Lili started her day by preparing herself to go to the Dungeon. She checked her spear for any thin fracture or chips. Thankfully, it still hadn't had any disrepair. After that, she was ready to go. Breakfast? No time for that (And no money, too. Maybe she'd buy some Jagamarukun to snack on before meeting Ais.)

Before she could leave the room, the door was opened from the outside. Lili raised her spear in case it was someone hostile. Then she winced because she couldn't even trust her own Familia. From behind the door, the figure of Soma appeared.

"...Good Morning."

"What the fuck do you want?" Lili tried to squash down her rising temper. It wouldn't be good to raise a ruckus this early.

"You were right. I am a 'shit God' and don't deserve any respect."

"Anybody and their children would agree when they hear the full story. So?"

"...I wish to apologize."

"Your apology is misplaced. It's not me that you need to apologize to," Lili explained. Despite losing respect for her God, Lili never wanted an apology. If anything, the other members, those who got tricked by Zanis were the ones who deserved an apology from this enabler in front of her. "However, that's beside the point. Do you think Zanis will let you do anything now?

Soma did not look at her. It seemed that even he understood that he had given Zanis too much freedom to walk all over him. If he tried to do anything now, no doubt, that piece of shit would retaliate by doing something. "...No."

"Then don't do anything. Lili looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. "Six months. Give me six months to Level Up. I'll challenge Zanis then."

"...Leveling up in six months? That's unheard of," Lili saw Soma frown at her declaration.

"Even so, I can't really take my time doing this. I had to do it before the other members got even more 'rowdy.' And then you're trying to change." Lili shrugged before continuing. "Might as well set a timeframe for my goals."

It wasn't an oath that she had to fulfill. It was just a general timeframe to obtain her goals. If she Leveled Up before six months, she'd be happy because she achieved her goals sooner. If she Leveled Up after, she wouldn't be disappointed because it wasn't like she expected herself to do it. She would just try her hardest and see where that took her.

Then Soma did something that Lili did not expect. He let out a small chuckle. "Are people of the past as unhinged as you?"

Lili's eyes twitched. "Fuck off, immortal God. Go back to your mancave and mash some leaves."

"But seriously, Liliruca Arde. I've wronged you and the entire Familia, despite whatever you might think. That's why I promise you I'll change after you do your rebellion."

Lili just scoffed. "Talk is cheap. And I prefer to call it cleaning house instead of rebellion, Lord Soma."

She walked past Soma and left her room.

"Liliruca Arde..."

Lili turned back and smiled at her God.

"But just your intent is enough to regain your respect in my eyes. It's still a long way to go, though. Hmph."

And with that, she left the Soma Familia home and went towards the Dungeon.

After breakfast, Finn finished a few important documents and left the rest for Riveria and Gareth. He knew Gareth would probably curse him, but he would probably understand. Today he would accompany Ais to meet this Liliruca Arde. A Pallum who took up weapon despite being a child Ais' age. That was something worthy of praise, and Finn would give his support to the young Pallum.

He found Ais waiting for him near the gate. "Ais," he greeted her.

"Finn," Ais nodded. "Shall we go?"

"Before that, can we visit a flower store? I'd like to present a flower for this Liliruca Arde." It wasn't like he wanted to court her. That'd be wrong. The flower was for her father, Filo Arde. While he was always unpleasant to Finn, he never had any resentment towards the passing Pallum. It was just a fact that not all Pallum would see him in a good light, just like Finn's own family that he left behind.

Ais looked at him strangely. "I intend to buy flowers for my condolences to her father."

"...I don't think Lili likes her parents very much. Any gesture of goodwill would probably be treated as nonsense."

"Even so, I knew her father. Meeting his daughter without any preamble would feel weird. Even if she completely resents her father, I'd like to think I don't and still want to offer flowers for him," Finn explained his reasoning.

"I see." She probably didn't understand but respected him enough as a fellow reincarnates.

They started walking towards the flower shop, passing Hyrda and George, tasked to be today's gate guard. They were a low-class Adventurer who joined two years ago, both Level One. Finn and the rest of the executives paired them together on most occasions because they were good friends from outside.

Finn continued talking as they walked. He let out a small laugh to get Ais' attention. "I've never been royalty, but I'd like to think that knowing all your subjects is a given for a ruler. Is my assessment correct, or is it just an ideal that could never be reached?"

Ais furrowed her eyebrows, thinking for an answer.

"Queen Ariadne certainly didn't know all her subjects," she admitted with a frown. "However, that was just my experience leading thousands of people. I have no doubt that you, as Loki Familia's captain, knew all of us. I think it's an ideal, but not an unreachable one. Why?"

Finn smiled. "In my effort to become the Pallum's light in this new era, I made it my mission to know every Pallum in this city. However, not all of them accepted me. I didn't resent those who rejected me; just disappointed. Tell me, Queen Ariadne. Do you know how to deal with this? I ignored them and reached out to the others who accepted me in their stead."

Ais turned aside and looked at him. "...Is this about Lili's father?"

"Correct," Finn answered, not revealing the hesitation in his heart. "Filo Arde was someone who accepted the fact that Pallums were weak and we couldn't change. I sought to break those kinds of mindsets but found myself being rejected. I ignored him and continued to approach him, but time and time again, my effort was futile."

"So you think you abandoned one of your 'subjects' and didn't even know he had a daughter."

Ais' analysis was spot on. She truly was the wise queen of Lakrios.

"However, don't you think it's weird that you think he was your 'subject' when he rejected you at every turn? Everyone in my kingdom accepted me as their ruler. The voice of dissent who didn't want me still lived in my domain; whether or not they liked it, they earned money and survived on top of my land. That means they were still my subjects. However, that Filo Arde did not want to accept you. Counting him as one is just pure arrogance."

Finn hummed, mulling over Ais' answer. Was it arrogant of him to try to lead the Pallum, who did not want to be led and just wallowed in their pity? He thought it was okay to not be accepted by the Pallums as long as he existed as a goal for others to follow. However, he still did try to make them accept his ideals. After all, he knew that as long as the Pallums tried, they would become strong. The Knight of Fianna was not special, except for Fianna and him, who made a pact with Finnegas. They were just normal Pallums without Falna, yet they saved many people.

He tried to tell the other Pallums in Orario the same. That they could be strong. It wasn't a recruitment drive for Loki Familia. He just wanted to help them gain footing and show the world that the Pallums were not weak. His effort bore fruit as more and more Pallums gained the courage to enter the Dungeon and dream. But those who rejected him were also not few.

Was it arrogant to consider those who rejected him his 'subjects?'

They arrived at the flower shop. Finn quickly brought a bouquet. After he paid for them, they continued walking, and Ais talked.

"My point is, you don't need to feel guilty. You aren't the ruler of Orario. What they do to survive and earn money here, they didn't do it under your jurisdiction."

"I see..." Finn sighed. "It was arrogance, huh?"

"Who knows? Only you can judge yourself."

Not long after, they arrived at the place where Ais usually met with Liliruca Arde near the entrance to the Dungeon.

"Come on, Lili is already there."

Finn followed Ais and saw a short figure expected from a Pallum covered by a hood.

"Lili, Good Morning."

"Good Morning, Ais."

Finn gasped. That voice...

Liliruca Arde pulled down her hood and faced them, giving Finn a clear look on her face.

The flowers on Finn's arm fell to the ground. That face was...

"...Fianna?"

"...Fianna?"

Unexpectedly, the brown-haired Pallum child looked at him after he uttered those words out of desperation.

"...Dim?"

Finn stepped towards the figure who could only be his sister in another life. "Fianna..." He traced a finger on her face as if trying to convince himself that this wasn't an illusion, that her face wasn't an illusion.

"...Is that really you, Dim?"

Without even realizing it, tears were already gathered in the corner of his eyes. It was ready to burst at any moment, and this was it.

The Braver Finn cried.

"Fiannaaa!"

Ever since he first got his memories. He always wondered. Would he be able to meet his friends again? He had hope when he met Gareth. And then, one by one, he met with them again. The Gulliver Brothers. Lyra. Ryuu, and then Bete. He even met Ais, with whom he had never interacted before in his previous life. Each and every meeting brought his hope up again and again.

Even so, the chance of having a particular soul reincarnated at the same age as him was almost zero. It was just a coincidence that they all were gathered together at the same time. Ryuu had her suspicions, but she never shared them with anyone. Even if he hoped to meet Fianna again, he knew that realistically, it was a slim chance.

And that was why he couldn't hold back his emotion at all when he saw who was in front of him.

Slowly, he felt a finger wipe the tears on his cheek. It was a callous finger that did not fit with a girl Ais' age. And yet, he knew without a doubt that the gesture was made full of care.

And then she spoke.

"Even in a new life, you're still a crybaby, huh?"

Finn couldn't help but laugh. Of course. Fianna's last memory was her being betrayed by Cormac. She did not know anything about the aftermath, just like how the others didn't know anything after their death. In her eyes, he was just the crybaby Dim. And that was fine for Finn.

"Can we move? We're attracting attention." Finn asked his past life's sister.

He saw Fianna, or Liliruca to be precise, looking at Ais, who was watching them. "I'm going to the Dungeon with Ais. We'll talk later."

It wasn't a question. It seemed that her charismatic self was still there. Finn could have rejected her, but he knew better. The woman in Knight of Fianna was all crazy, including his idol in front of him. Even Helga, the Helga, said that Sweet Melia was worse than her.

Finn nodded at her statement. "See you later. Just visit Twilight Mansion."

As he watched them off, Ais turned back to him and bowed. "Sorry, Captain Finn. It's a miscommunication on my part. You could've been reunited sooner..."

The figure of Liliruca Arde looked at him.

"It's fine, it's fine. See you later, Ais, Liliruca," he smiled at the two children.

"Call me Lili now," was Lili's short reply before the two figures entered the Dungeon.

Now, Finn picked up the flower he dropped to the ground before and smiled. Looking around, it seemed that his display caught everyone's attention. Finn just smiled at them to reassure everyone. It wouldn't be good for the city's morale to see one of the strongest Adventurers break down in the middle of the street.

Well, it just happened, so now he needed to do some damage control. In the meantime, he wondered if the Gulliver Brother was free... and Lyra too, he guessed. ...and Bete and Ryuu too. Hmm, he better let Gareth deal with them as he ran damage control. They'd have their monthly meeting tonight.

The last time he held back information about Ais, Ryuu paid them by composing a song utterly shaming him and Gareth. He didn't want a repeat of such a case.

A/N: And the reunion is here!