"...You!!"
Whoosh—!!!!
Bete glared at Line with bloodshot eyes, unleashing a torrent of rage as she poked at his trauma. However—
"...!"
"Bete-san."
Her gaze did not waver. She looked him straight in the eye with a gaze so upright and piercing that it seemed to see right through his core, leaving Bete momentarily paralyzed.
"Bete."
"..."
"Do you truly believe the members of this Familia hate you from the bottom of their hearts?"
"..."
Raul, Aki, and Alicia were stunned by Bete's unprecedented level of agitation.
They were simultaneously bewildered by how calmly Akumo and Line stood before him. In that moment, as Bete's hidden sincerity lay bare, they saw a flicker of profound sorrow rise within Akumo's eyes.
"Tragedy isn't so merciful that it avoids you just because you are strong."
"I haven't raised any objections to how you treat the members until now."
"Because while they need to be shown warm ideals, they also need to realize the cold reality."
Akumo spoke to Bete with heavy, genuine intent. He understood the truth Bete had suppressed deep inside, while acknowledging the frustration the other members must have felt.
"Raul, what did I tell you?"
"That knowing your own weakness is what makes a hero."
"It's all the same...."
"We are all heroes and adventurers at the same time."
'We are simply beings who endure fear and continue to move forward.'
Swoosh!
Unable to take any more, Bete attempted to storm out of the room. He didn't want to show them his scars anymore, nor did he want to show any further vulnerability.
"Bete-san!"
"..."
"When we were separated in Knossos.... Bete-san, you definitely...!"
"Shut it. Back then, you were all just dead weight—"
"Then.... why did you...."
'Why did you target the enemy instead of subduing us when we were on the verge of going berserk...?'
"I.... we also...."
Drip. Drip.
"We don't want to hate you, Bete-san...!!"
Rakta recalled the moment they were cornered by comrades consumed by a curse. She had seen Bete choose a path that would not harm them. It wasn't just her; every other member present had witnessed it as well.
"...Bete."
Thud.
"The trust you place in Akumo and the executives—those kids have that same trust in you."
"The care we feel for all of you, Bete has it as well."
Finn approached and placed a firm hand on Bete's shoulder. He spoke with the sincere worry he held for both Bete and the lower-level members.
"That's why I don't want you to keep hurting each other."
"To us, all of you are precious juniors and comrades."
Following Finn's words, Akumo stood and walked between Bete and Raul's group.
Step, step.
"We are adventurers."
"Even if we die, our will is not extinguished."
"We go on adventures to ensure it never goes out."
"In those adventures, I want all of you to be able to laugh."
Creak—
"...Will this be enough?"
"No one can know for sure....."
Leaving the members behind in the room, Akumo and Finn stepped out into the hallway.
"...Akumo."
"What?"
"Do you.... feel any resentment toward us for triggering the Dark Age?"
Finn reflected on Akumo's words to Bete, sensing that they hadn't been meant for Bete alone. Finn's own voice was tinged with an inescapable mixture of guilt and self-reproach.
"Because we brought down the Zeus and Hera Familias, Evilus began to swarm...."
"Stop."
"..."
"As I said before, we are heroes and adventurers."
Step, step.
"We are simply people who protect what we want to protect and pioneer the paths we wish to walk."
To the bowing Finn, Akumo spoke the conviction he had held in his heart since the day he was cast out of his village.
"It's not because we're heroes. It's not because we're adventurers."
"It's because we are beings living in this world."
"That's all it is."
"No matter the race, no matter the strength, even if one is a God."
Finn looked up at Akumo's words and understood. This man was indispensable to the Familia. As a friend, Finn wanted to be part of the adventure Akumo was forging.
"....Thank you."
"Let's go get treated. Amid will kill us if we're late."
"Haha! Is that so?"
The two heroes walked down the corridor, heading back to the medical wing managed by the Dian Cecht Familia.
As they passed various rooms and neared the dining area of Twilight Manor, a sound reached their ears.
"Bete-san saved us."
"Akumo-san too...."
"Even though the curse that makes people go berserk could have targeted him.... he chose to strike the enemy instead of subduing us."
"..."
"I don't want to be a hindrance to our heroes.... I don't want to get in Bete-san's way...."
"I want to get stronger...."
"Yeah...!!"
The members who had been with Bete, including Rakta, and those saved by Akumo alongside Line, were steeling their resolve. They wanted to get stronger—for the sake of their heroes, and to follow them on their journey.
"....Doesn't look like we need to worry, does it?"
"I suppose not...!"
'Those guys truly are something.....'
Watching them, the two heroes were able to strengthen their own resolve as well.
"Phew...!"
'This should be enough, right?'
A day later, Akumo was finally discharged with Amid's permission. Having heard that the Hestia Familia had finished renovating and moving into their new home, he headed there to take a look.
Step, step.
"Oho~ is that the place?"
'Wait...? What on earth is that...?'
—Believe me!!!!!!
Akumo spotted two women arguing in front of the massive mansion's main gate.
'Those girls are definitely....'
"[The Pioneer]!? What are you doing here...!?"
"What do you mean 'what'? I just came to offer my greetings to the Hestia Familia."
Standing there were Cassandra and Daphne, former members of the Apollo Familia. Seeing them bickering, it seemed Cassandra had business with Hestia.
"So.... what's going on?"
"Cassandra's pillow went missing."
"Did she leave it here? Didn't she pack it during the move?"
"She says she saw it here in a dream..."
'Another prophecy?'
"How does that even make sense.... Let's just go, Cassandra!"
"Please, just believe me....!"
The commotion apparently reached inside the building, as someone spotted them from a distance.
"Akumo-san!? And Cassandra-san and Daphne-san too...!"
"Bell! I heard you moved?"
"Yes! And I've officially become the Captain of the Hestia Familia!"
".....You weren't already?"
"Ahaha.... Well, I suppose I technically was the Captain before too...."
Bell and Akumo shared a laugh while exchanging greetings. Daphne, feeling inexplicably awkward in this situation, tried to drag Cassandra away, but Cassandra clung to the iron bars of the gate with all her might.
"I said let's go!!"
"Believe me...!!! My pillow....!!!"
Clench—!!!!
"There's no way your pillow is in here...! Even if you lost it during the move, it would've been tossed during the construction!!"
"But...!! I saw it here in my dream!!"
Flail, flail—!
Akumo found it suspicious that Daphne was so adamantly refusing to believe Cassandra. Deciding to trust Cassandra's word alongside Bell, he made a suggestion.
"Bell, can you go inside the building and look for it?"
"Yes! Of course."
Dash—!
"Eh!? You're actually going to look for it? Just because she said it was in a dream!?"
"We've already looked everywhere else, might as well check here too!"
'Hmm...? Why does my back feel so warm?'
At Akumo's request, Bell immediately entered the home to search. To their surprise, he actually found a white pillow wedged behind a pillar.
Seeing Bell return with the pillow, Akumo felt relieved, though even he was slightly shocked it was actually there.
"Here it is. It was wedged behind a pillar."
"Ah... thank you so much...!"
'This person.... also believed me....'
"Glad you found it, right?"
"Y-Yes...!"
Looking at the two men who had trusted her word, Cassandra's face flushed deep red as a wave of shyness overcame her.
Poke—!
"Cassandra?"
Whisper, whisper—
"Oh~ that's right. About the recruitment tomorrow?"
"Recruitment tomorrow....?"
"You mean you didn't know anything about it?"
Seeing Bell's blank reaction, Akumo looked surprised and pulled a flyer from his pocket. Bell looked at it and jumped in shock, as if he truly had no idea.
Slide—
"You haven't seen this member recruitment flyer?"
"Eeeeh!? We're doing a recruitment drive...!?"
"Oho~ it's really spacious in here, isn't it?"
'This might not quite match Twilight Manor, but it's pretty close.'
"We were quite surprised by all the bizarre objects left behind when we first arrived....."
"Ahaha! That must have been a headache!"
Akumo and Bell walked through the hallways of the mansion, chatting. Happy for the visit, Bell led him to the room where Hestia and the other members were gathered.
Creak—!
"Bell-kun! Welcome bac— Akumo-kun!!!?"
"Hello, Hestia-sama."
"Ooh! Is that a gift in your hand!"
"Yes, I came to bring some presents for you and Bell's companions."
Akumo scanned the people in the room. There were Lili, Welf, and Mikoto, who had all joined the Hestia Familia through conversion.
"Akumo-san! It's been a while!"
"Good to see you, Welf!"
"Akumo-dono, thank you for coming."
"And thank you for supporting Bell, Mikoto."
"Akumo-sama!"
"You've been well, Lili?"
They all welcomed Akumo warmly, offering their greetings. Akumo smiled at the sight and began pulling out the gifts he had brought.
Rustle—!
"Here, these are for you."
Thud!
"Ooh! Are these not potions?"
"Yes, and they're special potions made by Amid."
"Amid... the Saint of the Dian Cecht Familia!?"
"I had a reason to be hospitalized recently, so I bought some when I was discharged."
Akumo spoke with a light laugh, but the group was profoundly shocked that the strongest adventurer in Orario had been hospitalized.
"Ahaha! These things happen, you know?"
'I used to get injured plenty back in the day~'
While laughing jovially at the memory of his past, he also recalled the endless nagging he used to get from Amid for those very injuries, and for a moment, his laughter nearly caught in his throat.
After delivering the gifts, Akumo spent a bit more time conversing with them before eventually heading back to Twilight Manor.
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