The next morning.
Around seven o'clock in Orario, after Chen Hai woke up from his bed, he saw a figure standing by the door, about to leave.
It was the Goddess of Beauty, Ishtar, who had just dressed and looked distressed.
As the Queen of the Labyrinth City's Night Street, she had experienced what a true 'King of the Night' was like last night.
Looking at Ishtar's retreating figure, Chen Hai, sitting up, asked aloud,
"Is there anything else you want to do? I can give you more time."
"No, no need!!!"
Hearing his words, Ishtar had lost all her previous composure and hurriedly opened the door and ran out.
After watching her leave, two figures appeared beside Chen Hai.
Yuriko Takagi rested her chin on his left shoulder, staring at the direction of the door.
"If that truly was a goddess, is it really alright to just let her leave?"
"I don't think you need to worry, Mother."
Saya Takagi, clinging to Chen Hai's right shoulder, said as she put on her clothes and added,
"That goddess promised last night that she would follow arrangements. If that was a lie to Mr. Chen Hai, the consequences would be severe."
"That's true…"
Yuriko Takagi smiled and nodded.
The sound of their conversation woke Classmate Miyamoto, whose body was buried under the covers.
She shook the cowlick above her bangs, rubbed her eyes, and sat up.
Her fair body was now uncovered, but she didn't pay attention to that.
"Did something happen?"
"The goddess has left. We should start our work too."
Saya Takagi looked at her female classmate and reached out to brush away the strands of hair on Classmate Miyamoto's cheek that were stuck with sweat.
"Thank you…"
"You're welcome. Let's go take a shower and then have breakfast, Classmate Miyamoto."
"En… Mr. Chen Hai?"
Classmate Miyamoto, having agreed, looked at Chen Hai.
He picked up the jacket hanging by the bed and replied,
"You go shower and eat first. I still have some minor matters to handle."
"It seems I won't be able to scrub Chen Hai-kun's back."
Yuriko Takagi looked regretful.
Hearing her mother say this, Saya Takagi pulled Yuriko Takagi by the shoulder.
"Let's go, Mother, don't disturb Mr. Chen Hai!"
"Oh, I never said I wanted to monopolize him."
"That's not the point."
Thus, the Takagi Mother and Daughter and Classmate Miyamoto left the room first.
As for what Chen Hai had to do, it was actually to monitor the every move of the Istar Familia.
At the same time, he needed to confirm that Astrea's actions were proceeding smoothly.
However, before he could start, just as Saya Takagi and the others left, Saeko Busujima appeared.
She stood at the door and knocked.
"Mr. Chen Hai, are you awake?"
Saeko Busujima's voice was very familiar.
For this, Chen Hai mobilized his power to purify the various liquid smells in the room.
Once everything was clean, he opened the door.
Looking at Chen Hai, whose hair was slightly disheveled, Saeko Busujima frowned slightly.
"Morning exercises in the room?"
Morning exercises… it couldn't really be called that.
Chen Hai had stopped at three in the morning, having lasted for about three hours.
"Don't mind that, Saeko. You came to see me for…"
"I wanted to reintroduce my Supporter to Mr. Chen Hai."
With that, Saeko Busujima stepped aside, and a petite young girl stepped forward.
Her expression was a little uneasy, and she seemed somewhat reserved.
With just one glance, Chen Hai recognized her identity.
Liliruca Erde, a member of the protagonist's team in the original storyline.
"H-hello, Lord Chen Hai, I am Liliruca Erde, and I just recently became Boss Busujima's Supporter! Please take care of me!"
"Your combination is quite surprising."
Of course, this was also Chen Hai's lie.
He already knew everything that happened in the Dungeon.
"Our encounter indeed stemmed from an accident, so after getting to know each other and forming a team, I brought her to the mansion because staying elsewhere wasn't convenient, and… Liliruca told me she didn't have much money."
In this regard, Saeko Busujima was very gentle with Liliruca.
Recalling the storyline about the girl before him.
Liliruca once deceived the protagonist for profit, but what about now?
Chen Hai reminded her of this.
"If you work hard and provide support to Saeko, you will be well-rewarded. Your salary and living arrangements will be guaranteed, and the Adventurers' Guild will handle that."
"Oh, r-really?!"
Liliruca's eyes widened.
Although the 'benefits' Chen Hai offered sounded reasonable and ordinary, to Liliruca, who was scorned by her Familia and disliked by Adventurers, it was already top-tier treatment!
In the past, she wouldn't even dare to dream of such things.
"Of course it's real. Work hard, Liliruca."
After Chen Hai finished speaking, he subconsciously patted the small girl's head in front of him.
Saeko Busujima witnessed this scene.
The tall woman stared at Chen Hai with a serious expression.
"Um…"
"Yazi also works very hard."
"Hmm…"
After Saeko Busujima also received a 'head pat,' she was initially surprised but quickly broke into a smile.
This made Liliruca on the side unable to help but comment,
"Boss Busujima has such a cute side too."
"Is that so? Was I not cute before?"
Saeko Busujima's gaze immediately fell on Liliruca.
The latter quickly shook her head.
"N-no, that's not it. It's just… to me, Boss Busujima is more about being cool! A very cool and strong woman!"
"Thank you."
Saeko Busujima returned a smile.
Then she looked at the sky.
"Shall we go for breakfast, Mr. Chen Hai?"
"You two go ahead. I'll be there later."
"Alright."
Saeko Busujima didn't press for a reason but prepared to take Liliruca to the mansion's dining room, where fresh meals were provided daily.
Of course, individuals could also use the kitchen to prepare whatever they wished to eat.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Chen Hai, Teacher Marikawa recently told me she wants to go back to her original world to see it. Could you spare some time to talk to her?"
"No problem. There's someone over there I want her to meet anyway."
"Teacher Marikawa's friend?"
"Exactly."
"I see…"
Saeko Busujima looked thoughtful, then disappeared around the corridor corner with Liliruca.
After the girls left, Chen Hai changed his clothes and went to his office.
After waiting five minutes, Chen Hai, who had been silently counting, looked towards the door.
"Finally here."
Knock knock knock.
A knock sounded.
Chen Hai, who let the person in, saw Astrea's figure.
The Goddess of 'Justice and Order' came before Chen Hai.
"I hope I haven't disturbed Lord Chen Hai."
"It's fine. Tell me your plan."
"…It feels like Lord Chen Hai knew I was coming."
"After all, this is my 'world'."
"…"
After a second of silence, Astrea began to explain her upcoming plan.
"I will lead my Familia to the 'Night Street' to crack down on the territory operated by the 'Istar Familia' there. If we encounter resistance, I believe my side will resort to some violent measures."
"To uphold 'Justice and Order,' using force is normal. I permit it."
In a society, what maintains stability is not law, but the 'violent apparatus.'
Only power can make people obey rules.
Astrea then mentioned some details.
For example, the deployment of the 'Astrea Familia' members, the aid requested from the Adventurers' Guild, and so on.
Chen Hai, who agreed to everything, had only one request:
"Act swiftly."
"I understand."
Astrea nodded.
She clearly understood Chen Hai's reasoning for this arrangement.
In Astrea's view, Chen Hai could easily solve this problem, effortlessly taking down the 'Night Street' himself.
Why didn't he do it himself?
Clearly, this was a trial for the 'Astrea Familia.'
Only by completing the mission and passing the trial could they earn the right to reside in Orario.
If they were too weak, they would be worthless.
"I will bring 'Justice and Order' back to this city."
Astrea promised Chen Hai, then left the scene.
————
————
The Astrea Familia began its operation.
Led by the Main Goddess, Astrea, they arrived at the 'Istar Familia' stronghold at exactly 8 AM.
Soldiers from the Adventurers' Guild, providing assistance, guarded various points on the 'Night Street' to ensure no one entered or exited freely.
"Besides being a pleasure district, this 'Night Street' has recently become a 'hot spot' for many illegal transactions."
An Adventurers' Guild employee reminded Astrea.
"What exactly is it related to?"
When Astrea asked, the employee produced a report list.
"Part of it involves stolen magic stones. Some high-value magic stones are being dumped at low prices, causing many merchant guilds to complain to the Adventurers' Guild headquarters."
·
"And what else?"
"The second is human trafficking. 'Illegal slaves' exist on 'Night Street,' but they've been well-hidden and hard to catch. However, now that we have authorization from Lord Chen Hai, I believe we will investigate it thoroughly very soon."
After hearing this, Astrea turned forward.
Without hesitation, she led her team towards the 'Istar Familia' stronghold on 'Night Street.'
As soon as they took a step, a group of people appeared directly in front of them.
The leading woman was Ishtar, the Main Goddess of the 'Istar Familia.'
The Goddess looked somewhat tired, and her clothing was different from last night, more like a long robe for sun protection.
Why did she become so conservative… What happened last night?
As Astrea wondered, Ishtar stepped forward.
"We meet again, Astrea."
"Ishtar… you should know why I'm here."
"Of course. You have Lord Chen Hai's authorization to eliminate the 'Night Street' problem. I have no objections to that."
"Is that… true?"
"Of course."
Hearing the affirmative answer, Astrea took a moment to glance at the Familia members behind Ishtar.
The battle courtesans, varying in level, were all very quiet at the moment, seemingly fully compliant with their Main Goddess's arrangements.
Since that was the case, Astrea also didn't stand on ceremony… "Next, I will thoroughly investigate 'Night Street' and 'clean up' all unreasonable and non-compliant elements."
"Please do."
Ishtar stepped aside, making a 'please' gesture, allowing Astrea to lead her Familia deeper into 'Night Street.'
What followed was a large-scale search operation targeting 'Night Street.'
Every warehouse and room was thoroughly searched.
Stolen magic stones secretly hidden by some people;
Equipment and weapons snatched by certain thieves;
And dangerous drugs not permitted to circulate in 'Orario,' etc.
It could be said that 'Night Street' had become a breeding ground for crime.
After dealing with these, Astrea heard an explosion from not far away.
Bang!!
After the explosion, the building, engulfed in flames, began to emit thick smoke.
Astrea didn't hesitate and ran towards it.
As soon as she arrived at the scene, Astrea saw several battle courtesans belonging to the 'Istar Familia.'
They seemed to be moving something.
"What are you doing?"
Facing Astrea, who had arrived so quickly, the battle courtesans, who had stopped moving the large boxes, launched an attack.
Just as the Familia members behind Astrea and the Adventurers' Guild soldiers were about to retaliate—
"So it was you who betrayed us?"
Ishtar's shout rang out.
Several high-level battle courtesans charged at those Ishtar called 'traitors,' defeating all of them in a matter of seconds.
Astrea watched everything unfolding before her, feeling as though it was a staged act.
But at the moment, she had no evidence and couldn't say much.
She led her team to the box and opened it.
A figure suddenly tumbled out.
Astrea quickly caught him.
It turned out to be a young girl in a kimono with beast ears.
"A Fox-person?"
As Astrea looked at the girl with confusion, Ishtar, who had ordered her Familia members to seize the traitors, walked up to her.
"My Familia members cooperated with bandit forces from outside Orario, attempting to abduct people to the Night Street. I will take responsibility for this."
"Only your Familia members?"
"Of course. I hope you don't misunderstand. Although we operate the Night Street, we have no intention of breaking the law or committing crimes!" Ishtar declared righteously.
Astrea didn't believe her.
At this moment, the girl in her arms stirred.
"Where is... this place?"
"Orario, the Labyrinth City Orario."
"I... have been saved?!"
"Yes, you will find refuge here."
Astrea finished speaking and looked in the direction of the Adventurers' Guild.
"This city is now under the command of Sir Chen Hai. The misfortunes you've suffered will never happen again."
"Sir Chen Hai...?"
"Exactly."
In Astrea's view, Chen Hai might also be a 'god from somewhere'.
And this Labyrinth City, which had once brought her misfortune, would usher in a new beginning.