"Before we head out, there's something I'd like to do first."
Judas spoke up, causing the others to turn toward him.
"What is it?"
Alise asked with a tilted head, but Judas didn't immediately reply.
Instead, he walked in front of Lyra and Kaguya.
"Lyra, do you want your eye back?"
He asked, which made her unconsciously touch her eyepatch.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Lyra asked with a frown.
"I know I should've told you this sooner, but I can heal your other eye... restore it to what it once was."
Back then, Judas had only been a third-tier mage when he first met the Astraea Familia, during the time they were nearly wiped out by the Juggernaut.
『Pseudo Miracle Heal』
That was the spell he had used on them... an inferior version of the 『Miracle Heal』 he now possesses.
The healing magic he performed back then was incomplete and could only restore a single eye, after Lyra had lost both when her eyeballs were melted from their sockets.
He then turned his gaze to Kaguya.
"And you, Kaguya... when I sparred with you, I noticed something... a slight misalignment in the bones of your right arm."
Kaguya blinked, her hand instinctively moving to her arm.
"I couldn't heal you properly back then."
Judas continued.
"But now, I have the strength to do so. All I need is your word of affirmation."
His eyes were steady, calm, and resolute as he awaited their response.
Kaguya and Lyra exchanged a glance, then looked back at him.
"Are you an idiot?"
Kaguya said bluntly, crossing her arms.
"Who the hell would reject something like that?"
Lyra chuckled nervously.
"To be honest, I've been wanting to ask if you could bring back my eye for a while now... but I didn't want to sound selfish."
She smiled, scratching her cheek.
"But hey, since you brought it up, who am I to say no?"
Judas exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly.
"You two... usually people say thank you first."
He muttered.
He raised his hand, and a radiant green magic circle shimmered into existence beside his palm.
『Miracle Heal』
A soothing emerald light burst forth, wrapping around Kaguya and Lyra.
The glow pulsed like a heartbeat before gradually fading into them.
"This feels... relaxing."
Lyra murmured, a hum in her voice.
"Yeah... refreshing."
Kaguya added, rolling her right shoulder.
"It's as if I just bathed in the energy of nature itself."
When she pulled back her sleeve, her arm looked flawless...no scars, no stiffness.
She clenched her fist, testing her strength, and threw a few sharp punches into the air.
"You're amazing, Judas..."
She said quietly, a rare, genuine smile crossing her lips.
"I thought I'd have to live with an imperfect arm forever after even Airmid failed to heal it."
Unsheathing her katana, she gave it a few practice swings.
Each slash was fast, clean, and precise... the swish of her blade cutting the air resonated like music.
Still, Judas could tell her movements weren't quite as sharp as before.
"It'll take some time to get back to my peak."
Kaguya admitted, sheathing the sword again.
"I got used to compensating for my old arm."
Then, to Judas's surprise, she dropped to one knee, bowing her head as the tip of her sheathed blade touched the ground.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Judas."
There was no sarcasm, no hesitation... only sincerity.
A warrior's bow.
In her entire life, the number of times the prideful Kaguya had willingly bowed to anyone were few and far between.
'Kaguya...'
Ryuu looked on with a dazed expression.
The image of her old rival bowing to someone like this was something she never expected to see today.
"Haha... I guess it's time to take this old thing off."
Lyra muttered as she pulled off her eyepatch.
Her closed eye, which hadn't opened since the Juggernaut incident five years ago, finally touched sunlight for the first time since that day.
"Ah..."
Her hands trembled as she raised them over her now-working pair of eyes.
"It worked... I can see with both my eyes again."
She took a deep breath to calm herself and let out a contented smile.
"Hey, I–I... um."
Lyra turned her head toward Judas but stammered, unable to voice her thoughts.
"I'm still not good at expressing my gratitude."
She rubbed her forehead with a sigh, then took another deep breath to collect herself.
"Judas... thanks, I guess."
She said it while turning slightly to the right, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's nothing."
Judas waved his hand dismissively, his gaze shifting between Kaguya and Lyra.
"Don't be so humble! That was amazing of you to heal them like that. As their captain, I'd like to say my thanks as well."
Alise said as she stepped forward and rested an arm over his shoulder with a big smile.
"Mister Spade, as their friend... I would also like to express my gratitude."
Ryuu added with a polite bow.
Judas didn't say anything and simply nodded with a smile.
As they walked toward the entrance of the Dungeon, the party's mood couldn't have been any lighter.
Even the foul-mouthed Kaguya seemed to be in unusually good spirits.
"Hehe... Judas, I bet you were trying to use your healing magic to get us into your harem, huh?"
"You've already got Alise and Ryuu in the bag, and now you're trying to score some points with me and Kaguya."
Lyra smirked as she shot him a teasing look.
"Hmph, that might be the case. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up becoming greedy for my beauty."
"Your personality might be boring and bland, but you're strong and handsome. If you confessed to me, there's a chance I might accept."
Of course, Lyra and Kaguya quickly returned to their usual selves.
Maybe it was to hide the awkwardness from earlier, but teasing remarks kept spilling from their mouths.
"Lyra! Kaguya! Stop spouting such vulgarity!"
Though the teasing was aimed at Judas, Ryuu was the one who turned red.
The pure-hearted elf couldn't take it and shouted scolding words at her friends.
Hearing their banter, Judas barely reacted... but that didn't mean he could completely tune out their words.
'A lover, huh?'
His mind drifted to Estelon and the life he once lived.
Despite being the Spirit King, Estelon never had children, as spirits were biologically incapable of reproduction.
As a result, feelings of lust or romance were foreign to him, and he remained single for his entire life.
'Alden... Estelon... both of them died as virgins.'
That realization made Judas reflect on his current life as well.
'Three lifetimes... zero girlfriends.'
A sad statistic... probably a world record.
While Judas was lost in thought, Alise clapped her hands loudly, cutting through the banter.
"Alright, everyone! We're about to head into the dungeon. Save that kind of energy for killing as many monsters as possible!"
Alise displayed her leadership once again, quickly calming the party before their teasing turned into a real argument.
'Let's not think about it.'
He shook his head and followed the girls down the spiral staircase.
'Mornings are spent training with Alfia, afternoons for dungeon diving, and evenings are dedicated to repairing my mana core.'
He realized just how packed his schedule had become.
Of course, he wasn't planning to explore the dungeon every single day, but he ensured that every hour of his day was spent productively.
"Judas?"
Alise turned towards him.
"Right with you."
Judas watched the backs of his new companions with a smile.
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