Chapter 185

Closing her eyes to still the turmoil within her heart, Alise slowly rose to her feet, turning around to face her familia with calm determination.

"There is a place we must go to before moving the bodies —a sanctuary meant for times like these," she said in a measured tone.

No one protested; they simply followed her lead as she set off into the eastern part of the forest.

The journey through the dense trees was cautious, each step taken while watching for potential ambushes.

Before long, the gentle sound of running water reached their ears, hinting at a creek hidden among the shadows of the forest.

As they approached, the steady murmur of water revealed a sizeable, flowing creek that brought a sense of calm to the group.

After they crossed the creek, the girls arrived at an inviting clearing.

This open space was nestled among tall trees and adorned with large, glistening crystals scattered around.

Above them, the branches formed an opening in the canopy that framed a breathtaking view: flower-like crystals that shone brightly in place of the sun, radiating a warm, soft glow.

The scene was so stunning that it stirred a deep sense of nostalgia in Lyra.

She remembered the first time they had discovered this hidden haven while exploring the eighteenth floor.

However, as their lives filled with growing responsibilities, none of them had revisited this beautiful refuge for a long time.

At a quiet moment, Alise halted her steps and said, "Now, Ryuu, Kaguya, take a deep breath." She paused to stretch and draw in a slow, deep breath, signaling the others to join her in settling their minds.

Once she was sure that everyone was calm, Alise continued, her voice gentle yet resolute.

"Kaguya, there is nothing wrong with valuing realism, and Ryuu, ambition is a strength in itself. None of you are wrong, so acknowledge it, and take a moment to relax instead?" she said.

Ryuu and Kaguya exchanged a look; the fierce energy that had driven their earlier conflict began to soften.

They stared at each other quietly before finally agreeing, albeit reluctantly.

"I suppose, for the sake of our captain and this beautiful refuge, I can forgive you," Kaguya remarked suddenly.

"And what does that mean, exactly?" Ryuu responded, her tone soft and playful as any trace of previous anger faded away.

For a brief moment, the Astraea familia stood together in silence, absorbing the serene beauty of their surroundings.

Their reflective quiet was interrupted when a familiar voice broke through the calm.

"I'm glad to see you two have made up. I was starting to wonder when I should join in," the voice said, causing the girls to instantly sit up, alert and curious.

"Relax—it's me," the voice continued warmly.

A rustling sound from above accompanied the revelation.

Before their eyes, a well-known figure descended gracefully from the tree with a gentle thud. "Draco," Lyra murmured in recognition.

"That's right, it's your friendly neighbourhood dragon-kin Draco-desu," Draco declared with dramatic flair, striking an amusingly cool pose.

Hearing his playful declaration, all the girls broke into hearty laughter.

Draco's lighthearted antics was a refreshing change from his usual demeanor.

"How did you even come up with that?" Lyra asked between giggles, wiping away a tear of amusement.

Draco grinned and said, "After watching you all deliver those embarrassing introductions so many times, I picked up a few tricks of my own."

"Hey, don't say our sacred art is embarrassing!" Alise interjected with a cute pout, her cheeks puffing slightly in mock offense.

Draco simply laughed off her comment and added, "Anyway, I'm glad to see you all cheered up." His tone, playful and affectionate, did little to acknowledge Alise's teasing protest.

"Hey, stop ignoring me," Alise protested with feigned anger.

After exchanging light banter, Draco sensed that the tension had eased enough for the girls to open up about their recent experiences.

"So, what happened?" he asked gently.

Almost immediately, the joy on their faces faded, replaced by somber expressions.

With a heavy sigh, Alise began recounting the events of the past hour.

.................

Earlier that day, when Lyra discovered the unfolding crisis and urgently reported that the evilus were attacking the 18th floor, Alise immediately rallied every member of her familia while Draco gathered his own group.

Initially, everyone planned to rush directly to the 18th floor to confront the threat.

However, as they made their way there, Draco began to realize that the evilus were not solely focused on the 18th floor.

They had also initiated smaller attacks on floors eight through sixteen using monster bait.

This strategy appeared designed to delay reinforcements coming from the surface.

This turn of events put both the Astraea and Bahamut familias in a difficult situation.

They had to choose between concentrating all their efforts on defending the 18th floor or splitting up to handle the additional threat.

In the end, Draco stepped forward and volunteered to deal with the monster bait issue personally, while the Astraea familia and his familia members focused on the crisis on the 18th floor.

His proven ability as a level 4 adventurer made it clear to everyone that he could manage the situation, so they agreed on the plan.

After successfully neutralizing the evilus who were spreading the monster bait, rescuing the stranded adventurers remaining on the affected floors, and quelling the chaos caused by the monster frenzy, Draco hurried back to the 18th floor to offer his support.

By the time he arrived, the battle had already ended.

Although he felt relief knowing that his familia members—despite being level 3 adventurers—were safe, Draco couldn't help worry about their mental health.

The amount and style of death was rather nauseating.

In later conversation with his familia members, Draco learned that Alise, Neze, Ryuu, Lyra and Kaguya had been at the forefront of the fight.

Using a pulse of energy, he quickly located them, observing that their physical condition was good, but mentally, they appeared exhausted.

Respecting their need for recovery, he quietly followed them until they were stable enough to speak.

..................

After listening carefully to Alise's account, Draco wore a contemplative expression.

The losses were mostly among level 1 and 2 adventurers, there were no deaths reported among fighters of level 3 or higher.

He began to question the enemy's motive: Why would the evilus target the relatively weaker level 2 adventurers instead of the ones with more potential?

Why attack on this particular day?

If the true goal had been to strike at the experienced fighters, then Orario would have suffered a massive blow in one swift action.

Instead, it appeared that the focus had been on what could be considered expendable cannon fodder—level 2 adventurers who had either reached their maximum potential or lacked the drive to advance further, these were the permanent residents of the 18th floor.

In his view, these individuals should hold little strategic value, so he struggled to understand why they were targeted.

Draco then pondered whether this attack was intended as a diversion or perhaps a subtle warning to the city.

Even though he possessed fragments of future knowledge, these were merely snippets gathered from online anime forums and did not provide detailed insights into the grim realities of Orario's dark age.

The situation was even more confusing in this alternate world, where the significance of limited information could quickly change.

As events continued to spiral beyond his control and the death count grew at a staggering rate, Draco found it hard to keep up with the mounting chaos.

Yet, despite everything happening around him, his sole concern remained the safety of his familia and friends.

This focus explained why he didn't struggle as much to fully process the many deaths; after all, he did not know any of those who had fallen.