Half a day later.
Their home was quiet. Too quiet for a house that used to be full of casual chatter and Bell's calm voice.
"Wait... who was that woman again!?" Hestia asked, her eyes going wide as she jolted up from her seat.
Across from Hestia, Astraea rested her elbow on a table, massaging her forehead. The last rays of sunlight spilled through a nearby window, casting long shadows across her face.
"Lady Hestia. It was 'Silence' from Orario's Dark Age." Ryuu replied instead, leaning against the far wall, arms crossed beneath her chest.
"But... how could you both let an unknown woman take charge of a defenseless Bell? What if she does something to him? Astraea, don't tell me you aren't worried too!" Hestia rapid-fired her questions, hands coming to grip on the table's edge.
Astraea sighed heavily.
"First of all, we couldn't have stopped that woman from staying with Bell even if we tried." Slight dark circles hung under her eyes, and her hair was ruffled in places.
"How? Wasn't Ryuu a Level 6 with Haruhime's level boost?" Hestia glanced toward the kitchen. Haruhime had paused her chores, her fox ears standing at strict attention as she eavesdropped.
"Lady Hestia... even as a Level 6... I wouldn't last two moves against 'Silence'." Ryuu clarified with calm certainty. There was no jest in her tone.
"Wha—" Hestia cut herself off, falling into a stunned silence.
Astraea picked up from there.
"Besides, she claims to be Bell's aunt."
A heavy pause lingered.
"It might be true, now that I think about it. Bell's talent, his snow-white hair, his face... they're reminiscent of 'Silence' herself. The clues were always there; I just failed to piece them together." It took Hestia a moment to digest Astraea's words.
"Who is this 'Silence' that you speak of with such gravity? And why wouldn't even Ryuu last two moves against her?" Hestia asked, her voice dropping low.
"Lady Hestia... 'Silence' is a Level 7 adventurer. She is the woman who killed the Leviathan." Ryuu spoke.
Hestia's breath hitched, her hold tightening on the table. Meanwhile, Haruhime's tail stood on end.
"Seven years ago, she fought against the Astraea Familia." Ryuu's arms tightened across her chest—a subtle, involuntary reaction.
"She nearly defeated all of us. And she was holding back."
A pause.
"She was racked with a crushing illness at that time."
Her last sentence came out like it still didn't make sense. Like no matter how many years passed, she couldn't reconcile the memory of that effortless devastation with the reality that the woman responsible for it had been dying even as she did it.
"And then, she died." Astraea added, making both Hestia and Haruhime freeze.
"If she died, then how is she here right now, keeping us from even looking at Bell?" Hestia frowned, glancing up at the ceiling—toward the floor above them.
"We don't know, Lady Hestia. All we saw was Bell's wheel spin, and she was already beside him, appearing out of thin air." Ryuu said, following Hestia's gaze upward.
"Forget about her for a moment. Tell me about Bell—how is he?" Hestia asked. Her focus shifted to something far graver, her nails digging into wood.
Both women flinched.
"Lady Hestia... Bell..." Ryuu forced the words out, a slight tremble in her lower lip.
"His hair had mostly turned grey when we brought him back."
Her words hung in the air. Hestia's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She looked at Ryuu—really looked at her—and saw something she had never seen in her eyes before. Hesitation.
"Countless burns ran across his body. Most of them severe."
Haruhime's fingers found a counter's edge. Hestia's grip on the table turned white-knuckled. Neither spoke.
Then Ryuu continued.
"But... he healed. Terrifyingly fast. All those severe burns — most of them had healed on their own by the time we brought him home."
A collective breath of relief escaped Haruhime and Hestia, though their calm was visibly forced.
"He should be nearly healed by now." Ryuu continued.
"What about Bell-sama's grey hair, Ms. Ryuu?" Haruhime asked from the kitchen doorway, leaning against that counter for support.
"It had already started to return to its radiant white."
Hestia's tense body relaxed, and she flopped back into her chair, her grip on the table loosening.
"He should wake up soon then, right?" She asked, closing her eyes as her shoulders sagged.
No reply came. Hestia's eyes snapped open.
Ryuu wore a conflicted expression, her seasoned adventurer's intuition clearly clashing with her hopes.
"Given the natural pace of his healing... he should have woken up hours ago."
Hestia's shoulders tensed once again. Yet before she could speak, Haruhime's lips moved first.
"Is Bell-sama... alright?"
Astraea looked toward Haruhime, opened her mouth, then closed it.
Harsh scrape of wood rang out as Hestia shoved back from the table and marched toward the stairs.
"I'm taking Bell straight to the Dia Saint for treatment." She didn't slow her stride.
"Lady Hestia—" Ryuu started, but Astraea raised a hand, halting her.
The goddess looked at Hestia's back and spoke softly.
"Hestia... come back."
Hestia whipped around, staring at Astraea with wide, unblinking eyes.
"Alright... don't make that expression. The Dia Saint is already here." Astraea said, her tone reassuring.
Hestia blinked, then retraced her steps wordlessly, sliding back into her chair.
"So... Bell's aunt called the Dia Saint?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
Ryuu's lips twitched. Astraea kept her lips pressed together.
"...She didn't call the Dia Saint. She went to the Dian Cecht Clinic and kidnapped Airmid." Ryuu spoke.
"A Level 5 from the Ganesha Familia tried to stop her..." She paused.
"He might still be out of commission."
Hestia's jaw fell open. Even Haruhime felt a twinge of sympathy for that adventurer.
"Besides... Freya sent her strongest healer, Heith Velvet, to look after Bell alongside Airmid." Astraea added, glancing up at the sudden sound of footsteps from above.
"So... the Two Great Healers of Orario are tending to Bell together." Hestia concluded, a heavy sigh rumbling from her chest.
"We just hope it'll be enough to make him wake up soon." Astraea's words made Ryuu, Hestia, and Haruhime nod in unison.
...
Upstairs.
Bell lay on a bed, eyes closed. A curtain of white-silver hair spread across the pillow beneath him. He had been changed into a loose tunic and pants, though some burns were still visible running down his arms from beneath the fabric.
Alfia sat in a chair beside him, staring at his sleeping face unblinkingly. She traced the lines of his features again and again, feeling as though she were looking at her own sister, Meteria.
You should have let me vanish when your mana ran out. Yet, you left enough for me to stay materialized... burning more of your own life instead.
Without warning, Bell's brows furrowed, as if he were facing a formidable foe in his dreams.
Alfia reached out, her hand stopping just a fraction away from his forehead. Her fingers trembled—just once—before she pulled back and settled them against her knee.
Stupid nephew.
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Authors Thoughts]
Wondering why Alfia is still here? Well our boy Bell didn't want his Aunt dear to vanish, so he left enough mana to keep her materialised, burning more of his life force instead.
...
Who wants to be a stupid nephew? I bet all of us want to be. After all, who can say no to mommy Alfia?
Anyway... take care and have a wonderful day, everyone!
Does the stupid nephew hit? Before, I couldn't land most emotional beats. How about now?