Chapter 87: Ryuu Has Fallen
The War Game was scheduled to open on the afternoon of two days later.
And that night, after returning to the Hostess of Fertility, for the first time, there was no knock on Shun's door, and someone directly pushed the entrance open.
Shun, who had just changed into his pajamas, looked confused, while Ryuu Lion, who had heard the news about the War Game, was very restless.
She leaned against the door, unable to contain the worry in her eyes.
"Are you really agreeing to this War Game?"
"Yeah, the other party is going to use me, so of course, I have to give them a profound lesson."
Shun tried to comfort the girl who was worried about him. He stepped forward, held her shoulder, and asked Ryuu to sit next to his bed.
"Don't worry, you also know my strength. When I defeated Vanargand… I could do it easily. I could even defeat a Level 5 adventurer, not to mention the losers from the Apollo Familia."
His words slightly calmed Ryuu, who was initially worried, and her mood, which was initially worried and confused, also became very calm.
But she felt very uncomfortable in her heart.
Shun's bet was too high.
From life to soul, and even life for life, if he really lost, it wasn't a matter of being entangled by Apollo for decades. Such a future was a nightmare.
"But that Level 5 didn't use magic."
Ryuu nervously grabbed the corner of her clothes and said:
"Magic is a power that allows someone to defeat an enemy who is several times stronger than themselves. Even adventurers with strong martial arts would be defeated miserably if they were hit by magic."
"There are two Mage teams in the Apollo Familia. Although Hyakinthos is the strongest, it doesn't mean there aren't other Level 3 adventurers and mages."
"It's too dangerous to fight alone against a Familia."
The more she spoke, the more insecure Ryuu felt.
She was truly worried and confused now, like a wife sending her husband to join the army. Although she knew that this was a smooth battle and a high chance of winning, she was still very worried.
In this case, Shun was also a little helpless.
"Then, Ryuu will come and help me tomorrow."
He could only say: "I can see that Ryuu is a very strong adventurer. How about joining the Hestia Familia temporarily? How about helping me when the time comes? No need to fight. For example, Give me cheers and celebrate my victory or something."
This was the most reasonable method that Shun could think of.
Not only would it make Ryuu feel comfortable, but it would also bring this beautiful elf into the Hestia Familia (harem).
"I, I…"
Shun's suggestion made her unconsciously want to agree, but then Ryuu thought of something and became very hesitant.
Shun knew that Ryuu was hesitant because of the past, so he reached out and held her ear.
"Whether it's the War Game or other crises, it doesn't mean anything to me, the main reason why I invited Ryuu is: I want Ryuu to be my family."
Sure enough, when she heard the words "family", Ryuu suddenly fell silent.
This word had not appeared in her ears for a long time, but when the word 'family' was uttered by the man in front of her, it truly touched a soft spot in her heart.
She felt the warmth from Shun's palm, felt his emotions and body temperature, after struggling for a while, Ryuu gritted her teeth and made a decision.
"Takema-san, even though it's very late, I want you to go somewhere with me. I want to tell you about my past."
"Good!"
The two of them walked along the streets and headed towards the Dungeon.
This time, Ryuu moved very fast, almost crushing the monsters on the Upper Floor. About half a day, the two of them arrived at the forest in the safe area of the Dungeon.
Ryuu seemed quite familiar with this forest terrain. She walked steadily among the forest and crystals without encountering any monsters. She arrived at her destination in about twenty minutes.
"This is it…"
Pass through a narrow tunnel formed by trees and arrive at a graveyard.
There was a small open field here, surrounded by slender trees and crystals.
A beam of light shone from above, and several cross-shaped tombstones made of wood tied with ropes were arranged here.
"When I miss them, sometimes I ask Mama Mia for permission and come here."
Ryuu reached into her bag and took out a small bottle. As the stopper was removed, the aroma of wine was revealed, sprinkled on a certain grave in order.
"Ryuu, this-"
"Those are the graves of the Familia friends I used to follow."
Ryuu raised her head, looking at Shun with sky-blue eyes.
"Since you invited me, you'll know it someday… I don't want to regret not telling you directly later. Even though it's just my selfishness, are you willing to listen?"
Ryuu asked this question, and Shun realized something and nodded.
"My name is on the Guild's list of dangerous people."
"My status as an adventurer has been revoked for a long time… and I've been a criminal fugitive for a while."
"The faction I used to follow was called the Asteria Familia… Under the command of Astraea, the goddess in charge of justice and order, I was quite famous at that time."
"Ryuu Lion is my real name. My alias is Gale."
"The Astraea Familia didn't just explore the Dungeon, but was also responsible for suppressing immoral people who disturbed the peace of the city. Therefore, there were many people who opposed us. Everything is different now. Five years ago, Orario at that time had Evilus, power and rampant. At that time, I swore by the emblem engraved with the sword and wings of justice and the name of Goddess Astraea, to work hard with my friends to maintain the peace of Orario."
"One day, the Familia that was hostile to us set a trap in the Dungeon to trap us, and all the members except me were killed… I couldn't even retrieve their bodies. At that time, I had to bury the remains of my friends on Floor 18. They used to love this floor. Our friends always joked that if we died, we would be buried here."
Perhaps remembering what happened back then, the corner of Ryuu's mouth curled downwards, and her eyes seemed gloomy.
"...After surviving, I told everything to Goddess Astraea, then bowed my head and asked her to leave the city alone. Seeing my repeated pleas, she accepted."
"Did you want the gods to flee the city?"
"No."
Ryuu stubbornly denied it, saying that it was only because of selfish and shallow motives.
"I just didn't want Goddess Astraea to see my ugly appearance controlled by hateful lust."
Then, she revealed some of her feelings at that time, clearly saying:
"With personal revenge for losing my friends, I launched a revenge attack on the hostile Familia alone."
Silent attacks, surprise attacks, traps, attacks in any way – the enemy Familia was destroyed.
With just one elf, the hostile faction, which was originally a large organization, was driven out and wiped out.
"That can't even be called justice. I was driven by hatred. As long as I conspired with that organization or someone related to it… I wouldn't let go of anyone suspicious."
This was the reason why her name was on the Guild's list of dangerous people.
Excessive revenge actions caused resentment among adventurers, organizations, businessmen, and other figures. They even offered rewards for Ryuu's capture.
The price of reckless and blatant actions… Even considering past achievements, the Guild had to punish Ryuu. Besides, some employees who were suspected of colluding with that Familia were also harmed, making it even harder to ignore.
Because Astraea fled outside the city, still alive and maintaining her advantages and abilities, "explosions" occurred on every corner of the city, causing chaos driven by anger.
"Until the end, I ran out of energy. After taking revenge on everyone, I fainted in a dark back alley with no one around."
Perhaps she had already realized that she had wasted her life.
After completing her revenge and losing her main god and friends, there was nothing else she could miss.
"I was covered in blood and mud… The person who did such a stupid thing truly deserved that outcome."
"..."
"However…"
--How are you?
A warm hand grabbed her dirty hand.
It was Syr who saved Ryuu, who was falling alone in the back alley.
"Syr, who saved me, asked Mama Mia to make me a member of the Hostess of Fertility… and forced me to dye my hair."
Because Ryuu had always been masked while being an adventurer, she only needed to hide the name Gale and dye her hair so that others wouldn't recognize her.
Ryuu ended her story of her life so far in a soft tone.
"...I'm sorry for making you listen to words that will pollute your ears."
"In short, I'm a shameless and rude elf… who has betrayed your trust. Someone like me… might not be qualified to be a member of your Familia, Takema-san."
Ryuu said something that was almost self-deprecating with a still calm expression, but her body trembled slightly, and her hands were clenched tightly and turned white.
Shun clearly knew that the girl in front of him was scared.
She was afraid. After telling her true identity and her dark past, she was rejected and left alone.
Shun's expression became very gentle, and he asked with pity:
"Ryuu… don't you regret telling me these things? If I leak your information, you'll be in danger, right?"
"I-I trust Takema-san."
Then Ryuu gathered her courage, stretched out her hand and held Shun's finger, then showed a "Of course," expression.
Shun was a little confused.
Ryuu showed a slightly teasing look in her eyes. This was the first time he had seen her like this.
"Takema-san, you are the third person to hold my hand, but I didn't let go."
Ryuu held his hand and said seriously.
——What, your name is Ryuu? It's so hard to read. From today, I'll call you Ryuu-chan!
The first was a cheerful girl adventurer who invited herself to join the Familia.
--How are you?
The second was the kind pub girl who gradually brought warmth and home to his cold self.
And the third was…
"It's you-"
Ryuu looked at him with determination.
"Takema-san always says that you're from the countryside, but in reality, you're a very cunning villain."
"Takema-san likes to laze around, but you'll do a lot of work for me."
"Takema-san always likes to tease Chloe and the others, but never goes too far."
"I can see that Takema-san really likes everyone."
"So, even though I revealed my whole self to you, I will never regret it."
"Ryuu…?"
"Takema-san, you're so gentle."
The aura emanating from her made Shun only able to call her name, nothing else.
At this time, the sky-blue eyes closed first, then slowly opened again soon after.
"I'm very happy today with Takema-san."
Ryuu smiled.
Her calm and serene face seemed to melt, revealing a faint smile.
The thin brow line became softer, and her lips opened slightly.
Her smile was like a charming white flower, making the entire misty branch among the bamboo move.
Only then did Shun realize for himself that the elf's smile was very dangerous.
Especially an elf who usually looked fierce and didn't smile, but had a more threatening smile. Shun couldn't help but be captivated, such a smile could make him fascinated.
Ryuu wasn't just beautiful.
And the sweet smile that she only showed to the people she trusted.
In front of him was a bright white sunlight, flowers and plants swayed in the graveyard, and her head was tilted.
A surge of impulse arose in Shun's heart, and he pulled Ryuu into his arms.
"Take it, Takema-san…"
Ryyu didn't dare to move.
"Ryuu, it seems you still haven't faced your heart."
Shun held her face and looked at her sincerely.
"You already consider me family… right?"
"But, someone like me…"
"To me, Ryuu is also the gentlest person."
Shun directly used the final kill.
"I like Ryuu, and I also find the time I've spent with Ryuu very happy, and I also want Ryuu to be happy in the future."
Those firm words made Ryuu freeze in place.
"With the testimony of the Astraea Familia seniors, I promise to let Ryuu start a new life and… a family."
Shun said this, lifted Ryuu, bowed his head, and kissed her.
The Hestia Familia welcomed its second member!