Ssh-t!
With a sound of absolute surgical precision, the Black Goliath's body was cleaved apart alongside the orb of light that had threatened to incinerate everything.
Standing there, firmly gripping the masterpiece he had forged, was the white-haired hero.
"That's...!!"
"So that's..."
'What I want to reach...'
'What I want to follow...'
""[Pioneer]!""
For Bell, Welf, and the majority of adventurers present, the white flash they had witnessed—followed by the hero's radiant strike—carried a profound significance.
The white flash illuminated their path, and the intense crimson flames ignited their passion.
"We won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"""""""OHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!""""""
Someone's voice roared through the air, announcing the successful conclusion of their adventure. Simultaneously, the adventurers erupted in a unified cheer, reveling in the taste of victory.
Even the god watching the hero's strike from afar was no exception.
"Ah... Ah!"
"I saw it."
"I, Hermes, saw it with my own eyes!"
"No talent?"
"Don't talk such nonsense, Zeus!"
"Your grandson—your legacy—is the real thing!"
"He is the Last Hero left by your Familia!"
"And..."
Hermes looked down from the towering tree, his face beaming with joy as he watched the heroes celebrating with their comrades.
'Yes... it had already begun back then! Even during that nightmare...!'
"The era has already begun to shift!"
"A hero has, once again, given birth to another hero!"
"Therefore, I must—and I will—watch this until the very end!"
'The miracle of that day, the hope of that day... it must have looked just like this...!'
"The great events that will be carved into history here in Orario!"
"The future of these heroes, their lives and their deaths!"
"The story of the kin woven by those I hold dear..."
'No...'
"The pioneering of the hero...!! The [Familia Myth]!"
The god known as the Trickster rejoiced like a child, blessing the path of the hero who had shown him such a magnificent adventure.
Even the trials they were destined to face.
A few days after the fierce battle, Akumo sat before Loki in a private meeting to report on the expedition.
"Black monsters...?"
"Yeah. Whether it's a coincidence or something else, every black monster I've encountered so far has been an Irregular."
"Hmm... Aye, lookin' at the cases ye mentioned—the giant from the 59th floor and that monster called the Juggernaut..."
"Add the Black Goliath that appeared in this incident. It's not definitive yet, but it's enough to warrant extreme caution."
It weighed heavily on Akumo's mind. From the Black Goliath to the black wyvern Ais had defeated in the past, these were Irregular monsters born by the Dungeon in response to the divine power (Arcanum) of the gods.
'Even the largest Irregular I know of is black...'
Furthermore, the new species of monster resembling a spirit and the black giants seen during this expedition were all new threats emerging from the unknown.
"Alright, I got ye! If ye're the one sayin' it, I'll pay heed."
"Thanks, Loki."
"Then make sure ye show yer face on the other expeditions more often, ye hear?!"
"Ahaha! I'll have to think about that."
Loki readily agreed with Akumo's concerns. Akumo expressed his gratitude, and Loki straightened her shoulders with a confident laugh, as if displaying how much she cherished him.
Then, her expression shifted.
"But tell me... Akumo."
"Yeah?"
"What's yer connection with that [Little Rookie]?"
Akumo nearly sprayed his tea at Loki's sudden question.
"Pfft—! W-What are you talking about...?"
"Ehehe...!!"
Akumo managed to swallow the tea, but his flustered reaction gave Loki all the confirmation she needed. She continued nonchalantly.
"Hya~ I gotta say, I was shocked! Who woulda thought Akumo had a kid!"
"..."
Loki didn't hide her excitement. Her prior suspicions, combined with Ais's reports from the expedition and the physical and personality similarities between Akumo and Bell, were more than enough to turn suspicion into certainty.
"So, who's the wife? Is she really the type of gal to make ye abandon our Riveria?"
"Loki... it's a bit complicated...."
"What's complicated about it? The only thin' complicated right now is my heart after hearin' such a scandalous story!"
"..."
"Why ye so quiet? Don't tell me... that brat isn't actually yer son?"
"..."
"Wait a minute...."
Seeing Akumo's silence, a million thoughts raced through Loki's mind. She wondered if they had some twisted, insane relationship, or if the woman had done something unthinkable.
By the time she started worrying if Akumo had his life mortgaged to some woman, Akumo finally spoke.
"Listen, Loki... that boy is..."
'Since she's caught on this much, there's no point in hiding it...'
Ultimately, Akumo had no choice but to reveal his relationship with Bell, and he shared the truth regarding Alfia as well.
Loki's reaction was explosive.
"Ye damn Casanova!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ack!!!???"
"I thought ye were just some innocent fool!"
"No, that's..."
"Seducin' our Riveria was one thin', but I can't believe ye actually bagged [Silence] too!!!"
'This lad is really somethin' else!!'
"Loki...!! Please, keep it down... if someone hears...!"
Creaaak—
Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a door opening behind him felt like a death sentence. The Trickster had already woven a web from which there was no escape.
"Who exactly would it be a problem for if they heard?"
"Ah..."
'I'm dead.'
"..."
"If you speak before I have finished my thoughts, I will kill you."
"....."
"No answer?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Who said you could speak?"
'Please save me....!!'
Riveria Ljos Alf felt a profound bitterness toward the man before her.
Ever since he was recruited into the Loki Familia, he had never ceased to surprise her. From the feats he performed during the Three Great Quests to the moment he returned alive from the Black Dragon, a monster that had brought even the Zeus and Hera Familias to despair.
"Sigh....."
Akumo flinched.
"....."
Even on the day of the final battle that brought hope back to Orario, his habit of acting on his own whims and shocking everyone was exasperating. Even now, seeing him jump at her simple sigh only made it worse.
'Was it after seeing that Arrow of the Blue Sky? Or perhaps... since the day he overcame Silence?'
"I didn't think there would be no competition, but..."
"To summarize Akumo's words, [Little Rookie] is the nephew of [Silence], and they raised 'im together."
"Yes, that is correct, Loki."
"Wow~ I was completely fooled. I thought for sure both [Silence] and [Gluttony] kicked the bucket that day!"
Loki couldn't mask her astonishment as she processed the fact that Akumo had saved both Zard and Alfia on that fateful day.
"And those frequent leaves of absence outside Orario..."
"Were to head down to the countryside where Bell was...."
"....."
Thump!
"I am truly sorry! I have committed a sin worthy of death!"
Akumo immediately performed a full prostration, his head hitting the floor as he offered a deep apology to Riveria.
"At least it's fortunate only Loki and I know for now...."
'If [Gale] or [Scarlet Harnel] of the Astraea Familia found out, or [Vraja] of the Ganesha Familia, there would be an immediate uproar....'
"Thank you! Truly, thank you, Riveria, Loki!"
"Your speech is quite informal?"
"Thank you very much! Lady Riveria, Lady Loki!"
"Sigh....."
'Come to think of it, we absolutely cannot let the Hephaestus Familia know either...'
After letting out another sigh, Riveria seemed to make a decision and approached Akumo.
Step, step—
"R...Riveria?"
"So you saved them regardless..."
Riveria reached down to the kneeling Akumo, took his hand, and pressed it against her cheek with a warm smile. Realizing that the light he provided during the Great Feud wasn't just for them made her feelings for him even more resolute.
'Is this how even [Silence] was won over?'
"You truly are a hero."
Riveria leaned in closer, her lips moving toward him, and then—
Chu!
She kissed his cheek.
"Now things are finally becoming a bit fair."
".....Eh?"
Akumo's mind instantly ground to a halt. Every nerve in his body focused on the sensation of Riveria's soft lips against his cheek and the touch of her skin against his hand.
"What just..."
"I, too, wish to accept you as my hero."
Ba-dump!
"....."
"No matter what trials you face in the future... I do not want you to be alone."
Ba-dump, ba-dump!
Her beautiful smile reached Akumo's heart, making his chest throb.
"Even if my opponent is [Silence]... no, even if a God themselves comes, I will not give up these feelings."
"Riveria... are you serious...?"
"I simply want you. I have no intention of binding you to the Familia or exploiting you."
"....."
Riveria leaned into him, embracing him as if to signal that regardless of his answer, she would remain by his side. She simply enjoyed the sound of his racing heart.
Ba-dump, ba-dump!
"I want to pioneer your future together with you."
"That is my answer, Akumo. The answer of Riveria—your comrade, and your woman."