I Got Reincarnated in Danmachi But Got No Cheats?!

Chapter 56 – Eina's Memory (POV: Eina)

The documents on my desk look like an endless mountain of trash.

I'm staring at that pile of papers while gripping a pen that's about to snap from being clicked so much.

My eyes feel like hell—like there's sand stuck under my eyelids.

Sleep?

What's sleep?

Ever since Kaen got thrown in jail, I've been so worried I can barely sleep.

"Eina-chan..."

Misha's voice makes me look up.

Her face... oh god, she's looking at me like she's seeing a walking corpse.

"Are you okay? Your eyes are super swollen, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I cut her off before she starts another long lecture.

I'm already used to Misha being way too worried about me.

Rose walks over from the next desk, carrying a cup of coffee that smells amazing.

"Eina, seriously. Just take the day off. What's the point of pushing yourself when your body's like this?"

"What if you get sick?"

Hearing Rose's worried words, I just shake my head and go back to staring at the documents where the letters seem to be dancing in front of my eyes.

Take a day off?

How can I take a day off when Kaen is still...

"Kaen's the one in the wrong."

Ryuu's voice from last night comes rushing back into my head.

So cold.

Final.

Like someone who's absolutely certain about something.

Ugh. I scratch my hair in frustration until it's a mess.

A wall.

I really hit a wall called friendship yesterday.

My last hope for getting a credible witness...

destroyed.

Ryuu, the person most likely to help, actually...

Wait.

I stop scratching my hair.

"I saw that man with my own eyes a week ago. He was trying to rob some little kid for no clear reason."

A week ago?

The pen in my hand drops onto the desk with a small sound.

My eyes widen.

A WEEK AGO!

Not when the thing with Syr happened.

But BEFORE that.

A little kid.

My heart starts beating weird.

Not anxious anymore, but... excited?

Like when you get an important clue in a puzzle that's been stuck for days.

Ryuu already had bad prejudices about Kaen before the incident with Syr.

That's why he was so quick to believe those accusations.

That's why...

"Oh my god," I whisper softly.

Misha immediately looks over.

"Eina-chan? Are you—"

"You're right, Misha." I stand up quickly, the chair scraping loudly.

"I'm taking the day off."

"Huh? But you just said—"

"I'm actually not feeling well right now. So, I'm leaving."

I wave while walking quickly toward the door. Some other staff members look confused, but I don't care.

There's one place I need to go right now.

Hestia Familia's old church.

I need to find Goddess Hestia to talk about this little clue I found.

•••

Somewhere else, in a quiet basement room...

— POV: Hestia —

At almost the same time, in the basement of the old church...

The paper in my hands feels so heavy.

The report from the private investigator I paid for with Hephaestus's money, and the results make me want to cry.

Dozens of eyewitnesses.

All saying they saw Kaen attacking Syr. No trace of a third person.

No evidence of conspiracy.

Total dead end.

This is basically a gray zone.

I throw that report onto the wooden table in frustration. Yesterday I managed to relight the spark in Kaen's eyes, but how am I supposed to get him out when all the evidence points to him?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Someone knocking on the church door.

Really loud, like someone in a hurry.

Who's coming to this basement?

Is it my friend Hephaestus?

No way!

She's usually way too busy forging weapons.

No way she'd come visit me.

With curiosity,

I open the door and—Eina?

She's out of breath, hair kind of messy, her eyes...

how do I put this, like a mix of panic and excitement.

"Goddess Hestia," she starts talking without catching her breath.

"I found something."

"Eina? Shouldn't you be at work right now—"

"Can I come in? This is really important."

I step back, giving her space.

She comes in while closing the door, then immediately sits on the sofa that creaks.

"Okay, spill it," I sit across from her.

"But first..." I point to the report on the table.

"I got a report from a private investigator. The results... aren't good."

Eina opens those pages, her eyes scanning quickly.

"Dozens of eyewitnesses... all saying they saw Kaen attacking Syr..."

"Yep. And no evidence of conspiracy at all." I lean back in my chair, exhausted.

"So now I'm really confused. Yesterday I told Kaen-kun I'd get him out. But how am I supposed to do that when—"

"Goddess." Eina cuts me off, her tone different.

More...

firm?

"I met with Ryuu Lion last night."

"Ryuu Lion? That waitress at Hostess of Fertility?"

"She's a former member of Astrea Familia. The goddess of justice. And she... she refused to help me."

Eina tells me about how she tried to convince Ryuu to be a witness, but Ryuu was super defensive. Flat-out refused.

I'm really shocked.

I know who Ryuu Lion is—she was mentioned in the report as being a close friend of Syr's.

But what really shocks me is the fact that she's a former member of Astrea Familia!!

I know Astrea—we're good friends, after all.

"But there's one thing she said," Eina continues, her eyes starting to sparkle.

"Her reason for refusing to help us."

"What?"

"She said she'd seen Kaen before. A week before the incident with Syr. She said... she saw Kaen trying to rob a little kid in an alley."

The words 'little kid' hit me like lightning.

A little kid.

A LITTLE KID!!

"Oh no..." I whisper softly, my hand reflexively covering my mouth.

For some reason, several scenarios pop up in my little brain.

Eina immediately catches my reaction.

"Goddess? What? Do you know something?"

My mind immediately goes back to a few days ago.

When I found Kaen passed out in front of the church.

When he said his money was "lost in the commotion." I knew Kaen was lying, but at the time, I felt it wasn't a big deal so I just believed him.

"Eina..." my voice trembles a little.

"Kaen didn't lose his money because of some commotion."

"What do you mean, Goddess?"

I look at Eina's confused face—it's natural she doesn't understand.

She doesn't know the situation clearly, after all.

"He... he was robbed by that little kid. And when he tried to get his money back..." I look into Eina's eyes that are starting to widen.

"Ryuu saw that incident and misunderstood."

I'm amazed—Eina... is she that clever?

She immediately gets what I mean.

Working with her was a wise choice!

Silence for a moment.

Only the sound of wind outside the church can be heard.

"Oh my god..." Eina says slowly, like the puzzle in her head is starting to connect.

"So... that's why Kaen became paranoid. That's why he reacted weird when he met Syr. The trauma from that incident made him..."

"Made him mentally unstable," I finish.

After all, in the days before, Kaen had been hugging me in his sleep more often than usual.

Even though he didn't mean to touch me...

I was even a little embarrassed...

I shake my head hard, trying to get rid of those impure thoughts.

Then I say hurriedly to cover my embarrassment.

"And Ryuu, who already had bad prejudices, immediately believed it when there were accusations."

We both look at each other.

In Eina's eyes, I can see the same understanding that I feel.

For some reason, I feel really comfortable talking with Eina... We're so in sync!

"We need to find that little kid," I stand up, hands clenched tight.

I feel so excited I want to breathe some fire from my mouth like a dragon.

The despair that was weighing heavy on my chest just disappears, replaced by razor-sharp focus.

Eina nods quickly.

"Right. If we can get him to admit that he saw Ryuu hit Kaen, we can prove that Kaen was in a mentally unstable condition when the incident with Syr happened."

"And that could be grounds for..." I think quickly, "changing the charge from rape to... assault due to mental disorder?"

"Exactly." Eina starts getting excited.

"There's a rule that if someone has a record of mental illness, they can be declared not fully guilty. We can bring in an expert to examine Kaen's mental condition."

I sit down again, this time on the edge of the table, really close to Eina.

"But how do we find that little kid? Orario's huge, and we don't know where he lives."

Eina scratches her cheek while thinking. "Hmm... Ryuu said she saw the incident in an alley. Which alley, we don't know. But..."

She looks at me.

"Kaen must remember where it happened. He was the victim."

"But he's in jail now. And..." I remember Kaen's condition yesterday.

"His mental state isn't good."

I can't tell her I've already used up my visiting quota that's only allowed twice a month.

"We have to try. This is the only lead we have."

I'm quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Eina, are you sure this plan will work? I mean... even if we find that little kid, even if he confesses, is that enough to... to clear Kaen of such serious charges?"

Eina takes a long breath.

"Honestly? I don't know. But..." She looks into my eyes, firm.

"This is better than just giving up. And at least, it gives us something to fight for."

She's right.

Better than sitting around watching Kaen rot in jail...

"Okay." I stand up again, this time with solid determination.

"Let's do it. The two of us will try to find that little kid... If we can't find him..."

"Tomorrow I'll try to meet Kaen again, ask him about that incident."

Honestly, I kinda regret getting a little emotional during my meeting with Kaen, so I forgot to ask what really happened... Hestia, Hestia, you're so stupid.

"I'll help. We can divide the work—I can use my connections at the Guild to find additional info."

"Deal."

Eina stands up too, but when she's about to walk to the door, she stops.

"Goddess... thank you for believing in Kaen. Even when everyone else has given up, you still..."

"Hey." I smile, but sadly.

"He's my child. And children shouldn't face this cruel world alone."

She smiles back—the first smile I've seen on her face since this whole thing started.

"We're going to bring him home, Goddess."

"Definitely."

Eina walks to the door, but before leaving she turns around one more time.

"Goddess, if I find something... how do I contact you?"

"Just come straight to this church. I'll be here or... if it's urgent, look for me in the trading district. I might be wandering around looking for information about that kid—the thief."

"Got it. See you later."

The church door closes with a sound that echoes in the quiet basement.

The room goes silent again.

So empty.

After Eina leaves, I sit back down in the wooden chair while staring at the church ceiling that's leaking in several places.

Wind comes in through the cracks, bringing the scent of dust and hope.

For the first time in three days, I feel like we're not walking in total darkness.

We have a mission.

We have a target.

But now I'm alone again.

Eina has her duties at the Guild, and I...

I have to go down to Orario's busy streets to look for a little kid who might've already disappeared without a trace.

I stare at the coin pouch I borrowed from Hephaestus.

There's still enough money to hire a few informants.

In Orario's underworld, money can buy almost any information...

if you know the right places to ask.

"Kaen-kun," I whisper softly, "just wait a little longer."

The hunt for our key witness...

starts now.