Danmachi: Strongest Familia

"Do you like this sword?" Sol asked, noticing her face showing clear affection, unable to stop herself, as she held the sword with great reluctance, as though not wanting to part with it.

Previously, Veronica had only possessed a common long sword provided by the Familia, since she was still at LV1. It was only natural that she would want the sword, a much greater weapon.

Coincidentally, Veronica had just leveled up, and Sol decided to gift her the sword as a reward.

"Can you give it to me?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement.

"Of course, it's yours as a reward for reaching LV2."

Veronica stared at him in disbelief. "Wait—did I finally level up?!" She couldn't help but worry that Sol might say, "just kidding," which would shatter her excitement.

"Of course it's true," Sol assured her, smiling warmly. "You've worked hard, and this is well-deserved."

Sol gently ruffled Veronica's hair, then pulled out a piece of parchment from behind and handed it to her.

[Veronica] 

LV2 

Strength: 10 

Durability: 10 

Dexterity: 10 

Agility: 10 

Mana: 10 

[Magic]: 

'Wings of the Wind' 

- Wind Magic 

- Improves Agility 

- Chant: "Wind~Turn into my wings!" 

[Skill]: 

'Sword Dancer' 

- Increases Dexterity 

- Improves Dodge while using Sword Dance 

- Temporarily gains the abilities of a Swordsman during battle 

Development Ability: 

'Hunter'

The status panel hadn't changed much—aside from the level increase, Veronica had also gained the Hunter development ability. Since there was only one development option, Sol didn't need to consult her about it.

Veronica had endured a lot of pressure within the Familia. After all, none of Sol's summoned heroes are normal, and they had all joined after Veronica but reached LV2 before her. It must have been frustrating for her!

Unlike her sister, Veronica wasn't the type to take things lightly. She was a naturally competitive person, and had gritted her teeth, pushing herself tirelessly to level up. Sol couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her.

After over a year of hard work, she had finally reached LV2, a progress rate that wasn't far behind Ais's original level-up timeline. Of course, Sol's heroes were exceptions, and their accelerated growth was due to the unique power they carried. 

"Poppy, you've made a great contribution this time," Sol said, turning to Poppy. "Next time, I'll ask you to make even more equipment."

After reassuring Veronica, Sol didn't forget to give Poppy her due praise, though it was more of a casual comment. Sol's words, as always, revealed his capitalist nature—always looking to maximize the Familia's productivity.

"Sol-sama, are you alright?" 

Soon, several figures appeared at the door, having noticed the destruction of the lounge door. They had likely come to see the spectacle, each of them standing by with expressions of amusement, eager for the drama.

"What are you all standing around for? Go back to what you should be doing!" Sol snapped, his voice firm.

The onlookers, sensing they weren't welcome, quickly dispersed. When the area around the lounge grew quiet again, Sol turned to shoo Veronica and Poppy out.

With a flick of his hand, he silently cursed the task ahead—repairing the door would be a real headache.

——

A few days later, Sol awoke early, greeted by the soft rays of the sun. He slowly stretched and sat up in his huge bed, the events of the day ahead already nagging at his mind.

The parallel consciousness in his mind couldn't stop arguing, reminding him that the construction of Ionia was complete.

"Wait, Ionia is finished?" Sol muttered, surprised, and immediately sat up fully, rubbing his eyes and yawning to wake up. 

"Of course, you've been so leisurely that you didn't notice!" the voice in his mind teased.

"I built it for you to work on, not for me!" Sol shot back, though his tone was playful.

"Hump…" The parallel consciousness sulked, but it was no match for Sol, who swiftly suppressed it.

Normally, Sol would have been in no rush to deal with anything, but today was different—there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Ionia is ready to summon its heroes, so what city should we build next?" he wondered aloud.

"How about Zaun, a city full of talent?" the parallel consciousness suggested. It would be a city full of scientists, fighters, and other heroes like Janna. There was certainly potential there.

However, there were downsides—some of Zaun's heroes had a rather dubious reputation. Even if they were talented, some of them might be perceived as oddities by Orario's adventurers. Heroes like Zac, Twitch, Urgot, or even Warwick—how would adventurers react to them?

And then there was Viktor and his robots—could robots really be favored by adventurers? Sol wasn't so sure.

After thinking it over, Sol shook his head. 

"Ive decided."

"I want Demacia," Sol said, after a brief pause.

His decision was firm. Zaun wasn't as appealing as he first thought. Demacia, with its stability, seemed like the better choice. Besides, Sol had an interest in Demacia's well-rounded support heroes, particularly the charming, all-around supportive character of Sona.

For Sol, Demacia was the perfect choice, filled with powerful heroes and, of course, plenty of handsome men and beautiful women, matching the image he had for his Familia.

"Let's start building Demacia then. Since money is no issue, get more magic stones so we can speed up the process," Sol instructed.

"I know, I know!" the parallel consciousness grumbled, dismissing Sol's commands, though not without annoyance.

As Sol pushed his parallel consciousness aside, an idea suddenly occurred to him. Things in Orario had been too peaceful lately, a perfect curve with no fluctuations. He needed something to reignite the excitement he had been missing.

"Alfia, come with me!" Sol called out, stepping out of the lounge. The newly replaced door, stronger than before, gleamed under the morning sun.

A figure appeared behind him shortly afterward. Alfia had become stronger over the past year, despite not having fought much in the dungeon. She was now a worthy opponent in her own right.