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"This is… about a friend of mine."
Seeing Riveria's expression gradually grow more suspicious, Ryoji quickly added a serious note to his tone.
"Then why were you stammering like that?"
"Sorry, you know how it is. As a manly man like myself, I usually find it beneath me to talk about crossdressing matters!"
Riveria gave him a strange look.
He looked so determined and sincere that it didn't seem like he was lying.
"I've never helped a man crossdress before, but this sort of thing probably depends a lot on body type. What kind of build does your friend have?"
"About the same as mine."
"Hmm… then it might be a bit difficult. Your frame is a bit wide, even though you're not bulky, your build isn't really suited for crossdressing… I could find someone to take a look though."
"That works for me." Ryoji paused for a second, then put on an impassioned expression.
"In this day and age, people like me who would go to such lengths for a friend are truly rare!"
Riveria rolled her eyes again as she heard this.
"In that case, come to my room this afternoon."
"Alright."
…
Noon.
Ryoji sneaked into Riveria's room like a thief.
"?"
A female member of the Familia happened to walk by and, seeing this scene, widened her eyes in shock.
"Don't tell me… even Riveria's fallen?!"
…
Two minutes later.
"Thanks, Riveria."
"No problem. Just tell your friend that this isn't exactly a healthy interest."
Ryoji exited Riveria's room carrying a small bag.
There were no women's clothes inside, but he had obtained some equipment.
He left the tower and then, Riveria stepped out of her room as well.
She lifted the hem of her robe and quietly followed in the direction Ryoji had gone.
She wasn't quite convinced by Ryoji's excuse.
'Was it really a friend? Or was it himself?' She decided to get to the bottom of it, for Ais's sake.
From Riveria's point of view: Ryoji, carrying the small bag, paused briefly on the spiral staircase. He looked left and right like he was on guard, then walked toward the open-air corridor on the left.
"He's not going back to his own room?"
Riveria was starting to believe him, maybe it really was for a friend. If it had been for himself, he would've gone straight back to his room to hide the stuff, not wandered around outside.
"Raul's room?"
Ryoji arrived at Raul Nord's room and, under Riveria's secret surveillance, knocked on the door.
Raul quickly came out, greeted Ryoji with a smile, and invited him inside.
Two minutes later.
Ryoji came out empty-handed. He and Raul were laughing and chatting like good buddies.
Then Raul saw him off.
"Could it be… Raul?!" Riveria was instantly shocked.
'Oh my god, I really didn't see that coming!'
'Raul, you thick-browed, honest-looking man, you secretly have this kind of interest?!'
"Sigh… I'll have to talk to Finn again about the successor issue." Riveria sighed heavily and turned to leave.
Just like she had chosen Lefiya as her successor, Finn had chosen Raul to succeed him as captain of the Familia. If anything happened, Raul would be next in line.
But now… something far more unexpected had happened.
Raul was no longer fit to be a successor.
"AwooOOOooo, , !!"
From the direction of the courtyard, a miserable wolf howl rang out, causing Riveria to frown in irritation.
In the courtyard, Ais wore a confused expression.
Ryoji had told her: "When you see Bete, just say 'it's not a big deal', he'll be really happy."
So why was Bete howling so miserably?
He sounded like a cuckoo weeping blood.
Could it be that when Werewolves are happy… they all howl like this?
"Don't worry about it," Ais once again comforted Bete.
"AaaAARGH!! I'm gonna kill that bastard!!" Bete had taken critical emotional damage.
…
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this particular morning, Ryoji donned his combat gear, fully equipped with armor and weapons, strapped on his backpack, and joined the others at the Familia's front gate.
A group of more than thirty people quickly assembled at the scene.
There were Tiona, Ais, Bete, Raul, Lefiya, Line, and other familiar faces were all among them; this was the expedition team.
"Set off." Finn, holding two impressive-looking spears, gave the order once everyone was ready.
"Ooooohhhhhh!"
A rousing cheer erupted in response.
Ryoji followed the crowd as they moved forward. They were currently on the main street of the North District, heading toward their destination: the massive white tower at the center of Orario. The expedition was officially starting today.
Within the crowd, Bete shot Ryoji a murderous glare.
Over the past couple of days, even though he'd been explaining himself to everyone he met, many in the Familia still had doubts about whether he was… "functioning." Especially Ais, every time she saw him, she'd offer comfort, clearly misunderstanding the situation. It made Bete absolutely furious.
He wanted to beat up Ryoji every day, but somehow never managed to find him, leaving his rage with nowhere to go.
Tiona, naturally cheerful, had moved from the front of the team to the rear, walking up beside Ryoji with a bright, untroubled smile on her face while giving Bete a warning glance.
"Hmph!" Bete let out a cold snort.
With the expedition about to begin, it wouldn't be wise to start an internal conflict. But once this expedition's over, you'd better watch your back!
"It's the Loki Familia! They're going on another expedition?"
"So impressive… I doubt I'll ever get into a Familia like that in my lifetime."
"That guy's the strongest rookie?"
"Rumor has it he reached Level 2 in just twenty days. Is that even possible?"
"Unbelievable… but the info came from the Guild, so it has to be legit…"
As they marched, countless pedestrians shared various exclamations and speculations.
Most eyes were naturally drawn to Ais and the other top-tier Adventurers, but nearly half were focused on Ryoji. Many of those gazes belonged to other Adventurers, full of skepticism and curiosity.
By now, Ryoji's name had already begun to spread throughout Orario, known by many other Familia.
However, since he was about to spend the next two weeks deep inside the Dungeon, he wouldn't be around to witness the buzz surrounding his name firsthand.
What a pity.
"Everyone, listen up. Once we enter the Dungeon, we'll split into two teams. I'll lead one with Riveria, and Gareth will lead the other. We'll take different paths and regroup on the 18th Floor. From there, we'll push straight to the 50th Floor. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Good. Gareth, Tiona, you're in charge of the second team."
Finn gave final instructions to the second team's leaders, then entered the Dungeon at the front with Riveria, Ais, and others in Team One.
Ryoji was in Team Two, and thanks to him, Tiona had volunteered to stay back and join his group.
He looked up slightly.
Ryoji could feel a burning gaze descending from the uppermost levels of the Tower of Babel.
Just thinking about Freya's seductive figure gave him a headache.
"…I'll deal with that when I get back," Ryoji muttered internally.
What woman could possibly be more important than getting stronger?
(End of chapter)