Chapter 67: Conversation with Liliruca!
Hibachitei.
This was the tavern Bete frequented most often before joining Loki Familia.
Shiro had been brought here once by the werewolf, and the tavern's signature honey drinks were quite good.
He chose this place because not many people knew him here, and the noisy environment was more suitable for hiding the upcoming conversation.
"What? A bottle of honey lemonade costs five thousand valis?! Are they trying to rob people?!"
"What are you complaining about? I'm paying for it anyway."
Shiro was a bit speechless.
The girl was very sensitive about things like money.
Every time they passed a clothing store, she would point at the most expensive clothes and say things like, "Why is this so expensive?"
"Oh, right, then I won't be polite anymore, adventurer-sama~"
After realizing she couldn't escape, Liliruca gave up trying to act in front of Shiro and even spoke sarcastically.
After finishing his honey lemonade, Shiro wiped his mouth and asked.
"By the way, I still don't know your name."
"Liliruca Arde. I don't know why a noble adventurer-sama like you would ask for my name. You'll forget it soon anyway."
Liliruca scoffed at his words.
If he were truly a good person, he would have already let her go.
He definitely had a purpose for bringing her here.
So, she didn't believe this kind of person would remember her name after they parted ways.
"You mentioned before that you're from Soma Familia. I'd like to ask about the internal situation of your Familia."
Shiro had previously asked adventurers from Hermes Familia about which Familias in Orario had a bad reputation and often engaged in petty theft.
Members of Hermes Familia were naturally happy to answer the questions of their savior.
And among the answers they gave, Soma Familia was also included in the list.
Generally, asking about the internal affairs of another Familia would be met with quick refusal, but members of Soma Familia weren't unified and loyal to their god, often with members robbing each other openly.
Sure enough, when asked about the internal situation within Soma Familia, the pallum girl slumped her shoulders and stared at the cup in front of her intently.
"Sorry, I can't tell you anything about my Familia's internal affairs."
"Looking at you, it seems like you're not doing well within your Familia. Why are you defending them now?"
"Adventure-sama, it's none of your business how Lili is doing..."
Looking at the stubborn little girl, Shiro took out Soma Wine from his Gift Card.
This was something he had requested from Loki under the guise of an alliance.
The red-haired goddess had held onto the wine and cried for a long time before letting go.
As soon as the Soma Wine appeared, Liliruca's eyes locked onto the bottle, her mouth involuntarily watering.
Thump, thump, thump—
Shiro tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pulling her focus back.
The girl, having regained her senses, clearly remembered what had just happened.
She looked at the bottle that had stolen her mind with fear.
The wine brought back unpleasant memories for the girl, and Liliruca yelled at Shiro in a breakdown.
"Take that thing away!"
"I was right..."
Soma was a renowned god of wine in Heaven.
Even his inferior wines were not something ordinary people could get in touch with.
For adventurers with weaker willpower, Soma Wine was like a poison.
Once they got addicted, they couldn't quit even if they wanted to.
Liliruca's reaction showed that she had definitely tasted it before, which was why she was both attracted and repelled by the Soma Wine Shiro had brought out.
But since she had an obvious aversion to Soma Wine, it was easy to handle.
"Let's make a deal."
"Deal..." Liliruca was still dazed, her eyes still filled with fear.
"You want to leave your Familia, right? I can help you, but in return, you have to do something for me."
Liliruca raised her head and looked at the white-haired boy.
"That's impossible... I tried to run away and live in other places, but they found me immediately... and it ended up hurting the kind people who took me in..."
"Well, the captain of your Familia is only lv2, right? I'm already lv4. Even if they find you, they'll be afraid of my retaliation and won't dare to touch you."
Adventurers in this world weren't some romanticized profession.
Anyone could become an adventurer as long as a god was willing to grant them Falna.
This led to a wide range of personalities among adventurers, some righteous and some greedy and cowardly.
Shiro didn't believe the captain of Soma Familia would risk angering a lv4 adventure to seek revenge on Liliruca.
However, hearing Shiro's words, the pallum girl's hands clenched tightly underneath the table.
As she had expected, this person wasn't some good person.
He was here for a purpose, and it had to be something important for a lv4 adventurer to make a deal with her, a mere lv1 supporter.
So, should she agree?
She recalled her own miserable appearance after being forced to drink the divine wine in her Familia.
She remembered being beaten by members of her Familia after earning money.
She remembered the death of her parents who died from their addiction to Soma Wine during an adventure.
"...What... what do you want me to do..."
Liliruca uttered those words almost through gritted teeth.
Even though she might be in danger, she still wanted to live a normal life.
"Are you sure you want to know? Just so you know, there's no turning back once you listen."
Shiro raised an eyebrow at the little girl.
She was mentally stronger than he thought, but what he was about to do would shake Orario.
Even if he could protect the safety of her life, it was questionable whether she had enough courage.
Therefore, this was her last chance to back out.
"Lili is scared... After all, it's something even a lv4 adventurer-sama like you wouldn't do personally... But... this is the only chance Lili has... Lili doesn't want to go back to that kind of life..."
"Is that so? Then come with me."
Having confirmed her sincerity, Shiro stood up and spoke to her.
…
Twilight Manor
"It's incredible, adventurer-sama, you're actually from Loki Familia."
"Sorry about that, I am from Loki Familia. And since we're partners, don't call me adventurer-sama, it sounds weird. Just call me Torajirou or Shiro."
"Yes, yes, Torajirou-sama, but why did you bring Lili to your Familia?"
"You'll know soon. Ah, we're here."
Shiro stopped in front of a door, knocked on it, and asked the person inside.
"Loki, are you available?"
"Just come in."
With Loki's permission, Shiro pushed the door open, and Liliruca followed behind him, trembling a little.
Why didn't he tell her about the deal involving a god?!
And it's the legendary trickster goddess, Loki.
So, is she getting tricked now?
As Liliruca's mind raced, Loki, sitting on her chair, drinking, saw the pallum girl behind Shiro.
She swirled her wine bottle and said.
"So that's her. The scapegoat you found."
It's over.
That was Liliruca's last thought before she fainted.
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