I just translated another DanMachi fanfic, you can see it on my profile.
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Elsewhere.
On the second floor of a café along the main avenue—
Inside the shop, the wooden interior created a warm, inviting atmosphere.
A pair of silver eyes gazed down from above, watching the crowd gathered for the Monster Festival.
Sitting alone by the window, Freyja overlooked the bustling streets filled with people.
To avoid revealing her fair skin, she wore a deep-blue cloak.
Yet…
No mere piece of fabric could hide the overwhelming beauty she exuded.
Just then—
"Yo. Did I keep you waiting?"
Loki walked up and greeted her cheerfully.
"No, I just got here,"
Freyja replied with a faint smile beneath her hood.
"So, tell me,"
"What kind of brat caught your eye this time?"
Dragging over a chair, Loki sat down with zero formality.
"He's a young boy."
"But he's beautiful… absolutely translucent and pure."
"That child possesses a color I've never seen before."
"He stole my gaze… and captivated me completely."
There was a faint passion in Freyja's voice, one that no one else would likely notice.
"Who is it?"
"Which Familia does he belong to?"
Loki's mouth curled with amusement.
Freyja responded gently with a soft smile:
"He's from the Hestia Familia…"
Before she could even finish—
Loki's expression immediately changed.
Her sharp, crimson godly eyes narrowed like a hawk's.
"You're after Raven?"
Freyja paused for a beat, but soon met her stare head-on with a smile.
"Oh my~"
"Such a strong reaction. Is there a problem?"
Invisible to the naked eye, the divine pressure between the two goddesses began to rise.
"I want that child," Freyja said calmly.
Loki dropped her earlier carefree attitude.
"…"
"You're fighting me for him?"
Freyja was slightly surprised, but her smile remained beneath her hood.
"That's right."
"My children already made contact with him."
Loki crossed her legs as she spoke.
Freyja shrugged her slender shoulders slightly.
"So, are you planning a War Game?"
"Trying to keep me from making a move?"
Loki's divine eyes gleamed ominously.
Freyja dropped her smile momentarily.
"Apologies… but may I join in?"
"Because I don't want to lose that child."
Loki let out a deep sigh and looked away.
"If our goals are the same…"
"Then it looks like a Faction War between us is inevitable."
Freyja smiled bewitchingly.
"Well then, I have other matters to attend to."
"Let's talk again another time."
With that, she stood and walked away—
Her cloak drawn tightly around her body as she exited the café.
Loki watched her leave with a mix of surprise and concern, then stood up and followed suit.
Outside the Colosseum, on the nearby grassy hill—
"Raven-kun~~"
"Say ah~~"
Smiling brightly, Hestia held out the crepe she had just bought toward Raven.
It was filled with pure white whipped cream, though she had already taken a bite from it.
Seeing her offer it to him—
Raven didn't hesitate in the slightest and took a bite.
The taste was quite good.
The crepe was crispy and the cream sweet and rich.
Watching him eat something she had bitten made Hestia visibly happy.
"Your turn~ Open wide."
"Ah~"
Raven offered his own crepe in return.
"...Ah—ahh~~"
Hestia closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly—
Taking a small, delicate bite like a kiss.
Then—
Opening her eyes, she smiled like a satisfied child.
She took another bite, this time a bit larger.
Her soft cheeks puffed up as she happily chewed away.
The two of them sat for a while on the lush green grass.
After finishing most of the food—
Hestia beamed kindly:
"Let's go, Raven-kun."
"Next up—fried potato balls!"
"Sure."
"But I also want some grilled meat skewers."
To be honest—
Those stalls selling beef and lamb skewers were seriously delicious.
"Alright, alright~~"
"Let's go!"
Hestia joyfully tugged at his hand again.
At the Colosseum, the event had already begun.
Under the watchful eyes of a massive crowd—
The Monster Festival had officially kicked off.
Cheers erupted across the 50,000-seat arena.
Thunderous, overlapping voices echoed throughout the arena in waves of excitement.
At the center stage, the event resembled bullfighting.
Tamer after tamer in extravagant outfits wielded whips and cloaks,
Dodging and weaving around rampaging monsters.
They were beast tamers from the Ganesha Familia.
Even under fierce charges from monsters—
The tamers handled them with ease, earning wild cheers from the audience.
After strolling around the Colosseum for a while—
Raven and Hestia sat back down on the grassy hill.
Both of them now had arms full of delicious snacks.
"Here, these are the non-spicy beef and lamb skewers."
Raven handed over a bucket to Hestia.
The one in his own hand—
Was the spicier version.
"Mm~"
"So tasty~"
Hestia's eyes lit up as she took a bite.
Raven also began enjoying his food.
"Oh yeah, Raven-kun."
"Do you want to go into the arena and watch for a bit?"
"I'm fine either way…"
To be honest, there wasn't much to see—
Just some tamers showing off.
And the entrance ticket cost zero valis anyway.
"Then…"
"Let's go check it out after we finish eating!"
Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but Hestia seemed especially cheerful today.
However—
At that moment—
A massive horde of monsters suddenly burst out from one of the arena's gates.
Leading the charge were Silverback apes and the Mad Bull-type monsters.
"MONSTERS! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
A man's shrill shriek pierced the air like a slaughtered pig.
The once lively and cheerful avenue—
Suddenly fell dead silent.
"ROOOOOOAAARRRR!!"
A Mad Bull rammed headfirst into a delivery cart in the center of the road.
The horses barely escaped, screaming in terror.
The driver, flung into the air, rolled several times across the ground.
The overturned cart spun uncontrollably, its wheels spinning in place.
"GRRRAAAAGHHHH!!"
A massive Silverback stomped a street stall into rubble.
Thankfully, the stall owner managed to escape unscathed.
Sitting nearby, Raven casually nibbled on a meat skewer, unbothered.
"So…"
"Freyja's making her move, huh?"
"Then I guess it's time for my invincible little Zha to make his debut."
Hestia's eyes widened in shock.
"W-What's going on!?"
"Those monsters… why do they all seem to be staring at us!?"
"Because,"
"As expected, we are their target."
Raven said nonchalantly while eating.
"Eh!?"
"W-Why!?"
Hestia's eyes were full of disbelief.
At that moment—
The bloodthirsty monsters charged straight at them.
"We're heading somewhere else."
"Hop on."
Having finished his snack, Raven squatted slightly, motioning for her to get on his back.
In broad daylight—
He couldn't afford to reveal his rare summon magic in public.
"O-Okay!"
Still confused, Hestia quickly wrapped her arms around his neck—
And her legs tightly around his waist.
Raven felt the unmistakably soft sensation pressing into his back.
Once he secured her legs, he stood up—
And dashed off straight toward Daedalus Street.
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Author's note:
Plot's almost fully laid out. The strongest war is about to begin.
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