On the way back, Isagi looked at Cecil's pensive demeanor and asked what on earth the guy was thinking.
The result.
He discovered she was actually thinking about "serious matters"!
"Isagi, do you think there might be guys related to the Dark Familia in the Dian Cecht Familia's clinic just now? Or members of the Rudra Familia that that Elf is hunting down?"
Cecil referred to Ryuu Lion as "that Elf," signifying that she did not acknowledge the other party's hostility.
Although her initial purpose for joining the Astrea Familia wasn't very pure.
However, after more than a year of getting along, the young girl had developed deep feelings for the Goddess. Thus, in Cecil's eyes, Ryuu was a despicable traitor who had abandoned her Familia and Goddess!
Regarding this.
Isagi offered no comment on the girl's thoughts, because the Familia's past was too complex, and regardless, it was something Ryuu and Lady Astrea had to resolve themselves.
So what he wanted, no matter what, was to first drag the elf girl back to the Familia and have her clear things up face-to-face with Astrea.
One who tied the bell must be the one to untie it, after all.
This was a principle the idiot Cecil just didn't understand.
However, despite disliking the other party, the girl had no objections to his decision to "bring back Ryuu Lion," which was why she was saying such things now.
"If there are Rudra Familia people inside, we just have to tail them, and we'll be able to find that Elf, right?"
There was nothing wrong with Cecil's logic.
At this moment, Ryuu was still constantly hunting down all members of the Dark Familia formed by the Violent God Rudra—the ones who had set the trap in the Dungeon back then and wiped out her Familia companions.
So as long as it was a guy related to them, it would definitely attract her attention.
But there was no need to be that troublesome.
Because...
"I have a better way."
"Eh?"
"We'll leave it to Lady Astrea."
Isagi had actually told the Goddess his thoughts long ago and asked her to write a letter to Ryuu.
The elf girl was hiding somewhere in the city right now, her whereabouts erratic and known to almost no one. But she was, after all, the former rising star of the Astrea Familia, an adventurer who had lived through the "Great Feud" era with everyone.
In Orario, Ryuu still had some acquaintances.
Moreover, what she was doing now wasn't anything shameful. Although hunting down members of the Dark Familia was vigilantism and didn't conform to the Guild's explicit rules, everyone inwardly approved of her actions.
The Guild's bounty was also just for show; no one was seriously executing it—Isagi remembered the Deity Loki mentioning this when meeting Goddess Astrea a few days ago.
And to find Ryuu.
The Goddess just needed to write a letter and hand it to the Hermes Familia.
As the most special Familia in the city, they were the Guild's messengers, responsible for delivering all sorts of news, both inside and outside the city, both official and private.
At the same time.
The Captain of the Hermes Familia, "The All-Rounder" Asfi, had a very good relationship with Ryuu. The two had fought side-by-side during the "Great Feud" period, and moreover, due to some internal Familia matters, they seemed to share a sentiment of "misery loves company."
"We just need the Goddess to make up her mind herself."
"So that's it!"
Cecil couldn't help but widen her eyes, thinking to herself: Why do I, the Captain, not know any of these things?!
"Who told you to run off to the workshop to strike iron every day as soon as you get home."
"You have the nerve to say that! Isn't it all to repair your armor!!"
"Because Captain Cecil is the most capable~"
"Hmph hmph hmph!"
A single sentence coaxed the girl, who had just been pretending to be angry with her hands on her hips, into immediate smugness.
The two walked while leaning close together, whispering and chattering intimately. The boy and girl, already accustomed to this, didn't feel anything was amiss.
But between the long streets and the square, certain gossip-loving Goddesses out for a stroll in the night frequently cast glances at this scene, then whispered and laughed about something.
After a long while.
Passing through Central Park and Babel, they returned to the somewhat dim, complex slum area located on the side of the East Main Street.
Isagi and Cecil's topic changed again.
The two were discussing what to make with the large bone dropped by that "Goblin Guard" obtained today.
Isagi was still thinking of making a shield.
But Cecil felt this thing had sufficient mass, enough to make a full set of body armor.
"Just afraid you'll break it again."
"If you break it, I'll beat you to death!"
"..."
Looking at the girl's fierce yet silly appearance, Isagi thought, anyway, you're the one repairing it if it breaks, as long as you don't find it troublesome.
Cecil, however, was thinking:
Every time the boy comes back from the Dungeon, not a single piece of armor is intact—today was actually okay, only a slit opened on the side of the abdomen.
Although the armor I forged is of good quality, I still need to make a better set, to avoid him getting injured in the future.
And!
Cecil thought indignantly, after this armor is finished, I absolutely won't give Isagi a chance to name it!!
Forging weapons for him before, the names he came up with were all nonsense. The greatsword is called "Great Fortune," the dagger is called "Brown Sugar"—I simply can't understand them, hey!!
And he keeps muttering about something.
That I should forge the strongest [First-Class Armament] for him in the future. When the time comes, I must forge a greatsword. He wants to be some "Two-Handed Strength Macho Man," and it must be some [Moonlight Greatsword]...
No matter what, it should be [Star Greatsword] or [Starlight Greatsword], right!!
After all, Lady Astrea is the Goddess of Justice and Stars. What the hell is [Moonlight Greatsword]? Does this guy Isagi want to be a traitor and go to the Moon Deity's Familia?!
Audacious!!
Suddenly realizing that the Moon Goddess Artemis seemed to be a beautiful girl, Cecil got even angrier upon thinking of this, and suddenly hummed while kicking Isagi's heel!
It didn't hurt at all; Isagi was even worried that Cecil might have hurt herself kicking him.
But seeing the girl's huffing and puffing look, he thought, what's wrong with this guy again?
Why did her face change so suddenly?
She was clearly quite happy just now, and suddenly it went from sunny to cloudy to overcast... Could it be her period recently... Then after we get back, I'll brew her a bowl of hot brown sugar water.
Thinking this.
Harboring completely different thoughts, the boy and girl returned home just like that...
...
Under the stars and moon, warm, dim lights still shone in the old house.
Goddess Astrea, as usual, finished updating Isagi's status. The growth was similar to yesterday, so the boy's Strength, Endurance, Agility, and Dexterity had all broken through the "A" rank, reaching over 800 points.
Magic was slightly weaker, but since he wasn't a mage, it was acceptable.
What puzzled the Goddess most was this:
Isagi's Great Deeds had suddenly risen by a chunk today. Although it hadn't reached the point where he could level up, it once made Astrea think the boy had gone to participate in the battle to subdue a Monster Rex.
[Great Deed].
It is something essential for adventurers to level up, a "feat" that is purely idealistic and causes even the gods to marvel and be moved.
According to Isagi's own understanding, it was probably something like, "Everyone sincerely believes from the bottom of their hearts that for the current you to achieve such a thing, you're truly f*cking awesome!"
Generally speaking.
The most common path for a Lv.1 adventurer to upgrade to Lv.2 is to participate in the subjugation battle of the [Monster Rex: Goliath] on the 17th Floor of the Dungeon, located at the Wall of Grief.
That is a Floor Boss confirmed to be Level 4, with vitality hundreds of times that of monsters of the same level, guarding the path to the deeper parts of the Dungeon.
Just having the courage to face it is already something many Lv.1 adventurers cannot do no matter what.
Let alone participating in combat, subjugating it, and making a contribution.
Of course, that only applied to ordinary adventurers. As for Isagi, Astrea wasn't worried at all. What she was worried about was that just now while eating, the boy was still muttering that he hadn't gone to the 2nd Floor of the Dungeon today.
In other words.
Isagi had killed a monster on the 1st Floor sufficient to earn him a [Great Deed].
This made Astrea very uneasy. The Dungeon's mutation was obviously related to the boy's special Skill, and his constant growth, with Ability Scores far from reaching their limit, proved one thing—
[Hero Candidate].
Just like Alise, Kaguya, and Ryuu, those children from before.
For a brief, tiny moment, Astrea even wanted to immediately take Isagi and Cecil away from the city, back to Solingen or wherever, as long as they didn't go to the Dungeon anymore.
She was afraid.
Gods can sense at all times whether the children possessing their Falna still exist. If the Falna disappears, it signifies they have died.
So on that night spent alone at the Familia station, Astrea had clearly felt the children disappearing one after another...
Theoretically speaking, one can judge a God's "Good" or "Evil" by the degree of their care and concern for their Familia children.
And without a doubt, Astrea was a kind Goddess who cared incomparably for her Familia children. That was why she still couldn't walk out of the past, and even more so, couldn't bear the possibility of such a tragic night repeating itself.
Heroes are necessary.
But the Goddess currently would rather her own children never become heroes.
[I've become weak, haven't I.]
Astrea shouldn't have feared death so much, because the pursuit of justice inevitably involves sacrifice; this is a certainty.
But Gods coming to the Lower World are indeed influenced by their children, leading to changes in personality. This is also the reason why the Gods, possessing eternal life, run to the mortal world.
Astrea tried hard to show a smile on her face to avoid letting the boy see her sorrow. At the same time, she got up and went upstairs, returning to her own room.
Inside the small room.
On the table right next to the bed, a blank sheet of letter paper was spread out.
The Goddess had wanted to put pen to paper several times but didn't know what to write. But now, after thinking for a long time, she looked at the bright stars in the spring night outside the window and started the letter to be sent to her former dependent.
[Ryuu, have you been well recently?
This letter was actually written because your junior persuaded me to.
And now, I do indeed have some matters I wish to tell you...]
___
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