Hero Chapter 41: Easy Dive and Easy Loot... (Patreon)

Blue Papilio are rare variants, but they’re basically no threat—just treat them as flying bugs that spread poisonous scales.

For Keyaru, though, there wasn’t an obvious way to deal with them—because they fly.

He had no divine gear to extend Corruption into an area. And with so many rares in one place, just ignoring them? Not realistic.

A handful of Blue Papilio Wings would ease his money problems a lot.

So he pinned his hopes on the one-hand crossbow Lili carried.

“Think you can shoot them all down?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry about the poison. I’ll heal you,” Keyaru added, eyeing the shimmering dust.

“…”

Lili nodded, though it felt odd. Using the faint light from the lantern fruit, she sighted on a wavering Blue Papilio and pulled the trigger.

Thunk.

The bolt thwipped through the quiet; it hit dead on. A magic stone clinked to the floor, and the rest scattered.

With their speed up, aiming got harder—and even if she had enough bolts to kill them all, the scattered swarm gave her almost no time to take aim.

She wanted to help in the Dungeon.

Her gut twisted; Soma Familia had taught her that the best way to keep a relationship is to show your value.

At last she pulled her trump card: a red magic sword from her pack.

Gripping it in both hands, waiting for the Blue Papilio to cluster again, she set her jaw and activated the fire-type blade.

Mana surged.

Brilliant fire burst from the sword, lighting the tunnels in an instant.

A dragon’s spiral of flame tore through the Blue Papilio; the sheer damage wiped them out. Magic stones rained to the floor—along with crystalline blue wings.

“All done.”

When the last rare fell, the magic sword dulled and went dark. Lili straightened her back and started collecting the loot.

Knowing what a magic sword costs—and how special they are in Orario—Keyaru’s gaze on the girl was a little complicated.

It was her bottom-of-the-chest trump, and she’d used it on butterflies?

It didn’t quite match his image of her as selfish—but after a moment’s thought, he understood why.

As she handed over the take, things went exactly as expected.

She tipped up her chin, a faint smile playing at her lips. “I’ve never been in another Familia, but… this is just how Soma Familia is, right?”

“Only profit keeps relationships stable.

“And you’ve already done a lot to help with Soma Familia. I should show my value on things like this.”

“You’re very clear-headed.”

Before the main story even starts, Lili’s a prum—barely fifteen. The environment made the personality. Keyaru didn’t mind it.

It beats those “karen” back home who wanted to die at the drop of a hat.

“It’s a little weird…”

“But I’ll take it as a compliment,” Lili said with a helpless smile, flashing two slightly babyish, playful fangs.

After a short time together, Keyaru’s impression of her…

Different from the stereotype of adventurers. Hard to say about his personality—but the key thing is he’s outside a Familia. He might be her last shot at getting free!

After they finished picking up the rare drops, Keyaru and Lili kept exploring the floor. They ran into small types—Needle Rabbits, Purple Moth, and the like.

No trouble at all.

Their tiny size meant they couldn’t threaten him.

“That’s probably enough for today.”

Feeling his stamina spent again, Keyaru said they should head back. He couldn’t say the exact time, but hunger never lies.

Time is tight, but safety comes first. At night, spawns get more frequent and danger rises fast.

The withdrawal went smoothly.

To keep Lili from being grabbed again by Soma Familia, he reminded her:

“Before we hit Orario, use your magic to disguise yourself. Grab your important things and move—it’s best not to be found.”

“No problem.”

If she was taken back to Soma Familia, the outcome was obvious. When no one was around, Lili used Cinder Ella to alter her appearance.

Going off her own imagination, the result—

Brown hair to match Keyaru’s, features tweaked; furred cat ears on top and a lively tail behind. Even on close look, she’d read as a cat-person.

“Ears—correct.

“Tail—correct.

“My suggestion? Dye the hair silver too—use Loki Familia’s werewolf Bete as a reference,” Keyaru said, appraising.

To match the image of Setsuna he had in mind, Lili still lacked that bone-deep wildness—but this was more than enough.

“Okay.”

She didn’t question him, and shifted her hair color as requested.

She didn’t have time for doubts—she was more curious how she’d actually leave the Familia. Especially the line Keyaru had fed Drake.

Toppling Zanis’s control?

As they were about to pull out, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Is your method really to overthrow Zanis? Was that ‘lead’ real?”

“Why do you think so?”

“…Besides God Soma, you’re the second person who knows my magic. Knowing a few of Orario’s secrets seems normal.”

Blunt logic. The answer she got was Keyaru rubbing both hands roughly through her hair—and a casual line that would make anyone’s jaw drop.

“Let the Ganesha Familia handle ‘justice.’

“As for how to get you out…”

Keyaru frowned in thought. As for whether to overturn Soma Familia and seize it by rewriting memories?

Don’t be ridiculous.

Soma isn’t some useless god.

And if it got out that he could rewrite memories and remake personalities, that would blow up in Orario—very different from Heal.

The latter just means if he’s strong enough, adventurers will break down the door to throw money at him.

The former?

Even if he were stronger, Orario wouldn’t tolerate an adventurer who can alter memories and control people at will.

To break the game, raw strength is key.

He spread his hands, matter-of-fact:

“Isn’t the answer simple? I’m Level 1 now—if I met Zanis, I’d have to call him ‘senpai.’ But if I break through in the next stretch…”

“Who’s calling who ‘senpai’ gets a lot less clear!”

“???”