A labyrinth layered upon itself, expanding without end.
A crucible of vicious monsters.
That was a place only those who had resolved to wager their lives and become desperate adventurers would dare to enter.
A place wrapped in wealth and fame, where all manner of races gathered and prospered.
A place of entertainment for the gods!
—The Labyrinth City, Orario!
“We’re almost there.
Orario is just up ahead.”
Walking along the ivory road that seemed to cut straight through the vast green plains, the goddess, whose aqua-blue hair fell to her waist and who was dressed in light adventurer’s gear, gently hooked a strand of hair behind her ear as she gazed toward the bustling city in the distance.
She gazed at that towering white chalk tower.
The white chalk tower, its tip piercing straight into the clouds above, stood at the end of the green plains and in the center of the prosperous city, bringing with it an unprecedented visual impact.
“So that’s…
Orario…”
Following behind the goddess, Ize, carrying a backpack half the size of a person, looked in the same direction.
His expression was like that of a young man visiting a metropolis for the first time.
Although the steel cities he had once seen were far more magnificent.
But when that grand city, wrapped in massive walls and so vast that even from a distance it was impossible to take in its full appearance at a glance, truly appeared before his eyes, the impact it had on his mind was difficult to describe.
Just gazing at it from afar, Ize could already feel his excitement building, almost unable to suppress his urge to step into it as soon as possible.
“Mm…
Ahhh~~~ We’re finally almost there.
After walking so much, I’m about to die from exhaustion…”
Swinging her slender legs as she walked beside them, Lante could not help but stretch her waist with all her might, showing off her still-developing figure while also letting out a sound that was very easy to misunderstand.
“Stop complaining so fake-dramatically.
How come I’ve never seen you whining about being half-dead from exhaustion when we’re hunting?”
At some point, Rethusa had appeared beside her and, in an exasperated tone filled with both indulgence and helplessness, tapped the half-elf girl on the head.
Throughout the journey, Lante had already complained countless times.
Rethusa’s ears were practically growing calluses from listening to her.
“Ow!
Captain, how can you be so heartless and hit me like that?”
“I didn’t!
I clearly didn’t use any strength just now!”
“But it hurt!”
“…”
Is your head made of glass or something?
How can it be so fragile?
Rethusa’s expression immediately collapsed into a little cat-like sulk.
She turned her head slightly, indicating that she no longer wanted to continue arguing with this girl.
Up ahead, Ize, who was walking half a step behind the goddess Artemis, noticed the commotion between the two behind him and could not help but turn his head to say something fair.
“Don’t sulk, Rethusa.
She just has that kind of childish, competitive personality.
As adults, we need to be more understanding.”
“…Mm, you’re right.”
Hearing this, Rethusa thought about it for a moment before nodding in deep agreement.
Though, to be fair, she had not really been sulking earlier.
She had merely felt depressed.
It was like the frustration of a mother who had worried herself sick over her child, only to find that the child had grown up and become disobedient.
There was still a difference between that and being angry.
“Ah!
Ize!!!
You’re badmouthing me again!
Believe it or not, I won’t let you get away with this!”
Unlike the agreeing Rethusa, Lante heard Ize slandering her again and immediately became so angry that she nearly jumped in place.
As everyone knew, children usually did not like being openly called children by others.
As for the reason…
who knew?
In short, they simply did not like it.
Lante had that trait as well.
Because of that, whenever Ize teased her about her age over the past few days, she had chased after him with her weapon more than a few times.
“Ehehe, I don’t believe you~ Come over here and hit me then~~”
After shifting a little closer to the goddess and feeling that he had entered a safe zone, Ize revealed a brilliant smile toward Lante.
It was somewhat sad to say.
Having Falna and not having Falna made a decisive difference in this world.
An ordinary person could never defeat an adventurer who possessed Falna.
That was an ironclad rule.
If the current Ize were to fight this little girl Lante, he would definitely be beaten bloody.
He himself understood this point very well.
Therefore, whenever he teased Lante, he absolutely would not do so when Artemis or Rethusa was not present.
Because only these two in the Familia could somewhat keep Lante under control.
“You!!!”
Sure enough, Lante, who had originally wanted to rush over and give Ize a good beating, had only just raised her hand when her gaze caught sight of Artemis beside him.
Her raised arm froze in midair, and her small fist seemed to tremble slightly.
From anger…
“You shouldn’t bully Lante too much either, Ize.
You say we should be understanding, but in reality, over these past few days, the one who has understood her the least has been you.”
At that moment, the goddess suddenly reached out and pushed Ize away from her side.
“…”
Blinking, the pushed-away Ize looked at the smiling goddess with innocence written all over his face.
Listen to what she was saying…
When had he ever done that?
But when he met the goddess’s eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through his heart, his innocent expression gradually became guilty.
Fine…
Maybe there had indeed been a little of that.
Next time, he would definitely change!
By now, more than half a month had passed since the day Ize encountered the Artemis Familia.
After more than half a month, Ize was finally about to arrive at Orario.
At present, the group had shrunk from the original twenty-two people to only four.
The Artemis Familia had exactly twenty members, neither too many nor too few.
Counting Artemis herself and Ize, twenty-two should be correct.
That was because, before coming to Orario, Artemis had first brought the group back to the Artemis Familia’s base, and only after that did they set out from the base toward Orario.
When they returned to the base, most of the members stayed there.
Only Rethusa, the captain, and Lante, who insisted on coming no matter what, accompanied them.
Unlike most divine Familias, the Artemis Familia’s base was established outside Orario, in a town not too far from the city.
However, no one lived in the Familia base for most of the year.
After all, Artemis spent most of her time leading the members of her Familia all over the world.
As a hunting Familia, they operated outside Orario all year round, clearing away the monsters that had once escaped from the Dungeon and rampaged across the surface.
The Familia’s range of activity was very broad.
It was common for them to accept a commission and only arrive at their destination after a long journey.
…
Orario’s South Gate.
The city gate embedded in the magnificent stone wall was enormous.
The thick rock walls on both sides silently displayed their sturdy defensive strength, and even opening just a narrow gap was enough for a carriage to pass through.
As the world’s center described in countless adventure chronicles, the Labyrinth City had innumerable people wishing to enter and leave almost every day.
At this moment, a long line formed by all kinds of travelers stretched before the gate as they waited to be inspected.
Standing before the city gate, the guards responsible for checking those entering inspected each person one by one.
In their hands, they held a strange instrument.
It was a device used to detect traces of Falna.
An adventurer’s Falna was bestowed by a god.
And that instrument would react to Falna.
As long as someone had received Falna, they could not avoid its detection.
After all, not every god would settle down and live in Orario.
Adventurers existed in other countries as well.
In order to maintain the city’s order and security, and to prevent ill-intentioned adventurers from entering, this kind of inspection was very necessary.