Chapter 144
The atmosphere in the meeting room crackled with tension, an undercurrent of disbelief swirling among the gathered deities.
Loki, the first to regain her composure, leaned forward, her expressive features betraying both skepticism and indignation.
“Don’t tell me you all believe this nonsense,” she declared, her voice laced with incredulity.
The revelation about the Bahamut familia had spiralled to heights that seemed impossible.
“Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense. Is there any proof?” another god echoed, his brow furrowed in confusion.
The murmurs intensified, a chorus of agreement rippling through the assembly.
“Are you all, by any chance, doubting the Guild's legitimacy?” Hermes interjected, his tone light but his expression serious.
“Have they ever lied about something like this?” His words struck a chord, and the room fell silent as the truth of his statement settled in.
While the guild had been known to conceal certain level-ups in the past by not announcing them initially, they had never falsely proclaimed a level increase, especially in the presence of the gods.
Ouranus, the overseer, would never allow such a transgression to occur.
“If this is true,” Loki continued, her voice gaining strength, “then Bahamut must have done something to her children. It’s inconceivable for them to level up so rapidly. All of her children gaining a level in just four months was already shocking enough, but one of them jumping two levels? That’s absurd!” Her tone sharpened, cutting through the murmurs as she levelled an accusatory gaze at Bahamut.
“Bahamut must reveal how she achieved such a feat. She may have even used her Arcanum to artificially boost her children.” Loki boldly stated.
An audible gasp rippled through the room, Freya, seated elegantly across the room, widened her eyes slightly at Loki’s bold accusation.
Everyone knew that artificially enhancing a mortals level with divine power was not only impossible, but also a violation of the natural order.
Even if it were possible, the repercussions would be felt by the gods throughout Orario.
Moreover, the Falna system, designed to unlock a mortal's potential through excelia, was not something that could be manipulated so easily, especially by someone who just started using it, less than 5 months ago.
The assembled deities turned their attention to Bahamut, each of them eager for a response.
The tension in the room thickened, as curiosity mingled with apprehension.
They were all invested, because meetings of this nature were extremely rare and often laced with intrigue.
Bahamut, however, upon feeling the weight of their gazes upon her, remained unflustered and took her time to respond.
She rose from her seat, gliding gracefully to the center of the room, exuding an aura of calm confidence.
With deliberate poise, she settled into the central seat, a subtle act that irked many gods around her.
Once seated, Bahamut turned her gaze to Loki, her expression neutral.
“First of all,” Bahamut began, her voice steady and smooth, “let’s disregard the nonsense Loki has just spewed. We all know that something like that isn’t feasible, especially in Orario. Ouranus is watching, after all.” she said, her tone laced with a hint of amusement.
“As for why they levelled up so quickly…” Bahamut paused, allowing tension to build in the room as everyone leaned in, eager for her explanation.
“Well, my children are simply that talented. What do you want me to do?” she added, a slight smirk on her face in Loki’s direction.
“Guh!” Loki grunted, her fists clenching as she fought to contain her rage.
Bahamut’s nonchalant dismissal felt like a personal affront, and the room fell silent once more.
Some of the other deities exchanged glances, displeased with Bahamut's flippancy despite the underlying truth of her statement.
“Bahamut, do you think this is a joke?” Loki’s voice rose, a mixture of disbelief and anger etched across her face.
Her agitation was palpable; she wouldn't have been bothered if only one of Bahamut’s children had levelled up, but the sheer number of them doing so simultaneously was unfathomable.
Ais, the most gifted of her own familia, had taken a year to level up.
Now, eight newcomers from a familia less than five months old were showing even greater potential.
“How can you expect us to believe that all of them just happened to possess such incredible potential?” Loki pressed, her tone tinged with desperation.
There was no way such a thing would make sense, it was impossible for such gifted people to show up all at once, even more unbelievable, they all joined the Bahamut familia at the same time.
This was not just a concern; it was a threat to the established balance of power in Orario, shaking the foundations of many familias who felt their standings jeopardized.
Freya, meanwhile, remained quiet, her thoughts drifting towards her own ambitions.
She saw no reason yet to confront Bahamut directly; such efforts would be detrimental.
Unlike most deities, who were rendered powerless and barely different from mortals when their Arcanum was sealed, dragon gods possessed an advantage.
Their dragon forms were not extensions of their divine essence but rather a part of their physical being.
This distinction rendered them decently strong, even in the mortal world.
This was why very few deities picked fights with them, luckily there weren’t many interested in the mortal world.
Bahamut, as a dragon goddess, was known for her amicable nature, but Freya understood the inherent danger in provoking a being of such power.
Dragons were notoriously protective of their treasures, and Bahamut was no exception.
Even more concerning was that Bahamut was a greater god, so she not only possessed ridiculous strength in the mortal world, there were likely some passive abilities not tied to her arcanum.
Adding more to the complication, mortals weren’t allowed to attack gods as they risked divine punishment, so picking a fight with Bahamut was going to be complicated.
Even orchestrating a war game would put her at great risk, all Bahamut needed to do was eliminate her directly, and the Freya familia would be rendered powerless.
Basically, she couldn’t predict what Bahamut would do in retaliation and how far she was willing to go for her children.
This was a gamble Freya was not prepared to make at this stage.
However, the situation would be slightly different if one or two of Bahamut's treasures were to seek her out of their own volition.
Freya had already set her sights on Draco, having caught a glimpse of his soul during a chance encounter on her way to the Hostess of Fertility.
There was something about his soul that stirred a sense of familiarity within her, yet she couldn't quite pinpoint its origin.
Unlike the average mortal soul, which was a blend of a persons personality and mental state, Draco's soul shimmered in a strange, captivating array of colours that obscured its true essence, igniting Freya's curiosity towards him.
Her frustration grew when she learned Draco was already taken.
She cursed her fortune for not being the first to encounter him; now, he belonged to Bahamut.
Had he joined any other small familia, Freya would have put in a bit more effort to acquire him.
He was a mystery child, she wanted in her collection after-all.
Instead, she was left to contemplate ways to entice him to her side.
If she couldn’t approach him directly, perhaps she could find a way to lure one of his other siblings to her.
Surely, if one of them came to her willingly, it would create an opportunity for her to get closer to Draco.
“I demand that the status of Bahamut’s children be revealed,” Loki declared.
“We must verify if what she says is true. Of course, we will take a vote on it.” Loki pressed, snapping Freya from her thoughts.
Freya was well aware of Loki's intentions and could predict the outcome of this meeting.
Loki was also conscious of the risks involved in provoking Bahamut, hence why she resorted to verbal attacks rather than physical aggression.
Her strategy was to elicit a response from Bahamut that would make her reveal more than intended, and possibly tempt other deities into challenging Bahamut to a war game.
This would not only help gauge the strength of the Bahamut familia, but also damage their prestige if they were to lose, slowing their growth.
If the Bahamut familia were to lose, all that would be attached to their name, was leveling up fast with no substance, not the most enticing title to pull in new members.
Instead of outright rallying the gods to eliminate the Bahamut familia, Loki came up with this method as a less direct approach.
Killing Bahamut's children would be an easy task, it was Bahamut's potential retaliation that was truly frightening.
In the worst case scenario, they may be forced to unseal their Arcanum to send Bahamut back to heaven, however Bahamut could also do the same, escalating the situation further.
Another problem was that the dungeon would react to this by unleashing chaos upon the city through its monsters.
As murmurs of agreement spread among the gods, Hephaestus could feel the tension in the room intensify.
The dynamics were shifting and the consequences could have serious repercussions for all involved.
Earlier in the meeting, Hephaestus had asked Bahamut how far she was willing to go, to which she confidently replied that she would be willing to kill other gods if necessary.
Whether it was driven by alliances, rivalries, or pure pursuit of power, the gods of Orario were on the verge of a defining moment with Bahamut's children at its core.