He had a strong feeling that if that topic went any deeper, nothing good would come of it for him. In fact, it might turn into a real problem. So for his own sake—and for the dignity of that elven princess as well—he felt it was best not to touch it at all.
Early the next morning, the two of them set out on the return journey amid the family's reluctant farewells. Along the way, Xien also heard the little girl declare that she wanted to become a healer just like him, and he gave her his heartfelt blessing.
Eina stayed in an unusually excited mood the entire way back, practically bursting with energy. Seeing that, Xien smiled in satisfaction.
This power had been used where it ought to be used. As long as he could do that, it was enough.
They managed to reach Orario before nightfall, and Eina even took the initiative to invite him out for a meal.
To her entire family, Xien's kindness was the sort of debt they would spend the rest of their lives repaying. Eina, though still young, understood that perfectly well. She also knew how limited her own abilities were, so all she could do was bury that gratitude deep in her heart and wait for the day when she might finally be of help to him.
Xien did not say much, nor did he tell them not to repay him. He knew that handling such things poorly could easily backfire, creating an even greater sense of indebtedness. And a person's capacity for guilt had limits—once that line was crossed, there was no telling what they might do. He had no intention of allowing that to happen.
In his eyes, all they needed to do was live the way they wished. As long as he occasionally entrusted them with something within their means, it would help maintain their relationship in a healthy way for both sides.
So he would ask favors of them from time to time in areas where they could genuinely help, and Eina would gladly accept.
It was an enjoyable meal for both of them. After seeing Eina safely back to her lodgings, Xien finally turned and headed home to the Familia estate.
Over the following days, his schedule settled into a fairly fixed rhythm.
On one hand, he studied magic theory under Master Fels.
On the other, he never neglected his basic training or patrol duties, and every now and then he found time to enjoy Ryuu's adorable flustered reactions. Altogether, life felt rather pleasant.
Fels truly lived up to the title of Sage. Once he had grasped Xien's level in the magical arts, he had very quickly found the right place to start and tailored his teaching accordingly.
What he taught was not any particular spell, but rather things like the principles of magic and the essence of magical power—education aimed at understanding why things worked. It helped Xien gain a clear grasp of the nature of magic itself, and his foundations were being solidified at a visibly rapid pace.
That day, as usual, Xien was on his way to the Adventurers' Guild when he happened to run into someone unexpected.
"Good morning, Mr. Xien. Off to the Guild again? You really are diligent."
A gentle voice came from the side. Turning, he saw Syr—the waitress from The Benevolent Mistress. Judging by her appearance, she had been sweeping outside.
"Good morning, Miss Syr. I hope business goes well for you today."
Though he found it a little strange, Xien was not so rude as to ignore her. He returned the greeting and intended to leave at once, but—
"Um, please wait, Mr. Xien."
Her voice, soft but carrying a hint of urgency, was enough to stop him.
Xien looked back, puzzled. He didn't know why this "lady" was calling after him. The two of them had never really interacted much. At most, they were familiar strangers.
"Is something the matter? Or do you need help? Astraea never turns away anyone in need."
"N-no, it's nothing that serious... just, please wait a moment."
As soon as she stopped him, Syr turned and hurried inside. A short while later, she came back holding an exquisitely wrapped box.
At the sight of it, alarm bells began to ring in Xien's head.
Looking at the thing she held out to him, the shape was familiar enough that he could already guess what it was—but he still asked anyway, just to be sure.
"This is... a lunch box?"
"That's right. If you don't mind, please accept it as your midday meal. Consider it a thank-you for healing Mia."
"..."
There did not seem to be anything wrong with it.
And that was exactly the problem.
Xien's expression stayed calm, but inside his mind felt like a stampede. Every danger instinct he possessed was screaming that he had just been targeted by a bad woman.
"What's wrong... Is there some problem?"
Seeing him stare blankly at the lunch box, Syr tilted her head in curiosity. The decorations were flawless—she had even used the colors Hedin had told her he preferred.
The problem is huge, lady. Why have you suddenly set your sights on me? Can't we just stay politely out of each other's business? What exactly did you take a liking to? I'll fix it if I can.
Inside, Xien was already weeping. He had absolutely no desire whatsoever to get entangled with this woman.
He took a quiet breath, looked at the girl in front of him, and answered solemnly.
"I'm sorry, Miss Syr, but I can't accept this."
"It's not that I have any ill opinion of you. It's simply that I already have someone I like, and she likes me as well. So I won't accept something that could easily cause misunderstandings."
Without pausing, he went on in an even calmer voice.
"Whether you realize it or not, in this city, giving a handmade lunch to a member of the opposite sex your own age is generally seen as a way of expressing affection. And because of that, I would never accept such a thing from anyone other than the person I love. I understand and appreciate your wish to thank me for helping Mia."
"That is enough. Even if I'm misunderstanding your intentions, then I apologize. But I truly cannot accept this. Goodbye."
With that, Xien turned and left without a backward glance.
The gray-haired girl remained standing there, expression perfectly calm as she watched him go.
She was not angry.
She was surprised.
She had never expected the boy to be this guarded. It had completely disrupted her plan to use the lunch as a way of drawing closer to him.
Based on the recent reports Hedin had provided about Xien's movements, she had carefully arranged this "perfect" chance encounter. And yet the result had turned out to be this.
She had the distinct feeling that the boy was avoiding her.
And yet his words had sounded so straightforward, so consistent with exactly what he had said.
"Interesting... But the more you act this way, the more curious I become, Xien. I really do wonder what I look like in those eyes of yours. I look forward to the day you tell me yourself."
Still standing where she was, she absentmindedly touched the corner of her lips, and an intoxicating, almost dangerous smile spread across her face—one utterly at odds with the harmless image she wore as Syr.
Her curiosity about the boy had only grown deeper. Even if there was danger involved, it was all right. She felt she had ways of dealing with that.
After getting a good distance away, Xien finally looked back. Only when he was sure she had not followed did he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
In a world where gods held the role of "family heads," ordinary mortals like him were at a natural disadvantage in any relationship with them. That was a major reason why he preferred to avoid her.
Though he was confident he would not be bewitched by Freya's charms, he still had no desire to have anything to do with her unless absolutely necessary.
The reason was simple.
He did not like her.
Call it bias, a preconception, or anything else—he simply did not see her as a goddess he wanted to be involved with.
She had every right to pursue the life she liked, of course. And by the same token, Xien had every right to dislike her. He would not stand on any moral high ground and condemn her—but neither did he want any contact with her.
If she let the matter rest, fine.
But if she ever did anything against him—or against those he cared about—then he would not hold back. He was not a native of this world. The act of killing a god carried no psychological taboo for him whatsoever.
This encounter was only a small episode, but it also served as a warning.
Even though the Evilus remnants had shown no major movement lately, that did not mean everything was safe. In the original story, many of the early troubles had come from the whims of the gods themselves.
That was likely what he needed to be wary of next.
After that, the following days passed in much the same peace as before.
Thanks to that, Xien finally had time to continue deepening his studies. Two people who did not need much rest had plenty of time to exchange ideas.
After serving Lord Ouranos for so many years, Fels had accumulated a truly impressive fortune.
Since he had already decided to take Xien on as a disciple and teach him the magical arts, he had also prepared a very comfortable place for it—a luxurious residence extremely close to Babel, one of the properties under his name.
And so Xien began a far broader course of magical education.
Unlike Alfia, who mainly taught the combat application of magic, what Fels taught him was the essence of magic itself, along with the principles behind how magic could produce all sorts of incredible effects. As a result, his focus was primarily on supportive and status-type magic—healing, enhancement, curses, weakening, and so on.
Again, not specific spells.
Rather, the underlying principles that made such effects possible.
As a teacher, Fels was unquestionably competent. Faced with a magical prodigy like Xien, he fully embodied the old saying: a master opens the door, but cultivation depends on the individual.
He taught Xien how to correctly use magic as a tool. As for what effects he wished to achieve with that tool, that was something Xien himself had to think through and solve.
And Xien appreciated that method immensely.
…
At the Loki Familia estate—
The three executives and their goddess Loki sat in the meeting room, all of them silent.
Yet their gazes were fixed on the same thing: the letter lying on Finn's desk.
Or rather—the commission inside it.
After a long while, Gareth was the first to speak.
"What in the world is the Guild thinking? Forcing us into an expedition this soon, and even asking us to take someone from another Familia along... This is far too strange."
They were still occupied with cleaning up the remnants of the last incident and dealing with all kinds of internal affairs. He had barely slept these past few days. Just when he had thought he could finally go deal with some overdue armor maintenance, he had been summoned here instead.
Hearing his friend's complaint, Finn finally spoke. Right now, he needed as many opinions and as much information as possible before he could decide anything.
"Loki, you were the one who received this in person. What do you think?"
"...The expedition is necessary. Not just because the rules demand it, but because there's something we need to retrieve. It's down around the sixtieth floor. Ouranos has his own reasoning as well. At a time like this, if we can pull off another inspiring expedition, the situation in the city will finally stabilize."
Loki had dropped all her usual silliness. On serious matters like this, she was still more than dependable, and she laid out the overall state of Orario clearly for her children.
But then her next sentence ruined the mood again.
"That said... I really don't want to bring that brat."
At that, Rivira, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. There was something strange about her compared with her usual quiet nobility—a deep note of heaviness, almost like loss.
"'The Bountiful Apothecary' Xien. The aid he can provide on an expedition is beyond question."
"And that's exactly why I don't want him there, Riveria! You've only just started to recover a little. If you come into contact with that brat again..."
Loki looked at her "Mama" with open worry. The outing last time had helped a little—at least Riveria no longer spaced out completely without warning—but somehow she had seemed even stranger since then. Loki could not quite put her finger on what was wrong, and that only made it more maddening.
"That's enough, Loki. I know my own condition. Nothing will happen."
"An expedition is no trivial matter. You know as well as I do how much difference a powerful healer can make to a team. And besides... he isn't just a healer."
That final part made the other two nod unconsciously.
The shock of the last incident was still fresh in their minds. That boy had, by his own hand, saved all of their people and then slain an abomination far beyond his level—something that by all rights should have been impossible.
A figure like that, joining them on an expedition, would make anyone feel safer. The truth was, deep down, they would all rather have him than not.
At a time like this, personal feelings had to be set aside.
"Riveria's right. With the two great Familias gone, it's our duty to shoulder the burden of exploring the Dungeon. The addition of a renowned healer would greatly reduce the risks. But…"
Finn turned back toward Loki.
"Loki, what exactly is this thing we're going to retrieve? Is it truly worth the danger of bringing it back?"
Now he had asked the central question.
Loki paused for a moment, then answered.
"Ouranos doesn't lie. That thing should be of great significance to the future development of our Familia. If you insist on putting a name to it…"
She looked at the letter on the desk again and finished slowly:
"It's a hero's inheritance."
....
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