That day, the School District was enveloped in an excitement that matched its return to Meren.
“Hey, that’s them, isn’t it?!”
The students gathered at the railing and cheered as a carriage stopped in front of the ship. Two women stepped out.
“It’s Loki Familia!”
“A black-furred cat person and an amber-haired elf…Alsha and Elleaf?!”
“They didn’t send their top adventurers?”
“Idiot! They’re both Level Four!”
“Level Four, and they’re not even in charge…”
“Loki Familia’s insane!!!”
The students were boiling over as they studied Loki Familia’s recruiters.
The two of them seemed to be smiling awkwardly, but boys and girls alike screamed when they waved.
It was so incredible that when Bardain said, “The elf’s boobs are just amazing! And they’d be even more incredible if she stripped! I can tell!” Alisa and the other girls battered him without mercy.
“Seriously, just curl up and die, Bardain!” “I mean it, just die in a fire!” “Don’t you dare go anywhere near them, Bardain!”
It was so ferocious that Lefiya was actually a little scared.
She also knew about Loki Familia’s fame, and though she did not squeal or shriek like the others around her, she was secretly excited.
They were the new hope, and everyone hoped they would take Zeus’s and Hera’s places.
They stood on the very cutting edge of Dungeon exploration.
This was the grand familia led by a prum Hero, elven royalty, and a venerable dwarf warrior.
Those were just some of the many ways one of Orario’s strongest factions were hailed around the world.
It was the familia that an esteemed and revered high elf had joined as well. It would be a lie to say she did not factor that in.
“We’ve come to recruit, but…as you know, this is the first time Loki Familia has participated. I imagine there will be moments where we are unfamiliar with how things are done here, but I hope you will overlook that.”
“Of course, having come all this way, we will be giving all candidates serious consideration. I hope a follower who can stand at our side will emerge from among you.”
After watching Anakity and Alicia address a seminar room filled to capacity, Lefiya thought they looked beautiful and capable. These were women she could not help but admire.
Loki was famous for not getting along with Balder and not accepting any graduates, and she had been quite reluctant to participate in recruiting this time around. Apparently, the Guild had made so many requests that she finally gave in, and it was true that Anakity and Alicia had come much later than the other recruiters.
But even with other factions getting a head start, there was always a crowd following the pair when they came aboard and held seminars. The students were brimming with a desire to talk with them and ask questions. The numbers exploded in the seminar held for Combat Studies students after a brief mock battle. Many, many people were enraptured by Anakity’s sword techniques and Alicia’s skill with magic and bow.
Given their insane popularity, Lefiya had assumed it would be impossible to have a more private discussion.
“Good afternoon, fellow elf.”
“Eh…ehhhh?! L-Lady Alicia, Lady Anakity?!”
“You can drop the formalities. Adventurers aren’t known for their manners.”
She was working on schoolwork alone in the library when they came by just to say hello. As part of their recruiting, they were given permission to use the library and other facilities and even sit in on lessons.
Perhaps finding Lefiya’s panic amusing, they pulled her aside to an empty terrace off Breithablik to talk.
“Oh, so you’re in the elite Seventh Squad we’ve heard so much about?”
“W-we aren’t elite…more like a collection of problem children…! Always breaking the rules… It’s almost a miracle we haven’t been split up yet…!”
“Heh-heh, adventurers are much the same. As Aki indicated, hardly any would be called well behaved.”
Looking out across the academic layer with the breeze rustling her hair, Lefiya had been tense and nervous at first, but thinking she would probably never have an opportunity like this again, she decided to ask.
“Umm, Ms. Alicia, Ms. Anakity. Why do Orario’s adventurers pour all their strength into just exploring the Dungeon?”
“That’s an interesting question. I don’t imagine ‘because we’re adventurers’ is the answer you were looking for. Could you elaborate?”
“Umm…I know that the Guild has collected information regarding the Dungeon. They want adventurers to gather lots of magic stones to produce magic-stone goods so they can support the city. But I can’t help wondering why there has been so little notable research into an unexplored region like the Dungeon…”
For Lefiya, who had become enthralled by the unknown at the School District, Orario’s adventurers seemed almost unnatural.
There was something beyond mortal ken right in front of them, yet no one seemed to be focused on unraveling its mystery. Or rather, she assumed there were people doing that, but it certainly did not seem to be a particularly concerted effort.
Far more adventurers were exploring the Dungeon purely to earn their daily bread.
Lefiya understood the workings of familias as well. Patron deities provided blessings to their followers so they could earn money and fund their god’s activities. She understood that the School District’s arrangement was unique. But even so, how could they ignore such an incredible bounty just waiting to be discovered?
Even though he caused endless problems in his hunger for knowledge, Nassen’s quest to discover the true nature of the Dungeon seemed far more reasonable.
“Why don’t adventurers try to solve the mysteries of the Dungeon? …It just seems strange to me.”
Was it Orario’s policy? Or the divine will of deities indicating that there was no need to solve it?