Chapter 280

Chapter 280: Chapter 280

Ryuu’s interest was immediately piqued by Jeanne’s words.

"Jeanne, you’ve fought in wars before?"

"That’s right. She was even a marshal, you know. Pretty impressive, isn’t she?"

Kiriya answered with a grin.

"Honestly..."

Embarrassed by the way he was showing her off, Jeanne gave Kiriya a mildly reproachful look before turning back to Ryuu.

"Yes, although that was a very long time ago."

"I see..."

Ryuu’s curiosity only deepened.

A female marshal whose personal strength surpassed even her own could hardly have been an unknown figure.

Even if Jeanne had come from some distant, isolated kingdom, someone with accomplishments like that should have become famous across the continent.

"What happened afterward, Jeanne?"

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Ryuu asked for more.

"Afterward..."

Jeanne hesitated.

Kiriya answered in her place.

"Afterward, nobles from her own side betrayed her and sold her to the enemy. Eventually, she was sentenced to be burned at the stake."

"..."

Ryuu went silent.

Looking at Jeanne’s serene, peaceful expression, she suddenly wanted to hit herself over the head.

Why had she insisted on asking?

"Where are those bastards?"

Ryuu gritted her teeth.

"I’ll help you get revenge."

After witnessing the deaths of her Familia companions and later being talked through everything by Kiriya and Astraea, Ryuu’s outlook had changed considerably.

When it came to people who committed unforgivable acts, she now believed far more strongly in repaying blood with blood.

"There’s no need."

Jeanne smiled calmly.

"My own hands were stained with blood as well. For someone who took so many lives on the battlefield, being killed in return was hardly something incomprehensible."

"You... really don’t hate them at all?"

Ryuu stared at her in disbelief.

"That was all a long time ago."

That simple answer left an ache in Ryuu’s heart.

She set her bowl aside and gently wrapped her arms around Jeanne.

"I wish I could have met you sooner. Then maybe I could have helped you."

Her voice came muffled against Jeanne’s shoulder.

"But we’ve met now, haven’t we?"

Jeanne’s answer was as warm as ever.

"You really are... I don’t even know what to say about you."

Ryuu had absolutely no resistance to that kind of gentle, compassionate warmth.

For a moment, she simply remained in Jeanne’s embrace, almost losing herself in the comfort of it.

After a while, however, she turned her head and shot Kiriya a fierce glare.

She did not say a word, but the threat in her eyes was unmistakable.

’You had better never, ever hurt Jeanne. If you do, I’ll kill you.’

Kiriya blinked, then silently mouthed back,

’Leave it to me.’

...

The night passed peacefully.

By the next day, all three had recovered almost completely after a full night’s rest.

After eating another generous meal, they packed their belongings and prepared to head toward Floor 51.

They had already come this far. It would have been a waste not to seize the opportunity to train a little more.

Floor 50 was enormous, and simply traveling from their campsite to the exit took some time.

When they finally arrived, however, they unexpectedly found a sizable expedition party already moving through the area.

"The Loki Familia?"

Ryuu paused.

Then she remembered that this was indeed around the time when the Loki Familia usually conducted one of its expeditions.

"People you know?"

Jeanne asked curiously.

"Yeah. Most of them are pretty good people."

A smile appeared on Kiriya’s face.

"I’ll introduce you in a minute."

He had barely finished speaking when several figures separated from the expedition party and rapidly approached them.

The one in front possessed flowing golden hair and a slender, graceful figure, moving toward them like a light breeze.

It was the Sword Princess, Ais, whom Kiriya had not seen in quite some time.

Close behind her came an Amazon girl dressed in her usual revealing battle attire.

Her toned muscles shifted visibly with every movement, and she raced forward like a hunting leopard.

Following behind her was Tione, wearing an exasperated expression.

Whoosh!

Within several blinks, Ais had already reached Kiriya.

Her chest rose and fell noticeably from the speed of her approach.

She opened her mouth as though there were several things she wanted to say, but in the end, all of them became one simple sentence.

"You came?"

"Yeah. I’m here."

Kiriya smiled.

Looking at Ais’s naturally blank expression, his hand instinctively began rising toward her head, intending to give her a familiar pat.

Unfortunately, the gesture was interrupted before it could even begin.

The Amazon girl behind Ais launched herself forward like a leopard and crashed straight into Kiriya.

Both arms and legs immediately wrapped around him, clinging to his body like an octopus.

"Kiriya! It’s been forever! I missed you so much!"

Tiona rubbed her face enthusiastically against Kiriya’s chest and shoulder like a puppy finally reunited with its owner after a long separation.

"T-Tiona?"

Ais tilted her head while staring at the scene.

For some reason she could not explain, a faint sour feeling appeared in her chest.

"Hm?"

Hearing her friend call her name, Tiona lifted her head and looked toward Ais.

"Ais, you want one too? Sure, we can—"

Thunk!

Before she could finish, a hand chop struck her squarely on the head.

Tione had finally caught up and was staring at her younger sister with an expression of profound disappointment.

"Idiot Tiona! Stop throwing yourself at people without warning. Get down already."

"No!"

Tiona tightened all four limbs around Kiriya.

"I haven’t replenished my Kiriya energy in ages. I’m going to absorb as much as I can while I’ve got the chance!"

"Enough already!"

Tione delivered several more blows before finally suppressing her overly energetic sister.

Only then did Tiona reluctantly climb down, although both hands remained firmly wrapped around Kiriya’s arm.

"Sorry about her."

Tione gave Kiriya a small bow.

"She caused you trouble again."

"Hahaha, it’s fine. Tiona’s cheerful and straightforward. It’s cute."

Kiriya praised her without thinking.

Then he suddenly felt a chill from behind.

He glanced over his shoulder.

Ryuu had turned her face away, her lips slightly pursed.

’Oh? The ice-cold beauty is jealous.’

That was rare.

Following Kiriya’s gaze, Ais, Tiona, and Tione finally noticed Ryuu and Jeanne standing nearby.

"And these two are...?"

"Oh."

Kiriya immediately took Ryuu’s hand.

"This is Ryuu. She’s my lover."

"...You’re kidding."

"No way..."

"..."

All three girls opposite him fell into stunned silence.

Unless they remembered incorrectly, Kiriya’s lover was supposed to be Goddess Hestia.

So how had it suddenly become this elf?

Had he gotten tired of Hestia?

Had he fallen for someone else?

Within seconds, all three had already imagined several melodramatic possibilities.

Unfortunately, they had been shocked too early.

Because Kiriya then took Jeanne’s hand as well.

"And this is Jeanne."

He smiled.

"She’s also my lover."

"NANII?!" the three girls exclaimed together.

The worldview of the three comparatively innocent girls seemed to collapse all at once, leaving them unable to recover for quite some time.

Ais in particular felt the strange sourness in her chest intensify until it seemed ready to overflow.

Ryuu and Jeanne were hardly in a better state.

Why had Kiriya suddenly decided to announce everything so openly?

It was embarrassing!

"What exactly are you doing?"

Ryuu’s face had turned as red as a fresh apple after rain, tempting enough to bite.

"Kiriya..."

Jeanne lowered her head, but instead of pulling away, her fingers tightened around his hand.

"Showing off, obviously."

Kiriya puffed out his chest without the slightest shame.

"When I have lovers this wonderful, shouldn’t I let the whole world know?"

Now that he stood among the strongest people in Orario, he possessed more than enough confidence to withstand whatever consequences came from being open about his relationships.

"You... both agreed to this?"

Tione looked between Ryuu and Jeanne, each beautiful in an entirely different way, and asked the question almost blankly.

Neither woman answered.

But at a moment like this, their refusal to deny it was already the clearest possible confirmation.

’What an unbelievable womanizer.’

Tione silently sighed in relief.

’Good thing Captain is devoted.’

She then turned toward her younger sister.

"Tiona, I really think you should—"

"That sounds fun! Why don’t I join too?"

Tiona interrupted her excitedly.

She had always been straightforward like this, loving and hating openly and saying exactly what came to mind.

The entire area suddenly fell silent.

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"What?"

Tiona seemed completely unconcerned by their reactions.

She answered with perfect honesty.

"Kiriya’s amazing. What’s wrong with him having a few more lovers?"

"Loki will never agree."

Tione knew better than anyone how stubborn her sister could become once she made up her mind, so she had little choice but to bring up their goddess in an attempt to discourage her.

"Hmph! Who cares what that stupid squinty-eyed goddess thinks?"

Tiona raised a small fist with complete confidence.

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