Bruh this Title... I'm sure this chapter will cause some heated discussion... I'm ready.
Please be kind...
New week new chapter.
It's a big chapter, over 4K words.
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/PS/
This chapter will contain a lot of made-up stuff, but I tried my best to keep it reasonable to make the experience close to what you would see in this world.
Of course, with my own flavor. We can't be too tied to the original since Danmachi is in itself, a very flawed world.
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'Artemis' question caught Silver off guard.'
"Spirit contracts? The one the heroes of the past would make with spirits to grow stronger? I also know they were a bit weaker than current blessings."
"But that is pretty much all I know, I have no idea how they are made and their effects."
'Artemis nodded.'
"That's right, before the Gods descended spirits used to help the mortals in their struggles against the monsters."
"However, not only were they few in number, but they were also limited to only a single contractor in their entire life, so they were very careful as to who to contract with and most spirits never made a contract…"
(N0)
"Few spirits thought of it as a duty but most didn't, and when the Gods descended to fill the role of helping the mortals, they either went into seclusion to live their own lives or ended up living amongst the mortals."
'Artemis became a bit melancholic as she continued to talk:'
"As time passed, their numbers dwindled since spirits can't reproduce… Be it in a conflict or of natural causes and accidents…"
'Silver nodded.'
"What this has to do with your dream is that… What you described might've been a Spiritual Land."
"Spiritual land?"
'Artemis nodded as she started to walk around the forest.'
"A place where spirits gather to live their own life, that is a Spiritual land. There used to be 6 of them, one for each of the Great spirits, but I don't really know their exact condition right now."
'Hearing her, Silver asked:'
"Is there anything else?"
'But she shook her head.'
"Unfortunately, that is everything I know… I am rather surprised when you mentioned that perverted deer to me, if your dream wasn't a dream but something else, then I am very glad to know it's still alive and kicking… Even if it didn't change at all."
'Silver smiled as well.'
"Thank you for this, it was something that was bothering me for quite a while."
"It was nothing, but I recommend you to seek a spirit and ask it for more information on this, they'll probably be able to help you... Just be sure to choose the right spirit."
"Some are... Unique..." She said awkwardly.
"I'll do that eventually… But in any case… I didn't expect you to trust me so quickly…"
'But Artemis smiled as she replied:'
"Are you lying? You better be honest with me, I am the Goddess of justice you know?"
"Didn't you just answer yourself? And hey, aren't you the one that's lying? I thought you were the Goddess of the hunt and…"
"Haha…"
'She teased him and turned around, running away into the forest.'
"This..."
'Silver ran after her, she continually teased him and provoked him, and annoyed by this, Silver continued to run after her, and like this, the two eventually started playing tag…'
"Get back here!" He said with an annoyed tone
"N~o…"
"You are forcing my hand!"
"You wouldn't use your magic on a frail goddess would you?"
/Fwush!/
"!"
'Silver reappeared in front of her, startling her.'
'She tried to turn around but she was running in a forest so she slipped on the leaves and was caught in the air by Silver.'
"See? I don't need to use it on you to capture you." He said as he looked at her
"..."
'Artemis' face was a bit red as she looked at him, this awkward silence made Silver a bit embarrassed as well, so he bent his back to put her on the ground.'
"!"
'It was at that moment that Artemis grabbed his neck and gave him a kiss!'
'It didn't last for long as she soon stopped.'
"..."
"..."
'She looked at him with a red face, but Silver had an awkward smile on his face.'
I think I understand now why that little goddess asked me those things...
'Silver's face was black as he tried to process the things that had happened recently. In a sense, he knew her emotions, ever since the party, but he did not expect her to make the first move… So abruptly.'
'Worse, it had to be now, when he had just started his relationship with Hestia and was figuring things out for himself, this may be a new record, but he managed to cheat Hestia in record time…'
Perhaps I was too lax... Dammit...
Make the right choice? What do you mean by that??
What do you want me to do in this situation?
'Seeing his expression, Artemis' smile also slowly disappeared. She tried to remain composed, but her eyes started to water a bit...'
'Shinning under the moonlight.'
"Looks like I caused you more trouble than help today… I'll just…!"
'But before she could get out of his grasp, Silver kissed her again, and as he did so, he sat on the ground and rested his back on a tree.'
'He slowly stopped kissing her. His expression was serious, his eyes were surprisingly gentle, and while looking at her as he said:'
"Since you went this far, it would be heresy for me to refuse, however, I need to be honest with you before we continue…"
I wonder, is this the right choice? What did she mean by the right choice?
Regardless, I am sure I will receive a mouthful from her...
'Artemis' sad expression soon relaxed, before she smiled.'
"Are you talking about your relationship with Hestia? You are more faithful than I imagined, even when I gave myself like this, you still decided to talk things down first…"
Truly…
"I still kissed you first so I wouldn't call it being faithful at all... And uh... Urg… Did you…"
She knew? Was this why she came to talk with me before?
Did I just destroy my first relationship?
'Silver tried to maintain his composure, but this situation proved to be a bit too much for him.'
"I may be quite new at this, but seeing how much she loves you, I figured out she would have done something already… Although, I would like to believe she hasn't gone that far yet." Said Artemis as she looked at Silver
"And before coming here, I had a small talk with her…" She said with a smug smile
"May I inquire about the contents of such conversation?" Silver asked with a frown
I'm starting to think Hestia sold me off...
'Artemis smiled, before saying:'
"What do you think? But I'm curious, how far did you go with her?"
"..."
'Seeing his silence, Artemis smiled slightly, but she was also a bit disappointed.'
"But isn't this too soon? I mean, we could've at least talk…"
'But Artemis just said:'
"Was there truly a need for such a thing in the end? I love you and you… You love me too, right?"
'She looked straight into his eyes... No, his very soul.'
'Suddenly, in front of Silver, the moonlight started to channel towards the ground, eventually taking the shape of a spear.'
"I have no intention of letting go of these emotions… But I can understand if that's your choice. I do not wish to force you into it, else, it would be all meaningless…"
"So right here, right now, I had enough of waiting. So please..."
'But before she finished, Silver had already gotten up.'
'Artemis thought she was going to be turned down and that Silver would just leave, she was ready for this, rejection was just a part of life… No, she wasn't.'
'Even before he did anything, Artemis was already crying silently.'
"..."
'Silver did not produce a single sound as he walked, he did not look at the goddess who was trying her best to keep calm and not cry, only to fail miserably…'
'With one arm, he carried Artemis, and with the other, he grabbed the spear.'
"..."
'There was no more need for words. Let his actions represent his desires and emotions.'
"?"
'Artemis calmed down before she realized that Silver was in fact, holding the spear. But it wasn't over yet…'
'If he even had a single sliver of doubt in a small corner of his head, the spear would not move.'
'This wasn't just any spear, in truth, it was an Arrow, a materialization of Artemis divinity It was the arrow of Orion.'
'Just like every God has their own power that can't be sealed when they come to the mortal world like the Goddess of beauty's charm, and Hestia's eyes, Artemis can create this arrow… But only create it, not use it.'
'This arrow is like a personification of herself, and hence, it also carries her power with it… This arrow carried the power to kill a God for good.'
'Because of this Artemis can make the arrow, but is strictly prohibited from using it, in fact, it was already forcing the rules a bit just by having it here… But showing it like this in front of Silver is also a test.'
'Can she trust him? Trust her everything to him? If not, then that's it.'
'If he can't accept her, he won't be able to pull it out, if he has any other impure intentions, then, the Arrow won't budge.'
'Artemis believes that even if he can't pull it now then over time, she can build a proper relationship with him. Perhaps not one of love, but one of friendship.'
'But in the end, even if she managed to be with him, Silver would never be her dream lover unless he can become her promised one, her Orion.'
'Doesn't every God dreams of his ideal counterpart?'
"..."
'The moment he grabbed the arrow, he felt a strange gaze on him, he turned around and looked at Artemis who was smiling sweetly in his arms.'
'There were a few tears in her eyes and she even seemed a bit pitiful so Silver helped her clean all of that away. And when he was done she smiled once again as she touched his face.'
"Today is the first day." She said
'Silver got confused.'
"? The first day of what?"
'As he said that Silver took out the spear from the ground with no problem whatsoever as if the spear was only resting there waiting to be grabbed.'
'When Artemis heard what Silver asked, she smiled and kissed him on his cheek.'
"Of our 10 thousand years of love."
"..."
Isn't that embarrassing to say out loud?
'Silver felt this sentence was rather familiar, but in the end, with focused eyes, he kissed Artemis.'
"You are probably the most daring girl I ever met… Do you even know what you just…"
'But Artemis shut him up by kissing him, she giggled as she did so.'
"I like this, I could get used to it."
I understand now… Love can be… A bit too much…
'Silver rolled his eyes as he put Artemis on the ground. She was a bit sad but she knew she couldn't be pampered all the time.'
'Seeing her smile under the moonlight made Silver's heart calm down a little, so he grabbed the arrow and gave it back to her.'
"What are you doing?" She asked as she frowned a little
"Isn't this yours in the end?"
"Hum… The better answer would be ours."
'Silver started to sweat a little.'
"... This is a Divine item, please take it seriously…"
If this is handled badly she might be forced back to Heaven and my '10 thousand years' of promised love would go down the drain…
What are even 10 thousand years... Sigh...
"I am serious, and that won't happen." She said as she smiled and looked at Silver, and as if she could hear his thoughts, she pinched his waist
If I wasn't serious I wouldn't have done all of this.
"But won't this cause a lot of problems?"
"Not anymore… If you had refused me, then yes…"
'Silver started to sweat.'
"What do you mean by yes?"
"I would probably be punished for using my powers without control…"
"That is serious enough…"
"However, now that you are my… Lover, there won't be any problem."
"... But… What… Fine, you win." Said Silver as he put the arrow in his inventory
What a tiring day... But enough of being confused.
I made a decision, and I don't regret it.
'Artemis smiled before she got on her tiptoes again.'
"..."
'Silver kissed her again as he hugged her under the moonlight.'
'Her face was relatively red now…'
"Can I get another one?"
"... If we take too long your children are going to suspect…"
'But she just hugged him.'
"I don't care."
"..."
She is a stubborn one…
'So Silver kissed her again, and once again, she asked for another one...'
…
'Eventually, Silver managed to convince Artemis of moving. They couldn't just stay there and do nothing. He had his job as a Captain to accomplish.'
'Back at the Manor, Hestia could be seen kissing her finger as she cried a bit due to the pain of having to draw out her blood several times to complete the blessing ceremony on all of the people present.'
'In fact, she still couldn't believe she had gone this far so quickly. But as she thought of the cause behind this, Hestia smiled.'
'She said a few more encouraging words to the girls, and asked about their decisions in regards to where they would stay.'
'Most of the girls were living outside and they had to bring their things with them to the Manor, only a small portion of them could already start living here… And those were the most pitiful.'
'If you can bring all of your stuff with you like this, it means you literally have nowhere else to go, and Hestia knew that, she had even refused several people like that…'
'But she had to, she couldn't allow these people with ambiguous intentions to enter her Familia… It's cruel, and even a bit discriminatory, but there isn't much she can do since she needs to think beyond just her.'
'This isn't a charity after all...'
"..."
'Shaking her head, Hestia sat on her chair as she rested her head.'
'In front of her were many girls, the people she had chosen to be part of her Familia, and she finally noticed a problem.'
"There are too many girls…"
'She could already imagine Silver complaining to her… But there was nothing she could do!'
'Most of the men she found would always have some sort of hidden intention the moment they met her and Leto!'
'And to be honest, who wouldn't? A man getting inside a room and being interviewed by a pair of beauties… Goddesses to boot... It can be quite stimulating.'
'Few men had actually managed to pass her assessment and this included the 3 kids, unfortunately, the other males did not pass the next trials and were sent away.'
'You can blame Silver for that, but he used the same method for everyone, so there isn't much to say...'
'But all of this came from his laziness and stubbornness of not wanting to recruit a large number of people from the start...'
'As she thought, Hestia's sight was drawn toward two girls who were sitting in the corner of the room.'
"Hum…"
I know now why Silver was so intent on getting them into the Familia…
Cassandra and Daphne, right?
'She knew those two were on Silver's radar from the start and to be honest, they didn't really pass her assessment… Only the blue girl passed.'
'The red-haired girl seemed to have some other thoughts but they didn't seem detrimental to the Familia, and since Silver guaranteed their trustworthiness, she allowed them to enter.'
'And she soon realized now, the red-haired girl was a fine senior adventurer while the Blue haired one was an extremely good healer with lots of potential.'
'Both had actually managed to get a development ability when they leveled up and both had their own set of skills and magic.'
'Daphne had 2 skills and one amagic, while Cassandra had 2 magics and… No Skill… Well, that wasn't a problem since her two magics were already pretty good on their own!'
N1
'They also came with their own equipment, and in one fell swoop, the Hestia Familia managed to gain around 3 million Valis worth of high-quality gear.'
"Huh?"
'Cassandra noticed Hestia's gaze and she got up bowing slightly to her.'
"Thank you for accepting us!"
"There is no need for this…" Replied Hestia awkwardly
'Daphne also bowed.'
"..."
'It was clear that there was a bit of awkwardness between them, and it was normal, not so long ago they were fighting for their life after all…'
'As everyone was still getting ready, Silver entered the room and asked:'
"Why are you all so stiff? The past doesn't matter anymore…"
I am willing to forgive them anyway… Can't say the same about the others though.
But I guess they suffered enough…
"!"
"!"
"Get out! Can't you see we are occupied!" Exclaimed Hestia as she threw a small pillow from the couch at him
/Poof!/
'Silver just grabbed the pillow and smiled awkwardly.'
"Strange, someone just called me though…"
'As he said that, Artemis came out from behind Silver, smiling at Hestia.'
'Hestia felt something was wrong and just said:'
"Fine, we are already done anyway…"
Artemis… She did something behind my back, didn't she?!
I told her to wait... Urg! I will just ask her later.
'Silver smiled, turning his attention to the girls.'
'Under his gaze, most of them turned stiff like logs.'
"Haaa… This is troublesome, am I that scary?"
'One of the three siblings, Firo, said:'
"You are a bit scary…"
'When he said that, he dropped his head a little.'
'This surprised Silver. So he gave the kid a head pat and said:'
"Am I? Hahaha… Well, I am sure you'll all get used to me over time…"
"But in any case…"
'Silver smiled as he turned his head to his Familia companions and said:'
"Sorry for the wait. First, about your lodging… If you want to, we have many rooms available here at the Manor, just talk with either me or Hestia later and we can assign you a room."
"It would be best if you found a group since most of the rooms are meant for 4-5 people to use at the same time."
"If you need help moving your things, you can also talk with me and I would be glad to help…"
'When he said that Hestia glared at him with serious eyes, he even felt some sort of heavy pressure coming from behind him.'
"... In any case, I hope you all rest well tonight since tomorrow will be the start of the training."
'One of the girls raised her hand, it was a girl with short black hair and thick glasses, she even had a notepad in her hands…'
"Do you have a question? Shoot it."
"Ye-Yes! I-I… I mean…"
'Silver smiled, making her even more embarrassed.'
"Why don't you tell me your name first? In fact, since everyone is here, why don't we share each other's names?"
'Everyone nodded, including Hestia.'
'She nodded and said:'
"I am… Celia Eir… I just wanted to ask what do you mean by training? Can you explain?"
(Oc)
"Well Celia, that is a very important question."
'Silver started to use his power to write glowing words in the air, it showed a detailed schedule of one month.'
"Some of you are already adventurers, but most aren't so I devised this simple training regimen… It's nothing new but, and if you look at it, you'll see it's quite similar to what most Dungeon advisers will tell you to do."
'He then said seriously:'
"All of you, be it experienced or not will be prohibited from going to the Dungeon until this training is done."
"?!"
'Everyone was shocked by this and several girls raised their hands.'
"I know what you are going to ask, so let me say this simply, we are a Familia and not a shabby group of adventurers… We work together, and not individually."
"Some of you may already have your own teams, and I can understand that, however, when you enter a Familia, it's necessary for you to learn how to cooperate and how to adventure with the people around you…"
"I'm not telling you to forget about your other friends, I'll talk about it soon."
"We are still small, but one day we will dive into the Dungeon… Don't be afraid as that will probably take a long time, but at least, it's a goal to strive towards."
"How can you learn about everyone else around you if you are spending half of the day in the Dungeon with people outside of your own Familia?"
"Of course, I am not an inflexible metal rod, so if needed, I will allow you to skip this one-month training and go to the Dungeon if needed, but please, consider what I said."
"This isn't a boot camp, you will be free to leave whenever you want, or skip a day of training if you wish, just make sure to tell me or Hestia beforehand."
'The girls whispered to each other before Silver continued.'
"For those who aren't experienced, in this one month, I will help you find your vocation, be it as a blacksmith, alchemist, a backline archer, a frontline warrior, or even a supporter, and hopefully, help you all form teams so that you can optimally dive the Dungeon."
'The words in the air started to distort, becoming the outlines of people running, jumping, and doing exercises.'
"There will be a bit of physical training, especially stamina training, and even theory classes, and at the end of the training, I will go directly with each team to the Dungeon to perform a practical test."
"Pretty much, we are doing what the Guild tells you to do, but most adventurers end up not doing… Simply learning over time."
"Although in their case, they learn after many failures and dangerous encounters, and I am sure no one here wants to go through that..."
"Isn't that right?" He asked as he looked at the Cassandra and Daphne, and a few other girls who were already Level 1 before joining the Familia
"I preferred to take the simple approach and do it now in order to reduce any possible future danger."
'The girls seemed relieved, even the three kids nodded in understanding.'
"I will tell you all more about it tomorrow, and if you have any more questions, you can either ask them now or tomorrow, I would prefer tomorrow since it's getting late and there is a lot of work to do haha…"
'The girls who were previously a bit scared recovered their courage and smiled.'
"SO! Before you all go, welcome once again! I am Hestia, your cute, beautiful, gentl…"
/Bonk/
'Silver lightly knocked Hestia's head and he said:'
"I am Mellios Silver, Level 2 adventurer, and your Captain, you can call me anything you desire really, but most people call me Silver, it's up to you… So, the pretty lady in purple hair over there? How about we start with you…"
'Silver pointed towards a girl with long purple hair, quite unusual but not particularly strange.'
'As the girl said her name, Hestia and Artemis pinched Silver's waist, he did not feel anything from Hestia, but Artemis was a Goddess with the strength of a Level 3…'
IT HURTS!
'But as the Captain of the Familia, Silver kept his mouth shut…'
'And after a few more questions, a few of them started to move out of the Manor in order to get their things while some others started to see the rooms and talk with the others.'
'He didn't know if every single girl would eventually live with them, but it was fine if they didn't, everyone had their own life and living with the Familia is only a choice.'
'And under this happy atmosphere, the recruitment day ended…'
…
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Notes
N0
I have no idea if spirits can make more than one contract, so I went with one since I think it might make sense as to the minimal number of strong warriors of the past.
Trivia: I choose 6 because there are a few mentions of 6 spirits sealing and battling against the ancient monsters of the past.
And I obviously made them the Great spirits since they were mentioned only once or twice, and I don't remember if Aria, Ais' mother, was in fact a great spirit.
I just assume she was and I just realize I have no proof for it.
Nevertheless, I will continue as such.
N1
Cassandra Skills:
Five Dimension Troia: Five Dimension Troia is a mysterious skill Cassandra possesses. It cannot be decoded, its name doesn't appear in hieroglyphs, and its current name is what Miach would eventually interpret it to be.
Meaning, it has no name right now in the story. Perhaps we will see a bit of development on that?
Magic
-Soullight: Soullight is a rare magic that can heal wounds and restore stamina.
It is a wide area healing spell that is able to increase its effect area based on the amount of mind Cassandra uses.
Its healing power is greater than ordinary potions.
-Cure Ephialtes: Cure Ephialtes can cure status ailments.
Cassandra mistakenly believes that it only cures poison and doesn't realize it can also remove curses.
Healing magic that can cure poison is considered rare, much less one that can also remove curses.
-Equipment
Holy Crystal Rod: A staff worth 1,200,000 valis that is able to raise a mage or healer's magic.
Apollo had originally given her something else, though she didn't like it and paid out of her own pocket for the staff instead.
She has already paid off the loan on the staff.
Daphne Skills
-Elios Passion: Slightly raises Daphne's agility. If she's being chased, it allows her to temporarily obtain the development ability Escape.
-Laurus Wreath: Heavily increases Daphne's endurance if she's exhausted or dying.
She is able to select where to activate it and it modifies her skin.
-Magic:
Raumure: Protection magic that raises Daphne's endurance and largely raises her agility.
Its effectiveness depends on her magic stat.
She doesn't usually use it since it reminds her of Apollo.
-Equipment:
Fencer Laureate: A 60 cm long short sword that resembles a takt made from sacred moon sap and blue pillar steel.
It is a weapon that Apollo had gifted to her, which he obtained from the Far East, and it was originally called Keikan Kenjin.
It is sturdy, lightweight, and aids the wielder with their magic casting.