At the entrance, Alise's group ran into Lyra and the others who had already returned.
Lyra looked at them with a teasing smirk. "Oh? Is the group date over? Roland, how was it dating three beauties at once? That's the kind of thing other men only dream of."
Roland gave a thumbs-up, flashed a bright smile that showed off his white teeth, and laughed. "The date was absolutely divine! So, the next time, beautiful Miss Lyra, you should come on a date with me too. Hahahaha!"
Lyra hadn't expected Roland to fire back like that. Stunned for a moment, she quickly retaliated, "Whoa! You mean three isn't enough? You're planning to add me to your harem too? Is Roland actually... you know... a lolicon?"
"Ah, and here I thought Lyra-san said that because she was jealous of the four of us. I was planning to compensate you with a full-day date." Roland suddenly switched to a heartbroken expression, covering his face as if sobbing. "I didn't realize Lyra-san saw me that way. Sob, sob."
"Ahaha, I'm actually a bit speechless. I surrender..." Lyra was shocked by this sudden shift. Was this his true nature? A few days ago he was a shy boy, now he was a smooth-talker. "Ouch!"
Kaguya chopped Lyra on the head. "Then stop saying such things. He probably learned it from you." She turned to Roland—who had already reverted to his calm face—and pinched his cheek. "And you, stop saying such things and don't use that face to make weird expressions."
"Understood," Roland mumbled through his pinched cheeks, flashing a peace sign at Lyra.
Alise whispered excitedly to Ryuu, "It looks like Roland has really accepted us. At the start, he would never have joked with us like this."
"Yes, it's wonderful," Ryuu replied, genuinely happy to see him integrate into the family.
After dinner, the members gathered in the hall to discuss the day's events. Kaguya summarized their encounter with the Evilus.
Astraea pondered for a moment. "It is a possibility. Loki mentioned that the Evilus seem to be hiding something. Despite the searches, there hasn't been much progress. Everyone, stay alert during patrols."
"Yes, ma'am!" they replied in unison.
The mood grew slightly heavy as they realized the conflict wasn't ending soon. Lyra slumped onto the sofa, frustrated. "When will this end? I'm sick of patrolling every day. Those Evilus bastards are such a pain."
"It's hard work, but it can't be helped," Maryu comforted her. "If no one stands up, Orario will only fall deeper into chaos."
"It's okay!" Alise declared, her eyes shining with conviction. "No one died today, and we weakened their forces. The enemy isn't infinite. As long as we spread our wings of justice, peace will return! I believe that if we stay grounded and unyielding, we will become the foundation that topples the darkness! And after that, let's take down the One-Eyed Black Dragon too! We can definitely do it!"
Her grand proclamation broke the gloom. Roland immediately began clapping. "Captain's so cool! Captain's number one! Captain's the strongest!"
The others stared at Roland in surprise, while Alise basked in his praise.
Kaguya sighed. "Captain, dreaming of the future is fine, but let's focus on the present first."
Meanwhile, in a dark corner of the 7th District's Old Town, three Evilus leaders gathered.
Olivas Act, the "White-Haired Demon," slammed his desk in rage. "Who leaked the information? They almost found our base! Thank god we used those 'trash' pawns to distract those idiots from the Justice Familia."
"Who knows? Besides, we weren't found, were we?" snapped a pink-haired woman, Valetta Grede, the "Murderer Empress." "Don't call us all together for such trivial things. Solve it yourself. Do you want to die?"
"Now, now, don't be so angry," soothed Vit, the "Faceless." "If our base was found, all our efforts would be for naught. It's a good thing we used those pawns as bait. We should halt our activities for a while. We won't be this lucky if we leave another trail."
"I don't want to be punished by Lord Erebus," Valetta muttered irritably. "Until he returns with allies, don't do anything stupid, Olivas."
Olivas clenched his fists, his face dark with hatred. If he weren't so weak, he would kill them both. "I know. But you two are no better, slaughtering those 'idiot' adventurers. Maybe you were the ones who got us noticed."
Valetta pointed at him menacingly. "If it weren't for me, this dump would have been destroyed long ago! I don't have time like you; I have plans to implement. Give me more trouble and I'll cut you down! We're done here!" She stormed out.
Five days later.
Roland ducked low as an Orc's massive arm swung over his head. His sword slashed through the creature's armpit, spraying green blood. He didn't stop, leaping behind the beast and decapitating it with a wind-enhanced strike.
He had been in the 10th Floor for five days. Having decided to become a Magic Swordsman, he had asked Kaguya and Ryuu to train him in blade skills. He used the first half of his Dungeon dives for sword practice and the second half for magic.
[Roland - Status Update]
Level 1
Strength: E442
Endurance: E467
Dexterity: D502
Agility: E492
Magic: B721
"You've been working hard, Roland," Astraea noted. "Is something wrong?"
"I have a feeling something big is coming," Roland replied, taking the parchment. "I need to get stronger to protect the Familia and you, Lady Astraea."
He then went to the training grounds to spar with Kaguya. After several exchanges, Kaguya tripped him and leveled her wooden sword at his throat. "You lose."
"Kaguya-san is too strong," Roland panted.
"I won't go easy on you just because you flatter me," she said, pulling him up. "You're heading to the 11th Floor soon? Can you stay safe? It's dangerous there."
"No problem at all. I'm a special Mage, remember?" Roland guaranteed.
[Personal Info]
Level: 23 (System Level)
Backpack: [Level 30 Gift Pack], [Sharan's Practice Staff], [Mystic Water Spirit Staff (Legacy)]
Task: Survive the "Gods' Send-off" and the "Seven Days of Death" in 3 months. Reward: [God-Chaser Staff (Artifact)]
Roland gave his Sharan's Practice Staff to Celeity, the Familia's elf mage. She found that her casting speed and power increased significantly with it. "I'll use it well, thank you Roland!"