Once someone chose the path of an adventurer, they needed to accept what came with it.
At least, that was what Rhodes believed.
He looked ahead.
Even this early in the morning, plenty of adventurers had already gathered in Central Park.
Apparently, this profession was even more competitive than he had expected.
The good news?
The Dungeon was like a gigantic monster breeding ground, endlessly producing new creatures.
More importantly, as a novice, he didn’t have to compete for work with the veterans.
The floors he explored were far too low-level for that.
“Here’s hoping today’s expedition goes smoothly.”
As for the supporter following a short distance behind him, Rhodes paid her little mind.
He simply assumed that Lili was heading to the Dungeon as well.
Helping her had been something he could manage without much trouble.
Actively entangling himself in such a vicious case of abuse, however, would only create problems for both him and Hestia.
A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall.
Not that he considered himself some paragon of virtue.
Still, he had repaid the kindness she had shown him in the Dungeon in a way that was within his means.
His conscience was clear.
The heavy feeling that had settled in his chest—the weight of witnessing the strong prey on the weak in this supernatural world—gradually began to lift.
But as he joined the long line of adventurers, it became clear that things weren’t going to end quite so simply.
“Um…”
“What’s your name?”
The girl’s voice was muffled.
Compared with their earlier exchange, however, she no longer sounded like a bristling hedgehog determined to keep everyone away.
Rhodes glanced beside him.
Noticing his gaze, Lili lowered her head and adjusted the hood of her gray cloak, trying to hide the scrape on her cheek.
“Rhodes.”
“Liliruca Arde.”
“…”
Silence settled between them.
Lili thought that was only natural.
At heart, they were still two strangers in Orario whose lives had barely intersected.
Why had she followed him?
She couldn’t quite explain it.
Most likely, it was because she had glimpsed something in Rhodes that seemed different from the other adventurers she knew.
Perhaps he really wasn’t like them.
With that thought, Lili looked up and asked softly, “Do you need a supporter today?”
“…”
Honestly, he didn’t.
After considering it for a moment, Rhodes answered truthfully.
“This is only my second trip into the Dungeon.
Hiring a supporter would just add to my expenses.”
“If you’re trying to earn money… I think finding a regular party would be a better option.”
“…”
“We can negotiate the price.”
He was, at least, an adventurer she could have a normal conversation with.
She wanted to talk to him.
But as a supporter, she couldn’t exactly let someone use her services for free, could she?
“The main problem is that I really don’t need one yet.
I’m not earning much, either.”
“Even if we negotiated the price, I doubt you’d be happy with what I could afford.”
“Free.”
“But someone once told me that free is the most expensive of all.”
“…”
The corner of Lili’s eye twitched.
Suddenly, this guy didn’t seem quite as likable as he had a moment ago.
She took a deep breath.
“Consider it… a thank-you for the potato balls.”
“A beginner will get used to the Dungeon faster with a guide.”
“I don’t have to buy you lunch, do I?”
“I’LL BUY IT!”
“Deal!”
Lili looked up at the smile spreading across the black-haired boy’s face.
Her composure finally cracked.
For some reason, her chest had started to ache.
Free help really could be expensive.
But Lili had gone this far to make it clear that she wanted to repay him.
At that point, Rhodes had no reason to refuse.
No matter how accurate Miss Eina’s information was, it couldn’t compare with having an experienced guide beside him!
The line of adventurers was long.
Remembering what Lili had just endured, Rhodes decided that he should ask about it.
He would rather learn now than find this otherworldly Will of Bullying directed at him someday.
He glanced at the girl beside him, who was still taking deep breaths beneath her enormous backpack.
“So… what was going on back there?”
“…”
Had any other adventurer asked, Lili would have assumed that he was deliberately rubbing salt into her wounds.
But with Rhodes, who had only just become an adventurer, she didn’t know what to do.
After all, this guy apparently still had illusions about what adventurers were like.
Veteran Supporter Mom’s class was now in session!
“It was exactly what it looked like.
That’s what the world of adventurers is like.”
“Even people from your own Familia—people who are supposed to be your companions—won’t hesitate to squeeze you dry.”
Her explanation was laced with bitter mockery of her own circumstances.
“They bleed the supporters at the bottom dry and live off them.”
“So…”
“That’s why I thought you were… a rare breed.”
“…”
She clearly meant it as a compliment.
But for an ordinary person from the modern world, “a rare breed” felt like a rather weighty description.
Perhaps the reason he had avoided a Familia like Lili’s and met Hestia instead was that he had done a few good deeds before coming here.
A little good karma went a long way.
Something occurred to him.
“Why don’t you consider… joining another Familia?”
“They wouldn’t let me.”
Not a moment passed without Lili thinking about escaping the mire that was Soma Familia.
But reality was cruel.
Even when she ran away, they dragged her back.
They had even involved the couple who had taken her in—the owners of a flower shop.
Lili continued speaking, no longer worrying about how Rhodes might react.
“My parents… were adventurers in Soma Familia.”
“Not long after I was born…”
“They went into the Dungeon because they wanted more divine wine.”
“They never came back.”
“For as long as I can remember, all I’ve wanted is to leave.”
“…”
At that point, Rhodes knew there was no need to keep prying.
Still, the shape of Lili’s story gave him an uncomfortably familiar feeling.
Missing parents, adventurer bullies, and… a broken girl?
Just thinking about it felt suffocating.
He considered his response.
He knew she hadn’t told him this to ask for his sympathy.
But he wasn’t good at making sentimental speeches, either.
“Well…”
“There’s nothing wrong with leaving the Familia you were born into.”
Being driven away by Ganesha Familia’s guards didn’t mean Enwan Kovo was willing to give up his hold on Lili.
The day when he could exchange money for his share of divine wine was drawing closer.
Honestly, the fastest way he could think of to get that money was to take it from her.
Why bother exploring the Dungeon when robbery was so much quicker?
Then, among the adventurers gathered in Central Park, he spotted a familiar figure.
Lili.
And walking beside her was someone who apparently… had hired her.
“…”
Of course, that wasn’t what truly caught his attention.
It was the weapon carried by the unfamiliar adventurer.
The one bearing Hephaistos Familia’s emblem.
“Hmm…”
“Looks like I finally know where the money for my next share of divine wine is coming from.”
….
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I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it