Ais was furious after Ronan's comment hit a nerve. She looked like she wanted to challenge him to a duel right there.
Luckily, Riveria was more reasonable. She ignored Ais as she struggled and forced her back into the group. After saying a few words to Finn, she led Ais out of the hall first.
However, Ronan did not notice that before leaving, Riveria quietly glanced at the staff in his hand.
"Friend, our Ais caused you trouble. I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Finn Deimne. Just call me Finn."
While Riveria dragged Ais away, the captain of the Loki Familia, a blond Pallum, walked forward with a smile and spoke to him.
Although Finn was only as tall as Ronan's waist, Ronan would never look down on the Braver.
"It was just a joke. Captain Finn, please don't worry about it."
"I appreciate that. May I ask your name?"
As he asked, Finn politely held out his hand.
Ronan also reached out and shook it, saying with a smile:
"I'm just a nobody. Ronan, Ronan Veyr, Veyr Familia."
"The Veyr Familia? It's a pleasure to meet you. If you have time later, we should talk."
"No problem, Captain Finn."
He exchanged a few polite words with Finn. Ronan watched as the Loki Familia team disappeared from his sight before he looked away.
When he turned back, he found several of his friends looking at him strangely.
"Ronan, you're full of surprises. You even know Lady Riveria from the Loki Familia? She is elven royalty. When did that happen?"
Luvis put an arm around Ronan's shoulder and asked with a laugh.
"It's nothing. We just met once at a pub before. I didn't think she would remember a Level 1 adventurer like me."
Ronan explained with a helpless shrug.
In fact, he was also confused about why she recognized him immediately. After all, he was wearing a hooded cloak and a mask.
After this small incident, the gathered adventurers soon went their separate ways.
Ronan said goodbye to Luvis's team and left quickly. He did not want to attract too much attention.
Meanwhile.
In the Loki Familia base, the Twilight Manor, which Goddess Loki had recently bought with a loan.
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth were chatting in the sitting room.
"Riveria, do you know that young man?"
As they talked, they brought up what had happened in Babel.
Standing by the window and watching Ais swing her sword repeatedly in the courtyard, Riveria nodded.
"Yes. We met once at the Hostess of Fertility. At that time, he seemed to mention the One Eyed Black Dragon. Ais heard it. You can probably guess what happened after that."
Gareth sat on a stool that looked far too small for him and stroked his beard.
"The Black Dragon... it's not strange for Ais to react that way."
Finn sat behind the desk with his fingers interlaced in front of his face.
"It isn't just because of Ais, is it? You seem very interested in that young man. From what I saw, he should only be Level 1."
Finn meant that a normal Level 1 adventurer was not worth Riveria's attention unless there was something special about him.
And there was. From their close contact, Riveria had noticed Ronan's staff.
"That young man's staff is impressive. Like you said, he is Level 1 but uses such an excellent staff. He is either a very talented mage, or his Familia is very powerful. Or maybe both. I think the last one is most likely."
"Did seeing a talented young mage make you happy?"
"A mage? No wonder you noticed him."
Finn and Gareth looked at each other and nodded in understanding.
In Orario, mages were always rare, and non-Elf mages were even rarer.
No matter where they were, mages were always valued. Any Familia would give them special training. This was true even in Evilus. So, it was normal for Riveria to pay some attention to Ronan.
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. How is the information about the Dungeon coming along? Once it is summarized, we need to discuss it with Loki quickly to arrange the missions. After all, the next expedition is almost here."
Meanwhile, Ronan was heading home. He did not know that his careful behavior, cautious personality, and a little help from his ability had caused the major figures to overlook him again.
It wasn't strange that Finn and the others were wrong. Even Freya had been fooled by him. The Braver was no exception.
As he walked home, he thought about the information he had collected.
The Floor Boss, the giant Goliath, had been defeated again after only half a month. It was killed the moment it appeared again.
"If I'm not wrong, the Floor Boss of the 27th Floor, the two-headed dragon Amphisbaena, probably won't escape them either."
"The Loki Familia really is obsessed with the Dungeon. With that kind of drive, they probably wouldn't miss anything useful down there."
Ronan laughed and shook his head. Then he thought about the activity of the Soma Familia.
"Those trash members are acting way too arrogant. They probably have close ties to Evilus and the black-market Familias. They might even be connected to one of the secret smuggling routes. Since they handle Soma wine, they must have illegal channels. It's normal for them to work together for profit."
Alcohol was a very special thing in Orario, especially Soma wine. Even the low-quality versions made by the god Soma were strictly controlled in the city.
The fact that they could secretly move Soma wine outside the city under the strict management of the Guild showed that the Soma Familia had some real ability.
Should he report them?
Ronan weighed the pros and cons. In the end, he felt it was better not to make a big move for now. After all, it offered no benefit to him or his Familia.
If he reported them, what would he get?
In his view, it was a losing deal. He would get no benefits and would instead attract trouble.
Evilus was not easy to deal with.
"As the leader of the Familia, my job is to protect the Familia and secure what it needs. Other things are not my problem for now. If something big happens, the powerful Familias will deal with it first. It won't be the Veyr Familia's turn."
With that thought, Ronan put the matter out of his mind.
He would wait until he had the ability to profit from the situation before thinking about it again.
"Speaking of Evilus..."
Ronan remembered a previous encounter.
"The Evilus grunt I met while picking up the Great Holy Tree Branches... their warehouse for illegal goods should be near the 7th District. When I get stronger, I'll go with Jeanne and wipe out that nest. Maybe we can get rich overnight."
Ronan had been keeping an eye on that Evilus warehouse for a long time.
If it weren't for his lack of strength and the risk of failing, he wouldn't have waited this long to investigate.
He breathed in and pushed the thoughts down.
He looked at his pocket watch and walked faster toward home.
Evening, a light rain was falling.
At the Veyr base, Ronan's home.
Jeanne, Aura, Lorie, and a blue-haired woman were in the courtyard, staring at each other.
Aura and Lorie had shocked expressions of disbelief on their faces. Jeanne looked thoughtful, as if she had realized something but wasn't quite sure.
The scene was awkward.
Compared to the confusion of Aura and Lorie and the caution of Jeanne, the blue-haired woman opposite them looked very calm.
She had a gentle smile. She narrowed her eyes and kept looking them over.
This was what Ronan saw when he pushed open the courtyard gate.