Tione could only sigh in exasperation at her little sister's antics.
The urge to smack Tiona in the back of the head for making such a loud, shameless declaration was strong... almost overwhelming... but she forced herself to rein it in.
Acting on it now would only make things worse.
After all... wouldn't that make her a hypocrite?
She, of all people, had been openly chasing after Finn without a shred of shame.
An Amazon had no business lecturing another Amazon about subtlety or restraint.
That was simply how they were.
When an Amazon found something... or someone... they wanted, they pursued it openly, fiercely, and without hesitation.
Especially when they finally found a man who caught their eye.
Tione let out a quiet huff and shifted her gaze toward Judas, studying him more carefully this time.
Her sharp eyes lingered for a moment longer before she nodded once, begrudging but sincere.
'...Well, she could've done a lot worse.'
Her lips twitched faintly.
'If she had chosen Bete, I'd seriously be wondering if there was something wrong with her head.'
'But the captain is obviously cooler... and more handsome.'
The smirk that formed on her face said everything.
Meanwhile, Ais's reaction couldn't have been more different.
'Tiona... Judas... mate?'
She blinked.
Once.
Then again.
Her head tilted slightly to the side as she tried to process the words she'd just heard. It took a few seconds... but eventually, some vague understanding settled in.
And the moment it did...
'I don't like it.'
The realization came quietly, but it unsettled her deeply.
There was an odd sensation in her chest... like a knot tightening in her stomach, unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
'Why...?'
Her brows furrowed.
She didn't understand these feelings.
They didn't make sense to her.
She wasn't used to emotions that didn't have a clear source or purpose.
'I hope one day, you will be able to find your own hero.'
Her parents' voices echoed softly in her mind.
Ais's gaze shifted without her even realizing it... first toward Judas... then back to Tiona, who was still grinning ear to ear, radiating excitement.
She liked Tiona. She trusted her. She considered her a dear friend and comrade.
But for some reason... looking at her like this made something twist unpleasantly inside her.
'No.'
She shook her head sharply, as if physically forcing the thoughts away.
'I want to eat a lot of Jyagamarukun.'
Her mind latched onto the thought desperately.
Crispy fried potatoes. Warm. Comforting.
Anything to distract her from whatever that feeling was.
Nearby, Lefiya was completely overwhelmed.
Her face was burning red, her eyes replaced with swirling symbols as she mumbled incoherent nonsense under her breath.
Around them, the rest of the crowd erupted into murmurs.
Gasps, whispers, and overlapping voices rippled through the training grounds as members of the Loki Familia turned toward Tiona with expressions ranging from shock to disbelief to outright excitement.
This was definitely going to spread.
High above, watching from the window of the main office, Gareth let out a booming chuckle.
"Oh? Sounds like I just heard something interesting."
He crossed his arms and glanced sideways.
"Oi, Finn. Looks like someone's finally gonna share your suffering."
The dwarf grinned widely as he teased the Pallum captain seated at the desk.
Finn laughed lightly in response.
"Haha... Judas... good luck."
His tone was relaxed... but inside, his sharp mind was already racing, rapidly reassessing the complications this development might bring to the familia.
Riveria, who had been reviewing documents, lifted her head at the noise.
She walked to the window and gazed outside before letting out a long sigh.
"...These young ladies really should learn some restraint."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache forming.
As for the person at the center of it all...
Judas had just finished wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth when his expression froze completely.
Slowly... very slowly... he lifted his head.
"...Huh?"
He stood there, utterly dumbfounded.
Even back when Lyra and Kaguya teased him during their time as a party, he'd barely reacted... because that was all it had ever been. Just teasing.
This, however, was different.
He had been caught so completely off guard that his mind stalled, taking far longer than usual to even begin processing what had just been said.
...
Meanwhile... last night, in the small town of Rivira, located on the 18th floor of the Dungeon.
A man clad in armor and a woman wearing a robe entered the inn together.
After paying for their rooms, the armored man casually draped an arm around the woman's shoulders.
The innkeeper, catching sight of the gesture, couldn't help but let out a lewd grin.
A man and a woman... alone in a room.
It was obvious at a glance what they were about to do.
'This lucky bastard.'
The innkeeper thought as his eyes lingered on the woman's curvy figure.
Even beneath her loose clothing, her shape was impossible to hide.
He gave the armored man a knowing salute.
The man returned it with a thumbs-up.
Once inside the room, impatience quickly overtook him.
He stripped off his armor in a hurry, and within seconds, he was already half-naked.
Sitting on the bed, he shifted his gaze toward the woman, whose back was still turned to him, and spoke.
"Oi, hurry up and strip. Don't leave me hanging after coming this far."
Hearing his words, the woman grinned and smoothly slipped out of her robe.
"Wait... don't be hasty."
She said as the fabric fell to the floor, her bare skin and figure fully revealed.
The man inhaled sharply, admiring her for a few moments as a lewd grin spread across his face.
"Why are you hiding your face when you're so pretty?"
He asked, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her onto the bed.
"So I don't get involved with every man...like you."
The woman replied calmly,
As he pushed her down, she continued, her fingers gently brushing his cheek.
"Now, can you tell me more about the mission you took?"
The man barely spared the question a thought.
Whether it was the mood or sheer arrogance, he answered without hesitation.
"Yeah... it was a weird one," he muttered.
"They told me to go down to the 30th floor and bring back some strange object."
He paused, then laughed awkwardly.
"Ah... that was supposed to be super top-secret. Think you can forget you ever heard that?"
A faint smirk tugged at the woman's lips.
"Don't worry," she said softly.
"I'll take that secret to your grave."
Her voice turned cold.
The man frowned.
"Don't you mean... to my grave?"
"Exactly."
Her hands suddenly wrapped around his neck... and tightened.
"!?"
"G—gk!"
Realizing this was not the kind of choking he had anticipated, the man thrashed wildly, veins bulging as he struggled to pry her fingers away.
The woman merely scoffed at his futile resistance.
With a sharp twist of her arm...
Crack.
The sound echoed through the room as his neck snapped.
She discarded the corpse like a piece of trash.
Her gaze immediately shifted to the man's bag.
Rifling through it, her expression darkened.
"It's not here."
Narrowing her eyes, she turned back toward the body.
With a cold snort, she raised her foot... and stomped down, crushing his head completely.
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