Chapter 65 - Freedom – End of Arc I
The dawn air bit at skin with a bone-piercing cold.
The sky was still dark indigo, untouched by sunlight, and the street in front of the Ganesha Familia headquarters was as empty as a graveyard.
There was only the sound of wind creeping between stone buildings, carrying the scent of metal and wet morning dew.
Hestia couldn't stay still.
Her feet kept moving, pacing back and forth on the cold sidewalk, her breath puffing out like thin smoke every time she exhaled.
Her hands gripped the edge of her blue robe until her knuckles went white.
Every few seconds, her eyes glanced at the massive door of the headquarters, then back to the empty street, then to the door again.
Beside her, Eina stood more calmly...
at least that's how it looked.
But if you looked closer, both her hands were clenched tight against her work blouse, and her jaw was slightly tense.
Her emerald eyes stared at the door with the same restless intensity as Hestia's, though she tried to hide it.
"Are they really gonna let him go?" Hestia whispered, her voice slightly uncertain.
"What if Freya changes her mind? What if this is just—"
"Goddess Hestia." Eina cut in gently, her voice low and soothing.
"You've paid the price. The contract's been signed. Freya won't go back on it."
Hestia nodded, but her feet still couldn't stay still.
Her mind was filled with terrifying images of what Kaen-kun's condition must be like now.
It'd been four days since she last saw him... four days that felt like four years.
Had he been eating well?
Could he sleep without feeling pain?
Were his wounds being treated?
Was he... still alive?
Hestia shook her head what was she thinking?
Of course she could feel that Kaen was still alive.
She scolded herself for thinking like that.
A loud thudding sound shattered the morning silence.
The massive door of the Ganesha Familia headquarters began to move, opening with metal creaks that echoed down the empty street.
Hestia immediately stopped moving, her body tensing like a bow ready to be released.
Eina stepped forward half a step, her hand unconsciously rising to chest level.
Ganesha emerged first, his elephant mask gleaming under the crystal lamp hanging at the entrance.
Beside him, Captain Hashana walked with heavy steps that echoed.
And between them...
Kaen.
Hestia almost didn't recognize him at first glance.
He was wearing clean, simple clothes...
a plain white shirt and brown pants that looked new.
Looked like clothes Ganesha had prepared.
But his face...
still carried traces of wounds that hadn't completely healed.
Remnants of yellowish bruises decorated his cheekbones, and there was a small scar at the corner of his mouth that was starting to heal.
What caught the most attention was the white bandage wrapped around his neck, almost hidden beneath his shirt collar.
There were other bandages visible on his wrists, and the slightly stiff way he moved showed there were more bandages under his clothes.
But his eyes...
god, his eyes were completely different now.
Eyes that used to often sparkle with innocence and enthusiasm now looked calmer, deeper, with a kind of quietness usually only possessed by people who had been through hell and managed to come out the other side.
At first glance, he looked like a stranger.
But... he was still her Kaen.
The wounds had just wrapped an old gem in new bandages.
Hestia took a breath, trying to accept the reality in front of her eyes.
Kaen had changed.
But not because he wanted to...
Hestia steeled herself.
Whatever had happened, Kaen was still the child she loved.
Hestia didn't wait another second.
"KAAAAAEN-KUUUUUUUNNNN—!!"
That scream burst from her chest like an explosion that had been held back for too long.
Her feet ran uncontrollably, ignoring the cold sidewalk under her bare feet, ignoring Ganesha and Hashana's stares, ignoring everything except the figure she'd missed so desperately.
She crashed into Kaen with full force, her arms wrapping around the young man's waist and her face buried in his chest.
Her body shook violently...
not from cold, but from a mixture of relief, happiness, and remnants of fear still pooling in her chest.
"You're here... Kaen, you're really here...!"
Her voice broke with sobs, and without realizing it, her tears soaked Kaen's chest.
"I thought... I was gonna lose you! I really thought... I'd never see your face again..."
What surprised her was Kaen's response.
Instead of crying along or even being slightly startled like usual, Kaen just wrapped his arms around his small goddess's body with movements that were very calm and controlled.
One hand moved up to stroke her back with soothing touches, like a father calming his frightened little child.
"I'm here, Goddess," he whispered in a low, stable voice.
No tremor, no overflowing emotion.
Just calmness that was almost...
mature.
"I'm not going anywhere again."
Hestia released her hug and stepped back half a step, her hands immediately rising to cup Kaen's face.
Her fingers moved gently, checking every detail...
the healing scars, the fading bruises, and...
Her fingers found the bandage on his neck.
"Kaen-kun...! You, your neck...! Oh god, are you bleeding?!"
Hestia immediately moved closer with a panicked face, her eyes widening.
"What did they do to you?! They hurt you, didn't they? I knew they couldn't be trusted!"
Kaen knew who his Goddess meant.
Hashana.
Hestia gripped Kaen's shoulders tightly, her tone trembling.
"You're okay, right? Answer me, Kaen-kun!"
Kaen just smiled thinly.
A strange smile... tired, but sincere.
The smile of someone who had weathered a storm and finally found calm in the eye of that storm.
"Just a small accident," he answered in a tone so calm it sounded almost like someone else.
"Don't worry, Goddess. I'm fine."
Hestia stared at him intently, her eyes narrowing with something almost like confusion.
There was something different, something fundamental had changed about the child she loved most.
"Kaen-kun..."
She stepped closer, then paused for a moment, looking him up and down.
"You... look different."
Hestia frowned, then shook her head slowly, confused by her own feelings.
"I don't know why... you seem a little taller? But it's not just that..."
Her eyes locked onto Kaen's eyes.
"In your eyes... something's changed."
Her voice softened, almost like a whisper.
"I don't know what happened in there... but the Kaen-kun who came out now... feels like the same Kaen-kun, but also not."
Kaen looked at his goddess for a long moment, and in that silence, Hestia saw something that made her want to cry again.
In those calm eyes, she saw acceptance.
Acceptance of pain, of the world's bitter reality, and of the fact that innocence couldn't be maintained forever.
"Maybe," he finally said, his voice colored with grief that was gentle but full of acceptance.
"Maybe the old Kaen died in that prison."
Silence fell between them, heavy and meaningful.
Eina, who had been standing quietly watching the reunion, felt her chest tighten seeing the change that had occurred in the young man she knew as cheerful and optimistic.
That heavy atmosphere was suddenly broken by a voice that thundered like lightning.
"GANESHA HEARS EVERYTHING!"
shouted the elephant-masked god, his voice so loud that several birds perched on nearby building rooftops flew away startled.
"A TRUE MAN DOESN'T DIE! HE HAS BEEN REBORN! STRONGER THAN BEFORE! THIS MUST BE CELEBRATED WITH A MEAT FEAST AS BIG AS A MOUNTAIN!"
And without warning, Ganesha stepped forward and patted Kaen's back with enough force to make a grown man stagger.
Kaen did stagger, almost losing his balance.
Hestia immediately glared cutely, both hands on her hips.
"Ganesha, gentlyyyy!" Hestia protested, her voice rising...
a mixture of annoyed and amused.
"Kaen-kun just got out of prison, you know!"
"GANESHA IS SORRY!" the god bowed his head dramatically.
"BUT GANESHA IS TOO HAPPY SEEING A TRUE MAN TASTE THE AIR OF FREEDOM AGAIN!"
She stepped quickly forward, waving her hand toward Ganesha.
"And you don't need to shout every time you talk!"
Hestia pointed toward the surrounding windows, her face pouting.
"It's still morning!" Hestia exclaimed while waving her hand in the air, her face full of protest.
"The neighbors are still sleeping! You wanna be mistaken for a wild boar that just woke up, huh?!"
"GANESHA CAN'T WHISPER!" Ganesha replied loudly, hands on his hips with full pride.
"WHISPERING ISN'T GANESHA'S STYLE!"
For a moment, the situation became absurd...
two gods arguing like children.
And in the middle of that little chaos, Kaen laughed.
His first laugh in who knows how many days.
Not a free or loud laugh, but a low, quiet laugh...
Like breath that could finally come out after being held too long.
Eina smiled seeing it...
a small smile, but sincere, though worry still settled in her eyes.
Hashana, who was usually stiff and barely showed expression, raised his eyebrows slightly...
then the corners of his mouth lifted too.
And as their laughter began to fade, the first rays of sun appeared from behind Orario's buildings.
Morning light crept slowly onto the stone street, bouncing off shop windows, warming skin, and creating soft shadows that moved with the morning breeze.
Orange, pink, and gold colors danced in the sky.
A dawn that slowly drove away the cold, replacing the heavy night with something...
lighter.
Hestia looked at that sky, then turned to Kaen's face, now illuminated by golden morning light.
For the first time in those long days, the young man's face looked...
peaceful.
Not the naive peace from smiles of the past, but peace born from wounds he'd finally accepted as part of himself.
"A new dawn," Eina whispered standing beside Kaen, her voice almost inaudible in the gentle breeze.
Kaen looked at that sun for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"Yeah," he answered quietly.
"A new dawn."
•••
Morning, Orario.
The Guild headquarters had been busy since morning, but this time not with malicious whispers or dangerous gossip.
A large crowd formed in front of the main announcement board, and the sounds of heated discussion filled the spacious room.
Adventurers crowded together, trying to read the announcement that had just been posted.
From behind her work desk, Eina watched the scene with a thin smile that was tired but satisfied.
She knew exactly what they were reading...
she herself had helped compose that "cover story" together with Guild high officials.
On the announcement board, a formal parchment with a gleaming Ganesha Familia seal was posted.
The writing was neat and formal:
OFFICIAL CLARIFICATION REGARDING THE INCIDENT OF XX DATE
After thorough investigation, the Ganesha Familia hereby states that the truth has been found regarding the incident involving Adventurer Kaen of Hestia Familia and Miss Syr Flova of Hostess of Fertility.
Based on collected evidence and additional testimony that was successfully obtained, it was found that Miss Syr Flova at the time of the incident was being followed by suspicious individuals with malicious intent. In her panic, Miss Syr ran looking for a safe place and accidentally bumped into Adventurer Kaen.
Adventurer Kaen, realizing the danger and seeing Miss Syr's panicked condition, with commendably protective instincts, tried to help by calming the victim. However, due to traumatic shock and extreme panic, Miss Syr mistook Adventurer Kaen's good intentions as a threat and screamed for help.
This tragic misunderstanding triggered a reaction from citizens who were well-intentioned but misinformed, resulting in Adventurer Kaen becoming a victim of unfortunate circumstances.
The Ganesha Familia firmly states that Adventurer Kaen is completely innocent and should actually be praised for his natural reflex to protect someone he thought was in danger, even when it endangered himself.
Miss Syr Flova has officially expressed her regret over this misunderstanding and thanked Adventurer Kaen for his good intentions.
The crowd in front of the board kept changing, and their reactions were very easy to read.
The same adventurers who had cursed Kaen with vile words just days ago were now doing a complete 180.
"Oh my god, so he was actually trying to be a hero?" said a red-haired adventurer, his voice full of regret.
"And we all got it wrong?"
"Look at this," another adventurer pointed to the bottom of the announcement.
"He was willing to get beaten by a mob to protect a girl he didn't even know. That's... that's a real man."
"Shit," a big-built young man scratched his head awkwardly.
"I kicked him back then. I feel like trash now. We should buy him drinks as a proper apology."
"Right! I don't want to be his enemy."
"Hestia Familia really has a good eye for choosing members."
Eina heard all of this while continuing to work, her hands filling out routine forms with mechanical movements.
Her face was calm, but there was something in her eyes... a mixture of relief and deep worry.
She knew the truth that was far more complex and dark behind that beautiful cover story.
She knew Kaen's freedom came with a very expensive price.
A contract with Freya that would change his life forever.
She knew there were forces moving behind the scenes, divine political games far beyond the understanding of ordinary adventurers who now praised Kaen as a hero.
"They're celebrating him as a hero," she thought while signing the last document on her desk.
"They don't know that true heroes often have to pay a price invisible to the eye."
She closed the last file and looked at the crowd still enthusiastically discussing in front of the announcement board.
The sound of their laughter and appreciation sounded warm, contrasting with the cold worry still circling in her chest.
Kaen was free.
His reputation wasn't just clean, but actually elevated.
Hestia could smile again.
But Eina couldn't ignore the fact that this wasn't the end of the story—
With a long sigh, she refocused on her work, hoping her worries were just unfounded paranoia.
But in the corner of her heart, she knew that the life of someone who had dealt with Freya would never be simple again.
The sun continued to rise, its light growing brighter illuminating the Guild headquarters, and life continued as usual.