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Chapter 24: Is It Wrong for Astraea-sama to Read Lewd Books?
The starlit garden that served as the temporary haven for the Astraea Familia was heavy with the scent of evening jasmine and the sharp, antiseptic tang of healing salves. Outside the walls, Orario was a city held together by grit and desperation, but inside, a different kind of tension was brewing. The elites of the Familia had returned from the chaotic skirmish with Zard, their armor scorched but their spirits remarkably... confused.
Alise Lovell, the brilliant and boisterous captain, marched through the corridors with a stride that suggested she was carrying either a legendary artifact or a high-grade explosive. Tucked firmly under her arm was the forbidden Tome: Alpia-Mama's Sex Education.
"Lady Astraea! We have returned from the field of battle... and we've brought back a most unusual piece of intelligence!" Alise announced, throwing open the doors to the goddess's private library.
Astraea, the Goddess of Justice, looked up from a stack of casualty reports. Her silver hair glowed softly in the candlelight, and her eyes, deep as the night sky, filled with relief at the sight of her "children". "I am glad you are safe, Alise. I heard reports of the Dark Faction being thrown into total disarray by—and I quote—'a grey-haired demon of scandal'".
"That would be an understatement, my Lady," Kaguya Gojouno sighed, leaning against a bookshelf while crossing her arms. "We encountered a girl who is either the bravest soul in history or a lunatic who finds war zones convenient for selling smut".
Alise stepped forward and placed the book on the mahogany desk with a dramatic thud. "Behold! The weapon that broke the Silent's composure!"
Astraea blinked, her gaze dropping to the cover. There, depicted in agonizingly high detail, was Alpia—the terrifying scourge of the Hera Familia—captured in an act of domestic, motherly intimacy that bordered on the divine and the degenerate. The title screamed from the page in bold, unapologetic ink.
For a long minute, the library was so silent that the fluttering of the candle flame sounded like a roar. Ryu Lion stood at the back of the group, her posture as rigid as a temple pillar. Her elven ears were a shade of crimson so deep they practically glowed in the dim light.
To think Lady Astraea is being subjected to this... Ryu thought, her fingers twitching near her sword hilt. That grey-haired girl... her parallel chanting was a marvel of magic, but her morals are truly in the abyss.
Astraea reached out, her slender, pale fingers tracing the edge of the paper. To the surprise of everyone in the room, she didn't recoil. She didn't call for a purification ritual. Instead, she picked up the book and began to flip through the pages with the focused, analytical gaze of a judge reviewing evidence.
"Um... Lady Astraea?" Alise asked, her heroic grin faltering slightly. "If it's too much, I can... I can dispose of it in a holy fire?"
"No, Alise. This is fascinating," Astraea murmured, her eyes scanning the panels where Zard was being lectured on the responsibilities of fatherhood. "There is a profound theological argument buried beneath these... rather explicit illustrations".
"Theological?" Lyra asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You mean you've found 'Justice' in a book about Alpia tossing birth control in the trash?"
"I have," Astraea declared, looking up with a serene and holy light in her eyes. "Justice is the pursuit of truth, and truth is often obscured by fear. The Dark Faction uses fear as a shroud to paralyze the city. But this author... she has used a 'beautiful falsehood' to strip that fear away. By turning these monsters into figures of domestic comedy and shared human desire, she has rendered them mortal once more. This is not just a book, Alise. It is a catalyst for hope".
"So... it's totally okay for us to keep reading it?" Alise asked, her eyes lighting up.
"In the pursuit of understanding the human heart, no corner should remain unlit," Astraea said with a straight face, even as she reached a particularly detailed panel of Alpia's "charms". "Though I must admit, the anatomical accuracy of this particular curve is... technically impressive".
"I knew Astraea-sama would get it!" Alise cheered, giving a thumbs-up to the ceiling.
"I'm going to go meditate in a waterfall until the world makes sense again," Kaguya muttered, though she didn't actually leave the room.
Ryu remained silent, but her gaze was drawn to the final page as Astraea turned it. There, she saw the illustration of the young boy with the clear, dreaming eyes standing beside the motherly Alpia. Astraea's expression softened, the analytical mask melting into something warm and ancient.
"A boy who carries the sky in his eyes..." Astraea whispered, her thumb lingering over the image of young Bell. "Whoever drew this... they weren't just mocking Alpia. They were painting a future that shouldn't be possible. A future where even the 'Silent' can find a reason to smile".
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