The following day, Ais and Lili met as usual.

"How is Finn?" Lili asked her as they walked towards the Dungeon. It was an understandable concern because Finn ran out last night. Lili wanted to know about Finn as the reincarnation of his big sister.

"Finn is fine, actually. He really was just embarrassed about being judged by you," Ais replied. Indeed. Riveria told her that Finn immediately locked himself in his room, shouted 'aaaaaahhhhh!' and shook the entire Twilight Manor. Within a few hours, a rumor about the haunted section of the manor sprung up.

The rumor mill of Loki Familia was scary.

This morning, Finn was back to normal, so Ais concluded that Finn was embarrassed.

Hearing her answer, Ais saw Lili sigh. "That Finn..."

Ais was honestly curious. Since she was the latest and had no context about Finn aside from Ryulu's report and the drunken stories, she naturally couldn't insert herself into the conversation last night. All she knew was the 'good time' of the Knight of Fianna. She wanted to know about Lili's tentative guess and why that would embarrass Finn, but she held back out of respect for her friend. And besides, she would accompany Lili to the Stardust Garden after this, so she'd ask for permission to stay and hear the context from Ryuu.

Inside the Dungeon, the two continued tearing apart the fifth floor. When both she and Lili thought they had had enough, they took a rest and ate lunch.

"Ais. How about going to the sixth floor?" Lili suddenly said after she finished her boxed lunch (courtesy of her).

Blinking in surprise, Ais gulped down before answering. "Tomorrow. I'm not confident I remember everything about the sixth floor from our library."

Lili nodded. "Acceptable."

"Why do you want to rush to the sixth floor?" Ais questioned. "We're steady on the fifth floor and haven't explored every corner yet."

"Ah, it's a little selfish. I imposed a time limit upon myself. If I can't Level Up in six months, I'll ask for help regarding my situation."

Ais was floored. For the first time in her new life, she was feeling shocked. Riveria had explained Falna to her, so she understood the basic gist of it. In short, Level Up was not something you could just decide to happen randomly. To Level Up, you had to do something that would impress the Gods and have one of your statuses ranked D. Lili wanted to Level Up in six months. That was...

"It's unheard of," Ais frowned. "Not to discourage you, but to Level Up, you need one of your statuses in D and a feat that impresses the Gods. My highest status is still F after a few months. I think it's impossible."

"I see," Lili also frowned. However, in an instant, it morphed into a determined expression. "Even so, I'll strive to do it. Whether I can or cannot doesn't matter. The least I can do is try."

Slowly, the frown on Ais' face turned into a smile. Her new friend was incredible. Even before knowing she was a reincarnation of one of the greatest heroes in her era, Lili was already impressive in Ais' eyes. To endure the treatment she got... And then resolved to solve it herself...

"Very well. If you've resolved yourself to try, then I'll be there with you to witness it."

The corner of Lili's lips curved. "Thank you, Ais."

They continued demolishing monsters on the fifth floor until they decided to end it for today. Lili had a previous arrangement with Ryuu, after all.

After exchanging all the magic stones for valis, Ais kept all of them after she paid Lili's installment. This was another thing that Lili asked her for; keeping her money on Ais. Yesterday Lili told her that her room in Soma Familia's house was ransacked, so she asked Ais to hold on to her money. It was unexpected, but it wasn't like she had no knowledge of how to account for things, so she accepted Lili's plea.

Lili also asked for five thousand because she wanted to update her Falna. Ais would give it to her after the meeting with Ryuu.

They walked to the Stardust Garden in comfortable silence.

When they arrived, Ais saw Lyra coming back with another member. "Oh, Ais and Lili. What are you doing here?"

The other member, a Far-Eastern beauty with lustrous black hair wearing a crimson yukata, raised her eyebrow. "You know them, Lyra?"

"They're Ryuu and mine's friend."

There was a look of understanding on her face after Lyra's explanation. Unlike the Loki Familia, Astraea Familia seemed open about them being reincarnations. Or maybe this woman was their executive.

"I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Gojouno Kaguya, vice-captain of the Astraea Familia."

"Ais Wallenstein from Loki Familia," she introduced herself, followed by Lili after her.

"Liliruca Arde. Soma Familia."

"We're here because Ryuu asked us."

"Huh? When?" confused, Lyra questioned them further.

"Ah, you were knocked out by Finn," Ais remembered that bit of information.

"That's right!" Her face gained righteous indignation. "The next time I see him, I'm going to-"

She let out so many expletives that Ais had never known before.

"Anyway," Kaguya addressed them as Lyra continued her tirade. "You can come in. Ryuu didn't have any patrols, I believe."

"Thank you." Ais nodded, and both she and Lili followed Kaguya inside.

Inside, they found Ryuu and Alise talking in the parlor.

"Ah, Kaguya. Welcome back. How was the patrol?" Alise turned her attention towards the approaching group. "Where's Lyra?"

"Stewing over Loki's Finn outside," Kaguya replied. "Here, Ryuu. I brought you the two squirts."

"Ah, Milady! ...and someone I don't know," Alise remarked.

"Thank you, Kaguya," Ryuu greeted her vice-captain. "Shall we go to my room?"

Ais saw Lili nod and realized this was her time to interject.

"Lili, Ryuu, is it fine if I follow you two?"

"Ah, Milady. You wanted to know about Sir Finn, huh? How about it, Lady Lili? Shall I also tell Milady?" Ryuu sent the question to Lili.

"...Fine," Lili replied, looking at her with a wry smile.

She could only reply with a small 'fufu.'

"Hold on, hold on. Ryuu! Who is this? And what's her relation with Finn?" Alise demanded the Elf.

"Liliruca Arde. I'm Finn's half-sister-"

""Half-sister!?"" Both Kaguya and Alise shouted in surprise.

"-in my previous life."

"O-Oh, I see. Ahaha." Too quick to conclude things, Alise only laughed sheepishly when Lili finished her explanation.

"I assume, since you also called Ais with 'Milady,' you're already in the know," Lili continued. "Ryuu promised to explain things about Finn."

"Why don't you ask Finn himself?" Kaguya asked, which was objectively the better approach. However, last night proved otherwise.

"Finn is too embarrassed," Ais answered Kaguya. "Lili was his elder sister in the previous life."

"I see, I see." Alise nodded. "So, do you have any embarrassing stories about Finn I can use to hold over him?"

"You can interrogate her later, Captain. Let's go, Milady, Lady Lili."

"Wait, Ryuu!"

But Alise's plea went unheard because Ryuu continued leading them toward her room.


When they arrived in her room, Ryuu locked the room to ensure that nobody would interrupt. She wouldn't discount Alise from trying to eavesdrop. But she knew this wasn't something that an outsider should know. Ais was an outsider, yes, but all of them gathered inside her room were fellow reincarnates. Those feeling of longing for the old times... those weren't something that Alise would understand.

There was a reason why she was the closest to Lyra in the Familia and vice-versa despite treating everyone the same. She appreciated Alise's stubbornness in trying to understand her and Lyra, but some things were just inexplainable without experiencing them.

"Right. Please take a seat on the bed," Ryuu pointed towards the bed. She herself took a chair from her desk and put it in front of the bed so she sat facing the two.

Her room was barren of decorations. It was simply not in her interest to decorate her room like others. Even in her previous life, her room in the Lakrios palace was undistinguishable from the guest rooms. She was a wanderer, first and foremost. All her belongings were a necessity, and she discarded the rest.

Ais and Lili sat down, and Ryuu began her tale.

"Right. Milady, I think I've reported about the Knight of Fianna to you. Do you remember? The delay in the attack on the Great Hole," Ryuu inquired her former Queen, to which she nodded. "Great. The reason for the delay is internal strife in the Cormac Kingdom. The Knights of Fianna were betrayed by their own king."

"...Is that why sometimes Lyra and the younger Gulliver Brothers had melancholic looks on their face when we were in our gathering?"

"Correct," Ryuu answered Ais' question. "Your observation is still sharp, Milady. Indeed, Lyra, Sir Grer, Sir Berling, and Finn were part of the first Knight of Fianna, led by Lady Lili here. They were all slaughtered by King Cormac. I don't want to dwell too long on that since I'm sure Lady Lili still has a complete memory of the event. So let's skip ten years after you died, Lady Lili!"

"Wait, hold on. Why do we skip ten years?" Lili interrupted her to ask a question.

"Oh my, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Please enjoy the tale, Lady Lili."

"Lili. I can surmise ten years because that's when the counterattack against humanity started. Is that correct, Ryuu?" Ais tried to help Lili understand.

"Come on, Milady. Please wait until we get to that part," Ryuu chuckled. "As I said, ten years. What events warrant a tale ten years after you died? You see, Sir Finn came back and led a new Knights of Fianna."

"...He did what?"

"Yes. Full of fury and resentment towards King Cormac, Finn came back and led a new Knights of Fianna," Ryuu once more told Lili. She was not some kind of sadist, but she relished the look of shock on her face. It was not easy to make the stoic Lili show an ounce of emotion, and she succeeded. "His aim? Revenge."

She heard Lili sigh. "That idiot Dim..."

"Look at the bright side. At least now you understand why the others mentioned Finn's cheek," Ais let out a smile.

"Indeed. The others had a go at his cheek because of his stupid decision," Ryuu nodded. "Perhaps, Sir Finn was also trying to avoid making Lady Lili want to punch him. But I digress. Let's continue. Long story short, he killed Cormac and got his revenge. The flames of anger inside his heart now turned to tiny embers. According to what Sir Lazar told me, he went to die somewhere quiet."

The more she told Lili about Finn, the more Lili's hand curled into a fist. She could only guess what Lili was thinking, but one of them had to be how she would pound Finn into smithereens. Everyone who knew Finn got their chance to hit him for his stupidity, even her. She did not want to deprive Lili of that chance, especially when Finn clearly did not want to be confronted about the matter by Lili.

"Of course, the tale doesn't end there. It was, after all, the time for the counterattack of humanity. The Knight of Fianna, minus Sir Finn, helped the forces of Lakrios led by Sir Galmus and Sir Yuri. Sir Lazar was trying to find Finn, along with Lady Elmina, under my command. Eventually, they succeeded at dragging Sir Finn towards the battlefield." At this point, Ryuu's smile turned into a frown. "It was too late, however. Sir Duval lost his life here. This is another turning point for Sir Finn, I believe."

"Did he start exhibiting survivor's guilt this time?"

"I believe so," Ryuu sighed. "As we were busy commanding the troops, however, I didn't notice it at all. I'm ashamed of myself. From that point on, Sir Finn led us to victory and more victory against the endless horde of monsters on the horizon. The Great Hole had such a terrifying aura because the monsters were everywhere. You cannot take a step without stepping foot on a monster's corpse. That's simply how bloody the battlefield was."

Her mind went back to Castle Shreme. The old ruins of Castle Shreme in the southeast of Orario once had been a silent witness to the ruthlessness of the Great Hole. But now, after the Gods descended, the Great Hole was sealed by a big tower, the entrance full of people whose occupation was going inside the hole and killing monsters.

"We were in a great position, but one hurdle remains. The monster is known as Balor. I believe it is now a monster Rex in the Deep Floor. But once in the past, it rose to the surface along with countless other monsters. The Balor is so terrifying because it can shoot a beam that vanquishes an entire platoon of troops. Some of our platoons were victims of the attack," Ryuu's mind returned to the situation three thousand years ago when she bore witness to the terrifying Balor. Unconsciously, her hands curled into fists. There was one time when she, a bard with no commanding experience, was told to give the signal. It resulted in a significant loss. It wasn't entirely her fault, as everybody did not expect the attack. But the loss of thousands of men was still weighing her shoulders even thousands of years in the future. "And then come Sir Finn. After giving us victories, he took the field and led the Knights of Fianna against the Balor."

Ryuu saw Lili gritting her teeth. "The more I hear about this, the more I don't like it."

"Brace yourself, Lady Lili. The climax is in sight," Ryuu told her. "Sir Finn and the rest of the knights cut away all the oppositions. Even when one monster replaced another, even when everyone else faltered, Sir Finn remained steadfast. Riding his horse with a spear in hand, Sir Finn did something that nobody expected; he did a suicide charge."

She let her words sink into the two listeners, hearing Lili's gasp and Ais' breath. Even now, Finn's last charge still remains in her memories. She could recall everything perfectly as if she were back thousands of years in the past.

"The result was still visible until now. If you come to Orario from the southeast gate, you will come upon a road sandwiched between two hills. Its name is Fianna Causeway, the proof of Sir Finn's heroic last charge."

Ryuu finished her tale with a sigh. "Sir Finn definitely started not as a hero. He was just a broken man held together by the fire of revenge. However, in the end, I think he lived up to the title of 'hero.' After all, nothing had stoked my heart in the ten years since Sir Argo's first rise until Sir Finn did so."

Lili was silent. Both Ais and Ryuu let her stew in her emotions. Finn was, after all, someone she cared about as an elder sister.

"...I have a feeling. Now that you told me about this, Ryuu," Lili said after a minute. "You know how we, the reincarnations, don't remember what happened after we died? The last thing we remember was our death, and then our memories in this life started."

Ryuu and Ais nodded.

"It's the same for me, yes. Is there something you want to tell us, Lili?"

"...No, nothing. Forget about it."

Ryuu nodded. It wasn't her right to demand anything from Lili.

"As my tale is finished, Milady, please step outside. The next thing I want to tell Lady Lili is something private that I can't share even with you."

She saw Ais frown at her dismissal. "Lili..."

"I actually don't know. I presume this is the thing that you want to talk about yesterday night before Finn's fiasco?" Lili turned to her.

"Indeed! Whether Sir Finn would have run away or not, I really want to talk to you about something, Lady Lili. I'm sorry, Milady. If Lady Lili wants to, she can share it with you later," Ryuu grinned. "I doubt she wants to, though."

Ais finally nodded. "Very well. I'll ask you tomorrow, Lili." With that, Ryuu unlocked the door and bowed as Ais left the room. She wasted no time locking it again and grinned at the Pallum.

"Now, now, please grant my one wish, Lady Lili."


Outside the room, Ais blinked when he saw Kaguya, Lyra, and Alise whistling and laughing near Ryuu's door.

"Did you eavesdrop?"

"What? Eavesdrop what? I don't even know anything," Alise unconvincingly answered her accusation.

Ais sighed. "I am curious, though. The two are still talking about something. Even if I can ask Lili later..."

Ais saw the three members of Astraea Familia grin. Kaguya put her index finger on her lip, signaling everyone to be silent. Then, slowly, the three put their ears in Ryuu's door.

Alise motioned her to follow them with a wink.

Even if she knew she could get the answer from Lili later, she found herself moving towards the door. Inexplicable. She didn't know why she did it. She even had a reason to not do it. But even so, she still did it anyway.

And so Ais followed the others and put her ears on Ryuu's door.

"-kidding? There's no way-"

"-would really appreciate-"

"-this isn't a good idea, but-"

"-let's go-"

And then there were noises covering their conversation. The confusion on Ais' face was probably visible to the others because Lyra made a motion of moving her fingers as if she was playing harp. Oh, Ryuu must be playing hers!

Soon, Alise, Kaguya, and Lyra left the door.

"Huh?"

"It's Ryuu's musing time. She's gonna play the harp until midnight. Maybe she's using the Pallum; what was her name again? She's using her as an inspiration," Alise explained.

"There's nothing else to do aside from waiting for her," Kaguya nodded.

And so Ais also left the door.

"Thank you for the information," Ais bowed.

"No worries, Milady!" Alise grinned at her. She was still using that nickname even now.

And so Ais left the Stardust Garden. She couldn't help but feel like she had forgotten something, though.


A/N: It's exposition time for Lili! Finally, she got to know what Finn's deal was. Also there's something extra in the background that Ryuu and Lili doing, what is it going to be?