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Syr gazed at Shirou's face, still peacefully asleep on her lap. A small smile formed on her lips before she raised her hand and gently stroked his cheek.
"Shirou... wake up. It's time to get ready," she whispered softly, her fingers tracing his skin with a gentle motion, trying to wake him with the utmost tenderness.
Shirou mumbled softly in his sleep before finally moving his body. He blinked his eyes a few times, then yawned widely, raising his arms to stretch his slightly stiff body.
"Hooaam..." The sound of his yawn echoed clearly in the air.
As his vision began to focus, the first thing he saw was Ryuu, now neatly dressed in her green uniform. The Elf looked at him with a calm expression, though there was a hint of melancholy hidden in her eyes.
"You can use my bathroom if you want to clean up," she offered briefly.
Shirou blinked a few times before finally nodding. "Ah, thank you, Ryuu."
However, before Shirou could get up, Syr suddenly spoke while pointing in another direction.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I also brought your uniform, Shirou. But..." She pursed her lips slightly before pointing to a basket lying on the ground not far from them. "It fell earlier..."
Shirou followed Syr's pointing. He saw the basket, which seemed to contain bread. Some of the bread was now scattered on the ground, with dust clinging to its outer surfaces.
On the other hand, Ryuu felt a growing sense of guilt within her. She realized that the reason Syr had dropped the basket earlier was because she was startled when Ryuu had mercilessly beaten Shirou during their training session.
Without a word, Shirou walked over to the basket and picked up one of the slightly dusty loaves of bread. Calmly, he tore off the dirty part before putting the clean portion into his mouth and chewing it slowly.
Syr, who saw this, immediately exclaimed, "Don't eat that bread, Shirou! You'll get sick!"
However, Shirou just smiled slightly while picking up the next loaf. "It's fine. I'm only eating the clean part."
He looked at Syr with a sincere expression before continuing, "Besides, I know you made it for us. Thank you, Syr."
Hearing that, Syr could only sigh softly, while Ryuu quietly averted her gaze, feeling slightly impressed by Shirou's way of appreciating small things with simple gestures.
After swallowing the last bite of the bread he had salvaged, Shirou took a deep breath before brushing off the crumbs that clung to his hands. Syr, who had been watching him all along, smiled softly and extended her hand.
"Shirou, please bring the basket over here," she requested in her usual gentle tone.
Without hesitation, Shirou immediately picked up the basket, which still contained a few loaves of bread, and walked over to Syr and Ryuu. The basket wasn't heavy, but it still felt light as he carried it with one hand.
"Here," he said simply as he reached Syr.
Syr gracefully accepted the basket and began rummaging through its contents to ensure everything was still in good condition. Among the items inside, she found the green uniform she had brought for Shirou, now slightly crumpled from the fall earlier. With a light motion, she took it out and handed it to Shirou.
"Here's your uniform. Sorry, it got a bit messy," she said with a smile.
Shirou accepted the clothes without any objection. "No problem," he said casually, smoothing out the folds of the fabric slightly with his hands. "I'll put it on right after I shower."
Beside him, Ryuu, who had been standing with a neutral expression, finally spoke up. "In that case, I'll accompany you to my room," she offered.
Shirou was slightly surprised, but he knew the offer wasn't just a formality. Perhaps Ryuu wanted to talk further about something. So, he simply nodded without refusing. "Alright, thank you, Ryuu."
Before they could leave, Syr sighed softly in a teasing tone. "What a pity," she said in her characteristic coquettish voice, her hands cupping her cheeks as if pouting.
Shirou and Ryuu turned to her, waiting for her to continue.
Syr smiled meaningfully and said, "I was actually hoping to ask Ryuu to help me prepare for a picnic later. But... well, I know you two must have something important to discuss, right?"
Her tone contained a subtle hint of teasing, as if implying something more than just a regular conversation between the two of them. Ryuu simply let out a small sigh, seemingly accustomed to Syr's antics, while Shirou could only shake his head, not wanting to get dragged into the woman's wordplay.
"Shall we go now?" Shirou asked Ryuu, choosing to ignore Syr's comment.
Ryuu nodded. "Let's go."
With that, they left the dormitory courtyard, leaving Syr smiling to herself as she prepared the items in her basket.
As soon as Shirou and Ryuu entered Ryuu's room, the door closed with a soft click. However, before Shirou could step further into the room, Ryuu suddenly bowed deeply in front of him, her fists trembling at her sides.
"I'm sorry," she said in a firm yet regretful voice. "I was too harsh when I attacked you earlier. I should have realized sooner that you weren't seriously defending yourself."
Shirou blinked, not expecting Ryuu to apologize so sincerely. He raised his hand, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it, Ryuu. I was the one who deliberately lowered my guard, so it's not your fault," he said casually.
However, Ryuu didn't immediately accept that answer. She clenched her fists tighter, as if trying to hold back the emotions swirling within her.
"But still..." her voice lowered, her eyes fixed on the floor with a guilty expression. "I should have realized it earlier. If I weren't such a fool, I would have stopped after my first attack broke through your defense."
Shirou let out a short sigh. He was used to dealing with people who were hard on themselves, but seeing Ryuu, who was usually so composed, trapped in such guilt, made him feel uncomfortable.
"Seriously, Ryuu. Don't overthink it," he said. "Besides, you already healed me, right? You applied potion to my body and even used healing magic to make sure I was fine."
Yet, instead of feeling relieved, Ryuu's expression remained gloomy. "That's just what I should have done," she said softly. "I was the one who hurt you, so it's only right that I treat your wounds..."
Shirou could only continue scratching the back of his head, feeling slightly overwhelmed by Ryuu's excessive seriousness. "I'm fine," he said again, trying to reassure her. "There's nothing to worry about."
But Ryuu remained standing there, still silent. Shirou could only sigh, realizing that the girl wouldn't be easily convinced.
Shirou looked at Ryuu, who was still bowing her head, her guilty expression not yet fading. Realizing that asking Ryuu to stop blaming herself wouldn't work so easily, he decided to dig deeper into the cause of all this.
"Ryuu," he called in a more serious tone. "Why were you so... reckless during training earlier? You attacked me blindly without any strategy, which isn't like your usually calculated self."
Ryuu seemed surprised by the question. She bit her lower lip, hesitating for a moment before finally letting out a long sigh. "Actually..." her voice was softer than usual. "During training earlier, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time... nostalgia."
Shirou frowned. "Nostalgia?" That sounded strange to him. From what he had seen, Ryuu didn't seem to be reminiscing about happy memories but rather being dragged into the shadows of a dark past.
As if understanding his confusion, Ryuu continued. "When you closed your eyes and easily parried my attacks without looking... I remembered someone. An old enemy. Someone very strong, whom I fought in the past."
Shirou fell silent for a moment, letting Ryuu's words sink in. A thought then crossed his mind. This isn't nostalgia... this is more like PTSD.
He looked back at Ryuu, who was now gripping her own hands tightly, as if trying to calm herself. Whatever she had remembered during training earlier, it clearly wasn't something she wanted to recall.
Shirou looked at Ryuu with curiosity, his eyes narrowing as he tried to understand the emotions hidden in the elf's face. "Who was that enemy, Ryuu?" he asked in a soft yet firm tone. "If there's still unfinished business, I can help you face them."
Ryuu remained silent for a moment, then shook her head slowly. "No need, Shirou. That enemy... is no more."
Shirou asked briefly. "What do you mean?"
"Seven years ago," Ryuu began to explain in a calm voice, though there was a hint of sadness hidden beneath it. "We defeated her. Together."
"We?" Shirou repeated the word, catching the deeper meaning behind it. "So, you weren't alone when you fought them?"
Ryuu nodded slowly. "Yes... I wasn't alone. Back then, I fought alongside my friends—Lyra, Kaguya, Alise, and all the other members of the Astraea Familia. We all fought desperately to defeat that woman."
A faint smile appeared on Ryuu's face as she recalled those names, but Shirou could see a shadow of sorrow in her sky-blue eyes, like someone reminiscing about something precious but no longer able to hold onto it.
Shirou remained silent, letting Ryuu continue.
"She was Alfia," she continued. "A level 7 mage. One of the strongest members of the Hera Familia."
The name made Shirou pause. There was something familiar about it, as if he had heard it before. He furrowed his brow, trying to remember where he had heard the name.
Meanwhile, Ryuu seemed lost in her own thoughts, as if returning to the past, to the battles she had fought alongside those who were no longer here.
Shirou continued trying to recall where he had heard the name before. Then, a flash of memory appeared in his mind—a conversation he had with Riveria while they were in the Dungeon.
"Ah... Riveria mentioned that name," Shirou said softly, as if speaking to himself. "She said that Alfia was a woman who... was rude."
Ryuu turned to him with a slightly surprised expression. "Lady Riveria said that?"
Shirou nodded. "Yes, back then we were talking in the Dungeon. It seems she didn't have a good impression of Alfia."
"I'm not surprised," Ryuu let out a long sigh. "When we fought her, Lady Riveria also helped us. She gave us her magic buffs, without which... we probably wouldn't have been able to withstand Alfia's onslaught."
After saying that, Ryuu looked at Shirou with curiosity. "But why did Lady Riveria suddenly tell you about Alfia?"
Shirou leaned his back against the wall, thinking for a moment before answering. "I used my magecraft to mimic her archery technique."
Ryuu's eyes widened slightly. "Lady Riveria's archery technique? You can do that too?"
Shirou shrugged. "Yeah, back then, I was mimicking her way of firing multiple arrows at once. But it seems... it reminded her of someone, and she mentioned Alfia's name."
Ryuu's eyes narrowed as if understanding something. "I see... Alfia had the ability to mimic someone's technique just by seeing it once. If what you did reminded Lady Riveria of her, then your ability is indeed very similar to hers."
Shirou fell silent for a moment. The ability to mimic someone's technique just by seeing it once? That did sound impressive, but... in his mind, it wasn't entirely accurate for himself.
Crossing his arms, Shirou muttered to himself, Well, I just need to see their weapon.
Shirou frowned, trying to process the new information he had just heard. "Wait, you said Alfia was from the Hera Familia, right? Before the Hera Familia was defeated by the One-Eyed Black Dragon, weren't they, along with the Zeus Familia, the protectors of Orario? So why did she become your enemy?"
Ryuu closed her eyes for a moment, then let out a long breath. "Not just Alfia. Zald from the Zeus Familia did the same. Both of them, who were once known as the strongest adventurers in Orario, decided to join Evilus and tried to destroy the city."
Shirou's eyes widened. "What?"
He truly couldn't understand. The Zeus and Hera Familia were two of the greatest forces that had ever existed, the last line of defense for humanity. How could those who were supposed to be heroes turn against Orario?
"Why would they?" Shirou's voice rose slightly, unable to hide his shock. "They were supposed to protect Orario, not betray it!"
Ryuu opened her eyes and looked at Shirou with a gaze full of bitter memories. "Despair."
Shirou repeated the word with a questioning tone. "Despair?"
"That was Alfia's reason," Ryuu continued. "The Hera Familia and Zeus Familia were the closest to defeating the One-Eyed Black Dragon. But even after giving their all, they still lost. All their Familia members were mercilessly slaughtered, including their strongest adventurers. Alfia... couldn't accept that. In her mind, if even the strongest couldn't defeat the dragon, then no one in Orario deserved to hope for victory. She wanted the city to feel the same despair she had felt."
Shirou clenched his fists tightly. His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed with anger. "That... that's not an acceptable reason."
He could understand despair. He could understand the feeling of failure and helplessness. But blaming others for one's failure? Destroying the city just because they failed? That was unacceptable.
Ryuu noticed Shirou's expression, but she could only continue her story. "To Alfia, the adventurers of this era weren't worthy of facing the One-Eyed Black Dragon. She considered us weak, useless, and unworthy of being called heroes."
Shirou raised his head and looked at Ryuu with a questioning gaze. "Then what does that have to do with trying to destroy Orario?"
Ryuu took another deep breath before answering. "Alfia wanted to return the world to an era where only true heroes could face monsters like that. She thought that if Orario were destroyed, the Dungeon would open, and the monsters within would flood the world. From there, only those who were truly strong, like Albert, who managed to wound the One-Eyed Black Dragon, would survive. All of this so that the world wouldn't rely on the intervention of gods and goddesses anymore."
Shirou fell silent. There was something strange about Alfia's way of thinking. It was too extreme, too absolute.
"So she wanted the world to return to how it was in the past?" Shirou murmured. "Just because they failed, she wanted everyone to suffer?"
Ryuu nodded. "That's why we fought her seven years ago. We couldn't let someone like her destroy the world just because of despair."
Shirou clenched his fists even tighter. He didn't know Alfia, but he knew one thing—despair shouldn't be a reason to destroy the hopes of others.
Ryuu lowered her head slightly, her eyes filled with doubt and deep contemplation. "But..." she sighed before continuing, "after years of reflection, I've started to feel that maybe there was a deeper reason than just despair."
Shirou looked at her with a furrowed brow. "A deeper reason?" He found it hard to imagine anything that could justify the destruction of Orario, especially from those who were once the city's protectors.
Ryuu nodded slowly. "I think... Alfia and Zald joined Evilus not just to destroy Orario. I feel they did it as a stepping stone for us—the adventurers of this era."
Shirou frowned. "A stepping stone?"
"Yes," Ryuu continued. "Zald was already on the brink of death after being poisoned by the Behemoth, and Alfia herself had been suffering from an illness since birth. They... didn't have much time left."
Shirou looked at Ryuu with slightly widened eyes. Those words began to paint a strange picture in his mind, but he still found it hard to accept the conclusion that was forming.
"They couldn't fight at their full strength?" Shirou finally voiced his thoughts.
Ryuu nodded, her expression serious. "They wanted to fight with everything they had, then lose... so that we could grow stronger."
Shirou fell silent. His perception of Alfia and Zald seemed to flip in an instant. The people he thought had betrayed out of despair... might have actually made their final sacrifice for the sake of the next generation.
"You mean..." Shirou finally spoke after a moment of silence, "They intentionally lost... so that the Excelia from defeating them could be absorbed by you?"
Ryuu looked at him and nodded slowly. "During the Great Feud seven years ago, all 12 members of the Astraea Familia leveled up. I myself reached Level 4 at that time."
Shirou felt as if a weight was pressing on his chest. "That much Excelia from Alfia?"
Ryuu sighed, smiling bitterly. "We defeated a Level 7 adventurer, Shirou. It's only natural that the Excelia we absorbed was so immense."
Shirou shook his head slowly, still finding it hard to believe.
Ryuu continued. "Not just us. Ottar, who fought Zald, also reached Level 7 after that battle. The same goes for the executives of the Freya and Loki Familia, who each faced their enemies."
Shirou began to understand the bigger picture. Alfia and Zald might not have truly betrayed out of despair, but out of a belief that the next generation needed to grow stronger. But...
"Still," Shirou clenched his fists, "I don't agree with that method."
Ryuu looked at him gently, as if understanding what was on his mind.
Shirou swallowed hard, then asked in a softer voice. "How many lives were lost?"
Ryuu's face stiffened. She closed her eyes for a moment before answering. "Too many."
Silence enveloped them for a few seconds before Ryuu continued, her voice softer but filled with pent-up emotion. "Veteran adventurers from various Familias sacrificed themselves to hold back the monsters that surrounded Orario. They knew they wouldn't survive, but they held on until the end. And it wasn't just them..."
Shirou raised his head, waiting for Ryuu to continue.
"Many civilians were also killed."
Shirou's fists clenched even tighter. His jaw tightened, and a burning anger began to rise in his chest.
"Was there no other way?" he murmured softly, more to himself than to Ryuu.