Chapter 203

“Can you please stop? People are looking,” Ryuu said, glancing at some curious onlookers sneaking glances at them through their closed shutters.

“Come on, let me enjoy your scent a bit longer,” Adi replied, tightening her grip around Ryuu’s back.

Ryuu tried to pull away forcefully, but Adi only clung tighter.

This playful struggle continued for a few moments until Adi finally let go.

“Now your expression seems a lot better,” Adi said, a hint of relief in her tone.

"Were you perhaps trying to comfort me?" Ryuu asked, curious about why Adi had suddenly latched onto her.

“Of course! You looked like you had a lot on your mind. You didn’t even sense me until I touched you,” Adi replied.

“Ah…” Ryuu exclaimed, a bit embarrassed again.

“So why are you all alone, looking lost?” Adi asked.

“I’m on patrol,” Ryuu replied.

Adi nodded and fell in step beside Ryuu as she resumed walking.

“What about you? What are you doing?” Ryuu asked, changing the topic.

“I just got off work. Taking inventory of everything we confiscated from the black market traders was exhausting,” Adi replied.

“Ah, that’s right. You won’t believe what we found,” Adi said, her eyes lighting up.

However, looking at Ryuu’s face, she could tell her friend wasn’t paying much attention.

“Care to share what’s on your mind?” Adi asked.

“It’s nothing much… just thinking about things,” Ryuu said, her gaze fixed on the ground.

“You may not have noticed, but you’re a really bad liar. So fess up, what’s wrong?” Adi said.

“Adi,” Ryuu muttered, feeling a bit emotional as she saw the warmth in her friend’s smile.

“Let’s worry about it together. That’s what friends are for,” Adi said.

They stopped at a closed shop with a few empty benches left outside, and Ryuu began to share her story.

“So that Eren guy showed up after the soup kitchen massacre, huh?” Adi muttered.

“I wish I had been there for you,” Adi said.

“It’s okay; you were busy working with Finn and Shakti. Vasiliki somewhat helped me deal with him,” Ryuu replied.

“This Eren is a lot meaner than he seemed at first, don’t you think?” Adi said.

“I hope that’s all it is. I know gods can be a bit detached, but this seemed more than that,” Ryuu said.

“From what you described, he sounds like a dumb guy vying for your attention,” Adi speculated.

“How did you arrive at that conclusion?” Ryuu asked, indignation and embarrassment creeping into her voice.

“Nothing about Eren seems romantic,” she muttered.

Ryuu’s mind suddenly recalled all that Eren had said—the question he asked, the dilemma he put her through.

“What do you think justice is, true justice I mean?” Ryuu asked Adi, hoping to glean some insight from her friend.

She remembered asking Draco this very question, but his answer had been a bit confusing.

“Hmm, that’s a hard question. I think everyone has their own answer to that. I wonder if the gods do too,” Adi replied, stroking her slender chin in thought.

“I’m not as smart as my big sister. If I overthink, I tend to just go around in circles,” Adi muttered.

Ryuu would have accepted Adi’s answer in the past, but now it was different.

She needed a concrete theory that would convince not only herself but Eren too.

What made good different from evil? This was the question she needed to answer, and now it looked like she would have to find the answer on her own.

Feeling abandoned at the center of a maze, Ryuu cast her gaze to the ground once more.

After pondering Ryuu’s question for a while longer, Adi’s eyes suddenly lit up as she arrived at an answer.

“How about this? Justice is turning weapons into music,” Adi declared.

“What…” Ryuu muttered, confused and perplexed by this odd answer.

“Yeah! Like hanging up swords, spears, and daggers to make them wind chimes! Or getting two shields to crash against each other like cymbals, or beating a cannon like a drum!” Adi exclaimed, her eyes glinting as though she had discovered the inner secrets of the world.

Ryuu just stared at Adi, wondering if the girl had suddenly gone mad.

Adi gestured wildly, her expression like that of a child.

“Making it so weapons don’t hurt people anymore but bring them smiles instead. That’s my justice! And it can be yours too. Just don’t think about it too hard,” Adi said.

Adi’s attempt to cheer Ryuu up only elicited a long silence from her.

“You know that’s not true, Adi. You’ve thought about this way longer than I have. Remember what you said that day?” Ryuu said, recalling the day they caught the thief who stole Eren’s wallet.

That day, Ryuu fought to apply the law to its fullest extent, but Adi had stopped her and asked, ‘Do you think forgiveness can be part of justice?’

‘Seems like Eren may be right. The only reason we can afford to worry about justice is because we are the ones in power,’ Ryuu thought.

“While I mindlessly followed the law, you went beyond that. You thought about it until you found the justice you believe in,” Ryuu said.

The two girls sat side by side, bathed in the red glow of the evening.

Ryuu’s words had caused Adi’s carefree demeanour to falter.

“You’re right; justice isn’t easy, Ryuu,” Adi said with a lonely smile.

“You can’t make others agree with your opinion, but you also can’t keep it to yourself either, or you’ll never be able to change the world. Sometimes, I wonder if true justice even exists.”

“Adi,” Ryuu muttered, feeling a bit sad that she had caused her carefree friend to speak like this.

“All I want is for everyone to get along, to be happy, and not to think so hard about anything,” Adi said.

It was a childish wish—noble and simple, yet perhaps impossible to grant.

What would Draco say? What about Alise or her goddess Astraea? Would they agree with her? The gods descended from heaven to live among the people, but they brought no answers—only guidance, as if to say, “This is your story; figure it out yourself.”

But how long would that story take, and would she ever find the answers she was searching for? These thoughts plagued Ryuu’s mind until Adi broke her line of thought.

“You know… at times like these, I find it best to be honest with yourself,” Adi said.

“What do you mean?” Ryuu asked.

“About what you want to do,” Adi replied, abruptly standing up.

“And what I want to do now is make you happy, Ryuu. I guess this is my justice now,” Adi declared loudly.

Ryuu’s eyes widened at Adi’s sudden declaration as Adi grabbed her hands and pulled her up. “Let’s dance, Ryuu! Right here, right now!” Adi said.

“What? Have you lost your mi—” Ryuu didn’t get to finish her sentence as Adi pulled her to the center of the street.

With their fingers entwined, the pair skipped across the cobblestone road, with Adi leading Ryuu, who desperately tried not to stumble.

Before long, Adi broke into cute giggles, and a few people stopped to watch the commotion.

“What’s going on?” asked a dwarven labourer.

“An elf and a human dancing in the street,” said a weary human labourer.

“They just started all of a sudden, in the middle of the street,” said a sparkly-eyed cat girl.

Before long, a large crowd gathered to watch them.

Adi paid no mind to them, but Ryuu was blushing so hard that her entire face turned red.

“Adi, please stop! W-why are we doing this?” Ryuu stuttered.

“I am just doing what an old tale said,” Adi replied.

“I read this in the ‘Tales of Argonaut!’ So dance, fair maiden, dance to your heart’s delight. Show me the smile that graces your lips!” Adi yelled, her expression one of intoxicating delight.

“What?” Ryuu said in shock.

“It’s my favourite story! I think I know what my justice is now! It’s to make everyone happy!” Adi happily declared, reciting the line with great familiarity and hastening her footsteps.

Now Ryuu felt as though she would fall if she didn’t keep up and was too busy watching her feet to defy Adi’s whims.

“What an odd couple,” someone muttered.

“Yeah, but for some reason, I like this,” another person said.

“Go girls! You both look so beautiful!” a woman yelled from her open shutters.

The initially empty and gloomy streets began to lighten up with hoots and whistles encouraging them.

Children soon came out of their homes, and began imitating the two girls.

“See, everyone is smiling right now,” Adi said, directing Ryuu’s gaze to the bubbly atmosphere around them.

“But they are looking at us! Everyone is watching me trip on my own feet!” Ryuu protested.

“Hahahaha!” Adi just chuckled.

“Then we’re going to dance until you’re good at it!” she whispered, ignoring Ryuu’s cute protests.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“What are these two idiots doing now?” Draco muttered.

He had been flying home from the guild after an exhausting meeting when he spotted Adi and Ryuu sitting on a bench together.

He wanted to speak with Adi about the upcoming raid, but she and Ryuu seemed to be discussing something important, so Draco landed on a nearby rooftop.

It wasn’t his intention to eavesdrop, but the streets were bare and their voices were loud, making it hard not to listen.

The conversation grew serious, leaving Draco hesitating to approach them, so he remained still, listening until they suddenly started dancing in the street.

To Draco, their conversation seemed rather childish and naive—a foolish thing to mull over—but somehow he felt compelled to listen.

In the end, justice was mostly a matter of perspective, always changing based on circumstances.

This was the joy of free will and also its bane.

What one person considers evil, another may see as good.

This clash of differing opinions made the happiness of all something almost impossible to achieve.

‘Well, it may be silly, but it’s nice to see such innocence still exists. However, that innocence is what will lead to her death,’ Draco mused.

With a smile, he continued watching the two girls dance, along with how they brought happiness to the strangers around them.

“I guess this is another reason to save Adi. I’m extremely curious about how Adi's survival will change her. Will she still remain innocent and naïve?,” Draco pondered.