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Chapter 92: Aiden's Anger
The Astrea Familia... the Familia of Justice. They had been a radiant group of young women, fighting recklessly against the darkness of the city to protect the justice in their hearts. They were supposed to become the heroes of this era, growing into a top-tier faction capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Loki and Freya Familias.
Yet, because of their fierce struggle against Evilus, they met a tragic end, nearly entirely wiped out before they could ever reach their peak. At that thought, all expression vanished from Aiden's face. An uncontrollable surge of anger flared up from the deepest depths of his heart. He felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction—and an intense, burning rage.
Because he knew better than anyone else in this world exactly who Alfia had pinned all her hopes on when she left him behind as a child. She had marched resolutely into Orario, willingly sacrificing what little remained of her lifespan. It was the Astrea Familia. It was those girls who inherited the name of Justice.
Alfia had wanted them to become the heroes of the new age, to accomplish the Great Feat that she and Zald had failed to achieve, and to protect this world that she simultaneously hated and loved so deeply. For that cause, she hadn't hesitated to make an enemy out of the entire city. She used her own life as fuel to stage a tragic, brutal play known as the Great Feud, forcing those young heroes to grow amidst blood and fire.
And the result? The result was that those very people Alfia had placed such immense hope in had been wiped out... Senselessly and silently. All because of a single conspiracy orchestrated by Evilus. All because of a single monster birthed by the Dungeon's damn "self-preservation mechanism."
Alfia's sacrifice—a gamble that cost her everything—her impossibly heavy burden of trust, and the future she envisioned in the final moments of her life... All of it had been turned into an absolute, utterly absurd joke.
A faint, muffled crack echoed. Aiden had subconsciously tightened his grip around his glass. Under the crushing force of his hand, the sturdy crystal groaned, threatening to shatter at any second. His aura became incredibly oppressive in an instant. The sheer intensity of his rage felt almost tangible, threatening to incinerate everything around him.
"Aiden?" Noticing the shift, Lefiya looked over at him in concern.
She didn't understand why his expression had suddenly turned so terrifying when he had been perfectly fine just moments ago. The ever-perceptive Ais also glanced his way, confusion clear in her eyes.
Aiden snapped back to reality. He slowly loosened his grip and took a deep breath, forcefully shoving the inferno of anger that threatened to overwhelm his reason back into the depths of his heart.
No... Now is not the time. He lifted his head, meeting Lefiya's worried gaze, and forced a somewhat stiff smile back onto his face.
"I'm fine. I just suddenly remembered something unpleasant."
He didn't offer any further explanation. This heavy past, this suffocating anger—it was his shackle to bear alone. It wasn't something he could share with anyone. Instead, he simply reaffirmed his chosen path within his mind. Whether it was Evilus, these so-called "evil gods," or the unfathomable, malice-filled Dungeon...
One day, he would possess the strength to utterly crush all of them. For no other reason than to ensure Alfia's sacrifice didn't truly end up as a meaningless joke.
Just as Lefiya had promised, the dishes served at the Key of the Water Ship were genuinely exquisite. Many of the seafood-centric plates featured incredibly unique flavor profiles. Lefiya explained that the restaurant likely utilized rare ingredients purchased from the Sixth District "Exchange." That area gathered exotic goods from outside Orario, importing items from all corners of the world.
For example, there was a slightly blue cooking oil that Aiden had never seen before; it gave the fried fish an extraordinarily crispy skin while keeping the meat tender and juicy. There was also a red-marbled cheese with a rich, distinctive taste and a wonderful savory aroma. They even used peppercorns allegedly sourced from the Far East, which delivered a thrilling, numbing sensation to the taste buds.
Some flavors were tart, some savory, and others left that strange tingling numbness. Every dish was a brand-new culinary adventure, resulting in an immensely satisfying feast. If he had to describe it, it felt as though global cuisines had been reimagined through the Labyrinth City's unique style and techniques, creating an experience that was both delightfully novel and perfectly balanced.
Traveling by boat was also far more enjoyable than Aiden had anticipated. Gazing out from the waterways, the scenery of Orario looked vastly different from the view along the main streets. The canals wound their way through towering buildings and narrow alleys, revealing the sides of structures and hidden backstreets that were usually out of sight. It almost felt like visiting an entirely different country.
Of course, because the Monsterphilia was currently in full swing, the city was draped in festive decorations, giving it a different vibe than usual. But even ignoring the festival, this radiant city, overflowing with light deep along the shores, was already breathtakingly beautiful in its own right.
The sparkling surface of the water rippled continuously, breaking the reflections of the sun and the shoreline architecture into fragments of golden scales. The gentle, rhythmic lapping of the water echoed clearly in their ears, as if it could wash away all the irritation in a person's heart. Lefiya and Ais also comfortably narrowed their eyes, quietly soaking in this rare, tranquil, and beautiful scenery.
After finishing their meal, the trio left the Key of the Water Ship and headed to their final destination for the day.
Before them stood a massive stone bridge. It was easily over sixty meters long and ten meters wide. Beneath the towering stone arches supporting its weight, a broad, babbling waterway continued its steady flow. Aside from looking slightly ancient due to the weathering of time, the bridge itself—meticulously constructed from countless giant stone blocks—didn't seem all that different from the other sturdy stone bridges in the city. That was, of course, if you ignored the thirty-one magnificent statues neatly lined up along both sides of the bridge. These were all 『Statues of Heroes』.
"『Hero Bridge』..."
Adventurers—no, all of Orario's residents—would subconsciously adopt a tone of reverence whenever they mentioned this bridge. That was because these statues commemorated a lineage of people from the distant Ancient Times—the dark era when humanity was still struggling against tides of monsters. It honored those who had staked their lives and fought endlessly to seal the catastrophic 『Great Hole』.
In reality, every single statue placed on this bridge represented a great hero whose name was etched into history for laying the solid foundation of humanity's defenses. Unlike the grim, jet-black monoliths found in the Guild's First Cemetery, the Hero Bridge was lined with incredibly lifelike statues. Legend had it that these statues were carved long before the era when the gods descended to the lower world.
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