The city morning three years ago—likewise a winter's day, yet so clean it felt almost fastidious.
That winter, only a thin dusting of snow had fallen.
Within a few days it was already gone, and what remained was nothing but overcast, ashen-hazy skies and a biting, freezing north wind.
The city, too, seemed somewhat bleak and desolate.
At this point in time, the Dark Familia had already gone to ground, while the Guild and the Justice Familia were carrying out their final mopping-up against them; the battle plan concerning the [Artificial Labyrinth] was also in preparation.
In about another year or so, all the Dark Familia would vanish completely from Orario.
Meanwhile.
Standing atop the city's towering wall, one could take it all in at a glance: though the long streets were a little desolate, most of the shops had already opened, presenting a certain look of "postwar reconstruction."
"Next, let's just go straight to find Alise-senpai and the others."
This time, Isagi had come together with Ryuu and Cecil.
The elf girl went without saying.
This was something she had set out to do in the first place, so of course she couldn't be absent; as for Cecil, it was because she'd been far too busy lately, so Goddess Astrea had ordered her to take a few days of forced rest.
With nothing to do, the girl who was always engrossed in her smithing tagged along to come and see the senpai too.
In any case, the goal was to persuade Alise and the others not to go to the Dungeon, and since her own side wouldn't be going either, it should be fine—
But that was exactly where the problem lay.
How were they to persuade the Familia senpai?
If simply telling them, "In the future you'll die if you go to the Dungeon, so you absolutely must never go there again, not ever," had been enough, then he and Ryuu would have said it long ago.
But it was useless.
The elf girl believed it was down to Alise and the others' very nature.
Girls of justice could not stand idly by while others needed help.
If someone met with danger in the Dungeon and needed them to come to the rescue, then even knowing they would surely die for going, they would go all the same.
That was the choice Alise—and Kaguya, Lyra, and Noin, every one of them—would absolutely make.
But Isagi still believed this was, without a doubt, a matter of "Providence."
No matter how you looked at it.
From this current point in time, mere "warnings" or the like could never stop Alise and the others from going to the Dungeon—that was an inevitable outcome.
That being so, they had to find the cause behind this problem and resolve it.
And so—
"For instance, have Goddess Astrea expel them all from the Familia! As long as they're not adventurers, then naturally they can't go to the Dungeon anymore!!"
"Mm…"
Ryuu pondered it, and felt this was actually a viable method!
But it left Cecil, off to the side, utterly dumbfounded!!
You two, you'll really stop at nothing, won't you?!
"Isn't this a bit too cruel?!"
"But compared to being unable to become adventurers, losing your lives is what really…"
"At least show a little respect for what we want, won't you?"
"Urgh—"
At this moment!
Isagi, Ryuu, and Cecil had already arrived at the [Garden of Stars].
The familiar Western-style manor felt a little unfamiliar, most likely because the flowers and plants planted in the yard were entirely different—and also because of the red-haired and black-haired girls who now appeared before them.
[Crimson True Flower] Alise Lovell.
And.
[Great River Gentian] Kaguya Gojouno.
This was not Isagi's first time meeting the two of them; over his many previous trips back through time, he had swept away many a Dark Familia executive alongside them.
It was just that the Alise and Kaguya of before had only taken him for some "powerful reinforcement" the Goddess had found from who-knows-where, never dreaming that—
"Hmm——Lion doesn't seem to have changed at all!"
"No sense of having grown whatsoever."
"Her chest, too."
"Don't go saying things like that!"
The traditional elf girl suddenly flushed red, yet felt an inexplicable warmth at this sort of playful teasing between close friends.
This was the first time Alise and Kaguya had met the "Ryuu" from the future.
Because before this, they had deliberately avoided meeting.
Isagi's original thinking was that if he let others know about the "time travel," it might somehow affect the timeline, so he felt the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
So the only ones present now were Alise and Kaguya; the rest of the Familia senpai still remained completely unaware of it all.
"In short, we now know the whole story behind it! No wonder the Goddess sternly told us before that we weren't allowed to go to the Dungeon anymore."
That's right.
Those earlier warnings, Isagi had either delivered to Alise and the others in person, or asked Goddess Astrea to pass along.
But it was useless.
In the future, they would certainly go to the Dungeon for some reason—this was "Providence"!
The concept of [Providence Erosion] that Isagi put forward, the girls couldn't make heads or tails of.
Still.
"That method just now was downright terrifying—having the Goddess take back our [Falna] so we can't be adventurers anymore, and all that!"
"Exactly."
"But if we don't do it that way—"
"There must be some other way!"
Alise was smiling.
The red-haired girl seemed never to know what sorrow was. She wore a rather form-fitting, simple red-and-white short-sleeved shirt and dark leather shorts, baring her slender arms and legs out under the somewhat gloomy winter sky—did this girl not know the meaning of cold?
Leather boots, gloves, and a longsword at her waist.
The standard getup of an adventurer; if she were heading out right now, she'd also throw on a light half-suit of armor, similar to Ais's.
She was like a little sun—always warm, always bright, a smile on her face that even came across as a touch too goofy.
"According to what Lion and the junior here say, we were in the Dungeon, killed by that thing called Zagra—"
"[Juggernaut]."
The black-haired girl from the Far East coldly reminded the goofy captain beside her.
There was no need to have ever seen her.
From Ryuu's earlier descriptions alone, both Isagi and Cecil could conjure in their minds the figure of a kimono-clad girl like a plum blossom—ever standing straight and tall, noble and aloof, a long sword slung at her hip.
And now, she was indeed just like that.
She wore an exasperated look, her alluring deep-crimson eyes half-lowered, clearly finding the "captain" beside her utterly unreliable.
"That's right! [Juggernaut]!!"
Alise, not the least bit embarrassed, went on declaring in a ringing voice.
"As long as we can beat that thing, it'll be fine, right? If we were killed by it, then let's just turn it around and take it down instead!"
"An adventurer can't go fleeing at the moment of battle, you know!!"
"Right, Kaguya?!"
To this.
The black-haired girl at her side merely let out a sigh, her whole face wearing a "knew this idiot would say exactly that" expression.
And on the other side.
Hearing Alise's idea, Isagi and Ryuu actually thought the plan just might be workable.
Rather than running away, better to face it head-on.
This truly was what an adventurer ought to do….
____
👻🔥P- Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Naruto: Is it reasonable to beat up an Otsutsuki with Hamon, right?
Help us hit our targets:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 free chapter for all