by Fujino Omori
Lilly could feel the surprise in their collective gaze gathering around her. Even Luan, mouth open and glaring daggers at her, was frozen in disbelief. She felt like a fish out of water, unsure what to do next.
Finn, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about their audience and kept talking as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
“I honestly didn’t think you would come here today. Perhaps a messenger, but never you in person.”
“…If you were so uncertain, then why make the offer in the first place?” The situation with Bell still weighing on her heart, Lilly’s response was heavily laced with irony.
Oh no! she thought as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She had just addressed a first-tier adventurer, someone who was unquestionably her superior, with such a rude tone. A thrill ran up her spine as she waited for his response, but he just quietly chuckled to himself.
His golden hair gently swished in the soft sunlight coming in through the window.
“How about taking a seat?”
“…”
His calm demeanor was unchanged as Lilly stayed quiet and did as she was told. She didn’t take her eyes off his smile as she sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table from Finn.
“Since this is the first time the two of us have had a chance to speak like this, I think self-introductions might be in order? I’m Finn Deimne. Thank you for coming today.”
“…Lilliluka Erde.”
Both of them knew each other’s names, but Finn still gave her his name out of courtesy. Lilly followed suit. Their meeting to discuss the possibility of marriage was officially under way.
Finn set his glasses down next to a cup that was still mostly full. He ordered a drink for Lilly, and Luan brought it to the table. He set a glass in front of her, his expression a stew of complicated emotions. As soon as Luan stepped away, their conversation began.
“Is it safe to assume that you are open to my proposal, since you came here yourself?” Finn didn’t try to make small talk or give any explanations. His voice was soft, and a gentle smile never left his face as he spoke. All Lilly could do was look at her lap.
—It might be a good idea to accept his offer, said a little voice inside her head. Her feelings for the boy would never lead to anything; that was painfully obvious now. Therefore, she couldn’t shake the feeling that going along with the proposal of the man sitting in front of her was the best option. Finn was a prum like her, but the one everyone knew as the “Braver.”
Bell had said that she would “live happily.” That was likely true. Sitting face-to-face with him, she got a good sense of Finn’s integrity as well as the strength of his character. Considering his social position and resources, whoever became Finn Deimne’s partner would no doubt live in great comfort, without a worry in the world.
This kind of offer would never come her way again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, her only chance. Without Hestia’s permission, Lilly couldn’t leave the familia, but if she chose to follow Finn, most likely she’d live an easy, privileged life for the rest of her days.
There might even come a day when Finn would displace the young white-haired boy in her heart.
“…Please answer one question.” Lilly had posed many questions and answered them inside her own head up until that point. Her words came out as little more than whispers. She slowly lifted her head and her chestnut-colored eyes met his blue ones. “Why was Lilly selected?”
That was the most important question.
To be blunt, she hadn’t had the best upbringing. A life of crime—her past was stained by her time as a thief.
Lilly thought that a person who had walked her path was unfit to be with someone like Finn. So she wanted to know how he truly felt.
“Did Bell Cranell not tell you? It was your courage that made an impression on me.”
“Courage? Countless other prums have courage. What’s more, there are many far stronger prums than Lilly.”
“You may be right. But strength and courage don’t always come together. You faced incredible danger and still had the will to overcome it while knowing your own weakness. I remember what you did on the eighteenth floor. You put your own life at risk to help others, much like the great Phiana. You are a shining example to prums everywhere.”
Lilly blushed as Finn brought his innermost thoughts to light without any fanfare. Caught off guard by his honest praise for a moment, she shook her head as soon as she collected her thoughts.
“You give Lilly too much credit. Lilly is not some great angelic prum. As an adventurer, Mr. Finn surely has heard rumors of a prum with ‘sticky fingers’? One who steals items and money from other adventurers?”
“That I have.”
“Lilly is that prum. She lured adventurers into traps and stole everything valuable they carried. Yes, anyone Lilly didn’t like met the same fate. So Lilly is the worst, a horrible—”
“The fact that rumors exist in the first place means the victims lived to tell their tale. I have looked into these incidents myself, since one of my subordinates was involved. Every single one of the victims is alive and well.”
“…”
Even after Lilly confessed to her dark past, Finn was unfazed and calmly pointed out that she hadn’t killed anyone.
Lilly looked back down into her lap.
She wanted to refute his words. She had committed so many crimes over the years, and there were a few times she’d seriously considered taking the lives of adventurers.
However, those adventurers had been so tenacious.
Despite losing everything, they clung to life with the persistence of cockroaches.
That was the reason she had stayed her hand—it wasn’t worth it.
The best way to get revenge was to make them suffer as much as possible. Killing them quickly would have been too merciful and a waste, so she chose not to go through with taking their lives.
Lilly…had been naive.
“I’ve lived in Orario long enough to know that stealing possessions rather than taking lives is very tame…I’m no god. I have no right to judge you, nor am I interested in doing so.”
His words were strong, piercing like a spear. But his expression was gentle. Finn smiled and said:
“All I see is who you are now.”
“…”
“And who you are now possesses an important quality that our people have lost.”
Finn’s blue eyes blinked. He looked at Lilly with admiration.
“Lilly…hasn’t come home.”
I whisper to myself while standing in the living room.
I looked all around the city for Lilly last night, but there was no sign of her, so I came back to our home with my nonexistent tail between my legs.
The one shred of hope that I still had, that I repeated to myself over and over, was that she’d be back by morning…And now the sun is up, but no Lilly.
“Did she really…go to meet Finn…?”
She said she would. And today’s the day.
Welf and Mikoto are making breakfast in the kitchen…I think about it long and hard, but I decide to go to the goddess for advice.
After climbing the stairs, I arrive at her third-floor room and knock on her door. “Come on in,” comes her voice from the other side.
“Oh, it’s you, Bell. I heard from Haruhime that our supporter is gone. You know anything about it?”
I…I don’t know what to say.
She’s getting ready to go to work at her part-time job at a Jyaga Maru Kun street stand when I step inside. She hits me with that question right off the bat. I avoid making eye contact, looking around the room for a few moments before I divulge everything that happened last night with what I’m sure is a pitiful look on my face.
I give her every detail, hoping for some tidbit of advice. She sighs.
A big one, too. I blink a few times.
“Bell. You—If you’re trying to make her happy, you can’t think so hard before you take ac
tion.”
“!”
My head snaps up to look at my goddess.
It’s true. Considering all that happened to Lilly while she was with Soma Familia, I don’t want to say it’s out of sympathy, but I want her to be happy.
And after Finn said that…Finn said that she would “be happy.” And knowing who he is, I’m sure he would make her happy. She’d be happier with him, a top-tier adventurer much stronger than me.
Lilly said it herself. That the famous prum hero is much better than me, a class act, the perfect gentleman.
…No matter what I say or do, nothing will change.
“Just to let you know, should the supporter…Lilliluka…ask to leave my familia, I won’t stop her.”
“?!”
My goddess could see right into my mind—Is she actually reading my thoughts?!
A part of me deep down believed that, as our goddess, Lady Hestia would put an end to this whole thing if it came to that. Suffice to say, that confidence is gone now.
“That’d be one less rival to worry about…”
My mind is going in too many directions at once to comprehend what she just said under her breath. Then she raises her head.
“Bell. From the supporter’s point of view, your inability to make a decision either way just feels like meddling in her business. I’m pretty sure she’d say it herself: that she’ll decide how she wants to live, how she’ll be happiest.”
“Ah…”
“If I were in her shoes, and you were the one who came to me with that proposal, it would be a real shock.”
She looks at me kindly and says something that sounds like criticism, but it also sounds like she’s enjoying herself.
“Bell, our supporter will disappear if you don’t do something. Is that what you want?”
“I…I…”
“You know, you should be more selfish.”
She smiles at me with those pure blue eyes of hers. I stand still for a moment. My hands curl into fists a heartbeat later.
“—Please excuse me. I don’t need breakfast!”
I turn away from Lady Hestia and run out of the room. I see her soft smile after taking one last look over my shoulder. Then I’m down the stairs and out of the manor in no time flat.
“…Haaah…Gods always have to suffer.”
Hestia let out a long sigh as she watched Bell race through the front gate from her window, knowing full well she was helping her rival.
Despite what she had said, the smile hadn’t disappeared from Hestia’s lips.
“Hey! Hey, Aiz! Get a load’a this! Finn’s gonna get hitched!”
Aiz turned her head to face the voice and received a hug from behind.
It was at Loki Familia’s home, in a narrow hallway of the residence.
The Amazonian girl Tiona ran by many doors as she raced through the passageway toward Aiz. She had both her arms around the human girl’s shoulders in an instant and was absolutely bubbling with energy.
“Finn is…?”
“Yep, yep! I heard him talking about it with Riveria in the hallway last night! Just happened to be at the right place at the right time!”
Aiz’s golden eyes were wide open in a rare expression of surprise. At the same time, Tiona was vigorously nodding, barely able to contain her excitement.
“And get this! Finn was wearing glasses when he left this morning—saw it myself! He was going to meet his bride for sure! Ohhhhh, I wonder what kind of lady he’s gonna bring home?”
Tiona verbalized every thought flying through her head, causing a ruckus in the hallway.
Aiz did her best to move with the elated Amazon who currently had her in a bear hug. “Hmm,” she said quietly, raising her chin as she thought about it. It seemed strange to her that that prum, her general, would be discussing marriage. She was just about to mention that when—
“—Want to clarify what you’re talking about?”
A voice as cold as ice.
““Ah.””
Aiz and Tiona froze in place. They knew who the female warrior standing behind them was without looking.
“I only received the grandiose title ‘Braver’ because I pressured Loki into it.”
It was a corner in the Hidden Home of the Prums.
Finn and Lilly’s conversation continued with the whispers of onlookers still swirling around them.
Finn explained how he had negotiated with Loki to push for his moniker to be “Braver” at his naming ceremony during a Denatus session. It was his way of denying himself an escape route from his mission. He was bound and determined to become the rallying flag of the prum race.
“I’m willing to do anything for the revival of our people. That goes for the prums yet to be born into this world as well. And to do that…I need an heir of my own.”
Lilly sat, dumbfounded, and listened to Finn talk about the extent of his resolve and why a fitting partner was necessary for him.
Orphaned at an early age, Lilly had struggled just to stay alive. She had no time for faith in Phiana, nor did she know all that much about the goddess. However, she knew that Phiana was important to prums, which was just about how much other races knew about the prum goddess as well.
Despite that, Finn helped her understand the important role courage played in providing a beacon of hope in place of Phiana. As well as how much he devoted himself to it.
“…Mr. Finn, is there no woman who holds a special place in your heart?”
The question came out of Lilly’s mouth before she knew it.
Everything she’d heard up to this point made her believe that Finn was sacrificing himself for the good of his people. She couldn’t help but ask. Her question caught Finn by surprise, but he answered.
“…There is one obnoxious girl who is rather fond of me.”
He paused for a moment then chuckled at himself.
“It’s led to some embarrassing moments and quite a few headaches…but it feels like something’s missing when she’s not around. Sometimes I wonder if there’s something wrong with me.”
His lips awkwardly turned up into a forced smile, but Lilly could see the kindness in it.
“—But I have no interest in just living a happy life. No, the moment a simply happy life grows on me, everything I’ve done, every obstacle I’ve overcome so far will have been for nothing.”
A new wave of conviction passed over his face. Like a valiant knight renewing his vows, Finn’s blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
It was all for his people. As a fellow prum, Lilly was moved by his awe-inspiring willingness to devote himself to that cause. She couldn’t help it. She could never possess such strong conviction, such dedication to a lofty goal as he had to his people.
Ah—.
Seeing the way Finn lived his life inspired something within her heart.
No, made her remember. Her feelings for the boy.
That’s right…
The one who had rescued her wasn’t her fellow prum Finn Deimne, nor was it one of the gods.
It was Bell.
Everyone had always ignored the muddy prum at their feet. The first person to look her way, to really see her, was that white-haired boy.
Yes, that’s right. Lilly is…
As unlikely as it was, even if Hestia ever turned away from him, Lilly would never abandon him. Even if the world labeled him a criminal, exiling him to some faraway place, it would be Lilly right by his side. She would continue to support him.
The boy was barreling forward at a breakneck pace, but even still, Lilly would travel that path with him for the rest of her life.
On that day he forgave, accepted, held, and laughed with her—she had made her decision.
“…”
What’s this? Lilly laughed to herself.
All in all, she and Finn were one and the same. It was almost like looking in the mirror. She had something to devote her life to.
In that moment, a guaranteed happy life slipped through Lilly’s fin
gers. The same emotions that had caused her so much pain over the past two days would probably strike again.
However, she had already decided: No matter what happened, she would never leave that boy’s side. It was not completely out of atonement—she simply wanted to. Lilly would continue to support Bell.
She would devote her life to her family, much like the man in front of her was doing.
“It really…didn’t matter…”
“?”
Lilly quietly whispered under her breath. Finn tilted his head.
In negative terms, Lilly was blind; to a more neutral perspective, she was loyal. But looking at it in the best possible way, it was unconditional love.
She, a very plain-looking girl, was competing with a goddess, among others. A tiny part of her felt that way. But whether Aiz Wallenstein was in the running or not, whether Bell had someone special to him or not, none of that had mattered from the beginning.
“…Sorry, Mr. Finn.”
Lilly sat up straight and looked Finn directly in the eye.
“Lilly declines your offer.”
She smiled softly and bowed her head.
“Can I hear the reason?”
Finn returned her smile and asked why.
“Just like you have devoted your life to our people, Lilly, too…has devoted her life to Bell. Lilly has made up her mind.”
Lilly explained that the two of them were one and the same.
The scale of their commitments might be completely different, but their level of determination was identical. Lilly responded with gratitude to the man who had reminded her of something she nearly lost.
“I see,” Finn said with a nod. “…Haaa…So it wasn’t going to work out after all.” Finn closed his eyes and sighed, a weak smile on his lips.
“I had an inkling going in that there wasn’t much hope. Even my thumb told me this wouldn’t work out…Call it my intuition.”
“If that’s so, why make the offer?”
Lilly was confused by his remarks. Finn, however, whose youthful expression matched his appearance, gave her a genuine smile.
“Didn’t I tell you? It was your courage that caught my eye.”
