In the quiet, dark room, an enticing aroma of wine wafted through the air. Adam lay on the floor, drenched in sweat, his face flushed as he breathed heavily.
"Phew, that was close. Good thing I triggered the skill."
Relief flooded through him — relief that he hadn't hesitated, that he hadn't savored it too long, that he hadn't succumbed.
Adam considered himself a cautious person, rarely acting without certainty. Yet this time, despite knowing the divine wine's potency and its bewitching nature, he had chosen to risk trying it.
Though grueling, the outcome proved positive. Withstanding its enchantment had greatly strengthened his willpower.
The divine wine's baptism had enhanced his five senses. His body grew stronger and more resilient, his mental powers more coordinated. Most notably, his magical power had improved several fold in quality, capacity, and recovery speed!
Though these changes seemed ordinary, with more yet to manifest, Adam knew he had completed his transformation. He had glimpsed the divine realm.
The seed of advancing toward Godhood had been planted!
As the divine wine's fragrance lingered, Adam closed his eyes to savor it — but remained in control. Having passed the test, mere remnants of the scent could no longer affect him.
He stood up and straightened his disheveled clothes, activating his skill.
He cleared the lingering fragrance from the room and dispersed the wine's scent from his body, preventing others from being corrupted by contact with the divine wine's influence.
As he walked out of the room, he found everyone standing in the hallway.
Their faces showed concern as they glanced at the closed door. When Adam emerged, smiles returned to their faces.
Everyone sighed with relief. Seeing him emerge with normal complexion and steady steps, they knew the divine wine hadn't bewitched him.
"Adam!" Beatrice, her cream-colored drill-shaped twin tails swaying, rushed forward to embrace him.
This time, she wouldn't let go.
"Hey there, my one and only." Adam hugged her back.
He wanted to tease her and comfort her with a few words, but seeing her small face filled with tension and worry, he could only pat her head affectionately.
Their intimate gesture made the onlookers feel awkward.
Welf had wanted to join in the hug, but seeing the young girl rush forward first, he could only rub the back of his head sheepishly to suppress his urge to embrace Adam.
Even Soma, who was typically cold and expressionless, showed shock for the first time — no, more than shock. His face registered complete astonishment.
"How remarkable! I never expected this!" Soma stepped forward, regarding Adam with wonder.
The bottle of Ambrosia he had given to this mortal was something he had brewed himself after descending to the lower world.
Originally, this divine wine was intended as a reward for the first Captain who had greatly contributed to the Familia. But that Captain had betrayed them, becoming the first to steal from other members and commit unforgivable wrongs. So Soma had put the wine aside.
After all, if they couldn't resist ordinary divine wine's enchantment, how could they possibly break free from this heavenly nectar?
Then Adam appeared. Through this extraordinary child of the lower world, Soma realized there were still members of the Familia who needed saving.
Out of curiosity and for testing purposes, Soma wanted to see if this person who had awakened his conscience could withstand the Ambrosia's trial.
But Soma hadn't forced him — he had given Adam the choice.
And Adam hadn't disappointed!
In just half an hour — merely half an hour! — he had broken free from the Ambrosia's enchantment!
At this moment, Soma's admiration for him peaked.
He said softly, "How I envy you, Hestia, to have such an outstanding child."
He cast a regretful look at Adam, who didn't belong to his Familia, his cold voice tinged with wistfulness.
"Hmph, isn't that obvious!"
With such a perfect opportunity, how could Hestia resist showing off?
She puffed out her chest proudly.
"Adam is the most outstanding child in my Familia! Of course, Bell is just as outstanding!" She wanted to continue bragging but, noticing how her beloved Bell was being overlooked, quickly introduced her other pride and joy to Soma.
A woman in love knows no bounds when it comes to praise. Though Bell was indeed remarkable — even earning the title of Orario's fastest rookie — he still lagged far behind Adam.
The difference was like heaven and earth!
Welf, Mikoto, Lili, and the others felt Hestia was being too partial to Bell. Even if she favored him, she shouldn't make it so obvious.
Even the timid rabbit himself felt the same way.
"My Goddess, I'm far behind Adam — you're showing me too much favor." The rabbit-like youth said, his cheeks reddening as he scratched his face embarrassedly.
But everyone had severely underestimated Hestia's thick-skinned nature.
Swaying her twin tails, she said breezily, "Bell-kun, you need to show some spirit! Though you're not as strong as Adam right now, your potential is second to none. Work hard to catch up and become even stronger than him!"
"My Goddess..." Bell was deeply moved.
Receiving his Goddess's acknowledgment and remembering how she was the only one in all of Orario who had accepted him before, he felt a surge of determination to improve.
However, Bell had fallen into Hestia's scheme.
She had been using Adam as a comparison, aiming to diminish Ais's influence on Bell and redirect his admiration toward his fellow brother. That was why she encouraged him this way.
But this could never succeed. A pure-hearted rabbit would never change the object of his admiration — even if his idol fell into the depths, he would never give up.
"Alright, enough joking around."
After host Soma had resolved to manage his Familia anew, he once again assumed the dignity of a God.
"Liliruca Arde, as punishment for the great upheaval you've brought to the Familia, I will now expel you from the Familia. Do you accept?"
Heaven knows how reluctant and sad Soma felt when saying these words.
The seedling he had raised from childhood — whom he had hoped would change the Familia — had been held back by the very organization meant to nurture her growth.
Despite all the wrongs committed against Lili, not only did they refuse to apologize, but they also demanded she bear the blame for this incident. This injustice angered everyone present.
Yet they were powerless to intervene, for Lili herself had chosen to accept this unfair judgment.
Though Soma's verdict was harsh and unreasonable, Lili felt a sense of satisfaction. At least God Soma had finally taken action to prevent the Familia from descending further into corruption.
If her expulsion could serve as the catalyst for him to properly manage the Familia again, then Lili would gladly shoulder this burden — let this be her parting gift to the organization.
"Yes, Lili accepts." She bowed her head respectfully.
"Well then..." Soma released his Familia child, and gave a final blessing, "May you find happiness in the days to come."
"Thank you for your blessing, God Soma."
Like a bird finally freed from its cage, this imprisoned Pallum princess soared toward the azure sky.
Her face broke into a radiant smile.
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