Shimmering lights reflected off the clear blue water, and the beach stretched out in pristine white sand, dotted with strangely shaped trees rarely glimpsed within the Labyrinth. The rhythmic melody of crashing waves soothed the heart, while the breathtaking scenery offered a healing balm to the soul.
With the sun hanging in the vast blue sky and a gentle sea breeze caressing the skin, everything felt wonderfully serene.
This place served as the gateway to the Labyrinth City, Orario—the port of Meren, once the headquarters of a major sea god's Familia. It was Lake Lulug, a body of brackish water that boasted the vastness and biological abundance of a sea, despite not truly being one.
"It's the sea!!"
"It's a lake, but it has been a long time since I've seen such a body of water in the 'Outside.'"
Beauties from various races were gathered there, dressed in revealing attire typical of Amazons—swimsuits, one of the "Three Sacred Treasures" devised by the gods.
These women, exposing most of their bodies to the sun except for their chests and hips, cast their eyes down in bashful modesty.
Could any man's heart not race at such a sight? No, it would be impossible. The beauty on display was so overwhelming that one could say so with certainty.
Humans, Elves, Prums, demi-humans, and more—due to the whims of their patron deities, these girls were exceptionally beautiful without exception. Since not a single man was present, the area resembled a forbidden garden, enough to make any observer salivate.
Ais Wallenstein was the most striking of them all. She wore a one-piece swimsuit that projected a delicate impression, contrasting with her usual valiant nature. She was beautiful enough to take the breath away from even her own gender.
The first thing one noticed was her figure, remarkably developed for her age. With her radiant golden hair, she looked utterly enchanting as she moved, drawing eyes incessantly. Her graceful form bathed in the bright sunlight, creating a surreal scene reminiscent of a masterpiece painting.
"S-So these are swimsuits... one of the three sacred treasures devised by the gods..."
"They are, somehow, more embarrassing than being naked."
The girls of the Loki Familia, wearing various swimsuits prepared by Loki, stared at their bodies clad in tight-fitting, skin-baring garments similar to Amazon attire. Blushes stained their cheeks as they struggled to suppress their shame.
Among them, Alicia Forestlight of the Elves, known as the "Garden of Purity," trembled with a continuous, slight shiver.
...It seemed that Lefiya, of the same race, was lost in contemplation of Ais in her swimsuit and cared for nothing else.
"There's a different sense of shame here compared to when we bathe on the 18th Floor..."
"Where is Lady Riveria?"
"She turned to stone over there while clutching her swimsuit."
"The poor soul..."
These girls had not come to Meren for leisure. They were here to investigate information from Dionysus, their current ally, regarding sightings of "Colored Monsters" in Meren, similar to the tainted creatures and monsters that had recently appeared.
Otherwise, the Guild would never have allowed the core strength of Orario's largest Familia—the Loki Familia—to leave the city, fearing an excessive drain on their military power. However, since the primary strike force—consisting of Al, Captain Finn, and the rest of the men—remained in Orario, there was no need for such concern.
"Lady Tiona... you aren't shy... are you?"
"In fact, you seem even more energetic than usual?"
"Hehehe."
Tiona, who along with her sister wore an Undine Cloth designed for water—which functioned much like a swimsuit—smiled more broadly than usual. Tione also appeared excited by her newfound strength, albeit to a lesser degree than her sister.
"Our levels have increased, so I'm dying to move my body!"
"I want to calibrate the gap between my senses and my physical self. Shall we have a water battle after all this time?"
Tiona, who possesses the Diving development ability, can remain underwater for an entire hour when wearing the Undine Cloth─────a spirit charm.
The fabric, woven with water spirit mana, acts as an amulet providing water-related protection and repelling heat waves. It also reduces water resistance and pressure.
During the fierce battle on the 59th Floor not long ago, this spirit charm was a massive help. In fact, without it, they might not have defeated the Spirit Clone that unleashed bombardment magic surpassing even Riveria's.
The true value of this water spirit charm reveals itself in aquatic combat. It allows a warrior to display their speed and strength underwater just as they would on land, making it an essential item for exterminating water monsters.
Though expensive and limited in performance, this charm makes underwater fighting significantly easier.
"Furthermore, Tiona and her sister possess the Diving ability. They could already swim better than fish, but with the Undine Cloth, it's like giving an ogre an iron club—or rather, giving a warrior a massive axe!!"
"What a strange comparison."
Tiona and Tione received weapons specialized for aquatic combat from Loki. After swinging them a few times to test the weight, they ran toward the water's surface.
In Lake Lulug, there is a path taken by water monsters, an exit leading to land, and a hole leading to the lower levels of the Labyrinth. That hole at the bottom of the lake was tightly sealed fifteen years ago by the gods' Familias with the help of the Poseidon Familia.
While the emergence of Labyrinth monsters was supposed to be impossible, the sudden appearance and disappearance of "Viola" (Man-Eating Flowers) and the discovery of Labyrinth entrances other than the official Babel—thanks to creatures like Revis and the Evilus—meant nothing was guaranteed anymore.
It was possible the sealed hole at the bottom of the lake had been reopened.
To verify this, Tione and Tiona, who excel in underwater movement, wore the spirit charms specifically for this task.
With a simple dash, Tiona and her sister plunged into the water. They dove deep into the abyss, and after a few seconds, their traces vanished.
"... Excuse me, this might be a late question, but since this is only for Tiona and Tione, was there any reason for us to wear swimsuits as well?"
●○●○●
──────── Prophetic Dream.
This is a unique "Special Ability" held only by Cassandra Ilion. It is neither a skill nor magic, yet it allows her to catch glimpses of a "Future" that even the gods cannot see, through seventeen poetic verses and fleeting images.
This power, which does not rely on the Falna, transcends the limits of human strength. Because it is independent of the gods' blessing, the prophecy-like poems accompanying the cryptic images can even reach the deities themselves.
The images of these uncertain yet vivid prophetic dreams imprint themselves on her mind like an oracle.
This ability has been a malady haunting Cassandra since childhood, even before she received her blessing. This is the true essence of her power.
── And at this very moment, she was seeing it again.
── Her vision darkened, and her consciousness faded.
── In the darkness, countless lights shimmered, each standing out as a clear image.
── It was a raging flame, a roaring thunderbolt, and a gusting wind.
── Or perhaps it was all of them at once, or none of them at all.
── The light took a human shape, and that white human form hopped like a rabbit.
── A boy with hair as white as snow was running.
── The boy jumped over the moon and leaped as if to strike the sun down to the earth.
── And so, he grasped something.
── He reached out and snatched it.
── I do not know what that thing was.
── But it was...
"──────"
Cassandra woke to the familiar scent of soothing herbs that aid sleep. As she pushed her body up, still feeling the lethargy of post-slumber, she looked around to find herself in her room at the Familia headquarters.
The morning sunlight streaming through the window was still weak, indicating it was very early. Her clothes clung to her body from night sweats, making her feel quite uncomfortable.
Nothing reached her ears but the beating of her heart and the sound of her breathing; it seemed the others were still asleep.
Feeling dizzy, she crawled out of bed and headed toward the washstand. In the mirror, she saw a pale-faced girl showing the clear signs of sleep deprivation.
She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. After finishing these routine actions, her mind began to calm, and the first thing she thought of was the dream she had just seen.
"What was that...?"
The sight of the rabbit-like boy, shrouded in flames and lightning, running like a gale and leaping beyond the moon, finally striking down the brilliant sun.
It might not be right to call it a nightmare, but if the sun represented our Familia, then that scene looked as if...
Cassandra stopped her thoughts there and shook her head. There was no use thinking about such things.
After tidying her appearance, she left the room. As she walked down the hallway, she remembered the nightmare she saw the night before the Loki Familia's expedition to the Unexplored Regions. It was a dream clearer, more terrifying, and more despairing than anything she had ever seen, to the point where just remembering it sent shivers down her spine.
Yet, at the same time, there was a strange sense of familiarity. Perhaps it was due to the boy's appearance. She felt that the white-haired boy in today's dream resembled Al, who had appeared in that nightmare, in some way.
In any case, she had realized long ago that her suffering alone would change nothing.
────── There is a flaw in Cassandra Ilion's Prophetic Dream that resembles a curse—perhaps a price for possessing power beyond human capacity—which is that no one believes what she sees in her dreams.
For this reason, those around her looked at her as a strange girl uttering nonsensical and sudden things, and she was often met with looks of bewilderment.
She was even given the dishonorable nickname of "The Pessimist." Sometimes she cursed her power, which forced her to see what she didn't want to see and didn't even allow her to share her suffering with others.
That was precisely why she felt so joyful.
Because she had met the only human in this world who could see the same future she saw.
Because he understood the suffering Cassandra carried alone, which she was forced to keep secret.
The boy she met for the first time when the nightmare wouldn't leave her imagination and she was suffering from lack of sleep.
That boy with white hair and crimson eyes, who was himself the cause of that nightmare, did not reject her words even though she had lost her composure and begun speaking nonsense. Instead, he engaged with her and asked about the content of her dream, saying:
"..... I see. And what happened to me after that?"
───── Al himself does not realize the magnitude of how those words saved Cassandra.
Throughout her life, everyone except her mother had mocked her prophetic dreams, calling them trivial delusions.
This person was the first in her life to respond with a question instead of mockery.
Then he whispered to her: "I also possess a similar power."
He told her that he sees things similar to what she sees in her prophetic dreams.
True, his ability differed from her absolute prophecy that defied the logic of the gods—his relied on the Intuition development ability, which enhanced the sixth sense to the limit, and a knowledge of things he had no way of knowing.
However, despite the difference in principle and accuracy, the fact that someone saw things from the same perspective was a beacon of hope for Cassandra.
She even felt that her past suffering had been rewarded. Since the nightmare crisis was resolved, she had been in constant contact with him, meeting occasionally to exchange information.
The knowledge he possessed included much that Cassandra had not seen in her dreams, and that had already saved her on numerous occasions.
Most importantly, he depended on her.
Everyone─────even the gods and her close friend—rejected Cassandra's dreams as baseless illusions, but he recognized them as an important source of information and used them when necessary.
The extent of Cassandra's happiness that her power, which she felt was a curse, had become useful to someone was indescribable.
For that reason, she wanted to help him if he fell into trouble.
She wanted to repay the favor, even if only from her side.
On the night before the Loki Familia's expedition, Cassandra saw... she saw a terrible scene.
(The King's Agent Entrapped by Obsessions)
(The Celestial Wolf with Broken Fangs)
(The Wind Spirit with Stripped Wings)
(The Hero Stripped of Pride)
.... (The Hero Whose Body Receives Destruction).
Along with a poem containing those words, an image was imprinted in her mind of a "Hero"—a white-haired boy—being killed by a thrust to the chest from a massive sword carrying a black curse. At the end of that scene, she saw the image of a woman.
(The King's Agent Entrapped by Obsessions) ──── A captivating woman of enchanting beauty, with exquisite red hair and eyes that shone like emeralds. Her smile overflowed with pleasure, but her gaze was a mixture of contempt, mockery, and rage. She possessed a beauty that made shivers run through the body—a beauty different from that of the goddesses of beauty.
Who was that woman? In the prophetic dream, she couldn't see her face clearly. Only a vague image appeared, and she didn't know who it belonged to. But for some reason, she couldn't look away. She was unable to move, like a frog paralyzed by the gaze of a snake.
Even knowing that the boy Al would die, Cassandra could not move from her place.
The dream ended there, and Cassandra leaped from her bed. Her heart was pounding violently, and cold sweat was pouring off her. Her breathing was ragged and her vision blurred.
Immediately, she conveyed the details of the prophetic dream accurately to Al just before he left for the expedition. Al listened seriously until the end and promised her he would definitely return.
Throughout the half-month it took for Al to return, Cassandra felt as if she were dying from anxiety.
When she saw Al return, she couldn't hold back her tears.
Since there was a large gap in status between Al, who is one of the leaders of the city's largest Familia, and Cassandra, and since he went straight to the Twilight Manor's medical wing due to his deep wounds—though they weren't life-threatening—she hadn't been able to speak with him directly.
But that was enough. Al returned alive. That alone was enough for Cassandra.
───── While thinking about these things during her morning walk, Cassandra found she had arrived somewhere without realizing it.
It was a small, dilapidated church in a corner of the city. An old, crumbling building that looked like it would collapse at any moment.
If an earthquake hit, it would fall in the blink of an eye, but she sensed a slight human presence inside.
When she looked closely, she saw an emblem resembling a hearth fire hanging on the door.
".... Let's go back."
Cassandra didn't know why her feet had brought her here. She just found herself there. She had no business with this place anymore. Just as she was about to turn and leave.
".... Cassandra? Do you have business at this dilapidated church?"
She turned around to find a white-haired young man. Al, whom she was meeting after an absence of nearly half a month, seemed as blunt as usual, but he radiated a gentle atmosphere in some way.
She felt a wave of relief and almost cried unintentionally, but she composed herself. She learned from him that he had been confined to the infirmary for days, but had finally managed to get out a short while ago.
From what she heard, his injury had indeed been severe, and she worried about potential side effects, but he said it wasn't a problem.
However, Al, who was saying everything was fine, appeared somewhat weak in Cassandra's eyes and showed a sense of agitation resembling anger.
(Is there something worrying you?)
She couldn't bring herself to ask him that. In the end, she didn't broach the subject, and the conversation shifted to Cassandra's dreams.
When she spoke of the scene she saw in the dream and the person who was there, Al's expression changed. He wore a different look, one of a certain kind of amusement, and said with a twisted mouth that coming to this church hadn't been in vain.
Finally, when Cassandra asked him why he was at this dilapidated church.
"It seems it was a place my mother loved in some way, so I considered it a final look before saying goodbye."
His answer was extremely cryptic, but the atmosphere surrounding him made Cassandra feel that she shouldn't press the question any further.
●○●○●
Cassandraaaaaa...!!
What a girl! How dare you make me celebrate for nothing last time!!
Damn it, if a prophetic dream exists, it means that future had a very high probability, didn't it? But that bastard Bete ruined everything.....
Cassandra, and you too—this is the third time you've seen a dream predicting my death, and every time you make me happy for no reason.
I'm starting to lose faith in your prophecies, even with my Intuition and knowledge of the original story, you fool.
Oh? You're asking why I'm here? Simply put, since you all are going to destroy this place, I thought I'd take a look to see how it was before it got smashed.
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