Chapter 5 - Bonds

Hermes Familia.

A faction in Orario that excels at information brokering and are usually tasked with shady missions by The Guild, Orario's main governing force. Although they are officially listed as an exploration-type Familia, their members spend much more time gathering information outside the city rather than going into the Dungeon.

As they have had regular business with the Guild, their familia were granted special privileges and were allowed to leave and enter Orario as they wanted.

However, all of this did not interest Aurora one bit.

"Ugh.….why do I have to do the paperwork of all things!?"

An exasperated groan exited her throat as she laid back on her chair. In front of her was a desk filled to the brim with stacks of paper. Several contracts from their clients across the continent, expense reports, taxes and everything else in between.

"Mmm, such a beautiful maiden being punished is a sight to behold."

"Shut your mouth, Keaks, or I'm gonna stick those stones down your throat!"

Aurora snapped at the man with short black hair sitting and watching from the side. Like a circus clown, he was juggling stones around and whistling happily, which further agitated her.

What led to this punishment was the result of her reckless endeavour down in the Dungeon a day prior. After she finished recovering, Asfi Al Andromeda, the captain of Hermes Familia, had given her a fierce scolding and gave her tons of paperwork to do as punishment for her recklessness.

"Hey hey, my rocks did nothing to offend you," Keaks replied with a smile. "To tell you the truth, we were impressed you even survived against an infant dragon even with your Level 2 status."

"I bet I could even take on our four-eyed captain with one arm tied up," Aurora replied smugly while puffing her chest.

"Hah, good luck with that," Keaks said as he stood up. "I shall be leaving, beautiful girls await me~"

"Hmmph."

"Oh, one more thing." Keaks stopped at the doorway leading outside, looking back at Aurora. "There's mail for you in your room, check it when you can."

"Mail?"

We've been at it for nearly twenty-five minutes.

Twenty-five rounds, one on one.

And the score was twenty-five to zero.

"Hah! Yer getting it quick, kiddo!"

The large dwarf laughed as he parried all of my punches and kicks as easily as if they were just gusts of wind. On the other hand, his light punches and pushes were powerful enough to knock me off my feet.

We were sparring in the dedicated training grounds of the Twilight Manor, the atmosphere felt much more different than the rooftop where Finn and I sparred a couple of days ago. The training grounds was a big room outfitted with various instruments and dummies. Gareth had told me even though the training grounds were a good place to learn new techniques and skills, the best teacher was the Dungeon itself.

After the 12th Floor incident, Riveria laid down the law and banned us from going deeper than the 9th Floor for some time.

"If you three get yourselves in trouble again, I'll make sure you regret it!"

I didn't remember what else she said, I was too terrified by her threat to even think.

As thoughts flooded my mind, I forgot that I was sparring for a split second.

"Hup!"

"Wha-"

Gareth grabbed my collar and brought me down to the ground. My back felt like it was on fire, but I ignored it. Twisting my waist, I launched a kick upwards in the direction of Gareth's head.

My foot landed on Gareth's head, but the blow only made his smile wider.

"Not bad, but I already pinned ye down."

"Ah...yeah."

After admitting defeat, Gareth released his grip and we sat down together on a bench to take a breather.

"Yer a quick learner, kid. Remarkable speed fer a new adventurer, just like 'nother werewolf I know."

"T-thanks…"

"Bahahaha! You'll make a great fighter, but baby steps first, eh?" Gareth scratched his beard in a sagely manner. "No one becomes a master in a day."

"Mm." I nodded in response.

"Alright, let's just call it a day 'ere and get some good rest."

Grrrowwwwwllll…..

"Uh-"

"Bahaha! Yer stomach agrees too!"

I turned away as my face blushed from embarrassment. Gareth teased me further by ruffling my hair with his gigantic hand, which made me feel even worse.

"S-stop it!"

"Sorry, can't help doin' it to someone so green and young." Gareth laughed loudly, "Let's get some dinner outside, shall we?"

"Outside? Where?"

"You'll know it when we get there, come on." Gareth sat up and beckoned me, so I followed him out of the training grounds.

"Uh, Mister Gareth, is it ok if we go get Yuna too?"

"Yer sister? Sure thing, poor lass will probably get a heart attack if she finds out yer gone from the manor."

"Ahaha..."

As Fen and Gareth were finishing up their training, Finn was still as busy as ever.

His office, located at the tallest part of the main tower in Twilight Manor, was where he spent most of his waking hours. As the captain of Loki Familia, he held the immense responsibility of taking care of everyone and everything, including the Twilight Manor. Logistics, financial management and all sorts of paperwork, his workload was enormous. Yet, he performs all his work meticulously and precisely.

"Whew, finally done."

Finn let out a sigh of relief as he put down his feather pen, looking at the unimaginably large stack of paperwork to his right. During their seven days long expedition, the paperwork had been building up slowly in the manor, and a mountain of paper was waiting for Finn in his office the day they got back.

"Finn, ya hitting the sack already?"

Just when he thought the day was over, a familiar voice called from outside the door. The door swung open to reveal a red-haired goddess holding a bottle.

"Yo, Finn! Are ya free to talk for a bit?"

"I'm free, what is it?"

Loki set her drink on Finn's table and handed him two sheets of paper from her pocket.

"Here, look at this."

Finn took the papers from Loki's hands and laid them on the table.

Fenrir Ahlberg

Level 1

Strength: I15-I29 Endurance: I14-I21

Dexterity: I11-I25 Agility: I10-I41 Magic: I0

Skills：

Phantom Howl

Úlfheðinn

Magic:

Bond:

Yuna Ahlberg

Level 1

Strength: I150-I157 Endurance: I201-I209

Dexterity: I305-I335 Agility: I205-I215 Magic: I0

Skills:

Magic:

"That growth...what's with this skill?"

Finn pondered as he noticed a skill that looked out of place, Fen's status sheet shows that he has two skills as of right now. Úlfheðinn was a skill that every werewolf possesses naturally when receiving a falna, but getting a new skill within such a short period was unnatural.

What was even more strange about it was it had no description, no text explaining any aspect of this skill's nature or usage.

"I'm as clueless as you are." Loki took a swig from her bottle and shrugged. "I've never seen this anywhere before."

As if to add to the mystery, at the bottom of the sheet below Magic was an entirely new category.

"Do you know anything about this, though?" Finn pointed at the new category at the bottom.

"If I'm not wrong, this appeared outta nowhere after their incident down in Floor 12," Loki recalled. "If I were to guess, this Bond category has something to do with Lil' Fen and his sister."

"Hmm…"

Finn pondered for a while, but nothing came to his mind. The werewolf boy they had taken in had been a sort of anomaly whenever he went inside the Dungeon. The first time, he had suddenly lost control of himself. And now, the sudden appearance of an Irregular during their journey back up to the surface on Floor 12.

At the back of his mind, part of him wanted to lock up Fen in a room and never allow him to go back into the Dungeon again. Letting him go back down was a horrible idea, but Finn knew better than to hope that such a thing would solve everything.

"Doubting our little wolf, are you?" Loki smirked, twirling her bottle of wine.

"Hahaha...I can't hide anything from you, can I?" A small laugh emerged from Finn's throat.

"If he wants to continue his dream of becoming an adventurer alongside his sister, I won't stop him." Loki put down her bottle. "Those two show a lot of promise."

"Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"Huh?"

"This is a stretch, but I have a hunch there is something you're hiding, and it has to do with those two." Finn continued. "You once told me, Gareth and Riveria stories of the many gods you've met outside Orario, many of which were from your territory."

Loki stared silently.

"Is there a chance that one of them...was Heimdall himself?"

A smile crept up on Loki's mouth.

"Not bad, Finn." Loki complimented. "You are as smart as the day I met you, but I'm afraid my lips are sealed."

From her tone, Finn knew he was starting to cross the line with his patron goddess and decided to back down.

"Alright, alright, I won't press on." Finn shrugged with a defeated smile. "But regarding his safety…"

"That's up to you all." Loki leaned on the table. "Of course I won't keep anything secret that would hinder his safety, but I'll leave training those two to you, Gareth and Riveria."

"If that's what you wish, I'll do what I can to improve their fighting abilities."

"Hahaha, I'm counting on you all. Have a good night's sleep, Finn."

Loki waved half-drunkenly at Finn before exiting the room. Finn's patron goddess had managed to keep her composure while intoxicated.

"Well...time to get some shut-eye."

As Finn went to bed, Gareth and the two siblings were still in the tavern he brought them to. Not long after they found their seats, Gareth hit it up with the other customers and started downing mug after mug of alcohol.

"Waiter! Pour 'nother drink fer this young lass 'ere!"

"I don't think I can drink anymore, Gareth."

"Aye, but it can't hurt to let loose for a lil' bit, can't ye?"

"Ahah...no thanks."

Yuna politely rejected Gareth's offer and waited for her brother. After finishing and paying for their meal, she turned to Gareth before leaving.

"We shall be going back now, Gareth." Yuna nodded politely. "Thanks for the meal."

"Already? The night is still young!" Gareth called out.

"S-sorry, Gareth. Riveria told me to come to her tomorrow early morning- wah!?"

Yuna gave the fumbling young werewolf a gentle nudge with her elbow.

"Remember to take it easy, aye?" Gareth flashed a big warm smile and bid us farewell. "Have a good one."

After they said their goodbyes and left the tavern, the two reached for each other without even thinking and held hands as they walked, matching the other's pace, though it was mostly Yuna matching Fen's slower pace. The streets were dimly lit, the whole city was engulfed in dark silence as shops and taverns turned off their magic stone lamps and closed up. The only sounds that could be heard were the occasional clicking of insects and the two siblings footsteps.

The two had been rather busy ever since they recovered from their injuries. Finn made it clear that if they were to go down into the Dungeon again, they needed to prove their competence. Every day, from dawn to dusk, they would either be engaged in combat training or studying topics surrounding the Dungeon, its monsters and its environment.

Yawn….

A sleepy yawn came out of Fen's mouth, eliciting a chuckle from Yuna. She was also exhausted from the constant work and training and was dying for a nice bed.

"Gareth gave you quite the beating, didn't he?"

"I could barely land a hit on him…" Fen sighed in defeat, "Gareth's way too strong."

"Hey...it's only a matter of time before you surpass him, I believe in you."

"But he's a Level 6!" Fen exclaimed. "I don't know if I could even reach half that number…"

"Oh, you definitely can." Yuna smiled cheekily.

"How?"

"I just picked up a message from Aurora this afternoon, but I couldn't tell you about it until now."

"From Aurora? Show me, show me!"

The two stopped at the side of the road for the moment. Yuna took out a folded piece of paper from her belt pouch and handed it to Fen, who took it with his free hand and immediately started to read. With each line, Fen's eyes grew wider the more he read.

"What do you think?" Yuna asked, her smile widening as well.

After reading the letter, the young werewolf's expression turned from tiredness to uncontainable excitement.

"Is this for real!?"

"You bet it is," Yuna replied. "We're heading there the day after tomorrow."

Fen's excitement was reaching its peak, his white tail shaking as if it couldn't wait any longer.

"Let's go back and sleep quickly, Yuna!" Fen urged. "I need to take care of all of Riveria's homework by tomorrow!"

"Hey, wait up!" Yuna called out.

Before she could stop him, Fen ran off to the mansion.

"I thought he said he was tired…" Yuna sighed as she hurried to catch up.

But even in the dark, Yuna noticed the difference in her brother's speed. He wasn't tiring out as quickly as he did before. The gruelling training they were going through was making a difference.

"..."

As she ran, a feeling of uneasiness started to grow in Yuna's chest. It could be just because of the darkness, just a normal reaction that any normal person would have. Imaginations can easily run wild, she and her sister once had to deal with Fen's fear of the dark in the past.

But this isn't just my imagination, is it?

Giving in to her curiosity, Yuna slowed down and observed her surroundings. She could make out two buildings between her, both of which had their lights off, engulfing the vicinity in pitch black. On the building to her right, a sign hung from the overhang bearing the Hephaestus Familia emblem. To her left, a building with no signs and a small porch seemed to point to the fact that it was a residential building.

Yuna squinted at the rooftops and down the alleys of both buildings, trying to notice anything out of place. But after a while, she decided to give up.

I should get going, I can't leave Fen behind.

Yuna ran after her brother, leaving the shadows behind.

"Next, the tenth through the twelfth floor."

"The same as the eighth and ninth, many large rooms about three to four metres high and short hallways between them. It's darker and there is fog, Orcs and Infant Dragons appear starting on the tenth. Silverbacks and Hard Armoreds appear on the eleventh and twelfth."

"Good, now onto…"

Riveria's regal voice rang as she asked question after question, each being answered by two voices. One was soft, while the other was taut and high-pitched. One had sharp-pointed ears while the other was covered in fur. Though they hailed from different bloodlines, a distinguishable similarity between them was their inexperience.

"Fen, what should you look out for if you encounter a group of Purple Moths?"

"Uh, their...poison?"

"And what is the safest way to get rid of them?"

The image of Yuna came to Fen's mind.

"Arrows, or any long-range weapons."

"Correct, their poison can cover a large area very quickly if you let them." Riveria nodded approvingly. "Now moving on…"

Nearly an hour later, having finished their lessons with Riveria, Fen and Lefiya decided to have a meal in a secluded area of the mansion's garden. It was just as impressive as the mansion itself, assortments of different coloured flowers and bushes dotted the garden complimented by a small stone fountain and. Unfortunately, there were no seats or tables set up in the garden, so Lefiya took out a mat and laid it across the grass.

Grrowl….

A small growl emerged from Fen's stomach.

"Ah-"

He quickly wrapped his hands around his stomach embarrassedly, causing Lefiya to chuckle.

"Wait a bit, okay? I'll be back with food quickly."

"O-okay."

Two young girls waited.

Their stomachs were empty, craving for anything to fill its hollow space. But their faces were determined as they both looked out the same window, looking for something, waiting for someone.

Minutes passed by, hours passed by, yet they spotted nothing outside their windows. The environment was as still as a painting, the only thing outside their wooden cabin was a sea of white, dotted by dark brown trunks. If anything was moving, they would spot it immediately.

A small growl emerged from inside.

"I'm so hungry…," the girl on the left frowned as she clutched her belly.

"Aw c'mon, this is nothing," the other girl smiled confidently, "Just a little longer, I'm sure he'll come back with a load of delicious food!"

"...I hope he didn't go out to buy more of those weird jars again."

"Cheer up, Yun-Yun. I'll give you a portion of my share if you want."

In the punishing cold of the taiga, the two girls survived their early years through hunting with bows and traps. They had no one to teach them how to survive, so they taught themselves through trial and error.

"I wish we could go out and hunt right now, I'm sure we could find deer trapped in the snow with this weather."

"We can't, Aurora. You know what he said, even with his protection we can't make it through the snow without sinking."

"But look at you, Yun-Yun. You're already so thin, you're gonna turn into snow unless we get something to eat soon."

"Please, don't go. I can last for a while longer."

Even though the white-haired girl assured her that she could hold on for some time, Aurora noticed her face was as pale as snow. Her head swivelled to the side once in a while, as if her neck was nearly unable to hold her head up anymore.

"Yun-Yun, you should head to bed first."

The girl looked at her in confusion, she was about to speak before Aurora covered her mouth.

"Don't waste your energy, you're already starting to feel dizzy, aren't you?" Aurora looked in the eye of her sister. "Sleep. I'll keep watch, alright?"

Yuna weakly nodded and walked towards her bedroom, Aurora kept her eyes on her until she was out of sight. After waiting to make sure Yuna was fast asleep, Aurora silently put on her hunting gear and snowshoes and exited the cabin. The cabin was located in a small clearing, and surrounding it in all directions was a never-ending sea of spruce and pine trees. Their thin sharp leaves and how they are arranged gives the trees a pointed head, turning the forest into a sea of snow-covered spears.

"Tch, that old geezer never comes back on time!"

Aurora huffed and puffed as she made her way through the thick snow. Even though her snowshoes made it easier for traversing across the ground, each step took a huge effort. Not just that, heavy snowstorms had just occurred recently, which meant the snow beneath her was new and soft. This brought the risk of hidden voids beneath the seemingly solid snow, forcing Aurora to step carefully.

"!"

A pain-filled howl echoed across the taiga, freezing her in place. A couple of birds flew away as if to escape from whatever caused that horrifying sound.

"A wolf?" Aurora could not believe what she heard.

I thought that old man put repellants around the forest, that can't be!

But her ears were not mistaken, the call she heard was undeniably from one of the most intimidating hunters of the taiga.

She and her sister were starving for food, and the presence of another hunter in their vicinity would hurt their chances of getting any food. In addition, there's no telling if it will pose a threat to her and her sister in the future.

Aurora cared for her sister more than anything, they have been together since they were born. Through any means, she would happily risk her life to hunt and gather food for her starving sister. Though it is extremely reckless, she was confident in the skills she gained in her time living in the unforgiving taiga.

If that old man's tricks don't work anymore, I'll drive that wolf away myself.

Aurora took a deep breath, drew her bow and ran in the direction of the howl.

Fen gazed in awe at the variety of fauna that was present in the garden. His stomach grumbled hungrily, but he held it in and waited.

Compared to the small suffocating cottage he once lived in at Daedalus Street, the mansion was so much bigger and comfortable to be in. The beautiful architecture of the mansion had kept him amazed since he joined the Familia. He enjoyed wandering around its never-ending hallways and exploring all the facilities during his free time. From the large bathrooms to the exalted trophy room that showcased the great achievements of the current and previous adventurers of this Familia, nothing ever ceased to amaze him, and the garden was no exception.

"Kept you waiting?"

"Huh?"

Lefiya stood before him holding a reed basket.

"Move over a little, I'll put the basket in the middle there."

"R-right."

Fen moved over to the right to free space for the basket and Lefiya. Soon, they began eating lunch. A multitude of foods was contained inside the basket, aside from the food cooked by the mansion's chef, Lefiya had brought foods and snacks she bought in the marketplace at Adventurer's Way. The assortment of meat, bread, cake, and juices looked incredibly appetizing.

"Wow, this food is great-"

Completely overtaken by hunger, Fen started munching down on his food with giant bites, stuffing his mouth full and swallowing.

"H-hey, slow down!"

Lefiya watched in disbelief as he wolfed down plate after plate, completely ignoring her, a slight feeling of frustration started to build up.

"SLOW DOWN!"

"Ughuhh!?"

Lefiya's shout echoed across the entire garden, surprising Fen and making him choke on his food. Fen's face suddenly grew pale as he grasped his chest, unable to breathe.

"F-Fen?" Lefiya suddenly regretted shouting so loudly. "Stay still, I'll clear it up!"

"Hugh-"

Dropping her plate, Lefiya hurriedly dashed over behind Fen. With all her might, she wrapped her hands around his chest and squeezed. With just one push, Fen coughed out the piece of food stuck inside his throat.

"Cough...cough…."

Fen rubbed his neck with one hand as Lefiya rubbed his back, attempting to soothe his pain.

"Sorry…" Lefiya sighed in relief. "For shouting that loudly just now."

"I-it's fine-"

"But, you still shouldn't eat so improperly!" Lefiya snapped. "I'll teach you proper eating manners, alright? You better listen closely!"

Fen nodded slowly as he looked up at Lefiya.

"O...okay."

The two continued eating their meal. But this time, Lefiya taught Fen as he ate, reciting eating manners as if she had memorized them word by word. At the back of her mind, she wondered to herself why she was so adamant about fixing the boy's eating habits. Many of her friends also had improper eating habits, but she had paid them no mind. Bete had a habit of spilling his drinks all over the floor, Tiona's eating habits were just as messy as Fen's.

Maybe it was because she saw him as a junior, maybe it was because they were only a couple of years apart in age. Even if Tiona, Tione and the rest had eagerly befriended her, she never felt fully connected with them, there was always something about them that made them out of reach.

The young boy in front of her had a disturbing alter ego. She had seen it twice with her own eyes, the horrors it could unleash. The sight of his innocent blue eyes suddenly filling with bloodshed terrified her. The same pair of eyes that cried as he begged Loki to let him join her Familia. It may be meaningless, something as minor as teaching proper eating manners would not prevent him from going feral again.

But she couldn't just stand there and do nothing about it.

"Hey, don't drop your food all over the mat."

"I'm sorry..."

"Jeez..." Lefiya sighed wearily.

Time slowly passed by as the two young adventurers

"How did you like the food?" Lefiya asked as she gathered all the empty plates and bowls and put them back into the basket.

"It was really good." The boy nodded satisfyingly, happily rubbing his full stomach. "Thank you so much, I'll pay you back one day."

"Eh?" Lefiya got taken aback. "N-no need to repay me!"

"Yuna taught me to repay those who give us food," Fen replied. "I'll think of something, it doesn't have to be now."

"Eh...aah…."

Lefiya couldn't get her mouth to utter a single word. Fen stared aloofly at her with his head tilted to one side, with one ear up in the air and one pointing down.

"E...e-excuse me!" exclaimed Lefiya as she shot up and ran off, hiding her face with one hand and holding the basket in the other. The young boy was left stunned in place, his face blankly staring in the direction where the elf had run off to.

"...Uhh, I'll pay you back in a few days?"

But Lefiya couldn't hear him, she had already run out of earshot. Even then, she couldn't hear her footsteps, nor her own breathing, her mind had blocked all her senses. Her own choices didn't make sense to her, as if she had been taken over by instinct. After being sure that she was far enough, Lefiya sat on the ground in one of the hallways with her back to the wall. She sat still for a while, her breathing slowly getting calmer until it went back to normal.

She glanced at the basket next to her.

Lefiya dug her face into her knees, her doubts were quickly crowding her mind. The images of people she looked up to in Loki Familia appeared.

'What would she do?'

"Lefiya?"

Lefiya's head snapped in the direction of the voice. Standing around the corner with an innocent expression, was the boy that had just shared her meal.

"Are you ok? Why did you suddenly run away?"

She thought for a moment before answering.

"I-it's nothing!" Lefiya's voice wavered. "I'm ok."

"We still have one lesson with Riveria." The boy reached out with his hand. "Let's do our best, Lefiya."

Lefiya looked at the hand extended in front of her.

"O-okay."

Nodding, Lefiya took his hand and stood up. Letting him lead her by hand through the mansion, like a little brother dragging along his sister.

Hooooooooooowwwll…

Another howl echoed through the forest. Its intimidating tone demanded respect and awe from every living being around it. Rampaging through the snow-filled taiga as a lone plague of the earth, nothing was enough to satisfy its bloodlust.

This wolf...why does its howl feel different?

Aurora gripped her bow tightly, as she crept closer to the source of the howling. Apart from the howling, the forest had become eerily silent, as if every single living thing in the forest had fled to safety. Aurora could feel her heart beating out of her chest, something about this felt very wrong. Step by step, she pushed her legs through the snow. Her breathing was starting to feel more laboured.

"Pant...pant..pant…"

She put up a brave front for her sister, but Aurora was also very exhausted and hungry. The only thing that was keeping her conscious was the blessing given to her by the old man. Even with snowshoes on, dragging her feet through the loose snow was an exhausting activity. Her legs were shaking, her muscles screaming for her to stop.

Come on...I'm almost there!

Peering through the trees, there was a small clearing not too far in front of her. To her left, she could see the tracks of two animals in the snow. In addition, the snow around the tracks was thoroughly soaked with blood.

"I don't like this…"

Aurora pushed with all her remaining energy and made it towards the edge of the clearing. As she approached, something at the edge of her vision moved, which caused her to hide behind a tree trunk.

Aurora could make out the faint sound of footsteps, and something being ripped apart. Peeking out from the side, she could make out two figures standing on the opposite side of the clearing. She could see a man standing, holding out something with his hand to a boy. Behind the boy, a deer carcass lay beside a tree, the snow around it stained bright red. This didn't feel right to her, she was sure that she heard a wolf howl all this time. Yet, the only animal she could recognize was that deer carcass.

As she looked closer, Aurora noticed something seemed off about the boy. He only had rags for clothes that looked like they were paper thin, his hands and feet were completely exposed to the harsh cold. The boy also had two pointed ears covered in fur, one of which had a gaping injury.

Don't tell me, that's-

Before Aurora could formulate her thoughts, the boy raised his head and released another piercing howl, freezing her in place.

"Oi, Aurora!"

"H-huh…?"

She was pulled out of her daydream by Lulune. The black-haired chienthrope sighed in frustration as if she'd expected this to happen. Inside Aurora's bedroom, she and Lulune sat at a table filled with stacks of paper.

"We don't have much time. If you want to visit your siblings, you need to get this done by tonight!"

"Right...I'll try…" Aurora yawned.

Paperwork bored Aurora to the bone, this was the complete opposite of what she thought being an adventurer would be like. The ideal life she thought she would have after joining a Familia. The dream of going down to the depths of the Dungeon every waking hour, getting rich off slaughtering hundreds of monsters, was very quickly shattered.

Soon after she joined Hermes Familia, she was busy doing everything but accomplishing that dream. From meeting with informants to doing reconnaissance in suspicious areas, Aurora was forced to spend precious time outside doing useless and boring tasks. On some days when the rest of the familia was busy, Aurora would have to spend her entire day holed up in her Familia home, filing paperwork from dawn to dusk.

'Tch, day after day like this, I'm gonna strangle that stupid blonde god one day and leave for good!'

As the minutes passed by, Aurora's expression became sourer. Just the thought of her patron god made her sick.

"Thinking about beating up Hermes-sama again?"

Lulune looked at her with a judging expression.

"Huh? Why would you ever think that?"

"This isn't the first time, Aurora." Lulune sighed. "I know you don't have the best impression of him, but you always gripe about him so much that it's not hard to notice."

"Shut up, just let me finish my work."

"..."

With Aurora's ever-growing irritation, Lulune decided to not push her. The two went back to work in silence, the only sound coming from inside the room was the rustling of paper and the scribbling of pens.

Soon after, they finished their work and Lulune got shooed out of Aurora's room holding all their papers. As soon as she closed the door, Aurora took off her clothes and made herself comfortable in her bed, as if she'd been wanting to do that the whole time.

"Ow...ow.."

Aurora held her left shoulder in pain, which was wrapped up in bandages. Her injuries from the fight with the baby dragon had not completely healed, the pain sometimes stabbing at her when she moved it too much.

'Oh well, I better not let them see it, or else I'm never gonna hear the end of it.'

The thought of being able to meet with her beloved siblings prevented her from drifting to sleep. Her sister had been keeping in touch by sending letters occasionally, and they had planned to meet up tomorrow afternoon. One letter in particular has been digging at Aurora for a while. The topic in it was a cause for concern for all three of them, but the sisters decided to ignore it for now.

"I hope it's not as bad as you say it is, Yuna."

I was excited.

So excited that even though I told Yuna I would sleep early and be prepared, I ended up rolling in my bed the whole night. Even running halfway across Orario back home did not tire me out as much as I thought. There was no sign of exhaustion and my breathing was not laboured even a little. The power of Loki's blessing was no joke.

As a Level 1, my strength was already much greater than any normal person without a blessing. I knew that there were many adventurers who had pushed their limits and had impressed the gods with a feat worthy of levelling up. Finn, Riveria, Gareth and the rest of the veterans of Loki Familia were mostly Level 3 or higher. From what I recall from Riveria's lessons, there was a sort of point system for my various attributes, from zero to a thousand points per attribute.

Loki had let me take a look at my status sheet before, though I had no idea what any of them meant. Either way, my main focus right now would be training and studying. Once I get a hang of everything, Riveria would hopefully let me go to the Dungeon and finally start raising my "points".

I stared blankly at the ceiling above me, occasionally glancing over at my sister's bed. Her blanket was rising slowly up and down in a slow rhythm, and I soon found myself syncing my breathing with her own.

While I have been studying and training under Riveria and Gareth respectively, Yuna was doing so with the other members of the familia. While I was stuck in the manor, Tiona and Tione had been taking her down to the Dungeon to hone her skills. Secretly, I felt a little envious.

'…Just let me sleep, please.'

Two hours earlier.

Lefiya was cleaning herself up after her evening lessons with Riveria and her friend, Fen. She was in the girl's bath, which was situated on the top floor of the main tower. Inside, there was an array of showerheads separated by panels and a tub at the back of the shower room.

Lefiya first cleaned herself in the showers and then soaked herself in the small bath. The water in the bath and the showers were warmed up by using some sort of magic stone heater, they were able to heat and keep the water at a constant temperature more efficiently than a regular fire heater.

"Haahhh…." Lefiya sighed relaxingly.

Having a hot bath was the best way to relax after a stressful day, the hot water easily relieving the built-up tension in her muscles. This place was heaven to most of the female adventurers of the Familia.

"Oh, Lefiya! Didn't expect to see you here!"

"Eh?"

A girl waved enthusiastically at Lefiya from the other side of the baths. Her short brown hair was tied in a bun, her body was covered by nothing but a towel. Her cheerful tone was similar to Tiona's, and Lefiya instantly recognized the girl before she even looked up.

"Oh, Elfy!" Lefiya tried to return her smile. "Why are you here this late?"

"Ah, let me tell you about it!"

…

"I see, that does sound like Tiona alright." Lefiya chuckled.

"Right? That new girl, Yuna, was with us too. I told those two to not go too fast,

but they were so excited that they almost left us two alone in the Tree Labyrinth!" Elfy frowned as she recalled the events that happened earlier. "Good grief, if Yuna couldn't hold her own, we would've been in big trouble!"

"Yeah, I've seen her fight before." Lefiya nodded. "Her skill in archery is amazing."

"I know right!?" Elfy took off her towel and joined Lefiya in the bath. "I think she might be a better archer than Raul or Aki."

A fresh Level 1 adventurer with archery skills that rival a Level 4. This statement would sound like a joke to any other adventurer if they've heard it. But Lefiya had bore witness to Yuna's deadly archery skills, she'd been able to land her arrow on an orc's eye from far away without much trouble. With that, she was able to create a chance for Fen to kill the large orc for good.

"By the way, Lefiya. Were you eating alone with that boy Fen in the garden this afternoon?" Elfy's mouth curled up.

"Eh? N-no, no we weren't!"

"Ah...you're so dishonest with yourself." Elfy's mischievous smile grew wider. "Well, well. When I heard all about it from Aki, I didn't think it would be true either."

As it turns out, one of the strongest Level 4 adventurers in Orario, Aki had noticed the two eating while on a walk. The sight of an elf and a werewolf eating together was rare regardless of their position, status, or age. Lefiya, who had only been in Loki Familia for a short time, was known for her shyness. She would only talk to the higher-ups or her own roommate, anyone else would be met with rejection.

And when Fenrir and Yuna Ahlberg joined Loki Familia, Lefiya had started to hang around with them. This made for interesting gossip among the tables in the cafeteria, and it spread pretty quickly around the Familia.

This event only made the gossip worse.

"Woah, is this for real!?"

"Yeah, they were eating together in the garden. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Hoohoo! Lefiya's opening up, eh?"

"Tiona, I said to not spill your food everywhere!"

The Hiryute sisters, Aki and a few other members were sitting in their usual spot at the cafeteria. Aki had finished reporting to the captain and witnessed those two on her way back.

"Well, it's great to see those two getting along, huh?" Tiona took a bite out of her steak. "Fen's not the same boy I knew back in Daedalus Street anymore."

"Now that you mention it, you once said you were his mentor before he was recruited by Loki?" Aki asked.

"That's right! I met his sister Aurora a while ago." Tiona recalled. "She asked me to train him in exchange for her earnings in the Dungeon, but I offered to do so free of charge. Gareth is in charge of Fen's training now, but he said he would leave it to me soon after."

"Eh? That's so not like you."

"Hey! I helped someone I thought was trustworthy, there's nothing else to it!" Tiona rebutted.

"Ahh...so that's why I couldn't find you anywhere on and off back then, isn't it?" Tione said under her breath, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. "Tiona, you stupid…"

"Well, I plan to head to the Dungeon early tomorrow," Tiona announced. "I found a request this evening about Dian Cecht Familia paying big for a bunch of Iguazu Wings down in the Water Capital. Let's get the reward before anyone else can! Anyone else up for it?"

"I'll come along too." Aki stood up.

"I see, then let's meet up here first thing in the morning!" Tiona smiled excitedly.

"I'll come too, otherwise stupid Tiona will just get herself in trouble again."

My homework with Riveria was all done, my early morning training with Gareth was done. My muscles were aching, but I did not care for it one bit. I and Yuna were preparing to visit the Traveller's Inn, the home of Hermes Familia. Yuna had been keeping in touch with Aurora with letters since she left to live there, and they'd finally been able to plan to meet up now. It's been roughly a month since Aurora had left, the last time I've seen her was before I had even joined Loki Familia.

Compared to a month ago, so many things have changed in our lives. Now I was studying under the 'Nine Hell' Riveria Ljos Alf, and training with 'Elgarm' Gareth Landrock. I've thought about it many times in the short time I've been here, but I still couldn't believe it. With their help, the road to achieving my goals felt much clearer now. The end was still not in sight, but I hope it is going to be much easier from now on.

The weather is now becoming colder day by day. Even though our room was outfitted with a magic stone heating element, it took some time to warm up the room. As a werewolf, even if I had a natural resistance to the weather, I still hated the cold. It reminded me of the punishing cold me and my sisters had to suffer through once in Dragon Valley.

"Fen, here are your clothes."

A bundle of clothes dropped onto my bed beside me. Yuna had recently bought some thick clothes because of the current climate. In the bundle of clothes were a linen undershirt, a woollen tunic, a cloak and pants. Without question, I quickly changed out of my sleepwear.

Yuna was changing out of her nightgown only a few meders from me, her silky white hair contrasted by her fair skin was beautiful. Meanwhile, my own hair was a stubborn mess, even though I did my best to wash and comb it, my hair turns messy pretty quickly. There was no way I could avert my gaze from Yuna's perfect hairdo. It didn't occur to me that she had taken off her top.

Not before long, Yuna turned around and noticed me staring at her.

"Stop staring, it's embarrassing!"

"S-sorry." I turned my head away quickly. "I was just wondering…"

"Hmm?" Yuna asked while changing. "Anything troubling you? We're going to meet Aurora today, you know."

"No-nothing much," I replied. "I was just wondering about something."

A calm smile crept across her face. "Aurora is waiting for us, Fen. Let's not keep her waiting."

Yuna was right, I shouldn't be moping around wondering about other things on such a day. I want to meet my big sister so badly, tell her about all the things we've done. I want to impress her with stories of the adventures Lefiya, Yuna and I had in our time in Loki Familia and in the Dungeon.

I reached my hand out to the nightstand next to my bed. Opening the top drawer, I took out the headpiece Aurora had given me the last time I met her. Back then it shined bright golden and silver, but now its gloss had been blemished.

I should get this fixed before it gets too damaged.

I fix the headpiece onto my hair, the gold-plated wolf sneering with its silver fangs.

"I'm finished, how about you?"

Yuna stood in front of the door wearing a blond coat. We were supposed to be going out for a normal visit, but I noticed the clothing she wore underneath the coat resembled her normal ranger outfit.

"Yuna, wh-"

"Oh, I forgot." Yuna clapped her hands together as if she'd remembered something. "Bring your gear, bracelets, chain scythes, all of it."

"Eh, why?"

"Hmm-hmm," Yuna shot me a smirk. "You'll see."

Afterword: Hello there. :)