74 Chapter 74

As the night carried on, the Astraea familia and I engaged in extensive conversations, ironing out the final details of the expedition plans while Bahamut was off somewhere with Astraea herself.

Suddenly, Alise interjected with a tinge of guilt in her voice, "I feel bad about leaving for this expedition when so many people are trying their best to rebuild." I hadn't even realized when she had returned.

Letting out a sigh, I responded, "Alise, we have already done our part for the city. They are capable of rebuilding on their own. We are not the only familia in Orario, and we don't want the residents to become overly dependent on us. Besides, the evilus will remain inactive for at least a year or two after the losses they've suffered." I was resolute in my decision to not delay or cancel the expedition.

An awkward and silent air hung around us for a while before I broke the silence once more. "But if you truly feel the need to do more, you can stay with a few members on the surface. As for me and my familia, we will push through with the expedition regardless," I added, trying to offer an alternative solution.

"Ahem, Draco is right, you know. We can't do everything for the city. The Ganesha familia will be here to ensure things continue running smoothly in our absence," Kaguya chimed in, supported by agreement from Ryuu and Lyra, surprising me.

"But!" Alise muttered before giving up and falling silent.

'Wow, Alise really is a justice junkie,' I thought to myself. We spent the rest of the night chatting away until Bahamut emerged with Lady Astraea, who was clearly tired and yawning. It was a clear sign that it was time for us to bid farewell to the ladies of the Astraea familia and head home.

Gathering my things and carrying Lili in my arms, we set off on our journey home. Opting for the shortest route that passed by the Hostess of Fertility restaurant, I hoped they would be closed at this hour or the workers too engrossed in their tasks to notice me. I had promised Syr that I would visit from time to time but hadn't managed to do so, and I wanted to avoid any potential drama that might ensue. With a slight urgency in our steps, we walked a bit faster toward our familia manor.

As I pondered, I realized that the Gofannon familia would begin their work after we left for the expedition. I had already paid them the commission for their services.

"Draco, is that you?" a familiar voice called out, pulling me out of my thoughts. I immediately recognized the person—it was Syr. My initial thought in that moment was how cliché the situation seemed.

"Hello, Syr," I greeted her. Bahamut seemed uninterested and eager to head home, while Lili slept soundly in my arms.

"I'm glad to see that you made it through the horrible events caused by the evilus," I said genuinely.

Syr replied with an eerie smile, "I'm glad to see that you're okay too."

"By the way, do you remember our promise?" Syr inquired, phrasing it as if there was something special between us. It felt peculiar, but I didn't want to delve too deeply into it.

"Hmm, I remember saying that I would drop by from time to time. I apologize for not fulfilling that promise—I've been incredibly busy, and when I finally had some free time, the evilus events unfolded," I responded. It was a simple excuse, but it was all I could think of on the fly.

"I see," Syr flatly responded to my excuse, but she still had a bright smile on her face. I noticed that she kept glancing at Bahamut for some reason, but I decided not to ask.

"So when do you plan to drop by?" Syr asked.

"Hmm, I will not be within the city for a while, so when I get back," I replied. Syr's expression quickly changed, but she returned to her usual smile.

"Where are you going?" she asked, acting concerned. Honestly, it was weird speaking to her like this, especially when you are aware that she knows pretty much most things occurring in the city.

"Now, that's an adventurer secret," I playfully replied. She pouted for a bit before giving up, which was odd for Syr, but I wanted to go home quick.

"How about coming in to have dinner here?" she asked, while gesturing at the restaurant.

"Sorry, I have to get home soon as you can see," I replied, gesturing at the sleeping Lili in my hands and the sleepy Bahamut at my side. Besides, I had dinner with Hephaestus and Tsubaki at their familia manor earlier, plus the snacks at the Astraea familia manor too.

"Perhaps some other time, when I am less occupied," I added.

"Okay," Syr replied with a strained smile. Sigh, it wasn't that I saw Syr/Freya as a bad person, but she wasn't someone that was easy to tame. "I will definitely drop by next time," I said before bidding her a goodnight and resuming my journey home.

After arriving home, I took Lili and Bahamut to their rooms before going to take a bath and went to bed.

........

Time flew by and the day of our long-anticipated expedition had arrived. The entire familia was already prepared to embark on our journey, and the Gofannon familia had come to bid us farewell and start working on the repairs for our beloved familia manor.

News about Bahamut and my newfound relationship had spread like wildfire throughout the familia, courtesy of Lili. It began with the girls, but somehow, it reached the ears of every member. As a result, I was bombarded with embarrassing questions, but Bahamut was surprisingly open about everything.

As we made plans for our departure, we had to decide whether she would stay behind in the manor or not. Bahamut had three options: staying alone, staying with Astraea, or staying with Hephaestus. In the end, she chose to stay with Hephaestus. I could only hope that she wouldn't say anything strange to her or Tsubaki.

Alise, on the other hand, had decided to stay with some members of the Astraea familia and help patrol the city, which was completely fine with me. Initially, I had planned for my familia to venture into the dungeon alone, but the Astraea familia joining us was just an added bonus.

Our plan was to establish a base on the 18th floor, which would have been repaired by the dungeon by now. Once that was done, the most intense training montage for my familia would commence.

I had envisioned a gruelling training regimen, but as long as they didn't die or become permanently disabled, I was determined to push them beyond their limits.

There was also a possibility that one of my hidden skills was a team growth booster, although it had not been confirmed yet. The rapid growth of my familia members was difficult to explain otherwise.

"Is everyone ready?" I yelled, my voice filled with exhilaration. "Yeeeesss," they replied enthusiastically. We were supposed to meet the Astraea familia at the entrance to the Dungeon. We had gathered all our supplies in large dungeon bags, and I had a secret weapon – a little something extra called 'Monster bait.'

"Morning, Ryuu, Lyra, Kaguya, Neze, Celty, Iska, and Asta," I greeted them cheerfully. It suddenly occurred to me that the only human in our group venturing into the dungeon was Kaguya; the rest were of different races, which I found amusing.

"Morning, Draco," they responded with the same level of energy. We did a final check to ensure that everything was gathered before we began our descent into the depths of the dungeon.

I had also collected a few repeatable quests from the guild to earn some extra Valis. With everything in place, we finally entered the dungeon, hoping to emerge stronger and better than ever before.

A/N: Felt the slice of life parts were getting a bit too long and some action scenes were needed so kinda skipped the whole familia reaction part about Bahamut and Draco but hope it turned out ok.