Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?

by Gavius

One day, the news spread like wildfire. "The Black Dragon is dead," they said. "The strongest Monster has been killed," they cheered. Yet, no one knew how it happened, nor who did the deed. At the same time, weird phenomena began happening in the Dungeon, plunging Orario into alarm. But that has nothing to do with the boy who's recently started to work at a certain Tavern... right?

9. Chapter 9 - Notes of Obsession

DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from Danmachi and its characters.

Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.

English is not my native language, so please bear with me. I'll try to correct eventual mistakes if you point them out to me.

Having said that, please enjoy.

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Is it Wrong to Try to Stay the Farthest Away from the Dungeon?
-Chapter Nine-

Notes of Obsession

Labyrinth City of Orario
Adventurers Guild – Pantheon

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Arien had a bad feeling about this.

Ever since he had parted ways with that annoying elf who worked in the Hostess, the young man with ashen-white hair had felt something inside him stir and twist in an unpleasant way. Ever since he had seen that waitress dressed in her battle attire and with her eyes filled with murderous intent... something had changed inside him. Something deep. Something that was rendering him uncomfortable, even in this exact same moment.

His Divine instinct had gone awry. His powers felt restless. His mind just wouldn't settle down.

And he could not fully shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

But he just couldn't understand why.

Still, the dragon-slayer was sure of it, even if he didn't know the reason. Ever since he had seen that elf, ever since he had glimpsed the murderous glint inside her eyes and felt the bloodlust oozing off her frame; his mind had been rendered wary. His senses had been irked to no end. His Divine powers had been alerted – they were still alerting him even now – and the young man was struggling to understand why.

The unknown traveler who had slayed the Dragon exhaled a sigh, donning a hand on his face and rubbing the spot between his eyes.

Perhaps, however, this feeling of restlessness was not due to the elf herself. On the contrary, perhaps it was due to the fact that Evilus was still around. Perhaps his wariness was bound to the fact that the accursed cult he had so desperately tried to destroy seven years ago was still operating inside of the city. Arien knew that this possibility was high. His previous discussion with Ouranos had all but proved it… and the cold, murderous look inside the elf's gaze had only served to remind him of this fact once more.

Evilus had been the main cause behind the Astraea Familia's destruction, after all. It had played a role in the recent incident with the armed monsters too. And according to Ouranos, there was a high probability that that accursed group of terrorists was even involved in something huge right now. Something dangerous. Something that had to do with some secret machinations that had been going on inside the Dungeon for quite a while now, and that the Guild and Ouranos had been desperately trying to uncover for months… to no avail.

As such, Arien knew that his restlessness was justified. He just couldn't help but feel this way, no matter how he loathed it.

That was why he had returned to the Guild.

And that was why he was here now.

Once he'd found out about Evilus and watched Ryuu leave for her unknown destination, the young man with ashen-white hair had turned around and changed his previous destination, heading back to the Pantheon once more in order to shed some light about this matter that was making him feel restless. He entered inside the Guild's main building a second time and headed towards the library. Then, once he was there, he had spent the last two hours looking for clues and information, reading all the books he could find related to Evilus and the accursed group that he himself had fought and antagonized seven years ago.

Because that was the smartest thing for him to do right now. Just as Hera had taught him countless times when he was a boy: information was the key to everything. No matter what your goal was, the best way to approach every challenge was to gather more info before acting. Whether you had to fight a battle, head inside the Dungeon, or face a difficult challenge; the most optimal course of action in order to reach success was preparing yourself first. And the best way to prepare yourself was learning and gathering all the information you could find.

Knowledge is power, after all.

To be honest, Arien had found the library's collection of books rather helpful for this goal. He had no interest – nor respect – for the Guild and the people who worked in this place, but even he had to admit that the library section of the Pantheon could be incredibly useful when you goal was to gather intel and obtain knowledge about something. This place was a gigantic agglomeration of knowledge, after all, and within its books was contained an overwhelming amount of notions and details that would have been very difficult to learn or even just to discover outside of Orario. And it was also opened to the public during the day, which was an incredibly good thing compared to some other smaller cities of the world which jealously guarded their knowledge most of the time. But here, everyone was free to read and study as they pleased, and no one was prevented from picking up the books and leafing through their pages inside the library – with a few exceptions, of course.

Historical records, maps of the Dungeon and its floors, bestiaries of monsters and creatures, and even books filled with information about Falna, Skill and Development abilities… all of this and even more could be found inside the Guild's library if you knew where to look. But besides that, you could also find a lot of records regarding all the major events that had happened in the Labyrinth City throughout the years; because the Guild had to bear the concern – and the duty – of recording all the annual occurrences in order to keep a detailed record of the events. A long series of logbooks, in other words, whose purpose was to catalog everything that happened inside of Orario in order to keep things in check. An accurate register that could help the Guild and the Ganesha Familia during their operations and investigations, too. An historical record, basically.

Yes, an historical record. A register about historical events.

Just like the book Arien was reading right now, seated on an isolated table on the quietest area of the library.

"The Dark Age of Orario. Records of Evilus and the fight against crime."

Arien Cranel read the book's cover inside of his head, narrowing his eyes on the pages as he absorbed their contents with a hungry expression.

To be completely honest, he was already aware of most of the things the book explained. After all, he knew about Evilus from his own experience. He had spent a lot of time and efforts in order to fight and destroy that accursed group during his previous visit to Orario, seven years ago. Therefore, he was aware of what Evilus was, and he also was deeply familiar with the way it worked. He had seen it firsthand, after all.

'Evilus' was a group of terrorists and cultists whose only objective was to kill and destroy everything. A sect of deities and mortals whose main goal was to wreak havoc and destruction in order to bring an end to Orario and the Labyrinth City. Basically, a group of people and gods who wanted to see the world burn; and plunge Orario, the world and its inhabitants into chaos just because they worshipped the concept of death and destruction.

In other words, a bunch of exalted and murderous fools.

Like many other terrorist factions before them, Evilus had started as a radical group when the Zeus and Hera Familias were still around. However, when said Familias suddenly weakened in power and were subsequently exiled from Orario after their demise against the One-Eyed Black Dragon, Evilus rose in power and began to threaten the city that had just lost its strongest protectors. And despite all the efforts that the Loki and Freya Familias (along with the Guild) had spent in order to deal with them, even long before Faceless revealed himself, they never managed to put an end to them. In the past, in fact, Evilus had quickly gathered a lot of deities and criminals into its ranks – all of them drawn to it because they worshipped death, blood and destruction more than anything else – creating a criminal network that was too wide and erratic to be controlled completely. That was the main reason why it had been so difficult to deal with Evilus during those days, even despite the fact that the whole city had literally joined forces together to stand against them.

Still, Arien already knew that. He knew all about this, and he was aware of it thanks to his personal experience and his previous deeds as Faceless.

What he didn't know, however, was the fact that Evilus had managed to survive beyond the Dark Age. Faceless had been there, back then. He had seen with his own eyes all the deaths, the battles and the struggles. He had fought and killed countless members of Evilus during those days, and that was why he had believed that Evilus had met its end at the end of the so-called "Dark Days".

He had been there, after all. He had seen all of it behind his guise as Faceless. He had been there when Ottar had fought Zald of Gluttony. He had been there when the Astraea Familia had dealt with Alfia of Silence. He had seen it all, with his own two eyes, and he even had had a role in the fights and the capture of many criminals and – indirectly – deities who were associated with Evilus, back then. Countless were the members of Evilus that Faceless had either killed, or captured, or even delivered to the Guild during those days. His presence and his efforts had been extremely decisive for the eradication of that evil sect of madmen, and that much was undeniable. Thus, since Evilus had received a huge blow after that defeat, the young man with ashen-white hair had believed that the evil group had finally met its end. He had hoped and believed that Evilus had been destroyed, and that all its members had either been captured or killed in some way.

But, alas, that hadn't been the case.

Because, according to Ouranos' words, a few members of that accursed cult had managed to survive ad hide themselves in the following years, eluding the Guild's monitoring and escaping from the clutches of the Loki and Freya Familias.

More specifically: the members of Rudra Familia and Thanatos Familia.

During the Dark Age, the Apate and Alecto Familias were the strongest ones within Evilus, having multiple Level 5s and 4s among their ranks… until they were defeated by the Freya Familia and finally finished off by Finn Deimne. There also had been a few other Familias inside Evilus as well, but they were all small fries compared to those two. But the Rudra and Thanatos Familias were ones that Arien had never heard of before. He had never been aware of them until now, and this was probably due to the fact that – according to what the book explained – those two had joined its ranks long after the events from seven years ago… and this was something that was irking him to no end.

Why did those two Familias join Evilus after its defeat? What were they plotting?

Were they some hidden members? Did they recreate it? Was their existence born from necessity or madness? What was their goal? Why did they decide to join the cause of a lost and beaten group of criminals who had already been defeated a few years prior? It had no sense. It made no sense whatsoever. Only a fool or a madman would willingly choose to do something like this, regardless of whether it was a god or a mortal. It was simply too absurd to comprehend.

Yet, that was the truth, and there was no way to deny it. Not when the entirety of Astraea Familia had been destroyed because of it. No one could deny the facts after those events.

Arien exhaled a sigh, donning a hand over his exhausted face.

Finding out that Evilus, the organization he despised just as much as his blood parents, was somehow back again was not a pleasant news for him. It wasn't pleasant at all. But at the same time, one small part of him felt like he should have seen this coming. He hadn't been there when the Rudra Familia went on the move once again, after all; and at the end of the Dark Age he had left Orario as soon as Evilus was declared destroyed from the bottom up. He had thought it gone for good, in short, and hoped that any eventual survivor would become too fearful to rise to power once again.

Yet, history said otherwise. And now he had to deal with this fact no matter what.

Good grief, what a mess, he mused inside of his head, keeping his eyes glued to the book as he kept reading its contents. This story is growing more and more fucked up by the second. I can already feel a migraine coming.

He really – really – hadn't expected the situation to escalate so badly. Not even in his wildest dreams.

The young man with ashen-white hair exhaled a sigh, shaking his head with a weary movement.

However, much to his own surprise, he didn't have much time to ponder and think about those matters.

Because in that exact same moment, something happened and his instinct forced him to snap out of his musing.

"Um―"

Arien blinked and turned to the left, narrowing his eyes on the next subject of his focus.

"―excuse me?"

The sight of a familiar person greeted his vision. A young girl who couldn't be older than twenty with a slim body, pointy ears, shoulder-length brown hair, and emerald colored eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. The girl was dressed in the standard uniform usually worn by the Guild's receptionists, and despite her pointy ears and good looks, her beauty did not seem to be as mesmerizing as the elves usually looked, rendering her status as a half-elf extremely obvious to the eye. It was rather easy for every race to distinguish half-elves from true elves, after all, since the latter always looked more 'dignified' and 'stunning' in looks and bearing compared to those who had mixed blood in their veins. That also why some elves don't think too highly of them, in some cases.

Not that Arien cared, though. For him it mattered little whether this girl was an elf or a half-elf. But he did find the fact that she looked quite familiar to him intriguing, to be honest. There was no way he could ever dismiss the feeling of déjà vu that was blossoming inside of him, after all; and his instinct was also telling him that this wasn't the first time he was seeing the young woman in front of him. He could almost swear on it.

Then, realization finally struck him like an arrow. "Oh," he grunted, fixing the girl with a bored look. "You're the one from the other day."

Indeed, he was right. The receptionist from two days ago. The one he had briefly met upon leaving the Dungeon, and who had recommended the Benevolent Mistress to him. Her name was Eina, if he recalled correctly. Eina Tulle.

The girl looked at him with a chagrined face under his unimpressed stare, scratching her arm and chuckling with a very, very awkward expression.

"I-I'm truly sorry to bother you, sir… but my colleagues insisted on this," she began to explain in a sheepish tone, shooting a murderous glance towards her right. A certain fat elf with white hair shivered under her glare, hiding himself behind a bookshelf. Arien did not fail to notice it. "My boss was surprised to see you here after your previous… discussion, with him. H-He's asked me to come and check on you to see if you… needed something, I guess."

Despite her professional tone, the girl couldn't help but make a chagrined smile under his cold, piercing gaze. Arien just stared at her in cryptic silence.

After a moment, however, the young man relaxed himself and exhaled a breath.

"It's fine. Everything's alright," he spoke with a stoic tone, averting his eyes from her and returning to focus on the book in his hands. "Tell the fat dobber he doesn't need to worry. I came here just to read a few things, that's all," he replied, keeping his voice as cold as ever.

The girl – Eina, if memory served him right – looked quite baffled by his words, surprised by the fact that a young man who couldn't be older than her was addressing someone as powerful as Royman as a 'Fat dobber'. She almost couldn't believe her ears, in all honesty.

But still, that taunt kinda fit, in her opinion. Royman wasn't called the Guild's Pig for no reason, after all.

Shocked as she was, the girl couldn't help but remain frozen for a few seconds.

Seeing that she wasn't moving, the young man turned to her again. "…can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Eina startled at his bland tone, blinking owlishly at him for a few seconds. "A-Ah, sorry. I was just… my apologies," she stuttered, looking completely lost for words. Faced by his unfazed expression, the girl decided to recollect herself in a fluster and forced a professional smile on her face. "I-I don't know if you recall it, sir, but this is the second time we've met. It happened―"

"I know who you are," Arien cut her off, quickly but gently. The half-elf stared at him with wide eyes as he closed his book to stare at her with an unreadable gaze. "Eina Tulle, right? We've met two days ago. I was looking for a place to stay, and you recommended the Hostess of Fertility to me."

The girl looked both surprised and relieved by his answer. "Y-Yes, that's correct," she acknowledged, nodding her head slowly. At least he hadn't forgotten about that. "So… did you follow my suggestion?"

Arien nodded, keeping his face stoic as he grunted. "The tavern is nice, the accommodations are fine, and the food's good. I'd say you were right, all things considered," he decided to say, even if his answer was purely out of politeness rather than interest in this conversation.

Although some waitresses are another story entirely, he snorted inside of his head, keeping that thought to himself.

He would never say that out loud. Not even under threat.

Much to his amusement, the half-elf looked extremely pleased at his answer. Almost relieved, in fact. "Thank goodness. I'm glad I was able to help," she sighed, widening her smile with a beaming expression. Her emerald eyes seemed to shine a bit as pride and joy began to ooze off from her frame. The dragon-slayer could feel her emotions extremely well. "Being able to offer advice to Adventurers and customers is the most important part of my job, after all."

Arien just stared at her with a bored face.

Eina blushed a bit under his unreadable gaze. She coughed in her hand to recollect herself, and then put the best smile she could muster on her lips. "Sir, I apologize if this bothers you, but I have to ask since you're here. Are you thinking of becoming an Adventurer?" she asked, direct and straightforward.

The young man who had slayed the Dragon forced back a groan from his lips.

"No," was his blunt and short reply.

The girl seemed taken aback seeing how he had answered rather quickly. "I-I see… my apologies, then. I do recall you saying that last time we spoke," she admitted at that point, bowing her had in an apologetic gesture. "Please try to understand me. The Guild requires us to ask this question to all who enter here without being registered on the list. It's a standard procedure," she tried to explain.

He just dismissed her words with a wave of the hand, not even bothering to care about any of that. "No matter. Just make sure you won't ask a third time… if you don't want things to escalate," he warned her, deadly serious.

Despite herself, Eina couldn't help but gulp in nervousness after his warning words. The cold, emotionless stare he was sending her was both piercing and worrying, and she was almost starting to shiver under his gaze. It was a look that she had rarely ever seen even in the faces of powerful and famous Adventurers. This fact alone spoke volumes about this young man in front of her, in her opinion.

Then, before she could snap out of her thoughts and leave, her gaze unconsciously fell on the book he was currently holding, and her eyes widened in surprise upon reading the title written on its cover.

Her professional instinct flared all of a sudden. Before she could even notice it, her mouth began to move on its own.

"F-Forgive me, sir. I see that you're reading a very… unusual book," she noted, speaking purely out of instinct due to the habit of her profession. "Are you perhaps interested in historical records?"

To his credit, Arien did not react openly to her question. But to his annoyance, he could already feel the irritation grow inside.

Still, he forced himself to remain calm and exhaled a sigh. There was no need to be brash here. Not yet, and not again. He had already dealt with enough nuisances for a single morning – Royman, Ouranos, the elf from the tavern, and even the news about Evilus were still plaguing his mind even now – and he had no intention of worsening his already bad headache. He wasn't a masochist, after all.

Hence, he forced himself to quell his annoyance and took a deep breath. Actually, now that he really thought about it, he could almost exploit this situation to his advantage. Having a member of the Guild's staff and an Advisor could actually help him gather info in a faster way, after all. The current situation was something he could use to his own advantage, all things considered.

It took him three seconds to take a decision. "…as a matter of fact, yes," he admitted with a bland tone. His sudden statement brought the girl back to focus as she stared at the book he was currently reading. "There's something I need to figure out. And since you're here, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me out with this."

Eina smiled at him, glad and elated by the unexpected turn of events. "Of course. How may I be of service?" she readily asked, returning to her work mode in a second.

Arien brought the book closer to her so that she could read as well. "You see, I would like to know more about this subject," he said, pointing a finger towards a specific entry on the pages. "Evilus, and the destruction of the Astraea Familia."

The girl paused, narrowing her emerald eyes behind her glasses. "That's quite the heavy subject you're reading… why do you wish to read more about this?" she asked, suspicious, taken aback by the info he was looking for.

Much to her confusion, the young man with ashen-white hair snorted at her question. He could clearly detect all her emotions with just a single glance, unbeknownst to her.

"I'm just trying to educate myself," he defended himself, adamant. "I used to work as a Bounty Hunter in the past, and I find these matters quite fascinating. As a matter of fact, as a former Bounty Hunter, it is imperative for me to learn all I can about criminals and evil organizations. It's just… it helps me have a full picture about the events; and it could also be useful to me in the future with my job. Dealing with criminals is not as easy as it seems," he explained, smiling in self-mockery.

In a way, he wasn't lying with that statement. He really did work as a Bounty Hunter in the past, after all. Thus, since he was used to deal with criminals and targets of all kinds, learning more about Evilus and the events related to that cult almost felt like a duty for him. And as every single person who had been forced to do that job knew extremely well: if you wanted to be prepared for every kind of eventuality, it was always best to have a full picture of the events. Learning and understanding the events from the past was a good way to do that, for a Bounty Hunter.

Better be safe than sorry, after all.

Eina stared at him in silence for a while, unsure of what to do. Arien could clearly feel all her doubts and skepticism with his Divine powers, but he just stared back in silence as the half-elf struggled to digest and absorb his answer in full.

Until, upon realizing that he was serious about this, the girl decided to comply.

"Very well," she relented, taking a seat in front of him and placing her arms on the table with both her hands intertwined. "I'll share with you all I know about those events."

Thus, the talk between the Advisor and the Demi-god began in a tense silence.

For the next five minutes, the two of them shared an instructive conversation. Eina told Arien everything she knew about the events that had occurred five years ago, and Arien occasionally stopped her to make some considerations or ask his questions. They talked and talked and talked; speaking about Evilus, and the past, and the Dark Age of Orario; sharing information and disclosing the events that happened in the previous years with a minuteness that Arien hadn't sincerely expected.

Among said events, they discussed about everything that had happened in Orario seven years ago - just after the time Faceless had disappeard from the city, to be exact - including the unexpected rise of Evilus after their previous defeat, and of course, even the so-called 'Nightmare of the 27th Floor'... a disgusting trap orchestrated by Evilus six years ago in order to fake their own death and kill several Adventurers, and that ended up involving them instead, leaving almost no survivor by the end of those events.

Until, after about ten minutes of uninterrupted talk, the two of them finally reached the main point of interest.

"Five years ago, two years after the fall of Evilus and one year after the Nightmare of the 27th Floor, Rudra Familia decided to strike again," Eina explained with a serious tone. "Despite being constantly hunted down by the Guild and often forced to clash with the Astraea Familia on several occasions, they eventually managed to escape and hide themselves inside an unknown location on the 27th Floor of the Dungeon. From there, they prepared a trap and lured the Astraea Familia into an ambush in order to kill them. And unfortunately, as much as it pains me to admit it, they succeeded… although their plan ended up backfiring on them as well."

Arien narrowed his eyes as he listened closely. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

Eina stared at him in all seriousness behind her glasses as she answered. "Similarly to what happened one year prior, Rudra Familia ended up falling victim to their own trap. The records are very vague, and no one really knows what happened during that day… but according to various sources, most of its members ended up being killed by their own trap along with the members of Astraea Familia. That's why some people compare that incident to the events of the Nightmare of the 27th Floor," she explained with a sad voice.

Arien mulled over the info in his head. "I see… and what about the Thanatos Familia, instead?" he pressed.

"Just like the Rudra Familia, the Thanatos Familia was said to be affiliated with Evilus' old ways… but they are no longer a threat for the city," the half-elf answered, relief and reassurance written all over her features. "In fact, to be completely honest, Loki Familia has recently dealt with them a few weeks ago. All its members are either dead or imprisoned, and the god Thanatos has been sent back to Heaven after going through a short trial. He no longer resides on the lower plane, and all his followers are gone," she finished with a nod of the head, smiling a little at the happy turn of events.

The young man nodded as well after hearing that explanation, feeling his shoulders relax a bit at the news. This was reassuring to hear. It was a good thing that an evil god who belonged to Evilus had been defeated along with his followers. At least they could no longer cause harm to the people, that way. It was always good to hear that justice prevailed in the end.

Hmph. It seems the fools of Loki Familia can actually be useful once in a while, he mused with sarcasm, almost tempted to roll his eyes.

But… there was still something bothering him about this. Something that he had clearly noticed during the girl's previous explanation.

Something he did not like one bit.

"You said that most members of the Rudra Familia are dead," he spoke again, fixing the Advisor with a serious stare. "What do you mean by that? Is there someone who's managed to survive?"

Eina sighed at his following question, her face and features dropping in a very, very obvious way.

Arien narrowed his eyes as the girl stood up from the table out of the blue, observing her in silence with a frowning expression.

"That is a rather… delicate subject," she muttered, shaking her head in a tired gesture instead of answering his question. The sadness and weariness on her face were extremely hard to miss. "Please wait here. I'll be back in a minute."

The young man with ashen-white hair paused at her words, confused, and stared at the girl as she walked away from the table and headed towards a small corridor on the left. From there, the young receptionist of the Guild grabbed a second book from a shelf after a few seconds of looking around. Then, she turned back on her legs and returned to the table with a slow step, offering the book to him as she opened it and pointed a finger to a certain page.

Arien accepted the book with a narrowed frown, observing its content with a piercing gaze.

"The book I just gave to you is called the Guild's Black Book. It is a list of all the Adventurers who have been blacklisted by the Guild during the entirety of Orario's history," Eina explained matter-of-factly, looking and sounding deadly serious as she spoke. Arien listened to her in silence as his eyes flickered between her face and the page of the book. "Every single person who is wanted by the Guild is listed inside the book, with a bounty on their head depending on how bad their transgressions are."

He nodded after mulling the info in his head, flipping through the pages as he stared at a certain image on the list. The drawn picture of a cat-man with short hair and a manipulative face greeted is vision.

"Jura Halmer," Arien read out loud, staring at the picture with an unreadable frown. "A member of Rudra Familia."

Eina Tulle nodded her head. "This man was added to the list very recently. The Guild believed he was dead… but in the last few weeks, more and more Adventurers came to us out of the blue, claiming to have spotted him inside the town of Rivira, on the 18th Floor," she stated in a serious tone, crossing her arms with a scowling face. "We still don't know if he's alive or not, but the Guild has put his name back on the list since the news of his survival was confirmed by the Hermes Familia as well. If it's true, Jura would be the only member of Rudra Familia who's managed to survive so far. Or, at least, the only one we know of."

Arien observed his picture closely. The cat-man's face was extremely ugly in his opinion.

"…why was he considered dead?" he asked, glancing at the half-elf. "The note says that he didn't die in the incident from five years ago."

The girl sighed, and extended a hand towards the book. The young man handed it back to her without complaining, and watched as the half-elf quickly flipped through the pages in search of something.

Until, Eina stopped and pointed a finger towards a specific page, handing back the Black Book to Arien with a solemn face.

"Here. Read this," she urged him.

Arien did as he was told, and his grey eyes narrowed instantly as a certain something greeted his vision.

The drawn picture of an elf with long golden hair and a green mask covering her face.

"The Gale's vengeful bloodshed," Eina commented as he read those words in his head. "The only member of Astraea Familia who's managed to survive the events from five years ago."

The dragon-slayer listened closely as the Guild's receptionist disclosed that info with a serious voice.

"Once her Familia was wiped out in the trap set up by Rudra Familia, the Gale swore revenge on Jura and all member of Evilus. Her Familia was destroyed by him and his allies, after all, and because of that she was blinded with rage. She went on a murder spree, and disposed of every single person who was even remotely related to that event, carrying out her revenge through murders, massacres and slaughters of all kinds. She was said to have killed Jura as well, according to our previous intel."

Arien Cranel remained silent, observing the elf's picture with an unreadable stare.

Eina continued her explanation without missing a beat. "Assassinations, poisoning, traps and ambushes… there was no end to her methods, and she destroyed every person, building and command post that was suspected to be related to Evilus and Rudra Familia. Nothing was spared from her wrath," she stated, lowering her eyes. "It was… a bloodshed. One that was almost comparable to the one carried out by Evilus two years earlier."

He remained silent and still, keeping his eyes glued on the picture of the blonde-haired elf wearing a mask.

"...is that the reason why she was blacklisted by the Guild?" he asked at that point, emotionless.

The girl with brown hair lowered her head. "Yes. Her motives were understandable, but her actions were just too much to accept," she admitted with a low voice. "The Gale's rage was justified, but her actions... not so much. She only followed possible rumors with no concrete proof to execute her revenge, and she killed countless people who could have been innocent. So many people suffered from her wrath, including some who were barely even related to those events or who had nothing to do with it at all… although, to be fair, it must be said that some of her hunches were proved to be correct with time, and her actions have helped the Guild to send various deities affiliated with Evilus back to Heaven. But still…"

…it was too much to accept.

Those words were left unsaid. Eina did not utter them from her lips, but Arien understood the silent message all the same.

It was too much. Way too much to accept. There was no point in trying to justify it, and there was no way to deny it either. That much was already obvious to him, with crystal clear clarity and certainty.

Despite what many believed, in fact, Arien was extremely familiar with the concept of vengeance. He was deeply intimate with the idea of revenge and all the feelings and reasons related to that concept. And how cold he not be? After all, in the past he had been plagued by his own thirst for vengeance for years… he had been blinded by anger and rage just like the Gale was; and at the end of everything he had carried out his revenge against his mother just like the elf had done. Consequently, he was not without fault in regards to this particular subject.

Yet, despite all of that, not even he could fully justify the actions perpetuated by this so-called Gale. He could relate to her, in some way, but he could not deny the facts even in spite of that.

Make no mistake, though. By all means and rights, the Gale's wrath was justified in his opinion… but even if her anger was understandable, the involvement of innocent people was something he could NOT acknowledge. The death of those who weren't related to her tragedy could NOT be justified in any way; and that was undeniable, no matter how sad it was.

Arien had killed a lot of people in the past… but he had never harmed those who weren't related to him (or Evilus) in any way. He was not that kind of monster.

So… in a way, it made sense for the Guild to blacklist her. That decision was completely justified, all things considered.

"What happened to her in the end?" Arien asked, seeing how the book didn't say anything about the Gale's fate.

Eina sighed as she crossed her arms. "We don't really know for sure. She went into hiding, and no one has ever heard of her since," she replied, shaking her head with a lost expression.

Humph. Of course she did, Arien thought with a scoff.

"And what about her name?" he pressed. "This book only refers to her as 'Gale' or 'Gale Wind'. There's no way that is her real name," he stated, trying to dig deeper into this matter.

The half-elf nodded. "You're correct; but unfortunately for us, there's no record of her name from when she wasn't blacklisted. All the documents related to the Astraea Familia and its members are gone, and no one really knows how it happened. Some say that it was the Gale herself who infiltrated the Guild at night and destroyed every single trace of her true identity. And since a lot of time has passed, not many remember her name nowadays. That's why her case is considered an unresolved mystery even to this day."

Arien Cranel narrowed his eyes, keeping his face a mask devoid of emotions.

Infiltrating the Guild? Destroying all her records?

That was bullshit. A gigantic pile of bullshit, in his opinion. Something like this was impossible, and he was absolutely sure about that.

And how could he not be? Stealing something from the Guild was a feat that no one – literally no one, both mortals and gods alike – could manage to do easily without being discovered. The Adventurer's Guild was the most secure and protected area of Orario. It was the one place where security was at its peak. Even for someone like Arien it would be impossible to infiltrate inside the building and steal something without being seen. His stealth mission inside the Twilight Manor had been one thing, but the Guild? The one place on earth where Ouranos stood on guard all the time with his powers? The place where Adventurers came and went by all the time at every hour of day and night?

It was impossible. It was absolutely impossible. No one could manage to accomplish this. Not even a Reverse Veil would do the trick. With his powers and his prayers, Ouranos would have detected an intruder right away, and there was little to no one who could elude and avoid the sight of the most powerful deity of the planet. Not even Arien would have been able to do such a feat.

Which meant…

There was only one option left. If all the records related to the Gale and her real name had disappeared, that meant that someone from the inside must have disposed of them. Someone from the Guild's ranks had to be responsible for this, and that much was undeniable. There was no doubt about it.

Someone from the Guild had willingly erased everything about the Gale. Consequently, this whole thing was not a theft or an accident, but a deliberate and premeditated choice. Which, in turn, implied one more thing as well.

That being: the first deity of Orario was aware of this.

Arien closed his eyes, pinching his nose with a weary breath.

Ouranos, you sly cunning bastard…

It was the sole explanation. The only thing that made sense. There was simply no way for an Adventurer to steal something from the Guild without being discovered, no matter the Level and how powerful he or she was. If the records related to the Gale and her name had been stolen from the Guild, then that meant that someone from the inside had willingly decided to erase all those documents. And if someone from the Guild had been responsible for this, that could only mean that whoever they were, they had acted under Ouranos' direct orders.

Which meant that the Guild – or, more specifically, Ouranos – was willingly covering the Gale for some reason.

The young man who had slayed the Dragon opened his eyes, hiding a smirk behind his black-fur collar.

This has to be Fels' doing, he pondered inside of his mind, amused. There's no way Ouranos would trust someone else to do something like this. Normally, I would suspect Royman too… but the fat elf is not reliable enough. The Foolish Sage is the only one who could have accomplished this feat without being discovered. Well played, Ouranos. Well played.

He shook his head, returning his focus on the Advisor who was staring at him with a perplexed frown.

"Are you alright?" she asked, confused by his sudden silence.

He did his best to quell the growing smirk on his lips. "I'm good. I was just reflecting a bit," he answered, turning his gaze back on the drawn picture on the book.

Eina assumed a sympathetic expression. "I understand. This matter is one of the darkest, unresolved mysteries of Orario," she said in an even tone. "It's no wonder you would feel confused. No one has managed to unfold this case so far."

Good grief. People were so fucking stupid sometimes.

However, he dismissed her sympathy and returned to stare at the book. Right now, his mind was too focused on the drawn picture of the Gale to actually care about her words. To be honest, in fact, he no longer cared about the current discussion at all… for there was one more thing that he was struggling to understand. One more detail that had caught his interest, drawing all his attention out of the blue.

Why, would you ask? That's easy.

Because, no matter how long and hard he observed the drawn picture, the elf portrayed in the list felt familiar to him.

Extremely familiar.

And that was what he was failing to understand.

Not that he could blame himself, though. The image of the Gale drawn in the book was old, and it could hardly be considerate accurate nowadays. And yet… a blonde elf with blue eyes and a stern face, dressed in a green hood with a mask covering her face… no matter how absurd it sounded, the description written on the book felt familiar. Oddly but unequivocally familiar to him. Arien was not related to the Astraea Familia in any way, and he had only met the goddess and that red-haired follower of hers a few times during the Dark Age… so why the fuck did this girl feel so familiar to him? Why did he feel like he had seen her before?

It had no sense. It made no sense. He could not understand.

Did he meet her during those day? Had the two of them crossed paths during his previous visit to Orario? He didn't know. He couldn't tell. His memories of the Dark Age were still intact and vivid inside his mind, but there was also a lot he had forgotten about those matters during the last seven years. After he'd left Orario at the end of the Evilus War, in fact, he had moved on with his life and tried to forget everything related to his past. He had tried to forget Bell. He had tried to forget Alfia and Zald. He had tried to move on with his life and put everything that had happened behind him, starting his life anew and traveling around the world as a Bounty Hunter. He had spent seven long years doing his job and visiting countless places… so it was no wonder that he couldn't recall every detail about those times. Not anymore, at least.

But still… this feeling of familiarity was unmistakable.

Yes, there was no way to deny it. The more he stared at the picture of the Gale, the more this feeling of familiarity was growing inside him. The more he looked at the drawn picture of the elf, the more he felt like he had seen her before; even if he could not remember why, or when.

And this fact was irking him to no end. It was irking him more than he would have liked to admit.

He needed to shed light about this.

He needed to discover the truth. If this so-called Gale was related to Evilus and its demise, then he had to find her and ask her a few questions.

Question was: how?

How was he supposed to find a criminal who had gone into hiding for five years? How was he supposed to find a missing elf after all this time? The girl looked familiar, sure, but he had nothing to follow beyond his feelings and instinct. No clues to discover, no memory to recall, no lead to follow. The only thing he had was this feeling of familiarity – of kinship – similar to the one he had felt a few hours ago when he had met the waitr―

Arien widened his eyes, staring at the picture with a mask of ice.

Wait a minute.

Wait a fucking minute.

[The elf!]

The waitress from the Hostess.
The elf with green hair and blue eyes.
The annoying and probing waitress who hated his guts.

The girl called Ryuu Lion.

His mind blanked for a moment. All his thoughts and feelings disappeared out of the blue.

And then, and only then; it hit him.

Realization dawned upon him, and the young man with ashen-white hair stared at the picture with an incredulous expression.

…

No fucking way, he muttered in his head. How the hell did I not notice it sooner?

He donned a hand over his face, massaging his temples with an exasperate face.

The waitress from the tavern.
The elf with fair skin and blue eyes.
The girl with a face that was stern and emotionless.

The killer with the dangerous eyes…

[…the eyes of someone who was bent on revenge.]

…

Everything made sense now.

Fuck.

Arien Cranel exhaled a sigh, rubbing his nose in a frustrated gesture as he cursed inside of his head.

Gods, fucking damn it. I feel like an idiot right now.

Yes, he really did. He really did feel like an idiot right now. After all, he should have seen it. He should have seen it sooner. He should have connected the dots as soon as he saw the picture and felt that pang of familiarity blossoming inside of his mind.

But no matter. Now, the puzzle was complete, and every piece had finally returned to its rightful place.

Ryuu Lion was the Gale.

Ryuu Lion was a former member of Astraea Familia.

She was the one who destroyed Evilus.

And he was only starting to realize it now.

…he really was an idiot sometimes, wasn't he?

He needed to get out of here.

"Heh… how amusing," he spat in self-mockery, speaking again after a long, awkward pause of silence. His grey eyes snapped up all of a sudden, and the Guild's receptionist startled a bit in surprise as he handed back the book to her with a grateful nod. "Thank you for your time, miss. I really appreciate the help. Your words have been enlightening for me."

More than you could possibly image, he inwardly added.

Eina Tulle blinked and stared at him after that unexpected statement, before snapping out of her stupor and raising her hands in a reassuring gesture. "O-Oh, it's fine, it's fine. Helping others and offering advice when it's needed is my job, after all," she exclaimed with a flushed tone, her face and cheeks growing warmer for some reason. "Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions. I would be glad to offer assistance if I can."

Arien shook his head, standing up from the table with a resolute face. "No, I think this will be enough for now," was all he said, glancing around the exit and moving to leave the building. However, before doing that, he shot a side-ways glance to the girl and offered her a second nod of gratitude for all she had done for him.

"Thank you. I'll see you around, miss."

Eina stared in silence, blinking a few times with a dazed expression.

"O-Ok…" was all she managed to stutter, completely unaware of the fact that her cheeks were starting to blush, for some reason.

Arien did not fail to notice it. He just smirked at her flushed face, before turning around and leaving without saying anything else.

What happened next, it happened in a blur for her. The half-elf rose herself from the table after a few moments of silence, stretching one hand forward as if in attempt to call him back… but oddly enough, she couldn't find the words for it. She just stared with a confused face as the young man who looked so intriguing to her walked away and exited the library, disappearing from the room amid the deafening silence.

Then, not even a few seconds later, she remained alone, standing still and quiet like a statue in the middle of the library.

Eina Tulle she exhaled a sigh, dropping her arms slightly once the young man was gone.

"Shame… there was more I would have liked to ask him," she muttered, sounding both embarrassed and defeated as she spoke those words. Despite her best efforts to quell the growing blush on her cheeks, she was failing miserably in her attempts. "Goodness; his resemblance to Bell was making me lose focus every time… I'll need to be even more wary around him next time."

With a resolute nod, she turned around and started to walk away.

Until―

"…wait a minute," she suddenly realized. "He still hasn't told me his name!"

She turned around and widened her eyes, staring at the exit with a bewildered expression.

---

"…how did it go, Meteria?"

Zeus and Hera were standing on opposite sides of the room, as the dark and impetuous wind howled outside the manor. The old god looked exactly the same as she'd left him: hairy face smeared with sweat and filled with concern. He was even tapping his foot on the floor as he waited for her answer. Opposed to him was Hera, the haughty and stern goddess who had taken her in her Familia, and who had given her a Falna in order to ease her precarious condition. Judging by the scowl on her face, she was quite worried too.

But the woman with ashen-white hair did not speak in spite of their question. There was no need for words anymore. Her face alone was telling them all they needed to know.

Meteria exhaled a sigh, fighting back the tears as she clenched her fists.

Zeus and Hera exchanged a glance. The silence was definitely deafening.

Until, the old goddess pinched her nose with a weary expression, while her husband lowered his head. "…she's left, hasn't she?" she sighed, already knowing the answer.

The tears cascading down her cheeks were answering her enough.

"Auntie…?"

A tiny, uncertain voice suddenly grabbed their attention. Meteria lowered her gaze to the floor, meeting the tiny, little frame of her nephew who was crawling at her feet. The little bundle of life was looking at her from below with curious eyes, tilting his head to the side as he stared at her in wonder. "Why... you cry?" he asked, with his cute, adorable voice filled with innocence and confusion.

Meteria could not resist anymore. Hearing his voice broke all the composure she had desperately tried to maintain.

She kneeled on the ground, enveloping her nephew in a hug. Arien hugged her back, tender and happy as always… but he suddenly was surprised to hear his aunt crying and sobbing as she held him in her arms.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Arien..." the woman was whispering like a mantra.

Hera and Zeus gritted their teeth. The sound of Meteria's sobbing echoed in the room for five minutes straight.

And all the while, Arien just stared and blinked in silence; wrapped inside his beloved aunt's arms as her body was rocketed by sobs.

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Twilight Manor

(======)

The silence in the room was absolute, and nearly deafening to the ears.

On the wall, the hands of the grandfather clock marked the evening hour in the corner of the dining hall inside Loki Familia's home, Twilight Manor. It was barely two in the afternoon right now, but as if to announce the incoming evening, the sun in the sky began to lower more and more beyond the window.

Still, the words of Finn Deimne were met with silence. The dining hall was eerily quiet as everyone listened to the blonde Captain's speech; mulling over every piece of information he was sharing with them regarding a very specific subject. A subject whose existence was forgotten; and who most of the people in the room had been completely unaware of, prior to this day. The man who had been considered one of Orario's greatest mysteries in the past; and who also was – apparently – the one and true responsible for last night's events.

The unknown Adventurer whose face was covered by a mask: the forgotten Faceless.

"And so, as you can see, now you know why I suspect him," Finn Deimne concluded, finishing his speech with a weary sigh.

Once more, the room remained completely quiet. The others in the hall – Riveria, Gareth, Aiz, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Lefiya; and even the confused and lost Bell Cranel – met Finn's statement with silence. The emblem of the trickster with its ridiculous grin hung behind the blonde pallum's frame, who now stood atop a seat at the head of the table in the back of the hall. Standing at his side were Riveria, Gareth and the patron goddess Loki, while the rest the Familia was also gathered all around them… with Aiz and Bell being the only exception, seated in the middle of the hall next to each other.

The former with her head low and a blank expression, and the latter with a lost face and a paling complexion.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Until, as expected, chaos erupted.

"How is this possible?!"

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Are you really telling the truth, Captain?"

The members of the Familia leaped to their feet, shoving chairs out of the way and shouting in bewilderment, confusion, and even something close to shock and disbelief. It was an unbelievable scene for Loki Familia, a tight-knit group brought together by the leadership of the renowned Braver. It was out of place to see so many Adventurers of the same faction standing up from their seats and crying against their Captain, voicing and shouting their disbelief at him in such an odd and unrefined display.

Yet, it was really happening. And there were many of them who were protesting. It wasn't just Tiona and Tione who looked confused. Apart from them, there was also Alicia, and Anakitty, and Narvi, and Cruz, and Rakta, and Elfy… heck, even Raul himself looked both stunned and lost right now, despite everything he had been through the night before. All of them were shouting and panicking, voicing their disbelief as they demanded an explanation… but despite all of that, Finn did not waver in the slightest, facing the storm of shouts and responding to every question with a resolute face.

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but I speak the truth," he stated with an unyielding tone, making the room fall quite once more. "Seven years ago, during the Evilus War that plunged Orario into the Dark Age, Faceless was an unknown Adventurer who fought against Evilus and aided the city in order to defeat that evil group. He aided both us and the Freya Familia several times during those days, and his actions were one of the key factors that helped us bring peace and safety back to Orario during that chaotic time."

Disbelief and shock were hovering in the hall like a fog. The tension in the room was almost palpable.

"If that's the case, why did he break inside our home?" Alicia demanded in a strong voice, keeping her narrowed eyes glued on her Captain. "What reason did he have to break the law and bring suffering on Aiz-san?"

As expected, the others in the room grew tense after hearing the elf's outraged inquiry, including Bete, Lefiya and – surprisingly – Bell. Not that it was unexpected, though. After all, all of them wanted to hear the answer to that question, for it was very important to them. Aiz was both one of the most important and beloved members of the Familia, and Bell's secret love interest. There was simply no way for them to ignore this matter, because of that.

But on their part, Finn, Gareth and Riveria just exchanged a glance. Next to them, Loki was keeping her expression morphed into a frown, her vermillion eyes narrowed as she pondered over something inside her head.

"Most likely, the motive behind Faceless' actions was Aria's request."

In the end, it was Riveria who decided to answer. Everyone turned towards the High Elf as she voiced her assumption. "Aiz's mother is a spirit. If what that man said is true, then he must have met her somehow, and he could not refuse her quest," she explained in all seriousness, her royal face morphed into a stoic mask. "In that case, his goal most likely was to talk with Aiz in order to deliver Aria's message to her. That's what I believe, at least." Then, faced by everyone's silent gaze, she hardened her expression. "Of course, that doesn't justify his actions, mind you; nor the way he treated Aiz and dismissed her questions. But we cannot deny that his reason to come here was valid… to an extent."

Everyone mulled over her reasoning in silence as those words began to sunk inside. On her part, Aiz nearly choked a sob at the mention of her mother, but she managed to restrain herself by gritting her teeth. Hard.

Bell still managed to notice it, though.

"H-How do we know he was telling the truth?" the boy with ashen-white hair asked at that point, breaking through the silence in order to find something, anything, to lift Aiz's sour mood.

Finn crossed his arms with a weary expression. "We don't have a way to know for sure," he replied matter-of-factly, straightforward as always. "But according to Aiz's description of the events, the masked man was able to recognize her resemblance to Aria… which makes me believe that he wasn't lying. No one except for us should be aware of that detail, after all."

Except for the creature Revis, but Finn did not believe the two of them were related. It wouldn't make sense in any way.

Tiona scratched her head with a pensive face. "Sooo, this guy… Faceless… he was a good guy in the past?" she asked out loud, sounding completely unsure of what to think about this whole matter.

Braver just sighed at her question. "It's not so simple," he answered, weary. "We cannot deny that his deeds and aid against Evilus were commendable, but that is not enough for us to reach a solid conclusion. As far as I'm concerned, Faceless was someone I never trusted ever since I first laid eyes on him. He just appeared out of nowhere in the past, fighting against those criminals and overwhelming them completely with brute strength and frightening speed. His actions and motives were unknown, and his sudden appearance came out of nowhere, literally. That is why I always considered him suspicious from the start," he explained, deadly serious.

Gareth grunted with a solemn nod. "Indeed. Finn, Riveria and I have met him several times during the nights we were patrolling the city," he recalled. "Every time, that masked lad would always appear out of nowhere, with blood all over his body and a few criminals collapsed at his feet. He was extremely intimidating, especially when he was angry."

Even Riveria nodded with a frown. "His methods were harsh and cruel; his words sharp and contemptuous. Everyone who tried to approach him ended up antagonizing him in some way… which, of course, included Finn himself," she revealed, shooting a side-long glance at the short prum who exhaled a long sigh upon feeling the eyes of every member of his Familia fall on him again.

In the end, he had no choice but explain. "She's right. I tried to approach him several times in order to share a productive conversation," he admitted, shaking his head in weariness and chagrin as he recalled those… unpleasant memories. "But all my attempts were in vain. He dismissed my words and insulted me, and every time me or the others tried to reach out to him, he would always disappear in some way or another. It was incredibly frustrating for us."

Bete snorted from the other side of the hall. "Keh! Now that's a scene I would have liked to see," he snarked, ignoring Tione's irritated glare.

Many amid those present sweat-dropped at the werewolf's words. Loki openly snickered in agreement.

Regardless, Riveria continued to talk with a serious tone. "Be as it may, we didn't know Faceless for a long time," the High Elf stated. "Perhaps a week at most. We fought together a few times, and for most of our time together, he was impetuous, judgmental, and even callous."

Gareth and Finn nodded in agreement. Riveria continued to speak.

"But when he let down his guard, he was kind," she added, closing her eyes. "Even after everything he did and said to Finn, he still fought with us for the sake of the city. He still wished for a better tomorrow."

Many eyes blinked upon hearing that statement.

"A better tomorrow?" Lefiya repeated.

"The lad was a softie underneath all that gruff and snark," Gareth explained with a snort. "He was obviously young behind his mask, and he had a soft spot for children. Why, I remember one instance where we were forced to defend an orphanage from a sudden attack, and Faceless decided to join us. By the time everything was settled, he was surrounded by younglings – who were intrigued by his unusual appearance – and the lad was desperately trying to escape from them in a fluster. It was a real sight to see," he explained, sounding clearly amused as he recalled those events.

"Let's not get out of topic," Finn sighed with a tired face, bringing everyone back to focus. "The point is: Faceless was indeed an Adventurer who fought for justice back then… but things can change. He was already suspicious enough in the past, considering that he wore a mask all the time and that he was definitely stronger than what we expected; but after last night's events… we cannot deny that he's more dangerous than he looks. Whoever he is and whatever his goals are, we must be wary of him. We have no other choice," he declared.

Despite the silence in the room, many of those present seemed to agree with him to a certain degree.

"And that is not all," the Braver continued seriously, keeping his face resolute as he prepared himself to make the following statement. "His strength and speed were already comparable to that of a Level 6 Adventurer back then. Therefore, considering what happened last night and the fact that none of us has been able to detect him… I wouldn't be surprised if he's reached Level 7 by now," Finn concluded at that point, making everyone widen their eyes after his sudden declaration.

Everyone – and I do mean everyone – startled and gaped in absolute disbelief.

Loud gasps and incredulous murmurs echoed inside the hall for what seemed to be an eternity. The entirety of Loki Familia could not believe their ears.

"W-What are you saying, Captain?" Tione sputtered with an incredulous face. "Level 7? Really?"

"It's impossible! It has no sense!" Lefiya exclaimed.

"There's no way that masked intruder can be that strong, nya!" Anakitty growled out of instinct.

The shouts and protests went by for several minutes. Fear, shock and disbelief hovered inside the hall like a tangible fog. But no matter how long and hard they complained, Finn Deimne just met their stares with a resolute face, keeping his blue eyes narrowed while his fellow Familia members continued to fuss and fidget all around.

Until, even the patron goddess herself couldn't sit still anymore.

"Finn… are ya telling us that there might be a second Level 7 out there?" Loki demanded, staring at her trusted Captain with a narrowed gaze. Her vermillion eyes seemed to grow colder and sharper as the pallum met her stare without backing down one bit. "Besides Freya's overrated boaz?"

The Captain of Loki Familia kept his expression neutral. "It's a possibility, yes," was all he said.

Lefiya and a few others were about to protest once more, unable to deal with that possibility, but someone beat them to the punch.

"…I think the Captain's right."

Silence and tension filled the room. One could hear a pin drop, as quite as it was.

Bell, Finn and the others turned their eyes towards the person who had made that statement.

Raul Nord met everyone's gaze with a paling expression.

"L-Last night, w-when I was restrained by the intruder… I-I-I couldn't get a single glimpse of him," he spoke, his voice stuttering and trembling in fear at the mere mention of those events. His complexion was paling more and more, and sweat was starting to pour from his chin as he forced himself to recall the events he had experienced the previous night. "But… a-although I wasn't able to detect his presence... t-there was o-one thing I did manage to f-feel…"

Everyone stared and listened with rapt attention.

Raul's face became a mask of fear. "B-B-Bloodlust," he stuttered, clenching his fists so hard to stop the trembling of his arms. "I-It was so strong, and cruel, and vicious… I-I-I couldn't do anything to resist it. I nearly p-passed out as soon as it washed against me," he admitted, lowering his face in shame and fear.

Bell, Lefiya and the others stared at him with wide eyes. Finn, Gareth and Riveria exchanged a glance.

Loki stared at his cowardly child, putting a hand above his shoulder.

"I-I think the Captain's right," Raul continued with a trembling voice, doing his best to dismiss that memory. "That bloodlust, that feeling… t-the only thing comparable to it… was the sensation I've felt when I first met… O-Ottar," he explained, shocking a lot of his friends with his sudden declaration. "The m-masked intruder… he has to be a Level 7. I-I-I'm sure of it."

Sheer silence greeted the High Novice's statement.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Until, someone broke the silence again.

"…damn it," Loki muttered, gritting her teeth so hard that people could almost hear it. "This is bad. Scratch that, this is worse than bad," she raged, getting up from her seat with a scowl on her face. "A new Level 7 in Orario… are ya kidding me? Are y'all fucking kidding me? This is definitely not funny, and I ain't in the mood for jokes anymore."

Riveria shot her goddess a stern glare. "This is serious, Loki."

"No shit, Mama! This is extremely serious!" she spat back at her with a frown, not even bothering to stop herself from cursing for once. "How did this happen? How did that man reach Level 7? How did that man – a man that no god from Heaven has ever been able to see – reach Level 7 without being discovered?!" she raged, stomping on the floor with a frowning face.

Everyone visibly deadpanned as the red-head goddess cursed and screeched out loud, stomping around in overwhelming annoyance.

"Damn it! It has no sense! It makes no sense! This is a freaking bullshit!" Loki spat, her voice carrying so much frustration and anger that it was honestly shocking to witness. "That's why it pisses me off! I want to know! I want to knoooow!" she whined in a loud voice, pulling her hair and gnashing her teeth like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.

Sheer silence followed her complaints. Bell and the others stared at Loki with a lost expression.

Finn, Riveria, Gareth and their allies watched the goddess' rambling with a deadpan, exhaling a weary sigh and shaking their heads in disappointment. Despite all their attempts, none of them could fully manage to hide the blush that was spreading on their face… for there was simply no way to describe the embarrassment they were feeling right now. There was no way to describe how embarrassing it was to see their goddess – their own patron goddess – sulking and whining around like a child, making a fuss over something like this… right in front of a member of another Familia.

Gods, how shameful it was. It was a pitiful sight to witness. Riveria, Finn and Bete really wanted to die right now.

Heck, even Bell Cranel looked utterly baffled at the sight of Loki's sudden display (much to everyone's embarrassment). The only one who was not paying attention to the goddess was Aiz, and only because of her mental state. But the others? Every single one of them was covering their face with their hands, trying to quench the desire to dig a hole and disappear underground right here and now.

Heavens, how embarrassing.

But… wait a second. Something was off. Something was not right.

And it didn't take them long to realize it.

Slowly but surely, Tione narrowed her eyes on the patron goddess as she noticed something.

"Wait a moment, Loki. You just said: 'a man that no god from Heaven has ever been able to see'…? What do you mean by that?" the amazoness demanded, confused by her deity's words.

Everyone blinked and startled as they recalled that previous statement. Even they wanted to know what she meant with those words.

But it was Finn, and not Loki, who decided to answer.

"Let me explain, Tione," the short Captain began to say, crossing his arms with solemn gesture. "One of the reasons why Faceless' existence has been 'forgotten' shortly after the end of the Dark Age… is because no god has been able to see him. Ever," he revealed, making many comrades among his ranks widen their eyes and gape in absolute shock after hearing his statement.

Shock, stupor and bewilderment echoed in the dining hall like a thundering shockwave.

Loud gasps and holding of breaths could be heard for several seconds.

Yet, Finn remained unfazed, going further and further with his explanation and making many people inside the room gape in shock at his words. "I know how you're feeling. But no matter how absurd it sounds, I assure you that I am telling the truth. There was not a single deity inside of Orario who managed to meet Faceless back then. Not even a single one," he repeated, making everyone's eyes go wide in stupor and disbelief –– including Bell and Aiz, who looked even more worse to wear.

Absurd as it was, everyone couldn't help but gape even further when both Riveria and Gareth nodded in agreement.

"Finn is right. Faceless' popularity had skyrocketed in the past amid the people of Orario. Consequently, as you can imagine, the gods were inevitably drawn to him too," Riveria decided to explain as well, taking a seat next to the pallum as everyone stared at them in shock. "However, no matter how long and hard they looked, none of them managed to succeed. No god and no goddess has ever managed to meet that man face to face; no matter how hard they tried to search for him or what trick they used to lure him out of hiding."

"Faceless would always disappear somehow, keeping his distance from the gods and avoiding them like a plague," Gareth confirmed in turn, crossing his arms with an amused snort. "It happened with us too. One time, we tried to bring Loki with us in secret during our expedition against Evilus, but the lad never showed himself while we were with her. As long as there was a single deity around, Faceless would always disappear no matter what."

The red-head goddess growled with wounded pride.

"That's right. That's right! I went to search for him fifteen times!" she stressed, opening her eyes in full and glaring at the world with an overwhelming wrath (much to Bell's growing concern). "I got curious about him after hearing Finn's stories about Faceless, and I tried to search and reach out to him in order to meet him face to face… TO NO FREAKING AVAIL!" she raged.

Riveria donned a hand over her face. "Loki, calm yourself."

"NO! Don't tell me to call myself, Mama! This is sore subject for me," Loki countered with a hiss, crossing her arms and kicking her chair. For once, even the stoic and proud Vice-Captain of the Familia was taken aback from her outburst. "Because it wasn't just me… it was everyone out there! Freya, Ganesha, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Njord, Ishtar… even that shut-in Soma went out to search for him! And guess what? GUESS. WHAT? Despite all our efforts, none of us managed to find Faceless. NONE. OF. US!"

Bell, Lefiya and the others jumped and startled in surprise at Loki's sudden outburst.

"How do you guys think we've felt back then, huh? How do ya think we've felt, searching around the city for days, looking around for a mortal who always managed to disappear like a freaking ghost, huh?!"

Bell and the rest of the room stared at the goddess with incredulous eyes.

Finn, Gareth and Riveria exhaled a sigh.

"We know it was a stressful situation for you, Loki, but please―"

"Stressful?! That's putting it mildly, Gareth," the goddess of mischief spat, pouting like a child as she grabbed a bottle of wine to calm herself.

The whole room observed the scene in disbelief, unable to react to that mind-blowing revelation. Bell gulped with a lost expression.

Until, Finn exhaled a sigh and forced a smile on his face. Despite his best attempts, he could not fully stop the twitching of his lips as he resumed to talk.

"…as you can see, no deity has ever been successful so far," he began to say, turning his attention back to Bell and the rest of his Familia members. "Consequently, since no god or goddess has ever managed to see Faceless with their own eyes, his existence ended up being questioned. Some gods even began to doubt if he was actually real, and with time... his name was erased from history. If it weren't for me, Riveria and Gareth, even Loki would have believed that his story was nothing more than a legend," he explained.

The goddess snorted from her seat. "Tsk. Mortals cannot lie to the gods. I knew you guys were being honest from the beginning," she defended herself, taking a long sip from the bottle. "But sometimes… it's difficult to discern the real truth from what people choose to believe; even for us deities. People can always tell the truth even if they believe in something that ain't real, after all. It's not always easy to discern true from false, annoying as it is."

―that was perhaps the most serious thing she'd said in the entirety of this whole conversation.

Finn nodded in agreement. "And that is why Faceless' name began to disappear with time," he finished to say, looking at each and every single member of his Familia in the eyes. "The gods could not discern whether his existence was real or not… and once he disappeared, his name began to fade as well; despite everything he had done in the battles against Evilus. There's only a handful of people who actually remember his name today; and if I have to be honest... I myself had hoped to never to hear of him again."

Silence returned to reign after Braver finished his speech.

Everyone lowered their eyes, falling into a tense and absolute silence as they mulled over that revelation inside of their mind, unsure of what to feel. What to think. What to believe.

Not that it was surprising, however. Their hesitation and doubts were completely justified.

For who could remain unfazed by such a huge and mind-blowing news? Who could actually remain unimpressed after learning a matter of this scale, of this importance, of this relevance?

It was normal. Their reaction was completely normal.

And Bell Cranel, amid many others inside of the room, was beginning to realize it as well.

Seconds passed, followed by dead silence.

Then, unable to stand the tension any longer, the young boy shot a glance in Aiz's direction, and mustered up enough courage to speak up again.

"Um…" he began to say, raising one hand and grabbing everyone's attention. "T-There's something I don't understand."

Tione, Tiona, Riveria and Gareth turned to him in silence. Bete and Lefiya glanced at him with a frown. Loki eyed him side-ways with an unreadable expression.

And on his part, Finn met his gaze with a smile on his lips. "What is it, Bell Cranel?"

Rabbit Foot took a deep breath before voicing his question. "It's just… well. I-If this guy – this Faceless – was an ally who fought against Evilus… and if he was forced to come here and meet Aiz-san because of Aria's request… well, then, wouldn't it be possible to think that, maybe… he's not a bad guy?" he tried, voicing his doubt with an unsure tone. His face and eyes were filled with uncertainty, and it was so obvious that everyone could not miss it even if they tried. "I-I'm not trying to justify him! I absolutely do not condone the way he's treated Aiz-san during their meeting, but…" he glanced in his beloved's direction, his crimson eyes staring at her empty face with a sympathetic frown. "W-What if he's not as dangerous as he looks? What if he simply had no other choice?"

The only answer he received was silence, along with tension and narrowed stares.

In the end, Finn Deimne nodded with a pensive face. "That is certainly a possibility," he agreed, unable to deny his reasoning. "If we think about it logically, Faceless' actions haven't been harmful to us and our Familia. Despite everything he did to Aiz and Raul, no one was hurt or seriously injured last night, and he disappeared as soon as he delivered the message. I highly doubt a murderer or a thief would have gone this far only to then flee without trying to accomplish anything. So, as you've rightly pointed out, Bell Cranel, last night's events seem to imply that the masked man was lacking any true evil intent."

Unable to muster any words, Bell bowed his head and nodded.

But Finn was not finished yet. "However, regardless of his intentions and motives, what he did last night was a crime," he continued, deadly serious. "Sneaking inside a private property, threatening an Adventurer for no reason and spreading panic and chaos inside our home is something that I – that we – cannot forgive. Even if his motives are relatable to a certain extent, his actions cannot be justified. There had to be a better way to do what he did. This will not change my decision."

Riveria, Gareth, Loki, and all the rest of the Familia nodded in silent agreement after his words. There were all agreeing with him on that matter.

Faceless' actions could not be easily dismissed for them. They could not be ignored no matter what. Not when he had threatened a member of their Familia. Not when he had brought so much pain and sadness on their Princess. And especially not when he was an unmown factor who could become a threat for them and the whole city at any moment without a warning. This matter was simply too dangerous to be ignored, both for the city and for Loki Familia as a whole.

And even Bell could understand that much, loathe as he was to admit it.

"S-So… what is it that you're planning to do?" the boy with ashen-white hair asked, trying to steel himself.

The answer was swift and immediate. "That's a stupid question, boy: we must search for Faceless and find him at any cost," Loki declared, raising her bottle with one hand and waving her arm in the air. "There's no room for discussion anymore. Even someone as dull as you should be able to guess this fact."

Bell inwardly flinched at the jab, but he knew that she was right. This outcome was precisely the one he had expected; even if he didn't like it that much.

For how were they supposed to chase a man who'd managed to hide himself for seven years? It wasn't exactly an easy prospect.

"Besides, that is not the only reason why we want to find him," Finn continued out of the blue, speaking amid the tense silence and making the Rabbit Foot jump in surprise as he turned to stare at the blonde pallum with confused eyes. "There's actually a second reason why we need, no― we must find Faceless no matter what."

The young boy who sought adventure blinked in confusion. "A second reason?" he repeated.

It was Riveria Ljos Alf who answered. "Yes, Mr. Cranel. A second reason," she confirmed, raising from her seat and walking towards Aiz with a sad face.

The Sword Princess remained still and unmoving, not even bothering to react when the High Elf (who also was her second motherly figure) stood behind her and placed her hands on her slumped shoulders.

"If Faceless was really able to meet Aria and somehow talk to her, then he must be involved in the death of the One-Eyed Black Dragon," the royal elven princess explained, making Bell's eyes go wide at the realization. "We don't actually know if he's involved – directly or not – in the beast's demise; nor if he's even responsible for it somehow… but it is clear that he knows more than what he said to Aiz last night. That much in undeniable."

Every single Top Executive member nodded their heads solemnly along with Loki.

"Riveria's right," Gareth agreed, brushing his beard with an unreadable frown. "Whether Faceless is related to the Dragon's death or not, he's still a key witness who managed to talk to Aria and learn something from her. Consequently, he must know something about this. We are absolutely sure of it."

Finn nodded. "And that is why we're planning to look for him in secret. Regardless of what Ouranos and Ganesha will decide to do about this matter, Loki Familia will not give up on this. Because we need to know what happened back then, both to the Dragon and to Aiz's mother… and Faceless is the only one who knows something about it. He is the only lead we have," he explained, deadly serious.

His words were not only addressed to Bell, but rather to all of those present in the hall. And to empathize this point, the Braver glanced around the room to stare at each and every one of his Familia members, who could do nothing but lower their eyes and assume a pensive face as they mulled over that fact in their head.

No one could deny those words, after all. Finn, Riveria and Gareth had a point. This was the only thing they could do, both for Aiz and for the sake of the city.

The blonde-haired pallum focused back on the Rabbit Foot. "So you see, Bell, that is why we must find him," he explained, looking and sounding deadly serious as he explained his decision to the young Adventurer. "We need to know the truth; both about Aiz's mother and the death of the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Just as the world as the right to know the truth behind these events, Aiz has the right to know what happened to her mother. She has the right to know how she disappeared. And if that man, whoever he is, is not willing to share his knowledge out of his own will, then we have no choice but find him and look for a solution. It is simply the right thing to do."

That was his reasoning. That was his motive. Finn and his allies knew it, after all. They all knew it, with crystal clear clarity and a deep sense of resolve. They couldn't just leave Aiz like this, depressed and lost, ignoring her current state and keeping her on the dark about her mother's fate. She had been through enough suffering and tragedy already. She had the right to know the truth behind her mother's sudden disappearance. Therefore, if Faceless was really the only one who had some information regarding Aria and her fate… then it was their duty to find and question him about it. There was no room for discussion here. It was the only logical – and rightful – thing to do, and every single Executive member of Loki Familia was aware of that.

Their decision was already made. There was no need for further discussion anymore.

Besides… as rightful as it was, those facts weren't the only reasons why they had to search for the masked man. It wasn't as simple as that.

In fact, they still needed to make sure Faceless wasn't a threat, after all. They had to make sure that he wasn't dangerous, and that his unexpected return would not cause chaos on the city and bring danger to the people of Orario. Faceless was strong, after all. He was a mysterious and unpredictable variable. His speed and powers had clearly been showed to be equal – if not even greater – than Aiz's… and she was one of the strongest Level 6 Adventurers of Orario. She was the Sword Princess, for goodness' sake, and the swiftest swordswoman that currently existed. The fact that there was someone out there who could be able to match her was by no means a small threat.

A warrior who could be able to match and overwhelm Aiz despite the odds could not be ignored no matter what.

So, as you can see, it wasn't only a matter related to Aiz alone. It wasn't just a Familia problem. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It was a matter of principle. A matter of safety.

Safety for the Loki Familia, for the people of Orario, and perhaps… even for the world as its whole.

And despite his innocence and childish naivety, Bell Cranel was starting to realize it more and more by the moment.

"I-I see," the boy with ashen-white hair mused, lowering his head as he digested the news fully. "I think I get it. Your decision is… logic, I guess."

Gareth, Riveria and Finn nodded their head. Loki exhaled a sigh as she finished her bottle of wine.

Until, in that moment, someone raised her hand.

"E-Excuse me," Lefiya Viridis spoke at that point, grabbing everyone's attention on her as she began to speak with a polite but uncertain tone of voice. "There's something I would like to ask."

Riveria nodded encouragingly at her student. "What is it, Lefiya?"

The young elf with golden-yellow hair fidgeted a bit on her seat. "It's just… how do we know for sure that Faceless knows something about Aiz-san's mother?" she asked, glancing at the girl in question with a sad face. "How do we know he's really related to the Dragon's death? What if he was lying? What if he was just making all of that up?"

Her question was met with silence. No one was able to answer for a few moments of absolute quiet.

Until―

"…he was not lying."

Everyone widened their eyes, startling a little bit. The air shifted almost imperceptibly as many inside the room gasped and held their breaths. Because it hadn't been Finn the one who answered to Lefiya's question. It hadn't been him, nor Riveria, nor Gareth. It wasn't even Loki, who actually looked as baffled as everyone was.

The one who answered the question… was none other than Aiz Wallenstein.

The very same girl who had remained still and quiet until now.

"He was not lying," he girl repeated with an empty tone, keeping her face low and her eyes glued to the floor. "And he was not making it up either."

Bell, Riveria and the others stared at her with concern.

"A-Aiz-san?" Lefiya whispered.

The girl with golden hair clenched her fists, her arms trembling in a very obvious way due to the oppressing wave of emotions raging inside of her body.

"He was not lying. I know it. I'm sure of it," the girl continued, her voice hoarse and low, all she could wring out of her worn-down mind and body. "I could feel it; I could sense it. He knew. He knew about my mother… and about the Dragon too."

Bell stared at her with worried eyes, trying his best to remain close to the girl.

"…are you sure about this, Aiz?" Riveria questioned her.

The Sword Princess nodded, her whole body starting to shake and tremble in rage. "He's the one who did it," she whispered. As hoarse as her voice was, her words came out more as a growl than an actual phrase. "He's the one who killed the Dragon. The one who freed my mother."

"The one… who denied me my vengeance."

Finn, Riveria and Gareth exchanged a glance. Bell, Loki and Lefiya widened their eyes. Tione, Tiona and the others stared at their Princess with a lost gaze.

Silence returned to reign amid the crowded hall.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Until, unable to deal with what he was seeing any longer, someone decided to react in a very, very unexpected way.

With a snort of disdain.

"For fuck's sake, what a disgusting sight," Bete Loga declared out loud. He stood up abruptly from his seat, kicking his chair away as everyone turned to him with wide eyes. The hot-blooded werewolf spat on the ground all of a sudden, stomping on the floor as he began to walk towards the center of the hall with an enraged face. "This is ridiculous. I almost feel physically sick."

Raul, Alicia and Anakitty tried to stop him. "Bete-san, please…"

"Outta my way, losers. I'm sick and tired of this bullshit," he cut them off, dismissing all their attempts to block him with little to no effort. At this point, even Bell, Riveria and the Hyrute sisters were starting to grow tense as the Adventurer known as Vanargand made his way to the center of the dining room, placing himself right in front of Aiz Wallenstein and fixing her with an enraged glare.

A glare that the girl did not reciprocate, given that her head and eyes were still lowered to the floor.

Bete Loga sneered in outrage. "Look at you. The Sword Princess, Aiz Wallenstein, reduced to such a sorry state. Trembling and crying like kid, wallowing in her own sorrow like a fucking weakling without an ounce of self-respect," he mocked her, derisive and disgusted.

Aiz did not react to his words, keeping her head low and her body still.

The others? Not so much.

"Bete-san!" Bell Cranel exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and taking a step forward. "P-Please don't say such cruel things to her! Aiz-san is―"

"SHUT your fucking mouth, RABBIT," the werewolf warned, sending a glare in his direction that made the young boy shiver in spite of everything. "This has nothing to do with you, so zip it."

Bell blanched and shivered, but he would not give up so easily. However, as soon as he was about to speak again, Riveria grabbed him by the arm and stopping him, shaking her head with an unreadable face under his panicked stare.

And thus, the werewolf returned his glare back on the depressed Princess.

"Damn, look at yourself," he mocked her. His lips parted into a smirk filled with disdain and derision. "Pathetic and useless. A living legend turned into a coward. Go on, then. Keep crying like this. A pathetic weakling like you will eventually get in the way for us. Just don't come and blame us when you'll meet a pointless death in the future."

Aiz's gaze rose up a little upon hearing that, her hands clenching into fists while the werewolf kept mocking her right in front of her whole Familia.

Her golden eyes wavered slightly as she shot him a tearful glare.

Bete just sneered even more. "What? If you have something to say, say it!" he spat. "Stop moping around and tremble like a useless weakling! You're so fucking disgusting!"

The Hyrute sister could not stand it anymore. They were just too shocked and upset by the werewolf's words.

"Bete!" Tiona cried.

Despite her attempts, he kept mocking her without a care.

"If that's how you want to be, go on. Curse how stupid and weak you are until you never forget it. Taste the shame and hopelessness inside. Make sure you remember this feeling even after you die pathetically in search of your righteous vengeance," he roared, outraged and unforgiving. "I don't give a shit anymore. You've become nothing but a weakling unable to stand for herself. I feel disgusted by you… actually, I never want see your sorry ass again."

Tione followed suit, going to Aiz's defense by grabbing the werewolf by the arm.

"Stop it, you insensitive wolf! Aiz has lost her only chance to reunite with her mother. She has lost her family!" she stressed, pulling Bete away from her. "How can you say these things to her? Do you really feel nothing at all?"

However, much to everyone's collective disbelief, his next answer was not the one they were expecting. And it shocked everyone in the room quite a lot.

Bell included.

"That's too bad," the werewolf grinned, morphing his face into a cruel, twisted mask of sadism where no trace of sympathy and understanding could be found. "It seems our Princess has become quite weak… and I hate weak girls the most!"

As expected, chaos ensued.

"THAT'S IT, YOU BASTARD!" Tione exclaimed. "BRING IT ON―"

Yet, before the amazoness could jump on the werewolf to beat him into a pulp, Finn grabbed her by the arm in one swift movement, keeping her still with his strength alone. All the while, all round the room, shouts and protests began to explode in every direction.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Braver commanded, silencing the room with his voice alone. "Any further and this will go entirely out of hand."

"B-But Captain! He's saying such cruel things to Aiz!" Tione complied, trying to break free from his grip.

"I know. And it's unacceptable," Finn agreed with her, fixing the werewolf with a stern glare. "As a first-tier member of this Familia, you should have some standards to uphold, Bete. You went too low this time, even for you. I'm disappointed."

Vanargand snarled, glaring at Finn, Bell and Aiz with an unimpressed sneer.

Even Loki herself decided to intervene at that point.

"Good grief… you're really pathetic at reading the mood, you know that?" the red-head snorted, making the werewolf snap his head towards her. "Ain't it a little too late to be gettin' all riled up about this, Bete?"

He shot her a dismissive look. "Fuck off, Loki! I'm in no mood for―"

"Zip it, you hot-blooded fool," the goddess cut him off with an annoyed tone. The werewolf widened his eyes as she fixed him with a glacial stare, inwardly surprised by the fact that Loki – Loki, of all people – was actually answering back at him when she would usually let the events unfold without saying anything. "You went too far this time. Apologize to her."

He gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. His pride would not allow him to stoop so low.

"I'm not taking anything back. She's the one acting like a weakling," he growled, pointing a finger to Aiz without any ounce of shame. The girl was glaring at him with empty eyes filled with tears, keeping her lips pressed into a tight line. "At this rate she's gonna slow us all down, and it's not my fault is she unable to snap out of it!"

Bell could not stand this anymore. "Bete-san! Aiz-san is―"

Before things could escalate father, Riveria stepped forward and pushed Bell to the side, prompting the boy to stop and look at her as she stepped in front of Vanargand.

Even the elven princess was looking at him sternly. "Bete, choose your words more carefully," she warned him, deadly serious. "Even if you want to hide your true feelings, that's no reason to insult and put down a comrade who has experienced joy and sorrow together with you. Aiz is clearly distressed right now, and she has no need for―"

"Oh yeah? And what's mourning her mother gonna do for her?" the werewolf spat back at her, heatedly. "If crying and mourning would do a damn thing, I'd cry myself to sleep every fucking night!"

"BUT IT WON'T, WILL IT?" he roared, snapping his head back to Aiz and shouting all his frustration – and hidden concern – in her face. "CRYING AND MOPING AROUND WON'T CHANGE THINGS, SO GET A FUCKING GRIP ALREADY AND SNAP OUT OF IT! STOP ACTING LIKE A FUCKING WEAKLING!" he snapped, shouting all his anger and outrage without an ounce of shame.

Sheer silence greeted the werewolf's roar. His voice echoed inside the hall like a roar of thunder.

Seconds passed, filled with tension and anger. Until, much to everyone's surprise, Aiz Wallenstein finally reacted.

"…why?" she whispered. "Why do you always… hurt people like this?"

Bete startled and paused, wide-eyed.

As the Sword Princess rose herself from her seat, sending him the coldest, sharpest glare he had ever received in the entirety of his life.

"…I hate that about you, Bete."

Vanargand blanched and sweated. His face scrunched up in stupor and horror.

But Aiz was not done yet. She was far from done. "You are right… I am a weakling," she stated, speaking with a quivering voice. Bell, and Riveria, and Finn, and all the members of Loki Familia stared at her in concern as she took a step forward and glared at Bete with a vengeful wrath. "I'm weak. I'm powerless. I'm lost. Is that my fault? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Everyone stared at her, wide-eyed.

Riveria tried to reach out to her, a touch of apprehension climbing up her spine. "…Aiz?"

The Sword Princess ignored them – and the world – without a care. "I've never asked for this. I've never asked for any of this," she hissed, broken and lost and scared. "I never wanted to pick up a sword. I never wanted to learn to fight. I only did it because I had NO CHOICE!"

Her shout echoed inside the room, resounding throughout the walls for several seconds.

The world quieted and stilled. The air grew stale and lifeless.

And everyone stared at the scene with wide eyes.

Finn, Gareth and Riveria. Tione, Tiona and Lefiya. Raul, Loki and Bete. The entirety of Loki Familia.

And amid the group, Bell Cranel – whose crimson eyes were as wide as they could be – stared at the girl known as Aiz Wallenstein with a stunned expression...

…the very same girl who, for the first time in her life (the first time in her whole life) had finally snapped.

She exploded.

It happened today, for the first time. For the first time in her sixteen years of life, she finally snapped. She didn't explode in front of the Xenos. She didn't explode in front of the talking Vouivre. She didn't even explode in front of the masked Adventurer and the news about her mother.

But now, faced by Bete Loga and his insults, she finally lost all her composure.

She exploded right in front of her Familia.

"It's not fair. It's not fair. It's not FAIR!"

She didn't want to do this sort of thing. She didn't want to say any of this.
Why was this happening? What went wrong?
How did she end up on such a horrible path?

"I never wanted this! I never wanted to become like this!"

The one who had lost everything.
The one who was always alone in the cold and dark.
The one no one would save.

"I was cut, I was hurt," she continued to yell, going on and on with her outburst and glaring at Bete, and the world, with golden eyes filled with anguish, and desperation, and tears. "I was scared and lost! I cried and begged for someone to save me… but no one ever came for me!"

She spoke hoarsely, drowning in a sea of dark memories. And that darkness, that sadness, that loneliness… it ate away her heart. It shattered and broke her fragile mind like an avalanche.

"No one would come for me! I cried and cried and cried, but no one would come for me!"

The blazing black inferno. The fury emanating from her back trashed inside.
The outline of the Monster hovered in the distance.
Her heart cried out in anger.

Her eyes become dim as more and more tears cascaded down her cheeks.

Her mother's words echoed inside her head.
'Wouldn't be nice if you met a wonderful partner, too?'

Her father's last wish darted inside her mind.
'I hope that someday, you can find a Hero. Someone who will stay with you. Your Hero.'

Echoes of a distant past that now only felt like poisonous whispers.

Lies. Lies! LIES! her heart cried out. Her mind was screaming in anger. Sorrow and anguish were tearing away her feels. You liars! You both lied to me!

A Hero never came for me!

"NO ONE EVER CAME FOR ME!" she sobbed and cried, shedding spite and tears from her blood-shot eyes.

Bete paled and gulped. Riveria and Loki gaped. Finn and Lefiya stared.

And Bell… Bell understood.

He realized it, he understood it, he saw it. And when he fully realized it… his heart could do nothing but break.

In front of the girl's cries, in front of her pain and anguish; his heart broke. It was shattered into a thousand pieces.

His heart broke for the girl who had always prayed for a Hero… and who only received silence and death.

It didn't matter how much and how long she'd cried, no one had appeared for her. No one had come to rescue Aiz Waldstein… until she had finally realized that no one would ever – ever – come to saver her. That was why Aiz had taken up the sword herself. That was why she had chosen the path of the sword. Because that had been her only choice. Because that had been her only option if she wanted to avoid death and misery.

But beneath it all; beneath her composure as the Sword Princess and the armor of an Adventurer― Aiz was just a girl. A ground-down, empty shell of longing that had always waited for a Hero… and who had never received an answer.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.

Inside of her crumbling heart, the young Aiz's whines echoed. The girl was crying, the sobs of her weaker version she'd left behind.

Shock and concern hovered in the room like a fog.

None was able to react. None was able to speak.

Left frozen by her cries and stunned by her outburst, Loki Familia as a whole could do nothing but stare and gape as the Sword Princess cried out and sobbed, clasping a hand over her throbbing heart and shedding tears from her desperate face.

Only one of them managed to react. Only one of them was able to whisper a few words amid the absolute stupor.

"…Aiz-san," Bell whispered, feeling his own eyes water and tremble in front of the pain of his beloved.

Aiz did not react to him, though. She just looked at him, staring, and instead of his white hair and crimson eyes… she saw the dragon girl. The Vouivre. The little monster she had tried to kill. The one Bell had saved from her sword. The one he had defended at the risk of his own life, his own name, and his own reputation.

The Vouivre's one and only Hero, holding her tight. Defending her against the odds, even when faced by the wrath of the world.

Anguish filled her. Sorrow enveloped her. Her golden eyes trembled in envy.

[Not fair]

The boy had appeared for the dragon girl.

And no one had come for Aiz.

The boy had held out a hand for the dragon girl.

And no one had taken Aiz's hand.

[NOT FAIR]

No fair. No fair! NO FAIR!
No one came for me! No one ever came for me!
I had no choice but to choose the sword!

"Bell…" she whispered.

The boy with ashen-white hair widened his eyes.

"I… am sorry," she sniffled― she cried; her golden orbs filled with tears, and sadness, and hopelessness. "I… really wanted to be… with you… more…"

He widened his eyes and opened his lips. But no matter how hard he tried, no words would come out of his mouth.

Aiz sniffled and sobbed. Her body trembled and quivered. And then, faster than a man could blink, she did the only thing she could.

She turned around and ran, leaping towards the door and leaving the room with a desperate dash.

Leaving them all – her Familia, her goddess, and Bell – behind.

Devastation flooded the boy's heart. Sadness and anguish filled his vision. The unrestrained, relentless barrage of pain that encompassed him at that moment could never be portrayed in words. It could only be seen, with the eyes and the ears and the feels… and even it that case it would only be glimpsed for a small fraction of what it actually was.

Pain, concern and desperation flooded his mind like tide. The boy who sought adventure felt like falling on his knees and weep.

But the voices of Loki Familia managed to keep his mind from crumbling.

"AIZ!"

Loki Familia exploded as one, crying and shouting her name as they desperately tried to move and chase after her. People wailed and leaped from their seats. Adventurers cried and rushed towards the door. Many, many people amid that renewed faction moved to chase after their beloved comrade, attempting and trying to desperately reach her again; including Tione, Tiona, Lefiya and others.

But before they could even take one step out of the door, one of them stopped them with a bellowing shout.

"No!"

Everyone paused and startled. Several heads snapped back to the hall, filled with tears, sweat and concern in equal measure. Everyone looked and turned in direction of the one who had stopped them all of a sudden.

And Riveria Ljos Alf, Royal Princess of the elves and Vice-Captain of the Familia, met everyone's stares with a solemn face; her emerald eyes glued to the face of the one person who was still standing still in the center of the room, looking both lost and paralyzed by pain, sadness, and desperation.

"Bell Cranel, go to her!" she ordered. "You're the only one who can stop her. You're the only one who can reach her. Aiz is not going to listen to us… but if it is you, there might be a chance yet!" she declared.

The poor boy with ashen-white hair looked uncertain and scared. "I-I… I don't―"

Riveria would have none of it. "Go to her. Now!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" was his swift and immediate reply.

Wasting no time, he roused himself from his trance and leaped away in a heartbeat, rushing out of the dining room with heightened speed and disappearing through the corridors like an arrow released by its bow. At the same time, as soon as he moved, everyone turned to him with wide eyes, remaining still and dumbfounded as they glanced back and forth between his disappearing frame and the Vice-Captain's resolute face.

"R-Riveria-sama!" Lefiya cried, her eyes filled with tears. "Why did you stop us? Aiz-san is―"

"Calm yourself, Lefiya," the High Elf commanded, keeping her gaze glued to the boy's disappearing frame as he chased after her surrogate daughter. She knew that everyone in the room was inwardly asking the same question right now, but she would not back down from this. "I know you're worried for Aiz, but let the boy handle it. He's the one who's best suited for this."

"Best suited?!" Thousand Elf repeated, her face turning beet red in outrage. "That human is an outsider! He's not―"

"He's the only one in which Aiz has ever showed interest, instead of single-mindedly thinking about becoming stronger," she cut her off, sternly but gently. As soon as Lefiya flinched and fell silent at her words, Riveria's eyes moved to stare at the rest of her Familia, many of whom seemed to be as concerned and confused as the young elf felt. "Bell Cranel is an outsider, yes… but he's also been a good influence for Aiz. She trusts him, perhaps even more than what I and many of you would like to admit. But he's the one who spurred her to improve, and who brought out a side of her that neither me, nor Finn, nor anyone inside our Familia was ever able to glimpse before. Therefore, as much as it pains me, it is undeniable that he's the best suited to talk to her right now. Aiz cares for him a great deal… and that is why we must accept it. We're talking about Aiz's well-being, after all. I will do what I must in order to make sure that she's safe and happy."

Many of them lowered their head in shame and acceptance as the Vice-Captain exposed her reasons, clenching their fists and closing their eyes as they forced themselves to accept that it was that boy – and not them – the only one who had managed to break through Aiz Wallenstein's walls in the past… and that consequently, they had no other choice but to rely on him for this.

Even if, for many of them, it hurt like hell to admit this fact.

Loki shot a glance in Bete's direction – who was just staring at an empty space with his head low and fists clenched – and then fixed Riveria with a narrowed stare upon seeing both Finn and Gareth nod in agreement to her words.

"Mama… are you sure about this?" she asked, deadly serious.

The High Elf nodded, keeping her worried eyes glued to the door with a hopeful expression.

---

How many years had it been? Three, four? Whatever the number was, Meteria knew it had been a while since the last time she had tried to speak with her sister face to face. They still ran into each other once in a while, especially during the Familia's occasional gatherings, but the two of them refused to acknowledge the other by now. Ever since Arien was born, things had changed for the worst between them, and that had become extremely obvious for everyone who knew them even just a tiny bit.

Speaking of which, Arien was now four years old. Almost nearing five, to be honest. He had grown stronger and healthy, and the woman was sure he would keep growing that way. He was even becoming cuter and more adorable with each passing day, and Meteria was sure that one day – in a time she probably wouldn't live long enough to see – he would surely become a charming and handsome young man... looking as beautiful and mesmerizing as her sister physically was. Her nephew was still a child, he was barely even a kid yet; but he already resembled Alfia's features so much that the resemblance between the two was almost too uncanny to believe. He really was her child, no matter what the woman thought about it.

"Auntie! Auntie! Good morning!"

Meteria's lips curved into a smile, tearing her eyes away from the window to greet his adorable nephew.

"Good morning, my little Arien," she greeted warmly, spreading her arms wide as the child ran past the doorframe and threw himself at her. He was smiling and giggling all the while, and the sound of his voice always managed to ease her heart no matter how tired she felt. "Did you have a good night sleep?"

"Mh-hm," the child nodded his head, looking at her with grey eyes filled with warmth and love. "Hera-sama woke me up later today! She said we're having breakfast together!" he explained to her excitedly, speaking with a childish, slow tone of voice typical of the language of a baby of that age.

The woman widened her smile, feeling her heart swell at his adorable voice. This was one of the few routines that she had so fondly grown accustomed to. Due to her physical condition, Meteria was not always able to stay with Arien and look after him every day, so the goddess had decided to split her time with him at regular intervals. Arien would remain with the goddess during a certain amount of hours, and then Meteria would keep watching over him for the rest of the day. It had been a painful – but necessary – decision for the woman. Meteria would have loved nothing more than stay with Arien all the time… but unfortunately for her, her sickness was not so merciful sometimes. Her body needed to rest and recover at least three times at day, and everyone was aware of how stressful it could be to deal with a bright, hyperactive child at every hour of day and night.

Still, she had accepted this compromise with a light heart. She could still see her nephew every day, and despite his young age, Arien had grown extremely understanding about her unfortunate condition. He was still four years old, but he was incredibly smart for a child of his age. Almost too smart, to be honest.

"Are you feeling ok today? Do I call a nurse for you?" he asked, bright and amenable as always.

Her hand patted his head, ruffling his hair fondly as she raised herself from the bed. "No, dear. I'm alright. Let us go together," she said, offering him her hand with a smile.

Arien nodded and beamed, taking her hand with his and hopping on his legs in excitement.

Honestly, Meteria was in love with him. He was always so bright, always so gentle and well-behaved... she could barely even believe that he was only four years old. He was so smart, he could understand every speech pattern, and he could even express himself in an almost perfect way (except for the occasional lisping and stuttering, but that was to be expected at his age). And more importantly, he was always so kind with her that the woman felt incredibly blessed to have him around. He was extremely attentive, and he would always ask and make sure she was ok ever since Hera had explained to him that she was sick. He was just so adorable and kind, and he would always be gracious every time Meteria was around.

A fact that – as it was to be expected – had shocked and impressed all the members of their Familia. Hera and Zeus especially, since they had never seen a child of this age being so precocious in the entirety of their existence. Arien was growing at an extremely faster rate compared to a baby, both physically and mentally… and the two deities were becoming more and more wary of this fact with each passing day.

But Meteria didn't mind. No matter how Arien was and no matter the role his peculiar 'upbringing' had had on his growth, she would always love and care for him no matter what. Even if she had to argue against Zeus and Hera combined, she would never stop treating him as her nephew, and that was a promise.

Because Meteria loved him a great deal, and she would never abandon her family. She wasn't her sister, after all.

"Shall we, my dear?" she asked to her beloved nephew, her amber eyes gleaming with love as she tilted her head towards the door.

The child beamed and nodded with a smile, hopping around in elation and bringing happiness and hope to the woman with his very own existence.

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Twilight Manor

(======)

Aiz Wallenstein ran.

She ran, ran, and ran; dashing through the halls and corridors of Twilight Manor like an arrow, faster than a gust of wind and silent as the clouds flying on the above. She leaped away at maximum speed, going through every corridor and ignoring every guard and Adventurer who tried to stop her or reach out to her, running past them as if they didn't exist. She just ran and ran and ran, relentless; keeping her head low and shedding tears all the while as she reached the main lobby of her home. Then, she burst out of the door with a heightened speed, exiting from the building and stepping outside without making a single sound.

Her feet landed on the grass of the garden, and the Sword Princess finally stopped in her tracks, raising her head to stare at the sky.

An endless, vast expanse of blue greeted her vision… but her sad, empty eyes could not see any beauty in that sight for the first time in a long while.

Because her heart had been shattered, and she had finally snapped right in front of her Familia. Right in front of her comrades. In front of her friends.

And amid that silence filled with sadness, a few memories flashed through her mind.

A broken-down village.
A paradise without peace.
A wintery scene of everything destroyed.

There were people wailing, people bleeding, people screaming – and eventually, people who could move.

There was an Adventurer who'd used up all his strength.
There was a Warrior who'd died nobly protecting his comrades.
And there was an important person who'd left behind only an empty smile.

Aiz took all these visions, all these emotions, and put them on her face as sobs and sniffles rocketed her body.

[There are no Heroes in this world]

Yes… that was the truth. That was the cruel, harsh reality over which she had so sadly grown accustomed to. There were no Heroes in the world. Heroes did not exist. Those legends and stories of warriors rushing in and saving the weak, protecting them from monsters and saving them against all odds… they were nothing but childish fairytales. Nothing but useless falsities. A deceit. A lie. A well-put illusion.

A foolish illusion will become a delusion.
It would only last for a little while, until it shatters like glass when it's hit by a stone.
Lies and fairytales would never become true.

Aiz had always known, deep inside her heart. She had always been aware of this fact, ever since the first moment. Ever since she had lost her family because of the Dragon's unexpected attack. No matter how long and hard she'd cried, no one had come to her rescue. No one had ever listened to her pleas. No Adventurer, no warrior, and no Hero had appeared for her; no matter how much she'd cried.

So why was she still thinking about it? Why was she begging for it?

Why was she hoping for someone to save her now, even though she had been showed that 'heroic tales' and 'happily-ever-afters' were nothing but a heart-wrenching delusion?

Not even her own Familia had been able to erase her pain. Riveria and the others had tried. They had tried again and again. For years and months and days they had tried to pull her away from the darkness and rage that were glued to her back due to her horrible past. But in the end, just like Aiz had expected, they had failed. They had been rendered unable to fully dispel the black flame that was growing and raging inside her empty heart. Their presence had loosened its hold for a little bit, yes… but it had proved to be useless against the black flame in the long run.

Because Aiz had always ever wanted only one thing: for someone to answer her cry.

And no one had ever come.

Unlike that dragon girl―

"AIZ-SAN!"

Her ears twitched slightly, and the girl with golden hair turned around to stare in direction of the entrance.

Her eyes found him immediately. The boy with ashen-white hair and crimson eyes. He had appeared in front of the garden, looking at her with wide eyes filled with sadness and regret.

Upon seeing his face, the flood of emotions she'd just barely managed to hold back threatened to overwhelm her once again.

"…Bell." Aiz whispered.

Her voice sounded low and distant… she could barely even recognize it as her own, at this point.

Bell Cranel panted and wheezed, looking at the girl of his dreams with a mask of uncertainty and sorrow.

Then, he banished his fear away, and forced himself to muster up courage.

"Aiz-san," he murmured, soft and gentle. "Please… come back inside. The others are worried about you."

Aiz did not answer to his words. She didn't say anything to his pleas.

She just turned her head away, gazing back at the sky with an empty face.

"…leave me alone," she commanded, her voice both cold and frosty.

She could not accept him. She could not acknowledge him. He was nothing but a foolish traitor. The boy she had so fondly admired as her only hope inside a world of darkness had betrayed her, and she could no longer stomach his presence.

Because Bell had saved the dragon girl. He had come to the rescue of the little Vouivre. But no one had ever come to rescue Aiz.

He was nothing but a foolish hypocrite. A heartless and cruel liar.

A traitor.

Yet, Bell would not budge. He shook his head limply. "Aiz-san… please come back inside," he repeated.

The girl gritted her teeth. "I don't want to."

"Then let me stay here with you."

"Leave me alone."

"I won't."

"I'm asking you, please."

"I won't."

"―GO AWAY!"

"―I WON'T!"

They screamed at each other like never before. Aiz's face twisted in distress. Bell's eyes filled with sadness. They stared at each other as they panted and wheezed after their shouts, keeping their eyes glued all the while as both of them dared the other to back away from the challenge and take the first step.

Even then, neither of them dared to move.

In a way, despite the tense situation, this situation felt familiar for them. Extremely familiar. It felt like déjà vu. Because this was actually the second time the two of them were facing each other like this, standing on different factions. This was the second time they were challenging each other, ever since the Xenos Incident had happened and the two Adventurers had been forced to fight for an opposite cause.

Now, it seemed that destiny was mocking them once more. And neither of them was prepared for it.

Aiz Wallenstein lowered her head, averting her eyes as she stared at the ground. "...Bell, be honest with me."

The boy with ashen-white hair stared in silence.

"Do Heroes… really exist?" she asked him, doing her best to stop the trembling of her body. Despite her best attempts, she was failing miserably. "When I lost my mother and father… I cried for days and days while I waited for someone to rescue me from the darkness."

Bell listened and stared, clenching his fists with a desperate emotion.

"I cried and cried and cried. No one ever came for me," she continued to say, empty and emotionless. "No one ever rescued me. I had no choice but to take that sword. I had no choice… but to rescue myself."

The boy remained in absolute quiet.

"But then… I met you," Aiz continued. "And I saw something in you that made me regain hope for the first time in years. You made me believe that perhaps, in some way that I couldn't understand… Heroes could really exist. That they really could appear out of nowhere and rescue the weak as the fairytales said… just like you did with the dragon girl, protecting her from my sword when I attempted to kill her, three weeks ago."

Bell swallowed and stared, doing his best to keep his crumbling emotions in check.

"Tell me… should I call you a liar? Should I give you hell and say I won't forgive you? Should I tearfully beg you to leave and never come back in my life?" she demanded, each of her questions making a hole inside the young boy's heart. "Was I wrong when I thought we understood each other? Was it all an illusion? Was everything we've been through so far… nothing more than a lie?"

Her legs trembled. Deep inside her heart, the younger Aiz was sobbing.

"When I was all alone, no one came to save me," she finished, staring at the boy with a tear-stained smile. A broken, twisted smile devoid of emotions; the sight of which made Bell's heart break even more. "But then you saved the dragon girl in front of me… and I hated you for it. I hated you and called you a traitor… because I was jealous of that girl. Because she had met her Hero, while I was left empty-handed."

Bell tried to open his lips, but Aiz wouldn't let him speak.

"I know you are her Hero, Bell… but I can no longer accept you as I did before. Because Heroes do not exist for me."

Yes… that was her truth.

She had always known, deep inside her heart. She had always been aware of it, even if she was still too scared to admit it fully.

Now, however, that truth and realization had finally come back to haunt her once more.

She had begged the Heavens for a Hero to save her.
She had cried herself to sleep every night, keeping faith and belief in her parents' words.
She had whispered her prayers to the sky countless times with tears in her eyes and blood on her face.

"Someone, please… help me." - "Save me." - "Bring me back to the light!"

But not anymore.

Her father was dead. Her mother was gone. The Dragon had been defeated.
Her long awaited vengeance had been denied to her.
She no longer had a way to free herself from this curse.

Nothing had sense. There was no point. There was no point in hoping and praying anymore.

Yes… not anymore.

"There are no Heroes in this world," she whispered, raising her head to the sky and staring at it with an empty gaze. "Heroes don't exist. Not for me. Not anymore."

Sheer silence met the Sword Princess' words.

The world quieted and stilled. The wind stopped and waited. Heaven and earth stared and listened with rapt attention.

Seconds passed, filled with silence.

"…"

Yet, on his part, Bell didn't say anything.

No self-deprecating laugh, no mournful voice, no falling tears. He did not speak or move, keeping those crimson eyes glued to his beloved's face with a deep, piercing stare that felt oddly uncharacteristic for him. And thus, as Aiz resigned herself for the first time in her life, as she mustered the last conscious thought of her rational mind and clumsily took a step back with faltering legs, the boy who sought adventure and who strived to become a Hero just kept staring at the girl with a silent, unreadable gaze.

Until, he finally took a step forward, clenching his fists with trembling arms.

"…yes. You are right, Aiz-san. Heroes do not exist."

She widened her eyes upon hearing his answer, feeling her body quiver and tremble in shock. Her head snapped to him, wide-eyed, staring at the boy with ashen-white hair with an expression of stupor and disbelief.

"…huh?"

Bell Cranel took a second step forward, keeping his head low and his eyes closed. "People who answer when danger arise, warriors who ride in to save the weak… they only exist in fairytales," he continued, deadly serious. "Heroes who are strong, dashing, and who sweep in to save the weak are a work of fiction. Maybe they were real in the past, but they don't exist anymore. You can wait as long as you want… they will never appear."

She stared at him with wide eyes. Her lips parted and trembled as tears fell from her cheeks.

No… No, don't say that, she begged. Don't speak to me like that.

Don't deliver me the truth with those beautiful eyes.

Don't shatter my hopes like that Monster did so many winters ago.

"N-No… it's not true," she denied, her voice trembling and broken. She was so unstable and distressed that she didn't even hesitate to go against her previous words in order to keep her crumbling mind from shattering. "Y-You saved the Vouivre. You came to her rescue. You are her Hero."

But Bell just shook his head, keeping his gaze low and his hands clenched into fists as he stepped closer to her still.

"I am no Hero, Aiz-san. I only did what I thought was right."

A confused providence. An awful paradox.

The girl with golden hair lowered her eyes, feeling the tears cascading down her face.

"But even despite that… you are my Hero, Aiz-san."

Her face snapped up, her heart stopped beating.

"!"

Aiz widened her eyes, feeling the breath disappear from her lungs.

"You came to my rescue, and saved me from that Minotaur so many months ago," Bell continued to say, undaunted, staring at her straight into her golden orbs. "Ever since that day, ever since you saved me on the 5th Floor, you've become my Hero. And that is why… I want to be your Hero too."

Her head felt light and dizzy. Her mind was blank and empty.

Each of his words felt like a gentle caress over her aching heart. She didn't know what to think anymore.

"I will be your Hero," Bell Cranel declared, crimson eyes glued to the golden ones of the girl with a deep and scorching resolve. "I'm weak. I'm pathetic. I'm a coward. I cannot relate to your despair, or any part of your suffering or grief… but I still want to save you. I want to save you like you saved me. I want to be your Hero, and become stronger for your sake!"

Aiz stared and waited, unable to react in any way.

She could not believe her eyes. She could not believe her ears.

She could barely believe what she was witnessing.

"…Aiz-san."

Bell stepped forward again, slow and steady like the gentlest river. Before she could even realize it, he was already standing in front of her.

He offered a smile to the tear-stained girl, looking fondly inside her eyes with a calm, reassuring gaze.

"I came to save you."

The world around her disappeared. Her heart paused and listened. Everything around her was gone…

…except for the young boy who was smiling down at her with a warm and fond expression.

"Wha…!"

Aiz tried to speak, but the air simply wouldn't come out. She could only let out a series of clumsy sounds, laughable, barely even words; as she stared at the fellow Adventurer with wide eyes filled with shock and denial. Her legs nearly gave out as they trembled. Her face felt hot and cold for some reason.

She could not understand what was happening. She could not understand what he was saying.

"You've been waiting all this time... for more than a thousand years… for someone," he whispered, gazing at her face with understanding. With sadness. With adoring and sympathetic affection. "It must have been hard for you. You've suffered long enough. Now it is my turn to save you."

Her body was trembling. Her legs were shaking. Everything was spinning and moving all around.

Save her? Him?!

Right here? Right now?

Freeing her from the dark? Pulling her out of the maze? Freeing her heart from the curse of her parents?

How? Why? What was he saying? What was he thinking? Hadn't she just rejected him? Hadn't she just refused his reasoning?

So why? Why? Why?!

…why was her face so hot? Why was she feeling warmer than before?

Am I… Am I crying? she realized, touching her cheeks as streams of tears were starting to pour down once more. Why am I…?

"Aiz-san," Bell grabber her attention again, making the girl jump in surprise as he grabbed her hand and placed an object on it. "Take this."

She lowered her head, staring at the item on her trembling fingers. "A… knife?"

That's right. A knife. A dagger. A 35cm white blade made from a Unicorn Horn, both looking beautiful and deadly at the same time. It was extremely elegant to the eyes, but its sharp blade was proof of its efficiency, and her trained instinct told her that it could cut though almost anything with disarming ease.

"Yes. This dagger is called Hakugen, and it was made for me by Welf a few weeks ago by using a Unicorn Horn. It's one of a kind," he explained, smiling at her confused face with a gentleness. "I… I want you to have it, and to keep it with you."

Aiz stared at him in silence, widening her eyes. If what he was saying was true, then this dagger was extremely expensive. Unicorn Horns were exceptionally rare – almost impossible to find, in fact – and a weapon made by that material would surely cost around 10,000,000 valis. It was a weapon almost comparable to her own sword Desperate.

She could not understand. "…why?" she whispered, unable to comprehend.

The young boy blushed and averted his eyes a bit. And despite her distressed mind, Aiz couldn't help but think that his flushed face was extremely cute to see… even thought she could not understand why. Not fully, at least.

"Because I want to make a vow to you, Aiz-san," he said, taking her hand with both of his and grasping the dagger with their fingers intertwined. "Just like I did with my goddess on the Hestia Knife, I want to make a promise on this knife too. A promise to you, and you alone."

The Sword Princess gaped at him, watching the boy with her slightly widened eyes.

But Bell Cranel paid no mind to her shock. He just stared at her in resolute decision, smiling at her flushed face with a gigantic blush of his own.

"I solemnly swear to you: whenever you're in pain, whenever you're feeling grief or sadness or despair… I'll come to save you," he declared, absolutely serious about his words and his vow. "I swear it on my life, and on the blade of this knife I am entrusting here to you."

Her breath stopped all of a sudden. Aiz could not believe what she was hearing.

"…you'll come… to save me?" she repeated, her words barely above a whisper.

The Rabbit Foot nodded with a blushing face. "I-I know I'm weak and clumsy… and I can't save most people…" he muttered with a bashful tone, his expression faltering a bit in both shame and embarrassment. However, his gaze and eyes never wavered one bit. Not even for a split-second. "But I promise on this knife that I'll come to save you no matter what. I will put my life on the line for you, no matter what. That is my promise."

She just stared at him with wide eyes, unable to think or react.

And Bell Cranel banished all the fear and embarrassment away… making his first, solemn oath to the girl with a resolute smile.

"One day, I will be your Hero."

Aiz's breath stopped, her mind went blank, and her eyes widened out of human proportions.

My… Hero…

It happened in an instant. Faster than a man could blink.

Once again, just like before, her parents' words echoed inside her head. They flashed inside her mind on their own – even in spite of her desperate attempt to ignore them – cutting through the pain and dark and sadness along with the bright smile of the boy who was holding her hand tight, making every previous feeling and emotion disappear as if it had never existed.

Her mother smiling down at her.
'Wouldn't be nice if you met a wonderful partner, too?'

Her father patting her head fondly.
'I hope that someday, you can find a Hero. Someone who will stay with you. Your Hero.'

Her mother and father together, holding her hands; walking with her along a lush green lawn.
'Let's go, Aiz. Everything will be fine.'

'Live, Aiz. You have to live on.'

'Your story will not end here.'

Those words, those memories, those whispers… they echoed inside of her, resonating with the bright, charming smile of the boy with a powerful lightness that blinded the girl for several seconds. And yet… now, for the first time, her parents' words no longer sounded like poisonous whisper. For the first time ever since she had directly heard them coming out from their lips, they no longer sounded like a cursed, pointless lie that had no hope of being fulfilled.

But on the contrary… they felt true. They felt bright. They felt as happy and filled with hope as her parents had first meant them to be; just like they felt the first time Aiz had registered them with her own ears, in a time long past in which her world was still bright and happy, filled with joy, hopes and dreams that echoed and lived under the sun.

And then, as she mulled over his words and the meaning behind his promise… Aiz Wallenstein finally realized.

She realized the truth behind Bell Cranel's words, and the true depth of his promise to her.

And then, and only then, the girl who was celebrated as Orario's most promising Adventurer finally broke.

Her eyes started to tremble, her sight became watery and blurred, and she finally exhaled the lump that she had tried to hold back for all this time.

"…r-really?" she hiccupped, her voice no longer carrying any composure and pride. Totally and completely opposed from what many would have expected to hear from the Sword Princess. "B-Bell will… save m-me?"

The boy's smile widened even more, and Aiz almost felt her knees gave in relief under his strong and reassuring nod.

"Yes!" he swore, bright and happy like the first time he had been saved by her. "I promise!"

And thus, once again, magic happened.

Just like that. Simply like that.

Aiz cried and wept under the evening sky, throwing herself on him with a desperate sob.

"…Bell," she wept, hugging him close and burying her face on his shoulder. "…Bell! I-I… I…"

They both fell on their knees, hugging each other under the Heavens' watchful eyes.

"Aiz-san," the boy who sought adventure whispered. "I'm here. It's going to be ok. I promise."

The girl cried in his arms, her heart beating faster and faster with each of his words. And as soon as she felt his warmth on her, as soon as she felt his touch, his smell, his feels… she could do nothing but surrender. She could do nothing but weep, holding him close and letting out all the stress, all the frustration, and all of her crumbling emotions on the young boy's shoulder through her tears and cries.

"Bell… thank you," she sniffled through her sobbing, doing her best to express her gratitude to the younger boy who was holding her close.

Because at last, after all this time, her dream had finally been fulfilled.

She had finally met someone who had answered her wish.

She had finally met her long, awaited Hero.

"Thank you… thank you… thank you…"

Her voice quivered and broke several times as she kept thanking him relentlessly. She continued like this for several moments, crying and wailing and hugging him close as she thanked him over and over, like a mantra; desperately trying to convey into words all the emotions and thoughts that were flooding her mind. But there were no words to be found, there was no way to describe her feels. There was only the young boy holding her in his arms, and his reassuring warmth spreading all around.

Like a ringing bell, the sound of his heartbeat reassured her worries, making her relax slightly as she sobbed. If it weren't for that, if it weren't for his presence, Aiz would have been consumed by the black flame without ever making it back. She was sure of it.

But now, thinking about it… it was always like that. It had been always like that, ever since the first day.

Like when she had first found him collapsed in the Dungeon and gotten close to him. Her heart had become clearer back then, as if her spirit had been cleansed just a little bit. As if the black flame had disappeared for a while. It was as if she had just reclaimed a little bit of something. Something that she had lost long ago, in exchange for power and victory during her quest for vengeance.

Her innocence. Her more innocent self.

But still, it was too soon for that. Aiz did not know whether she had truly gained anything or not. In exchange for victory and power, some people had to lose things that were important to them… but she was just too tired and broken to think about that.

Right now, in this one moment, the only thing she could actually do was cry; and she allowed herself to lean against Bell as he held her frame close to him and patter her back in a fond, reassuring gesture.

And for a moment, just for little moment, everything was fine in her life.

"Aiz-san… it's going to be fine."

Aiz Wallenstein nodded and sniffled, allowing herself to dwell in his warmth with a blush on her face and peace in her heart.

But her peace was not meant to last.

Because, as it was widely known, beautiful things were not meant to last long.

"Waaaaaaah! Aiz-tan!"

They didn't have time to move. They didn't have time to react.

The only thing they could do was blink and turn their heads to the right, but that was it. Faster than a man could blink, before the two Adventurers could fully realize it, the goddess Loki had appeared in front of them out of nowhere, throwing herself at them and hugging her beloved child as well, crying and wailing in a comical way as she desperately tried to steal Aiz away from Bell's arms.

"Aizu! You don't have to cry! You don't have to worry!" the goddess was saying amid the tears, hugging the lost – and quite confused – girl with a gentle grip (much to Bell's increasing surprise). "Me and the others will always be here for ya! We won't let you go through any of that anymore!"

Aiz stared at her in silence, shocked and paralyzed, feeling her cheeks blush even more as she suddenly found herself held in the arms of both her favorite rabbit and her whimsical patron goddess.

But it was at that point that she realized.

―they weren't alone anymore.

In fact – as both Aiz and Bell realized with sheer surprise upon snapping their heads up – the entirety of Loki Familia had gathered there in the garden as well, coming out from the main door of the manor and surrounding them from each side. Many of them were staring and smiling. Many of them were crying and sniffling. Many of them were shaking their heads in wariness, shock, or silent amusement.

But some of them? Some of them reacted in an unexpected way.

"Aiz!/Aiz-san!/Aizu!"

The reaction was immediate.

Just like Loki had done before them, some of the Executive members dashed forward as well, running towards the three of them with an emotive leap. More specifically: Lefiya, Tione and Tiona, dashing away from the group and throwing themselves on Aiz, joining the collective hug with tears on their eyes and emotions in their hearts.

Aiz's mind blanked once again, feeling her sadness crack and crumble upon being hugged by so many people all at the same time. Her cheeks flushed even more…

…unlike the white-faced Bell, who looked like he was about to pass away from the embarrassment at any moment.

The sight, however, brought a smile back on the faces of many.

"Bwahahah! I'll be damned… it seems the lad can really do wonders sometimes," Gareth Landrock guffawed with a boisterous laugh, breaking through the crowd along with Finn, Riveria and some others. He even shot a sly glance to the right as she stared at Riveria with a knowing expression. "It seems your motherly instinct was right. He really is the only one who can deal with our Princess like that."

Finn smirked a bit, his expression both sly and amused as he snickered at him. "Indeed. He works fast for his age," he mused.

Riveria ignored them both, breaking away from the group and making her way in front of the girl who was still held in the boy's – and the others' – arms.

"Aiz," she said, kneeling on the ground and staring at her with an emotional face. The girl with golden hair stared back at her mother figure amid the collective hug. "Please… don't do that again. Don't run away from us. I won't forgive you if you do that a second time."

The girl tried to say something, anything, upon hearing her wounded tone... but she stopped herself when she saw the tears in her eyes and the emotions on her face.

Riveria's face was a mask of emotions as she tried to remain stern, but failed miserably. "…Aiz, let me be honest here," she began to say, switching her tone and moving closer to her despite the collective hug being in the way. She almost sounded like a mother right now. "Personally, I'm glad you're being troubled by all this, because it means that you're questioning yourself. It means that you're questioning the black flame that plagues you; and that is reassuring to see."

Aiz stared at her with mouth agape, feeling her eyes growing wider once more.

"I know you've been through so much, and you didn't deserve any of it. But the path that you're on is not all predetermined," she stated seriously, meeting her golden gaze with jade eyes. "Hesitate. Think. Question yourself to your heart's content. And never forget: you're not alone anymore. I'll say it as many times as I have to… so make sure to never forget it anymore, do you hear me?"

At that, Aiz finally reacted, and nodded her head with a teary face.

She could feel the emotions behind that comment from Riveria, who had taken her under her wing since she was barely older than a kid. And now, finding herself embraced by her friends' hug and seeing the High Elf showing her affection to her so openly, Aiz felt the despair and insecurity that had latched onto her miraculously abate once more.

But Riveria wasn't finished yet. There was still one thing she needed to say to her.

Something that she had never said to her before, even thought she had demonstrated it several time through her actions.

"…I… um… I love you," the High Elf added, almost on what seemed to be a whim.

That left Aiz even more shocked than before. Even Bell and the others widened their eyes in stupor upon hearing those words coming out from the elven princess' lips, including the goddess Loki. Heck, Lefiya looked downright baffled right now.

"…wow. That's Mama Riveria for ya," Loki commented next to Aiz, looking as shocked as everyone was.

At that point, Riveria seemed to realize she had said something astounding, because her cheeks became flushed and she looked away as she raised herself – quite abruptly – from her kneeled position. It was the kind of look that would normally never appear on her face. She seemed to be struggling how to articulate her next thought, as if she was reluctant to say it, but she still managed to open her mouth.

"I can't be your Hero, but… I… you know," she fumbled, shooting a glance between her surrogate daughter and the white-haired boy. "We will always be here for you. You know we will."

Yes, she knew.

From her face and words Aiz understood what Riveria was trying to tell her. Her desire to support Aiz made it through to her in spite of the odds.

And it wasn't just Riveria alone. Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, Finn, Gareth, Loki… every single member of her Familia who was openly hugging her or who was still gathered around the scene right now was looking at her with affection and care. With emotions and sympathy. With encouragement and understanding. Every single one of them was openly showing and telling her – with their words and actions and eyes – that they cared about her. That they wanted to be with her. That she wasn't alone anymore, and that she could always rely on them no matter what, filling the empty hole that had been plaguing her heart ever since she had lost her parents and she had met the masked intruder the night before.

And now, perhaps for the very first time… Aiz Wallenstein realized something.

She realized that she wasn't alone anymore.

That she had a new family.

Loki, Riveria, Finn and the others… they were more than her comrades. They were more than her friends. They were her family. Her new family. They were telling her – all of them and all at the same time – that no matter what kind of dark and horrible past she had been forced to go through before, they would always stick together with her and watch her back. They would always care for her and never let her down.

Just like Bell had done before them. Exactly like he had done.

Because if Bell Cranel had saved her heart, then her Familia had saved her soul.

And for the first time after a thousand years, Aiz Wallenstein felt a strange thought flashing through her mind. A thought that she had never thought before. A realization that had never crossed her mind due to the pain and the sadness and the hurt.

She thought… that she was glad to be alive.
She was glad to be with them.
She wanted to keep living this way.

With Bell, with Riveria, and her Familia… she felt glad to be alive.

Bell and her family hugged her tight, and the girl who had been haunted by vengeance felt her mind being freed for the first time in years.

Guys… Everyone…

Aiz Wallenstein cried once again, her heart swelling in her chest for the first time in her life.

Thank you.

Bell, Riveria and Loki smiled in relief. Tiona, Lefiya and Tione hugged her close. And Loki Familia as a whole stared at the scene with relief in their heart and smiles on their faces.

"Tsk. Are you dumbasses still at it?"

His ashen hair billowing, Bete Loga barged in and cut through the crowd at that moment, staring at the scene with an unamused frown. He was the only one who wasn't openly showing his true emotions right now, maintaining his lone-wolf act, but for once… he didn't try to make fun or comment the scene that was unfolding before him. He just stared at Aiz and the rest of his Familia hugging each other with a bored face, keeping his hands in his pockets and grunting in dismissal with a shake of the head.

Tione, Riveria, Finn and everyone else shared a glance, their lips curving into a knowing smile in front of his reaction.

Yep. He was definitely relieved in his own way.

The group shared a laugh, and the air around the manor finally returned to feel light and happy like never before.

―that is, until the next occurrence happened.

"BELL-KUUUUUUN!"

A loud, shrill cry of worry echoed in the air all of a sudden.

Bell, Aiz and the entirety of Loki Familia blinked and startled as one, turning their heads to the right and gazing in direction of the unexpected cry.

The scene that greeted their vision made their eyes widen in shock… and a certain boy blanch in nervousness.

Why, would you ask? Simple.

Because, in a completely unexpected way, the Hestia Familia had suddenly entered the scene, forcing their way through the gates and stepping inside the garden with a roar of effort. Bell and the others stared with wide eyes as they pushed their way through the guards at the entrance, pushing them all out of the way and rushing towards the manor with a desperate step.

Mikoto, Haruhime, Welf, Lily… and the patron goddess Hestia herself.

"BELL-KUUUUN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Hestia was screaming at the top of her lungs. "I SWEAR THAT IF LOKI HAS DONE ANYTHING TO YOU, I'M GONNA―huh?!"

All of them stopped at once, watching – staring would be a much more fitting word – at the group gathered in front of the manor with wide eyes filled with shock and disbelief. They just couldn't help but gape at the sight, even thought they had just arrived to the scene and had no idea of what was happening right now.

Seconds passed, followed by dead silence.

Bell stared at his goddess with a sweating face. "K-Kami… sama?" he tried.

"Chibi?!" Loki exclaimed with narrowed eyes, standing up from the ground in less than a heartbeat upon seeing her rival entering inside her home. "The hell are you doing here?"

The only answer she received was silence, along with stupefied faces. Hestia was still too shocked by what she was seeing to be able to snap out of it.

Welf was the first one to break free from his stupor.

"Um… is this a bad time?" he whispered, glancing between Bell and Aiz – who were still hugging each other in spite of being surrounded by so many people – with his grey-blue eyes filled with confusion.

Any other time, his question would have been normal to hear. Almost quite funny, to be honest. But right now, everyone's attention was too focused on a certain goddess (whose face was growing more and more red by the second) as she stared at the scene unfolding before her with wide eyes and mouth agape.

Until, after two seconds of absolute shock, Hestia couldn't contain herself anymore.

"Wha…? Wha-Wha-What is going on here?!" the black-haired goddess demanded in a panicked shriek, pointing a finger towards Bell with an incredulous expression. The poor boy was paling more and more as he stared back at his fellow Familia members, with sweat openly running down his face like a river. "We came here because Bell wouldn't come back and we were growing worried… WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Lily was nodding emphatically next to the goddess, her face looking no less outraged than hers. "Hestia-sama is right! Why are you hugging the Sword Princess, Bell-sama?!" she demanded, seething in anger. "Lily was right; you really are a philanderer after all!"

The poor boy looked ready to pass out at any moment. The fact that even Mikoto and Haruhime were blushing at the scene was not helping his situation either.

"K-Kami-sama… everyone… please, it's not what it looks like!" he tried to explain.

Hestia would have none of it. She stomped forward with a wrathful expression, brushed through every single Loki Familia's Adventurer who tried to stand in her way (much to Loki's and many of her children's stupor), and placed herself right in front of Aiz, who was still kneeled on the ground with her arms wrapped around Bell's frame. The clueless girl could only raise her head at stare in absolute confusion as the tiny and cute goddess glowered at her with a flaming red eyes, keeping her expression neutral in front of the anger displayed on the deity's face.

"You," Hestia spoke with an unforgiving tone of voice. It would have almost been comical to hear, if it weren't for her enraged expression. "Aiz Wallenwhateveritis. Release my precious Bell. Right. Now."

The Sword Princess tilted her head to the side, utterly confused by her demand.

"…I don't want to, though?"

Her answer left everyone – literally everyone – baffled and shocked for a few moments.

The black-haired goddess recoiled as if physically slapped. "W-What?!" she exclaimed with a clamorous shout, stunned beyond words by her blunt reply. The fact that Bell was openly blushing after hearing those words was only making her panic inside grow. "That's it, that settles it. Supporter-kun, come here and give me a hand! The enemy is far stronger than what we could have imagined! There's no choice but to put aside our differences and establish a common front!"

"Yes, Hestia-sama!" Lily moved at once without missing a beat.

Luckily for Bell, however – who looked like he was about to die from blood rush – before the situation could escalate further, Finn and the others decided to take things in their own hands and stepped forward as well.

"Please, please, goddess Hestia. There's no need to go that far," Braver interjected with his hands raised in a placating gesture. The smile on his lips was fake, but only because not even he could fully remain unfazed by the wrathful expression that was blossoming on tiny goddess' face. "I know the scene seems shocking… but there's actually a logical explanation for this―"

"Do not listen to him, Hestia-sama! Master Finn is a man who hides himself behind sweet words and fake smiles. He cannot be trusted!"

Finn's eye twitched a bit after Lily's stern statement. He couldn't exactly deny that she was right, after all.

Hestia was about to reach out and pull Bell away… but she was promptly stopped by none other than Loki, who grabbed her by the hair and pressed her head down with a sigh.

"What are you doing, Loki? Let me go! I'm gonna teach that child of yours not to mess with my precious Be―"

"Aaaah! For cryin' out loud, will you stop screaming?" the goddess of mischief shouted in anger, grabbing the shorter deity with her hands and bringing her face close to Hestia's. Annoyance and worry were written all over her face as she stared at the fellow goddess with vermillion eyes. "Ya think I'm happy about the current events? I'd like nothing more than tear them apart, but we cannot do that for now; so zip it and listen!"

Finally, (thanks to the Heavens) Hestia seemed to calm down upon digesting the other deity's words. Her protests and trashing subsided, and the tiny goddess with raven-black hair grew suddenly serious as her eyes flickered between Loki, Aiz, and her beloved Bell.

"…huh? What do you mean?" she paused, unable to understand.

Loki exhaled a weary sigh, placing the goddess back on the ground and sharing a glance with Riveria and Gareth.

"Come with me, shrimp," was all she said, turning around and heading for the manor. "You and I have got a lot to talk about."

Hestia just blinked and stared, utterly lost about what was happening right now. She was a few moments away from refusing, but Loki grabbed her by the arm all of a sudden, dragging her inside and ignoring her protests. Bell, Aiz, and the rest of the two Familias combined stared in silence as the two deities disappeared inside the Twilight Manor, looking both tired and exhausted as never before.

Then, everyone exhaled a sigh, while Finn, Riveria and Gareth shook their head with a weary expression.

This had been a long, long day for all of them.

"We should go back inside too," Finn declared at that point, grabbing everyone's attention as he turned towards Welf, Lily, Haruhime and Mikoto. "We will explain what happened to you in detail, so please follow us inside. This matter is of utmost importance," was all he said, shooting a glance in Bell and Aiz's direction.

The Hestia Familia stared and nodded, confused but unable to say anything upon feeling the tension that was slowly growing in the air.

Bell Cranel stood up as well. He flashed a smile to the girl of his dreams, offering one hand to her with a serene expression.

"Aiz-san," he gently prompted her. "Let's go."

The girl with golden eyes stared at him with teary eyes. She grasped his knife within her hands, and then… she finally nodded.

And for the first time in a long while―

"…yes."

―she actually smiled.

---

"Good morning, Arien!"

"Looking bright today, sweetie."

"Oh my, you're as cute as ever!"

"Come here, little one. Give your big sister a kiss."

Meteria watched with a fond, amused smile as more and more members of the Familia stepped inside the main hall, joining her and Arien for breakfast and waving at the child seated next to her with wide smiles and cheerful faces. They hovered around him and patted his head, and some of them even kissed him on the cheek or pinched his nose gently, making him blush and giggle – much to their growing amusement.

The woman exhaled a content breath as she stared at the scene with fondness. She supposed this was to be expected. It was no secret that all the girls of the Hera Familia were absolutely smitten with Arien. The child had lived in their manor for nearly five years now, and they had grown used to his presence during all that time. Actually, the majority of them adored him just like Meteria did, for he was so cute and bright that no one in their right mind would be able to hate him. Heck, even their stern and inflexible Captain was secretly fond of him, even if she did not show it outwardly. But his presence had become a pleasant constant for the Hera Familia, and all the girls of their faction adored and cared for the child as a big sister would.

Oddly enough, the only one who was always stern with him was none other than Hera… but that was to be expected as well. The goddess was simply a cold person by nature.

"Humph. I see he's behaving today," the patron goddess of the manor groused, stepping inside the room with a haughty movement.

The sheer amount of sarcasm in her voice was extremely hard to miss.

Meteria fixed her with a sympathetic stare, offering a smile to her patron goddess. "I'm sorry he's always so whiny with you, Hera-sama. Even I don't know why he acts so different with me."

The old deity just exhaled a sigh, taking a seat at the head of the table and shooting a glance at the small child. Arien was openly ignoring her as he continued to eat his breakfast without a care in the world.

"No matter. It's a good thing he's always so calm with you," she relented in the end, closing her eyes with a weary expression. "Although it would be nice if he did the same with me, too. He's always throwing a tantrum every time he has to come to my chamber. Last night I had to drag him to bed before he finally managed to calm down. I can almost feel my ears ringing at the memory."

Arien didn't even look at her as he pouted and frowned. "It's because Hera-sama is always yelling at me," he defended himself.

"I yell at you because you always misbehave," she countered in a heartbeat, sternly.

"Don't listen to her, Arien. It's not your fault if Hera's annoying," one of girls exclaimed from the other side of the table.

"Yeah! You're always so stern with him, old hag! How do you expect him to act around you if you keep reprimanding him for every little thing?" another one commented as well.

Hera's face flared in indignation. "How many times do I have to tell you… DO NOT CALL ME OLD HAG!" she bellowed, glaring at her snickering children with a red face filled with outrage. On their part, the girls of the Familia just laughed it off, and soon enough the main hall of the manor was quickly filled with the sounds of laughter and stifled giggles.

Meteria exhaled a sigh, shaking her head with a weary movement.

"—good grief. You girls are even worse than Alfia sometimes," Hera grumbled with a stressed voice.

Arien's ears perked up immediately at her words. His face scrunched up into a stupefied frown.

Hearing his mother's name always had this effect on him.

"M-Mother is here?" he asked, glancing around the hall with a worried expression.

Just like that, the effect was immediate.

Meteria froze in an instant upon hearing his question. Hera blanched and withered like a plant. And all around the main table, the girls and the Captain widened their eyes, staring at the child with concerned faces. Everyone turned to Arien with worry and chagrin, glancing at each other and cringing in regret upon realizing that Hera had just said the ONE WORD that no one should ever pronounce in front of the child.

[The name of his mother. The very same woman who had never deigned to visit the child ever since he was born.]

Then, just as it was expected, the room grew eerily quiet.

Until, after a long while of dead silence, Hera finally managed to recollect herself with a cough. "…no, child. Your mother is not here," she answered in the end, feeling her face sweat under Meteria's instant glare. "W-We don't know when she will be able to come back. She is… extremely busy, in this period."

Arien lowered his head, nodding absently with a lost and sad face.

The sight of his dejected expression was enough to break Meteria's heart.

"D-Don't worry, my dear," she tried to reassure him with a frantic voice. Even the others were visibly trying to shift the topic in order to cheer him up. "I'm sure your mother will come to meet you one day. Auntie will never stop writing her letters. One day… One day she will properly meet you. I promise."

Despite his young age, the four-year-old didn't look too convinced.

"…really?" he asked, with a tiny little voice filled with emotion and hope.

The woman felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces as she forced herself to nod. The girls at the table averted their eyes. Hera visibly sighed with a regretful expression.

But faced with her nephew's hopeful gaze, Meteria steeled her face and donned a smile.

It didn't quite reach her eyes.

---

Labyrinth City of Orario
Hostess of Fertility

(======)

Mia Grand exhaled a sigh, doing her best to keep serving her customers and ignore the whispers that were circulating inside her tavern for quite some time now.

"Hey! Have you heard the news?"

"Yeah! There was an explosion inside Twilight Manor last night."

"Loki Familia's home?!"

"People say someone broke inside the building."

"What? The Guild said it was an accident."

"Bullshit! I've heard that something huge happened!"

"It was just a rumor, though."

"Who could possibly be strong enough to break inside Loki Familia's home?"

Unfortunately for her, she was doing a horrible job at ignoring them.

She exhaled a sigh behind the counter, shaking her head in a dismissive gesture. She supposed this was inevitable, all things considered. People came and went by her tavern every day, and each time this routine happened, news began to circulate all the time. The Hostess of Fertility was a popular local and a renowned meeting point for countless Adventurers, after all; and there was not a single day in which the daily news did not end up being discussed by regulars and occasional customers who came to her tavern to eat or chat among themselves.

Therefore, it was inevitable. This was a usual occurrence for her, and the owner of the Hostess knew it with crystal clear clarity. It was simply how things were meant to be...

…or, at least, that was how it should have been in theory.

Because this time… each of the news that her customers were sharing felt like a blow on the tall dwarf's patience.

The words spoken by her latest paying patron echoed in her head like an annoying mantra.

'If you happen to hear something, would you do me a favor and ignore those rumors?'

Mia exhaled a breath, trying to focus back on her work as she served a few mugs of ale to one of her customers.

Until, her eyes spotted something, and the owner turned her eyes to stare in direction of a hooded man entering her establishment.

"Well, well; look who's back earlier than usual," Mia spoke in a blunt voice. Her eyes openly narrowed as she fixed the latest customer with a flat stare. "I thought we wouldn't be seeing you until tonight, but it's barely two in the evening. What's the occasion, brat?"

Arien Cranel took a seat in front of the counter, taking off his hood as he stared in her direction. "Someone is peachy today," he noted, not even bothering to hide the sarcasm. This was the first time Mia had openly greeted him as 'brat', after all.

Not to mention, of course, the dark and annoyed feeling of suspicion hovering around her frame. It was quite hard to miss, for someone with his abilities.

"Gee, I wonder why," she snorted, crossing her arms upon taking away an empty glass. "Ever since we've opened for the day, the only thing people are talking about are last night's events. Which, of course, are completely unrelated to you… am I right?"

He just stared at her with a bored face. "I did warn you about it, didn't I?"

"That is beside the point. You didn't tell me I was actually hosting a criminal in my tavern," she spat back at him in kind, lowering her voice and glaring at him in the eyes. The young man with ashen-white hair remained completely unfazed by it. "Breaking inside Loki Familia's home? An explosion in the Twilight Manor? That is some crazy stunt you've pulled off out there. And here I thought you said you weren't here to cause trouble."

Arien remained calm and poised, closing his eyes and exhaling a breath.

"Believe it or not, that is the truth. I am not here to hurt anyone," he repeated, undaunted.

Mia Grand snorted in his direction. "You do know I can see through bullshit, right?"

No, Mia. You cannot.

"If it is bullshit, then I wouldn't have told you about it," he countered, deadly serious.

"And that is what I'm still failing to understand," she commented. The owner leaned closer to him on the counter, staring at the dragon-slayer straight in the eyes. "Why did you warn me about it? I wouldn't have been able to suspect you if you hadn't told me that you needed to see the Sword Princess. That was a dumb move, even for a brat like you."

Her words were direct and straightforward, and filled with suspicion and confusion in equal measure. Not that Arien could blame her, though.

In fact, he knew that Mia was right with her reasoning. If he hadn't openly admitted to her that he needed to meet Aiz Wallenstein and deliver a message to her in the past, Mia wouldn't have been able to connect the dots and discover that he was the one behind last night's incident. She wouldn't have been able to discover the truth, and he would have avoided this situation completely. From a logical – and practical – point of view, therefore, his previous actions had been completely counterproductive. A careless mistake, actually. A mistake that no thief or murderer would ever make no matter what.

But Arien was not stupid… and Mia knew it too. That was why she was failing to understand this.

The young man who had slayed the Dragon shrugged a bit. "I told you the truth because I trust you," he explained, direct and concise. His answer seemed to make her falter a bit. "You are the only person inside the city I'm actually being friendly with. You could almost say I like you, all things considered."

The owner looked at him with an expression of bewilderment. She actually looked taken aback for a few moments. "…are you being serious?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," he replied, completely sincere. "I do not enjoy lying, despite my attempts to fool myself. And it feels nice to have someone to openly talk to, every now and then. I guess you could say you're the only person I feel comfortable with. I enjoy chatting and exchanging words with you, for what that is worth to you."

Mia stared at him for a while, narrowing her eyes. No matter how long she searched, she couldn't find any trace of deceit or falsity in his face, and this fact was making the confusion inside her grow. She didn't even know if she should feel flattered by his answer or just even more suspicious.

Then, in the end, she took some distance from the counter and scoffed at his face. "Sorry to break it to you, but I'm not into younger brats."

Arien deadpanned at her. "Not like that," he retorted. "I just meant to say that I feel happy to have someone to talk to. I've been alone for so fucking long that exchanging words with you felt… refreshing, to me. I guess I just wanted to repay you for that by being sincere with you. I wanted someone I could be honest with, I mean."

Every word he had said was the truth. There was not a single lie in his explanation. Arien had really decided to be honest with Mia because she was the only person in the city who was honestly willing to get along with him. She was the only one who had actually treated him with respect from the first moment they had met, and who hadn't been a pain in the ass for him so far. She had never tried to extrapolate information from him, she had never tried to pry too much into his business, and she had always been willing to lend an ear to his questions and doubts ever since he had arrived in Orario. That was why he had decided to treat her with respect in turn, and to be honest with her no matter what.

After all, Arien was used to travel alone and keep his distance. He was used to the life of a lone-wolf who never tried to befriend anyone. He had grown accustomed to a solitary life and the feeling of loneliness, due to his past and the kind of life he had led so far. Therefore, it had been a pleasant surprise for him to find a person who was actually willing to talk with him upon meeting the woman called Mia Grand. She had always treated him with respect in spite of her suspicions, and consequently Arien had opted to treat her with respect as well. It was simply a matter of logic, and politeness.

As he'd said, he liked her. He liked the dwarf enough to feel comfortable around her. And that was enough for him.

The owner of the Benevolent Mistress fixed him with a long stare. "And what makes you think I won't report you to the Guild now?" she asked at that point, lowering her voice.

Much to her surprise, however, Arien smirked at her unexpected threat.

"You wouldn't do that. Not to a paying patron, at least. Considering what kind of 'workers' you've decided to hire in the tavern, I knew that being honest with you was a safe bet," he explained, sounding both smug and certain about his reasoning. "You don't care about other people's business. You don't care about your waitresses' past. All you care about is money, and that is perfectly fine. As long as a customer doesn't cause a scene or becomes a source of problem for you, you will not throw them out no matter what."

Listening to his words, Mia Grand narrowed her eyes with an unreadable frown.

The young man with ashen-white hair paused at that point, shooting an amused glance to the dwarf while she kept looking at him with a piercing stare. "Besides… since you've hired such a 'questionable' staff, I'm ready to bet you're someone with a guilty conscience too, deep inside. I know you felt some sort of kinship with me ever since I stepped foot in this place… am I right?" he questioned her, already knowing the answer.

Mia Grand stared at him with an unreadable expression for a while. For the first time in a long time, she had been rendered speechless by a customer.

Everything he had sad was true. Every single thing. She was almost impressed, to be honest.

She exhaled a sigh, shaking her head with a weary expression. "What the hell… are you able to read minds?" she asked in annoyance, donning a hand over her temples in frustration.

The only answer she received was a smirk, which only served to irk her to no end. She wasn't really too far from the truth, to be honest.

In the end, she shook her head and decided to relent. "Bah! I don't know if you're cunning or just overly confident, boy."

Arien just shrugged at her jab, placing a small bag of coins on the counter. "I little bit of both, I guess," he admitted without batting an eye. Seeing how she couldn't come up with something to retort, the owner decided to take the money and serve him something in spite of everything.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

They didn't say anything else at this point. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence after that brief – but intense – exchange of words. Mia returned to the kitchen to prepare something for him and the other customers, and Arien just enjoyed the moment of peace as he listened to the sounds of the tavern and basked himself amid the positive emotions. The fact that she had decided to relent in spite of her annoyance was actually one of the reasons why he liked to talk with Mia, to be honest. The dwarf was stern and straightforward, but she actually meant the words that she said. She did not pry too much in other people's business, and despite her questionable past – there had to be a reason why she had quitted Adventuring, after all – she was always willing to open her tavern to people of all ranks and kinds. This fact alone had always been a huge factor that had influenced Arien's positive opinion of her, from the first time they'd met.

Not to mention, moreover, that the tavern was fine and the food was delicious. If it weren't for the annoying waitresses working in this place, the young man wouldn't have minded spending more time inside the pub to chat with Mia during his previous nights and days. So, he wasn't exactly lying with his words. He liked Mia enough to be open with her, and he respected her enough to admit the truth in front of her without batting an eye. He knew the dwarf could be trusted, after all, and his powers had made it clear for him ever since the first day.

Besides, it was actually nice to have someone to be honest with when your life was a constant made up of hiding and keeping secrets all the time. It felt nice to experience a change, once in a while. Arien had experienced something similar even with the Xenos during the previous week… but that had been different. With Lydo and Wiene and the others, he had been forced to keep secrets and lie in order to hide his name and true powers. He had been forced to keep his distance despite the fact that the Xenos and Fels had actually been willing to help him. But with Mia, he felt like he could actually be honest in spite of everything, because she was a dwarf who did not care about other people's business. She could be trusted, especially when money was on the line… and that much was enough for him. It was more than enough.

That was his truth. And he knew that Mia could feel that too.

In the end, however, the owner stepped out of the kitchen after a few minutes, and returned to the counter with a plate in her hand.

"Boy, be honest with me. Why did you cause such a ruckus with Loki Familia?" Mia questioned him out of the blue, keeping her voice low as she decided to inquire about his previous actions. Arien glanced back at her as she offered him a small dish of spaghetti and vegetables and placed it on the counter. "The news are all over the city. Couldn't you have opted for a subtler approach?"

The flat stare she received in answer almost made her sweat-drop.

"…you do realize I had to sneak inside a building filled with First Class Adventurers, right?" he asked back at her, ironic. "I tried to be as discreet as possible. But when my task was completed, I had no choice but to create a diversion in order to leave. It was the only option I had."

Mia mulled over his words for a while. Despite her inner questions, her instinct was telling her that the young man was not lying with his statement.

"Fair enough," she groused. "But that doesn't change the fact that what you did is a crime. If people find out that you're the one who did it, the Guild will―"

"They won't do anything to me. I've already cleared things with them," he cut her off with a dismissive tone, taking a forkful of food without even looking at her. "Trust me. I'm not a criminal who likes to go around and spread chaos for no reason. If there had been any other way, I would have done it in a heartbeat."

She actually looked surprised at that answer. She hadn't been expecting this. "You've cleared things with them?" she repeated, confused.

Ho shot her a sarcastic look. "Why the hell do you think I went to Guild today?" he asked back at the owner, ironic.

So that's what he meant this morning, she inwardly realized, thinking back about their previous conversation and connecting the dots. Her face began to assume a pensive expression upon mulling over the info for a few moments. There was still something bothering her about all of this. Something that she just had to know in spite of everything.

"So you were willing to go that far… what the heck. Was the message you had to deliver to the Sword Princess really that important?"

"Yes," was his blunt and immediate reply.

Mia narrowed her eyes on him as he ate, unsure of what to think. The seriousness in his eyes and tone was just too obvious to be dismissed, after all. "I see… I guess you really had no other choice, then," she relented with a sigh, glancing around the tavern to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. Just as expected, the other customers were too busy minding their own business as they ate and talked among themselves.

The dragon-slayer scoffed mid-bite. "Of course. What else was I supposed to do? Write a letter and deliver it to the guards? Don't make me laugh," he spat, sounding both annoyed and frustrated with his statement. "I couldn't just divulge sensitive information like that. I was tasked to meet that so-called Aiz Wallenstein in person, and deliver the message directly to her. I had no choice but to sneak inside the manor and do the things I did."

Mia raised a brow at him. "So… did you meet her in the end?" she asked.

He nodded as he savored the food. As always, Mia's cooking did not disappoint. "Under a disguise… but yes," he answered, finding no reason to keep silent about this. There was no reason to lie about this matter any longer. Not to Mia. Not anymore.

A few seconds of silence passed. Arien and Mia stared into each other's eyes, both of them studying the other in attempt to discern their intentions and their next course of action. The staring challenge went on for what seemed to be an eternity, but neither of them seemed to be willing to back down. A pair of brown eyes filled with sternness and suspicion, against a pair of grey eyes devoid of emotions and feels altogether.

Until, in the end, the tension between them was suddenly broken when Mia closed her eyes and exhaled a sigh.

"Fine," she grunted, crossing her arms with a dismissive tone. "I guess I'll end it here. I don't know why, but my guts are telling me that you're being honest… and I trust my guts more than anything. As long as you won't cause trouble for me, I will not question you further about this," she relented, deciding to drop that subject. However, before the young man could nod and exhale a sigh of relief, the tall dwarf leaned close to him and jabbed his chest with a finger. "But this is the only warning I'll give you, boy. I ain't gonna tolerate a potential criminal inside my tavern. Whatever it is you need to do out there, you'd better behave from now on. I am a tolerant dwarf, but even I have standards."

Arien inwardly scoffed at her warning tone. Tell that to that genocidal elf, he mused, thinking back about a certain waitress who hated his guts and who was haunted by vengeance. But for the sake of his peace of mind, he did not speak those words out loud, no matter how temped he was. There was no need to escalate things further, in his opinion.

In fact, this was a fair compromise, for both of them.

Arien hadn't really hurt anyone so far, after all, and Mia was the only one who knew the truth about his involvement in last night's events (except for Ouranos, of course). Hence, since nothing bad had happened – nothing too bad, at least, since the Loki Familia was completely unharmed for now – there was no need for Mia to be too wary of him or to throw him out of the tavern. She wouldn't just lose such a generous source of income for such a petty – yes, petty – reason.

Thus, as long as things remained peaceful, there was no need to break off their mutual exchange. At least for now, of course.

"Very well," he agreed, pushing her finger away as he stared back at her with a smirk. "We have a deal."

Mia Grand stared and studied him close, before sharing a nod with him in agreement.

Once again, silence descended between them as the dwarf and the Demi-god relaxed their bodies.

Until, Mia exhaled a sigh. "Good. Then I'm off to the kitchen," she said, takig away his now-empty plate and heading back towards the door. "Give me a holler if you need anything."

Arien just waved her off with a nod of the head.

Just like that, he was left alone, and the young man who had slayed the Dragon exhaled a weary breath. This day wasn't even half done yet, but he already felt exhausted and tired, almost as if he hadn't slept for a whole week. Not that it was surprising, though. The amount of news he had learned today was not indifferent – and not all of them had been pleasant to hear – and they had messed up his plans quite a bit. After all, he was supposed to look for info regarding his cousin right now. He was supposed to formulate a plan and decide what to do with Bell... but the news about Evilus, and Rudra Familia, and the Gale had ruined everything. They had made a mess out of his mind, because Arien hadn't expected to find out something like that. Not even in his wildest dreams.

How was he supposed to deal with his cousin now? How was he supposed to look for Bell and deal with him when there was a chance that Evilus was back in Orario? Which of the two things had priority over the other? Dealing with his last remaining relative – his beloved aunt's son? Or dealing with that sect of terrorists who threatened the city?

Whichever option he chose; the consequences would not be pleasant for him. Arien was ready to bet on it.

On one hand, he'd have to deal with the very same relative he'd been trying to stay away from for years…and on the other, he'd have to start looking for a group of freaks with no lead to follow and no idea of what to do. So, all things considered, the prospects ahead of him weren't exactly pleasant for Arien. They weren't pleasant at all. On the contrary, his instinct felt completely restless right now; and no matter what he tried, and he just couldn't calm down and take a decision with a clear mind.

It was a huge, gigantic mess indeed. It almost felt like the world was trying to mock him for some reason.

The worst part? Arien felt like he deserved it.

And that was without taking into account the whole 'Gale' thing. His previous chat with the Advisor of the Guild had all but proved it to him: Ryuu Lion was the Gale, and she was the one who had dealt with Evilus five years ago. Therefore, if he wanted to find some clues about that group, the most favorable option – as well as the most likely one to get him some answers – was to find that girl and extract information from her. It was the only option and the only lead he had if he wanted to search for the remnants of Evilus, considering that Ouranos and the Guild were as clueless as him about this matter.

But of course… once again, Fate just had to make things more difficult for him. All of this would have been a lot easier for him if she had known the truth about the Gale a few hours ago… but it was too late for that now. The damage had already been done. He had let that annoying elf go before he could question her, and if he had known the truth about her before their last encounter; things could have gone differently.

Arien closed his eyes with a weary sigh, ignoring the feeling of an incoming headache.

No matter. There's no use crying over spilled milk, he mused, trying to quell his irritation and ponder about his next move. The best thing for me to do right now is take a decision, and then formulate a strategy. I can either begin my search for the Gale, or look for clues about―

In that moment, as he was deep immersed inside his thoughts and doubts, something happened.

His instinct screamed at him, and Arien felt a shiver run down his spine.

His eyes snapped open all of a sudden, and an overwhelming feeling of dread began blossom inside his heart. Survival instinct compelled him to move, and his mind literally began to scream at him to run and hide.

This feeling… this intense gaze staring him up from behind… it was familiar to him. Horribly familiar. And that could only mean―

No… he growled, ignoring the feeling of dread washing over him as realization dawned upon his features. No, it can't be. Tell me this isn't happening.

―that thing was here.

"Oh my! Good afternoon, sir!"

Syr Flova.

Arien donned his hands over his face, without even bothering to turn around. He didn't even need to, because he could already feel the odd, intense gaze of a certain waitress who had suddenly appeared next to him out of nowhere. The girl was smiling at him with a cute face, her blue-grey hair billowing a bit as she leaned in closer to him with a smile that – Arien could feel it even without looking at her – was anything but pleasant right now. He could almost feel his body shiver under the odd, piercing gaze she was sending him, in fact.

The young man exhaled a sigh, gritting his teeth in silent frustration. Gods, fucking damn it. He had completely forgotten about this girl. He had been so distraught by the news of Evilus and the Gale that he had completely forgotten about the one thing that had made him wary the most: this girl. He would never have returned to the tavern at this hour if he hadn't forgotten about her.

Yes, Fate was definitely mocking him right now. He had been a fool.

"We haven't been able to talk since our first meeting," the girl – Syr – kept talking to him, moving next to the young man seated at the counter and keeping her annoying smile aimed at him. "The others told me that we wouldn't get to see each other again after the events of that night, but it seems that fate has made us cross paths again. What a fortuitous coincidence! Don't you agree?"

She smiled at him in an odd way: with her eyes closed and her head slightly tilted to the side. People would had found it cute, but Arien… he just felt appalled by it.

He really, really needed to curse right now.

"…it wasn't a coincidence," he spat, clenching a fist in attempt to remain calm and shooting a side-ways glare at the waitress staring at him. Just looking in her direction was enough to send a few chills down his spine. "I have purposely asked Mia and the others to keep me away from you. Coming here at this hour was a mistake on my part."

As far as he was concerned, their talk was already over at this point. And in order to prove it, Arien immediately moved to raise himself from the stool and leave the establishment at once, but the girl surprised him by grabbing his arm with one hand, keeping her expression morphed into the exact same smile.

"Oh, yes… I've heard of your request," she replied, keeping her tone calm even as she stressed that word with a strange emphasis. Her face, however, was another story entirely. Her smile widened even more, and she opened her eyes to stare at him with an unreadable glint that Arien could not fully decipher… and that made him wary of her all the more. "Why, I was so shocked when Ryuu first told me about it. I almost thought she was playing a prank on me."

His mind was screaming 'DANGER' like never before. His powers were going awry at the mere contact with this girl.

Arien's expression twisted into a snarl. "Release me right now… if you don't want me to break your hand."

Much to his growing shock – and anger – the girl kept her grip on him in spite of the threat. Her expression turned serious all of a sudden, and she stared at him with serene smile that would have baffled even the most powerful Adventurer.

"I just want to talk with you," she said.

Arien yanked his arm free, sneering at her with a disgusted face. "I refuse," he replied. He didn't even need to think about it.

"Please. I insist."

"I don't care."

"I just want to become friends with you."

"And I missed the part where that's my problem."

The girl narrowed her eyes at his disrespectful words, her face morphing into a weird combination between a pout and a frown. But the more Arien kept glaring at her, the more he realized it with each passing moment.

Nothing had changed. Nothing had changed from their previous meeting. He still couldn't detect anything from this girl. No truth, no lies, no emotions. Nothing. The only thing he could grasp from her was emptiness, and his powers and skills weren't able to read anything from her, no matter how long he searched or how intensely he stared. And this was weird. This was definitely weird. His powers and nature could not be mistaken, because they had never failed him in the past and they were still alerting him now. They were screaming and begging him to stay away from the girl… from this thing which eluded his comprehension and that was making his instinct go awry for some reason.

Therefore, Arien knew it as a fact, as a foregone conclusion. This girl, this creature, this Syr… she was something he needed to be wary of. He needed to stay away from her. Because she was weird. Because she was dangerous. There was no way a simple human girl could make his powers go awry for no reason, and Arien was absolutely sure of it. Whoever and whatever she was, Syr Flova was a creature that he needed to be wary of.

No matter what. No matter how. He needed to stay away from her.

Yet, despite his obvious attempts, Syr would not budge. She didn't even look scared as she stared at his hostile face with a calm and collected one of her own.

"Why are you being so hostile? I just want to talk," she insisted, taking a step back with a pout on her face. "I'd say I have every right to ask for this, considering that you've paid Mama a large sum of money to keep me away from you. I just want to understand."

"There's nothing to understand," he cut her off, dismissive and uncaring as always. "I just want nothing to do with you. Is that so hard for you to guess?"

"But why?" she pressed, raising her voice and taking a step forward with a serious face.

Her demand echoed in the bar for a few seconds. Many people inside the tavern – who until now had minded their own business and had been blissfully unaware of anything – began to turn around and stare at them upon hearing those words; observing the scene with wide eyes as the waitress and the young man kept facing each other in front of the counter.

Syr did not seem to mind one single bit about their stares. "Have I done something to you? Have I offended you in some way? How do you expect me to accept this situation if you won't even explain it to me?" she kept questioning him, looking at him straight in the eyes with a deep, piercing stare that Arien could not decipher no matter how long he tried. "I just wanted to talk with you."

The young man glanced around in wariness, feeling and hearing many customers begin to whisper in confusion at the scene. His instinct was screaming at him to run away and hide… but he knew that he couldn't do that right now. Fleeing from the scene would only make things worse in the long run, and it would only delay the problem without resolving it. He had no choice but to compromise, then.

"Alright," he hissed, slamming a hand on the counter and raising his voice louder as he glowered at the waitress. Syr widened her eyes and startled upon hearing his outburst, looking taken aback by his reaction. But again… Arien could not tell. He had no way to know if she was faking it or not.

"You want to talk? Fine, let's talk: I don't like you," he stressed, glaring at the girl with his emotionless eyes and pointing a finger at her face. He didn't even bother to care about the customers' stares aimed at him. "I don't understand you. I can't stand you. Therefore, I want you to stay away from me. Do you understand now, you dumb girl?"

Syr stared at him with wide eyes after his direct statement, her expression looking completely baffled for the first time ever since he had laid eyes on her. But despite the look on her face, her body and eyes did not emit one single trace of emotion… and Arien was growing inwardly worried by this. This girl was an anomaly he couldn't understand. He really needed to stay clear from her.

Finally, amid the tense silence that had filled the tavern, the blue-gray-haired waitress seemed to recollect herself. "Hey, now! That wasn't nice!" she pouted – she actually pouted, Arien inwardly screeched in disbelief – speaking in a condescending tone and keeping her eyes glued to his without even looking worried or offended at all. "You should really watch your manners around a lady, Mister―"

Then, she froze, and the girl blinked in confusion; almost as if she had suddenly realized something.

"―wait, you still haven't told me your name," she said, placing a finger on her right cheek and tilting her head casually to the side. Arien observed her with a baffled expression. "Can you please introduce yourself? Ryuu and the others haven't told me your name yet."

Arien was completely baffled. His eyes were widened out of human proportions. "…what the hell is wrong with you?" he hissed, taking a step back under her curious gaze and feeling his heartbeat increase in worry. "I'm telling you to fuck off, and you focus instead on my name? What the fuck is your problem?!"

Syr just looked confused by his question. Her head titled to the other side in a very, very cute manner. "Why are you surprised? I won't know how to address you unless you tell me your name."

"I don't want you to address me. I don't want to tell you my name," he spat back at her, glaring at the anomaly in front of him with a narrowed frown and wary face. "The only thing I want is for you to stay away from me. Do you get it?"

The girl pouted again, and she was about to insist further… but someone beat her to the punch.

"Syr! Get away from him!"

Finally, reinforcements had arrived.

Lunor, Chloe and Anya dashed forward in a heartbeat, popping out from the kitchen's door and placing themselves between Arien and Syr, almost as if they were trying to shield their fellow waitress from him.

The entire tavern stared at the scene with wide eyes.

"Don't get too close to him," Lunor commanded, grabbing Syr from the arm and gently pulling her away from there. "Let's go back inside. Mama is calling for us."

"That's right, nya! White-hair is gonna get mad at you again, nya!" Anya whispered in a panicked tone, her eyes frantically glancing between the pouting girl and the young man on the other side.

But Syr would have none of it. She stepped away from her co-workers and kept her gaze glued to Arien all the while.

"No," she stated, deadly serious. "I won't leave until he tells me why he's so angry at me."

She took a step forward, again, slipping away from their arms with a skillful movement. The three other waitresses began to sweat in panic.

"S-Stop it, nya!" Chloe exclaimed.

Too late. "I just want to clear things between us," Syr explained, raising her hands in a placating gesture as Arien kept sneering at her as if she was the most disgusting thing in the world. The girl's smile was visibly twitching in annoyance under his unfazed expression. "Let's start over, ok? We can just put the past behind us and be civil―"

"I refuse," was his cold and emotionless reply.

Her eyebrow twitched again. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't quite stop her hands from clenching into fists. "Oh dear… you're making this more difficult than it should be," she pressed on him with a kind smile.

To Arien, that sight was truly disgusting.

She clapped her hands together as she kept fixing him with an intense stare. The other waitresses' attempts to pull her away didn't seem to faze her one bit. "Are you really going to treat a cute girl like me so poorly?" she asked, pressing her lips harder in order to keep her smile from fading.

The dragon-slayer snorted. "Try me," he said. "Also, you think too highly of yourself. The sight of your smile is so disgusting that it's making me sick. Therefore, I suggest you follow your friends' advice, if you don't want anything to happen to that 'pretty' face of yours."

"Hey! There's no need to go that far!" Lunor reprimanded him, rounding on Arien with a stern glare.

"Then tell this bitch to stop coming for me," he countered, looking absolutely unfazed by the fact that he was openly insulting a girl right in front of the whole tavern. Many customers stared and gasped at his words in absolute disbelief, and even the four waitresses widened their eyes in shock upon hearing the insult. But on his part, Arien did not care one single bit. He was just too angry and frustrated right now, and his patience was growing thin. "This is the second time she's come to bother me. Do I have to punch her in the face to make you understand I want nothing to do with her?"

Syr's face became beet red as her nostrils flared in shame. Tears were even starting to well in the corner of her eyes.

Each of his words was making her pride as a woman shatter inside.

"W-Why, you…! You're acting like a brute, you know that?" she cried, fixing him with a tearful glare.

The smirk on Arien's face was both cruel and vicious as he laughed at her.

"See if I care, you bi―"

He was unable to finish that sentence.

Faster than a man could blink, in fact, Mia Grand appeared once again. She stomped in the tavern with a vengeful wrath, her body moving with a speed that shouldn't have been possible to achieve with her size, and she grabbed Arien by the neck all of a sudden; lifting him up with one arm alone. The young man could do nothing to save himself. He was still speaking the insult, when he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet disappear as a boulder-like fist came down on his head with a lightning-fast movement, grabbing him by neck and lifting him up like a light sack of potatoes. He could even feel his lungs begin to choke and falter, as the owner's grip increased more and more by the second.

The room grew eerily quiet. Everyone stared and gaped in shock.

As the tavern's towering owner glared down at her latest customer with scowling, enraged face.

Lunor and Chloe widened their eyes. Syr and Anya shivered a bit.

And Arien Cranel smirked with a sweating face, staring with his emotionless eyes at the towering dwarf who was choking him with a powerful grip.

"…everyone, get back to your work," Mia commanded in a stern tone, shooting a glance to her waitresses. Her eyes openly narrowed as her gaze landed on Syr, making the girl in question tense a bit. "I will have words with you later," she spat.

The young girl lowered her head, nodding in acceptance as she stared at the floor. "Yes, Mama…"

Mia turned her head in the kitchen's direction, where a cat-girl dressed in a chef outfit was looking at her in stupor and worry. "May, cover things for me for a while. I will be back in a few minutes," she ordered. Upon seeing the chef nod in acceptance, she turned her head back to stare at the clients. "And you lots, stop staring at once. Mind your own business, for fuck's sake!"

Everyone shivered and turned away, unable to resist under her oppressive glare.

Then, at long last, Mia's attention shifted back on the young man in her hand – who was still smirking at her despite his sweating face and the hand choking his neck – and her eyes narrowed further as she increased her grip on him. No matter how much she choked him, she could not feel him twitch and squirm at all.

"And you," she spat, her voice harder than the sharpest metal. "You're coming with me."

Arien just stared and smiled, looking completely unfazed by the situation he was currently in.

That being said, Mia wasted no time. She stepped away from the tavern within a heartbeat, coming out from the establishment from a back door and stepping inside a secluded alley that was hidden from the main street. All the while, she kept dragging the young man like a sack of potatoes, slamming him against the wall of a building as she glared at his face and grasped his neck tightly.

The young man who had slayed the Dragon smirked and choked, keeping his expression unchanged despite his current predicament.

In all honesty, he could have easily freed himself from her grasp if he really wanted to… but he decided to play along for a while. This was way more entertaining for him, and he knew that Mia had every reason to be angry at him right now. He had stepped out of line, after all. He had caused a scene in front of her clients, and insulted one of her workers right in front of her. She had all the rights to punish him for his previous words and actions, and he could not deny it.

Because Arien was many things. He was arrogant. He was brash. He was definitely a jerk… but he was not a fool.

And he knew how to admit it when he had crossed the line.

Mia's face twitched into an expression of rage as she glared at him. She slammed him against the wall of a building in a fit of anger, and the young man with ashen-white hair almost grunted a bit as he felt his back twitch and protest in pain. As expected of Mia, she was strong. Definitely stronger than most. The strength behind her grip and arm was no less than that of a Level 6 Adventurer. Perhaps even stronger than that, considering her age and experience. She really was someone who could not be messed with.

The tall and imposing dwarf fixed him with a hard stare. "What the hell is your problem, brat?" she spat to him in his face. "Didn't I just warn you not to cause trouble in my tavern? Yet here you are, causing a scene in front of the customers and insulting my waitress like a fucking degenerate. Are you out of your damn mind?" she shouted, deadly serious.

Arien just smirked as she kept choking his throat. "K-Keh! Took you long e-enough… to snap at me… Mia," he joked with a strained voice, sounding clearly amused by this 'unexpected' turn of events.

Judging by the scowl on her face, she didn't appreciate his words. On the contrary, the sternness in her expression increased all the more.

"Gods damn it, what is your problem?!" she snapped, losing her patience once and for all. "I knew you were rude, but this is just ridiculous. You're always so brash, so provocative, and so damn annoying. Always telling people to piss off and running your mouth like goddamn jerk," she yelled, reprimanding him sternly as she increased her grip on him. Arien began to visibly pale at that point – due to the lack of oxygen – but he still did not lose the smirk on his face. "I'm damn sick of this. So far I've let you stay under my roof and run your mouth because I sympathized with you… but this is too much. You've crossed the line today, insulting my employee and shaming her in public. I won't stand for this anymore."

"…I only treated her… in the way she deserves," he countered between choked breaths, unyielding.

She pressed him harder against the wall. The stone behind his back began to visibly crack under the pressure. "Calling her a bitch to her face was too much, brat. Even for you," Mia declared, deadly serious. "You are free to have your opinion and personal thoughts, but Syr and the girls are more than employees to me. They're like my daughters. I can turn a blind eye to your transgression to them once or twice… but not anymore."

For the first time, his eyes flashed in anger as he heard those words.

"My transgression?" he repeated, his voice growing sharper and colder all of a sudden.

Mia widened her eyes upon seeing his reaction. Before she could reprimand him again, he suddenly grabbed the hand gasping his neck, twisting it with so much force that Mia almost hissed in pain. The sharp feeling of pain flooded her arm like a wave under the young man's grip, and the dwarf couldn't help but be impressed by his blatant display of power. She even began to sweat a bit in attempt to keep her hold on his neck, and this fact alone already spoke volumes about this young man's strength.

Even in this situation, in fact, the brat was remaining calm and collected, and he was clearly holding himself back despite being able to free himself rather easily. She could clearly tell that much. He was obviously choosing to restrain himself, and that much was obvious to her.

But it still wasn't enough to quell the anger she was feeling right now.

"She was the one who approached me first," Arien spoke with a hissing tone, glowering back at Mia despite her grip on his neck. "I tried to dismiss her like I did the first time, but she wouldn't listen. Three times I told her to fuck off and leave me alone, but she would not listen. She is the one who crossed the line, not me. You can't blame me for snapping and lashing out at her when she openly ignored all my warnings."

Mia narrowed her eyes in front of his disrespectful comeback. She knew that he had a point there.

"That doesn't justify―"

"Perhaps, but I had warned you," he cut her off, unfazed. The owner gritted her teeth in frustration under his cold, unyielding stare. "You cannot deny it, Mia. I had clearly asked you to keep that bitch away from me, and you ignored my request," he added, staring straight at the dwarf in her brown eyes. Mia felt a shiver of tension running down her spine despite being the one who was holding him by the neck. "Why the fuck did you let her come to me? This wouldn't have happened if you'd listened to my request. I even paid you more than a million valis for it, so you can't even accuse me of being unreasonable. Is doing your job as her boss so fucking hard for you, huh?"

Despite his spiteful words, this time, Mia couldn't find anything to say to retort to him. She couldn't exactly deny that it was true, to an extent.

Syr was supposed to be a waitress. She was supposed to obey to her inside the tavern… but due to her 'peculiar nature' and her connection to a 'certain goddess', that girl was a walking time-bomb that not even she was able to control fully. Mia knew it extremely well, loathe as she was to admit it. Therefore, she was well aware that Arien had a point there. This whole situation could have been avoided if Syr had actually listened to her orders and refrained herself from approaching the boy in the first place. The fault for this fell on her too, all things considered.

But she still couldn't accept this. No matter what anyone said, this whole situation was simply unacceptable. She couldn't just turn a blind eye to it, and the young man's action had been too much for her to bear. His confrontational and edgy behavior was clearly getting out of hand, and even if he was a paying patron, there was a limit to all things. Too much was too much, after all.

"You're being so fucking unreasonable," she muttered, doing her best to keep her hold on him despite his grip on her arm. The more he kept twisting her hand, the more and more pain began to blossom inside her arm. "What is your problem with Syr? Why do you hate her so much?"

His face was cold and unyielding despite the sweat and lack of oxygen. "…don't fuck with me, Mia. You know extremely well why," he hissed, glaring at her without missing a beat.

Mia's heart stopped. Her body almost froze in shock and bewilderment.

"I don't know what her ties to the Divine are, but that bitch is abnormal to say the least," Arien spoke with a cold tone, his emotionless eyes gleaming with so much anger and disgust that it was honestly surprising to see. "She's false, she's fake. She doesn't act like a human girl should be. She's the most dangerous one inside the tavern; even more so than you and the Gale."

Her eyes widened out of human proportions. Shock and disbelief washed over her like a tide.

Hearing his words took all the breath away from her lungs.

"…what did you just say?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes on him.

Arien's smirk widened in a very, very dangerous way. "Oh yes… I forgot to mention you this," he mused, slyly, like a snake slithering around its prey. His emotionless grey eyes gleamed in twisted pleasure as he stared straight into Mia's brown orbs, noticing – and feeling – all too well her distraught emotions go awry after hearing a certain word. "When I went to the Guild today, I was suddenly enlightened by a very, very interesting revelation…"

Mia felt her whole body shiver. Her grip on the young man's neck tightened slightly.

Arien widened the smirk on his lips. His grip on the dwarf's hand tightened as well, making her bones and muscles crack slightly.

Despite those fact, neither of them was willing to release the other.

"I saw a very well-made portrait of one of your waitresses inside the Guild's Black Book… under the voice of a certain Gale," he continued, keeping his expression as smug as he could under the woman's instant glare. Her grip tightened out of the blue, and if his weren't for his powers and resistance, he would have already passed out due to the lack of air in his lungs. "As a former Bounty Hunter, it didn't take me long to connect the dots. The resemblance was extremely uncanny."

Mia Grand glared daggers at him, feeling a trickle of sweat running down her chin.

Fear, uneasiness and doubts began to crawl inside her heart. Tension, shock and uncertainty began to tamper her steeled mind.

He knew. He knew about Ryuu's past and Syr's nature.
He was aware of that. He was aware of all of that.
He was too dangerous to be left alone.

…damn it. This was not what she had expected to hear.

"You know I can break your neck right now, right?" she threatened him, keeping her face serious in spite of her inner panic.

The dragon-slayer just smiled and winked, baring his teeth into a smirk that made her skin crawl and shiver. "Why don't you try it, then?" he asked back at her, with a challenging tone.

Mia was about to growl and answer in kind, but she stopped herself all of a sudden.

Before she could even blink, in fact, the feeling of something cold and sharp suddenly began to make pressure on her chest, followed by a flash of light. Not even a second later, the woman lowered her gaze slightly to stare at her bosom, only to widen her eyes in shock upon realizing that a sword – a beautiful, elegant silver sword – had appeared out of nowhere in the young man's free hand, touching her chest with its tip and threatening to stab her heart with one single push.

Shock, stupor and disbelief blossomed on her face.

But Arien's expression remained unchanged all the while. "Let's see who is faster. Either you break my neck first, or I stab your heart before you can even begin to twitch your fingers," he challenged her, keeping his emotionless eyes glued to hers. Upon seeing her gaze wavering in stupor, he released a small sigh. "…but I wouldn't do that, to be honest. It would be a shame for me to kill the one person I respect inside this goddamn city. I'd hate to have your death on my conscience, Mia."

The owner of the Hostess stared and gulped, unable to react or move for several moments.

Seconds passed, followed by silence.

"…you," she finally whispered, unable to react in any other way. "Who the hell are you, boy?"

Arien smiled and stared, keeping his sword aimed at her heart. "My name is Arien. And I am the one who killed the One-Eyed Black Dragon," he answered.

Mia widened her eyes, gasping in shock upon hearing his reply.

"W-What…?"

"Oh, I also went by the alias Faceless in the past… but that was a long time ago. I've put that story behind me now," he added, almost too casually for her taste.

The owner stared and gaped, unable to form a coherent thought for several seconds. The grip on the young man's neck loosed quite a bit as she mulled over his words, making it easier for him to breath and inhale.

But Arien did not react to her shock. He just stared at her with that smirk planted on his lips, without moving an inch or speaking in any way. And the more Mia kept staring back into his emotionless eyes, the more her mind was growing colder and shocked. Because, upon realizing what his previous words implied, upon digesting their meaning in full and realizing the implications behind those words, she could not believe her hears. She could not believe her eyes, either, because she couldn't find any trace of doubt and deceit inside his grey orbs. No matter how long she stared and searched, she couldn't see or feel any trace of falsity in both his face and expression.

He was telling the truth. He was really believing in what he had said. And her countless years as a First Class Adventurer were making it clear to her in rather obvious way, despite her inner disbelief.

And when reality finally slammed on her face, the woman who had been the previous Captain of Freya Familia and who was also known as the Gentle Giant or Demi Ymir, could do nothing but gape in amazement and shock…

…while the young man with ashen-white hair kept his expression unchanged, keeping his sword pointed at her heart and his lips curved into a cold, empty smile.

But Mia could not find the words to retort to his statement. Her mind was a mess, her heart was hammering in her chest, her lungs were desperately searching for air. No amount of words would be able to describe the shock she was feeling right now. There was simply no way to put into words the feeling of stupor – of DISBELIEF – blossoming in her chest. The more she thought about what the young man had said, the more baffled she felt. It was inevitable. It was simply inevitable. Who could ever remain unfazed by this, after all? Who could ever remain calm upon hearing such words? Such claims?

And – more importantly – who could ever believe that he was telling the truth?

Skepticism and doubts hovered around her frame, oozing off from her like a fog. And thanks to his powers, Arien could not miss them even if he tried.

Not that he could blame her, though. Hearing that he was the one who had killed the Dragon, as well as the forgotten masked man from a time long past was not an easy pill to digest. Many people would have called him a liar if he'd ever revealed such things to the public. Perhaps even the gods, seeing how they were unable to read him like the other mortals. It was simply too absurd to believe.

But Arien knew. He knew that Mia Grand was not a fool like many others. She was simply too smart – too experienced – for that. She could easily tell the difference between a liar and a person who was telling the truth, no matter what many would have said on that regard.

Why, you ask? Simple: because there were only a few things that could deceive an Adventurer's powerful instinct, after all. Especially when said Adventurer was someone like her, who had more than 30 years of experience in that field. It was simply impossible to fool an Adventurer of that caliber – one who had been around even before the Zeus and Hera Familias had reached the peak of their power – even for the best trickster in the world. Mia was a woman who had lived as an Adventurer for almost forty years. She had raised and trained the King Ottar herself, and claimed the title of Captain of Freya Familia for decades… and this fact alone had made her one of the strongest people in the city, even if she had retired seven years ago. There was simply no way for someone like her to grow weak and dull, even if she had 'officially retired' from her previous job. It was simply a matter of logic.

And that was why he knew she was believing him now. Everything he had said was the truth, after all. Arien was not aware of Mia's full story, of course, but he knew how to recognize a kindred spirit and a powerful warrior when he saw one. Consequently, he knew that Mia could not find any lie in his face and eyes, no matter how hard she tried. And no matter how long she could search, she would never find one either, because everything he had told her was true to its core, no matter how absurd it sounded or how implausible it seemed.

Thus, silence continued to reign amid the secluded alley, while Arien Cranel and Mia Grand kept staring at each other in a deafening tension.

Until, after what seemed to be an eternity, Mia finally managed to open her lips…

…and stutter.

"Y-You… why are you… w-what are you saying…?" she muttered, unable to believe it.

Hm. It seems she's still struggling to accept the reality. The only things she's managed to say are a series of incoherent words.

Warranted, he supposed.

"What? Are you surprised I'm revealing this to you?" Arien asked, keeping his sarcasm to a minimum. If it hadn't been for his current position, he would have shrugged in casual disinterest. "Why, it's perfectly logical, Mia. Since I'm aware of some of your secrets – as you've heard – I've just decided to share a few secrets of my own in turn. It's an equal exchange, all things considered."

If looks could talk, Mia would have been screaming in shock right now.

"…what... in the actual hell…?" she muttered instead, not even bothering to care about the sweat pouring down her face. "Y-You… are you telling me―"

"Yes, Mia," was his swift and immediate reply. "I'm sharing my secrets with you because I like you. Because I trust you," he stressed, deadly serious. "You are the only person I'm being friendly with in this city; and I've decided to treat you with respect in regards to everything you've done for me so far. I believe it's only fair on my part, don't you agree?" he asked, looking clearly amused by her reaction.

The towering dwarf was still trying to absorb his words in her head. Her mind was growing blank the more she kept thinking about it.

"I… y-you are…" she stuttered.

"I like you, Mia," Arien stated again, interrupting her once more. "Not in a romantic way, of course; but I respect you as a person and a warrior. That is why I'm willing to tell you this. It's the only thing I can do in order to prove that I bear no ill-will against you," he explained.

Mia Grand stared into his eyes, long and hard. For several seconds that felt like an eternity, neither of them decided to speak.

A fifty-five-year-old woman full of experience... reduced to a stuttering mess by a youth who was not even twenty yet.

It was a rather funny scene to witness, in all honesty.

Until, the young man who had slayed the Dragon could not take it anymore.

"So… now what?" he mused at that point, slyly. He tapped Mia's skin with the tip his sword, fixing the dwarf with a serious stare. "Are we gonna kill each other, or would you rather talk this out peacefully? You pick."

Mia exhaled a sigh, restraining herself for the sake of them both.

After a few moments of hesitation and uncertainty, she released the young man with a trembling breath, freeing him from her grip and placing him on the ground. Arien visibly grunted in annoyance once he was finally released, massaging his neck and his aching muscles for a moment. Despite the strength behind the dwarf's grip, he didn't look too fazed by what he had been through, much to Mia's silent impression. This fact alone was making her question everything about him all over again inside her head.

The woman who owned the Benevolent Mistress stared into his eyes with a sweating face. "You brat… you are… are you actually being serious right now?" she demanded, unable to comprehend it no matter how hard she thought about it.

He shot her a stare and a snort with a bored face. "Stop making me repeat myself. I thought you were smarter than that," was all he said.

Her complexion paled even more after hearing his words, and the dwarf had no choice but to face that reality. She almost looked ready to pass out at any moment (and if it hadn't been for her countless years of experience, she probably would have fallen unconscious in spite of her efforts), and she barely even managed to stand on her legs by holding herself to the wall with one hand.

Because the young man standing before her now… the very same patron who had taken residence inside her tavern… was claiming to be the one who had killed the King of Monsters… and the masked Adventurer who had fought against Evilus seven years ago.

She could not believe it no matter how hard she tried.

"…shit," she cursed, donning a hand over her face with an exhausted face. She looked like she had suddenly aged several years after hearing that revelation. "Fuck. I can't believe it. It's not―it doesn't make sense. Why did you… how did you―? Just, HOW?!" she exploded, unable to contain herself anymore.

Broad shoulders shrugged as Arien scoffed. With a casual movement of the arm, he raised the silver sword in a swift motion and sheathed it behind his back.

"That is for me to know, and that's all I'm gonna say about it," he answered, looking completely unfazed by her shock and skepticism. "Everything I've said is true, and whether you believe me or not, I don't care. I do not enjoy lying, as I've mentioned before, and I'm sure you're smart enough to realize whether I am deceiving you or telling the truth."

Mia Grand fixed him with a long, long stare. No matter how hard she glared, the young man remained completely serious and calm with an emotionless face.

In the end, she had no choice but to relent. "I see," she whispered, grunting in disbelief as she kept mulling over that revelation inside of her head. "Damn. Faceless, huh…? It's been a heck of a long time since the last time I've heard that name. I had honestly forgotten about it."

I'm not surprised, Arien inwardly mused.

Mia placed her hands on her hips at that point, fixing the human in front of her with a stern stare. "So you're really the masked man from the Dark Age?" she questioned him, deadly serious. "The one who fought Evilus and disappeared without a trace?"

His lips almost curved into a smile at the question. "I'm glad to see my reputation is not completely forgotten yet," he joked, unamused.

Any other time, Mia would have snorted in annoyance. But this matter was just too important right now to be joking around. She needed to take this seriously. The man in front of her was just too powerful to be ignored, and she highly doubted that he was lying to her about something like this. It just wouldn't make sense in any way, if that was the case.

"And you also claim to have killed the Black Dragon?" she pressed, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

He just sighed in a weary gesture. "That was just a stroke of luck," he admitted in a low voice. "I almost died during the attack. No, I should have died after the fight. My survival was something that shouldn't have happened, to be honest."

"Then how the hell are you still here?" she demanded, unable to understand.

Arien furrowed his brows at that point, doing his best to quell the irritation inside as he spoke his next words carefully. "I was saved from death's clutches by a woman with golden air. A woman who, incidentally, happens to be none other than the mother of that so-called Aiz Wallenstein," he revealed, crossing his arms in an annoyed gesture.

That seemed to grab Mia's attention. Her eyes widened out of human proportions as she rounded on him in disbelief.

"Her mother…?!" she repeated, incredulous.

He shot her a flat stare. "Why do you think I went through all that shit just to find the girl and deliver a message?" he asked back at her, ironic.

The sheer amount of sarcasm in his tone was very, very hard to miss.

Mia's eyebrows rose upwards in shock as she finally realized how things stood. "…so that's why you were looking for her," she deduced, connecting the dots as everything was finally starting to make sense after this young man's explanation… although his story was still too absurd to be believed. At least fully, of course.

Yet, faced by his direct and immediate answers, the owner of the Hostess couldn't help but think that – perhaps – the young man with ashen-white hair was telling the truth. She couldn't help but pause and ponder about all their previous encounters, all their previous discussions and talks… and despite what mind was telling her to do – dismiss his words as nonsense and just call him a liar – the more logic and rational side of her was still trying to connect the dots and finish the puzzle. It was still trying to think about his answers and reach a conclusion in spite of the skepticism and her countless questions.

It was simply inevitable for her. Hearing that this young man who wasn't even twenty yet was the very same warrior who had fought Evilus from the shadows during the hardest, darkest period this city had ever been through was just too hard to believe… and that was without taking into account his supposed role in the demise of the One-Eyed Black Dragon! It was just too absurd to believe, from a rational point of view.

Claiming to be Faceless was one thing… but killing the King of Monsters? That was another story entirely.

Now that she really thought about it, however, his story did make sense, all things considered. At the end of the day, every single action this young man had done so far seemed to make sense now that she knew the full picture. His arrogant and edgy behavior, his secret and dangerous quest, and even his powers and strength as well. Everything she knew about the boy standing before her now seemed to validate his case, and it was just too absurd to be false. No one would ever come up with such a ridiculous story to justify their actions, especially if they were lying about it. Mia had dealt with countless cheaters and scammers during her years in the Hostess, and she had grown well-versed in recognizing and dealing with them. She was not that naïve, despite what Lunor and Chloe believed.

So… she knew that Arien was not lying to her right now. Everything he had said was the truth – or, at least, it was what he honestly believed – and she had no choice but to accept that.

"…and now what?" she finally demanded, deciding to play along with him in order to see what would happen at this point. "What will you do now?"

Her question was both serious and stern. Both an inquiry and a warning. And Arien didn't need his powers to realize what the woman was referring to with those words.

[She was asking him what was he planning to do regarding her two troublesome waitresses. About Syr and Ryuu.]

Now that he knew their secret, there was no way she could let him go if he was a threat to them, after all.

Much to her surprise, however, the young man shrugged without a care. "Nothing," he answered, catching Mia by surprise. "I'm not planning to do anything. I have no intention of buzzing around that bitch connected to the gods; and I have no need to meddle in the business of an elf either," he explained, deadly serious. He raised his head to stare at Mia in the eyes, and the dwarf was almost surprised by the clarity of his grey orbs. "I am no longer a Bounty Hunter, and despite her questionable methods… I'm kinda grateful to that elf of yours. She did me a great favor by dealing with Evilus after I left the city seven years ago. I'm not planning to hunt her, if that's what you were worried about."

Despite what she would have said, his words managed to reassure her more than what she would have liked to admit. Mia exhaled a sigh as she pinched her nose, feeling the flood of relief wash over her after that statement.

But there was still one thing she needed to know now.

"How did you even discover the truth, in the first place?" she questioned him, unable to restrain herself from asking due to her frustration and curiosity.

Once again, Arien scoffed in dismissal. "Please. You think I wouldn't recognize a killer just because she's dyed her hair and decided to work as a waitress?" he spat, unimpressed. He didn't even bother to react to Mia's instant glare after his words. "Once I saw her picture in the Guild's Book, it was extremely easy to put two and two together. I could recognize those eyes anywhere, and I'm used to deal with criminals. Especially with those of the Assassin kind. I cannot be fooled that easily," he explained, cold and emotionless.

Mia fixed him with a side-ways stare. "So you're aware of her past?" she pressed, finding both his argument and deduction logical, in their own way.

He nodded. "Yes. I've learned of what happened to the Astraea Familia this morning. I can understand her motives, even if I won't justify her actions fully."

The owner exhaled a sigh. She was inwardly grateful for that. At least she didn't have to worry about Ryuu being arrested, thanks to the Heavens.

"…good. I'm glad, then," was all she said.

Arien crossed his arms as the dwarf relaxed herself. "Actually, to be honest, I've crossed paths with her this morning," he revealed, grabbing her attention all of a sudden. He met Mia's gaze with a blank one of his own. "She was headed to the Dungeon when I approached her to say hello, but the look in her eyes felt extremely odd to me. I highly doubt that her killing intent was directed at monsters," he explained.

Mia's face twitched ever-so-slightly. Her eyes narrowed in a dangerous way as a small – but horrible – realization began to blossom inside her mind.

"…what do you mean?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

Arien's stare did not waver in the slightest as he delivered his answer seriously and strongly.

"She looked like she was about to go to a murder spree," he replied, making the dwarf's face blanch a little upon realizing that her suspicions were correct. Arien noticed it but remained silent about it. "I've seen those vengeful eyes countless times in the past. There's no way I can be mistaken about this."

Mia massaged her temples after hearing his answer, lowering her head and muttering something about 'Foolish, troublesome elves,' in a hushed voice. Concern and displeasure were written all over her features as she donned a hand on her face, but Arien just stared in silence without caring one bit.

In the end, faced by her worried emotions, he closed his eyes and exhaled a sigh.

"Anyway, you don't need to worry about me," he began to say, grabbing her attention again and prompting the owner to turn to him a second time. "I'm not planning to hurt your waitresses, nor to divulge your secrets to the public. I couldn't care less if a deity is running some business inside your establishment; and while I am interested about the remnants of Evilus, I do not plan to chase that elf of yours either. I will not get in the way of her vengeance for now. I promise," he swore.

Everything he had said was the truth, and Mia Grand could see that extremely well. The young man meant every single word that had left his mouth.

Which, consequently, led to the next question. "And so… what will you do now?" Mia questioned him, crossing her arms and assuming a stern expression on her face. The dragon-slayer met her hardened gaze with a cold one of his own. "You said you're not planning to do anything; so what is your goal now? Why are you still in the city, now that your previous business with the Sword Princess is concluded?"

What is it that you're planning to do?

The silent message was clear, and Arien wouldn't have been able to miss it even without his Divine nature.

Yet, the only answer she received from him was a sigh, and Mia Grand widened her eyes upon seeing the young man's face morph into a mask of uncertainty and uneasiness.

"I… am not sure, to be honest," the former Bounty Hunter admitted, lowering his eyes as she stared at the ground with a lost face. "There's still… one thing I need to do here in Orario, but when I learned of Evilus this morning, my plans have gone to smoke. I had a meeting with Ouranos, and he told me that those criminals could still be roaming inside the city as we speak… and I can't turn a blind eye to that. Their existence is an affront I cannot accept. I must dispose of them once and for all."

Mia looked at him with a raised brow. "I'm not fond of those madmen either; but why are you so obsessed with them? What's with you and Evilus, anyway?"

Grey eyes narrowed in sadness and anger as Arien Cranel lowered his head. His hands clenched into trembling fists as he struggled to find the words.

"It is… personal, for me," he whispered.

Yes, indeed. Personal. More personal than anyone could even imagine.

That was why he couldn't ignore it.

Mia Grand stared at him in silence, studying his face for a long, long while.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the expression on his face right now felt familiar. Extremely familiar, to her. The young man in front of her was now making a face filled with sadness, and emptiness, and rage… he looked extremely different from usual. It was a stark contrast to the blank, emotionless expression he had always worn before, in her opinion. During the previous days he had always looked so calm; so arrogant and confident… that looking at his sad face now almost made her falter, to be honest. Because she wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from him. She hadn't expected it at all.

He looked so sad, so desperate and uncertain… he was completely lost right now, and Mia Grand was caught by surprise by this.

Yes, that was the term: lost. Arien looked lost right now, for the first time ever since she had met him. And Mia could not ignore this fact, because it was a face that she had already seen in the past. It was a face she had seen several times in her life, especially during the first years in which she had quitted Adventuring and decided to retire in her tavern.

But there was no way to deny it. The look on Arien's face right now was the same. The same look Mia had glimpsed on another person several years ago.

The very same look that Ryuu had worn on her face five years ago, upon meeting Mia in the tavern for the first time.

The dwarf exhaled a sigh, donning a hand over her face in exasperation.

"Anyway, as I said, you don't need to worry about me."

Mia opened her eyes again, and she suddenly realized that Arien's face had swiftly returned back to his usual stoic frown. He could mask his emotions well, she realized. Much better than that stubborn elf, at least.

"I will not cause problems for you anymore. Actually, arrived at this point, I think it would be best for me to leave the tavern for good," he continued, making the dwarf's eyes widen in surprise at his sudden declaration. "Snapping at your waitress was my mistake, but I'm not willing to stay around a girl who is more unpredictable than the gods. Not to mention, of course, that my presence will not be tolerated anymore after today's events. Isn't that right, Mia?"

Perhaps she was just imagining it, but the sly, arrogant tone in which he had said those words was irking her to no end. The dwarf was almost tempted to throttle him.

In the end, however, she just snorted with an annoyed tone. "Tsk. Don't put words in mouth, brat. I never said I would throw you out," she countered, catching him by surprise with her next statement. She met his distrustful face with a blank one of her own. "And I'm not planning to do it either."

Arien looked both suspicious and doubtful after her words, but his Divine nature couldn't find any trace of deceit in her. His eyes narrowed further under the owner's stern and unyielding stare.

"…be as it may, I cannot afford to stay any longer," he insisted, looking weirdly persistent about this matter. "No matter how much I like being around you, I'm not willing to stay in a place where not one, but two waitresses are a pain in the ass. Not to mention, of course, that I cannot afford to pay you any longer."

In a way, he was not lying with that statement. After all, due to his previous actions against Loki Familia, Ouranos had denied him the chance to collect money from the Guild by doing Dungeon crawling. He had banished him from the exchange area altogether. In other words: he could no longer use the Guild as his source of income, which was by no means a small problem for him, no matter how absurd it sounded.

How the hell was he supposed to make money now? How was he supposed to remain in this place and look for his cousin without being able to make money?

It was a problem. It was definitely a huge problem. A gigantic one, indeed.

And he needed to take it seriously if he wanted to stay in Orario and keep looking for info about Bell and Evilus.

On her part, however, Mia had no idea about any of that. Therefore, she seemed taken aback by his statement. Her brows furrowed in sheer perplexity as at his words. "You cannot afford to pay? The hell do you mean by that?" she asked, confused.

Arien just sighed at her inquiry. "You don't need to worry about it," he tried to dismiss her with a cold tone. "As I've said, I will leave today and that's final. You won't have to deal with my presence anymore, so I hope you and your staff can find some comfort in that. Just give me a few minutes to go collect my things―"

"Answer my question, you disrespectful brat!"

Her words cut him off with a stern tone, and Arien raised his eyes to meet the full-fledged glare that Mia was sending him with a narrowed frown.

In the and, after a few seconds, Arien looked away, ignoring the dwarf's piercing stare.

"…I'm having a money problem," he grunted, lowering his gaze to hide his annoyance. And shame.

Mia widened her eyes, unable to believe what she was hearing. "What?"

The young man rolled his eyes, not even bothering to hide his frustration under the owner's shocked expression. "I'm having a money problem, damn it!" he repeated, irked to no end. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure why he was revealing all of this to the dwarf in the first place. His mouth and lips were just moving on their own before he could even process the words. "My main source of income is gone. I can no longer make money as I did before. I will pay you for your service and all the kindness you've showed me so far… but that's all I can do for you now. I can no longer spend as much as I did before, even if I still have a decent amount of money with me. I will have to find some other way to keep me fed," he grunted, clenching his fists hard in order to quell the growing anxiety.

"…some other way?" the owner repeated, looking at him straight in the eyes.

He stared back at her, forcing back a scoff of disdain. "Yes, you heard me, Mia. What else do you expect me to do?" he spat, sounding both annoyed and sarcastic with his words. "I'm a warrior, for fuck sake. I used to work as a Bounty Hunter and hunt criminal scums for a living. All I can do is fight and kill; for that's basically all I've ever learned to do in my life. And since I can't become an Adventurer and I absolutely do NOT wish to go bounty hunting again, all I can do for now is save as much money as I can and lay low. That is the only option I have left right now…" he explained, looking and sounding incredibly frustrated by it.

Oddly enough, this situation was indeed problematic for him. The fact that he could no longer make money thanks to the Guild was a problem that Arien had sincerely not expected to go through, as well as one that he eventually had to deal with… even if his current situation was not too worrying right now. Not yet, at least.

Actually, to be completely fair, he wasn't exactly in a though position for now. In fact, he still had roughly around 69 million valis at the moment. Perhaps a bit less, considering all the expenses and payments he had had to do during the last two days in order to buy new clothes and weapons, and also to pay Mia for the meals, for his 'special request' related to Syr, and for his stay in the tavern. But it was still a huge amount of money, all things considered. An amount that could easily keep him sheltered for at least a few weeks, if he decided to use it sparingly in some other tavern.

And yet, on the other hand… Orario was still the Center of the World. It was the city that never slept, and the most important attraction of the planet.

Consequently – as it was widely known – it was also a city of high costs; and the prices here were higher compared to other cities where food, shelter and basic necessities were more affordable. Even someone who was considered rich on any other city had to be careful once they stepped foot inside of Orario. There even was an old saying that warned people about this, if he recalled correctly. But jokes aside… that meant he couldn't ignore this problem. Not forever, at least. He had to find a way to deal with this money problem no matter what.

Therefore, Arien knew he had to be careful from now on. Even more so than before. If he wanted to stay in Orario and look for clues for Bell and Evilus, he had to be thrifty and save as much money as he could. There was no other choice.

Or he could just find something else to do, like a more proper job… but he highly doubted that was an option for him.

After all, Arien was a young man who only knew how to fight. Hunting, and fighting, and killing was all he was able to do. He had spent the majority of his short life doing nothing but that. Despite his young age, all he had ever known ever since his aunt had died was this: training, and fighting, and killing. That was basically all he had ever done in his nineteen years of life, no matter how many times Hera had tried to push him away from that kind of life. But despite her attempts, Arien had never bothered to listen to his hysterical goddess. He had always been too angry – too spiteful – to listen. His mind had been too focused on anger and revenge to be able to take the goddess' words to heart, back then.

And now, as much as it pained him to admit it… this fact alone had come back to bite him in full. His life choices and his quest for revenge were coming back to hinder him in an unexpected way, rendering the boy unable to live without them.

That was his truth. That was his curse.

And that was especially true here, in the Labyrinth City. After all, it was undeniable. Orario was a city where everything revolved around the Dungeon. The Guild, the economy, the business, the main sales... all the major sources of money that ran the city's economy were inextricably and perpetually linked to the Dungeon and the items related to it. All kind of forges, armor shops and even the Familias of this city revolved around the underground Labyrinth in some way or another; and the only exceptions to this rule were secondary businesses like grocery stores, taverns, bars, and clothing shops… which were all activities that Arien wouldn't, and couldn't, concretely do to sustain himself.

Not because he didn't like them – they were all respectable jobs, in his opinion – but simply because, unfortunate as it was… he wasn't fit for them.

He was not fit for that kind of life. He had no place in that kind of life.

For how could he ever participate to such activities? He was a Bounty Hunter, for fuck's sake. A warrior. A young man with exceptional powers who had been trained from an early age to fight and kill. Not to mention – among other things – that his nature as a Divine being had made him extremely easy to recognize (and target), both from gods and mortals alike. Therefore, even the ever-present option of joining a Familia was out of the picture for him. If he wanted to remain incognito, if he wanted to keep his existence hidden from the world, he had no other choice but to stay alone. Joining a Familia was not something he could afford to do because of that, regardless of his strength and regardless of whether it was a combat-related Familia or a non-combat related one. That much was undeniable, loathe as he was to admit it.

Needless to say, then… he was in trouble. He was in deep shit right now.

And both him and Mia were starting to realize it more and more by the second.

"That is the hard reality, Mia. I cannot stay here," Arien admitted again, lowering his voice with a resigned tone. The tall dwarf stared at him in silence as he lowered his eyes a bit, his face morphing into a sad expression that not even she could fully decipher yet. "I can't spend money like I've done so far. I'm having a hard time right now, so all I can do for you is pay for all the trouble I've caused in your tavern… and leave."

His voice was harsh and cold, his face both angry and resigned… and yet, every single thing he had said was the truth. Nothing but the cold, hard, inevitable truth.

Mia Grand stared at him with an unreadable face. "…what about joining a Familia, then?" she suggested. "With your strength and skills alone, I'm sure you wouldn't have trouble finding one that would be willing to take you in."

But the young man snorted at her words, shaking his head in a weary gesture. "I wish. Joining a Familia is not an option for me. Due to some personal circumstances, I am forced to keep a low profile, especially here in Orario. Becoming friends and buddies with deities is the last thing I can do right now."

He had no idea why he was telling her this… but he just did it anyway. He needed at least one person with whom he could be completely honest right now, and Mia was the only option he had at the moment.

"I will collect my things and pay you for your service so far… but then I'll leave. That's all I needed to say," he finished, raising his head to meet her eyes again. The smile on his lips was empty and emotionless as he smirked. "I guess you can rest easy now; and that annoying elf too. I won't be causing trouble for you anymore... but I hope you can forgive me for all the things I've asked of you. I didn't really mean to cause trouble during my stay, but those waitresses of yours were just pushing me too far. I'm not exactly a sociable person, as you've noticed."

The towering owner just stared at him in silence, narrowing her eyes on him with an unreadable gaze.

Seconds passed, followed by dead silence.

Then, just as Arien was about to turn around and go collect his things, the dwarf suddenly stopped him.

"Boy, how about we make a deal?" she called out to him, prompting Arien to stop mid-step and turn around to stare at her with a puzzled expression. "Would you be interested in it?"

The dragon-slayer narrowed his eyes. "…a deal?" he repeated.

Mia Grand nodded, fixing the short human in front of her with a solemn stare. "Yes, a deal," she confirmed, crossing her arms on her chest and taking a step forward to look at Arien straight in the eyes. "I will let you stay in my tavern for as long as you need, in exchange for a small quest that you will complete for me."

Despite his trained mind, the young man was inwardly surprised by the offer. "…really, now? You'll let me stay for as long as I need, without asking for money?" he mused, sounding both amused and skeptical as he mulled over her words for a while. Even though he could tell that Mia was being serious right now thanks to his powers, that did not mean he could just accept her offer so suddenly.

She nodded again, as serious as before. "That's right. I'll let you stay as long as you need, and I will also let you have free meals and drinks every day," she confirmed, smirking in confidence a little bit. "Does that interest you?"

Arien considered her offer carefully. The suggestion wasn't that bad. He liked the Hostess and its service, and he could not deny the fact that the food was extremely good compared to the average inns. Its location was also close to the Dungeon and the Pantheon as well, so that was a plus. But there were still a few things that he needed to know before he could take a decision. Things that he could not overlook for any reason, given the precedents.

"…what about that bitch of yours?" he pressed, furrowing his brows.

Mia sighed heavily. There was no need to specify who he was referring to.

"…trust me, boy. If I could stop her, then I'd pin her down even if I had to tie her up and lock her in the basement," she admitted to him, scratching her neck with a weary expression. "I never meant for her to come bother you today, but Syr has knack for slipping past everyone's sight in every occasion. No matter how hard me and the other girls try to restrain her, she will never be put on a leash. It is beyond my control."

…somehow, I have noticed, he thought. That girl was an anomaly, after all. Something that could not be grasped with the mind and the heart, like an elusive spirit. Trying to understand her was like trying to grasp the smoke with bare hands, even for his powers.

But that was it, then. If Syr could not be controlled, then Arien would not take any risk. Not again, not anymore.

He was about to refuse the offer because of this fact alone, but Mia raised one hand and stopped him.

"Listen to me first, brat. I apologize on her behalf," she cut him off with a serious tone, exhaling a heavy breath. "I know she's a handful, and it's clear as day that stupid girl is being unreasonable with you. I will talk to her as soon as we're finished, and double my efforts to make sure she won't come to bother you again. You have my word on this."

She meant it. She was being honest there. Arien pursed his lips behind his black-fur collar. "…go on."

Mia's lips twitched upwards ever-so-slightly. "As I've said, I'll let you stay in my establishment free of charges, and I will also turn a blind eye to everything that happened today, in exchange of a small quest," she explained.

"The request being?" he pressed, in no mood for jokes or minced words.

Quite unexpectedly, the answer he received was not one he was expecting.

"I want you to go in the Dungeon and fetch my waitress for me," she stated, looking and sounding deadly serious as she stated her condition.

Even if he didn't show it outwardly, the young man with ashen-white hair was inwardly surprised by the owner's sudden suggestion. "The elf?" he asked, confusion written all over his face. "You want me to look for her in the Dungeon, and then bring her back to the tavern?" he deduced, taken aback.

She nodded, but the dragon-slayer knew that there was more to it thanks to his abilities. "Pretty much, yes. But that's not all. I want you to make sure she'll come back in one piece," Mia continued, deadly serious. "You already know who she is, so there ain't no need for minced words anymore. I want you to find that stubborn girl and make sure nothing happens to her in the Dungeon."

Arien did not understand. "…why?" he asked.

Mia sighed. "Because I'm worried for her," she answered. "I know she can take care of herself, but ever since you arrived in the tavern, that girl has reverted to the good-for-nothing she was back when I first hired her. I doubt her foolish behavior was due to your presence, but it was clear to me that something was bothering her. Something that is most likely related to that accursed group; Evilus… and I'm worried that she might do something stupid because of that."

The young man who had slayed the Dragon narrowed his eyes. He had already expected something like this, after everything he'd learned today. This was just too predictable.

"Did you ever try to question her?" he asked, trying to obtain a clearer picture.

The owner shook her head. "That girl is as stubborn as a rock. Even if I tried, she wouldn't have told me the truth. But I had some suspicions, and your previous words about her going to a murder spree has made me worried. I'm sure that whatever she's trying to do right now, it has to do with her vengeance in some way. I can feel it in my guts, and my instinct has never failed me before." She shook her head at that point, muttering something to herself with an annoyed tone. "Good grief. That elf is the same hardheaded fool she was before. Five years and still nothing's changed," she muttered in exasperation.

Arien was surprised by her unexpected display of concern. As the elf's face sprang to mind, he spoke up before Mia could continue.

"Do you want me to stop her?" he asked.

It was a simple question, but Arien felt like Mia had grown suddenly more serious upon hearing it in full.

"…that will be up to you," she replied, catching him by surprise with that statement. The grin blossoming on Mia's face was both sarcastic and annoying as he noticed it. "I'm sure that the famed Faceless will be able to decide whether she needs to be stopped or not. All I ask of you is to make sure nothing happens to her, and bring her back here as soon as possible. I have a few words I need to impart in that stubborn head of hers, and she won't get off the hook easy if she dares to skip too much work while she's away. The Hostess is a busy place, after all, and our staff is essential. We're currently understaffed because of her."

Arien inwardly growled at the jab about Faceless, but he took it like a champion. A wounded and forgotten champion, but a champion nonetheless.

But still, there was one last thing he needed to know before he could take a decision.

"Why, though? Why are you asking me this?" he pressed, fixing the tall dwarf with a narrowed stare. "If you're worried about the elf, then I'm sure you can ask someone else to look for her. Some of your acquaintances, for example, or even someone from the Guild. Asking a customer – a stranger – to go fetch her for you isn't exactly subtle on your part. She will only get mad as soon as she sees me, after all. What are you after, Mia?"

Contrary to what he expected, the towering owner just stifled a laugh after hearing his question. The amusement and irony on her face were just too obvious to miss.

"Hah! That is exactly why I'm asking you this," she replied, catching him by surprise with that answer. "That elf is acting like a fool, and the only way for her to snap out of it is to bang her head against reality. I've known her for years, and I know that from experience. Your presence will surely annoy her to no end, and that will force her to return to her senses. There's no better way to make a stubborn elf crack than use whatever means we have to annoy her. It worked on her in the past, and it's gonna work with her again. Annoyance is the greatest weapon against the elves, and since she's been acting like her previous self lately, using you like a weapon is the best way to force her back. Trust me, I'm ready to bet on this."

Arien sweat-dropped in stupor after that whole explanation. This whole thing didn't make any sense.

"…you're just a sadist, aren't you?" he deadpanned.

Mia Grand fixed him with a grin that was as wide and confident as it could be. "I'm the owner of a Tavern and the head of our waitresses," she explained. "Being a sadist is my job."

…that actually made perfectly sense.

"Besides, I'm not doing this just for her," she continued, grabbing his attention once again. "I'm doing this for you, too. So you'd better not waste this chance, brat. Chances like this ain't gonna rain from the sky, you know."

The young man with ashen-white hair widened his eyes.

"I've got no clue if you're really who you claim to be," she said. "And I sure as hell do not believe your claims about the Dragon's death… so get a move on and bring the elf back. There's a lot I want to discuss with you when you get back, and I ain't gonna take a no for an answer. Is that clear?"

He just kept staring at her as she berated him with a smile, unable to understand. Because he could feel the emotions oozing off from her frame. He could feel the intentions running wild in her head. He could feel and detect all of that with his powers and nature. And despite how implausible it sounded, the owner of the Hostess was currently feeling concern for him. She was currently being worried for him, in her own way… and this was something that he hadn't expected to see, not even in a thousand years.

She was doing this not only for Ryuu, but also for him. For his sake. To help him with his problem. To give him a purpose. To distract him from his pain and offer him a 'job' in her own, brusque way; without involving herself too much with a 'stranger' that she had barely even met. But no matter how absurd it sounded, the feelings he was detecting with his powers left no room for doubts about that.

However, as soon as he realized that Mia was showing concern for him in her own way, Arien was struck by an indescribable feeling that came with unbidden memories of a mother he had forgotten a long time ago. Memories of an aunt, of a god, and of a goddess who had all cared for him and loved him in spite of his nature and situation. Memories of a time long past, that now felt more distant than ever and that he'd thought he had left behind.

His grey eyes almost widened in stupor, and his heart felt just a bit lighter.

Mia Grand grinned at his baffled face, apparently reading his thoughts just as he had done to her so far. "What's that expression you're making there, boy? Do you accept my deal or not?" she pressed, trying to snap him out of his stupor.

Arien Cranel stared and blinked, recollecting himself with a smile and a scoff. "…heh. And here I thought you were not the emotional type," he joked.

"Says the one who told me 'I like you' three times in a row," she spat back at him, dismissing his jab with a wave of the hand. The young man almost snorted in amusement at the comeback. "Well? Don't tell me someone as powerful as you is actually scared of heading into the Dungeon?" she joked, crossing her arms with an unimpressed smirk.

He was not. That was not why he was hesitating right now.

"Is it wrong to try to stay the farthest away from the Dungeon?" he asked back at her, sarcastic. He spread his arms wide in the air, forcing a smirk on his lips as she slowly pointed at his heart in a theatrical movement. "I'm not a goddamn Adventurer. I should have no business with that accursed Labyrinth that spawns monsters non-stop. That is not the life I've decide to live."

"Oh? And is wearing a mask and hunting criminals a better life, then?"

"It's sure better than running a tavern along with a bunch of thugs― pardon me; waitresses."

"Now you're just being distasteful, brat."

"That must be why I like you, then."

"Tsk. Fucking smartass."

They went on and on like that for a few minutes, roasting each other and sharing lame jokes between them for what seemed to be an eternity. The two of them were practically fooling around at this point – and both Arien and Mia knew it extremely well – but neither of them seemed to care right now. They just kept going on and on, allowing themselves a moment of fun, especially because this whole day had been nothing but a shock for them. The news they had learned, the previous tension between them, and even the events they had witnessed before…. All of that had been an overwhelming experience for both of them; and they needed to vent out the stress in some way. Thus, they decided to let out their energy in this form, arrived at this point.

In the end, after a long while of jabs and jokes going back and forth between the two, Arien and Mia fell into silence… only to then explode into a laughing fit as the two of them shared a laugh with each other and shook their heads in amusement. The air instantly returned to feel lighter all around, and both the owner and the young man shared a smile with each other despite everything that had happened between them just a few minutes ago.

Seconds passed, filled with laughter and shallow feelings.

Until, amid the persistent chuckles and the amused snorts, Arien Cranel took his decision.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll do it," he declared, deciding to surrender to her will in order to collect more time and gain a bit of freedom. Mia's offer was not too bad, all things considered. And it could also prove useful to him in order to find a lead to the remnants of Evilus. This was a chance he could not overlook. "I was planning to go in the Dungeon soon, anyway. I still have something to check in there… might as well kill two birds with one stone, at this point."

Indeed, he was right. There was something he needed to see in the Dungeon.

Well, rather than something―― someone.

He had promised to go visit the Xenos one last time before leaving the city, after all.

And despite everything he had done, Arien Cranel would never go back on his word. No matter the dangers or circumstances.

He did manage to fulfill Aria's request, after all.
Even if he had done it in his own way.

Mia seemed to relax slightly upon hearing his answer. "Really? Are you going to do it?" she asked.

He just sighed at her smug tone. "Yes. I just need to check on the elf and make sure she comes back safely, right? It won't be too hard for me… as long as I manage to find her, of course," he grumbled, not even bothering to hide the annoyance he was feeling at that thought.

The tall dwarf just smirked in amusement, before steeping closer to him and slap his shoulder with a strong pat. A very, very strong pat.

"Hah! I'm sure you won't have any trouble," she dismissed his worries, ignoring the annoyed glare he shot in her direction for the not-so-subtle slap. "Someone as skilled as you is sure to find her. That stubborn elf is smart, but she ain't exactly subtle when it comes to hiding her tracks and staying away from troubles."

…you sure know your chickens, he agreed, thinking back about his previous meeting with the waitress and all the info he had learned about the Gale's past.

He exhaled a sigh. "Fine. When should I go look for her?" he asked out loud instead.

Mia just raised a brow at him. "What do you mean, when? Right now, of course. We ain't got time to waste here, you hear me?" she stressed, placing her hands on both of her hips with a stern gesture.

The young man with ashen-white hair closed his eyes. She actually had a point there.

"Very well," he relented, turning around and heading away. "I'll see you in a bit, Mia."

"…boy."

Arien Cranel stopped in his tracks, turning back to her and staring at her side-ways.

Mia Grand fixed him with a serious stare, crossing her arms in front of her chest in a solemn, but resolute, gesture. "You said you won't reveal our secret to the public. As long as you'll remain true to those words, I will keep what we've discussed today between you and me as well. You have my word on this," she promised, staring at him straight in the eyes.

The young man who had slayed the Dragon paused and stared, feeling all her emotions – all her sincerity – thanks to his powers. He knew that she was being honest here. He knew that she meant every words she had said. And that was good to hear.

He nodded his head and smiled, flashing a thumbs up to the owner as he resumed to walk.

Mia Grand watched him leave with a smile and sigh, shaking her head in silent disbelief.

"…I fucking called it," she muttered under breath. "Just a simple traveler my ass."

Thus, the two of them parted ways again in silence, one of them headed to the Dungeon and the other headed to the tavern. And yet, unbeknownst to them both, the events that had happened here today would one day be proved to be a turning point in history. A turning point for the history of Orario, and for the fate of the entire world who had witnessed to them in silence.

Because this one right here… was the beginning of a new tale. The beginning of a new friendship.

A friendship that, unbeknownst to both Mia and Arien, in the future would be proved to be essential to bear the weight of the world…

…and of the hidden threat that loomed over it.

---

It was a hot and sunny afternoon of summer when something unexpected happened. Three days before the beginning of the Elegia. Meteria was reading a book in her room, calm and relaxed as always… when suddenly and without a warning, something unthinkable happened.

A loud, powerful crash echoed throughout the manor, followed by an howl of wind that resonated for several seconds.

The woman widened her eyes and shot to her feet, feeling her heartbeat increase in worry as the walls of the manor trembled slightly. In the distance, her ears could hear the sound of glass shattering and falling, followed by the screams of her fellow Familia members. She tried to react and run, she tried to calm herself and rush for the door, but she didn't have time to recollect herself. Before she could even blink, in fact, the door of her room was suddenly slammed open, and her eyes were greeted by sight of Hera's personal maid stepping inside with a frightened face.

"Meteria! Come with me quickly!" the chienthrope girl exclaimed in a frantic voice. "It's Arien! Something's happening to him!"

The woman widened her eyes, feeling the breath disappear from her lungs.

Immediately, her thoughts went to her nephew, and the woman's expression blossomed with panic.

"ARIEN!" she shrieked.

Everything that happened next, for her, it happened in a blur. Meteria rushed out of her room and ran towards the stairs, followed close by the maid and a few Familia members as well. Her heart was hammering inside her chest, her mind was filled with concern and panic, and her eyes were already crying without even knowing what was going on. Every single fiber of her being was thinking about her nephew, and the more she kept thinking about him, the more worried and scared she was growing by the second.

But then, when she finally reached the main lobby of the manor and stared at the scene that was unfolding there, everything slowed in front of the woman and her eyes widened out of human proportions.

Her beloved and adored nephew was unconscious on the floor, surrounded by a circle of fire that was burning and trashing on the marble of the floor.

Meteria's motherly instinct screamed in absolute anguish. "Arien―!" she cried, but before she could rush inside the flames and reach her unconscious nephew, Hera grabbed her by the arm and kept her in place. At the same time, the Captain finally arrived with a few Executive members, summoning a water spell with a collective chant and instantly firing it at the roaring flames, putting out the fire in less than three seconds.

As soon as the smoke cleared, the woman was ready to rush forward and go to her baby, but Hera kept her in place. The goddess was frantically glancing around, screaming and yelling at her Familia members with a frantic and distraught voice. "What happened to the child? What is the meaning of this?!" she bellowed.

Everyone looked as lost and confused as she was. No one knew what to say. No one knew how to respond to the goddess. Meteria could feel her heart bursting in anxiety.

Until, amid the deafening silence, a member of the Second String managed to stutter in an incredulous voice. "I-I saw him enveloped by a ball of fire! The child was playing on his own when a burst of wind and flames suddenly exploded around him! It came to life out of nowhere!" she exclaimed.

Hera and the others widened their eyes, looking absolutely stunned by that shocking revelation.

"My baby! Let me see my baby!" Meteria was crying as she desperately tried to break free from her Familia's hold.

But Hera would have none of it. Shooting a wide-eyed glance at the Captain, the leader of their faction suddenly rushed forward amid the smoke and gas, reaching the unconscious child and picking him up with a careful movement. Upon inspecting his surroundings closely, however, the woman realized that it hadn't been just the flames. The walls, the floor, and even the ceiling… everything surrounding the child was torn and marked by deep gouges-like cuts, and the air around him smelled of ozone and vapor. His body was also cold and icy to the touch, and his clothes where wet and soaked by water, making her eyes go wide in stupor and shock upon seeing this puzzling situation. Not to mention, moreover, the broken and shattered windows that had exploded out of the blue.

Whatever had happened to the child, it had clearly involved more than a single element… even if she could not fathom how such a thing was possible.

But one thing was clear for her: the traces of energy that her Adventurer's instinct was feeling were clearly showing one, shocking realization.

Magic. An explosion of Magic. The child had been caught up in an explosion of Magic.

The Captain of Hera Familia stared at the child with wide eyes, feeling her face sweat and her arms shiver upon touching his cold, frosty body.

"Arien! What happened to Arien?!" Meteria was screaming like a desperate animal, pushing and trashing in attempt to break free from her friends' grasp.

The woman snapped out of her stupor upon hearing her cries, returning to the others and bringing the unconscious child to the goddess and his aunt. Everyone stared at him with worry and concern, stepping away to let the Captain pass as she rushed towards Hera and Meteria with a conflicted expression.

"He's… he's breathing. He's still alive, but unconscious," she explained, keeping her voice low due to the shock and confusion.

Meteria felt her mind grow lighter upon hearing that reassurance. She rushed forward and took the child away from the woman, crying and sobbing in desperation as she cradled him in her arms. "W-What happened to him? Hera-sama, what happened to him?" she cried, desperate and worried.

The goddess and the Captain exchanged a glance. Disbelief and tension were written all over their faces. Inside the hall of the lobby, every single member of Hera Familia stared at the scene with worry and confusion.

Hera placed a hand over the unconscious child's forehead, and her expression became grim upon feeling the coldness of his skin.

A chill run down her spine as realization dawned upon her.

The goddess steeled herself, clenching her fists so hard that her arms began to tremble a bit.

"…everyone, go search for Zeus and Maxim and bring them to me," she ordered, staring at Arien with an unreadable face. "They need to be warned about this. GO!" she commanded.

"Hera-sama! What happened to him?" Meteria bellowed again, unable to deal with all this concern any longer.

The goddess turned to the distraught woman once again, fixing her beloved child with a conflicted expression. Meteria stared back at her in tears, her eyes frantically glancing between her nephew's unconscious face and the deity's unreadable frown. The coldness of his body was making her physically tremble.

"Meteria… listen to me close," the goddess spoke to her in a serious tone. "This is something extremely important. You must prepare yourself."

The woman with ashen-white hair widened her eyes. The pain inside the goddess' voice troubled her.

"Arien has just done something that shouldn't be possible."

It troubled her greatly.

"He has released a burst of raw Magic."

---

Dungeon
Outskirts of the Town of Rivira - 18th Floor

(======)

Flames of rage.

That was the only way to describe the impulse that seared her heart. The feeling that overtook her when she'd seen him from behind. The roar that echoed inside her when she'd read his name on the letter delivered by Perseus. The instant she'd glimpsed his profile. The moment her eyes had met him.

The emotions in the depths of her heart surged upwards.

He's alive.
He's alive.
He's alive.

That man. That bastard. That monster!

"F-Fuck!"

The man's desperate cry echoed in her ears as she stared at the bloodied figure crawling on the ground. His face was wet with tears, his limbs pouring with blood. The muddied ground was turning red as he desperately tried to crawl away from her.

"My hands... my legs… you cut my tendons…!" he cried, stuttering in pain and fear.

But none of his pleas mattered to her. The sight of this thug's battered body was barely enough to restrain the rage she was feeling inside.

It was simply inevitable. Who could snuff out the flames of rage that flared within her the moment she realized?

The hand that gripped her wooden sword shook, and the weapon itself let out an indistinct cry of rage. The man limping before her cried and wailed.

That was the spark. She shrugged off the cloak of justice and became nothing more than a beast chasing after its target as he screamed in horror.

She did not know how many times he pleaded.
She did not know see how much blood spurted into the air.
She was spurred by righteous indignation from the instant she'd realized.

No righteous indignation was just a front. In truth, she may simply have wanted to hurl her wildly raging emotion against him. Already, she had lost sight of which was her true self.

All she knew was that she was being driven forward. Driven by the flames of rage. By the black emotions.

Her wooden sword pointed at his head, and the battered man shivered in horror.

"…where is he?" she demanded, voice cold and hard and frosty. "Where is he hiding?"

The man let out a whimpering wail. Then, amid the sobs and cries and pleas, he revealed to her all he knew.

But the only mercy he received when he was finally finished was her sword slamming against his neck, rendering him unconscious with a thundering thud.

Ryuu Lion leaped away, leaving the fallen man to his fate and dashing towards her next target.

Her blade was ravenous.
Her heart was raging.
The memories of the past screamed at her to settle things, once and for all.

As she sped through the Dungeon, as quick as the wind, a thought occurred to her.

Her first friend seemed to have said something to her hotheaded self. Her second friend seemed to have forgiven her despite her mistakes. And her third friend, the boy… what would he think if he saw her now?

That was her only lingering concern as fiery resentment burned fiercely in the back of her mind and the pit of her stomach.

And there was something else.

"Jura…"

She pretended not to notice. She pretended to dismiss it away.

But her right hand, the hand that had gripped her friends' hands, was throbbing as if weeping.

"This time… I'll make sure to kill you."

---

ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S NOTES

This is the longest chapter yet. 48k words (notes not included). I hope to never write something this long again XD.

In my original plans, the events unfolding in this update were meant to be cut in two separate chapters, but since so many of you have been complaining about the pacing of the fic in the previous reviews and DMs, I've ultimately decided to unite them in a single one, since everything that we've read here happens in the same day and roughly at the same time. As you can see, although there were no striking events in this chapter, we still went through many things today: Arien discovering the truth about the Gale, Aiz and Bell deepening their bond, the second meeting between Syr and Arien, and Mia and our MC starting a new friendship. I'd say this was a lot of character development, all things considered.

Do you guys see now why the pacing of this fic NEEDS to be slow? I want to give a bit of depth to the characters, and I cannot do this if I rush things. To me, a character without depth is no character at all. That is why I have so many complaints about Danmachi and its works. Most of the characters barely have depth in the anime (in the Novels this depth is more present, thankfully, but it's still insufficient for characters like Bell, Mia, and some others who do not always have a main role in the plot) and I'm trying to create this depth in my story. Therefore, I will take my time with how and what I write. I've already warned you guys about this, so please keep it in mind. This fic will have a slow pace, so you can either get used to it or leave. That is entirely up to you :)

That being said, here's a few trivia about the events unfolding in this chapter:

1) - Before you start complaining to me about Bete's behavior in this chapter, be warned that I'm trying to be extremely faithful to his original character. In fact, I believe his actions in this chapter are fully in-character with the Bete from the Light Novels. In the Sword Oratoria's manga and novels, in fact, he actually insulted and mocked several companions in their last moments of life. He mocked them and called them losers to their face while they were literally dying in front of him (Line being the perfect example of this). Bete Loga is a man who is socially inept, and who cannot express his emotions in a sane or normal way. To him, his insults and brash words are the only way he knows to show concern for others and try to motivate them. Even if he means well, he will always insult those he cares about, unless they are stronger than him. But if he considers them weak, he will mock them in order to snap them out of their suffering and motivate them to do better. Here, he did the exact same thing with Aiz. So please don't complain about this to me. You are free to have your personal opinions and thoughts, but I believe that his behavior is in-character with the Bete from the original works.

2) - The scene between Bell and Aiz is inspired by a Danmachi Memoria Freese x Date A Live collab that I saw on Youtube. I even used some of the lines that Bell and Aiz say in the official event, as well as the promise scene that Bell made with Aiz. In the official event, Bell uses a ring and not a knife to make that promise to Aiz, but I wanted to create something similar to the scene he had with Hestia and the Hestia Knife, so I decided to use the Hakugen for it, instead of a lame pinky promise like what he did with Weine. This is Bell's second main oath, after all – the first one being the one he did with Hestia in the first Novel – and I wanted to make it official just like that one.

3) - The "Hakugen" is Bell's second main knife. It was created by Welf after the events of the Xenos incident, and you can actually see it in the 4th season of the anime. In my story, he offered it to Aiz, and this will have consequences for him in due time.

4) – As you may have noticed, the title of this chapter is related to the feeling of "Obsession". We saw it in in this update: Arien's obsession with Evilus, Aiz's obsession with her past and the Dragon, Syr's obsession with Arien, and Ryuu's obsession with Jura and her vengeance. Everything in this chapter revolves around the feelings of obsession, in some way or another. I just wanted to point it out.

5) – In this chapter, Eina mentioned some events that happened between the Loki Familia and the Thanatos Familia. Those events are narrated in the Novels of Sword Oratoria, and they are, in fact, canon to the Danmachi plot even if they're never mentioned in the main Novels. That's why I mentioned them here, even though we won't see Thanatos in this story.

6) - For those wondering: Orario really IS a city were prices are extremely exaggerated compared to the rest of the world. This fact has been a HUGE problem even for Bell himself during his first arrival in the Labyrinth City, and it was described in the 15th Volume of the Novels. So, yes: Arien has every reason to be worried about his money problem. I'm not trying to force a way for him to end up working in the Hostess. It is simply how things are according to the Novels, and I've decided to use this fact to create a suitable scenario for him to join the tavern in his own way.

7) - I want to spend a few words about Syr and Arien's second meeting. It should be pretty clear to you guys after the events that happened here and in the previous chapter, but Arien – like I've said in the previous notes – is a broken character. That means that he is (and will always be) flawed. He WILL make mistakes in my story. He WILL be brash and unreasonable sometimes. And his actions WILL have consequences… for both good and bad. This new meeting between him and Syr is the very proof of that. He acted like a jerk – more than he usually does – and this fact had consequences for him, which eventually led to him and Mia having a rough confrontation. Luckily, this time things ended in a good way… but it won't be like this all the times.

8) - Arien is not a character that will be perfect, badass and overpowered all the time throughout the story. He will have his ups and downs every now and then, as well as his moments of weakness. And, of course, he will also have an evolution. I'm warning you about this because some readers wrote to me saying that they want to see how badass he is all the time… well, sorry to disappoint. Writing a perfect character who always knows what to do and what to say in every scenario was never in my plans. Creating an overpowered OC who never struggles would feel lame to me, and unrealistic as well. I created Arien imagining a flawed boy, and it should have been clear to you from the first moment we've met him, but if you hadn't noticed it back then… the events happening in this chapter should have proved it to you, at this point. He is flawed, he can make mistakes, and he will not always manage to keep his composure. As I've said in the last chapter, I'm not trying to make him RELATABLE to you readers… but intriguing in an annoying way. That is my goal.

Next chapter: "Gale Wind's Tragedy". Be ready to head in the Dungeon again. We'll finally see some battle scenes soon. At long last XD

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm more than happy to answer to any doubts you might have, so feel free to ask me whatever you want in private. Gavius will deliver my answers to you, as always.

Thank you for reading. Comments and criticism are always appreciated, and I will always answer to those who'll let me know their opinion.