Chapter 323
The roof tiles felt cool beneath Draco’s palms as he settled cross-legged across from the three women.
The night air was crisp, carrying with it the mingled scents of stardust garden’s blossoms and faint trace of alcohol from the open bottle between them.
The moonlight painted them all in muted silver, softening the sharp lines of their expressions yet failing to hide the rawness in their eyes.
Alise’s gaze stayed fixed on him, even as she idly swirled the drink in her cup.
Her posture was steady, but the slight tremor in her fingers was telling.
Lyra sat to her right, her expression carefully composed, though Draco could see how tight her jaw was, as if holding back any slip of emotion.
Kaguya, on the other side, leaned back against the slant of the roof, avoiding his eyes entirely, her sharp features turned toward the skyline, lips pressed thin.
Draco didn’t speak immediately.
He knew better than to intrude too quickly into a moment like this.
Instead, he reached for the bottle, poured himself a modest measure, and let the silence linger for several heartbeats.
Sometimes, letting the quiet breathe was more effective than filling it with empty words.
“You should be resting,” Lyra eventually said without looking at him, her tone clipped, soft enough not to startle the stillness but hard enough to carry her point.
“You look like you’re about to fall asleep here.”
Draco took a slow sip, letting the warmth spread through him.
“I could say the same for the three of you,” he replied evenly, glancing at each of them in turn. “You’ve all been through more than most can bear. Yet here you are.”
“We’re not exactly in the mood for sleep,” Kaguya muttered, her eyes still staring far away.
Her voice was low but carried the weight of someone used to guarding her vulnerability at all costs.
Alise leaned back slightly, her eyes never leaving his.
“Sometimes it’s easier to stay awake,” she said simply.
Draco nodded once.
“Easier to stay awake… yet harder to face the morning.”
That drew a faint twitch of her lips….not quite a smile, but something close.
The bottle changed hands, and Alise refilled her cup without hurry.
The atmosphere felt heavy, as if all four of them were suspended between the comfort of camaraderie and the shadow of loss…….until Draco set his cup down.
“You’ve been crying,” Draco said quietly, his eyes moving from Alise to Lyra and then to Kaguya.
It wasn’t an accusation, merely a statement of fact.
Kaguya scoffed faintly.
“Sharp observation,” she murmured, but her voice lacked its usual venom.
Lyra’s fingers tightened around her cup.
“We’re entitled to a little grief, aren’t we?”
“You are,” Draco agreed.
“More than most.”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
He then grabbed the bottle, its weight dangling loosely from his fingers.
“But grief alone won’t keep you alive. And it won’t honor Astraea’s memory.”
The air seemed to tighten at the name, as if the mere mention of the goddess pulled them deeper into their loss.
Alise’s jaw flexed, her eyes narrowing slightly, not in anger but in the effort to hold herself steady.
“You think we don’t know that?” she asked, her tone firm but without heat.
“I think you may know it,” Draco replied evenly, “but knowing and acting are different things.”
The three women exchanged a glance…..an unspoken question of whether they should push back or hear him out.
Kaguya was the first to act, her gaze snapping at him, sharp but controlled.
“And what exactly do you want, Draco? You didn’t climb up here just to annoy us.”
Draco met her look without flinching.
“No. I am sure most of you all listened to my discussion with Alise before I left for the meeting” Draco paused.
“To cut to the point, I want you all to join the Bahamut Familia.”
The words landed with the subtle force of a hammer….soft in tone, but impossible to ignore.
Lyra’s brows drew together.
“That’s not a decision you can expect us to make in just a few conversations,” she said.
“You know what Astraea meant to us. We’re not just people who can just be… recruited.”
“I’m not asking you to forget Astraea,” Draco replied.
“Nor am I asking you to abandon what she stood for. Quite the opposite. I’m offering you a means to continue her work…..without being targets that the city’s vultures can pick apart.”
Alise’s eyes narrowed slightly, but her voice stayed calm.
“You had told me earlier that you would give us time, what changed?. Protection is one thing. Joining another familia is entirely different.”
Draco rested his forearms on his knees, leaning forward just enough to break the physical distance without crowding them.
“Unfortunately, time is not on my side” Draco spoke, pausing to let the girls recall his own situation.
“Look here, you three—and the others—are strong, skilled and disciplined. But right now, you’re exposed. Every enemy you’ve made over the years sees your current state as an opportunity. The Bahamut Familia can give you the ability to fight back, and more importantly, our ideals are mostly aligned”
Lyra’s fingers tightened around her cup.
“And in return? What would you demand of us?”
He considered his words carefully.
“Loyalty, above all. Not blind obedience….I’m not looking for pawns. I want allies who understand the stakes, who will stand with the familia when we need to confront our greatest enemy.” Draco paused, his tone briefly taking a chilling dip.
“You’d retain your principles, and some level of autonomy in your ways of operating. This is an offer that I doubt most familia’s would offer”
Kaguya snorted softly, though it lacked genuine amusement.
“You make it sound simple. But you know as well as we do….joining you would make us enemies of some who tolerated us before. Your familia isn’t exactly without controversy.”
“That’s true,” Draco admitted.
“But right now, staying independent doesn’t make you neutral….it makes you vulnerable. Out there”….he gestured toward the city beyond the garden…….“people are already calculating how to benefit from your weakness.”
Alise leaned her chin on her hand, studying him.
“Why us specifically? There are plenty of strong adventurers who could fill your ranks.”
“There are plenty of strong adventurers,” Draco agreed, “but few who are willing to put themselves between evil and the innocent without hesitation. You’ve done that for years…..at personal cost.”
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle.
“I’m building something in the Bahamut Familia. Not just power. Purpose. And for that, I need people whose ideals aren’t for sale.”
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The quiet stretched, filled only by the distant sounds of wind in the garden and the murmur of city life far below.
Alise finally broke the silence.
“If we joined you, what happens to the Astraea Familia?”
Draco’s gaze softened.
“Her name would remain in your hearts. What you fought for doesn’t vanish just because she’s gone” he said, striking a chord within them.
Lyra still looked skeptical.
Kaguya on the other hand, shifted, folding her arms.
“It’s not just us who’d have to agree. The others… their wounds are fresh. Some still can’t even say her name without breaking.”
“I know,” Draco said softly.
“And I’m not expecting a decision tonight. I only wanted you three to hear it from me first……at least before other familia’s who desire you girls come knocking. If you see worth in what I’m offering, the rest will follow.”
The bottle passed to him again, and he poured without asking.
As he raised the cup, Alise’s expression had changed…..not acceptance, but a shift from outright rejection to deep consideration.
Lyra glanced at Kaguya, who avoided her eyes, though her posture had eased fractionally.
Alise took a slow sip, then set her cup down with deliberate care.
“You’re right about one thing…..we have to get our act back together. We’re not in a position to weather it alone for long.”
“The enemy won’t wait for you to be ready,” Draco said, his tone firm but not unkind.
“If you decide to fight it beside me, you’ll have the strength of my goddess, Bahamut, at your back.”
Lyra’s voice was quieter now.
“And what if we decide not to?”
Draco looked at her steadily.
“Then I’ll still ensure you’re protected as much as possible, till you join another familia at least. I meant what I promised. But understand….protection from the outside won’t be as strong as standing inside the circle.”
For a while, they simply sat together, sharing the bottle until the chill of night seeped deeper into their bones.
Conversation drifted to smaller matters…..memories from before the war, fragments of laughter mixed with shadows in their voices.
Yet beneath it all, Draco could feel the weight of the choice pressing against them.
Eventually, Alise rose, stretching slightly.
“We’ll talk to the others at first light,” she said, meeting his eyes.
“No promises. But we’ll seriously think about it.”
“That’s all I ask,” Draco replied, rising as well.
“Take your time. Just don’t take too long.”
Lyra stood next, brushing off her knees.
“You should get some sleep before you collapse.”
Kaguya lingered a moment longer before pushing herself up.
“For what it’s worth… I appreciate you coming to us directly.”
Draco inclined his head.
“You’ve earned that much respect.”
They descended from the roof together, the cool grass of the garden greeting their feet as the smell of flowers wrapped around them again.
The moon hung high overhead, its silver light still tracing the edges of their figures.
As they parted ways…..Alise, Lyra, and Kaguya drifting toward the quiet halls of their home……Draco paused at the garden’s center.
He glanced up at the moon one last time.
The chaos he predicted wasn’t some distant possibility….it was already taking shape in the streets and shadows.
Whether the Astraea women joined him or not, the coming days would demand every ounce of his leadership.
And yet… a spark of hope lingered.
If they said yes, the Bahamut familia would gain not only skilled warriors, but the moral spine Orario desperately needed in its healing.
If they refused, he would guard them as best he could.
But tonight had planted another seed.
As he turned toward his familia quarters, fatigue pressed at him more insistently.
Still, his mind stayed alert, already mapping the next steps…..preparing for the inevitable storm.
Whatever choice they made, it wouldn’t be long before dawn forced decisions on them all.
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