"Then, Ais, I'll leave the commission to you."

At the base of Babel, Orsted spoke gently to Ais.

"I'll pass your request to Tiona and the others," Ais nodded. "Goodbye for now."

She nodded to Lili and the others, then turned to leave.

"Orsted, you issued a commission to Sword Princess?" Eina approached curiously.

"Yep," Orsted nodded. "Didn't Lili and the others gain the development ability of leap?"

"To hone it, they need to spar with stronger opponents. I'm asking Loki Familia's High Class adventurers to be your partners."

"Will they agree?" Lili asked, worried.

In her view, High Class adventurers wouldn't stoop to sparring with lower-class adventurers like them for a commission.

Guiding their own Familia was one thing, but helping another was unheard of in Orario's competitive scene.

"I think it's possible," Tifa said, smiling.

"Brother Orsted must have a plan," Aerith added.

"I bet Orsted offered a reward Loki's Familia can't refuse," Senie said, grinning.

"Is it magic items, Lord Orsted?" Elenoir blinked curiously.

"Magic items, Grimoires—whatever I can offer, they can choose," Orsted replied, smiling.

He'd discussed this with Ais, asking her to relay it to Tiona and the others.

The rewards were priceless; only fools would refuse.

Money trumps pride—though he was half-joking.

"That should work," Eina nodded, optimistic about the commission's success.

"We'll wait for Sword Princess' reply," Lili agreed.

"Ais should answer by tomorrow," Orsted said. "Let's head back and have Hestia update your statuses."

He stepped toward Hearth Manor, and Lili and the others followed, laughing.

Orsted noticed odd glances from passersby but shrugged it off.

Since the war game victory, the Hestia Familia's fame had soared in Orario. Their mostly elven roster made them recognizable.

At Hearth Manor, Lili and Eina grabbed Hestia's arms before she could leap at Orsted, dragging her off despite her protests for "Orsted's hug."

Tifa and the others greeted Orsted and followed.

After slaying Goliath together, they were confident in ranking up and eager to update.

Orsted wanted to update too but stayed back.

He retreated to his bedroom, heading straight for the bathroom for a thorough wash.

Fighting the Corrupted Viola had left him bloodied.

He'd wiped off most of it, but the residue lingered, and he'd endured the discomfort on the return.

Now at home, he cleaned up immediately.

After his shower, Lili and the others finished updating.

As expected, all Level 1 members ranked up, their basic abilities hitting S.

Aerith, Senie, and Elenoir, like Tifa, achieved all S Rank.

Sun Breathing, fivefold status boosts, middle floor battles, and the Goliath fight made it possible.

Even mages trained other abilities.

Others didn't reach all S Rank basic abilities but hit S at some.

All gained the development ability of leap.

Since joining Hestia's Familia, they'd fought stronger foes with Orsted's magic items, traversing floors 15 to 17 at Level 1, crushing minotaurs.

It'd be odd if the ability didn't emerge.

"I didn't let you down, Lord Orsted," Elenoir said, handing Orsted the status parchments with a smile.

The other elves beamed at him.

"Congratulations," Orsted said simply.

His words lit up their faces with radiant smiles, their satisfaction palpable.

---

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