"What should we do?"
Tonight was indeed supposed to be a time for celebration. But after running into Ron at the Hostess of Fertility and learning that he was about to undertake a Familia expedition—
Looking at the lavish spread of food before him, Finn only felt an unusual lack of appetite, as if a secret both sides clearly understood had been laid bare right in front of them, yet neither could take the initiative to probe it.
He was anxious.
The signal had already been made clear—this was a matter that could be decided as long as Ron took the initiative to discuss it. And yet, he still wanted to keep the initiative firmly in his own hands.
Did he really have to cooperate with that guy?
Inevitably.
There were only two years left until the Black Dragon subjugation. At least for now, Finn saw no hope whatsoever of successfully completing that task.
Their strength was insufficient…
Even the Zeus and Hera Familias of the past, with adventurers who had reached Level 9, had ultimately failed in their attempt to slay the Black Dragon. And now, the strongest force in Orario…
Barely reached Level 6.
Perhaps only that fierce warrior of the Freya Familia was close to touching the threshold of Level 8?
'Time is really running out…'
Finn did not believe that, with his own talent, he could grow to a level comparable to that Empress within such a short span of time.
A turning point…
One of the very few possible turning points lay with Ron.
By making use of that unimaginable ability of his—to trigger abnormal phenomena within the Dungeon—they could forcibly raise the difficulty of exploration and, in turn, enhance the overall strength of the Familia members.
Solving the problem of achieving great feats required for level advancement.
It would allow the Loki Familia to grow rapidly in the time to come.
And right now, the expedition of Ron's Familia was precisely the opportunity to verify whether he truly possessed the potential to bring the Loki Familia a broader future.
"…"
Finn knew very well—
If he took the initiative to seek out Ron, he would lose leverage in future cooperation. Even in matters such as selecting personnel, he might need Ron's approval.
But compared to those costs, what he feared more was—missing the one and only opportunity of his life!
With that thought, the blond boy looked at Tiona, who was seated across from him and had already finished eating. Continuing to have Lefiya make contact with Ron was definitely not appropriate.
It might not achieve the desired effect.
"Tiona."
"Set the celebration banquet aside for now. I have something I need you to do."
"Understood, Captain Finn."
Toward Finn, who usually handled the Familia's complicated affairs and commanded expeditions, Tiona naturally showed the highest respect.
In other words—
Amazons, at their core, only respect the strong.
As for why Finn was looking for her, she didn't even need to think. It was definitely related to Ron, who had just left the restaurant not long ago.
As for the specifics, Tiona couldn't guess them for now.
After leaving the restaurant, Finn spoke directly: "Go find Ron."
"Mind your attitude. Tell him that Finn, the captain of the Loki Familia, wants to meet him… to discuss something—about his Familia's expedition."
"…"
From his tone alone, Tiona could already sense how important this matter was.
She didn't ask further questions. Instead, she looked ahead at the street shrouded in night, and at the familiar figure in the distance who hadn't quickened his pace.
Fortunately, he hadn't gone far.
Otherwise, it would've been inconvenient to go directly to the Hestia Familia's residence to find him.
...
After finishing dinner, Ron had no intention of lingering at the Hostess of Fertility. Having gone through a battle with the ancient dragon Lansseax and a solo round trip through the Middle Floors—
No matter how full of energy he was, he would still feel mentally exhausted.
As for bringing up the upcoming Familia expedition during the Loki Familia's celebration banquet—
That was naturally meant to send a signal to the Loki Familia, who wanted to make contact with him.
'Do you want to assist in a Soulslike Dungeon expedition?'
With the two days remaining, smart people like Loki and Riveria would surely be able to make a judgment. He just hadn't expected them to reach a decision so quickly.
Looking at the girl standing before him—
A dark-skinned girl with black hair, barefoot, wearing gold anklets characteristic of Amazons, and a white chest wrap across her torso.
Tiona Hiryute.
A Level 5 adventurer from the Loki Familia.
"Tiona."
"Isn't tonight the celebration banquet for the Loki Familia's completed expedition? Why did you leave so early?" Ron looked at the lively girl in front of him.
He was clearly asking a question he already knew the answer to.
But remembering Captain Finn's instructions about maintaining a good attitude, Tiona gently shook her head. She didn't want to waste time thinking about complicated matters.
She got straight to the point: "Captain Finn wants to meet you—to discuss matters regarding the Familia expedition. If you're willing to meet, I can take you to our Familia's residence right now."
"Sure."
Given how proactive they were being, Ron had no reason to refuse. Besides, for this expedition, bringing along Lefiya—the magic powerhouse comparable to a Level 5 despite being a magic idiot—
Even if they encountered the mutated Floor Boss Goliath on the 17th Floor, though he didn't know how strong it would become, as long as they coordinated properly, they should be able to pass through smoothly.
"I happen to have time right now."
"For the next two days, I probably won't have any free time."
"…"
Tiona actually wanted to chat.
But judging from the headaches Finn and Riveria had shown, she could already tell—this harmless-looking guy in front of her was definitely very smart.
To avoid getting sold off and still having to help count the money afterward, she decided to stay silent.
But recalling their encounter earlier on the 12th Floor of the Dungeon—the bizarre ancient dragon, and Ron's unprecedented combat methods—
On the way back to Twilight Manor, the girl finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked: "Um…"
"Ron, I can call you that, right?"
"Of course."
"From an adventurer's perspective, I should be calling you Senior Tiona."
Ron held no particular opinions toward this Amazon girl from the Amazonian nation Telskyura—or rather, toward most adventurers in Orario.
Aside from Evilus, there were no true villains here—only differing Familia stances. And with the upcoming cooperation with the Loki Familia, their relationship would only grow closer.
"No need."
Senior—
Though it sounded nice, Tiona had a strong intuition that it wouldn't take long before Ron surpassed her.
She waved her hands quickly.
Her light-brown eyes, similar to Ron's, focused on him. After confirming through their brief conversation that he wasn't particularly difficult to get along with, she asked: "About this Dungeon anomaly…"
"At least in my understanding, this kind of situation only occurs when a god enters the Dungeon. Why would something like that happen to you?"
"I'm really curious!"
"…"
The question wasn't unexpected.
But looking ahead at the Familia residence, resembling a Central European manor castle—far more luxurious than his own Hearth Mansion—Ron stopped in his tracks.
With a relaxed smile, he casually made something up: "If I had to say—then it's because my talent is just too good. The Dungeon got jealous of me, so it triggered abnormal phenomena to try and kill me outright."
"Would you believe that?"
The girl's lips parted slightly.
But a moment later, she nodded firmly.
"I believe it!"
Ron: …?
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