"Che! Calling us here over something so trivial—have you lost your mind, you fat pig?"
The bristling catman glared at the obese elf before him, his face filled with undisguised disgust.
The Guild's chairman, Royman, was technically an elf, but his appearance differed greatly from the usual image of one. Because of that, he had earned the nickname "the Guild's pig."
Facing a somewhat irritated Level 6 adventurer, even as the Guild's chairman, Royman could not help but tremble slightly.
"Try to restrain yourself a little, Allen."
As the current captain of the Freya Familia, Ottar's words still carried weight with most of those present—but Allen was not among them.
What a joke!
The Freya Familia was notorious for its internal discord. Many of its members would gladly kill the captain to take his place, so Allen naturally had no intention of giving Ottar any face.
"Don't think that becoming captain means you can order me around!"
Quite a few members from other Familias found this hard to watch, but none of them had reached Level 4. Speaking up rashly could very well bring disaster upon their own Familia.
Forget it, forget it.
We're just here to listen—why get involved?
"Sigh... the discussion won't go anywhere like this, Allen."
Finn let out a sigh. As the Braver, he himself did not fully understand why they had been summoned to this meeting. However, judging from Loki's expression when she mentioned it, there was likely some hidden reason behind it.
"For everyone's sake, let's begin discussing the city's issues as soon as possible so that we can all return early..."
"Don't say my name with that filthy mouth, you disgusting pallum! It makes me sick!"
Finn tried to intervene, but Allen showed him no courtesy either. His tone was filled with hostility toward those from other factions.
"Setting rules for the city? Why even discuss something like that? Just beat up anyone who disagrees!"
Allen's words made many frown, yet no one dared to speak.
"Please refrain from speaking like that, Goddess' Chariot. This meeting was not convened at my request. It has been approved by Lord Ouranos and tacitly agreed upon by all your patron deities. In other words, Lady Freya herself acknowledges this matter."
Though Royman was not particularly impressive in appearance, his capability as Guild chairman was unquestionable.
For example, at this very moment, he brought up Freya to pressure Allen. Even though Royman himself remained nervous, how could Allen oppose Freya?
"Tch. Then hurry it up!"
Thus, with a displeased expression, Allen folded his arms and stepped aside, clearly uninterested in the matter.
"Then let us begin!"
As the meeting officially started, everyone pricked up their ears, eager to hear what the Guild chairman intended to say.
What happened next, however, made their eyes widen.
"Now then, I would like to invite Elise of the Astraea Familia to explain the details."
As Royman spoke, the adventurers were stunned. Even Alise and Gojouno Kaguya, who belonged to the same Familia as Elise, were shocked.
Our Familia may rank among the top in Orario, but establishing rules for the entire city... isn't that inviting too much hostility?
"When did our Familia become this powerful?"
"Don't ask me—how the hell would I know?"
While Alise and Kaguya thought this way, the captains and vice-captains of the other major Familias naturally came to the same realization.
Was the Astraea Familia strong?
Everyone would answer yes. Being able to rank among the top four in the entire city—even with members all under twenty—was enough to prove their excellence.
But above them still stood the towering presences of Freya and Loki. They had numerous Level 5s and Level 6s, and Ottar himself was Level 7—a full three levels above Elise!
No matter how strong Elise was, could she really fight across three levels?
At this moment, everyone's attention was fixed on Elise. Yet no one noticed that a few individuals had expressions entirely different from the rest.
First was Ottar. The powerful boaz showed no dissatisfaction at all. He simply watched Elise quietly, as if everything unfolding was perfectly natural.
The three leaders of the Loki Familia were somewhat surprised, yet they also felt this outcome was reasonable. After all, they had discussed Elise before—her strength might very well surpass Ottar's.
"In that case..."
Finn stroked his chin, beginning to understand why the Guild had convened this meeting.
So it was because Elise had some connection with the Guild—or rather, with Lord Ouranos.
In other words, although this gathering appeared to be a "meeting," it was actually meant to "establish authority."
At that moment, Finn glanced toward the Freya Familia's side—or more precisely, toward a certain catman.
If this was about establishing authority, someone would be needed to play along. And naturally, the more famous and powerful the Familia, the better...
In all of Orario, aside from their Loki Familia, the only group that met those criteria and could face the Astraea Familia was the Freya Familia.
Unfortunately, while the Loki Familia had some interaction with the Astraea Familia, it was not particularly deep.
As for the Freya Familia...
Finn had even heard rumors that Freya had privately invited Astraea for tea. That could hardly be a coincidence.
According to gossip, Freya and Astraea were famously on good terms!
"This should be interesting..." Finn smiled, feeling a rare sense of amusement. "Though afterward, there will probably be even more matters to deal with."
"Hey! If we're setting rules for Orario, since when did it become your turn to speak?"
Having barely fallen silent, Allen stepped forward again, glaring at Elise with displeasure.
"Is there a problem, Goddess' Chariot?"
Elise tilted her head, completely unfazed by the Level 6 adventurer whom everyone else regarded with awe.
"I heard you just reached Level 4 not long ago?"
"Yes. Since the Guild has released my information, it is naturally accurate. I have indeed advanced to Level 4."
Sensing Elise's attitude toward him, Allen's expression gradually turned more ferocious.
"So you think a Familia with only a single Level 4 can point fingers at the entire city?"
"Don't joke around!"
"Even if we had no such intention, it's not something trash like you has the right to touch!"
Allen's words were harsh, yet some adventurers agreed with him.
With a Level 7 in Orario, would the city really allow itself to be dictated by a mere Level 4?
Even with the added reputation of Stigmata, it still seemed insufficient. After all, outsiders valued levels above all else. With such a large gap, doubt was only natural.
Are you still dreaming?
However, Elise simply made a gesture with her fingers, as if measuring something small.
"I think it's quite appropriate. After all, in terms of strength, I'm just a little bit stronger than you."