Ever since the battle against the Kali Familia, where he had saved her life, Judas had noticed a subtle change in Alicia.
Every now and then, he would catch her looking at him with the eyes of a young maiden.
"Ahem... how have you been feeling? If you're experiencing any lingering problems, you can tell me."
Judas cleared his throat awkwardly.
After inheriting Maxwell's memories, the intensity of Alicia's gaze stirred something within him.
For some reason, it made him strangely conscious of her presence.
Hearing his question, Alicia lightly placed a finger against her lips before letting out a soft, bell-like laugh.
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm perfectly fine now. It's all thanks to you."
Her hazel-colored eyes sparkled warmly as she spoke.
Then, her gaze shifted toward his forehead.
Seeing the thin layer of sweat glistening there, an idea suddenly crossed her mind, causing the smile on her face to widen just a little.
"It looks like you're sweating."
She took a step closer.
"Allow me."
Before Judas could react, Alicia gently raised her handkerchief and carefully dabbed the sweat from his forehead.
Her movements were delicate and unhurried, as though she were handling something precious.
"..."
Judas instinctively stiffened.
The sudden closeness caught him completely off guard.
At such a close distance, he could clearly make out the gentle features of her face and the faint smile that never seemed to leave her lips.
A delicate floral fragrance reached his nose as she leaned in close.
'...She smells nice...'
'It's like standing in the middle of a field of flowers.'
He couldn't help but think.
Looking at Alicia up close...
Judas would be lying if he said he didn't find her beautiful.
There was also the gentle, older-sister aura she naturally carried, which only added to her charm.
"...Miss Alicia."
"Hm?"
"You don't have to do this."
She tilted her head slightly.
"But I want to."
"..."
Her straightforward answer left Judas with no room to refute.
After wiping away the sweat from his forehead, Alicia took half a step back before neatly folding the handkerchief in her hands.
"There. Much better."
She smiled with quiet satisfaction.
"...Thank you."
Judas scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
'Dammit... Maxwell's memories are messing with my head.'
It was at that moment that he realized the fragments of Maxwell's memories seemed to have awakened the teenage hormones he had unknowingly kept suppressed until now.
He could feel the heat rising throughout his body.
His heartbeat was noticeably faster than usual.
Before he even realized what he was doing...
His eyes unconsciously drifted downward.
Although elves generally dressed modestly by most people's standards, Judas, having lived under the same roof as Alicia, immediately noticed that she was dressed a little differently today.
Among elves, who were often known for their slender and graceful figures, Alicia was something of an exception.
She possessed a mature, well-endowed, and curvaceous figure.
The outfit she wore today subtly accentuated those features without sacrificing its elegance.
'!?'
Realizing that he had been staring for a little too long, Judas quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat.
"Ahem..."
Alicia naturally followed the direction of his gaze.
The corners of her lips curled upward almost imperceptibly.
'...Ah, he looked at me.'
A warm feeling quietly blossomed within her chest.
Normally, Judas always carried himself with remarkable composure.
Whether he was facing monsters capable of taking his life or speaking with the executives of the Loki Familia, he rarely let his emotions show.
Yet now... he had become visibly flustered simply from being close to her.
That realization made her happier than she had expected.
'...Is this what it feels like to fall in love?'
Alicia quietly savored the unfamiliar feeling blooming within her heart.
Before... she had always seen Judas as a dependable junior.
A once-in-a-generation prodigy who had risen through the ranks at an unbelievable speed before eventually becoming one of Orario's strongest adventurers. Kind. Reliable.
Someone who never hesitated to lend a helping hand.
He would even take the time to teach her and the rest of the Fairy Force whenever the opportunity arose.
Naturally... she had always held him in high regard, but that was all.
However, everything changed during the war in Melen.
On that battlefield, when she believed death was all but certain...
Judas was the one who reached out his hand and pulled her back from the brink of death.
Becoming her light of hope.
From that day onward...
Whenever she found herself thinking about him, her heart would beat just a little faster than before.
At first, she believed those feelings were simply admiration.
Perhaps gratitude toward the man who had saved her life.
That was why...
Today, she had deliberately taken extra care with her appearance.
She had planned to spend some time alone with Judas.
She had even waited for hours at the training grounds with her fruit basket, patiently waiting for him to finish his training.
To find the answer for herself.
Slowly, Alicia raised a hand and placed it over her chest.
Beneath her palm, her heartbeat was steady.
Yet each beat seemed just a little louder whenever she looked at the young man standing before her.
A gentle smile naturally formed on her lips.
'...Now I know. I've fallen in love.'
After a brief silence, Alicia spoke once more.
"Judas."
"Hm?"
"...Would you accompany me for lunch?"
She asked with a warm smile.
Judas looked at her for a moment before returning the smile.
"Sure."
...
Later in the day...
"Oh? Apollo, that lavish-loving God is having a banquet?"
Loki raised a brow as she read the letter in her hands, a grin forming on her face.
She soon dismissed the familia member who had delivered the letter to her room.
'Interesting.'
For some reason, her instincts were telling her that something was about to happen.
"Hehe... after being so busy dealing with Evilus and cleaning up the mess in Melen, having a little fun at this banquet is just what I need."
Sensing that something fun was about to happen, Loki couldn't help but accept the invitation.
"It is a banquet of the Gods, but it says here that we can each bring one of our children."
Loki murmured as she read the letter.
"Now then, who should I bring?"
Thinking about which of her children she should bring with her to the banquet, her mind naturally drifted toward Ais.
However, just then, someone knocked on her door, interrupting her thoughts.
"Loki, it's me. I want my status updated."
The voice she recognized from the other side of the door undoubtedly belonged to Judas.
Since Loki had been so busy lately, she hadn't had any time to update anyone's status.
Especially Judas', whose falna hadn't been updated ever since the start of their previous expedition, more than a month ago.
"Come in."
Loki said as she crossed her legs while sitting on top of her bed.
'It has been more than a month since his last status update... I bet he could already rank up to level 4... hehe, just how much stronger will he become?'
She thought with a smirk, feeling excited as she mentally prepared herself for another ridiculous update.
Especially knowing that the person standing before her was the one who had defeated Antares, a monster capable of wielding arcanum.
Something that even Loki had honestly believed was impossible.
'Maybe he'll become a first-class adventurer in one go...'
When she saw Judas enter through the door, she glanced at the invitation letter beside her and thought of something.
'Maybe I should invite him.'
Loki considered.
Although Ais was still her favorite child, Judas was technically still her familia's newest recruit.
Out of all her children, he was probably the one she knew the least.
Although it would be a shame not to see her cute Ais in a beautiful dress, she wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to him.
'He is quite the looker himself... imagining him in a fancy suit would be pretty good eye candy.'
She thought as she looked at his handsome features.
Although Loki preferred women, she had had a few trysts with male deities in the past.
'Well... that's if he accepts...'
Of course, even if she invited Judas along, it wasn't as though she could force him to go with her.
'After I update his status, I'll tell him.'
She thought as she watched him take off his shirt and turn his back toward her.
"Hehe… you have been in my familia for, like, what? Two or three months now?"
Loki said as she unlocked his status, causing the falna on his back to slowly appear.
"Compared to when I first granted you my falna, you've put on some muscle, and I've noticed that you've gotten a bit taller."
"Truly, mortals on the surface can change in such a short amount of time, unlike us deities, who remain the same even after millions of years."
She added as she pricked her finger with a knife, then held it over his back, letting a drop of blood fall onto it.
"It's already been nearly three months? Time sure flies."
Judas remarked as the room was illuminated by the glow of his falna.
"You used to be so gloomy and emo when I first picked you up, acting like you were carrying the burden of the world on your shoulders or something."
"But after meeting Ais and the others, I'm glad you've loosened up… I like this version of you much better."
Loki joked with a teasing grin.
Judas let out a fake cough after hearing her words, a mild blush appearing on his face.
"Oh? Are you blushing? Hehe… I finally got you to react. I win!"
The grin on Loki's face widened as she leaned in closer to look at him.
"Just update my falna already."
Judas said impatiently, which caused Loki to laugh out loud.
After wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she shifted her attention back to his falna, which was now in hologram form, and rubbed her hands together excitedly.
"Let's see what kind of treasures we are about to unveil."
She said as she watched the numbers begin to move.
"Oooooh~ as expected… they are going up pretty quickly."
Loki smirked, watching the numbers on Judas' falna rise rapidly.
However, something unusual happened that caused her grin to falter.
She opened her slit eyes, and her expression turned solemn.
'What just happened?'
Judas thought as he sensed the mood around Loki suddenly shift.
But he didn't say anything and simply remained silent until Loki finished.
When the blue light on his back faded and Loki finished imprinting his status onto a parchment, Judas put his shirt back on.
He looked at Loki, whose brows were furrowed as she read his status sheet.
"Kid… before I give you this, I want to let you know that this is the first time I've seen something like this happen… take a look."
Following Loki's warning, Judas received his status sheet and began reading.
However, it only took a second before one of his eyebrows rose in confusion.
========================================
Judas Spade
LV Err --> Err
STR: Err --> Err
END: Err --> Err
DEX: Err --> Err
AGI: Err --> Err
MAG: Err --> Err
Mage – H --> G
Spirit Healing – I --> H
Arcane Momentum – I --> H
Magic Resistance - I
SKILLS: [The Blessing of the World Tree]
[Elemental Master]
[Eternal Persistence]
[The Venerated One]
[Penitent Executioner]
[Blessing of the Moon]
A rare skill that receives the moon's divine protection. Grants heightened perception during nighttime. Raises all skill effects at night. The effect grows stronger as the moon reaches fullness.
MAGIC: [Otherworld Thaumaturgy 5th-Tier]
[Body Reinforcement]
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