Finn's office.
After Vesta left, Finn was alone in the room, clicking his tongue as he replayed the exchange from earlier.
"Could I think about it a little?"
"Hmm..."
It had been a hesitant request to put things on hold. Finn had told him to take all the time he needed, as if it were only natural, and sent him back.
"Why did he put it on hold?"
But his mind was already working so hard it was close to overheating. Vesta was the biggest concern on the Hero's mind lately.
An unidentified man of unknown affiliation, a mysterious fellow who had suddenly dropped in from nowhere.
He had left him alone because Loki's instincts and his own thumb both said there was no danger, but that did not change the fact that the man was full of mysteries.
Honestly, Finn had expected the man to accept the offer just now without hesitation. Based on everything Vesta had shown so far, he had been surprisingly proactive when it came to protecting Ais.
He was unnaturally kind to Ais. And beyond that, his nature was so clean that it had passed even a god's intuition and a high elf's obsessive fastidiousness. Finn had thought there would be no reason to refuse...
"Could he actually be connected to Evilus... no, that's not it."
If he were Evilus, then this would have been something he absolutely had to accept. That would have made it easy to kidnap Ais.
Though if he were Evilus, he would never have made it this far in the first place.
"Is there some kind of problem?"
Given how favorably he treated Ais, it did not seem like he was refusing out of annoyance. More likely, there was some problem with serving as her escort.
"But I can't think of anything..."
Even the Hero of all people could not reach the conclusion that, because he was a being from the future, interfering with the past was difficult. And so his thoughts only sank deeper into a maze.
"When was the last time I agonized over something like this... He really is a mysterious man."
*
"Would you mind escorting Ais?"
In the basement of the church, I lay sprawled on the sofa, mulling over what I had just heard.
Escorting Ais... Normally, it would not be something to refuse, but...
"Given my situation..."
When I thought about the effect my existence might have, I decided it was no longer wise to act carelessly.
I had already influenced forces on the Egyptian side. My grandfather and Lord Zeus were both figures from the past, so for now it was barely safe, but Ais and Loki Familia were different.
The executives of Loki Familia were veterans who would survive all the way to my own active years. The deeper my ties became with them, the more the future would begin to shake.
For now, it was not a big deal since I met them with my hood pulled low, but the condition that I stay with her for escort duty included lodging and meals, so hiding forever would be impossible.
Even if it were possible, having someone constantly wrapped in a black robe around would only make everyone uncomfortable.
"That, and... that place is a little..."
Besides, that place would eventually become the home of Hestia Familia, would it not? For me now, it was a place that carried far too much pressure.
"But Ais is in danger...?"
That was the first I had heard of it, so I could not really predict what it meant.
What if everything I had done so far snowballed and led to danger for Ais?
An accelerated schedule might twist the original future. If so, was it really right to leave this alone?
And even apart from that, there might already be changes happening that I did not know about. The biggest problem was that I did not know this era very well.
Things that happened before I was even born. All I knew of this age were the stories my grandfather told me and rumors that had become urban legends. In the end, I did not truly know how anything would turn out, so even making a hasty judgment was difficult for me.
"Haah, if only the situation itself were normal..."
If this were not the real past, I would have acted first and thought later. But when the stakes are the future, I cannot move so easily.
Hmm, the surest solution would be for me to escort Ais myself, but...
"This is troublesome..."
"What is?"
"What do you mean, what is—"
...Huh? Who is that?
Startled by the voice, I sat up and saw a woman with the same white hair as mine standing at the entrance.
"Materia?"
"Hello, Vesta-kun."
I had been surprised by the sudden visit, but thinking about it, it was not especially strange. I was the one borrowing this place from Materia, after all. Her appearing out of nowhere was a little unexpected, though.
"Did the Empress bring you here?"
That was the impression I had gotten the second time I met the Empress. I did not know whether it was magic or a skill, but she probably had some kind of stealth ability.
She could hide herself at will, which made it hard to track her position. Maybe she even erased her presence, because I had been slow to notice her approach.
At least it did not seem like she could hide her gaze as well, but a Level 9 expert would not rely on sight alone, so if I let my guard down, I might still get caught off guard.
"You were still here. Couldn't you find lodging?"
"Ah... this place was comfortable, so I ended up staying. I'll leave soon."
"No, I'm glad you liked it here."
As always, Materia smiled warmly.
Since she had come here, this was probably a secret meeting, right? Should I make myself scarce?
"It's not a secret meeting today. He can't come today."
"...I didn't say anything."
"...? Oh, really? How did I know that?"
What was I supposed to do with that question?
Yeah, this woman was strange in her own way too.
"Hera let me out in secret. My confinement still hasn't been lifted, so this is unusual."
"You were under confinement? No wonder you hadn't come..."
"Heehee, even if I wasn't under confinement, I'd still be stuck inside all the same. They call it confinement, but nothing is really different from usual."
Even though she was talking about something heavy, Materia spoke as if it were nothing at all.
Stuck inside even without confinement... what did that mean?
"...My body isn't in very good shape."
"Is it that bad...?"
"Yes, it's very, very bad."
Even as she said that, Materia's face remained calm.
Had she already accepted it long ago? I had seen plenty of people curse the world when they were suffering, but this woman was so steadfast even with such a frail body.
She was weak, but strong all the same.
"Still, everyone is kind to me. Arphia is here too."
"Ah, Arphia is your older sister, right?"
"Yes... Ah, come to think of it, I'm late in thanking you. Thank you for before."
"No, I was the one who offered."
"I'm sorry. Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"
Nothing happened... At that, I took a moment to review everything that had happened so far.
Fighting Arphia, confronting the giant, getting my Potato Balls stolen by Ais, nearly getting beaten by my grandfather...
"Nothing happened!"
"Your eyes look insane."
Only one eye, but it was spinning like I had been hypnotized. If Zeus had seen it, he would have said it was a thoroughly broken eye.
"More importantly, what brings you here, Materia?"
"I wanted to get some fresh air after a long time, but this was the only place I could think of..."
"...Should I leave?"
"No, I'd rather have you keep me company."
Well, that much was fine.
Materia sat down in a suitable spot and started chatting. I did not know whether she had no one to talk to in Hera Familia or whether she had always been talkative, but strangely enough, I did not find her annoying or boring at all.
"Hera is actually the one who overprotects me the most in the Familia after Arphia. Normally she would never let me out, but this time she even sneaked me out... I wonder why."
To my surprise, this woman seemed to be a treasured favorite even to that Hera. I had not expected her to be like that at all, but apparently that goddess still had some human feelings left in her. Even if she was a goddess.
Come to think of it, from what I heard, it sounded less like she was being secretly let out and more like she was being doted on in the locked-up, overprotective way my grandfather called yandere. But why let her out now?
"She seemed to have a lot on her mind. Just like you, Vesta-kun."
"...Me?"
I was flustered by the sudden remark.
How did she know?
"It just looked that way. For some reason, Vesta-kun is easy to read."
"..."
I used to hear that a lot when I was younger, but I thought I had gotten better with age... Had living alone made me worse again?
Come to think of it, whenever I met this woman, I always felt strangely less tense. Maybe she really did have something about her.
"What are you worried about? If it's all right with you, I'll listen!"
She puffed out her small chest and said it with a proud expression.
Seeing that, I felt my strength drain away.
She was a strange person. A peculiar woman who made the people around her feel at ease just by being there.
In that moment, I could almost understand why Hera doted on her so much.
"But telling you my worries..."
She probably did not mean it that way, but it was a little too close for comfort.
I wondered how she would react if she knew I was a man from another era.
"Well, I'm not going to tell her that."
That was not something I could go around telling people. It was not even something I should say.
Still, she looked so confident that it felt awkward to just say no... Maybe I should ask her about something else.
Talking it out with someone might help a little. Thinking that, I began to confide my worries to Materia.