"Raven-kun~~"
"Here, I have a gift for you."
Hestia pulled out a finely-crafted, sky-blue cloak from the wardrobe.
This stylish cloak was worth 100 million valis.
Its effect was similar to Alfia's black battle dress—
it had magic resistance, capable of dampening external attacks to a certain extent.
While she'd been away the past few days attending the Gods' Banquet,
she had also asked her divine friend Hephaestus to commission this magic-resistant cloak.
"…This must've cost a fortune, right?"
Raven blinked, instantly recognizing the high-quality craftsmanship.
"Nope!"
"You gave me 50 million valis before, remember? I just added some of the money we got from Apollo as compensation."
"So it all worked out fine~"
Hestia explained with a bright smile.
In other words—
This cloak, enchanted with magic resistance, was fully paid for, no credit involved.
"That's good then."
Raven tried it on right in front of her.
The fit was perfect.
It was comfortable, warm, and didn't hinder movement in the slightest.
"Whoa~~!"
"You look really cool in that."
Hestia beamed in delight.
Raven adjusted the cloak a little and smiled back.
"Alright then… shall we go to bed?"
"Mhm~!"
Elsewhere…
Babel Tower, 50th floor.
"Lady Freya… So, we're really making our move tomorrow?"
Ottar stood like a statue in the goddess's chamber, asking calmly.
"No."
"There was an unexpected development today. Let's wait a few more days."
"Prepare for the War Game. It'll be against the children of Loki Familia."
Freya, lounging with an elegant smile, gently curved her lips.
She wasn't in any hurry—
waiting a few more days meant nothing to her.
The next day.
After finishing a hearty breakfast of seafood porridge made by Mikoto, Raven left the Hearth Manor.
Today…
He had no plans to go adventuring in the Dungeon.
Mikoto took the new member Anna to the Guild to register as an adventurer.
She would also guide her through the first and second floors of the Dungeon to give her hands-on experience with fighting monsters.
After all—
Now that Anna had gained a rare skill,
she was destined to be more than just a normal girl.
As for Hestia, she had left early in the morning to do part-time work at a stall on North Street.
Daphne went grocery shopping, while Cassandra stayed behind to watch over the base.
Central Plaza.
Raven arrived and casually scanned the crowd.
"There."
Near the fountain on the western side—
stood a beastkin girl with a huge backpack on her back.
Alone and forlorn, she had her head lowered in silence.
Her eyes dim, her expression lifeless.
Raven sighed quietly, then walked toward her.
"Lili?"
Liliruca Arde slowly lifted her head.
But the next second, her eyes darted away, unable to meet his gaze.
"Something went wrong, didn't it?"
Raven furrowed his brows.
Lili stayed silent for a moment, then finally murmured:
"…I'm sorry…"
"Lili… doesn't have the face to meet Raven-sama again…"
"Then tell me—what happened?"
Raven crouched down, locking eyes with her.
"…The money Raven-sama gave me the other day… it was taken by my Familia's captain…"
"I'm sorry… someone like Lili isn't worthy to join Raven-sama's Familia…"
Her voice choked up as tears fell from her chestnut-colored eyes.
"…Soma Familia?"
Raven's expression darkened immediately, his gaze turning icy cold.
After a moment—
He suppressed the chill in his eyes and said softly:
"Let's go."
"We're going to get the money back."
"And if we can't—then I'll just wipe out their entire Familia."
"…Eh?"
Lili looked up in utter shock.
The Soma Familia's headquarters was located in District 3, in the southeastern quadrant of the city—
Right between East Main Street and Southeast Avenue.
Their Familia emblem was a crescent moon and a wine goblet.
At the moment…
Inside their tower headquarters—
The slightly grimy lobby on the first floor was packed with drunk and rowdy Familia members.
At the front, standing on a raised platform, was a man squinting beneath his glasses.
His name was Zanis Lustra—captain of the Soma Familia.
A Level 2 adventurer, known by the title "Winekeeper."
His personality was devious and greedy, and deep down he looked down on Soma.
The god Soma had grown disappointed in the Familia,
having lost himself in the addiction of his divine wine.
He left everything in Zanis's hands.
As a result, Zanis became the true mastermind and ruler of the Soma Familia.
At the moment, he raised his wine goblet high.
"To our Familia's prosperous future!"
"—Cheers!"
A twisted, ugly grin warped across Zanis's face.
He was in a fantastic mood.
Just two days ago, he'd confiscated 10 million valis from a member named Lili.
Below the stage, the other Familia members and officers looked like they were on a high.
They all raised their cups filled with divine wine and brought them to their lips.
"Haaah… haaah… haaah…"
"So good…"
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