Chapter 119

Chapter 120: The Maiden’s Resolve (First Update of the Day! Begging for Subscriptions!)

On the morning of the expedition.

The sunlight seeping through the window gaps naturally woke Izay up.

Today was a special day, and even his pre-dawn special training had been halted; he’d slept well last night.

Faint sounds of bustling chaos reached his ears—many of the guild members were already moving the houses needed for the expedition in the courtyard below, audible even from upstairs.

The sky was clear and cloudless.

In the courtyard of Twilight Manor, all the junior members were mobilized.

They were inspecting and organizing tents, spare armaments, more than thirty magic swords, and many other supplies, preparing for departure.

“Ah, Izay!”

Everyone was tense yet excited about today’s expedition. As Raul was directing the members, he spotted Izay, fully geared up, walking out of the mansion’s doorway.

“Good morning, Izay~”

“Hmm, good morning to everyone.”

After Raul greeted him, Izay responded to Raul and everyone nearby, followed by a cacophony of noisy greetings.

As one of the most recent additions to the Familial Group, the earlier joined seniors mostly harbored a great deal of goodwill towards Izay.

Especially since Izay always maintained a gentle and friendly attitude when interacting with everyone, making them like him even more.

The transportation of supplies progressed quickly, and by the time the first-tier adventurer officers of the faction arrived at the courtyard, it was already finished.

Everyone gathered in the courtyard, and the last ones to appear were the three demi-humans carrying spears, axes, and staves, the three leaders, and the goddess herself.

As usual, Loki placed her hands on her hips and began speaking, mainly saying things like “awaiting everyone’s triumphant return” and “everyone must come back alive.”

Though the members couldn’t remember how many times they had heard these instructions from their goddess,

they would never get tired of hearing them no matter how many times.

On this sunny day, the sunlight fell onto Central Square.

In the vast open space where eight main streets converged in the city center, there were already crowds of adventurers forming early in the morning.

Young boys and girls, as well as towering men, clad in their gear, set off with supporters to challenge the Dungeon.

Following the instructions, the group from Loki Familia, departing from Twilight Manor, took the North Street to arrive at this central square.

They carried several large cargo boxes filled with equipment and supplies, waiting at a distance from the northern gate of Babel Tower.

The banner emblazoned with the jester emblem, along with members of the largest faction in the city, drew the attention and discussion of the surrounding crowd. However, everyone was merely waiting for the departure signal.

For his first expedition, Izay inexplicably felt as if he were participating in a school spring outing with classmates during his student days.

The “teachers” (the three giants) were conducting the final headcount and inventory check before departure, after all, an expedition into the “deep layers” and even the “ultra-deep layers” allowed for no negligence whatsoever.

“Izay-sama, Izay-sama～～～”

“Hmm? Ryu and Hiel?”

Hearing someone call his name, Izay turned around to see two girls dressed in waitress uniforms, standing not far away and waving at him, looking just like neighborhood girls.

The waitresses who had specially come from The Bountiful Mistress tavern smiled at him.

“Izay-sama, here is the promised blessing before your departure, please accept it～”

“That… that one, please take it!”

Hiel gave off the same lively and adorable vibe as always, bringing warmth to the heart.

But Ryu was somewhat different.

This girl with slightly flushed cheeks, wandering eyes, and trembling due to nervousness, was completely unrecognizable from the usually cool-headed Ryu that Izay knew.

“Is this… a bento full of a maiden’s resolve?”

“Oh～ Izay-sama is truly perceptive, you’ve seen right through it! Do your best on the expedition, this is Ryu’s heartfelt wish, and mine was just made as an afterthought～”

“H-Hiel! What are you saying…”

“Thank you, Ryu, I will treasure this bento.”

“Who asked you to treasure it, eat it already!”

Ryu revealed an entirely different side from her usual self, causing Izay and Hiel to burst into mischievous laughter.

However, the two girls didn’t linger too long. It was early morning, and they had actually skipped the preparations at the shop to come find Izay. If they stayed too long and were discovered by Mama Mia, they’d be in trouble.

“Izay-sama really attracts the ladies.”

“Yeah, yeah, I hadn’t noticed until now. Izay is quite skilled at flirting with girls～”

“Heartbreaker!”

After bidding farewell to Ryu and Hiel, Amide, Tiona, and Tione, who had somehow appeared beside him, started teasing him.

Incidentally, the one who called Izay a heartbreaker was Refia.

Amide had come to deliver spirit medicines, a series of high-grade magical medicines she had personally prepared.

Everyone, including Refia, received a fair share, and so did Izay.

This wasn’t the faction’s doing, nor was it the same as when Izay previously went to purchase them himself.

It was the personal gesture of a maiden.

Around them, similar scenes were unfolding.

Adventurers who had personal relationships with members of the Loki Familia called out to them, presenting parting gifts, and some even cheered them on with smiles.

“All personnel, the expedition begins now!”

“This time as well, we will divide our forces into two groups while advancing through the floors! The first group will be led by me and Riviria, the second by Gress!”

“After meeting up at the eighteenth floor, we’ll make a dash for the fiftieth floor! Our goal is the floor we failed to reach last time!”

“But! We don’t need false honors built on sacrifice! You must swear to this light of the surface—that you will definitely return alive!!”

“OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!”

Not long after, the Halfling Tribe Leader stood at the front of the troops and shouted loudly, receiving an enthusiastic response from the gathered members below.

Under the gaze of the onlookers and with all members ready, the ‘Expedition’ commenced.

During the expedition, the main combat power of the faction often concentrated in the vanguard team leading the charge.

This was because anything could happen in the dungeon, and they had to handle any anomalies that might occur along the way.

To ensure the safe advance of the subsequent team responsible for transporting supplies and backup weapons, they had to fulfill their duties as the vanguard.

The first team invading the dungeon was led by Finn and Riviria, accompanied by six first-tier adventurers including Ais, Bert, Tiona, and Tione, forming a formidable lineup.

Besides them, among the supporting members, there were also many second-tier adventurers like Raul.

Izay, on the other hand, was assigned to the second group, led by the remaining leader, Gress, along with magic users like Refia.

This group had more people than the vanguard but moved rather slowly.

Because in the narrow upper levels, it was quite challenging for a large group of adventurers to advance.

This situation improved significantly in the middle layers, as they became wider, and the terrain wouldn’t resemble the cave-like formations found in the upper layers.

The two groups, divided into batches, advanced swiftly in a relatively light-hearted atmosphere.

The expedition team composed entirely of senior adventurers, in the upper-middle layers, moved sideways like crabs, encountering no opponents, and temporarily needing no concern for danger.