Chương 81: Bait in the Water

The adventurers who had been watching Cael's group closely immediately started piecing things together.

"So that is how it is. Magic that raises an adventurer's Level. Something like that actually exists?"

"Unbelievable. No wonder a group of Lv. 1s could go to the Middle Floors and defeat Goliath. That is huge news."

"We just need to find a chance to ask the adventurers who witnessed it at a tavern later."

"The news spread this fast, so plenty of people must have seen it. Heh."

"Magic that raises the whole party by two Levels. That really is..."

"A Skill that sees an enemy's weak points. It can even see Goliath's weak points? That is absurd too."

"Heh. What idiots. Rookies really are rookies. They actually said their own abilities out loud."

"Newbies are newbies. Something that valuable, and they do not even hide it." Under a mix of curious, greedy, and wary stares, Cael and the others walked out of the Dungeon while talking and laughing. The sky was clear and blue. Fresh, open air rushed toward them, sweeping away the pressure of the Dungeon.

"Ah, the air feels wonderful." Cael spread his arms.

"The constant tension is gone. This is comfortable."

"The open sky really does feel good."

"The bait is in the water. Now we wait for the fish to bite." Cael swept his gaze across the crowd outside Babel, the corner of his mouth lifting. He had planted two pieces of bait. A spell that raised adventurers by two Levels and a Skill that could see the weak points of enemies far stronger than the user. Without a doubt, both were rare enough that Orario might not have seen anything like them in a thousand years. The spell even raised an entire group by two Levels. Why had Lv. 1 adventurers defeated Goliath?

With those two pieces in place, the answer practically formed on its own. To any Familia, that temptation would be hard to refuse. With those abilities, a mid-tier Familia could rival a major Familia. If a major Familia obtained them, it would become even stronger. Any Familia with bad intentions would first confirm their Levels through the Guild. Adventurer Levels were public records, after all. Would this get out of hand? Of course not. The major Familias were not stupid enough to bite immediately.

They would wait for other Familias to test the waters first. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. None of the major Familias with Lv. 5 adventurers were easy to fool. Now then, who would be the first fish to take the bait? After leaving the Dungeon, Cael, the three younger Demon Slayers, and Lili went to the Magic Stone exchange counter in Babel. Coins clattered into a box and were pushed out.

"Two million three hundred eighty-four thousand valis in total. Please take it."

"Ohhh, that is so much! Incredible. Magic Stones from the Middle Floors really are amazing. Everyone did so well," Lili cried, her eyes shining. The moment she said that, the ill-intentioned gazes around them pulled back. Lili shot a sharp look toward those gazes. With this much money, and with all of them supposedly Lv. 1, it was only natural that some people would get ideas. But those people were lower-class adventurers. No one dared target the purses of upper-class adventurers.

"Now it is time to split the money. This is the first time Lili has earned this much." Lili rubbed her hands together eagerly.

"Split fifteen ways, it should be around one hundred fifty thousand each. Is that fine?"

"No problem, Captain. But some of us did not fight. Is it really all right for us to take a share?"

"It is fine. We split it by head count. That is fair to everyone." No one objected to the split. The Hashira had not cared much about money before, but in Orario they already understood how important valis were. Weapons, potions, meals, everything cost money. After that, Hestia greeted everyone and told them that she would return in the evening to tell them their titles. Then she hopped away with a bright smile. Only Cael knew she had gone to work to repay her debt. They went to the Guild next.

Unfortunately, Miss Eina was not there. After the Guild checked and registered their Levels, they left. Guild Level checks could not be faked unless a Familia deliberately hid an upgrade with its god's cooperation. Finally, everyone returned to the ruined church where Hestia lived. They did not enter the basement. Even Kagaya Ubuyashiki and his two daughters were resting outside the old church.

"Master, we have returned. I apologize for leaving you here alone," Sanemi said respectfully. All the Hashira bowed as well. Although Kagaya was now also a member of Hestia Familia, their respect did not come from his former position. It came from the kindness with which he had treated each of them like family.

"Welcome back, children. You have become stronger. I can feel it. You also experienced unusual danger. I am glad your bodies remain whole," Kagaya said gently.

"By the way, Ubuyashiki, do not tell me you stayed here for two days without eating," Cael said, looking at the gentle man strangely.

"Captain, I may look older than I am, but I am actually only in my twenties. I am only a few years older than you. I am not that inflexible," Kagaya said with a strained smile.

"Then how did you spend these two days? You did not have any money from this world." Cael raised an eyebrow and felt a little guilty. He had forgotten to leave Kagaya a few hundred valis for potato puffs. It was a wonder the man had not gone hungry.

"My children and I helped at the potato puff stand Lady Hestia introduced. Two hundred valis a day was enough to fill their stomachs." Kagaya gently touched his daughters' heads.

"All right, I was overthinking it. Lady Hestia really is reliable."

"Captain Cael, I need to return for a while," Tengen said, his expression turning serious as his fists tightened.

"There is something important I must do. This is also a good chance to test my current strength against an Upper Rank."

"Also, before I came here, my wives had already been out of contact for two days. I have to investigate immediately."

"I need to return and prepare as well," Kagaya said.

"We must continue searching for traces of Muzan Kibutsuji. Tanjiro and Nezuko are the key."

"Our strength has changed completely. This is the moment for us to strike back."

"Exactly. Has the Demon Slayer Corps not waited a thousand years for this day?" Flames seemed to burn in the Hashira's eyes. Kagaya clasped his hands together in excitement. Fate had already changed when Captain Cael met Rengoku. Muzan Kibutsuji. The sorrow of a thousand years. The grief of all the people devoured by demons. All of it would be answered by these children. Muzan would be destroyed by their hands.