"So, Miss Mary — you left of your own accord too?"
The Holy Emperor hiked up her dress just enough to keep it from tangling her feet, quickening her pace to match Kikakujou Mary's light, carefree stride as she turned to ask.
"More or less…"
Kikakujou Mary clasped her hands behind her back and hopped along the paving stones, deliberately stepping on the cracks between tiles with a playful little flick of her tongue.
"To be precise, Kami-sama lured me out."
"But…"
Kikakujou Mary stopped walking. She turned around and walked backward, facing the Holy Emperor, and broke into a smile utterly unclouded by shadow or regret.
"I don't regret it. Not one bit."
"My old life was boring. Completely, utterly pointless."
"This is so much better."
"Every morning you open your eyes and something different is waiting for you. No need to keep up appearances. You want to laugh — you laugh. You want to run — you run."
"Sure, it's a little dangerous, but… that feeling of actually being alive? You can't get that back in the old life."
At that.
Kikakujou Mary's eyes lit up. She grabbed the Holy Emperor by the wrist and pointed at an unassuming fruit stall by the side of the road.
"Oh! Look at that!"
Following the direction of Kikakujou Mary's finger.
Several wooden crates were stacked together, piled high with fruits of every strange shape and color imaginable.
Some had rinds so rough they looked like chiseled stone. Others were plump and round, covered in soft little spines. A few even gave off a faint, ethereal glow.
"That one with the soft spines — it's called a Crystal Fruit."
Mary pulled the Holy Emperor closer and pointed to one with practiced familiarity.
"Don't let the looks fool you. Those spines are just for keeping the bugs off. Peel back the skin and the flesh inside is clear as water — one bite and it's nothing but juice. Incredibly sweet!"
"And that glowing one is called a Nightlantern Berry. Best eaten in the evening — sweet with a hint of sour, and it sharpens the mind."
Kikakujou Mary chattered away with visible delight, introducing the Holy Emperor to all these things she had never seen or heard of before.
The Holy Emperor listened with wide eyes, her gaze fixed intently on those unfamiliar fruits, nodding every so often, or letting out a small, wondering exclamation.
"You can actually eat the spiny ones?"
"Of course! Never judge by appearances!"
Watching this unfold.
Onigawara Rin, who had been walking alongside them this whole time, found her steps growing increasingly unsteady.
Her gaze drifted restlessly — one moment catching the sign of a weapons shop along the road, the next dropping to the cobblestones underfoot — but those ears of hers were pricked straight up, practically straining to press themselves against the two women's conversation.
Then.
Onigawara Rin finally made up her mind. She drew a slow breath, quickened her pace by two steps, drifted casually closer — and let out an utterly unconvincing cough.
"Ahem… ahem…"
The sudden sound brought the two ahead to a halt mid-conversation.
The Holy Emperor and Kikakujou Mary turned their heads.
There was Onigawara Rin, both hands wrapped tight around her scabbard.
"If you don't mind…"
Onigawara Rin's voice was slightly strained, her words coming faster than usual.
"I was just looking at your hands, Miss Holy Emperor — it doesn't seem like you've had much experience holding a sword, am I right?"
She hadn't dared to meet the Holy Emperor's eyes directly, but the corner of her downcast gaze had already swept over those hands — slender even beneath their gloves.
"Hands like yours, if you grip a sword bare, the skin will blister and tear after just a few swings. You won't even be able to hold chopsticks afterward."
"If you don't think it's too presumptuous… it would really be better to wrap them in bandages first."
Almost as if to prove she wasn't picking a fight, Onigawara Rin fumbled about in the hidden pocket of her coat even as she spoke, producing a roll of clean white bandages, still in its wrapper.
The emergency supply she always carried on her person.
She thrust it forward, pressing it directly into the Holy Emperor's hands.
"This… this is for you."
The Holy Emperor blinked.
She looked down at the roll of bandages — a little rough, but clean — then looked at her own hands, which even back in her old world had done little more than sign documents.
Indeed.
Forget holding a sword — she'd barely ever lifted anything heavy.
If she was really going to start fighting…
"Thank you for the reminder, Miss… Onigawara?"
With that thought in mind, the Holy Emperor accepted the bandages, and a gentle smile spread across her face.
"Just call me Rin!"
Hearing that form of address, Onigawara Rin's cheeks flushed pink, and she waved her hand hurriedly, her voice pitching upward without meaning to.
"If Mary's already having you call her by name… I don't mind either."
"Besides, we're all in the same Familia…"
"So calling me that… is…"
The more Onigawara Rin spoke, the quieter she got. The last few words were all but swallowed, mumbled somewhere behind her teeth.
"Alright then, Rin."
The Holy Emperor went along with it graciously, not finding Onigawara Rin's awkward manner strange in the least — if anything, she found this girl unexpectedly endearing.
Watching this exchange.
Nomura Satori, who hadn't said a word, narrowed her eyes. She twirled a grass stalk she'd snapped off from somewhere between her fingers, and the corner of her mouth curled into a knowing smile.
"My, my…"
"Looks like everyone falls fast around her."
"Just a few sentences in and even Rin's laid down her arms."
"That kind of natural charisma… it really is something to be feared."
"No wonder Kami-sama had his eye on her."
Nomura Satori murmured the words in a voice only she could hear.
Without anyone noticing.
The awkward distance that had existed between them — born of unfamiliarity and the gulf in their respective stations — had quietly dissolved, worn away by these small, scattered exchanges.
Even Tendou Kisara, who had been trailing at the back with her face carefully set to disinterested, found herself slowing her steps without realizing it.
As for Aihara Enju and Hiruko Kohina.
The two high-energy little troublemakers had long since gotten thick as thieves with Hanasaka Warabi.
Hiruko Kohina especially.
She was circling Kyoubou in loops, poking the bear's backside every so often, then dissolving into peals of giggling laughter each time it snorted and chased her off.
And so.
With the conversation flowing freely, the strangeness that comes with being strangers had melted away almost without anyone noticing.
The Holy Emperor, Mary, and Onigawara Rin — even the usually quieter Inaba Tsukuyo — would chip in a word or two every now and then.
Even Amou Kirukiru, perpetually wearing that sour expression of hers, would occasionally let out a cold snort and toss off a short, razor-sharp remark whenever the topic turned to monster weaknesses.
As for Hestia.
The blue-ribbon goddess was feeling rather left out, cheeks puffed as she walked alongside Haimer.
Her gaze kept darting between the chattering flock of girls behind her and Haimer at her side.
She wanted to join in, but every topic they landed on was something she had absolutely no foothold in.
This feeling of being shut out sent this goddess's sense of crisis rocketing skyward!!!
"Hey…"
Hestia's fingers hooked into the corner of Haimer's sleeve.
Haimer slowed and turned his head.
His gaze dropped.
Hestia was looking up at him, his reflection caught in those blue eyes of hers.
Her cheeks were faintly puffed, her lips pressed into a thin line, her brows scrunched together in a knot.
Her eyes kept shifting between Haimer and the motley group of girls trailing behind them.
"Haimer, are we heading to the Guild?"
Hestia asked, her voice carrying less of a question and more of that petulant bid for attention.
After all.
All this way, Haimer had been walking at the front, but his attention had clearly been drifting toward the group behind him.
That nagging sense of being overlooked had gotten under this goddess's skin.
"Mm."
Haimer gave a nod, and without a hint of impatience at her little act, he reached out naturally and straightened the blue ribbon that had tilted slightly out of place on her head.
"Getting them registered first."
"Without Guild certification, a lot of things become inconvenient."
"Whether it's entering the Dungeon or cashing in on loot, that ID plate is essential."
At that.
Haimer paused, turned, and let his gaze sweep across the surrounding streets.
It was evening now, and Orario's streets were alive with foot traffic.
Passersby — whether human warriors with great swords strapped to their backs or beastkin with animal ears — couldn't help letting their eyes linger as this group passed.
And not only because of the sheer size of their party.
It was the faces within it.
Amou Kirukiru's bloodlust, entirely unrestrained.
The five distinct, striking armaments of the Supreme Five Swords.
And the Holy Emperor's formal gown — refined, immaculate, utterly alien among adventurers.
Those stares held surprise, curiosity, wariness, and scrutiny all at once.
Haimer withdrew his gaze, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly upward.
"And besides…"
"It's about time certain people in Orario learned."
"My Familia has some new faces."
"Keeping it quiet — that's not my style."
If you're going to make a statement, make it count.
In this labyrinth city where strength is everything, showing your teeth tends to head off trouble far more reliably than keeping a low profile.
And so.
The group pressed on.
They passed through several lively alleyways, and at the far end of their sight, a magnificent building came into view.
The Adventurers Guild Headquarters.
——The Pantheon.
Massive white stone pillars stood in perfect rows, supporting a soaring portico above.
Adventurers streamed up and down the broad staircase in a constant flow.
Some came staggering in, battered weapons slung over their shoulders and blood-soaked, desperate for treatment or to settle their earnings.
Others strode out clutching freshly bought gear, faces alight with excitement, ready to take on the world.
A distinctive smell hung in the air.
This was the beating heart of Orario.
When Haimer led his entire entourage up the steps in a grand procession and walked through those open doors.
The hall — roaring and chaotic a moment before — fell into a sudden vacuum of silence.
As if someone had hit the mute button.
Every sound froze for half a second.
Countless gazes converged from every direction.
The adventurer parties crowded before the quest boards stopped talking mid-sentence.
The warrior cashing in Magic Stones at the counter turned around.
Even a few seasoned veterans sitting in the rest area polishing their weapons stilled their hands.
After all.
The name [Haimer Familia] had, in just these past two days, become the hottest topic in all of Orario.
Lv. 2 in one person in two days.
All members Lv. 2 within three days.
A rate of advancement that shattered every reasonable expectation — it was frankly terrifying.
And on top of that, the party's collective level of attractiveness was a full tier above average, making it essentially impossible to look away.
Never mind that today there were several unfamiliar faces added to the mix.
"Hey… is that…"
In the crowd, a hulking tiger-beastman adventurer lowered his voice and jabbed his elbow into his companion's ribs.
"Haimer. That deity."
"He brought people?"
"Look at the one behind…"
The tiger-beastman's gaze skimmed over the heads of those in front and landed on Amou Kirukiru, his pupils contracting sharply.
Even from this distance.
The aura rolling off that black-haired woman sent a chill crawling straight up his spine.
"That woman… is she the one from the rumors? The one who tears monsters apart with her bare hands?"
"Shh! Don't stare!"
His companion immediately clamped a hand on his shoulder and wrenched his head forcibly away.
"You got a death wish?"
"Word is that woman's temper is something else entirely."
Beyond the apprehension toward Amou Kirukiru.
The greater share of gazes had been drawn to the Holy Emperor.
Among all those adventurers.
The Holy Emperor's white formal gown was impossible to miss.
She walked in the middle of the group, spine perfectly straight.
That elegance woven into her very bones made her look like a royal princess moving through the streets in disguise.
"That silver-haired one…"
"New face?"
"…That bearing. Absolutely something else."
"Could she be the daughter of some fallen noble house?"
"Or maybe half-blooded Elf royalty?"
"Either way, if she's walking behind that lord, she's probably a monster in her own right."
Whispers spread through the corners of the hall.
People speculated and murmured — but not a soul dared step forward to speak.
Haimer paid the gossip no attention whatsoever.
He led his group straight across the hall, heading toward the reception counter on the right side.
That section handled Familia affairs and consultations for high-ranking adventurers.
Compared to the ordinary counters, it was marginally less chaotic.
Though only marginally.
The recent wave of deities departing Orario en masse had triggered a surge in Familia restructuring and re-affiliation requests, nearly doubling the Guild's workload overnight.
Behind the counter.
That coffee-brown-haired, bright green-eyed half-Elf girl was buried in a mountain of paperwork as usual.
Eina Tulle.
She wore a spare pair of glasses, brow furrowed, her quill scratching rapidly across parchment with a dry, steady rasp.
Documents were stacked across every inch of her desk.
She was so busy she barely had time to drink water.
Although, as Haimer's dedicated advisor, some of her miscellaneous duties had been redistributed to others.
But as a member of the Guild, during this extraordinary period, Eina still felt a weight of responsibility she simply could not set down.
"Next."
Just as Eina reached out to take the next form.
The expected document did not arrive.
Instead, a calm, unhurried voice came from the other side of the counter.
"It seems that even with the title of dedicated advisor, the Guild still can't bring itself to let go of such a hardworking employee."
At the sound of that voice.
Eina's quill jerked to a dead stop.
The nib bled a small blot of ink across the parchment.
She snapped her head up.
Her hand flew to her glasses, pushing them up her nose in a slight fluster.
The face looking back at her was Haimer's, wearing a quiet smile.
And standing right beside him, cheeks puffed and staring straight at her — Hestia.
Eina scrambled to her feet. Her chair scraped across the floor with a sharp screech.
She hastily gathered the scattered documents on her desk, color rising in her cheeks.
"Ha — Haimer-sama?!"
"Wh — you… what brings you here?"
"I'm so sorry — I was so focused I didn't even notice you arrive."
"It's fine."
Haimer waved a hand, gesturing for Eina not to be nervous, his gaze sweeping over the dense rows of forms and reports covering her desk.
Mostly re-affiliation petitions and reports on Dungeon anomalies.
"I can see Miss Eina is so swamped she can't even lift her head."
"How are you holding up? Still managing?"
"If it truly gets to be too much, I can have a word with Guild Master Royman — arrange a few days off for you."
Hearing those words — lightly teasing, yet unmistakably caring.
The taut tension Eina had been carrying in her nerves eased slightly. Her cheeks warmed, and then she reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, a somewhat helpless smile finding its way onto her face.
"It's all right, Haimer-sama."
"I took this work on voluntarily."
"And besides…"
Eina glanced at the colleagues bustling around her.
"Everyone is working overtime. I wouldn't feel right slipping away on my own."
"Still… hearing you say that means a great deal to me."
Eina's voice dropped a few notes, and the flush on her cheeks deepened.
To have a deity — and a deity who had made every god in Orario sit up straight — show this kind of personal concern for her.
For an ordinary Guild employee like Eina, it was genuinely a little overwhelming.
"Dedication is a virtue."
"But don't run yourself into the ground."
Haimer gave a nod, affirming her.
Then.
He stepped to the side, clearing the space behind him.
"Now then."
"There are two things I've come to see you about today."
"First, my kids need their loot from today exchanged."
With those words, Amou Kirukiru stepped forward and dropped the enormous burlap sack she'd been carrying with a thunderous thud onto the counter.
The dull impact made the solid counter shudder.
The mouth of the sack fell open.
A few Minotaur horns, still streaked with dried blood, rolled out.
Eina stared at those enormous horns — radiating a fierce, murderous energy even in death — and felt the corner of her eye twitch.
These were rare materials from the Minotaurs on the 17th floor.
They'd already made it that far down?
Before Eina could fully process that.
Haimer's next words made her brain stall for two full seconds.
"The second matter."
"Register these new members as adventurers."
New members?
Eina blinked.
On instinct, she raised her head and looked past Haimer to the figures standing behind him.
The silver-haired noble girl.
The black-haired, stern-faced swordswoman.
The red-eyed twin-tailed little girl.
And one more — a wild little girl with her hands propped on the edge of the counter, peering over it with bright, curious eyes.
Four of them.
Four completely unfamiliar faces.
And yet.
Even though Eina was no combatant herself.
Years working as an adventurer advisor had sharpened her instincts. The moment she laid eyes on these four, she felt it — something about them that simply was not ordinary.
"Th — these are…"
Eina opened her mouth, and it took a moment to find her voice.
"Haimer-sama… these people are… also your Familia members?"
"Mm."
Haimer nodded, matter-of-factly.
"Something wrong? They don't look like it?"
"N — no, it's not that…"
Eina was stumbling over her words.
"It's just… it's very sudden."
"And the aura around these people is…"
"Haimer-sama, pardon my asking, but…"
"Have they… received God's Grace?"
When Eina asked that question.
Haimer shrugged.
"Not yet."
"I only just brought them back — haven't had the chance."
Just as she suspected.
Hearing that answer, a familiar feeling of helplessness welled up in Eina's chest.
Because according to Guild regulations, adventurer registration was not recommended before an individual had formally received God's Grace and been recognized as a Familia member.
Without a formal covenant, confirming Familia affiliation was simply too difficult.
With any other Familia, Eina would have produced the Guild's rulebook and politely asked them to return after completing the ceremony.
But…
Looking at the absolute certainty on Haimer's face.
And then thinking back to the all-members-Lv.2 record from just a few days ago.
Eina let out a quiet sigh and swallowed those regulations back down.
For someone like him, rules were probably just things that existed to be broken.
And besides.
Ouranos himself and the Guild Master had personally given her their instructions.
She was just one small advisor. What exactly was there to worry about?
"Understood, Haimer-sama."
"I'll take care of it."
With that thought settled, Eina quickly composed herself, bent down behind the counter, and produced several fresh sheets of parchment registration forms along with a handful of quills, setting them neatly on the counter.
"Then please have them fill out this registration form."
"Once the basic information has been filled in, we'll issue temporary adventurer ID plates."
"After you've granted them Grace, bring them back in to update their ability scores and exchange for official plates."
Haimer nodded, picked up one of the forms, and turned to hand it to the nearest person — Aihara Enju.
"Go ahead."
"Just name and race — that's all you need."
Aihara Enju took the form.
She gripped the quill — rather too fine an instrument for her, it felt — with both hands and walked to the low table nearby, smoothing the form flat.
The name field flowed easily.
Aihara Enju.
That was her name.
The registration process wasn't complicated.
Just basic information — name, age, race, and so forth.
Tendou Kisara took a quill and filled hers in with a few quick strokes.
But.
When Aihara Enju's pen reached the field marked "Race."
Her hand suddenly stopped.
The nib hovered above the "Race" field, refusing to come down.
Race.
What was she, exactly?
Human?
Or… a Cursed Child?
In this brand new world.
Did she still have to carry that name?
But…
Her eyes.
The moment she fought, the moment she drew on that power — these red eyes would always reveal themselves.
"What's wrong?"
A gentle voice came from above her.
Haimer had appeared at some point, stepping up beside her.
His palm rested lightly on her shoulder.
The warmth from his hand seeped through the thin fabric of her clothes.
Solid. Steady.
It settled the small, frightened thing inside Aihara Enju just a little.
"For the race field."
"Just write human."
Haimer's voice was quiet.
"But…"
Aihara Enju looked up.
Those wide brown eyes were full of uncertainty.
"My eyes…"
"And my power…"
"I'm… not the same as other people."
"But Enju is human."
"And those are a gift that belongs to you and the other children — something entirely your own."
Haimer gently cut her off and crouched down, bringing his gaze level with hers.
"Red is beautiful."
"It's the color of life. It's the color of strength."
"Here, no one will shun you for the color of your eyes."
"Look."
Haimer raised a hand and pointed toward the other side of the hall.
"This place is full of all sorts."
Aihara Enju followed his finger.
Over there, a red-eyed beastkin girl with long rabbit ears was bouncing past with a stack of documents clutched to her chest, the little stub of a tail behind her bobbing with every step.
At the counter, a stocky dwarf with a black eyepatch over one eye and a scruffy beard was roaring with laughter at something his companion said, the gap in his front teeth on full display.
"You see — all kinds of people. All kinds of features."
"But no one's staring at them. No one's pointing and whispering."
"Everyone's busy with their own business. And even if they notice, it's just a nod — ordinary as breathing."
"See that?"
Haimer gave Aihara Enju's head a gentle ruffle.
"Here, the only thing that matters is how strong you are."
"As long as you're strong enough. As long as you can make it back from the Dungeon alive."
"No matter what you look like. No matter what you've got."
"People will respect you."
"In fact…"
Haimer leaned in a little and lowered his voice.
"In my eyes, red eyes are very popular."
"Really?"
Aihara Enju blinked.
The self-doubt that had clouded those eyes began to scatter under the weight of his words, dissolving piece by piece.
In its place, a light began to slowly kindle.
"Of course."
Haimer smiled and ruffled her head one more time.
"Trust me."
"You are my Familia."
"I say you're human — you're human."
"The finest human there is."
"Yeah!"
Hearing that, Aihara Enju gave a firm, decisive nod.
She gripped the quill tight again.
This time, her hand didn't tremble.
In the "Race" field, she wrote each stroke deliberately and with care.
— Human.
The handwriting was childlike, but it carried a conviction that had never been there before.
When she finished, she looked at those two words for a moment, then turned to Haimer and broke into a brilliant, radiant smile.
Haimer smiled back, quiet and warm.
However.
The tenderness of the moment had barely settled before a wail erupted from nearby.
"Uwaaah—!"
"I have to write too?"
"I can't write!"
Hiruko Kohina was sprawled over another table, staring at the form in front of her, her whole face scrunched into a mess.
Both hands had seized her hair, making an already unruly tangle look like an actual bird's nest.
For this wild child who had grown up entirely under the law of the jungle — where the only lesson was swing a blade and survive — being asked to write was nothing short of torture.
All those neat, squared-off characters made her head spin.
"Kami-sama—!"
Hiruko Kohina lifted her head, fixing Haimer with a pitiful stare and letting out a whine.
"Can I skip it? Please?"
Haimer looked at this thoroughly illiterate problem child and pressed a hand to his forehead in resignation.
One psychological crisis solved, and now an educational one had taken its place.
Being a deity was truly not easy.
"No."
"You have to write it."
"And it's clear we'll need to find you a teacher going forward — someone to specifically teach you how to read and write."
"Being illiterate is going to cost you dearly."
"Ughhh…"
At those words, Hiruko Kohina let out a miserable moan and wilted, like a frost-bitten eggplant sagging on the vine.
Just as Haimer, resigned to his fate, was about to step over and guide her through it himself.
A languid voice cut in.
"My, my…"
"Seems someone's run into a bit of trouble."
Nomura Satori ambled over at her unhurried pace, stopped beside Hiruko Kohina, and looked down at the blank form.
"If you don't mind, shall I help you?"
"Little sister."
The corners of Nomura Satori's mouth curved in that cryptic, meaningful smile of hers.
This little creature radiating nothing but pure killing intent, wild as a beast — Nomura Satori seemed to have taken a particular interest in her.
"Really?"
Hiruko Kohina's head shot up, eyes instantly lighting.
"You'll write it for me?"
"Of course."
Nomura Satori picked up the quill and gave it an elegant twirl between her fingers.
"But…"
"In exchange."
"Next time there's an opportunity, you'll come play with your big sister. All right?"
"Sure, sure!"
Hiruko Kohina had no idea what "play" meant in this context. All she understood was that she was off the hook from writing, and she nodded rapidly, like a woodpecker drilling bark.
Haimer glanced at Nomura Satori. Then he glanced at Hiruko Kohina, completely without guard.
He did not intervene.
After all, friendly exchanges within the Familia were also one way to build bonds.
As long as no one ended up dead, it was fine.
After Nomura Satori handled Hiruko Kohina's problem.
Haimer turned his head.
And looked toward the one person who still hadn't put pen to paper.
The Holy Emperor.
She was sitting at the table, quill in hand, staring at the "Name" field, and she had not moved.
——That name, which in her old world had represented the highest authority, the sacred and the untouchable.
Could she simply write it down here, in this world?
Would it be too conspicuous?
Would it invite unnecessary trouble?
Or even…
Would it be a desecration of this world's gods?
So many reservations, all of them converging on a ruler who had spent a lifetime deliberating before every move, leaving her paralyzed with indecision.
"Miss Holy Emperor…"
Haimer noticed, and walked over, standing beside the table.
The Holy Emperor looked up. Those pale violet eyes held a quiet question.
"Kami-sama…"
"This name… is it really all right?"
"Should I… use a more ordinary name instead?"
"Something like… Yukishiro? Or something else?"
She asked tentatively, testing the thought.
Seeking to hide herself away within the ordinary.
"Use the name you have."
Haimer shook his head, rejecting the Holy Emperor's suggestion.
"I rather think Holy Emperor suits you just fine."
"Why?"
The Holy Emperor looked puzzled.
"Because…"
"Someday."
Haimer held her gaze, and his voice was utterly earnest.
"Miss Holy Emperor will make that name resound throughout this world."
"And Miss Holy Emperor will give that name an entirely new meaning here."
____
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