The Wandering Devil
Chapter: 35
Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance.
(The Meddling Goddess)
I sank back into the booth seat, arms folded and head tilted slightly as the familiar sounds that came with eating within a tavern surrounding me.
The food smelled decent. People were loud. Lili was talking to Bell about some dumb thing he did a few days ago. Welf was with us, but he was currently hyper-focused on finishing some sort of armour design next to me.
He had set up a portal smithing shop within the spare room for now. A potential fire hazard but he didn't give off incompetent vibes. I made a note to get my personal smith his own place to work on his projects properly.
Hestia leaned into me from the side, her head resting against my shoulder, fingers lazily looping through mine under the table. She hadn't let go of me since I got back.
We were sitting in a booth, I had only come back a few hours ago and we had decided to celebrate by going out.
"You're quiet," she said softly.
I was mostly thinking about Satomi. The situation was annoying. I had technically spent a lot longer than the few days I was actually in that world with her, and she had been nice.
"Am I?," I questioned back.
"So," Hestia eventually said, shifting to talk quietly near my ear, "Bell's been doing really well in the dungeon. He's level three now."
That got a blink out of me. "Already?"
"Yeah. Caused a bit of a stir," she said with a small grin. "And don't act surprised, you kept bringing him back half dead with a training regime that most would have given up on. It has paid off."
Taking him to downright impossible fights that would most certainly mean death for anyone of his strength probably goes against many health code violations was probably a bit harsh, but I had control of the situation.
"That's good to hear. Especially since he's completely loyal to me, so we won't have to worry about letting him get too powerful."
Hestia sent me a flat stare. "My dearest, you have such a dark mind."
I gave her a kiss on her perfect lips.
"It's a dark world." I whispered playfully.
She rolled her eyes, still leaning against me.
I glanced over at Bell. Bell was smiling as he chatted with Lili, barely aware of the attention he was starting to pull. He looked… happy. He deserved that.
"And while you were off world-hopping," Hestia continued, her voice lowering, "we did have a little... situation."
My small smile vanished, and I turned my full attention to her.
I turned to her. "What kind of situation?"
Her grip on my hand tightened. "Someone tried to break in."
My already bad mood worsened, and the thin control on my sin of Wrath unloosened itself.
I sat up straighter, my voice becoming fiery without my intention. "What?"
"They didn't get far," she added quickly. "The wards you placed kicked in like they were supposed to. Then I think Vermisynth stopped them before they could even touch the inner doors."
I didn't respond for a second. Just stared at the table, jaw tight.
"How long ago?"
"A day ago"
"Did they leave anything behind?" I asked seriously.
She fidgeted slightly. "No, it was more of a quick attempt. Meant to be done in a few minutes. Thinking about it, it was more like-"
"A scout." I finished, nodding.
I knew there was an unknown group watching me for whatever reason, but that's all they had done… watch me. This was an act.
I guess it was time to go on the hunt.
Hestia gently held my hand.
"I've got my magical protections to put on the house, along with that I've gotten myself a new familiar." I said evenly, my basilisk making itself known.
"A snake?" Hestia hummed.
"A Basilisk. It's a magical snake so to speak-"
"I am not a magical snake!" My Basilisk hissed.
"She has scales as tough as a Dragons and her eyes have a petrifying effect. If she opens her eyelids anyone who makes eye contact with her will die. She is quite poisonous too but she can control that so she won't kill or petrify us." I informed her casually.
She stared at me exasperatedly. "Another powerful and incredibly dangerous familiar?"
"Yes. It seems like it was a good choice." I replied.
She leaned in closer, wrapping both arms around mine this time. She didn't say anything else about it. "So are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
I stiffened slightly before relaxing. I cast a privacy spell so nobody could overhear us.
"I went to another world before coming back here." I revealed.
Her eyes widened. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"Yeah… the world was a lot weaker so to speak, without any magic it quickly became apparent the only thing they had to offer me was their enhanced technology. Some of which I obtained for the house." I replied vaguely.
"And yet?" She prompted.
"When I decided to stay in that world for a bit, I did some contracts… they weren't eventful besides one woman who tried to imprison me-"
"Right… not important at all." She said, smiling fondly.
I gracefully ignored her comment.
"I met a girl, who simply wished for me to play a game with her so to speak. I can't exactly explain it since technology in this world hasn't come close to that point yet. But it allowed me to enter a fake world, an illusion of sorts and play around." I tried to explain as best as I could.
She nodded slowly and I knew how absurd it must seem to her.
"In that world, time was slowed. So while it was one day outside, it was multiple inside." I explained.
"I'm guessing you got to know this girl?"
"I did, she was fun. I used it as a chance to unwind a bit."
Her eyes turned concerned. "If you need a break you merely need to tell me so."
"I know." I said, pecking her on the lips.
She really was the best.
"She was cool and I can say that I actually considered her a friend… a rare commodity. She had no other intentions despite all the temptation being there…"
"And?" She probed softly.
"I found her dead within her apartment this morning, no signs of death." I sighed.
Her eyes widened in shock, and her grip became tighter. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah… I guess I just liked her a bit more than I realised." I sighed. "It's bugging me, the cause of her death still remains to be seen."
"Perhaps it was natural?" Hestia pondered.
"Maybe, that world was filled with toxic gases. A dead planet waiting for its destruction." I replied idly.
Bell stood up, going to get another drink. He slid out of the booth, brushing crumbs off his coat.
I watched him go and turned slightly toward Lili. "How's everything going?"
She didn't answer right away. Her thumb ran slow circles over the back of my hand.
"Smoothly for the most part," she finally said. "We did a few dungeon runs but only on the surface like you said. We didn't want to risk anyone using it as an opportunity."
"Good." I replied. "We will go on some deeper ones now I'm back, we ought to see about getting you your own weapons as well. Perhaps a magical enhanced crossbow? Do they even exist?"
Before they could respond, the sound of chairs scraping and raised voices hit my ear.
I glanced up.
Bell had bumped into someone.
It wouldn't have been a big deal. Shouldn't have been. But it was.
Four guys were surrounding him now. One shoved him lightly. Another one laughed. I saw the crest on their jackets.
Naturally Bell was trying to defuse it. Holding his hands up, backing away slightly.
My jaw tightened.
They didn't stop. One grabbed Bell by the collar and shoved him again, a little harder. Lili started to rise, but I gently pushed her back down.
Welf looked up, and seemed ready to get up himself but I held out a hand.
A familiar burning pressure spread down my spine.
Another one threw a punch.
Hestia touched my arm, sensing the shift in me. "Zeph-"
I was already standing. I crossed the room in four steps, each one heavier than the last. Various adventurers watched on in amusement. The nearest Apollo Familia member had his back turned.
I drove my boot into his side. Not enough to do anything serious, but he did bend over in pain… only to stand back up as if nothing had happened.
The tavern went dead quiet. All eyes turned to me.
I didn't say anything. I put my hand on Bell's shoulder and guided him away. He looked up at me in confusion but followed without protest.
The punch hadn't hurt him. He was level three, and most certainly accustomed to punches ten times the force he had received.
I turned my head slightly, glancing at the others.
My eyes narrowed, and I noticed something. Their expressions were angry. Confused. One guy even looked like he was sneering. But their eyes… were blank.
I tilted my head. It was as if something behind them was watching through them.
What was this?
Had Bell really bumped into them? Or had they bumped into Bell?
My gaze landed on one who hadn't spoken yet.
The only one who hadn't moved since the beginning.
The guy I had kicked suddenly screamed in pain and fell over, they all quickly rushed to his side and promptly took him away.
"…"
Okay, so that was just downright fucking creepy.
I returned to the booth watching them hurriedly leave in confusion.
That entire encounter had felt… Forced. It wasn't natural.
I shook my head. "You alright Bell?"
"Y-yeah. I'm sorry, I don't know why they got so mad." Bell said regretfully.
"It wasn't your fault Bell, some people are like that." Hestia comforted, but I could see she noticed how weird that had felt.
Honestly, not even I knew. But I know that I had fallen into some sort of scheme. I'm guessing that kick was what they needed for whatever they were going to attempt.
I wasn't naive. That situation was off and I'm not even sure if it was them that caused it.
The rest of the night passed normally, or as normal as it gets after something that strange.
We stayed at the tavern a little longer. Ryu came over and asked about the incident. While we weren't exactly too close, I had come to know the cold elven girl to the point that she knew me.
Bell kept apologising while Welf had decided that the sketch could wait later as he joined us fully. Lili kept glaring at everyone who even looked in our direction.
Hestia remained glued to my side. Her warmth helped. I didn't let it show, but the whole thing had left a bad taste in my mouth.
After that, we walked back to the home. Quiet streets.
When we reached home, I checked every ward and reinforcement spell twice. Hestia hovered beside me the whole time.
I added a few minor protections that would add to the stronger one, and I placed some of the modern tech I had gotten in the living room. Not a lot of it was going to be able to work in this world but I'm sure I could find a way to use it.
It'd last a lot longer than using monster crystals to fuel everything.
Eventually, me and Hestia headed to sleep. I lay down in my bed with Hestia curled under my arm, her fingers still loosely tangled with mine.
Sleep came over us slowly.
Or it was best to say it had been, before Hestia shifted her body.
As I felt my length engulfed by her soft lips and into the warmth of her mouth.
I had to admit.
It was good to be back.
-Scene Break-
I walked out into the dining room of our house, yawning and adjusting my coat when a familiar, annoyed hiss greeted me.
"I'm hungry."
I looked down. My Basilisk was stretched out along the back bench, tail twitching.
"You're always hungry."
"Yes. I'm a predator," she said smugly. "Not like your weaklings."
Bell coughed from the hallway, watching me hiss back at a snake. I turned to see both him and Lili geared up and ready.
I suppose we were going on a dungeon dive anyway. Bell had somehow reached my level even though I was close to reaching level four.
"You wanna hunt?" I asked the snake, ignoring her jab.
"Yes." She slid forward, rising to her full height. "Let me kill something."
"Fine," I said, smirking. "Let's take a trip downstairs. Bell, Lili, full dive. Get your gear."
Lili's ears perked up. "Really? A deep run?"
"We're due," I said simply. "I'll let her stretch her fangs while we're down there."
"Are you sure you should let your pet snake come with us? She seems kind of small." Lili asked.
"Let's see how small you think I am when I devour you whole." She hissed.
Lili looked at me. "Is she saying something bad about me? You can speak to her right?"
"She's just being sassy, for your information she can grow bigger. She just needed to become smaller like Vermisynth." I explained.
"Ah… are you sure it's a good idea to allow a massive snake to go kill monsters? What if someone sees us?" She asked, not accusatory but merely curious.
"That's why we are going for a deeper run."
The floor Goliath was on should do. My power had grown exponentially as had my magical capabilities. With my Basilisk I was confident I could keep an eye on both Bell and Lili.
Welf came down stairs and yawned, pausing at all of us looking ready to go for a dungeon dive. "You guys are going on a dungeon dive?"
"We are. You wanna come?" I offered.
After Hestia had claimed him as his own, we had learned that Welf was already a level two. He had been in the Hephaestus Familia before I shamelessly poached him for a better cause, my cause.
"Yes! Let me quickly get ready." Welf replied, hurrying to get ready.
As we left, Vermisynth raised his head.
I looked at the gates guarding the estate. The only reason people couldn't see him was because there were wards preventing that.
Vermisynth regarded my Basilisk for a moment, sending me a questioning look.
Before they could start measuring up to each other we left for the dungeon.
It took us a few hours to reach the middle floors. We moved quickly, not stopping unless needed. The deeper you went, the less you wanted to stick around.
The Basilisk didn't stay out the whole way. She shrunk down and slithered inside my coat, coiling tightly against my side beneath the layers.
Occasionally she hissed complaints, mostly about how slow we were moving or how boring the stairs were, even though we were moving at an incredibly fast pace.
Once we reached around floor 15, I let her loose.
She exploded out of my coat in a blur, twisting through the air like a bullet. And then the monsters started dying.
I watched as she went on a rampage, and I had to wonder just how much bloodlust she'd built up. Her gaze snapped from one target to another. Petrified. Dead. No warning. No drawn-out battle.
Bell looked both amazed and slightly disturbed.
Welf stood behind me, watching the large snake with obvious horror.
Lili stared as another War Shadow was devoured by the Basilisk. "Zephyrion... where do you keep finding these powerful monsters?" she said flatly.
"Yeah... are you sure it's even friendly?" Welf commented.
I shrugged. "I mostly find them by chance, and she's friendly to us."
"And you just go around taming them?" Bell asked innocently.
"I do," I beamed.
"You know, I think you may want to let your 'Basilisk' leave some for us," Lili commented.
"Why do you say that?" I asked as we moved past the remains.
"She's not leaving any monster stones behind. They're getting eaten," Lili frowned. "That's kind of the whole reason we're down here."
"She's a hunter." I shrugged.
"Yeah well, I'm going to start charging your pet a tax," she muttered.
"Alright, that's enough," I hissed to my Basilisk.
-{Sherry}-
Sherry hid behind the boulder, covering her mouth with her hand as the titanic serpent slid past her position.
A quick glance showed scales as thick as dungeon walls and a body large enough it filled up most of the large hallway.
She looked over to Ben, another level three adventurer in terror.
They had gotten split up with their party, and had stumbled upon the monster that in her humble opinion shouldn't be anywhere close to this floor.
Luckily they had ducked behind the boulder as it tore through monsters, killing everything that seemingly made eye contact with her. That large serpentine body had no right moving in the way it did.
As it hissed deeply in what sounded like defiance, they both hoped the serpent monster didn't peak over the boulder.
As the serpent left, she wanted to let out a breath. Yet, she held herself from doing so in case the monster somehow heard.
The adventurers of Orario needed to know about this new monster type.
-{Zephyrion Gremory}-
"I want to play more." My Basilisk hissed.
"The dungeon isn't going anywhere, you'll be able to play more." I comforted.
She grumbled but nevertheless obeyed, shrinking down to wrap comfortably in my clothing.
We reached the Goliath floor.
Both Bell and Lili were more alert as they were forced to deal with the occasional monster I let run their way.
We looked around at the chamber.
Empty.
The giant wasn't there.
Bell and Lili sighed in relief. While Welf wiped a bead of sweat that had formed.
Bell glanced around nervously. "Should we be worried?"
"Maybe. We'll take the safe zone just in case," I said. "No point looking for something that's already gone."
I'd been wanting to check it out for a while now anyway. Apparently the place was special.They said there were vendors down here who didn't sell in Orario. Odd jobs. Rare items. Stuff you couldn't get up top.
I figured we could kill some time.
We reached the safe zone a while later. Bell was quiet. Lili was scanning every corner like she expected something to jump out. Welf was amusedly the most relaxed of them.
I looked around.
"So this is the safe haven." Lili said, looking around with an impressed look. "I heard that some people even live down here."
"How do they even survive?" Bell asked curiously.
"They probably sell special items for food brought from the surface." I mused.
"Do you think they sell any rare materials?" Welf perked up.
"The inflation of food must be high down here." Lili said.
"Yeah, well. The trip is meant to be dangerous." I replied amusedly.
Now wasn't that a business plan?
Setting up a teleportation formation down here wouldn't be hard, and I could simply deliver food from above with ease.
I adjusted my cloak and smiled a little. "Let's explore."
I looked around at the Safe Zone.
Crystals glowed faintly overhead, casting a soft white light across the stone paths that cut through the settlement. Wooden and metal stalls were set up in rows, manned by adventurers or merchants who had adventurers on their payroll.
There were no normal people here. Everyone carried weapons, and none of them seemed to be below level three. That was mainly a guess on my part but the gear they carried and the way they walked definitely suggested so.
The four of us explored for a bit, sure enough they had all sorts of weird semi-legal items down here.
I decided to let the three excited members of my Familia explore, which the added addition of my Basilisk that only Bell had agreed to carry.
Reluctantly, he had let the small serpent slither around his shoulders. She curled like a scarf and hissed in approval. Lili muttered something about how that was a horrible idea and followed along with a scowl.
"Explore," I told them. "Check the stalls. See if anything grabs your interest."
"You're not coming?" Bell asked.
"I've got my own interest."
Like a the flash of hair that belonged to a certain Elven girl who had my utmost attention.
I walked off, hands in my pockets, glancing over the weapon stalls that lined the north end.
Most of it was junk, meant for replacements or surface dwellers, but a few stalls caught my eye, runed blades, heat-treated axes, rare alloy daggers.
I picked up a few items of interested, such as a metal synthesised from a liger fangs tooth. Which was apparently incredibly durable.
After a while of wandering around, I finally caught sight of Riveria.
I grinned, I knew I had caught a glimpse of her earlier.
She was standing near a stall with elven weaponry, arms crossed, expression neutral. Her cloak was slightly dusted, like she'd just come off an expedition.
I simply raised an eyebrow when she pretended not to see me.
Wait a second… was she following me? She wasn't even looking at the weapons properly and she was a mage.
"It's been a while," I said casually, walking up to her.
"A week," she replied. Cold voice.
Frosty.
But her eyes lingered.
"Are you keeping track?" I teased.
She obviously wasn't happy.
"I didn't think I'd find you here," I added.
"I could say the same." she calmly replied. "What are you doing down here?"
"Exploring." I replied. "With my Familia."
I gave her a look.
"I am here with my Familia, we are in a raid party, planning to visit even deeper floors." Riveria informed me. "You came here with you Familia?"
"I did."
"I don't believe I've ever met your Familia before." Riveria said thoughtfully.
"I haven't met yours either, how scandalous." I gasped.
She rolled her eyes.
"So, wanna hang out?" I offered casually.
"Only you would say something like that so casually despite my position." She sighed, but smiled. "I have some time to spare."
"How about you show me around?"
She didn't say anything right away, just turned and walked without waiting.
I let Riveria take the lead.
The stalls were packed tighter toward the back rows, where the real sellers were.
You had to look twice to even notice some of them, blank signs, low voices, no flashy colors. They weren't here for tourists. like the normal market was.
"This isn't the surface," Riveria said as we passed a stand covered in scale fragments and small vials. "You won't find anything mass-produced. Everything here is either looted, salvaged, or... barely legal."
I smirked at that last part.
"Perfect," I said. "I need a crossbow."
She stopped and looked at me sideways. "A crossbow?"
"For Lili. She's better with range, and if we're going deeper, I want something that doesn't snap in half after one shot."
"You could've said that earlier." She kept walking. "There's a shop three rows down that deals in enchanted weapons. Mostly crafted purely from monster drops. They look shabby but they are rather powerful."
We reached the stall. A long table was set beneath a flat canvas, weapons laid out in organized rows, daggers, short swords, twinblades, and a rack of ranged gear near the back.
Riveria crossed her arms as the shopkeeper glanced up.
He was an old dwarf with goggles pushed up into his hair.
"We are looking for a magical weapon." she said before I could.
"Type?" He gruffed.
"Crossbow," I added.
"A Crossbow? A rare type of weaponry I must admit. I'm assuming this is for some type of porter or support member lad?" He questioned.
I nodded, slightly surprised.
The dwarf nodded and moved behind the table. A minute later, he returned and dropped three crossbows onto the cloth.
All looked ragged and barely put together but surprisingly well-kept. One had faint carvings along the limbs. Another had a pulsing mana crystal embedded near the trigger.
The third looked newer, sleek frame, dark metal, but no markings.
Riveria picked up the first one and handed it to me. "Try this."
I gave her a look.
"It channels a small amount of magic through the bolt using the monster stone that will need to be recharged every hundred uses. Nothing fancy, but it boosts range and velocity. That's what you want." The Dwarf explained.
I turned it over in my hands. It had weight, but it was balanced. The enchantment was stable. Whoever used it before knew how to maintain gear.
"What's the spell tied to it?" I asked.
"Gale Shot. It'll send a burst of air if an arrow isn't inserted." the dwarf answered, scratching his beard.
"If an arrow is inserted?" I questioned.
"The monster stone will last longer and the arrow will give enhanced by air." He explained.
Riveria nodded. "What do you think?"
"It'll take it." I grinned.
After a long while of bargaining, I was able to buy it. As I handed over the Vali I had to wonder if I had won or lost that little bid.
The weapon had been expensive to say the least. But buying a good enough crossbow rather than having Welf make one suits me for now especially since I'm going to work with him on experimental stuff with monster crystals, his knowledge of magic sword and smithing and the materials I have liberated from advanced material science, aviation and other labs.
We left the stall, and Riveria didn't say anything for a bit. Just walked with her hands behind her back, scanning the other vendors.
"You're unusually helpful today," I said.
"I'm not going to let your supporter get herself killed because you don't know how to shop properly." She replied coldly.
"Much appreciated, my lady." I replied.
She gave me a glance but didn't comment.
Riveria continued showing me around.
We walked past another stall selling monster parts, teeth, scales, and multiple other items that were from even deeper floors.
"So where did you travel?" Riveria finally asked.
I could tell she had been wanting to ask that since the moment she saw me.
"A place far away." I said cryptically.
She narrowed her eyes.
"So you don't wish to tell me?" She questioned, her tone holding something…
"How about you tell me about yourself first. I stand in the presence of a princess and yet know nothing about her kingdom." I replied, dodging the question.
She huffed as we walked along the stalls.
Riveria didn't answer immediately. We kept walking, passing a vendor selling tattered maps and monster anatomy scrolls. Her steps were steady and her expression thoughtful.
"I was born in the capital of the elven nation, in the forest of Alfheim," she said finally. "My full name is Riveria Ljos Alf. Daughter of the high chieftain. Second in line."
She said it plainly, like it meant nothing, but I caught the way her tone shifted, as if she was used to downplaying it.
Someone didn't like being a princess.
"Why leave?" I asked.
"I didn't fit their mold and vision," she replied without hesitation. "I wanted to explore, to study magic where it actually mattered. Not to recite old doctrine from rotting books made by those much older."
I grinned. "I can't imagine they weren't thrilled."
She gave a soft breath. "They said I'd dishonored my bloodline. That I was throwing away my duty. But Loki accepted me into her Familia, and the rest is as you see."
I gave her a glance. "You ever thought about going back?"
"No," she said simply.
Fair enough.
She glanced at me. "Now your turn. Where did you go?"
I smirked. "Somewhere far... very different from this."
"More avoiding." She replied in annoyance.
I paused for a second, deciding how much I wanted to share.
"I guess it's a bit similar to yours, except I accidentally left so to speak." I mused.
"Similar?" She questioned.
"I'm technically a prince too," I added.
She raised an eyebrow. "Technically?"
"Long story. Complicated family tree. A dash of civil war and death, You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." I summarised what I knew up.
Riveria gave me a long look. "I already don't believe half of what comes out of your mouth."
I smirked. "Fair."
Just ahead, I spotted Bell waving from near one of the potion vendors. Lili was beside him, arms crossed and Welf had a skewer of meat halfway to his mouth.
My Basilisk was still wrapped around Bell's shoulders, hissing softly as she observed a passing adventurer.
"Let me introduce you to my Familia."
-{Freya}-
She smiled to herself, thinking about the next move she was finally making.
Zephyrion didn't realise how much attention he was gathering.
Two Level threes that had risen at a rate basically unheard of. An unknown Famila coming in with monster items that should be way ahead of the capabilities they possessed.
She was sure if Zephyrion wasn't such a man of solitude he would know this by now.
His name was spreading, rightfully so.
She wanted him, and others were beginning to want him too.
Such as Apollo.
Originally, she planned to let Apollo do as he wished. If he succeeded, then she would be able to get her hands on Zephyrion. Since Apollo wouldn't dare defy her, in that case, she would get Zephyrion legally and without foul play. She could even come in as a Hero, gaining his trust.
If Apollo failed… she would get to see more of his capabilities for the future.
That had been the original plan, but with Zephyrion's continued disappearances. She felt the need to speed things up. She didn't want to risk that he may not come back permanently.
To leave the many of the questions she had unfulfilled.
Syr hadn't been able to get close to him.
So now she was speeding up the process.
The Apollo Familia would be well funded with magical items to help them win the War Game.
Once Apollo won, Hestia would be crushed and sent to Tenkai.
Apollo would serve as her villain so she could arrive as the Hero.
-{Zephyrion Gremory}-
I looked at the man incredulously.
He stood outside my Familia's home, chest puffed out like he thought he was someone important. Probably a mid-ranked officer in Apollo's Familia, though he wasn't strong enough to bother remembering.
Behind him were two more.
He'd come with an official challenge.
Which confirmed my thought. That showing had been a poorly played out attempt at baiting me.
Their God wanted to speak to me.
Because I kicked one of their members. Apparently I had hospitalised him, and retribution was needed.
So this was the play.
I let the words hang in the air for a second, trying to process the stupidity of it all.
I didn't regret my actions. I'm sure I could get out of this if I wanted. Easily in fact. Even with my Sin Of Wrath afflicting me I had been prepared for any consequences that would be received from kicking the man.
Yet, this presented an opportunity.
I knew that this had been a canon event, even if my knowledge was fuzzy. I was pretty sure it hadn't meant to happen so soon, but then again me and Bell had grown incredibly quickly.
Stealing the wealth of a well-known established Familia who was going to cause problems either way was appealing.
Plus I needed to let off some steam.
It'd serve as a warning to any God looking to mess with my Familia that I won't hold back.
It was a stretch of a justification, but with Apollo's influence, the Guild had accepted it. The rules allowed it, especially if they could frame it as a "Familia conflict."
"Are you sure this is what your God wants?" I asked flatly.
"You have assaulted-"
"Don't care." I interrupted. "Also, not an answer to my question."
"It would be an insult to his nam-"
"Again, I don't care." I replied. "It's a simple question, or are you too stupid not to speak in riddles?"
He gritted his teeth. "Yes, this is what my God wants."
"Alright."
He waited for me to continue, but received nothing. "So? Do you accept?"
"No?" I asked.
I was baiting him, just in case Hestia decided that she didn't want to risk it.
His eye twitched. "Then?"
"Then what?" I asked boredly.
"Will you accept-"
"Will I accept what?" I cut him off, looking serious.
His eye twitched again. "The War Game!"
"What's a War Game?" I asked innocently.
"You know what a War Game is!" he snapped.
"Do I?" I tilted my head. "Sounds like something children play."
"It's a formal battle between Familias sanctioned by the Guild!" He replied after taking a deep breath.
"Oh, that sounds serious. Why didn't you just say that from the beginning?"
His face was turning red. "I've been trying to explain-"
"Have you? Because you keep talking about your God wanting to speak to me, then something about assault, then insults, and now games. Are you sure you have the right person?" I asked with a bored look.
"You kicked Hyacinthus!"
"Did I? When?" I questioned thoughtfully.
"Three days ago at the tavern!"
"Which tavern? I go to a lot of taverns." I nodded.
"The Hostess of Fertility!"
"Oh right, that guy. What about him?"
"You hospitalized him!" He spat.
"Did I? How unfortunate. Was he okay?" I asked with concern.
The messenger looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. "That's why Lord Apollo demands satisfaction!"
"Satisfaction? What kind of satisfaction? Is your God hungry? I know a good restaurant." I replied, pulling out a bag of Vali.
"WILL YOU ACCEPT THE TERMS OR SHALL I TELL THE GUILD YOU REFUSED." He shouted.
"Bell." I called for my lieutenant.
Bell came quickly, since he had been peeking around the corner of the hallway in any case.
"Zephyrion Sir?" He asked.
"Please tell this man that I don't appreciate his loud tone." I sniffed.
"Uh. Okay." He turned to the Apollo member innocently. "He doesn't appreciate your tone, please lower it."
The man tried to take a breath. "If you're intentionally trying to vex me it will not work!"
I blinked, as if just seeing him for the first time.
"Who are you again?"
He roared and went to slap me.
I pushed Bell in the way and when the slap connected, I pushed him back with enough force that he went flying through to the other side of the corridors.
Sorry Bell.
But I couldn't risk looking wounded.
He wouldn't be too damaged anyway.
I gasped.
"Rose, did you see that!" I shouted.
The three men turned, and to their horror Rose stood like the sexy wolf she was.
She sent me an unamused look.
When they had first arrived I had secretly sent Lily to go get her.
Now we had a guild official witness.
"Y-you have no proof!" He shouted.
I took out a device that had been attached to the wall, a hologram of his actions playing out.
"No?"
He scowled, and stepped forward.
My fist landed in his stomach, picking his body up and folding it over my arm. I grabbed his shirt to stop him from flying back.
"Leave." I ordered.
The two men quickly carried him out.
"Really?" Rose questioned, even as she glared at the men.
I shrugged. "I need to consult Hestia before getting into any war games."
She sighed.
Today was a good day.
-{Ouranos}-
The chamber beneath Babel was quiet.
Ouranos stood in front of the central terminal, his expression thoughtful. His eyes seemingly saw through the constructs around him as the Great God inspected the dungeon.
The Dungeon had changed.
A worrying and confusing prospect. The dungeon was evolving and reacting to some unknown factor he could not divine.
It was seemingly happening at random, and had briefly stopped in what the humans would calculate as a week.
The dungeon's changes were subtle at first. Slight fluctuations. A few odd migration patterns among monsters. Nothing too alarming. But dungeon floods had been happening more and more, strange mutations.
It was like a God was sneaking into the dungeon, yet there wasn't. He had checked. And yet, the monsters were spawning in greater numbers there. Stronger variants. Some had unusual traits, mutations even.
The abruptness of this change was naturally worrying.
The guild had been put on high alert, giving all adventurers warnings to be on the lookout for any potential abnormal occurrences.
The Dungeon was reacting, and he didn't know what was causing…
He looked at the sphere depicting a moving video of real-time footage. The sphere showed a young crimson haired teenage man with multi colored eyes casually walking.
The culprit had been found.
-END-
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