Meeting Goddess Astraea Again!

Chapter 171: Meeting Goddess Astraea Again!

Two days passed quickly.

During these two days, Alise and the others' injuries had gradually stabilized thanks to Ryuu's healing magic.

In this respect, the elf girl's awakening really saved Luke a lot of trouble.

However, it also added quite a bit of trouble.

The things that the elf girl, whose skills in taking care of others were below Ais's, did left Luke speechless.

When feeding others, she almost shoved the entire spoon in; the force she used to wipe their bodies caused their injuries to relapse, and the food she made was a black, mysterious lump.

She even accidentally broke two of Kaguya's bones while taking care of her.

If the girl hadn't kept apologizing while crying, Luke would have almost thought she was taking the opportunity to get revenge on Kaguya.

After successfully making Alise and the others experience the feeling of 'almost dying at the hands of their own people' again, Luke, at the strong request of Alise and Kaguya, once again shouldered the responsibility of taking care of the injured girls from Astraea Familia.

In short, because of the improvement in Alise and Kaguya's condition, Luke and the others could finally set off and prepare to return to the surface.

However, they had one last thing to do before that.

…

"Is it okay to choose this place?"

Luke looked at Alise for final confirmation.

"We've already reached the middle floors. Even if we really take them back, it won't be too much trouble."

He was pushing the cart filled with the remains of the dead girls from Astraea Familia.

Luke and the others were now in the depths of a forest.

It was a very secluded small clearing, surrounded by slender trees and scattered crystals.

Luke had never been to this place before.

He guessed it was probably the place where Alise and the members of her Familia had been stationed on this floor.

"No need, just bury them here."

Alise looked around.

The beautiful scenery brought back memories, and even Kaguya and Ryuu next to her fell silent.

"We once jokingly said here, 'If we die one day, we will be buried here.'"

"We all love this place."

Alise paused at this point.

"And... I don't want Astraea-sama to see them in such miserable states."

"Alright then."

Luke sighed.

He understood Alise's thoughts.

Instead of taking the girls' tragic remains back and making goddess Astraea sad, it was better to bury them in this place where they had shared pleasant memories.

The news of the team's annihilation was already 'desperate' enough; there was no need to give unnecessary stimulation to their goddess.

The burial of the girls' bodies was a matter for their Astraea Familia.

As outsiders, Luke and Ais did not intend to interfere.

They could only respect Alise's decision.

Therefore, under the unanimous decision of Alise, Kaguya, and Ryuu, the fallen members of Astraea Familia were finally buried in this forest on the 18th floor.

A total of seven tombstones were erected in this clearing.

The simple cemetery built of wood and gravel looked very crude.

But Alise thought it was enough.

After Luke used adventurer props and Seisenjutsu to set up traps to drive away monsters and trespassers, the last thing they had to do in the dungeon was completed.

Then, with Ais carrying the unconscious Lyra on her back, Ryuu supporting Alise and Kaguya, and Luke as the main combat force keeping an eye on their surroundings, the group of six passed directly through the middle and upper floors of the dungeon.

After many days, they finally returned to the surface.

…

"Hey! Look over there!"

"That's... the Astraea Familia?!"

"What happened?"

"Are you kidding? It looks like they're severely injured!"

"Severely injured? Astraea Familia? Really?!"

"Hehe, there's a good show to watch now!"

"Those two people next to them... are the Sword Princess and the Sword Master! Were they rescued by members of Loki Familia?"

Just as Luke had told Alise in the dungeon, they immediately became the center of attention as soon as they walked out of the dungeon entrance.

Listening to the surrounding discussions, anyone could tell how quickly the news of 'Astraea Familia being severely injured' would spread.

"I'll take you to the Dian Cecht Familia's place. I'll inform goddess Astraea later."

Ignoring the various gazes cast around them, Luke directly sent the seriously injured Alise and the others to the Dian Cecht Familia's pharmacy, who were responsible for healing and treatment work.

After instructing Ais to take care of them, Luke didn't stay long and headed towards the Stardust Garden where goddess Astraea resided.

He wasn't just going to tell goddess Astraea about the incident, but he also had some other things to discuss with the brown-haired goddess of justice.

Knock, knock, knock--!

After Luke knocked on the door, it wasn't long before he heard the sound of running from inside the house.

Although he hadn't seen goddess Astraea yet, just from the sound of her footsteps, he could easily tell how nervous the goddess was.

Click--!

With the sound of the door opening, it was indeed the goddess herself who appeared in front of Luke.

"Luke! How are Alise and the others? Did they come back with you?"

Astraea first looked behind Luke, and when she found that he had come alone, she immediately asked nervously.

"Alise, Kaguya, and Lyra are seriously injured. They are currently being treated at Dian Cecht Familia's place. Ryuu is also with them."

Luke's words made Astraea both worried and relieved.

Although she was very worried about her children's injuries, since Luke used the word 'seriously injured' instead of 'dying', it at least meant that Alise and the others were no longer in danger.

"Phew... Hearing you say that, I can relax a little."

"Ryuu is with them, right? What about the other children?"

"..."

"..."

Luke chose to remain silent in response to the goddess's further questions.

And Luke's attitude also made goddess Astraea understand something immediately.

The gentle smile that had just appeared on the corner of her mouth disappeared without a trace in an instant, and the long-brown-haired goddess looked sad.

A tear leaked out from the corner of her eyes.

She murmured in a heartbreaking tone, "Is... that so."

Hearing the gentle goddess's heartbreaking voice, the atmosphere around them gradually became shrouded in sadness.

However, this atmosphere did not last long.

Astraea, despite feeling sad inside, took the initiative to break the silence.

"Please come in."

"I can tell you have something you want to discuss with me."

"It just so happens that I also need you to tell me the details of this incident."

Luke did not refuse the goddess's invitation, as this was his purpose for coming here.

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