Chapter 10: Orario's First Magister

If someone intends to take on Erebus, the first hurdle to overcome will be those two Level 7s.

This was precisely why Sol had avoided involving his familia in this messy situation from the beginning.

"I have no opinion on the matter, and as you all know, the Sol Familia has always remained neutral."

Lyra's suggestion was well-reasoned, but Riveria didn't see a realistic path to success. Nor did she believe the guild could field adventurers who could compete with two Level 7s. Frankly, even if all of Orario's top adventurers joined forces, they still might not stand a chance if those two became fully involved.

"Riveria-sama, with your strength, couldn't you contribute to Orario's peace?" Ryuu finally interjected, unable to keep silent.

"Ryuu!" Alise quickly reprimanded her familia member.

"It's all right," Riveria replied calmly, giving a gentle look to the stubborn elf before her.

Ryuu Lion, an LV3 known as a prodigy, was often compared to the young LV2 Ais of the Loki Familia as one of Orario's "Twin Stars." Yet now, as Ryuu looked at her, Riveria could see a hint of disillusionment in her eyes. To many elves, Riveria, as a member of the elven royal family, represented an ideal of strength and virtue. Now, it seemed Ryuu's faith in that ideal had taken a hit.

Without another word to her team leader, Ryuu exited on her own. Alise regretfully signaled for Kaguya to follow her. With a respectful apology to Riveria, Kaguya quickly left to catch up with Ryuu.

"Please forgive Ryuu's bluntness, Lady Riveria. She's very passionate."

"It's fine. A strong sense of justice is admirable," Riveria replied, letting Alise and the others know that she had not taken Ryuu's words to heart.

Now, with the advantage of neutrality, Riveria was clearly in a position of strength.

For the Astraea Familia, dealing with the Erebus Familia was a daunting task. Riveria, Orario's leading mage, was a crucial ally they hoped to secure.

"The Loki Familia has already agreed to join this mission," Alise continued, "and they're working to recruit the Freya and Ganesha familias."

"Let's revisit this once you've secured the support of all participating familias," Riveria interrupted. "I'll also need to discuss it with Sol-sama."

Her words were final. Even if she decided to participate, she would confer directly with the Loki or Freya familias rather than relying on Astraea, whose strength was insufficient for such a challenge.

With her clear signal that it was time to go, Lyra and Alise took their leave. This visit had been their initial probe, sent by others to gauge Riveria's stance, and the fact that she hadn't outright refused was promising. Finn of the Loki Familia had anticipated her response, which was why the guild had chosen Loki's team to spearhead the effort.

Riveria escorted Alise and her party out, then returned to her room.

Her god, Sol, seemed absorbed in playing with another familia member. If she'd returned any later, she might have found him ready to call it a night.

The undignified scene sent a surge of irritation through Riveria, and her delicate hands clenched tightly.

"Sol-sama! I have something important to discuss with you!" she announced, her barely restrained anger snapping Sol to attention.

"Uh, Riveria, I was just killing time while waiting for you," he stammered, watching as the female elf he'd been entertaining scurried away, leaving the two of them alone in the room.

Having known him for so many years, Riveria understood her god's nature all too well. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she quickly calmed herself.

"Can you truly not restrain yourself? Was the last lesson not effective enough?"

"Next time, I promise. Next time for sure..." Sol mumbled, offering his familiar excuse.

Riveria dismissed his words entirely. She walked over to the bed and sat down, ignoring Sol's attempts to soothe her. Undeterred, he moved closer, placing his hands on her shoulders and starting a gentle massage.

"By the way, Riveria, it's been a while since your favor was last updated, hasn't it?" Sol asked tentatively, sensing the atmosphere had lightened somewhat.

Since reaching Level 6, her rate of improvement had slowed significantly. With Riveria near the peak of her current level, she rarely needed frequent updates to her Falna anymore. Improvements from recent adventures had only increased her abilities by single digits.

It had been over a month since her last update, but without a significant event, a full upgrade to her favor still eluded her.

"Well then, I'll leave it to you," Riveria replied, noticing Sol's attempt to diffuse the tension. She rose to her feet and removed her heavy coat, revealing her toned and elegant back. 

Before Sol could savor the view, Riveria quickly lay down on the bed.

"Stop staring. Aren't we here to update my Falna?" Despite having been through this routine many times, Riveria still couldn't shake a slight blush.

"Heh, I can't help it. How did I end up with someone as beautiful as you in my familia?" Sol smirked playfully but got straight to work.

He took out the silver needle he'd used earlier to update Lulu's favor. Gently pricking his fingertip, he let a drop of blood fall onto Riveria's back, causing a pattern of intricate, divine characters to appear.

[Riveria Ljos Alf]

'Level 6'

Abilities:

- Strength: E442 → E457

- Endurance: D598 → C622

- Dexterity: A834 → A867

- Agility: A801 → A812

- Magic: S995 → S996

Magic Spells:

— Attack Magic:

 - [Enchanting Song: Winter of Fenbul]

 - [Advanced Spell: Sword of Triumph]

 - [Wind of Wesshelm]

— Defense Magic:

 - [Fate's Illusion]

 - [Breath of Tulle]

 - [Dimensional Barrier]

— Healing Magic:

 - [Sacred Renewal: Phil Eldis]

 - [Moonlight Remedy: Luna Arutis]

 - [Sky of Sanctity]

Skills:

— Song of the Fairy King:

 - Boosts magical effect and range

 - Extends effect proportionate to chant duration

— Fairy King's Seal:

 - Enhances "Magic Power"

 - Amplifies allied magic within her magic circle

 - Converts spent mana from allies in her magic circle into spiritual power, absorbing it

— Runes - Manaflow Band:

 - Increases mana capacity

 - Restores 1% of lost mana every five seconds

— Runes - Transcendence:

 - Speeds up chanting

 - Reduces magic cooldown

 - Significantly reduces cooldown with each enemy defeated

Development Abilities:

- [Magic: E]

- [Healing: G]

- [Abnormal Resistance: G]

- [Spiritual Recovery: H]

- [Magic Defense: H]

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After finishing the update, Riveria sat back up and draped her coat around her shoulders, restored to her usual composure.