Chapter 61: Unmasked 1

(A/N: Editor-kun is in the hospital right now, so I apologize if there are any grammatical errors that may appear in this chapter. Simply point them out, and I'll do my best to correct them)

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"Everyone! Hold firm! Don't let the line falter!"

An aged voice shouted out with all his strength amidst a sea of noises and screams. He hadn't obtained the skill『Command Howl』in his long time as an adventurer, but he still pushed with all he had to make his words known to his fellow comrades.

In the blazing heat of battle, Gareth knew full well of the importance of knowing you're not alone as you face a threat that may very well end your life. So he shouted and shouted to make sure the young kids of his familia knew he was right there with them in the thick of it.

With his axe in hand, and heavy armor worn and torn, the famed dwarf and tanker of the Loki familia rallied the frontline fighters to maintain their position against the sea of monsters who wished to devour them in their deadly acid.

"Gh"

He planted his feet on the ground and held firm, but just as he was about to begin struggling to continue being his familia's fortress, a deafening choir of replies came back to his shouts of encouragement. All saying the same thing to the exhausted dwarf.

"Yes, sir!"

?????...

The ground shook as the frontline fighters reestablished their vigor. Their feet made the dungeon tremble as the clashing of their shields, armor, and weapons clashed with the flesh of the dungeon's monstrosities, reverberating through the air with a buzzing flare.

Seeing all the young adventurers he had helped train by his side, willing to continue fighting the good fight, Gareth couldn't help but feel his dwarven warrior spirit be set ablaze.

"Haha! I knew I didn't raise a bunch of cowards! Now! Onto the fray, younglings! Forward!"

"Yes! Sir!"

????…

Aiding the frontline, the mages of the Loki familia provided constant bombardment of the monster's forces, thinning their number out to reduce the strain felt by the warriors.

Trails of magic of numerous elements raced through the air like a shower of comets painting the night sky, before eventually plummeting onto the ground and releasing all its destruction upon the mages' enemies.

"Prepare another bombardment! Begin synchronized chanting!"

"Yes! Lady Riveria!"

Calling out the mages who all descended from elven heritage with confidence, and to whom the entire squad of mages replied with reverence and loyalty, Riviera stood valiantly as she directed the continued bombarding of the monsters in their midst.

????...

Beneath the high elf's feet, a large magic circle appeared as it began to empower all the elven mages in its vicinity. 『Alf Regina』A skill that not only empowers an elven mage's magic strength but aids in the recovery of their mind, allowing such a consistent bombardment of spells to be possible through Riveria.

"Lefiya! Synchronize your chants with me! We'll clear an opening!"

"Y-Yes! Will do, Lady Riveria"

Responding frantically to her mentor's orders, Lefiya began to stand alongside Riveria as they both began to chant the same magic.

In the lower levels of the dungeon, only the most high-leveled of adventurers would be able to stand their ground, but in spite of that common rule, Lefiya broke it with her unique skillset.

She was but a level three adventurer, but through the ethereal band of light that currently surrounded her body, she was able to stand proudly at the forefront of such intense battles that very few would be able to witness in their lives.

『Elf Ring』A magic that allowed the young elf to learn any magic, so long as it originated from an elf and she knew the chant for its activation. Allowing her to mimic the deadly magics of Riveria despite the differences in their status.

In the chaos of the fighting, the two elven beauties wore expressions of unparalleled focus as their eyes trained themselves at the target of the magic. Their mind stirred in a beautiful manner, akin to a graceful flowing river.

『The flame will soon be released』

????…

As Lefiya and Riveria began their chants in unison, another magic circle began to appear on top of the one produced by 『Alf Regina』One that glowed a burning red. One that called the searing flames of a forever burning giant.

『Creeping war, unavoidable destruction. The horn of battle sounds aloud, the cruelty of conflict will envelop all』

As the red magic circle began to glow brighter and brighter, Riviera and Lefiya began to feel the unique effects of this certain magic.

In a horizontal line originating from the magic circle, the two elves began to feel the locations of their allies and their enemies. As if the magic was warning its caster to separate friend from foe before it was unleashed.

『Come, crimson flames, the ruthless inferno. You are the avatar of Hellfire. Sweep completely, bring a close to the great war』

The annihilation magic of Riveria Ljos Alf. A falna-borne spell whose destructive capability held no match to many other similarly destructive magics. Only known to be bested by another powerful spell of the high elf.

Its flames reminded the trickster goddess of a war that wrecked through her home in the heavens.

A sea of flames born from a divine dispute between unfathomable beings to most mortal men and women.

『Burn them through, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf』

????…

In an instant, the two elven mages called forth a sea of flames to devour their opponents whole. Watching them with eyes filled with arcane energies as they writhed in the searing hot embrace of fire.

The many durable fighters of the frontline ducked in fear of getting caught in its wrath. Standing in awe at the sheer destruction called forth by the two women.

"That magic never gets less frightening no matter how many times I see it…Rea Laevateinn"

Gareth chuckled to himself as he recounted all the places Riveria burned down to a cinder with her magic and grew in fear of how many more would be ruined now that Lefiya was by her side.

But it was not time for him to reminisce like an old man. Clearing his throat, the veteran adventurer shouted forth for their cavalry to take charge.

"The path is now open! Get in there! Bete! Tiona! TIone!"

"Stop shouting old-timer!"

"Don't get your throat sore again, Gareth! The captain will get worried!"

"For the Gray Ghost! Charge!"

?????…

Charging into the burning sea of monsters with a burst of youthful vigor, Gareth could only wryly smile upon seeing the havoc the young blood of their familia began causing.

Bete launched a flurry of deadly kicks across the bodies of the monsters. Defending his leg from their deadly acid with his master-crafted Flosvirt.

"Hah! Bunch of weaklings! Come get some!"

Tione caused chaos as she tore through each monster with a more monstrous ferocity of her own. Pummeling them with her hands after seeing her short swords had been damaged by their mucus. Venting out her frustration with her deadly fists.

"The captain gifted those short swords to me…YOU WORM-LIKE BASTARDS!"

And opposite them both, Tiona killed monster after monster with a gleeful smile on her face, making it seem as if she was in the wrong place.

Smiling like a maiden in love despite her body tearing through a monster's guts with her heavy and deadly Urga.

"Hehe, I'm actually helping the Gray Ghost now~ I am so gonna brag about this at the next fan club meeting! Oh, wait…it's supposed to be a secret, right?"

????…

Seeing how light-heartedly the three adventurers treated a deep-floor battle, the rest of the Loki familia failed to process what kind of world they all lives in where they saw such violence as normal. Especially Raul.

"Get up, Raul. It's not good to compare yourself to them three"

"C-Captain?!"

Being surprised, Raul looked up to see the pallum captain of their familia so close to the frontlines when he would usually be managing the fighting at the back.

Seeing Raul's confused expression, Finn chuckled as he enlightened the high novice of why he was where he is.

"The operations are going smoothly. Now that a path has been opened up, the end to this battle is near"

"As for why I moved…well…seeing the kids go so wild made me want to join in the fun as well, hehe"

????…

Swaying in the wind after being unfurled by Finn, the flag of the Loki familia waved proudly as it attached itself to the spear handcrafted by the Gray Ghost and Hephaestus.

Gripping the spear gifted to him by the vigilante, he wanted to test it out for himself against such a large horde of monsters.

Being inspired by his words and not wanting to simply be seen as a fake hero by genuine figures like the Gray Ghost, Finn wanted to affirm that his title as『Braver』was not just for show

"So with that, I'll be joining the cavalry charge…oh…now that we have the opportunity, how about some leadership training, Raul? Go to the back and experience being a commander for yourself!"

"HUH?!"

Hearing the absurd suggestion of his captain, Raul felt his knees go weak as he imagined the prospect of having to manage such a large fighting force in real time with massive stakes.

"No! No! I can't do it! I-"

"Raul…"

Holding his shoulder, Finn made sure that Raul could feel his trust in him through his hand. To many, they would expect the pallum to give the frightened Raul some encouraging words to raise his spirits.

But for the familia captain who worked with Raul for a long time, he knew that such things wouldn't work unless he had no other options…so instead…he aimed for something that would motivate him greatly.

"This is an official order, and as per the handbook of our familia which you agreed to obey when you join, any disobedience to the commander will be dealt with personally by the commander as he sees fit"

"So…in that spirit…do it or I cut your pay for this month"

Raul felt a cold shiver run up his back as he heard his captain threaten to cut his salary with a smile on his face.

"...???…FINE!...???…I'LL DO IT!...???…"

"I knew I could trust you, Raul!'

"...???…???…???…"

As Raul slowly walked back to the commander's post, Anakitty walked up to Finn with a look of pity for the crying high novice.

"I can never understand why you consider him as the next in line for your position, captain"

The catgirl sighed as she remembered the very public knowledge in their familia that Raul was personally considered by Finn to be the next one to take up the mantle as the Loki familia's captain.

Seeing Anakitty's confusion, Finn simply smiled as he knew the truth of the matter. Despite all the words of detraction against Raul, not a single member doubted his abilities when it counted.

"Stop acting like you don't trust him, Anakitty. Besides, he'll have you by his side when he takes over, Miss vice-captain candidate"

"????…I'll do my best then…I'll take charge of the second string in Raul's absence. Have fun in the front, captain"

"Much appreciated!"

With everything resolved, Finn leaped through the battlefield, spear in hand, before eventually crashing into the horde of monsters.

His spear elegantly tore through their numbers. The spear's edge cleanly cut through the monster's skin and muscle, and the flag upon its length defended him from any manner of attack.

Which, unknown to him, empowered him against the particular monsters he faced due to their unique nature. The virga, a species of tainted monsters infected by the corruption of the demi-spirits.

Faced with a weapon empowered by the blessings of natural spirits, the virga were easy opponents for the Finn who possessed the spirit-blessed weapon.

??????…??????…??????…

Things went easy for Finn, but upon remembering that this was a rare moment of growth for him, the pallum decided to try his hand at copying the technique the Gray Ghost had used on him in their fight.

'If I remember it should be like…this…'

??????…??????…??????…

But, in his attempt to copy the vigilante's technique, he had just stabbed through a monster. His instincts take over his intention to vary his fighting style.

"Ah! You're trying to copy the Gray Ghost's technique too, captain? It's hard, right? A bunch of guys tried and failed to do so on the way here!"

Seeing the pallum's failed attempt to emulate the Gray Ghost, Tiona excitedly began to commentate on the situation as she continued to pummel the monsters with her weapon.

"Now do you get why I'm such a fan, captain? The Gray Ghost is so cool right?!"

With stars in her eyes upon knowing her familia was now able to understand a portion of her fanaticism for the vigilante, Finn smiled as he felt himself agreeing with the young amazoness.

Seeing the Gray Ghost in action reminded him of the stories his parents would tell him as a child before he eventually lost them in his hubris.

The story of the pallum's goddess, and her less-renowned successor, Fianna, and Dim. The former is a current figure of worship for him, and the latter is the inspiration for the new name he took up as he left his hometown and became an adventurer blessed by Loki.

"Yeah, I'll have to admit, I kind of see why you're so obsessed with him"

"Hey! I'm not obsessed! I'm just very passionate!"

"Haha! Whatever you say Tiona. For now, let's focus on the task at hand"

"Aye aye, captain!"

And so, in this light-hearted manner, the Loki familia continued to fight with ease in the deep floors of the dungeon.

But why did they feel so assured of their victory? Because in spite of the odds set against them, they held faith in their ace-in-the-hole. The prodigy of their familia.

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Ais Wallenstein.

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『Tempest』

????…

Behind the battle of the Loki familia, Ais fought a bizarre monster never seen before in the dungeon. A towering monstrosity that resembled the comparably small virgas below.

Its shape resembled that of a woman and possessed a frightening amount of power that befitted its large stature.

It unwaveringly sought out Ais' wind with an immense ferocity, calling out to her in a whisper using the name of her beloved mother.

"...a r i a…"

Unknown to her, the monstrosity against all creation was nothing more than a failed experiment, in spite of all the strength it possessed.

As such, its whisper was weak and it faltered often, but the manner in which it spoke erupted memories Ais tried so hard to repress.

『m y…d a u g h t e r…』

"!!!"

Seeing the irregular state of the monster in front of her, and learning that it somehow had knowledge of her beloved mother, Ais looked upon it with hostility whilst thinking of one other thing in the back of her mind.

'How does the Gray Ghost know about this?...and if he knows about this…does he know about my mother as well?'

It was a thought that brought her heart to race rapidly. Not out of a maiden's love or curiosity, but out of a desire.

? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ?????????

But as her mind began to descend into an abyss of questions and possibilities as to what the Gray Ghost's position was in her life-long desire to reconnect with her family, Ais snapped out of it as she began to dodge the towering monster's attacks.

"Tch"

The blonde swordswoman coated herself in her wind as she began to fly away from the path of the monster's attack.

?????…

The monster leveled a large piece of land in its attempt to harm Ais, but she could care less about what had happened.

As her mind became chaotic in the swirl of emotions she was currently experiencing, she decided to simply remove the hassle of trying to process them all.

When she didn't know how to feel, she decided to simply focus on one aspect of her heart that she resounded with the greatest. Hate.

????…

Hate for what became of the world before she slept.

『Albert! Aria! Get Ais out of here! I'll stall for time! Our elven army can hold him back for a while!』

Hate for what became of her most beloved family.

『Shitty swordsman! Get your kid and wife out of here! The battlefield is for us amazonesses! You're a father before a sword champion! Get moving!』

Hate for what became of her home.

『Albert…the spirits…it's destroying the forest! They're all dying!』

Hate for what it had done to her father. The pillar of her strength.

『Aria…Ais…I will always love you…』

Hate for what it had done to her mother. The warmth of her heart.

『My daughter…wherever you end up…when you feel the wind wrap around you…remember that you are so dearly loved』

Hate. So much hate filled her heart. Darkening its golden sheen with a darkness that no light could escape from.

It was a skill borne from falna from the greatest sadness of her life. A tragedy manifested for her to call upon when needed.

The blackening of the winds of Aria/

『Tempest…Avenger…』

??????????!!!

A violent storm of wind began to sweep through the deep floor where the Loki familia currently fought.

The trees and leaves fell prey to its strength as the newly birthed storm howled with a ferocity that echoed deeply through the dungeons. An ominous sound tolling its birth.

The dark gusts of wind began to swallow and devour any light that dared to shine in its presence. Ravenously consuming it whole like a beast.

Ais' eyes began to grow dark as she lost herself to hate. Her sword-champion father was only able to wound the abomination's accursed eye, so the young girl promised herself to become something stronger.

Someone way more powerful, so that the time may come that her sword could rend the beast's innards. Inflicting upon it as much pain as she suffered through its continued existence.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A monster for a monster. To kill the black dragon, she would become a monstrosity clad in black herself.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Hearing an ominous scream in the distance, Riviera, Finn, and Gareth widened in shock as they realized who was the source of what was happening.

"Damn it! I thought the lass had moved on from it!"

Gareth began to move from the frontlines, growing more and more worried for Ais as he raced through the ground.

"Riveria! Gareth! Any suspicions why Ais has relapsed?"

Joining Gareth in his sprint, Finn, and Riveria appeared beside him, similarly rushing to help Ais from whatever she was suffering through.

Hearing the pallum's question, Riviera gave out her thoughts on the matter. Her answer is the same as the other two's.

"The Gray Ghost. Something must have happened with that strange monster that reminded her of her past. She probably relapsed as she thought he had the answers she was looking for!"

Hearing the high elf's answer, Finn and Gareth grew even more worried for the young swordswoman.

They were made aware of her past through Riveria and her knowledge as a high elf. Knowing the weight of her story, the truth of the『Sword Princess』was a confidential matter that only Loki and the high executives were aware of.

They were her only family in a strange and confusing world, so it was up to them to keep her in check.

"Ais…"

Seeing the high executives dash off, Lefiya and the other adventurers of the Loki familia grew anxious for Ais.

They were aware that she had secrets that most people weren't privy to, not even her most cherished friends.

So seeing the high executives having to take action, they knew somewhat what was going on, as this was not the first time she had fallen to hate. Especially during her younger years.

"Lefiya, leave it to the captain, Gareth, and Riveria. They always manage to bring her back"

Reassuring the worried young elf, Tiona smiled with her usually infectious joy to not worry. Because no matter how far Ais drowned, she always returned back to her home.

"Yeah. Thanks, Tiona"

"Hehe, anytime! Just keep fighting! I'll tease Ais for being so edgy later! Though it's not as bad as Bete!"

"HEY! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

…

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As Finn, Gareht, and Riveria raced to help Ais. The young swordswoman remained quiet as she grasped the handle of her new sword forged by the Gray Ghost and Welf Crozzo.

It was still unnamed as of that moment. The elusive vigilante gave the honor of naming the weapons he had created to their new owners.

Ais wasn't the best in tasks requiring creativity, so she simply didn't name it. But as a consequence of that choice, the sword had taken up a name of its own despite her not giving it a title.

"Nameless…the Gray Ghost said I can use you to my liking…so…don't break on me now like all the others…stay with me to the end"

??????????!!!

Ais' philosophy was simple. Until her vengeance was quenched, all monsters that stood in her way would be slain by her.

No matter how strong. No matter how sturdy. No matter how swift. She will decimate them all until she finished the job her father and mother left for her.

It was her responsibility as the last survivor of the black monster's reign of fear. The tyrant of the skies would be felled by her and her alone.

"The one-eyed black dragon…"

As『Avenger』continued to empower 『Ariel』Ais found difficulty trying to keep her mind sane enough to kill the opponent in front of her.

Usually, she would use『Avenger』in short bursts, but activating it at full-power to rid her mind of her mess of emotions had begun to degrade her focus.

But even as her mind began to collapse, she still wished to kill all monsters in front of her, Substituting the tall monstrosity for the black dragon in her memories, Ais began to find a new-found focus in herself.

Her form was sloppy, but she didn't require grace if the result remained the same. Drawing forth her clear memories of the dragon's claw rending the earth beneath its wings, Ais fell her sword upon the poor existence that incurred her wrath.

『Nizel』

No words could begin to describe what happened next as it was all obscured within the veil of black wind.

But what could be said was what came after the storm passed. Destruction was left in its wake. Leaving no semblance of order or progress behind.

And to mark its existence, a sword strike is permanently etched into the walls of the dungeon like a ferocious beast's claw mark.

The dungeon trembled as it felt its structure be damaged, awakening its arbiters of order to dispatch those who dared tampering its form, but, the trembling soon stopped upon realizing who had done it.

The Loki familia wasn't aware of what had just happened, but they would soon learn that the Gray Ghost's warnings for what awaited them here would be true.

Forces and powers beyond comprehension meddled in the fighting of this floor, and the thousand-year promise and mystery began to unfurl.

Under the issuance of the vigilante, he had now begun the ending of an age and the birth of a new one. Whether it was his or another's to write, it was yet to be known.

…

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"Huh?..."

Sharply narrowing her eyes as she regained consciousness, Ais winced as she felt a severe pain strike her entire body.

She was extremely exhausted, and her mind reserves were concerningly low. Mind zero. She had lost consciousness after emptying all her energy and stamina.

"Not again…"

Recognizing how she had lost all this energy, Ais covered her eyes with her arm as she began to regret losing her composure.

She had spent many years as a child when she first joined the Loki familia trying to get rid of this bad habit of hers.

Recklessly losing herself to her emotions. Mindlessly unleashing her 『Avenger』. And most regretting of all to her, harming her familia in her anger, and tainting her mother's wind with her hate.

"????…"

She was far from the perfect swordsman like her father, and the perfect caller of the wind like her mother. She wasn't even as good a monster as the one-eyed black dragon. She was simply just a child throwing a tantrum.

"Did anyone get hurt?..."

Ais grew worried that her lack of self-control had finally brought about her worst fear, but as she tried to get up from whatever she was resting on, she could begin to hear the distant sound of laughter.

"Cheers!"

Hearing the elation in her familia's voices, the young woman felt relieved somewhat. Only with complete success would her comrades celebrate so cheerfully. Not even when they smiled through the pain of adventurer life.

For today, she was spared the horror of becoming what she hated the most, a monster that destroy that which she holds most dear in her heart.

"..."

She reached out her hand towards the sound of happiness off in the distance, but she stopped just shy of reaching out.

Her fingers brushed the fabric of what she believed was a tent erected for her recovery. It swayed with a gentle breeze, giving her brief glimpses of the light outside.

She could see people celebrating with drinks in hand and friends by their side. Remembering how horrible she became, Ais began to doubt if she was even worthy of such happiness.

But before she lost herself in a depressive bout reminiscent of a certain reincarnator in this story, Tiona opened the tent's entrance flaps wide-open with a smile on her face.

"I knew you were awake! Whatcha doing by yourself, Ais?"

"T-Tiona?!"

Growing shocked by the amazonesses' appearance, Ais wasn't given any leeway to escape as Tiona quickly began to drag her out of her pit of self-pity and depression.

"The captain told me to let you sleep, but now that you're awake you should eat as much as you can! Back in Telyskura, the best way to recover is to stuff your mouth until your stomach is about to pop!'

"P-Pop?!"

"Yep!"

Being dragged by the hand across her familia's camping ground by Tiona, Ais was still being bewildered by her sudden appearance.

But before she knew it, she was already at the campfire that the executives were all using. All of them ate their meals in peace.

"You should've seen how round Tione's belly can get if she puts her mind to it! She looks like the pregnant amazonesses I see occasionally around the arena!"

"HAH?! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THAT TIONA?!"

"Hm? But it's true though? You had a pretty terrifying gut when we were young Tione-"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT IN FRONT OF THE CAPTAIN YOU IDIOT SISTER!"

"Hey! Why did you hit me?!"

Tiona quickly let go of Ais' hand after she began to scuffle with Tione. The twin sisters beat each other ferociously like a pair of hostile animals trying to establish dominance.

But the sight didn't alarm any of the adventurers in the familia. To them, it was a common sight, similar to a passing cloud in the sky.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!! I'LL TEAR YOUR LEG OFF TIONA!!!"

"Hey, you want some more soup?"

"NOT BEFORE I BREAK YOUR ARMS TIONE!!!"

"Oh! Thanks! It's very delicious!"

Ais could only be speechless as she struggled to process what was happening after she had just recently woken up, but the others began to greet her before she could.

"Had a good sleep, Ais? Grab a bowl for yourself. The chef said he was inspired by the Gray Ghost. Today's soup is particularly delicious!"

Finn replied orderly and composed.

"It's good for you right now, Ais. Higher body heat will encourage healing, especially with potions. Quickly eat up"

Riviera replied with a parental-like concern.

"Haha! Celebrate with us, lass! We finally got a new adventure to add to our familia's fame!"

Gareth replied with a warm laugh.

"...hmph"

Bete replied with his usual tsundere behavior.

"...welcome back, Ais"

And Lefiya replied with her note-worthy kindness.

They didn't question why she lost herself or feared what she had become in her hate. They simply only saw her as their family. Always willing to welcome her back, no matter how far she goes.

"Yeah…it's good to be back…"

Despite everything they went through, the Loki familia remained firm. They ventured into the unknown horrors warned to them by the Gray Ghost, and now proudly live to tell the tale.

Many questions floated in their minds as to what they saw. What were those monsters? What was the giant monstrosity Ais fought? Why did it seem to lead the horde of monsters with intelligence? And why did their magic stones differ greatly from others?

They didn't know what could possibly be the answer which answers all these questions, but regardless, they do know who is capable of giving such information. The Gray Ghost.

Having set off the first of a chain of events that will rock Orario to its very core, the Loki familia now ascends from the dungeon's abyss back to the surface.

Each step they take adds to the story they have now begun to write for themselves and the world at large.

…

..

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"Why the hell do you have to be so weird, Bell?"

"I apologize, Hesti. But I'm not really sure how to fix being weird in your eyes …"

In the basement of the abandoned church, a soft white glow illuminated the room as the moon flew high in the night sky.

Returning from another day of exploring the dungeon with Welf and Lili, Bell was currently undergoing a status update with his Hestia, one that unnerved the goddess with her child's extremely abnormal growth rate.

"I didn't even know that stats could go above S…and you seemingly weren't unnerved when I showed you…are you hiding more stuff from me, Bell?"

Sensing that her absurd child was withholding from her more absurd things she felt she needed to know about as his familia's goddess, Bell began to sweat as he began to try and weasel his way out of Hestia's divine lie detector.

"I don't know what you do know, so, therefore, I cannot say for certain whether or not what I do know is something of which you aren't knowledgeable about"

Bell knew that the hearth goddess wasn't good with processing complex grammar, so he began to hide the fact that he does know about stats going above S over a bunch of confusing statements.

"Huh?"

Detecting that he didn't spout out any falsehood, Hestia began to grow confused trying to break down what Bell had just said to her.

"So you don't know that stats went above S?"

"It wouldn't be inaccurate to assume that I couldn't exactly not say that the answer isn't almost partially incorrect"

"So you do know that stats went above S?"

"On the contrary, I'm possibly more or less not deadly rejected the idea that in no way, with any amount of uncertainty, that I undeniably do or do not know that stats went above S, if stats did indeed didn't go above S, even if stats did go above or below a certain specified amount"

Hearing the complex layers of prose that Bell employed to hide the truth without spouting a single falsehood caused Hestia's brain to shut down.

The white-haired youth even wondered if he saw steam beginning to fume out of the adorable goddess' ears.

"NGH! FINE! JUST TAKE YOUR STUPID STATUS IF YOU DIDN'T WANT TO TELL ME SO MUCH!"

????

Being slapped across the face with the parchment containing his status, Bell smiled as he watched Hestia begin to pout from his secrecy regarding the matter.

"I'm not trying to keep things from you Hesti-"

"You're just doing it for my sake and you'll tell me when we're more secure. I GOT IT! I'M JUST GETTING A JAGAMARUKUN TO STRESS EAT!"

Seeing the goddess turn around the corner to the kitchen, and hearing their magic-stone-powered refrigerator open, the white-haired youth smiled as he shouted to confirm if they were both still cool.

"Haha! Love you Hesti!"

"I LOVE YOU TOO!...????…"

Laughing at Hestia's adorable outburst, Bell began to shift attention toward his status update, and contrary to its impressive nature, he was quite disappointed with it.

╔════▣◎▣════╗

Bell Cranel

Level-1

[????????]  SS-1059 > SS-1063

[?????????]  S-934 > S-940

[??????????]  SS-1039 > SS-1042

[???????] SS-1046 > SS-1049

[?????] SS-1078 > SS-1080

╚════▣◎▣════╝

A majority of Bell's stats have already entered the over-leveled state, breaking past the perceived barrier for most adventurers at S-999.

However, knowing that stats at SS and SSS existed, Bell continued to stay at level one, despite Hestia's excitement and urging him to level up immediately.

'But, though the requirement of excelia per level is the same for every individual, the growth curve beyond S has grown steeper'

Recalling how his aunt Alifa had to burn her life away through a skill that allowed her to barely enter the SS range, Bell wasn't completely surprised by his difficulty trying to attain the maximum amount of excelia attainable for a level one.

'As expected, I can't simply get to that point without high-quality excelia. It would be too much of a waste of time otherwise'

High-quality excelia, a different form of excelia gained through the accomplishment of momentous feats. Resulting in rapid growth for whoever was fortunate enough to survive a tribulating trial most would fail to find success in.

Bell was no stranger to high-quality excelia through his numerous adventurers as a vigilante, but all the excelia he had accrued had gone into the manifestation of his skills and magics, so he was in need of another perilous trial to reach the state he wanted to achieve.

'The original Bell faced the silverback, trained with Ais, and killed the variant Minotaur as a level one…I wonder if I will face my own trial?'

Wondering about that proposition, Bell smiled as he already knew the answer. When things in his life went too well for too long, he would inevitably face something that would trouble him immensely. Such was the fate of a hero. Such was the fate of a protagonist.

"Well then, I'll just be waiting for my villain of the week to appear"

"Hm? Did you say something, Bell?"

Popping out of the kitchen with a jagamarukun in her mouth, Hestia called out to her child, missing what he had said out loud.

"Don't worry about it, Hesti. Just mumbling about some things"

"....????…"

"Stop giving me that look of suspicion"

"...????…but you are suspicious…"

"It hurts that you would suspect your child of such things, my goddess!"

"...????…that won't work on me anymore! Get your butt off the bed! Let's brush our teeth before sleeping!"

Naturally just accepting that her child will be secretive until he felt that their familia was 'secure' Hestia simply called for him to join her in brushing their teeth.

Even with how decrepit her way of living was, the goddess always made sure that she remained hygienic.

"Alright! Wait for me Hesti!"

"Ok, and by the way, stop asking me to do that weird dance while we brush. It's hard to concentrate while doing it"

"Huh, but I thought you would like it?"

"Maybe in another life. Come on. I need to sleep early. I was invited to a banquet by Ganesha the other day, and I don't want to be late for it!"

"...yeah…maybe in another life…and what's this about a banquet?"

Idly chatting the night away, as the Loki familia cheered their overcoming of great peril, the Hestia familia simply relished the simple peace they had. Living life as a found-family one day at a time.

…

..

.

"So! I will be heading to the banquet organized by Ganesha later tonight. Why are looking like you're on death's door Bell?"

In the morning that came after the night, Hestia began to explain to her child about her plans for the day. Something she was particularly excited about.

Now that her familia was officially registered in the guild's record, she was invited to the frequent banquets of Ganesha who invited all gods of familias within Orario.

Hestia was excited that she would now be able to smack back all the gods and goddesses who laughed at her inability to recruit a child for months.

She was also excited because she thought she could help Bell with his vigilante work by acting as a spy. Gathering intel from one of the largest gatherings of familias in Orario.

But instead, all she was met with was a deathly expression on the face of her most beloved child. Appearing as if he was now facing a bad omen he was trying to avoid for a long time now.

"Mind telling me who exactly will be attending, Hesti?"

"Hm? Everybody of course. From nobodies to the most famed gods and goddesses in Orario! Like Freya!…and Hephaestus…and Artemis…oh…"

Finally, the hearth goddess realized why Bell was so affected by the details of the banquet. Many of his divine lovers would be attending the same event.

"Um! It'll be alright, Bell! I'm good friends with Hephi and Artemis! So I'll be able to keep them in check, and for Freya, I'm not sure"

Hestia began to worry as she didn't know how to deal with Freya. She was aware that as a virgin goddess, she was her greatest deterrent, but she didn't know if openly restraining her child's fiancee with divine authority was bad manners.

But before she began to ponder the ethics of such a course of action, Bell regained his bearings as he began to reassure his goddess that no such thing would be needed.

"It's alright, Hestia. They more or less know about each other. You'll just have to deal with whatever they do. You're technically their mother-in-law if we go by relationships"

"MOTHER IN LAW?!"

"Yeah. So I'll be busy in the dungeon tonight, so, good luck with the banquet, Hesti!"

Patting the speechless hearth goddess on the shoulder, Bell began to make a run for the dungeon to train and improve his status.

He had been spending struggling to manage his harem and relationships, so much so that it became a disliked activity by him through the sheer mental exhaustion it inflicted on his mind.

Snapping out her daze from the sounds of her child running off into the distance, Hestia tried to quickly stop him but failed to snatch the elusive vigilante. Shouting with all her strength as she watched him disappear into the distance.

"Come back you deadbeat child of mine!"

…

..

.

"The fact that Bell is so childish is both a relief and a massive annoyance to me…"

Being unable to do anything but watch her child chase the sun in order to avoid taking accountability for his lasciviousness towards women, Hestia sighed as she began to prepare herself for the banquet.

"I call Bell a deadbeat, but I'm sure he's just busy with other things. That boy is too caring for his own good…"

Recalling the countless stories she has been overhearing about the Gray Ghost in the past and in recent days, the hearth goddess couldn't help but worry that her child was overworking himself.

From stories of the vigilante sweeping in to stop a crime in progress to reports of the vigilante shutting down a case through his own personal investigation, Hestia could hardly believe that any mortal was capable of doing such things at such frequency.

"Most gods in heaven struggle to get out of bed for days, and yet here Bell is being who he is, completely absurd…"

Absurd he was, but in a way that Hestia can't help but find admirable. She was a believer in doing good when possible, so it filled her heart with joy to see how much Bell helped the people around him for nothing in return.

But she at least wished it didn't come at the expense of appearing haggard and drained every time he came back home.

"He even continued to smile when tired from his work…????…my child is simply too kind"

As she lamented the extremes that came to raising a child like Bell, Hestia realized that his endless lust for women might be stemmed from his overworking.

"Wait. I heard that lust is a common way people use to become less stressed, so does that mean that Freya, Athena, Artemis, and Hephi have…"

Imagining the scenarios her words alluded to, Hestia's face began to burn with blush as the provocative images her mind made up were simply too much for her.

"Gh. I really am a virgin. Why must my child be such a gigolo?"

Removing her perverted thoughts from her head, Hestia refocused on what she should be doing now.

Originally, she had planned to try and establish connections with other familias, but between Hephaestus' famed workshop, Artemis' renowned huntresses, and Freya's…abundance in everything…she doubted that their familia needed connections.

No, what she needed to focus on now was establishing connections with Bell's lovers. Though she was aware of them all and has relationships with them, she would need to cultivate new relationships with them three as heads of familias…and as their mother-in-law.

"I feel I'm not yet ready to be a mother-in-law. I've barely been raising my familia for a month! Now I have to worry about in-laws?!"

They say a child takes after their parent, but in this case, the parent takes after the child. Just as Bell struggled to be a step-father, now Hestia will have to contend with being a mother-in-law.

"This is going to be so awkward"

Walking down to the basement of the abandoned church, the goddess noticed something was left for her at the table. A pouch with a quickly scribbled note.

『Here's some money for you. This is your first banquet, so dress yourself up however you like. I'll be there to help you choose for the next banquet's dress. Stay safe - Bell』

"Why in the hell are you planning for a second banquet like I will be invited to one? And if you were going to leave me money to dress up…what's the point if I can't even show it off to my child…"

Though Hestia complained about Bell's absence, she was in truth smiling at how thoughtful he was. When he used to simply leave her in the dark, he at least has the decency now to leave behind some stuff for her.

"It's not much, but it's progress…????…fine, Bell, I'll deal with your mess of a harem this time"

Smiling with a blush on her face, one not born from embarrassment, Hestia resumed her preparations for the banquet to come.

…

..

.

"Mind if I chill here for a bit, Asfi?"

"Sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you may be trying to escape some responsibility"

"Now why would you say that?"

"I've been living with Lord Hermes since I was a child, I have a natural third sense for these things"

"Then you're not wrong"

"????…"

Arriving at the Hermes familia's home, Bell sought asylum for himself in Asfi's office. But though he appeared to be using the upcoming banquet as his excuse for leaving Hestia, in truth, he was preparing for the start of the story.

"Hey, Asfi. Any news on the Loki familia's return from their expedition?"

"Hm? Nothing yet, though it has been stated that they would be returning sometime today"

Hearing the familia captain's words, Bell's eyes narrowed as he noticed the discrepancy between the events of the original story and his current reality.

'The Loki familia have arrived later than expected. Perhaps there was less urgency and losses on their side due to my intervention, resulting in a slower ascent?'

He needed to keep track of every possible piece in motion in the story. If he misses even one aspect, it might result in his entire operation being upended.

The most important moving pieces that he kept track of were undoubtedly Dionysus, the creatures, and Evilus.

'I've been patrolling the sewer system regularly and there seems to be no sign of Violas nesting in there, so there shouldn't be a concern for worry for an assault against the surface'

In the original story, Enyo had been developing nests of Violas throughout the sewer system of Orario as a staging ground for a demi-spirit assault against the surface.

This same methodology was applied to various towns and ports such as Melen, but undoubtedly, the heart of this whole assault was the Orario sewer system.

'I wonder how well my trap has been working? Surely Dionysus cannot be that slow on the uptake?'

As he thought about a secret plot he had laid down for the evil god since he first returned to Orario, Bell was reading through a variety of reports coming from the Hermes familia's members about the happenings in the underworld.

Criminal familias. Illegal trading syndicates. Smuggling rings. If it was in any nature against the law, the Hermes familia had a good likelihood of knowing about it.

As he read report after report, one document finally caught his eye. One that greatly excited him, as it meant that his trap had finally ensnared the target he was seeking out for so long.

"I'll be heading out, Asfi!"

『Trace on』

Watching Bell project his armor and weapons as he headed out for the back door of the familia's home, Asfi was surprised by his sudden burst of energy,

"Did you find out something important, Bell?"

"Something like that"

"Do you mind if you fill us in about it as well?"

"Don't feel like it. Besides, I have a feeling it'll be better this way"

"????…with every visit you have here, I worry more and more that Lord Hermes might be influencing you, Bell"

"Don't worry~ There's no way I'll end up like that pervert of a god…I hope"

Hearing his words, Asfi didn't feel particularly assured of Bell's safety from becoming another Hermes, but before she could say anything more, the vigilante was already about to leave.

Not wanting to end their conversation on a sour note, the blue-haired familia captain smiled as she fared him well.

"Stay safe, Bell"

"Thanks, Asfi"

Thanking the blue-haired woman with a tone of light-heartedness, Bell dissipated into the air as he began to scour the entire of Orario.

In his talk with Finn, he had mentioned that he would gamble the entirety of Orario for his next conflict, and he wasn't all that wrong about wording it as such.

Though he seemed to put on a veil of surprise when Hestia talked about attending the banquet of Ganesha, in truth, he was thoroughly planning for the event this entire time.

Why would he be so concerned about a banquet that hardly had any impact on the original story? Because he would make it a trap that would ensnare his opponents who have been hiding for so long.

'A majority, if not all, gods of familias in Orario are attending the banquet. If I mess even a single thing up in this operation, it would undoubtedly spell the end of the dungeon city'

Savior complex or not, if he failed, countless lives would be lost due to his interference in the canon events of the story.

It was a major gamble, but Bell would make sure that his odds were as good as possible before he took the bet.

As his mind spurred, magic circuits burned, and reality marble awakened, Bell began to prop up the defenses for the site of his next major conflict. The dungeon city.

…

..

.

Like a man possessed, Bell began to examine each location of interest with immense scrutiny. Moving quietly despite it being mid-day, the vigilante went unnoticed as he examined every nook and cranny of Orario.

The underground sewer system. The Daedalus district. The entrances to Knossos. The slums of the city. And even some of the floors of Orario.

But in every place, he found no sign of concern, something that greatly reassured him as he began to doubt that there would be any unforeseen variable in the upcoming conflict.

"No signs everywhere else, so the last thing is to look at the main star himself"

Standing atop a clocktower, Bell reinforced his vision to begin stalking Dionysus and Filvis as they went about their day throughout Orario. The god notably seemed more joyful than usual.

Seeing them both, he was once again impressed at how thoroughly they both had hidden their identities under a web of conspiracy and impossible considerations.

"The only downside was that Loki and Hermes both knew the guy was evil in heaven, so he would always be a suspect for them, even with all his machinations"

Pitying the evil god for his amateur mistake when wanting to form a secret identity, Bell decided to stop doing so and simply fuck with the guy once more.

"He must've felt so happy when he was caught in my trap. I hope I don't make the guy lose his mind with what I do next…it's time to call in the cavalry"

Bell knew that he had waged war with Enyo the very moment he made the first move against him, so he would begin to properly treat it like a war instead of a solo mission.

…

..

.

"Is something happening? Why are there so many high-level adventurers?"

Walking through Orario, Welf commented worriedly as he kept seeing famed adventurers all around the city, particularly those in affiliation with Freya and Artemis.

"Perhaps this has something to do with Lord Bell?"

Replying to his observation, Lili began to wonder if the sudden appearance of these adventurers around the city was the doing of her mentor.

Though the adventurers appeared like they were just going about their day, it was extremely odd given that the familias they belonged to consistently spent their time training rather than idling about.

"Did Lord Bell report anything to your familia, Welf? You guys should be allied with him now, right?"

"No word from the guy…wouldn't he usually use more direct approaches than sending out patrols?..."

"Perhaps it has to do with the Ganesha familia's banquet tonight?"

Upon hearing Lili's theory, Welf considered that it might be plausible. The Ganesha familia's banquets were known for their large attendance rates among all familias registered with the guild in Orario.

There was no other event that had such a high concentration of notable figures in one location. So it was natural to assume that the vigilante would have an interest in it.

"But who would be stupid enough to attack the banquet? Ganesha and the guild pulled out all the stops for each event"

Welf commented how it was a futile task to attack the Ganesha familia's home during a banquet. As the defacto keepers of order, the Ganesha familia held an immense force of fighters to defend the location.

On top of having the most combat adventurers in Orario, they were also known for their discipline and their capable monster tamers.

????????????

Even as Welf and Lili spoke, countless flying monster mounts flew in the sky, inspiring awe and excitement among the observers below.

But to Lili and Welf, it was simply a signal that something very chaotic loomed for them over the horizon.

"Welf, let's move near to the site of the banquet. I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Yeah. Let's move Lili"

Choosing to take the less-logical route that something might happen even with all the safety measures, the two adventurers began to approach the location which they believe would be the sight of Bell's concern. The Ganehsa familia's home.

…

..

.

"Uwa, how can anyone afford to live like this?"

Standing at the front steps of the Ganesha familia home, Hestia couldn't help but stand amazed at the sheer size and flamboyant nature of the familia home.

It was a mansion that simply screamed the name of the head god who governed it, similarly to how he would scream his own name.

All around her, the hearth goddess could see various gods and goddesses arrive at the event, all dressed in their own fancy gowns and suits.

Some arrived in carriages. Some arrived in convoys. Many arrived with their children chaperoning them to the entrance with expensive decor and clothes.

Hestia was amazed at how many ways a person could flaunt their wealth, but as the people she observed turned to look at her, she was given looks and gestures of mockery.

Her dress was just a simple white dress with no special designer or decor, something the goddess picked up from a normal and affordable clothing shop.

But most eye-catching of all was her shoulder bag with a variety of containers that had been dubbed as Tupperware, something the goddess bought with most of the money given to her by her child.

"Hmph, laugh all they want, they'll be missing out when I leave with all this delicious food to eat later"

Hestia grew pouty as she began to head up to the entrance of the Ganesha familia home. But even as she did, she continued to get stares of mockery and pity.

Her reputation as the broke potato goddess had begun to exceed her renown as a virgin goddess during her time in the lower world.

Many used her as a laughing stock among divine social circles, but she didn't mind as much. She didn't need money. She descended to raise a family for herself after all.

But as she ignored the insults hurled her way, she noticed a particularly noteworthy piece of gossip that struck her deeply.

"Such a poor goddess. It was quite a surprise to see that she now has a familia after so long. No doubt her child was a pervert after her body"

"Hm? You didn't know? Her child is known as a gigolo! He has quite the handsome face, but probably isn't worth much as an adventurer"

"Probably fucked his way up the social ladder. All looks and no substance, like goddess, like child after all"

They openly laughed at the Hestia familia despite trying to appear to be secretive. To their words, Hestia didn't care in the slightest that she was slandered, but for them to insult her child…

…Though she did agree that Bell had a problem with women, she didn't base her entire assessment of him on one fault alone. All of the sacrifices he made for her and people around the continent. His lonely heart simply wished good for most people.

To hear them talk down on a person Hestia never thought would be possible for a mortal who lived in such an unforgiving world, the hearth goddess couldn't take it.

"Take that back"

"Hm?"

Hestia's small stature paled in comparison to the heights of the gods and goddesses who had insulted her child, but even so, she was not afraid to confront them,

"Take that back. The words you said to my child"

Hestia's deep blue eyes began to shimmer with divine energy as her hair began to float from her anger, immediately drawing the attention of all the other gods.

Seeing such an interesting event going on, the entirety of the banquet began to observe the conflict with smiles on their faces. Many even began to bet on what the outcome would be.

"Why should I? Don't you know who I am? My familia has two level-two adventurers. Why should I apologize to an upstart like you?'

"Apologize to my child!"

"Was anything of what I said wrong? Your child is a gigolo. Probably the only poor sod desperate enough to join your decrepit familia"

"I don't care about what you said to me, but apologize to my child!"

Seeing Hestia not back down, the offending goddess began to stir her own divine energy as she began to be more confrontational.

"Make me. Unless you have the guts to challenge my familia to a war game, I won't do anything. Not like you would be able to do anything"

"Ngh"

Being presented with an ultimatum, Hestia's face scrunched up as her frustration grew. She wanted to defend her child, but she didn't want to burden him with a tiny squabble.

"..."

"Ha! Too afraid? It seems like I was correct then!"

Seeing Hestia begin to back down, a  large sound of laughter began to ensue around the banquet.

Many began to find amusement in the hearth goddess' attempt to defend her child. Feeling as if that simple scuffle was enough to make their attendance worth it.

"How unsightly…"

Shifting his attention away from being the flamboyant god he was, Ganesha's eyes began to narrow behind his elephant mask as he grew disgusted with the behavior occurring in his familia home.

"My children, break up the fight, and keep an eye on that goddess' familia…"

Bullying was quite a common behavior among familias in Orario, so Ganesha knew that this simple dispute wouldn't end with just a little humiliation.

But much to his disbelief, the situation began to escalate far more than he anticipated as the offending goddess began to remove her glove.

"My night has been ruined because of you, you virgin goddess. So take responsibility for my displeasure…with the complete disbandment of the familia you worked so hard to find"

"Huh?"

Hestia's eyes widened as she didn't believe what was about to happen, the same was true for all the other attending gods and goddesses in the banquet.

"Hestia of the Hestia familia, I challenge you to a war-"

? ? ? ?

With the sound of a slap, the entire banquet hall turned from an increasing cacophony of noise into dead silence.

"Who did that-"

Not because of the slap itself, but because of who exactly had given out the slap to the offending goddess.

"I did"

"...!"

In front of the offending goddess' widened eyes was Artemis, wearing a pristine blue dress that showed off her athletic and healthy physique.

The goddess of the moon and hunt. Head of the Artemis familia, whose hunters helped to maintain order in Orario…and widely known to be a close friend of Hestia.

"Forgive me if that stung, but I believe that I merely stopped you from doing something you would sincerely regret"

"I-"

"It baffles me how people can get so prideful after accomplishing a few feats. It seems arrogance is a common thing among mortals and the divine. Don't you agree, Hephaestus?"

"Heph-"

"An Astute observation, Artemis"

Arriving by Artemis' side, Hephaestus showed up in an elegant red dress that cut into her right leg, showing off her vibrant and healthy skin.

The goddess of the forge. Head of the Hephaestus familia, whose smiths have established themselves as the makers of the most exclusive of adventurer weapons…and a more widely known close friend to Hestia. Even more so than Artemis.

"The war game was a tool implemented by the guild as a form of closing disputes between familias. But last I remember, such things should only be done as a last resort. It shames me to see that its significance has been lowered in the eyes of 'novice' familias"

"I- I-"

Under the intense pressure between the two big-shot goddesses of Orario, the offending goddess and her entourage could do naught but stutter as they struggled to find words to explain their behavior.

But it would soon be pointless as the final nail to their coffin would be set in place with the arrival of perhaps the most intimidating goddess in the whole world.

"I can't really commentate since my huntresses have only moved here a few years ago…"

"And my smiths only gained prominence in the last couple hundred years…"

And with their voices in sync, the two goddesses called out to the last member of their group to arrive.

" " What do you think, Freya? " "

????...????...????...

A more chilling silence descended on the entire banquet hall as the sound of heels walking on the marble floor resounded eerily.

From the stair of the Ganehsa familia home, a silver-haired divine beauty began to appear in view for all to see.

Her silver eyes glowed with divine energy, but in a manner that befitted the title of a goddess such as herself. Moving elegantly with silent pride.

Her body hugged the expensive dress she currently wore. Hiding beneath the fabric a physique that allured any mortal and divine being regardless of gender and sex.

On her face that could only be described as a work of art put into life, she smiled beautifully, neither giving off hostility nor kindness. Simply looking down upon the offending goddess as if it were natural.

"Well, I was indeed part of the first gods who descended, and have witnessed my fair share of war games, so let me ponder on this"

????...????...????…

Walking up to the offending goddess, Freya began to toy with her without any sign of resistance. To Bell, she was nothing more than a mischievous cat that liked to play with him. But to everyone in the room, she was a white tiger who was circling around her latest victim.

"Before war games were implemented, countless bloody battles were waged throughout Orario to resolve disputes"

"Putting into harm the common civilians and unrelated parties who had nothing to do with the conflict"

Freya traced her fingers across the face of the offending goddess with calm observing eyes. Taking note of the copious amounts of make-up that had been put in to elevate her beauty, causing her smile to arch upwards ever so slightly.

"So the war games were implemented as a means to keep annoying pests from making a mess for getting angry at their lack of…worth…whether it be wealth, power, or lust"

"It was all to keep out annoying pests from disturbing actually important things from being hindered by pitiable people"

"In my years of raising my familia, it's a common behavior for children who desire attention to become rowdy"

"I honestly find it quite adorable to see my children be selfish…but this…I can hardly find any beauty in it at all"

Nearing her face to the offending goddess' ear, Freya's smile disappeared as she let off the poor goddess with an ultimatum of her own.

"Leave. As far as your pathetic legs and children can take you. If I even so much as see you near Orario, I will make sure that no one will be able to remember you. In both the lower world and the heavens."

Freya's eyes desperately tried to reign in her divine energy from leaking out. She tolerated the rumors about her Odr if they kept it to just mere rumors, but to see someone so boldly act upon such unfounded beliefs greatly angered her, to say the least.

"When I finish, we're going to act as if nothing ever happened. You will apologize to Hestia with a smile on your face"

"You will laugh with glee as you leave the banquet hall. And only when you arrive at your pathetic familia home in the sixth street in the second district will you be allowed to cry"

"If I have made myself clear, you will nod"

Hearing Freya's words, the offending goddess held back her tears and shaking body with all she had as she performed a small nod.

"Excellent…"

Seeing that her victim was now complacent, Freya retracted her head as she began to smile brightly alongside Artemis and Hephaestus.

"It pains me to see that new familias have forgotten the history of Orario. Do your best to learn for the sake of your children, alright?"

"H-Haha- Y-Yes- T-Thank y-you s-so much, L-Lady F-Freya"

"Now, it would be a shame to ruin the atmosphere of this occasion, so let's settle any bad blood between us, alright?"

"N-Ngh- Y-Yes O-Of c-course!"

Turning stiffly towards Hestia, the offending goddess began to quickly apologize before swiftly leaving the banquet hall along with her entourage of frightened gods and goddesses.

"..."

With the silence still remaining even with the departure of the offending goddess, Freya, Artemis, and Hephaestus shot a cold glare to the still observing crowd, inciting them to turn their attention away and mind their own business.

As if nothing ever happened at all, the banquet hall was filled with chatter and subtle laughter as the gods and goddesses of Orario discussed and dined in splendor.

Observing the banquet hall, Ganesha sighed with relief that nothing too dramatic happened at his own event, similar to how his children slumped on the floor after experiencing such high amounts of pressure.

"Are you all right, Hesti?"

Breaking away from her serious mood, Hephaestus began to worriedly expect Hestia for any signs of pain or abuse. Acting like a concerned mother looking out for her child.

"I'm fine, Hephi"

"Good…but honestly, what were you thinking trying to confront someone like that?!"

Just as Hephaestus' look of concern had dissipated, it was quickly replaced with a look of anger for how reckless her friend had been in confronting people.

"They were insulting Bell and I just-"

"If Bell was affected by those rumors, he would've long stopped smiling. You have to think about stuff like this before taking action! What can you do by yourself!"

"How am I supposed to just stand still as they openly mock him?! He's my first child, Hephi! And as his partner I expected you to stand up for him more!"

With Hestia's heated shout, the attention of the banquet once again fell upon the hearth goddess as she just dropped a large bombshell of a statement.

Countless murmurs began to circulate about the information Hestia had just revealed, but neither the hearth goddess nor Hephaestus cared as their heads got heated by their sudden argument.

"Hestia!-"

"Hephi!-"

But before the two friends began to argue even more, Artemis and Freya began to mediate between them both before suggesting to move towards a more private area for their discussion. Not wanting to further draw attention to their relationships with one another.

…

..

.

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

In a private room that Freya had arranged with Ganesha's children, the four goddesses sat together in awkward silence as Hestia and Hephaestus continued to have bad blood with each other.

"Now, now, Hestia it's not like we just sat around doing nothing. We and Hephaestus were helping Bell. He simply didn't seem to be bothered by the rumors and asked us to focus on other tasks and also-"

Choosing to be the voice of reason, Artemis tried to calmly explain their circumstances to Hestia, but the hearth goddess simply cut her off and lashed out at her as well.

"For a bunch of people who say they love my child so much, you seem oddly fine with people continuing to call him a gigolo. I thought you were a goddess who played by her own rules, Artemis. Why do you need my child to tell you what to do all the time?"

Taking in Hestia's insult point-blank, Artemis did her best to restrain currently strained muscles from locking the hearth goddess in a Pankration chokehold, but Freya simply tagged in for her instead.

"Hestia, the rumors of Bell being a gigolo weren't just ignored because he didn't feel like cleaning it up"

Hearing Freya's words Hestia began to feel her curiosity stoked, but it would seem that she wasn't the only one who was interested why.

"Oho? Such juicy gossip and you're leaving me out? And here I thought we had quite the deep relationship, Hestia, Freya"

"Loki?!"

Raising her voice as the door to their private room swung open, Hestia stared with wide eyes at the goddess who had intruded on them, Loki, the trickster goddess.

"Hey, oppai-loli. Quite the show you pulled out a while ago, really makes one curious how all of you got so buddy-buddy enough with each other to stand up for one another"

Loki began to make her way inside the room before eventually taking a seat on one of the sofa seats, her thin eyes observing all the other goddesses with a coy smile on her face.

"It was quite the surprise to see you finally got a child to join your familia, Hestia. But unlike that forgettable goddess a while ago, I'm more curious about your elusive gigolo child from another perspective~"

Hearing her words slither into her mind like a conniving snake, Hestia began to grow stiff under her intelligent mind, but she was quickly shielded by Hephaestus who couldn't take Loki's pressuring of Hestia any longer.

"Cut it out, Loki"

"Sheesh, that oppai-loli is eventually going to have to learn to keep her heart warm and her mind cold eventually with that absurd child of hers, and constantly babying her won't do that"

"I agree, but she doesn't have to learn it from your snake-like tongue"

"I'm hurt! How can you say such things to me?! Aren't we on the same side now?!"

Listening to their exchange, Hestia felt guilty for hurting Hephaestus who protected her despite what she said, but more importantly, confused by the implications of what Loki said.

"Hold on! What do you mean you're now on the same side?"

Hearing Hestia's voice, the trickster goddess laughed as she was taken aback by the goddess closest to the person behind all of this, not knowing a bit of what was going on.

"Either your child doesn't trust you, Hestia. Or he has a serious problem of thinking distancing himself is the same as protecting those he loves"

Throwing a letter onto the table, Hestia awkwardly took it and began to read its contents, quickly widening her eyes as she realized what Loki meant.

"At the start of my familia's latest expedition, that child of yours successfully recruited my children to his cause. My familia captain Finn sent me a letter about it before they descended to the deep floors"

"So I did some investigating of my own, but that came up empty, so I decided to attend this banquet to get some answers out of Freya of Hermes…but here I saw Freya acting so friendly, now why would that be?"

"As a virgin goddess, you are assigned to literally be divinities capable of restraining Freya if need be. So I found it surprising that she came along Artemis…and that she stood up for you as well…now, what kind of person would Freya change drastically herself for? Oh, right! Her long sought-after Odr. The Gray Ghost!"

"So either both of you have to have had relationships with that elusive vigilante, otherwise Freya wouldn't even bat an eye at you both. Artemis sticks to only associating with her huntresses, but big-silver has hardly batted an eye for them in the two years they set up shop in Orario"

"So I deemed that Artemis has some secret relationship I can't uncover…but Hestia, on the other hand, is a line of reasoning I can pursue far more in-depth"

"You're a goddess obsessed with family to the point that it became the reason why you sweated so long in that potato stand that it even caused others to call you the potato goddess"

"So if there had to be a link that connects you to Freya, it would be found in the only place you would ever dedicate your attention to. Your familia"

"So it had to be your child. A child that just so happened to have been recruited to your familia around the same time as the Gray Ghost"

"That was an interesting tidbit I found out by taking an interest in some rumors of a gigolo around Orario. Who would've thought mindlessly reading about that guy would  pay dividends?"

"Oh! Also! Your child just so happens to be extremely close to a person of interest to another line of thinking I followed with to uncover the Gray Ghost…a line of thinking that ended when 'someone' mysteriously burned down the evidence I needed"

"So that's what I mean, oppai-loli. I'm now officially an ally of your precious child's giganto–whatever alliance"

Looking towards Hephaestus, Artemis, and Freya, the three goddesses silently confirmed to her that what Loki said was indeed the truth.

"..."

Going silent upon realizing how many things she was left out of, Hestia began to grow melancholic upon thinking how little her child trusted her.

"...???…"

"Eh?"

Exclaiming with surprise, Loki became shocked as she saw Hestia begin to shed tears upon not being able to manage everything that just happened to her.

"I was doing my best to raise him…???…then I could do nothing as other people insulted my child…???…I fought with my best friend…???…and now I realize I was nothing but a useless goddess who couldn't help him…???"

"Eh- This isn't my fault, right?-"

As Hestia continued to pour out tears, Artemis gave out a quick jab toward Loki's gut for her lack of emotional sensitivity at that moment.

"This is why you never get girls. Just be quiet and shut your snake-like mouth, Loki"

"D-Duly n-noted"

While Loki reeled from the moon goddess' precise blow, Hephaestus took Hestia into an embrace as she began to calm her down.

"Bell didn't see you like that, Hestia. All of us desired to have him join our familia, but he only joined yours. Do you know why?"

"...???…because…???…he's a pervert?"

"Ehm, that is undoubtedly one reason, but the main point is that he values you. Bell isn't the type of person to do pointless things"

"...???…really?"

"Yes. It's not worth it to cry over a guy like him. Let's interrogate him to answer all our questions after this is all over, ok?"

"...???…ok…???…I'm sorry for fighting with you over some guy, Hephi!"

"...???…I'm sorry too, Hesti!"

As the chaotic scene unfolded before her, Freya simply smiled in silence as she wondered just what kind of effect Bell had on women to warp them so much.

…

..

.

"...????…so you know that my child is the Gray Ghost, Loki?"

Blowing into a tissue after an emotional reconnecting with Hephaestus, Hestia began to question the trickster goddess on her relationship with Bell.

"Yeah. I figured I could interrogate Freya of Hermes about the guy. I couldn't find Hermes, but I did find Freya with you guys…who knew the Gray Ghost was also affiliated with the Artemis and Hephaestus familias…"

Observing the blue and red haired goddesses respectively, Loki felt her heart cry out to curse the Gray Ghost for his luck with women, but now wasn't the time nor pace to do so.

Instead, Loki began to question what specifically Freya was about to talk about before she entered.

"So, silver-haired it-girl, what purpose did gigolo rumors serve our oh-so elusive vigilante? Does he get off on the humiliation?"

Hearing Loki's confrontational attitude with Freya, Artemis began to threaten the trickster goddess with another gut punch to keep her in line, but Loki was far less willing to comply this time.

"Me and that street-walker have been at each other's throats since sixteen years ago, you cannot possibly ask for me to forget all our years of fighting for some guy I haven't even met with?!"

"I agree with the cutting board, I simply fail to see the benefit of recruiting her band of jokers when Bell already has sufficient fighting forces by his side"

With hostilities beginning to rise between them both, the three observing goddesses weren't sure how to calm down their hate for one another, but someone came along that shifted their attention away from their dispute.

"The assault has begun!"

Panting heavily after bursting into their private room, Hermes shouted with vigor about the commencement of Bell's operation.

"Assault? What assault?"

Hearing the ominous words of Hermes, Loki regained focus on the main subject she wanted to talk about. Forgetting about her grievances with Freya in order to get answers from her.

Similarly, the silver-haired goddess began to explain to the rest of the people in the room about what was going on.

"The rumors of Bell being a gigolo were serving another purpose. To leave a trail behind which his enemies could follow back right to him"

Hearing this, Hephaestus and Artemis grew solemn, Loki narrowed her eyes, and Hestia grew extremely nervous for her child.

"Bell's enemies were becoming way too passive and hidden for his liking. So he began to try and lure them out of hiding with his own identity"

"With all the commotion about his being a gigolo, along with being seen with notable figures, it was only a matter of time until someone connected the dots"

"But no matter how long he waited, his enemies never seemed to come out. Fearing what he was capable of"

"So, he simply presented them with a prize they couldn't resist. Mine and Artemis' children are currently patrolling sections around Orario, far from our current location'

"Loki's children are still busy trying to return back to the surface from their latest expedition, and Ganesha's children are spread out between managing this event and maintaining order in Orario"

"And to top it all off…"

…

..

.

"The largest gathering of gods and goddesses is currently ongoing…"

Finishing Freya's words herself, Loki began to smile widely at the sheer audacity of Bell. To gamble with even gods for his own ends.

"Wait, doesn't that mean Bell is using this banquet to draw out his enemies?"

Nervousness in her voice, Hestia asked to confirm if what she thought was true, and Freya indeed confirmed it.

"Yes, as of this moment, hostile forces should be on the move right now to assault the banquet as we speak…but though I did say that all the gods here are at risk, in truth, there is only one target…you, Hestia"

"Me?"

"Bell's enemies probably unraveled his identity and traced him back to records of being a part of your familia. Full of hate for him, they will no doubt strike him where it hurts, the defenseless goddess of his familia"

"..."

Hestia grew silent as she realized how much danger she was now in. All capable forces of intercepting Bell's enemies were set aside as far away from the venue as possible.

It was only with a perfect meal like this that was he able to draw out their forces from hiding, wherever they were.

Taking a parchment from the exhausted Hermes, Freya began to detail who exactly was now after Hestia.

The shadows of the continent, the assassins of the Sekhmet familia. A notorious criminal familia who were capable of assassinating any target for the right price.

Their members and organizations are unknown to even the most connected intelligence brokers.

But what little is known is that they are extremely competent to have survived multiple purges from both Zeus and Hera's familias for hundreds of years.

"So the bastard has used us as bait, surely he has a way to turn this situation around, right?"

Hearing the entire explanation for everything, Loki began to ask how Bell planned for this operation to be a success, but as the trickster goddess looked into Freya's eyes, she began to grow worried at what her look implied.

"...please don't tell me that he plans to save everyone as the Gray Ghost"

"...as expected of the trickster Loki, how insightful as always"

"ONORE BELL CRANEL! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SENDING US ALL TO DIE?!"

As Loki began to cause a ruckus, Hestia continued to remain silent while trying to process the fact that her child set her up as a target.

"Hesti…"

Hephaestus and Artemis didn't know what to say to Hestia. It was quite the absurd thing for Bell to do, even as accepting as they were, but the hearth goddess dissuaded their concern with a smile on her face.

"Alright! What do I need to do?"

"Eh-"

Growing shocked by her positivity, the other goddesses weren't sure if Hestia was still sane of mind.

"Oppai-loli, you alright? Your child essentially is using you as bait, you know that right?"

"Yep"

"And you're not angry about it?"

"Oh, I am extremely furious. I will scold Bell for hours and possibly resort to physical violence to convey all the anger I am currently experiencing"

"So why are you not worried of dying?"

"Because I just know Bell is gonna come through. That's why, Loki"

…

..

.

And so the stage began to be set.

The assassins moved in the shadows as they began to encircle the banquet of gods and goddesses, unflinching in their task to break a great taboo and kill a goddess with their deadly daggers.

The suicidal followers of Evilus walked across the streets of Orario, carrying deadly explosives on their person as their minds were broken beyond measure, believing that their death and sacrifice will reunite them with their deceased loves ones.

The creatures of the dungeon began to make their move in secret, abominations of mortal and monster, following only the orders of the one who sleeps at the bottom of the dungeon, and the chaotic evil god Enyo.

In an attempt to draw them out, the banquet was left with little defenses capable of repelling the threats coming for them, but watching it all unfold was Bell, lurking at a high tower for the game to begin.

In a single moment, he will either be marked as a hero, or forever tarnished as a fool crushed by the weight of his dreams.

A single moment with no acceptable semblance of failure to be had, and yet, he remained undeterred.

He can no longer hide from the spotlight behind his mask. Today would be the day the Gray Ghost died, and the day Bell the heroic adventurer would be born.

…

..

.

『T R A C E  O N』

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Editor:

The Darkest Knight#4796

Word Count:

13.3k

AN:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

I gotta say, I was surprised that the poll wasn't so biased to the side of horny HAHAHAHA

Sorry for leaving you all again on a cliff-hanger, by the time I knew it, I was already at 8k words, so I had to split this into two parts.

The next part may be next week as I have some personal stuff to resolve. Though I'll try my best to handle it quickly.

That's all from me.

Hope you look forward to the next chapter, whatever it may be, and as always, may you all have a nice day!