“...What?”
He muttered to himself, then suddenly departed.
It was a relief that he seemed to have come to some kind of understanding, but a lingering sense of unease wouldn't fade.
At least we didn’t end up fighting...
Hearing his words brought to mind the woman from the Set Familia who had once rowed the boat with Haruhime.
Long after that, when she joined the Set Familia, she had tried to support her Familia—which had been ruined by the Zeus and Hera Familias—by taking on small side jobs on the days she didn’t venture into the Dungeon.
All because of a conflict that had occurred over a decade ago.
Of course, I knew it was wrong to sympathize with her when the other side had been the catalyst for the fighting.
But still. Even so, could you really call it right to trample someone so thoroughly that people decades later would still suffer for it?
It was too cruel to simply brush off as "inevitable." Even if her predecessors had been in the wrong, her suffering was a separate matter entirely.
I had spoken up to prevent that kind of cycle, but regardless of the reason, avoiding a fight was always the best outcome.
Win or lose, it didn't matter.
“Well, I guess that makes sense. It’s Grandpa’s Familia, after all...”
It was easy to forget, but my grandfather had been their god, Zeus. Perhaps my words resonated with them so easily because they echoed my grandfather's own influence...
At any rate, now that the other gaze I had felt nearby had also completely vanished, I could safely judge the matter settled.
“I’m exhausted...”
Even if it had been a light exchange, it had been a long time since I’d faced someone so strong, and I was drained. Right now, I just wanted to rest.
But if I went back to the church, there would still be people lingering nearby... and staying at an inn didn't feel quite right either.
“In times like this, I should go there.”
The place I always headed to whenever I had something on my mind.
Since my thoughts were so tangled, I might as well go there and get some fresh air.
“But before that...”
Grrr—
My stomach growled.
“...Maybe I should buy something to eat.”
It was already lunchtime. It felt like I’d only eaten breakfast a moment ago; where had the time gone?
“Let’s see... something decent...”
I was thinking I’d just grab a few street foods and head out when—
“—Come on, cheap and easy! Two Potato Balls for six valis!”
“...”
Potato Balls again?
“No, no, that’s not it.”
No matter how delicious they were, that was still too much.
It would be my second meal in a row, after all.
I’d gotten by on Potato Balls from last night’s dinner through this morning’s breakfast.
And now I was supposed to eat Potato Balls for lunch too?
...Actually, maybe that’s not so bad?
Come to think of it, yesterday’s Potato Balls hadn’t been the real deal.
They were the leftovers after the rush—clearance stock.
Those were tasty too, but Potato Balls are best when they're fresh off the grill.
Before I knew it, my arms were full of Potato Balls.
The warm sensation traveling up my arms and the fragrant aroma tickling my nose stirred my appetite.
I considered eating one right away, but since I only had one free hand, I gave up. I’d just find a place to sit and eat.
“Hm?”
As I headed toward my destination, a familiar golden hue caught my eye. That was...
“Ais?”
“Eek...?!”
The girl sprang up in alarm like a startled cat.
Even I was a little surprised by the younger version of Ais.
No, why was she so startled?
“N-no...!”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Th-that... Riveria... no?”
Why was Riveria suddenly...
Ah, wait, could it be?
Come to think of it, I had heard that Ais had been a bit unruly when she was younger. Was she perhaps sneaking away because she’d done something wrong?
“Did Riveria scold you?”
“...”
At that, she glared at me with resentful eyes.
Of course, combined with those blank eyes and her childlike appearance, she just looked adorable.
“Y...”
“Yes?”
“B-because of you...”
?
“Because of you... I got scolded...”
That made me realize my mistake.
Come to think of it, that’s right...
I was the one who had tattled to Riveria about Ais’s behavior. From her perspective, my question must have felt like rubbing salt into the wound.
Tsk, I hadn’t meant to do that, but so much had happened in one day that I’d completely forgotten. What should I do now...
“Uu...”
Ais had her own problems too. She had been reprimanded for her reckless behavior and given a week-long ban from entering the Dungeon.
What made it especially frustrating was that she’d only been told today, despite the incident happening yesterday.
Naturally, that resentment turned toward the man in front of her. She was too scared to resent Riveria; she didn't want to end up tied to a rock and thrown into the sea again.
When she directed her glare at him, the man looked a little flustered.
Seeing that only made her more stubborn. As she pouted openly, the man thought for a moment before speaking.
“I’m sorry. I think I made a mistake.”
At those words, Ais’s conscience pricked her. She knew the fault was hers.
Despite her strong desire for revenge, she understood that they were only trying to stop her for her own sake.
As the two of them stood there in awkward silence, the man spoke again.
“As an apology, would you like me to show you something nice?”
“...”
“Waaah...”
The view from atop the city wall left Ais forgetting even to keep up her angry act, and she let out an awed breath.
And though I didn’t say it out loud, I was just as moved.
So this place is still the same...
So many things had changed since I came to the past, but thankfully this place hadn’t.
This place, and the scenery visible from it.
Of course, if you looked closely, there might be differences, but for me, this was enough.
Just seeing a familiar sight made my heart loosen a little.
“This is my secret spot. I’m showing it to you because you're special, so don’t tell anyone else.”
“Mm...”
No matter what I said, Ais answered without much spirit, completely absorbed in the view.
Well, I supposed that was only natural. This was Ais’s favorite place, after all.
“Pretty view, isn’t it?”
“Mm.”
“It’s a place you can’t see if you’re always inside the Dungeon.”
Flinch.
At the word "Dungeon," Ais shuddered.
She looked at the man with a slightly awkward expression, and he was looking back at her with his one remaining eye.
The emotion in that eye was overwhelming, and before she knew it, she looked away.
“I...”
“Don’t worry, I’m not scolding you. I just want you to find some peace of mind.”
The man’s tone, as if he understood everything, annoyed her.
And the fact that she couldn’t say a single word back annoyed her even more.
It felt like he had seen right through her.
Maybe that was why she started feeling stubborn for no reason—the kind of childish pride that wanted to get one over on him.
“...It’s not like that.”
“Is that so?”
But even her desperate denial was taken in stride by the man.
That attitude, as though he understood everything, only made her more irritated.
So she followed that feeling. She puffed out her cheeks and looked away.
Honestly...
The Ais I knew had always been a bit childlike, but the real child Ais was even more so.
...I could almost see why Riveria had such a hard time.
“What’s wrong? Is there some kind of problem?”
“...No.”
She was really angry.
I didn’t know exactly what had set her off, but I could tell she was thoroughly upset.
...Maybe this was something I couldn’t understand because I was an adult now, or maybe I was still too young and lacked the patience to understand.
Since I didn’t know what else to do, I gently placed a hand on her head and patted it.
Ais looked startled, then after a moment, accepted the touch in silence with a complicated expression.
Since she didn’t reject it, I kept patting her head for a little while longer.
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