Charlie wasn't the type to procrastinate. Once a decision was made and no urgent matter stood in his way, he would act immediately. So without wasting time, he began preparing for his journey to the Kaios Desert.
However, a small obstacle arose. Est had realized Charlie's intention to fight without bringing her along. Clearly, this displeased her.
"I am your sword. Onii-chan must use me in battle."
The tiny figure of Est stood firmly in front of Charlie. Her expression was blank, but the fiery red glow in her eyes showed her refusal to be left behind again.
Since forming a contract with Charlie, Est could count on one hand how many times she had actually been used in serious combat. Unsurprisingly, this made her feel useless.
"..."
Charlie crouched down, bringing himself to Est's eye level. Gently, he stroked her cheek—soft as silk.
"Listen to me and obey: stay at home, okay? I don't want to stain you with human blood. You're too precious to be tainted by their filthy lives."
That was why he hesitated to bring Est. She was a Holy Sword born to fight evil entities—not to be splattered with the blood of sinful humans.
"Est. Don't make it difficult for Charlie. This is his decision. We just need to obey."
Aishia, standing beside Est, spoke up. Her voice was calm yet authoritative, trying to soothe the Sacred Sword Spirit.
"..."
Est looked from Charlie to Aishia. After a brief pause, she gave a slow nod.
"Fine. But use me when fighting non-humans."
It was her compromise. She would stay—as long as Charlie promised not to hesitate calling her when facing enemies that weren't human.
"Yes, I promise."
A gentle smile touched his lips. Charlie glanced at Aishia with gratitude before affectionately pinching Est's adorable cheek.
"..."
Est's expression remained flat as usual. Unless someone asked her to remove her knee-high socks—a request that would embarrass her deeply—she rarely showed emotion on her face.
"You should use a disguise, Charlie. Otherwise, it'll be troublesome if the Guild finds out you've illegally left Orario." Aishia reminded.
"I know. That's exactly my plan."
Without needing to be told, Charlie had already intended to do so. His thinking aligned perfectly with Aishia's.
The Guild was notoriously strict about the movements of High Class Adventurers. They wouldn't allow most High Class Adventurers to leave Orario without stacks of approval documents or an official mission to complete. Exceptions might only exist for Familias like Hermes, who served as inter-city couriers, or Demeter Familia, which managed farmlands outside the city walls.
This policy wasn't baseless. Orario was designed to be easy to enter—anyone could come seeking fortune—but extremely difficult to exit. The Guild feared that if High Class Adventurers left, Orario's military advantage would significantly diminish.
It should be noted that not all gods settled in Orario; deities existed across various countries, granting Falna blessings to those who caught their interest.
Even so, adventurer levels outside Orario weren't high due to limited resources (monsters) for gaining Excelia. Orario, however, was different. It housed the Dungeon, producing monsters in unlimited numbers—the source of Excelia for adventurers.
Given the sheer number of adventurers in Orario, it wasn't surprising that the Labyrinth City held the world's strongest military power—surpassing every nation—despite being merely a single city!
After all, reaching Level 3 wasn't easy even in Orario, where the Dungeon provided a constant flow of resources; most other adventurers elsewhere barely reached Level 2, and over 90% of adventurers in Orario were only Level 1. One could imagine how difficult leveling up was for adventurers outside Orario, where the average strength was Level 1, and Level 2 was exceedingly rare.
In short, the Guild maintained tight control to preserve the status quo and Orario's dominance. Allowing powerful High Class Adventurers like Charlie to leave freely would be seen as weakening the city's military strength—and a potential threat if they chose never to return or even joined opposing forces.
Therefore, Charlie knew he had to be careful. Disguise and a stealthy departure weren't options—they were necessities.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Ten minutes later, Charlie stepped out of his room.
His appearance had completely transformed. He wore a loose, black hooded cloak made of thick, light-absorbing fabric. The hood was pulled low, concealing his distinctive white hair almost entirely. To hide the rest of his face, he wore a simple, plain white masquerade mask, fully hiding his identity.
"Are you sure you won't change your mind, Charlie?"
Astraea approached, her soft hands adjusting the slightly messy collar of Charlie's cloak. Clear doubt and concern shone in her eyes.
"Violence can't solve every problem, but violence can solve problems created by those who cause them."
"The Whiro Familia is Evilus. Since they've become my enemy, there's no reason to let them remain and continue threatening others."
His answer was short and firm—Charlie's unshakable resolve evident.
"..."
Astraea stared deeply into his eyes, searching for any trace of hesitation behind the mask. But all she found was ironclad determination. She knew—her words would no longer matter.
"I can only wish you the best. May you return safely."
Before Charlie could react, Astraea gently lifted his hood and leaned forward, placing a soft, warm kiss on his forehead.
"...?!!!"
Charlie froze in surprise, his body stiffening momentarily. A kiss from a goddess—especially the Goddess of Justice—was no ordinary thing. Yet the shock lasted only a second. With intense mental discipline, he quickly regained composure, his racing heartbeat settling back to normal.
"Go. We'll be waiting for your return."
Astraea turned away swiftly, trying to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks.
Charlie gave a slight nod, though Astraea no longer saw it. He had already said goodbye to Aishia and Est inside the room.
He stepped out of Empyrean Citadel.
In the courtyard, magical essence flowed through his body.
*WHOOSH!*
Spirit Arts activated, generating a soft wind that surrounded him, lifting him slowly from the ground. Charlie floated silently, effortlessly defying gravity, then suddenly shot forward like an arrow released from a bow—vanishing into the night sky at astonishing speed.
"Whiro Familia… I'm coming." His whisper disappeared into the wind.
From hundreds of meters above, Orario stretched beneath him like a giant cake sliced into eight pieces by its main roads. The city was beautiful and vibrant, but Charlie had no time to admire it.
*SWISH!*
He flew at full speed—15 Mach—velocity impossible for any creature to catch or even see.
Thanks to the combination of Mind's Eye, giving him perfect physical control akin to a lite version of Ultra Instinct, and Six Eyes, enabling flawless energy control, he eliminated all air friction and sonic shockwaves normally accompanying supersonic movement.
No loud booms. No window-shattering shockwaves. His flight was silent as a ghost, seamlessly blending into the darkness of night.
Within seconds, his faint silhouette had passed beyond Orario's walls, soaring across the sky toward the Kaios Desert.