‘It’s over!’ That was the only thought left in Ryuu’s mind.
She never expected Astraea-sama to tell her junior about her, reveal where she lived, and even send him to find her!
That alone proved the goddess she revered had never abandoned her.
Astraea-sama still cared about her enough to send a newly arrived Familia member to seek her out, and the realization deeply moved Ryuu.
That would have been wonderful—had the previous conversation never happened!
Without that incident, Ryuu could have calmly waited at the Hostess of Fertility for her junior to visit.
But what was she supposed to do now?
She had just claimed to be a beginner, given him a fake name, and pretended to belong to the Artemis Familia.
What would happen when he arrived at the Hostess of Fertility asking for Ryuu, only to find the same elf standing before him?
Was she supposed to smile awkwardly and say, “Hahaha…
I lied to you in the Dungeon earlier”?
What kind of joke was that?!
What would her junior think of her?
The senior personally mentioned by their goddess was a compulsive liar who had disguised herself as a beginner and deceived him inside the Dungeon.
What kind of useless senior behaved like that?
Ryuu felt as if her life were over.
Astraea-sama had finally sent a new junior to Orario, yet everything Ryuu had done in front of him had completely destroyed her image!
Clutching her head, Ryuu desperately wished she could turn time back by ten minutes.
“Ang-san?
Is something wrong?
Are you feeling unwell?” Ryuu’s strange behavior confused Fujimaru Ritsuka.
He looked at her with genuine concern.
“Should I escort you back to the surface?” “N-No, I’m fine.
I just remembered that I have something urgent to handle.” Seeing the concern on Ritsuka’s face only filled Ryuu with more guilt.
She was lying to her junior yet again.
“I’m sorry, but I need to return to the surface first.
Please be careful in the Dungeon!
Don’t go too deep, and don’t stay down here for too long!” Without waiting for Ritsuka to answer, Ryuu pulled her cloak around herself and fled.
She stumbled away so quickly that she soon vanished from his sight, completely forgetting that she had entered the Dungeon to secretly protect him.
Ritsuka watched until she disappeared.
Only then did he finally lose control and burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!
I can’t take it anymore!
Hahahaha!” He laughed until his stomach hurt, then finally managed to catch his breath.
“My senior really is adorable.” Ritsuka had recognized Ryuu the moment he saw her.
She had appeared frequently in the anime.
Although her popularity had initially fallen behind Hestia and Ais, she had completely surpassed Ais during the later arcs.
As a member of the reborn Astraea Familia, Ritsuka naturally cared greatly about his senior.
He had recognized her the moment her expression collapsed after seeing his clone explode.
However, while he knew Ryuu, she had never met him.
He decided to pretend otherwise and test her reaction.
To his surprise, Ryuu pretended to be a beginner and even invented an identity as a member of the Artemis Familia.
It was far too entertaining.
That was why Ritsuka deliberately mentioned that he intended to visit the Hostess of Fertility and find his senior, frightening Ryuu into fleeing in a panic.
“This is going to be fun.” Ritsuka rubbed his chin, wondering what kind of scene would await him at the Hostess of Fertility later.
His elven senior had only just rushed back, so she would probably need some time to prepare.
There was no need for him to return immediately.
A considerate junior should give his senior enough time to get ready.
“It’s still early, so I might as well clear a few more floors.” “The Dungeon is wonderful.
I really need to farm it more often!” After reaching the Sixth Floor, Ritsuka had saved the twelve Saint Quartz rewarded by Floors Two through Five.
His only summon so far had been the Chen Gong he obtained after clearing the First Floor.
There was no need to summon again yet.
His available party slots were limited, and the three Heroic Spirits he currently possessed already formed an extremely effective combination.
Ritsuka certainly wanted powerful Heroic Spirits, but strength did not always mean practicality.
The stronger a Heroic Spirit was, the more magical energy their abilities consumed.
Ritsuka did not inherit their raw parameters.
He only gained their talents, while every skill and Noble Phantasm consumed his own magical energy.
As a mere Level One, he did not possess enough magical energy to support the most powerful Heroic Spirits.
In contrast, his current three cards were all known for their low consumption, making them perfectly suited to him.
With that thought, Ritsuka’s figure wavered slightly before melting into the Dungeon’s darkness.
Through Hassan of the Hundred Faces, he possessed the A+ ranked class skill Presence Concealment, allowing him to hide himself almost perfectly.
One question remained: did he actually know the Hassans’ concealment techniques?
Fortunately, Hundred Faces also possessed the A+ ranked skill Expert of Many Specializations.
That passive ability allowed Ritsuka to rapidly learn Hassan’s combat and concealment techniques.
Once he intentionally hid himself, even the Dungeon’s monsters could no longer detect him.
Everything else could be left to his clones.
While Ritsuka continued advancing through the Dungeon, Ryuu had already rushed back to the surface.
Only after leaving did she remember why she had entered in the first place.
She had gone down there to ensure Ritsuka did not encounter danger.
Yet her junior was still inside, while his supposedly responsible senior had fled first.
“I’m such an…” Ryuu muttered bitterly and turned toward the Dungeon entrance, intending to go back.
However, she remembered Ritsuka’s absurdly underhanded abilities and that he planned to visit the Hostess of Fertility after leaving the Dungeon.
Her resolve immediately weakened.
“He’s extremely capable.
He should be fine.” Ryuu trusted her junior’s strength.
More importantly, she needed to return to the Hostess of Fertility and decide what to do when he eventually arrived looking for her!
Having made her decision, Ryuu lowered her head and left the plaza outside the Dungeon entrance.
She quickly slipped into an alley, followed a winding route through several narrow streets, and entered the Hostess of Fertility’s kitchen through the back door.
“Hm?
You’re back already?” Mama Mia, who was working in the kitchen, looked toward the returning elf.
“What did you do while you were out?” Ryuu did not answer.
Instead, she took a deep breath.
“Mama Mia.” “Hm?” Her solemn tone immediately made the manager sense that something was wrong.
She looked at Ryuu with concern.
“What happened?
Did you get into trouble?” Ryuu’s expression became deadly serious.
“Mama Mia, there’s something I need to confess.” …