Chapter 524

Chapter 531: Pursuing Gradual Progress (Please Subscribe!)

The magic ritual conducted by the male heretics took Izay over an hour to complete.

During this period, not only were there more people involved, but the difficulty of the transformations was another issue.

On average, Brown and his group took ten minutes to finish their magic rituals.

Mary, however, needed only two minutes.

This was because the heretics who looked more human-like or demi-humans found it easier to transform.

After all, they only needed to change what they didn’t have.

Unlike Brown and the others… it was like a full-service plastic surgery, makeup, photo editing, and wardrobe change.

Looking at the several “brand-new” Beastfolk youths in front of him, Fels couldn’t help but feel a sense of unreality.

Originally towering beastmen, giant water snakes, strange sea elephants, and even large blue crabs now stood eye-to-eye with him in height.

The disparity, the inexplicable feeling… Fels couldn’t describe it.

But at the same time, seeing these “comrades” in their new forms, Fels genuinely felt happy for them.

Finally, they could walk around openly!

However… that was the future, not now.

Currently, they still needed time to adapt to their new bodies and recover from the weakness caused by the depletion of magic stones.

In the meantime, Fels also had to inform them about some basic living knowledge in Orario to prevent them from making fools of themselves due to ignorance.

In the future, identities and residences within Orario would need to be arranged for the heretics.

They couldn’t continue being undocumented residents, could they?

Once they had complete identity information, they could try joining one of the deities’ Familial Groups, which would be the best way to cover their tracks.

Fels already had a target in mind.

It was the third-largest faction in the city, the Ganesha Familia!

The heavenly deity Ganesha was among the very few deities aware of the existence of the heretics. Like Uranus, this deity accepted the heretics’ existence, recognized their aspirations, and even provided assistance.

The “Monster Festival” was created for this very purpose.

By joining the Ganesha Familia, the heretics would also receive protection from Ganesha.

Of course, whether or not to join was entirely up to Brown and the others. Fels wouldn’t force them into any arrangements.

If they disliked the idea, continuing to work with him in the shadows wasn’t a bad option either.

Serving as hidden forces around Uranus would also be a commendable choice.

Speaking of the present… Brown and the others were unaware that Fels was already planning for the future.

At this moment, they were heading towards the upper levels of the maze.

Their destination was the “Secret Area” of the Great Tree Maze.

There, many weaker heretics who weren’t suitable for long-distance travel to the lower layers were waiting.

The tree dragon Guru was also among them.

From the beginning, Fels had agreed with Izay to perform the transformation magic on all of them together.

Apart from those currently active in the deeper levels like Reed and Guros, the rest of the heretics who could be helped would be helped first.

As for Reed and the others… they’d have to wait until the next opportunity.

……

Approximately two and a half hours later, the “Secret Area” of the Great Tree Maze.

“What do you plan to do next, Fels?” Izay glanced at the group of humans and demi-humans in front of him, throwing the topic to the sage beside him.

He had already completed the magic rituals for the heretics. About two-thirds of the heretics had successfully transformed and were now familiarizing themselves with their new appearances.

The next step was how to arrange them.

“Hmm… Would you mind helping me out with a few? Even just a couple wouldn’t bother me～” After pondering for a moment, Fels shrugged charmingly.

From a practical standpoint, having dozens of adventurers in Orario was already beyond the scale a regular faction could possess.

Even if he asked for help from the side of the deity Ganesha, it wouldn’t be possible to accommodate everyone at once.

It would raise too many suspicions.

At this point, the more places available to settle the heretics, the better.

“Now I can’t, you know my situation… Loki Familia can be unexpectedly stubborn sometimes.” As he spoke, Izay’s expression turned somewhat helpless.

He temporarily declined Fels’ request.

Even with Mary looking at him with teary eyes, Izay didn’t change his mind.

Because involving the Loki Familia in taking care of a few heretics would definitely require the consent of Loki and Finn.

In other words, Loki and Finn needed to be informed and agree to this matter.

Although… Izay had long planned to reveal everything to his companions at home.

But that required a gradual process.

Giving some buffer time, Izay was confident he could convince all his companions, including Ais, to accept the existence of the heretics.

As for Loki, the main deity… Izay knew her well enough not to worry about her attitude.

That person was the type who could casually call someone “Rei Sister.”

If Loki became aware of Mary and Rei’s beauty, she might immediately betray her own side.

Just like during the decisive battle against the Moon World Monster Warline.

Loki was the type who, upon seeing Tiamat, could decisively abandon the Sage King and run over to hug Tiamat’s legs while calling her “Mom!”

She’s a lolicon pervert!

After hearing Izay’s refusal, Fels quickly thought, “Oh… seems like the Loki Familia isn’t feasible for now… What about the Artemis Familia?”

Izay’s face instantly gained a few black lines. “Are you treating me like some kind of convenient tool!?”

The Artemis side would also need prior explanations before anything else!

After all, they had no clue about the background.

“Hmph… How could I… I’m just thinking for Mary here～ This girl has already set her sights on you alone.”

In response to his doubts, Fels slowly offered an explanation.

His words seemed flawless, but Izay wasn’t buying it.

With a completely “I don’t believe you” expression.

Clearly, Fels was chasing efficiency but lacked the confidence to quickly settle all the heretics himself, so he was trying to rope Izay into the plan.

This made Izay somewhat speechless.

“I said… Why do you bring all of them to Orario at once? Can’t you do it in batches? Do you understand the concept of gradual progress? I just emphasized that!”

“Uh…”

That made perfect sense…

Fels scratched his head through his hood, slightly embarrassed.

If he still had a sense of shame, maybe Fels would have blushed right now… Earlier, he had been too hasty.

For these past dozen years, Fels had been moving forward for the “Promise.”

And now, with only one step left to fulfill this “Promise,” Fels couldn’t help but feel anxious.

It was akin to seeing the object of your pursuit right in front of you, wanting to grab it without hesitation.

“Indeed, Izay is right, Fels. Staying longer in the Dungeon isn’t such a bad thing. So much time has passed, we won’t rush this day or two. We are already incredibly grateful for your help.”

At this moment, Lei, who had been listening to their conversation, smiled gently and advised.

After becoming human, losing the characteristics of monsters (songbirds), she appeared much more graceful, her demeanor leaning slightly towards that of an “elder.”

As one of the eldest among the heretics, she usually played the role of a caring older sister to her comrades, likely due to the environment and personality formed over a long period.