Danmachi: Adventuring Till the End!

Orsted killed those weaklings in one go, and the other party didn't even see how he did it.

"What should we do next?" Seeing Orsted kill the three men who had been following them so easily, Lili was both shocked and worried.

Although this place was remote, there were still some people around. They and the three trackers who had entered here might have been seen.

Now that the three were killed by Orsted, once the Guild investigated, it was very likely that they would be traced back to this location.

"It's okay, I have a way," Orsted said with a faint smile.

"Huh?"

"Lili, come here." Orsted didn't explain further. Instead, he half-crouched beside the three corpses and waved Lili over.

Lili didn't understand but complied nonetheless.

As she approached Orsted, she felt a hand gently placed on her shoulder.

This startled Lili, and for a moment, she thought Orsted might kill her to silence her.

However, the next moment, she realized she was overthinking.

There was a flash of light, and Orsted, Lili, and the three corpses on the ground disappeared instantly.

Orsted was skilled at disposing of bodies and covering his tracks, and this was how he had handled similar situations before.

Lili only felt a flash before her eyes, and then she found herself transported from the dark alley to a ruin.

When Lili regained her senses, she saw Orsted digging a hole.

"Orsted-sama?" Lili called out, still confused.

"Ah, Lili, you've come back to your senses. Come and help me," Orsted said, pausing his digging to gesture toward her.

"Orsted-sama, what are you doing?" Lili still didn't understand.

"Digging a pit to bury them. We need to dispose of these bodies," Orsted replied matter-of-factly.

"Eh?!" Lili exclaimed in surprise.

"I feel like the image of Orsted-sama in my heart has been shattered in an instant," Lili said blankly after helping him bury the three bodies.

"Oh? What image did you have of me?" Orsted asked, curious.

"Well… I don't know how to say it, but I always felt that you were like a ray of light," Lili admitted, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Before, she had seen Orsted as a beacon of hope, gradually shining into her heart. Now, however, she couldn't help but feel that this light was a little… tarnished.

"Haha," Orsted laughed heartily at her response.

He hadn't expected Lili to hold such an image of him. Still, this was a good thing. After all, Orsted had planned to treat Lili as a companion. Since he was prepared to do so, he naturally wanted to redeem her.

And if his image in Lili's heart was that of a ray of light, it was a positive foundation to build upon.

Redeeming someone, after all, was about filling their heart with warmth and light—or so Orsted believed.

"Since I am a light in your heart, I will try to let this light fill your heart in the future," Orsted said gently, reaching out to pat Lili's head.

Lili was slightly stunned by his words and gentle expression. For a moment, the "tarnished" light she had perceived seemed to regain its brilliance.

After a long pause, Lili hurriedly lowered her head, her cheeks tinged with red.

Orsted-sama is so kind…

"Lili, I will introduce you to Hestia later. Then, Hestia and I will try to help you leave the Soma Familia," Orsted said as they walked back to the abandoned church.

"Orsted-sama, you seem to know me very well."

"In that case, you must also know what I've done."

"Why would you want to help me?" Lili asked, her voice filled with disbelief. She was smart enough to realize that Orsted was fully aware of her past actions. Yet, she couldn't understand why he would still want to help her.

"You haven't truly fallen into the abyss. You can still pull yourself back."

"I value your abilities, and I'm confident I can guide you toward redemption," Orsted replied with a smile.

"That reason…" Lili wasn't entirely convinced. Who would believe such words?

That he valued her abilities and was willing to overlook her past misdeeds? It seemed too good to be true.

"Well, you can think of it as me being kind."

"Just trust that I won't hurt you," Orsted said, realizing that a few words wouldn't be enough to earn Lili's complete trust.

After all, Lili's harsh upbringing had made her deeply wary of others. It was already a significant step that she had extended even a small measure of trust toward him today.

Orsted was prepared to gradually earn her trust through daily interactions and cooperation, slowly working his way into her heart.

Hearing this, Lili gave Orsted a long, thoughtful look but didn't press the matter further. Instead, she began discussing with him how to handle the five dropped items they had acquired that day.

As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the temporary residence of the Hestia Familia—the abandoned church.

Hestia was waiting outside the church and ran over excitedly when she saw Orsted.

However, upon noticing Lili beside him, Hestia's steps faltered slightly.

But the hesitation was brief, and she quickly resumed her pace, throwing herself into Orsted's arms.

"Welcome back, Orsted!"

"And who is this?"

"This is Lili, my chosen supporter."

"Hmm? Lili?"

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