Crossing the Beol Mountains, a naturally impenetrable fortress, is no simple feat, even for the seasoned adventurers of Orario.
"It's raining now..."
To make matters worse, the weather had turned; the rain made traversing the jagged peaks a grueling drain on physical strength. Even for Orario's elite, locating a main force among scattered units in this terrain was a near-impossible task.
However, these mountains offered countless hiding spots. As long as the search parties didn't stumble upon them, escape remained a viable possibility.
Marius, the second-in-command of the Rakia Kingdom's main army, muttered to himself as he watched the sky fill with heavy, dark clouds. Exhaustion etched the faces of his subordinates, the kingdom's knights. Moving in such weather was brutal, yet they had no choice but to press on.
For the elites of the Rakia Kingdom, bad weather wasn't a total dealbreaker, though it inevitably slowed their march to a crawl.
"Sir Marius, shouldn't we stop and find a shelter to protect Lord Ares from the rain? He needs rest."
"No. We need to reach the northern border at the very least to ensure the Orario adventurers don't catch us under any circumstances."
"Besides, that foolish God won't catch a cold, so there's no problem," Marius added, drawing bitter smiles from the knights.
Despite Ares lacking any practical talent for a god, the children of the gods who received a Blessing—even if they were only Level 1 knights—wouldn't fall ill just from exposure to rain. Marius's decision to return home as quickly as possible was technically sound.
But then—
"Is that... a bird?"
Marius caught a glimpse of something white in his periphery. Through the downpour, he spotted an object flying with clear, conscious intent. Despite his skepticism, he squinted to focus.
If not for his Level 3 sight, he never would have caught it; there was indeed something soaring through the sky. Confusion clouded his face as he watched white wings unfurl and circle in the air, but his question was answered almost instantly.
In the very next moment.
"It's... it's the Sword Saint! He's here!!"
A scream like a death wail erupted from the rear. Marius spun around in terror to see a white-haired man scaling a near-vertical cliff. The rain seemed to avoid him, droplets scattering and swerving around his frame. Just looking at him made the massive gap in power apparent; he possessed an overwhelming presence that crushed the spirit.
His aura was so intense it created the illusion that the very air was vibrating.
"Enemy attack! Everyone, draw your swords! Prepare for combat!!"
Marius shouted instinctively. The knights unsheathed their weapons and fell into formation at once.
But it was too late.
In a flash, the white-haired swordsman lunged, leaving a white streak in his wake. No one could react to the strike. With a divine flash of lightning, the blow sent more than a dozen men flying in the blink of an eye. With a fluid riposte, he crushed the rest as if they were scraps of paper.
"The Sword Princess is here too!!"
"What?!"
Marius saw a golden blur at the edge of his vision and cursed. Are you kidding me? Behind the white-haired swordsman, a blonde girl sprinted across the jagged rocks. The knights had no way to stop her as she approached, her golden eyes burning with a fierce, combative will.
These were two of the first-class adventurers Orario was most proud of. If it were only one of them, the knights might have bought enough time for Ares to escape, even if victory was impossible. Facing both together meant absolute despair.
A vortex of silver and gold strikes erupted, howling like a hurricane and piercing the earth. Not a single person could track those lightning-fast trajectories. Faced with the crushing assault of these two members of Orario's strongest Familia, the elite knights were annihilated without a prayer.
"Bell-kun!!"
Through the path cleared by the first-class adventurers, a boy holding a knife in a reverse grip charged toward his Goddess like a fiery thunderbolt. As the boy maneuvered expertly past the knights toward Hestia, a knight attempting to block the path shoved her. The force sent Hestia tumbling over the edge of the cliff.
"Ah."
"My Goddess!!"
Hestia fell toward the canyon floor, her hand reaching out for Bell. After a moment of silence, Bell's scream echoed across the mountains. He leapt after her to save her from the roaring waterfall below. He twisted his body in mid-air, flipped, and landed briefly on a rocky ledge before diving down without hesitation.
He caught Hestia's body as it plummeted at high speed, pulled her into a protective embrace, and took the impact of the rushing current on his back.
●○●○●
"Deliver this package to Aina. I apologize for always troubling you."
Several days after returning from the Spirit Home, Riveria had headed to the Guild carrying a letter for Aina and the Panacea Fruit. Since Al—who had been buried under a mountain of paperwork in the leaders' absence—had finished most tasks while looking like he was on the verge of death, Riveria wasn't pursued by urgent duties. She decided to go personally.
Work had piled up lately, and she hadn't seen Aina in a while; she wanted to see her friend's face.
"I should be the one thanking you. My mother will be so happy."
The recipient was Eina Tulle, the daughter of Riveria's dear friend Aina. Eina was a half-elf who worked as a receptionist at the Guild. Riveria had come to file a report on the events at the Spirit Home as a first-class adventurer who had left the city, and to deliver the gift for Aina at the same time.
"A magical medicine that heals all ailments... I hope this cures Aina's condition."
The fruit had grown on the Sacred Tree as a symbol of friendship between the Elves and the Spirits. Riveria had brought it for Aina as a universal antidote.
"She will surely recover. Your sincerity, Lady Riveria, is the best medicine for my mother."
Except for specific cases like the Spirit Home, it was difficult for Riveria, as a first-class adventurer, to leave Orario to visit Aina. For this reason, she entrusted the task to her daughter, Eina.
"Is that so... I truly wish to go to the Spirit Home with Aina next time."
"May I accompany you both as well?"
"Of course. You must come too, to that place where the bonds of Elves and Spirits are forged... to the Spirit Home."
Riveria smiled, imagining that seeing the Great Tree with them would be more beautiful than anything else.
"Um... excuse me, Lady Riveria... I wanted to ask you something..."
After delivering the package and exchanging pleasantries, Eina asked shyly.
"Hm? What is it? Speak your mind."
"B-but, is it proper for me to ask Lady Riveria about such a thing..."
Eina hesitated, looking down bashfully. Riveria tilted her head in confusion; it was rare to see the usually dignified Eina blushing and flustered like this. Her gaze held a strange caution, as if she were simultaneously suffering from some kind of shock.
No, wait.
That look from Eina was familiar. It was the same look Alicia and the others had been giving her for the past few days—a look of guarded observation. Looking closely, it seemed several other Elven receptionists were secretly eavesdropping. It appeared the other Elves had asked Eina to pose this question due to her strong personal bond with Riveria.
I have no idea what is going on.
Being a High Elf meant the eyes of her kin were always on her, but this was different. Even when she tried to question Alicia and the others, they dodged her with embarrassed faces. In fact, the looks from Loki and Gareth were even harsher. They reminded her of the looks directed at Finn when he was caught proposing to a girl generations younger than him.
"I... I know this is an extremely impertinent question, but... regarding..."
Eina's face, which usually never lost its composure, was now stained a deep crimson. Anyone who knew her would be stunned; it was the first time Riveria had seen her like this, which spoke to the courage she had mustered.
What could she possibly be asking? Perhaps a problem had occurred that she wasn't aware of.
"It's fine. Say it quickly."
"Y-yes... Are Lady Riveria and Mr. Cranel... Al Cranel... between you two... i-i-i-is there..."
(I-i-is there? Is she imitating a chicken?)
Eina, who inherited her mother's intelligence and usually possessed a calm beyond her years, was shaking in an unprecedented manner. Was it that serious? Riveria swallowed nervously.
"Is it true that you and Mr. Cranel are in a romantic relationship?"
"......................."
Time stopped for Riveria at Eina's words.
".......... What?"
Her internal clock restarted after several seconds, but Riveria's brain remained in complete chaos. I don't understand what Eina is saying.
"I'm so sorry!! I shouldn't have asked such a thing!!"
As Eina backed away, bowing and sprinting off with surprising agility, Riveria tried to restart her stalled mind. She couldn't comprehend it. No, she understood the words, but she couldn't grasp how this had happened.
Until she reached the Guild, the burning glares of the Elves had followed her relentlessly. It seemed even those outside the Guild or the Familia knew about it. The reason Alicia and the others hadn't told her? They hesitated to interfere in a High Elf's romantic affairs and feared confirming the truth.
But for Riveria, this was the worst-case scenario.
Could it be that this has already spread through all of Orario?
Al, the other party in this story, had left Orario at a terrible time. She herself hadn't known until now because those around her were being overly considerate of her status. Which meant, for the past few days, not a single person had denied the rumor. Worse, Riveria herself had been entirely ignorant of it until this very second.
This was bad. Very bad.
From the looks Loki and Gareth gave, even those two were suspicious... or rather, they believed we were in a relationship. But why did they believe it? They aren't the type to fall for groundless rumors. If they thought it was a crude joke, they would have checked with me.
The fact that they didn't meant the source of the rumor was someone they trusted. Finn? No, not Finn; he had no reason to spread it, though he too had been giving her strangely warm looks.
Those close to her—Alicia or other members of the Familia—wouldn't intentionally spread a lie like that. If it happened, it meant the member themselves was completely convinced that a relationship existed between her and Al.
But who? Who was close enough to her to be as trusted as Gareth and the others, yet could misunderstand her relationship so drastically? Someone like...
—"Lady Riveria... to whom will you give the Panacea Fruit?"
—"I know this is hard to say... Filvis and the others and I won't reveal the secret... so tell us privately about the person in your heart..."
—"E-e-embraces?!"
—"B-b-bathing... impossible... it cannot be..."
—"Is this a joke?! Lady Riveria... with that profligate man... our Lady Riveria..."
—"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
"........... Ah."
●○●○●
"My Goddess! My Goddess!!"
Bell ran desperately along the canyon river while carrying his Goddess, but he felt her body growing colder by the second. The icy water had sapped her body heat. She had lost consciousness, likely from hitting her head when she fell into the river. No matter how many times he called her name, the only response was her faint, weak breathing.
He could hear his own heartbeat with annoying clarity. At a time like this, he felt his own inadequacy; he felt ashamed for his inability to save her.
"I have to find a safe place, quickly..."
Once they cleared the Beol Mountains, they could return to Orario for treatment. First, he needed a place to rest. Fortunately, there was no sign of monsters. Perhaps the rain had made them quieter than usual.
As the raindrops hammered their bodies mercilessly, he kept running, searching for a place to shield them from the wind and rain.
"Can't Hestia be healed with Al's magic?"
"That was possible in the past... but now, it's impossible to do that with a God. My magic might interfere with fundamental laws—especially since she is a God who governs the Eternal Flame."
The conversation between Ais and his brother Al, who were running beside him, reached Bell's ears. This meant his brother's magic couldn't heal the Goddess's condition.
They needed warmth first. Even if they could start a fire with magic, it was useless without dry wood. He looked around but found no dry sticks or branches. Due to the rain and the fall from the cliff, he had lost his bearings; the current had swept them far away. He had to hurry, or the Goddess's life would be in danger.
Anxiety and turmoil warred in his chest. Ais and Al were crushing any monsters that attacked, but the rain showed no signs of letting up. If this continued, the Goddess would reach her limit. If only they could find a place to take cover...
"That..."
Bell saw a glimmer at the edge of his vision. Through the thick mist of the rain, he spotted a faint glow; it was the light of a magic stone lamp.
──────────────────────────────────────────────
In reality, the person most capable of controlling Al in the Loki Familia is Riveria. Without her, there would be no way to restrain him; as for Bete and the others, he manipulates them as he pleases.
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