Chapter 430: Kaguya Gojouno

“Up ahead.”

Robin closed her eyes, her mental perception rippling outward like water. “A very powerful individual, but her emotions… they’re chaotic. Filled with grief and profound confusion.”

The group exchanged glances. Softening their footsteps, they parted the massive ferns and crept toward the location Robin had pinpointed.

In a clearing illuminated by glowing moss, a black-haired woman wearing Far Eastern-style samurai garb knelt on the ground, her back to them. Her hands gripped a katana with white-knuckled intensity.

Even from just her back, Ryuu and Alise instantly recognized her.

“Kaguya…” Ryuu’s voice trembled slightly.

Hearing the noise, the woman whipped her head around. At first, her eyes were feral and hostile, but the moment she saw Ryuu and Alise, the ferocity rapidly dissolved, replaced by agonizing pain and inner conflict.

“Ryuu… Alise… get… away…”

Her words were fragmented and strained, the veins bulging on her forehead as she fought against an invisible force.

It was Kaguya Gojouno, a former member of the Astrea Familia. Resurrected by the Dungeon, she was a Level 4 powerhouse. Perhaps it was precisely because of this strength that she, like Alise, had quickly managed to claw back a sliver of her sanity. Operating on pure instinct, she had actively avoided other adventurers, managing to survive until now.

“The Dungeon’s will is eroding her mind.” Aiden assessed the situation instantly. “We can’t drag this out. If we do, she won’t be herself anymore.”

Before his words even finished echoing, he launched forward like a streak of light.

Sensing the threat, Kaguya instinctively swung her blade, but Aiden was much faster. He sidestepped the slash, slipped behind her, and delivered a precise, measured chop to the back of her neck.

Kaguya let out a muffled groan and collapsed limply.

Aiden caught her and hoisted her onto his shoulder, his voice firm. “Let’s go. Back to the surface.”

…

Stardust Retreat, Astrea’s private room.

Kaguya lay peacefully on the bed. Robin sat beside her, channeling a soft, starlight-like magic from her fingertips directly into Kaguya’s forehead.

Invisible ripples of mental energy flowed into Kaguya’s consciousness. Robin was using her Harmony powers to soothe the chaotic storm inside Kaguya’s mind, quietly weaving a mental barrier between the Dungeon’s unseen will and Kaguya’s soul to completely sever the Dungeon’s control.

Outside the room, Ryuu and Alise paced anxiously, constantly peering through the doorway. To see a fallen comrade return was a miracle they had only ever dared to dream of.

Meanwhile, out in the courtyard pavilion, Astrea gave Aiden a deep, solemn bow.

“Aiden, thank you.”

Her voice was thick with complex, indescribable emotion. “If I had the choice, I honestly… never wanted Kaguya and the others to return in this manner. I can wait. I could wait hundreds, even thousands of years for their souls to reincarnate and cross my path again.”

She lifted her head, her beautiful eyes carrying the distant, eternal perspective unique to a deity.

“But Ryuu and Alise can’t wait. Even though one is an elf and the other is a resurrected entity with a lifespan far exceeding a normal human’s… for mortals, a reincarnated soul—even if it is fundamentally the same essence—is no longer the person they once knew.”

The mindset of gods and mortals was fundamentally different. To a god, as long as it was the same soul, they were still their precious child, regardless of how their appearance or life changed. But to a mortal, it was their specific memories and shared experiences that formed the foundation of their “self.”

“So, I am truly, deeply grateful to you and Robin for allowing them to reunite with their beloved children so quickly… I am truly so happy.”

A gentle, heartfelt smile bloomed across Astrea’s face.

…

That evening, the Astrea Familia hosted a grand banquet to celebrate Kaguya’s return.

Laughter and joy filled the Stardust Retreat, and the arrival of the Focalors and Artemis Familias only pushed the festive atmosphere higher. Fine wine and exquisite dishes flowed freely across the tables.

Furina and Artemis sat on either side of Astrea, constantly offering her toasts while shooting knowing glances at Aiden.

After several rounds of drinks, a captivating blush dusted Astrea’s cheeks. Under the unspoken, coordinated assistance of the two goddesses, Astrea used the excuse of “feeling a bit tipsy and needing some fresh air” to grab Aiden’s hand and pull him away from the noisy banquet hall.

The two strolled through the quiet courtyard. The night breeze was cool, brushing away some of the alcohol’s haze.

Astrea stopped walking. She turned around under the moonlight, looking quietly at Aiden. Her eyes shimmered like rippling spring water beneath the moon’s glow.

“Aiden,” she spoke softly, her voice carrying a husky, intoxicatingly alluring edge from the wine. “If it weren’t for you, Alise wouldn’t have come back, Ryuu wouldn’t have broken free from her guilt, and Kaguya couldn’t have escaped her fate… You helped me reclaim my ‘Justice’.”

She stepped closer and closer, until the distance between them vanished, close enough to feel each other’s breath. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed her soft lips against his.

The kiss carried the sweet fragrance of a goddess and the mellow richness of fine wine.

From there, everything simply fell into place.

Aiden scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the Goddess of Justice’s private bedroom. Moonlight spilled through the lattice window, casting dappled silver light across the floor. The room smelled faintly of flowers—Astrea’s favorite scent.

As the night deepened, the room fell quiet. For tonight, she wasn’t a lofty, untouchable deity; she was simply a woman yearning to love and be loved.

An unknown amount of time passed, and Astrea had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

Just then, with a loud bang, the bedroom door was violently shoved open.

Furina stood in the doorway, one hand on her hip and the other pointing dramatically at the two figures tangled in the bed. Wearing a highly premeditated, exaggerated grin, she loudly declared, “Caught red-handed! Astrea, I never thought I’d see the day! I finally caught you in the act!”

Remembering how Astrea had once awkwardly walked in on her, Furina’s tone was dripping with absolute schadenfreude.

However, she vastly underestimated how cunning the Goddess of Justice could be.

Instead of panicking, Astrea languidly rolled onto her side, pulling the blanket up to cover her chest. She crooked a finger at Furina, a deeply meaningful, almost devilish smile curving her lips.

“Well, well. Focalors. You’re just in time.”

“Huh?”

Before Furina could even process the sudden turn of events, Astrea reached out and yanked the Goddess of Water right onto the bed.

“Kyaa—! W-What are you doing?! Let me go, I was just here to watch the show!”

Furina’s shrieks were quickly swallowed up by the ensuing playful chaos, and the bedroom soon echoed with bright, unrestrained laughter.