"That's amazing, Captain!"
Tione jumped up in excitement, tears of joy streaming down her face.
She knew this was the only moment Finn might say yes—so she seized it.
Overwhelmed, she threw her arms around Finn. Her Amazonian figure—far more voluptuous than her sister's—rubbed all over Finn's face, wiping away any lingering hesitation and leaving only helpless resignation.
It wasn't like Finn hadn't been through this before.
Tione had always found reasons to throw herself at him. Finn had gotten used to scenes like this.
This one, though, pushed his limits a little.
"Tione, please stop rubbing against me."
"I'm just so happy!"
This time, she truly was.
She'd proposed more than once—dozens, even—but Finn had always turned her down without hesitation. And yet this time, against all odds, she'd succeeded.
'Loki, I owe you big time!'
In her heart, she sincerely thanked Loki for this amazing gift.
If Loki hadn't engineered such a desperate situation, Finn never would have agreed to her proposal so easily.
Whether or not they'd make it back alive didn't matter to her anymore.
...
"I can't believe the Captain actually said yes."
"Right? He always used to turn her down. I never thought he'd agree this time."
"The moment they get back, they'll be married. I swear, once word spreads that Tione landed the Captain, every female adventurer in Orario is going to lose sleep over it."
"Seriously. Do you know how popular the Captain is with women? I once saw him surrounded by a group of female adventurers. If Tione hadn't shown up, I'm pretty sure they would've torn him apart."
It wasn't the Pallum race that was popular—far from it. In Orario, Pallums weren't exactly admired.
As adventurers, they had terrible stats. No strength, poor endurance, and even worse magical talent. Only their agility and dexterity stood out.
The only one people cared about was Finn.
A Level 6 star adventurer, with a kind personality and a doll-like face—he naturally stood out, especially among the women.
Those who didn't know the full story were talking excitedly, but those who did understood exactly why Finn had accepted Tione's proposal.
This expedition might be the last of his life.
"Maybe at this moment anything is allowed, because it's their last wish."
'Tione truly is happy.'
Lefiya could see genuine emotion in Tione's eyes.
As a girl, she could sense it clearly.
Naturally, she was surprised by Tione's proposal—but the bigger feeling in her heart was joy for Tione.
Perhaps Finn had done it to fulfill her wish.
And once he said yes—no matter what happened afterward—Tione could still be called his wife.
"That's so sweet..."
Overcome with envy, Lefiya's eyes glistened with a sudden impulse.
"?"
Ais, sitting beside Lefiya, tilted her head and watched her closely.
"Lefiya, are you thinking of proposing like Tione too?"
At Ais's words, the room fell instantly silent.
Even happy Tione was drawn into the moment.
All eyes locked onto Lefiya, and the elf girl froze, her mind blank.
"Huh? What?!"
After her foggy brain cleared, her face flushed bright red—burning through to her pointed ears.
"It must have been Ais."
"Yeah, if Lefiya were to propose, it'd definitely be you."
"Wow—I never thought Lefiya had guts like Tione. She's brave enough to face Loki head-on."
"I bet Loki would be even more thrilled if she found out."
"She'd definitely freak out."
As whispers buzzed, Lefiya's blush deepened.
She'd only entertained the thought for a moment—definitely not planning to follow Tione's lead.
Besides, with both of them being girls, it wasn't the right moment to propose.
Most importantly, she had no idea if Ais would even accept.
"Lefiya wants to propose... to me?"
Overhearing the murmurs, Ais finally understood what was being hinted at—and quickly rejected it.
"Sorry, Lefiya. I'm just not thinking about marriage."
Thud!
Her words struck Lefiya like a stone. The elf's ears drooped instantly.
Lefiya forced a shy smile and tried to clarify.
"Ais—don't listen to them. That's not what I meant."
"Oh! I misunderstood."
Ais nodded, trusting in Lefiya's sincerity.
Then Tione suddenly piped up:
"Hey, I thought you liked Lefiya?"
"I do."
Even in her calm manner, Ais's certainty made Lefiya sit up straight.
"I... also like Tione—and Riveria."
But that caused an even more awkward silence, with everyone staring at Lefiya as her emotions swirled.
Poor elf.
Ais's comment had made it painfully clear that Lefiya's feelings would be complicated.
Then someone couldn't resist asking:
"Ais, if you could choose someone to marry, who would it be?"
The question caught everyone's attention, and Lefiya leaned forward.
"Bell Cranel," Ais answered after a moment's pause.
Crack!
It hit Lefiya's heart like lightning—her world teetering on collapse.
"Why him!?"
Of course Lefiya knew who that was. But why would Ais say it so casually?
She wasn't the only one stunned—Sanjouno Haruhime, another top member of the Loki Familia, stiffened, her tail perked high.
Not out of jealousy—but because she had feelings for him too.