Ryuji and Jessy made their way back to Rhea and the others. Upon arrival, they saw Rhea looking a lot better than before. The holes and bloodied bruises littering her body were gone. Next to her was Rosey, who also seemed to be in better condition. But that only applied to her physically. Mentally she appeared just as terrible, if not worse, than before. She was sitting next to Jong, holding his hand. Her head was in between her legs, and she wouldn't even look up as they approached. Across from them was a man they didn't know and their two friends Dot and Queen.

"Yo, Ryu! We were waiting for you!" Dot waved her hands, welcoming her friends back. Her empty sockets seemed to catch something, and slowly she lowered her gaze to the ground stopping at their hands. "I see what took so long. How dare you have a secret rendezvous when Dr. Whatchamacallit over here took time out of his very busy schedule to fix you guys!"

The man beside her grumbled. "It's Dr. Filler..."

"You made Dr. Filler over here wait!" To exemplify this, she annoyingly pointed at him with more hands than she should own.

Ryuji quickly pulled his hand away from Jessy and scoffed. "You think I really did that? You know I'm not that bold."

"True enough. Ryu, come over here and get examined already! Dr. Filler would like to go home!"

Ryuji slowly walked over to the man and heard him grumbling.

"I don't have a home anymore..."

Sitting down on the ground, Ryuji looked around. 'How many people are homeless now? There had to be thousands upon thousands of people living here. This is definitely better than the alternative, but I wonder how they feel about it?'

After a few moments and some intense channeling, he was feeling a lot better. His bones were mended, and any internal injuries were gone. Jessy got her treatment next. She wasn't very injured, but Ryuji had insisted she get a checkup while it was available.

"Thank you, Dr.!"

With a wave, the man walked away and headed back towards the stadium. The air became heavy once more. No one said anything for a while, opting instead to just stare at the sky. The sun was positioned in a way that told Ryuji they were approaching the evening. 'This is the third time I've done this today. Since when did I become an avid sky watcher?' With a sigh, Ryuji looked over at the source of all the awkwardness. He couldn't very well just tell her to get over it, but then again, he couldn't just leave her alone.

He had no idea how to comfort someone who had lost something; after all, he had still not gotten over the terrible things in his head. Their faces continue to fill his mind from time to time, and the dagger he carried was a constant reminder of his failures. He thought that if he just acted like nothing was wrong, eventually he would speak it into existence, but no matter how long he pretended, it never felt any more real. He had to give it to Rosey. She wasn't ignoring her problems as he had done. She was facing this head-on, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't take that big of a push for her to move on.

"Well then." With an over-the-top showing of laziness, Ryuji got off his ass and walked over to Rosey. He plopped down next to her while getting weird looks from his party members. The girl next to him didn't even bother to acknowledge his presence.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Ryuji spoke candidly and without looking at her. In response, he got a groan that probably meant, 'Go away.' Even still, he did not move, and eventually, she spoke.

"What?" There was no emotion in her words besides empty annoyance. Like she knew she hated him but didn't have enough spare energy to show it.

"What was Rory like?" The others around him showed different reactions. Rhea bit her lip. Jessy nervously looked in a different direction. Marie was facepalming, and Dot was giving him a thumbs up in a show of her support.

"What... was he like?" Rosey replied, confused.

Ryuji continued to speak as if they were talking about just any old thing. "Well, I knew him for a little over an hour, so I was just wondering what kind of guy he was. I mean, here you are, a complete wreck. He must've been quite the guy for you to feel that way, am I right?" Ryuji hoped with all his might that this would end in a good way. Whether that way was him getting beaten to a pulp or her actually answering his question. As long as she didn't burst into more tears, he could call it a success.

"He, he was really stupid." Her words came out slowly, but Ryuji just looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah, I kinda got that impression. He seemed super impulsive."

A dry laugh escaped Rosey. "Impulsive? That doesn't even begin to describe him. He adopted both Jong and me on the same day. He didn't even plan to adopt Jong, but he was super clingy to me, so instead of getting him to go away, he just said it would be faster to adopt him too."

This time it was Ryuji laughing. Dot quickly joined in, and even Rhea chuckled a little. "Haaa~ is that right? What a wild guy!"

The faintest smile was on Roesy's lips as she finally lifted her head. Before Rosey could continue, a quiet voice broke through.

"Rory, Rory always loved to take me out of my classes. When he did, he would show me his magic. He would cause an explosion to boom overhead and say, 'How's that!? Can your dumb little sword do that!'" Rhea tried her best at an impression.

Rosey looked over at the Sword Saint. "That sounds just like him."

Rhea giggled and continued her story. "Looking back on it, it was pretty dumb how he was trying to show off to a kid. But I always loved looking at his face when he did. It was one of the few times I could see pride in his eyes."

"That old man was always weird about stuff like that. The only thing he ever took seriously was his magic and family. Everything else was just a job, just something he had to go do. Parties, commissions, training, speeches; Even his knightly duties didn't matter too much to him."

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Ryuji watched silently and waited for her to completely stop speaking. "So Rory was your dad, huh." A flash of horror took over his visage. "Wait, doesn't that mean that you're with your brother!?"

Rosey instantly slapped Ryuji upside his head causing him to have temporary whiplash. "We were ten when he adopted us, and we're not even related by blood! It's not like we're a real family. It's more like he's a best friend who lives with me." Rosey spoke through her grit teeth before calming down and pushing aside some of the hair on Jong's face.

Ryuji thought that she looked oddly charming when she was taking care of Jong. 'Too bad the rest of the time she's a raging cunt. Although, I can't say it isn't charming in a way.' Ryuji took a deep breath before continuing his interrogation. "Is that all there was to him? Is that all you have to say about him?"

Her face appeared thoughtful as she continued to brush Jong's hair. "He was always getting drunk. He was constantly spending all of his money on stupid junk. He rarely took his duties seriously. He wouldn't talk about my mom no matter how much I asked." Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes. "He always worried about us. He never complained or scolded us. He gave us everything we ever wanted. He would tell me stories before bed. When he went away for months, he would always apologize so much when he came back." The warm tears in her eyes made their trip down her cheeks. "When I cried, he would always comfort me. When I told him how weak I was, how stupid I was, he would lift me and tell me three things that were great about me for every negative thing I said. When he told me that he loved me..." Rosey choked on her own words. The only noise she let out for a minute was the occasional hic. "When he told me that he loved me, it made me feel so safe and warm. And when I told him how much I loved him, I could see the joy in his eyes. Rory, no matter what blood he might have had, was my father, and I loved him!"

Ryuji calmly placed his hand on her shoulder. He was surprised when she didn't bat it away. Instead, she looked at him expectantly. "If what you say is true, then would Rory, no, would your father really want you to sit here all day and cry your heart out? Would he want to see his daughter so grief-stricken that she can't even look forward?" He let his words sink in and watched her look towards the ground.

"But... it's so hard."

"We all became adventurers knowing the risks. Rory became a knight knowing the risk. If we wanted to not endanger our lives, we would have stuck to the D or F rank. I won't claim to know everything, and I'm not saying to forget your grief, but I think there are a lot of people who would like to thank you and a lot of people who would like to mourn Rory with you, to share his memory with you, just like we've been doing here!" He leaned in closer and tried to sound as considerate as possible. "When Jong wakes up, don't you want to be strong for him? Don't you want to be there for him? How are you going to do that if you can't look forward? If you can't greet tomorrow with a smile, then how will Jong? Do you want the two of you to be miserable?"

The others watched on in silence as Rosey just continued to stare at Jong. Ryuji held his breath and wondered if maybe he had gone too far when he heard her whisper. "Can you leave us alone for a bit?"

Ryuji stood up. "Uh, yeah." He looked around to the others and shrugged. They slowly walked away as a group. Rhea came last after whispering something to Rosey.

After they had moved some distance away, Ryuji received a slug in his arm from both sides. "Ow! What the fuck!"

"Compadre, I know you were trying to help, but it hasn't even been a day yet, and you're already telling her to get over it!"

"Hero, you have less tact than me, and I find that astounding."

Dot walked ahead and turned around while continuing to walk backward. "Hmm, I kind of agree with Ryuji though. What's the point of being sad about something you can't change?"

"Not quite what I was going for, but okay." Ryuji sighed while rubbing his left arm. Queens punch had left a purple mark, and he was seriously wondering where Dr. Filler had gone. "I'm no psychologist, but I think Rosey is one of those people who get stronger when someone counts on them. If she's strong when Jong wakes up, and he relies on her, then that should help both of them at the same time, don't you think?"

"I just hope it works out that way. I would hate to leave them when they're so vulnerable, especially when they were pupils of a colleague." Rhea spoke from behind, causing Ryuji to turn his head.

"You make it sound like we're leaving soon."

"That's because we are. We just witnessed the permanent end to the Seven Deadly Sins. They were incomparable monsters that roamed the land uncontested for centuries. Pride was even believed to be close to a thousand years old. We have to report this to the world conference."

Ryuji looked at the ground. "I see, then we're going to Mallen. That's going to take a bit."

The group stayed quiet as they approached the stadium. Awaiting them was the local lord who watched over the city. Rhea was showered in praises, and eventually, they suckered her into a celebration of her party's accomplishments.

The night came as the celebrations began. People, beasts, and even some daemons sang merry songs. Ryuji had never truly understood the difference between a demon and daemon besides that one wore masks, but he welcomed the atmosphere just the same. Everyone, including himself, was just happy to still be breathing. But unlike the citizens, Ryuji wouldn't have to stay and rebuild his home. He had the luxury of being able to move on and go somewhere else.

After being convinced by Dot to get smashed, Ryuji hobbled around at the edge of the party, staying far away from everyone. In the shadows dancing around, he saw a familiar purple hair girl. After rubbing his eyes, she was gone.

"I guess I shouldn't get hammered. I'm starting to see things."

"Hello, Ryuji."

From the shadows, a girl in a red cloak walked forward. Following her was a man who looked worse for wear. "Jong, Rosey!" Feeling tipsy, Ryuji exclaimed upon seeing them.

Rosey just shyly waved. Her other hand was being occupied with the job of holding Jong. "It's good to see you in such high spirits." Her voice sounded tired but also slightly cheerful to Ryuji's surprise.

"I was told you were the one that saved me, thank you." Jong bowed deeply. His eyes looked like he was on the verge of tears, and the tearstains covering his face were still fresh.

"Don't worry about it, my friend! I pretty much sent you into that death trap. It's only fair that I help you out!" Ryuji did his best to give Jong a thumbs up but almost ended up falling over.

"Well, we'd love to keep talking, but we're starving. Talk to you later."

"...Bye."

"See you!!"

The couple walked toward the potluck with Ryuji watching them. Another figure approached him, but this one was a sight for sore eyes. Rhea stopped in front of him and looked just as exhausted as she should be. She had to fight, stay up for two days, and talk to the nobles.

"Hey, Ryuji, do you have a moment?"

////////////////////////////////////////////

Jessy sat on the ground. To cure her boredom, she had taken out her only good revolver and was twirling it around by the trigger. She had learned this trick pretty early on in her gunslinger career, but it always seemed entertaining no matter how many times she did it. Not to mention it allowed her to gather her thoughts.

Around her, all of her friends were currently drinking in memory of Rory. Jessy didn't particularly feel like getting hammered, so she had strayed away from the alcohol. After all, she was still pretty shaken up from earlier.

A faint smile found its way to her lips as she thought about the talk she and Ryuji had. She still couldn't figure out how the man had known about her guilt. She had thought she was doing a decent job of hiding it. She had also thought that of all people, Ryuji was the least likely to find out. On both accounts, she had been terribly wrong. The warmth in her heart that she felt at that moment still flooded her mind as she stared up at the nightscape.

She remembered a joke that Dot had told the other day. About how Ryuji could never charm a woman. As she thought about it, she also recalled back to how passionately he had talked to her. How he had shown his weakness to her and laid it all bare for her to see. And she remembered how firm his hand was when it grabbed hers. A faint blush that no one noticed flushed her face.

'I guess Dot was wrong.'