Chapter 33 - I regret nothing. (Patreon)

As soon as the War Shadows disappeared, I looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared and killed every last one of them. It was Tiona, her massive sword still in her hands. After taking them all down, she hurried over to me.

"Rui!" she shouted, clearly worried about me.

I dropped to the ground, leaning my back against the dungeon wall. Tiona crouched beside me and asked, "Are you okay? Are you badly hurt?"

I smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, I'm not injured. I'm just tired—really tired. I pushed myself way too hard."

Tiona listened to me before looking around. Then she noticed the body of the man I had just killed.

She looked away from it and turned back to me with a serious expression.

"Who is he?" she asked.

"He suddenly attacked me. Him and four of his friends. They tried to kill me, and I had no choice but to kill all of them. If I hadn't fought back, I'd be the one dead."

Tiona listened to my explanation and let out a sigh.

"Alright. Once we get out of here, you'll have to explain everything to the Goddess."

"Don't worry. I'll tell her everything. I have nothing to hide."

"Okay. Can you stand?"

I listened to Tiona and got to my feet. Even though my legs felt incredibly heavy, I managed to stand.

Smiling, I said, "I can stand, but it's going to take us a while to get out of the dungeon."

"That's fine. We'll take it slow. I'll protect you."

"I feel like an idiot being protected by you."

"I'm stronger than you, you know."

"That's exactly why I feel like an idiot. I don't want you to protect me. I want to become strong enough to protect you."

After hearing those words, Tiona laughed.

"If you keep working as hard as you have been, you'll be stronger than me before long."

She said it with complete seriousness. She genuinely believed I could surpass her strength in the near future.

For some reason, her words made me really happy.

"Alright, enough talking. Let's pick up the pace. I want to get home as soon as possible. I want to eat a huge amount of meat and then go to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah."

####

When we arrived at the Loki Familia's home, both Tione and Ais were waiting for us.

The moment they saw us, Tione looked at us as if we were her sworn enemies.

She was clearly furious.

Her eyes immediately fell on my blood-covered body.

"What happened?"

She had already realized I wasn't injured, so she knew the blood covering me belonged to someone else.

I looked at Ais. She was staring back at me without showing the slightest emotion.

"Let's not question him right now, okay? Rui's exhausted."

"Tiona, be quiet."

"But—"

"I said be quiet."

Hearing her sister's stern voice, Tiona closed her mouth.

I smiled and said, "It's alright. I'll explain everything that happened. But I'll do it in front of the Goddess."

"Fine," Tione agreed.

Ais then walked into the house.

Before following her, Tione said, "Go take a bath. We'll talk afterward."

After the two of them went inside, Tiona turned to me.

"Did you really tell me everything?"

"Yeah, I did. I was attacked. I'll tell Loki the exact same thing, and she'll know I'm not lying. I need to make it clear that I never intended to bring trouble to the Familia."

"Alright. Do you want me to help you take a bath?"

I laughed when I heard that.

"Thanks for the offer, but it won't be necessary."

####

*Third-Person POV*

Loki was in her room after finishing her bath when someone suddenly knocked on her door.

As soon as she opened it, she saw Ais standing outside.

Surprised, she asked,

"What happened?"

"Rui got himself into trouble."

The moment she heard those words, Loki couldn't hold back a sigh.

"Sigh... What happened?"

"Something serious. You should go see him."

"Alright. I'll head downstairs. Go get Riveria and Finn."

"I will."

As Ais went to find Riveria and Finn, Loki covered her face with both hands.

"What did you do this time...?"

Judging by Ais's expression, something extremely serious had happened.

Loki had finally begun to believe in Rui again—in his growth and potential.

She didn't want to have to "get rid of" him.

That would be a disaster for the future of the Loki Familia.

She truly believed that, if he continued to work hard enough, he had the potential to become as strong as Ais or Finn.

His talent was immeasurable.

But depending on what he had done, she might have no choice but to expel him from the Familia.

Loki let out another sigh before filling her wine glass.

She emptied it in a single gulp, then left her room with hurried steps.

####

Seven people were gathered in a room with a table at its center.

Ais, Tiona, Tione, Loki, Riveria, Finn, and Rui.

Loki sat at the head of the table, with Riveria on her right and Finn on her left.

Ais, Tiona, and Tione stood a short distance away, watching silently, while Rui sat across from the three leaders, looking remarkably calm.

After all, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Start talking. What happened?" Loki asked, staring at Rui with a serious expression.

Without wasting any time, Rui began telling the whole story from the beginning.

He explained how he had helped Bell from the Hestia Familia, and how those men had later come seeking revenge.

They hunted him through the dungeon, trying to kill him.

So he fought back.

And he killed every single one of them.

He made it perfectly clear that he didn't regret any of it.

Throughout the entire explanation, he looked Loki straight in the eyes without ever looking away.

He wanted to make one thing absolutely clear:

If necessary...

He would do it all over again.

As Loki stared into Rui's unsettling eyes, she thought,

'He's really changed.'