Riveria gently brought Alicia over to the two figures ahead, her face carrying a rare, gentle smile.
"Ais really still likes you just as much, Akira." She said warmly.
Then, under the envious gaze of the girl beside her, Riveria extended her hand and lightly patted Akira's head, experiencing the texture of his hair, an act subtly different from how Ais had done it just moments ago.
"Long time no see, Riveria-san." Akira greeted with a smile.
He then looked up at the Elf Princess, who was notably taller than him. With a playful smirk, he stretched his hand out, gesturing above her head.
Hmm… I'm only half a head shorter now. If things keep going this way, it won't be long before I finally surpass her.
As if amused by Akira's rather impolite little stunt, Riveria raised her delicate hand, covering her mouth as a soft, elegant laugh escaped her lips.
How dare you speak to Riveria-sama like that, so casually!?
Alicia wanted to scold him, her outrage welling up instinctively. But the words caught in her throat the moment she recalled the scene she had just witnessed. Riveria herself, touching a man's head… without resistance, without hesitation.
Her mind suddenly froze. She held her head mentally and screamed silently in disbelief, 'Riveria-sama, what are you doing?! This is too strange!'
As the lingering embers from the earlier blaze at Demeter familia's farmland faded, a soft and earthy fragrance drifted on the wind.
Riveria lowered her hand and smiled, her eyes now filled with a kind of quiet pride and relief as she looked at the young man in front of her.
"Akira, it's thanks to you that things didn't spiral out of control. If you hadn't arrived when you did, we don't know how long it would've taken, or what the damage might have been."
After she returned from the dungeon expedition with Ais, she'd listened to her many stories, about battles, tactics, and especially about Akira's remarkable magic. But seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely. His mastery over magic, the overwhelming presence he exuded… it far surpassed anything that had merely been described.
"Ahaha, Riveria-sam, you're giving me too much credit." Akira replied modestly, scratching his head. "You could've handled it just fine without me."
Hehe, still, getting to show off in front of so many people felt amazing. All those cool moves I thought up… totally worth it!
"I did my best too." Ais tugged gently on his sleeve, her face expressionless as usual, but her gaze was fixed on him with a subtle glimmer of expectation.
Riveria and Akira exchanged a soft look, their smiles matching, both affectionate, both warm.
Akira gently placed a hand on Ais' golden locks, stroking her head with a smile.
"Yeah… Ais has been doing great lately. You've improved a lot."
Hearing those words, the corners of Ais's lips quirked upwards, just the faintest trace of a smile. A brilliant sparkle lit up her eyes, her joy hidden beneath her typically composed surface.
Riveria said, lightly tapping Ais' forehead with her finger, "You still haven't met her yet, have you?"
Without giving Akira time to respond, Riveria turned slightly and brought Alicia closer.
"This is Alicia Forestlight. She's a core member of the Second Army. Her duties include supporting the First Army in operations. She's an outstanding mage, she's mastered concurrent chanting and is also highly skilled in archery."
Akira held out his hand with an open, easy smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Akira. As you can probably tell, I'm just an ordinary mage."
The word "ordinary" triggered a small spasm in Alicia's expression. Her eye twitched.
Ordinary? If you're ordinary, then what the hell am I? A useless novice?!
Still, she forced herself to smile through it, albeit awkwardly.
"H-Hello…"
Akira tilted his head, a little surprised by her reaction, but nodded nonetheless.
Then Alicia hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering her. "Um… is Akira really just Level 3?"
It wasn't meant to provoke. She was genuinely baffled. After all, the power he had displayed earlier, was that something a Level 3 adventurer could do?
She was Level 3 herself, and even with her development ability Mage, which could elevate her spells to rival those of Level 4 mages, she couldn't come close to the destructive power Akira had unleashed. She couldn't help but be curious.
"Huh? I am a genuine Level 3 adventurer." Akira replied with a hint of exasperation.
What else could I be? Does she think I'm lying about my level or something?
Originally, he had thought about hiding it after his last promotion. It might've been fun to mess with the gods a little, but Astraea kept talking about "introducing her child to others." At this point, everyone already knew.
So what was the point in hiding it?
"Then how come Akira's—"
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed from the direction of Orario, cutting Alicia off mid-sentence.
All four of them turned toward the city, their expressions instantly tightening.
"Looks like the time for chatting is over." Akira said with a helpless sigh.
Riveria's face hardened. She narrowed her eyes at the black smoke rising in the distance and spoke in a low, serious tone.
"It seems Orario's in trouble again. Akira, head over there first. Leave things here to us."
"Got it." Akira replied.
Then, turning to Alicia, he offered a quick apology. "Sorry, Alicia-san. Let's continue our conversation next time."
He turned to Ais and gave her a soft farewell. "See you next time, Ais."
"Yeah." Ais nodded obediently.
The moment she replied, Akira's figure shot into the sky, soaring toward Orario like a comet.
As his silhouette vanished from view, Riveria clapped her hands sharply. "Alright, no time for dawdling. If you've got something to say, save it for later, we've still got our duties to handle."
"Mm."
"I understand, Riveria-sama."
Meanwhile, Akira flew toward the city, magic surging around him like a second skin. He raised his right hand and began tracing ancient runes and mysterious patterns through the air. A complex and radiant magic circle formed in front of him, glowing with shifting hues and pulsating with immense magical energy.
He dashed into it headfirst. With a sound like shattering crystal, his body passed through the barrier and vanished.
Some time later…
In the Second District, the industrial zone, chaos reigned.
The girls of the Justice Famlia, along with members of allied familias, were currently engaged in a desperate battle to cover the retreat of the smiths and forge workers, pushing back wave after wave of monsters.
In the shadows beyond, a tall man cloaked in black watched them silently, a thin smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He hadn't come to fight today, not seriously, anyway.
No, Zald had arrived with a singular purpose: to observe.
To gauge the mettle of the Order faction. To assess the strength of Akira's companions.
Let evilus pour out its rage now. Let it burn itself out before the final battle arrives. Better to expend its forces now than risk complications when it comes time to deal with the Black Dragon. If evilus repeats history again decades from now, that'll be someone else's problem.
His eyes narrowed as they tracked a few specific girls on the battlefield.
So… these are the people closest to Akira, huh?
Zald rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Though still green by the standards of true heroes, they had undeniable potential. In his eyes, eyes that had once seen the rise and fall of legends, these girls were all exceptional candidates for heroism.
In time, they will become someone who can stand on their own.
A fledgling eagle of justice?
Interesting. Very interesting.
Just like an eagle pushes its young off a cliff so they'll learn to fly, let him be the strong wind that sends these hatchlings into the air.
Will they soar or crash and shatter? That depends on their will.