Earlier today—before night fell—Astraea Familia had been doing what they always did: patrolling Orario.
Because they'd already guessed the Dark Faction might launch a purge, the group had been even more diligent than usual—more thorough, more frequent.
Just half an hour ago, Ryuu had crossed paths with Cid and Ahti, so she knew roughly where they were.
They were near the place where Ottar had just fought.
Ryuu had assumed that with Ottar on the way, that area wouldn't need to be worried about.
Now it looked like the exact opposite.
A place Ottar couldn't even win in—how could it be anything but the most dangerous location in the city?
Cid's helplessness, Ahti's smile—both flashed through Ryuu's mind.
She almost wanted to throw everything away and sprint to them immediately.
Losing two important friends in a single night—
She couldn't bear that.
Kaguya's slap really did snap her back to her senses.
"…Thank you, Kaguya."
Ryuu calmed down a little, then looked at Alise with worry.
To her, both Cid and Ahti were irreplaceable friends—people who could make her lose all rationality.
And to Alise…
Cid might be the most important family she had.
How could she not be panicking?
"Ryuu, our primary duty is to protect the civilians in this district," Alise said. "Do you know what my justice is? It's protecting everyone's smiles."
As she spoke, Alise smiled.
It wasn't the same smile as always.
But it was still a smile.
This district was Astraea Familia's assigned post.
And with Ottar defeated, it was hard to expect reinforcements.
If Astraea Familia left now, no one would be guarding this place anymore.
If they abandoned their duty—
What right would they have to call themselves justice?
At this very moment, adventurers from every Familia were fighting to protect Orario.
Even Familias not suited for combat—like Hephaestus Familia and Goibniu Familia—were working at full throttle, forging weapons without pause.
Amid, only twelve years old, had become a saint of a small battlefield, using her unique skill to heal every wounded fighter she could reach.
Even the gods had been dragged into the fight—especially the two goddesses of beauty who could charm mortals. The Dark Faction's suicide squads had locked onto them; the moment they appeared, the enemy would try to take them down in mutual destruction.
By Alise's understanding, their own goddess Astraea was probably already on the front line as well.
In Orario tonight, everyone had their role.
Everyone was carrying out their own justice.
So they couldn't leave.
It was a simple truth—one Ryuu had missed only because her emotions had surged out of control.
"…Alise."
There was a tight, unnameable ache in Ryuu's chest.
She used to believe that as long as Alise could still smile, the sky could never fall.
Tonight, she finally understood—
Even Alise could wear a smile that was forced.
"I'm telling you two idiots right now—Cid left Astraea Familia because he didn't want to keep living under our protection," Kaguya shouted, cutting down an enemy as she spoke. "He left with resolve. Don't you dare look down on him!"
As she fought, Kaguya kept glancing back at Alise.
Compared to the usually naïve Ryuu, she was more worried about Alise right now.
If their captain's spirit broke first, this district truly would be doomed.
Fortunately, under her gaze, Alise's expression remained steady.
At least… she was acting steady.
She simply cleared the enemies in front of her faster—nothing more.
Kaguya let out a quiet breath of relief.
But then Cid's face flickered across her mind.
She'd been the one teaching him close-quarters combat all this time.
That lazy little brat had better have remembered what she taught him.
Whether it was the lesson about fighting with courage—
Or the lesson about knowing when to retreat against an overwhelming enemy—
He'd better remember them both.
If that brat died easily—
Then even at his funeral afterward, Kaguya would still march up and slap him again.
......
A lot of boys have had fantasies like this.
Being transported to another world.
Or even having their whole class transported together—
So they could show off in front of everyone.
If you wrote a light novel around that premise, you could call it:
"Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest."
Cid had fantasized about it too—if anything, he'd imagined scenes like that countless times during sleepless nights.
What a shame.
Watching the flames of war spread everywhere, Cid sighed inwardly.
This wasn't a school.
These weren't classmates.
And the first "mob" to die wasn't him.
As a mob character, he really was doing a terrible job.
And with so many innocent people dying, he'd also failed in his role as the Eminence in Shadow.
Cid had to break out of his current predicament—immediately—and enter the battlefield as Shadow.
Luckily…
There was a perfect opportunity right in front of him.
After he and Ahti quickly finished off a Level 2 enemy together, a black figure strode up to them.
Just looking at the build, it was obvious—
This was someone they couldn't possibly defeat.
"…Cid. Run," Ahti said. "I'll hold him back."
She realized her sword hand was trembling.
She knew it.
This enemy wasn't someone she could fight.
They were close enough that they'd been among the first to hear the news of Ottar's defeat.
If nothing unexpected had happened…
Then the one who beat Ottar was standing right here.
Normally, against an enemy you absolutely couldn't beat, Ahti would choose the sensible option: escape.
Maintaining order might be Ganesha Familia's duty—
But throwing your life away never was.
Unfortunately, the enemy had already locked onto them. At best, only one of them would get away.
As the stronger adventurer, Ahti naturally wouldn't let Cid take the lead.
And her justice wouldn't allow her to back down now, either.
"No," Cid said, grabbing her. "Ahti—you should be the one who leaves."
What kind of joke was that?
Ahti had real justice—she deserved to be a named character in the story, not an expendable extra.
Dying pointlessly right now?
That was mob character work.
And Cid was the mob character here.
Don't steal his role.
"Leave? But I'm at least Level 3," Ahti said, completely thrown off by the fact he was arguing with her.
At a time like this, shouldn't the stronger one stay?
"Ahti… I'm a man too," Cid said, deliberately making his voice shake. "Let me look cool for once."
As a mob, he trusted his acting skills were more than good enough.
Ahti looked as if she'd been persuaded.
Her face crumpled like she was about to cry, but she still turned and ran.
If they both stayed, they'd only die together.
Orario's casualties were already high enough—Ahti understood she had to preserve her strength.
"Cid…"
As she sprinted away, memories of the past surged up.
And she suddenly felt like she understood something.
Cid had always avoided her in daily life, and she'd never understood why.
From the few times they'd interacted, she could tell he didn't dislike her.
Ahti had assumed he simply hadn't gotten used to her presence yet—so every time they met, she treated him the way she would treat a close friend.
If he wasn't used to it, she'd just keep doing it until he was.
But in those moments, Cid always looked awkward—like he was forcing himself to keep a stern face.
"So that's what it was…? Cid… so toward me, you…"
Even though it hurt, she couldn't stop herself from looking back—wanting to see that boy one last time.
And she saw it.
In front of Cid—
That black greatsword had been raised high.
....
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