Chapter 145
"You're well aware that I cannot provide that," Bahamut replied, her voice firm yet calm.
"Demanding the status sheets of the children from another familia is highly unethical." she argued.
Loki leaned back, crossing her arms with an air of confidence.
She had expected such a response.
This was why she had called for a vote among the other gods.
While she didn't expect Bahamut to divulge her children's status sheets, she hoped for at least a hint regarding the remarkable growth of Bahamut’s children in such a short span of time.
The pressure from the other gods would force Bahamut to share something, as she wouldn’t want to make enemies of the majority of deities.
There were other ways to restrict the Bahamut familia without using violence.
Loki was acutely aware that Bahamut must have allies among the gods, which made her cautious.
Who could they be? Her mind raced with possibilities.
She didn’t believe that Bahamut hadn’t already considered these things.
“I stand with Loki,” announced Apollo, his voice ringing through the hall.
“You’ve provided us with little to work with so far, Bahamut.” he added, his gaze on Bahamut.
Apollo had considered challenging Bahamut's familia to a war game, tempted by the potential of her children.
However, he hesitated; none of the prominent familias were making moves, and it felt as if they were waiting for something.
The air was thick with unspoken tension.
As murmurs of support for Loki began to swell, Bahamut shifted uneasily, casting sidelong glances at her supposed allies—Hephaestus, Ganesha, Hermes, and Demeter, among others.
They all watched her intently, waiting for a signal to intervene, as Loki's influence grew.
“Then give us something to work with,” Loki pressed, her boldness evident as her supporters grew in number.
With a resigned sigh, Bahamut muttered, “I suppose it can't remain a secret for much longer.” The soft sound was barely above a whisper, yet it echoed in the stillness of the hall.
“Hmm, so there is indeed something,” Loki replied, her ears perked with anticipation.
Bahamut straightened, meeting the eyes of the curious deities.
“The child named Draco, who ascended two levels in my familia is a dragon kin.” she revealed, her words dropping like a stone into the pond of their gathering.
A collective gasp reverberated through the assembly.
Dionysus, always one who to never wear his true emotions on his sleeve, exclaimed, “Impossible!” His face contorting, and even he was surprised by the intensity of his reaction.
“Ah, sorry, the revelation was just so shocking,” Dionysus quickly apologized, attempting to recover his composure, his eyes darting around the room.
He hadn’t planned on drawing that much attention to himself.
Yet, he was not alone in his shock.
The other deities mirrored his astonishment, their faces a canvas of surprise and intrigue.
Freya, seated near the front, felt a thrill of excitement course through her veins.
Her eyes glinted with a predatory gleam as she processed the implications of Bahamut's announcement.
A dragon kin, especially one with such potential, could fulfill her long-held desires.
‘If he meets all the conditions, then I have to get him by any means necessary,’ she thought, her mind spinning with possibilities.
She quickly composed herself, ensuring no one noticed her reaction.
She resolved to wait, needing confirmation that Draco was indeed the individual she had long sought.
Ishtar, noticing Freya’s subtle shift in demeanour, felt a grin spread across her face.
She had always been attuned to Freya’s actions, fuelled by her own insecurities.
With the new development, Ishtar began formulating her own plans to entice the target of Freya’s desire.
“That can’t be possible,” Loki interjected after regaining her composure, her skepticism evident.
“The dragon kin should be extinct after suffering that level of divine punishment. It’s been over a thousand years.” Loki said.
The gravity of her statement hung in the air, casting doubt on Bahamut’s claim.
Though not every deity knew the specifics of the divine punishment inflicted on the dragon kin, they all understood that surviving such a decree was a near impossibility.
“Well, it did happen,” Bahamut replied, her voice steady.
“One survived, discovered by Io, Chronepsis, and Aasterinian. He hatched about twelve years ago and was placed in my care just over four months ago.“ Bahamut revealed.
“But that can’t be!” another god interjected, disbelief etched across his features.
“Io must have broken the rules and created one or done something extraordinary. One surviving is already unbelievable, but surviving over a thousand years and still being alive is even more so!” the god argued.
The atmosphere grew dense with uncertainty as the gods reconsidered Bahamut’s claims.
“That’s a rather bold accusation,” Bahamut retorted, her gaze sweeping over the room.
“You really think the other primordial gods would stand idly by if Io had truly violated the laws of creation?” she argued.
The assembled deities knew Bahamut was right; if Io had indeed wielded power capable of reviving or recreating the dragon kin, it would have resonated through all the realms, prompting immediate intervention from the primordial gods.
The era of creation had long passed, and the strict laws governing the creation of races had been upheld for eons.
The notion that Io would challenge such laws without consequence was unfathomable.
“Ahem,” Hermes coughed, cutting through the tension.
“Perhaps we should consult Ouranus. After all, he would have felt any disturbance ” he suggested.
Everyone turned their gaze upward, anticipating a response.
Ouranus had been present, his divine essence lingering since the commencement of their meeting.
“No law has been broken,” Ouranus replied succinctly, then fell silent once more.
“There we have it. Are there any further questions?” Hermes inquired, surveying the room as the gods absorbed the information.
“From what I know, the dragon kin take considerable time to mature and gain strength,” a goddess stated, breaking the stillness.
“You said the child hatched twelve years ago. Then how has he grown so powerful in such a short span?” she asked.
Bahamut took a moment to respond.
“The answer lies in the Falna. Most of you know that dragon kin are a fusion of dragon and spirit—a wellspring of potential. Receiving my Falna blessing must have unlocked his latent abilities, consequently accelerating his growth,” she summarized, omitting any detailed explanation of the process.
“Tsk,” Loki clicked her tongue, wanting to shift the focus back to Bahamut’s other children.
“What about your other seven children? How do you account for their rapid growth?” Loki asked.
Bahamut clicked her tongue in annoyance; she had hoped everyone would forget about the others now that the attention was on Draco.
‘Sigh, I would have loved to avoid sharing this, but it can’t be helped’ Bahamut thought.
“The other seven children are beast-kin and step-siblings to the dragon kin. Prior to arriving in Orario, they were the sole survivors of their village, which was decimated by the one-eyed black dragon. This experience has likely played a significant role in their accelerated growth. However, I will not disclose any further details on this matter,” Bahamut concluded, her tone final.
The room erupted into gasps once more.
Loki’s confidence faltered, and she sank into her seat, grappling with the implications of Bahamut’s revelations.
The mere mention of the one-eyed black dragon sent ripples of concern through her.
The two strongest familias in Orario had fallen victim to it in the past, proof of its terrifying power.
The trauma from such an encounter could indeed fuel growth as mortals often unlocked their potential under extreme duress.
“If there aren’t any more questions, can we proceed with the meeting? We still need to finalize the aliases for the remaining children,” Bahamut asked, her nonchalant demeanour irritating many of the deities present.
Most had anticipated seeing Bahamut cornered, yet she had provided reasonable explanations that left little room for attack.
The presence of several prominent familias—Hephaestus, Demeter, Astraea, Ganesha, and several others—who had said little throughout the discussion indicated either neutrality or were allies to Bahamut.
In addition to that, knowledge that 3 other powerful dragon gods were in the mortal world, and were her allies, was another thing to consider.
There was little they could do against her directly, so it was best to move on for now.
……………….
As the murmurs spread throughout the hall, Bahamut felt a sense of satisfaction.
She had weathered the storm, but anxiety still gnawed at her.
She had only managed to protect her familia from direct assaults; the indirect means of undermining her familia were numerous, and she had to remain vigilant.
Draco and the other children would need to exercise heightened caution moving forward, as assassination attempts could emerge from any corner—within the dungeon or beyond.
Without concrete evidence of any gods or goddesses orchestrating harm against her children, Bahamut would have no justification for retaliation.
Furthermore, Draco and the others would have to prove their strength; levels were mere numbers without a demonstration of actual ability.
While Bahamut had anticipated one or two immediate war game challenges from the other familias, most of them remained hesitant, seeming to shy away from direct confrontation.
She was no fool, to believe that everything would go smoothly from now on.
There were some deities that she was most wary about, who didn’t say anything through the whole meeting.
They were up to something, but what?, she couldn’t tell.
The children would have to carve their path through a series of remarkable achievements, proving their worth the hard way, enough to deter others from attempting to harm them.
The game was just beginning, and the stakes had never been higher.