The night in the small town was nothing like Orario. There were no shining Magic Stone lamps, no noise or bustle—only stillness.
When the moon climbed to the middle of the sky, everything fell into a deep and quiet calm.
The tongues of flame scattered throughout the town had gone out, leaving behind a unique scent meant to honor the dead.
The cries of infants blended with the frogs calling from the fields, creating a soothing, almost intoxicating rhythm of everyday life.
Bell and the others were the last visitors to arrive.
By a stroke of luck, the inn happened to have four vacant rooms.
Bell certainly wasn't expecting anything romantic. If it were like in stories—only one room left, everyone forced to share—it would probably keep the three Elves awake all night.
An unfamiliar ceiling. A plain room. A peaceful, ordinary night.
That was how things should have remained.
But then someone knocked softly on his door.
Bell opened it, and Laurier stood there, calm yet resolute.
Her long golden hair fell loosely down her back. The twin braids she usually wore had blended into her unbound hair, giving her a natural charm, as if she were moments away from sleep.
"Bell... can you talk with me for a while?"
"Yeah."
Bell had just stepped toward the doorway when Laurier took his arm and guided him back into the room.
The inn's rooms were simple, but clean and tidy—clearly cared for with attention.
Laurier slid the bolt shut and slowly walked toward the bed.
"Bell, do you know what those burning flames outside represent?"
Different races, different cultures—customs change from place to place.
Yet the scent of incense filling the small town was much like what they had experienced in the villages earlier that day, carrying a sorrow that was hard to express.
"Yes. They're rituals to honor the dead—to mourn what was lost."
Bell answered quietly.
White flowers offered, herbs burned. Even far from Orario, the sorrow born from that scar had never faded.
"Then you should know... who today's mourning is for, right?"
Laurier had heard the broad strokes from Hermes.
They were the Familia that sang of justice, respected by countless people.
"The Astraea Familia..."
Bell spoke the name slowly.
Even without having lived through that era, he could feel—through the stories—what it must have been like to see that banner of justice flying high.
Ryuu had once stood among them, and now she stood alone.
That wound had taken root not only in her heart, but in the hearts of all those they had helped.
"Bell... one day, you'll be just like them too..."
Laurier lowered her gaze, voicing this cruel truth with quiet sorrow.
Like a candle burning itself away to give warmth to others.
The hero Bell Cranel sought to become was exactly that kind of existence.
Even without witnessing it himself, Laurier was certain—Bell resembled the members of the Astraea Familia far more than he realized.
He raised the banner of justice, ignoring the ridicule around him.
"No. I'm not going to die."
Bell saw the fear hidden in Laurier's voice.
The slender Elf's body trembled slightly.
Without hesitation, Bell pulled her into his arms.
He would never die.
Because the hero he sought to become was one who surpassed everything.
Laurier buried her shimmering tears against his chest.
She hadn't meant to cry, but once life and death were spoken of, she couldn't hold the tears back anymore.
"Even if we've made it through the calamity, our time… it isn't the same!"
Laurier's voice trembled.
She had never known love could be this agonizing.
When she confessed that day, Laurier hadn't thought about any of this. She simply followed her heart and made a choice she knew she would never regret.
But on this journey…
That constant atmosphere of mourning for the dead clung to her the whole way.
She couldn't help thinking about life and death.
The lifespans of Elves and humans were nothing alike.
Bell's other two lovers were human, so they would never truly notice this problem.
But Laurier was different. One day, the boy she loved would leave this world right before her eyes.
And the best ending she could imagine was him becoming an old hero… leaving her behind to cry alone.
The more Laurier thought about it, the more fear and sorrow tightened around her.
This flower of love had grown countless sharp thorns, pricking deep into her heart.
Bell gently stroked her golden hair, then cupped her face and wiped away her tears.
Looking at her beautiful, fragile features, Bell met her gaze—and leaned straight in, pressing his lips to her soft ones.
Laurier didn't resist. She responded to him on her own.
The purity Elves were known for melted away in their kiss, leaving only love filled with both sorrow and joy.
"Laurier… do you trust me?"
Bell looked into her emerald eyes and asked quietly.
"Of course I do!"
Laurier pressed her lips together, reluctant to let go of the kiss that had just ended.
"This world is full of miracles," Bell said gently. "The higher an adventurer's rank, the closer their body becomes to the gods."
A person's lifespan was also affected by the Falna.
So was the rate at which they aged.
"But that still won't change much…"
Laurier wanted to walk the same path as him, yet the gap between their lifespans remained an impossible gulf.
Bell smiled softly and brushed her cheek again.
"Have you heard the story of the Philosopher's Stone?"
"…!"
Of course Laurier knew it.
It was a tale many wandering travelers sang of.
Some adventurers, when they leveled up, obtained the Development Ability [Mystery].
And it was said that a great sage, using Mystery, created the Philosopher's Stone—a stone that granted eternal life.
The tale ended with a god shattering the stone, and the sage disappearing without a trace.
Yet among all the stories told in the world, the legend of the Philosopher's Stone was the one no one ever questioned.
"The hero I want to become is someone who can create miracles like that."
If he couldn't even overcome something as absolute as lifespan, how could he chase after the smile of the girl he loved?
Elf or God—if you love someone, if you promise to stay by their side for life, then you should have the resolve to push past the limits of this world.
"If no one has ever done it before, then I'll be the first. Whether it's the despair in front of me or the tragedy that happened in the past (Astraea Familia), I'll surpass it all and chase a miracle that has never existed."
Bell spoke his resolve plainly.
"…You really are a greedy person…"
Laurier let out a small laugh through her tears.
She should have known from the start. The hero she liked was not someone who would be crushed by the idea of mortality or the tragedies that had happened before.
He wanted to become a true hero—one who could protect the smiles of everyone in his harem.
Bell Cranel was exactly that kind of greedy man.
"That's just who I am. Does it disappoint you?"
Bell asked openly.
"..."
Laurier didn't answer. Instead, she lifted her golden hair, letting her actions speak for her.
For an Elf, what she was about to do…
Some would call it degeneration. Her own kin might look down on her, reject her.
But to Laurier, none of that mattered.
Because deep in her heart, she already knew the answer.
In that distant forest…
The noble Sacred Tree once stood in harmony with nature, utterly bare.
The wind brushed through its leaves, stirring soft tremors along its branches.
Under the moonlight, the wind sweeping across the forest never stopped.
Little by little, the Sacred Tree grew damp, turning its moisture into a trail of falling dew.
The night grew darker.
And that night felt especially long.