Cave

"Cave"

"Strange."

A puzzled murmur softly rose from a corner of the extravagantly luxurious room, unheard by anyone else.

Freya stood before the window, her beautiful eyes fixed on a corner of the city, filled with doubt.

Freya had seen the entire exchange between Riezel and Allen.

Or rather, through a special method, she had observed the process of Riezel and Allen's battle in a manner close to "seeing."

This was a means only Freya could wield, something even the other gods could not accomplish.

Thus, despite the immense distance between her and the place where Riezel and Allen had fought, Freya had still been able to "see" what happened.

And precisely because of that, Freya was both startled and puzzled.

"It's my first time seeing a soul like that."

Freya's lovely brows furrowed tightly.

Goddess Freya possessed a pair of very special eyes.

They were called Insight Eyes, eyes capable of seeing the true nature of the souls of those in the Lower World.

She had been born with them, so they did not fall under the category of prohibited divine power. They were merely a talent, a trait, and were basically of little use in Heaven.

Yet in the Lower World, with those eyes, Freya could perceive the potential of mortals more keenly than any other god.

As long as she could observe the souls of the children—those of the Lower World—Freya could judge a person's potential from the radiance of their soul.

After all, any hero, any exceptional individual who possessed a Hero's Vessel, was bound to have a dazzling soul. It could not be as mediocre as that of an ordinary person.

Back in Heaven, Freya had relied on this ability to grasp the colors of the souls of those ascending to Heaven—the dead—before any other god. She would take those who caught her fancy as her collectibles and draw them into her embrace.

Those "collectibles" were the people of the Lower World known as heroes.

That was why the Freya Familia had become one of Orario's strongest familias, standing alongside the Loki Familia and even surpassing it in certain respects. Their patron goddess could recruit children with extraordinary potential ahead of everyone else, allowing the Freya Familia to grow stronger step by step.

Freya also loved children whose souls shone brilliantly. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she adored them.

For that reason, once Riezel displayed unusual potential, Freya had almost immediately set her sights on him.

But Riezel's soul had left this goddess, who could see through the essence of every person in the Lower World, startled and doubtful.

"It isn't dazzling radiance, nor is it an unusual color. Is it the difference in its 'shape'?"

What the Goddess of Beauty's Insight Eyes saw was something unprecedented.

In the past, when the souls of those in the Lower World appeared before Freya's eyes, they either differed in color or radiated varying degrees of brilliance.

Freya would decide whether to take them for herself based on the manifestation of those "colors" and "radiance," according to her own preferences.

Up until now, Freya had seen the colors and splendor displayed by the souls of all kinds of heroes.

Some possessed unique colors.

Some shone with magnificent, dazzling brilliance.

Those were all things Freya liked, things she loved.

But Riezel was different.

In Freya's Insight Eyes, Riezel's soul possessed neither extraordinary color nor dazzling radiance. It merely twisted like a vortex.

No, it was not a vortex.

It was a—"cave."

A "cave" with no color, no radiance, whose essence was impossible to see clearly. It twisted and revolved like a black hole, as though it could swallow everything within it, fermenting, blending, and fusing it all together.

That "cave" seemed to be telling Freya that she should forget about seeing what it nurtured inside, and forget about judging its value so casually. It blocked Freya's gaze entirely from the outside.

From that "cave," the only thing Freya could see—or rather, sense—was a single emotion.

An obsession with refusing to accept the interference of anything external.

A future unwilling to be examined or judged by others.

That was the true nature of Riezel's soul.

Was he rejecting every hand extended toward him, silently telling others that only he could decide and choose his own future?

It certainly was an obsession.

But that made sense.

If it could be casually observed and seen by others, then from that moment on, such a future would already be fixed, limited within the scope of what others could "see."

Riezel would never accept that kind of future.

"How interesting."

After her initial surprise and doubt, Freya became intrigued.

"Unwilling to be seen by me—a god—and unwilling to be judged by others—the world. You keep spinning, stubbornly and twistedly. What kind of being do you wish to become?"

A desire suddenly arose within Freya.

She wanted to see what was being nurtured inside that "cave."

"So that's it. This is the unknown that we gods have always sought."

Freya smiled.

A Beauty That Overwhelms Nations.

Beautiful beyond all mortal comparison.

"It looks like I really will have to make trouble with Loki this time." Freya murmured. "Even I find the thought of falling out with that Loki a little frightening."

After all, that goddess had once brought about the apocalypse in Heaven. She had deceived gods with her schemes several times, inciting them to slaughter one another and nearly causing a true Ragnarok of the gods. She was the god of mischief.

Even Freya had reservations when she thought of falling out with that Evil God.

"Still, that's part of the fun."

"Let's take it slowly."

"After all, I'm not in a hurry."

Freya smiled, then turned and left.

She still had to go check on the little cat who had been accidentally injured because of her own wicked amusement.

By then, night had fully fallen.

Covered in blood, Riezel entered Twilight Manor beneath the cover of darkness, under the uncertain and astonished gazes of the guards at the gate.

He had intended to avoid drawing anyone's attention and return directly to his room.

Unfortunately, he did not get his wish.

"Riezel?"

At the sound of a surprised voice, someone returned to the familia at nearly the same time as Riezel.

Riezel stopped, feeling somewhat helpless.

"What happened to you?"

The Female Swordsman with dazzling golden hair returned from outside in full gear. She happened to run into Riezel as he was about to enter the manor. At the sight of the blood covering him, her transparent golden eyes filled with surprise and gravity.

"Ais."

Though inwardly helpless, Riezel still turned to face Ais.

"You went to the Dungeon?"

Riezel looked Ais over in her full equipment and asked.

"Mm." Ais nodded. "After you left with the captain, I went to the Dungeon."

This girl was still as diligent and driven as ever. Clearly, Riezel had given her quite a stimulus.

"Then you'd better be careful." Riezel smiled faintly. "If Riveria finds out, you'll be in trouble."

At that, Ais instinctively shrank back a little.

What this girl feared most was Riveria, who had always been like a mother to her—always by her side, protecting her as she grew, and taking care of her.

Riveria had scolded her plenty of times, dissatisfied with how she refused to rest at home properly after expeditions and instead kept diving into the Dungeon every other day, staying there for an entire day at a time.

Being motivated was good, and working hard was good, but Ais's drive and effort had gone far beyond ordinary limits. It had reached the point where people could not help worrying that she would push herself recklessly until she collapsed.

In a sense, Ais and Riezel really were the same kind of person.

Both of them were willing to risk everything, even their lives, in order to grow stronger as quickly as possible, desperately fighting for every scrap of opportunity to improve.

That being the case, judging by how reckless Riezel usually was, Ais's recklessness definitely surpassed his rather than falling short of it.

That was why Ais had always been a troublesome problem child for the Loki Familia's leadership. Now that there was another Riezel, Riveria had probably worried enough in a single day to exhaust herself.

Of course, Ais and Riezel still differed in some ways.

Riezel knew his own limits, yet insisted on walking his own path. Ais, on the other hand, was somewhat timid and guilty about it, always afraid of being lectured by Riveria.

"Don't change the subject." Ais stared at Riezel. "You're injured?"

"...You could say that." Riezel pursed his lips. "It's just a minor injury. It's already been treated."

Well, an injury that could be healed with a panacea should count as a minor one.

"You're lying." Ais mercilessly exposed Riezel's lie. "You look terrible. You were clearly seriously injured."

That was the flaw.

A spirit medicine could stop bleeding and heal injuries, but the pallor caused by massive blood loss was not so easily concealed.

That was exactly what concerned Ais.

She simply could not imagine what kind of danger Riezel, with his current strength, could have encountered to suffer such serious injuries.

If he had merely entered the Dungeon as usual to hunt monsters, it was unlikely to have turned out like this.

Unless Riezel had ventured into the deep floors below the 37th Floor, or he had encountered an Abnormal Situation.

But it was impossible to make a round trip to the deep floors below the 37th Floor in one day. And if an Abnormal Situation had occurred, it would have been reported to the Guild immediately and then spread among the adventurers. Yet Ais had heard no such news.

All things considered—

"You fought someone?" Ais asked quietly. "A powerful enemy?"

Riezel fell silent.

This woman looked so cool and blank, yet she was actually this smart?

Riezel could only nod. "Don't tell anyone. I want to handle it myself."

"...Mm."

Ais was silent for a while before nodding in agreement.

But from her hesitant gaze, Riezel could tell that Ais was deeply conflicted.

This girl seemed cold on the surface, but she was actually somewhat inexperienced with the ways of the world. She clearly did not know how to deal with the situation before her.

Seeing that, Riezel unconsciously reached out and patted Ais on the head.

Ais froze, then unconsciously raised her head to look at Riezel.

Meeting Ais's eyes, Riezel smiled faintly.

"Don't worry. I'm not someone who likes taking losses."

Hearing that, Ais lowered her head in silence.

The girl's face, hidden behind her bangs, had turned slightly red.

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