"...Just what in the world is happening here?"
"Bell, explain yourself this instant."
Slide—!
"W-Wait!? Brother! Mother! I can explain everything...!"
Akumo and Alfia stared at the sight before them, doubting their own eyes.
The girl Bell was protectively shielding—their precious boy whom they had raised with such care—possessed protruding fangs, scaled skin, and most notably, a shimmering jewel embedded in her forehead.
"So they've finally met..."
"A Xenos, isn't it?"
It was absurd to think Bell had encountered one of the Xenos who should have been under the strict management of Ouranos and Fels, yet Akumo was equally stunned by the fact that Bell had rescued her without a shred of hesitation or prejudice.
"Well now... should I be praising him for this?"
Grip!
"Aah...!! Alfia!? I'm sorry...!!"
"Is this a joking matter to you?"
"N-Not a joke, but technically, didn't he do a good thing...? Ouch!!"
Perhaps find it cold that Akumo treated Bell's reckless empathy so casually, Alfia pinched his arm, her dissatisfaction radiating in palpable waves.
"The Xenos are existences that must never be revealed to the public."
"I know that..."
"And yet such a being has made contact with Bell and even entered Orario. Do you understand the implications?"
"Admittedly, it's a bit of a massive disaster waiting to happen..."
Even if Monsterphilia is held, the masses only view monsters as objects of entertainment. Fundamental perception hasn't shifted in the slightest.
"In such a climate, if this comes to light, it won't end with a simple penalty."
Bell, silently listening to their exchange, felt a rising tide of anxiety as he realized the gravity of the situation through Alfia's stern expression and Akumo's unusually pensive face.
"...But Weene doesn't hurt peop—"
Thwack!
"Ugh!?"
"Don't ever say that in front of others, do you understand?"
It's not like he just brought home a stray dog or cat.
"You are currently caught in something far larger... No, you've stepped into a historic catastrophe."
"What does that..."
Bell recalled the initial reactions of his supporters when they first saw Weene.
Welf, Lily, and Mikoto had immediately identified her as a monster and assumed combat stances. Even Haruhime only listened to his words because she trusted Bell himself, not the monster he protected.
"Even those reactions were optimistic."
"The fact that they didn't strike immediately is a testament to the sheer amount of trust you've built with your comrades."
Hearing this from his icons was shocking. He realized that the restraint shown by his friends—the companions he had adventured with—was the absolute limit of their mercy, born only from their bond with him.
"I'll go meet with Lord Ouranos and Fels. Watch over Bell for me, Alfia."
"Understood. I will ensure no incidents occur."
"I'm counting on you."
Leaving Bell and Weene under Alfia's protection, Akumo headed toward the deeper levels of Orario to discuss the situation with the city's silent overseers.
Step, step—
"..."
The Xenos...
They were monsters.
Yet, simultaneously, they were people.
"I remember how surprised I was when I first found out."
Monsters that speak, feel emotions, and have become a distinct race.
"I've discussed this at length with Alfia and Lord Ouranos, but..."
Akumo paused, gazing at the sun-drenched streets of Orario.
He saw citizens and adventurers alike mingling, laughing, and sharing the bustling peace of the city.
"..."
It's still far too early.
"The world isn't ready to accept this."
His worries deepened as the seconds ticked by. Coexistence was not a matter of logic, but of the soul.
"Akumo?"
"Aiz?"
"You're alone today."
"And you? Shouldn't you be with Lefiya or Tiona?"
"Yes. It's my day off, so it's just me."
Aiz had noticed his unusually heavy gait and approached him. Looking at her, Akumo's thoughts on the Xenos problem only became more tangled.
"Aiz... about..."
"What is it?"
"I heard you ended up in a certain village recently."
"...Yes."
"I was surprised when I heard the report. I thought the Ares Familia might have had a secret weapon or something."
Aiz Wallenstein was, among everyone Akumo knew, the adventurer with the deepest ingrained aversion to monsters.
Her parents had been slaughtered by them. Though she had stabilized, there was a time when she was so obsessed with slaying monsters that she was feared as a mere killing machine.
"In that village, they worshiped the Black Dragon as a god, didn't they?"
"..."
"How was it?"
"That thing is no god. You know that, Akumo."
"...I suppose so."
Indeed. It isn't a god.
Seeing Aiz's expression harden at the mention of the dragon-worshipping village, Akumo felt a pang of bitterness. He understood her completely.
The wounds left by monsters do not vanish.
"We only try to cover them with happy memories."
Aiz, Alise's group, Naaza... everyone.
"Hmm? What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing."
The scars monsters had carved into the world were too deep to be dismissed by a simple claim that 'they're just another race.' The birth of the Xenos was a miracle that even the Gods could not have foreseen, but accepting that miracle was a choice left to the people, not the heavens.
—'Help me...!!!'
—'Kyaaaah!!!!!!'
—'Why is this happening...'
The screams of his comrades, trampled by the One-Eyed Black Dragon and slaughtered by countless monsters, echoed in his mind like an eternal nightmare. Within those voices, he thought he could hear the shriek of a certain Elf, but for now, that memory remained out of reach.
Clang—!!!
"You're staggering."
"Ruaaaaagh!!!!!!"
Clash—!!!
Schwing—!!!
A black-skinned Minotaur, wielding a massive axe in each hand, swung with frantic desperation against the figure before him.
His strength was aberrant. If compared to a blessed adventurer, his potential surely sat at the peak of Level 7.
Grrrnd—!!!!!
"Don't just swing blindly. Consider the caliber of the opponent you're facing."
BOOM—!!!!!!
"!!??"
Yet the entity standing before him was far more anomalous, possessing a tier of power that made even the black Minotaur look ordinary.
CRACK—!!!!!!
THUD—!!!!!!!
"I don't know where you picked up your basics, but at least the foundation is there."
Crunch—!!!!!!
"Now, use your head to wield that power correctly."
The man held nothing but a simple hammer. With a single strike, the Minotaur's leg shattered. The twin axes were swatted away as if they were toys, embedding themselves deep into the dungeon wall.
"Don't just mimic. Learn."
"Gruuuuugh!!!!!"
Rumble—!!!
The Minotaur—Asterius—wore a grin of both shock and pure ecstasy. This man possessed a combat style similar to the white-haired hero who had once defeated him, yet it was even more profound, more absolute. He wanted to keep challenging him.
He wanted to push his own existence further.
Grin—!
"What a stubborn beast."
"Gwaaaaaarrgh!!!!!!"
Boom-boom-boom-boom-BOOM—!!!!!!!!
The Dungeon itself seemed to tremble in fear of the unknown power these two unleashed, the floors vibrating with every shockwave.
"Just who are they..."
"They're absolute madmen."
"So strong!"
Rustle—!
Watching from the shadows, figures with red and black tails, along with a woman possessing wings instead of arms, watched the battle in breathless awe.
"More...!!!"
"Heh...!!"
BOOM—!!!!!!!
"More!!!!!!"
"Uooooohh!!!!!!!!"
K-BOOM—!!!!!!!!
"GIVE ME MORE JOY THAN THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The sound of continuous, devastating impacts filled the air. These were not heroes—they were warriors. They lived for the thrill of the clash, their eyes shining with a savage brilliance.
I'm so... happy...!!
"Buoooh!!!!!!"
That I can have a fight like this!!!!!
"Bring it!"
THOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
To them, it didn't matter who was the hero or who was the enemy of humanity. Asterius didn't care that this man surpassed even the wielder of the greatsword from his memories. He was not a sacrificial lamb for a hero; he was a warrior, and he would carve every lesson from this being into his very soul.