"Oh?"
Erebus studied the boy before him with genuine interest.
Of course, even a god could not see through everything about the children of the lower world at a single glance. And yet, instinctively —
"You are, without question, a formidable warrior."
That much was unmistakable.
Young. Strong. And those eyes — calm as a still lake, quiet as a clear night sky. Eyes that had been honed through countless brushes with death.
He wasn't Ottar. And he wasn't the [Knight Supreme] from the Academic District either.
So — was there actually another Lv. 6 adventurer out there in the world?
Or perhaps…
"You're Lv. 5, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
Isagi didn't deny it. He was indeed still Lv. 5 — though in theory, he was ready to level up at any time. His stats had long since surpassed the S threshold, and honestly, the only reason he hadn't advanced yet was because he was still thinking about squeezing out a bit more with some [Elixirs] first.
That was all that was holding him back.
"Then I'm afraid this won't work."
The level gap was simply too large. Erebus shook his head. He actually thought quite highly of the boy — but the gulf between Lv. 7 and Lv. 5, while not an absolute impossibility, was still immense beyond measure.
Besides.
Neither Alfia nor Zard were anything close to ordinary Lv. 7 adventurers. The two of them weren't the top captains of Zeus Familia or Hera Familia — but they were the strongest of the younger generation, the most gifted newcomers the old era had produced, and on top of that —
"They're the ones who killed Behemoth and Leviathan, you know."
The Three Great Quests.
Zeus Familia had subjugated the [Lord of the Land], and Hera Familia had taken down the [Sovereign of the Seas].
"Have you heard of Zard?"
Both Isagi and Ryuu shook their heads. The carriage swayed gently around them as Erebus, perfectly at ease, leaned back to one side and began to speak.
[Gluttony].
"He possesses a Skill called [Divine Feast Blessing] — it allows him to permanently strengthen himself by devouring the flesh of people or monsters. The stronger the one he consumes, the greater the power he gains."
"During the battle against Behemoth, he consumed the body of the [Lord of the Land] — and then destroyed it completely with a single sword stroke."
"Ottar has challenged him many times, and been easily defeated every single time. Well — from Zard's perspective, that pig kid was probably still at the level of a little brat."
Erebus didn't continue.
But the implication was obvious enough. He was treating both Isagi and Ryuu as adventurers of an even younger generation than Ottar — which was, in fact, the truth.
"I was planning to go find him first. Are you confident you can win?"
"That depends on what actually happens."
Isagi said it with complete sincerity.
And that, too, was the truth. He had never met Zard. Had barely even heard of this adventurer from Zeus Familia until just now.
Ryuu-senpai had lived through the [Great Dispute] — but the final battlefield of Astrea Familia had been Rivira, deep within the Dungeon. Zard and Ottar's fight had taken place in the city above. The two theaters were entirely separate.
Watching Isagi turn the matter over in genuine thought, Erebus found himself genuinely amused.
"Then let's go find out."
Simple as that.
If anything, the fact that there were still adventurers this hungry for a fight left in the city caught the god of darkness slightly off guard. It was almost surprising.
And then there was…
He glanced at Ryuu. Something about the girl felt distinctly different.
She was so much steadier than before. The aura she carried was nothing like when he had passed her on the street just the other day — seasoned, veteran, and though she still looked faintly lost, whenever her gaze drifted toward the boy beside her, something in her settled. She became infinitely more certain.
Erebus recognized that look.
It was the same calm, trusting gaze Ryuu had when she was with her companions.
How delightfully interesting.
It hadn't even been that long — and here was one of Astrea's children, falling in love?
Caught in the divine god's pointed, far-too-knowing stare, Ryuu felt her face grow slightly warm. But honestly — even if the god of darkness before her was the very cause of the [Great Dispute], without him, the Dark Familias would never have been dismantled either.
The irony was almost cruel.
Erebus Familia itself had barely any power to speak of. His arrival had simply unified the Dark Familias who had previously been each fighting their own separate wars — and yet, for precisely that reason, the damage inflicted upon the city had been catastrophic.
Ryuu's feelings were deeply complicated. She had heard from Goddess Astrea about the doctrine Erebus championed — the [Necessary Evil].
It wasn't a complicated idea, really.
Stripped down to its core: use genuine crisis to forge the next generation of adventurers. Nothing more than that.
In the distant past — in the era when Zeus Familia and Hera Familia "ruled" the city — things like this hadn't even been considered particularly extreme. Adventurers had fought each other to the death as a matter of course. Deaths in training were not uncommon.
In plain terms, it was not so different from the Fighting Nation where Tiona had been born — just less systematized.
Adventuring was a brutally unforgiving profession.
In contrast to the Elf girl's brooding complexity, Isagi was refreshingly uncomplicated.
"Where is Zard?"
"Ah… it's a bit far… probably several more days of travel…"
"That won't do."
He and Ryuu-senpai only had about half a day left to spare.
"Let's fly."
"?"
"Come on!"
Isagi didn't bother explaining. He grabbed the god by the arm, then in one practiced motion hoisted Ryuu-senpai up onto his back — and unfurled the golden wings behind him.
"?!"
The boy burst out of the carriage and launched himself straight into the sky.
"What in the —?!"
In the convoy below, the members of Hermes Familia stared after the rapidly receding figures of the boy and girl — wondering if perhaps there was actually someone else out there with a flying ability like their elder sister Asfi?!
The night was languid and open, stars scattered like faint embers across the vast dark canvas of the sky.
The god's astonished cry trailed behind them into the wind.
This kid — he always looks like he's making it up as he goes, doesn't he.
"Not bad at all, boy — which direction? Yes, that way — this is so much faster, isn't it?! Ha!! WOOOO!!"
Erebus called out directions, thrilled.
His curiosity about Isagi had only deepened. Flight was no ordinary ability. As things currently stood, only two adventurers in the city could take to the air.
One was the [All-Rounder] Asfi, who had used her [Mystery] development ability to craft flying boots for herself.
The other was Loki Familia's prodigious young swordswoman, Ais.
And yet.
For reasons he couldn't quite name, from within the boy's golden wings, Erebus could sense the presence of something — divine power.
[Golden Age]?
Pure. Perfect. Eternal —
The night crept across golden wheat, spilling out toward the distant horizon.
A journey that would have taken a carriage at a hard gallop at least half a month — now completed in just a few hours beneath the boy's blazing speed.
Vast fields of wheat stretched in every direction.
Not far ahead, a farmstead with its candles still burning stood in quiet stillness.
It was not so different from the scenery outside Orario — and it gave both Isagi and Ryuu an unexpectedly familiar feeling.
Warm. Still.
Isagi drank down a vial of [Elixir], replenishing some of the stamina and mind-strength he had spent on the flight.
"Are both Zard and Alfia living out here?"
"Yes."
"Are they a couple?"
"Certainly not — it's a bit complicated, actually. There's some old man and his grandson who call Alfia their aunt, and then Zard is…"
In the distance.
A large man stepped out from the farmstead.
Fully armed, he had clearly noticed their arrival and come to investigate.
"Ah, here comes the bodyguard-slash-cook — hey! Zard! How've you been?!"
Erebus strolled right up to him, as if greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
In reality, though — aside from sending a letter not long ago, the god of darkness had had absolutely no contact whatsoever with these last remnants of the city's former greatest power.
"That matter I mentioned —"
"Becoming the [Darkness]?"
The man's voice was extremely hoarse. He stood in the dark of night like a great and massive bear.
His presence was overwhelming.
"By rights, I should explain everything to you both in person — and there's still time for that. But…"
Erebus shrugged.
He stepped aside, allowing Isagi and Ryuu behind him to meet Zard's eyes directly.
"Well? What do you think?"
"Delicious."
The supreme adventurer of [Gluttony] gave his verdict.
"You may leave."
"That's exactly what Alfia and I were planning to say to you."
Zard said it — and then reached back and drew the greatsword strapped across his shoulders.
"But now I'm thinking about changing my mind. Hey, boy — how many years has it been, and yet here you are, someone like you showing up in the city alongside Gareth and Ottar? What's going on over there?"
"Sounds pretty lively to me, Erebus. Your worrying is completely pointless, you know."
____
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