The next morning, Lelouch opened his eyes before Alice had the chance to assault his door.
Not because his body had already adapted to the Astraea Familia’s schedule.
Rather—
Every muscle in his body was protesting too loudly for him to remain asleep.
The instant he moved one leg, pain from yesterday’s training climbed from his ankle all the way to his waist.
When he tried lifting an arm, the shoulder Alice’s wooden sword had struck repeatedly responded with complete honesty.
Lelouch sat on the edge of the bed and assessed his condition.
“If this is the result of the first day of training…”
He flexed one stiff hand.
“…the second may qualify as attempted murder.”
Cheerful footsteps approached from outside.
Lelouch stood, opened the door, and waited.
A few seconds later, Alice came around the corner with one fist raised—
Directly toward where his face would have been if the door were still closed.
Lelouch caught her wrist.
“I’m awake.”
The red-haired girl blinked.
“You’re learning quickly.”
“Avoiding the daily destruction of my door is an effective source of motivation.”
“I was going to knock more gently today.”
“I don’t believe your personal standards should be used to define the word gently.”
Alice laughed and handed him a folded training outfit.
“Get changed!
Twelve laps today!”
Lelouch went silent.
“Why has the number increased?”
“You ate well last night, so you’ve got more energy!”
Astraea’s prediction had been irritatingly accurate.
“One good meal does not improve physical performance by twenty percent overnight.”
“Fine.
Ten laps like yesterday, and we’ll add more balance training instead.”
Lelouch stared at her.
“I’m beginning to suspect that trying to reason with you only makes the situation worse.”
“You only just noticed?”
Alice walked back toward the main manor with a victorious smile.
Lelouch watched her go.
Then quietly closed the door and accepted his fate.
Morning training proceeded as usual.
He was still the slowest runner.
Alice’s wooden sword still found his vital points repeatedly.
And he still required several times longer than the other members to recover between exercises.
But compared to the previous day, there were small improvements.
His breathing remained more controlled.
His legs did not begin trembling halfway through the run.
And during evasion practice—
He successfully caused Alice to miss once.
Admittedly, part of the reason was that she had turned her head to answer a question from Neze.
“It counts,” Lelouch insisted.
“I wasn’t looking at you!”
“In actual combat, an opponent does not have the right to demand that I wait until she’s ready.”
Kaguya, watching from beside the training field, nodded.
“He’s correct.”
Alice puffed out her cheeks.
But in the end, she grudgingly recorded one successful dodge.
After breakfast, most of the Familia began leaving for their respective duties.
Signing the agreement with the Guild had not reduced their workload.
If anything, it had created new responsibilities.
They now needed a standardized reporting system, clearer patrol assignments, and representatives to attend meetings establishing mission-certification procedures.
Meanwhile, groups connected to Evilus had begun moving more frequently throughout the city.
Guild officers had been attacked.
Fires had been set.
Rumors deliberately designed to frighten civilians spread from district to district.
Every Familia involved in maintaining Orario’s public order was being drawn into the effort until almost no one had time to rest.
At the time—
No one yet knew that the unrest growing within the city’s shadows would one day erupt into what would later be remembered as the Seven-Day War.
Alice had to meet Guild officials alongside Lyra.
Kaguya would lead a patrol through the eastern district.
Neze was taking several members to purchase medicine and replacement supplies.
Astraea needed to review documents and prepare the seal for the first official reports.
Lelouch stood before the operations board and studied the day’s assignments.
“I have no duty?”
“Your duty is to rest after training,” Alice replied.
“And study the beginner adventurer materials I left in the office.”
“I finished them last night.”
Alice slowly turned.
“All of them?”
“Dungeon regulations.
Guild rules.
Basic upper-floor monster classifications.
Magic-stone exchange procedures.
Restrictions applied to novice adventurers.”
Lelouch shrugged slightly.
“Several sections repeated the same information unnecessarily.
There wasn’t very much actual content.”
Lyra stared at the stack of books that reached nearly halfway up her body.
“Those took me three days.”
“I retain information quickly.”
“You can’t remember your own past, but you memorized an entire Guild regulation manual in one night?”
“I also find my brain’s priorities questionable.”
Lelouch turned toward the window.
The Tower of Babel rose over every other structure in Orario.
Yet the places he had actually visited remained limited to the city gate, the route to the manor, Guild headquarters, and the Hostess of Fertility.
He knew more facts about Orario now.
But he did not yet know the city as something alive.
“I’d like to explore Orario.”
Alice frowned.
“Alone?”
“I can take care of myself to a certain degree.”
Several people in the room turned toward him simultaneously.
Lelouch recalled the warning about Freya.
The fact that adventurers had nearly killed him on his first day.
And his physical ability, which still left him decisively slower than Lyra.
“…I acknowledge that my previous statement lacks a certain amount of supporting evidence.”
“More than ‘a certain amount,'” Kaguya said.
Alice folded her arms.
“I’d take you myself, but I’ve got that Guild meeting today.
If we delay it, they might use that as an excuse to stall our first payment.”
“I’m not asking anyone to cancel work for me.
I can go another day.”
“And then you’d spend all day walking around the manor inventing ten more work systems for us,” Lyra said.
“That would be productive.”
“Exactly the problem.
You need time to do pointless things like a normal person.”
Alice looked around the room.
Her eyes stopped on the elf sitting near the doorway, cleaning her blade.
“Ryu!”
Ryu’s hands paused.
“What is it?”
“You’re free today, aren’t you?”
“I intended to maintain my equipment and review mission records.”
“So you don’t have an assignment outside.”
“If that is how you choose to interpret it…
yes.”
Alice walked over and placed both hands on her friend’s shoulders.
“Take Lelouch around Orario!”
Ryu went still.
Her blue eyes shifted toward Lelouch.
Then back to Alice.
“Me?”
“You know the city.
You’re fast.
You can handle emergencies.
And you’ve got no urgent outside duty today.”
Alice beamed.
“No one is more suitable.”
“But…”
Ryu searched for an objection for several seconds.
“I may not make a very good guide.
I don’t know many shops or recreational places.”
“Lelouch doesn’t care about shopping.”
Alice pointed toward him.
“He’ll probably want routes, strategic positions, and areas with high crime rates.”
Lelouch nodded.
“An accurate assessment.”
“See?
You two fit perfectly!”
The conclusion came far too quickly.
Ryu’s gaze shifted away slightly.
Lyra covered her smile with one hand.
“Or does Ryu not want to walk around the city alone with a man?”
The elf’s ears twitched.
“That has nothing to do with it.”
“Then it’s settled!” Alice declared.
“I haven’t—”
“Take good care of our rookie!”
Alice snatched up her document bag and fled the room with Lyra before Ryu could invent a new reason to refuse.
Kaguya followed them out.
“Don’t let him cause trouble.”
“I never intend to cause trouble in the first place,” Lelouch said.
“Trouble tends to walk toward you on its own.
That is what concerns me.”
Soon, only Lelouch, Ryu, and Astraea remained.
Ryu slowly sheathed her sword.
“If you’d rather wait until someone else is free, I don’t mind.”
“If accompanying me interferes with your plans, we can postpone it.”
Ryu met his eyes.
There was no disappointment in Lelouch’s expression.
No attempt to pressure her.
He genuinely intended to accept her refusal.
Oddly—
That made refusing him merely because she was unused to walking alone with a young man feel unreasonable.
“It won’t interfere,” Ryu finally said.
“I can maintain my weapon this evening.”
“Then I leave myself in your care.”
Lelouch gave her a slight bow.
“And thank you for giving up your time.”
His sincerity made Ryu pause.
“There is no need to thank me.
I’m merely complying with the captain’s request.”
“Even when Alice asks, you retain the right to refuse.”
Lelouch looked at her calmly.
“The fact that you agreed means I still owe you thanks.”
Ryu’s gaze escaped toward the window.
“Prepare yourself.
We should leave before the streets become more crowded.”
Astraea watched the two of them with a smile.
“Have fun.”
“This is reconnaissance,” Lelouch corrected.
“Have fun,” Astraea repeated.
“…I’ll try.”
They left the manor soon afterward.
She carried her sword and a short knife as usual.
The emblem of the Astraea Familia remained openly visible on her chest.
At this point in her life, Ryu was still an active adventurer serving openly beneath her goddess’s name.
Lelouch wore the same short dark coat as before.
It was, after all, the only clothing he possessed that was suitable for moving through the city.
The late-morning streets were busy.
But beneath that energy ran a tension visible almost everywhere.
Merchant wagons passed at intervals.
Shopkeepers called out to customers.
Adventurer parties walked toward Babel carrying weapons and supply packs.
At the same time—
Several shops had added metal bars to their windows.
Some buildings still bore scorch marks from disturbances the previous night.
At street corners, members of the Ganesha Familia patrolled in pairs.
Ordinary citizens did not merely step aside for people possessing superhuman bodies.
They first checked the Familia emblems on their clothing.
Confirming which side they belonged to.
Ryu walked half a step ahead of Lelouch.
“Where do you want to begin?”
“I want to understand the city’s basic structure first.”
“The gates in each direction.
Commercial districts.
Residential districts.
Guild headquarters.
Routes toward Babel.
And areas best avoided.”
Ryu glanced at him.
“That isn’t an ordinary tourist’s list.”
“I’m not a tourist.”
“Lady Astraea told you to enjoy yourself.”
Lelouch looked at her.
“Are you invoking your goddess’s orders to force me to relax?”
“I’m merely stating a fact.”
The corner of Ryu’s mouth rose faintly.
“But I’ll show you what you asked for first.”
Their first stop was the main avenue leading directly toward the Tower of Babel.
Ryu explained the positions of Orario’s gates, carriage stations, and shortcuts commonly used by Familias moving between districts.
Lelouch listened while examining road width, intersection density, and places where crowds could block movement.
Temporary barricades stood at several important crossings.
Some belonged to the Guild.
Some to the Ganesha Familia.
Others had been erected by residents themselves after news of attacks spread.
“If an emergency occurs in that plaza, carriages from the northern district won’t be able to enter.”
“Because of the merchant stalls,” Ryu said.
“The Guild has ordered them moved before, but they return every time.”
“They return because this location has the highest customer traffic.”
Lelouch observed the stalls.
“An order that removes someone’s income without offering a location of comparable value will predictably fail.”
“You saw that after walking past once?”
“The problem isn’t hidden.”
Lelouch continued forward.
“Everyone has simply become accustomed to it.”
Ryu quietly remembered that sentence.
They proceeded toward the district where adventurer equipment was sold.
The sounds of hammers striking metal rang from multiple workshops.
Weapons ranging from cheap knives to swords more expensive than houses sat behind display windows.
Lelouch stopped longer in front of one shop.
Inside the display case were compact crossbows, composite bows, and mechanical bolt-launchers designed to mount along an adventurer’s forearm.
“Interested in ranged weapons?” Ryu asked.
“In their construction and materials.”
Lelouch studied the mechanisms.
“If I learn more about Orario’s metallurgy and how monster materials are integrated into equipment, I may be able to improve the efficiency of what I create without increasing the Mind cost proportionally.”
“Just don’t attempt to create every object you see.”
“I am not that lacking in self-control.”
“Who stayed awake thinking about weapons last night?”
Lelouch turned toward her.
“Did Astraea tell you?”
“I prepared the medicine she brought.”
“It appears my health information is distributed throughout the Familia without any concept of privacy.”
“Everyone is merely worried about you.”
“I’m beginning to understand that, in this Familia, worrying and surveillance differ mostly in terminology.”
Ryu did not deny it.
They continued through medicine shops, monster-material exchanges, and open yards where smiths tested weapons.
Ryu explained which stores could be trusted.
Which ones inflated prices for inexperienced adventurers.
And which emblems indicated products officially approved by the Hephaestus Familia.
Despite claiming she would make a poor guide—
Everything she told him was practical.
Far more useful than ordinary sightseeing information.
“You know this city very well,” Lelouch said.
“Patrol work requires memorizing routes.”
“Not merely routes.”
He looked at her.
“You know which merchants are honest.
Which intersections see frequent injuries.
Which alleys should be avoided after sunset.”
“That means you observe the lives of the people who live here, not merely the streets.”
Ryu’s pace slowed slightly.
“It is the duty of an Astraea Familia member.”
“Even when something is a duty, not everyone performs it with your level of attention.”
The tips of her ears moved again.
Ryu abruptly pointed toward a building ahead.
“There’s a map shop.
We should buy you a city map.”
The change of subject was too sudden to miss.
Lelouch chose not to comment.
They entered.
The shopkeeper recognized Ryu and gave them a slight discount.
He also stared at Lelouch for a long moment before asking whether the young man was a relative from her homeland.
Ryu denied it so quickly that the shopkeeper looked startled.
Lelouch purchased the map and left without mentioning the incident.
Their next destination was the central plaza.
Babel towered before them.
Its enormous foundation blocked part of the sky.
Adventurers filled the entrance area, checking weapons and gathering parties before entering the Dungeon.
Lelouch raised his head toward the summit that nearly vanished from sight.
“The entire Dungeon lies beneath this?”
“Yes.
Its entrance is under Babel.”
Ryu looked toward the tower.
“Orario grew around it.”
“So the city’s greatest resource and greatest threat occupy the same location.”
Lelouch narrowed his eyes.
“And the entire economy depends on something no one can actually control.”
“That is Orario.”
“It sounds like a city that built its home inside a beast’s mouth and earns money by pulling out its fangs to sell.”
Ryu followed his gaze.
“That metaphor is not entirely wrong.”
Lelouch watched the adventurers.
Some laughed confidently.
Some checked their equipment repeatedly with obvious anxiety.
Others emerged carrying magic stones and fresh wounds.
All of them passed through the same entrance.
“Do you want to go down?” Ryu asked.
“Not now.”
“Good.”
“You answered very quickly.”
“Because if you said yes, I would immediately take you back to the manor.”
“I understand the distinction between courage and suicide.”
Ryu regarded him skeptically.
“You stood in front of a sword to protect a child on your first day.”
“Someone required immediate help.”
“You tested a projectile weapon near Alice.”
“She was the one who walked into its path.”
“You mocked Loki last night until everyone thought a fight might start.”
“Words do not kill me immediately.”
“With Loki, no one can guarantee that.”
Lelouch considered the evidence.
“I concede that the history you’ve presented substantially weakens my credibility.”
Ryu’s lips curved faintly.
“At least you admit it.”
They were about to leave the plaza when the smell of fried potatoes drifted toward them.
A small food stall had several customers waiting in line.
Its sign depicted a smiling potato wearing armor beneath the colorful name Jagamarukun.
Ryu stopped.
“Lady Astraea told me to take you sightseeing.”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t try any of Orario’s famous food, I don’t think it qualifies as sightseeing.”
“I ate breakfast recently.”
“Training consumed energy.”
“Your reasoning is beginning to resemble Alice’s.”
Ryu pretended not to hear and joined the line.
By the time Lelouch followed—
A familiar gentle voice came from the side.
“What a coincidence.”
Both turned.
Syr stood beside the stall carrying two woven baskets filled with vegetables, spices, and large loaves of bread.
She wore her usual Hostess of Fertility uniform beneath a light outer cloak to block the sun.
At this time, Mia still had relatively few permanent employees.
Purchasing ingredients therefore often fell to Syr herself.
Ryu also knew her through repeated visits to the tavern and through the Familia’s relief work around the city.
They were acquainted well enough to call one another by name—
But not yet close friends who knew every part of each other’s lives.
Syr smiled toward Ryu.
Then her gaze lingered on Lelouch slightly longer.
“Good morning.
I didn’t expect to meet both of you here.”
Lelouch looked at the baskets.
Then at the road leading back toward the tavern.
His gaze briefly passed across the rooftops opposite them.
The shadow of a cat-person dressed like an ordinary traveler withdrew from the edge of one roof.
Farther away, a pink-haired young woman dressed as an apothecary’s assistant pretended to examine merchandise.
Neither looked like someone who had simply happened to be near Syr.
Lelouch did not know who they were.
He stored the observation for later.
“A coincidence?”
The question was blunt enough to make Syr blink.
“You distrust me from the first sentence?”
“Last night, you told me you wanted to read my story.”
Lelouch’s tone remained even.
“Today, you appear on the route I’m walking.”
“I consider questioning the coincidence reasonable.”
Ryu looked toward Syr as well.
“The tavern normally orders vegetables from the western market.
The direct return route doesn’t cross the central plaza.”
Syr touched her cheek.
“Even Ryu suspects me?”
“I’m only saying the route doesn’t match.”
“Mama Mia asked me to purchase spices from a northern shop.”
Syr lifted one basket slightly.
The explanation was reasonable.
Almost a little too convenient.
Lelouch could not disprove it.
“Then we’ll classify it as coincidence.”
Syr smiled.
“Your tone doesn’t sound convinced.”
“I acknowledge the possibility.
I have not confirmed the truth.”
“You’re very strict.”
Ryu accidentally purchased three Jagamarukun before realizing it.
She handed one to Syr.
“Since you’re here, eat with us.”
“Thank you, Ryu.”
Syr accepted it happily.
Lelouch studied the potato snack in his hand.
“What relation does the character on the sign have to the food?”
“He’s the shop mascot,” Ryu replied.
“It’s a potato with a face wearing armor while the shop sells fried potatoes.”
Lelouch looked back at the sign.
“Isn’t that essentially using an image of the victim to advertise the meal?”
Syr laughed so hard she covered her mouth.
Even Ryu let out a small laugh.
Lelouch looked between them.
“Did I say something incorrect?”
“No,” Syr replied.
“It’s simply that no one has ever considered feeling sorry for Jagamarukun from that perspective.”
Lelouch took a bite.
Crisp outside.
Soft inside.
The seasoning was richer than its simple appearance suggested.
“Acceptable.”
“Is that your highest level of praise?” Ryu asked.
“I lack sufficient comparison data from other stalls.”
“Then you’ll have to try more of them,” Syr said.
She brightened.
“I know food stalls in almost every district.
If you’re touring Orario, why don’t I help guide you too?”
Ryu turned toward her immediately.
“Don’t you have to return to work?”
“I’ve already bought everything.”
“Mama Mia only told me to return before afternoon.
I can have the baskets delivered back to the tavern.”
“I’m already guiding him.”
“Two guides are better than one, aren’t they?”
Syr smiled.
“Ryu knows safe routes and adventurer matters.
I know shops and ordinary city life.”
“With both of us, Mr.
Lelouch can see every side of Orario.”
The reasoning was sound.
Ryu still hesitated.
Lelouch looked toward Syr.
“Why do you want to spend your time guiding me?”
Syr answered without avoiding his eyes.
“Because I want to know you better.”
No excuse about hospitality.
No claim that Mia asked her.
The directness caused Lelouch to reassess her slightly.
“At least that reason is more believable than coincidence.”
Syr’s smile widened.
“Does that mean you’ll allow it?”
“If Ryu has no objection.”
Both gazes turned toward the elf.
Ryu remained silent briefly.
“I have no reason to forbid it.”
The answer sounded slightly more rigid than usual.
Syr smiled brightly.
“Then I leave myself in your care, Guide Ryu.”
“You’re the one asking to accompany us.
Why does that make me the lead guide?”
“Because Ryu came out with him first.”
Ryu’s ears twitched.
She immediately turned and began walking.
“We’re going to the northern district.
If we delay, the roads will become crowded.”
Syr moved to Lelouch’s right.
Ryu remained on his left.
Lelouch glanced between his two guides.
“I have the feeling that a simple tour of the city is becoming more complicated than anticipated.”
Syr smiled.
“But more fun, isn’t it?”
“It is too early to reach that conclusion.”
The three passed through the northern district, where many hotels and offices belonging to mid-sized Familias were concentrated.
Ryu explained which roads connected to the city gates.
Where Guild officers were stationed.
Which buildings became evacuation centers during Dungeon emergencies.
Syr added which sweet shops had kind owners.
Which hotels charged foreigners unreasonable rates.
And which small park hosted musicians in the evening.
Their information differed greatly.
Ryu understood how the city functioned.
Syr understood how people lived inside it.
Lelouch asked questions constantly.
“Why are the apothecaries concentrated here if the Dungeon entrance is near the city center?”
“Rent around Babel is too expensive,” Syr explained.
“Smaller shops moved outward and employ delivery children to sell medicine near the entrance instead.”
“That alley has no permanent patrol?”
“The Guild can see part of it from a watchtower,” Ryu said, “but response time is poor.
Don’t walk there alone at night.”
“Why haven’t territory disputes broken out in this market when vendors belong to multiple Familias?”
“They have,” Syr said cheerfully.
“But Mama Mia came here once.”
“Afterward, everyone miraculously reached an agreement.”
“She negotiated?”
Ryu and Syr looked at one another.
“With her fists,” Syr answered.
“I should have expected that.”
As they passed through the market, many people turned toward them.
An elegant elf.
A gentle gray-haired girl.
And between them—
A young man who looked suspiciously like a prince.
A flower seller smiled broadly when the trio paused nearby to check directions.
“Taking your boyfriend sightseeing, Ryu?”
Ryu almost dropped the map.
“No.”
The denial came so quickly that the flower seller laughed.
Syr stepped closer.
“Then who do you think he’s with, ma’am?”
“You both suit him.”
“That answer makes the data less precise,” Lelouch said.
The woman laughed again and handed a white flower each to Ryu and Syr.
“Free gift for the rivals.”
“We are not competing,” Ryu insisted.
Syr accepted hers without complaint.
“Thank you.”
Then she turned toward Lelouch.
“Which of us do you think it suits better?”
Ryu immediately looked at him as well.
Lelouch examined the two identical flowers.
“They are the same species and in comparable condition.”
He looked between them.
“There is no rational basis for comparison.”
Syr sighed lightly.
“That answer is much too safe.”
“I answered according to the available facts.”
Ryu said nothing.
But the tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
They continued through a public park.
Then around the forge district.
Then toward the western roads.
Gradually—
Lelouch began understanding the rhythm of Orario.
It was not only adventurers and the Dungeon.
Children played in parks.
Workers hauled materials from warehouses.
Elderly women sold flowers.
Craftsmen spent entire lives making weapons that other people carried into darkness.
Countless ordinary citizens lived beneath the shadows of those possessing superhuman power.
Most had no advanced Falna.
No expensive equipment.
If an adventurer chose to abuse their strength—
They had almost no way to resist.
“What are you thinking about?” Ryu asked.
“This city depends too heavily on the restraint of its strongest inhabitants.”
“That is why the Guild has laws.
And why our Familia patrols.”
“A law matters only if the person breaking it believes consequences will follow.”
Lelouch looked toward a narrow alley.
“If officials are always too slow to reach a particular street, then inside that street the law becomes nothing more than writing on paper.”
Syr studied the side of his face.
“Do you want to change this city?”
“I don’t know it well enough to answer.”
“But you’ve already found things you want to fix.”
Lelouch was quiet for a moment.
“Seeing a problem and accepting responsibility for solving every problem are different things.”
His voice was cool.
“I have no intention of carrying a city I’ve only just met on my shoulders.”
The answer sounded detached.
Yet Ryu noticed something.
Whenever they passed the poor—
Or shops still bearing damage—
His eyes lingered longer than they ever did on something beautiful.
“You say that,” she said, “but when someone is suffering in front of you, you still help.”
“That is different.”
“How?”
“I won’t promise to save everyone.”
Lelouch’s gaze remained forward.
“But someone directly in front of me whom I can help should not be abandoned merely because I fear that helping once will become a lifelong obligation.”
Ryu watched him silently.
Syr did not interrupt either.
None of them knew—
That in less than ten minutes—
Those words would be tested.
….
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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