The Stardust Garden.
When Roy returned, Ryuu and Goddess Astraea had already prepared dinner. They had agreed to take turns cooking—there was no way they could keep pushing everything onto him.
Though it couldn't compare to Roy's extravagant meals, Astraea's cooking was still quite good: freshly baked bread, a sweet-and-sour soup, a salad of vegetables and fruit, and beef steak cooked to medium.
During the meal, Roy learned that the gods had already given him a title. Although he had expected it—and knew it probably wouldn't be anything normal—he still nearly spat out his bread.
Roy, the super rookie of the Astraea Familia.
The fastest adventurer in history to reach Lv.2.
The title bestowed upon him by the gods was—"Budding Justice."
A sprout: the retreat of winter, the arrival of early spring, a hint of fresh green on bare branches. It symbolized birth, emergence, and potential—and it fit the current state of the Astraea Familia perfectly.
He had to admit, it was tasteful.
Still, something about it felt… odd.
Goddess Astraea looked quite pleased.
"I think it's a fine title. Demeter proposed it."
Roy had heard of Demeter. Her Familia specialized in cultivating and selling fruits and vegetables, owning vast farmlands outside the city. They made enormous contributions to Orario's food supply and were known as one of the city's pillars.
As the conversation drifted to other titles the gods had suggested, Roy suddenly felt much better about his own.
Comparison really was everything.
If he had ended up with something like 'Ultra Invincible Super Cool Lightning Boy', and people had to shout that every time they saw him, Roy figured he'd genuinely want to die.
In any case, titles could be changed after leveling up.
No matter where you were, strength determined one's voice. When he reached Lv.5 or Lv.6, if the gods still refused to give him a dignified and imposing title, then he wouldn't hesitate to make life difficult for their Familia members in the Dungeon. Let's see who'd suffer more.
Roy quickly put the matter of titles out of his mind.
What truly made him wary was the fact that Freya had attended the divine assembly. He had no idea what that madwoman was planning.
For a brief moment, he even felt the urge to bring Bell to Orario ahead of schedule—at least that might divert Freya's attention and stop her from fixating on them.
After dinner, Roy returned to his room.
He still had something important to do: upgrade his equipment.
The silver treasure chest dropped by Goliath had yielded an equipment enhancer—an item that could upgrade a single piece of equipment to Epic quality.
Roy didn't have many items: the Gale Boots, Giant Killer, Steel Bracers, the Muramasa Sword, and a failed piece of armor crafted by Tsubaki Collbrande.
The Steel Bracers were already Epic, so they were out.
The Muramasa Sword and the failed armor had limited potential.
Giant Killer only worked against massive monsters.
That left only one choice—the Gale Boots.
That was precisely why he had gone out of his way to have Asfi repair the magic item beforehand. He couldn't risk the durability being too low and having it break during enhancement.
Roy took out the equipment enhancer, placed the Gale Boots inside, and pressed "Enhance."
The furnace-like device trembled slightly.
It made him unexpectedly nervous. With a 99% success rate, if this failed, he'd write his name backward.
[Gale Boots enhancement successful. Quality upgraded to Epic. New attributes available.]
Name: Gale Boots
Quality: Epic
Attributes: Increases movement speed by 30%.
Special Effect (Wind-Treading):
Increases Agility by 50% for 20 seconds.
Each activation reduces durability by 8%.
Durability: 96%
Seeing the status window, Roy finally relaxed. The upgraded stats pleasantly surprised him as well.
With the special effect active, combined with the boots' base attributes, his Agility would increase by a total of 80%. At Lv.2, that was practically unbeatable.
The next day.
As Roy stepped out of his room, he saw Goddess Astraea looking at him with a rather helpless expression—like a resentful wife staring at someone who had wronged her.
The night before, Ryuu had told Astraea about Roy's plan.
This was something that absolutely required the goddess's cooperation.
Astraea felt conflicted. It wasn't that she feared the Apollo Familia, but agreeing to a War Game for money—placing her Familia's children on the scales to gamble against others—ran completely counter to the justice she presided over. Fate seemed determined to force her into difficult choices.
Roy smiled awkwardly.
"This is the last time," Astraea said seriously.
At this point, refusing would only lead to even worse consequences. She understood the principle that blocking was worse than guiding—rather than letting things spiral out of control, it was better to steer them herself.
Roy only smiled in response.
Once a bottom line was crossed, there were only zero times—or countless times.
After breakfast, since they no longer needed to grind for money in the Dungeon, Roy and Ryuu sparred in the courtyard, honing their combat techniques as blades clashed.
About half an hour later, Apollo arrived at the gate with a massive entourage.
"Astraea! Let's have a War Game!"
Apollo stared directly at Goddess Astraea—though Roy couldn't shake the feeling that the man's gaze was actually fixed on him.
Had she not known the twists behind the scenes, Astraea would have rejected him outright and driven him away.
Of course, the act still had to be played out.
Astraea frowned, her beautiful face showing confusion, displeasure, and doubt.
"Apollo, what do you mean by this?"
Apollo laughed.
"Astraea, stop pretending. You owe the Guild sixty million valis. If you can't pay it back, living on the streets won't be pleasant."
Astraea fell silent.
"If I win, Roy converts to my Familia!" Apollo pointed at Roy, his invasive gaze sending a chill down Roy's spine.
"And if you win, all of my Familia's assets are yours. The debt will be repaid immediately!"
"Apollo, do you really think I would put my Familia's children on the gambling table for money?" Astraea's expression darkened, as though she had been insulted.
Roy silently applauded her in his heart. An Oscar definitely belonged to her.
"Astraea, you don't have the right to refuse," Apollo said smugly.
"I know you're desperately earning money in the Dungeon. What do you think will happen if I have my Familia members interfere?"
What Roy had taught Daphne was temptation.
Apollo went one step further—coercion.
He couldn't forcibly seize Roy, but merely causing trouble was more than enough. With over a hundred members, the Apollo Familia had countless ways to delay Astraea Familia's repayment indefinitely.
Blocking someone's path to money was no different from killing their parents.
Any other Familia would have gone to war immediately—but could the justice-bound Astraea Familia kill for money?
Such vile tactics worked only against good people.
Astraea's face turned icy with anger. What had begun as reluctant consent hardened into full resolve.
"Fine. I accept this War Game," she said coldly.
"But not for money. Apollo—for the sake of those children, you no longer deserve to remain in Orario."