Danmachi IF - What if Alfia survived

Chapter 4 - What is Justice?

Ryuu, Alfia, and Artemis are now at Artemis's base, the old church.

"...What do you want now, Alfia?" Said Ryuu while looking at Alfia carefully.

Her right hand was now holding a small dagger in her pocket that she prepared before coming here.

"I heard what happened to Astrea Familia."

"Ngh!?"

When Ryuu hears it, her breathing becomes hard. Her cheeks were flushed with rage.

She bit her lips, trying to maintain her calm and listen to Alfia.

"And I expected great things from you brats. What a pitiful ending."

"Y-YOU!"

"What? Gonna take your anger on me? Come to think of it, you slaughter everyone who was related to Evilus, right? Oh yeah, I once worked with Evilus to take Orario down."

"-!"

Ryuu couldn't hold back her rage and unsheathed the knife she had concealed in her pocket, but she was cut off before she could close the distance.

"Gospel." With that single word, Ryuu was blown out by the shockwave.

Artemis tossed her spear to Alfia, which she took with her right hand.

The spear began to glow.

"K-Kuh...!" Ryuu was crouching on the ground in agony.

"What's wrong?"

While coughing blood, she silently utters

"...Kill me"

"Kill you? Heh, that's funny, answer me, Gale Lion, WHY DID YOU BECAME SO WEAK!"

"Easy to say... you monsters...."

"Gale lion, let me pose you a question, What is your definition of justice?"

"-!?"

Ryuu shivered in response to that inquiry as if she had just seen a ghost in front of her.

She was struck by dizziness. Her heart throbbed violently. She faintly remembered the image of a male god that asked her the same question 7 years ago.

"Why are you asking... me? Ryuu's voice quivered as she struggled to get the word out of her lips.

"It's Erebus's word. At that time, it just passed from my left ears to my right ears. But now I'm genuinely curious about your answer."

"What did you answered back then? ....Ah.. "Justice is a good faith that is priceless. It's a one-and-only value of matters that never falters to anything. To slay evil and eliminate them was it?"

"..Stop.."

"Gale Lion, your familia was wiped out, and you, unable to bear the agony. So you decided to exact vengeance on Evilus by killing everyone who was connected to Evilus... no, everyone who you believe is related to Evilus."

"Was this action came from your sense of justice? To kill everyone related to Evilus?

Ryuu felt like her heart was wounded with every word Alfia spoke.

"You brought down judgment to everyone without giving them another chance. As a result, to everyone else, there's no doubt that they view you as evil."

"And this was done by a girl who was preaching about justice before. What a comedy."

Ryuu couldn't say anything in defense; instead, her eyes, which have become empty at this point, can only stare at Alfia in silence.