Questionable Questing
Gusfes, ENIYA replied to a thread you are watching at Questionable Questing.
[NSFW] - The Grind for Money Never Ends (Danmachi / YGGDRASIL (Overlord) Gamer SI)

AN: I originally wanted to include a whole bunch of POV's to wrap up the Holy Winter Festival sub-plot/arc, give some more details on what is happening in the background, some real conversations and development with Rose and more during the previous chapter but the tone didn't quite fit with Leonard's emotional journey back then. Even here, the tone is a bit varied, and I couldn't quite split it up in any other way since the POV's are like their own separate interludes, so I decided to just group them all up into one 'chapter' here. You may expect some comedy, drama and action here, I will get to answering replies later on when I have the time as I have been busy with an online course and writing this chapter lately.
A Christmas, ahem, Holy Winter Miracle (Various POV's)
Shadow Demon/Dirge (POV)
The demon smiled widely as his Lord's demihuman female entered the carriage.
Now that she was being watched by the carriage driver, which was another summon of his Lord's, he was now free to handle a few outstanding tasks… right after completing his most recent one.
Which, he might add, involved one of his favorite activities… namely, grave robbing!
Technically, Dirge the Shadow Demon (he was ever so thankful for such a cool name from his Lord) enjoyed any form of activity so long as his Lord and himself benefited from it.
Desecrating the graves of his Lord's enemies…. Hmm, no, calling them enemies would imply the vermin was more than a footnote in his Lord's eyes… it would be better to say that repurposing the bodies of trash that were fortunate enough to be of some use to his Lord brought Dirge great joy!
Ordinarily, the summoned Shadow Demon would only carry out such errands during Rose Fannett's working hours, as guarding the demihuman was not strictly necessary as the Guild was generally a safe place if one ignores the Evilus infiltrators that are there to gather intel and spread misinformation when needed.
There was little need to worry about those duplicitous future lab subjects, however, as his investigations into them revealed that they had direct orders to lay low for at least a handful of years.
The demon used his Shadow Warp ability to teleport to the chimney's shadow, then popped his pitch-black head up to meet the (permanent) even lower-leveled Summon, a [Mechatronic Mourner], an Automaton monster in the shape and coloration of a normal bird.
His Lord had anticipated that there would be less danger during the werewolf's working hours and had provided this summons to observe their mutual charge during the period, freeing up Dirge to perform more important and dangerous missions in the day.
Like tracking down low-leveled members of crime syndicates, investigating the security measures of places of interest, and the occasional bomb disposal.
Granted, the last two examples were tasks that Dirge had set for himself, as his Lord had told him that he could also use the time to relax and unwind. Breaking into high-security facilities like the magic stone processing buildings was for keeping his stealth skills sharp and dealing with hooligans attempting to vandalize his Lord's home (the fools actually thought explosives could kill his Lord, hahaha…!) was pure pleasure.
The demon's favorite had to be the time that Evilus fanatic sat on what passed as a toilet in this world and had his ass blown apart by the same bomb he planted earlier.
Funniest shit he had ever seen!
And considering that, as a summon, he shared a copy of his summoner's memories who had spent a long time perusing through memes… that said a lot about how much Dirge had enjoyed himself.
Anyways, that is enough reminiscing for now…
"Are the burial grounds guarded now?" He asked the soul-less bird (its [Soulless] skill gave it the passive ability to evade almost all information-gathering abilities) a question that would determine how he would approach his latest task.
"Chirp Chirp (Coast is clear)!"
"Excellent…" Dirge uttered slowly while steepling his sharp claws with a wide grin.
[hr][/hr]
Half an hour and a report to his Lord later, Dirge had been greeted by a [Gate], which he stepped through without hesitation, dragging along the corpse he had collected with him.
"My Lord, I present to you the trash's intact corpse, as you required."
His Lord glanced at the corpse for half a second, and hummed, "Hmm, his complexion is better than I expected… they actually spared the criminal a potion? I guess they needed him healed enough to confess to his crimes. And… his organization works quickly, considering they executed him in prison so easily."
As expected of Lord Leonard, he was capable of understanding everything instantly!
The unfathomable Sage smiled and gestured toward the horse-drawn wagons prepared near his new home, whose drivers were all dressed in very familiar armor.
Dirge looked at his Lord with his wide glowing yellow eyes in shock!
"My Lord, could it be…?"
"Yes, it is time. You are free to watch the show from wherever you wish… first things first, it's time to put on the costumes."
As his Lord reached towards the corpse, Dirge knelt down and pleaded with him, "Lord Leonard, I implore you not to sully your hands with such a task. Let me be the one to strip and arrange this corpse properly!"
"Very well. Thank you for the initiative."
"It is my pleasure."
After that little business, the Shadow Demon decided to hide in the 'main' wagon so that he could have the best view of what was to come.
His Lord had wrapped himself up in an illusion as he chose to play one of the leading roles.
[Greater Illusion]
With but a single spell, the scenery and the contents of the other wagons had changed, suddenly it was as if they were now traversing through a snowy mountain filled with tall trees.
[True Resurrection]
And just like that, the corpse was revived, somewhat disorientated by the recent experience.
From his prime viewing location, Dirge could see the small illusionary words being placed directly at the criminal's cornea, which would provide the maximum immersive experience for what remains of the trash's short life.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."
'Ralof' said to the confused piece of trash in front of him.
It was just the first line, but Dirge already was on the verge of cackling like a madman!
"Huh? What border? W-where the hell is the queue?! And what the fuck is a Skyrim?" The unintelligent creature exclaimed.
"Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell. You there. You and me - we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."
The man created by the illusion continued the play even with the real criminal interrupting now and then.
"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief."
"What the fuck, I'm supposed to be dead…!"
"Shut up back there!"
"And what's wrong with him?"
"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King."
"W-who?" The clueless criminal interjected into the scene, only for the 'horse thief' to half answer the question for him.
"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you… Oh, gods, where are they taking us?"
"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."
"No…NOOOOO….! I'm not going to die again!"
Oh, it looks like the scum has some brains after all…?
The revived sheep person attempted to escape by jumping off the wagon despite his bounds, considering how unsuccessful he was, it appears as if while the Falna did reside in the soul, returning from death did not restore the connection to his divine patron.
Dirge was a bit saddened that they did not get to the execution part because he really wanted to watch the mutton-chop-on-legs fall into despair as he awaited to be executed once again.
"Well, that was fun while it lasted. At least the resurrection test worked out." Leonard changed the illusionary environment to something that resembled an icy hell, approached the struggling criminal, and 'stepped' on the man's toes, turning them into a bloody stain on the ground.
"AAAAAAHHH! IT HURTS!"
"I'm sure it does. However, your victims said the same thing you are saying, you didn't care then, so I hope you understand that I have no reason to care either."
[Dominate]
Just like that, all resistance ceased, and the man was happily answering his Lord's questions about his organization, how the underworld of Orario worked, and his experience of the afterlife.
When done with his questioning, his Lord granted the man mercy, flicking his pinky at the sheep person's skull, blasting flesh and bone pieces across the snow-covered ground.
Honestly, the criminal did not deserve a painless second death. Dirge had come up with a few ways to make use of the bipedal sheep person before granting it the sweet release of death.
Of course, the demon was sure that his Lord had considered methods 10,000 times more effective than what he could ever imagine, seeing as those weren't used, it was clear that the conditions of starting Operation Happy Farm had yet to be met.
"Wasn't any different from the Dungeon monsters, huh? Dirge, I have another task for you."
"Yes, my Lord! I am happy to serve!"
"I have scouted a certain village using [God's Eye] and I want you to dig up a certain corpse for me. You will be provided a few Magic Scrolls to keep the corpse as intact and preserved as possible until I am ready to retrieve you and the corpse, and perform my work."
Yet another happy productive work day.
[hr][/hr]
Rose Fannett POV
When looking into the mirror, Rose found a rare wide smile etched on her face. After checking her hair and ears one last time, she made sure to keep her best smile on as she left her home from the front door.
"You look stunning, madam, please, let us assist you unto the carriage."
She froze at the sight of the ornate carriage out of awe for the first few seconds, then frowned in disappointment when she realized that Leonard hadn't actually come to pick her up himself, and instead, seemingly hired an expensive carriage service instead.
Logically, she knew that she should have at least appreciated the fact that he was spoiling her… but she couldn't help but feel as if he toyed with her expectations, even if he never gave any indication of how he was going to pick her up and that she accepted his invitation to his new home without asking for more details.
… And now she was starting to sound like her co-workers who complained about their boyfriends being incapable of reading their minds.
Rose had no choice but to take back her remarks on them being illogical because she would be a hypocrite otherwise.
Then again, who isn't a hypocrite these days?
"It can't be helped, I'm a girl as well."
She sighed and allowed the armored carriage driver to help her up.
Rose had to admit that the seats were extremely comfortable. And that being driven in a luxurious carriage where other people could see her filled her with a special feeling.
Is this how a Queen feels when she looks down on her hard-working citizens?
Probably not. She was just imagining weird things at this point as the unique experience was getting to her head.
Things got a little boring after they passed through the city gate, as the only things to really look at outside the carriage was dyed white.
10 minutes out of the city and she was already getting sick of looking at snow.
It was at this point that the driver reached through the window and said something to her.
She couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. Like all the times she felt as if she was being watched. However, as nothing came out of her investigations of any potential stalkers, she decided to take a wait-and-see approach. Likewise, there was little she could do in this scenario except see what the driver wanted.
"Madam, I fear that this drive might bore you for quite a while longer, I strongly suggest that you relax and catch up on some Sleep."
"That is-" Huh, how strange… she was feeling really sleepy all of a sudden, eh, it's probably just the seasonal overtime catching up on her, "-probably hwaaaa…. A good idea…"
…
"Did you have a good nap, Rose?"
"H-huh?"
Rose awoke to find herself in a carriage… which became familiar to her after she recalled this morning's activities. She looked out the window to see Leonard standing right there.
"Your sleeping face looks cute."
"Whaa?! D-don't tease me like that!"
She started hitting him with the nearest cushion she could reach!
"Hey, this cushion is kinda warm, did you sit on-"
"-Stop! Stop that! Stop thinking!"
"If I did stop thinking I would actually die, hahaha!"
Thank the gods that their comedy skit was over and done with soon after.
Leonard helped her down from the carriage and gestured towards his new house. To be honest, she did not expect much from something that was supposed to be built in only 3 days, but once again, he had exceeded her expectations.
"Wow, the size isn't huge like some mansions I have seen, but the unique and refined design does make it look like it belongs in some of the richer districts."
The buildings in Orario had all sorts of designs that, at first glance, seemed out of this world. However, once you remember that gods from a higher realm usually had something to do with them, it makes it much easier to accept something that looks new and different.
"I'm glad you like it so far. Come on in, the interior is still a bit bare since I haven't brought all my stuff in yet, but it's cozy enough."
Rose wasn't surprised at all when her standard of 'cozy' was exceeded by Leonard's well-furnished home.
"I don't think I have seen lamps of that design before."
"Oh, that is because instead of lamps and appliances powered by magic stones, they are all connected to a single power source that consists of several magic stones. See the cords attached to those appliances there? Now imagine some of them going through the walls and attached to the lights above us, supplied by power from one source."
"But if something happens to any of the magic stones… won't that mean that the power for everything gets cut off? Oh, wait, you said several magic stones so… are some of them considered built-in redundancies?"
Leonard looked pleasantly surprised by her question, and nodded enthusiastically, "You could say that. I'm extracting magical energy from the stones at a higher rate than I actually need so-"
He had given her a quick tour of his home, with the exception of his bedroom, then happily responded to her comments and questions about his place. After listening to his explanation, she followed his example and hung her coat on the coat rack when the heaters had warmed the place up sufficiently.
"Wow, that's a nice change of clothes. Your uniform looks nice, but it's on the plain side. And I don't think I've seen you in casual clothes much."
"Most of the places you bring me to on my rare off days are on the fancier side, so I end up wearing my nice dresses then."
"Good point. It's usually only your off days that we get to enjoy a long, dining experience so our dinners tend towards those sorts of places."
From the looks of it, he was dressed up casually as well, with just a short-sleeved shirt and colorful soft-looking pants, of a design that she wasn't used to seeing.
It was the first time she had seen him in clothes that didn't scream poor laborer, unremarkable citizen (during the first couple of months), or extremely over-dressed professional.
"You look nice yourself." She scratched her cheek nervously, hoping that was enough, "You seem… a lot more relaxed."
He hummed and plopped himself onto his soft couch with a carefree grin, "I suppose I am. I just can't help it. I finally have a real place to myself, a home that I actually own that… feels like home. And I have a friend over!"
His bright welcoming smile and open posture made her want to seat herself down on his lap there and then.
But she restrained herself and followed his example, sitting on the other end of the couch, then relaxed into it after experiencing its supreme comfort, "Ah, that's nice. I get what you mean. It feels like everything feels… sorted, right?"
"Yeah, like that. Of course, I still have lots to do, but after crossing an actual home off the list everything feels less urgent."
Rose felt happy for him, but still groaned out loud, and said, "That's nice. If only I could feel that way too."
"Money problems?"
"Not exactly. It just feels like I'm living to work instead of working to live, you know what I mean? Even with a promotion to a senior position lined up, I still feel unsatisfied, I know it sounds a bit entitled but it just feels that way, you know?"
"I get it, I really do."
She and Leonard continued to chat about all sorts of things, like the history of the city (as expected of a History fan, he liked hearing her thoughts about the time when the Zeus and Hera Familia were around), adventurer activities in general, things she was interested in, and so on and so forth.
It was really nice to just talk about how she felt and loosen up like that.
She couldn't do so back in the city even if she was going out as an ordinary citizen instead of a guild employee. It still felt as if a single misstep even out of uniform would result in some form of trouble that she couldn't get out of.
Rose idly wondered if that was the reason why she actually entertained the idea of dating Adventurers. Was she just looking for someone that could actually protect her and also meet some basic requirements like not being stupid and overly in love with the Dungeon?
Her tastes had evidently changed as she started to like Leonard. But part of her wondered if she simply saw intelligence and money as just another form of power that she was attracted to… now that she actually had thought about it, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the thought.
"What's wrong, Rose?"
Did her internal turmoil just show on her face? Ah, damn it.
"Are you really okay with this?"
"Hmm?"
"It feels like you are doing more for me than I for you… argh, fuck it, doesn't it feel like I'm taking advantage of you or something?"
"Okay, that's a first."
"How can you be casual about it?!"
"I thought I was the one taking advantage of a young, impressionable pretty girl out of desperation for a trusted friend."
She knew that he was answering her honestly. She could tell that he was taking her seriously. Yet she was tempted to punch his seemingly unfettered expression!
"If you're wondering why I'm answering you like this, it's because I don't like getting swept up in… urgh, emotional responses. I don't want to be someone that constantly argues or escalates an argument by running my mouth on whatever I'm feeling in the present. I would rather take a step back, de-escalate, take some time, and actually have some constructive 'real talk' instead."
Rose took a deep breath and calmed down after realizing that she actually agreed with what he was saying for the most part. She had to deal with so much shit every day that she learned to not take things to heart and call it out as it is, in that sense, their ways of dealing with social conflicts are kind of similar, although Rose had to admit she was a lot more rude/blunt and aggressive compared to Leonard.
"Sorry about that…"
"I'm sorry too, for sounding way too laid back there instead of, you know, showing more concern on my face and… stuff."
She snorted at his awkward response, "Yeah, fine, I know you meant well and all…"
"... Hmm, well, back to the topic at hand. While I could say the phrase I sort of believe in, the one about how 'friends don't count favors between them', I also know it's not true because everyone does 'count' those things in the back of their mind, even if it's not really an objective measure, but that's beside the point… I can see where you are coming from and well, the most immediate way I can see us solving this is through trial-and-error, keep on being kind to one another until everything balances out, et cetera."
"So back to normal?"
"Do I look like I know how to handle this sort of thing?"
"Yeah, no, you do look pretty clueless."
Leonard rolled his eyes at that, "I'm not that inept in social situations, just because I have practically no friends…"
Rose wanted to say that was a mark against him, but then again, she lacked a group of friends herself. She certainly had a few co-workers and people around her neighborhood she could count on, but that was about it, especially after her mother moved out to some town with her second husband.
"Alright, fine. Putting that aside, what are you looking for in a woman?"
"Where did that…" Leonard looked shocked for a moment, before quickly calming down, "Oh, alright, well that's difficult to answer since the last time I considered the topic was before I arrived in Orario, and oh boy, was I a different person back then-"
He talked a bit about his country, where things were safe and why the age of maturity was pushed up by a few years, his higher education, and how he did not do so well because he slacked off.
"I matured a lot after being in the workforce for a few years, but even then, I was still a work in progress. If you asked me back then, then I would have said that my ideal woman would have been just as capable or similarly intelligent as myself, have a certain level of worldly wisdom, but would have a different way of handling things that would let us complement each other… looking back at it, maybe I gave up a bit on fixing my flaws and expected someone else to compensate for me? I don't know, I could just lack some self-confidence and thought badly about myself back then… in any case, Orario was another wake-up call that forced me to become more capable and now, I have no clue!"
"What kind of answer is that?!"
"Okay, fine. If I had to say it, maybe I want a pretty woman who is a bit… heroic? Or have qualities that make her seem… just beyond normal, I don't know how to describe it, she just needs to be someone that can push me to be better. On the other hand, part of me doesn't care so much about the above features and wants a pretty woman that relies on me sometimes so that I can feel good about myself, maybe, I'm not that insecure nowadays but I can't deny that I actually do enjoy taking care of beautiful girls like you."
"Figures that I would only qualify for the last category."
"Actually, considering that you haven't given up on keeping your Adventurers alive… as their survival rate isn't one of your Key Performance Indexes', I think you can fit the first category a little."
"You're being too kind."
It's not like she cared whether the Adventurers lived or died. She just doesn't want to blame herself for not doing her best to keep them alive and to maintain a spirit of excellence in whatever she does.
"Your good looks also meet one of my basic requirements… Are you disappointed with my shallow tastes yet?"
Rose thought about it for a while, then finally shook her head, "No, not really. I have shallow taste in men too… mind if I share them?"
"Knock yourself out. I have been doing way too much talking for the day already. I feel like I've reached my social quota already."
She rolled her eyes at the unashamed admittance of his anti-social tendencies.
"I like smart, handsome guys. I used to study at the Education District when they rolled by Orario when I was a child. I couldn't stay there long because my mother didn't have enough money to pay for more than two years there without selling her body. However, the point is that I still learned a lot and picked up an appreciation for actually having an intellectual discussion now and then. I feel like my mind is being drained bit by bit dealing with the idiocy that are adventurers, even some of the smart ones there are just weird sometimes like they lack 'common sense'. I get that you need to be out of the ordinary to survive as an Adventurer but with the way some of them act, it really makes you wonder if you are living in a storybook instead of reality!"
Leonard spat out a mouthful of water, then waved her concerns off and said, "Don't mind me, please continue."
She took a moment to catch her breath and did just that.
"So anyways, I considered quitting my job and trying for a position where I wouldn't have to deal with idiots. But surprise! I'm in the sweet spot of being educated enough to be fast-tracked to a higher position in the Guild, but not qualified enough to reach the top positions that often require the right connections and full graduation from a qualified institution like the Education District. I got side-tracked a bit, and I'm still leaving a lot more details aside, but point is, I find myself stuck in my job at the Guild because it's still one of the better-paying and safest jobs in the city."
And it was at this point she talked about her bad experience with Adventurers trying to court her, her actually thinking about accepting an Adventurer's confession, only for it to end tragically, her swearing off silly notions like romance with Adventurers, and finally, how she felt that she might be aiming for men with power in one form or another that are occasionally way out of her league.
"Uh-huh, this is the part where I say that you shouldn't feel bad, because women in Xianxia stories fall for even worst kinds of men, just because they have Protagonist perks."
"I don't even need to know what those are to know that it provides little comfort to me."
"I think that we can both agree we all have pretty basic tastes and that we might still only be scratching the surface of our actual preferences and what we actually need or want from a partner."
"That… kind of feels like we're back where we started."
"We have a better understanding of each other now. I think we can count that as a win."
"... Are you really just going to leave things like that?"
Leonard's response was to look at her for what felt like minutes before he went over and loomed right over her, then said, "I think that we can afford to take some risks and figure things out together."
As he leaned down and brought his face closer to her own, Rose closed her eyes, finding herself a little scared and excited about what he was going to do to her.
E-eh, was that a kiss… on her forehead?
Rose opened her eyes to see a smirk on his face. Did she feel her face heat up in anger, happiness, and disappointment? She didn't rightly know at this point, but she really wanted to slap and kiss him right back…!
"We ended up talking for a long time, I'm famished, aren't you?"
"Fuck you."
"When you're older."
"I won't forgive you if the food isn't good!"
"Yes, yes…"
She was forced to forgive him after the delicious 7-course meal.
"Oh right, I just remembered." Rose walked towards where she left her coat, searched through one of the pockets, and took out a wrapped box, "I actually got you a house-warming present, wait, actually it was meant to be your Holy Winter Festival present but since you got a new house all of sudden and this is kind of expensive, I figured it can count for both."
She relished the genuine surprise and anticipation on his face after receiving her gift.
"This is… a pen? A magical pen?!"
"It was created by a Mage with the [Mystery] Developmental Ability so that it will never run out of ink."
"Oh, wow… this must have cost a bomb!"
"Weird phrasing aside, yeah, it cost quite a bit but it's still a lot smaller than the total bill of food and drinks you've treated me to."
"You know, we totally could have avoided a near-argument earlier if you remembered you brought a gift with you."
"... Aaaah, don't remind me!"
"Not that I regret it or anything-"
"-You better not! I don't want you suddenly 'forgetting' that you're my boyfriend!"
"I, uh, yeah, of course."
"What's with that stupid look on your face?"
"Nothing."
"... Whatever."
"Anyways, I just realized I have been an idiot. I totally should have commissioned the mage I work with to make me a brush that can paint infinitely in any color I want! I can't believe I missed that!"
"Maybe you need to do some more market research."
"I really should."
After that, she insisted on staying at his house tonight, which initially landed her in the guest bedroom on the ground floor. She glared at him until he got the hint, and eventually, he agreed to sleep in the bed with her in the guest bedroom.
Rose did not get the Holy Night Eve sex that she had aimed for, but she was still happy with his extremely skilled hands fondling and caressing her body during the night.
Well, considering that she lost count of the number of orgasms she had… perhaps 'happy' was a bit of an understatement.
Waking up the next day to a cold, but still pleasant, snowy Holy Winter day next to her new boyfriend was a great start. We managed to actually get into the festive mood as we enjoyed the streets of Orario without any Evilus or normal criminal bullshit happening around us.
"Wh-what's up with this blizzard? I can't see anything."
"Rose, stay behind me. Oh, and here, wear my jacket."
She was shivering from the sudden temperature drop and strong winds, on the other hand, Leonard was completely unperturbed by the surprise blizzard, even after putting his jacket over her, which surprisingly kept the cold away from her.
He said that his clothes were enchanted by the mage he worked with to handle cold weather, which made sense, considering that the mage pretty much helped set up his home and everything.
"Okay, thanks… I think we should go take shelter at the Pantheon."
The Guild building had some very good heating, so they could probably wait out the blizzard safely from there. Leonard hesitated for a moment, before agreeing with her idea.
Rose felt that there was something off about this blizzard, and from the looks of it, her boyfriend had the same idea. Well, in the end, there was little they could do about it.
They weren't Adventurers, after all.
[hr][/hr]
Kaguya Gojouno POV
Damn it Alise!
The girl bit back a curse, it wouldn't do for her to recklessly breath in the icy air, lest her lungs suffer as a result.
She stopped her desperate run for a moment and ran the scarf of Salamander Wool over her mouth, then breathed warm air through it.
This pattern repeated itself as she sprinted her way up to the surface, her thoughts were focused on what could possibly be her friend's last words to her.
"You're the fastest among us, Kaguya-chan, I'm counting on you to send for help!"
What a joke!
The fastest? The fastest at running away?
Turns out that her best asset is her ability to run away from everything, like how she ran away from the Far East, from her problems and her family. She was always running away.
This will be the last time. One day, she would be strong enough to actually keep that promise.
"Finally… the surface…" When she reached the entrance of Babel, she saw that Orario was blanketed in white, "Damn it! That enormous White Wraith can affect the weather to this point!?"
Kaguya made her way to the Guild, kicking the doors open, and yelled, "Excuse me! Anyone! Please help Alise and Lyra and… my friends!"
"What?! Now's not a good time-"
The fat elf was cut off by a familiar, and ever welcomed presence, in the form of her Goddess rushing towards her.
"Kaguya! You're alright…!"
"Lady Astraea, there's no time! Alise, everyone else… and hundreds of Adventurers, they are all frozen on the 18th Floor by an enormous White Wraith and an army of smaller White Wraiths."
"What? They've been… frozen…?"
She felt shame at the fact that she had caused her goddess such worry.
"I'm sorry, Lady Astraea. Kuh…I feel like committing Seppuku now for not having the power to save them…!"
"No, you did well, Kaguya. You made the right decision, no matter how difficult it was for you." Kaguya could only feel relieved at the fact that her goddess hadn't blamed her for it, "And the information you brought us… it looks like Leonard's theory was correct."
"Huh? The author…?"
What did her favorite author have to do with this?
She looked around and saw that there were several gods (she only recognized Loki and Hephaestus among them), adventurers, guild employees and finally, the civilian author himself inside the Guild's main building.
"I had just proposed that the unnatural blizzard could be caused by a Halation Wraith, a monster that the Zeus and Hera had repeatedly defeating during their time. It's the equivalent of their Floor Boss, but their spawn rate varies between a few years and decades. Your testimony had just confirmed it. You did well, Kaguya-chan."
He flashed her a smile and thumbs up. If he had patted her head there, then the resemblance he had to her her kind father (who had 'tragically' died of stabbing himself three times in the back, according to her bastard grandfather) would have been even stronger.
"Mm-hmm! She really is a good girl, right?"
"Yeah!"
Oi, oi, oi!
What the hell are you two saying, Lady Astraea, Mister Leonard?!
"Tch, a floor boss huh… of all the times that Freya and her Familia had to go on vacation outside of Orario… what bad luck!"
Loki's complaint could be heard loud and clear.
"The timing couldn't be worse, even my Tsubaki isn't here. Your Captain just had to convince her to join up in an Expedition to the Deep Floors of all times…"
"Come on, Hephy… Mama Loki needs some cash for her 15 bottles of Soma for the New Year!"
You flat-chested wastrel bitch!
I could have replaced all the defective magic stone heaters in our shitty home for the price of a single bottle of Soma!
"Forget your wine! Orario's in danger! I will be issuing a mandatory emergency quest-"
"-Which will take too long." Leonard interrupted Royman at that point, "I will be volunteering Sir Robert Strong time to handle this issue. With his speed and power, this matter should be resolved in under an hour."
It was only now that Kaguya recognized the fully armored, intimidating 'escort' of Leonard Enfield. She had only heard rumors and a few comments about the man from her Goddess, Maryuu and Iska, so she knew very little about the man.
"I have some methods to cure frostbite, hypothermia and a few other maladies with me, so I will be going along for first aid and medical purposes." Leonard said calmly and climbed unto the armored Adventurer's back.
"Wait! Take me with you! I can lead you to where the monsters are gathered!"
"Kaguya!"
"Lady Astraea, I need to do this-!"
"I like the initiative! Sir Robert Strong, pick her up."
And then she was picked just like that and carried along to the Dungeon.
They were going so fast, that by the time she had realized what was happening, they were already at the entrance to the Dungeon.
"The stairs will take too long, let's take the shortcut… yahoo!"
"Aaaaaah!"
The Adventurer jumped right down the hole leading to the first floor!
To her surprise, not only did they all land unharmed, but she couldn't feel any impact whatsoever upon the landing.
Suddenly, they accelerated again, and the scenery of the first floor passed by like a flash. Within a minute, they were already on the 6th Floor, by the fifth minute, they were on the floor where she had shamefully fled to get help.
During that time, she realized that the Adventurer dressed as a Knight must have a skill to control the wind as the air felt warm around him and that she did not feel any air resistance during the quick journey at all.
"I will wait here until the threat is dealt with and prepare my remedies. Now, go on, be a hero Kaguya-chan, I believe in you!"
"Yeah, whatever, save your breath…!"
What's with him?
Kaguya thought that he was trying to use her as an inspiration for one of his book characters.
No sense thinking about it now. She had to focus on saving her friends!
By the time she took the final step to the clearing where the frozen statue of her friends and other Adventurers were, she saw that the small army of White Wraiths had already been dealt with and the Halation Wraith was shattered into pieces!
"... Okay, that was quick-"
She was cut short as the armored adventurer dashed at her and pulled her to the side, narrowing evading a blast of ice!
"It's not over yet."
Sir Robert spoke up for the first time.
Kaguya looked up and saw another Halation Wraith!
"What the hell! It can regenerate that quickly!?"
"Not quite."
An unfamiliar voice spoke up from beside her.
It was a white-robed man with an odd facial covering that only covered his eyes.
"Watch carefully."
Then he leaped at the huge monster and swung his fist down, crushing the Halation Wraith's head-
"!!!"
-She was it.
There was a second Halation Wraith hidden nearby.
The moment the Halation Wraith died by the mysterious robed man's fist, something seemed to be forming out of the hidden Halation Wraith's body.
"A duplicate!"
"Precisely. We have to defeat both the Halation Wraithes at once. How troublesome…"
Kaguya looked out at the clearing and saw that the newest duplicate was hiding behind some ice pillars and the frozen adventurers!
"That bastard!"
Things got worse when the small army of Winter Wraithes had also been reborn and were adopting the strategies of their leaders.
"You two. I will deal with the Halation Wraithes at once, however, the army of little ones…"
"I got it."
"Yes, my lord."
Kaguya did not have the luxury to question the stronger Adventurer's plans and actions at the moment, nor did she spare any thought to their relationship with one another.
She cleared her mind then, and focused it solely on defeating every enemy she could.
While Sir Robert Strong was extremely fast, he couldn't be everywhere at the same time. The only thing she could do at the moment was take some pressure off the man by clearing a small area of Winter Wraithes by herself.
Issen!
She used her family's sword-drawing technique, pulling out her katana from its sheath at extreme speed and landed one powerful hit on a Winter Wraith.
Killed another of it's fellow monster with two swift cuts, placed her sword back into its sheath, then prepared to face a larger subspecies Winter Wraith.
"Gokou!"
She called out the name of her family technique and inherited magic of the same name, creating five blades of light that moved at the same time as she made a slash with her real sword, firing five magic slashes at extreme speeds aimed at her enemy from different positions.
The assassination technique turned trump card against the monsters that plagued the mortal races killed the Winter Wraith in an instant.
Kaguya examined her surroundings and saw the white-robed man standing in the middle of the clearing, holding a sword that appeared out of nowhere.
The Halation Wraith appeared to have caught him by surprise with a lance of ice stabbing at his face, however, the only thing that was damaged was his facial accessory and he retaliated with an attack of his own.
"[Six-Fold Slash of Light]!"
Kaguya gaped at the sight of a technique similar to her own magic, that had been inherited by many members of her family through careful breeding, being used against the monster.
There were differences, however, as only three of the magic slashes had sliced through the Halation Wraith, while the other magic slashes had killed three nearby Winter Wraiths.
"I knew they would aim for the eyes… nevermind, now that I know the amount of force needed…"
It was now that she noticed that his voice was different now, although she did not have the chance to think about it further as a few more Winter Wraiths had just been born near her.
"[Showdown Declaration]!"
An unnatural roar was emitted from the robed man, drawing the attention of all the monsters, including the Halation Wraiths hidden behind the ice pillars, towards him.
Just as they were all about to crush him, the man leapt to the ceiling of the dungeon floor instantly, and chanted, "[Parabolic Charge]!"
Lightning flashed before her eyes and the monsters were all destroyed by what looked to be a pulse of lightning magic.
The icy wind had stopped blowing there and then.
"It's over…"
"Not necessarily." The white-robed man approached her with a hand over his face, then held up his free hand towards her, "You need to save your friends."
She held her hand out and a ruby-encrusted ring was dropped into the palm of her hand.
"The ring contains the a magical enchantment to warm a target it is pressed against, you can use this to melt the ice pillars quicker and warm your friends up. Good job, Kaguya-chan."
"Mnn… huh, what the heck-!?"
He patted her head and walked right past her.
"Wait- eh?"
He was gone just as quickly as he arrived.
"I will be resting here."
She turned her head to see Sir Robert Strong sitting besides a giant Snow Gem!
"Tch! Figures."
The man was guarding his, admittedly well-deserved, drop item.
Kaguya stopped wasting her time and immediately went for her friends.
The other adventurers could wait and chill over there.
The magic ring worked just as the mysterious man had said it would. Her friends were quickly thawed out and were quickly treated after Leonard had sprinkled some 'refined Blue Papilio scales' over them.
That took a huge weight off her shoulders.
For the most part, the Adventurers superhuman endurance was more than enough to keep them alive despite being frozen that way. Kaguya had no idea how that worked but she simply decided to count her blessings here.
Some, however, weren't so lucky.
"He's dead. Leave him, we can move on to the next batch."
Leonard was kneeling right beside a dead pallum adventurer, who was likely a supported with a weak status spread unfortunate enough to accompany a stronger adventurer party today.
Leonard shook his head, and said, "The woman is not dead but asleep."
Kaguya frowned, thinking that this might be his first time seeing death so close and was about to say something when she felt the ground shake under her.
Everyone seemed to turn around towards the source, which was Sir Robert Strong, who had just slammed his sword into the ground near a newly rescued Adventurer.
"Attempt to steal my Lord's rightful loot again and I will end your miserable life."
Kaguya rolled her eyes, typical adventurer greed.
"Aaaah! I-I'm alive!?"
She turned around and, to her great shock, the woman she thought was dead turned out to be alive.
Leonard smiled kindly (like her father) and gently told the woman, "You were simply in a near-death state. You're alright now."
"B-but, I saw souls… so many souls, all lined up in queue that never seemed to end-"
"Haha, if you don't want to be seen as a madwoman… my Suggestion to you would be to just think of what you saw as a mere hallucination and never mention that to anyone else."
"Yes… you're right."
"Goooooooood."
[hr][/hr]
Kaguya was exhausted after taking the lead to guide the rescued Adventurers up to the surface.
Sir Robert Strong and Leonard had went up ahead, the former having cleared the way for everyone else, while guarding the giant snow gem.
Her friends had been bugging her throughout the journey about what happened, and she retold several moments repeatedly when some of the other Adventurers overheard and wanted to know more about the events that had transpired.
When she reached the Guild with everyone in tow, she ended up having to repeat the story again for the Guild employees and the very interested gods regarding what happened.
"A mysterious mage just showed up and blasted all those monsters with a single no-chant spell!?"
"He would need to be at Level 5, at bare minimum!"
"How did someone like that get in and out of Orario without anyone knowing?"
"Sir Robert Strong called him his Lord so perhaps that is the same mage that is printing out all those Elf doujins?"
"What was that about Elf doujins? Sauce?!"
Later on, she came upon the scene of Leonard shaking hands with Royman, apparently, the giant Snow Gem could be sold for a value close to the budget of a small country!
Fuck, if she was strong enough, then she could have ended all her Familia's financial woes there and then!
"Don't worry, I heard all about what you've done down there, so if the payment actually goes through I will make sure you get a few million Valis at minimum, Kaguya-chan."
Well, since he was going to give her money, she supposed that she could allow him to pat her head!
Just one more time.
She would be a proper adult the next year anyways, so this will be the last time… unless it's Lady Astraea…
At some point, Alise had mentioned to Leonard about their heater problems, and he volunteered to help them fix it, saying, "You know, I'm something of a magical engineer myself."
Okay, sure. That's about what she expected anyways.
He's a fantastic author, baker, doctor and now he can fix magical appliances too?
At this point, she would even believe that he was secretly the mage that helped them all out today even after Lady Astraea confirmed he did not have a Falna.
[hr][/hr]
Zeus POV
As he stared at the empty grave of his grandson's mother, the God of Thunder barely held his temper back as he quickly analyzed the situation.
Who could have done such a thing? Who would have the motivation to do so?
An enemy of the Zeus and Hera Familia, someone heinous enough to desecrate the grave of someone as sweet as Meteria, which crossed out most of his civil acquaintances back in Orario.
"Bell-!"
This had happened only recently, which means the perpetrator could still be close by. If the culprit was not a fool, then they would also know about Bell!
He ran as fast as he could, back to the small house that they lived in-
-his heart dropped when he heard voices inside.
At this point, he was prepared to even use his Arcanum to smite whoever was inside, but he calmed down and resigned himself to negotiate with whoever had invaded his home… for Bell's sake, if nothing else.
"Mama! Mama!"
"Yes, yes, I'm your mother, my dear Bell! Ahh, you're so big and cute now-! Have you been a good boy?"
[spoiler="Healthy" Meteria ][/spoiler]
Meteria.
He rubbed his eyes and made sure that it wasn't an illusion.
It was a living Meteria who looked healthier than ever.
"Lord Zeus?"
"Meteria, is that really you?"
"Yes. It's all very strange to me, but I woke up here all of a sudden and-"
He had asked some very specific questions to make sure the woman was who she said she was. And, after asking some things about what she remembered after death, Zeus could safely say that she was indeed a woman that had came back to life.
"Was it Fels? Ouranos and I had both forbidden it but…"
The god looked at the heartwarming scene of a mother being reunited with her son, and decided to use the magical communicator to question Ouranos another day, right now, he simply wanted to bask in the joyful atmosphere.
"A real Holy Night miracle huh?"View This ThreadUnread Watched Threads
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Gusfes, ENIYA replied to a thread you are watching at Questionable Questing.
[NSFW] - The Grind for Money Never Ends (Danmachi / YGGDRASIL (Overlord) Gamer SI)

Leonard had a good run with staying underneath the radar, I would say a whole year in Danmachi counts as breaking a record considering that most MC's I had envisioned would jump head first into a Familia or start fucking around to get involved in plot and waifus, but in this case, as he isn't particularly impulsive or has a power/system that actively fucks with his mind like Gamer's Mind / special physiologies (e.g. Qwaser, Monster instincts, etc...), I guess it was only natural that he lasted this long until his own nature caught up with him. (I would quote some line about Jedi's can't help their own need to save people from that Obi Wan Kenobi show here.
The proper introduction of Kaguya Gojouno (and Leonard's blatant affection) with this interlude/POV is the point where his secret identity stops being an unknown factor. Honestly, my initial story idea involved her being one of the main heroines/characters, but I had to put it off for awhile to keep things in-character until Leonard was finally in the right mindset and position (recent events) to get more involved with the Astraea Familia now that he feels more urgency/need to keep them alive. After that, the astute readers will notice that his Shadow Demon summons activities and Meteria's revival indicates he feels confident enough to take action against Evilus.
At this point, even if people don't think he's the mysterious mage, they would still consider him a person of interest considering how Sir Rober Strong + the Mage are unaffiliated unknowns.
SleepyWriterAnother nice chapter, with Leonard getting his own digs and potentially causing more misunderstandings with Rose (inviting someone to your home is quite intimate, after all:V).
Though, regarding that Spell he used, [Dimension Move]….am I the only one who imagined Leonard as a Skeleton Knight? (Whoever remembers that gets a virtual cookie).It's an actual Overlord spell, but I do associate it more with the Skeleton Knight series.
WrathkalWonder how attached Rose would be to life in the city if you were to ask her to give it up and live with you outside the walls on the farm.She would actually prefer city life, at least at this stage of her life, since she wants some challenge and to prove herself (for her own sake) regardless of her many complaints.
Maybe in a decade or so, she would be ready to move out and enjoy some happy farm life.
DantalianThe71stThis is honestly pretty sad. The idea that he missed his previous life and wanted the sense of familiarity it brings to his current life is disheartening to hear. I guess even at a fantastic isekai scenario, we shouldn't take what comfort we have now for granted.DantalianThe71stI like to think he's acting like what most of us would be acting after being isekai'd to another world where you have little to no hope for returning.
We like to think that we will be too swept up by the prospect of an otherworldly adventure but you have to admit the idea of being torn away from the familiar life you had before to something entirely new is a stressful idea to think about, let alone going through in the MC's case.
Like, yeah. It's cool you get to have awesome powers and meet fantastic people but recreating what you once had in the past would really fuck most people up. It'll really slap you with the fact that yes, you're in another world away from things and people you know and love for possibly forever.As you would have seen in the latest chapter, he certainly was stressed and sad prior to getting a real home for himself, throwing himself into work and grinding was also his way to distract himself and stave off the fear of a second death by OEBD (instead of Truck-kun or whatever killed him the first time). He was at his most relaxed with Rose in the latest chapter since he could just chat and laze around without looking over his shoulder (outside the city) for anyone that might try to kill him or mess with him (having a lot of land between the city and his home helps).
TekishiroSasuga Leonard!
Does he have some cantrip macros to ASMR-whisper "Atomic" when he casts it?Nope.
The Nuclear Blast spell is nice and all, but none of that can compare to the real "I Am Atomic", which is the result of Cid Kagenoh's hard work and insanity. Personally, I can't wait for Cid to go all out again, as he's been getting stronger with every moment (by the time of the next volume after his first I AM ATOMIC, his normal magic attacks already contained the power of I AM ATOMIC, he's getting stronger at an insane rate. Another example would be how he constantly revises the amount of time he can expand his life span with magic, from 200 years to 600 years, etc...).
ProtagNeptuneWill he become a "High Human"? Because that's bugging me. :DLike how normal Earth humans are different from New World and YGGDRASIL Humans, so too, is Leonard a different breed of 'human' from the locals.
CmirDarthannaI wonder if there's a way for him to use all his unlocked classes simultaneously as if he put levels in all of them.Not at this point, he can only get all the unlocked classes' bonus proficiencies but none of their skills and level bonuses, unless he is using a certain Sage Skill for a while.
Although, if he does something crazy to warrant the System giving him an OP class then it would be possible, but that is end-game stuff.
doomqwerWoah dude going off on the crazy train there and one would think their would be an AOE radiation debuff from that after it goes off which pretty much no one there knows about so it might cause some seriously radiation sickness.The spell works differently from an actual nuclear blast. Only those caught in the initial blast radius would get debuffs if they are not killed, and there is no radiation involved.
MadGreenSonYggdrasil levels are easy to get, unlike Danmachi levels. As long as you have a good source of exp, you're set. The Yggdrasil system is set up that way to make experimenting with various builds easier. The Dungeon is the real cheat here. It's a very convenient source of exp.The Dungeon is pretty convenient for him.
I was actually planning to write some Omakes of what would have happened if he ended up in a different world where EXP was more difficult to come by, like My Hero Academia, but I guess I would put that off till later.
b25hellerI think this should be "saw". Thanks for the chapter! Can't wait to see how Alfia reacts to this.That will take awhile as Leonard still hasn't found the cabin where she and Zald are wasting their days away at.
PocketNow we just need to cure Alfia, that way the sis-con can stay with her sister and nephew and not attack Orario in a fatalistic attempt to make everyone strongerLet's just say that recent revelations have made me alter my plans for Alfia and Zald, they would be put to much better use for everyone's sake, along with a few Danmemo elements...
WearyRainNice pillowsBell will be sleeping really well.
TRmGreat chapter; I'm looking forward to the rumour mill and love that Dirge memesDirge is a meme machine, albeit, with a Devil's evil Karma influencing what he finds funny.
Lone Wolf 666MVP to me. I wonder if some gods try to recruit him?.They will try.
SyqadelicI think these two lines may be in the wrong order. The criminal has never heard of Skyrim before this line.Sleeping MoonLastly, not completely familiar with Skyrim intro but why did the rezzed dude spoke about the province when he don't have the context? Is it in between the lines where the minion got lost in thought?As mentioned by Dirge, the illusion showed the title words directly onto the man's cornea.
John SandmanMagic protagonist man has resurrection magic and just saved the folk that died fighting the boss monster then brought back the mother of the canon protagonist that died in child birth but he was all sneaky about it.Best summary I have seen, 10/10 would ask to review again.
LyristaRose is already in his bed he is just refusing sex until she's older apparently.He has no qualms with molesting her and training his Molester (Genius) job class proficiencies, however.
Next, he has to qualify for the Chikan (Genius) class by doing so in public.
mannanPlus it seems like the Dungeon is going to enter its end game in one generation.Pretty much.
Every god who gives a damn has said the Dungeon is at it's limit and the 'Promised Time' is at hand, the pact between the Dungeon and the gods are already reaching it's end.
WildebranchSneaky Leonard reviving not just Meteria, but to me it looks like he also brought back Liliurca's mom too. That's just my hunch though. Still, Bell got his mother, next 'Christmas' he gets a better father *looks at Leonard*.The father had already reformed, but the mother was a different case altogether.
Got to complete the family set.
doomqwerYeah that shit would crack me up to good to know even demons have a good since of humor.He has a very wicked sense of humor.
doomqwerYeah I would be so glad to have my house in the isekai adventure and of course the Doujins and my games would be nice touch to, hell I still have my old 3ds and god that is fun to play on occasion.He also has his old consoles like the Nintendo Wii, PSP, Switch, etc...
GoldenrahRose was quite sad about that as well, poor girl.She should try tempting him further, it will work eventually.
etulaunalol really gramps? you couldn't even bother to give a semi-plausible story?Far East is fantasy warring states Japan, naturally for Anime!Land, shitty family members won't even bother to try hiding how much of an asshole they are.
AR760A healthy, motivated Alfia is a gamebreaking hack on its own. Her own natural talent was absurd, even being crippled by her disease.Pretty much, recent information states that she was fighting at Low Level 5, or even Level 4 stats, against the Astraea Familia by the time she even tried to cast Genos Angelus which had the power of a Level 7 Spell.
If she had casted it from the start at her peak strength then you might as well say good bye to a chunk of the continent instead of just 40% of Orario.
The Froggy NinjaIs that a continuity error or did Kaguya just misgender her?Typo.
Anon-Echo98Operation- Excuse you and your entire planet?!!Typical demon ideas.
palacesoundFavorite part of the chapter was Leonard not realizing they were in a relationship until she said somethingI was hoping for someone to notice that.
He thought that they would just try some Japanese anime bullshit where they are not quite just friends but not quite lovers, but when Rose said that he was her boyfriend, he just thought it would be less painful to just accept it and pretend that he knew all along.
Yup, really, he wasn't that clueless (tactical nod)!View This ThreadUnread Watched Threads
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