An abandoned church, a secluded dwelling, and acting alone.
From all these clues, Lili could only come to one conclusion; Altair was an adventurer from a weak Familia!
Altair had an extremely powerful weapon in his possession, one that had the destructive power of a magic sword. For a small Familia to own such a weapon was a stroke of luck because it could help the Familia grow and even rise to prominence.
At the same time, it was also a misfortune for the Familia, as they lacked the strength to protect such wealth. A weapon of this caliber was the highest form of treasure for a small Familia, but with only two members, they simply couldn't defend it. The situation practically screamed, "We're weak! Come and rob us!"
After following Altair all the way to the church, Lili immediately assessed his current predicament.
This situation solidified her plan.
Having pinpointed Altair's location, Lili left. She no longer needed to wait for him at the dungeon's entrance. She knew where he lived now, and since it was a small Familia, there was nothing to worry about anymore.
After watching Altair enter the church, Lili quickly left and sought out a few of the more notorious adventurers.
Just as Altair had come to understand, although this world of adventurers might appear bright and joyous on the surface, the reality was that many of these adventurers were scum.
In this world, individual power holds more sway than collective law. Those with greater personal strength had more influence. Although this world was built on Familia groups, the power of individuals still determined the rules. For weaker Familia, a single powerful adventurer could easily crush them.
"A lucky brat who picked up a Goliath's magic stone?"
"Yes, adventurer-san. I was once assisting a high-level adventurer in the dungeon when we encountered a freshly spawned Goliath. The adventurer had no choice but to fight it since escaping was impossible. After a fierce battle, he managed to kill the Goliath with his powerful weapon, but then someone suddenly appeared, killed the adventurer, and stole both the weapon and the Goliath's magic stone."
"Oh, is that so?"
The Level 3 Adventurer, a man with the title Bloodblade, carried a massive axe and stared at the Chienthrope girl before him, grinning and showing his sharp teeth.
Don't ask why his title was Bloodblade while he carried an axe... titles were something the gods bestowed upon them.
"So, why are you telling me this?"
"Because I heard there are adventurers here who uphold justice."
"Uphold justice?"
Bloodblade looked at the girl before him, his grin widening.
The beastman girl's face was full of resolve.
"Yes, that's what I heard from an adventurer. They said someone here would seek justice. That adventurer was very kind to me and took me down to the dungeon with him. But he was killed by that evil person, and I want to avenge him."
Listening to the girl's words, Bloodblade burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha, yes, I love upholding justice! I can't allow scum like that to roam freely in Orario!"
"Tell me, where is this guy?"
"I managed to follow him unnoticed and found out where he's hiding."
The Chienthrope girl then gave Bloodblade the location of the church.
"Adventurer-san, please punish that evil man!"
"Don't worry, I'll give him the punishment he deserves!"
Bloodblade, carrying his axe, stood up, giving the girl a long, hard look.
"He'll get exactly what's coming to him."
With that, Bloodblade got up and left. As he stood, three more figures emerged from the shadows, following him.
The four-person group quickly headed toward the church. However, just like Altair, they didn't notice that Lili was following them too. She watched as the group made their way to the church where Altair was staying, and by then, night had already fallen.
They intended to strike under the cover of darkness, to ambush Altair while he was likely resting, and steal both his powerful weapon and the valis he'd earned from selling the Goliath's magic stone.
Yes, they were the scum of the adventuring world. They were known for ambushing and robbing other adventurers after a tough fight in the dungeon, or when their guard was down after a victory. They preyed on weaker Familia adventurers, waiting to seize their weapons and loot.
After all, in Orario, among the many gods, some didn't bother to manage their Familia at all. Many gods had come to the lower world just to have fun, so it wasn't unusual for their Familia members to be thugs, or even for some of the gods themselves to be.
These four were part of that crowd of thugs, though not even the highest level of scum.
Even Lili couldn't reach the more dangerous ones.
"This is the church, right?"
Standing at the entrance of the church, Bloodblade hefted his large axe and turned to confirm with his companions.
"Yeah, based on what the Chienthrope girl said, this should be the place. It's the only abandoned church in the area."
"Then it's got to be it."
Bloodblade swung his axe, smashing open the already dilapidated door of the church.
"Let's see who dares steal someone else's loot in the dungeon!"
As he entered the church, Bloodblade acted as if he was on a righteous mission, as though he was there to bring justice to the wrongdoer.
"Huh? No one's here?"
Bloodblade looked around in confusion.
"Boss, that girl said he was hiding in the basement."
"The basement, huh? Seems like he's one of us. Let's find the entrance."
Bloodblade led the group further inside, their footsteps creaking on the rotting floorboards.
However, after a few steps, they suddenly heard a faint beep.
Boom!
The church floor exploded, and all four of them were blown sky-high.
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