Chapter 671

The next day, inside the Soma Familia headquarters, a group of drunks lay sprawled across the hall floor or slumped over tables, while the already-awake Pallum girl quietly slipped out of there.

Once she reached the outside, her steps grew light as she hurried toward the Central Square.

By the time she arrived over here, two people were already waiting for her.

"Broly-san, Bell..."

The Pallum girl waved from afar, calling out to them, and jogged the whole way over.

"Miss Lili, good morning. Have you eaten? Want some fried potato balls and a sandwich?"

After the Pallum girl ran up close, Broly held out the things he had already prepared for her and asked.

"Eh?"

Liliruca was a bit surprised; she hadn't expected that not only dinner but even breakfast could be gotten for free.

"Thanks, Broly-san!"

She said a word of thanks, then accepted what the boy handed over.

"You're welcome. You're my supporter, so naturally I hope you can eat and drink your fill."

"We go down in the morning, fight monsters until noon, come up to Babel Tower for a meal, about an hour's meal break, then go back down into the Dungeon and work until dusk. That's our daily routine."

Bell added the explanation from the side.

"Ah, we still have food at noon?"

Liliruca asked in surprise.

"Of course. If we don't eat, how would we have the strength to work?"

The boy looked at her a bit strangely, as if she had asked a rather odd question.

"Then the food money..."

Liliruca hadn't forgotten yesterday, when the boy took out a bag of Valis to pay the bill; that bag held quite a lot of Valis.

"Broly-san's treat."

Liliruca: "..."

This kind of treatment — how had she never encountered it before?

The three followed the crowd down into the Dungeon; after arriving in the Dungeon, the Pallum girl walked behind the two and secretly threw away the half bread stick that the tanuki bastard had given her yesterday.

Originally it was meant to be her lunch, but now that she knew the Adventurer big brother who hired her covered meals, she wasn't about to eat that leftover trash from that bastard.

Bell walking in front didn't notice the Pallum girl's little action behind him, but Broly saw through the Crystal Palace Panel that Liliruca's Happiness Value had risen.

That half bread stick was food, yet also represented past suffering; discarding it couldn't help but make the Pallum girl feel her mood lighten.

Still the Labyrinth's Seventh Floor, still yesterday's cave — this place's terrain was so good Broly treated it as a prime farming spot for grinding monsters.

"Broly-san, are we going down to the Eighth Floor Labyrinth today?"

When Broly found two Killer Ants, beat them half to death, and started setting up bait to lure the ant swarm, Bell asked from behind.

"No."

Broly replied directly without hesitation.

"Eh, Broly-san, didn't you say the day before yesterday that you wanted to go to the Eighth Floor?"

"The day before yesterday was the day before yesterday; today is today. Our party added Miss Lili, so we have to look after her to some extent."

"Uh, that's true too."

Bell nodded, said nothing more, and sat in back with Liliruca, watching the boy start a new day of assembly-line monster grinding.

"Eh, does Broly-san get this many drops from killing monsters?"

She hadn't thought much about it yesterday, but today, seeing how the Magic Stones and drops were piling up, Liliruca noticed the issue.

Unlike ordinary Adventurers who fight a dozen monsters and get no extra drops, Broly basically gets an extra drop every two or three monsters he kills.

"Well, that counts as a special ability, I guess. I heard Lady Hestia mention that Broly-san seems to have an ability that increases extra drops."

Bell had no guard up; he treated the Pallum girl as a companion and blurted out what he'd heard from the Goddess.

"Eh, there's even that kind of ability?"

Liliruca was a little surprised, but thinking about how her own transformation magic was also quite special, someone else having an ability to increase drops didn't seem that strange.

"Well, this is actually Luck. My own Luck effect from a Skill, plus Bell also has a certain amount of Luck on him — the two of us together just turn into this."

Broly didn't mind explaining the situation to the Pallum girl behind him; his own Newbie Protection period's Luck alone couldn't harvest this many drops.

Under Hephaestus's inference, the two Goddesses both agreed that Bell definitely also had a trait similar to 【Luck】 on him, which was why their party's drops increased when they teamed up.

"Dungeon koi combination, huh?"

Liliruca quipped, but she also grew happy; she felt she had finally hit a turn of luck.

This day, the Pallum girl went up and down the Dungeon Labyrinth a full eight times.

And even though she went back to rest a bit at lunchtime, she still nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

But compared to her physical fatigue, the money bag she received at dusk — more than double the size of yesterday's — gave her spirit immense comfort.

"Bell, here."

After Liliruca received today's share of the earnings, she decisively took out 60,000 Valis from inside and pushed it in front of the white-haired boy.

"Eh, this is?"

"Money for the Physical Recovery Potions I used. 4 bottles yesterday, 8 bottles today."

"Ah, that was for you to use; you don't have to pay it back."

"Even blood brothers settle accounts clearly, and we're companions — me always taking advantage of you isn't right."

Words like these, before today, Liliruca never felt she could say.

But now she can, because her money bag is full; you don't forget the well-digger when you drink water.

"But it shouldn't cost this much."

Bell took one look at the money pushed over to him and knew the other party had given too much.

"The extra is actually because I want to ask a favor — help me bring back 8 Physical Recovery Potions tomorrow."

The Pallum girl said, pressing her hands together.

Given her situation, she really wasn't suited to carry too many expensive potions on her person.

If those drunken bastards in the Familia found out, it would be trouble.

Compared to her fellow Familia members, Liliruca was more willing to trust the white-haired boy before her.

"Broly-san..."

Bell looked at Broly.

"I'll bring them for you. The god Miach of the Blue Pharmacy is friends with my goddess Lady Hestia. I get a friendship discount picking up stock there. The 12 Physical Recovery Potions already used, plus the 8 needed tomorrow — this amount of Valis is enough."

Broly pushed 10,000 Valis back from the table.

"Eh, there's even that kind of arrangement?!"

Liliruca was a bit surprised, but still happily pulled the money Broly pushed back into her own money bag.

At dusk, Broly was still treating on the Babel Tower Fourth Floor. For him it was just padding his stomach; he'd go back and eat dinner with Lady Hestia afterward. But for the white-haired boy (Bell) and the Pallum girl (Liliruca), it was truly a chance to fill their bellies.

*Burp—*

Belching as they came down from the Babel Tower, Liliruca bid farewell to the two behind her just like yesterday, then replicated yesterday's routine: first transform to buy magic stones, deposit the magic stones in the Dwarf Spirit Bank, then transform back to her original form before returning to the Soma Familia.

The girl remained low-key, maintaining her low presence, and quietly returned to her room. Only after closing the door did she exhale.

Compared to the ease of spending the daytime with Broly-san and Bell, back at the Soma Familia residence she had to keep her nerves taut.

Thankfully, today she still had hardly any presence...

Lying on the bed, Liliruca touched her slightly risen lower abdomen from eating too much.

Suddenly thinking of something, she threw on the gray robe, opened the door again, and walked out.

"Mr. Kanu, could you give me something to eat?"

She walked to the drinking table, face showing a miserable expression, and begged food from the Cat Person.

"Ed, my food was bought with my own money too. But if you have money, I can sell you a little."

"Ah, but I don't have money right now."

"Then there's no helping it. However, for the sake of being fellow Familia, I can let you have a taste of the bones I've finished eating."

As soon as those words fell, a burst of schadenfreude laughter from the drunks rang out in the Soma Familia residence hall.

Liliruca pursed her lips, but still silently fetched an empty plate and, under the mocking gazes of the others, collected a plate of leftovers.

However, once the girl brought the leftovers back to her room and closed the door again, the miserable expression on her face was replaced by a look of contempt.

As the saying goes, life is a play, all depends on acting. The Soma Familia's environment of swindling and deceit had taught her to know how to feign weakness to preserve herself. Although she could earn big money now, she absolutely couldn't let those bastards in the Familia see that.

Of course, she wouldn't eat these things. She'd wait until tomorrow and bring them outside to throw away.

Time flowed without stopping; in the blink of an eye two more days had passed. Liliruca had already completely adapted to life as Broly's Supporter.

These recent days, the smiles on the Pallum girl's face were more numerous than all the past combined, and more genuine. As for life after breaking free of the Familia, she also had new ideas.

In the Pallum girl's original plan, after leaving the Familia she would stay far away from the dangerous Dungeon, far from those crude, savage Adventurers.

But now, she felt that continuing as a Supporter, adventuring in the Dungeon together with companions, seemed like a pretty good choice too.

Liliruca had to admit her impression of Adventurers had been too biased before. Just because the guys she'd met previously were all bad, she thought all of them were bad. But there really are good people like Broly-san.

【After leaving the Familia, perhaps I can also enjoy adventuring in the Dungeon, become the Supporter of the heroic Adventurer Bell speaks of...】

This evening, Liliruca returned with light steps. As usual, once she neared the Soma Familia side, she transformed back into the inconspicuous Pallum scraping by on the edge of survival.

However, the Cat Person Enma Kanu called out to her just as she was about to slip silently back to her room: "Ed, I hear you've been doing pretty well these past few days?"

The Pallum girl halted her steps, a worried look appearing on her face, and turned to ask in confusion: "Ah, Mr. Kanu, what do you mean by that?"

"Don't play dumb, Ed. Nova saw you carrying a bulging Support Backpack out of the Dungeon Labyrinth with someone else. Must've been quite a harvest, right?"

【When I was bringing things out, I was seen by another Familia member?】

The girl felt nervous inside, but her face showed an indignant expression: "Mr. Kanu, I did get some harvest, but the Employer is a stingy guy. I hauled heavy Loot out of the Dungeon, and he only gave me a little reward. A total miser."

"Hahaha, Ed, listen to what you're saying..."

The Cat Person laughed, but the next moment his face changed. His palm slammed onto the table before him with a loud *thud*.

"Treating us all like fools, huh? If the Employer was really a miser, would he let you haul stuff every day with such enthusiasm?

Those expensive meals at the Babel Tower Fourth Floor restaurant — could they feed you to this healthy a complexion?

Did you strike it rich, and now you're planning to forget us fellow Familia, the comrades who always looked after you before?"

The Cat Person's roar made the Pallum girl's face turn pale. He knew far more than she'd imagined.

Clearly, this was information obtained by having someone tail her.

Once Liliruca judged this, she immediately caved: "S-sorry, Mr. Kanu, don't hit me. I-I'm willing to give you all the money I've earned these days."

A crafty rabbit has three burrows. Before she even started saving money with the thought of leaving the Familia, Liliruca had anticipated the possibility of being discovered by those bastards in the Familia.

So she actually had two stash points. One was naturally the real stash — the Dwarf Spirit Bank. The other was a fake stash she'd set up, thinking that if those drunken bastards ever found her stash, she'd bring this one out to take the fall.

The Pallum girl entered her own Junk Room, and right in front of Enma Kanu, knocked open a secret compartment in the wall and took out the contents.

Over 30,000 Valis. This was the stash she'd arranged specifically for possible exposure. This money wasn't much to her now, but to her past self it was also saved up bit by bit.

"Hehe, Ed, you're pretty clever, actually setting up a secret compartment to hide money. No wonder sometimes when we searched your room, there was nothing."

The Cat Person unceremoniously pocketed the money with a laugh. Liliruca put on a dejected look.

"Alright. Your sensibleness spares you a beating. However, there's something I need you to do."

"Ah, Mr. Kanu, what do you need me to do?"

【This bastard took the money and still wants me to do something?】

"It's nothing major, just want you to help expand our Familia's wine business a bit."

Enma Kanu arrived outside and took out a small bottle, placing it on the table.

"Your employer is quite capable, able to harvest a full haul every day; quality customers like this aren't many."

The glass bottle on the table emitted a strange luster, and as for what liquid was inside, Liliruca, who had drunk it in her childhood, naturally knew clearly — it was precisely the divine wine personally brewed by the Soma Familia's god; just a single sip could make one intoxicated, sinking into the joy brought by the divine wine, and then, in order to continue drinking this kind of wine, go mad.

In just an instant, Liliruca knew exactly what this tanuki person was plotting; the other party's true target might not be herself, but Broly-san — he wanted to get Broly-san addicted to the divine wine, control Broly-san through the alcohol addiction, and extort money from Broly-san.

"Kanu-san, my current employer doesn't drink alcohol at all; even when treating guests to a meal, he only drinks juice — it's a situation of not touching a drop of alcohol."

Liliruca said carefully.

"Heh, that's precisely why we need you to make him drink it; a guy who can earn this much money, if he doesn't become our Soma Familia's wine customer, that's truly too much of a pity; and making a guy who doesn't like alcohol come to love drinking from now on is also the preaching we God of Wine believers should do."

People who become obsessed with Soma Wine, exploited clean of their household money by Soma Familia members, doing things like selling off their wives and daughters in order to purchase a cup of divine wine again — in these years staying in the Soma Familia, Liliruca has seen such cases not a few.

Even now, outside the Soma Familia headquarters, there are those wandering and begging for a sip of divine wine — pitiful, hateful, and yet tragic bastards.

"I..."

"What's wrong, Ed? Is even a simple matter like this something you can't do?"

The tanuki person narrowed his eyes.

"No, Kanu-san, it's just that even we ourselves rarely get to drink Soma-sama's divine wine, so why give it to outsiders to drink? And even if you want to sell it, aren't there plenty of other gods of good wine who want Soma-sama's wine?"

Liliruca pretended to also yearn for the divine wine, a confused look on her face as she asked.

"Well said, but normal sales would only fetch a few coins; we need to make wealthy bastards obsessed with the divine wine come begging to us, then we raise the selling price, and only then can we make a killing of drinking money.

But this trick isn't too good to use against other gods, and the Ganesha Familia and the Guild won't allow Soma-sama's divine wine to disturb Orario's order, so this kind of thing, we have to do secretly.

How about this, Ed — if you also develop that generous employer of yours into a believer of the divine wine, then from now on, of the money we extort from that guy, I'll give you a share, letting you also occasionally buy Soma-sama's divine wine to drink — how about it?"

"Miss Ed, Miss Ed..."

"Ah, what is it, Bell?"

"It's not what's wrong with me, but what's wrong with you; I've been feeling you seem somewhat absent-minded today."

Liliruca: "..."

The small bottle containing the divine wine was right on her person now; it was because of this that she was absent-minded.

She deeply knew the terror of the divine wine, but that tanuki bastard Kanu's words, she didn't dare refuse either.

"I'm just a bit tired."

The Pallum girl showed a forced smile, answering the boy's puzzlement.

"Ah, if you're tired, how about after we go up this time, you just rest up there for a bit?"

Bell proposed.

"No need, I have Physical Recovery Potions to sustain me."

At noon, Broly and the others went up together to eat; the Pallum girl felt her pocket many times, but in the end didn't take out the divine wine.

Until near dusk, when Broly as usual treated them to a meal, Liliruca suddenly said to the boy: "Broly-san, there's something I want to tell you."

"Lili, whatever it is, just say it directly; you're my supporter, and also my friend, an important partner — if you've encountered any difficult matter, just say the word, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

(Chapter End)