章節 448: CH. 467: Motivation
As soon as the sun rose, the entirety of Loki Familia came out of their base and strolled through the narrow streets of Orario.
Today was a big day for everyone here, regardless of their ranks in the Familia and regardless of their motivations to seek strength.
Some wanted to prove themselves in the eyes of others. Some wanted to probe the deeper levels of the dungeon to go toe to toe against the stronger monsters. Some just tagged along to help their friends.
Finn wanted to set a bar for his race. Become a figure everyone could look up to and fight for their rights.
Ais' motivation was more intimate than others. To her, this training would close the gap between her and the monstrosities lurking in the dungeon depths.
The large group turned every eye on the street as they approached the Stardust Garden. Riveria smiled. "Here we are, at the doorstep of the Demon King."
"Someone, hide Captain Riveria," Tiona shouted. "Demon King will steal the princess away!"
"That joke isn't funny," Riveria said, unamused.
"Riveria liar," Ais said. "You… like Onii-san."
Ais' bold claim pulled every eye in their direction. Riveria scolded Ais with a red face. The blonde loli blankly looked at her motherly figure, turning up the high elf's embarrassment further.
Finn smiled at the amusing scene. "How the times change…"
Riveria had always done her best to provoke Ais to show more emotions. But today, Ais got her revenge by embarrassing Riveria.
While the group goofed around, Kaguya elegantly approached the door and unlocked it. Kaguya glanced at Riveria with a sweet smile. "So early. Someone couldn't wait to meet her sweetheart."
"Kaguya," Riveria sternly said. "Nothing happened between me and Asahi."
"I guess you're a pussy." Kaguya put a hand over her mouth and giggled. "You're missing out on something great!"
Riveria frowned, then shook her head. "Stop messing around."
She had worked with Kaguya to end the conflict brought by the fanatics. She took Kaguya as a comrade, even if Kaguya didn't take her as one.
Kaguya led everyone to the yard where all of Astraea Familia gathered.
Asahi was naturally there with an uncharacteristically solemn look. He reminded Riveria of the man who single-handedly destroyed Freya's strongest warriors. Riveria found herself in a daze until Finn nudged her.
"Look at Ryuu Lion."
Everyone from the Loki Familia had their eyes set on Ryuu. "Ryuu, why? Why are you wearing that collar?" Riveria asked, her finger pointing out the black collar around Ryuu's neck. "Did someone force you?"
Riveria only cared about a few people of her kind. Ryuu was among those cherished few. Seeing Ryuu with the slave collar made her furious, to say the least.
As the silence flowed in the air, the elf felt her nape becoming cold. "No, nobody forced me. It's my own choice… to be Asahi's… slave."
Ryuu regretted her choice a little. Admitting about being someone's slave was the most embarrassing thing she had ever done. It was even more embarrassing than being teased by Asahi.
"Riveria, don't go doubting me, okay?" Asahi stepped into the conversation as he ruffled Ryuu's hair. "She is my premiere disciple."
Riveria felt a bit jealous of Ryuu. A few days of Asahi's guidance had immensely helped her. He opened her eyes to the mysterious elements, giving her insight into the new archetype of spells.
Riveria sighed and nodded her head. "Should we move out?"
"Not yet. Fei isn't here yet."
"That's a lot of people to look after," Asahi said. "Hephaestus is bringing about twenty or so smiths. Freya with ten."
Asahi couldn't look after everyone. Rather, it was never his plan to look after everyone at the same time. He had spared himself twenty days to train them. With his mentor skill, he could fulfill his responsibility in a week of attention. Saeko and Aimi also more than qualified to teach them combat while Rika and Ray could teach them different things. The training wasn't just about getting stronger; it was also about surviving in unfavorable conditions and adapting to everything the dungeon threw at them.
"Ryuu, Ais, Alise, and Kaguya will be with me. The rest will be under Saeko and Aimi's leadership."
Haruhime's eyes widened at the arrangement. "Otou-sama, me? I am not with Ais?"
Ais also looked on in confusion. "I'll protect… Haru."
Asahi smiled wryly. "I'm sorry, Haruhime, but you can't come to the lower floors with us. The monsters there will kill you before you can blink your eyes."
Haruhime could only clench her fists and nod her head. In excitement, she had forgotten about Asahi's plan to train them according to their levels. Ais and Haruhime had different levels despite being of same age. There was simply no way for Haruhime to contend with the monsters of level 3 or 4. Even a group of level 1 monsters will overwhelm her.
Seeing his crestfallen daughter, Asahi touched her face. "You don't have to be so sad about it. You'll be able to fight with her soon."
He was assured of Haruhime's ability as a support. Her original spell allowed her to boost someone's level for a short period of time. Such ability was indispensable for the adventurers. It was only a matter of time before she awakened the spell and joined Ais' party in the deep dungeon.
"Yes…" Ais also tried to cheer up Haruhime. "We'll… meet later."
Haruhime felt a surge of motivation. She silently agreed to the promise Ais made. A simple promise was more than enough for Haruhime to push herself.
Just when she came to terms with the arrangement, someone grabbed her shoulders from behind.
"You are with me."
A soft voice tickled her ears like a bell. Haruhime turned to see a blonde girl smiling at her. A girl who had feathery wings in place of hands. To Haruhime, the girl was clearly part monster, much like herself.
'She was on the beach.'
On the beach, Haruhime felt scared to approach her. Now circumstances forced her to interact with the blonde siren.
"I'm Ray, Master's third maid."
"I-I'm Haruhime… O-Otou-sama's daughter."
Flustered, she blabbered things that came to her mind. Chuckles rose around her, making her face more flushed.
Asahi patted Haruhime's head. "Ray will be your teacher today. Tell me if she does anything inappropriate."
"Geez, Master. You are turning me into a scary girl in her eyes."
"Haha, sorry." Asahi pecked Ray's cheeks to stop her pout before he leaned down and kissed Haruhime's forehead. "Haruhime, don't be too hard on your body."
Asahi had thought of going with Haruhime with his avatar, but he chose against it. The whole point of this training was for him to take things easy. Controlling the avatar was anything but easy because of the disorienting experience.
Haruhime nodded, getting more flustered by his affection. Her real father hadn't shown her this much affection. Maybe he did when she was an infant.
"I will."
Asahi hugged Haruhime again. Astraea came forward to hug her before she sent her off with Ray.
He waited for Freya and Hephaestus's group to arrive while occasionally teasing Riveria.
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