The next morning, Orsted and the others were ready to explore dungeon.
Hestia, as usual, was still fast asleep in her room.
Orsted left a note for her, then departed with Lili and Tifa.
"By the way, Tifa, are you sure you don't want to wear any equipment?" Orsted asked, glancing at Tifa.
She looked much the same as when she'd been summoned, except for the pair of ordinary boxing gloves she now wore.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't like wearing equipment," Tifa replied with a smile.
"That kind of equipment isn't suitable for Tifa. She's better off fighting lightly like this," Lili chimed in.
As she spoke, Lili recalled the strength Tifa had displayed during their training session at the previous day.
She couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
Tifa's strength was impressive—perhaps not on par with Orsted's, but definitely greater than Lili's.
And Lili wasn't weak anymore.
She could now handle killer ants and hellhounds.
Yet Tifa's power far surpassed hers.
Lili suspected that Tifa could probably take on a Minotaur alone.
Hearing this, Orsted recalled scenes of Tifa's battles from his previous life and nodded in agreement.
Indeed, Tifa excelled in hand-to-hand combat and was incredibly agile.
Wearing equipment, even light armor, would only hinder her.
Although Tifa couldn't use Sun Breathing with her fists, Orsted respected her choice.
"Oh, by the way, today, besides the three of us, there's a new member joining our team," Orsted added, remembering that Lili and Tifa didn't yet know about Naaza.
"A new member?" Lili looked puzzled.
"Is it a girl?" Tifa asked with a smile, clearly intrigued.
"Why do you assume it's a girl?" Orsted replied, slightly exasperated.
"Haha, because you're so handsome, Orsted. It's easy for you to attract girls," Tifa teased.
"I'm handsome, thank you."
"But you're right—it is a girl."
"Naaza from the Miach Familia," Orsted revealed.
"Naaza?"
"Isn't she afraid of monsters?"
"We invited her several times, but she always refused," Lili said, surprised.
She knew very well that Orsted wanted Naaza as the team's pharmacist.
Lili greatly admired Naaza's potion-making skills and fully supported Orsted's efforts to recruit her.
However, despite multiple invitations, Naaza had always declined, citing her fear of monsters.
So it was unexpected that Naaza had agreed after just a few days.
What had changed?
Lili's expression shifted from surprise to curiosity.
Tifa, too, looked puzzled, though her confusion stemmed from not knowing who Naaza was.
Orsted nodded and explained Naaza's situation in detail.
"That's wonderful," Lili said, genuinely happy for Naaza.
She didn't feel the same defensiveness toward Naaza as she did toward Tifa.
Naaza didn't seem to have any romantic interest in Orsted, so Lili didn't see her as a "threat."
Tifa, on the other hand, was a different story.
Even though Tifa was a fellow Familia member, Lili couldn't help but feel a bit "hostile" toward her.
Of course, this "hostility" only surfaced when it came to Orsted.
Otherwise, Lili and Tifa got along quite well.
"It's great that she's able to overcome her fears," Tifa said, hearing Naaza's story for the first time.
She was genuinely happy for her.
Orsted, however, wasn't paying attention to their conversation at the moment.
He was too busy wailing internally.
"It's over."
"Freya's started again, hasn't she?!" Orsted thought, feeling the burning gaze from Babel.
"Damn."
Under Freya's intense gaze, Orsted forced himself to ignore the discomfort and continued chatting with Lili and Tifa as they walked toward Babel.
***
Meanwhile, on the top floor of Babel, in a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling windows, Freya stood by the window, looking down at the city below.
She was dressed elegantly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"After just two days, that child's soul has grown even more dazzling."
"It's truly irresistible. I want to hold him in my arms and cherish him," Freya murmured softly, her voice echoing in the room as she touched her chest.
***
At the entrance to the dungeon, Naaza was already waiting.
She stood there, hands clasped in front of her, exuding a gentle aura that starkly contrasted her previous demeanor.
"Naaza, congratulations on stepping out of the shadows," Lili said warmly as they approached.
"Thank you," Naaza replied with a gentle nod.
"You must be Naaza Erisuis, right? I'm Tifa Lockhart, the new member of the Hestia Familia."
"It's nice to meet you," Tifa said, extending her hand.
"I'm Naaza. It's nice to meet you too, Tifa," Naaza replied, shaking Tifa's hand with the same gentle expression.
While Lili and Tifa greeted Naaza, Orsted stayed quiet.
He was busy signing in.
Orsted hadn't expected the sign-in prompt to trigger when he met Naaza this time, as it hadn't before.
It was an unexpected surprise.
But surprises like this were welcome.
Orsted hoped there would be more of them.
---
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