Inside the tower, stone corridors wound and crossed in a complicated maze.
As Riveria walked among them, her heart felt as uneasy as the sky-high corridors around her.
"Riveria, I think Loki must have noticed that you have feelings for the boy."
Finn had picked up a hint of it from the Familia Goddess's attitude.
"Maybe…"
Riveria looked toward the entrance of Twilight Manor. "Finn, don't make it sound as though the boy has swept me off my feet and I'm trying to take something from him."
Her emerald-green hair danced in the wind, and her jade-green eyes remained fixed on the entrance, as if carrying a faint trace of longing.
"…"
Finn glanced at his utterly oblivious friend and fell silent.
That expectant look on her face did not lie.
Lefiya had awakened a skill related to gratitude and love, and the one who had clearly lit the fuse was Bell Cranel.
Her own apprentice had taken the lead, and the object of that affection was the same person. That, in one way or another, was bound to affect Riveria.
Was she happy to see the golden-haired elf grow?
Was she worried about her own age?
Was she jealous of that innocent, youthful love?
Was the pressure of urgency making her want to compete with Lefiya?
Finn could not read Riveria's thoughts. Perhaps only one of those guesses was true, or perhaps all of them had merged into the first stirrings of love, throwing Riveria's mind into disarray.
The only thing he knew for certain was that Riveria was looking forward to seeing the young man.
"Bell Cranel should be arriving soon, Riveria. I'll leave the reception to you."
Finn made his support clear.
The Loki Familia and the Hephaestus Familia had worked together several times before, and the senior smiths led by Tsubaki were all familiar with the expedition members.
Bell, however, was different. This was his first expedition, so he needed to get acquainted with everyone beforehand. If something unexpected happened in the Dungeon, any one of them might become a comrade fighting at his side, and introducing them then would be too late.
"Mm. I'll make the most of this final day before the expedition and show him around properly."
Riveria answered softly.
Aside from Aki and the others in the Loki Familia, there were also other people connected to the expedition whom she needed to introduce to the boy.
Riveria's gaze drifted near the gate. When white hair shining beneath the sunlight entered her view, the corners of her mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible smile.
"I'll go on ahead."
Riveria placed one hand on the railing of the skywalk and leaped down.
"…"
Finn said nothing, silently watching her figure in the courtyard.
The one moving through the flowers and greenery was not the calm, elegant strongest mage, but a woman in her purest form.
Just like a young girl.
No, perhaps she really was a young girl looking forward to meeting the one she loved.
For a fleeting moment, Finn seemed to see the elf princess from the past, leaping gracefully down from her steed.
Back when Riveria had first joined the Loki Familia, Finn had once overheard a conversation between her attendant Aina and Loki.
Although Riveria had already been seventy-one at the time, as elven royalty, her lifespan was much longer than that of ordinary elves. Back then, Riveria had been no more than a young woman in the prime of her youth.
Time had passed in the blink of an eye. Twenty-eight years had gone by since she joined the group, and if the effects of the Falna were taken into account, Riveria might be even younger than one would imagine.
Because of Ais, she had once been lost and had struggled, but in the end, Riveria overcame the barrier in her heart and took on the role of a [mother].
For her, it must have been an experience filled with both embarrassment and helplessness. Out of nobility and kindness, she had unconsciously placed herself in the role of a mother, worrying over Ais and looking after her.
Finn did not know whether it had been right or wrong to make a young girl shoulder a mother's responsibilities.
"As the Captain, I can't show favoritism toward any particular member. There are also matters involving Evilus that I need to handle, and Gareth can't look after a little girl either. So Riveria, I'm entrusting Ais to you."
Speaking as the Captain, Finn had ignored Riveria's own feelings and ordered her to accept that task.
He had done it simply because it was the reasonable choice.
But from the perspective of love, it was probably terribly cruel.
For an ordinary person, it would be like a teenage girl being forced to care for younger siblings. While others were enjoying the innocent stirrings of first love, Riveria had been worrying over Ais's growth.
Even if the situation had left him no choice, for a delicate and sensitive woman, Finn had indeed made a harsh decision.
Now, influenced by the young man, Riveria had finally recovered that spoiled princess side of herself.
At that, Finn sincerely prayed that Riveria's love would bloom and bear fruit, and that she would embrace a happiness that belonged to her alone.
"As for Lefiya… there shouldn't be any need to worry, right?"
Finn drew back his thoughts and resumed walking through the corridor.
Sunlight poured down, and his silent blessing faded into the light, cheerful footsteps of the emerald-haired elf.
...
With the expedition close at hand, the atmosphere at Twilight Manor had grown a little more tense.
As promised, Bell headed to the Loki Familia's headquarters after finishing the update to his equipment.
Waiting for him at the entrance was an exquisitely beautiful elf woman.
"Riveria-san, you didn't need to come all the way out here."
Bell greeted her with a smile.
"I just happened to be near the entrance."
Riveria told the lie gently.
"…"
Bell looked toward the Loki Familia members not far away and chose not to point out the hole in her story.
Riveria followed the boy's gaze. A girl named Elfy was gossiping to the others about how the emerald-haired elf had just jumped down from the sky bridge and rushed straight to the boy's side.
"There's definitely some kind of secret between Riveria-sama and Little Rookie!"
Elfy declared.
The lie collapsed on its own.
A faint blush flashed across Riveria's cheeks.
She turned away, and in only a moment, regained her usual composure.
"Elfy, come and say hello to Bell Cranel."
"Okay!"
Elfy trotted over, seemingly completely unaware of what terrifying being her earlier behavior had provoked.
The instant she got close to Bell, a wand shot out at an unimaginable speed.
The people around them could not see what had happened at all. Only the unexpected result unfolded before them.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch…"
Elfy had no idea what had tripped her. She cried out in pain as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Huh?"
The pain in her leg gradually faded, replaced by a warm, comfortable embrace.
"Elfy-san, are you all right?"
Because of his blind spot, Bell had not seen Riveria-san's movement.
Thinking Elfy had simply tripped and fallen, he reacted with extraordinary speed and used his own body as a cushion for her.
"I-I'm fine… Thank you…"
Elfy's cheeks flushed slightly as her petite, slender body pressed tightly against the boy's chest.
A breeze swept past, and Riveria looked coldly at the human girl.
"Elfy, how long do you plan to stay like that?"
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