Chapter 143
After walking away from Hermes, the atmosphere in the meeting room shifted as Bahamut and Demeter took their seats in the front row.
They exchanged lighthearted banter, a casual reprieve before the business of gods commenced. The meeting room buzzed with the chatter of deities, each one finding their own place, while the air was thick with anticipation.
Before long, the familiar figures of Hephaestus and Ganesha entered.
Upon spotting Hephaestus, Bahamut waved her over, her smile brightening the room.
"Hey, come join us!" she called out, her voice cutting through the chatter.
Hephaestus smiled, grateful for the invitation, and made her way over, deliberately ignoring the other gods who were already present.
"You’re looking stunning today," Hephaestus complimented, her eyes lingering on Bahamut and Demeter, both of whom were dressed to the nines.
In contrast, Hephaestus wore her usual casual attire, which made her feel somewhat out of place.
“Thank you! My children did all the work,” Bahamut replied with a playful lilt in her voice, her pride evident.
Hephaestus rolled her eyes, a teasing smile on her lips.
"Sigh, you do brag about your kids every time we meet. I’m starting to think I should meet them in person, just to see what the fuss is all about." she said.
“Fufufu, you should definitely meet that Draco boy. Well, I shouldn’t call him a boy anymore; anyway, you will be surprised,” Demeter chimed in.
“He’s not the only one worthy of a visit. You should see the whole familia!” Bahamut added.
“Hmm, you’ve definitely got me very curious now,” Hephaestus replied, leaning in slightly, her interest piqued.
However, their conversation was interrupted by a loud, boisterous voice.
"Ahem, I am Ganesha!" he proclaimed, attempting to gain their attention.
He had taken a seat next to Hephaestus but felt utterly sidelined by the three goddesses.
“Oh, Ganesha, you were here,” Bahamut remarked, her tone betraying a hint of disinterest as she turned toward him.
“Bwahahahaha, still cold as always!” Ganesha replied, his laughter echoing in the room.
“Ugh, do you have to be so loud? You’re right next to us,” Bahamut grumbled, clearly unimpressed with his volume.
“Anyway, do you remember what we discussed last meeting?” Bahamut asked, shifting the topic.
“I do, but what about you? Were you able to contact her?” Ganesha inquired, his tone curious.
“Hmm, I did manage to send word out, but you know how Aasterinian is. She’ll probably come to Orario eventually, but when? I do not know,” Bahamut replied, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Ohoho, what’s this juicy news I hear?" Demeter interjected, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
“It’s nothing of importance,” Ganesha quickly denied, waving his hands dismissively.
“Ho, didn’t quite sound that way to me,” Demeter countered, her interest only growing.
“That’s enough, Demeter. Stop being too nosy,” Hephaestus scolded gently but firmly.
“Tsk, no fun,” Demeter muttered, her playful pout evident.
Ganesha offered Hephaestus a grateful nod before slipping away to mingle with the other deities.
Just then, Loki sauntered into the meeting room, her eyes squinting slightly until they landed on Bahamut.
Following closely behind her was Freya, who immediately commanded attention with her striking presence and beauty.
Loki let out an exasperated scoff before turning away to engage with her own circle of deities in the room.
“Kugh, that is rather annoying. But something feels off about her today,” Bahamut muttered.
"Heh, she is indeed acting odd. I expected her to come over and bicker with you, but she’s keeping her distance. Does she perhaps know something?" Hephaestus speculated, her voice filled with intrigue.
"I don’t really know, but does it even matter now?" Bahamut replied, unbothered.
“True,” Demeter agreed, her curiosity simmering beneath the surface.
As the hour approached for the Denatus meeting to commence, more gods and goddesses filled the room until it was nearly at capacity.
The meeting kicked off with the standard reports detailing the latest happenings in Orario and the dungeon.
As usual, the gods bickered amongst themselves, tossing around potential solutions to various problems, though they rarely arrived at a united consensus.
Deities without familias often found these segments of the meeting tedious, their eyes wandering as they half-heartedly listened.
The only ones truly invested were the gods and goddesses whose familia’s were directly involved in the matters discussed.
The main highlight of the meeting—the point everyone eagerly awaited—was the level-up reports and the assignment of aliases to successful adventurers.
The hours ticked by, and just when restlessness began to settle in, the meeting finally reached the segment where familia’s with adventurers who had levelled up were to be announced.
As the names were called out in alphabetical order, anticipation bubbled in the room.
The Bahamut familia was soon mentioned, sending waves of murmurs rippling through the audience.
Gasps of disbelief rippled across the gathering; many were perplexed by the news.
It was widely known from the last meeting that Bahamut had formed her familia only four months prior, and all the adventurers who had joined were known to be level 1.
For anyone of her children to have levelled up to level 2 in such a short span seemed impossible.
Various deities turned their curious gazes toward Bahamut, their expressions a mix of intrigue, jealousy, and even malice.
Bahamut, however, remained unfazed, her demeanour calm as she surveyed the crowd.
"Can you all keep quiet and let the announcement finish?" she requested, her voice cutting through the murmurs like a knife.
Despite their displeasure at being reprimanded, the deities complied, their curiosity outweighed their irritation.
They were eager to learn who among Bahamut's children had achieved this remarkable feat.
The announcement continued, and as the names of every child in the Bahamut familia and their achievements were called out, the silence deepened, thick with various swirling emotions among the deities.
Once the announcement concluded, an electric silence had completely enveloped the room.
Emotions swirled—some were in a state of shock and disbelief, others envious, while a few harboured darker intentions, already scheming to claim Bahamut's children for their own.
Yet amidst the swirling emotions, Bahamut’s expression transformed into a gleeful grin.
She had been waiting for this moment, relishing the myriad of reactions her familia’s success had incited.
In that moment, she sat back, basking in the chaos of envy and admiration, knowing well that her children had truly begun to make their mark in the world of gods and mortals alike.