2
Running without a road.
She had raced across the sea of plains that continued out to the horizon in less than half a day. Not wanting to waste any time on detours, she had charged into the foreboding mountains standing in her way a few hours earlier. She left in her wake the steep incline of the mountains, the needle cushions of trees, and precipitous heights.
She cut a straight path from the Labyrinth City, Orario, on the western edge of the continent. Her journey took her east. This was a race against time.
Befitting her second name, she had transformed into a gale wind blowing over mountains and through valleys. Woods that were just a few centuries old stood in her way, but she was an elf. A fairy of the forest. She did not lose herself in emerald mazes, and though mountains were outside her natural skill set, she had no trouble passing through them, thanks to the stamina she had developed as an adventurer.
Lyu ran at a speed that would have staggered any wandering traveler she came across.
She used her impatience to fuel her haste, and unerringly homed in on her destination that she had never seen before.
Even the dangers that travelers and merchants were so cautious of barely merited her attention. She simply ignored the monsters that attempted to attack her on her path.
However…
“Uwaaaaaaaa?!”
…it was a different story if someone else was in danger.
The moment she spotted people being attacked by a swarm of monsters at the bottom of a cliff far below, Lyu leaped into the air. Launching herself from the rock wall, she accelerated.
Before claws could swing down on their prey, she slashed.
“Huh…?”
A human cried out in confusion at the sight of a monster’s detached arm spinning in the air.
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!”
The now-one-armed bugbear howled as gusts of wind were left in the wake of the ferocious slash.
Lyu constructed a flashing silver barrier with her two short swords, obliterating the swarm of monsters in the blink of an eye.
“Is everyone safe?”
Once the ferocious growling creatures were gone, silence fell.
Her cloak fluttered in the wind and she covered her face as she turned around, finding that the stunned humans were speechless as they stared at her.
A merchant caravan had been attacked. They were taking a route that skirted the mountain cliffs when they fell victim to an unlucky monster ambush. The merchant had hired a familia for protection, but up against the dangerous combination of massive bugbears and flying gun libellulas, they had been struggling and on the verge of being wiped out.
“Whew, you really saved us there!”
“The merchandise is safe, too! All thanks to you!”
The human leader of the bodyguards and the animal person merchant smiled at Lyu as they sat around a campfire.
It was now night, and Lyu was imposing at their campsite. She had intended to continue without sleep or rest until she reached her goal, but given her present pace, she was going to have to stop at least once for a break anyway. And so, she allowed herself to accept their kind offer to stay.
To keep what she was carrying to the bare minimum, she had intended to subsist on fruits and nuts along the way, so the preserved meat and bean soup offered by the merchant was a welcome change.
“You sure are something, though. An adventurer, right?”
“…Strictly speaking, no, but I do live in Orario.”
The human leader had guessed she was from Orario after seeing her fight. It was a widely held belief in the mortal realm that Orario meant adventurers, and adventurers meant trouble. And despite being blacklisted, Lyu, ever a fastidious elf, could not tell a lie, instead answering with awkward attempts at misdirection.
“It’s at least four days from Orario to here, no matter how fast you go. You must be tired, so please, rest. There are blankets and anything else you might need in the wagon. Feel free to help yourself.”
Neither the beaming merchant nor the others probed any further.
They are good people. Especially considering my own behavior.
Lyu was grateful that they shared their supplies so freely with her even though she had not offered her name or even removed her mask. And she also suspected they might fall over if they heard that she had covered a distance equal to four days’ travel in the span of a single day. Upper-class adventurers, particularly Level 4s and above, were not bound by the common sense of those who lived outside the city walls.
As Lyu’s thoughts wandered, the bodyguards spoke up, as if remembering something.
“Oh yeah, speaking of Orario…apparently there’s another War Game starting up.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. It’s the talk of every town. It’s Freya Familia this time, too, right?”
War Game. Freya Familia.
Those words made Lyu’s heart race.
The ache in her chest was not just a phantom pain, but full-on trauma.
“Word is, a bunch of familias are joining together and it’ll be a huge battle…I wonder what’s goin’ on there.”
All the rumors they were discussing were true.
They probably never would have dreamed that this War Game had broken out over a single boy.
And that War Game was also Lyu’s reason for being away from the Labyrinth City.
The banquet celebrating a plentiful harvest at the Goddess Festival.
That was the moment Goddess Freya set her plan of attack in motion. She charmed all of Orario. For the sake of making one boy hers, she twisted the minds of every other soul residing in the city, constructing a carefully manicured garden.
The walls erected around that garden were torn down by the boy’s sheer will power and the sacred flame of his patron goddess, but that was not the end of the incident. The rage of the people—the adventurers whose memories were manipulated, who were turned into puppets—exploded.
And with Freya going to war, a War Game unlike any other in Orario’s history was on the horizon.
It was just a few days ago…but it also feels so distant.
Reflecting on the events of the past month, Lyu looked down at her hand.
The great battle between Freya Familia and the alliance of familias led by Hestia Familia. Lyu of course intended to take part in it herself.
However…
As I am now, I won’t be of any use to Bell…
She recalled her pathetic defeat at the hands of the dark elf, the boaz—Freya Familia’s members both.
The enemy’s ultimate power was its first-tier adventurers.
Their experience, the number of trials they had been through far outweighed hers. Her bag of tricks and tactics paled in comparison as well. But more than anything, Lyu, who was still Level 4, could not begin to match Level 6 and even Level 7 monsters like them.
And so she left the Labyrinth City, to update her status that had been frozen in time for five years.
“Adventurer…no, traveler. If you’ve come from Orario, then where are you headed?”
It was evident the bodyguards had been wanting to ask her about Orario, but she had no intention of talking about it. Or more accurately, she did not have the composure for it given the way impatience was eating away at her.
As if sensing that, the head of the bodyguards had tried to change the topic.
“My destination…”
Lyu subconsciously touched the pouch at her hip.
There was a single note and a map in it.
It was a message from Hermes, the patron god of her friend Asfi, who had made the arrangements for her to leave town. He was the one who had been delivering Lyu’s letters for the past five years. To the goddess whose location Lyu herself had not known.
The note and map provided that goddess’s location. The home of the one being in the mortal realm who could make Lyu’s time move again.
She recited the name on that note: “Zolingam.”
Zolingam. The sword-smithing city.
From Orario in the far west of the continent, it was a long journey across the Alv Mountains and then even farther out east. As the name implied, it was an industrial city, home to blacksmiths forging swords and other weapons and armor.
After she parted ways with the merchant band early in the morning, it didn’t take long before Lyu reached the land of sword makers. The first thing that greeted her eyes was the high city gate.
“A tremendous wall…Not as tall as Orario’s great walls, but still some thirty meders high.”
Its imposing gates gave the impression that Zolingam was a fortress city. Still appraising the height of the walls with her sky-blue eyes, Lyu approached the gate guards.
The dwarves protected the great iron gates with crossed axes, so Lyu produced the scroll she had received from Asfi, permission for passage provided by Hermes, and after several questions, she was allowed into the city.
Passing through the gate built to be an extension of the mountains, she walked a short distance on the large, well-appointed road.
There were entrances into tunnels sporadically here and there. There were ore deposits in the surrounding areas, and Lyu’s enhanced senses picked up the clinking of pickaxes and the rhythmic shouts of miners. On either side of the large road were wooden warehouses and rail cars. It was clear the area near the city gate was rich in resources.
A steady supply of ore was crucial for the manufacture of weapons and armor. She could understand why the gates were so sturdy, imposing, and fiercely guarded.
Finally, beyond the large road, the sword-smithing city itself came into view.
“This is Zolingam…”
The first thing she noticed was clusters of squat buildings and dozens of tendrils of black smoke reaching into the sky.
Setting foot inside the city proper, she felt heat envelop her body. The stone buildings were mostly flat-roofed, and raucous shouts could be heard through open doors and shutters. That was also the source of the heat. Even without looking, she could tell that furnaces were blazing.
The loud clanging of hammers echoed. The symphony of tempering made it clear the buildings in this area were workshops. The people she passed in the streets had the appearance of craftspeople, and even children half Lyu’s size were wearing overalls and hats. In fact, Lyu’s travel clothes stood out, drawing glances from people here and there around her.
She got the impression there was no wall between home and work in Zolingam. To the people living here, the workshop was home, and even when that was not strictly true, most had a place to eat and sleep right next door. Plainly speaking, everyone living in the city was an artisan, and they all had a trade.
In addition, there were many followers of deities. It was well-known that many smithing familias had settled in Zolingam. Word was that none other than Hephaistos Familia came to Zolingam for raw materials and regularly supported several workshops and artisans. There were apparently many Zolingam residents who became followers of Hephaistos.
“It reminds me of Orario’s industrial district.”
The flat-roofed workshops and factories would hardly be called a beautiful neighborhood. The buildings were purely utilitarian, like the industrial district of Orario expanded into an entire settlement. Orario was the larger city, but Zolingam was far larger than Orario’s industrial district.
At a glance, the city appeared crude and stark, but there were also several structures that had an emerald-green gleam. She could not see their full shape for the surrounding buildings, but they looked like the lower half of an hourglass. From their mystical shimmering, she guessed they were particularly important structures for the city.
It cannot be called beautiful, but it is surrounded by mountains. There is forested land and a flowing river…
From the gate to this industrial area, Zolingam was surrounded by nature. The mountains extended from the west to the south, a thick forest stood in the east, and a river flowed from the north. There were ores and other materials, including ample lumber for charcoal and water for smithing. Anyone would be hard-pressed to find a more ideal location for making armor and weapons. It was easy to understand how a sword-smithing city had been founded there.
With the exception of the extraordinary source of materials that was the Dungeon, Zolingam boasted a much more bountiful natural environment than Orario. But Lyu also noted that there seemed to be few of her fellow elves.
Cutting down massive numbers of trees, spewing black smoke into the sky, destroying and polluting the world itself: The deforestation and despoiling of nature that fueled iron smelting—and steel-making—was loathed by elves, who loved nature. As she watched the smoke that was even now rising into the sky, Lyu found it difficult to appreciate this city. She recognized that her elven values were coloring her opinion, and yet she could not rid herself of the distaste she felt.
“Why did Lady Astrea come to such a place…?”
She covered her face with mask and hood.
From what Asfi had said, Astrea was in this city, but Lyu could not help but think it ill suited her.
The merciful goddess loved the mortal realm, and Lyu was certain that she would not have chosen to base herself in Zolingam, so far from what could be called pure and clean. She was a goddess of justice, not of flames or smithing.
As she wrestled with that doubt, Lyu walked on. At times, she spoke to passing people, asking the location of the point indicated on the map, as she made her way through the oval city.
The directions she was given by the residents led her to a place past the industrial zone—a forested area in the east of the city where the process of deforestation was not yet conspicuous.
For a brief moment, Lyu was relieved to know the goddess’s quarters were not in the smog-filled industrial area, but just as quickly, her shoulders tensed.
In the distance, she saw a two-story building erected in an open area. And a girl who appeared to be a follower.
“Argh, what do I do…?”
She was human.
Her bright-blue hair was tied up on the left side of her head, and she was wearing an elegant skirt and combat gear. The white outfit was surely a familia uniform, and there was an emblem hanging from the left shoulder on her pelisse. She was sitting on a tree root, like a child hiding from a parent, groaning while cradling her head.
“I still can’t finish the weapon order…How many deadlines would I have blown through by now if it were a normal order? That’s why Dad and them keep calling me a greenhorn…!”
Even at this distance, Lyu’s Level 4 hearing allowed her to clearly make out the girl’s frustrated and sad confession. Guessing her identity, Lyu had an inscrutable look on her face as she quietly approached.
“But…but…I just don’t feel like it. Why do I have to do this for someone who abandoned—?!”
And just as Lyu heard that, the girl finally noticed her and looked up with a start.
“Wh-who are you…?” Hurriedly standing up, the girl demanded her identity.
Perhaps afraid her words had been heard, the girl blushed ever so slightly.
Meanwhile, Lyu noticed her reddish eyes and was struck by a mysterious feeling.
If she had to describe it, it was almost like déjà vu. Setting aside the odd feeling welling in her breast, Lyu introduced herself.
“…I am Lyu Leon. I have come to see Lady Astrea, who I have heard is here.”
Aware of her nerves from the way her lips quivered, she revealed her identity.
“I am…I was one of Lady Astrea’s followers.”
Hearing that, the girl’s eyes widened. And she immediately glared at Lyu.
“Orario’s Gale Wind…! The traitor who abandoned Lady Astrea!”
Her words were laced with menace, but they were not wrong. Lyu herself did not deny it. Were it not true, had she not felt shame and guilt, she would not have corrected herself to say she was one of Astrea’s followers.
She had no expectation of a welcome. Not after what she had done to her beloved patron goddess. The girl had surely heard of Lyu and the sins she had committed. The girl’s eyebrows were arched in obvious anger, like she might lash out at any moment.
“What did you…?!”
—What did you come here for?
That was what she was surely going to say. But she did not finish the question. Her hand that reached out to grab Lyu’s cloak was swatted aside by Lyu.
“Wh—?!”
“…”
The girl grabbed her hand and looked at Lyu in surprise.
It was a custom of her home village to not allow anyone to touch their skin except those they acknowledged, and the girl’s animosity had triggered a reaction. Lyu looked down at her gloved hand in embarrassment.
The girl’s face grew redder and redder, and Lyu, struggling against her self-loathing, unable to explain herself, just awkwardly offered a warning. “…It would be better not to touch me. I always go overboard…”
“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?!”
Lyu had intended them to be words of warning, but the girl interpreted it as contempt for someone inferior, and she raised her voice in anger.
It was the worst possible first meeting. Unbearable, even.
While Lyu thought that, the girl lashed out, stubbornly trying to grab her again, perhaps out of a desire not to lose.
“Just because you received Lady Astrea’s blessing first, don’t—!!!”
You have it wrong.
Without moving, Lyu was about to correct her, but…
“Cecille! What is it?!”
“What are you doing in front of the home?!”
Before Lyu could say anything, two other girls appeared. A prum and an animal person. They were wearing the same uniform as the first girl and ran over carrying baskets of fruits and nuts they had gathered.
The girl they called Cecille was a step away from Lyu when she stopped her with outstretched hands. She did not cease glaring at Lyu while addressing the girls who stopped at her side.
“This elf is Lyu Leon.”
““…!!!””
The other girls reacted when she spat out Lyu’s name.
“Watch her so she can’t run away. I’m going to Lady Astrea.”
Lyu’s hand twitched in surprise when she heard the goddess’s name.
The blue-haired girl headed toward the wooden home. The two girls left behind glanced at each other and, looking incredibly awkward, did as Cecille said.
Together with Lyu, they walked to the front of the home and took up positions on either side of her. Lyu did not say a word, her gaze fixed on the door of the home the girl had disappeared into, even as they peered over at her, passing a period of time in painfully awkward silence.
There was a throb in her left breast. Her throat was oddly dry, and yet her palms were sweaty. Without realizing it, she pressed a hand to her chest.
The time is coming…
Whether it would be a time of judgment or an emotional reunion, she could not say. But Lyu wanted the former. Her guilt and shame would not allow her to hope for the latter after all this time.
While recovering a little bit of composure, enough to scornfully ask herself how she ever thought she had any right to admonish Bell given her shameful state of affairs, she still failed to lay her worries to rest.
Indeed, perhaps this waiting was the greatest punishment for Lyu.
After an indeterminate time spent standing before the home like a criminal awaiting judgment, there was a creak, and the door opened.
“…!”
The blue-haired girl from before opened the door like a retainer.
Which meant that the next to appear would be none other than her—and Lyu’s—goddess.
Long walnut hair and deep indigo eyes like the starry sky that were even clearer than Lyu’s sky-blue eyes. In her immaculate, unblemished white dress, she looked exactly as Lyu remembered her.
Standing before the unchanged goddess, Lyu lowered her mask with a trembling hand and spoke with every emotion in her heart.
“Lady Astrea…”
The sun was low in the western sky.
The Goddess Astrea smiled tranquilly in the red sunset.
“Long time no see, Lyu.”
Standing there in the fading sunset, Lyu froze, and her eyes widened.
Astrea addressed her with a beautiful, mellifluous voice. The kind smile and voice that Lyu knew so well, rolling back the five years that had passed. It was like she was speaking with a child who had just returned home. “And…welcome back.”
Lyu’s eyes grew damp when she heard that. Her slender legs almost gave out.
—She had been forgiven.
She knew that she had been forgiven. She had wanted to be condemned. To be slapped. She had wanted to suffer the divine judgment she deserved for allowing Alize and the others to die, for being the only one to live, for distancing herself from the goddess for selfish reasons, for the sake of vengeance.
However, Astrea had welcomed Lyu, like a mother who longed for her child to return home.
It hurt. Her heart ached. She was pitiful. And, as disappointed as she was with her own shallowness, it overjoyed her.
“You’ve finished your journey, haven’t you?”
“…Yes…”
“And you’ve found your justice?”
“…Y-yes…!”
Astrea approached, stopping close enough to reach out and touch her.
Lyu’s voice caught in her throat. She could not bear to look her in the eye.
There were so many things she had wanted to say, had wanted to apologize for, but it took all she had to restrain whatever was threatening to spill out from her heart. Her heart and body had seemingly gained a mind of their own simply from seeing Astrea’s face.
Astrea reached out to her with both arms.
“You’ve worked so hard, Lyu.”
“!”
“I’m sure they are smiling at you from across the sea of stars.”
She got a hug.
She could feel Astrea’s body. The goddess’s warmth enveloped her.
That was when Lyu stopped fighting the irresistible urge. Full tears the likes of which even her coworkers at the tavern had never seen in all her years there fell from her sky-blue eyes. Even though she knew it would dirty Astrea’s clothes, her translucent tears would not stop.
She could only manage to muffle the sobs. She had no idea where she should put her hands. But the goddess’s hands wrapped around her gently rubbed her back, like a mother comforting a child.
And so, Lyu’s trembling hands slowly, haltingly reached around Astrea’s waist, finally closing the small gap between them.
“There is so much I want to talk with you about. I’m sure there is much you wish to say, too. But…it would be hard to speak now, I suppose?”
“Y-yes, Lady Astrea…! I’m s-so sorry…!”
“It is fine. That’s enough. Even for me, these five years have felt longer than eternity.”
With Astrea’s face right next to her long ear, Lyu accepted each and every one of her words. She could tell that Astrea had closed her eyes and was even now still smiling. The warmth told just how overjoyed Astrea was for this reunion.
Lyu suspected this was how a child who left home only to embarrassedly return felt. The only difference in this case was that home was not the elven village where she was born, but Astrea’s breast.
Lyu’s breath quivered, and she put more strength into her arms, still wrapped around the goddess’s waist.
Meanwhile, the three girls left outside the fold stared in supreme disbelief at the staggering sight of Lyu and Astrea hugging.
She’s being hugged by Lady Astrea…! She’s resting her head on her boobs…!
They’re huuuge…! I’m so jealous…!
Even though we’re scared to do it, this shameless elf is embracing her like a lover the moment they meet…! She’s no elf! She’s a seductress!
Enveloped in the goddess’s enchanting, voluminous, and incomparably soft bosom, Lyu was experiencing one of the greatest blessings in the mortal realm. Astrea’s other followers were overwhelmed, watching in begrudging jealousy.
The flame in the eyes of the girl called Cecille in particular had gone past begrudging jealousy into a furious envy.
“Cecille.”
“—gh, hah?! Y-yes, Lady Astrea?!”
The girl who had been staring at Lyu like she had killed her parents panicked momentarily at Astrea’s voice before returning to her senses and snapping to attention.
Releasing Lyu, Astrea said, “Prepare a room in the home. Lyu will be staying with us.”
“Ehhh?! L-Lady Astrea, with all due respect, is there any need to do that for a rude elf knocking on the door without sending any word ahead…?!”
“Don’t speak like that, Cecille. Lyu is your senior, after all.”
Astrea had an almost mischievous smile as the girl aggressively leaned forward in open disapproval. The goddess spoke in a gentle tone that stopped the rebellious girl and everyone else from protesting.
“I’m sure we will have a long night tonight. And given her state, I want to let Lyu rest her body. So please.”
Now it was the girl’s turn to be at a loss for words instead of Lyu.
She seemed about to say something when she saw Lyu’s hands and feet—her battered gloves and boots that were worn down from running like the wind all the way from Orario—and she stopped.
After a pregnant pause, not bothering to hide her displeasure, the girl finally relented.
“………Yes, Lady Astrea.”
Astrea smiled wryly and looked at the other girls.
“May I ask you all to help as well?”
““Y-Yes!””
“Then, Lyu. Shall we go? I suppose you’ll want to clean up first.”
“…Yes, Lady Astrea.”
Astrea softly took Lyu’s hand and walked into the home.
Lyu followed meekly, her face reddening as she finally realized that everyone had seen the exchange.
Stars’ Rest.
That was the name of the new base that Astrea had established in Zolingam after leaving Orario five years earlier.
It was a two-story building in the depths of the forest to the east of the city’s workshops. It did not begin to compare to Hestia Familia’s current Hearthstone Manor but was plenty spacious compared to a standard lodge. It was constructed of wood rather than stone, but it resembled the Stardust Garden that was Astrea Familia’s home in Orario and almost made Lyu feel nostalgic.
There were six people living in Stars’ Rest aside from Astrea. Those six girls were Astrea’s followers.
“So then you built a new familia in this land?”
“I wouldn’t call it a new familia, exactly. You are still a precious member of my familia, of course, and so are Alize and the others.”
After cleansing her body and removing the accumulated grime of her forced march across the continent, Lyu was beckoned into Astrea’s private quarters.
The sun had fully set, and the moon had risen in the night sky. An owl’s hoots echoed softly as the forest’s particular stillness enveloped the home.
Lyu sat across from Astrea at a table.
“This is the same Astrea Familia that you know and love…Though I suppose it can’t be helped that it appears to be a completely new familia from the outside.”
After Alize and everyone else fell in the Dungeon, and Lyu, the one survivor, became estranged from the familia, it most certainly seemed like Astrea had started over by welcoming new followers here in Zolingam, and that was how it was generally perceived by others.
Knowing that she was herself the direct cause of it, Lyu could not find the right words to address Astrea’s lonesome smile. She was unable to do anything but embrace her shame.
“Anyway, Cecille and the other children here are simply your juniors. Unlike Alize and your old companions, they all hold different feelings and are searching for their own justice.”
Astrea described the reborn Astrea Familia to Lyu, who was looking glum.
“Juniors”…It is a concept I’ve little familiarity with. In the past, I was the last to receive Lady Astrea’s blessing.
Really, she was more used to being the junior, and even now, she considered herself inexperienced.
Lyra and Neze often teasingly called her the baby of the familia. If nothing else, she knew that she could not play the part of mentor.
And that was still true.
Apologetically, she accepted the meal provided by the girls and had her dinner alone with Astrea. Although that was because it was obvious to everyone that sitting around a table with the rest of the familia would have just led to squabbling.
Anyone could see that at the very least the girl called Cecille would tear into her. In addition to their unfortunate meeting, the fact that Lyu was being given special treatment by Astrea—at least in Cecille’s eyes—had caused her to be extraordinarily hostile to Lyu.
Even if her attitude bothered Lyu, she would not rebuke her for it, either.
A senior who pushed away the goddess out of personal convenience and then came back to see her again? Had she been in Cecille’s position, she would have been just as furious.
In any case, Astrea seemed to have concluded that it would be difficult to have a quiet conversation with her followers around and decided to take her dinner tonight alone with Lyu.
“Lady Astrea…why Zolingam?”
“There was a gift I wanted to give. It is not finished yet…but you will understand when the time comes.”
“…?”
Finishing their meals quickly, Lyu and Astrea’s conversation led them in many different directions.
Lyu asked about how Astrea had spent the past five years, and Astrea wanted to know about Lyu’s current situation.
After scorching herself with vengeance and burning out until there was nothing but ashes, Lyu had written letters to Astrea. She could not take up the mantle of justice again, but she believed it was her duty to watch over the Orario that everyone else had protected until the very end. And as atonement to Astrea, she reported her own situation and what had been going on in her life.
Relying on none other than Asfi and Hermes Familia—since Hermes alone knew Astrea’s location—Lyu had technically maintained correspondence, but there were too many things, too many feelings, to be able to convey it all with written words alone.
Now, at last, the two of them finally had a chance to talk. Astrea was not a talkative goddess, and Lyu was even more reserved, but they had countless things to discuss. Their five years apart had left big holes to fill.
Lyu spoke of what became of Orario after the Dark Age ended. Of the tavern where she lived. Of the acquaintances and close friends she had made. Repeating the daily life she had shared in her letters, she conveyed all that she had seen, heard, and felt.
“I see. A child other than Alize who took your hand…”
“Yes. He grabbed it so suddenly, I was terribly surprised. However, Bell is a human worthy of my respect. I was guiding him as a fledgling adventurer who was just starting out, and yet, at some point, he became the one pulling me forward…”
“Hee-hee…you like this boy, don’t you?”
“Gfh?! L-Lady Astrea?! Wh-what are you saying?!”
“When you speak of this Bell, your voice is so gentle, and a tad sweet. I wondered a bit when he came up occasionally in your letters, but…that is why your pen strokes were so gentle. You’re like a girl in love.”
“A-ah…Lady Astreaaaaa…!”
And when that conversation arose, Lyu made a pathetic sort of burble just like the boy who was the subject of the talk.
Her ears turned red in embarrassment, but she felt strange. Five years ago, when the others were still alive, she had never spoken with Astrea like this. It wasn’t that she wasn’t much of a conversationalist or that they were too busy. Everyone in Astrea Familia wanted the attention of the goddess.
Alize of course, but even the older Neze and Lyana and Maryu, and the younger Noin and Asta and Iska, and even the youngest, Celty…the moment Astrea sat down on a sofa, any of them were liable to pounce on the seat next to her and chat about all sorts of things or ask her about something. Even Kaguya and Lyra would often sit beside Astrea and ask her opinion.
Astrea really was a mother figure to all of them.
She would dote on them, scold them, and more than anything, correct them when they strayed.
That was why they followed Astrea. That was why they made her their pillar of support.
—“I swear on the sword and wings of justice.”
Even if Alize was the one who started it, they had all made that vow.
“To think the day would come when I would have this talk with you…I’m so happy. It’s wonderful, Lyu.”
Though Lyu was red in the face, when she saw her goddess smiling so pleasantly like a young girl, she also broke into a smile. And though she had hardly shared a word with them, she knew that her juniors also loved and respected Astrea, too. Of that she was certain.
I would like this warm, peaceful moment to last forever—as she thought that, Lyu closed her eyes.
She would have to stop avoiding reality. No matter how reluctant she was, she had reasons why she could not delay.
“Lady Astrea…there is something I would like to ask you.”
“…Very well. Ask away.”
Astrea sensed the change in mood as Lyu straightened up. She gave Lyu her full attention and listened closely.
“It will be a long story, but…it’s about the current situation in Orario. And about my friend Syr.”
In addition to Alize, there were two other people who had held Lyu’s hand.
While speaking of Bell, she had intentionally avoided mentioning the other person—or rather, goddess. Only now did Lyu begin to explain.
The girl with the pearl-gray hair who had saved her after she had had her fill of vengeance.
The friend who had brought a measure of peace and light into Lyu’s life was actually a goddess, and one whom Astrea well knew.
That deity’s love had run wild, cornered Bell, and sparked a great battle that was even now shaking the Labyrinth City to its foundation.
“…Rumors of Freya Familia starting a War Game that embroiled all of Orario had reached Zolingam, but to think it was true. And that Hestia and even you are so deeply involved.”
The merchant and bodyguards Lyu had helped on the way to Zolingam had already known the broad strokes, so it was no surprise that Astrea did as well.
Now that she had learned the details from Lyu herself, the goddess closed her eyes with an expression that seemed almost sad. Was it a lament for Orario, which was about to endure a familia war unlike any before, or pity for a goddess she knew so well?
Unable to guess her thoughts, Lyu finally revealed the reason she had come to Astrea.
“As I’ve said, I must return to Orario right away to fight at Bell’s side. However…I would like to have my status updated.”
The power that had been frozen in time these past five years…
Lyu did not avert her gaze from those starry eyes as she firmly made her request.
From the moment Syr set her plan in motion, Lyu had experienced three defeats. Once to Warlord and twice to Dáinsleif—Ottar and Hegni Ragnar, respectively. In regard to the latter, the second defeat wasn’t a complete blowout due to the intervention of the Sword Princess and her allies, but Lyu acknowledged that she hadn’t stood a chance against him at the time. Gale Wind had been completely bested by the einherjar guarding Syr.
“As I am now, I’m sure they would just crush me again. That’s how wide the gulf in our strength is. At this rate…I won’t be able to help Bell.”
“…”
“And I won’t be able to stop Syr!”
Her voice grew more impassioned as she spoke.
She had fought to this day as a Level 4, overcoming countless hardships, but she had run headlong into an insurmountable wall. If Lyu didn’t change, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
“I want to give her a slap and ask her what she really thinks…!”
That was the reason why Lyu came to stand before Astrea.
To come to terms with her past and to gain new strength.
“Please, Lady Astrea! I ask you to please grant this fool your blood once more…!” Each and every word was filled with her regrets.
Silence fell. Astrea met the fairy’s unmoving eyes.
“…I understand.”
And finally, she nodded.
Lyu could not tell whether the emotion she felt was relief, guilt at clinging so brazenly to a goddess, or shame at the selfish convenience of her request.
In the end, she decided to gratefully accept her goddess’ mercy as she removed her shirt.
“It’s been five years since you entrusted your back to me.”
“Yes, it has…”
“Is it just me, or have you gotten more slender? Are you eating properly?”
“After everything that’s happened with Syr…I don’t think I have been eating much.”
“I see…I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.”
“No…it is nothing for you to trouble yourself over…”
After putting away the empty plates, they moved the chairs to the center of the room and sat down.
Perhaps sensing Lyu’s state of mind, Astrea continued to chat while carrying out the preparations for the update. Lyu, with her back bare as the day she was born, pulled her hair that reached past her neck across and over her right shoulder, covering her chest with her other arm while allowing herself to indulge in Astrea’s generosity.
She could not keep her heart from racing.
How much had her experience increased? Would she develop any abilities? Would new magic and skills emerge? And more than anything, would it truly be possible for her to level up?
The results of this status update would decide Lyu’s fate. This was the watershed moment determining how much she could contribute in the coming War Game.
Without thinking, Lyu clenched her fists. And then, she started to pray. Though she had stepped away from the adventuring life and stopped partway through her journey, even if it was just enough to be able to continue fighting for Bell’s sake and for all the other people she cared about, Lyu was hoping for something. Anything.
Please grant me strength. A weapon to save them and to stop Syr! I will leave here at once and return to them right away…!
Lyu’s was already thinking about what would come next. She grew harried as her thoughts turned to the promised struggle.
One look at her slender back was enough to tell how much tension and impatience she was feeling.
“Let’s begin.”
That simple announcement made Lyu hold her breath.
The goddess’s slender finger, red with blood, danced across the fairy’s back.
The first thing Lyu sensed was the feeling of a seal being undone. The hidden symbol of sword and wings appeared, and the ichor rippled out, like across the water’s surface. Hieroglyphs were changing or being added. The excelia was knitting itself into her flesh and blood. She could clearly sense countless symbols flowing past, like pages turning.
The status update was long. The longest that Lyu had ever experienced. As Astrea had mentioned, this was drawing out all the excelia she had accumulated over that time.
Astrea was silent, reading the familia myth written in Lyu’s back and composing the next pages…
“Ngh!”
“…?”
It was at that moment that Astrea’s finger came to a jerking stop.
A small shockwave of surprise had erupted right behind Lyu.
Twice.
Curious about what could have been so shocking, Lyu tried to turn just her head to get a better look, but Astrea had already resumed working as if nothing had happened.
Lyu’s doubts quickly faded as a surging sense of power filled her being.
“Nghhh!”
Sublimation.
After a feeling like a knock in the depths of her heart, a wave of heat she had never experienced before bloomed inside her.
In Orario, first-tier adventurers stood in a world apart. Though she did not have the means to put it into words, Lyu understood what it meant to cross that threshold.
Before long, the goddess’s finger ceased moving.
“…It’s done.”
There was a quiet but deep sigh. The intense, sustained focus she had mustered for her follower had taken its toll.
Although she knew Astrea must be tired and concerned, Lyu could not help wanting to know the results of the Falna that had been inscribed in her back as soon as possible. Exhaling to steady herself, she unclenched the fist that had been curled up tight this whole time. Lyu still was far from calm. She was also still topless, covering her chest with one arm, forgetting about the pitcher of water she had prepared beforehand to offer to Astrea.
Astrea could not help a wry smile. Under any other circumstance, Lyu would have prioritized getting dressed to avoid being shamefully naked in front of her goddess. And so, for the sake of her beloved child who had turned around in her seat and was feigning calm, Astrea quickly transcribed the results of the update onto paper.
“This is your current status, Lyu.”
Bracing herself, Lyu took the paper.
Lyu Leon
LV. 5
Strength: I0 Endurance: I0 Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0 Magic: I0 Hunter: G
Resistance: G Magic Defense: I Magic Control: I
Magic
Luminous Wind
• Wide area of effect.
• Wind and light element.
Noa Heal
• Healing magic.
• Environmental effect. Magic effect boosted in wooded environments.
Skill
Fairy Serenade
• Amplify magic effect.
• At night, magnitude of enhancement increases.
Mind Load
• When attacking, consume Mind to increase Strength.
• Active trigger ability, including the amount of consumed Mind.
Aero Mana
• When running, attack strength increases as speed increases.
Astrae Varmas
• Falna effect.
• Amplifies skills of followers who share the same god and ichor as the user and are in range.
• Enhances the Mind and magic of followers who share the same god and ichor as the user and are in range.
• Provides moderate resistance to psychological corruption to all followers of any deity who are in range.
• Passive effect.
• Degree, magnitude, and scale of enhancement and range increase with Level.
Level 5…!
When that leaped into her eyes, Lyu felt her heart beat louder as a wave of relief crashed into her.
The. Bare. Minimum.
She had cleared the bare minimum needed to be allowed a place on the battlefield. To stand on the same stage as the einherjar.
The five years that Lyu herself thought were stagnation had not been a waste. In that sense, reaching Level 5 brought her some comfort. Lyu had already reached the pinnacle of Level 4 before parting with Astrea. And after that, she had hunted down Rudra Familia and the other Evils, experienced endless chaos and troubles after joining The Benevolent Mistress, and suffered greatly during this past half year of upheaval. Lyu had attained more than enough excelia to level up.
As she tried to calm her racing heart, Lyu glanced over the sheet again.
Basic abilities…all zeros. I suppose that’s just how it is right after leveling up?
Surely it was a reflection of her final Level 4 numbers, whatever extra points Astrea had cashed in.
Even as she was struck, too late, by the thought that it would have been wiser to check her final Level 4 numbers first, her eyes moved on to another part of the sheet.
“A newly developed ability…Magic Control.”
“Yes. There were only two options available this time, so I prioritized the one related to magic. I did it without consulting you. I hope that’s all right?”
“Of course. With this ability, my magic will be significantly enhanced.”
Magic Control was an ability that was indispensable for any magic user Level 2 or higher. It made it possible to deploy a magic circle when casting spells. Taking on the color of the user’s magic power, the magic circle granted an immeasurable boon in increased magic power and Mind efficiency. For any serious spellcaster, that ability was practically required.
As a concurrent caster, Lyu had been at most a vanguard capable of using magic, but with this, she could call herself a proper magic swordswoman. Roles and titles did not really interest Lyu, but the fact that Luminous Wind, her strongest attack, had been buffed was something she was thankful for.
And while I did not develop a new spell…this fourth skill…
Astrae Varmas.
Just as it appeared on the page, it was both terribly complicated and multilayered. She confirmed the skill’s effects with Astrea. Any followers possessing the same ichor as Lyu did would have their skill effects and magic enhanced, but the resistance to psychological control was unconditional, and applied to anyone with Falna, including enemies. Incidentally, Lyu also benefited from the effects of the skill, so it seemed quite powerful.
But she could not help thinking of another person.
Adi…
It was the name of someone precious to Lyu.
Shakti Varma was the captain of Ganesha Familia. Shakti Varma, who had overlooked her trespass when she had snuck into the Grand Casino. And Shakti, a human Lyu respected, had a younger sister. Adi Varma.
One of the people Lyu would call a close friend, she was one of the people who lost her life in the struggle between justice and evil seven years earlier.
Adi had saved Lyu’s life beneath the twilight sky.
“Justice will go on.”
Those words had become a pillar supporting Lyu.
In which case, she could not help thinking that this skill was evidence that Adi’s sense of justice had returned to the world, that she had inherited it. Having finished her journey now, the words her friend left her had taken root in her very status.
There was a burning sensation in the back of her eyes, but she closed her eyes and composed herself.
If that was true, then she could not afford to cry yet.
“Thank you, Lady Astrea. I was able to attain the strength I had hoped.”
If she were to be fully honest, she would have had to say that it was still dubious whether she could truly cross blades with Freya Familia. She could see that much as an adventurer. That was just how incomparably powerful the einherjar, the city’s strongest army, were. They surpassed even Loki Familia. But to wish for more strength than this was to ask the impossible.
Having accomplished the goal she set for herself, Lyu finally realized she was still naked, and she went red to the tips of her ears.
After frantically putting her clothes on, she turned to face Astrea again, anxious to get moving.
“I am sorry for the rush, however, I must—”
—return to Orario is what she had intended to say, but she was stopped by a quiet voice.
“Lyu.”
The voice was no different from before. It was not even imbued with a divine authority. But Lyu still froze when the goddess said her name, and she was pierced by those eyes containing the night’s sky.
“You cannot go to Orario yet.”
“…?!”
“You must stay here in Zolingam a while longer.”
She could not believe her ears. Her mind almost refused to understand. Her limbs quivered as Astrea continued in the same voice.
“If you wish to stop the one you call Syr, the goddess I know so well, then you must remain here for a time. If you returned to Orario now, you would not be able to turn the tide of the battle.”
“Ngh…! I am fully aware of that! The enemy is extraordinarily powerful! That is precisely why I must return to them as soon as possible and come up with a plan!”
What the goddess had seen was an oracle of her defeat.
Though she was aware of as much herself, to hear that from Astrea’s lips shook Lyu to the core, and her voice suddenly grew louder and more unsteady.
“The terms of the War Game could be decided any day now! We need every moment we can get to prepare!”
“I am telling you to do that preparation here.”
“What…?!”
—What are you saying, Lady Astrea?!
Lyu loved and respected her goddess deeply, but right now, all Lyu felt was confusion.
Even though she needed to return as soon as possible, Astrea wanted her to stay. She already had no time to waste. It simply didn’t make sense. Lyu had no idea why her goddess would ask this of her. Despite the logic of her arguments, she got the distinct feeling that disobeying would be a grave mistake given how unwaveringly, resolutely, and calmly Astrea was speaking.
The goddess was still looking straight at Lyu, who squirmed uneasily under her gaze.
“Ngh…pardon me for saying this, but there is nothing I can gain from remaining here!”
“Even if I say that I intentionally did not inscribe the magic you gained the potential for into your status?”
“…?!”
This time Lyu was speechless.
“Elaborating some, that magic is extremely powerful. Much like the skill you gained, it could also be called the result of your journey for justice. With it, you would be a match for even Freya’s einherjar…I can tell.”
Lyu’s mind went blank. A small part of her realized Astrea must have known all along that this was how she would react and that was exactly why she had led with asking her to remain here.
It was hostage-taking. If that magic really possessed the strength to potentially turn the tide, then Lyu had no choice but to obey Astrea’s will.
No matter how much she wanted to return to Bell and the others, she would have to stay in Zolingam until the goddess was satisfied.
“Why…why would you do such a…?!”
Astrea would never tell a bald-faced lie. She would never act in malice. No doubt there really was a spell that Lyu had the potential to develop. And that meant that Astrea’s demand held some meaning that Lyu could not yet grasp.
However, even knowing that, Lyu couldn’t stay silent.
“Even though I have so little time, even though I need strength so badly…why did you not grant me that magic…?!”
It was a desperate plea.
“Because you cannot master it in your current state. Not while your heart is restless and your eyes are clouded by impatience,” Astrea explained firmly.
“And more than anything, you are on the verge of forgetting Alize and everyone.”
The rampaging impulse urging Lyu onward instantly went silent.
Her sky-blue eyes opened wide. A single mention of that name was all it took to hear echoes of their voices in her long ears.
—Calm down, Leon. A certain red-haired girl seemed to be holding her little finger.
—As immature as ever. A black-haired master swordswoman seemed to sneer.
—Looks like you’ve grown up a bit, kid. A prum girl seemed to give her a slap on the butt with a knowing smirk.
And the seven other girls all gave her a pat on the shoulders or head as they came and left.
Even though there should only have been Lyu and Astrea alone in the room, it was as if she had returned to the Stardust Garden from five years ago.
She could feel the heat of ten people in her back that carried her new status.
“Lyu, you may think it’s unreasonable. I won’t insist you believe me. However, remember them. And, if you can hear their voices…listen closely.”
That was what Astrea told her as she stood up calmly from her chair.
At some point, the paper with her new status had slipped from Lyu’s hand. Now it was clutched tight to her chest. It was an unconscious movement.
She couldn’t hear the voices anymore. But the storm roiling inside Lyu had gone quiet for the moment.
Astrea must have decided this was the time to strike because she offered a suggestion.
“With your growth, it’s safe to assume your body and mind are not properly aligned. We’ll resolve that here.”
“…Even if that is the case, it would be far more efficient to do so in the Dungeon.”
“True. I won’t deny that.” Astrea smiled upon seeing a rare pout from Lyu.
Meanwhile, Lyu still had no idea what Astrea was trying to achieve. And she was unsatisfied. Even now that she was a little calmer, she found it hard to swallow. But no matter how dissatisfied she was, her trust in Astrea won out.
That was how strong their bond was.
“I think this is the first time I want to disobey you, Lady Astrea.”
“Like the first time we met?”
“Th-that’s…!…Yes. Like then, it’s difficult for me to simply agree to your request.”
It was a rainy day, right after she had first arrived in Orario.
Lyu had been consumed by despair because of the behavior of other races but, more than anything, because of herself. Right when she was feeling lost and aimless, Lyu ran into Astrea for the first time. And on their first meeting, she had vented all her frustrations on the goddess.
When she recalled that old memory, Lyu’s cheeks flushed in shame. Then she laid her innermost feelings bare as the goddess watched her with a gentle gaze.
“However, I believe in you. To not believe in you…Even were I not a follower of justice, I have not abandoned my pride as an elf—as an inflexible elf more stubborn than a dwarf.”
“Hee-hee-hee. To think there would come a day that I hear that coming from you.”
You’ve changed.
You’ve grown.
Murmuring to herself, Astrea reached out and touched Lyu’s longer hair.
“Thank you, Lyu.”
Part of her wanted to indulge in that warmth, but she shook off that temptation and moved away from Astrea.
Excusing herself, Lyu opened the door and left.
As she did so, the girls, who had been listening in until just moments before, frantically scurried away.
“Bell…Syr…Please wait just a little longer,” Lyu said as she stared out at the starry sky through the window.
“I’m sorry, Lyu…but this is all I can do now.”
After the fairy girl had left, Astrea picked up the update paper that had slipped to the floor.
“I could go with you to Orario…but no, that wouldn’t do, either. The city has reached a fever pitch in anticipation of the coming battle, and that pressure would just rob you of your calm.”
Being in that environment would only increase her anxiety and impatience. That was what Astrea predicted after taking into consideration Lyu’s state of mind and the situation in Orario. Here, far removed from the Labyrinth City, Lyu could carry out her first and last training.
“And…this is completely unprecedented. Even I don’t know what is correct.”
Astrea’s expression held a mixture of concern, puzzlement, and what almost seemed like laughter as she took out another sheet of update paper.
Lyu Leon
LEVEL 4
Strength: D587 Endurance: D501 Dexterity: S935 Agility: S954
Magic: S900
Hunter: G Resistance: G Magic Defense: I
That was Lyu’s final Level 4 status.
It was an excellent status with an assortment of S evaluations, and yet it brought only a troubled smile to Astrea’s face.
“Hermes or Loki would be better at his sort of thing, but…I’ll have to rack my brain as best I can, I suppose.”
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