Snap—
At Hermes' words, Akumo felt as if all sound in the world had suddenly ceased.
Grip—!
"..."
Stare—!
"""...."""
He could feel the strength increasing in the hand Loki held him with, and the weight of the silent gazes fixed upon him was palpable.
"Indeed! This is truly a case of Ganesha being Ganesha!"
Even in such a suffocating atmosphere, Ganesha maintained his boisterous energy, but his words failed to break the heavy silence.
"....I think there's been a misunderstanding...."
Akumo opened his mouth, attempting to diffuse the tension.
"....."
'Dammit, I can't find the words...!'
Since he didn't understand the cause himself, a logical explanation was beyond his reach.
"Is that so? Now that I think about it, it really is true, isn't it?"
"H-Hephaestus-sama...?"
"I wonder if there's something more to these connections?"
Smile—!
"E-Even Artemis-sama...!!"
Whether they realized Akumo's predicament or not, Hephaestus and Artemis threw in their own playful barbs with smiles on their faces.
Sshhh—!
Of course, the sincerity hidden within those jokes only served to make the aura radiating from Freya and Loki grow even colder.
Whish—!
"Wait a minute...!! Please, just listen to me first...!!!"
Breaking into a cold sweat, Akumo rushed toward them at full tilt, desperately beginning his defense.
**
Launching into a frantic explanation, Akumo pleaded his case, swearing he didn't know the reason himself, and added:
"In the first place, I can't even use those powers at will anymore..."
The feats Akumo had displayed recently were undoubtedly worthy of being called legendary.
However, those were merely manifestations of power that surpassed his limits, triggered by extremely specific circumstances.
Rustle—!
"Hephaestus-sama and Artemis-sama already know this, but the Divine Artifacts are not my own power."
Lifting the ear of rice in his hand, Akumo began to explain the principles of the Divine Artifacts in detail.
—'I will hunt you.'
The principle of the Divine Artifact was something he had instinctively grasped from the day he surpassed his limits to save Artemis.
To wield a Divine Artifact, one must seize the power of that God for themselves.
Whether it was received as a gift or seized by force, it felt like a qualification that had to be recognized by the Divine Will.
"The previous battle was even more of a result of coincidences stacking upon each other."
The irrational situation of a single soul being split into two, each seeking the other's life.
Furthermore, since each of the separated souls possessed the qualifications of a Pioneer, they were both able to summon the worlds recorded within their respective souls.
'Was it possible because they both awakened each other's potential to the absolute limit...?'
Hearing Akumo's words, Hermes became curious about the true extent of his Skill, [Pioneer].
'Surely, the secrets hidden within Akumo-kun's soul are countless.'
Grin—!
"Well, for now, I'll just sit back and watch~"
His nature as a trickster began to stir toward Akumo, but Hermes quickly suppressed the glint in his eyes, saving his schemes for another day.
Grip—!
"Uwaah!!!? Lokiii....!!!"
Whether this was Hermes' way of showing consideration for Akumo or if he simply found the scene before him amusing was anyone's guess.
"I'm askin' ye, why're ye always playin' house with all these runts?!!!"
Crack—!
"No, no, no!!!! It's not like that at all...!!"
"Shut yer trap, ye damn Casanova!!!"
After enduring the interrogation for a while, Akumo was finally able to break free from Loki's grasp.
Huff, puff—!
"Hmph! I should've snapped somethin' off while I had the chance!"
Even so, Loki glared at Akumo, her anger still simmering beneath the surface.
"Ugh..."
Rub, rub—
'It's not like I react to all of them...'
Akumo rubbed his head where Loki had been gripping it, swallowing his sense of injustice while thinking that he didn't react to every single Olympian deity.
'At least it's a relief there was no reaction with Hestia-sama...?'
He considered it a stroke of luck that he hadn't resonated with Hestia, who was essentially Loki's rival and bad influence.
Smile—
"Ahaha...."
'Freya-sama's smile is truly terrifying....'
Perhaps thanks to Loki's "punishment," the atmosphere had thawed slightly, allowing them to finally bring up another pressing issue.
"Phew... So, what're ye gonna do about that one?"
Everyone knew exactly who Loki was referring to.
"That one might've had their reasons, but that don't mean they're excused, aye?"
"....Indeed. Looking at it objectively, she has done much by her own hand."
Akumo also thought of the person Loki mentioned and began to seriously consider her disposition.
"Given her connection to the corrupted spirits, her utility is high."
"It's not a simple matter of whether she lives or dies."
She was Dionysus's closest confidante and an existence used as a messenger for the spirits, much like Revis.
"Filvis...."
The Pioneer, the redeemed Elf, the monster who accepted herself.
It was time to discuss her fate.
**
"Are you finished with your talk?"
Somewhere deep within Orario, in Ouranos's chamber.
"Thanks to you, I've finished explaining that person to them."
"....I trust you didn't say anything foolish."
Two robed women stood there, a faint light of wariness flickering between them.
"Should I call you Ein?"
"Filvis is enough, Fels."
Smile—!
"Because I have always been one person."
Filvis smiled at Fels, her eyes clearer and brighter than they had ever been before.
"Hah.... That child would be surprised to hear those words."
"Well, it can't be helped."
Sensing that the hostility had vanished from her, Fels asked if she was okay with not saying goodbye to Lefiya.
"I have already shared my piece with her."
Having shared a final smile of farewell, Filvis simply wished for Lefiya's continued good fortune.
'....In a way, they are alike.'
Captured by a corrupted spirit and molded into a monster; seized by a god of madness and used as a tool.
The great power known as a miracle never functions normally.
Filvis's tragedy, which seemed to symbolize the dark side of the Lower World's mysteries, felt even more profound to Fels, who had lived for ages.
"Of course, the choice ultimately lies with him."
"If it is his choice, I will gladly accept it."
As Fels and Filvis noted, the right to decide her fate had been granted to one man from the very beginning.
"....."
'Whether I think rationally or emotionally....'
"It's right to let her live."
Akumo, who had been lost in thought amidst the silence, finally spoke, and the decision regarding Filvis was made.
"If that's yer choice, then so be it."
"I won't object. There were valid arguments for both life and death."
Loki immediately conceded to Akumo's words, and Hermes, who had intended to respect Akumo's opinion regardless of the choice, offered no opposition.
"I won't object either, but may I ask the reason?"
At that moment, Freya spoke, inquiring about the direct motivation behind his decision.
"Looking at it coldly, she is currently the only existence close to the mysteries within the Dungeon."
'I cannot easily discard the only link to the corrupted spirits.'
"Furthermore, she is currently showing no hostility whatsoever."
Slide—!
"In fact, she has already provided us with information."
Just as Akumo said, Filvis had unreservedly shared all the information she possessed since the battle ended.
"Everything about how Evilus has moved until now, their methods and means."
"Even information on Dionysus."
He believed that keeping her alive would be beneficial for Orario in the long run.
"A reasonable thought."
"We'll keep her existence top secret. Using her as Ouranos's dependent is the best course~"
The blood and tears she had caused to be shed were by no means few.
It was an undeniable fact, and neither Filvis herself nor Akumo—who had become one with Akuo—could, or rather, wanted to deny it.
"....."
Because he understood this better than anyone, Akumo recalled the conversation he had shared with her.
—'Ein.'
—'....As I thought, I cannot stay by your side, can I?'
Swallowing her bitterness, Ein had eventually accepted that reality.
—'....I can't guarantee anything. Not even whether you'll ever be able to step out into the world again.'
That was why Akumo had to tell her the harsh truth.
—"..."
However, even those words felt incredibly warm to her.
Smile—!
—'That is enough, Akuo.'
She had already received unconditional trust and a smile from the man named Akuo.
The fact that the man who had shone a light back onto her shattered, haphazardly stitched-together world was standing before her was enough.
—'I can smile again.'
—'Ein.....!'
Akumo had tried to say more to her, but—
Peck—!
—'!?'
Filvis's lips had suddenly brushed against Akumo's hand.
—'Instead, someday.... though I don't know when that will be....'
Squeeze—!
—'Please, look at me.'
With those words, Akumo's meeting with Filvis had come to an end.
"....Yes, even this contradiction...."
Is all part of the world. At that thought, Akumo smiled faintly.
Stare—
".....?"
'Why is everyone suddenly looking at me like that...'
The affection contained within that smile.
Precisely because it was a smile he only reserved for specific individuals.
"Ye, we're havin' a talk when we get home."
—'Let's have a chat later.'
With an aura identical to Fels's earlier, Loki sent a gaze filled with intense wariness toward Akumo.
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