Lucian's Pov:
I Entered Through The Door Of My Room, Carefully Laying The Cloth-Covered Body On The Bed,
The Room Was Quiet, It Felt Too Quiet.....
I Sat Down On The Edge Of The Bed, Staring At The Covered Form,
Lucian: ...Hey, Great Sage, Tell Me... What Should I Do ?
(Great Sage: Notice. Master's Physical Condition Is In Dire State, The Left Arm's Bones Have Been Broken Beyond The Healing Limits Of 'Undine's Tear's' Healing Magic, It Is Recommended To Visit A Doctor or Someone With Higher-Level Healing Magic To Recover...)
Lucian: That's Not What I Meant....
I Clenched My Right Fist, Feeling The Numbness In My Left Arm—A Distant, Muted Sensation Thanks To [Pain Nullification].
Lucian: Not That, What Should I Do... like, Getting Revenge ?
The Words Felt Strange In My Mouth...
Lucian: I Don't Think I'd Ever Go That Far..... I Don't Have Any Clues Yet, Only Through Her Body Could I Find Some Leads...
But Even As I Thought it, Another Question Surfaced...
Lucian: But Should I Really Be This Calm ? Shouldn't I Be More Angry ? Or Have I... Have I Lost My Emotions ? My Empathy ? My Anger ?
(Great Sage: Notice. It Is The Eff—)
Lucian: Don't Answer, Great Sage, I Don't Want To Listen To That,
I Looked Down At The Cloth-Covered Body,
Lucian: It's Just... I Feel Weirdly Empty.....
But Looking At Her—What Remains Of Her—I Knew One Thing For Certain,
Lucian: I Can't Let Her Body Be Desecrated Any Further, That's The Least I Could Do...
I Raised My Hand Towards The Body,
Lucian: Predator,
A Black Swirling Enveloped The Cloth-Covered Form, It Vanished, Consumed Into My Sub-Space,
Lucian: Great Sage, Analyze The Body Completely, But Don't Harm It, Give Me Every Bit Of Information You Can Get, And Isolate Every Foreign Object In Her Body,
(Great Sage: Understood, Analysis Starting...)
I Leaned Back, Staring At The Ceiling....
Lucian: Evilus, Huh...
I Never Expected They Would Start Attacking So Soon, Especially This Way,
But How Did They Get Her Body ?
Even In Alf Forest, Even The Common Cemetery Is, In A Sense, Guarded..
Unless...
Lucian: They Have Someone Backing Them Up From The Nobles....
Otherwise, How Could They So Easily Retrieve Her Body ?
I Doubt Larfal Would Join Hands With Them, His Mentality Isn't Like That... But He's Also The Kind Of Man Who'd Look The Other Ways If It Benefitted Him,
The Thought Made My Blood Boil,
Lucian: They Dared To Experiment On Her Body...
My Fist's Clenched,
Lucian: I'll Be Waiting For You Guys, And When I Find You, You'll Wish You Were Dead Instead Of Living,
I Can't Let Them Off The Hook,
But At The Same Time...
I Laid Down On The Bed, My Eyes Fixed On The Ceiling,
Lucian: I Can't Rush This, If I Charged In Blind, I'll Just Get Myself Killed, I Need To Be Smart, Patient, Stronger...
My Hand Instinctively Went To My Hip—
And Grasped Nothing,
Lucian: Where's My Sword ?!
I Sat Up, Looking Around Frantically,
Wait, Didn't I Drop It In The Arena—
(Great Sage: Notice, By Scanning Mana Signatures, Equipment 'Caliburn' Is Currently In Possession Of The Individual Ryuu Lion, Master Shouldn't Worry Too Much About It's Recovery...)
Lucian: Oh.....
I Exhaled Slowly, Lying Back Down,
Lucian: Then She Should Return It To Me, But... I Think I Might Have Been Too Rude, I Just... Left Without Explaining Anything....
I Stared At The Ceiling, My Thoughts A Tangled Mess,
Anger, Grief, Guilt, Determination ?
All Of It Swirling Together, None Of It Finding Resolution.....
Lucian: What Am I Supposed To Do ? How Am I Supposed To Feel ?
But No Answers Came,
Only Silence,
Timeskip.....
Location: Stardust Garden - Living Room
One Hour Later
3rd Person Pov:
The Door To Stardust Garden Creaked Open,
Astrea Entered First, Her Expression Weary But Composed, Behind Her, Ryuu Lion Carried Caliburn In Both Hands, The White Wooden Blade Still Faintly Glowing With Residual Mana,
Astrea: Lucian ?
No Response,
She Exchanged A Glance With Ryuu, Then Walked Towards Kaguya's Former Room,
The Door Was Slightly Ajar,
Astrea Pushed It Open Gently,
Inside, Lucian Lay On The Bed, Staring Blankly At The Ceiling, His Left Arm Rested Awkwardly At His Side, Clearly Broken, His Armor Was Still On, Slightly Cracked And Dented,
He Didn't Move, Didn't Speak, Nor Did He React To Their Presence,
Astrea: Lucian...
Lucian: ...I'm Fine...
His Voice Was Flat, Emotionless,
Astrea: You're Not Fine, Your Arm Is—
Lucian: I Know....
Silence....
Astrea Looked At Ryuu, Who Hesitated At The Doorway,
Ryuu: ..I'll Leave Your Sword Here.....
She Stepped Inside, Carefully Placing The Sword On The Desk besides The Bed,
Ryuu: "He Chose Kaguya's Room..."
She Looked Around—The Simple Furniture, The Faint Traces Of Kaguya's Personality Still Lingering In The Arrangement Of The Space....
Ryuu: "Of All The Rooms He Could Have Chosen... He Picked Hers..."
It Was Fitting, In A Way,
Kaguya Had Been Reckless, Passionate, And Fiercely Loyal, She'd Fought With Her Heart, Not Her Head,
And She'd Paid The Price..... But Not For Her Recklessness....
Ryuu Sat Down On The Edge Of The Bed, Her Hands Folded In Her Lap,
For A Long Moment, She Said Nothing,
Then—
Ryuu: ...When My Familia.... The Previous Members Before You.... Were killed, I Went On A Rampage....
Lucian's Eyes Shifted Towards Her, But He Didn't Speak,
Ryuu: I Hunted Down Every Last Evilus Remnants I Could Find, I Didn't Care About Justice, I Didn't Care About Mercy, I Just... Wanted Them To Pay.....
Her Voice Was Quiet, Haunted,
Ryuu: I Killed Them All, One By One, I Didn't Stop Until I Killed Every Last One Of Them... Then.... I Collapsed From Exhaustion, And When I Woke Up... I Realized I'd Become The Very Thing I Hated..... A Mindless Killer....
She Looked At Him,
Ryuu: I'm Telling You This Because I Don't Want You To Become Like Me, Revenge... It Doesn't Fill The Emptiness, It Doesn't Bring Them Back, It Just... Burns You From The Inside Until There's Nothing Left....
Then, Lucian Finally, Spoke, He Asked....
Lucian: ...Then What Am I Supposed To Do ?
Ryuu Gave A Sad Smile, She Said
Ryuu: I Don't Know, But I Know You Need To Be Careful, Don't Let Your Anger Control You, Don't Throw Your Life Away For The Sake Of Vengeance....
She Stood, Her Hand Resting Briefly On His Shoulder,
Ryuu: You're Strong, Lucian-san, Stronger Than I Was At Your Age.... But Strength Alone Won't Save You From Yourself....
She Left Without Another Word, Closing The Door Gently Behind Her,
The Silence Fell Again, But Astrea Remained,
She Sat Down Where Ryuu Had Been, Her Hand Gently Resting On Lucian's Head,
She Didn't Speak, She Just... Waited....
For A Long Time, There Was Only Silence,
Then—
Lucian: ...Thank You....
His Voice Was Small, Broken,
Lucian: Thank You For Being Here For Me.....
Astrea's Eyes Filled With Tears, But She Smiled,
Astrea: I Will Always Be Here, Lucian, Always.....
She Stroked His Hair Gently, Her Touch Warm And Comforting,
Astrea: "I Won't Make The Same Mistakes I Made With Ryuu, I Won't Let You Carry This Alone, I'll Be Your Anchor, Your Family, Your Home...."
Lucian: ...Can I Stay Like This For A While ?
Astrea: As Long As You need,
She Shifted, Lying Down Besides Him, Her Hand Still Resting On His Head,
For The First Time Since The Battle, Lucian's Breathing Steadied....
And Slowly—Finally—He Closed His Eyes,
Astrea Watched Over Him, Her Heart Breaking And Healing At The Same Time,
Astrea: Sleep, My Child, I'll Keep Watch....
Meanwhile,
Location: Twilight Manor - Meeting Room,
3rd Person Pov:
The Atmosphere In The Loki Familia Meeting Room Was Tense,
Gathered Around The Large Wooden Table Were The Familia's Top Executives:
Loki, Lounging In Her Chair With A Wine Bottle In Hand,
Finn Deimne, Standing At The Head Of The Table, His Thumb Still Freaking Throbbing Faintly,
Riveria Ljos Alf, Seated With Her Arms Crossed, Her Expression Unreadable,
Gareth Landrock, The Grizzled Dwarf, Stroking His Beard Thoughtfully,
Ais Wallenstein, Standing Near The Window, Silent As Always,
Bete Loga, Leaning Against The Wall, Arms Crossed,
Tiona And Tione Hiryute, Seated Side By Side, Unusually Serious,
Lefiya Viridis, Seated Next To Riveria, Still Visibly Shaken,
Finn: ..... Alright, Let's Debrief, What We Witnessed Today At The Monsterphilia Was... Unprecedented...
Riveria: It Was Surprising That Evilus Dared To Attack..... But They Almost Completed Thier Objective....
Bete: 'Almost' Tch, They Failed Miserably.....
Finn: Correct, But That Brings Us To The Current Topic.... That Boy.... What Would You Say About Him....?
Is Was A Unbelievably Serious Question, After All, His Feats Were Beyond Normal....
Tiona: That Kid.... That Dark Elf Boy Is Strong,
Tione: More Than Strong, He Fought ..... That 'Assassin', I Would Say Bordering On Level 3...
It Was Unbelievable That A Level 1 Could Almost Match A Being Made To Kill Adventurers, That Was Almost Reaching The Strength, Speed, Durability, Of A Levels 3.....
Bete: ..... Hey Finn..... Do You Think.... He's One Of 'it' ?
Finn's Eyes Widened Slightly, But It Made Sense....
What Bete Was Refering, Was Called A 'Hero', Unlike Normal People Or Adventurers, They Are Far Beyond Powerful, From The Time Since The Age Of Hero Faded, And Now With Age Of Gods, The Number Of Heroes Birth Can Be Counted In One Hand....
Yet, Lucian's Existence Was Just Like Them... At Least, He Met The Criteria Of A Potential Hero, His Strength Proved That....
He Wasn't Surprised That Lucian Is A Potential Hero, But That Bete Actually Think Or Admit That Lucian Might Be One.....
Finn: It Could Be, You Can Never Tell That, But He Has The Potential.... But Regarding Him, Those Who Saw Him Fight, Please Explain Anything You Saw Or Understand....
Finn's Question, Was Rather Directed At A Few People,
Leyfia, Ais, Tione, Tiona, While Bete Joined Later, He Can Still Provide Information....
After A Bit Of Silence Of Thinking Over, Someone Broke The Silence,
Ais: He's Strong....
At Least, Everyone Expected This Answer From Ais, But Hearing That Statement, There Was No Doubt About It, Ais Never Mistook Others Strength, She Could Still Vaguely Tell Others Strength.....
One Could Say It's Her Instinct....
But Then, Another Spoke,
Lefiya: I... I Still Can't Believe What I Saw....
Her Voice Was Trembling, Her Hands Still Shaken, As She Continued,
Lefiya: He Channeled Mana Through His Entire Body For Over Three Minutes, That's... That's Impossible For Even A First Rate Adventure, Not To Mention His Mind Capacity.... Even Most Level 3 Mages Can't Sustain That Kind Of Output.....
But No One Denied It, Leyfia Was A Level 3 Mages Under Riveria, Her Talent Alone Would One Day Surpass Riveria....
But Remembering The Last Attack, Almost Any Adventure With Familiarity With Magic Or Mana Could Instantly Tell That Was Made Out Of Pure Mana....
Riveria, Still Curious, Asked, Something That Everyone Here Was Also Curious About,
Riveria: And His Final Attack ?
Leyfia Clenched Her Fists As She Spoke,
Lefiya: He Condensed Raw Mana Into A Solid Form, No Chant, No Magic Circle, Just... Pure, Concentrated Energy Released In A Single Burst..... He Called It 'Ex-Caliber'....
She Looked At Riveria, Her Eyes Wide,
Lefiya: Riveria-sama... I Have No Doubt, Even You Would Struggle To Replicate That Technique..... Not That I Underestimate You... But Because It's How Difficult That Technique Actually Is.....
The Room Fell Silent, As A Talented Mage, Especially Under Riveria, Even Riveria Herself Didn't Outright Deny It....
Gareth: The Lad's A Prodigy, No Two Ways About It.....
Finn: Which Brings Us To The Next Point....
He Pulled Out A Folder And Placed It On The Table,
Finn: I Did Some Digging, Here's What I Found,
He Opened The Folder, Revealing Several Of Same Documents,
Finn: He Calls Himself Lucian Vandris Alf, Registered With The Guild Six Days Ago, Reopened Astrea Familia Immediately Upon Registration,
Tiona: Wait—Six Days ?!
Tione: He's Only Been An Adventurer For Six Days And He Fought Like That ?!
It Was Outrageous, Everyone, Even Ais Herself Found It Disbelieving, It Was Absurd To Think That Boy Has Been A Adventurer Only For 6 Days....
But Despite The Suspension, Finn Still Continues,
Finn: Correct, And According To His Magic Stone Exchange Records.....
He laid out another document.
Finn: Day 1: 342,000 Valis, Day 2: 279,400 Valis, Day 3: 207,780 Valis....
The Room Went Silent, Even If They Count In A Few Item Drops, It's Still A Large Amount Of Valis, Meaning He Had Still Killed Over Hundreds Of Monster In A Single Day....
Gareth: Over 800,000 Valis In Three Days !? How Many Monsters Did The Lad Kill ?!
Finn: Hundreds, Possibly Over A Thousand, That If We Count Him Going Down In The Lower Floors, Because There Is No Way So Many Monsters Would Spawn In The Upper Floors....
Bete: "That's... That's Insane....."
Ais: "He's Growing... Faster Than Anyone I've Ever Seen..... Even Faster Then Me...."
Ais, The Fastest To Level Up To Level 2 , Still Took A Year To Achieve That, And Meanwhile Lucian's Effort Of 6 Days Had Far Surpassed Her.....
Finn: But There's More,
He Placed The Final Document On The Table,
Finn: His Full Registered Name By Falna Is Lucian Vandris Ljos Alf,
The Bomb Shell Was Dropped, The Reaction Was Immediate,
Most Eyes Went To Riveria, After All, Only She Beared The Surname Ljos....
Lefiya Gasped,
Riveria's Eyes Widened,
Gareth's Eyebrows Shot Up,
Bete Chocked On His Drink,
Bete: "Damn.... I Really Hit The Bullseye That Day Didn't I ?"
Thinking Back How He Called Lucian A Tanned, Hair Dyed, Short Version Of Riveria.....
Yes, There's No Need To Remember That...
Riveria: ...Ljos ? Are You Sure ?
Her Voice Was Filled With Disbelief....
Finn: Yes, The Surname Reserved Exclusively For The Royal Bloodline Of Alf Forest,
He Looked At Riveria,
Finn: Your Family,
Lefiya: But... But That Means...
Riveria: He's Either My Cousin... Or My Half-Brother.....
Tiona: Wait, Wait, Wait—He's Royalty ?! Riveria's Brother At That ?!
Finn: Based On The Age Difference And The Surname Rules, And Today's Revelation... it's More Likely He's Riveria's Half-Brother, Born To A Different Mother, But His Father.... You Both Share The Same....
Tione: Then Why Is He With Astrea Familia ? Why Isn't He In Alf Forrest ? Or Why Didn't He Try To Ask Help From Riveria Or Our Familia ?
Finn: The First Part I Couldn't Figure Out, But Given His Background—A Dark Elf With The Ljos Name—I Suspect He Was Exiled, As For Later.... It's Likely He Didn't Believe Riveria Might Help Him, Based On His Experience In Alf Forrest.....
Riveria: ...
Her Hands Clenched Into Fists, Because It's Exactly Likely To Happen Because She Knows How Alf Forrest Cares About Pure Bloodline....
Riveria: "Larfal... What Did You Do ?"
Loki: So, What's The Play, Finn ?
Loki Finally Spoke, Her Wine Was Finished, She Finally Joined The Conversation....
And Judging By Her Demeanor And Finn's Research
Riveria: "They Both Found About Him Earlier Didn't They ?"
Finn: For Now ? We Observe, We Don't Interfere, Astrea's His Goddess, She'll Handle Him,
Loki: And If He Breaks ? His Current State Isn't Good ....
Finn: Then We'll Decide What To Do, But For Now... He's A Person Of Interest, Nothing More....
Riveria: ...I Want To Meet Him....
Everyone Turned To Her, They Had Expected That, Everyone Knows How Riveria Cares For Her Fellow Elf's, Especially Now Finding Out She Had A Brother, And With Such Past, She Couldn't Just Leave It As It Is....
Riveria: He's My Brother Or Cousin, Either Way, He's Family, And I Won't Let Him Face This Alone,
Loki: "Mama Bird Is Active Again Then... But..." What About Your Old Man ?
Riveria: I Don't Care What Larfal Thinks, Lucian Is My Responsibility Now,
Finn: ....Understood,
Finn Didn't Argue, Especially Knowing Riveria, She Would Even Sneak Out To Meet Him Even If Loki Forbade Her, And Teach Loki A Lesson At The Same Time..
Afterwards, The Meeting Ended, But Many Of Them Had More Questions Then Answers Now...
But One Thing Was Undeniable,
A Storm Is About To Hit The City Of Orario, And They Need To Be Ready....
Next, Moving Forward