It has been two days after what happened at church Loria. Everyone is still talking about it, and the reputation of the 120th Awakened Team reduced significantly. The members now are having a hard time figuring out what to do next while their captain is held in the royal prison.
"Why did he kill them if they have nothing to do with him?" - Ishino looks confused when looking back at the record from Yuna.
"I don't know. He just went ahead and did it..." - Yuna is just as confused as Ishino.
"Why don't you become the temporary Captain, Ishino? You are his best friend, so right now we think it is our best option. We will figure out something else later on." - Several members conclude."
Ishino reluctantly accepts the offer even though he does not think he is fully ready for that position. What he wants to do at the moment is to meet Ryuma and find out what happened, but he can only do so after the Judgement Period from the Royalty.
"Alright. I will go to the Judgement Period. I will let you know if we have updated news about Ryuma. I'm sure he must have his reasons to do so. For now, just stay quiet until everything resolves."
"I will go with you, Ishino." - Yuna responds.
...
The two go back to the Palace where they first met Princess Lilia. On the way, they spend time talking about their past and how they all agreed to become part of the Awakened Team.
"That idiot. He always does stupid things like that."
"..."
"But do you think he changes, Yuna?"
"I...don't know, but the moment he killed those children was when I realized that the person in front of me was not Ryuma. I wish it was not him, but those emotionless expressions of his told me that Ryuma was the one.."
"Okay, okay. Let's just calm down a bit. It happened anyway. We can just ask that bastard, later on."
The atmosphere is getting intense after that quick conversation. Ishino feels super awkward that he has to break the ice to get the mood elevated.
"You know what? A guy like him is so dense that no one will ever like him, I bet."
"...But I do" - Yuna tears up again.
"Shit, I ended up mentioning him in a bad way again." - Ishino thinks to himself.
"He was the one who saved my life back when we were still trainees. I remembered that we were badly injured that day when we fought a wyvern at nearby dungeons. Without him coming at the right time, we would not be here."
"Well, yeah. I have to admit that he was indeed strong. I guess being a Guardian should have that kind of power. Now that we mentioned it, didn't you have a crush on him right after that?"
"Shut up. I did not!"
"You think you can fool me? Why didn't you tell him back then? He never said anything about that to me. Every time I ask, he either stays silent or changes the topic."
"He already rejected my confession..."
"WHAT? Really? You talked to him?"
"It began at our annual party five years ago..."
...
"Ryuma, drink some more brother!" - Ishino happily hugs Ryuma.
"Get your hands off me, you drunkard." - Ryuma complains.
"Ermm...I want to talk to you, Ryuma. Do you have some time for us privately?" - Yuna asks.
Ryuma looks at her coldly, and he nods right away. Ryuma tries to put everyone in one place since they are too drunk to go back home. He then heads out of his office and comes to the park in the city.
"Yuna, I am here. Why do we need to talk here?"
"Sit down for a minute."
"Alright, what do you need?"
"Wh...what do you think of me, Ryuma?
"What do I think about you?"
"Y..yes"
"Well, you are my very first friend besides Ishino. Therefore, you are an important person in my life. That is for sure. You know how to lift the mood of the team, and explain the mission to everyone right away. I am lucky to have my friend on the team."
"...Thanks, but I...I want to ask what you think of me...as a woman"
Ryuma says nothing after that, but Yuna can feel his cold eyes staring at her. The night is getting colder and colder, and all Ryuma does is letting out a sigh/ He takes off his jacket, lets Yuna wears it and taps her shoulder.
"There you go. It should be warmer now."
"Ryuma..."
"I'm sorry, Yuna. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. The numbers of love letters you received from the headquarter are way more than the number of missions we had. That means there must be a person out there who will love you wholeheartedly. For me, I don't see you in that way."
"..."
"This must be hard to listen to, but to make someone wait for me is not something I want to do. I'm sorry..."
"Then do you have someone in your heart?"
"I have no one. My life is with the office and missions."
"Then why...?"
"I'm sorry, but I have my reasons..."
...
"To think he rejected one of the most popular girls. What a crazy bastard!"
"Well, it is all in the past. I don't want to talk about it anymore. What matters now is how he turns from being our captain to a killer."
"Wait a minute, Yuna. Is that church Loria?"
"Yeah."
"Let's stop there for a minute. I want to have a look at it first."
The two stop at the church. They spend some time looking around to see if they can find anything useful for the investigation.
"This was where he killed them, correct?"
"That's right. You can still see the blood around."
"Hmm...Hold on, what is that?"
Ishino looks at the ground, and he finds several weird-looking orbs lying around the area. They give out an unusual blue color.
"Vocal detonating orb?" - Yuna looks surprised.
"A high-rank orb that can hurt even a Guardian. Ryuma mentions about it a while ago. Why were they here?" - Ishino examines the orb.
"Maybe the Light group tried to destroy the church before we found out? From what we have seen so far, the orbs seemed to lie around the church."
"But the thing is that no one in our team has a magic level high enough to detect those orbs since they have the natural "Absolute hidden" traits. They are so rare that even Royalty has fewer experiences or exposure to them. Even if they knew about the orbs, they must be alerted already. These things are notorious as their magic can connect to nearby persons or objects. The moment specific words or terms come out, they will create a massive explosion. There is one person I can think of that can detect those orbs."
"Ryuma..." - Yuna is shocked after realizing the information. She rushes toward the Palace as fast as possible.
"PLEASE LET ME IN!!! I need to talk to Princess Lilia." - the guards stop her at the entrance where the Judgment Period is being conducted.
"Please calm down, Madam. You are not allowed to come inside without permission. You are welcome to take the audience seat to watch."
"WATCH WHAT? Our Captain is in there. Do you think I have time to sit and watch that?"
"Yuna! Calm down for a minute, please. This won't help with the situation." - Ishino runs after Yuna and stopped here.
All of the sudden, they hear King Louis III's voice speaking from the broadcast channel to the public. Both Ishino and Yuna stand dead silent.
"Dear Citizens of Edser, today we witness the death of one murderer who we used to think that he is our protector. The news about Caption Ryodon killing innocent children has reached too far. Those childrens are orphans, but they are still our citizens. What he did not only tainted our reputation but left a dirt mark as an Awaken. The Judgment was decided earlier. I will now inform you all that Ryuma Ryodon is confirmed dead. He is no longer the Captain and was rightfully executed. May his soul be cleansed by the Gods, and may the children's souls rest in peace."
"Ryuma? Executed?" - Yuna is so stunned that she faints instantly.
"Yuna? Yuna!!!" - Ishino quickly takes her back to the headquarter. Hearing about the death of his friend also makes him devastated, but he has to keep calm to take care of Yuna. He looks back at the Palaces, and tears are now falling down his face.
~To be continued~