The atmosphere in Orario had been strange lately.
Just when everyone expected the Hestia Familia to rise to prominence, they fell oddly silent. They weren't recruiting new members, expanding their base, or absorbing smaller groups — none of the things people anticipated them to do.
This left the smaller Familias, who had secretly united, at a loss. As time passed, most simply pushed the matter from their minds.
"Keep a Low Profile." This was the development policy proposed by Adam.
Though he thought this situation would continue until his departure, trouble came knocking just a week later.
"Bell, sit properly!"
"Reflect on your actions! How dare you spend the entire night in the entertainment district! I'm furious!"
At the Hestia Familia headquarters, Hestia was scolding Bell for not returning all night.
Despite there being circumstances, she couldn't contain her anger. She was losing her temper at her beloved Bell, and neither Welf nor Lili's attempts to reason with her could calm her down.
"Yamato, are you saying your childhood friend is being held captive in the entertainment district?" Adam asked.
The warrior lady, who had joined the Familia recently, had spoken with her former friend from the Takemikazuchi Familia that evening. Through this conversation, she learned that her childhood friend had been expelled from their territory for a grave mistake and subsequently trafficked to the entertainment district.
Yamato was beside herself with worry. What kind of place was the entertainment district? What fate awaited a girl imprisoned there?
These questions needed no answers — everyone knew.
Yet Yamato knew she couldn't act rashly. Aware that impulsive actions could cause trouble for the Familia, she immediately sought out Adam, hoping he could help her friend.
"You did the right thing, Yamato." Looking at the young lady, who appeared like a child who had done something wrong, Adam assured her, "Don't worry, I will definitely rescue your friend."
Haruhime Sanjou, or Sanjouno Haruhime, was Yamato's childhood friend.
{T/N: Haruhime is her real name, but Sanjou-'no' is like (from the house Sanjou).}
As a member of the Renard, she possessed a special ability:〘Uchide no Kozuchi〙.
The ability could unconditionally raise the Level of one target by one. However, it had clear limitations: it could affect only one person at a time, required a cooldown period between uses, and couldn't be used on herself as the caster.
Such incredible power!
This "Unconditional Level Increase" was especially devastating for High-Level Adventurers!
While the difference might be minimal for Levels 1 or 2, imagine someone like Ottar jumping from Level 7 to 8 — they could easily dominate all of Orario!
This wasn't hyperbole. For High-Level Adventurers, each Level difference represented an enormous power gap.
The sheer potential of Haruhime's ability was staggering.
Such power had attracted the attention of the malicious Ishtar Familia, who viewed her merely as material for extracting her magic.
They planned to use a Killing Stone — a Renard artifact capable of hosting souls. Created from a Tamamo Stone and a Tobi Stone, it was likely obtained through dark rituals involving infants...
This stone, deeply connected to the nine-tailed fox, could seal Haruhime's magic. When broken, each fragment would contain the power of〘Uchide no Kozuchi〙.
If lives weren't at stake, this might have been an acceptable way to use Haruhime's magic.
"Since she's your friend, we'll help you rescue her."
Adam had to admit — he coveted Haruhime's magic. The temptation was strong. He couldn't help wondering how powerful he'd become at Level 5 or 6!
His ability to 〚Analyze and Copy〛 remained fresh in his mind.
"By the way, is your friend in... the Entertainment District?"
"Hmm... let me think, that's Ishtar Familia's territory, right?"
Ishtar Familia — a Familia consisting entirely of Amazonian courtesans.
The members weren't just prostitutes — they were fierce Adventurers who could fight in the Dungeon. Underestimate them, and they would devour you without leaving a trace.
For Adam, however, defeating them would be trivial.
Yet he'd already drawn enough attention with his previous actions. Forcibly eliminating another Familia would certainly provoke others in Orario.
"In that case..." Adam pondered, "Yamato, you mentioned she's working there, correct?"
"...Yes, but she was trafficked there — she didn't choose this!" Yamato became agitated at his words.
"I understand, please stay calm." Adam quickly reassured her, "What I mean is, if she's there, we could potentially buy her freedom."
This was impossible. As a crucial tool for overthrowing the Freya Familia, the Ishtar Familia would never agree to release Haruhime.
No matter the sum offered, that Goddess wouldn't agree.
Adam suggested this mainly to calm Yamato and Bell's emotions, preventing any rash actions.
Moreover, this provided him a reason to meet Ishtar. As the power behind the Entertainment District, where countless customers sought to buy out workers daily, this excuse was his only path to an audience.
Diplomacy before force — surely they understood this principle.
Of course, if they refused, they couldn't fault him for taking drastic measures.
Upon hearing Adam's response, Yamato cried out in joy, "Really, Lord Adam! You'll truly help buy Haruhime's freedom?"
"Yes, if the Ishtar Familia agrees, our Familia will pay whatever price necessary."
"...Thank you, truly thank you, Lord Adam!" Tears streamed down Yamato's face.
She knew then that joining this Familia was the best decision of her life.
As they discussed, Bell, Welf, Lili, Hestia, and the others entered the hall.
"Oh, you're done?" Adam said upon seeing them. "Perfect timing — we're discussing how to rescue Yamato's childhood friend. Let's hear your thoughts."
Adam then explained his plan to purchase her freedom to the group.
Everyone agreed unanimously with Adam's buyout strategy, seeing it as the safest option.
After the meeting dispersed, Adam held Bell back with a question.
"Bell, do you truly want to save Haruhime, the Renard?"
"I don't know." Bell replied, "At first I wanted to save her, but Haruhime said she's a prostitute — that she's not worthy of a hero's rescue."
"What do you think about that?"
"..." Bell fell silent.
"Bell, your ideal is to become a hero, but heroes come in different forms," Adam said slowly. "Do you want to be a legendary hero who sacrifices himself for ideals and shines with glory, or someone's personal hero, willing to bear infamy for their sake?"
"..." Bell kept his head lowered in silence.
When he finally raised his head, Adam noticed a different light in his eyes.
"It seems you have your answer." Adam smiled, "Follow your heart—follow your inner desires bravely. Whatever path you choose, remember this is what you truly want to do, and never regret it!"
"Yes, I understand!" Bell exclaimed.
But Adam immediately tempered his enthusiasm:
"However, know your limits. This time, just watch my performance from the rear."
"Uh... yes, I understand." Bell's expression fell.
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