Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

stop.

stop!

Why should I save myself like Alicia and the others did?

I clearly don't have that value.

I'm not worthy to save anyone; I can't save anyone.

"...Mr. Craney."

Having exhausted all her strength to shout, Ryu leaned against Bell and buried her face in his shoulder.

Like a walking corpse that has lost all hope and everything.

"I once stood by and watched my friends... my fellow members of the [Family] die without offering any help..."

"...!"

"Just as the male animal trainer (Jarro) said... I was afraid of death, and with my own hands... I killed my confidante (Alissie)..."

Liu whispered in his ear, confessing her "sins".

At that moment, she confessed what she had been asked before but had refused to answer.

In order to make him give up himself.

Bell's trembling body showed signs of wavering for the first time.

"I am not the pure and innocent elf you imagine... I am far more filthy, a sinner..."

Ryu revealed his true feelings.

It reveals the silt that has settled deep within one's heart, as well as the negative imprints etched upon oneself.

"The elf you tried to save... is simply not worth helping..."

These are Liu's honest and sincere words.

It will appear before your eyes when you close them.

He recalled the way his companions died, his own ugly and pathetic state, and the back view of Alexie whom he had killed with his own hands.

The sadness and despair that she dreamt of continued to erode Ryu's body.

"I am no longer qualified to talk about 'justice'... 'Justice' has vanished..."

Unbeknownst to her, Liu murmured as if in a dream.

Those were the ironclad rules of the [Family], the pillars of their hearts, and the bond between Ryu and the irreplaceable Alyssa and her friends. Since that day five years ago, Ryu's body and soul have become an empty shell.

No matter how the girl (Seele) comforted her, no matter how the bountiful tavern embraced her, it could not fill this last void. This was the deepest loss that Ryu had been desperately hiding until now.

The word "gratitude" for justice, still etched on my back, throbs with pain, almost like a curse.

You are not qualified to bear the word "justice" at all—an auditory hallucination rang out, borrowing the voice of the goddess (Asteria).

Liu's face lost its expression.

In its place, the frozen heart weeps silently.

She lowered her gaze and told Belle these words:

"I have... lost 'justice'."

A frustrated murmur echoed in the darkness.

Bell's pace slowed down.

As if it had reached its limit, the hands supporting Ryu began to lose strength.

With a thud, she vomited blood, staining her drooping arm.

"I...don't know what 'justice' is."

but……

"But I learned a lot from Miss Ryu."

The feet, which had almost broken, pressed firmly onto the ground once more.

With trembling hands, he refused to let go of Liu no matter what.

Her lips, stained with blood, were clenched tightly.

"so!……"

Bell seemed to want to prove Ryu's existence—to dispel her dark side and tell her:

"Justice exists."

"────"

Ryu's eyes widened to their limit.

"You've saved some adventurers..."

That's on the 18th floor.

The fairy who stood up to fight the black giant (Goliath) saved many lives.

"I saved a god... I saved Lily, and Welf..."

That was in a war game.

Faced with the domineering will of the god (Apollo), a swift wind comes to their aid.

"You saved me...!"

That was in countless desperate situations.

Ryu's hands have guided Bell countless times when he was injured, confused, or standing still.

Ryu's advice and her words always gave Bell courage.

"You always act like a hero... like a 'messenger of justice,' upholding the right path...!"

The boy's pure words shook Ryu's heart.

His trembling sky-blue eyes radiated heat.

The sincere and straightforward voice, like the words of a confidante (Arisel), pierced through Ryu's heart.

"No...no!? I made a mistake! Having committed a wrong, I no longer possess 'justice'...!"

Ryu could not accept that she had stood by and watched Alicia and the others die, and desperately denied it.

however……

"I won't let anyone deny Miss Ryu's worth... or say you're wrong...!"

"!"

"Even you, Ms. Ryu, are the same...!"

Bell denied Ryu's denial.

The dripping, crimson droplets spread the pool of blood at his feet.

On the contrary, Bell's strides became stronger, and his words gradually became more passionate.

"...I don't know the former Ms. Ryu...but—"

Bell's voice reminded her of the fairy who had been possessed by the fire of vengeance.

Even so, he still strongly advocated for the adherence to "justice".

"I know someone who is more upright than anyone else..."

Bell has changed. Just as Ryu had experienced many times, he has grown into a completely different person.

His encounter with the "heretic" changed him. Fools and hypocrisy, justice and evil.

The boy, torn between these choices, hurt and constantly distressed, now has his turn to teach Ryu.

He wanted to return "something" to Ryu, who had helped him.

"what……"

Ryu already understands.

As an elf, I can shake hands with these three characters without them shaking off.

She understood that these people were those whose hearts she would not reject and who were "pure-hearted people" worthy of respect.

Alexandra guided her.

Seele comforted her.

And Bell is—

"Justice... lives on in Miss Ryu's heart."

Like a clear mirror, it returned the "justice" that Ryu had entrusted to it to her.

If Bell is right.

Then Ryu, who had given him many things, was also right.

"Therefore...! 'Justice' exists! It resides within your heart!"

Tears rolled down Ryu's cheeks.

The boy made Ryu realize that there was still a remnant of "justice" in his heart.

It is undeniable that Ryu once went astray.

She was consumed by the flames of revenge, her body and soul burned to ashes.

However, some remnants remained among the "sword and wings" that were completely burned.

It possesses "the ashes of justice".

This is the origin of her many acts of selflessness and courage in saving others.

—But if it's Leon, he'll always be able to choose the right path.

The words of my confidant came back to mind.

This statement has been proven by Bell and many others.

Think back and you'll know.

Knowing the trajectory drawn by Ryu, many smiles bloom.

That was Ryū's achievement.

It is the achievement of "justice" that remains fair and eternal even when it turns to "ashes".

The "ashes" that had accumulated in her heart rose up and filled the emptiness in Ryu's heart.

The fairy's empty soul found satisfaction at that moment.

Tears welled up in her eyes, which rippled like the surface of water.

"I...I...!"

Liu lost all means of denying it, unable even to wipe away her tears, choking back sobs and unable to speak.

Ryu didn't know what the feeling that was about to overflow from her chest was.

Ryu had no idea what the boy's courageous forward stride would bring her, or what the boy's warmth beside her would bring her.

"My current 'justice'... is to live and go back with you."

The dungeon does not have a concept of good or evil.

It's purely a matter of the survival of the fittest, with only the difference between life and death.

Therefore, if there is any "justice" involved, it is the pursuit of survival.

Returning alive from this endless labyrinth is the "royal path" and "justice" for "adventurers".

"It's about returning to the surface... returning to the gods and the others, to Miss Seele and the others...!"

Let's talk about "justice".

Let's achieve "justice".