Chapter 484

Chapter 491: Past Familial Groups (Please Subscribe!)

The young waitress girls in the tavern all have more or less unknown pasts; handling troublemakers has become second nature to them.

An out-of-control man drew everyone’s attention but was thrown out without causing any commotion.

After slamming him outside and closing the door, Mama Mia nodded approvingly at Kuroi and Lunowa nearby the counter.

Nice work, quick and clean—worthy of her training!

Ryu, coming out from the kitchen with a tray, slightly regretted not having a chance to join in.

But she quickly dismissed it. For her, work came first. Once done, she could relax during her free time.

Later, even if she chats with Izay, Mama Mia wouldn’t say anything.

Chatting while working? Honestly, that means getting docked pay—and enduring teasing from Kuroi and the others.

“Earlier, I heard something unsettling… What happened?”

As the shop returned to its usual calm, Hiel tilted her head and asked indifferently.

Her vast experiences told her getting involved would be troublesome.

But now, maintaining her neighborhood girl persona, she couldn’t ignore it.

Sigh~ (A certain Goddess kitty sighing.jpg)

Hearing Hiel’s question, the disheartened human woman mechanically recounted the story.

Her name is Karul, her husband’s name is Thorn.

They are an ordinary couple living in the city, making ends meet by working in a magic stone product factory and store, residing in the western district’s residential street.

However, Thorn is obsessed with gambling, his addiction leading to today’s incident.

This morning, local hooligans came, took Karul’s daughter, evicted the couple from their home, and they ended up here looking for somewhere to talk.

Until just now… after clearing things up, the two burst into conflict and were surrounded by onlookers.

After hearing Karul’s story, Hiel sympathetically patted her shoulder, already expecting the headache.

Kuroi and the others, who overheard while working, all looked dumbfounded.

The sensitive elf, Ryu, stopped walking, her eyes clearly showing blame and disdain—not toward Karul, but toward her irresponsible husband Thorn.

The latter, who passed out when thrown out earlier, lay unconscious on the ground.

To prevent him disturbing customers and to pay his bill, Mama Mia had Kuroi drag him back, much to the cat-eared girl’s grumbling.

“I…I had no choice… They said it was just for fun, but after losing several rounds, they turned on me! Threatening me if I didn’t pay… they’d take my house as debt repayment, and it spiraled out of control.”

Thorn, dragged back, faced his tearful wife again, his voice growing quieter.

And throughout, he claimed being manipulated, only realizing his mistake too late.

“Even losing the house would’ve been better than losing your daughter, right?” Izay interjected, recalling the situation.

He already understood the reason but still couldn’t comprehend these gambling addicts’ mindset.

It was like watching horse racing where no one cheered for his favorite Mi Bath angel winning, only jeering instead.

Because everyone wanted to bet on the Triple Crown horse’s victory!

Damn, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got! (Incompetent rage.jpg)

“At that time… I’d already lost the house… Those ruffians threatened me, saying if I agreed to use my precious daughter as a bet, they’d give me another chance, wiping the debt clean if I won…”

Thorn could only lower his head in response to Izay’s question.

Izay rolled his eyes in disbelief.

Alright then, nothing else to say—gambling addicts deserve their fate.

“Could the person you gambled against be an adventurer?” Suddenly, noticing something, Hiel slowly asked.

“Yes, they’re a group of rogue factions made up of different familial groups…”

Upon hearing this, Ryu paused mid-service to new customers, her sky-blue eyes flashing with doubt.

Adventurers gambling with commoners… That’s highly unreasonable.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. This applies to Orario as well.

Even the freewheeling deities mostly interact with familiar adventurers or their own familial groups.

Ordinary citizens might occasionally see gods around town.

But trying to strike up a conversation is basically impossible.

Same goes for adventurers.

Proud adventurers wouldn’t initiate gambling with commoners.

There must be a reason, which made Ryu curious.

She’d seen such “tactics” before—staking out targets, setting traps, purposeful gambling… or rather… crime!

“Would you mind introducing your daughter Anna?” Ryu set aside her work momentarily and asked.

Caught off guard by her sudden inquiry, the grieving couple hesitated but eventually responded haltingly.

She was described as a gentle, elegant, and exceptionally beautiful girl whose beauty was praised by deities, even receiving marriage proposals from male gods, though all were politely declined.

Since she worked at a flower shop, she often appeared in public.

In short… a perfect target.

After hearing this, Izay chuckled wryly, making a silent judgment.

This likely wasn’t a random case of a gambling-addicted father selling his daughter.

The other side probably targeted this girl from the start, using her father’s gambling habit to “legally” abduct her.

Gray industries abound in Orario, including many similar cases.

Even Spring Maiden Haruhi experienced something like this in the past.

Rescuing and redeeming such abducted people is incredibly difficult.

Even seeking help from powerful factions like Ganesha’s wouldn’t yield immediate results.

They maintain order across the vast city daily, unable to handle every individual case.

Moreover, with no money left, the couple couldn’t even post a quest at the Guild.

In the end, they could only sit in a corner of the tavern, heartbroken.

“If only the Astraea Familial Group still existed…”

Lost in sorrow, Karul accidentally recalled memories of the past.

“That group has dissolved, stop bringing it up…”

“But if Lady Astraea were still here, she would surely help us… Why did such a kind-hearted faction have to disappear?!”

Remembering the faction that fought injustice during Orario’s darkest times and worked tirelessly for peace, Karul seemed to snap her last emotional thread, breaking down in tears.

Thorn, crushed under the weight of his undeniable responsibility, fell silent.

As other patrons pretended not to notice, Hiel and Aniya discreetly observed Ryu’s expression—they knew her past.

Izay silently finished the last sip of wine in his glass.

“The golden card from the Orario Grand Casino… I think I have one lying around somewhere…”