CHAPTER 5
Tragedy in Sunlight
For the past few days, the citizens of Orario had known nothing but ash-gray skies. The gloomy weather clouded their hearts like it clouded the heavens, a constant reminder of the Age of Darkness and all it entailed. No rain fell, nor storm clouds gathered. Only a somber and unrelenting atmosphere pervaded the streets at all times.
Today, however, citizens awoke to a clear blue sky, inhabited only by meager wisps of white. It was a bright, sunny morning, and Alize put her hands on her hips and, in an equally bright, sunny voice, declared:
“Now, it’s off to feed the poor!”
“Why do you sound so proud about that?” asked Lyra with a fed-up frown. “It’s Demeter Familia who organized the whole thing…”
“Because! We get to join forces with the Guild and other adventurers and show everybody the raw power of a cooked meal!”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” asked Kaguya, shaking her head.
The soup kitchen, as it were, was set up on a street in the northern part of town and run by volunteers. They dished out delectable yet inexpensive meals such as wine-drizzled gruel, oatmeal, and, of course, vegetable soup. The savory scent breathed new life into the streets, and the road was packed with the needy waiting to be fed.
“It means today’s going to be a happy day!” Alize beamed. “Now, get to work, everyone! Pitch in a hand wherever you can!”
“I’m not great with all this charity…” Lyra groaned, wandering over to the lines of people.
“And I am far too shy to deal with all these riffraff,” Kaguya added, heading toward the partitioned-off kitchen area. All the other members of Astrea Familia quickly found a task to keep them busy. Only Lyu remained behind.
“You’re with me, Leon,” said Alize. “We’re gonna turn all these poor starving people into fat little piggies!”
“Keep that language to yourself,” Lyu sighed. “We don’t want any complaints. Let’s just see where they’re shorthanded and help out.”
Alize and Lyu walked up North Main Street, surveying the soup kitchen. It was safe to say the venture had been a rousing success. In an age where death lurked around every corner, a stable job that could support a loving family was the stuff of dreams to many. For this one day, they could fill their bellies and their hearts.
A long line snaked down the road, culminating in a bubbling pot of soup. Each time a piping-hot bowl was served, its recipient’s face lit up with a smile. Children frolicked in the streets, sinking their little teeth into freshly cut fruit. It was a place for them to forget their hardships and austerity for a moment.
“The energy of these people is unbelievable,” said Lyu through her mask. “Especially after this place was so quiet yesterday.”
For the first time since its inception, the Goddess Festival—a celebration of good harvest, meant to take place the previous day—had been canceled. This soup kitchen was meant to make up for that in a way. The streets were filled with energy, merrymaking, and most importantly, smiles. Lyu looked on in wonder at the Guild staff, hard at work for the sake of the city’s people.
“The people are thankful, and the helpers are happy to help, too!” said Alize, wearing the biggest smile of all. “This is Orario at its finest!”
Then, all of a sudden, she raised her right arm and pointed overhead.
“Even the sky has cheered up!” she declared. “The sun is shining, just like everyone else! That means we’ve gotta burn bright, too!”
Just then, a single old dwarf came over.
“I thought it sounded lively around here. If it isn’t Astrea Familia. You’re as boisterous as ever, Alize Lovell.”
“Ah, old man Gareth!” said Alize, her face lighting up as she noticed him.
Lyu looked like she’d just watched a princess land a triple axel with her clothes on back to front. “O-old man?! You’re calling Elgarm old man?!”
But Alize ignored her. “Are you here to help out, too, old man Gareth?” she asked, cheerily continuing her conversation.
“Yup. Me and all the young’uns from Loki Familia are here. Strictly speaking, though, I’m just the security.” Gareth stroked his long, impressive beard. “Besides, I’m sure these people would be much more pleased to receive their food from lively young girls like you rather than a dusty old dwarf like me.”
“Oh, Gareth! I can’t believe you just called me that!” said Alize, placing one hand to her cheek and waving the other in the dwarf’s direction. “A super-cutie whose staggering beauty charms all? You’re too kind!”
“That’s not what I said,” said Gareth, the smile disappearing from his face. It seemed he was well accustomed to dealing with Alize’s whimsy. Lyu, on the other hand, was left wondering just what in the world was going on.
I…I can’t make heads or tails of what I’m seeing…Is this some kind of coordinated attack on my sanity?!
To her, the venerable dwarf was the definition of a celebrity, one she very rarely got to stand in the presence of. Even now, the sight of him caused her to fidget restlessly like an awkward fangirl.
“A-Alize…Do you happen to know Elgarm…?”
“Not really, but we always have fun together!” replied Alize in good cheer. “And I’m so annoying, he doesn’t know how to get rid of me!”
“And here I thought it was just blissful ignorance,” sighed Gareth. “But yes, I suppose that’s the long and short of it.”
Alize, for her part, seemed immune to the thinly veiled scolding in Gareth’s words, either through hardheadedness or just plain stupidity. “You’re amazing, old man!” she squealed. “Whether it’s monsters or evildoers, you beat ’em all black and blue! I want to be just like you some day!”
“Ehhh…”
Lyu made a disgruntled sound, to which Gareth replied, “Your inner thoughts are showing, young lady.”
It was no secret that elves and dwarves were not on the best of terms. To hear her best friend praise one so unreservedly was proving difficult for Lyu, and she couldn’t shake the disturbing thought that Alize might harbor feelings for the musty old dwarf that were best left unspoken, if you get the drift.
“Ah!” said Alize, noticing the look of internal struggle on Lyu’s face. “You’re thinking weird things again, aren’t you? I’ve told you before, race doesn’t matter! There are ugly bad guys among the elves, and there are proud, upstanding dwarf gentlemen like Gareth here!”
Alize had said that before, about three years ago. Lyu grew flustered at her lecture.
“I…Well…I mean…I know you’re right, but…it just takes time to accept…”
“I can’t say I entirely agree with the Gale here,” said Gareth, “but at least she doesn’t treat me as thoughtlessly as you always seem to.”
“Well, that’s because I always wanted to be born a dwarf!” Alize replied, beaming.
“…………………………………”
“Now, there’s a face if ever I saw one, young lady,” said Gareth to Lyu.
“Ah, no! I mean, well, I didn’t…!”
Lyu couldn’t even begin to imagine what a dwarf Alize would look like. She knew, of course, that there were cute female dwarves such as her associate Asta. But any attempt to fit Alize into that mold only resulted in something that couldn’t even be called Alize Lovell—instead a stout and hardy name like Golize Lovell. In any case, what was she even thinking and…then the steam began to pour from her ears.
But Alize herself seemed mercifully blithe to all this. “Dwarves are stout and can protect a lot of people!” she chirped.
“…!”
“Of course, the whole world would weep the loss of my gorgeous figure, but what can I say? Sacrifices have to be made!”
Lyu finally started to realize what Alize was trying to say.
“There are already loads of pretty people in the world besides me anyway,” Alize went on. “So yeah, it wouldn’t be a problem! That’s why I wanted to be a dwarf!”
“Alize…” said Lyu, deeply touched.
“But,” said Gareth, offering a wise word. “Can humans not also save the many with their quick feet? Can elves not soothe others with their beautiful song?”
“Whoa, I guess you’re right! Forget it, then! I don’t need to be a dwarf after all!”
“Alize…!”
Lyu called her name again, though in a markedly less reverent tone, and with markedly more tears in her eyes than before.
“Hah-hah-hah!” the old dwarf chuckled. “What a funny little miss you are! You’ve all the confidence in the world, but no commitment!”
“That’s not true! I just change my mind when I make a mistake! That’s totally different!”
Alize seemed if anything more defiant in the face of her embarrassment. She puffed out her chest with pride.
“Well said,” the veteran dwarf replied. “Still, as sorry as it is to admit, I was happy to hear you’d rather be born a dwarf. It brought a smile to my face, just as you do to so many others. There’s nothing I can fault in that…Now, I’ll let you two get back to work.”
“And you too, Gareth! See you later!”
Gareth returned to his patrols. Alize watched him disappear into the crowded street, then turned to Lyu, who was standing there in silence.
“.….…. ”
“What’s up, Leon? Caught you staring.”
“…There really is something amazing about you, Alize. Even the great Elgarm sees it.”
Alize cocked her head to the side. The light scattered off her crimson hair, and she grinned a grin as bright as the sun itself.
“You think? I just said what I thought was true! That’s something everyone can do!”
Lyu smiled.
I think that’s the most difficult part for most people…and the most important. I’ll never forget that so long as you’re here.
No matter what strange words came out of her mouth, Lyu Leon couldn’t help but look up to her friend, Alize Lovell. She was so dazzlingly bright that Lyu felt that just being by her side would one day empower her to cast off the chains that bound her to her hated heritage. She was proud to call Alize a friend, and no matter what happened, Lyu would always count herself lucky that she met her.
Alize took one last look at the busy street, smiled, and took Lyu’s hand.
“Come on, Leon! Let’s go put some smiles on people’s faces!”
The sky was clear, the bright air filled with joyous cries, and the city knew peace. But in a corner of the street, a woman stood, watching the sun take its place in the heavens.
“Finally decided to show your face, huh?” she said, slowly and deliberately drawing out the words. “About time we had some good weather. Heh. Even the skies are givin’ me their blessin’ today!”
Just then, an animal man walked into her. It was a busy street, thanks to the soup kitchen, and a little bump here and there was to be expected.
“Oops, sorry about that,” the man quickly apologized.
The woman gently waved her hand. “No worries,” she said.
Then…her other hand reached for the sword concealed beneath her overcoat. The last thing the man heard was his own flesh tearing open. He managed to let out a rasping croak, before his eyes rocked back and his severed head fell from his neck. A fountain of blood rushed out, soaking the cobbles, then the lifeless body crumpled.
The woman sneered. “You can pay me back with your life.”
There was a moment of silence where those nearby simply stared in shock at what they had just witnessed. The woman hoisted the crimson-stained longsword onto her shoulder and licked the blood from her lips.
Then, a scream pierced the air.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!”
Time started moving again. Her voice was joined by others.
“W-waaaah!”
“What happened? What just happened?!”
“She killed him! She murdered him!!”
Chaos and panic gripped the street. Men and women, young and old, pushed each other aside, fleeing the epicenter of violence by any means necessary. As crazed as they were, they knew what they had just seen. This was the Age of Darkness, and that meant only one thing.
Evil had arrived.
The woman paid no attention to the chaos her actions had just unleashed. She walked over toward the volunteers.
“Nice little kitchen you got goin’ on here. Gimme a taste, you Guild shits.”
Her hair was a toxic pink. She wore tattered underclothes and a pair of leather pants. Any adventurer recognized her at once. Only one person on the Guild blacklist matched her description. A human known as Arachnia, and the Evils’ top commander.
Valletta Grede was here, herald of the carnage to come.
“Let me help you all out,” she said. “I see some nice, ripe berries just waitin’ to be squeezed!”
Then she unleashed her blade upon the crowd again. Its edge danced, carving limbs, slicing heads, and drawing blood. She was a Level 5 adventurer, and there wasn’t a single man, woman, or child who could escape her.
“V-Valletta! What are you doing?!” cried a man, a member of the Evils who had been hiding in the crowd. He ran over to her, shouting, “We were told not to—Gaaah?”
The man was cut down like the rest. Valletta’s blade was indiscriminate in its slaughter. Between the terrified citizens and the rest of her bewildered allies, Valletta was the only one with a crimson smile on her face.
“Don’t tell me what to do, worm. Look at this beautiful blue sky! Ain’t it the perfect weather for turnin’ everybody into a mushy pulp?!”
Valletta spread out her arms and gazed heavenward, grinning madly. The natural-born killer, accompanied by evil and singing its praises.
“We gotta remind these idiots of the hell they’re livin’ in! They don’t get to smile and be happy! Now, get ’em!”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
The Evils soldiers were quick to obey their brutal mistress. Not a single one of them dared object after what happened to their compatriot.
What followed was a barrage of violent explosions.
“Gaaaaaaaagh!”
“Eeeeeeeeeek!!”
The telltale gleam of magic filled the streets. The ensuing blasts shook everything: the roads, the buildings, tearing people apart in the streets. Flesh burned, stone walls crumbled, and the street, once bathed in sunlight, was bathed instead in blood.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! What a wonderful prelude to despair! This oughtta liven up your boring lives, adventurer scum!!”
The woman’s mad laughter echoed like thunder. It traveled down the streets, mingling with the sounds of chaos, and reached the ears of the two adventurers.
“I hear screams, and…explosions?!” said Lyu, spinning around. “What’s going on?!”
“Come on, Leon, let’s move!”
Before they even had time to be surprised, Lyu and Alize took off like the wind.
A violent scene unfolded under a blue sky. The adventurers were quick to respond. Those who had been running security for the soup kitchen swiftly drew their weapons and engaged. However, their enemy was numerous, and their targets indiscriminate.
Voices of terror filled the air, and all the while the buildings lining the street were turned to rubble. There was simply too much to protect, and not enough hands to protect it with. It was all the adventurers could do just to stop what was happening immediately around them, and Orario’s protectors were given no opportunities to strike back at their foe.
Valletta saw all this and grinned. “Die, die!” She sneered, basking in sadistic pleasure. “Let me hear your screams! Let me hear you beg!”
She stepped into the expired husk of one of Orario’s innocent townsmen.
“This city can send all the reinforcements it wants; none of them are gonna stop me from squeezing the life outta you!”
Her wanton disrespect for her victim drove a nearby adventurer into a rage. “Arachniaaa!!” he yelled, rallying his two allies to attack her in unison.
But none of them stood a chance. One moment, Valletta was standing there, and the next, her blade had decapitated all of them.
“There ain’t no easier target than some righteous prick with his head stuck up his own ass!” she cackled, as the bodies behind her sank into the pool of blood.
While positioning herself as a symbol of fear to drive the townspeople into a panicked frenzy, Valletta also did not neglect to draw out and eliminate her key targets. She was ruthless and cunning to the bitter end, like a venomous spider at the center of her cobwebbed lair.
Just then, she sensed two incoming attacks: one from above, and one from behind.
“Demon!!” came a voice.
The attack speed was on par with a Level 4 adventurer. Valletta knew in that moment she wouldn’t be able to dodge, so instead she reached beneath her coat and drew out a dagger. Holding it in a reverse grip with one hand and her greatsword with the other, she wheeled around and parried the two blows simultaneously.
“Oh, well, if it isn’t Astrea Familia!” she jeered in a singsong voice. “I don’t remember invitin’ a pair of suckling brats!”
“Silence!” replied Lyu, furious. “This was supposed to be a joyous day! How dare you come and spill blood in this place!”
Any reservations Lyu might have had about stabbing a defenseless target in the back were gone when it came to this foe. Alize, meanwhile, landed a short distance away and immediately lunged once more with her straight sword to follow up her failed attack.
“You shall pay dearly for this!” she shouted, guided by a burning rage. “We will strike you down where you stand!”
Lyu’s wooden sword clashed with the dagger, and Alize’s blade met the greatsword. Valletta pushed back against both of her foes. As her eyes made contact with those of the two girls, her lips curled up into a grin.
“Idiots!” She sneered. “How could two Level Threes possibly hope to defeat a Level Five?!”
It was an impossibly powerful fist that answered her question.
“If numbers mean so much to you, then what do you make of mine?”
The sturdy old dwarf strode right up to Valletta and delivered a rock-solid punch while she was busy with Lyu and Alize. Despite her attempts to shrug off the girls’ weapons and extricate herself, the evil warrior was knocked clean off her feet and skipped along the cobblestone.
“Elgarm!” Lyu shouted in surprise.
“Are you okay, ladies?” he asked. “Curses, what was I doing? How could I have allowed these deaths to happen on my watch? Finn and Riveria ought to be ashamed of me.”
Gareth cast a horrified glance at the carnage, but it wasn’t long before he returned his mind to the battle. A short distance away, Valletta had ground to a halt by driving her greatsword into the earth.
“Damn, that hurt!” she said, giving an ominous chuckle. “So Loki Familia finally decided to show, did they?! Where’s your crew, old man? Is the great Finn Deimne too scared to come help?”
Loki Familia had a history with Valletta Grede. Or to be more specific, Finn did. In the past eight years, ever since the curtain rose on the Age of Darkness, these two commanders had crossed blades many times. They had foiled each other’s machinations so often that Valletta had come to see Braver as her despicable archnemesis.
Gareth was unfazed, his voice like polished steel. “Sorry, but it’s me you’re dealing with today,” he replied. “Finn’s seen through your little distraction and is dealing with your true plan as we speak.”
Valletta did not have to suspect the old dwarf’s words for long, because soon a messenger ran up to her.
“Boss!” he cried. “There’s smoke rising in the distance, where our allies are hiding! It looks they’ve been attacked before they could carry out the assault!”
Out over the rooftops, dark pillars of smoke loomed to the east and west. If Valletta had been versed in magic, she surely would have recognized its faint yet unmistakable traces.
When she heard the news, the smile dropped from her face, leaving only a bitter scowl.
“Man, fuck you. Here I am, swingin’ my sword round like a lunatic, and there wasn’t even any damn point.”
Just as Gareth said, Valletta’s actions had been a diversion, meant to draw the eyes of the Guild away from the Evils’ true goal. But Finn had been one step ahead and had joined forces with Ganesha Familia to intercept their main thrust.
And now that her side’s plan was in shambles, Valletta looked more fed up than ever.
“Shit, what’s even the point? You guys, hold ’em off. I’m leavin’.”
“L-Lady Valletta?” her mooks stuttered. “You can’t be serious!”
“You can’t expect me to screw around here like a moron when there’s nothing happening anymore. I’m goin’ home, and you guys are gonna be my meat shields, okay?”
Valletta was a bloodthirsty spider, but her lust for violence had not crossed over into madness. Her sharp wits were what made her such a terrifying foe, and she was ready to turn tail at the drop of a hat, if the situation called for it.
“Running away? You think we’ll let you go that easily?”
It was Alize who moved to block her path. Flames of fury burned within her pupils, and she was joined by Lyu and Gareth, wooden sword and battle-ax at the ready.
But Valletta was not perturbed. “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll have much better things to do than go after a rapscallion like me.”
She snapped her fingers, a delighted grin on her face. Her gesture was the signal for the last few remains of Valletta’s unit, who had been hiding in the wings all along.
From seemingly everywhere at once came the sound and force of explosions.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!”
The earth shook, debris rained down from above, and everywhere people screamed and ran. Valletta had been keeping one last trick hidden up her sleeve.
“Magic swords?!” gasped Lyu. “They must be using them to blow up the buildings!”
“Oh no! We need to save everybody!” cried Alize.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Better hop to it, then, ladies!” Valletta sneered, finding joy in their plight. “You don’t get a move on, and all these poor, innocent people are gonna be squashed like nasty pancakes!”
“Rgh…! Arachnia…!”
Lyu growled with loathing, but it made no difference. The woman turned and walked away as explosions and clouds of dust quickly obscured her.
“W-we’ve no choice…” stammered one of her subordinates. “Brothers and sisters! Rain down destruction! Take as many of them with you as you can!”
“Scoundrels! Help the people take shelter, lassies. I’ll do something about these fiends!”
Then Gareth let out a battle cry, like a soldier ready to lay down his life, and charged into the crowd of Evils fighters.
“Elgarm…!” said Lyu with reverence. “…I’m sorry!”
“Take care of them for us, old man Gareth!”
The only response from Gareth’s direction was the sound of clashing steel. The two girls turned and ran.
The old dwarf’s battle-ax was nearly as tall as he, yet he twirled it with no more effort than he would a paper fan. As he flung and dashed his foes on the cobblestone, their faces grew fearful, and they turned their spells and magic swords on him. In response, Gareth only redoubled his charge, smiting the Evils soldiers with the long edge of his ax, the pommel, which was as hard as a diamond, or failing all else, his boulder-like fists.
Gareth showed them no mercy. It was all part of his plan to divert the enemy’s attention onto him. If he could spare the buildings and civilians even one more fireball or explosion, then the old dwarf would gladly shoulder any pain without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Alize and Lyu, wise to the old dwarf’s intentions, sought to capitalize on the opportunity as quickly as they could.
“Let’s split up!” suggested Alize. “Link up with our friends and the other adventurers!”
“Understood!”
Alize and Lyu moved swiftly, rescuing civilians from danger and eliminating any stray foes that crossed their paths. The group had contingencies for emergencies like these, and so the two girls tried to guide survivors northward, toward the designated evacuation point—Twilight Manor, home of Loki Familia.
Thanks to this plan, the adventurers also had a role to play. They stopped trying to fight off the attackers and instead began escorting civilians off the battlefield. They were the guiding beacons that led the townspeople to safety.
It was a swift and precise strategy, and every second that passed, more lives were saved. However, every moment that Lyu or Alize faltered was a sacrifice of life too heavy to bear. Indecision was not an option.
“Gaaaagh!”
At long last, the final Evils soldier fell to Gareth’s ax, but by now the old dwarf was in no state to savor his victory. Due to the burns he had sustained, smoke rose off his body through the cracks in his armor, and as he rested his battle-ax upon his shoulder, he called out to the others.
“That’s the last of them! Raul, go and summon Dian Cecht Familia! Hurry!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Raul had been hard at work evacuating civilians, and his face paled as he took in the scene before his eyes for the first time. His head jerked up and down like a stiff doll before he ran off to fetch the healers. As soon as the battlefield was deemed safe, the younger members of Loki Familia, not yet trained for combat, rushed in to aid the wounded.
But just because the battle was over didn’t mean the streets were silent.
“Aaaaagh!”
“My legs! Somebody, help!”
Some had been shredded by wooden shrapnel from window shutters torn apart in the explosions. Others lay feebly, their limbs crushed beneath fallen stone or blasted off completely. The cries of young and old alike spun together like thread.
The noxious scent of smoke and scorched blood pervaded the air, and the faces of Astrea Familia were harrow.
“Those cowards!” spat Lyra. “Preyin’ on innocent civilians…”
While the prum ran around delivering healing potions, Kaguya was slicing up rubble with her sword. Neither of them had time for their usual jokes.
“Leon!” shouted the far-eastern girl. “Use your magic! You’re supposed to be healing!”
Elsewhere, Lyu could hear Neze and the rest of the group. “The buildings could come down at any moment! Get these people to safety!”
Their voices drifted in the background as Lyu shouted back to Kaguya, “I know! But my spells can’t heal multiple people at once! There’s just too many!”
Lyu’s spells produced a soft green glow, like a sunlit canopy, but she could only treat one patient at a time. Out in the streets, Lyu could see many victims who couldn’t even stand, let alone walk, and there were surely more trapped beneath rubble or inside buildings who were still unaccounted for. It was clear there weren’t enough hands for all the work that needed to be done.
Suddenly, Lyu’s eyes fell upon a young human girl crying out in pain.
“Waaaaah! It hurts! It huuurts!”
Her parents didn’t seem to be nearby. Her arms and legs were covered in scratches, and her knee was still bleeding. She was sitting immobile, overcome by the terror of the situation.
However, Lyu couldn’t leave her patient for even a moment. She just watched, her face screwed up in pity, when all of a sudden, a figure approached the girl and kneeled beside her.
“Oh, you mustn’t cry, my dear,” he said. “When you cry, you make everyone around you sad, too. Here, press this handkerchief to the wound.”
Lyu’s eyes went wide. “It’s you! Eren!”
If the mysterious god noticed Lyu’s presence, he did nothing to acknowledge it. He continued to talk to the little girl, attempting to cheer her up.
“Stop bleeding…Stop bleeding…” he sang as the handkerchief quickly went from white to red. “There! All gone! Now, if you’re brave enough to handle that, you don’t need to cry, do you?”
“No, mister…sniff.”
By the time Eren had completed his first aid procedures, the little girl had stopped crying. He smiled at her and offered his hand to help her up.
“Good girl,” he said. “Now, the evacuation point’s just over there. Do you think you can make it by yourself? I have to help some other poor children who weren’t quite so lucky as you.”
He pointed toward the skyline, and to the tip of the Loki Familia headquarters that peeked over the other buildings.
The little girl wiped her teary eyes and returned a smile. “Yes…I can do it…Thank you, mister!”
Then she ran over to join a group of people the Guild were ushering to safety.
Lyu watched the whole thing start to finish. Then, when she was finished healing her patient, she walked over. “…Thank you, Eren,” she said. “We really need any help we can get right now.”
But just as she was about to go on to say how she misjudged him, the god spoke back.
“Oh, no need to worry. I just came over to offer you an apology, that’s all.”
“…Huh?”
“You see, I figured I’d take a leaf out of your book. Do some good for once. And do you know what I found?”
Eren smiled, indifferent to the creeping horror working its way up Lyu’s spine.
“Helping the hurt, the weak. Why, if it doesn’t give you such a rush! The thrill, the satisfaction! Now I see why you do it!”
His joyous smile exuded an almost diabolical innocence.
“Wh-what…do you…?”
“So yes, I’m sorry,” Eren went on. “I’m sorry I ever said your work was selfless. Now I know, there is a reward after all!”
Lyu could only regard him in stunned silence as the eccentric god announced his newest theory of good and evil.
“Helping makes you feel strong!” he said. “Being thanked makes you proud! Giving charity makes you feel superior! And it all feels so, so good, doesn’t it?”
His words were nothing but joy. Heartfelt joy at finally understanding the minds of his children. At finally realizing the missing piece of the puzzle. At finally having good cause to look down on justice. All this joy was abundant in his merry voice, enough to make Lyu’s blood boil.
“Oh, I wish you’d just told me this sooner! I was worried about you, you know! I thought you were working yourselves to the bone for no gain!”
Lyu mumbled something in response, but only the last word was audible.
“…back.”
“I guess there are some truths even the gods don’t know!” said Eren, failing to hear her. “Hands-on experience is just the thing for these sorts of conundrums!”
“…that back.”
“Hmm?”
“I said, take that back, right now!!”
Lyu’s fists were shaking. Her anger couldn’t be clearer—but the god only smiled.
“Take what back?” he asked innocently.
“The complete disrespect that just came out of your mouth! You’re saying the only reason we work is to satisfy our own egos!”
“Whaaat? So that’s not why you do it? But then, what are you fighting for?”
Lyu’s fury was like raging hellfire, but the god did not back down. In fact, he pressed her with even more questions. He almost seemed to enjoy it. His attitude only fueled Lyu’s burning anger.
“Stop being obtuse! We fight for the good of the people. For the sake of order! So that nothing like what happened here in this street ever has to happen again!!”
“Is that not satisfaction, then?” said the god, in a soft, gelid tone.
“Wha—?”
His voice was like a shadowy serpent, coiling around her legs.
“I mean, nobody pays you, do they?”
“…Stop talking.”
“Nobody gives you bread or buys you soup.”
“…Stop it.”
“It doesn’t earn you any benefit at all.”
“Shut up!”
By now his eyes were a sliver, the mocking grin on his lips so obvious it was a wonder he had ever managed to conceal it.
“If you deny yourself riches, deny yourself fame—deny yourself even a moment of gratitude—why, then it’s not justice you seek, but loneliness!”
“SHUT! UP!”
Lyu’s heart was ready to explode out of her chest. She could take the god’s know-it-all tone no longer. But in response to her air-rending scream, Eren only shrugged.
“I mean you no offense, my little elf child. Think of it as nothing more than the mad insight of a capricious god. Just ask yourself this question, and see what you come up with…”
He smiled a wide grin that didn’t seem to reach his eyes, then spoke, slowly and deliberately.
“What exactly is your justice?”
Lyu could feel the blood rushing through her. Her eyes started to flicker. Seeing her stand there in silence, Eren delivered his final proclamation.
“Because if you can’t answer that,” he said, “then whatever you call justice must be twisted beyond measure. Far more than any evil.”
“How dare you!!”
That utterance was more than Lyu could take. She strode up to the god, grabbing him by the lapels. It didn’t even occur to her that she was disrespecting a divine being. Fury commanded her, and all she wanted to do was glare into the god’s dark eyes.
It was proof that she had no words to refute Eren’s accusation.
Just then, Lyra and Kaguya came over, sensing something was amiss.
“Leon, what are you doing?!” cried Lyra when she saw the situation.
“We have to save these people!” said Kaguya. “Don’t let this meddling god distract you!”
The two of them ran over and took hold of Lyu’s arms. She could only hang her head and swear.
“Grr…Dammit!”
There were still voices in the street, crying out for aid. Lyu knew that, and so, clenching her teeth in anger, she turned away with Lyra and Kaguya, leaving Eren alone. The god simply tidied his lapel and watched as the girls departed.
“…Pride. Ideals. Conviction,” he said aloud, casting a defiant smile around the scarring aftermath of evil deeds. “Certainly, only a righteous soul could keep those lights burning forever. But if starved of reward, of thanks, of validation…how long would they last? I can’t wait to find out…”
Four days until the Great Conflict…
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