"Today is our scheduled patrol day. As for you, Ryuu... you'll come with me!"
The Astraea Familia enjoyed a strong reputation in Orario, and naturally, that was because of what its members did.
Eliminating Evilus was one part of it, but more importantly, like the Ganesha Familia, the Astraea Familia conducted patrols throughout the city—ensuring the safety of Orario's citizens and stopping crimes.
However, unlike the Ganesha Familia, which was stationed within the city year-round, the Astraea Familia had few members and focused on exploration. As such, they could only carry out periodic patrols.
Even so, this was actually an excellent way to present themselves to the public. The girls of the just Familia walked the streets, chatting naturally with citizens. It was both pleasing to the eye and reassuring, protecting everything within the city.
So even though the Astraea Familia patrolled less frequently than the Ganesha Familia, their reputation surpassed them.
After all, they were all beautiful girls.
Today's patrol had long been arranged. Although Ryuu, a new elf member, had joined, it didn't make much of a difference. The others still split into groups of two or three and began their rounds.
As a side note, Est did not participate in any public activities—whether banquets or major public events. She either remained within Elise's spirit crest or stayed inside the Familia.
As for the newly joined Ryuu, she was naturally assigned to the captain's group. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Elise also began explaining matters about the Familia to her.
"Ryuu, remember this—our Familia is one of justice. If you encounter someone in need, you must do your best to help them."
While greeting people around her, Elise spoke to Ryuu.
"Hey there, little Elise! Got a new member in your Familia?"
"Another lovely young lady—how promising! The future of the city will depend on you all!"
Although the words were filled with goodwill, Ryuu felt extremely uncomfortable.
She had never experienced being watched by so many people before. Quickly, she moved closer to Elise and grabbed her hand.
Sensing the stiffness in Ryuu's body, Elise gently held her hand in return, soothing her.
"You'll need to get used to being watched like this, Ryuu. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, you won't be able to react in time."
"I understand, but my body just... reacts like this on its own."
Ryuu understood Elise's meaning. If an enemy attacked under such circumstances, her life would be in serious danger.
"Sigh..."
In that case, Elise decided to give her a push—help her adapt more quickly.
Squeak squeak
A black device appeared in Elise's hand. It looked similar to the one she had mentioned before for editing videos, though slightly different.
However, the sound coming from it was something Ryuu recognized instantly.
Wasn't that her own voice?
"Ahhh! Don't use that!"
The moment she heard it, Ryuu reacted immediately and lunged for the device Elise called a phone.
But with Ryuu's current physical ability—having only just become an adventurer—how could she possibly match Elise?
Thus, the people on the street witnessed a scene where a golden-haired elf girl repeatedly reached out to grab something from Elise's hand. Though she never succeeded, her movements were far from clumsy.
"I didn't expect the Astraea Familia to recruit someone like this!"
"Another talented girl—looks like our future is in good hands!"
As Ryuu failed again and again, she grew increasingly anxious. But soon, she realized something was off.
Had the number of people around them increased?
Trembling, she turned her head—and saw countless eyes fixed upon her. There was kindness, expectation, even admiration.
Although there were traces of negativity mixed in, they were completely overshadowed by the overwhelming positivity.
"Even though the dark age ended a year ago, the darkness in people's hearts doesn't fade so easily," Elise explained. "There's only one thing that can bring a sense of security to Orario's citizens..."
"That is—powerful adventurers!"
"We drove the dark age into the trash heap of history not through anything else, but through strength. It is because we are strong that Orario can remain peaceful."
"If one day the remnants of Evilus become stronger than us, they will not hesitate to overthrow everything—and Orario will fall into darkness once again."
"At that point, nothing we do will matter."
"That's the brutal reality."
"Justice without sufficient strength cannot survive."
"So in order to protect the smiles of Orario's people and allow everyone to live in peace, we must become stronger."
Elise turned her head to glance at the surrounding citizens.
"And Ryuu—you just showed yourself to everyone. Sure, some may have been watching for fun, but everyone could feel your enthusiasm."
"Someone like you will definitely be liked by them!"
The cheers of the crowd, combined with Elise's affirmation, left Ryuu stunned.
"Really...?"
Seeing the light appear in Ryuu's eyes, Elise smiled, stepped closer—and brought her hand down sharply on Ryuu's head.
Thwack!
"Ow!"
Ryuu clutched her head, tears even beginning to well up in her eyes.
"That's for their expectations of your future. As for now—you still have a long way to go!"
After leaving the crowd, Elise continued walking through the streets with Ryuu. Along the way, they didn't encounter anything unusual.
Which was only natural.
After all, Evilus had already been eradicated. Only scattered remnants remained, so crime in the streets was extremely rare—mostly just petty theft at most.
So while this was called a patrol by the Astraea Familia, in reality, it wasn't much different from strolling through the city.
Until Elise suddenly took out a pouch of valis.
"You're too focused, Ryuu."
"Just like earlier—when I took out the phone, your attention went straight to it. That's why you failed to notice the people gathering around you."
"And it's the same now. Don't assume nothing is happening just because things seem peaceful."
...My valis?
Ryuu hurriedly looked at her waist. The pouch that had been hanging there was already gone.
"You need to learn to split your attention. Even during ordinary conversations, you must remain vigilant."
"When we get back, learn parallel chanting from Ryana. It'll help a lot with this."
"She's been meaning to teach you anyway."