Chapter 83
After a refreshing bath and donning a fresh set of clothes, Draco made his way to the kitchen, intending to prepare a quick breakfast.
However, upon entering the kitchen, he was greeted by a scene of complete disarray.
To his surprise, breakfast had already been prepared, but the kitchen was left in a state of utter chaos.
Draco let out a deep sigh, ‘I appreciate that they've cooked, but couldn't they have at least cleaned up after themselves?" Draco mused, surveying the cluttered countertops and the sink piled high with dirty pots and pans.
Just as he was about to begin tidying the kitchen, a sudden commotion from the window startled him.
Michalis came tumbling through the window, his panicked breathing echoing through the room.
"Gah!" Michalis let out a startled breath as he came face to face with Draco.
The sudden appearance of someone in front of him had panicked him, and he looked visibly shaken.
"What's going on, why do you look so panicked?" Draco asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Draco nii, you have to save me. Vasiliki, that girl has gone crazy," Michalis hurriedly explained.
"Explain what happened clearly," Draco requested, his tone firm but patient.
Michalis then began recounting the prank that Vasiliki had played on him, Nikolaos, and Vasileios.
He then spoke about his revenge prank, but this still didn't explain why Vasiliki had gone crazy.
Finally, Michalis revealed the details of the trap that Vasiliki had accidentally triggered after the truce they had made.
‘Sigh, what is going on?’ Draco thought, rubbing his temples.
“I wake up late one morning and chaos ensues everywhere.” he muttered.
"You will have to deal with this while I go deal with her," Draco said, pointing at the mess in the kitchen.
Michalis reluctantly agreed, his concern for Vasileios' well-being evident in his expression.
"Geh, I suppose it's a fair trade. Hopefully Vasileios isn't dead yet." he replied.
Wasting no time, Draco made his way to the neighboring house, where the source of the commotion lay.
Upon arriving, he was greeted by Nikolaos, who seemed relatively unfazed by the situation.
"Morning, Draco nii," Nikolaos said, his tone casual.
"Morning," Draco replied.
"Where is she?" he asked.
"Second-floor hallway," Nikolaos answered.
"I see. Can you please ask Dimitra, Eleni, and Clair to go help Michalis clean up the kitchen?" Draco requested.
“Did they perhaps cook breakfast” Nikolaos asked.
It was the only scenario he could imagine, that would leave the kitchen in such a state.
“Yea” Draco replied.
"I see," Nikolaos muttered, turning to leave.
Upon entering the house, Draco quickly made his way to the stairs.
As he ascended, he couldn't help but notice the mess that covered the stairs and a portion of the hallway – it was covered in ice.
"Vasiliki!!" Draco yelled, folding his arms in rage as he awaited her presence.
Vasiliki, who had been playfully torturing Vasileios, felt a chill run down her spine at the sound of her name being called.
‘Tsk, Michalis that rat must have told Draco nii,’ she thought.
"Draco nii, help me!" Vasileios yelled, relieved that their older brother had arrived to save him.
Immediately releasing Vasileios, Vasiliki quickly made her way to answer Draco's call.
Upon reaching the hallway, Vasiliki hurriedly ran up to Draco and bowed her head in apology.
"I am sorry," Vasiliki said, her ears flopping down to emphasize her sincerity.
"You do know that we don't own this house, right?" Draco asked, his tone stern.
"I do," Vasiliki replied.
"Ho, you do, then what is this mess that I am seeing?" Draco asked.
"You just had one job, wake your brothers up, and you do this instead," Draco said, disappointment evident in his voice.
"Technically, I did wake them up," Vasiliki muttered, her voice barely audible.
"What was that?" Draco threatened, his eyes narrowing.
"I am sorry," Vasiliki replied, her ears now almost completely flat against her head.
Draco took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure.
"Vasiliki, I understand that you were trying to prank your brothers, but this is unacceptable. Not only have you created a mess in a house that doesn't belong to us, put your brothers in harm's way, but you've also wasted mind that should be used in the dungeon" Draco said.
Vasiliki remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"I expect you to clean up all this mess and apologize to Vasileios, Michalis and Nikolaos. Additionally, from now on, I want you to think carefully about the consequences of your actions before you do something like this again," Draco said, his tone stern yet laced with concern.
Vasiliki nodded slowly, her ears and tail still drooping.
"I understand, Draco nii. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused." she replied.
Draco placed a hand on Vasiliki's head, his expression softening.
"I know you didn't mean any real harm, but you need to be more responsible. Now, clean up this mess and come have breakfast." Draco said.
“Hmm” Vasiliki nodded her head and immediately got to work.
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Within 30 minutes, the Bahamut familia had efficiently addressed all the pressing issues that had arisen that morning.
With a sense of relief, they gathered around the table to partake in their breakfast, which, on this particular day, held an air of unease for everyone besides Nikolaos.
The incident that had transpired in Draco's room, involving Bahamut, Eleni, Dimitra, and Clair, remained fresh in their minds.
Meanwhile, Michalis, Vasileios and Vasiliki continued to view each other with a wary gazes, still unsettled by the recent pranking incident.
As a result, the breakfast turned into a quick and silent affair, with each individual consumed by their own thoughts and the lingering tensions.
After breakfast, Bahamut, their goddess, saw them off as they departed for the dungeon, their expressions solemn and their movements subdued.
Along the way, the grupo purchased some street food for their midday meal, as Draco had not prepared anything for their lunch.
Draco, however, could not help but wonder when the details of the incident in his room would eventually come to light.
He found himself stealing glances at Clair, Eleni, and Dimitra, anxiously awaiting any sign that they might divulge what had transpired.
Sensing Draco's unease, Dimitra spoke up, "Relax, Draco nii, we decided not to say anything." she said.
"Really?" Draco asked, his voice laced with a mixture of relief and apprehension.
"Yes," Eleni interjected, her tone reassuring.
"Thank you, I suppose, but we will eventually have to discuss it, I mean, a topic related to it. You all are about that age now," Draco replied.
"If you say so," Dimitra responded, her words tinged with a hint of resignation.
Suddenly, Vasiliki's voice interrupted the group's hushed conversation.
"What are you guys whispering about?" she inquired, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"It's about..." Clair began, only to be swiftly silenced by a swift blow to the head from Eleni.
"Ouch! What was that for? I stopped stalking!" Clair complained, rubbing the sore spot on her head.
"Silly, you've already piqued her curiosity. Just look at those eyes, screaming 'I want to know,'" Eleni replied, gesturing towards Vasiliki's eager expression.
'Tsk, it seems they're hiding something juicy. My instincts tell me so,' Vasiliki thought, her mind racing with possibilities.
Draco heaved a heavy sigh, already resigned to the fact that the details of the incident would eventually be revealed, no matter how much he wished he could erase the memories.
With a weary mind, he led his familia towards the dungeon, their footsteps heavy as they prepared to grind for the day.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
A month later……….
A little over a month have passed since the Bahamut familia came to Orario, and they had grown significantly, especially Draco.
His stats were already approaching the limit of level one, only awaiting a major burst of high quality excelia that would push him to level 2.
This was going to be an awfully fast and unnatural levelling speed, but Draco knew that it was only so because his body was simply in the process of adjusting, hence the rapid growth.
Once it reached a balance and settled down, his growth speed would also slow down.
At least, that was the theory that he and Bahamut had come up with.
Draco wasn't the only one to grow fast; the rest of the Bahamut familia were not lagging too far behind either.
Their growth speeds were quite fast, with some already reaching the minimum threshold to level up.
Draco knew that they were all gifted, so he wasn't going to let them level up so early.
He had set a minimum requirement of having their main stats at S-rank and the other stats at A-rank before they could level up.
It was a bit harsh, but Draco considered it reasonable, at least during the early levels.
He knew what was going to happen next year and that they needed a strong foundation for the future.
As Draco lay on his bed, he pondered whether he should delay his own level up.
The Bahamut familia had been grinding daily in the dungeon, from 8 am to 6 pm, almost every day for the past month.
The volume of monsters they fought daily was a lot, thanks to Draco's ability to quickly find monsters within the area.
This, in turn, had left them extremely fatigued every day but was also a major factor in their quick growth.
Draco was contemplating not levelling up until after Denatus, a meeting of the gods held every three months.
It was currently April, so the meeting was scheduled to be held quite soon.
The reason Draco pondered on his, was because during the Denatus, aliases were given to adventurers who had recently leveled up, granting them some form of recognition.
Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but Draco's level up would be too fast and called to question, meaning that he would gain a lot of attention during the Denatus.
The attention itself wasn't a problem, but Draco was afraid that certain things would be set in motion before his familia could build enough power.
He was aware that he didn't have enough power and allies to deter the hidden enemies of his race amongst the gods and possibly mortals.
But by delaying his level up a bit and avoiding the Denatus to be held within the month, he would have three more months to grow and strengthen his familia.
Additionally, Draco estimated that within two months, the other members of his familia would have gained enough excelia to level up as well.
During the next Denatus, which would be held in the month of July, Bahamut would have a lot to brag about, and they would be somewhat prepared for what would follow.
Draco even entertained the thought that if he was lucky, he might be able to level up again during that time.
As Draco contemplated his next move, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
The path ahead was not without its challenges, and he knew that he would need to be cunning and strategic to ensure the survival and success of his familia.
With a deep breath, he steeled his resolve, determined to do whatever it took to protect those he held dear.