PATHS SO FAR, AN UNENDING JOURNEY
One day, Aiz was walking through the city without a particular destination in mind. It was such a beautiful day that it seemed a shame to waste it, so she left early to make the most of the time before her Dungeon foray.
She strolled through the Main Streets, crossed Central Park, and went down side streets and back alleys until she arrived on the east side of the city, a place she didn’t often visit.
Aiz had great fun spotting all these streets she’d never noticed before, when at last, her wandering led her to a familiar location.
“I’m here…”
It was during the Monsterphilia, over two months earlier. Aiz had fought a horde of carnivorous plants at this exact spot. She had gotten into trouble, and it was Lefiya who’d saved her.
There was no trace, now, of the damage that battle had left. The city had paved over the cracked stones, and the holes in the sides of the buildings had been completely repaired. The street was alive with the sounds of people once more.
But just then, two Guild employees walked up to her.
“Is that Ms. Wallenstein?”
“Oh, yes, it is! Hello there!”
“Miss Eina…and Ms. Misha?”
One was the half-elf Eina Tulle, and the other was her colleague, the human Misha Frot. Aiz recognized them both, the former due to some personal business and the latter as a Guild receptionist who interacted with her familia on official business.
Both women were in uniform and greeted Aiz with smiles.
“Are you heading out today?” asked Eina.
“Yes,” Aiz replied. “What about you two…?”
“We’ve been sent to inspect this whole area,” said Eina. “In particular, this street, which suffered heavy damage during the Monsterphilia.”
“Some of the monsters got out and caused chaos!” added Misha. “It could have been really bad!” Then, after looking Aiz over, Misha remembered something. “Oh yeah! You were there, Ms. Wallenstein! You were so cool! You beat ’em all up like bam-bam-bam!”
“Your professionalism could use some work, Misha,” Eina cautioned. “But you’re right. You really helped us out back then, Ms. Wallenstein. Allow me to extend my thanks on behalf of the Guild.”
Eina smiled, creasing the emerald eyes behind her spectacles. Misha bowed and said, “Thank you very much!” leaving Aiz unsure how to respond. As far as she was concerned, she had only done what was expected of any able-bodied adventurer living in Orario. That and she wasn’t used to being thanked so directly. Just as Aiz’s muddled thoughts were beginning to show on her unexpressive face, all of a sudden, a young animal girl ran up to her out of the crowd.
“Nice lady!”
“…?”
At first, Aiz was confused, but then she recognized the girl.
She was with her mother now, but when Aiz first met her, she had been in serious danger of being eaten by a carnivorous plant.
“Thank you so much for saving me!” the girl said. “I thought I’d never get to thank you!”
It was obvious from her smile and gestures that she had been waiting for a long time to tell Aiz how grateful she was. Her mother stood nearby, echoing the girl’s sincere thanks.
“You and the other nice ladies were so pretty and strong! I want to be just like you when I grow up! A brave hero who saves people!”
Eina and Misha watched on, silently admiring the heartwarming scene. Aiz looked shocked for a moment, before taking the little girl’s thanks to heart.
“Thank you for keeping everyone safe, nice lady!”
“…You’re welcome.”
Aiz gave a gentle smile, and the little girl blushed and beamed back.
Leaving the warmth of the surface behind, Aiz descended into the Dungeon to hone her skills in live combat. The upper levels posed little challenge to her, and very soon, she was on floor eighteen, otherwise known as Under Resort, the crystal-filled caverns located roughly halfway through the middle levels.
This naturally occurring safety point was filled with trees and forests. Aiz let her eyes wander, and when she spotted the large tree growing in the center of the floor, she decided this would make a good place for a short rest. With that in mind, she headed to the checkpoint town of Rivira. As soon as she set foot on its roads of stone and crystal, however, she ran into the town’s leader, Bors Elder.
“Hey there, Sword Princess! Haven’t seen you down here in a while! How go things?”
“Bors…”
Bors was a giant of a man with a seemingly permanent scowl, but he was amicable enough once you got to know him. He gestured at the town behind him.
“What do you think? Pretty good, right? You can hardly tell you punks came through here with all those monsters and caused all that damage! Don’t hesitate to use this place again!”
Rivira had been all but destroyed in an attack conducted by one creature woman and a bunch of carnivorous plants. Now, however, it was as good as new—perhaps even better than new, given how many more high-level adventurers were frequenting the place than ever before.
That was because Loki Familia had managed to reach parts of the Dungeon that had been untouched since Zeus and Hera’s time, and it seemed that this success had breathed new life into the adventurers and their ambitions. It was none other than adventurers, after all, who made Rivira the sordid yet beautiful place it was.
All of a sudden, however, Aiz recalled something.
“What happened to Udaeus’s sword…?” she asked.
Udaeus was a Monster Rex of the deep levels. A monster that Aiz had defeated single-handedly. After obtaining its sword, Aiz had entrusted the rare drop to Bors, something of a weapon enthusiast in these parts. Bors had promised he could make a killer weapon out of the remains, but as soon as Aiz asked about it, great beads of sweat appeared on his face.
“O-o-o-oh, that?! I just…er…It needs a little more time in the oven, or should I say…you can’t just expect me to hammer something out overnight…or maybe you should stop putting so much pressure on me…! A-a-a-anyway, the point is it’s not done yet!”
Bors gave the biggest fake smile he could, then turned and ran away. If Aiz didn’t know any better, it almost seemed like he was trying to hide something.
“…”
Aiz silently tilted her head. Then she took a look around.
“This is where I first met her…”
Levis—the red-haired creature who knew the truth behind Aiz’s origin. It was right here in Rivira that Aiz had encountered her for the first time. The woman was after Aiz, and every time she struck, bodies were left in her wake. Feeling her fists tighten, Aiz looked toward the north end of the town, toward Cluster Street, where she and Levis had crossed swords for the very first time. It was one of Rivira’s most prominent locations, a place where the crystals formed a natural valley. After a few seconds, Aiz turned and started walking.
She couldn’t explain why, but before she knew it, Aiz was standing before a tavern on the outskirts of town. The sign out front depicted a cave mouth, along with the establishment’s name: The Golden Cellar.
Aiz opened the door and stepped inside, only to run into a chienthrope girl with tanned skin.
“Oh, Sword Princess? It is you!”
“Ms. Lulune…And Ms. Asfi’s here as well?”
“Hey. What a coincidence, meeting you here.”
It was Lulune Louie, and the bespectacled human girl was Asfi Al Andromeda. They were not alone, either, and several other adventurers were present, whom Aiz quickly realized were other members of Hermes Familia. All were gathered around a particularly large table, drinking and chatting merrily.
Aiz spotted Falgar the weretiger, Merrill the prum, Nelly the human, among others. They all welcomed Aiz warmly, and Asfi flashed the girl a smile as well.
“What are you all doing here?” Aiz asked.
“Mmm…We just happened to have some free time, that’s all. We figured we’d come down here and share a drink. Pour one out for those who can’t be with us anymore, that sort of thing…”
“…”
Aiz could never forget the tragedy that occurred in the pantry on the twenty-fourth floor. Aiz, along with Hermes Familia, had taken on a quest to respond to a mass outbreak of Irregulars. There, they had encountered Levis as well as the second creature, Olivas Act. Many of Hermes Familia’s brave adventurers lost their lives in the mortal struggle that followed.
This bar had been where Aiz met up with the group—the very last place where those unfortunate members had enjoyed a drink. It was no surprise, then, that their surviving comrades would come here to remember them.
Aiz remembered the faces of those she had fought alongside, and a bitter look crossed her features.
“Don’t cry, Sword Princess,” said Lulune, waving her hand with a smile. “We didn’t come here to weep.”
“We have to keep moving on,” said Asfi. “We don’t have time to cry over the past. We have to laugh.” She chuckled. “And raise our cups to the heavens and say, ‘What fools you are to be missing this!’”
Aiz couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Lulune was one thing, but she’d never heard Perseus crack a joke in all her days. Then she realized. It wasn’t just a joke. This was their way of mourning, of overcoming the sorrow caused by their old friends’ absence. It was an adventurer’s way: lacking tact yet undeniably heartfelt.
“We’d be grateful if you keep them in your thoughts, too, Sword Princess,” said Asfi. “That’ll be our way of honoring their memories.”
“Because we adventurers have got to stick together,” said Lulune.
“Go on ahead,” said Falgar.
“Visit all the places they never got to go,” said Nelly.
“And then,” said Merrill, “tell them what you saw.”
Each of them wore tender smiles that hid painful memories. Aiz nodded.
“I will…”
After leaving Rivira and spending several hours wandering with no goal in mind, admiring the scenery of Under Resort, Aiz decided to wrap up her business in the Dungeon and return to the surface.
Despite the many thoughts weighing on her mind, she ascended the Dungeon’s floors without much effort, until she reached the ninth floor in the upper levels. There, while walking the beaten path between floors, she suddenly stopped. Up ahead, she could hear sounds. Not the cries of monsters but people’s voices.
Confused, Aiz began to approach, when suddenly, she received a big surprise.
“C’mon, big guy, you sure you don’t need a weapon forged?”
“…”
“Guys like you must need a new sword made every week. Bet they don’t last, do they?”
“…”
“So c’mon, let our forges help you out.”
It was the cyclopean smith, Tsubaki…and Ottar of Freya Familia. The two were standing side by side, having a conversation—or half of one, anyway. It was such a bizarre sight that it stopped Aiz in her tracks. These were two people she had never expected to see together. Granted, the smiths at Hephaistos Familia would accept a job from anybody if it piqued their interest, but seeing the stone-faced boaz next to the carefree half-dwarf made for such a surreal composition that Aiz couldn’t believe her eyes at first. She stood there, stunned, until Tsubaki noticed her.
“Hm? Oh, if it isn’t Sword Princess!”
To be completely honest, Aiz had hoped she could slip by unseen, but it wasn’t to be. Once Tsubaki called out to her, Ottar silently came over. That broke Aiz out of her stupor, and she squared off for battle.
“Sword Princess…”
The two-meder giant towered over Aiz, his rust-colored eyes boring into her. His overwhelming presence reminded Aiz of the time they had crossed swords—of the time they had done battle, right here on this very floor.
Aiz waited with bated breath for Ottar’s next words. They turned out to be a question.
“I heard Udaeus left you a sword,” he muttered. “…Is that true?”
Aiz could only blink several times in surprise. At length, she awkwardly nodded.
“There must be some reason for that,” Ottar said. “Can you think of one?”
“…Maybe…because I fought it alone…?”
“I see. You have my thanks.”
And with that, Ottar brushed her shoulder and walked away. This man was the greatest adventurer in the city, a man who had once tried to kill Aiz for the mere offense of affiliating with Loki Familia. Now he left in peace, disappearing deeper into the Dungeon without even a supporter by his side.
“Stiff as a board, that man,” Tsubaki lamented. “He’s never shown a shred of courtesy in all the time I’ve known him. He didn’t even answer any of my questions.”
Aiz returned her gaze to the eyepatched smith, who almost seemed to be sulking. She quickly recovered and offered Aiz a cheery smile. “Good day to you, by the way. Didn’t mean to ignore you like that.”
Aiz nodded. “Ms. Tsubaki,” she said. “You and him…”
“We just happened to meet on this floor,” replied Tsubaki. “I figured I’d shoot my shot, but you saw how that ended. I don’t think he’s come down here in a while. Maybe someone’s great exploits have spurred him to action once more?”
Tsubaki grinned, and Aiz went silent. “And you, Ms. Tsubaki…?” she asked.
“Just breaking in one of my latest creations,” Tsubaki replied, waving a long naginata in one hand and a bulging sack in the other. “And gathering some new materials while I’m down here.”
Aiz was characteristically curt with her questioning, but Tsubaki was so used to it by now she could almost read her thoughts. After explaining her business, Tsubaki grinned and set off down the Dungeon trail.
“I’d better get going,” she said. “Next time you folks go on an expedition, take me along, yeah?”
After watching her disappear, Aiz turned and resumed walking.
She retraced the same path that had brought her home after her groundbreaking expedition. Memories of her meeting with Warlord stirred in her mind, and as if the memories were guiding her, she arrived before long at a familiar room.
It was the very site where a raging bull had been put to rest. The place where an adventurer had been born.
“Ah…”
When she arrived, a single adventurer boy stood there.
“…Bell.”
“…Ms. Aiz?”
The white-haired boy looked up, a look of surprise on his face. There was no sign of his fellow party. Had he come down here alone? As Aiz walked over, he turned to face her.
“Is no one with you?” Aiz asked.
“N-no,” replied Bell. “It was supposed to be a day off today, but…I just got the itch to come down here…”
Bell was now a second-tier adventurer. If he wanted, he could probably make it all the way down to the middle levels on his own. He was no longer the weak young boy who had once fought a minotaur in this exact spot. Thinking of how much he’d grown, Aiz smiled.
Meanwhile, Bell was looking around the room. “I don’t know why I came back here…” he muttered. “I just felt like…I had to.”
The boy let the room’s stale air wash over him. As if he were standing where it all began. At the point where many diverging paths originated. Aiz cast her mind back, as well, to the face of the boy who had once refused her hand and stood up by himself. To the man who reminded her so much of her father—of a hero.
The excitement…and the loneliness both came rushing back.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Huh?”
“You saved us.”
“…I did?”
Bell looked baffled. It was something he didn’t know. Something he didn’t need to know. How his brave deeds had inspired the rest of Loki Familia to stand up and fight. How his actions had lit a fire in their hearts and allowed them to strike down the corrupted spirits.
The only thing Aiz could do at that moment was offer her deepest thanks to the boy who had grown so much in such a short time and would continue to do so.
After a short while, Bell recovered his composure. His face transformed from that of a bashful young boy into that of a brave adventurer who kept running, no matter what stood in his way.
“Erm…Ms. Aiz,” he asked. “Are you…returning to the surface?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Then…I suppose I’ll see you up top. I’m heading on.”
The adventurer, a babe only recently born, smiled. Aiz smiled back and offered him some encouraging words.
“See you later…” she replied. “…And good luck.”
The afternoon had worn on by the time Aiz reached the surface, and soon, the orange light of evening began to creep across the sky. Aiz exited Babel into Central Park, but when she did, she heard a commotion coming from the southwest.
“…Hm?”
Curious, Aiz wandered over to see what the fuss was about. The southwestern districts were known for how much business they saw, whether it was everyday necessities or rare luxuries that changed hands. As Aiz passed through the marketplace, however, she became aware of a tumult quite unlike the usual peddler’s fare.
It was the sound of adventurers running through the streets barking orders at each other. Aiz quickly spotted their emblems and recognized them as followers of Ganesha, the elephant god.
Just as she was wondering what had them in such a hurry, a merchant suddenly called out to her.
“You there, beautiful adventurer! Could a freshly caught dodobass satisfy your needs? To tell you the truth, I caught this beautiful specimen just this morn with my very own pole!!”
“Hm…?”
“Feast your eyes on its glorious scales! Its tasteful size! This fish has surely come as a gift from the gods ab—Erk!”
Suddenly, the peddler—a human man—cut his spiel short. A glimmer of recognition crossed his eyes as he stared at Aiz. His spectacles slipped from his nose, his oval face paled in an instant, and great torrents of sweat began dripping down his face.
“’Ere, Rubart, how many times ’ave I told ye to leave the sales pitches to—Hey, wait. Well, if it en’t the Sword Princess!”
“It’s you…Mr. Rod.”
The man who appeared was a veritable giant, looking as though he spent all his time out at sea, and Aiz recognized him immediately. This man was from Port Meren, and he was the captain of Njörðr Familia. He had assisted Aiz on a previous occasion, when, seeking information about the mass spawn of carnivorous plants, the girl left the city to investigate the regions around Lake Lolog.
“Never thought we’d meet again in a place like this!” said Rod. “Do you adventurer types often come around these parts?”
“Not usually…” Aiz replied. “And…who’s this?”
“Hm? Oh, that’s Rubart. Used to head up the Guild branch over in Meren.”
“R-Rod! Don’t go blabbing about that!”
“Oh.”
Aiz remembered him. His full name was Rubart Ryan, and he had helped Njörðr Familia with the carnivorous plant outbreak. He once enjoyed a cushy job but was summarily dismissed when it was discovered that he’d been embezzling and smuggling magic stones.
Aiz remembered hearing from Loki that Njörðr had put him to work to atone for his misdeeds…So this was what that meant.
The man was a bureaucrat through and through. Riveria had once described him as “more high-strung than an elven lyre.” Now, however, the man had earned a faint tan, and his wiry limbs were beginning to show some muscle. He’d even traded in his stuffed suit for a pair of fisherman’s slacks, a plain tunic, and a headband.
“When he first showed up, he was moanin’ up a storm,” said Rod. “But you shoulda seen him his first day with a rod in his hands. Bleedin’ natural, he was. You saw how in his element he was a second ago, didn’t ye?”
“Wow…”
“Don’t look at me like that!” Rubart wailed. “I’ll not have your pity! Aaagh!”
Aiz had meant it as genuine admiration, but Rod didn’t take it that way, and he immediately began rolling on the floor in agony. Rod explained that these “attacks” came whenever Rubart was forced to remember his old job. Perhaps he was struggling to reconcile the awakening of his new talents with the pride he placed in his previous position.
However, Aiz was struck with something else: the speed with which the disgraced bureaucrat had settled into his new role.
It hasn’t even been that long since the incident in Meren, she thought. But just as her mind drifted to the subject of people and how quickly they could change…
“What’s this? Is Rubart having one of his panic attacks again? Oh, well here’s a new face.”
“Lord Njörðr…”
With little concern for Rubart’s plight, the fair-faced deity strolled up as though he’d just returned from a business negotiation.
“With the rest of the familia…” noted Aiz.
“Yep. We’ve all come to sell our catches,” said Njörðr. “Never expected to run into you here, though.”
In the blink of an eye, the god turned grave.
“I must apologize, you know, for getting all you involved in that accursed mess.”
“It’s fine…”
“The boys and I have been talking, like, trying to come up with a new way of fishing. A way that doesn’t mean we have to fight fire with fire.” Njörðr scratched his head and smiled. “So just you wait and see. We’ll cook up something special.”
Faced with the god’s blinding goodness, Aiz smiled back. She had a feeling things were going to be much busier in Meren from now on.
Just then, she finally remembered what had been gnawing at her mind for a while.
“Erm…Do you know why there are so many adventurers around today?” she asked.
“Oh, that…” said Njörðr, somewhat evasive. He sounded reluctant to speak more. Not out of shame, exactly, but as if he thought it was something Aiz was better off not knowing. “…Take it from me,” he said at last. “I don’t think you should hang around if you can help it.”
“I shouldn’t…?”
“Well, I mean anyone from your crew, really. I don’t think they’d start a fight, but…things might get dicey.”
Njörðr’s words left more questions than answers. “Well, I’ve said my piece,” he declared, then he and the other fishermen departed, dragging their carts and the still-raving Rubart behind them.
Aiz was curious what he meant, but she took Njörðr’s warning to heart and left the marketplace as well. Shortly after, she heard someone calling out her alias in strangely accented Koine.
“Sword Princess!”
Aiz turned to see a fierce-looking Amazon, hurtling her way.
“Halt…Sword Princess! Or else…you die!”
“?!”
Aiz was shaken. At the same time, she recognized who it was.
Oh…it’s her.
Long hair, the color of sand. Strikingly revealing clothing. A pair of eyes that were slitted like a snake’s. This woman had deep ties to Tiona and Tione, a proud warrior from the isle of Telskyura—and her name was Argana Kalif.
“Finn!”
“Wha…?”
“Where is Finn?”
“‘Finn’?”
“The prum who defeated me! The most striking, mighty, and adorable male in all the lands! Tell me where he is!”
Argana came closer and closer, pressing Aiz to respond. Her eyes were wild, her cheeks flushed, and she licked her lips like a serpent, all bewildering Aiz even more.
Was it just her imagination, or was this woman nothing like she was before?!
“Tell me! Now!”
“P-probably…over…”
Aiz weakly raised a finger in the direction of the Twilight Manor. Argana exclaimed, “Over there?!” and immediately put her Level 6 athleticism to good use, barreling off toward the north of the city.
Aiz blankly watched her go, then all of a sudden, there was a second voice.
“Sword Princess!”
Again?!
This time, Aiz noticed Argana’s twin sister, Bache, running down the street toward her. She realized this because the Amazon nearly crashed into her and sent her flying.
“Nal raz Argana! Dono gofa?!”
Oh, she’s asking about her sister…
Aiz couldn’t make heads or tails of the barrage of Amazonian words that came her way, but she managed to pick out Argana’s name and piece together the rest. She raised her finger once more in the same direction as she had only a few seconds earlier.
Bache said, “Seh roo!”—words of thanks, hopefully—and ran off with blinding speed. Shattering the flagstones, she leaped onto the rooftops and continued her pursuit. Before long, Aiz heard the raised voices of the city watch:
“Did anyone see the Amazons who forced their way into the city?”
“We’ve rounded up everyone except those two twins!”
“How did they manage to break through the front gates?!”
“That’s the fifth time this week!”
“Letting them run loose is a blot upon our name!”
“I am Ganesha!”
And so on. Aiz started sweating bullets as it slowly dawned on her what, exactly, all the prior fuss had been about.
“Those twins will be the death of me,” came a weary voice. “They’ve become a couple of wild beasts in heat…”
A young girl appeared before Aiz, with dark brown skin and black hair. She wore a pale blue one-piece dress and directed a wicked glare at Aiz.
“…and it’s all your fault, Loki Familia!”
The girl looked sweet and innocent enough, but the moment she opened her mouth, it became clear she was beyond precocious. Aiz stared at her in shock, having never seen the girl before, until the child made a disgruntled “mrgh” and took something out of her pocket.
“Recognize me now?”
“Oh…Lady Kali?”
The moment she put on the fang-covered mask, Aiz’s eyes went wide. The little girl had none of the gravitas of other gods and could probably blend into a crowd of mortals with little effort. Argana and Bache’s god seemed pleased to be finally recognized, though, and gave a satisfied nod of approval.
“This hair is a wig, by the way,” she said. “It’s all part of my cunning disguise.”
“…Okay? Why are you here?”
“To follow Argana and Bache, obviously! That nincompoop and her obsession with the man who beat her…!”
Kali removed her mask once more and let out a deep sigh. From that, Aiz realized that her guess had been correct, and a bead of sweat trickled down her cheek.
“This is all your fault, you know. Every one of my girls who was bested by one of your menfolk ended up like Argana.”
Finally, Aiz realized what had happened. Kali’s Amazons had fallen afoul of their race’s characteristic trait—an irresistible attraction toward men who beat them in battle. Argana had shifted from simply lusting for battle to lusting over Finn as well, just the same as Tione had.
Kali and her familia were currently holed up in Port Meren, though more than once, eager Amazons had forced their way into Orario since then.
“Bache was busy doing the ritual, so she’s safe,” explained Kali. “She and Tiona are probably the only sane Amazons left.”
“…”
“Argana’s always scared me, but now it’s for a completely different reason. Every day, I’m in tears trying to stop her rampage. The other children don’t even listen to me…”
“…”
“It’s hard on Bache, too. She’s got just as much on her plate as I do…”
“…I-I’m sorry…”
“Rrragh! Don’t apologize!” said Kali, stamping her feet. “That just makes it worse! It just proves that that washboard goddess managed to get back at me!”
All Aiz could do was watch on, feeling a sense of guilt rise on behalf of Finn and her other male peers. At the same time, however, a strange notion occurred to her.
Until recently, Kali Familia had been chasing after Tione and Tiona with the aim of creating the ultimate warrior. How strange it was to be talking so casually with their chief god now, when just a month ago, the two would have naturally been at each other’s throats.
“Anyway,” said Kali, taking out a Jyaga Maru Kun in one hand. “Now that I get a good look around, Orario sure is a fancy place. There’s people and strange wonders as far as the eye can see.”
She took a bite of her snack, then noticed Aiz’s longing gaze and tossed her a second one.
“Our nation is finished, I tell you. I figured I might as well try to pick up some new blood while I’m here. You wouldn’t be interested in a Conversion, would you?”
“I’m not sure if that’s…”
“Not even after I gave you a free Jyaga Maru Kun?”
“Ugh…”
Aiz had only taken one bite of her gift and looked like she was about to cough it back up. Seeing her take the bait so seriously, Kali couldn’t help but laugh. “Just kidding, just kidding,” she said. “Even Ishtar fell to Freya’s forces. We were waiting on standby in Port Meren, but now there’s nothing for us to do.”
“!”
“Guess that damn goddess was more bark than bite…”
Aiz looked up at Kali’s words. Noticing her reaction, Kali grinned and waved her hand.
“Sorry, but I don’t know anything about this group called the Evils. You’re on your own there.”
“…”
“Now, then. I guess I’ll continue my little sightseeing trip until Bache manages to bring her sister back. Thank you for chatting with me, Sword Princess.”
With that, the diminutive deity disappeared into the crowd. Now alone in the commercial district, Aiz peered up at the sky. It was already beginning to darken.
Aiz walked the streets in twilight. It was the border between night and day, and Orario was draped in the last light of the setting sun.
After leaving the commercial district, Aiz decided to make a detour and headed to the southeast end of town. As for why she came here, carrying what she carried, she couldn’t say. Perhaps it was because of what happened with Lulune and the members of Hermes Familia, or maybe it was due to all those figures from her past whom she had met by chance on the streets today.
In the very same area of town that housed the Pleasure District and Daedalus Street, Aiz came upon her destination.
The First Graveyard, known to some as the Adventurers Graveyard. The multitude of graves in this place memorialized all those who fell in the line of duty, whether it was the Dungeon or war that claimed them and whether their bodies could be retrieved or not.
The sight of the graves brought to mind a terrible longing, almost like homesickness. If she but closed her eyes, Aiz could almost hear the voices of her lost brothers and sisters. She looked down at the bouquet in her hands. It was silent and merely rustled in the wind.
As Aiz walked among the graves, however, she spotted somebody.
“Oh…”
A girl was walking back toward her, having apparently finished her business here. She had smooth raven-black hair and striking crimson eyes. Her clothes were extremely modest pure white garments like the ceremonial robes of a holy priestess. Aiz stood silently, waiting for her to pass, but when the girl got close enough, she turned and acknowledged Aiz’s presence.
“It’s you…” she said. “Sword Princess.”
“Ms. Filvis…”
The elf’s eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise but only for a moment. Standing a few paces apart, the two girls stared at each other.
“…This is the first time we’ve spoken alone,” said Filvis at last.
“Yeah…”
“Did you come to lay those flowers?”
“Yeah…Is that…why you’re here, too?”
Filvis looked like she was about to nod, but after a moment’s thought, she shook her head instead.
“No,” she said. “I came here not to give thanks but to apologize.”
“…”
Although Aiz had never spoken to Filvis one-on-one before, she had heard the girl’s tale from Lefiya.
They called it the Twenty-Seventh-Floor Nightmare. A tragedy orchestrated by the Evils six years prior, in which Filvis had been forced to watch her comrades die. Filvis was the sole survivor of that tragedy, and she had carried the guilt with her ever since.
It was why she called herself unclean.
“…Have you ever felt that fear, Sword Princess?”
“What fear?”
“The fear that one simple mistake could ruin everything.”
“…”
“The fear that…you can’t save them…That all you can do is watch and be tainted.”
Filvis raised her head, directing her blazing crimson eyes into Aiz’s own.
“That your very presence is the catalyst for untold tragedy. If you felt that fear, Sword Princess, what would you do?”
This was the question of an elf who had lost everything. Was she trying to say that Aiz was being dragged into a maelstrom of darkness and would be forced to fight her way out? Was it a curse upon Aiz’s path or a warning? A word of caution for a dear comrade?
“Would you surrender to your fate? Would you run away? Or…would you stand and fight?”
She posed this question to someone who many considered peerless with the sword. Filvis looked as though she were gazing at a perfect reflection of herself, through the looking glass.
Aiz couldn’t answer.
“…I’m sorry,” said Filvis. “That was a strange thing to ask.”
“No…”
“Good-bye.”
With that, Filvis walked past Aiz and left the graveyard. Aiz was left with the girl’s question, rattling around in her mind. She turned to watch the girl leave, bathed in the glow of twilight, then resumed her journey.
Aiz ended up in a section of the graveyard reserved for Loki Familia members. Here were buried all the generations of adventurers who came before her, stretching back to Finn, Gareth, and Riveria’s time.
Among them were seven graves that looked newer than all the rest. Aiz stepped up to them.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s been a while, but I’m here.”
She placed a single flower at each of the graves, then cast her eyes over the names carved into the headstones. One of them was the name of a healer girl to whom Aiz was much indebted, a girl called Leene Arshe.
She and the six others had lost their lives deep in the bowels of Knossos, the man-made labyrinth, where surviving members of the Evils had been hiding. A dungeon trap had divided the group, and there was nothing Aiz could have done to save them.
Although the scars had healed, the loneliness and grief had turned into a pain that would never go away.
But Aiz wasn’t here to repent.
She could not remain fixated on the past. She had to look forward—to keep moving forward, just like Lulune, Asfi, and all of Hermes Familia were. To make sure all those wasted lives were not in vain. That was why she had come.
With one half of her face bathed in the dying light, Aiz spoke to her dear, departed comrades.
“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say here,” she said. “I’m sorry I failed to protect you.”
“It’s okay. We don’t blame you for it.”
“I will keep you in my heart but keep moving forward.”
“Please do. We’ll always be with you.”
“Do you feel angry?”
“Not at all.”
“I’ll never know.”
“I’m sad. Sad I can’t go on adventures anymore. Sad I can’t be with him anymore.”
“Just know that we’re all fighting for you now. Even Bete…”
“That makes me so happy. I think I’m going to cry…”
“That’s all…I’ll see you again.”
“We’ll be watching over you until then.”
Suddenly, Aiz was startled. She felt as if she had just had a conversation with…something. Something very important. It was almost like she could see the girl’s smile, hear the girl’s voice…like she was right there.
Aiz opened her eyes and spun around. She saw the sea of graves, dyed in the setting sun. She saw the flowers that she and so many other visitors had left.
She was alone. There was no one there. Of course there wasn’t.
There was just the wind, ascending into the sky. Aiz stood there for a while, running a hand through her hair, taking it all in.
Then, as she stared at the graves, a voice called out to her.
“Oh? Could that be…? It is! Sword Princess!”
Aiz turned to see a young Amazon.
“Ms. Lena…” she said.
Lena cackled. “Just call me Lena,” she said, waving her hand and her ponytail. “We’re the same age, aren’t we? Are you visiting the graves, too, Sword Princess?”
Lena carried a bouquet of flowers under one arm. Aiz nodded while Lena began placing flowers at the graves by her feet.
They belonged to former members of Ishtar Familia—to those brave Amazons who lost their lives in the Evils’ cruel hunt.
“The last time I came,” said Lena, “it was to tidy up the gravestones. I didn’t get time to pay my respects.”
“…”
“You know, I bet they’d prefer me bringing booze rather than flowers. But I hope they’ll forgive me just this once, because these flowers are my favorite.”
Aiz watched as Lena spoke, still looking down at the graves. Each time she laid down one of the pale blue forget-me-nots, Aiz felt the girl’s slender fingers imparting some quiet words to the graves themselves.
Eventually, when she was done, Lena stood up and turned around. The light of the sunset was behind her, and she smiled.
“Thank you, Sword Princess.”
“What for?”
“Bete Loga and the others told me…Told me about how much you’ve been fighting for this city…for all of us.”
“…”
“Because of you, people like me and Aisha are still alive.”
“But…we didn’t save so many others.”
“Whoa, there! Less of that self-deprecating talk, please! Just accept my words on behalf of the whole city, if you don’t mind!”
“…”
“We all want to say…thank you.”
She stood there, beautifully illuminated by the light of the setting sun. Aiz felt like she could say nothing, like her chest was growing tight with emotion.
It was like someone was finally saying that her path had been worth it after all. That, even if only for one moment, she was allowed to feel proud.
“I’d better be going,” said Lena. “I have to go ask around and find out how many kids Bete Loga wants!”
With a sunny smile, the girl departed. Aiz looked down at her palm, then around at the graves. There were dozens of them, all around. Dozens of tiny monuments to the moments in Aiz’s life.
And Aiz swore she could see, as dusk drew in, the path that she had taken. The trails by which she and her allies had arrived at the present moment.
And also the untold paths stretching on to unknown futures. Infinite possibilities that left Aiz feeling lost and stranded.
But then she smiled. From somewhere behind her came the voices of her dearest friends.
“Ms. Aiz! There you are! Filvis told us you’d come this way!”
“Why didn’t you tell us? We all could have come with you, you know.”
“And who invited Bete anyway? Did he really need to come along?”
“Who said I needed your permission, dumbass? If you don’t like me, then piss off!”
“Hey!!”
“Settle down, please. Do not disturb the souls of all who rest here.”
“Oh dear, and here I thought the three of us could visit our fallen friends in peace.”
“Gah-hah-hah! You should know by now, Finn, that our familia does nothing in peace!”
“Damn right! And I bet my kids are lookin’ down at us from heaven right now and smilin’!”
These were the voices of her friends. The friends who had saved her life on so many occasions.
They gave Aiz the courage to walk this path to its conclusion, wherever that might be.
Because of them, she wasn’t alone.
The girl’s friends hurried over to her and gathered beneath the dusklight while all the souls of all the heroes watched from their jet-black monuments, eager to see what kind of Oratoria these girls would write.
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