"What a bargain he got!"
Tione spat out as she watched the pillar of light shooting into the sky.
"For the sins that bastard committed, dying a thousand times wouldn't be enough!"
Tens of thousands of lives had been destroyed by his hands, including those close to them, like Line and Filvis.
Yet in the end, all he got was a single public execution before returning to Heaven.
"Well, he is a god."
Riveria sighed noncommittally.
Gods were beings of supreme dignity.
The prosperity of the mortal world was fundamentally brought about by the gods. Thus, even an evil god was inherently superior.
Moreover, while the Guild acted as the administrator of Familias, it was ultimately an institution serving the gods. There was no way they would actually procure a god-slaying weapon. And even if they did, killing a god would only result in their reincarnation and eventual return, making it rather pointless.
In the end, for beings who had lived for hundreds of millions of years, nothing truly counted as punishment. Banishing them from the mortal world was the most fitting resolution.
Besides, pushing things too far might wound the pride of certain gods. If another Enyo were to emerge, the losses would outweigh the gains.
By the afternoon, after the public execution concluded, Orario returned to its usual bustle.
The city was in the midst of reconstruction, with workers and Guild staff busily rushing about everywhere.
"Speaking of which, the Guild did ask for our help in rebuilding the city," Finn remarked as they walked down the main street, basking in the admiring gazes of the crowd.
"But isn't there a victory banquet tonight?" Tiona said regretfully.
"It doesn't have to be today. We can handle the reconstruction after the banquet."
Considering the exhaustion from consecutive battles, Finn decided to let the Familia rest properly first.
"Hooray! Long live Finn!"
Cheers erupted from the strongest adventurers of the city behind him.
Night fell.
Leaving behind the envious stay-at-home group, the entire expedition team of Loki Familia gathered at the "Hostess of Fertility" tavern. To relieve the accumulated stress, everyone drank to their hearts' content.
By the end of the banquet, bodies lay strewn across the floor. Those who abstained from alcohol—Eiji, Ais, and others—had no choice but to carry everyone back to Twilight Manor one by one.
Located near the northern wall, Twilight Manor had remained unscathed—a small mercy amidst the misfortune. Otherwise, the city's strongest Familia would have been left sleeping on the streets.
After settling everyone in, Eiji took a refreshing bath and returned to his room in high spirits.
Knock knock!
Soon after, a brief knock sounded at the door.
"Ais? What brings you here so late?"
Eiji opened the door to find the freshly bathed girl, pure as a lotus emerging from clear water. Droplets trickled from her golden hair, dripping onto her delicate collarbone.
She looked as though she had been wrestling with heavy thoughts, her expression solemn as she spoke.
"I want to have sex with you."
"I'd be delighted."
Eiji answered instantly.
"Ahem... Do you even know what 'having sex' means?"
After regaining his composure, Eiji cleared his throat and looked at Ais with a serious expression.
"I don't know."
Ais shook her head, her face blank with innocence.
"I just heard that this kind of act binds a man and woman together—it's like stamping a seal on each other."
"Who told you that?"
"Tiona."
In simple terms, this was essentially Ais confessing her feelings.
But using that as the opening move for a confession?
Absolutely brilliant!
Tiona, you've done well!
"Come in."
Eiji glanced behind Ais.
"Where are the others? Where's Riveria?"
Most of the group had passed out from drinking tonight, leaving only them and a few elves like Riveria who hadn't touched alcohol.
"Riveria is taking care of everyone."
Ais stepped into the room.
Even though she had steeled herself earlier, the moment Eiji closed the door behind her, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and an inexplicable nervousness took hold.
"...What should I do?"
Ais stood stiffly in the middle of the room.
"Relax. Just be natural."
Eiji locked the door with a flick of his wrist, then drew all the curtains shut.
"Leave the rest to me!"
This, I know well!
Ais nodded, though not entirely understanding.
And then, she was pulled into Eiji's embrace.
"How does it feel?"
"...A little painful."
"How about now?"
"Better."
The night was filled with an unusual amount of conversation.
...
The next morning.
Eiji woke up refreshed and full of energy.
Beside him, the futon rose slightly where a slender girl lay, her breathing steady and even.
"This girl… might just be able to squeeze me dry!"
Eiji stretched his waist.
Who would have thought that someone as pure and delicate-looking as Ais would have such an astonishing attribute?
If he hadn't become a first-class adventurer, he might have been completely drained by now.
His current body was already superhuman. While being with Freya was certainly exciting, he always had to hold back a little. Ais, despite her petite appearance, was incredibly resilient—there was no need for such worries with her.
In the courtyard.
Without disturbing anyone, Eiji began his unshakable daily morning training.
After stepping into the true realm of the Twin Wings Style, his swordsmanship had improved dramatically.
The technique of instantaneous maximum acceleration made his blade move as fast as a flash of light, while complete momentary stillness left behind razor-sharp vacuum fractures in the wake of his sword.
His formidable body control allowed him to wield all manner of sword techniques effortlessly, and the power of his Aurora Sword Style had risen accordingly.
Incidentally, the Aurora Sword Style was an umbrella term for sword techniques he had personally created, including Luminous Flow and Buddha's Light Inpenetrable, among others.
Excluding Lightning Flash and Heavenly Radiance, there were currently six techniques in total.
Others, such as Flawless, Twin Wings Style, and Ikki Kurogane's Seven Secret Swords series, were not included.
Now, however, Eiji found himself somewhat lost.
"Where should my swordsmanship go from here?"
As he practiced his swings, he sank into deep thought.
In terms of what the body could achieve, the Twin Wings Style had already reached its limit.
Should he start moving toward the realm of fantasy next?
Like creating multi-dimensional folding phenomena or something.
Then again, the Twin Wings Style was already pretty fantastical—after all, what kind of swordsmanship could slice through vacuum space?
Crack—!
Suddenly, Eiji felt an intense resistance.