Judas offered Ryuu a quiet word of thanks, his voice sincere.
"The one you should be offering gratitude to is Syr."
Ryuu replied calmly, shaking her head.
"She was the one who took care of you. And Mama Mia was the one who allowed you to rest here. I did nothing."
Her tone was modest.
Judas let out a small breath and gave a faint smile.
"Well, even if you don't think you did much, you still stayed and watched over me. That counts for something."
He said, glancing briefly around the familiar interior of the tavern
Ryuu met his gaze, her emerald eyes softening just a little.
"...You really think so?"
"I do, sometimes just being there is enough."
Judas replied without hesitation.
For a brief moment, Ryuu said nothing.
Then she nodded once, accepting his words quietly.
She spoke a few words before turning and leaving the room, her footsteps fading down the hallway as she went back to her duties as a waitress.
Once alone, Judas didn't linger.
His body still felt sluggish from the aftereffects of Mind Zero, but the haze in his head had mostly cleared.
Heading toward the bathroom, Judas made sure to knock first, unwilling to fall victim to the overused trope of accidentally walking in on a girl either naked or midway through changing... and promptly getting branded a pervert for life.
'This is an anime world... crap like that can happen. Better safe than sorry.'
After knocking several times and hearing no response, Judas went a step further and double-checked with his magic.
Confirming that no one was inside, he finally opened the door and washed his face.
Walking down the corridor after washing up, Judas unexpectedly ran into Tiona.
"Judas, looks like you're alright now."
Tiona greeted him with her usual cheery voice.
"Tiona... you're staying here as well?"
Judas asked as she approached.
"Yeah. Because of the attack last night, our place got damaged and is still being repaired by the Goibniu Familia."
She explained with a shrug and a smile.
"So everyone had to split up and rent inns all over the city."
"I see... then who else is here? Just you?"
"Lefiya, Ais, Riveria, Alicia, and the rest of the Fairy Squad."
Tiona answered.
"But they went out about half an hour ago."
As she spoke, her dark green eyes swept over him from head to toe, carefully inspecting him for any hidden injuries.
Only after finding nothing out of place did she finally meet his gaze.
"Oh, right... Captain and the others are staying at the Bumblebee Inn, just a couple of blocks away."
"That's good to know."
Judas replied before hesitating slightly.
"Then... can you tell me what happened during the attack after I passed out?"
And so, Tiona spent the next full minute recounting everything.
The clash with the level seven enemy.
The chaos caused by the Violas and Viscum.
Revis' escape.
And finally, the sudden appearance... and defeat... of the Demi-Spirit.
"I see..."
Judas murmured once she finished.
"You must've fought really hard."
He lowered his gaze.
"I'm sorry I wasn't much help. If I hadn't suffered Mind Zero, Revis wouldn't have been able to escape."
Before he could say anything else, Tiona lightly bonked him on the head, her expression stern but not unkind.
"What are you apologizing for?"
She said while tilting her head.
"If you hadn't blocked that first sword strike, our entire manor would've been destroyed."
She grabbed his left hand firmly.
"Judas, you protected us with your magic. Because of you, no one died."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"So don't beat yourself up over it. You did your best."
Judas blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the closeness.
Slowly, almost unconsciously, he squeezed her hand back.
Closing his eyes, he took a slow, steady breath.
"...Right. Thank you, Tiona."
When he opened his eyes again, a faint but genuine smile had found its way onto his face.
Seeing it, Tiona grinned back just as brightly.
After that, the two chatted a bit longer... Tiona even laughing as she mentioned how Loki had once tried to sneak into Ais and Riveria's room with a lewd grin, only to be violently kicked out with a swollen face.
With nowhere else to go and with no one willing to share a room with her, Loki had no choice but to sleep in Judas' room instead.
...
Walking through the streets of Orario, Judas made his way toward the Twilight Manor, deciding to see the aftermath for himself.
'Evilus... so they're still active after all this time.'
'Olivas Act... Revis... A mysterious woman in black robes. And that level seven knight.'
The fact that they possessed at least four first-class combatants was already enough to classify them as a major threat.
'And that's assuming those are all of them...'
The more he walked towards the Twilight Manor, the more evident the damage became.
He could already see workers who had begun clearing debris or starting on repairs.
Along the way, he overheard people talking about the events of last night... some adventurers boasting about their bravery, while others recalled their experiences to friends and acquaintances.
Eventually, when he arrived at the gates of the Twilight Manor, the first thing he noticed was over a dozen shirtless men already hard at work, along with the extensive damage surrounding the manor itself.
It was then that a familiar presence approached him with light steps.
Finn stopped a short distance away, his sharp eyes locking onto Judas almost immediately.
"So you're awake. How's your condition?"
The pallum said with a smile.
"I'm fine now, nothing abnormal."
Judas replied before shifting his gaze from Finn to the construction work in front of them.
"How long until they're finished?"
He asked.
"Oh... it shouldn't take long."
Finn replied.
"Goibniu told me the repairs will be done by tomorrow."
Not months, weeks, or even a few days.
Looking at the damage, if this were back on Earth, such repairs would probably take at least a week.
But Judas wasn't surprised.
Everyone working here was a member of the Goibniu Familia, their bodies enhanced by falna, capable of labor far beyond human limits.
Even Finn, despite not having had a single ounce of sleep, seemed perfectly fine and showed no signs of fatigue at all.
After studying the Twilight Manor for a few moments, Judas thought of something and opened his mouth.
"Finn..."
Judas leaned in and murmured a few words into his ear.
At that, Finn's eyes widened ever so slightly, before the corners of his lips slowly curled upward into a smile.
"Really? Then who am I to say no?"
---
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