Is it Wrong to Live Transmigrated as Bell Cranel in a Dungeon?

by Meetra 0 Surik

A fan with partial knowledge of the series is merged into Bell shortly after Zeus left him. With no perfect recall, armed with vague knowledge from the anime and other fanfics - Can our protagonist use their knowledge to save OG Bell's loved ones? Can he save the world from the OEBD? Or will he fail everyone and himself? The answer will tell if it is wrong to live as Bell Cranel!

29. Chapter 24-1: Reprieve, Lament, Endure

Is it Wrong to Live Transmigrated as Bell Cranel in a Dungeon?

Chapter 24 Part 1: Reprieve, Lament, Endure

"It is only through interaction, through decision and choice, through confrontation, physical or mental, that the Force can grow within you."

— Kreia, KOTOR II

---

Main POV, Present — Late Evening

Thankfully, Ryuu had only fallen asleep for a couple of minutes before the hustling of my hike through the slightly uneven terrain of the forest woke her back up. Despite the fact Ryuu was still losing blood, albeit at a 'slow' rate, she still managed to recover her stamina enough to stand and run with me. That said, she still needed medical attention to get rid of the curse wounds from Levis' sword; a sword I had kept with the intention of making it easier for Naaza to make a cure targeted for Evilus' curses more directly. Surely having the cursed weapon in question would be useful for Naaza's research, right? A silver lining was that Ryuu reported that the curse spells from Ishtar Familia had worn off finally — not that access to Ryuu's healing magic would do much for her current wounds.

Ryuu had wanted to stop so she could heal my wounds, but I managed to convince her that I could hold out until we got to camp to remove the lingering curse effects. Mainly by pointing out that we didn't have time to dally, since I wasn't picking up Lili's Hiraishin marks in the direction of camp. Her marks were over in the direction of Rivira. I hoped that Lili was just window shopping or something. But the idea of Lili of all people choosing to voluntarily enter an adventurer town for fun didn't seem all too likely.

---

We soon found Lili's abandoned backpack of supplies around the time we noticed the smoke emanating from our campsite just a dozen meters away.

I stared at that army green backpack without blinking. I could feel my heart racing. It was like the Zanis incident all over again. Where is Lili?! Is she safe?! Alright?! Why can't I protect my precious people!?

I felt a hand grab mine, breaking me from my panic attack.

I looked Ryuu in the eyes, a knowing, understanding, and consolatory look in those sapphire jewels. "Let us gather what we came for and depart," Ryuu told me, giving me an objective to keep me focused, "The danger may not have passed yet. We should hurry so we can regroup with our… companions."

"Right… you're right…" I said, taking deep breaths to try and calm down. It mostly worked. Mostly. I'll not be able to truly relax until I know Lili is safe.

---

We only stayed long enough to locate and use potions to heal our wounds. Bringing Lili's bag with us, we went in the direction of Lili's Hiraishin marks. Which led us to the town Rivira.

The town was a wreck. There were plenty of Violas corpses around the town's walls. Signs of magic use and battle were obvious. The town billowed smoke in places. It was obvious that the Evilus Remnant had also attacked the town at the same time. Though the reason for that wasn't readily apparent just yet.

The town walls were currently undefended, I reckon that the defenders had moved into the city after having lost control of the outermost defenses. As such, it was a simple matter to run inside the town, through the south gate, without any impediment. I idly noted that several buildings had been completely demolished as Ryuu and I made our way in the general direction of the town's center.

We quickly ran into adventurers as we came within visual range of Lili's location. And there were plenty of faces that I hadn't expected to see. Finn, Gareth, and Riveria. Tiona, Tione, and Bete Loga. Raul 'the High Novice' Nord and Anakitty 'Alchat' Autumn. As well as a bunch of other adventurers clearly from Loki Familia that I couldn't recognize instantly. The only faces I had expected to see were Ais and Lefiya. The latter of which was casting healing spells on Lili herself.

"Lili!" I yelled out, freaking out at the sight of Lili limp in Lefiya's arms as I ran over to her. Completely ignoring all the other adventurers around me as I ran to Lili and Lefiya's side.

"Bell!" Lefiya acknowledged my existence, a bit surprised at my appearance, "You're alright!"

"Nevermind me!" I retorted, "How's Lili?! Don't tell me–?!"

"She's bruised up, had some broken some bones, but she's alright!" Lefiya informed me, causing me to sigh in relief.

"Lili is… still awake," Lili mumbled, blinking her eyes open. I found myself blinking in surprise at the sight of ruby red eyes looking back at me rather than the chestnut brown I was expecting. Almost as if I had imagined it, however, Lili's eyes slowly transitioned back to their usual chestnut brown.

"H-How are you holding up?" I asked, wanting to hear from Lili's own mouth that she was alright. "I'm so sorry–"

"Lili is sore, but Lili is fine, Bell-sama," Lili informed me, an amused and tired smile on her face, "Bell-sama has nothing to apologize for. You were fighting your own battle, no?"

I nod in confirmation, "It was–"

"We should save… the after-action report for later, Lili thinks," Lili cut me off, lightly pushing Lefiya away as she stood up on her own two feet. It was pretty obvious that Lili didn't want to talk about the details while we had so many 'strangers' around us, which was fair. That said, I felt like there was more to Lili's intentions. I probably would have noticed whatever Lili had if I wasn't so anxious and stressed right now. Yeah, Lili's right, we should retreat and regroup before going over the details. Need to clear my head.

I looked over my shoulder, where Ryuu stood vigilant behind me, and said, "I'm sorry about not being able to go after you know, but I think it's better we retreat for now. We'll have our chance, I swear it."

"Of course," Ryuu said with a nod, a determined and understanding look in her eye, "This isn't over. Not by a long shot."

"Wait, you're just gonna leave?" Lefiya asked incredulously.

"The enemy has retreated, chasing them into a trap is not my idea of a good plan," I replied, "I'd rather leave the Dungeon as soon as possible before I'm ambushed again. Yeah, we're leaving, and I don't think I'll return without preparations to run into Evilus again. They all but said I was on their hit-list."

"What?!" Lefiya yelped, clearly shocked and concerned for my safety. "In that case… I certainly can't blame you for wanting to leave as soon as possible. But what about Ais-san and I?"

"I don't like leaving our expedition on such a poor note," I said, "But I reckon you two can head back up with your Familia. I'm leaving now, and it's not a debate."

Partially to emphasize the point, I proceeded to scoop Lili into my arms. The adorable girl squeaked, but didn't resist as I took her into my arms. As if reading my mind, Ryuu collected Lili's spear without being asked. I then quipped, "And now I shall engage in Rule #81 of the Hero Index: I shall run away from a potential enemy ambush by not going straight home incase of further traps!"

"...What?" Lefiya asked in a deadpan.

"The Hero Index. A set of guidelines on being a proper hero. Developed with a meticulous analysis of myths, legends, and history," I clarified matter-of-factly like it was obvious.

Lefiya and Lili looked at me like I was stupid. Ryuu looked like she wanted to take notes. I blushed in embarrassment, "...On that note, I leave!"

I proceeded to ignore everyone as I turned right back around in order to head out through the gate I entered town from; southwards for the passage to Floor 17. Ryuu on my heel as we left Loki Familia and the battle-ridden town behind us; entrusting the recovery efforts to Finn and Loki Familia.

---

Other POV, Earlier — Midday

"There's something nostalgic about cooking hearty meals…" Astraea hummed as she finished washing her hands. The Hostess had just closed temporarily so that the staff could eat lunch and also to transition the store from the more family friendly setting of the morning to the more adventurer-friendly setting in the afternoons and evenings.

As she left the kitchens, however, she quickly found herself approached by Chloe and Luniore. Their expressions were surprisingly serious, and also anxious. Astraea kindly asked them, "Do you need something of me, ladies? Don't worry I don't bite. Much."

Astraea's attempt at humor did little to lower the tension. Chloe and Lunoire gave each other apprehensive looks before looking back to the Goddess of Justice directly.

"We'd like to have an urgent talk, nya," Chloe said vaguely.

"Preferably while Anya is still distracted by the lunch we got Haruhime to whip up for her," Lunoire added.

"That perverted girl is surprisingly motherly, nya. It's kind of impressive and scary, nya…" Chloe absentmindedly commented.

Lunoire lightly bonked Chloe's head, urging the cat girl to focus. Astraea, meanwhile, had a good idea where this conversation was going.

"Very well then. Please, follow me to my quarters," Astraea obliged their request.

"You mean the room of our resident stubborn, love-struck elf, nya," Chloe said with a teasing smile.

"Indeed," Astraea confirmed with a calm smile, "I thought you would appreciate the concept of 'sharing is caring' since you'll need that if you want any chance of achieving your fantasies with our resident white rabbit."

Chloe blushed at being called out. While Chloe usually had no sense of shame, hearing her fetish pointed out by the virgin Goddess of Justice was too much even for her. Lunoire sniggered at her expense, earning an annoyed sneer in return.

"Now, now ladies, no fighting," Astraea said, an amused smile as she deescalated the now very familiar banter between the Hostess girls. "Please, follow me so I can hear you both out in privacy."

The two girls nodded, following Astraea out of the pub and into Ryuu's room in the annex. The three of them only paused for a moment outside of Bell's room, now occupied by Hestia. The Goddess of the Hearth was in a room completely filled with plush dolls of Bell Cranel, the size of the dolls varied widely from the size of a single Valis coin all the way to larger than a twin-sized bed. "Hehehe~" Hestia was giggling lewdly, "S-surrounded by so many Bell-kuns…"

Chloe and Lunoire resisted the urge to steal a Bell doll for themselves. They were so cute! But Hestia's debauchery was enough for them to restrain themselves.

Astraea chuckled, embarrassed on Hestia's behalf, saying, "Hestia-chan always had been a bit of a shut-in… Anyway, right this way girls."

The trio entered Ryuu's room, closing the sound-proof door behind them. Astraea went ahead and sat down on the edge of the bed while the two other girls remained standing shoulder to shoulder. "So," Astraea asked them, "How can I help you ladies today?"

The two girls gave each other a nod of agreement. They then turned to the Goddess of Justice, and made their request.

---

Main POV, Present — Midnight

"You know…" Lili said slowly, amused exasperation lacing her tone, "When you said we were going to retreat somewhere else before going home, this isn't exactly what Lili had expected, Bell-sama. But, maybe Lili shouldn't be surprised…"

"I feel like I'm being subtly accused of being a pervert," I retorted in a deadpan.

"Why would Lili need to accuse Bell-sama of something that is already common knowledge?" Lili instantly shot back.

"Hurtful!" I shrieked in mock offense. I don't know how or when I've been given the title of 'Pervert' but I know that trying to deny it is a pointless effort. That and Lili is just joking. Hopefully.

"...You two are idiots," Ryuu sighed in exasperation at our antics.

Objectively, the reason Lili was making fun of me and calling me a pervert is because of the Safe Zone I had led us to. Having left Floor 18 with the intent of going up to the Surface immediately after having gone through our respective battles, I knew that all of us would need a safe place to take a break and recover our strength.

It just so happens that the most convenient and (relatively) safe area in the Dungeon between Floor 17 and the Surface is a certain hot spring Hidden Zone on Floor 13. That's right, we are back at the hot springs where I accidentally flashed everyone because the water turns corrosive after about two hours. Yeah, Lili has every reason to call me a pervert considering it was my idea to come here.

Anyone thinking that visiting this room was going to be a one-time thing is to be sorely mistaken. Hot springs are the best! And not (just) because of the potential lewdness! The water is rejuvenating, and this chamber has a ridiculously long spawn timer in comparison to the average room on the Middle Floors. For a solid couple of hours, this room might as well be completely safe to let our guard down in! A perfect place to hide and recover!

My intentions are pure!

…I swear! I can tell you don't believe me! Stop it!

That all said, it's not like we can really enjoy the water. The situation is hardly dire enough for us to bathe naked. Nor would trying to bathe while clothed be a good idea, we risk the chance of the water dissolving our gear and trying to hike and fight in damp clothes is the fucking worst.

"It's a good thing Lili came prepared!" Lili declared as she walked over to where we had set her bag down alongside all of our weapons – including Levis' cursed blade that I had stolen.

I felt a foreboding sense of doom at Lili's words, "I-I'm sorry, what? Prepared? P-Prepared for what!?"

Lili didn't dig around long in her bag before pulling out… multiple pairs of swimsuits. "Hermes-sama may be an irredeemable Super Pervert," Lili explained herself, "But Lili cannot argue with the logic of being prepared for all eventualities. Lili figured we might need these should we wish to bathe during the daytime again."

Lili emphasized the word 'again' glancing at me, in reference to the time that Hermes TRICKED and BETRAYED me. Needless to say, I pouted and said nothing in my defense. Ryuu patted my shoulder conciliatorily.

The real question is how did Ryuu and I not notice those swimsuits when we had been scavenging in that bag for medicine? Maybe we overlooked them out of urgency? I refuse to accept this anime-logic!

As if noticing that I was in no mental condition to lead at the moment, Lili took charge and said, "Let us get changed so we can debrief while we relax in the water. Bell-sama, please hold yourself back long enough for us fair maidens to change in peace. Lili is currently in no condition to be ravaged despite Lefiya-san's excellent healing work."

"Stop making me sound like I'm a horny rabbit in heat!" I growled at her playfully. It did not escape my notice that Ryuu had turned bright red and was refusing to look in my direction.

Oh? Is that an amused smirk on your face Lili? Trying to get a rise out of me and Ryuu, huh? I'll remember this. Justice will be served, some day!

Sighing in exasperation, I turned around away from the large changing rock the girls had used last time we were here and said, "Well, don't let me keep you two."

"Just remember–" Lili began to say, a teasing tone on her lips before Ryuu interrupted her.

"I-I'm sure Bell is enough of a gentleman to ensure we can change in privacy. Come, let us go ahead and change our attire. I hadn't the chance to properly enjoy the water the last time we were here," Ryuu said as she nudged Lili towards the Changing Boulder.

"Fine," Lili grumbled before giving some parting word, "Prepare yourself for us, Bell-sama~"

Hestia, I know you aren't here right now, but please give me strength! I'm gonna need it!

---

Other POV, Present – Post-Midnight

Hestia woke up with a violent sneeze, her pigtails straightening for a moment as she exclaimed, "My Bell-kun is thinking of me! What a filial boy!"

---

Slumbering peacefully in her bed, dressed as freely as the day she was born, Mikoto's eyes suddenly opened wide. She gasped, bolting upwards as she cried out, "My friends are going into a hot spring without me!? The betrayal! Awww… I want a bath…"

Alas, there was no fancy bath or hot spring in the Takemikazuchi home. And so Mikoto fell into comical despair. Jealous at the thought of those enjoying warm mineral water without her.

---

Main POV, Present – Post-Midnight

After the longest minute of my life, I heard a pair of footsteps leave from behind the Changing Boulder.

"B-Bell…" Ryuu shyly called my name, letting me know it was safe to look.

I breathed in deeply before slowly turning around… and immediately lost my breathe.

Ryuu was wearing a white maillot one-piece swimsuit with green bars down her sides and with green accents. She was also wearing an orange choker around her neck and a floral accessory in her hair. Her swimsuit covered her chest, yet revealed her entire collarbone. Later inspection would reveal that there were small diamond shaped gaps on her sides, and that the back of her swimsuit did little to hide her shoulder-blades; a large diamond cut-out revealing much of her back where it hadn't been tied together in a white knot. There was just enough side-boob to be tantalizing while still being family-friendly. Ryuu also had a green-semi transparent material with floral imaging tied and hanging around her waist.

She was like a water nymphae, a beautiful fairy of the sea. Her eyes shining like the clear blue waters near us. Her blush like the sunset. Her lips like a freshly plucked peach.

"Is Bell-sama going to tell Ryuu-sensei she is pretty, or do you want to keep looking silly all day?" Lili's voice cut in teasingly. I blushed as I shut my mouth and glanced Lili's way.

Lili surprised me in her own choice of swimsuit, as I thought she'd choose something more conservative now that Hermes wasn't the one picking her outfit out. Yet she was wearing a ruby-red two-piece with white straps and accents with pink frills – tied together in the center with a white ribbon. Her bottom piece was a mixture of red and pink frills as a skirt. Lili also had a ruby-red ribbon tied in her chestnut hair.

Lili's attire was the perfect combination of cute and sexy, her top piece easily accenting her surprisingly large assets while still being relatively modest thanks to the large ribbon! And I couldn't help but be embarrassed at the thought that she chose the color to match my eyes. No, surely that's a coincidence, right?! Right!?

Lili snickered, "It's good to know that Lili has good taste in swimwear, hehehe~"

"Sneaky Pallums…" Ryuu mumbled at Lili's cheeky attitude, unable to say that Lili was wrong in her self-assessment.

"So, Bell-sama? How do we look~?" Lili asked, leaning forward slightly for no reason whatsoever.

I blushed, looking away from both of them, "Y-you, er, both are very cute… and beautiful…"

"I-Is that so…" Ryuu stammered like a lovestruck maiden. Lili seemed to be getting hit with delayed embarrassment or something, because she was blushing madly while avoiding my returning gaze.

"A-anyway, I guess I'll change now…" I said, desperate to change the topic of conversation.

"Lili didn't pack swim trunks for you, Bell-sama," Lili said with a straight face.

"What?" I asked, my brain slow to process this new information.

"Lili didn't pack any for you," Lili repeated before sighing, "Lili guesses Bell-sama has little choice but to bathe naked. Don't worry, it's nothing Lili hasn't already seen before…"

I resisted the urge to cover myself, blushing as I retorted, "Hentai!"

Ryuu, meanwhile, was as quiet as the grave. Her pupils were enlarged, her eyes unfocused and unseeing. Her nose began to bleed slightly.

My brain shut down temporarily at the realization that Ryuu was clearly having lewd thoughts right now.

"You two are hilarious," Lili said, clearly amused and satisfied with herself.

"...You're not allowed to hang out with Syr anymore," I huffed, brain having rebooted and realizing that Lili was just teasing me mercilessly.

"She's a scary woman," Lili admitted, "Lili finds it hard to read her at times."

"You don't say…" I said knowingly, partially glad for the topic change.

Ryuu coughed into her hand to get our attention, having casually regained her composure and acting like nothing had ever happened. "If you are done with your antics, Lili-san…"

"Yes, here you are Bell-sama. Lili was only teasing you, " Lili said, handing me a set of swimwear.

"Thanks," I said sardonically as I took the swim-trunks and white shirt and made my way to the Changing Boulder.

---

It only took a couple minutes for me to get out of my gear and change and meet the girls in the relaxing hot spring water.

"Haaaa~" I sighed in contentment, absolutely enjoying the feeling of the warm water all around me.

"Lili can feel her bruised bones healing for real…" Lili sagged in relief, her head just barely above the water as she slouched against one of the rock walls.

"Yes… if you don't mind, Lili-san, could you please go over what happened to you after we split up?" Ryuu questioned lightly, asking for Lili to tell us what happened from her perspective.

"Mmmm…" Lili moaned from the healing water before regaling the story to us, "Lili and the others headed back to camp. But upon reaching the outskirts of camp, Ais-sama detected an intruder and that they were strong. So we cautiously entered camp, ready to fight, and found a Pallum woman exiting our tent. She blatantly confirmed she was looking for something. A key of some sort."

Lili gave Ryuu her focus and asked, "Do you happen to know what that was about Ryuu-sensei?"

Ryuu nodded slowly, "I suppose calling that magic item I picked up from those Evilus members could be considered a 'key'. But let's finish your story before going down that tangent."

"Agreed," Lili said, having no problem finishing her story first before going down all the other rabbit holes. Lili continued her tale, but her tone became wary and nervous as she said, "The Pallum had brown hair and red eyes. She introduced herself as… The Cunning Rat Lyra…"

I felt a pit in my stomach drop at the mention of that name. I could see Ryuu's eyes widen, her skin turning chalk white despite the heat of the water around us. Ryuu's sapphire eyes quickly watered, and not because they were burning from the steam. Ryuu's voice was like a shattered record as she uttered a simple plea, "No… Astraea-sama, why couldn't you have been wrong…?"

Astraea knew about the Creatures? No matter. Comforting Ryuu was all that mattered right now. So I silently scooched close to Ryuu's side, hugging her to my side with one arm to show that I was there for her. Ryuu latched onto me with both of her arms, desperate to keep my close as she buried her head into the crook of my neck. I didn't enjoy the feeling of Ryuu's breasts against my body for a millisecond. Not over the tremors of her grief.

Lili winced, no doubt from the sight of Ryuu's pain, and finished, "...The Cunning Rat Lyra, formerly of Astraea Familia…"

We sat for a long few minutes in silence then. Giving Ryuu time to process this information and come to terms as she shuddered and silently cried into my neck. I combed her hair with my free hand, doing what little I could to support her. Knowing there was nothing I could say to make the revelation that more of Ryuu's precious Familia were haunting her from beyond the grave.

But Ryuu was strong. After a few minutes, she collected her composure. Wiping her tears away, giving both Lili and I grateful looks before motioning for Lili to continue her story. Ryuu continued holding onto me, either unaware she was refusing to let go or was being completely deliberate in her actions. I was content with either reason.

"...Anyway, Lyra had outright stated that she was after a 'key' but hadn't found it," Lili continued her tale, "Lili suspects that Lyra had other intentions at the beginning of this encounter, but Lili cannot suspect them at this time."

"What makes you say that?" I asked Lili, it was a strange observation for Lili to make. So she probably had a reason to feel that way.

"Lyra had very deliberately let us know that Rivira was being attacked by her associate 'Luna' and that she was aware that Loki Familia had forces in the town," Lili informed us, "Lyra had even suggested that Ais-sama leave to go reinforce her allies. For some reason, Lyra wanted to separate us from Ais-sama or vice-versa. Lili does not think this was done entirely for the sake of gaining a combat advantage, but perhaps Lili is just overthinking it."

"Wait, she introduced herself as a member of Astraea Familia?" I asked, Lili's words finally catching up to me.

"Lyra described herself as a 'dead woman' and a 'former member' but yes," Lili confirmed.

I looked over to Ryuu and said, "You seeing what I'm seeing?"

Ryuu nodded, a hint of horror visible in her eyes beyond her stoic demeanor, "...Lyra remembers the past. Unlike… Levis."

"Levis… is the woman Bell-sama mentioned the other day, right?" Lili asked for clarification. We had been light on the details of the entire Noel and Levis fiasco. It made sense for Lili to try and link the events together.

"That's right, but let's not get off track," I said, doing my part to keep the story moving. But I'm sure that Ryuu in particular was not going to forget the crucial detail that Lyra seems to remember herself unlike Levis.

"Right," Lili said, continuing the debrief, "At this point, Lili determined that the Kenki was emotionally compromised and so it was better to just let her leave. Lili figured that, together with Lefiya-sama and her magic, it would be enough to buy us enough time to flee."

"Wait, Ais left you and Lefiya to face a Creature alone?" I said, flabbergasted and offended at the betrayal. Did Ais not realize that I was entrusting her with Lili's safety when we split our party temporarily? Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised at this apparent selfishness. Ais ignored the crying pleas of a (monster) child until said girl resorted to mutilating herself to prove her innocence. Yeah, let's go ahead and add 'fixing Ais' self-centeredness' to the ever growing list of things I need to do.

"To be fair, Ais-sama is an adventurer, Bell-sama," Lili said to me nonchalantly, "This kind of behavior is to be expected. Not everyone is a hero like you or Ryuu-sensei."

"I don't know why this undeserved praise is being used as some kind of fact or metric, but I'm going to drop it so we can continue on," I said petulantly, ignoring the looks from Ryuu and Lili that screamed that I was being an idiot somehow. I'm not the weird one here though?

"…We engaged in battle," Lili said, giving a quick rundown of how the fight progressed from beginning to end, "…so Lili would say that for all of Lyra's faults, lying is not one of them. She said she would aim to disable, and she did so until emotionally compromised. She said 'Luna' was attacking Loki Familia and Rivira and this was proven later to be true. The main weaknesses Lili has noticed from Lyra is that she is unable to Concurrent Cast and seems to have a phobia of lightning. It was obvious that the blows that we had landed hadn't done enough damage to actually injure her so. Yet she behaved like she had taken serious injuries."

"Lightning…" Ryuu mumbled, her tone suggesting she had realized something. Ryuu shared without prompting aloud, "…Lyra had been blinded by Celty's lightning magic before she… before she died for me. With time for her to process things… it must have been traumatic. I couldn't even imagine…"

"Yes, and here Lili thought that enduring literal torture was bad…" Lili said lightly, clearly trying to lighten the mood with grizzly humor. All it did for me was weigh my heart with guilt for failing to prevent Lili from enduring said torture at the hands of Zanis' Familia. I tried keeping my guilt to myself, but Lili must have seen through me when her eyes softened — her chestnut eyes twinkling with affection like a shining smoky-quartz gem.

Lili looked like she wanted to say something to me, but she held back. Instead, she focused her gaze more on Ryuu as she continued her version of events — now continuing from when she had first arrived in Rivira.

"We re-appeared behind Ais-sama. Within moments, the woman who was presumably 'Luna' burst out from a destroyed building before somehow taking out Gareth-sama with five strikes in an instant—"

"Five strikes—!" Ryuu gasped, her nails digging into my skin, "The woman 'Luna'! She—! She had vermillion eyes didn't she?! A woman from the Far East!?"

Lili's eyes widened in surprise, before wilting in pitiful empathy, "…Yes, that is correct."

Ryuu's arms shuddered around mine, before finally relaxing. It would seem that while it still hurt to hear that Kaguya had also been revived, it had a diminishing effect after already being hit with the bombshell of Lyra's revival.

Still, I made sure to squeeze Ryuu's arm supportively before shifting around so that my hand was in one of hers. Interlocking her delicate fingers with mine as she shyly resisted before giving in and squeezing my hand tightly.

"…I'm okay," Ryuu sighed, her face and voice not betraying the pain I knew she was feeling from her shivering hand, "please continue."

Lili didn't seem to believe Ryuu was fine either, but she continued regardless, "…The woman addressed as 'Luna' then attacked Finn-sama, separating him from the group. Without really thinking about it, Lili ran over to protect Finn-sama while he was down and defenseless. Lili is surprised she closed the gap so quickly, now that Lili thinks about it…"

"Could it be from your new Skill?" I asked. Hestia and Lili had both mentioned that Lili had a new Skill or two, but they hadn't gone into detail about them. Lili had seemed embarrassed at the time for some unfathomable reason.

"Ah, yes that could be it," Lili confirmed, before continuing, "Either way, Lili was sent flying down the street for Lili's efforts while Loki Familia re-engaged 'Luna'. While Lili limped back over to the battlefield, Lili came to the conclusion that Bell-sama and Ryuu-sensei were the real targets in light of Lyra's words and the actions at Rivira. Lili shared these findings with Finn-sama and Riveria-sama before Lyra literally dropped in from the sky."

"…Huh?" Ryuu asked eloquently.

"Lili suspects Lyra used her magic spell to send herself flying like an arrow," Lili deduced, her tone also expressing how ludicrous the idea was. How ludicrously resistant to damage that Creatures' seemed to be.

There was a beat of silence as we processed this information. So, a woman stronger than literal tanks was also essentially capable of flight? This is so bullshit.

"That's a rather… unique way to use Wingus Smite. Not one that I ever intend on copying," Ryuu commented.

"Oh right, that would be in your arsenal too, huh…" I said idly.

"It's a hard spell to use," Ryuu declared informatively, "There's a reason Lyra never really used it… before. You have to calculate the angle of trajectory and velocity for each stone you magically create. On top of the cast-time and Lyra's own poor Mind reserves, it simply left Lyra too open to attack to ever use. Until now, it would seem…"

After a few moments, Lili took Ryuu's silence as a cue to finish her story, "…Lili distracted Lyra with banter to buy time... And to also get it through to Finn-sama's head that Lili does not see him in a romantic light."

Ouch. I'd feel bad for Finn if he hadn't used my loved ones and his own Familia members as bait. So all I'm left with is disappointment. Before now, part of me had entertained the idea that perhaps there's someway to convince Finn to respect the rights of the Xenos unconditionally. But that illusion has been shattered. I know now that he might only accept them as long as he has something to gain. He's not the kind to risk his reputation to do what was right by the Xenos. To stand up for them in the light of day.

I have also not missed how bitter Lili has sounded every time she has said Finn's name. This whole situation has rubbed me the wrong way too. That said, Loki Familia is going to be needed in order to defeat the Evilus Remnant. Cooperation to some extent was basically mandatory. Sorry, Lefiya, but you are going to be needed as a buffer should things get heated between my people and Finn's. She's the only one that the people in 'my camp' universally like and trust.

"That didn't last long, of course," Lili continued, "So Lili dropped smoke bombs while going around to flank Lyra from behind. Lili's attack hadn't the chance to land and before Lili knew what had happened Lili was on top of Riveria-sama on the ground feeling like all of Lili's bones were broken."

"How compassionate of Riveria-sama to use her very body to ease your potential suffering, Lili-san," Ryuu commented, casually worshiping the ground Riveria walked on like it was normal. I held back my criticisms of Riveria, mainly because this wasn't the time but also because my opinion of Riveria was still overall positive despite my couple of misgivings.

"Anyway…" Lili started neutrally, like she was also holding back her opinion on a certain High Elf, before continuing, "...Somehow, Lyra was distracted by something long enough for Riveria-sama's ice magic to clip her. Within a minute, Lyra had decided out of nowhere that it was time to retreat. She blitzed past us before getting 'Luna' to flee with a simple plea. Within moments, they were gone and the battle was over."

Lili then covered a summary of important facts. Luna attacked primarily with her left sword arm. Luna was an expert fighter despite her apparent insanity. Lyra's mind and memory was intact, and she was acting under duress while trying to aid us as much as possible. Lyra was an excellent tactician and had a way with words, but was also able to be caught off guard and manipulated into lowering her guard. Lyra had magic that allowed her to attack at range, but she couldn't move while casting; and somehow she was also buffing herself.

An observation I had made that Lili hadn't was that 'She' was forcing the Creatures to act and was causing them suffering, via their connection, in one way or another. I certainly had the impression that this was the case. I was reminded of how the Xenos have some kind of mental connection to the Dungeon, whom they often referred to as 'Mother'. Perhaps 'She' is doing something similar considering the Magic Stones in the chests of the Creatures? It's the most likely scenario. Kaguya's insanity is circumstantial evidence of a mental connection at least. There's no proof, of course, but my instincts are screaming that this is the right line of thinking.

Perhaps if we can find some way to disrupt or sever that connection to 'Her'...

…But that was for another time.

"Well," I said to Lili, "This was a lot of good information. But, more importantly, I'm just glad that you're alright."

"Bell-sama…" Lili murmured, her face flushing.

"You put yourself in a lot of danger today, in order to protect others and Lefiya in particular," I continued to praise Lili's selflessness (she'd really grown hadn't she?) and said, "I wouldn't have blamed you at all if you had prioritized your own safety. If you had run away or retreated to observe things from a distance. But instead you put yourself out there and very well had saved Lefiya from a most terrible fate. I won't tell you to avoid putting yourself in such danger again, because that would probably make me the biggest hypocrite ever–"

""Definitely,"" Lili and Ryuu said in deadpan unison.

My right eye twitched before I softly said, "...But I'm proud of you, Lili. I think you've become the beautiful person inside and out that I knew you could be. You were a hero today, never forget that."

Lili's eyes were wide open at my words, her face was completely flushed red. She sputtered a moment for words before managing to say, "-! Well! Lili, er! Wow! This water is pretty hot!"

Lili proceeded to fan her face as she got up out of the water and refused to even look in my general direction as she said, "Lili is gonna go cool off and then use one of the cooler pools closer to our gear. Haha! Er, don't mind Lili! Lili could use some priv– Lili means! Er, that Ryuu-sensei and Bell-sama probably want some privacy to go over things before sharing with Lili the details of your encounter! Haha! Pardon Lili!"

And just like that, Lili quickly fled from our presence heading closer to the entrance of the chamber and our gear like her life depended on it.

I felt lost. Like what the heck? Lili totally ran off just now. Was it something I said?

I turned to look at Ryuu, looking for answers. She was looking at me with her eyes half-lidded, a sort of knowing look on her face. Fondness? Exasperation? Adoration? Amusement? All of the above?

"What?" I asked, desperate for Ryuu to explain why she was giving me such a complicated look.

"...Bell is such a pervert."

"WHY!?"

"Flirting with another woman in front of your lover is only something you could do," Ryuu explained fondly, "It's okay because I know you are just being kind and honest."

"S-Seriously, it's not like that!" I protested, trying to defend my honor and dignity in vain. "You need to stop picking up Syr's mannerisms! She's corrupting you!"

"You're being ridiculous," Ryuu said back in amusement, not believing a word out of my mouth. "Lili loves you, you know. You saved her. And not just from monsters. The Fire of Hope burns in her heart, and you stoked — ignited — the flame. It was not too long ago that her eyes were filled with hatred. Anger at the injustices of the world. They are eyes I know all too well, I spent many nights looking at them in the mirror."

"Ryuu…" I uttered, recognizing the parallels that Ryuu was drawing between herself and Lili.

Lili had lost her only family members in tragic circumstances via the Dungeon. Thrust alone into an unjust world where she suffered. As Ryuu hated Evilus which had taken everything from her, Lili hated adventurers who treated her like she was just a tool for carrying gear — not even 'human'. Lili scammed adventurers not out of personal greed, but because it was the only way she really had to combat the injustices in her life. At least, until I had shone her another way.

"Lili-san has come a long way in a short time," Ryuu continued, "And you are the reason behind it. You saved her soul, that makes it yours. Or would you shirk responsibility?"

"Hey, using that word at me isn't fair," I jokingly complained before saying seriously, "I was just doing what was right by her. I knew there was good in her. I didn't want her to wallow in hatred when I knew she could be saved. She deserves happiness and peace."

Seriously, I wasn't trying to build a harem. I was just desperately trying to do what was right. I couldn't afford to have such selfish intentions or I'd never be able to look myself in the mirror ever again. I still can't completely forgive myself for Artemis. And everyday that Noel doesn't wake up, I get more and more anxious. I'm just getting better at hiding it. And I'm not proud of that at all.

"All I ask is that you not lie to yourself. And to continue doing what you think is right," Ryuu said to me, "Do not make choices you will regret like I have. Adventurers don't have high life expectancies. Heroes have even shorter ones. Remember that."

"Right…" I said, embarrassed, the casual confidence with which Ryuu called me a 'hero' was really doing something to me.

"Now then," Ryuu then said, "It is fortunate that we are alone for a time. We never got to finish our last conversation. I have questions. May I ask them?"

I recognized that Ryuu was referring to the conversation where I revealed to her my 'visions'. I had no problems with her request, so I said, "Ask, and I will answer."

"…" Ryuu was silent for a long moment, likely deliberating which question she wanted to ask me first. She finally asked, "…Did you know about 'Levis'?"

"No!" I rejected desperately, before explaining, "She was vaguely familiar after the fact, but I had no idea she was Alise! And I'm completely blindsided with the appearance of Kaguya and Lyra."

"I see," Ryuu said with a sigh of relief, not even doubting my words for a moment.

I went on to say, "She never interacted with you in the few 'visions' of her I had. So I guess no one had made the connection in those 'visions'."

"Hmm, yes, I could see how that is the case. Only someone like me would be able to notice the truth," Ryuu said, acknowledging that Levis' physical appearance was off enough to fool most people, but not her.

Ryuu then asked after a moment, "Why would your 'visions' be unaware of… them?"

"…They mostly follow 'major events'," I explained, "but in this case I don't really know. This wouldn't be the first time that things haven't matched up with my 'visions'. I had no idea that Vito was still alive or that Noel would appear. Also there should have only been the Black Goliath on Floor 18 — not a Juggernaut to boot. I have no idea who summoned that thing by the way. Jura would have no reason to try summoning it yet—"

"What."

I froze as Ryuu interrupted me, her voice the most curt and hostile I have ever heard.

Ryuu's eyes were hard as she asked, "Did you just imply that Jura is still alive?"

"…Yes," I say, unable to lie, "He should be hiding inside the man-made Dungeon, Knossos, alongside the rest of the Evilus Remnant."

Ryuu had an expression on her face like she wasn't sure whether she should be mind-numbingly furious or fall over the despair event horizon. In the end, Ryuu closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her expression transitioned to something calm, accepting. For better or worse, Ryuu looks to have accepted the fact that the universe has it out for her; what with all of her demons from the past coming back to haunt her relentlessly.

"I… am going to compartmentalize this information for now…" Ryuu finally said. From the follow-up look she gave me, however, it was clear that she was just putting a pin in this topic for now. The conversation surrounding Jura would be brought up again, just not right now. "I have more questions."

"Ask, and I will answer."

"What is Knossos exactly?" Ryuu asked me.

"The man-made Dungeon," I began my reply, "a Mega-project designed and initiated by Daedalus himself. He was obsessed with surpassing the Dungeon and worked on Knossos until he died. Knowing that the project couldn't be completed within his lifespan, he cursed his descendants into continuing the project. Those descendants would ally themselves with Evilus in exchange for funds and presumably labor to continue the project in exchange for sanctuary."

"I found a door made of Oricalchum on the eastern-most wall of Floor 18," Ryuu told me before asking, "That was an entrance, wasn't it? To this 'Knossos'?"

"It should be," I said with a nod, "I don't know too much of the specifics. Just that Knossos extends all the way to the Surface and that the layout is maze-like and most certainly filled with traps. I'm not sure how deep Knossos goes. But it has multiple entrances in the city; though I'm not certain if there are any within the city outside of Daedalus Street."

"Within the city you say," Ryuu noticed my choice of words, "There are entrances outside the walls?"

"There has to be at least one," I answered, "Not too long ago, Violas had attacked Port Melen – when Loki Familia had forces deployed to the town. Ishtar Familia had also fielded a sizable force despite not having left the city through proper channels. Unfortunately, Haruhime was transported in a big box, so she doesn't know the exact route."

Haruhime was apparently often carted around in a big box to conceal her existence – and her sorcery – from other Familias and the Guild. So while she has likely been in Knossos, she didn't actually see anything. And thus has no idea as to the exact location of any entrances to Knossos. Just the implication that there may be one within the Pleasure District itself.

Ryuu furrowed her brow, "Ishtar Familia… if they are connected to the Evilus Remnant, why have they been battled twice now? Once at Melen, and again today?"

"They apparently aren't as closely allied as I first assumed they might be," I said before sharing my conjecture, "they are likely business partners at most, rather than full-blown cooperation. Ishtar is likely paying them for access to Knossos. The Evilus Remnant then turns around and uses the money to fund the construction and maintenance of Knossos, as well as paying for this and that for their evil plots."

I couldn't think of any other deal between Ishtar and the Evilus Remnant considering the aforementioned altercations between the two factions. Clearly there was no lost love between the two groups, both sides were coldly using the other. There was no way that Evilus would rent or loan any of their monsters to Ishtar. That would be stupid. That would just risk revealing their existence to the public, which is something they clearly don't want.

"That seems likely, considering Ishtar Familia's labor practices…" Ryuu murmured agreement, Haruhime's circumstances were undeniable proof that Ishtar Familia engaged in human trafficking. Access to Knossos would allow Ishtar to circumnavigate the security checkpoints at the walls. As well as avoid miscellaneous fees that are likely involved by the various middlemen in the black market industries.

Ryuu then said, "No wonder then that… Levis stole the key I had in my possession. The entire battle was my fault."

"No, I think they would have come for us anyway," I declared, before pointing out, "Remember? I'm apparently on their hit-list. Whoever Levis' boss is, they want me dead. I guess they really didn't like the fact I was involved in Vito's failed mission and subsequent death."

I'm not sure if there was a grander plan in mind behind that particular Demi Spirit. But, no matter the specifics of the scheme, I had stopped it dead in its tracks. It's really no surprise that the Evilus Remnant was pissed at me. What's more surprising is that they were so quick to act on said desires than anything else.

I asked Ryuu then if she had been detected when discovering the door, and she replied that she hadn't. At least as far as she could tell.

"Either they have some kind of surveillance ability or they knew we would be on Floor 18 ahead of time," I deduced, "There is no other way to explain how they knew where we'd be."

Aisha and Ishtar Familia's appearance made sense. We had made a bit of a scene outside Babel with Ais' appearance. It wouldn't be surprising if rumors made their way to the ears of Ishtar who then sent Aisha and the rest after us. It's not like our activities on Floor 18 were very subtle.

But for the Evilus Remnant to field hundreds of Violas and several Creatures in a coordinated attack? That required time and planning of at least a full day ahead. The more I thought about it, the more it looked like that Evilus knew we would be here ahead of time.

But who knew about the training trip? I hadn't exactly shouted from the rooftops to the entire city what I was up to after all.

Loki and Finn would have known about it, they had to give permission to Lefiya and Ais in the first place. And while Finn had clearly used us all as bait, I doubt he actually leaked anything to Evilus directly or indirectly – at least intentionally. It made more sense for him to simply cast out the metaphorical bait like fish on a hook and see what bites.

The Hostess girls knew what we were up to. Syr included. But it's not like Freya Familia has contacts with the Evilus Remnant with which to leak information. And if Freya leaked things publicly, then it would potentially ruin her cover as Syr. Sure, the Gulliver Brothers stated that their purpose was to spy on the Evilus Remnant, but my instincts were screaming that it was a lie. Or rather, wasn't the complete truth. Point being is that while Freya Familia also benefits from using me as bait, it's not really their style. Freya personally? Probably. But the rest of the aces? I get the feeling that they prefer the direct approach rather than sleuthing tactics. Besides, Freya's 'games' only get other people involved because she is reckless. She doesn't intentionally involve the lives of bystanders. Or, at least, I don't think she does.

The only other instance that comes to mind is when Lefiya and I spoke about the training trip out in public. I remember teasing Lefiya because she had just left from a training run in the Dungeon… with… Filvis of Dionysus Familia. The lone Allied survivor of the Nightmare of Floor 27. And a known Creature.

My brain shut down for a moment as I processed this bombshell.

"Bell? What is it? What are you thinking?" Ryuu asked me, noticing how deep in thought I was.

"...I think I have a lead on how Evilus knew we would be on Floor 18. But I don't have any proof. Just a bunch of circumstantial evidence that doesn't completely add up," I answered.

Filvis being Evil with a capital 'E' didn't make any sense! Dionysus Familia opposed Evilus during the Dark Ages! Their Familia used to be a contender for 4th strongest in the city before they lost most of their manpower in the Nightmare of Floor 27. Switching sides to ally with the people who killed your allies, who killed your Children, didn't make any sense. Sure, Filvis had been hostile when I informed her I was aware of her nature, but so would anyone else when such a secret is rubbed in their face! Especially since she hates herself because of her elven pride, seeing herself as tainted for being something she never chose to be.

If Filvis was Evil, she would have struck me down then and there rather than risk me sharing her secret – a secret I promised not to share with ANYONE. And, the most convincing evidence for her innocence was… someone with Evil in their heart wouldn't be able to have such adorable Yuri 'tete' moments with Lefiya and her radiating Protagonist Energy(™)!

But the circumstances were also suspicious. Filvis' Creaturification would have happened on the Nightmare where Evilus had used the opportunity to go into hiding. Our interactions with Levis and observations of Lyra indicated that Creatures were mentally connected with some Evil Entity like how monsters and Xenos are connected to the Dungeon. Stripping away your Free Will, even going so far as to break your mind for resisting 'Her' will as evidenced by Kaguya – dubbed Luna.

But, perhaps Dionysus had found a way to jam or sever the connection between Filvis and 'Her'. If so, then there was an actual chance at saving the Astraea Girls from their cruel fates. If the mental connection could be blocked, there would be a way to free Lyra, Kaguya, and Alise from 'Her' control. Meant that there was an opportunity to redeem them, bring them back into the light.

This would require some serious investigation work. On the off-chance that Filvis and Dionysus were Evil I couldn't exactly just walk up to them and ask them to share how they've freed Filvis from 'Her' Will. I'd need to operate under the assumption that they could be Evil until I found proof that they weren't Evil. And I'd need to do this on my own. If Filvis wasn't Evil and I shared her secret… then I would have broken my promise to her for nothing. Curse my integrity! Besides, if Filvis had a list of people she didn't want to know her personal details, then all Elves would be right below Riveria at the top. Telling Ryuu would mortify the red-eyed elf to death.

I'd need to think of ways I could subtly look into Filvis' Potential Evilness(™) without giving away to her and her God that I knew that they were suspicious. Another thing to add to the list of things to do after the War Game was concluded.

At this point, I vaguely explained to Ryuu that I had unverified suspicions about someone, and that I couldn't share the details without breaking a promise I had made in confidence.

"I understand…" Ryuu said, and it was clear she was disappointed. But it was disappointing from a purely pragmatic standpoint. Ryuu was clearly pleased that I was staying true to a promise I had made. "I will not ask of you to break your vow of silence off of circumstantial suspicions alone. I only ask that you share vital information when you are certain of the threat."

"Of course!" I responded, "If… they are proven guilty, I'll be sure to share their identity. Is there anything else you'd like to ask while we're on the topic?"

Ryuu thought for a moment, and asked, "Not that I don't believe you, but could you tell me something involving me that no one else would know about or have possibly shared with you?"

Ryuu was basically asking for more evidence to support my 'visions'. While she did believe me at my word, I can understand her desire for more tangible proof.

So, I thought for a long moment about something I could share that she and no one else would know about. A mischievous idea came to mind, and I was unable to keep the grin off my face.

Turning to look Ryuu in the eye, I ran my hand through my wet, long, spiky hair pushing it back. Plastering a confident and evil grin, I deepened my voice and said, "What's… your definition of Justice?"

Ryuu's eyes widened in shock as her body involuntarily jumped in my arm as she yelped, "Demon Lord–!"

"Erebus?" I finished with a cheeky grin in my normal tone of voice.

Ryuu blinked in shock and awe, before her face and lips furrowed in a pout, "That's not funny…"

"You're the cutest," I said unashamedly.

"Pwa?!" Ryuu blushed madly before pouting even more, "Gosh! And you were telling me to stop acting like Syr!"

I burst out laughing at the apt comparison. Ryuu tried to keep a disappointed look on her face before quickly surrendering to her own giggling. The most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

Alas, the moment couldn't last forever, and we soon found ourselves gathering our composure.

"While I will have more questions, I think this is enough," Ryuu said to me after coughing into her hand, "The main thing I wanted to know was about… Levis. And you have addressed my concerns. Anyway, it's still late at night. We should get going before the water turns against us again."

My face lit up from the hot spring water and not from the thoughts that Ryuu's words brought to my mind. I definitely wasn't being reminded again of how I flashed most of the women in my life here. Not at all. Nor was I having any other thoughts that were unsafe for work. Definitely wasn't thinking about kissing Ryuu until things escalated even though Lili was probably not even 10 meters away from us.

I found myself increasingly self-aware about the compromising position Ryuu and I were in right now. I can't recall exactly when it happened, but Ryuu was damn near sitting in my lap. Having essentially turned me into her personal body pillow as she latched onto me. I could no longer ignore the feeling of her limber thighs that hugged my own leg between them. To my mortification, my 'little son' had risen up and was firmly poking Ryuu's stomach.

My face and body burned as I couldn't help but look at Ryuu in embarrassed shock. Ryuu too was blushing. And she said to me then, "Bell… this is hardly the time to try and conceive…"

It took every gram of willpower I had to neither have my nose erupt in a ferocious nosebleed nor to take Ryuu then and there. And not take as in 'take her hand' but as in 'take her until we run out of stamina or monsters start spawning around us whichever comes first'.

"S-Sorry!" I yelped before flashing away to my pack of throwing knives. I took a few deep breaths as I willed the horniness away. And because the universe shows me no mercy, I could hear echoes of Ryuu giggling bouncing off the cavern walls. Giving me no respite from the embarrassing situation I had just been in.

Eager to distract myself from the embarrassment of popping a boner in front of my lover, I took stock of my surroundings. I was right where we had put aside most of our weapons and gear.

And I paused as I got a proper look at where Lili was. Lili had already changed back into her Black Goliath gear, but she had fallen asleep leaning against her large backpack. Considering how battered Lili had likely been after yesterday's events – having been healed with magic or not – it was no surprise that Lili was completely tuckered out. But I was more taken aback at how cute Lili was. It was like seeing an abandoned puppy finally let down its guard and began to trust again.

I absentmindedly grabbed a towel and dried my hands as I walked closer to her sleeping form. And suddenly, I was overcome with a sudden bout of anxiety and fear.

She was sleeping… right? Flashes of memory flashed in my mind – of Lili, lying on the cold floor of a jail cell. Surrounded with blood, covered in wounds, her body lifeless.

I shuddered in horror. I found myself slowly, shakily, reaching my hand out to her. I placed my quivering finger underneath her petite nose. And I released a sigh of relief as I felt the movement of air that signified that Lili was breathing.

My body relaxed so much from relief that I almost collapsed dead on my feet. But I didn't. Instead, I idly tucked errant strands of hair back behind Lili's ear as I looked at her fondly. I couldn't help but acknowledge in that moment that I loved Lili. And that I was afraid of what form that love might be and what form it might take in the future.

I put those concerns aside as quickly as they appeared. They were something for my future self to contend with. I was satisfied with knowing that I intended on doing everything in my power so that Lili never suffered like she had at the hands of Zanis ever again. And that whatever feelings I had involving Lili would always be secondary to that goal.

Which is why I should never love Lili like Lili probably loves me. Because a Hero's life is sacrifice. Ryuu is older than Lili, and had experienced enough loss that she would more easily be able to cope should a tragic fate befall me. I worry that Lili would break should she lose me, like how I cracked after losing Artemis.

No. While there is logic and truth in those words, there was also hypocrisy. I'm just afraid. How much of what I feel for Lili right now is real? And not just something born from the guilt in how I failed to protect her from Zanis?

I'm just me. Just a single man. And I intend on bearing the world on my shoulders. It is a burden and a sacrifice, not a privilege or reward. And there are consequences and responsibilities I have for walking this path. Because, for example, I know that someday soon I will encounter the Xenos. I will champion their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I'll be hated for it. The only question is whether my loved ones will hate me for it too.

And so I stood in a chamber full of hot springs with two lovely ladies nearby, stressing about an unforeseeable future. Fears of failure, bringing about an unthinkable present, weighing down my heart. After all, monsters had taken away Lili's parents. They had taken away Naaza's arm and crippled her legs. They had taken Ryuu's entire Familia. Surely, they too will forsake me? I wouldn't blame them for it. And yet the thought burns all the same.

---

Other POV, Midnight

"Thank you very much, Thousand Elf!" an adventurer said gratefully as Lefiya finished healing the man's injuries.

"Huh? Oh, yeah… be sure to take it easy for a few days…" Lefiya answered distractedly, her mind elsewhere.

"Sure thing doc!" The adventurer happily replied before wandering off.

Lefiya paid the man no mind. She was lost in her thoughts. The ramifications and implications of the now previous day's events were taking root in her mind. Doubts, accusations, and more swirled and swirled. Despite being surrounded by her fellow Familia members, Lefiya felt alone and isolated and she wasn't exactly sure why.

All she knew was that the feeling had really started as soon as she had seen Bell Cranel run off with his comrades. The realization that she didn't truly belong stung surprisingly poignantly. Which was weird. One would think that it would be the other way around, that Bell Cranel would be jealous of her being in Loki Familia. A contender for the strongest Familia in Orario. But in the face of the Creatures, that strength seemed meaningless. Yet there was no pride to be found in power alone either. Not if it meant being a broken thing like the Creatures were.

"Lefiyaaaa!" The voice of Tiona called out from nearby. Lefiya glanced over, seeing the younger Amazon next to where her elder sister was lying down.

"Tiona-san! Tione-san!" Lefiya perked up as she hurried over to them, a wave of relief going over her as soon as she saw her friends. She quickly looked over Tione's condition. Tione was heavily bandaged around where she had been impaled, otherwise she had no visible injuries. Tione was awake, but was unresponsive. Tione was obviously tired and her eyes were distant.

"Er, is she alright?" Lefiya asked Tiona, nervously pointing at Tione who was mumbling incomprehensibly to herself like a crazy person.

Tiona laughed sheepishly, "She's been like this ever since she woke up from the medics closing her up. She's fine, she'll just need to see Amid to look over her again or she'll get a nasty scar."

"That's a relief," Lefiya said cheerfully, the sight of Tione being run through was going to give Lefiya a nightmare or two…

"But… why is she like… this?" Lefiya asked, wondering why Tione was shivering, mumbling nonsense, and looked ahead at nothing.

"Eeeeeh…" Tiona wasn't thrilled to answer, "Probably because she heard that Argonaut-kun's Supporter rejected the Captain. What was her name again? I think it was a flower…"

"Lili-san," Lefiya provided.

Tiona snapped her fingers, "Off the tip of my tongue! But yeah, Big-Sis has been having an episode ever since. Though I'm more used to her getting violent, not whatever this is. Geez, if love makes you this stupid then I'm glad to not get it!"

Tiona seemed legitimately proud that she was ignorant in the ways of love. Lefiya couldn't blame her considering the state Tione was in. Part of Lefiya felt like Tione's priorities were out of whack, but then it wouldn't really be Tione if she didn't get worked up over the Captain now would she?

Lefiya got nervous at that point. She had questions for Tiona, but she was afraid of the answers she would receive. And to her immense embarrassment, Tiona noticed that something was on her mind.

"Hmm? Something up?" Tiona asked casually. The way Tiona let the fact that a Creature had beat the crap out of her and her sister go so easily and continued to smile was honestly inspiring. It was like the flame of hope in Tiona's heart was fueled by her joyful countenance.

"...Why are you guys here?" Lefiya asked with an unsure tone, her face wincing, "I'm glad you guys are here. But I wasn't expecting you all…"

"Captain thought that Evilus may pull something," Tiona answered matter-of-factly, thinking little of why Lefiya was asking, "'Cause Ais and you are barely ever alone, much less without the rest of the Familia around."

"But why didn't the Captain tell me, or even Ais-san, that you all would be here? I don't understand!" Lefiya said, getting heated in her second sentence.

"Woah! Is that why you're worked up?" Tiona said, leaning away from the emotional elf. "Finn said something along the lines of not wanting you two to get distracted and to focus on helping Argonaut-kun. People had complained about your guys' involvement with Argonaut-kun — though I was bummed to not get to hang out with you guys too!"

"People are upset about me – I mean us – associating with Bell-kun?" Lefiya asked in confusion.

"You haven't heard the nasty things people are saying about Argonaut-kun?" Tiona said in surprise, "You know I can't stand gossip, but even I know all about it! People are talking smack about Argonaut-kun, saying he's a womanizer poaching adventurers from other Familias. That he's arrogant and a cheater. Which is all nonsense!"

"What?! That's insane!" Lefiya screeched incredulously, wincing as other people nearby complained about her making a racket.

"That's what I'm saying!" Tiona said, agreeing with Lefiya's sentiment, "Argonaut-kun is a good guy and a hard worker. I'm sure all the stuff surrounding him being a poacher is some kind of misunderstanding. Like, isn't that blond-green elf his lover or something? Must be nice…"

Tiona sighed forlornly, like a young, lonely maiden who was thinking about her lover who was out on the battlefield. Lefiya found it odd that Tiona would say such a thing after having said that she is glad to not be in love like her sister. Lefiya's eyes widened as she came to a sudden conclusion, thinking internally, 'Tiona-san must have fallen for Bell without even realizing it! That rabbit really is a womanizer!'

Lefiya resolved to harden her heart. Whether she'd be able to back up that resolve in practice was another matter entirely.

Lefiya was brought out of her thoughts as Tiona laughed, saying, "You make some of the funniest faces Lefiya!"

Lefiya's already present blush intensified in embarrassment, "S-Shut up! And you've gotten me off topic! If people are so upset about Bell for no reason, might I add, then how did the Captain convince everyone?"

"Uhhhh…. Something about gaining info on Ishtar Familia considering the connection between them and the bad guys," Tiona answered with a shrug, simplifying the fact that Finn and Loki Familia were using Bell as a means to gather data on Ishtar Familia's combat power and potential in case they needed to subjugate the Familia that ran the Pleasure District.

'And you see nothing wrong with how the Captain used Bell, used Me, as living bait without informing us?' was what Lefiya wanted to desperately ask. But Lefiya knew that question would just be needlessly escalatory. And, more importantly, might strain her relationship with Tiona. And might lead to straining the relationship between the Amazon twins.

If Tiona learned that Finn had used Bell as bait, Lefiya believed that Tiona would be offended. And Lefiya believed that Tione would be unphased, because she has unconditional faith in Finn's leadership. This conflict of opinion could damage the relationship between Tiona and Tione, and Lefiya didn't want to be responsible for that. No, perhaps it was best that Tiona remain blissfully ignorant of the full ramifications of what had happened this day.

"Lefiya?" Tiona asked in concern, once again breaking Lefiya out of her thoughts, "Are you okay?"

"...I'm just worked up. Post-battle jitters. I'm going to go get some air before we start packing up to leave. Pardon me," Lefiya declared after a moment of thought.

"Lefiya? Lefiya!" Tiona called after her as Lefiya briskly left the medical tent and entered back into the main courtyard of Rivira.

The open courtyard was full of hastily erected tents, with adventurers scurrying to and fro between them. The remaining population of Rivira was all gathered here, at least the ones not still trapped under rubble. And all of the members of the Loki Familia Strike Force were also packed into this courtyard – aside from those currently outside town on patrol.

In the center of it all was Captain Finn himself, his injuries bandaged over and bags under his eyes in exhaustion as he led the recovery efforts for the town. The Pallum was in the thick of it all, issuing orders, listening to reports, and so on. Apparently Bors was in no condition to lead and so Loki Familia had quickly taken over jurisdiction for the town in the meantime. And it's not like most people were willing to tell Finn the Braver 'no'.

And despite all his effort, when Lefiya looked at Captain Finn from a distance, all she could do was find him lacking. Up until only a little over a week ago, Lefiya had seen Finn as the rest of the city (and the world) had seen him – a legendary and living hero. Being up close to Finn had, up until now, done nothing to dissuade the image told of him far and wide through tales and rumors. After all, in comparison to the vast majority of Adventurers, Captain Finn was humble, considerate, and lacking in greed.

Most Adventurers were only in it for the money. And, to be fair, part of why Lefiya herself had become an adventurer was to make some coin – the bills don't pay themselves and the tuition for the Education District doesn't come out of nowhere. But Lefiya had been motivated and inspired by the tales of her people and the tales of those traveling through her hometown of the heroes of Orario. The ones who would one day save the world from the Black Dragon and the Dungeon. About Finn the Braver, who united the greatest warriors of all the races of mankind in order to one day achieve the Familia Myth and become the Last Hero.

Lefiya wanted to stand alongside those heroes. She wanted to do good things. To do what is Right and Just. She wanted to use her power for the Common Good. Because it is as Bell Cranel has said, 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility'.

But Lefiya hadn't fully grasped what all of that meant until she had joined that Quest with Bell Cranel. That Quest to save the Goddess Artemis and the world from the ancient threat of the monster Antares. Lefiya had been so close to being 'Iphigenia', to being the one chosen by the spear Orion's Arrow. Lefiya had directly bore witness as Bell Cranel was faced with the impossible choice of having to commit the taboo of killing a Goddess lest the entire world be destroyed. A taboo that, if revealed to the public, would result in Bell Cranel being a social pariah… if he was lucky and the entire world didn't see him lynched for his 'crime'.

As if that wasn't devastating enough already… even Lefiya could see that Bell had come to love Artemis-sama deeply in that short period of time. As unconventional as it was, it was still True.

Even knowing that the only alternative was the end of days, Lefiya was unsure if she would have been able to bear making that same decision. She couldn't see Captain Finn making that decision either. Part of Lefiya even wondered if Ais was capable of making that fatal choice. Which just made it all the more tragic, that Bell Cranel was the only one able to make that choice; the one who would have to bear the weight of it on his shoulders until the end of his days, and even beyond.

And that was the fact of it, recent events bringing to light Captain Finn's deceptions. How he used her to bring Bell and Ryuu into the Dungeon to lure out their enemies without even a heads up of warning… Lefiya had truly lost her childish admiration of the 'Hero' Finn and had grown up. Lefiya still admired and adored Ais… but it was Bell Cranel who Lefiya looked to now as an example of a living Hero. And, perhaps most importantly, despite them being from separate Familias… Bell Cranel was her friend. And he has been wronged by her Familia's Captain.

Lefiya wondered if she would ever be able to forgive Captain Finn for finally shattering the illusions surrounding him in her eyes.

And so Lefiya turned away from Finn, from Loki Familia. Surrounded by people, feeling utterly alone. And while she tried to hide her despair in her heart, it must have shown on her face.

For in the near distance, Riveria saw all of those emotions on Lefiya's face. And her eyes narrowed in sadness as she followed after the younger, lonely elf.

---

Ais stood in the streets of Rivira. Her eyes were focused on the destroyed street where she and the others had fought that woman from the Far East not too long ago. A woman that she and the others knew to be another Creature like Levis. Another being that was stronger than Ais. That stood in the way of her ultimate goal and vengeance.

Ais felt the fire deep in her soul burn darker in equal measure to the frustration burning in her skull. If she couldn't defeat a single abomination like Levis or 'Luna' then how could she ever hope to kill the Black Dragon, avenge her father, and free her mother?

Ais clenched her fists so hard that they drew blood. Furious. Furious at how completely and utterly that Luna outclassed her and the others. It was readily apparent that if the fight had continued then Luna would have killed everyone there without even having to try all that hard. And the fact that someone had hurt her friends, hurt Tione, like that only caused the black flame in her heart to burn more and more.

"Why…?" Ais gritted out, her face managing to form a grimace as she held back tears. "Why am I… so weak…?"

The image of Bell, wounded but still standing tall, after having faced Levis in battle flashed in her head. How his eyes were strong, bright, and unwavering. And Ais wondered, "...And how are you so strong?"

The wind blew through the broken street, and it provided no answers to the girl who chose to stand alone there.

---

"She got away."

"""Oh really? We didn't notice."""

"Oh, do piss off."

"""Whatever."""

"At least I'm sure we can agree that this was annoying."

"True."

"I still don't understand why Freya-sama said we weren't allowed to try to kill the red-haired skank."

"I'm still pissed that the Evilus bimbo thought flashing us would actually distract us so she could run away like a coward."

"No, to be fair, her clothes were in a sorry state to begin with."

"Idiot, the bitch clearly did it on purpose. Fucking snake."

"Why you–!?"

"Can you stop bickering and instead have a look at this?"

"""What?"""

"That piece of trash dropped this when she used that perverted tactic."

"Magic item?"

"You think?"

"Could be useful…"

"Freya-sama did want us to perform recon while we protect those two. This will at least count for something I suppose."

"I still want to kick that bitch's ass though…"

"It's out of our hands. Despite her wounds, she was surprisingly quick. A shame, I'm bored beating the crap out of the rest of you."

"""Why you–?!"""

And so the quadruplets bickered, a certain orb-shaped magic item now in their possession.

---

"Ah geez, I'm so glad I went to the bathroom before we headed out, nya. Otherwise I'd definitely have pissed myself already, nya," Chloe whimpered as she stared at the walls of Folkvangr. "Something is seriously wrong with me, nya. My sense of self-preservation should never let me within a kilometer of this place, nya."

"Could you not act like a selfish pussy for five seconds?" Lunoire hissed, though her complexion was also pale at the imposing fortification ahead.

Anya gasped, "I can't believe you said the 'p-word', nya!? That's our word, you can't say that, nya!"

"How is that your most vital concern right now?!" Lunoire bickered.

"S-should we really be fighting like this?" Haruhime asked, robed in her battle-approved kimono. Armed with one of Welf's large longbows and a quiver full of conventional arrows. And a single larger arrow with unique coloring.

The other Hostess girls were wearing their adventuring gear. And were armed for battle. Chloe with her knives and bombs and other miscellaneous throwables. Lunoire with her… fists. And Anya with her spear.

One may wonder how Anya had replaced her spear so quickly after her last one had been dissolved in acid. Apparently Anya kept multiple spare spears of similar quality because she had a habit of breaking or losing them. Chloe was simultaneously offended and impressed at the casual and wasteful display of wealth.

In front of them were the walls of Folkvangr. If Bell were present, he'd be surprised at the sight of Christian crosses adorning the walls of a base belonging to a Goddess of the Norse pantheon. Indeed, the walls were more akin to the aesthetics of Central Europe than of Scandinavia. Utilitarian, but still beautiful. As it was, however, no one present had such incredulous thoughts on the architecture. Their thoughts lie elsewhere.

"Hush you!" Lunoire glared at the fox woman, "I still don't understand how you managed to trick us into bringing you along. Bell's gonna kill us when he finds out we took you along! To the Freya Familia home no less!"

"W-What Bell-sama doesn't know can't hurt him…" Haruhime stuttered sheepishly, "But I could not stand idly by when I happened to overhear your quest to free Anya-san. And with great power—"

"""Comes great responsibility…""" the three other girls drawled in unison with an annoyed tone… before shooting each other knowing grins at Bell's expense despite his absence at the moment.

Haruhime blushed before adding, "Besides, on the off chance we fail in our endeavors, then it is better that I fall into Freya-sama's hands then return to Ishtar. Even if Aisha was kind to me…"

"You can keep trying to convince us that Amazoness isn't that bad, nya," Chloe deadpanned, "But you're yipping up the wrong tree."

Chloe, Luniore, and Anya did not have the highest opinion of Aisha after the commotion she had recently caused at the Hostess. And because Aisha had said nasty things about Bell. Of course, they at least appreciated how Aisha apparently looked after Haruhime while in the brothels. But until the Amazon apologized, Aisha might as well be on their shit-list.

"I prefer the 'kon-kon' onomatopoeia…" Haruhime murmured, as if trying to hold back her offense at being the one under a racist joke now. But her small smile showed she was joking as well.

The group of four bickered a little longer but they silently accepted that they were all here against their better judgment and sense... And that they wouldn't have it any other way.

And also, perhaps ironically, Haruhime's presence was the one that made the most sense. If anyone had a vested interest in seeing another freed from bondage, it was Haruhime. No wonder the girls had been unable to talk the Renard out from joining them in this endeavor.

Noel Watch(™) had been entrusted to Syr and Astraea-sama. They hadn't exactly shared with Hestia-sama what they were up to. Better to ask for forgiveness from Bell rather than permission right? Not that Bell had nor claimed any jurisdiction over any of them. Bell was Haruhime's guardian, certainly, but he had also stated she was free to do as she wished. Just that it would be hard for him to protect her for the time being should she go against his words and advisements.

Either way, the large gates to the fortress Folkvangr chose that moment to dramatically open, revealing rolling hills and green grass under the cool light of the moon and stars.

As well as a small army of adventurers. Standing at attention in parallel lines, forming a sort of road, as if to guide and form a procession for them to their final destination. The formation which could have been exalting and grandiose instead came off as creepy and disturbing. Especially since all of the adventurers were glaring at them out of the corners of their eyes. They'd certainly glare at the Hostess Girls directly if their sense of discipline hadn't held them back otherwise.

Aside from Haruhime, the Hostess Girls could tell at a glance that this formation was made up of Level 1s and 2s. Perhaps the occasional Level 3.

Anya shivered nervously as she and the other girls cautiously walked forward into the compound. Anya jumped slightly into the air, startled when the gates suddenly slammed shut, trapping the girls within the fortress. The other girls unconsciously moved into a triangle formation around Anya as they slowly followed the path laid out for them.

They all had a feeling of what lay at the end of this path. The air was tense with barely restrained hostility. A pressure weighed down on their shoulders. It was like they were walking down their own funeral procession. All the merriment from before was now gone. Haruhime's ears wilted from nervousness and anxiety from the hostility. Anya's ears flattened, but she stood strong for the moment.

After a walk that felt like 5 hours but was really just 5 minutes, the group finally made it to the end of the road. The girls took one look ahead of them before turning their gaze anywhere else.

A large stage had been constructed in the middle of the open grassy field. Many of the big names of Freya Familia stood atop it: Hedin, Hogni, and Ottar specifically. Near the center Allen himself, looking especially pissed off and belligerent, stood next to a humble throne where Freya herself sat as she overlooked everything.

Instead of her 'usual' attire, Freya was wearing a simple white gown, the color of new beginnings, that hid her sexuality while still managing to show off her figure as a woman.

All the girls avoided looking in Freya's general direction, afraid of falling under her Charm. An effort that all the girls knew was futile — Chloe and Lunoire from their worldly knowledge, Anya and Haruhime from personal experience. Freya could Charm them with her voice alone. With her scent. Even her mere presence was enough to sway the hearts of men and women. The only reason they weren't already under her sway was because she had not willed it. Such was the power of a Goddess of Beauty.

"Welcome~" the silky smooth voice of Freya greeted the four girls warmly, "Thank you for accepting my invitation. I would say that I was afraid that you all wouldn't come… but I knew better than to doubt you."

Chloe particularly found Freya's confidence that they wouldn't turn tail and run from her invitation last night to be disturbing and unnerving.

Not that the girl's saw it, but Freya's gaze focused on Haruhime as she said, "Though I am surprised to see you here, child of Ishtar. Oh, don't be surprised I know all about you. Mia isn't the type to infringe on the privacy of 'her girls'. I simply have my ways of knowing things. Especially those who are under my protection, inadvertent or not."

Haruhime had flinched when Freya identified her as one of Ishtar's children. And paled at the growing implications of Freya's words — it was clear that Freya was establishing that Haruhime was in Freya's debt for helping protect her from Ishtar's grasp. The fact that Freya had not lifted a finger to free Haruhime from her imprisonment mattered little. Bell had even informed Haruhime that by using the Hostess of Fertility as a sanctuary, that they were using the one-sided rivalry between Ishtar and Freya Familia as a shield. It is no surprise that Freya herself would say that a debt was owed to her.

"Worry not child," Freya suddenly assured the blond Renard, "After tonight, you will have either earned the right to my protection or it would be yours to have by implication."

"What… do you mean by that, Kami-sama?" Haruhime politely asked, raising her head to look in Freya's direction, but still refrained from looking directly. Haruhime addressed Freya as formally and impersonally as possible while still being extremely polite.

"All in due time," Freya replied, refusing to elaborate on her words for the moment. "I know why you all are here. Why you all attempted to visit me last night. But perhaps I am wrong—"

"Do not lower yourself in front of trash! Freya-sama!" Allen interrupted furiously, like a petulant child. He was furious that Freya had even implied that she may be 'wrong' so as to assuage the egos of the girls before her. Allen growled, "Why are you even entertaining this far—?!"

"SILENCE," Freya calmly and firmly chided, her tone leaving no room for discussion or defense. Out of equal parts fear and respect, Allen had fallen still. Like an abandoned cat in the rain.

"Onii-sama…" Anya whimpered, both at the sight of Allen's anger, but also at how he was silenced. She use the aforementioned Koine to address Allen formally so as to say 'big brother'.

Freya smiled as her gaze returned to the girls, "As I was saying. It's good to see you, Anya. Why is it that you wanted to see me again after all this time?"

"I-I… w-want t-to…" Anya slowly stuttered, quivering violently in place. Completely consumed by fear. Fear of Freya, the Goddess that abandoned her. Fear of Allen, afraid that he would get violent as soon as he hears her request to Freya. Fear for her friends, guilt welling up inside her for the trouble she had dragged them into for her selfishness.

"S-she wants out of—!" Lunoire stuttered initially as she projected loudly, only to be cut off as Freya interrupted her.

"Do not speak for her!" Freya declared, looking at Lunoire with disappointment, "Do not belittle her resolve by speaking for her! If you truly love this Child, truly, then dispense with pity and let her learn to fight her own battles. And when she triumphs, she will be all the more stronger for the victory."

The girls were stunned for a moment. Freya's words were harsh, but they weren't exactly wrong either. And her words were almost… encouraging? There was an unsaid implication, or perhaps expectation, that Anya would triumph rather than fail.

Regardless of whether it was Freya's intention or not, Anya's resolve grew. She regained a semblance of composure and cried out, "I-I would like to Convert! So I can be with that stubborn elf and the other girls!"

There was a moment of silence. Freya smiled with pride, not showing an ounce of the sadness she may or may not have felt inside. But after a beat, the entire field lit up with the roars of enraged zealots. The vast majority of Freya Familia's forces cried out their outrage at what they just overheard.

"YOU DARE!" "BLASPHEMY!" "UNGRATEFUL SINNER!" "ARROGANT REJECT!"

The only way people have left Freya Familia is through death (in the Dungeon). Retired like Mia Grand? Sure, that's rare but not unheard of. But leaving voluntarily? Leaving the Familia of the strongest and most beautiful of all the Gods and Goddesses? That was pure lunacy. Absurdity. HERESY.

Heresy of the highest order. To these mindless zealots of Freya, Anya may as well have called Freya the ugliest being in all of existence before defecating all over the Goddess right in front of them. The followers of Freya were instantly overcome with the infinite rage and hatred born of religious zealotry. The fanatics announced their fervor to the world, their cries demanding one thing and one thing alone — the life blood of the Blasphemer.

"We're surrounded, nya!?" Chloe cried out, finally noticing that the small army of Level 1s to 3s had followed them from the gates and had surrounded them on three sides — the final side being the stage where Freya and her executives were positioned. As far as Chloe was concerned, they were encircled. Trying to retreat to where Freya was positioned was just asking for the executives of Freya Familia to also attack them.

"Incoming!" Lunoire called out moments after the army began drawing weapons and rushing towards their positions — about 30 or so meters away from the girls at the beginning of their charge.

Quickly turning their backs to the stage, the girl's faced their charging attackers. Anya held the frontline while Chloe and Lunoire were on the flanks, with Haruhime holding the rear. The latter pulled out an arrow and drew her bow elegantly as she quietly uttered words of growth and riches.

And just like that, it was time again for modern Orarian military theory to be put to the test: that Quality would triumph over Quantity on the battlefield.

---

"…"

"…"

Riveria and Lefiya stood quietly, only the sound of swirling water breaking the silence. Riveria had caught up to Lefiya and taken her to where they could talk alone. And so they were at the shores of the lake just outside Rivira. The High Elf offered to hear out any concerns that Lefiya might have and has since been waiting for the younger elf to respond.

Lefiya, meanwhile, found herself in a bind. On an almost instinctual level, Lefiya wanted to trust Riveria with all of her thoughts and concerns. Not only was Riveria her beloved teacher, but Riveria was a High Elf – descended from Rishena, the sister of Celdia the Great whom had journeyed the world with the Mercenary King. But Lefiya remembered how Bell Cranel rebuked the zealotry of the elves, and the dangerous path it could lead to. Lefiya couldn't help but worry that her own mind, her own biases, were betraying her when it came to Riveria. And, after all, Riveria was close friends with Captain Finn (much to the annoyance and hatred of many elves, which only further proved Bell's point). Lefiya was under no illusions that anything she said to Riveria would somehow avoid reaching Captain Finn's ears.

And so, after some internal deliberation, Lefiya came to a decision. She would choose to rely on Riviera-sama, but she would also continue to uphold a promise to Bell that technically was no longer active – keeping his magic secret.

"...I just don't feel comfortable talking with the Captain right now. Is it okay if I give you my report now?" Lefiya asked, refusing to look in Riveria's direction. Lefiya squirmed in place, feeling nervous.

"...I see no problem with this. Please, share your findings with me," Riveria answered, concealing any emotion she may have felt on Lefiya's request.

"...We had finished training for the day and were heading back to camp. Bell and Big Sis had gone off to have a private conversation," Lefiya regaled, "Ais-san detected an intruder in our camp and we went to investigate. Lili-san, Bell's Pallum supporter, had gone around to enter camp from the other side. There we met the Creature who introduced herself as Lyra."

"A Level 3 adventurer from Astraea Familia," Riveria provided, "The Cunning Rat Lyra. An excellent fighter, and a tactician almost on par with our own Captain. She was believed to have died 5 years ago during a strike against Rudra Familia in the Dungeon, alongside most of Astraea Familia."

Not much was known about the battle. The lone survivor, Lion of the Gale Wind, certainly never shared what occurred. Finn had told Riveria he suspected a mass Pass Parade was used as a sort of imitation of the Nightmare of Floor 27 Incident. The Guild never seemed to bother investigating the matter, or if there was an investigation it was sealed to the public. The only thing publicly known was the obvious…

"Big Sis lost her whole Familia…" Lefiya uttered, feeling pity and sadness for the older elf, unable to imagine what that must have been like.

"Lion The Gale Wind had gone on a rampage after that, destroying the vestiges of the Evilus organization left after the Nightmare of Floor 27," Riveria supplied information as if reading from a textbook, unable to help herself from using this as a teaching opportunity, "But she had hit a lot of merchants and trading organizations in her wrath. Many of which had appeared 'innocent' at the time. It would take much investigation after the fact to learn how in bed those organizations had been in with Evilus. But by then, the Gale had already long held a bounty on her head for the unauthorized killings."

"But… wasn't that rather…?" Lefiya slowly asked, having trouble asking her grisly question. Hadn't a lot of people died during the Dark Ages by the hands of Loki Familia members as well? Directly and indirectly? This hardly seemed fair at all…

"Hypocritical? Who's to say for certain," Riveria answered. The High Elf had no intention of blaming Ryuu Lion, just pointing out that sometimes the truth is a hard thing to know with complete certainty. Riveria continued, saying, "Regardless, the wrath of the Gale broke the Evilus resistance, bringing peace to the surface until recent times. And she was punished for it. I suspect the Guild at the time was unable to resist the whims of the trade organizations back in those days and that was why they abandoned her with the bounty and blacklisting. The economy was in shambles, people were scared. The Guild had to tackle with the reality that the city was still recovering from the devastation of the 'Grand Feud' perpetrated by Demon Lord Erebus… and the Demon General Zard and Demon Queen Alfia…"

Riveria happened to actually know more about the true intentions of those three individuals in comparison to most adventurers involved in the entire operation – having been present on Floor 18 during that final clash. But she concealed the truth back in those days in order to help maintain the stability of the city and the public's confidence in their defenders. The lie that Zard and Alfia's intentions were revenge against Orario for casting out the shattered remnants of Zeus and Hera Familias; instead of the bizarre and twisted truth that they had used the last of their lifeforce to help Orario become stronger for an inevitable confrontation with the Black Dragon. She would not spit on her past decision by unnecessarily revealing the truth of the matter now. Not that anybody would believe such insanity to begin with.

The people had needed Hope in the aftermath of the death and destruction of the Grand Feud. Valletta, Vito, and Olivias Act had survived the battle and continued to threaten the city. The people needed to know that the pain and loss they had endured had been worth it. The people needed to know that Loki, Freya, Ganesha, and Astraea Familias had won. And so the names of Erebus, Zard, and Alfia were publicly blamed for causing all the death and destruction, and that they had been slain. And so the trio went down in infamy, just as they had wanted.

In a way, the biggest lie told about the Grand Feud was that Orario's defenders had won. That Orario was victorious. All of the objectives of Demon Lord Erebus had been met as far as Riveria could tell. But perhaps she was wrong, only the Gods and Goddesses could know for certain.

"...But that is enough of a tangent," Riveria said, directing their conversation back on topic, "You were saying?"

"R-right!" Lefiya said, blushing in embarrassment for getting distracted by the tangent that Riveria had gotten them on.

Lefiya proceeded to describe how Lyra introduced herself before getting Ais to leave the field by revealing the existence of 'Luna' which was a new alias for Kaguya of Astraea Familia. Lefiya described how Lyra was after some sort of 'key' but had not found it amongst their things. Lefiya simply stated that she and Lili engaged Lyra in battle, but gave no play by play of the details of the battle itself. Just that Lyra had disabled her and that Lili used an electric magic knife to temporarily paralyze Lyra long enough for the two of them to flee and 'go after Ais'. Lefiya pointedly withheld the fact that she teleported into Rivira to Riveria, not trusting Finn with the knowledge of the ability Bell had gifted her freely to protect others.

"...Is that all?" Riveria asked after hearing everything Lefiya had to say. While Riveria wasn't usually the one to receive such debriefs, she knew that Lefiya was being egregiously vague in parts of her report. It was one thing for a free-spirit like Tiona to give a vague report, but not for Lefiya to be sparse on the details.

"...Yes. If that is all?" Lefiya said after a moment, all but making it clear that she had no intention of relying on Riveria with her actual thoughts and concerns. And that it pained her to do so.

"I see," Riveria said simply, hiding the pain in her heart. Like she had lost something irreplaceable.

"Then, by your leave…" Lefiya said, bowing to Riveria without looking at her before turning to walk away. Apparently going to take a walk along the shores of the lake by herself.

And so Riveria stood alone. Wondering how they could have possibly failed Lefiya so deeply, so quickly. Unable to find the answers. Unable to understand.

And that was her truest failing.

---

Anya did not know how long the battle lasted for sure. Perhaps (read 'purrhaps') no more than an hour? All Anya knew was that she was tired. All of the adventurers that attacked her and her friends were chumps. But a lot of chumps was still a lot of chumps. It was like working at the pub all day, but all the customers wanted to stab her. Easy work, but it still made her want to take a cat nap!

It didn't help that the chumps kept getting back up. Some mage must have been healing them so they could keep fighting. And only recently had finally run out of Mind and so couldn't keep up the pressure like when May puts too much rice in the cooking thing. Or is it the opposite? Anya is not good at metaphors!

All Anya knew was that she had worked up a sweat, and was trying really hard to ignore the flashbacks of the years of brutal 'training' that occurred within these damned walls. Anya had thought she had blissfully forgotten those days. Perhaps Anya had scars that couldn't be seen.

The other girls had worked up a sweat and were panting as well. Lunoire looked the most roughed up, being the one of them who fought in the closest quarters; but even then, she had nothing beyond the most minor of cuts and bruises. Anya herself was perhaps the next most injured, mainly because the chumps of Freya Familia were much better fighters than Evilus scum. Chloe was surprisingly the least injured. Or perhaps not. Anya's detective assistant has always been a sneaky one!

If Anya deterred her opponents hitting her with her spear, and Lunoire did with her sheer strength, Chloe achieved the same goal by being too nimble to hit in the first place.

The perverted fox woman was the least injured, but the most exhausted. Her blond hair was completely soaked in sweat, her cheeks were flushed, her arms were shaking, and her panting was heavy. She never did cast her weird glowy magic, apparently Anya was so badass that Haru-Haru didn't think she needed to cast it! Whatever it did. Anya just remembers feeling strangely fast and strong when she became all glowy.

The chumps of Freya Familia were the worst off. Anya and her friends pummeled them! Three times! They just wouldn't give up! But Anya and the others showed them who's the boss! It was almost funny watching the unconscious bodies being carted away back to the mansion proper. Apparently these members of Freya Familia were used to being carted away to medical like they were a trading caravan.

Of course, Anya had yet to lower her guard. She knew better than to be THAT stupid. Over a baker's dozen of probable Level 4s were forming a loose perimeter around her and the girls — far out enough that Anya would NOT have been able to EASILY make out their faces without her Falna. And her count wasn't considering the goons that were on injured escort duty.

Anya's accounting of her surroundings was halted by the sound of soft, polite clapping behind her.

"Excellent work," Freya praised the Hostess girls, "I do hope that served as a good, albeit impromptu, warmup for you all."

"You… call that a warm up?" Lunoire panted incredulously, pushing herself up from resting on her knees.

"It's a light warm up since none of the 1st Class Adventurers joined in, nya…" Anya meekly announced, holding back a shudder at what 'proper' warmup exercises were.

"When are you going to stop talking like a mangy cat, you idiot?!" Allen growled from atop the stage, referring to Anya's catspeak. Causing the younger sibling to shrink in on herself at the sudden berating.

"Oh could you piss off and shut up for five seconds, you edgy pussy cat, nya?" Chloe hissed as she glared up at the other black-haired cat person. "It's not her fault that she's cute and you aren't, nya."

Chloe was implying that cat speak was cute, and that Allen should instead be embarrassed that he couldn't pull it off without looking ridiculous.

Chloe finished by saying, "At least I'm vindicated in not liking you all these years after finally getting to see you in person, nya."

Allen only sneered back, not caring about Chloe's opinion of him in the slightest. In his eyes she was just weak trash that hung out with his former sister. (Lies, all lies. He still…)

Anya, however, looked at Chloe in surprise, not expecting Chloe to speak up like that. Still, Anya's mood quickly shifted to being grateful for Chloe standing up for her. Anya didn't notice that her posture had straightened back up in relief from the freely given support from her friend. Freya did notice the change, but said nothing of it.

Instead Freya clapped her hands a single time with finality and said, "Enough. I will allow no more tomfoolery this night." Freya then turned her gaze to Anya and said, "So you wish to leave my Familia, is it? I must admit, it is a very bold thing for you to ask. Impressive even."

"S-So…? W-will you…?" Anya meekly questioned, finding the direct gaze of Freya herself to be extremely intimidating. Freya's small smirk, her knowing eyes, looking down on her from on high. It really showed that Freya was a higher being, plain and simple. Reminding Anya that she was just a small, worthless kitten in Freya's eyes – or so she believed.

"I said it was bold. I did not mean to imply that it was something I approved of," Freya corrected firmly, but not aggressively. She then added, "Have you forgotten? That when I found you, and your brother, that you were on the verge of death? I took you into my Familia and saved your lives. That made them mine. I may have released you from the duties of an active adventurer because of your weakness, but you have always remained mine. How many years have you lived under the protection of my Name? Do you find it fair to have this debt go unpaid?"

Anya winced, her eyes widening under the deluge of words Freya sent her way. Unable to believe what she was hearing. Anya seethed, anger drowning out her fear as she cried out, "You never wanted me! I remember the day you saved us! Saved my brother! I remember your eyes! You only wanted big brother! You only took me because you knew he wouldn't go without me at that time! Don't screw with me!?"

Anya was so angry and sad and hurt that she lost her catspeak. Lunoire and Chloe were particularly shocked, having never heard Anya speak without her accent in all their years of knowing her. Even Allen looked surprised, as if he was seeing his sister for the first time in over a decade. If Freya felt anything, she didn't show it.

"If that helps you sleep at night, then believe what you must," Freya said dismissively, all but claiming that Anya was wrong but was allowed to feel that way. Freya then said, "But it does not change the fact that I will not let you go just because you ask of it."

"What…" Chloe cut in, saying, "What do you want from her, from us, nya? Why did you call us here, nya?"

"Anya," Freya said, addressing the brown haired girl while answering Chloe's question, "You may hate me, despise me. You may love me, cherish me. You may loathe me, revere me. I accept it all. I accept any and all contradictory feelings you have for me. Regardless of how you feel for me, I am your Goddess. Your protector. If you wish to leave me, then I will only let you go if I believe you are ready. If you are strong enough to stand on your own two feet."

"A test…" Haruhime said aloud, the first to realize what Freya's intentions were. "You wish to test Anya-san. And you wanted us as witnesses."

"…" Freya said nothing at first, only giving them an affirming smile. But before any of the girls could protest, Freya finally spoke, "Anya. You will face Allen in combat… To the death… or until you impress me, whichever comes first…"

Anya, who believed that Freya never wanted nor had faith in her, felt like the victory conditions of 'impressing Freya' was pure mockery. Anya's ears fell flat against her brown hair in fear and sorrow. The other girls similarly thought that 'impressing Freya' was simply unlikely on principle alone. They saw it as more of a line that Freya was saying to make it appear like there were multiple ways to 'win' when there really wasn't.

To his credit, Allen was also surprised, "What!? But you promised–! T-That's not what was discussed earlier…"

"I have altered our deal, pray I don't alter it any further. Besides, are you truly dissatisfied Allen?" Freya asked sweetly, but her words were cold like ice, "I thought you hated your sister, disowned her. That having to see her face to face for the first time in years would mean nothing to you at best and be repulsive at worst. That her life meant nothing to you. Was I wrong? If I am, you need to speak up. Explain to me how you feel. If not, then stay silent and obey."

"…" Allen said nothing, only gritting his teeth in frustration before turning away from his Goddess and jumping down off of the stage. Allen's pride, and his reverence for Freya, were too great for him to admit the truth — were too great to speak out against his Goddess.

Freya looked back at Anya and the girls, saying, "You wish to leave Freya Familia. Show me that you are strong enough to stand on your own! But worry not, I realize this matchup isn't fair…"

Freya then said, a bemused smile on her face, "Allen, you are forbidden from killing Anya until she begs for the release of death."

"…Yes, Freya-sama," Allen muttered an affirmative, his gaze locked onto the quivering form of Anya.

The reality of what Freya wanted from her sinking in, that this was not some kind of sick joke. Anya knew that Freya was being dead serious. She never made a declaration in jest, especially about something as serious as this.

Freya had found them both on the brink of death. And now she wanted Anya's own brother to be the one to send her (useless, weak Anya) onto the next great journey. Anya found a familiar despair crawling in her heart, much like when she was first abandoned by Freya and her brother. To essentially be given a death sentence from her own Goddess… Anya felt like she had fallen into an even deeper understanding of betrayal and abandonment. She felt like the most lonely cat on the planet…

But moments before she fell into the brink of despair…

""No!"" "N-No!"

Chloe and Luniore and Haruhime yelled out in unison, the latter unable to hold back her stutter however. The three girls took positions to Anya's sides and rear, blatantly declaring their intentions to stand together as one.

Chloe declared loudly, drawing her knife, "Even for a former killer like me, this is too cruel, nya!"

"You can't get away with this!" Luniore yelled, the irony of her calling upon the law was not lost on Chloe.

"The Guild will accept it if I say there was a casualty caused by overzealous training," Freya said as if to assure them that there would be no legal consequences for her instigating a literal death match. "And do you really think the Guild will take your testimonies over mine? Especially considering your pasts?"

Luniore and Chloe winced. Both of them had criminal backgrounds. Even if the Guild wasn't exactly looking for them, they were still 'in the system' as it were. The Guild would never take their word over Freya's.

Freya looked at Haruhime and said, "And they will not heed your words either, Child of Ishtar. The enmity that Ishtar holds for me is common knowledge. True or not, your words will be interpreted with the same bias of that petty Goddess. You may at most get a pat on the head before they cart you off to 'return' you to your 'patron' — hopes of repairing relations between the Guild and her Familia in their greedy hearts."

Haruhime's ears dropped, for she knew that Freya spoke the truth. The Hostess girls had no way to prevent this death match from occurring by threatening Freya with legal action. The Guild would not dare press charges or fines over what is an internal matter in their eyes.

The fact that Zanis is reportedly still in Soma Familia custody goes to show how far the Guild is willing to meddle in the internal affairs of the Familias. That is to say, no interference at all.

"S-Still!" Luniore called out, "If you think we are just going to stand here and watch this happen, you're crazy!"

Luniore's words seemed to bristle the nerves of all of the nearby members of Freya Familia — sans Anya of course. It was likely Freya's orders of silence were the only thing holding their collective tongues.

"Hmmm…" Freya faux-hummed, her ever present smirk deepening ever so slightly as she said, "…Very well, let's make a wager then."

"H-Huh?" Luniore said intelligently. Chloe, Anya, and Haruhime all looked puzzled as well.

"I will allow all three of you the choice to stand alongside Anya in this skirmish," Freya said to them, "But if you choose to partake, then you must agree to my wager."

"…What are you talking about, nya?" Chloe said cautiously, having a bad feeling about what Freya would say next.

"If any of you stand alongside Anya, and she wins this duel, then I will grant each of you that partake one wish — assuming it is within MY power to grant," Freya declared. She put emphasis on the word 'my' showcasing that she was not using the resources of Freya Familia, but rather anything that she alone was capable of granting.

"A-and should we fail? Or surrender?" Haruhime then asked.

Freya's smile deepened, her gaze hungry as she said, "Then Anya will be forever mine. And all of you who participate will also become mine!"

Freya was saying that if Anya lost, then she would be forever bound to Freya Familia… in death. And that if any of the Hostess Girls stand alongside Anya in this duel, and are on the losing side, then they will be forcibly converted to Freya Familia.

Luniore and Chloe looked at each other. Their expressions' blank. Lunoire turned to Freya first and asked, "…And, hypothetically, what if any of us had Converted within the last year? Or our Status' are locked?"

"…" Freya paused for a moment, looking momentarily surprised before regaining her composure as quickly as she lost it. She then said, "…the year-long wait period between Conversions is more of a social contract between the Gods than a hard limitation of the Falna. Explaining the situation to your new patron… would be rather simple don't you think?"

Freya was stating that refusing Freya Familia was not something that other Familias were likely to do. Rather than contest anything, most Familias would fold without protest to Freya's will. Not even forgetting to mention the 'persuasive' power of her Charm. If the girls' new hypothetical God or Goddess wouldn't hand them over to Freya, then she'd just destroy their Familia. Send their patron deity back to Tenkai by force. Because Freya would not be denied what was hers. Or so Freya threatened.

Freya then turned to Haruhime and said, "And as for Ishtar. Again, her enmity for me is known. She would never hand you over even if you bet your own life — for in her eyes you are her property. I say this not to taunt you, it is merely the truth."

"…" Haruhime was silent, there was no need for her to dispute the facts that Freya was speaking.

Freya continued by saying, "I was well aware of Ishtar's plotting against me before Bell Cranel brought you within my sphere of influence. Albeit, little of the specifics. All I need to do is continue sheltering you. When Ishtar attacks me, and fails, it will be simple to use your Conversion as the reparation 'payment'. Ishtar will no doubt jump at the chance to trade one life to me instead of millions of Valis."

Haruhime did not like how her life was being compared to a reparation payment, as if she were chattel. However, she had the impression that Freya was only making the comparison because that is the mindset that Ishtar was operating under, the language that Ishtar would understand. Freya did not look at her like she was property or an object. Haruhime wasn't exactly sure what Freya's gaze meant, but Haruhime did have the impression that Freya acknowledged her existence. It was more than Ishtar had ever considered her. Haruhime couldn't help but admit in the back of her heart that becoming Freya's pawn would be a vast improvement in her life… but it was still not a path she would have chosen without coercion like this bet. And so failing here for that reason alone was already unacceptable. But make no mistake, to her, failing Anya was even more unacceptable.

"I think my proposition is rather fair," Freya declared, leaning back in her throne elegantly, "If you wish to fight for another's freedom, you risk losing your own upon defeat. That said, this isn't a discussion or a negotiation. These are my terms, there will be no others. If you do not wish to play by my rules, then my Children will have no choice to escort you out. So? What will it be?"

The intention behind Freya's invitations to Anya's friends was now almost blatantly transparent. A lure to a gambit that would make them hers. And Anya was horrified as even she realized this truth.

"G-Guys, n-no, you can't!" Anya whimpered, her eyes wet with tears, her legs shaking uncontrollably. The fear of fighting her brother. The fear of damning her friends to Freya's whims. It was a burden too much for Anya's heart to bear. So she begged them not to burden themselves for her sake. She couldn't allow Freya to break them (too). She wouldn't! She couldn't! She mustn't!

"You think I'm scared of this idiot's older relative, nya? In your dreams, nya!" Chloe declared defiantly, a smirk on her lips as she said, "I'm already excited about how I'm going to use that favor when I finish kicking this pussy's ass, nya!"

Allen growled in annoyance, only Freya's orders of silence kept him quiet.

Luniore cracked her knuckles, "I knew I was signed up for the crazy carriage when I came to this place. Might as well double down. Besides, letting us gang up on a single adventurer? This'll be a breeze!"

Chloe and Luniore were boasting, but it was more to talk themselves up, to boost their confidence and morale. And perhaps to get under Allen's fur, an angry adventurer tended to make mistakes after all. They were well aware of the fact that a Level 6 like Allen would absolutely clobber them if they gave him a single opening to exploit. In fact, they suspected that there was no winning this battle, but that wasn't reason enough to hold them back. A certain white-haired rabbit turned them into idiots with no sense of self-preservation. A certain stubborn elf showed them it was possible to change, possible to face the demons in your heart and come out triumphant. They couldn't allow those two idiots to show them up!

Anya turned to both of the girls, shaking them, begging them to change their minds. For them to not do this. But the two girls refused to budge. The former assassin and mercenary both logically knew that it was in their selfish best interests to abandon Anya to her fate. But they both knew that, despite their dark pasts, that doing so would be the greatest sin in their lives. They'd never be able to look at themselves in the mirror ever again.

For the girl who was raised as a tool to kill. For the girl who was born alone and struggled alone. They couldn't allow the family they had found to be torn apart. They'd rather die. There was no turning away now.

Anya seemed to realize that they were a lost cause. She turned behind her, and pleaded, "Please… Haru-Haru… not you too! Y-you can't! What about Bell?! And Noel-chan!"

Haruhime smiled at Anya sadly, not feeling sorry for herself, but for Anya. She softly explained to the teary-eyed cat girl, "…A hero's life is sacrifice. I know if Bell were here, he would follow you and the girls on this path. How could I turn away? I cannot. I will not. Not until we all return to the Hostess to tell Mama Mia, Syr-san, Noel-chan, and the others 'we are home!'"

Haruhime, like the others, was unwilling to let go of what she had gained. She only has known the Hostess girls for a short time, but she's already felt more camaraderie with them than she had with most of the Amazons of the Berbera. She still had Aisha in her heart, but now all the Hostess girls had a spot in her heart too. Haruhime would not go back to being a lonely Renard stuck in a cage again. She'd rather die.

The work at the Hostess may have been hard. But she didn't need to sell her body. And rather than having to endure the lewd looks of men, the girls were quick to defend her honor and beat up the perpetrators. And most importantly, despite what the bickering would suggest, they all loved each other and were kind to one another. And to Haruhime as well, despite only being with them all a short time.

"..." Anya was stunned, her mouth open in shock, her eyes wide as tears freely ran down her cheeks. This feeling in her heart, this warmth. It was something she hadn't felt in years, something she hadn't felt since the last time she hugged her brother and he didn't push her away. Something she hardly ever truly felt during all her time in Freya Familia.

Love.

Anya really, truly, completely, utterly understood how much her mean, idiotic friends loved her. And how much, how deeply, she loved them back. Despite the minor tiredness in her limbs, Anya felt like she could fight a thousand battles if it meant protecting them. Even if it meant fighting the brother she loves (loved?), the brother that abandoned her.

So Anya wiped away her tears before putting a genuine grin on her face. She flourished her spear before dramatically slamming the blunt end into the ground. "That's right, nya! We gotta get this over and done with as soon as possible, nya! Or Mama Mia will kill us for being unable to work in the morning, nya!"

"Jeez, don't remind me that I gotta work in the morning, nya," Chloe grumbled, but with an upbeat, joking tone.

"Maybe she'll have mercy and close for the day so we can rest before having the Christmas party?" Luniore said rhetorically.

"I do believe that Mama Mia is hardly so generous…" Haruhime chimed in, doing her best to ignore the gazes of the Freya Familia onlookers.

"Grrr…" Allen growled, annoyed at how the girls were even daring to imply they had a chance against him. (Annoyed at how Anya was looking at these weak girls like she used to look at him. Annoyed at how ungrateful Anya was for all he had done for her and continued to do.)

"So all four of you will stand together?" Freya asked them, giving them one last chance to abandon each other, "Think carefully now. Your resolve is commendable, but I do hope that all of you are not making a rash decision that you will later regret…"

"We have made up our mind, Freya-sama," Haruhime spoke for the group, "Please cease in your attempts to shake our will." The other girls smiled at each other in grim agreement before taking their stances.

Freya held out a hand, saying, "Very well. But I am a good sport. I do not expect you to fight my champion while still injured from your warmup. Heith! Please come forward and heal them if you would be so kind."

The Hostess girls stood still, unsure whether to be glad or wary of the act of mercy, but allowing it anyway if it gave them a few moments to mentally prepare for the fight ahead.

Dragging herself away from the last cart of personnel being shipped away, a young woman with long, light red hair tied in two ponytails sluggishly made her way over to the Hostess girls. Heith's eyes were dead looking, contrasting sharply with her otherwise beautiful facial features. As she stumbled over to the girls, she downed a Mind Potion without a semblance of tact or elegance – so exhausted from healing hundreds of adventurers three times each that she simply didn't care about appearances anymore.

Heith's glare dared any of the girls to comment on her appearance. Dared them to protest the healing that she very clearly did not want to perform, but did so anyway because of her Goddess' command. With immense restraint, Heith gritted out a song, "My name is gold. The arm of the Goddess who took an oath of immortality. Burned thrice, pierced forever. The flaming spear prison, the light that kills death. Curse, Curse, Curse. My body is gold. Here comes the endless struggle under the reviving light. Zeo Gullveig."

As the girls were healed, they couldn't help but feel like all the tension had been stolen by the effective interruption this sudden healing session provided. Awkwardly standing, surrounded by adventurers that couldn't stand their presence. An angry cat man glaring at them so hard they'd die if his gaze was actually lethal. An annoyed elf, bewildered dark elf, and stoic Boarman up on the stage. Freya, sitting regally on her throne, looking satisfied with herself.

But none of them forgot in their hearts what they would soon be fighting for. The ability and right to go home together as a family.

---

Meanwhile, In the Dungeon…

"Oi! They've suddenly picked up the pace!?"

"We finally catch up with them, only for them to start running off? What the hell? They couldn't have spotted us, could they?"

"Impossible. Maybe they're just in a hurry since this is the home stretch?"

"I'm still caught up on the fact we lost their tracks when we got to Floor 13. We only found them again because I'm the greatest–"

"""The hell you are!?"""

"I'll take all of you on you asshats!"

"Enough! They're getting away you idiots!"

"""Piss off, stop acting like you're the eldest, asshole."""

"For fuck's sake…"

---

Author's Notes:

I really wanted to get something out, but I still got a fair bit of work to finish up editing the entire chapter. And since the combined word count was already hitting over 40K words, I figured that splitting the chapter into multiple parts would be for the best. Expect Part 2 in the next week or two!

Lefiya becomes increasingly disillusioned with Loki Familia, but only Riveria notices. Alas, Riveria doesn't understand Lefiya's problem. And Finn dismisses the idea of Lefiya thinking of actually leaving Loki Familia because of how it doesn't make logical sense to him. Unfortunately, he doesn't know that heroes are stupid.

Via the Gulliver Brothers, Freya will soon have a key to Knossos in her possession.

In order to leave Freya Familia, Anya must prove her strength. And Freya is willing to allow her friends to stand with her to do so. Can the quartet defeat the Level 6 Allen? Or will the power of friendship and found family yield to the power of assholery? Find out the answer next time!

(I am aware of the implications for the War Game by having the Hostess girls be able to body a small army of Level 1s, 2s, and occasional 3 by themselves. I've got a plan to keep the stakes up, don't worry. :D )