The empty room was eerily quiet, every pair of eyes fixed on the youth.
"You... you calm down first. We can talk this out..."
Terry's cold sweat poured down his back. He felt as if a terrifying beast were staring him down—the slightest move would plunge him into an abyss of no return. This gut-wrenching fear was something Terry had experienced before.
Astraea Familia.
The righteous enforcers who punish evil.
That lingering specter from his past seemed to reside in the youth's crimson eyes.
"To what I'm about to say, you must answer only yes or no. Understand?"
Bell spoke coldly.
Hearing this, Terry trembled and nodded. Once, he too had stood just like this, facing the judgment of justice.
"The others at this table—they're your accomplices, aren't they?"
Bell had only won the gamble. To rescue all the women here, he had to break Terry's defenses completely.
"Yes... yes..."
Terry didn't dare lie. When Astraea Familia had rounded them up, he had felt this same suffocating pressure. The youth before him was no God, yet this oppressive force was far stronger than that of the Goddess of Justice.
"You always set traps to saddle people with massive debts, then demand their wives and daughters as repayment, correct?"
Bell knew that situations like today's were rare exceptions. It was only because he had casually mentioned a harem, making Terry mistake him for someone of the same ilk, that Terry had exposed himself.
Normally, the victimized women would never be near the casino. Terry would pick his target, set his trap with care, and a small taste of profit was enough to lure the gambler inside. When the man finally sank into ruin, Terry would demand his wife or daughter as payment.
"Yes..."
Terry answered with a trembling voice. He had no idea how much this white-haired youth actually knew and could only confess everything truthfully.
Under ordinary circumstances, the plan was airtight. The criminals setting things up could be silenced with money. The accomplices stationed here could enjoy the benefits gleaned from the victimized girls. As for the gamblers caught in the scheme, greed would drag them deeper until they accepted their fate.
What should have remained hidden had been seen through completely by this white-haired boy.
Where had the leak come from?
Who had sent him?
Doubts coiled around his neck like venomous snakes, tightening his fear and choking his breath.
The next moment, Bell's question struck like a blow to the head.
"Actually, your name isn't Terry, is it?"
Before coming here, Hermes had already investigated this casino. As a joint creation between the Entertainment District and Orario, neither side would ever allow criminals to flourish here. The constantly patrolling Ganesha Familia were proof of that.
This was a legitimate casino, a place of entertainment shared by Gods and those of the Lower World. Yet the owner was secretly trafficking women. The contrast was far too suspicious.
This was not a private business. The managers dispatched by the Entertainment District should have gone through countless layers of inspection. Every sign pointed to Terry being an imposter—just like those fake [Black Cat] and [Black Fist].
Bell didn't explain his thought process. He simply delivered the conclusion. And the man's reaction only solidified it.
"..."
Terry froze, eyes wavering in panic.
How did this kid find out?!
The real owner was dead, and everyone who had known him had already been dealt with.
So how could he possibly see through it?!
Who is this Bell Cranel?!
His thoughts spiraled into chaos. With death looming over him, Terry's judgment collapsed completely.
"...Yes... My name is Ted..."
His voice trembled with fear. On the day he had faced judgment from Astraea Familia, Ted had never felt terror like this. Both represented justice, yet this youth was far more frightening than Goddess Astraea herself.
It wasn't the goddess's gaze, which weighed sins and urged people to turn back from the brink. It wasn't like Gale's either, filled with hatred for evil and no tolerance for wickedness. It was simply pure white—unfathomable and impossible to predict what he would do next.
Ted had once knelt before Goddess Astraea, kowtowing again and again as he begged for mercy. And he had received it. He survived that ordeal, yet he never changed as she had hoped. Instead, he followed his own selfish desires and ended up here.
But this time was different. Ted couldn't even bring himself to ask for forgiveness. His entire body locked up, unable to move.
This, too, was a judgment of justice—yet the youth before him stood coldly as if surrounded by the flames of hell itself. Ted felt that if he so much as twitched, those demonic infernal flames would devour him completely.
The stiffness spread to everyone in the room. When the guests realized the owner was an impostor, panic rippled through them. They stared at the boy, who remained perfectly calm.
"Ted, huh..."
Bell gave a faint smile. "Open the main gate. Let every woman here leave, and I'll spare you."
"..."
Anger hit Ted first. Everything he had worked so hard to build had been shattered in an instant. He couldn't forgive this boy.
But the moment he heard Bell say he'd let him go, hope—pathetic, desperate hope—flooded his mind. Ted thought of Goddess Astraea. Those who seek justice were always like that. They could not stain their hands with the blood of the innocent. They had to judge one's crimes before making a decision.
For Ted, that alone was enough.
"Yes... Hurry, let them leave!"
Ted roared at the bodyguards by the door.
As the gates opened, bright Magic Stone light spilled into the room, and the girls longing for freedom rushed toward it.
...
Almost simultaneously, chaos erupted in the casino.
"What did you say?! I'm not done playing yet!"
Mord snatched up his tokens and hurled them furiously at the wall.
"Sir... please don't cause trouble here..."
Before the security guard could intervene, another commotion broke out on the other side.
"This counts as my loss?! He was clearly cheating?!"
"Get your manager out here!"
The adventurer's booming voice echoed through the hall. With countless women suddenly flooding in through the main doors, the Gods and wealthy patrons began shouting as well.
Order collapsed instantly. The Ganesha Familia working security were outnumbered and overwhelmed.
Unnoticed in the chaos, Ryuu and Laurier, their forms concealed, had already slipped into the casino.
"Can you let me go now?"
Ted's stiff smile reeked of cowardly spite.
Bell glanced around. The abducted women had all been evacuated. Hermes Familia waiting outside would make sure they reached safety.
"I should have made it clear—answer only my questions."
"..."
Ted's smile froze. Veins bulged on his forehead as he prepared to make a desperate stand.
But Bell suddenly chuckled softly. "Just kidding. You can go. I promise I won't lay a finger on you."
"..."
Ted couldn't make sense of this boy. Which words were true, which were lies? How much did he know? How much control did he have over the situation?
Driven by fear, Ted slowly stood and headed toward the door. If he waited until the Ganesha Familia finished their investigation, he'd meet a miserable end. He couldn't afford that. His steps sped up, turning into a full sprint toward the exit.
Before leaving, he shouted:
"Take him out, Rollo, Faust!"
Naturally, Ted wouldn't let the youth go. Just like with Astraea in the past, he still held a bitter grudge. Even though Bell had spared his life, Ted felt no gratitude at all.
Justice and evil… such a tragic pairing.
Bell had anticipated this outcome. In fact, he had deliberately guided events to reach this point.
Who would have imagined that such a simple, shallow villain could cause a tragedy of this scale in Orario? It seemed the justice of the Labyrinth City truly had weakened.
"But entrusting it to her… should be enough…"
Bell recalled the Elf girl who fought for justice and smiled softly.
…
The bodyguards known as Rollo and Faust—one a burly human, the other an agile Cat People—drew their weapons and slowly closed in. They were wary of the white-haired youth. They had planned to seize his girlfriend first, but at some point, Syr had completely vanished.
Aside from the wealthy patrons and attendants fleeing in panic, the only one left standing there was the youth himself. In the confusion, neither of them had noticed how the gray-haired girl had escaped. All those women had fled right under their noses—there was absolutely no way she could have slipped into that crowd.
Confusion. Uncertainty.
Something unusual seemed to cling to the boy.
Before they'd even exchanged a single blow, the bodyguards' momentum weakened.
"Where's that gray-haired girl?!"
The human with the black iron gauntlets charged forward as he barked the question.
"Maybe you just missed her."
Bell used the long table as cover. The rosewood surface shattered instantly under the force of the iron fist, exploding into splinters. Chips scattered across the floor, playing cards fluttered through the air.
A pair of daggers tore through the drifting cards and shot straight for Bell's head and chest.
Clang! Clang!
The crisp clang of metal rang out as Bell knocked the blades aside and retreated a step.
"...You're a dual-dagger user too?"
The Cat People narrowed his eyes, judging how much strength the white-haired youth had shown in that exchange.
"Well—what a coincidence."
Even facing two powerful opponents, Bell's expression remained calm. In his hands were two daggers: the pitch-black Hestia Knife, and a second short blade glowing with a vivid crimson hue. Within that red blade, it was as if the Minotaur's roar and fury still dwelled.
"Bluff!"
The Cat People lunged. If the boy were truly a dual-wielder, his weapons should have been forged as a matching pair. The two blades in Bell's hands were clearly made of different materials.
Just for show. A trick to intimidate.
The Cat People stabbed toward Bell's right side—only for the strike to be caught precisely by the black dagger. The boy lacked raw strength, but the redirection of the blow was executed with technical mastery far above his own.
If his right hand is that trained, then the answer must be here—
His second dagger swept in from the left, sending a streak of cold light across the air. Yet in the next instant, a crimson arc erased the attack entirely.
!
The Cat People's expression tightened as he hurriedly leapt back. Both sides were genuine threats. No—this white-haired boy had already honed dual-wielding to near perfection.
When had he even begun training?!
He was weaker, yes—but his technique alone surpassed the Cat People's years of experience.
At this rate, he wasn't going to gain the upper hand.
Even if the kid was only Lv2, he'd have to go all out.
He shot a glance at his partner, signaling a coordinated assault.
Wind rushed as the gauntlets glimmered with a faint black light, smashing through a Magic Stone lamp as the human charged straight in. The moment Bell dodged, the dagger user seized the fleeting opening, thrusting toward Bell's torso.
Blades crashed.
Bell managed to parry in time, but the difference in strength let the dagger tear a gash across his clothes.
No armor. No allies.
Those were the harsh, unchangeable facts of his situation.
Bell knew he was at a disadvantage.
But one crucial truth remained.
The two men in front of him were not [Black Cat] and [Black Fist].
If it had been the elusive girl from the tavern, Bell would have struggled far more to withstand her attacks.
...
"You're impersonating others—aren't you afraid of being exposed?"
Bell decided to exploit the information gap to break the duo's coordination. Without that precise teamwork, he could rely on his own technique to offset the disadvantage in this fight.
"...How did you know?"
The human male responded immediately.
"Because I've met the real ones, of course."
Bell's expression remained calm and unreadable. The human male frowned, and the Cat People's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"But your impersonations aren't convincing at all. They're both women—one complains nonstop about having too much work, and the other is always pulling sly pranks."
Bell recalled the two from the tavern and let out a small smile.
Inside the Hostess of Fertility, the overworked Lunoire and the mischievous Chloe both sneezed at the same time.
The human male's forehead flushed with anger.
"...What the hell are you saying?!"
But the Cat People beside him froze.
The boy's tone didn't contain a hint of deceit.
Why would he make such strange claims?
All it would do is make the enemy more alert.
Unless… he really did know [Black Cat] and [Black Fist]?
Those two were a Level 4 Assassin and a Level 4 Bounty Hunter. As someone who had lied about their own Level, the Cat People understood far too well how terrifying the real ones were.
Yet this youth talked about them so casually, as if describing a pair of house pets.
Thinking about it that way, his strange skills finally made sense.
He must have been taught by [Black Cat]...
The Cat People swallowed hard. The idea that he might be facing remnants of the "Evil" era made his dagger tremble uncontrollably in his hand.
Hesitation. Confusion. Fear.
These emotions stripped away his judgment.
Bell naturally wouldn't waste such an opening.
Seizing the psychological advantage, he slipped past the black iron gauntlet. His left hand thrust the crimson short blade forward—used as bait—driving in with explosive force.
The human male was Level 3. Even without his companion backing him at that moment, he still managed to draw his other arm up, blocking the strike with his gauntlet.
The dagger slammed against the iron fist. The impact numbed Bell's arm, knocking the short blade from his grip.
Just as the man grinned in triumph, the Hestia Knife swept in from the side.
A feint.
Seeing the blue-violet arc streaking toward his face, the man couldn't dodge in time and instinctively threw both hands up to protect himself.
But the expected impact never came.
"?!"
"Firebolt!"
Bell's true weapon was the Quick-Cast Magic he had been hiding.
The instant the man covered his own field of vision, the fight was decided.
Flame and lightning burst forth.
Three rapid-point blank blasts detonated at once.
"!"
It happened too fast.
The Cat People never expected that a moment of hesitation—Just one brief exchange—would end with his companion blown away and collapsing unconscious.
The next moment, dagger strikes poured in like rain.
Blue-violet light and crimson arcs intertwined, carving brilliant patterns midair.
This was a super-speed combination impossible for ordinary fighters.
A unique technique forged through endless grueling training.
Even with a higher Level, the Cat People couldn't withstand it.
Wounds accumulated. Fatigue mounted.
Finally, in the relentless, gapless flurry of close-quarters combat, the Cat People was the first to slip.
The youth's crimson-red eyes caught the opening with perfect precision.
The Hestia Knife traced a blue-violet arc, drawing the curtain closed on the battle.
...
"Hey... both of them are down..."
The wealthy man who hadn't managed to escape yet stared in shock at the scene before him. The Entertainment District had no high-level adventurers, and those two had been hired at great expense by the casino owner. As private bodyguards, they were supposed to handle any troublemaker with ease. Yet the youth had defeated both of them alone.
"Little Rookie..."
"So the rumors were true..."
What none of them knew was that Bell had actually prepared a signal for calling reinforcements. All he needed to do was shatter a specific pane of glass with fire magic, and Hermes Familia would immediately step in. He simply wanted to see how far he could push himself after leveling up. But the impostor duo turned out to be so fragile he didn't even get the chance to try out his new Skill.
Bell glanced around the room and let out a quiet laugh. The matter was drawing to a close. His part of the job was done. The rest... he would leave to that resolute Elf girl. Amid the chaos of the casino—as if declaring that justice would never be absent—the wind began to rise.
...
Inside a lavishly decorated corridor, frantic footsteps echoed nonstop. Ted paid no attention to the chaos behind him, ignoring the staff and butlers calling out to him as he sprinted forward.
Damn it. That white-haired kid ruined everything! He would exact revenge. Just like the goddess Astraea!
With a vicious expression, Ted ran through corridors lined with vulgar paintings, through room after room prepared for his "harem" and VIP guests, heading straight toward the depths of the casino.
Damn it. Why is there always some self-righteous brat everywhere I go?! But it wasn't over yet. With money and connections, he could rise again. That white-haired brat would pay for today!
Ted rushed down the deep, shadowy staircase into the vast basement. He barked orders at the guards, bypassed one security barrier after another, and finally reached the underground vault.
Astraea, Gale, Little Rookie... These self-proclaimed champions of justice were utterly infuriating! You'll regret letting me go!
Ted hadn't come here just for money. He came to retrieve the evidence of his crimes—documents he used to threaten other wealthy tycoons. He kept them here as insurance, stored within the most secure vault. Once he retrieved them and vanished, even the Guild would struggle to track him down. Whether by blackmailing tycoons or luring adventurers drunk on wealth, there were countless ways for him to make a comeback.
For now, I'll lie low in the Sword Smithing City Solingen. Might as well go hear the lament of the Goddess Astraea. When the time is right, I'll hire others to kill that damn Little Rookie and snatch his girlfriend while I'm at it. Yes. That's the plan!
A sinister grin twisted across Ted's face. He pushed open the heavy vault door and rushed inside.
"...?!"
A chilling sensation swept over him. Normally, only he possessed the key to the underground vault. Its exterior was forged from precious metals mined from the Dungeon. He had never needed to worry about security here. Yet fear suddenly pressed in on him.
"...Who?!"
Ted felt a familiar dread—the same suffocating feeling as being locked onto by justice. There was no way the white-haired boy could have followed him. To reach this vault required passing through layers of barriers, practically a miniature labyrinth. Ted had checked repeatedly. No one had tailed him.
"What the...?!"
Just as he tried to shake off the illusion and ran toward the hidden evidence, a surge of magic power burst forth. The winds of justice began to rise.
...
"What… what do we do? He just ran straight in. The evidence Bell asked us to find… he didn't destroy it, did he?"
Laurier stared at the metal door, her voice soft and uneasy.
Ryuu narrowed her eyes, cold and firm.
"Blow it open."
"In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky…"
Without the slightest hesitation, Ryuu began her chant. Her green hair lifted and swayed in the rising surge of magic.
"...Gale?!"
Even through the metal door, Ted felt that unmistakable magic. There was no way to confuse it. It was the very Gale of Justice that had once defeated him.
"Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire.…"
The chant continued.
Ryuu recognized this fleeing dwarf. A man the Astraea Familia had once captured, who knelt on the ground begging for mercy and received the goddess's compassion. Astraea had wanted to believe a child of the Lower World could change, and made her decision accordingly.
But Ted trampled all of it. He ignored the goddess's mercy and committed new crimes.
Ryuu had been holding her anger back ever since she and Laurier began tailing him with concealment magic. Now, with the chase at its end, she no longer needed restraint.
"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you..."
Her beautiful, resonant voice hid an icy fury that could freeze the soul.
"Impossible…"
Gale. Ted would never forget that name. A name that made every criminal in the city tremble.
But she should have died long ago. When the Astraea Familia of the old era died, Gale lost her comrades, became an avenger, and finally fell to an enemy faction. That was the story Ted knew.
"Impossible… why are you still alive?!"
While he shouted in hysteria, magic gathered and surged.
"—Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler.."
The spell flowed from her beautiful, cold expression. The justice she once proclaimed, the path she once lost, and the face of her goddess surfaced clearly before Ryuu's eyes.
"You… you can't break through this wall!"
Ted burst out laughing, as if trying to steady his own nerves. This vault had cost him a fortune to build. Forged from super-hard metal mined from the Dungeon, it could easily withstand magical bombardment.
"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else."
Magic converged. It roared and surged like a violent tsunami, sweeping up everything around it.
Ted shuddered. He couldn't laugh anymore. This overwhelming power felt like proof of Gale's accumulation—and the righteousness she carried. Never broken, never afraid.
"Outside! Stop her now!!"
Ted shouted toward the perimeter. Guards heard the command and charged forward with weapons drawn. But Laurier wouldn't let them interfere, and Ryuu's Concurrent Chanting technique left no openings for them to exploit. Laurier swung her rapier, drawing most of the guards away from Ryuu.
Several guards broke through the line and charged forward. Ryuu simply evaded the attacks with calm ease, kicking them to the ground.
"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy!"
Amidst the battle, the chanting continued unabated. Starlight surged, and gales swirled. Finally, the magic power coalesced and erupted. Ryuu declared the Magic's name with icy resolve.
"Luminous Wind!"
Countless starlights surged forth, driven by the Gale, racing out. Far more violent than a raging storm, far more devastating than artillery fire. Green beams of light slammed into the walls, erupting in deafening, terrifying booms. As the magic power exploded, cracks began to form in the walls.
"Wh-?!"
Before Ted could process his shock, the entire wall crashed down. The violent impact flattened the towering pile of gold into a level expanse. Amidst billowing dust, countless gold coins clattered noisily.
"Why could you break this wall?!"
It took Ted several seconds to recover.
"Judging by the material, you seem to have bought some shoddy goods. No matter how hard you hammered, its true nature was to crumble at the slightest touch."
Ryuu delivered the scathing remark without mercy. As the smoke cleared, Ted beheld that nightmare-like figure and trembled violently.
"You... why are you still alive?!"
"I'm more curious myself. The goddess showed mercy and let you go—why did you commit such heinous crimes?"
Ryuu ignored his question and instead confronted Ted about his actions.
"..."
Ted couldn't answer that question. If he spoke his true thoughts, he would surely face the fury of the Gale here. So Ted chose to beg, just as he had done before.
He knelt on the ground, repeatedly bowing his head:
"I was wrong! I'll never dare again! Please spare me this once!"
Facing the man begging on his knees, Ryuu felt no stirrings within.
"You seem to have the wrong person. I am neither the Gale of the past, nor the goddess Astraea."
Ryuu's gaze was icy, devoid of any trace of a goddess's mercy.
"However, your pitiful begging on your knees remains as ugly as ever."
Before the words had fully left her lips, Ryuu, towering over Ted, transformed into a Gale and lunged forward. There was no time to react. The wooden sword collided with Ted's face, instantly sending him flying backward into a pile of stacked gold coins.
Justice, though delayed, had not failed to arrive. A single strike was enough to knock the villain unconscious.
As Ted lay motionless, Laurier beside him murmured softly:
"I found it!"
In her hand was a metal box, its interior revealing the outlines of various documents. "Everything unfolded exactly as Cranel-san predicted..."
Ryuu murmured in quiet reflection. They had deliberately allowed Ted to escape, then had the invisible Laurier and Ryuu follow him.
That Ted could pull off such a grand deception and commit these crimes meant he held leverage over many. These incriminating materials were the capital for his comeback. When his schemes unraveled, Ted would immediately retrieve them before fleeing with the loot.
Only by seizing these could they net every participant in the entire operation. Ryuu couldn't help but admire the young man's resourcefulness.
"The Ganesha Familia have arrived?!"
Laurier's words snapped her back to reality.
"We must leave immediately."
The Ganesha Familia were the most unpredictable element in the entire plan. These guardians might be swayed by Ted, and even if they knew his identity was fake, they could still choose to side with the evil faction. Beyond that, Ryuu had explained to the boy that her own identity was special; if they encountered the Ganesha Familia, it would spark an unnecessary confrontation.
That was why Bell arranged for Mord and the others to make trouble.
Originally, this task had been given to Syr, who excelled at reading people and stirring up discord. But after running into Mord, the boy changed his mind on the spot.
Thinking back on everything, Ryuu recalled the boy's face and couldn't help letting a faint smile show.
Laurier, watching her righteous comrade, found herself growing fonder of her.
"Pure white, fiery red, radiant light—purify all."
"Heliotrope Bloom."
As the chant concluded, the two slipped back into concealment. Holding the incriminating evidence, they moved outward together.
Just as they were about to exit the passage, several figures approached. Ryuu's eyes widened instantly.
[Ankusha]—the strongest adventurer of the Ganesha Familia—stood before them. Wearing her ceremonial guard's uniform, she came to an abrupt halt.
"Captain Shakti? Did you find something?"
A member of the Ganesha Familia asked her from behind.
Shakti glanced toward where Ryuu and Laurier stood hidden, blinked once, then let out a long sigh.
"Nothing. Just my imagination. Hurry and apprehend the criminals."
She strode forward with calm dignity, and as she passed the two, she whispered in a voice no one else could possibly hear:
"Take care."
That simple phrase fell directly into Ryuu's heart.
Carrying quiet respect and gratitude, Ryuu silently bid farewell to her old acquaintance and continued toward the casino's exit.
...
The clamor faded as the night deepened.
Laurier regrouped with the boy and the others. But right after handing over the incriminating evidence, she was mercilessly dragged away by Hermes.
"...Why are you dragging me away?!"
She hadn't even gotten the chance to hug the boy or properly demand her reward. She had worked so hard, yet Hermes was separating her from Ryuu and the boy.
Hermes didn't offer a clear explanation. Instead, he gazed into the night with a desolate expression and spoke softly:
"The time for mourning has come. Please… just this once, leave the two of them alone."
Hermes was normally frivolous, but now his face was full of sorrow. Even though the abduction case was resolved, the gloom didn't lift at all.
He didn't know whether anything could truly change—but Hermes still hoped the boy could bring even a trace of comfort to the grieving heart of the Gale.
Laurier didn't understand her Familia God at all. Having spent so much time wandering outside the city, she also didn't know who exactly was being mourned.
But from the faint sadness on both Hermes and Asfi's faces, Laurier could sense it was something rooted in Orario itself—an indelible scar carved deep into their hearts.
Laurier looked up at the sky.
The night was dark and profound.
...
Ryuu sat beside the boy on the grass. She asked him for a little time, and Bell readily agreed. Meteors streaked across the night sky like falling tears.
"Cranel-san, thank you for believing me before. Now that things have reached this point, I have no choice but to confess everything to you."
Ryuu was glad he trusted her without question. But Ted's appearance had changed her mind—if she continued hiding her past, it could bring trouble to the boy.
"I once belonged to the Astraea Familia. Together with my comrades, we pursued justice and safeguarded order."
Ryuu slowly recounted her past while Bell listened quietly. Back then, Orario was steeped in crime, darkness prevailing everywhere. As guardians of justice, they had naturally become the primary targets of the Evils.
"One day, a rival familia laid a trap for us in the Dungeon. Every member of my group… except for me… died…"
Ryuu never forgot that day. Darkness swallowing everything, grieving cries echoing endlessly. Tomorrow was the day of mourning. The strange sense of time slipping over her heart made Ryuu's expression seem even more fragile and helpless.
Bell felt his chest tighten. He had suspected as much, but hearing the worst confirmed broke through every defense he had prepared. A familia wiped out, leaving a single survivor. For a noble Elf, it was a nightmare beyond cruel.
Ryuu hadn't even been able to recover her comrades' bodies. All she could do was bury their belongings on a Safe Floor of the Dungeon. When she mentioned how her companions used to joke about being buried on the eighteenth floor someday, Ryuu's eyes dimmed, as if she were struggling to keep tears from escaping.
Bell understood that the Elf girl before him would not cry now. Her tears had likely dried long ago.
"Returning alone to the city, I begged the Familia Goddess to leave Orario… After pleading again and again, that honored being finally agreed."
Bell immediately understood what came next. Why Ryuu couldn't face the city's guards. Why she clung so tightly to justice. Because Ryuu had chosen vengeance.
"I was consumed by selfish desire. Driven by hatred alone, I hunted members of the rival faction—ambushes, traps… no matter how base or dishonorable the method, I didn't care."
One after another, again and again, Ryuu personally killed those tied to the enemy.
"Anyone connected to them, anyone entangled with them… I spared no one…"
So Ryuu ended up on the Guild's wanted list, becoming a figure shrouded in darkness.
"This was never an act of justice. It was nothing more than venting my hatred. But even knowing that, I didn't stop."
She continued to take lives, continued hunting the wicked. Only when every enemy was gone, when no target remained, did she finally halt.
"A mere shell of myself, I collapsed in an abandoned alley, covered in blood and mud…"
"It would have been better to just die…"
With revenge complete, Ryuu no longer had any reason to live. Grievously wounded, surrounded by cold, empty rain, her vision was nothing but darkness steeped in gray and red.
Just as she closed her eyes, ready to follow her comrades…
Syr appeared.
No matter how stubborn or prickly Ryuu became, Syr held her hands and shared a warmth and tenderness reminiscent of Goddess Astraea.
"Rotating her index finger in front of my eyes, then gently pressing it against my nose… Syr would perform this strange little ritual to lift my spirits."
Even now, Ryuu found it hard to believe. That tavern, that girl named Syr—she seemed to possess a strange magic that soothed the heart and restored strength.
After a brief conversation, Ryuu had stubbornly shouted that she had lost everything, that she had no meaning in living. Having committed unforgivable crimes, only death could free her.
Just then, her stomach growled loudly. For someone as reserved as Ryuu, it was unbearably embarrassing.
After much coaxing, she ended up eating a meal Mia had cooked. And Mia, without mercy, charged her an astronomical price.
And so, under the pretext of repaying her debt, Ryuu became a tavern employee. Because she had always worn a mask as an adventurer, Ryuu dyed her hair, hid the name "Gale," and smoothly took up her work as a barmaid.
Ryuu lowered her head, her face filled with guilt and remorse.
"That's how it is... Cranel-san, I'm truly sorry for keeping this from you all this time. Having you endure those experiences with a filthy elf like me must have made you feel quite uncomfortable..."
"Please don't say that. I find Ryuu-san incredibly beautiful and noble!"
Bell spoke his thoughts honestly.
A faint blush touched Ryuu's cheeks, but it was quickly masked by her icy words.
"I... I've long since lost any connection to the word 'noble'..."
Seeing the sorrow on her face, Bell spoke without hesitation:
"Then what about me? I pursue harems and have killed many criminals. Do you find me filthy, Ryuu-san?"
"You, who have always upheld justice, are certainly not filthy!"
Ryuu retorted urgently.
The light within the youth's soul was so pure, so full of yearning.
"We are both the same."
Bell stared into those gem-like eyes and gently took her right hand.
"Ryuu-san has a cleanliness obsession, right? If you think I'm as ugly and filthy as you are, then pull my hand away."
"..."
Ryuu felt the warmth radiating from his palm and was speechless.
To belittle her own existence, she would first have to despise the youth before her. That was the meaning behind Bell's words.
Ryuu couldn't push away this warmth, just as she couldn't with Syr back then.
"So that's the answer, huh."
Bell held that slender hand, as if sensing the sorrow and struggle that had always weighed upon it.
"I really am defeated by you..."
Ryuu smiled, a hint of relief in it.
The boy was the first to confront those sins head-on.
Both Syr and Mia had avoided the subject.
After all, whether those tragic acts of vengeance were righteous or wicked—everyone had their own verdict.
Only the youth before her, with unwavering eyes, affirmed Ryuu's past.
No matter how much blood stained her hands, no matter how blind the hatred, Bell Cranel believed from the bottom of his heart that Ryuu's soul remained noble.
Ryuu did not seek redemption.
But to have someone beside her whisper that justice had not yet withered—
For her, that was enough.
Ryuu smiled.
Like a white flower that had never bloomed, her smile unfolded.
This beautiful blossom bloomed only before the youth.
But soon, that pure white flower blushed crimson with shyness.
Ryuu belatedly withdrew her right hand.
Her soft, beautiful eyes lowered, and her small, captivating lips parted:
"I'm... I'm sorry..."
"I'm the one who should apologize," Bell replied softly.
"..."
Ryuu gazed at the night sky, savoring the warmth of the moment.
Out of consideration for Syr, both remained tacitly silent, neither mentioning the flutter in their hearts.
In the slightly ambiguous stillness, stars and moon shimmered before their eyes.
The night gradually deepened.
This tranquility lasted until a figure approached.
"Bell-kun, I didn't mean to interrupt... but something's happened..."
Hermes held the incriminating evidence he'd gathered earlier.
"..."
A letter atop the pile starkly detailed matters concerning the Goddess of Justice.
It was vengeance against Astraea.
And a celebration for the Evilus.
Even though the goddess had withdrawn beyond the city, remnants of the dark faction still harbored resentment toward her former justice and prepared their retaliation.
"Wish to hear Astraea's lament...?"
The hideous scrawl merged with the darkness, outlining an endless, repulsive malice.
Under the night sky, stars were buried beneath clouds.
The Day of Mourning had arrived.