Chapter 368 - 368 - Advice from a Senior

Two in the morning.

The doorway of the Guild hall marked the boundary between two entirely different worlds.

Outside was a bitter night of wind and snow, the freezing gale flinging shards of sleet against the window frames; inside, the heating system and the fireplace together held a cozy, comfortable warmth. Passing through the office area, the reception area, and the quiet main hall, the group came to a stop before the great doors.

"The patron gods are surely growing impatient waiting for news back at their bases, so, everyone... let's part ways once again here."

"Goodnight, everyone."

Finn gave the others a nod, while Riveria gently drew up the hood of her elven cloak and performed an elegant, understated farewell. Then the two walked side by side into the pitch-black storm, their figures swiftly swallowed by the night.

"Tsubaki, Alise, Asfi..."

"Let's get together again soon."

Leon waved to his familiar friends, cinched the belt of his trench coat tight in the same motion, gave his fedora a light press onto his head, and let a breezy curve tug at the corner of his mouth.

Alise waved back with great energy, her whole arm swinging:

"Bye-bye~"

Asfi pushed up her glasses, her tone calm but laced with concern:

"Please be careful out there."

"Don't worry."

A sly smile flickered through Leon's eyes:

"Besides... I wouldn't mind signing for a few 'New Year deliveries' that come knocking on my way home."

After that loaded remark, he carefully tucked the contract parchment into the inner pocket of his coat, pressing it close against his body, then used a black leather-gloved hand to push open the heavy revolving door first. Cold wind and snowflakes surged into the hall in an instant, only to be sealed off behind him as the door swung shut.

"Happy New Year in advance, everyone."

"Well then, we'll be taking our leave too."

"See you another day, all of you."

Jeanne and Rose also dipped their heads slightly to the others, then quickened their pace to catch up with Leon, the three figures gradually blurring into the howling storm and the far end of the long street.

Only once the three of them had vanished completely into the wind and snow did the remaining few slowly draw back their gazes.

At that, Asfi suddenly spoke up softly, her voice carrying obvious confusion:

"You two... don't you think there's something strange going on?"

She turned to Tsubaki and Alise beside her, her eyes earnest behind her lenses:

"Going by the intelligence our Hermes Familia gathered after returning to Orario, Leon and the others' rate of leveling up seems just a little... hmm, off?"

"And not only that. In the battle a few days ago, setting Jeanne and Rose aside for the moment, just take that super wide-area annihilation magic Leon cast. The range it covered, the sheer power of it... no matter how you look at it, that's not the kind of thing a mere Lv.2 should be capable of."

"You two really don't find any of this suspicious?"

Hearing this, Tsubaki gave the young junior a knowing, meaningful look, a wry smile of understanding curling at the corner of her mouth. She raised a hand and patted Asfi's shoulder:

"Asfi, the waters of Orario... run a lot deeper than you imagine."

"Leon put it well: some things you can only grasp, not put into words. So just keep it in your heart. Why do you think Leon and the others flaunt their strength so openly, without the slightest attempt to hide it?"

With that, she gave a light shake of her head, casually threw on that thin outer robe of hers, and turned to stroll off into the vast falling snow.

Alise reached out and patted the still-dumbfounded Asfi too, lowering her voice a notch:

"See? Even you can tell something's off about them, right?"

She leaned in closer, her red hair faintly glowing in the dim light of the hall, her tone carrying the sigh of someone who'd been through something:

"But... what if I told you that Jeanne and Rose can go toe-to-toe with the Lv.6 Monster Rex, the twin-headed dragon Amphisbaena? Would that shock you even more?"

Asfi's small face went blank, and she stared at Alise in disbelief:

"Huh?"

"That's actually true?"

"I always thought it was just some wild, blown-up rumor floating around the city!"

"I-I mean, they're only Lv.2. Going up against a Lv.6 Monster Rex... isn't that a bit too unbelievable?"

Alise continued softly, at barely more than a whisper:

"Hehe, the other stars of that little story happen to be our familia. Hmph hmph, if they hadn't shown up to rescue us in time back then... our Astraea Familia might well have been wiped out completely."

She paused, as if seeing that scene all over again, and shook her head:

"You didn't witness it with your own eyes... just how ridiculous the strength they showed really was."

"Lv.2, Lv.1, whatever... like hell I believe that."

Asfi: "..."

So you all noticed something was off ages ago?

Which means I'm the only fool who actually went and said the quiet part out loud?

The corner of her brow twitched a few times, and then she sank into a long silence.

"There there, Asfi. As a senior adventurer, let me give you one small piece of advice."

"When it comes to dealing with people, sometimes you have to learn the art of 'playing dumb.' Not every single thing needs to be dug into all the way to the bottom, otherwise... people might just end up disliking you~~"

Alise blinked with a sunny smile, then waved goodbye and stepped off alone into the snow-swept street.

"...Playing dumb?"

Asfi stood rooted in place, her eyes filled with utter bewilderment.

By the time she finally came back to herself, the others who'd attended the meeting were long gone, leaving her standing alone and shivering faintly in the howling cold wind.

"Hss... so cold!"

She hurriedly wrapped her cloak tight, then walked out the door to a corner against the wall, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and swiftly pressed a mask over her face. The next second, her figure miraculously melted completely into the air.

"...Talaria!"

Fwoosh...

A soundless trail of wind suddenly swept up across the smooth blanket of snow.

In the next instant, Asfi, now in her invisible state, had already launched into the air, soaring toward the storm-shrouded night sky.

At the ankles of the knee-high boots she wore, two wings of light unfurled to either side. It was thanks to this pair of phantom wings that she could achieve the miracle of flight.

The Flight Boots, Talaria were a flying magic item crafted by the hands of Perseus, Asfi Al Andromeda herself. They were her exclusive armament, the only pair of their kind in the entire world.

From this alone, it was plain to see.

These boots by themselves were proof enough of her title as one of the world's premier magic item masters.

Perseus. A title well and truly earned.

...

...

"Hm?"

Trudging along a deep, secluded neighborhood lane, sinking ankle-deep into the snow with every step as she made her way home, Jeanne suddenly stopped. Following the sense relayed by Revelation, she lifted her head, narrowing her eyes toward some point in the storm-filled night sky, her expression thoughtful.

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