The reminiscing of the past soon ended.
While slaying one's enemy with one's own hand could not bring happiness, it could clear one's mind and help one step out from the shadow of the past.
Adjusting her heavy heart, Ryuu looked behind her.
"Thank you, Cain."
"No need. This was just a fair transaction."
Ryuu helped investigate the Soma Familia and gather clues.
He provided information on the Knossos and Jura.
Ryuu helped investigate Haruhime's situation and rescue her.
He lured Jura out, allowing Ryuu to slay her enemy with her own hand.
Just as Cain said, it was all just a fair transaction.
His gaze sweeping over the nearby crater, Cain walked up to the Elf Girl.
"Ryuu, you can return to the tavern now."
"Return to the tavern?"
Ryuu was taken aback. "What about the labyrinth? Aren't we going to discuss the next phase of the plan?"
"It's no longer necessary."
Cain pointed towards Gran in the distance. "As you can see, I've already infiltrated the Knossos."
"If everything goes smoothly from here, I can handle the Knossos alone. Even if something unexpected happens, I can always get the Loki Familia or the Freya Familia to back me up."
"..."
Ryuu furrowed her brow.
If she didn't know, that would be one thing. But knowing about the trouble of the Knossos and just standing by idly wasn't her style.
"The Knossos is too dangerous."
As if seeing through her thoughts, Cain's voice sounded again.
"LV4 isn't suitable for the battles to come."
"You're not even LV4 yourself."
"My strength can't be judged by level. You should understand that quite well."
"But..."
"How about this, let's fight again."
Seeing that Ryuu didn't seem ready to give up, Cain placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"If your strength can earn my approval, then I'll take you along to explore the Knossos."
"...Alright."
Ryuu hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Although the proposal was somewhat abrupt, she saw no problem with it.
Having only courage without the corresponding strength would be nothing but suicide when exploring the Knossos.
...
"I'm ready."
A gentle breeze blew, stirring up fallen leaves.
Standing on an open patch of ground over ten meters away, Ryuu didn't take the initiative to attack. Instead, she assumed a defensive stance.
Back when Cain was LV1, he could fight on par with her when she suppressed her physical abilities to LV3.
Now that he had broken through to LV3, he would undoubtedly surpass her in a direct confrontation.
Attacking first would only expose her openings.
To win this battle, she could only rely on defense and counterattacks, seizing any opening Cain might reveal.
"Here I come."
Cain naturally saw through Ryuu's plan.
But he paid it no mind. Activating Current Propulsion and State of Selflessness, his figure blurred and vanished from his original spot.
With the multiple buffs enhancing him, his explosive power even surpassed that of an LV5, rivaling an LV6 adventurer.
In just an instant, a blade wreathed in electricity crossed the distance of over ten meters and descended.
"So fast!"
Ryuu instinctively raised her wooden sword to block in front of her.
*BOOM!*
A tremendous roar erupted. The lightning exploded, forming a shockwave that sent the Elf Girl flying into the air.
At the same time, golden electric currents raced up the surface of the wooden sword, coiling around her fair and delicate forearm.
A tingling, numbing sensation arose. The moment Ryuu landed and tried to adjust her posture, her body stiffened.
"Damn!"
Cain's figure reappeared in her field of vision. His left hand held the scabbard, his right hand gripped the hilt, his body leaning forward.
*Iaido*.(1)
Ryuu made the judgment in her mind.
The vice-captain of the former Astraea Familia, her friend named Gojouno Kaguya, had been a master of iaido.
Recalling the countermeasures her friend had taught her, Ryuu lifted her wooden sword to block ahead.
At the same moment, a vast torrent of lightning fell towards her.
*BOOM!*
A deafening roar sounded once more.
Ryuu remained frozen in place, maintaining her sword-raising posture.
"So?"
Cain slowly sheathed Raikiri. "This is a killer move I learned in the past couple of days. The power's not bad, right?"
"..."
Not bad? It was far more than that.
Ryuu sighed inwardly and lowered her weapon.
Turning to look behind her, a sword scar extending to the edge of her vision came into view.
That was the result of Cain's draw slash just now.
If he hadn't deliberately missed, even if she had luckily blocked it, she would have been severely injured and on the brink of death.
"I've lost."
"Then, as agreed, head back."
Cain patted the girl's shoulder. "With the Astraea Familia gone, you don't need to push yourself so hard."
"I..."
"Ryuu, if you can't make up your mind, it's better to enjoy an ordinary life like you did before."
Make up her mind?
Ryuu, who had been about to say something more, paused.
These words... she felt she had heard them not long ago.
[If you can't make up your mind, just come back to the tavern. Anya and I will always be waiting for you.]
A few hours ago, her closest friend, acting unusually, had come to the warehouse and said something similar.
Just like Cain, she too had mentioned 'making up her mind'.
So... what exactly does this mean?
The answer surfaced in the depths of her heart.
Yes, she knew very well what the two were talking about.
Killing her enemy with her own hands was just the beginning; she was still running away now, avoiding the reality she didn't want to face.
"Come on, say 'ah'~"
"?"
"Ah~"
"What are you doing?"
Ryuu swallowed the cookie at her lips.
The taste was as delicious as ever, giving her a breather from her heavy thoughts.
"If you're in a bad mood, eat something."
"These are my latest Cookies. eat some if you get hungry on the way."
"Uh... thank you."
Ryuu accepted the cookies.
"Cain, can I ask one more question?"
"Go ahead."
"How do you view the word 'justice'?"
"Why the sudden jump to a question like that?"
"I'm just a bit curious; if you don't want to answer, you don't have to."
"It's not like I can't answer."
Cain rubbed his chin. "A word like 'justice' is too ethereal for me. I just don't want to have regrets."
"No regrets?"
"Yeah. I can't save tragedies outside my sight, but I'll work hard to prevent tragedies around me from happening."
"I'll also try to do some good within my power, like helping you kill Jura."
"...I see."
Ryuu finally understood some things.
Like why Cain wanted to save Lili.
Unlike Haruhime, who clearly had secrets, that Pallum girl didn't have anything out of the ordinary about her.
On the contrary, from the information she had investigated, the girl already had one foot over the edge of a cliff.
Perhaps Cain saw this and chose to help.
So... how should she choose?
If it were her, knowing Lili's situation, would she have chosen to help?
...
Saying goodbye to Cain, Ryuu carried her doubts to the other side of the forest, to an inconspicuous clearing.
Light shone down from above, illuminating rows of cross-shaped tombstones made of rope and wood.
"Everyone, it's been a long time."
Ryuu placed the white flowers she picked on the way and the cookies she just got from Cain in front of the tombstones.
This was her friends graveyard.
Because Alise and the others had said they liked the Eighteenth Floor and wanted to be buried here if they died.
But unfortunately, she hadn't fulfilled her comrades' last wishes.
After that nightmarish battle ended, she wasn't able to recover the bodies of Alise and the others, only finding some of their belongings.
Thinking that something was better than nothing, she buried their belongings in this inconspicuous corner and set up the tombstones.
"Speaking of which, I haven't come here to talk to you all for a long time. Perhaps I was afraid; I have been running away."
Sitting down against Alise's tombstone, Ryuu looked up at the branches and the sky, her gaze dim and melancholy.
"Let's talk about what's happened lately. I met a boy named Cain; he's a very special person."
"Though I don't know where he got his information, thanks to his help, I learned that Jura isn't dead yet."
"..."
The girl's monologue echoed in the forest.
Starting from their first meeting, she recounted her encounters with Cain from beginning to end.
"Just now, I killed Jura."
"I originally thought this would be a new beginning, and that I would continue to work with Cain to suppress the Evilus Remnants."
"But I was rejected... I never thought the day would come when an LV4 would be looked down upon. Fate really has a sense of humor."
"Cain said my strength isn't enough, and if I can't make up my mind, I should go back to living a normal life."
"Alise, what do you think I should do..."
[Of course you have to keep moving forward!]
In a daze, a fiery red figure appeared before her.
[Ryuu, hesitating over something like this really isn't like you! Keep going for the sake of our justice!]
The red-haired girl, who was always full of hope for life, gave a thumbs up and encouraged her with a warm smile.
[You idiot, you still like discussing these meaningless things. Haven't I already told you the answer?]
[Strength is what matters most! How can you talk about justice without strength? You idiot elf, hurry up and get stronger!]
The black-haired girl, who had different views on justice and always debated within the Familia, scolded sharply.
[Kaguya is as strict as ever.]
[Yeah, yeah. But it's been a long time since I've seen Kaguya and Ryuu argue. I really miss it.]
Figure after figure emerged; her former friends appeared one after another as if they had come back to life.
[We'll leave the rest to you, Ryuu.]
[That's right. Our journey has ended; please keep going for us.]
[If there's a good man, you have to grab him. It would be a shame to let him go.]
[Carry our will and keep going, Ryuu.]
[...]
"Don't go!"
Ryuu snapped her eyes open.
Her friends figures vanished, leaving her sitting alone in the graveyard with her hand reaching forward.
Staring blankly at the scene for a moment, Ryuu let out a sigh and slowly lowered her hand.
"A dream...?"
"Strictly speaking, it was a hallucination."
"?!"
Ryuu froze and turned her head to look behind her.
She wasn't unfamiliar with this voice; in fact, it was very familiar.
"Cain? Why are you here?"
"Cough, I gave you the wrong cookies just now."
Cain coughed awkwardly and took out a new jar of cookies from his robe, handing it over.
"Here, these are the actual Cookies."
"Then that jar of cookies just now was..."
"Poison Mushroom Cookies. They have a hallucinogenic effect."
"..."
So everything she just saw was a hallucination?
Ryuu's mood was a bit complicated.
Anyone would be unhappy about being poisoned for no reason.
But seeing Alise and the others after so long was a good thing for Ryuu.
"Give me that jar of cookies too."
"Eh? You like eating poisonous things too?"
Cain, who was about to take back the Poison Mushroom Cookies, was stunned.
"I wouldn't say I like it, just... occasionally having a dream is a nice experience."
Ryuu placed the newly received Cookies in front of the tombstone and tucked the Poison Mushroom Cookies into her robe instead.
"Cain, I have something to say to you."
"Go ahead. What kind of apology gift do you want?"
"It's not about an apology gift; I'm not that petty."
Whether it was a hallucination or not, the conversation with Alise and the others in her dream just now made Ryuu think of the past.
"Cain, you said not long ago that your justice is not wanting to have regrets and having a clear conscience."
"Although my understanding of justice is a bit different from yours, I also don't want to have regrets."
"You mean..."
"After returning to the surface, I will go find Goddess Astraea to update my Falna and break through to LV5."
Ryuu's expression was firm, and her body radiated a high level of fighting spirit.
"If LV4 is useless, then I'll become LV5."
"If LV5 isn't enough, I'll go into the Dungeon to grind my stats."
"Whether I can be of use or not, I at least want to have enough power when I'm needed."
"I've felt your determination."
After meeting the girl's gaze for a moment, Cain reached into his robe. "Here, these are compressed cookies, specifically for filling your stomach. If you get hungry on the way, eat a couple."
Ryuu: "..."
Why is it cookies again?
Coming to the Dungeon, just how many cookies are you carrying on you?
...
Ryuu's Dungeon adventure came to an end.
Accepting Cain's cookies, the Elf Girl set off on her return journey with a complicated heart.
After watching her leave, Cain returned to the original forest.
"Lord Dix."
Gran, who had been standing in place, came forward to meet him.
Despite the change in appearance, the pressure emanating from the depths of his soul still allowed Gran to recognize the other's identity.
"Let's go, to the Knossos."
The sound of churning flesh echoed in the forest as Cain's size shrunk slightly, and his short black hair turned blood-red.
Taking a pair of goggles from his robe and putting them on, Cain, now wearing his Dix persona, walked deeper into the forest.
...
At the same time.
Jujutsu World, Sugisawa Third High School.
The school bell rang early, and students in the classroom picked up their bags and headed toward their respective clubs.
"Phew~ Class is finally over."
The boy named Itadori Yuji stood up, stretched his body, and looked at his friend at the desk behind him.
"Cain, what's that in your hand?"
"It's delicious food~"
Cain handed over a wooden box with a talisman stuck to it.
"Want to try some?"
T/N - Iaido (居合道) is a Japanese martial art focused on the precise, controlled, and fluid motions of drawing a katana (sword) from its scabbard, striking an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and re-sheathing it
...
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