Chapter 338: Astrea's Reward

"Sigh—"

The door was gently pushed open, and Robin walked out with a smile.

"Miss Robin!" Ryuu dashed forward, asking urgently, "How is Alise..."

"She's fine now." Robin raised a hand, soothing the tense elf. "I used Tuning to temporarily block the Dungeon's mental interference on her. Right now, she's no different from a normal person."

"Just... temporarily?" A hint of worry resurfaced in Ryuu's eyes.

Robin nodded helplessly. "Yes. After all, she was resurrected by the Dungeon. The connection between her soul and the Dungeon is too deep. With my current abilities, I cannot completely eradicate the root of the problem. From now on, she'll need to come to me every once in a while for another Tuning session."

Before she even finished speaking, a cheerful voice rang out from inside the room.

"It's okay, Ryuu! This is already wonderful!" Alise walked out with light steps, a radiant smile like the sun adorning her face. "It just means I'll have to keep bothering Miss Robin."

She turned to Robin and bowed sincerely in gratitude.

She had been fully prepared to either stay in the Dungeon forever or end her own life, never expecting that an expert in the mental domain like Robin existed in this world. As long as she didn't delve into the Dungeon for extended periods, she could live out in the sunlight like a normal person.

For someone who had already died once, this was a monumental blessing.

"Thank you, Miss Robin." Ryuu also realized she was being too greedy, and immediately bowed a deep ninety degrees to Robin.

"Please, don't do that, Ryuu." Robin quickly helped her up. "It was truly no trouble at all."

"Alright, alright, we're all family here." Aiden chuckled and clapped his hands, breaking the overly emotional atmosphere. "To celebrate Miss Alise's return, let's throw a banquet tonight!"

That evening, the grand hall of the Palais Mermonia was brightly lit and bustling with life.

During the banquet, Ryuu's true nature as a hopelessly clumsy elf was thoroughly exposed. Gratitude, joy, and the deep-seated guilt she felt when facing Astrea... all these complex emotions intertwined, causing her to quickly become dizzy under the assault of alcohol.

This was especially true with Cecil and a few other new members of the Astrea Familia. They had long held a grudge against this legendary senior, as their goddess had been forced to leave Orario because of her.

They definitely couldn't beat her in a fight, but using toasts as an excuse to secretly get her drunk and watch her make a fool of herself? They were incredibly eager for that.

Meanwhile, the "victim's" best friend, Alise, eagerly joined in the chaos, teaming up with Cecil and the juniors to bully the lightweight Gale in every way possible.

Goddess Astrea merely watched all of this with a smiling face, showing absolutely no intention of stopping them.

As the banquet wound down, the night grew late.

Aiden and Astrea stood side by side on the top-floor balcony of the Palais Mermonia, letting the refreshing night breeze blow away their post-banquet buzz.

"Lady Astrea, what are your plans next?" Aiden's gaze shifted to the building standing quietly in the moonlight not far away—the Stardust Garden. "It's about time it welcomed back its true master."

"I originally didn't plan to return this soon." Astrea pulled her gaze away from the distant building and rested it on Aiden's face. A faint, mysterious glint shone in her beautiful eyes. "But plans never keep up with changes... and it's all because of you, Aiden."

Since returning to Orario, she had used her connections to figure out the whole story, even meeting with Ouranos privately. Therefore, she knew very well that the massive changes in the Dungeon, which ultimately allowed Alise to revive, were at least half due to Aiden's efforts.

And it was precisely because of Alise's resurrection that she had ended her time away early and brought her children back to Orario.

Hearing this, Aiden awkwardly averted his eyes.

Seeing him like this, Astrea couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, I don't blame you at all. On the contrary, regarding Ryuu and Alise... I have to thank you."

She had thought it would be a very, very long time before she saw Alise again, and that it would take Ryuu an equally long time to truly step out from the shadows of the past.

But now, because of Aiden's appearance, everything was changing in the best possible direction.

Speaking up to this point, Astrea suddenly reached out and gently cupped Aiden's cheeks.

Aiden was stunned at first. Then, under the goddess's gentle yet unwavering gaze, he watched her stand on her tiptoes and slowly lean toward him.

In the next instant, a soft, warm touch pressed against his lips.

Initially, it was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, carrying the sweet, clear scent of wine. But when Aiden felt that breathtaking sense of justice that threatened to envelop him entirely, the last shred of hesitation in his heart vanished like smoke.

No longer hesitating, he reached around and wrapped his arms around the goddess's slender waist, pulling her tightly—so tightly—into his embrace as he actively deepened the kiss.

The night wind seemed to freeze in that moment. Between heaven and earth, only their mingling breaths and accelerating heartbeats remained.

A long while later.

Astrea took the initiative to gently push Aiden away. Her beautiful face was flushed, and her breathing was slightly ragged, but the eyes looking at Aiden were startlingly bright.

She offered a smile as gentle as starlight and whispered softly, "This is... your reward."

With that, she turned without hesitation and vanished through the door leading downstairs with light steps.

Aiden was left standing alone in the night wind, his fingertips seemingly still tingling from that astonishing softness and elasticity, while his lips were saturated with the intoxicating fragrance left behind by the goddess.

Lost in the lingering warmth on his lips, Aiden failed to notice Astrea pausing briefly behind the closing door. She shot a glance toward a shadowed corner on the other side of the balcony, the corners of her eyes and brows brimming with amusement.

In the deep shadows cast by a pillar, Furina was covering her mouth forcefully to prevent a gasp from escaping.

Her pretty face was completely flushed. Her heterochromatic eyes were swimming with anger, sourness, embarrassment, and a trace of grievance she hadn't even realized herself.

She had just come to find Astrea and Aiden, but she never expected to walk right into a scene that made her want to explode.

Her emotions were incredibly complicated, like a knocked-over spice rack. All sorts of feelings were violently clashing in her chest, making her entirely dizzy.

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