"Not at all. I'm also very happy to have become friends with Ais," Roland said, waving his hand as he walked toward the door.
He turned to offer his farewell. "Miss Riveria, please let Ais know when she wakes up—tell her we should go on another adventure sometime. See you later." With that, he headed out the main gate.
When Roland returned to the Manor of Stars, the entrance was clear of gods and onlookers. It seemed the frenzy surrounding his recent level-up was finally cooling down. He hurried to the gate, quickly pulled out his key, and slipped inside.
Opening the door to the main hall, he announced in a tired tone, "I'm back."
"Welcome back! What took you so long today? Everyone waited a while, but we eventually gave up and ate without you," Alise called out, waving from where she lay stretched out on the sofa.
Roland began unbuckling his gear, intending to sit down and rest for a moment. However, Alise hopped up from the sofa, grabbed his hand, and started leading him away.
"Don't worry, Lady Astraea put some food aside in a lunchbox for you. I'll go heat it up," she said as they walked.
Roland, stumbling slightly as he was pulled along, looked at Alise with a helpless smile. "Thanks for the trouble, Alise."
Alise grinned, heading into the kitchen. She looked back over her shoulder. "Go take a shower first. The food will be hot by the time you're done."
Roland returned to his room, grabbed a change of clothes, and stepped into the bathroom. The hot water washed over him, rinsing away the fatigue of a day's combat. By the time he reached the kitchen, Alise had already set the steaming dishes on the table.
The table was spread with various delicacies: roasted meat, vegetable salad, and Roland's favorite—steamed egg custard with sausage.
"Wow, Lady Astraea's cooking always looks amazing," Roland praised before sitting down to dig in. Alise sat across from him, her chin resting on her hand, smiling as she watched him eat.
Between bites, Roland asked, "Alise, did anything happen today?"
"Nothing specific," she replied cheerfully. "I don't know what the Dark Faction is plotting, but they haven't been causing much trouble lately."
"That's good news, but we should stay vigilant. You never know what they're up to."
"Are you going to see Lady Astraea to update your status tonight, Roland?"
"Not tonight. I didn't kill that many monsters during this trip."
The two continued to chat about their day and future plans. The Manor of Stars was filled with a warm, joyful atmosphere, making Roland feel as though his exhaustion was vanishing into thin air.
[Notice: System update complete. New features added successfully. You have received one System Update Gift Pack.]
The sound in his ear woke Roland from his sleep. He sat up, bleary-eyed, and pulled back the curtains to see the sky just beginning to brighten. He jolted awake, remembering his system update was supposed to finish today.
Status, he thought. The interface appeared: [Personal Info], [Equipment], [Skills], [Inventory], [Quests], and the newest addition—[Travel].
He clicked [Travel], and an explanation popped up. It described the "Veil of Travel," formed by dimensional power, which allowed one to cross the sea of stars to other worlds. It also mentioned the "Star Map," which recorded worlds already visited.
With a thought, he clicked the Veil of Travel. A celestial wall appeared before his eyes, shimmering like a journey through the cosmos. It was so beautiful he almost felt himself being pulled in. He quickly canceled it and opened the Star Map instead.
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Danmachi : Mage's Infinite Journey (168 Chapters – Ongoing)
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Instantly, the space around Roland was filled with glowing planets, rotating slowly with him at the center. The soft light made it feel as though the entire universe had been condensed into this small room. As he watched, one planet with a label floated toward him.
Based on his own recognition, the planet was labeled [Danmachi]. A smirk played on his lips. "So this is my travel tool and the map back to this world," he thought.
He closed the Star Map and opened his [Inventory]. Due to the update, he hadn't been able to use it, meaning his Level 30 gift pack was still unopened, along with the new Update Pack.
He opened the Level 30 pack. For the weapon selection, he chose a katana called "Meixuan" as an apology gift for Kaguya, whom he had upset previously. The blade was 0.9 meters long with a 0.2-meter hilt. The blade was white with a pinkish tint, and the hilt was adorned with plum blossom patterns.
Next, he opened the Update Pack. A loose coat materialized on his back—fur-lined collar, wide sleeves, flamboyant decorations, and a deep red color. It was the outfit of the Oblivion Peak (Elemental Bomber).
He checked its attributes: [Hard to Damage, Auto-Repair, Magic Damage +10%, Style +10].
Taking it off, he admired it. "What a sharp outfit. I'll have to show everyone when I get the chance."
At this hour, most of the Familia was still asleep, but Kaguya was likely up, as she usually helped Lady Astraea prepare breakfast. Roland decided to head straight to her to give her the Meixuan katana. Since his relationship with the girls had improved, they no longer reacted strongly to him being on the female dormitory floor.
"Kaguya-姐 (sister), it's me. Can I come in?" Roland knocked on her door.
Kaguya opened the door and saw him holding a katana. "What are you doing here this early? With that stance, don't tell me you want to practice swordsmanship?" She didn't wait for an answer and stepped aside. "Whatever, come in."
The room was decorated in a Far East style. Her Iai blade, "Higanbana," and two smaller katanas, "Futaba," were displayed on a rack.
Kaguya flicked Roland's forehead playfully. "Is this your first time in a girl's room? You're staring like you're mesmerized."
"It's just the first time I've seen a room with a different style from the others," Roland replied.
"Is that so? So, why are you really here?" Kaguya asked with a smile.
Roland held the Meixuan katana out with both hands. "I upset you the other day, didn't I? I wanted to give you this as an apology. It's not quite as good as Higanbana, but... please accept it."
Kaguya thought back and realized he was talking about the time she punched him—he must have mistaken her reaction for genuine anger. She hid a giggle behind her sleeve, then solemnly accepted the gift, placing it next to Higanbana.
"Thank you, Roland. But," she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "if you thought I was angry, do you actually know why I was angry?"
Roland nodded, thinking: Wasn't it what Lyra said about you being jealous?
Kaguya feigned surprise. "Oh? Then how do you plan to appease my wrath?"
Looking at her provocative expression, Roland gestured for her to lean in. Kaguya knew he was up to no good, but she leaned in anyway.
Roland leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'll just do this to you."
He then gave her a light, soft kiss on the cheek.
Kaguya froze. Feeling the warmth on her skin, she suddenly snapped out of it, grabbed Roland's head, and pulled him close until her red eyes met his black ones. After a moment, just as Roland was about to pull away, Kaguya roughly pressed her lips against his, sending her own "ambassador" over to meet him.
When they finally broke apart, Kaguya licked her reddened lips, a defiant smirk on her face. She pinched the dumbstruck Roland's cheek and laughed shamelessly. "You? Did you think I'd be shy like the others? You're hilarious."
Looking at the woman who had just revealed her "wilder" side, Roland couldn't help but feel that this version of Kaguya was even more heart-pounding.