Rod, holding the light Metria in his arms, nimbly swung onto the horse.
He looked back at the small church that had once been her entire world, then gently exhaled a pale blue flame.
The inextinguishable flames shot skyward, quickly engulfing the entire church.
The guards of the Hera Familia soon noticed the anomaly here, and they rushed towards it in terror and anger.
However, Rod had already flown high into the sky with Metria, silently watching the girls below crying and rushing into the burning building.
"...Your companions in the Familia cherish you very much."
It was only then that Metria finally believed Rod's self-proclaimed status as a robber was not a joke.
She sighed softly.
"Everyone... must be very sad."
"But, this is also good. Rather than being powerless and only able to watch me slowly die from illness, this... might be a better outcome."
"It's just... Alfia will definitely be very angry, I really want to see her expression when she cries from anger then!"
"And by exiting this way, it might make Hera sad for a lifetime, hehe..."
Rod's expression was a little subtle.
This seemingly frail girl, like a candle in the wind, actually had a bit of a devious side.
Metria smiled playfully, she retracted her regretful gaze, and curiously tilted her small head up, looking at Rod's chiseled profile, she couldn't help but gently reach out her cool little hand and touch him.
"The robber gentleman doesn't seem to be very old, either."
Her pale, slender calves dangled slightly in the air.
With an unidentifiable emotion, Metria gently leaned against Rhode's chest and said,
"Whatever you want to do, please hurry. After all… I don't have much time left…"
"Of course, if you want to… *cough*, I, a weak woman, can't resist…"
Rhode glared at the girl in his arms who had grown bold enough to tease him.
"A guy who would lay hands on you in this state would be better off not being born."
Metria's lips curved slightly upward.
"I knew the robber gentleman was a good person…"
"Just call me Rhode. And I'm not a good person; I'm just very picky. At least I'll fatten you up before eating."
"That… Rhode, that's not so easy to do."
Metria was a clever girl; she understood Rhode's unspoken meaning and quietly clutched his clothes tighter.
"Although Goddess Hera didn't say it directly, I know she traveled the world for my illness and couldn't find any solution."
Rhode spoke calmly.
"Their inability doesn't mean I'm unable."
The girl's illness was indeed complex.
Essentially, it was a congenital defect similar to what twins might experience, making even the highest level of healing magic useless.
Theoretically, even the resurrection of a demi-human couldn't eliminate congenital defects.
But…
The usage of the Prayer System was never that simple.
Rhode gave an order to the system in his mind.
"System, extract all negative traits from Metria as entries, then… delete them!"
"Deleting entries requires 1.5 times the Prayer Points used for replication."
"This operation is detected to require 1500 Prayer Points. Do you wish to continue?"
"Execute."
Metria was about to say something else when, suddenly, she felt her lead-heavy body lighten dramatically.
An unprecedented, warm, and powerful surge of vitality instantly coursed through her limbs and bones.
The chronic, excruciating pain and weakness that had clung to her like a maggot on bone vanished in an instant!
Her perpetually pale face, devoid of any color, quickly became rosy.
Her shallow and rapid breathing also became steady and strong.
Even the world before her eyes seemed to have had a dusty pane of glass wiped clean, becoming clearer and brighter than ever before!
Metria seemed unable to believe what was happening to her, hugging Rhode tightly, too excited to speak.
"I… You…"
"It's not an illusion. Welcome to the world of normal people."
"Thank you…"
Metria subconsciously murmured, and warm tears involuntarily streamed down from the corners of her eyes.
Rhode looked ahead, guiding the direction of the Pegasus. As they passed the Soma Familia's encampment, he secretly sent a shadow down to protect the young Pallum.
After doing all this, he looked at the tearful beauty in his arms, who was weeping with joy and complex emotions, and said calmly,
"Don't be happy too soon. I saved your nonexistent remaining life. In exchange, your remaining life, from this day forward, belongs only to me."
Metria, her face streaked with tears, looked up blankly at his words.
In her clear, azure eyes, like lake water, the handsome yet stern face of the young man was clearly reflected.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Although his tone was forceful and unquestionable, full of domineering feeling, the kindness that had saved her from the abyss of endless suffering was utterly genuine.
In his deep eyes, there was no pity or sympathy, only a matter-of-fact calmness, as if everything he had done was merely a trivial matter.
This calmness, more than any words of comfort, touched her heartstrings.
"…Mm. (acdi)"
Metria took a deep breath, something she had never done before, and wiped away the tears on her face.
She felt the strong, powerful, life-affirming heartbeat in her chest, and a smile as radiant as the rising sun appeared on her face.
"Then, please allow me to reintroduce myself."
"Although, it might be a bit unfair to everyone… but hehe, my name is Metria, and I am a person reborn to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Whether you are a heinous villain or a hero who saves the world, I will accompany you to the end, my Prince! Rhode~"
After speaking, whether from the joy of newfound life or to hide her embarrassment, Metria happily hugged Rhode's neck and shouted excitedly, "Oh oh oh oh oh," her bright eyes filled with dazzling joy.
"Rhode~ Rhode? Rhode! Hehehe… It turns out being unbound and free is such a happy thing! Hahahahaha!"
Because of her overly large movements, Metria almost fell.
Rhode, helplessly, rapped her forehead with his knuckle.
"This is ten thousand meters up in the sky, you silly girl!"
"And don't think I didn't see your little trick of secretly wiping your tears on my clothes!"
Metria covered her forehead.
"Hmm… Even this pain is such a novel experience."
Her rosy little face was full of excitement as she looked up at Rhode with anticipation.
"Even if I fall, it'll be fine, right? Rhode can definitely save me!"
"Because Rhode is omnipotent, right!"
The beautiful teenage girl looked at him with eyes full of adoration, those eyes sparkling like countless stars.
Rhode felt quite pleased, and a smile he couldn't control appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"No, at least I can't do the thing about having children!"
"Ha-having children…"
Metria's face instantly turned red.
After a long silence, she looked up at the clear blue sky, feeling the gentle wind that had been deliberately blocked by the Pegasus's wings.
"…Alfia, she also really likes children."
Rhode thought of that terrifyingly indifferent woman.
The first time he met her, he didn't even have the courage to be alone with her.
"Are you… sure you're talking about that [Silence]?"
"Eh? Rhode, you know my sister too?"
"I've met her once, I suppose."
"…"
Rhode saw Metria's hesitation and said with a faint smile,
"Don't worry, purely in terms of value, Alfia is also my target."
"And with you by my side, she won't refuse to obey me."
"It's just that her salvation will come a little later."
Well, only about ten years later.
Having received Rhode's answer, Metria put down her worries and smiled radiantly.
She smiled like a blooming flower, wrapped her arms around Rhode's neck, and boldly gave him a "mua" on the cheek.
"Hehe… Rhode is so good… If Rhode wants to have children with me… it's, it's not impossible…"
By the end, her voice was as faint as a mosquito's, almost inaudible.
Rhode chuckled lightly.
"Although I probably won't want children for a very, very long time, there's no harm in imagining."
"Then, Rhode, do you prefer a boy or a girl?"
"A girl, of course."
"Hehe…"
Metria gently rested her forehead against Rhode's firm chest and giggled foolishly.
"If it's a girl, I hope to name her Bell, like the name of the magical chime Alfia plays~"
That was the gospel that the witch herself considered a taboo curse.
That magic, which was considered dirty noise, was cherished by Metria as a treasure, regarded as the most beautiful blessing in the world.
"Alfia is very gentle. She doesn't want to scare children because of herself, so she says she doesn't like them. She quietly stands far away, praying for their happiness. Although it's lonely, it's a very gentle love…"
Metria's rambling words made Rhode's impression of the witch more three-dimensional.
"Speaking of which, I've been talking about myself all this time, but I don't know much about Rhode. Can you tell me more about yourself?"
Rhode thought for a moment, finding it too complex to explain, and casually poked Metria's cute dimple.
"Sign this lifelong contract, and you'll understand everything."
Metria tilted her head, looking at the golden contract that appeared out of thin air in her mind.
She didn't even look at the long string of dense text that followed.
When she heard the words "lifelong," she had already automatically imagined it as a sacred marriage contract.
Her head was almost steaming, but her body was quite honest, eagerly nodding in agreement.
Immediately after, a vast, unheard-of stream of information flowed into her brain.
All the Heavens and Myriad Worlds, Prayer Missions, Contract Goddesses, Orario ten years later…
After learning this information,
She was both proud of Rhode's power and excited by the vibrant and colorful world, but also felt a sense of loss for the world ten years later…
"So that's how it is, they fought the Black Dragon, and in the end, they still failed…"
This time, Metria didn't utter any pleas.
Instead, she understood that the very meaning of an adventurer's existence was to challenge the unknown, and defeating the Black Dragon was the ultimate goal of all adventurers.
Not to mention what right she had to ask Rhode to risk his life fighting the Black Dragon; even if Rhode did so, it would be tantamount to erasing the lifelong struggles of those guys.
Dying on the battlefield was a destiny that adventurers would eventually face, and the adventurers of the two great Familia had long since embraced this awareness.
Although the outcome was somewhat bleak, even if they had another chance, they would inevitably make the same choice, at most preparing a little more thoroughly.
Just then, due to the contract, the mission completion notification sounded in Rhode's mind at the opportune moment.
"Congratulations on completing a Special S-rank Prayer."
"Mission Completion: Exceeded. Supplicant Satisfaction: Exceptional."
"Congratulations on receiving 50000 Prayer Points."
"Congratulations on receiving one S-rank Prayer Ticket."
[Congratulations! You have received a special reward: Contract of the Hera Familia.]
[Effect: When a member of the Hera Familia falls into a life-or-death crisis, the Absolute Contract will automatically trigger. After signing the contract, they will be automatically transferred to an absolutely safe place and become your Dependents.]
Interesting.
This means that even if the Hera Familia is completely annihilated while fighting the Black Dragon, they can all become his subordinates?
And if Rod isn't mistaken...
This special reward will trigger the moment he returns to ten years later!
At that time, even if only half of them sign the contract, it would still be a colossal force capable of sweeping through all of Orario!
If that Lv.9 Empress also signed...
Heh, then what's the point of the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia even trying?
And thinking that Erebus was still painstakingly preparing for the Great Feud, Rod almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Just give up, my friend.
Don't think about sacrificing a group of people to usher in a new era; the remnants of the old era are about to make a comeback!
Of course, theoretically, Zeus Familia's Maxim, though only Lv.8, is stronger than the Empress.
But for Rod, strength isn't important; what's important are capable girls!
Strong and loyal subordinates are abundant across the myriad worlds; if he encounters them by chance, he'll simply take them in. It's not worth actively seeking them out like he does with girls.
Metria quickly snapped out of her daze and asked curiously,
"Speaking of which, Rod, where are we going now?"
"To the Far East for a bit, to arrange some things, and then back to ten years later."
"The Far East, huh… Alfia told me bedtime stories about it. I heard it's a multi-Familia confederation that practices isolationism."
Far East Central Government, the Imperial Court.
Essentially a state-type Familia ruling a small island nation, it is a complex faction serving numerous subordinate gods under the main god, Goddess Amaterasu.
Among them, the nine oldest families, as high-ranking nobles, manage the state's political affairs, bearing the heavy responsibility of steering the nation.
The surnames of these nine families range from Ichijo to Kyujo.
In matters of governance, each family has clear divisions of labor.
For example, managing city affairs, performing divine rituals related to the Great God, dispatching troops to subjugate local powerful clans and malevolent spirits (yokai) in unstable areas, and so on.
And among many matters, the Gojo Family is responsible for "fire extinguishing."
As envoys of harmony, their duty is to swiftly eliminate all harmful "smoke" that arises from friction, whether inside or outside the Imperial Court, which threatens stability.
Moving between various organizations, they have historically achieved remarkable success through peaceful and efficient mediation, earning the reputation, "Without the Gojo, there is no escape from fire disasters."
In short, they are the order of the Far East—the guardians of "justice."
All members of the family are beautiful in appearance, yet they have a somewhat peculiar custom of covering the upper half of their faces with masks resembling cherry blossoms.
They are also known for their upbringing and demeanor; the men are elegant, the women chaste, exuding a mysterious aura admired by many who interact with them, like sacred cherry blossoms adorning the Imperial Court.
However, their true nature—the essence of fire extinguishing—is the shadow.
Assassination, alteration, erasure.
The purpose of all methods is to solve problems in a "peaceful" way, minimizing sacrifices as much as possible, and to implement iron-blooded "mediation" with extreme speed before the "smoke" spreads into a raging inferno.
A girl named Kaguya was born into such a family.
Gojo Family girls, from birth, would consume a certain dew daily.
It is a poison called Konohana Poison, literally a poison.
Those who could not withstand this poison were eliminated, and only those with the minimum required aptitude survived.