively voice. "We're just chatting. Mr. Riezel, didn't you go out with Lefiya and the others?"
One after another, the others looked toward Riezel, seeming to share the same question.
Even though they were all from the same familia, there were still degrees of closeness in their relationships.
Aside from Bete, who was accustomed to acting alone, the executives usually operated together.
When executives were like that, there was no need to mention the three top executives, who were rarely apart thanks to their decades of friendship.
As executives, Ais, Tiona, and Tione were quite close, often sticking together whenever they had nothing to do, and like them, the second strings, such as Raul and the others, were also closer to one another.
Because of factors such as status and strength, while the second strings were not exactly distant from the executives, they were still not as close.
Only Riezel and Lefiya were exceptions.
Although both were newcomers within the familia, their exceptional talent and potential had allowed them to quickly integrate into the group of executives.
Especially Riezel, who had risen at a meteor-like pace, as in just over three months, he had gone from a newly joined member to a familia executive, which was truly shocking.
As for the second strings, Lefiya was still fine—at least she usually had some interaction with them.
Elfy was Lefiya's roommate, and Alicia had been the familia senior and same-race member who had recruited Lefiya into the familia in the first place.
Because of that, Lefiya got along fairly well with the second strings.
By contrast, Riezel was more distant from the second strings, which was why his appearance in the reception room left everyone rather surprised.
Even Anakitty, who was usually calm and composed, was faintly nervous, though she forced herself to remain calm and did not show any outward signs of it.
Under these circumstances, Riezel did not beat around the bush and instead directly stated his purpose.
"I'm here to find Mr. Raul."
Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze toward Raul.
"Just call me Raul. Being called 'Mr.' by a familia executive feels kinda strange..." Raul gave a bitter smile before asking, somewhat confused, "Mr. Riezel, do you need something from me? If there's any small matter you need help with, please feel free to tell me."
"You can call me Riezel too—there's no need for honorifics," Riezel said with a faint smile and, just like Raul, asked to be called by his name directly.
However, in the very next moment, the words he spoke were nothing short of earth-shattering.
"I heard you used to go to the Entertainment District a lot, right?"
As soon as these words fell, the reception room, which had been relaxed and easygoing just moments ago, became deathly silent.
Everyone froze in place, as if they had heard something utterly unbelievable, their faces filled with shock.
"W-W-W-W-What?!" Raul exclaimed in shock, looking as if an invisible spear had stabbed him.
Like someone whose dark history had been abruptly dug up, he stumbled back several steps, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
Seeing him like this, the group remained silent for a brief moment before the reception room suddenly erupted into an uproar.
"E-E-E-E-Entertainment District?!"
"Raul used to go to the Entertainment District?"
"No way..."
Elfy and Narvi both blushed, as if they felt embarrassed, while Alicia blinked repeatedly, the look in her eyes as she stared at Raul gradually changing.
"Uh... Ahahaha..."
Cruz wore a stiff expression and let out an awkward laugh.
"..."
For some reason, Anakitty fell silent, and as she looked at Raul, her eyes were inexplicably filled with sympathy.
Every familia member in the reception room stared at Raul in silence.
However, the way they looked at him was enough for Raul to describe his current feelings with just two words: social death.
In Orario, the Entertainment District was a special area located on Southeast Main Street, occupying a vast amount of land.
Why was it special?
Simple.
It was the so-called red-light district, a place where men vented their lusts and pursued the pleasures of nightlife.
Riezel's words were practically telling everyone that Raul, this seemingly honest and straightforward young man, was actually very experienced and frequently sought out women.
If that was not social death, then what was?
"Raul..."
"Raul..."
"Who would've thought you were that kind of man..."
"We really misjudged you... No, we really misunderstood you."
Led by Alicia, Elfy, and Narvi, the female members began casting contemptuous looks at Raul, while the male members, like Cruz, quietly stepped one pace away from him, looking as if they were afraid of being implicated.
Seeing this, Raul was both deeply shaken and desperately trying to defend himself.
"I-I haven't gone there in a long time!"
Unfortunately, Raul's explanation was worse than none at all.
It was basically telling everyone that he really had spent a period of time frequently visiting the Entertainment District, and this only made the looks from the female members even more contemptuous, while the male members began to enjoy the spectacle openly.
"I'm sorry..." Raul dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I'm guilty... I was obsessed... I deserve to die for my sins..."
Watching this scene, a wave of guilt immediately welled up in Riezel's heart.
'Did I say something wrong?'
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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