The moment she entered, her bright eyes immediately found Xien.
She had not awakened today. In fact, she had been awake for several days already. During that time, the members of the Loki Familia had patiently taught her the basic knowledge and common sense of the current era.
From initial disbelief, to slow acceptance, and finally to a point where her emotions had more or less stabilized, Finn had decided it was time to invite the guests from Astraea's side.
Xien's earlier guess was, in all likelihood, correct. From the fragments she had revealed about her parents, Finn had more or less confirmed her identity.
And when they had asked what she wanted to do next, she had given an answer none of them had expected.
"Well then, little Ais, the person you wanted to see has arrived. This is Xien, the one who rescued you from the seal, and beside him is his goddess, Lady Astraea."
"Now it's time for you to make your choice. Will you join us, the strongest familia in Orario, the Loki Familia? Or will you join the Astraea Familia, where Xien belongs?"
Finn's gentle voice rang out, and everyone present focused their attention on the small figure in the room.
The girl did not answer immediately.
Instead, she walked up to Xien and stared straight at him.
"Why did you save me?"
Her voice was calm, almost flat. For someone speaking to the person who had saved her life, it might have seemed a little lacking in warmth.
But Xien did not mind. He crouched down so their eyes were level and answered seriously.
"You could call it a personal principle. As a healer, I couldn't just leave a little girl alone in the dark, imprisoned by loneliness. I only hope you can forgive me for bringing you back into this world you originally belonged to."
Everyone present was taken aback.
None of them had expected that, as the one who had saved her, Xien would be the one apologizing.
They did not really understand why he would do that.
Only the two goddesses did.
Loki clenched her teeth a little.
The boy before her was becoming stronger at a speed no one else could hope to catch—not just in the material sense, but spiritually as well.
That single sentence alone showed the refinement of his mind and character. As a healer, his way of thinking—his respect for life and for the will of others—was already on a completely different level from everyone else.
There was no doubt about it: if he kept growing like this, his future achievements would be staggering.
Damn it all, why did it have to be this brat...?
As for Astraea, she simply smiled. But there was unmistakable pride in her expression.
The little girl naturally could not understand all of that. She blinked in confusion, then continued,
"I don't understand why you're apologizing. But I won't blame you. Thank you for saving me. Still, that doesn't mean I have to join your familia. I'll repay you in some other way..."
Xien nodded calmly.
"That's fair. I never intended to use gratitude as leverage. Your life should be yours to decide. I don't want to pull you out of one cage only to demand that you step into another. That would go against the very reason I brought you out. You only need to say what you truly want. Everyone here will do their best to help."
"That's right, little Ais. Xien is correct. We haven't known each other long, but everyone here can still be your friend."
The girl froze for a second at those words.
At that moment, Loki felt cold sweat break out.
(Hey, hey, hey... this brat's methods are way too outrageous, aren't they?)
This feigned indifference was devastating. What little girl could possibly resist an "attack" like that?!
This brat had actually grasped the true core of dealing with girls—
sincerity.
Was this going to go badly? No, no, no!
Yes, Loki had already convinced herself that Xien was acting. In her eyes, this was clearly a calculated move to soften the girl's heart.
She wanted to interrupt, but she knew that if she opened her mouth now, things would only move in an even worse direction.
Was it over?
Was her soft, adorable little Ais really going to be taken away from them just like that?
Ais looked at Xien with a bit more closeness in her eyes now, but that soon changed into hesitation. After a long silence, she seemed to settle her mind and finally spoke.
"I want power. Power for revenge. Whichever familia can give me that power—I'll join them."
Everyone was stunned.
Even Astraea frowned at the answer.
Looking at the fierce expression that had unconsciously appeared on the girl's face, the goddess found it difficult to believe.
What kind of blood-deep grudge was this child carrying?
"Revenge? Revenge against whom?"
Riveria sounded puzzled. She had been the one looking after Ais these past few days, yet the girl had never once spoken of anything like this.
"A dragon. A black dragon. The black dragon that killed my father and mother..."
Everyone froze.
The moment they heard the words black dragon, the same thought flashed through all their minds.
Surely... it couldn't be that one, could it...?
While everyone was still reeling from that unbelievable implication, Astraea—who had remained silent until now—suddenly spoke.
"If what you want is power, then the blessing of any god could satisfy that wish. But if it is revenge you seek, then compared to the Astraea Familia... the Loki Familia truly is more suitable for you."
Astraea's voice remained as gentle as before.
But what she said left everyone except Xien dumbfounded.
That included Loki, who had already begun to despair.
In an instant, she felt as if she had been pulled straight from hell into heaven.
The gods all had a rough sense for talent, and a child like this was exactly the sort of genius every god in Orario would go mad trying to claim. For Astraea to show no intention of taking her in at all was simply unbelievable.
(Ah, Astraea, so you really are the one who understands me best. That's it—you're my true bestie among gods from now on!)
At that moment, Loki's mood soared.
"But why? Do you think I'm not worthy enough? They told me my talent is very high..."
Hearing that Astraea did not want to take her in, little Ais sounded almost disbelieving.
That was not what she had been told these past two days. According to what she had heard in the Loki Familia, she was the sort of person every familia would fight over.
Seeing the little girl's uneasy tension, Astraea smiled softly.
She gently stroked Ais's head and explained.
"That's not it at all. Everyone in the Astraea Familia believes in Justice. For someone whose heart is fixed only on revenge, our familia is not as suitable as Loki's. They do not carry our obligations. Most of their energy is devoted to exploring the Dungeon, which would allow you to gain power more quickly. By contrast, we must devote part of our time and strength to maintaining order in this city."
"I imagine that in your current state, you have no interest in patrolling the streets every day as a protector of order. That is why I say the Astraea Familia is not the right place for you."
Hearing that, Ais finally understood.
If it was really like that, then for someone so consumed with the desire for revenge, that familia truly was not suitable. Right now, all she wanted was a blessing and a chance to enter the Dungeon to grow stronger.
"Then what about him? They said he's stronger than anyone here. Isn't he in your familia too? Or were they lying?"
After thinking for a while, Ais suddenly turned to Xien and asked the question everyone else also wanted answered.
Xien—the frightening newcomer who had recently shaken Orario—how exactly had he grown so quickly?
He had already become a Level 4 first-class adventurer.
When that news had spread a few days ago, everyone had understood it logically—but emotionally, they still could not really accept it.
They had all witnessed the boy's efforts and accomplishments with their own eyes, but that speed of growth still felt alien to them.
"In that regard, I'm a special case. All I can say is that someone like me would grow strong no matter which familia I belonged to. That's a secret unique to me. It has nothing to do with the familia."
"You're the same. With talent like yours—the kind that makes gods compete for you—you'll grow stronger no matter where you go. The only difference is how fast."
Xien gave the clearest answer he thought she would understand.
"I want to get stronger in the shortest time possible..."
"Then the Loki Familia is still the most suitable place for you. Much as I hate to admit it, objectively speaking, as the foremost familia, they can offer you resources and time that the Astraea Familia simply can't."
When Xien said that, the three leaders of Loki Familia actually felt a little flattered.
Then they realized why, and could only sigh inwardly.
There was no helping it. Xien's performance had left far too deep an impression on them. Without even noticing it, they had already come to see him as someone above them.
Of course, Xien was not belittling his own familia for no reason.
It was simply the truth.
The Astraea Familia was not tiny, but in terms of scale and resources, it had nothing to do with the very top. With Xien's help, they had only just managed to rise from getting by to something like comfortable—they could not compare to a giant like the Loki Familia, who could produce huge amounts of resources at any moment.
And resources were one of the major factors that determined an adventurer's growth.
Did people really think that smaller familias had no talented recruits? Of course not.
But the accidents and costs that came with exploring the Dungeon often meant those familias simply could not afford to support them.
A classic example was the Mih Familia. Their beastman captain had lost an arm in the Dungeon, and just paying for a high-grade prosthetic had plunged them into crushing debt, which in turn caused a chain of problems that left the whole familia in decline.
Cases like that were everywhere.
And it was also why so many newcomers longed to join a major familia. Even if they weren't guaranteed special attention, at least there was security.
"Then I've decided. I'll join the Loki Familia—"
"Great! Then it's settled! Thank you, Astraea, I owe you one!"
Afraid the girl might change her mind, Loki jumped in immediately the moment Ais made her choice, locking it in on the spot.
"Not at all. Guiding children to the right place is part of our responsibility as well. Then I'll leave this child in your hands. I hope she can find her true self with you..."
"Of course! I'm the best there is when it comes to soothing the hearts of wounded girls. Just leave little Ais-tan to me!"
Now that the matter was settled, Astraea and Xien's role here was finished.
After receiving the Loki Familia's thanks—and a monetary reward in gratitude for Xien's help in the Dungeon—the two of them departed the Loki Familia's residence under the little girl's complicated gaze.
On the way back—
"I thought you'd take her in, honestly. With talent like hers, in just a few years she'll probably become one of Orario's top powerhouses."
Astraea smiled slightly.
"But you already know why I didn't."
Xien certainly did.
Still, he didn't think that child would ultimately be devoured by hatred. In this city—already so different now because of him—she would gradually grow.
She would become the one people would one day call the Sword Princess.
"She's still just a child, and she's been through something like that. Honestly, I think the fact that she isn't already full of hatred for the whole world means her heart is stronger than most."
"That's precisely why she needed a better arrangement. If she had stayed with us, her dissatisfaction would most likely only keep growing, and her character wouldn't develop at all. Right now, she simply is not suited for Justice."
"True. If she can't vent the hatred inside her, it'll burn her up from within... In that kind of situation, some degree of fighting is absolutely necessary. And with how everyone in our familia is, if a child like that wanted to go into the Dungeon, the captain would get scolded to death, wouldn't she?"
Imagining that scene, Xien could not help laughing.
If little Ais had truly joined them, Captain Alise might very well have been moved enough to grant her request—but the others absolutely would not have agreed. At that point, she probably would've ended up locked in a "little black room" for reflection.
"As expected of you—you really do understand it well."
"I learned from you, after all... hahaha..."
Looking at the smiling boy before her, Astraea laughed as well.
But in truth, there was another reason, one even more important to her.
Without realizing it, she had already reached a point where—
for her, having him was enough.
After that, Xien devoted nearly all of his free time to the Dungeon.
Fortunately, one wonderful thing happened.
He started spending his days running sweet little two-person dives again with Ryuu.
This time, she was the one who came to him.
How could he possibly refuse something like that?
He agreed immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
Of course, it wasn't just about deepening their relationship.
There were also a few things he needed to understand clearly for himself.
....
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