After the celebration had finally come to an end, it was time for everyone to head back home.
"I guess I'll get going. Thank you for inviting me."
Judas said after wiping his lips with a napkin and standing up to leave.
"Hold it!"
However, Lyra reacted immediately, grabbing the hem of his cloak before he could take another step.
"I want you to carry me back home…"
She murmured, her face deeply flushed.
Judas offered an awkward smile, turning a helpless glance toward Alise and the others.
"Hey! I want you to be the one to carry me… hic... I won't leave unless you agree."
Lyra insisted, catching his look and pouting stubbornly.
Judas looked up, only to see Alise shrugging her shoulders helplessly.
"Alright… alright… jeez, since when did you start acting like such a baby…"
He sighed while rubbing the back of his head.
"Hooray!"
Lyra celebrated as if she had just won the lottery. She scrambled eagerly onto his back and pointed triumphantly toward the tavern exit.
"Let's go! Giddy up!"
She exclaimed.
"Sorry about this, Judas… but just indulge her for a while."
Astraea said with a wry smile.
"It's not a problem, Lady Astraea."
Judas shook his head as he carried Lyra on his back, walking down the street alongside the rest of the Astraea Familia.
"Looks like it finally stopped raining."
Kaguya commented, looking up at the heavy gray clouds parting overhead.
"Bye, Lion! See you next time!"
Alise turned around, waving energetically back toward the Hostess of Fertility.
Standing just outside the tavern doors, Ryuu lifted her hand and offered a small wave in return, a soft smile tugging at her lips as she watched them go.
Meanwhile, Lyra... who had been bursting with chaotic energy just moments prior... suddenly found herself completely drained.
She laid her cheek against Judas's shoulder, her eyelids growing heavy.
'He smells… surprisingly nice…'
Lyra thought to herself as she secretly took a few sniffs near Judas' neck, the blush on her face deepening, though this time it wasn't because of the alcohol.
As the steady rhythm of his footsteps lulled her, Lyra's mind drifted back to what had happened earlier in the day, when she visited the Twilight Manor and confessed her feelings to Finn.
...
"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept your confession."
Hearing those words come out of her Pallum hero's mouth had sent a sharp crack running straight through her heart.
Even though she had prepared herself for this exact outcome, it still took her a few seconds to steady her breathing and maintain a cool, collected facade.
"Why? Can you at least tell me why you always refuse me? I even heard that you were actively searching for a worthy pallum to take as your wife."
"Am I still not good enough? Even after I waited until I became a first-class adventurer so I could finally feel worthy enough to stand by your side?"
Lyra asked, maintaining a calm and collected expression.
Finn sighed and avoided her gaze, a tingling sensation spreading through his thumb.
"It has nothing to do with any of that, Lyra… it's just…"
"I have this strange feeling that I might have been your subordinate in a past life."
"Something inside me keeps telling me that being together with you… feels wrong."
Finn replied as he rubbed his thumb.
"So no… I cannot accept your confession. I'm sorry."
He added with an apologetic bow.
"Heh…"
When Lyra heard his reason... a bitter, hollow sound had escaped her lips.
'How funny.'
She found it absurdly hilarious that the reason she was rejected had nothing to do with any of the worries she had built up in her mind… instead, it was because of some vague feeling even Finn himself couldn't properly explain.
He had basically told her that it simply wasn't meant to be.
A short while later, Lyra found herself standing just outside the gates of the Twilight Manor, staring blankly ahead.
A single drop of water landed on her head… then another… and another.
'Ah… it's raining.'
All around her, people on the streets began to scramble, throwing hoods over their heads as a sudden downpour blanketed the city.
But Lyra didn't move an inch.
She simply stood there in the middle of the rain, her clothes gradually becoming soaked.
It felt as though the fire inside her heart was slowly being extinguished by the rain itself… until eventually, that flame died out completely.
'I should just go home.'
Just as that thought crossed her mind...
"Hey, what are you doing just standing around? In the middle of the rain no less."
A familiar voice reached her ears.
A shadow loomed over her figure, and suddenly, the rain stopped.
Her eyes widened slightly.
No… the rain hadn't stopped.
Someone was shielding her from it.
When she looked up, she saw Judas staring at her with a puzzled expression while a barrier hovered above them, blocking the rain.
Judas raised his hand and quietly cast another spell.
A soft orange glow immediately surrounded Lyra, and within seconds, her soaked clothes became completely dry.
"Ah…"
She let out an unconscious sound as warmth spread across her skin.
"Did something happen?"
Judas raised a brow and crouched slightly to get a better look at her face.
Lyra could only stare at him in silence, his features perfectly reflected in her wide eyes.
For some inexplicable reason, a sudden heat rushed to her cheeks.
Her heart, which had felt entirely numb just seconds ago, began to beat at an erratic, terrifying pace.
The fire in her chest that had been violently extinguished by Finn's rejection suddenly roared back to life... but this time, it was burning for an entirely different person.
"Eeep."
Realizing what was happening, Lyra abruptly snapped her gaze away.
'Still not talking?'
Judas thought in confusion.
The usually confident and prideful Lyra was acting entirely out of character.
A few paces away, the Loki Familia guards stationed at the gate watched the entire exchange, the veins on their foreheads throbbing in synchronization.
'This bastard… he seduced another one.'
Ren clicked his tongue irritably.
The guards felt the overwhelming urge to walk over and smack Judas in the head, but knowing the gap in strength between them, they wisely restrained themselves.
"You can come inside the manor first. I can lend you an umbrella if you want."
Judas suggested as Lyra continued standing there motionless.
But then, Lyra slowly grabbed his arm and turned toward him, a faint blush still lingering across her cheeks.
"Hey… my Familia and I are going to celebrate my rank-up at the tavern later."
She gradually regained her usual composure, a familiar grin slipping back onto her lips.
"Want to come?"
…
The memory faded as the scene returned to the present.
Judas entered the Stardust Garden and gently lowered the sleeping Lyra onto the couch while Astraea brought over a blanket.
"Thank you very much for your help, Judas."
Astraea spoke softly, tucking her child in.
Judas gave a small nod, his gaze drifting toward Lyra, who was now snoring softly and looking completely at peace.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere within a random alleyway in Orario...
"Belle Cranel, you're coming with us."
Hyakinthos Clio, the captain of the Apollo Familia, commanded in a sharp, authoritative tone.
Backed against a wall, Belle and Lili found themselves completely cornered.
Dozens of heavily armed adventurers filed into the alley, sealing off every possible exit and forming an ironclad perimeter around them.
The Apollo Familia had finally made their move.
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