Four people had died.
Of the dozen or so adventurers who had fallen into the pit, the group led by Tiona had been found by Ryoji and rescued.
The other group hadn't been so fortunate.
Riveria, Lefiya, and Filvis had, by sheer luck, discovered an exit through the underground waterways.
The remaining four had no executive-class adventurer with them.
By the time Riveria returned with reinforcements, their bodies had long since gone cold.
"They were killed by Cursed Weapons."
Sadness filled Ais's face as she bit her lip.
"...What were their names?"
After a long silence, Ryoji finally asked.
"Lloyd... Anzu... Remilia... and Line."
Tiona spoke each name one by one, her voice thick with grief and anger.
Perhaps it was the lingering aftereffects of mental exhaustion, but Ryoji didn't react at first.
Then it hit him.
He recognized one of the names.
Line.
The girl with the braided hair.
The Level 2 healer.
The kind-hearted girl who had once explored the Dungeon with him.
She...
Was dead?
---
In Orario's southeastern district stood a vast cemetery, filled with countless gravestones.
Adventurers who had accomplished legendary deeds, especially the heroes of ancient times, were honored with monuments in front of the Guild Headquarters, some even receiving statues so future generations could pay their respects.
But ordinary adventurers, or those whose bodies could never be recovered, had their belongings gathered by their families or Familia and were laid to rest here, in the First Cemetery, better known as the Adventurers' Cemetery.
The weather was gloomy.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky as a fine drizzle quietly fell.
In one corner of the cemetery, the Loki Familia had purchased a plot of land and erected four graves.
Those buried there were the four adventurers who had lost their lives during the expedition.
"'Cough...'"
The sound of violent coughing came from behind him.
"According to Loki, when people die, their souls return to Heaven, where the gods arrange for them to be reincarnated. So... it isn't truly a final farewell."
Finn covered his mouth as another fit of coughing shook his body.
His face was pale, his breathing weak, and he looked utterly drained.
The curse carried by Revis's sword had been terrifying. It had inflicted severe damage on his body, and even Airmid's personal treatment hadn't been enough to restore him completely.
"But after they're reincarnated..."
Ryoji stared at the gravestones before quietly asking,
"Are they still the same people?"
"...Who knows."
Finn thought for a long moment.
He wanted to nod.
But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to give a confident answer.
"Is this the first time you've lost someone close to you?"
"...Yeah."
"You're stronger than I expected."
Finn let out a quiet sigh.
"Quite a few people in the Familia cried for half the day."
The Loki Familia hadn't lost a member in a very long time.
To be precise, not since Evilus had been destroyed five years ago.
There had been injuries over the years, but thanks to everyone's efforts, not a single member had died.
Yet this single expedition into the artificial labyrinth had claimed four lives at once.
For many of them, it was the first time they had experienced the death of a comrade.
The entire Familia was shrouded in grief.
People broke down in tears one after another, and a heavy gloom hung over everyone.
"This is my responsibility."
Finn admitted it without trying to make excuses.
"If Revis hadn't defeated me, things never would have turned out like this. In the end... I should have listened to you from the beginning."
Ryoji had tried more than once to stop him, insisting that the artificial labyrinth was still too dangerous and that it was too soon to mount an expedition.
But fearing for Orario's safety, Finn had chosen to lead the assault anyway.
"So..."
Finn paused before continuing.
"Don't blame yourself."
"You've done more than enough."
"You did far better than I did."
According to Ais, Ryoji had been standing before these graves for half a day already.
Ryoji had come here despite Riveria's attempts to stop him as soon as he heard the news.
Finn felt he bore a great deal of responsibility. After all, he had been the one who entrusted Ryoji with command at the critical moment. If Ryoji blamed himself for what had happened, then it was Finn's responsibility to help him through it.
Without Ryoji, the Loki Familia would have lost far more people.
They might even have been wiped out in that labyrinth.
The fact that he had saved so many lives was already extraordinary. Finn wasn't even sure he could have done as well.
"Finn."
Ryoji suddenly let out a quiet laugh.
"If I told you not to blame yourself... could you do it?"
Finn fell silent.
When he asked himself honestly...
The answer was no.
"I see."
He nodded in understanding.
"So I was asking the impossible."
Without another word, he gave up trying to persuade him.
Ryoji stood quietly before the gravestones.
Unlike the other members of the Familia, who had wept openly, his expression remained calm.
Of course he blamed himself.
He believed it had been his responsibility to bring everyone back alive.
No...
Even without that responsibility, even if Finn had never entrusted him with command, that was still what he wanted to do.
What he believed he should have done.
But he hadn't.
'If only I'd been a little faster.'
'If only I hadn't passed out.'
Those thoughts wouldn't leave him.
"Don't worry, Finn. I won't let my anger cloud my judgment."
From his expression, his eyes, even the smallest movements...
Finn saw no sign that Ryoji had been consumed by rage.
But that was exactly what worried him.
Although they hadn't known each other for very long, Finn understood one thing.
Ryoji cared deeply about the people around him.
Anyone within his circle was untouchable.
Not everyone coped with loss by breaking down.
Some people...
The angrier they became, the calmer they looked.
And those people were often the most frightening.
"Loki said it herself."
Though his face was still pale, Finn managed a determined smile.
"This is the beginning of a war."
"The Loki Familia has never been the type to swallow its losses and pretend nothing happened. Then again, that's the kind of chief god we have."
"So..."
"It's time to start planning our revenge."
The Loki Familia was like a pack of wolves.
Even when wounded, they never shrank back.
They licked their wounds, gathered their pack, and returned to tear their enemies apart.
"You should head back."
Finn gestured behind him.
"You're not in great shape yourself... and there are people waiting for you."
Ryoji turned around.
In the distance stood the golden-haired girl.
Ais remained quietly in the rain, her slender figure soaked as she glanced toward him again and again.
'We'll meet again someday.'
Ryoji offered the silent promise to the four who now rested beneath the earth.
This was the first time he had lost comrades.
He swore...
It would also be the last.
The drizzle gradually faded away.
Sunlight finally broke through the clouds.
Ryoji turned and followed the other two, leaving behind the quiet resting place of the dead.
(End of Chapter)
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