I Got Reincarnated in Danmachi But Got No Cheats?!

Chapter 49 – The Wall Called Friendship (POV: Eina)

I walked out of the Hostess of Fertility faster than usual.

The information from Anya kept rolling around in my head like an incomplete puzzle.

Ryuu Lion was suspicious of Syr.

Her own closest friend didn't believe her.

But the problem was, I couldn't talk to her inside the bar.

Too many eyes and ears watching.

Most importantly, Syr was there.

I needed to talk to Ryuu alone, when she was off guard and couldn't run away from my questions.

My plan changed.

Looking for someone in the vast city of Orario was like finding a needle in a haystack.

I'd wait instead.

It was still afternoon and I still had work to do.

Back at the Guild, I tried finishing my delayed paperwork, but my concentration was shot.

Every document I read just became meaningless strings of letters.

My eyes kept glancing at the wall clock, counting how much longer until work ended.

"Eina-chan, are you okay?" Misha asked with that worried tone that had become way too familiar lately.

I didn't even know how many times she'd asked that in the past two days.

"Yeah, just tired," I answered without looking up from files I wasn't even reading.

Rose glanced at me from her desk.

"Did you eat lunch?"

"Yeah." Lie.

I hadn't been eating regularly since yesterday.

The clock kept ticking so damn slowly. Every second felt like an hour.

When the wall clock finally chimed to signal the end of the workday, I nearly jumped out of my chair.

Rarely was I this excited to go home.

"See you tomorrow," I hurriedly packed my things.

"Eina-chan! Want to go home together?" Misha offered.

"Ah! No, thanks. I've got something to do real quick."

Before anyone could ask more questions, I was already out of the Guild with a very clear mission in mind.

I glanced quickly left and right, making sure no one was watching.

Then I found a narrow alley across from the Hostess of Fertility.

Perfect spot for staking out without being seen.

Dark enough to hide me, but bright enough to see who was coming and going.

I decided to wait here.

One hour passed since I started waiting.

The sounds of the bar's crowd gradually faded as night went on.

The last customers came out laughing and chatting with voices starting to slur from alcohol.

Street lamps began going out one by one, leaving only a few lanterns illuminating the road with dim, yellowish light.

Night was about to fall.

The atmosphere became quiet and cold.

The night wind started biting at my exposed skin, but I endured the boredom and cold air for the sake of a truth that might change everything.

I waited patiently, eyes focused on the staff door that remained tightly shut.

Finally, that door opened.

I held my breath, heart beating faster.

A few moments later, one last figure came out alone.

Wearing her waitress uniform, she walked with steps that were calm but alert.

Even in the darkness, I recognized her distinctive posture and way of walking.

Ryuu Lion.

I waited until she walked past my hiding spot, then carefully stepped out of the shadows.

"Ryuu Lion." My voice broke the night's silence.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

I looked at her with a mix of nervousness and excitement.

I felt like I'd definitely get useful information from Ryuu.

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

Even in the dim lantern light, I could see her shoulders tense.

"What do you want, Guild lady?" she asked, her tone not friendly at all.

She slowly turned to face me, her blue eyes cold and defensive.

"I'm Eina Tulle," I introduced myself while stepping closer, but keeping a safe distance.

"An advisor from the Guild. I'm... I'm the advisor for the adventurer who allegedly assaulted Miss Syr."

Her eyes narrowed. "So?"

"I believe he's innocent."

"Your belief doesn't change the facts." Her voice was flat, but I caught something in her eyes a flash of doubt she was trying to hide.

I took a deep breath.

"Ryuu, I've been studying this case. There's something off. Kaen's record is completely clean not a single report of violence or suspicious behavior. The timing's weird too. Just two minutes after he exchanged magic stones at the Guild. before the incident happened."

"Maybe it was a spontaneous attack," she replied, but her voice sounded less certain.

"Or maybe it wasn't an attack at all." I stepped a little closer.

"I know this sounds crazy, but... Your own friend told me. You... you're suspicious of Syr's story yourself, aren't you?"

Those words hit her like a slap.

I saw her eyes widen for a moment before hardening again.

Silence.

Dead silence.

A silence that felt like forever, where I could hear my own heartbeat and the sound of night wind whistling between buildings.

I watched her the internal battle raging in those green eyes.

Doubt against loyalty.

Logic against emotion.

Justice against friendship.

For a moment, I thought I'd succeeded. I saw cracks in her defensive wall.

Would I finally be able to help Kaen get free from these accusations?

But after that silence that felt like eternity, I saw something in her eyes harden.

Like a steel door had been slammed shut.

Loyalty had won.

I'd lost this conversation.

She stared at me, her gaze now without doubt—only cold, forced certainty.

"I saw that man with my own eyes a week ago," she said in a controlled voice. "He tried to rob a small child for no clear reason. I know what kind of person he is. My friend is the victim. That man is the perpetrator. Nothing's wrong here. That man is what's wrong."

The words came out with forced conviction, like a mantra recited to convince herself.

I saw her eyes looking at me growing colder, as if wanting to get away from me quickly.

"Don't look for me again about this matter," she spoke her final sentence with a tone that left no room for argument.

This stopped me from speaking.

She turned and walked away into the night's darkness, her steps quick and firm, not giving me another chance to talk.

I stood alone under the dim lantern light, feeling deep defeat and frustration gnawing at my chest.

I realized I couldn't win this fight with logic alone. I'd just crashed into a wall called blind friendship.

My biggest hope for getting a credible witness had just vanished in an instant.

The cold wind hit my face, but it wasn't as cold as the despair starting to creep into my heart.

My last hope for helping Kaen... maybe really did lie with Ryuu.

But seeing the look in her eyes earlier, I knew—she'd never choose truth over her friend.

This was basically a dead end.

I felt tightness in my chest. Now it felt like saving Kaen would be incredibly difficult.

If not Ryuu... maybe the only answer could come from Syr herself.

Even if it meant I'd have to hear lies directly... from her lips.

— POV: Ryuu —

Orario's moon slowly appeared in the sky.

I walked home with steps slower than usual.

I'd been keeping this suspicion for a long time. Since that day... when I saw Syr smile without wavering, as if nothing had ever happened.

But I kept convincing myself I was wrong. That this was just my traumatized feelings.

However, the Guild advisor's words still echoed in my head.

Two minutes.

Too short a time for a spontaneous attack driven by lust.

I stopped under a street lantern's light, white breath coming from my mouth in the cold night air.

Syr.

The image of her face today appeared in my mind. The way she smiled while serving customers, the way she carried trays without shaking, the way she was... normal.

Too normal for someone who'd just nearly been raped.

I'd been attacked before. I knew what that trauma felt like. How your body shakes uncontrollably, how sudden sounds make your heart race, how sleep becomes impossible because of nightmares.

After what happened to Astrea Familia... after all my friends died and I was the only survivor, I couldn't touch food for days. I couldn't sleep without waking up screaming. I couldn't see blood without throwing up.

Syr showed none of those signs at all.

My mind felt chaotic. I needed somewhere quiet to calm down.

I sat on an empty park bench, staring at my own hands. Hands that once shook uncontrollably after that massacre. Hands that needed months to become steady again.

"Impossible," I whispered softly.

But a small voice in my head kept whispering. What if that advisor was right? What if Syr...

No.

I shook my head hard.

Syr was all I had left. The only one who didn't leave me after everyone else was gone. When I couldn't work properly because of nightmares, she was patient and helped me. When I woke up screaming in the middle of the night, she was the one who came to comfort me.

She was the only family I had now.

The night wind blew, carrying the scent of flowers from the garden. Reminding me of my slaughtered friends.

Tears started flowing without me realizing.

Alise always told me that justice was everything. That an adventurer should always stand for what's right, no matter how difficult the consequences.

"Justice, Ryuu," her voice echoed in my memory. "If justice only applies to enemies, it's not justice. Justice must also apply to people we love."

But now... now I was choosing to close my eyes to the possibility that an innocent person was suffering. Because I was scared. Because I was selfish. Because I couldn't bear to lose the only person I had left.

I'd already lost everyone I loved. If Syr was also lying to me, she'd be arrested, which meant I'd truly be alone in this world. Alone with the guilt that already accompanied my days.

"Forgive me, Alise," while holding back my tears. "I'm not as strong as you thought."

"Forgive me, Kaguya. Lyra. I'm betraying everything you taught me."

I couldn't hold back—my tears finally flowed out. For my dead friends. For the man named Kaen who might be innocent. For myself, who chose the coward's path.

"I can't," I whispered with flowing tears. "I can't lose her too."

Maybe I didn't deserve to be called an adventurer anymore. Maybe I didn't deserve to carry the name of Astrea Familia.

But I'd lost too much to lose the only thing I had left.

Even if it meant living with guilt that would eat away at my soul every day.

I stood up from the bench, wiping tears with the back of my hand.

Slowly, very slowly, I arranged my facial expression. Erasing traces of sadness. Eliminating signs of doubt. Neutralizing all the emotions that had been churning.

My face returned to the mask I'd worn for years cold, controlled, showing nothing.

Tomorrow I'd go back to work as usual. I'd smile at Syr as usual. I'd pretend not to hear the small voice in my head that kept wondering.

Like I always did.

Because that was the only way I knew how to survive hiding all the pain behind an emotionless face.

Because sometimes, surviving was more important than seeking truth.

And I was already too tired.

Too tired to be strong anymore.