บท 168: Side Chapter New year Special (SC 11&12)
...So, allow me to explain
Originally, this chapter was supposed to be a small thing showing interactions between the mc and the Loki Familia while also setting up some triggers for what'll likely be their future actions that'll happen in the background of the next volume.
This would also suffice as the final interaction between them for a long while since I don't know when they'll meet again.
This chapter would set up everything I needed, and plant the seeds of ideas that would germinate into the changes in all characters for what'll likely be the focal point of perhaps Volumes 6 and 7.
(We are currently at the end of Volume 5, if you go to P@treon, you'll see the end of Volume 5 play)
In the next few chapters after this arc, I'll set up events that'll be the foreshadowing for the next arcs as well, and as many people have been requesting, the Freya Familia will likely appear more frequently now.
Enough Loki, time for Freya.
Since we did advance a lot, it's time for Freya to start claiming her investments... If you know what I mean.
In the end, this chapter came after a lot of effort, because I wrote, and wrote... And wrote.
Before editing, this chapter was 7.5K words long, and after editing, it's 10K words Long.
So what'll do is that instead of posting 2 chapters, one special, and one because it's the weekly release, I'll just post this one.
I was even planning on not posting any other chapter this week... This may depend on my mood after I finish editing this one.
Regardless, taking a look at the next few chapters, you all would be left at a cliffhanger nonetheless, so I'm sorry, there's no escape.
With this all in mind, I hope you like this relaxed chapter. I wanted to add so much more, but then, this chapter might've gone from its current size to 15K...
I'm writing this before editing, but if the chapter does surpass 10K, I'll just add everything together and call this a New year special.
As I said before, if that does happen, you'll only be seeing me after the first week of January, I'll make sure to make an announcement chapter to explain it all properly.
Until next time!
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/Back in the Dungeon's 28th floor.../
/Crack…/
'The strange tree in the shame of a colorful blue coral split apart in the center of its trunk, and Silver stepped out of it, exhaling slightly.'
"The air in the Dungeon is so thick…"
It's hard to notice when you go from floor to floor, but when I jump like this, it always gives me a slight bump.
Though each floor is different from the other, these floors are very humid, while far below, some floors are full of smoke.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone here..."
'Looking around to make sure no one saw him like this, he cleared his traces before moving around the tree and into the forest.'
'He had already made them wait long enough, it was time to meet with the Loki Familia for real now.'
…
/Chatter!/
'As he approached the camp, seeing large tents erected on an open patch of land in the middle of the forest, Silver saw people coming and going, holding large boxes as they rushed in and out of them.'
'Some wore adventuring clothes, but most wore cloth instead, something between casual clothes and adventuring clothes.'
'This was because of how long they had been here.'
'While Ais and the other Executives camped down bellow, waiting for the Floor Boss to appear, the rest made their way above.'
'And eventually, they arrived, and after setting camp, they had nothing to do apart from waiting for their Bosses to arrive.'
'It was a well-deserved rest for them, a few days of slacking off... Though, not without some problems…'
"Heh, they seem desperate." Silver chuckled as he walked
If we go by time… They must've arrived just a few days ago.
Considering their size and baggage, they took around a week to come from the deep floors to this floor, and they likely expected Ais and the others to take the same time as well, or at least something similar.
Yet they arrived much sooner, it must've been quite the shock. Imagine you, a loyal soldier, given the order to patrol for 2 weeks while the commander arrives...
But after a few days, nothing happens, so you start to slack off, after all, who can last 2 weeks doing nothing at all?…
And then… BAM! Your superior arrive many days ahead of time… Only to see you sleeping on duty.
"They'll likely be scolded soon, their faces aren't that pretty…"
'The expressions were a mix of surprise, confusion, and helplessness.'
'Sometimes, being efficient wasn't good, and this seemed to be one of them.'
...
'As he approached their camp, some noticed him, immediately realizing he wasn't part of their group.'
'They wondered who would have the gal to come uninvited, but they weren't to blame.'
'It had only been half an hour since the Executives came back, and they barely had time to talk before they went to relax and shake some of their tiredness away in the open lakes around the forest.'
'It wasn't enough time for information to spread.'
'And obviously, there aren't any fancy bathhouses this deep in the Dungeon, there may be something back in the city, but Finn isn't willing to spend even a single coin there unless an emergency arrives.'
'At least, not the money from the Expedition, he doesn't mind if the others were to spend their own money...'
'So instead, they went to a nearby lake they encircled previously to shower.'
'Don't worry about misunderstanding happening, Ais and the others girls went to a different section to shower, a small natural lake quite a bit of walking from where Gareth, Finn, and the other guys are.'
'Unless they put in some effort, they won't see each other at all…'
"Hm?"
Is that?...
'Of course… There would always be some people willing to risk their necks.'
'Once he stepped into the camp, Silver immediately noticed a group of guys sitting around a bonfire with sharp eyes… A strange aura covered their bodies.'
"Hey… Excuse me for a moment…"
"?"
'Silver heard the footsteps of someone approaching him from behind, and by the looks of it, it was a girl with a gentle yet meek voice…'
"Oh?"
I saw her before… From afar…
What was her name again?...
'Scratching his chin in deep thought, Silver took a good look at her.'
'It was a girl with brown eyes and long black hair that she had braided in a tail.'
'She wore a brown and white top, a brown skirt, dark leggings with a white band and light brown borders, a white headband, glasses, pale arm covers with light brown borders, white gloves, and a white belt with pouches.'
(Image)
"Mmn..."
'She pushed her glasses back, she had to raise her head a little to look at Silver fully.'
"Without a doubt… You must be Mr.Silver."
'She thought for a small moment before saying more.'
"I-I was tasked with showing you around… Otherwise, the others would stop you…"
'She then became a bit flustered.'
"I-I'm sorry! I forgot the introduce myself! Pardon my rudeness…"
"..."
'For someone that looked shy and meek, she spoke quite fast, giving him no time or space to butt in…'
'Was it because he wasn't from her Familia, and hence she felt no pressure when facing him? Or due to her own personality?'
"I'm Line Arshe. Level 2 Healer and a Supporter."
'Silver raised his hand… And she grabbed it with a small smile.'
"I'm Mellios Silver, Level 2… Captain of the Hestia Familia?"
Am I a Healer, a Frontliner? Both?
Combat Magician?
'She pushed her glasses back in place again.'
"Nice to meet you, Line Arshe."
"It's a pleasure... Mellios Silver..."
"S-So? Should I show you around? I was told to guide you to your tent and also anywhere you asked."
'Silver smiled, she was very polite, albeit she seemed to keep a certain distance from him…'
'Being cautious isn't something Silver would nitpick at, especially towards someone he had few interactions with.'
"No problem… In that case, how about some food?"
"Oh! We just finished baking some food!"
"Then lead the way." Silver said with a smile
…
'On the side, two guys whistled as Silver and Line walked away…'
"Did the new guy just ask Line out?"
"I know right? Bro's smoother than ice."
/Step…/
"You guys…" Someone said from behind them, a girl
'The two guys suddenly shuddered.'
"Line's just doing what she was told, regardless… It's none of your business."
"So instead of gossiping… Get those boxes back in place! We need to be ready for tomorrow!"
""YES MA'AM!""
'And as such, they ran away.'
"Sigh…"
'Letting out a small sigh, the human girl looked behind her.'
It wasn't enough that the Executives came so early, disrupting our work, they brought with them an outsider?
Well… It's good they came back early, everyone's tired from sleeping in tents.
Though… I barely had the time to catch my breath…
'She shook her head.'
"Not my problem…"
Instead… I should pay attention to those guys.
'Her eyes sharpened as she turned to the group of guys standing around the bonfire.'
They already tried something suspicious when we first arrived… We let them go after a few beatings because everyone was tired…
/Crack!/
'She cracked her knuckles with a fierce expression.'
Do they think we forgot about it just because they stayed on the low for a few days?
"You're all lucky I'm even keeping an eye on you…"
If they were to do something stupid and anger the Executives…
Yeah, a small beating is little compared to that.
/THUD!/
"AHHH!"
'Someone screamed behind her!'
"?!"
"JUNA! Help!"
"Hah?!"
'She turned around quickly, seeing a small demi human almost being buried in a bunch of cloth from an overturned box…'
"Jiji?!"
'So she ran…'
…
/Sometime later…/
'After walking around the camp, grabbing something to eat, and ignoring most stares, Line led Silver to a small tent on the edge of the camp.'
'It looked pretty ordinary apart from the fact it was pretty small.'
"... And this is your tent… It isn't much… I'm sorry…"
"What is there to be sorry about? It wasn't even you who made it, in fact, I'm already happy for having a place to sleep."
'Silver's mature response impressed Line, she had seen many adventurers about Silver's age, and most of them were like Cruz and Raul.'
'Even if they accepted the tent, they would've complained somehow.'
"Anyway…" Silver said as he looked around
"Thank you for accompanying me, I've gotten a good grasp of the surroundings... At least I won't get lost and wander somewhere I'm not supposed to."
'With a small smile, he said, "See you around." with a small smile as he walked past her
"Ah… Until…"
'Silver was just a bit too fast for her, it made her think of Tiona, though in her case, Tiona would often push her around while he simply moved at his own pace.'
…
/A few more minutes later…/
'Silver sat on top of a rock, staring at the forest…'
'After having a quick meal, he just came here to relax as different from the others, he had no job, and in consequence, he was pretty free...'
'And that meant he was bored.'
'His rock was on top of a small hill, so he had quite the look over the camp.'
'He saw a lot, including… A group of men sneaking into the forest.'
'Since it was getting late, the light coming from the ceiling crystals of the floor started to dim… Making it easier for a group of guys to disappear in plain sight.'
"Heh, now that's youth." Silver said with a large smile
Trying to sneak a peak at the beauties?...
"Terrible choice."
A warrior must be proficient not only at fighting but also at choosing his fights…
Are you guys really trying to sneak a peak at the bath of 3 Level 5 girls, one Level 6, and several Level 4s and 3s?...
"Though I'm curious at what it would look like… I have a long life ahead to risk it all here…"
But I'll wish you all luck, my fellows!... You'll need it…
At worse, I'll be there to give you all a burial.
'With a helpless expression, Silver rested his head on the grass, listening to the sounds of the crickets and other insects all around as he stared at the crystals above, their light almost blinding.'
/Shing.../
'His eyes seemed to change, and a small protective cover grew over them, allowing him to see the world better… Like a pair of sunglasses.'
"Should I collect another one of those for my collection?"
One souvenir from every Safe point?... Every Floor?
Hm... Make a small miniature Dungeon? That would be pretty interesting.
'Pondering over many interesting ideas, Silver shook his head.'
Later.
…
'Time passed, and Silver observed his surroundings, people running around the place… And the boys arriving at the bath area…'
'It didn't take much effort from him to notice their presence, if he focused, he could hear their sounds, even the giggling of the girls coming from the lake, like mermaids in the ocean...'
'Albeit, that was much harder due to the sounds of splashing water all around.'
'The background noise was too prominent for him to spy on them like this, otherwise, even Bete, the one with the strongest senses in the Loki Familia would be able to hear them.'
'So instead, he just focused on his immediate surroundings, and once he did that, he barely even heard anything... Just the sound of wind blowing onto the grass...'
'All of this silence and peace kind of made Silver reflect on himself…'
"It's rather irking, but at the same time soothing." He said with his eyes closed, a small smile plastered on his face
How long has it been since I was forced to do… Nothing?
"..."
So long I feel weird.
/Shaa... Shaaa.../
'The wind blew... And Silver...'
/Thud!/
"Arg… Can't do… I'm bored."
'Slapping the ground slightly, Silver morphed it into a smooth stone seat.'
"I have an idea…"
/Crack!/
'The ground in front of him trembled, and a rectangular stone rose like a tombstone…'
(Image?)
"Hm…"
'Silver flicked the stone, and it glowed…'
'When the glow receded, the stone had turned white, it looked weird to the touch as well...! It was fluffy in a sense.'
'It looked oddly like a…'
"My canvas is completed." He proclaimed with a smile
Now then… I only need a target… And some tools.
'His eyes turned into the horizon, the bizarre forest of coral that covered the entire floor.'
'Albeit he couldn't see it, he could imagine it already…'
'Raising his hands and making a small rectangular frame with his fingers, his targets had been set!'
/Brush!.../
'So his hands started to move…'
'His left hand started to melt into a rainbow of colors, like ice cream in the sun…'
'While his right index fingernail elongated into a stick before falling out!'
'It was… A brush!'
"Perfect."
/Brush!.../
"It's been years since I painted anything…"
Back in the village I grew up, I used to paint as a pass time.
And even before that…
I started to paint to relieve my boredom during the early days when I could do very little and had little freedom.
Between all of my options, studying and doing things like this were the only things the child me could afford to do.
And despite me wanting to give my parents the feeling of raising a proper child, I couldn't bring myself to play in the mud with other kids... At least not for very long.
Yes... I did forcibly piss me own bed just so they could experience what it is to have a child.
It was... A terrible experience, but I went through with it, just so they could have a fulfilling parental life.
All of that led to me having a very caring and loving family, they look at me as a talented boy, not as some sort of monster.
'Changing his gaze to his rocky canvas, Silver pondered.'
"Painting can be taken as a form of dexterity training, but honestly, that isn't really the case."
Yes, it can be hard at first, but once you've got the hang of it, there isn't really much you can do to improve.
Even if that may take decades or years, it depends on each artist and person, and what they want to do with it.
The key aspect is being creative and loving what you do… To come up with unique ways to make art, or merely to make something ordinary unordinary.
/Brush brush…/
'Silver started to paint.'
"Hm… She was a bit bigger…"
Here as well...
'As time passed, the sounds of his brushing were the only things remaining…'
…
/10 or minutes later…/
/Boom…!.../
'Silver was woken up from his focus by faint reverberations coming from the forest.'
"Ahh… So it finally happened?"
'Peeking his head around his canvas Silver stared at the forest, faint smoke rising into the skies…'
'Looking bellow the hill, he saw the ferocious glances of the girls as they ran around, weapons in hand… Looking for something.'
"So they did it, and they failed."
"I do applaud your balls… But I do condemn your rationale."
'The heroic crusade of the boys had come to a horrifying and sudden end.'
'It seemed the forbidden garden would remain as such, far from mortal eyes… For now.'
"Regardless… I think this piece is good enough for now."
'In front of Silver was an oil painting of Tiona, jumping around eagerly amidst the flowing green grass.'
'It looked a bit rough in some places, but it all added to the charm.'
'Smiling, the stone cracked, and the painting popped out like an old-style VHS tape.'
'Silver carefully placed it on the ground next to a few others he had painted quickly.'
'They were all pretty similar style, each one of them had a girl in it with a different theme.'
'It was possible to see how fast his brushing style improved with each artwork.'
'Tione holding a large box full of gold coins, if you took a closer look at the coins, you would see Finn's face stamped into them.'
'Tiona jumping around a large patch of grass, running without purpose.'
'He wanted to paint the other girls, but he wasn't an almighty machine, he only finished 2 paintings and a few sketches...'
"Next one…"
I'll paint Lefiya sleeping lazily holding a teddy bear…
And Ais sitting on the edge of a lake…
And to top it off, I'll make Riveria…
/SCREAMS!/
"?"
'Silver once again looked to the side, seeing several boys running out of the woods with great haste…'
'Some were knocked out as soon as they ran out of the forest, and others managed to run, but to where?'
'Their fates were dark…'
/ROAR!/
"COME BACK HERE!"
'Silver heard Tione's voice from the forest, it was so strong and full of bloodlust he could see the poor birds rushing into the skies in fear.'
'It wouldn't be strange for some random passerby to think that the Loki Familia was in the middle of a small-scale crisis.'
"..."
'His expression did not change though, he had already prayed enough.'
'Instead, he focused his attention on the canvas.'
…
/Screams!.../
/Bam!/
'The sounds of conflict echoed in the camp, but they didn't interfere with Silver, who kept painting leisurely.'
"And... Done?..."
I should add some more details.
'One work after the other, he kept himself focused.'
'Until…'
"Hey…!"
'Someone interrupted Silver, coming from the bottom of the hill…'
"I guess it was time for someone to come my way, it's been well over half an hour since I sat here."
'Silver turned to see who it was…'
"!"
'And he immediately saw a girl standing in front of him…'
Did she run all the way up here?
Can't you take it easy?
"So there you are!" Tiona said with a large smile as she moved around the rock
"Hm?..."
'And she immediately noticed who Silver was painting…'
"AHHH! Riveria?!"
"Why's she wearing a swimsuit though?..." She asked as she tilted her head
"..."
'Silver's expression was a bit tense, but he let out a small sigh in relief that it was her and not someone else.'
"... Man... Man desire to see the impossible."
"Huh?"
"If we can't reach it, then we imagine how it would be…" Silver joked as he continued to paint
"I don't quite get it… But I think it looks pretty good!"
"Thank you."
"I didn't know you painted… Just don't show this to her, else she'll break it in two." Tione said with a mischievous smile
"..."
So you did realize...
'Before Silver even had the time to reply…'
"OHOW?!"
'Tiona moved around him, grabbing her own painting with glee.'
"This is me?!"
'With an expression full of surprise, Tiona grabbed her painting, only to realize how hard it was…'
"Huh?!"
"It's a block of stone, be careful to not shatter it."
"!"
'Tiona suddenly grew very calm, stepping back to wonder at her figure from afar.'
'Herself, jumping in a field of green grass…'
"Why did you… Paint me like this?" She asked in a rare low tone
'Without turning his back, Silver quickly replied:'
"Out of everyone I know from the Loki Familia, you're always the most eager and cheerful."
"So I thought it would just be the most fitting to make you run around a field of grass, having fun in the wild instead of posing."
"I just felt it suited you more."
"..."
"And my sister?..."
"Hm… She's a bit more serious, but she has a certain greedy desire…"
"..."
'Tiona smiled.'
"I see…"
'But after losing herself in the mood, she quickly snapped back and asked:'
"A-Anyway! What about the others?"
Lefiya looks… Just as I would expect.
But Aisu…
"Well…"
'Silver started to explain his thought process behind each piece, of course, chaos continued to spread around the camp…'
'Though eventually, Finn and the other guys came running out of the forest to put an end to the girls' bloodbath.'
'And after that was over, Lefiya noticed Tiona's absence, and after looking around, she saw her atop the hill together with someone else…'
'It didn't take long for all of them to make their way there…'
…
/Sometime later…/
"I'M NOT CHILDISH!" Lefiya exclaimed with her face red as she looked and pointed at Tione
"But don't you sleep with a teddy bear?" Tione teased
"I… I… It's not a teddy bear!"
It's a Unicorn...
'She turned around, crouching on the ground with an upset face, almost crying…'
"Uh… Don't be down…"
/Stare…/
'While Tione teased Lefiya, Ais stared at her painting in wonder.'
'She felt something when she gazed at it, seeing such a pure image of her made her feel… Weird.'
'Ais never had a painting made of her, the best she ever had was a small drawing of her face so Loki could spread out her record holding time…'
'She remembers opposing to it, saying it was a waste of time, but she ended up being forced to do so.'
'Since then, she always had a bad view of such things, and most of the time, she never bothered to understand "art".'
'What is it? Can she hold it?'
'The concept of artistical value was something that greatly confused her, one of the reasons why her gear is so simple...'
'It used to be even more plain, but Loki forced this armor onto her, and she ended up adopting it... Though it's not like it's flawless.'
'Due to Loki's strange desires, her chest plate had a hole under her right underboob...'
'It's not like she didn't understand what art was, but her own opinion of that just went far enough for her to understand what was optimal or not to wear when going outside of her room…'
'And the places she often visits are her home, the Dungeon, the bar, and the blacksmiths that make her gear…'
'She never really stopped to grab pretty dresses, or to understand what is to be pretty.'
'She never wore makeup, nor did she ever have the need to… And thankfully, she didn't really need it at all.'
'Though honestly, she doesn't have the best of influences… No one she interacted with on a daily basis uses makeup…'
'Adventurers aren't the most formal of people...'
'With that all in mind, seeing her wearing a small white dress, laying on the side of the lake made her think that she was looking at an alien…'
(Image?)
'It made her remember… Her mother.'
"M..."
'And to that, she almost teared up on the spot.'
"Aisu?" Tiona asked as she saw her expression, a little concerned
"!... I'm okay."
'She quickly resolved herself, any hint of emotion on her face quickly vanished as she "reset" back onto her usual Pokerface.'
'Though after that, she smiled very slightly as she looked at Tiona.'
'She appreciated the worry, in her own way.'
"I'm done." Silver said as he cracked his neck
This is a masterpiece.
'In front of him was Riveria, playing around on the beach with a very normal swimsuit.'
'It didn't look sexy at all, and it was actually very pure… Depending on your degree of mental corruption…'
"That's very good, I like it." Tione replied in wonder
"R-R-R-R-Riveria-Sama?!" Lefiya exclaimed as she looked at the painting
Wha-wha-wha-wha...
'It is important to once again say that for the Elves, Riveria is a very important character, although not on par with the legendary Elf of the past, any sort of sacrilege against her would come with the scorn of thousands…'
'So Silver was playing a very dangerous game by even having the desire to paint her in the first place, but thankfully, they didn't seem to find the painting revolting in any way, so it should be fine.'
"..."
Would Riveria even wear that?
(Image...?)
'Ais was honestly pretty puzzled as she looked at the painting, knowing that Elf, she thought if she had any sort of clothing apart from her robes.'
'Now that she thought about it, how did she look underneath those robes?'
'Ais struggled to remember even a single moment when she wasn't wearing those...'
'Though, as she went into deep thought, she shuddered a bit the moment she saw the ocean… Just for a bit.'
'She didn't have the most pleasant of experiences with water and that Elf…'
"We should make this reality!" Tiona exclaimed strongly
'To her words, Tione nodded, Ais' eyes shook in despair, and Lefiya almost had a nosebleed at the thought of seeing her idols in sexy swimsuits.'
"..."
Hum...
'Silver, on the other hand, wiped out a bit of the sweat on his forehead, thinking about what he should do next.'
"Hey…"
"Hm?"
"Are you thinking about what to paint now?" Tione asked with a mischievous expression
"I am, indeed, do you have anything in mind?"
Her expression's making me feel bad...
"Hehehehe…"
'Her face going red, Silver started to have a bad feeling about this…'
/Whisper whisper…/
'She whispered something in his ears, and Silver immediately grimaced.'
'But instead of complaining, he got to work.'
…
/A few minutes later, below.../
"Phew… Finally… They calmed down." Bete exhaled as he collapsed on the ground
"Good work boy, have a rest." Gareth praised Bete as he passed through him, going to Finn
...
'A small retrospective of how they ended up in this mess...'
'After enjoying a nice bath, they made their way back to camp only to hear a distant explosion.'
'Thinking something bad was going on, they rushed with everything they had… Only to see the girls… More specifically, Tione, going berserk.'
'In essence, it seemed the boys had planned on sneaking and taking a peak at the girls bathing, but they took so long and were so careful with it, that by the time they met with Tione and the other girls, they were fully clothed.'
'Of course, even if they were faster, nothing would change as Riveria herself had already noticed their presence from very, very far.'
'She was the first to retreat and put on some clothes, albeit upset, she thought about their safety first, she understood very well what would happen to them if they were to see her body...'
'While the slowest one, Lefiya, almost showed them her panties due to how long she took, so she was also pretty angry…'
'Unfortunately, she fell unconscious in embarrassment first.'
'Tione, however, didn't, so she started running after the boys who scattered like flies.'
'Obviously, albeit being angry at the boys' failed attempt, Tione wasn't going to kill them… At least not easily.'
'So she held back, and this led to most of the boys running back to camp, and you can imagine what happened when a bunch of strong adventures runs amok amidst weaker adventurers and sensitive gear and items…'
'There were many things subjective to shattering and breaking…'
'The rest is story, but thankfully, Finn arrived fast enough to put everything back in place… Although now, his face was sweating, and his bath ended up being wasted.'
'He can always take another quick bath, but he can't recover if a wagon breaks down into two pieces.'
"Uhhh..."
"..."
'Lastly, Cruz and Raul were foaming on the ground next to Bete, too tired to even speak.'
'They could only be thankful that this time, they weren't the ones being punched…'
"Finn…"
'Gareth approached Finn with an inquisitive gaze, pointing backward at the group of boys being beaten up by the girls… Oops, the right word is "punished".'
"Yes Gareth, I'm aware, just leave them there, they dug up their own graves this time…"
Even if I wanted to, the most I can do is ask them to be light since tomorrow we'll be moving again...
'Letting out a sigh, Finn looked around, only to realize the girls had disappeared.'
'As for Riveria, she was on the side scolding the other Elves for taking things too far when nothing had actually happened…'
'Sometimes, he felt pity for her, he definitely understood what it meant to be looked up to the point of blind devotion…'
'It wasn't always a good feeling to have, it made simple and natural things like meeting new people hard.'
'To the point it made him struggle to remember even a single friend he made outside of the Loki Familia ever since he joined them…'
"..."
'Though, thinking of that made him squint his eyes as painful memories resurfaced.'
…
'After a while, he raised his head, looking at the hill…'
"What is she doing?..."
"It seems they are talking with our guest." Riveria said as she approached Gareth and Finn
"Why wonder here for naught? I'm curious." Gareth said as he scratched his beard
'But Finn shook his head.'
"... No… Sigh… We should first discuss what to do…"
/Slap/
'Gareth slapped Finn's back, forcing him to turn around.'
"It'll only take a second, while our discussion at the tent will take an hour, so let's go."
"Not again, you said that before too…"
"I'm with Garreth this time, enjoy your rest, I have an inkling you won't have much time for yourself later."
"... When do I ever have any?" Finn joked as he scratched his head
"Exactly." Gareth replied as he walked into the front
'Riveria seemed to smile, she closed her eyes and followed the Dwarf elegantly.'
"Sigh…"
Why do I feel even more tired than normal?
'Finn went after them in the end, an extra minute or two outside his office wont really make a difference.'
"Hm?"
'And before he knew... His thumb started to ache.'
…
'As they approached the group, Gareth was the first to realize their expressions…'
'Ais' expression was slightly red, she looked fidgety, taking small glances at whatever Silver was doing, something very rare to see!'
'Tiona was… She had a deadpan look on her face as she looked forward.'
'Lefiya covered her face with her tiny hands, she was like a tomato… Mumbling something over and over.'
'While Tione's expression was red and full of excitement, her eyes, and soul burning in a fiery inferno as she saw Silver… Paint something?'
What's happening?...
'Gareth's curiosity took the best of him, so he quicked his pace…'
"What is happening here?..."
'The girls didn't even seem to react to him, too engrossed in Silver's painting…'
"Hm?..."
Is he painting something?
'Gareth found it odd, and at the same time, impressive.'
'He questioned himself how did the boy brought such materials onto the Dungeon, but as he looked at his hand, he realized where the paint was coming from.'
'But before he had the time to process the sight, something else hit his eyes…'
'The magnificent work of art...'
"?!?!?!"
'He was shocked, disbelief, and then, his face turned ashen…'
"..."
'But just as fast as that happened, his face turned red and his lips parted open as he realized what he was seeing…'
"BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
""?!""
'His thunderous laugh shook everything, including the girls.'
'His legs grew weak from the laughter, and due to the fact the hill was a bit steep, once he fell on the ground, he started to roll downhill.'
"HAHAHAHAHAH!"
'He continued to laugh as he rolled down, eventually passing through Riveria and Finn whose expressions were open wide in disbelief and confusion.'
""Gareth?!""
'It's been a long time since Gareth laughed so damn hard like this…'
'Disregarding his own image.'
'Gareth was never someone that cared about what others thought of him, but as the decades passed and his responsibilities increased, he greatly respected his own job as a Top Executive.'
'To the point, he wouldn't even touch the slight bit of alcohol in the Dungeon, something he deeply loved.'
'Maintaining his composure was something he had mastered...'
"I'll take a look."
'Finn pondered, but Riveria moved first.'
'And she finally arrived at the top…'
"PFFFT!"
'She quickly blocked her face, but her laughter came almost instantly.'
'She had to turn her face and walk away, else, she would've fallen just like Gareth… Perhaps not like him, but she would certainly lose composure.'
/Chuckle!/
'She kept chuckling in the back, not having the backbone to stare at the painting again.'
"Just what is going on?"
'Finn was confused and amazed, he wanted to know just what Silver was doing to enact such reactions.'
'So he started climbing the hill fast!'
"Hm?... C-C-C-CAPTIAN?!" Tione exclaimed suddenly
'As she saw her beloved rush to her, instead of her ordinary happiness, she felt dread.'
Oh no!
I can't let him!
'So she rushed to him…'
"!"
She's coming to me…
But why is his expression so fierce?!
Did I do something wrong?
'Tione looked like she was going to kill Finn!'
/FWOOSH!/
'Evading her charge by ducking, Finn stared back in disbelief as he saw Tione fly downhill.'
"NOOOOooo!" She exclaimed in frustration
"...?"
Something's wrong…
'Finn was sure of it, whatever was up there…'
'His thumb started to ache really bad.'
'So he made his way, step by step…'
'Ais and the others finally noticed him, and their expressions were all similar…'
'Some sort of embarrassment.'
'Silver was the only one that didn't seem to notice him, though it was subjective.'
'Did he not notice, or did he not care?'
'In the end, Finn simply walked close, Tione rushing behind him…'
"Excuse me… ?... ??..."
"??????"
'Eventually, he saw it, and his mind went blank for probably the first time in his life.'
'The more he saw it, the lesser he thought of it.'
'His mind drew circles until it shut down…'
"Whhhaa…"
"NOOO! Don't look Captain!" Tione exclaimed in vain
'But it was too late.'
'In front of Finn was another Finn, but one very much unlike him…'
'This Finn was half naked, holding a thin towel, standing in front of a door...'
'The towel did little to cover his body, but it did enough to cover everything it should… Half of his ass and his front.'
'Finn was in a profile stance, with his head over his shoulder, looking back at whoever is watching the piece... Looking in a very embarrassing way.'
'The exact definition would be... Submissive, or as others would say, looking... Breedable?'
'His skin was light and his pose made him look weak, adding to his embarrassed and frail expression, he even looked like a girl…'
'The best way to describe this was… Finn had been painted as a femboy…'
'It was the painting of an effeminate Finn, holding his towel, trying to cover his body as he passed through a door, embarrassed at whoever was gazing at him.'
"Not my proudest work." Silver muttered in a low tone as he noticed Finn approach
"..."
'Finn quickly passed through all stages of grief, eventually stopping at anger…'
"What is the meaning of this?" He asked, his expression tense
'His forehead turned red and his veins started to stand out...'
'His berserk Skill almost activated on its own, thankfully, it needed a keyword.'
'Rare was the moment he let his anger take over, but he couldn't tolerate what he was seeing… It was simply too insulting!'
"... Shatter it…" Finn mumbled in a low tone
"NOOOO!" Tione cried as she pulled his hand, beginning
"Please Captain! Sniff! Let it be!!!"
"BREAK IT INTO A MILLION PIECES!" Finn cried as he raised his hand, his expression dark and cold
'Tione grabbed the art piece, running down the hill at high speeds…'
'Finn suddenly realized his mistake!'
"NO, WAIT! Don't show it to the others!!!" Finn cried in desperation as he went after Tione
'For the first time in his life, he felt like this as he interacted with another person, never before had he felt such urgency… No… Perhaps more than once.'
'But those times were far, far away. Lost in time.'
"HAHAHA!"
'While they ran around, Tiona pointed and laughed…'
"..."
'While Riveria stared at her own painting with a dark expression.'
Isn't that... TOO revealing?!
'Of course, for the Elf, even that was too much.'
…
/After a while…/
'Amidst the shattered remains of her precious art piece, Tione hugged what was once Finn's glorious bum with her most pained expression to date.'
"Nooo… Captain… My precious painting… Destroyed… SNIFF!..."
/Cry…/
'Tione started to cry while Finn looked at Silver with an "it's your fault" expression.'
'Silver shrugged, he only did as he was told.'
'No one knew how to comfort her, and honestly, did they need it?'
'This would be the result regardless.'
"Gareth…"
'As for Finn, he just wanted to leave… As fast as possible.'
'Each second it became harder for him to keep his composure, each time he thought of that painting…'
"Grr!..."
"I'll see you all later!" He said as he turned around, walking downhill at a fast speed
"Hahaha… It's been a while since I saw Finn this flustered…"
"Well then, I'll be on my way, see you all some other time." Gareth said with a smile, still laughing slightly
I'll tell Loki about this later, she'll definitely pester the boy for him to make another...
But if I don't do it, someone surely will, and things will escalate badly.
Better be me to take the blame.
'He thought it was a shame, such an iconic piece of art should be hanged right above his office, Loki would've loved it…'
'Unfortunately, it was now broken, and even if it could be repaired, it is difficult to say how Finn might react to it.'
"That's that." Silver said as he morphed the stone once more, ready to draw more
"You…"
'Riveria approached Silver, she thought his courage to be reckless... And his disposition to be commendable...'
'He took all of this as if it was nothing...'
"Hm? Is the painting not to your liking?"
'Silver turned to Riveria, she frowned, holding the bridge of her nose without knowing what to say.'
"Would you like a sculpture?" He asked inquisitively
"No… Wait, what?"
'Everyone turned to Silver.'
"Is something wrong?"
"You can make sculptures too?" Lefiya asked as her face twitched
He can manipulate stones... But to such a degree?
"Of course, I can… Here."
/Tap…/
/Crumbles!/
'He lightly tapped the stone, and it instantly broke down into pieces, leaving behind a small, arm-size sculpture of Riveria.'
'It was a very good statue of her raising her staff, casting a spell, it even had the proper magical runes carved on the ground together with her magic circle…'
'It was perfect, it only needed some paint…'
"WOW!" Tiona exclaimed as she carefully grabbed the statue
"It's really… Riveria-Sama!"
"..."
'Ais looked impressed.'
"Sigh…"
If this goes on...
'And Riveria looked even more tired.'
"Should I add some details, what do you all think?"
Is it that popular? Perhaps I should sell these...
I never thought Art was that valuable, the best I can think of are the statues of Apollo I have in the storage of my Manor, they are merely gathering dust, but their prices keep rising since they are now a limited commodity, rare.
If I have the time, I'll research a bit more...
"Yes!" Tiona saod excitedly
"Hm… Alright."
/SNAP!/
'With a smile, Silver snapped his finger… And the stone statue came to life!'
"?!"
'While everyone was in shock a the now moving statue, Silver narrated in a serious tone:'
"After a tense fight, Riveria! The strongest wizard in the world, High Elf! The beauty of the forest finished chanting her spell!!"
/LIGHT!/
'Colorful lights washed over the stone, and it suddenly didn't look like a bunch of rocks anymore, but a really small Riveria casting a spell.'
/Gasp!/
'While the others were taken aback in surprise, Silver continued.'
"She chanted, raising her staff up high!"
'The mini Riveria raised her staff, and pushed it down against the ground, igniting the "gigantic" red magic circle on her feet.'
'It wasn't exactly in proportion, since her magical circle could cover the entire hill if she wanted, and that would be easy to do for her.'
'Once she did this movement, flames started to gather all around, and Lefiya even knew what he was going to say…'
"She screamed with all her might! It was time to save her companions!"
""Rea Laevateinn!"" She and Silver exclaimed at the same time
/FWOOSH!/
/GASP!/
'Flames suddenly covered their bodies!'
'They panicked until they realized… That it wasn't hot.'
"Huh?"
'And as the flames receded, the mini Riveria returned to stone, the colors slowly returning to the boring gray it was before.'
"Wow!"
/Claps!/
'Tiona and Ais clapped, while Lefiya said:'
"As expected of Riveria-Sama."
"You… You're all exaggerating…" She replied with a slight annoyance
That was... Interesting.
Do I look like that?
'Was that truly annoyance though? It was little, but a mix of embarrassment and surprise was hidden beneath her words.'
'Perhaps seeing herself all serious like that made her realize how she truly acted, and that being shown in such a blatant way was actually pretty mind-boggling…'
"I found it pretty interesting… Hey, can you do that again, but with other people?" Tione asked, interested
"No problem, just tell me any story, and I'll play it out for you." Silver said with a small smile
Just a small party trick anyway, but for them, people that never saw anything resembling a movie or animation…
The closest thing they ever saw was likely… A puppet show…
"In that case…"
...
'While Tione started to tell a story, Riveria listened quietly…'
'And for a moment, she felt great interest in staying here and watching the show, studying this strange magical phenomenon, but duty called her.'
'So she regrettably made her way down the hill, while the others remained silent, listening and watching the show unfold.'
'Tione narrating the story, and SIlver playing it out.'
'It was odd, yet incredibly amusing.'
…
/Time passed…/
'Ais and the other girls remained next to Silver, seeing him show all sorts of abilities, creating the greatest of shows for their entertainment.'
'The more they watched the more impressed they became.'
'Just how many things did he know?'
'He painted well, he knew how to make incredible puppet shows, he even showed them portions of his memory, his fights in the Dungeon, like a movie for them to watch.'
'If they allowed, he could even show their own memories!... Albeit, Silver made sure to limit this own ability, he didn't want them to think that he could read their minds...'
'That wouldn't be good.'
'Using this same ability, he showed them great hits from the depths of his mind, stories of great Heroes from lands far beyond, like the tale of a boy chosen by the force in a Galaxy beyond the stars above…'
'Or what he remembered of it anyway, most of it were his own creative inputs.'
'But for them, this was nothing but an innovative tale, fictional, but interesting nonetheless.'
'Overtime, others arrived, Cruz, Raul, Ana, and more.'
'Without knowing, Silver had to erect several stone seats for everyone to enjoy his show, a great display beneath the glowing crystals, who would expect to have such fun several Km beneath the ground?'
...
'The minutes ticked, the hours rolled by, and it was almost time for dinner, and eventually, rest.'
'Today had been a pretty lazy day for the Executives, they arrived after a stressing experience in the Dungeon, took a bath, ate as they watched SIlver, and enjoyed a good afternoon.'
'However, it was now time to rest, tomorrow they would once again hit the road, and they had to be in their 100%!'
'Or as close to that as they could get…'
…
"Phew…"
Not exactly intense, but hard in its own way…
'As everyone left, Silver sat on the ground, his hands were a bit stiff after he used too much of his Plasmids for several hours.'
It was fun, in its own way.
I should take some time and repeat this, but with the others in the Manor, I'm sure Hestia and Haruhime would appreciate these greatly.
I've barely done anything like this with them, I feel bad already...
/Sha sha sha…/
'He suddenly heard rustling sounds coming from beneath him…'
"Oh…"
'With a small smile, his hand carefully dug into the earth, eventually pulling a small creature from within…'
"KIII!"
'The "abhorrent, demonic fiend" screamed loudly...'
'It was a small fluffy hamster with white fur!'
"Huh?"
'Some of the girls that still had to leave were abruptly attracted to the cute noises the small rodent let out.'
'And like flies, they all gathered around Silver…'
"KII!"
'The hamster cried in fear and distress, it was almost fully blind as it lived most of its short life inside the ground, but that didn't mean it couldn't detect the presence of these massive and dangerous creatures…'
'Using Silver's hands as a hole, it hid inside them, trying to dig further into safety, but Silver's hands were harder than any rock it had ever encountered.'
"How cute!" Anakitty blurted as she crouched near him
"Have you never seen one before?" Silver asked in wonder
They aren't that hard to find...
'She and the other girls shook their heads.'
"How odd, there are so many all around, I thought you would've seen one…"
In this hill alone...
'Smiling a little, he started his short lecture.'
"This little guy in my hands is a Dungeon Hamster."
"Like the Dungeon fireflies that give light on the Upper floors, it's considered a critter, meaning, it doesn't have a Magic stone, so it's just a normal animal."
"However, like most critters, it's directly connected to the Dungeon's infrastructure, meaning, the Dungeon is currently structured in a way where they do have a purpose, even if small.'
'Silver opened his hands, this greatly startled the hamster, though this time, it didn't try to flee.'
'Without them noticing, Silver had already charmed the little guy, so it didn't feel fear around them anymore, albeit, its instinct to hole up was so strong it still felt distressed being in the open.'
"Dungeon… Hamster?" Ais asked as she approached him
Not a monster?
So... A normal animal?
In the Dungeon?
"Yes, these little guys live everywhere, from the Upper floors to the Lower floors, perhaps even deeper."
"They dig and dig, eating on the many things they meet along the way… Though this is as far of information as I can give, there isn't that much information on them to go by."
"How cool! I didn't know there were such creatures in the Dungeon." Tiona said with a certain surprise
'Most of her time in the Dungeon was spent hunting, and even in the times when she camped in a floor, she spent most of her time resting, not paying attention to the creatures around her.'
'In truth, it's not like she had never paid attention to them before, it's just that, they were so insignificant as compared to her other worries that she never realized they were even a thing.'
'The same could be said to the others, if you were to ask the residents that live on the 28th floor and the 18th floor respectively, they would likely point out many other creatures.'
"Would you like to hold it?"
'She nodded furiously.'
"Just don't squish it, it is, at the end of the day, just a normal hamster."
"O-Okay… Wait, if it's a normal hamster, how does it digs the ground?" Tiona asked in a rare moment of wisdom
'Silver grimaced.'
"That is a great question, though one I don't have a conclusive answer for."
"The only thing that comes to my mind is that they are more capable at digging than they look, they should have adapted to dig at the weakest and most soft spots of the earth."
'As he spoke, Tiona played with the small hamster, holding it with its belly up, it was very cute.'
(Image?)
"Can we bring…"
"No."
"Ehh? Why not?"
"If you ask your advisor in the Guild, they'll tell you why, there are more than enough records there."
"Just like bringing a monster outside is illegal, bringing any critters is also equally as bad."
"The Dungeon has its own ecosystem with its own creatures in balance, and so does the surface."
"Bringing any creature from those two environments up and down is going to cause heavy consequences, more on the surface than in the Dungeon."
"What a shame..."
...
'Once Tiona had enough of the Hamster, she passed it onto Ais, who gazed at the little creature with great confusion.'
"I thought there were only monsters in the Dungeon… But some cute creatures pop up every once in a while…" One of the other girls said with a pondering gaze
"They are more frequent than you think." Silver said as he looked around
'His eyes locked onto a tree, he raised his hand, doing a pulling motion.'
'And something came floating…'
"Here."
"Oh?!"
'In his hands was a very small reptile reminiscent of a Cameleon.'
'The moment it landed on his hand, its two big eyes rolled around, and in the blink of an eye, its skin changed, becoming the color of his palms.'
'It didn't disappear, but it did a good enough job.'
"Cool right?"
"What?! I didn't even know there was such a thing nearby!" Anakitty said with a frustrated look
"..."
'Ais remained silent, passing the hamster to Tione, but the moment it looked at her, it ran frighted, making her flustered.'
"HA?! Not there!"
'The hamster eventually jumped onto her breasts, vanishing…'
'This sight made the other girls frown…'
"... Cough!..."
'After coughing slightly, Silver said...'
"The Dungeon is a mysterious place with many creatures, it's not just a den of monsters."
"I've been thinking about this for a long time, but I wonder…"
"The Dungeon must be destroyed, together with all monsters." Ais declared in a sharp and heavy tone as she interrupted Silver
'Her voice was full of anger and remorse.'
'It made the others snap out of their bubbly atmosphere, Tione even let the hamster escape onto the ground again in surprise.'
"... It's not like I don't understand where you're coming from." Silver said as he looked into the distance
"For millennia, the Dungeon caused nothing but pain and misery for many."
"Though you could also say the contrary."
'Ais' eyes suddenly opened wide in anger.'
"How can you say that?!"
The contrary?! People causing the Dungeon... Misery?!
'Silver turned to her, he looked at her with a certain pity.'
'She was very naive, wasn't she?'
"Well... It's mostly my personal opinion, but I were to explain... Let's go from the beginning."
"The Dungeon, have you ever thought of what would happen once it disappears?"
"?"
'Ais was taken aback.'
"Let's say that once the Dungeon vanishes, the Gods also leave as their purpose in the mortal world ends… Would you be okay with that?"
"..."
The Gods... Loki...
That would mean... The Familia would... Disband.
'Ais suddenly felt a pain hit her chest...'
"Together with that, all of their blessings would vanish, and everyone would lose their abilities unless the Gods decided to maintain them in some way, but that wouldn't last long in the scope of time, probably only a single generation..."
"Meaning, soon enough, we would return to the era where Mages ruled supreme, and Heroes were few and far in between."
"You could say this is good since most villains that use their powers to oppress others would disappear… But so would the people that rely on the little money they make by supporting others."
"Together with everyone that rose with blood and sweat."
"In the end, nothing would change, and perhaps, the differences between people would increase even further."
"Not everyone can become a Mage or grow to become a Hero, but everyone can receive a Blessing and do something with it."
"..."
'Ais and the others were silent, pondering deeply.'
"Without the Dungeon, it's not like all monsters will disappear, like before, how long would it take to exterminate them all?"
"It's been 1000 years since Babel was created, yet monsters are still out there, and it doesn't seem they'll vanish anytime soon..."
"In fact, the Dungeon has been here for so long… Perhaps even longer than us, have you ever thought of that?"
"What doesn't that have to do...?"
The Dungeon?...
'Silver pondered how to reply, before saying:'
"No one questions when an avalanche claims a life, since its merely an act of nature, its bad luck on that person's side… Or their recklessness."
"But when a Monster comes, everyone easily raises their fingers..."
Though honestly, everything I'm saying can be easily broken in the name of hypocrisy...
People need something to blame, they can't blame themselves for being weak, otherwise, everyone would be like Bete, and it's easy to see how dark and hated he is...
So the easiest thing to do is blame something that can't defend itself.
The Dungeon!... It's easy to blame it for everything.
"As such, if the Dungeon has been here before… Before even the first Human, Elf, Dwarf, and any other species ever took foot in this world..."
"That would mean the Dungeon is just part of nature."
"Wouldn't it be strange? Perhaps even… Unfair to blazingly blame it for everything, when in fact, we evolved and developed alongside it?"
"!"
'Ais grit her teeth, but she remained silent, letting him continue.'
"I hate monsters too, don't get me wrong." Silver said in a low tone
"..."
"I lived in the countryside, I heard tales of villages that were razed to the ground just because a monster that would barely be considered Level 2 appeared."
"I was lucky that I never lost anyone close… But that isn't the case for everyone."
"My parents had friends, my grandparents had friends too… I'll never meet them."
"..."
"But I do understand that hating without understanding won't lead me anywhere."
"If the Dungeon is a natural aspect of nature, and so are monsters, what exactly are you supposed to do?"
"Destroy the whole world?"
"! I…"
"Or perhaps, you'll draw your attention to the ones that made all of this? The very Gods? Are you going to hate them? Scream at them?"
"..."
No, this isn't what I want... I...
"Do you have the will to defy the Gods and demand an answer?..."
Though, even the kindest of them will only bite their lips and look to the side whenever you ask about it...
No matter how much I ask Hestia, she'll always change the subject... And even when I pressed after trying to be as gentle as possible, she could only look at me with extreme guilt and sadness for having to keep silent.
I had no strength to press further.
"They know something, and it pains them as much as it pains us to the fact they have to hide the truth."
"The world… Isn't Black and White… If you hate monsters for the people they took... Them you won't be able to face reality."
"We kill each other much more than monsters kill us, perhaps that wasn't the case in the ancient past... But now is... Is that a good thing?"
"..."
'Ais could only look at the ground.'
"So before you hurt yourself in your own delusions… Learn to accept it, and find out what you want to change first."
"What you desire to become... Living only to kill monsters... Isn't that..."
'Silver did not finish his phrase, he noticed that it would be too much to press more.'
"..."
'Ais crushed the grass next to her…'
"... The purpose of the Dungeon is a mystery, it's alien, it doesn't make sense… It doesn't fit with the natural order of nature."
"When monsters arrive at the surface, they'll blend in with other creatures, mix in with the ecosystem… Some will destroy it, others will enhance it…"
"But for some reason, they have an unending desire to set all of us ablaze."
"Don't you think its weird… And perhaps… A bit unfair too?"
"Aren't we also the creations of the Gods? Why do we have to suffer such a fate?"
Some created deserts, but other monsters created forests...
Is that good or bad? If we take into account our perspective then more forests and fewer deserts are good...
However, what about the creatures that lived there before? Now likely extinct...
No one will remember them... And neither will I.
I have too much going on in my mind to care.
"..."
'Ais raised her head to stare at Silver, her eyes wavering.'
'Her emotions were clashing...'
"That's why I'll find out the truth."
"?"
"Why did the Gods allow such a thing to exist, what is the purpose of monsters?"
"I'll figure it out one day."
'Silver got up from the ground.'
"I'll go grab a bite, see you all later… Good night."
'He went down the hill, leaving the adventurers agape and pensive.'
'Each of them had their own reasons.'
'Anger.'
'Revenge.'
'Money.'
'Power.'
'Fame…'
'However, they never put so much thought into it all, did they need to? It was all so distant…'
'The purpose of the world? The purpose of the Dungeon? Monsters?...'
'They just kill monsters and make money out of it, that's it.'
'Few ever had the effort of trying anything else.'
'It was a matter of perspective, one Ais very much feared…'
'Out of everyone there, her face was the darkest.'
'If monsters deserve this world just as much as they did… Then her parents sacrifice…'
'Was her actions and hatred towards all monsters justified?'
'If an Elf were to cause her harm, was she justified to hate all Elf kind?... She can't bring herself to… Because she knew many Elves, and she knew they didn't…'
'The greatest mental hurdle of her life was presented in front of her eyes.'
…
.
.
.
Notes
So yeah, this is it.
I wanted to bring forth Ais change in regards to monster sooner, albeit, I think Silver was a bit too direct with it.
Ais has a very fragile mindset, if she were to start questioning her own goals, she might end up breaking apart.
Hopefully, she'll go through it and realize that it doesn't matter if she hates all monsters and wants them dead, she has something to do, and she'll accomplish it.
Hopefully, she'll grow from this experience and learn that yes, the world isn't black and white.
Understand that there is something beyond.
Honestly, I wanted it to be bigger.
Especially at the end, I wanted more conversation, I wanted the girls and Ais to retort and show their opinions, and I also wanted to make an extra scene of them at night.
Such as them eating around a bonfire.
However, my hands beg for mercy...
I still have to write the next few chapters for Zero Fate, and then, I'll prepare to go back to Azimuth fully.
There's a lot to do...
Anyway, I gotta go, see you all later!
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