"How strange, why would I have a dream like that... fighting the Traveler?"
A confused expression appeared on Eula's face.
She couldn't think of a single reason why she would engage in such a desperate, life-and-death struggle against him.
The battle in her dream... felt unusually real.
She could clearly recall the force that numbed the webbing between her thumb and forefinger when the blades clashed. She could recall those overwhelming, crimson flames that felt like they could incinerate everything, as well as an invisible sonic attack capable of making the very air tremble...
"Tch."
Eula unconsciously curled her lip and raised a hand to rub her shoulder where she had been slashed. The skin there was flawless, yet it felt as if a faint, burning sting still lingered.
"Whatever, forget it. It was just a baffling dream."
She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on these nonsensical thoughts.
Still, that terrifying sensation of finally being swallowed by a pure white light—as if even her very soul had been vaporized—was simply far too vivid. Even thinking about it now left her with lingering palpitations.
Eula began to rise, allowing the icy lake water to slide off her flawless body. As she walked toward her clothes prepared on the shore, she muttered to the empty air with her signature, haughty defiance:
"But speaking of which... that was quite ruthless."
"Vengeance will be mine!"
"Lady Astrea, I'm so glad you're alright."
When Aiden and the others returned to Palais Mermonia, Cecil, the young Captain of the Astrea Familia, wore a look of unconcealed delight.
She and several other second-generation members crowded tightly around their patron deity, chattering away as they expressed their worry and longing.
Looking at her innocent children, Astrea offered a gentle smile to soothe them.
However, standing a short distance away, Focalors acutely caught the fleeting, undisguised sorrow and heaviness buried beneath that smile.
As the Goddess of Justice, she possessed an extraordinary insight into the subtle fluctuations of the human heart.
She didn't point it out on the spot; she just watched quietly.
By the time everyone returned to the familiar, brightly lit living room, the mental tension of the expedition team—who had fought continuously for dozens of hours—snapped. The moment they relaxed, a landslide of exhaustion swept through their bodies instantly.
They all retired to their respective rooms to rest.
In the living room, only the two deities, Focalors and Astrea, remained.
"Did things go smoothly?"
Focalors poured a steaming cup of black tea for Astrea, her flat tone breaking the silence. "Did you... find Alise?"
Astrea held the warm teacup, her fingertips trembling slightly.
She didn't hide anything. She recounted everything she had seen and heard in the depths of the Dungeon, as well as her intuition-based judgment, exactly as it was to Focalors.
Focalors listened quietly. The expression on her face shifted from calm to severe, a contemplative light flashing in her heterochromic eyes.
"So that means..."
When Astrea finished, Focalors gently tapped the rim of her teacup with her finger and said in a deep voice, "The Dungeon has indeed, through some method unknown to us, forcibly snatched Alise's soul from Heaven and resurrected her as a monster."
"Yes."
Astrea affirmed her words, a tremor in her voice. "That feeling couldn't be wrong. It's Alise... she's my child."
"If that's the case, then things are complicated."
Focalors's beautiful brows knit tightly together.
She stood up and paced back and forth across the living room, analyzing the situation calmly:
"Resurrecting the dead, no matter the era, is a taboo. It violates the fundamental laws of the world. Moreover, Alise's current identity is that of a monster controlled by the Dungeon's will."
"From the fact that she chose to hide from you and didn't dare to face you, we can discern a lot of problems."
Focalors stopped pacing and looked at Astrea. "She has very likely recovered part of her memories and self-awareness. At the very least, her soul instinctively remembers you, her patron deity. But precisely because of this, she rejects her current monstrous body. It's why she doesn't dare to face you or confront everything from the past."
"More importantly,"
Focalors's tone grew heavier. "How is a person resurrected as a monster supposed to reappear on the surface? It's practically impossible. That would only cause immense panic and uproar."
"You have to understand, humanity's hatred for monsters has endured for thousands of years. From the ancient times before the descent of the gods to the current Age of Gods, this chain of hatred has never been broken for even a moment. Even though Alise was once human, the moment she was resurrected by the Dungeon, she was no longer human. She is a monster—this is an indisputable fact."
"Even if you, I, and her former friends can accept her, what about outsiders? The citizens of Orario? The Guild? The other nations? What will they think?"
A string of cold, realistic questions hammered against Astrea's heart.
"Therefore, Alise's situation is very troublesome. It cannot be rushed."
Focalors walked back to her side and gently squeezed her shoulder, her tone softening. "I understand how you feel, but we must take this slowly and plan for the long term."
Astrea took a deep breath and looked up. Although her beautiful eyes were brimming with sorrow, they also revealed a core of rationality and resilience.
"I understand, Focalors. I'm not an impulsive person."
She spoke softly, "I want to help that child, but the prerequisite for everything is that I can have a face-to-face conversation with her. Otherwise, even if I want to help, I simply won't know where to start."
It was already dusk when Aiden and the others returned to Palais Mermonia.
This time, he slept like the dead, as if his body was determined to purge the bone-deep exhaustion of this expedition in one go.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already the following night, and the world outside the window was filled with a starry sky.
"If you don't get up soon, Jeanne and Cecil are going to eat all the dinner."
Robin pushed the bedroom door open, looking in amusement at the man playing dead on the bed, and forcefully dragged him up.
Tonight's banquet was livelier than ever before.
Along the long dining table, members of the Focalors Familia and the Astrea Familia sat together, celebrating the expedition team's safe return.
Tifa had shown off her skills, cooking up a lavish feast capable of making any master chef sweat with shame.
Cecil gorged herself while simultaneously clutching a piece of Dungeon Coral, radiating a faint blue light brought back from the Dungeon, as tightly as if it were a priceless treasure.
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