"You can learn, you can explore, but don't bind yourself to another's will—whether it's a proud elf or an arrogant god…"
"You can listen to advice, compare examples, but obey no one. Make your own decisions in everything…"
"After all, this is your story~"
Renjiro recalled his grandfather, who a year ago had been abruptly attacked by monsters and fallen into a valley, leaving no trace of his bones. He had once said these words to him.
"CLANG~"
The silver-haired, red-eyed boy woke from the jostling of the wagon wheels.
"Hey, young man, you can see it now~"
The middle-aged man driving ahead reminded him.
Fourteen-year-old Bell Cranel poked his head out of the wheat-filled wagon's back compartment.
"Wow~ so magnificent."
Even from a distance, looking at the towering city walls and the Babel under repair, Bell could feel a thousand-year-old presence—majestic and imposing.
"Right~"
The middle-aged man chuckled at the boy's awe.
"I've traveled for business to many countries on the continent, but nowhere is as grand as here."
"After all, the maze city—Orario—is the 'center of the world.'"
Indeed, as the man said…
For a dream-filled boy, the word Orario symbolized opportunity and promise.
Yet, like the towering Babel that could topple, everything has two sides.
Nothing exists purely as 'good'.
Without the perseverance, mindset, and strength to pursue the other side…
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"Hey, kid, we're not there yet."
The middle-aged man called out as the excited boy jumped down from the wagon.
"It's fine…"
The boy, with an innocent smile, waved goodbye as he ran ahead.
"I'll make my own way from here."
"It should be today~"
A black-haired youth, barely 1.74 meters tall, wearing ten pure black mithril rings, sat cross-legged in a corner of Babel's central plaza. He thought to himself,
"If nothing goes wrong… if there's no 'butterfly effect,' that red-eyed rabbit boy should arrive in this maze city today."
"But I already preemptively defeated the 'Scorpios,' two at once… does my foresight still work?"
He instinctively looked up at the still-repairing Babel.
"This thing was crushed by the scorpio avatars before. Nothing like this ever happened in the original timeline."
Indeed, by now, many things had quietly changed.
Ais had already challenged Udaeus… though she failed.
The Loki familia had started cooperating with the Freya familia… though their stance remained ambiguous.
The world now had the Twin Stars sibling pair as "heroes"… though insider knowledge remained strictly confidential.
And…
"Goddess Artemis seems to be simply residing in Orario now, with no plans to recruit new familia members."
Thinking of this, Renjiro felt some melancholy.
After all, if twenty familiar children suddenly disappeared… well, no matter if by accident or design, whoever caused it would face severe consequences.
At this moment, nothing else matters.
…Even imagining this briefly, Renjiro could deeply empathize with Artemis' current state of mind.
Perhaps, only when seeing Barbara would she show a truly relaxed smile.
Speaking of which…
"The rabbit boy's 'ex-girlfriend' is gone."
A strange sense of guilt surfaced.
"And believe it or not, it was Barbara who started it."
Renjiro felt this wasn't his responsibility.
Yeah, just too petty.
By the way…
Speaking of Bell Cranel… Renjiro had previously considered "directly intercepting" the Blue Ribbon Goddess.
But he hesitated.
On one hand, as a traveler from the Far East, now in this world, how could he not engage with the protagonist?
Especially a protagonist who wouldn't evoke dislike.
And a protagonist with cheats.
Look at the other spin-off protagonists… Ais, Lefiya, Ryuu, Freya… I've already interacted with them.
The last remaining canonical protagonist…
"If I interfere with his original path, will Bell still be the 'protagonist'?"
Renjiro pondered this carefully.
After all, this red-eyed rabbit boy might not only be key to defeating the One-Eyed Black Dragon, but also potentially the partner the elder Freya has long coveted.
If, to prevent his sister from veering off her original path and becoming a public enemy…
"Honestly, I really dislike methods that modify memories on a large scale, causing immense suffering to the involved."
So now, as a member—or rather, half-member—of the Freya familia, Renjiro did not wish to see his sister lose her mind.
Hence, both publicly and privately… okay, mostly selfishly, he had considered "intercepting" Bell.
But upon reflection…
Once, when Freya secretly left Orario, she met a girl whose soul impressed her deeply.
Yet the Goddess of Beauty did not take her back.
Freya knew: if someone isn't in their rightful place but follows her, their soul would no longer shine—it would merely be another mundane presence.
Thus the question arose.
If Bell had joined the Freya familia from the start and been sent straight into the Battlefield Plains before his mindset matured… could he still become a hero?
Of course, nothing is absolute. Some shine regardless of the environment.
Do heroes create the times, or do times create heroes?
No one can say for sure.
So…
"Since I don't know which choice to make, I'll just let things take their course."
Renjiro wasn't one to dwell excessively on a single matter.
Thus, with foresight in hand, he didn't plan to interfere.
Today, he would wait only a short while in the central plaza…
If the red-eyed rabbit boy arrived, he'd be drawn into the Freya familia.
If by chance the boy ended up in the Freya familia by accident, so be it.
Even if everything followed the original timeline and he ultimately joined Hestia's familia… that too was part of the story.
In short, whichever path…
"I must see the sister-brother admiration arc between him and Ais."
"Hehe~"
Renjiro began to get mischievous.