Reunion

"Please, let's not cause too much of a disturbance..."

Hestia begged silently, still haunted by past experiences. Whenever that man turned his back on her, things never ended well. She hoped this wouldn't be a repeat.

"Hestia, there's no need to be hesitant. I won't cause too much of a commotion. We already explained the reason that happened..."

Luna tried to reassure her, which worked to some extent. Hestia snapped out of her daze and sighed. A gaze at her determined expression made her lips curve up affectionately.

"You're a lot like your Master... with the two of you, it's finally time for our Familia to rise in Orario!"

Hestia laughed boisterously. If others heard her, they would roll their eyes in frustration. Wasn't the Hestia Familia already a well-known and respected group in the city? What more could she possibly want?

But that was not her concern as she focused entirely on the drop of divine blood landing on her pristine back...

The ritual was much smoother this time, as Hestia could complete most of it herself...

--- Status ---

•Name: Luna

•Level: 2(+)

•Strength: I0 → E437

•Endurance: I0 → D599

•Dexterity: I0 → E440

•Agility: I0 → E452

•Magic: I0 → E499

•[Dragon's Inferno] : I

•[Hunter]

--- Status ---

Luna gained the [Hunter] Development ability as she decimated a lot of monsters before reaching level 2, thus meeting the requirements for it.

As for the Skill, it was somewhat similar to Ryuu's. Faint golden light, almost ethereal in appearance, dripped from each word, seeming to shimmer and dance like flames as Hestia looked at it...

The fact she could already level up to 3 a few hours after reaching level 2 never bothered her as now, her common sense was broken by the duo.

Luna's gaze skimmed through the stats with a somewhat saddened gaze as she uttered ridiculous words!

"My master had much more impressive stats when he underwent the ritual," she said in a barely audible whisper.

Hestia sighed in response. She would love to tell Luna that her increase in parameters alone was enough to shock the entirety of Orario, not to mention Ryuu's…

———

As the trio composed of Haruhime, Aisha, and Mikoto approached the Takemikazuchi Familia home, they heard several whispers as people's faces contorted in disgust when referring to the Ishtar Familia.

"You heard...right?"

The original rumor soon grew and became more and more exaggerated. Even the lowest of adventures felt such a Familia shouldn't exist in the first place. Little did they know, the Ishtar Familia had already ceased to exist.

Aisha had many questions on her mind, but she could easily come to a conclusion. Ishtar must have enraged Ryuu more than she thought, causing shocking implications as their reputation mysteriously plummeted overnight. However, she was still unaware of the full extent of the situation.

Alas, Aisha would soon need to find a new Familia.

———

Once he recovered, Ryuu left for the Loki Familia Manor as he still had things to deal with before the day could finally end. Although he had Hestia and Luna rest there while he 'kindly' dealt with the Ishtar Familia, it would be awkward for them to rest there too much.

Ryuu travelled a great distance in just a few minutes, his speed so fast it caused a commotion among the adventurers in the city.

The middle-ranked adventurers saw a blurring figure pass by and felt gusts of wind collide with their skin, but they couldn't determine what or who it was. The low-ranked ones even thought space distorted as Ryuu moved as if he was bending reality itself to get to his destination faster…

Only the first-class adventurers caught a glimpse of him as he passed by, but they simply shook their heads and chose to ignore it, as nothing unusual about his actions caught their attention.

Being a polite gentleman, Ryuu stepped outside the gate and waited for the guards to recognize and call the executives of their Familia…

Once a certain dog appeared in his vision, his brows furrowed as a deep scowl formed on his face.

"...Hey, dog. Long time no see. Did they put a leash on you until now?"

Memories of their previous encounter flooded back to him. The humiliation he had faced at this dog's hands was still fresh. Despite retaliating and leaving him with a few broken ribs, their relationship had reached a point of no return.

The dog in question snorted and prepared to physically fight with Ryuu, seeing it as an opportunity to regain the dignity he lost in their previous encounter. The bad blood between them was palpable as they stood facing each other, ready to engage in a battle.

"You two, stop arguing like kids."

Loki's cheerful voice echoed as she watched the two of them argue with an amused expression.

""I'm not a kid.""

They spoke simultaneously, their voices echoing with determination as they glared at each other once more.

"You healed pretty well from that cut, Dragon"

Bete gestured to his neck, reciprocating Ryuu's insult in a particular way, before turning and walking away. It was clear that he had no interest in continuing the argument, as he did not want to be locked up again…

Although Ryuu was irritated by this dog and wanted to beat him up, his Familia members filled his vision as they ignored everyone else before throwing themselves at him and start asking question upon question…

Ryuu allowed them to do as they pleased, his face breaking into a small, imperceptible smile as he comforted them with head pats. Despite their anxiety and concern, nothing had happened to him, except for the fact that he had almost been heavily injured…

Their bond as a family was growing stronger, and it was clear they cared deeply for each other

The executives of the Loki Familia were surprised by the display of affection. Some of them even glanced at Tiona, worried she might feel jealous of the attention Ryuu gave them. However, she did not show any sign of jealousy or discomfort. She continued to smile, seemingly unperturbed by the scene unfolding in front of her.

Tiona's consideration for Ryuu's family showed in her decision to remain silent. She recognized they were worried about him and wanted to give them space to express their concern. Even though she would have liked to speak with Ryuu herself, she was content with the glance directed her way with a meaningful tone.

Between warriors, sometimes words were not needed. She just nodded, her mouth still sealed as he directed a smile at her.

This interaction confused some, but the other warriors present nodded in approval, understanding that although things had started off poorly, it was possible for the two Familias to rebuild and possibly even establish a friendship.

"Look who's here, chibi! I let you stay in my warm and comfortable mansion. At least you could come for a greeting"

Loki said, interrupting without hesitation. Hestia responded by shaking her head in disapproval.

"You are right for once, Loki. It's just that your presence is lacking... I didn't even see you until you spoke"

Such words enraged her.

…Not even minutes after the argument between the Dragon and Dog ended, another one started as most executives sighed, while Ryuu kept conversing with Luna using telepathy as their first face-to-face conversation was much different from the latter's expectations.