bookpower Chapter 273: Why Don't We All Die?
Chapter 273: Why Don't We All Die?
Faced with a large group of weary adults, people who looked like they might start pushing and shoving at any moment, the girl stood calmly in their midst. There wasn't a trace of fear in her expression. Instead, she raised her voice, bright and crystal-clear, carrying through the tense air.
"Everyone! Please don't argue! There is still enough to go around!" Her voice was resolute, yet filled with warmth.
Her light grey hair, tied neatly at the back of her head, swayed softly as she moved, the strands catching faint light from the nearby torches. She wore a simple long skirt with a purple cape draped over her shoulders, an outfit so ordinary it could belong to any city girl. And yet, on her, it felt refined and almost noble.
Those same light-grey eyes, gentle and kind, curved slightly as she handed out bowls of steaming soup to one person after another. Her every movement radiated patience and sincerity.
"Charity meal?"
"Wait, this wasn't arranged by the Guild? How incredible. To think they held it all on their own, especially when everyone is so exhausted."
Watching from a distance, Kaguya and Lyra couldn't help but let out soft sighs. The two women, who had spent the last few days tirelessly running around the city saving lives, understood better than anyone the depth of Orario's crisis.
Every familia was stretched thin, assigned to defend open-air refugee camps, launch counterattacks, maintain city surveillance, or conduct emergency medical aid. Not a single adventurer had the spare time or resources to organize something like this.
Which was why this scene, this ordinary-looking girl selflessly sharing precious supplies, shone so brightly. To the eyes of the two women, she was like a figure from a sacred painting, a living embodiment of kindness, almost like a saint come down among the people.
And yet, she was neither Guild staff, nor affiliated with any faction. She was truly just an ordinary "citizen."
Or so they believed.
"...."
Listening to their sighs, Akira's expression twitched.
He inwardly groaned and muttered in his heart, 'If you two knew who that girl really was, a goddess of beauty who has lived for hundreds of millions of years, you'd be so shocked your jaws would hit the floor.'
Because one thing was certain: goddesses of beauty were never simple. Each and every one of them had troublesome, unpredictable personalities that drove mortals and adventurers alike into madness.
And yet, this particular goddess of beauty, this cheerful, sunny, endlessly kind "ordinary" girl, sometimes made Akira seriously suspect that she was suffering from a split personality.
On the surface, she looked exactly like a sixteen-year-old maiden, bright, cheerful, filled with innocence.
"Thank you so much for hosting this charity meal. You never know when the food will run out."
Facing an elderly man whose body was frail with age and exhaustion, Syr smiled reassuringly.
She even puffed her chest out slightly in pride and declared, "We should help each other when we are in trouble. And don't worry, this hot soup is provided by the Hostess of Fertility."
Beside her stood another girl, this one with cat-like features. She wore a light green waitress outfit with a coat tossed casually over it. Her sharp eyes and slightly ruffian-like aura made her look as though she was only reluctantly helping. Still, she assisted Syr, ladling soup from the cauldron with an expression full of irritation, as if annoyed at the whole world.
Syr, however, paid her companion no mind. With her trademark dazzling smile, she added cheerfully, "Although it may seem scary, the Hostess of Fertility is actually the safest tavern in the city. So everyone, if you ever run into trouble, please come find us on West Street."
Her words carried the ring of sincerity. Advice spoken straight from the heart. It didn't matter how gloomy or depressed the atmosphere was, it seemed nothing could dim the brightness of Syr's smile.
"Please, eat as much as you can. Once you've had your fill, you can head to the central square. For those who haven't received food yet—"
"Stop it! Stop handing out food! What's the point of charity meals?!"
Suddenly, a furious roar rang out from deeper within the camp, drowning out Syr's gentle words.
"We're all going to die anyway! Even if we don't starve, evilus will kill us!"
The voice belonged to an ordinary young man. He wasn't the one who had cried to Astraea Familia yesterday, but a newly arrived refugee. His eyes were sunken, hollow, brimming with despair.
The girl paused, and so did the crowd. Residents who just moments ago were gratefully receiving food now turned to look at him. In their eyes flickered a mixture of fear, anger, and hopelessness, the kind of look one might see in beasts trapped in a corner.
The young man staggered forward, reeking faintly of alcohol.
"I don't think that's true." Syr tried to console softly. "The adventurers are fighting their hardest to stop them—"
"Adventurers? Don't make me laugh!" The young man spat back with venom. "How can we trust those people? Didn't they already get beaten senseless by evilus?!"
"Didn't the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia both lose?! Tell me, how can they possibly win?!"
His words lashed out like a whip, striking at the fragile hope the people were clinging to.
The atmosphere cracked. The crowd, which had been murmuring softly moments ago, erupted into uneasy noise. The young man's shouts were not lies, they were the ugly, undeniable truth that no one dared voice aloud.
Some lowered their eyes, unable to bear the weight of despair again. Others clenched their fists, ashamed of how bold their words of hope had sounded yesterday.
The morale Astraea Familia had painstakingly built was collapsing, vanishing overnight like a fragile dream. The warmth Syr and her companions had brought with their charity meal was smothered by the cold, suffocating reality of defeat.
"My sister... my sister was abandoned by adventurers who refused to protect her. She died. And soon, we'll all die the same way." The young man's voice broke, turning into a trembling wail of grief.
From the distance, Lyra, Kaguya, and Akira observed the scene in silence.
Lyra's lips curled into a dry smile. "Looks like being pelted with stones isn't the worst thing after all. At least stones don't cut as deep as this."
Kaguya folded her arms and sneered coldly. "The hearts of the people will always be swayed by the world outside."
"Oi." Akira flicked Lyra's forehead with his finger, his tone exasperated. "Don't compare those two things, Lyra."
The people's despair was sharper than any stone.
"It's over... Adventurers, Orario... everything is over!"
Under the weight of so many despairing gazes, the young man collapsed into his frustration. Around him, many others lowered their heads, sinking into silence.
Even Anya, the sharp-eyed cat girl watching the cauldron, set down her ladle. She stared warily at the despairing youth, ready to act if he tried anything reckless.
In this heavy, suffocating atmosphere, Syr's smile faltered for the first time. She placed a finger gently against her chin, adopting her familiar thinking pose. For a brief moment, she looked troubled.
Then—clap!
She brought her hands together like a child and beamed, a mischievous, dazzling smile lighting up her entire face.
"Then why don't we all die together?"
"...What!?"
The young man froze in shock.
"Eh!?"
Even Lyra and Kaguya stopped breathing for a moment, their jaws dropping.
"Ah!?"
The residents stared at Syr as if they'd misheard.
Even Akira's eyebrows twitched violently.
Just what outrageous thing was this goddess of beauty about to say next?
Completely unbothered by the stunned silence around her, Syr continued brightly, her tone as cheerful as if she were discussing the weather.
"You said that because you feel sad, hurt, and miserable, right? But if you die, you won't feel anything at all."