The news that a War Game would be held spread like wildfire among the gods.
Of course the adventurers and citizens of Orario couldn't help but notice the
jubilant and high-spirited deities all around the city. It was no time at all before
every living thing on the surface of the Labyrinth City knew what was going to
happen.
Something else transpired just mere moments after Hestia and Apollo's
announcement had been made official.
"That's it, that tower has to be…!"
Bell had left Apollo Familia's home at a dead sprint and worked his way
through a city much more active than usual. Weaving through unfamiliar
territory, he arrived at the northernmost block. One month ago now, he trained
with her on top of the city wall. Doing his best to remember the landmarks she
taught him, Bell desperately searched to find the building she called home.
The white-haired boy practically flew down North Main Street, furiously
pumping his arms in perfect rhythm with his strides. The side streets webbed out
around him; his eyes desperately scanned for something familiar.
He turned into one side street filled with decorative houses and well-known
structures. Bell kept his eyes on the rooftops, trying to find the one that was
higher than the others. A few more turns and suddenly he found himself outside
Loki Familia's home, the Twilight Manor.
"You there, halt!"
"State your business!"
"Let me talk to Aiz…Let me talk to Aiz Wallenstein!"
A man and woman immediately blocked the intruder's path at the entrance to
their home. The boy pleaded with them to allow him to meet with Aiz.
The male guard took a look at the frantic boy's face, his eyebrows sinking
lower and lower as he started to connect the dots.
"You, Little Rookie…? What's the big idea, trying to meet with her?!"
Bell's white hair and red eyes must have tipped him off. The guard
immediately came to the defense of his ally, trying to protect her from this
outsider. However, Bell couldn't afford to back down.
The boy asked the guards many times to let him see Aiz, but he couldn't
explain himself. The guards' voices grew steadily louder and angrier as the boy's
pleas became more and more desperate. It didn't take long for other members of
the Familia to make their way outside.
"…!"
A group of twenty adventurers emerged from the building that was built like
a wall of spears with several towers reaching out to the sky. They spread out just
behind the two guards, ready to defend their home against the intruder. Bell's
situation had just become that much more perilous.
The new arrivals started shouting threats, calling him "pitiful," "shameless,"
and "reckless," among others…They already knew that Hestia Familia would be
taking part in the War Game and believed he wanted to convince Aiz to join the
fight—a fox recruiting a tiger for her claws. They would do everything in their
power to drive him away. Their desire to protect their ally quickly turned to
anger—how dare he use her for his own gain?
Fear consumed the boy's body as he took a step back out of reflex.
He knew full well that what he was doing was shameful.
But he was unwilling to turn his back.
He only had a small window of time to get stronger, to overcome the gap that
separated him from his new enemy. The only way he knew to become stronger
than Hyacinthus in time was to learn from Aiz once again. Just like how she had
made him strong enough to take down a Minotaur.
The fact that Lilly had been kidnapped was still eating at him inside. Instead
of rushing to save her, he was standing out here getting yelled at. Every moment
he wasn't making progress to rescue her or getting stronger felt like an eternity.
"Let me see Aiz!" he pleaded with the mob again, bowing over and over.
Every muscle in his face was squeezed to its limit.
"What's all this?"
A voice cut through the chaos.
The mob of adventurers immediately fell silent. Bell stopped moving, his
eyes glued forward.
A top-class adventurer, the Amazonian girl Tione Hyrute, walked out onto the
lawn. As was normal for her race, she wore clothing that exposed a great deal of
her wheat-colored skin. Her long black hair swished back and forth over her
shoulders and down her back as she approached.
The mob quickly parted, allowing her to pass. She walked directly up to Bell.
One of the guards leaned close to whisper into her ear and explained
everything that had happened so far. The Amazonian girl's eyes flashed at Bell.
"Be gone from here. I cannot allow this mockery to continue."
"…?!"
Tione showed no sympathy. She had delivered the will of Loki Familia in
place of their leader, Finn.
Her tone was cold and her stare showed no willingness to listen. Bell
cowered in her presence. She crossed her arms, aura unyielding and
overwhelming. A moment later, she grabbed both of Bell's shoulders and pushed
him away from the front entrance.
"W-wait! Miss Tione?! Please, just hear me out…!"
Bell was forced to step backward to stay upright. Her strength overpowered
him in no time as Bell was driven farther and farther away from his last hope.
His body shook, trying to push forward, when Tione leaned in close.
"—Turn right from here and go two blocks down that street."
"!"
Her voice was quiet so as not to be overheard by the onlookers.
Tione ignored the look of shock on Bell's face and gave him one last shove
into the street.
Her face might as well have been carved from stone, emotionless as she
stared at him for a long moment before turning her back. Bell watched her long
black hair dance behind her, unable to move or speak. The Amazonian girl
walked swiftly back through the mob and into the building.
At long last, Bell's muscles started to respond. Slowly at first, he backed
away from Loki Familia. Feeling the angry glares of the adventurer mob, Bell
backtracked down the same street that he had come…The boy took off running
the moment he was out of sight.
He followed Tione's directions, running through a dim back alley with his
heart racing and fighting for breath. One block, two blocks and—
"Ah! Hey, Aiz! Argonaut's here—!"
"Aiz?! And—Miss Tiona?!"
Standing there to greet him were none other than the saber-wielding Aiz and
the other Amazonian girl, Tiona, with some kind of large sheath resting over her
shoulders.
Bell froze in surprise, but Tiona greeted him like a friend as the two girls
walked up to meet him.
"We saw you from the window, Argonaut. Some kind of magic-stone lamp
went off in Aiz's head, and we asked Tione to meet you."
Tiona went on to explain the other side of the story.
Aiz had figured out immediately what Bell was doing when he appeared at
their front door. The look in his eyes told her that the boy wanted another round
of training. However, they couldn't allow the mob to see her, so they sent Tione
outside to deliver a message.
Whether she wanted to help out her friend or she was just along for the fun,
Tiona was completely on board with the idea.
"…Aiz, is this okay?"
Bell took a very cautious step forward as he spoke.
She had no reason to teach him anything, Bell was asking for a huge favor.
Since their Familias were not working together, she'd be doing this on her own
as well as face the consequences it might bring.
Bell's words hung in the air for a moment, tension rising. Finally, Aiz gave
him her answer.
"I cannot fight for you or alongside you…You have to do your best, and
then…"
"Yep, yep! This is your fight, Argonaut!"
Tiona interpreted Aiz's vague words before—whoosh!—pointing her finger
right at him.
Bell broke out in a cold sweat. Aiz continued.
"I think it would be wrong to…abandon you."
"Aiz…"
The look in the girl's golden eyes made Bell's heart melt. Completely
ignoring the sudden change in mood, Tiona jumped back into the conversation.
"This is fine, no problem. If Aiz whips Argonaut into shape, the War Game
will be more entertaining! Loki'n all the rest'll be thrilled for sure!"
Bell could only grimace at the thought. If the difference in power between
him and Apollo Familia wasn't so staggering, their fight would be more fun to
watch. Aiz looked at the Amazon and lightly smiled.
"But for me, Apollo Familia is going about this all wrong. Way over-the-top,
dirty, I just can't stand it…"
Tiona's cheek twitched for a moment before she looked at the boy and
grinned from ear to ear.
"So I'm gonna help you, too, Argonaut!"
"Wait, so that means…"
"Yep! You're stuck with me, too!"
Bell looked at Aiz, unsure what to say. She nodded back to him.
Getting over the shock of this turn of events, Bell wasted no time in showing
his appreciation to the girls.
"Really, I can't thank you enough…"
"Relax, relax, it's nothing! Let's go, time's a-wastin'!"
"Yes."
Bell swore to himself right then and there that he would find some way to
repay them for their kindness. He was in their debt.
Tiona was so excited that she thrust her large apparatus straight up, a childish
smile on her face. Bell and Aiz followed her down the backstreet.
Their destination: the same place they'd trained before—the northwest city
wall.
Bell's training under two top-class adventurers was about to begin.
The Guild officially approved the War Game between Hestia and Apollo almost
immediately.
At the same time, preparations began all around the city.
However, no one was busier than the Guild employees. They had to find a
way to allow both sides to unleash their full potential within the rules of the
game while posing no danger to the citizens of Orario. The combatants would
need supplies, directions, and most of all a stage on which to conduct the War
Game. It could start any day; there was no time to waste. They also had to
accommodate the wishes of the gods.
There wasn't a soul in the city, adventurer or otherwise, who wasn't waiting
with bated breath for the conditions of the War Game to be announced. In the
meantime, all they could do was prepare.
"—Is Hestia still not here today?!"
On the thirtieth floor of Babel Tower in the center of Orario…
Apollo had reached his breaking point.
Many gods and goddesses had gathered around a circular table in the center
of the web of high pillars that supported a lofty ceiling. The rules and style of the
War Game were to be decided by the two participating gods as well as the
observers—in order to squeeze every possible ounce of entertainment out of the
event—at this Denatus meeting.
Three days had passed since the assault on Hestia Familia.
Apollo had become irritated that his opponent refused to show her face. She
excused her absence by claiming to be "sick" for the past few days. Despite her
assertion that she was not physically well enough to take part in the meeting, it
was clear as day that she was stalling for time.
Apollo angrily paced around his chair, insisting that she was concocting an
escape plan. The moment he finished his rant, the doors to the tall chamber
swung open.
"Sorry I'm late. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Although her words were polite, she didn't sound the least bit sorry. Miach
strode in beside her.
What's more, she showed no remorse for keeping the Denatus at a standstill.
Apollo scowled at her.
"You're very late, Hestia. How do you plan to take responsibility for delaying
Denatus to this extent?"
"It's not my fault I got a fever after being chased around the city by your
followers. For a while there, I thought I was a goner."
Hestia once again brought up her health to circumvent Apollo's complaints.
Miach sided with Hestia, backing up her claim.
"Yes, she was in dire straits."
"Yah, yah, Itty-Bitty's a moron, but enough burnin' time. Can't we get
goin'?"
Loki was leaning back in her chair, one eyebrow raised and hands behind her
head as if she were out of patience as well. All of the deities returned to their
seats and the discussion finally got under way.
The first order of business was for Hestia and Apollo to sign the necessary
paperwork with everyone present as witnesses.
"Once I'm victorious, I claim Bell Cranell."
"…"
"I want to make that perfectly clear. There will be no petty excuses or farfetched assertions after everything is over. Should Hestia win, she's free to
demand whatever her little heart desires."
The possibility of defeat didn't seem to cross Apollo's mind. He wanted only
one thing: ownership of Bell Cranell and his immediate transfer into Apollo
Familia. Hestia remained quiet. The deity in charge of keeping notes for the
meeting responded with an "All right, then" as he recorded their terms.
Next up, they needed to decide how the War Game would be fought.
"One-on-one, the best of our Familias settle everything. Wouldn't that be
exciting?"
Hestia didn't even look at Apollo as she made her suggestion from her spot at
the round table.
"It could be held at the Coliseum for everyone to see. The final battle right in
front of our eyes. How could anyone not be entertained?"
"I agree. Watching all of Apollo's children attack Bell one after the other
sounds rather boring."
"I second the motion."
Apollo's hostile gaze first fell on Hestia and then to her allies, Miach and
Takemikazuchi.
Quite a few heads around the table started to nod, seeing the logic in her
reasoning.
"What say you, Apollo?" "That's the Ox Killer you're fighting!"
"A strong opponent in a one-on-one duel, sounds good to me."
"…"
The deities around the table grinned in Apollo's direction. They were on no
one's side; they simply enjoyed watching Apollo's reaction.
The blond deity wearing a crown of laurels put on a calm face before
grinning once again.
"The only reason that your Familia isn't larger is entirely due to your
laziness, Hestia, when it comes to recruiting."
"Muh…"
"You can cry all you want about your lack of children, but that's no reason
for me to have to accommodate."
"Grrrr," Hestia growled under her breath as Apollo pointed out that the size
of the Familia was completely under the god's control.
It was true that Hestia wanted to always be alone with Bell and had never
tried to increase the size of her Familia.
"In the interest of fairness, why don't we draw for it?"
Unable to defend her position, Hestia remained silent as Apollo suggested a
different solution. "Sure," came the voice of their transcriber as he pulled a box
out from under the table and placed it on top.
Each of the gods in attendance wrote how they would like to see the War
Game be played on a sheet of paper. The papers were collected and put into the
box. Of course, Hestia wrote "DUEL" in big, bold letters and shoved her paper
into the box.
All that was left was to decide who would draw.
"I can't trust anyone who has sided with Apollo."
"…The feeling's mutual. I won't accept a paper drawn by Miach or
Takemikazuchi."
Hestia and Apollo issued their conditions in curt, sharp tones.
In that case…Both of the deities looked around the table, their gazes stopping
on one god in particular.
""Hermes""
"Ehhh…Seriously?"
Hestia's and Apollo's voices overlapped as they said his name in unison.
Shocked by his sudden selection, Hermes forced a smile without thinking.
"My dear friend, I leave it in your hands."
"I'm counting on you, Hermes."
Apollo, who had known Hermes since their days in Tenkai, solemnly nodded.
Hestia looked up at the charming deity with trusting eyes.
This happened because Hermes had always taken the stance of the gobetween and had never taken sides in these situations. "Looks like I gotta," he
said in a deflated voice, accepting the role thrust upon him by the other two
deities. He stood from his chair and made his way around the table. Every set of
eyes in the room followed him.
"Please be gentle…"
Hermes whispered to himself as he slowly lowered his hand into the box.
Hestia was on the edge of her seat, unable to breathe as Hermes withdrew
one sheet of paper and unfolded it.
Hermes's face went pale as he paused, an empty smile on his face as he
opened his mouth to speak.
"Castle Siege."
—Slam! Hestia drove both of her fists onto the table, teeth clenched.
"Fa-ha-ha-ha-hahaha! This decision was reached fair and square. This is
final!"
Apollo's roar of laughter echoed throughout the chamber.
Whether on the attack or defending, this style of War Game required a large
number of warriors. Most likely, Hermes drew the paper written by Apollo
himself. "That's Hermes for ya." "Can't wait!" The other deities reacted to the
decision, chatting amongst themselves.
Hermes looked up at the ceiling in disappointment while Hestia's face turned
red, shaking in anger. Apollo, on the other hand, was in a very good mood.
"It's impossible to defend the castle with just one person. So I concede the
attacking role to Hestia."
Apollo was all smiles as his words were recorded.
Hestia's molars were halfway into her tongue out of frustration as the worst
possible outcome had come to pass. Her shoulders started to droop…"Excuse
me, may I have the floor?" Hermes spoke up.
"Apollo, this puts Hestia at an extreme disadvantage…It's completely unfair.
And I'm sure many of us here will get bored watching it."
"…"
"Therefore, I would like to propose outsiders be allowed to participate in this
battle."
Hermes's proposal to allow members of other Familias to join the War Game
in order to even the numbers made Apollo frown.
"…Hermes, I know what you're trying to do: playing something off like it's
no big deal while at the same time forcing me into a corner. Don't think for a
moment I'll let it happen."
Bringing up their rough relationship in the past, Apollo forced a smile of his
own as he tried to stop Hermes's plan in its tracks.
Apollo declared that he wouldn't accept such a ridiculous proposition.
"All participants in the War Game must be contractually bound to a Familia
directly involved, that's the rule. The presence of other Familias on the field of
battle would only disgrace the gods at war."
"Well, that's not wrong."
"Also, should a top-class adventurer choose to join Hestia's side, that would
put me in danger. I happen to know that Hephaistos is rather friendly with Hestia
as well."
Apollo continued his response to Hermes as he looked at all of the gods
around the table in turn.
Hephaistos's followers were recognized not only for their skills as
blacksmiths but for their exploits on the battlefield as well. Their goddess took
one look at Apollo, folded her arms, and said, "I would do no such thing."
Apollo sneered back at her, unwilling to take her at her word, when—
"My, my, Apollo. Are you frightened?"
"Freya…"
The silver-haired goddess had been sitting quietly in her chair up until now. A
small smile bloomed on her lips.
"Are you afraid to fight more than one enemy at a time?"
"Don't take me for a fool…"
"So then, you don't trust your children? Is that the extent of your love for
them?"
The deity with the power to control love itself took a shot at the pride of the
god who loves too passionately. Apollo's jaws clenched together, strong enough
to make them cry out under the pressure. Sure enough, a large group of male
deities sided with Freya and voted to allow the addition of outsiders. The
Denatus instantly shook with fervor.
—So Freya is interested in Bell.
While the silver-haired goddess's words set off alarm bells in Hestia's mind,
this was not the time or the place to voice them. If the Goddess of Beauty's
actions would make even the slightest difference in Bell's predicament, she had
to accept them with open arms.
Perturbed by this turn of events, Apollo gave in and agreed to accept one part
of Hermes's suggestion.
"…Fine, then. There may be one outsider. However, that outsider must
belong to a Familia outside of Orario."
You monster! Hestia's lips formed the words, but no sound came out as her
shoulders fell.
Disregarding sheer numbers, the average strength of a Familia located in
Orario was much higher than that of the Familias residing outside its walls. Most
of that was due to the fact that Orario's top-class adventurers were just too
powerful.
There were more than likely a few Familias operating close to Orario with
adventurers above Level 2. The difficult part was making contact with one of
them and negotiating some kind of deal before the start of the War Game. It was
a next-to-impossible task.
There were no objections to Apollo's conditions. The new rules were added
to the War Game as is. Even Freya didn't try to interfere.
The blond-haired god looked thoroughly pleased with himself as he glanced
over at a silent and despairing Hestia.
"We can't be usin' just any old castle, so let's get the Guild in on this. We can
work out the date then, too. Shall we call it a day?"
Loki called an end to the Denatus. Chairs scraped on the floor as the deities
made their way out. Apollo took his time, sneering at Hestia before disappearing
through the exit.
Hestia could do nothing but glare back at him. She let out a long sigh as soon
as he was out of sight. Soon, only Miach, Takemikazuchi, and other friends of
hers remained in the chamber.
"Sorry about that, Hestia. I kind of put you in a rough spot."
"No, Hermes, it's not your fault."
Hermes was the first to approach Hestia and offered his own apology. She
shook her head no. No matter how much she didn't like it, the decision had been
reached using a fair draw. It was a miracle that an outsider would be allowed to
participate. It was all thanks to the fact that the gods and goddesses were thirsty
for a good show, and Freya, that her side was given some favoritism during the
meeting.
All of the rules were in place, so Hestia made up her mind to do everything
she could with the pieces she had. Her eyes burned with the desire to find a way
to win.
Mentally flipping a switch, Hestia turned her attention to the other matter that
needed to be resolved.
"So tell me, Hermes, did you find out where our supporter is being held?"
She hadn't been standing around doing nothing while feigning illness for the
past three days. She had tapped every resource she could to find out what
happened to Lilly after she was taken by Soma Familia, including asking
Hermes for his cooperation.
"In fact, I did. That is to say, Asfi did. It looks like little Lilly was taken to
Soma's storage facility."
"A wine cellar?! Not their home?"
"That's right. Soma bought a big building just for storing his wine. Guess his
home wasn't big enough."
Hestia doubted his words, but Hermes was serious.
The deity continued to relay the information.
"It's located in the southeast, close to Daidaros Street. Apparently the
security is pretty tight, tighter than their home. Upper-class adventurers are
crawling all over the place."
"…"
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to keep my children out of this. I won't ask them to
fight…What will you do?"
Hestia's head snapped up in response to Hermes's question.
"I'm going, of course."
She'd promised Bell.
That's what she told them.
A dirty magic-stone lamp cast faint light onto the stone walls.
Feeling a cold slab against her cheek, Lilly's eyes fluttered open.
She lay on her stomach, hands tied behind her back. Ignoring the aches and
pains in her body, the prum girl lifted her head to look around. Nothing had
changed in her dark prison cell since she was first brought here. Locked in a
cage, she couldn't help but feel that she was a sorry sight to see.
She followed Zanis's orders to the letter and was brought to the Familia's
wine cellar. She'd been locked up in here ever since.
This floor was designed to hold the Familia members who had violated the
rules or gotten a little bit too drunk off the divine wine. She was bound with a
metallic wire strong enough to keep lower-class adventurers restrained
indefinitely. Several of these compartments were used to store tools as well as
serve as a makeshift jail inside the complex. Lilly was being treated as a prisoner
as a punishment for the extended length of time she'd spent away from the
Familia.
Having lost all sense of time, Lilly had no idea how many days had passed
since the battle in the streets.
Lilly wiggled her body into the corner of her cell where a small dish of water
had been mercifully left for her. Lifting her head off the floor, she put her lips
into the liquid.
Part of her was embarrassed about her miserable condition, but she had been
expecting something like this.
The days that she'd spent with Bell were special, but now she'd live her life
by slurping the dirty water she was given.
Mr. Bell, Mr. Welf, Lady Hestia…
Were they okay?
That was all she thought about.
No one was guarding her outside of the prison, and stone bricks don't make
the best conversation. She had no way of knowing what was going on outside.
But not once did she consider trying to escape. The knowledge that she had
fallen to the same level as a prisoner tore a fresh hole in her spirit.
The stone floor was cold and damp. Her body shivered as she drank.
The magic-stone lamp outside her iron cage flickered like a candle about to
go out.
"…"
Ker-tap, ker-tap. Noises started coming from the end of the hallway outside
her cell, the sound of someone coming down the stairwell.
Lilly willed her body off the floor and into a sitting position. Sure enough, a
long shadow was growing on the other side of the bars. Zanis's shadow.
"How are you feeling, Erde?"
"…Horrible."
The man looked down at her through the bars as Lilly practically spat her
answer at his feet.
He smiled ironically at her, his arms folded behind his back.
"Sorry about this. You see, the past three days have been very busy,
collecting information and whatnot. I haven't had time to step away until now.
Forgive me."
"…Mr. Bell is still okay? Mr. Zanis really hasn't done anything to him?"
"I'm a man of my word. I swear on the name of Lord Soma."
Lilly finally got an opportunity to ask the question that had been burning
inside her for three days. While she didn't entirely trust him, she decided to
believe his words for now. That settled, there was something else that she wanted
to know.
"Why…does Mr. Zanis care about Lilly?"
She asked in the most serious, dry voice she could muster.
She knew he'd said that he needed her when the man took her away. She
clearly remembered that moment.
Just like Kanu, the man who had left her for dead, Zanis often took money
from her. Never once had he offered a helping hand. She believed him to be a
man who saw her only as an insect that occasionally had vals worth taking.
"It's come to my attention that you are worth quite a lot." Zanis's smile
deepened. "You can't imagine how happy I was to learn you were alive. I
considered capturing you the other day when you appeared before Lord Soma by
yourself…but we were already in negotiations with Apollo Familia. We still
needed you for our justification after we had secured their payment. You played
your part very well."
As a result, everything went according to plan, or so the man claimed. Lilly
was vaguely aware of her gaze sharpening as she listened to more of his story.
"…Lilly is useless, not worth anything."
"No, no, I have a use for you. I realized that you were saving up a great deal
of money in secret. I believe that anyone with fingers as sticky as yours deserves
to be recognized for their talents.
"But above all…" He let his words hang as he pushed his glasses back up his
face with one finger.
"You have a rather 'unusual' kind of Magic, do you not?"
Lilly's eyes shot open at the mention of her magic, Cinder Ella.
With the exception of Bell, Welf, and Hestia, she had never told the secret to
anyone. "Lord Soma told me," said Zanis in response to the look of surprise on
her face. Soma was the one who'd found that Magic in her excelia and enabled
her to use it. Of course he would have known.
Lilly thought about the time frame and came to the conclusion that Zanis
probably knew about her Magic before she'd feigned her death.
"Just to check…Erde, you can transform yourself into a monster, correct?"
"…What would it mean if Lilly could?"
A dark crackle of laughter escaped the man's lips.
Zanis's eyes narrowed in an evil grin as he looked down at Lilly like a wolf
that just cornered its prey.
"There's a project in which I would love your participation. Nothing much,
just a new business venture."
"And that is…?"
"Luring out monsters, capturing them, and selling them for profit…Isn't that
simple?"
That's insane!—Lilly mocked him in her thoughts.
Even if a wild monster were tamed, said monster would only listen to the
tamer. Should the tamed monster be locked inside a small room and ordered to
wait by its tamer, it would still mercilessly attack anyone else who came near it.
That's why tamed monsters were never used for the carriages and other difficult
tasks around town.
Monsters considered humans to be their mortal enemy; there was no way
around it.
They were completely different from obedient slaves.
"Monsters have no value."
"Heh-heh…I'm not so sure."
An unmistakable twinge of greed passed through Zanis's smiling eyes as he
laughed off the girl's remark.
Anger began to take hold of Lilly. She glared daggers back up at the man.
Even her vain attempts to show respect disappeared.
"Is that the reason you brought Lilly back, back into Soma Familia…The
reason you got involved in the attack on Bell?"
"Yes, that was regrettable."
The tone of his voice turned up a notch, getting excited.
His mask of intelligence gone, Zanis's true character was beginning to
emerge.
"I want Lord Soma's Divine Wine. I want money and women, too. I want to
taste the most exquisite dishes—I want every pleasure this world has to offer!"
BAM! Zanis slammed his boot into one of the iron bars.
The cage had been designed to be strong enough to keep unruly adventurers
under control without breaking. But Zanis's Status was too high for it to
withstand that kind of blow, and it bent under the impact. Lilly stared in silence,
eyes trembling, at the boot-shaped dent in the bar.
The avarice in his voice was far beyond anything Lilly had ever heard before
—much more hideous than those under the influence of the Divine Wine, soma.
"I love this Familia. No matter how many questionable endeavors I try my
hand at, our god doesn't say a word. He's too busy with that hobby of his to give
a shit what any of us do. It's the ultimate freedom!"
"…Lilly can see your true colors."
"Oops."
Zanis tried to cover half of his malicious smile with his hand. Taking his boot
out of the bent iron bar, the man straightened his posture and continued on,
business as usual.
The anger in Lilly's stomach burned brighter when she realized that this man
cared nothing for Lord Soma. It went without saying that Soma Familia's current
condition was partly due to their god's neglect, but the man standing in front of
her deserved a great deal of the blame.
Lilly's eyes flared as she looked up at the man, a thin smile on his face.
That's when it happened.
"…?"
"The alarm bell…Are we under attack?"
Even the thick stone walls of this prison couldn't keep out the piercing
resonance ringing out upstairs.
The hurried thuds of hundreds of footsteps sounded above their heads, mixed
in with the high-pitched tone of the bell. Falling to her stomach, Lilly looked up,
down, and all around for a clue as to what was going on.
"Chandra! Where are you?! Tell me what the hell is going on!"
Zanis yelled at the top of his lungs down the hall toward the staircase to the
surface.
The hallway was still for a moment as the man's voice faded into
nothingness. A few heartbeats later, a very annoyed-looking dwarf appeared at
the base of the stairwell.
"You could go have a look fer yourself…or are those feet of yers fer
decoration?"
"Enough sass. What's happening?"
"A few 'mice' got into the maze. From a few Familias…A young-lookin'
goddess was with 'em."
A bearded dwarf with short hair and an inhospitable air about him, Chandra
glanced at Lilly as he approached the prison cell.
The girl's heart jumped at the mention of a "young-looking goddess." Zanis's
eyes narrowed as he came to the same conclusion about the identity of the
intruders.
"Where are they now?"
"Fightin' in the first-floor foyer."
"Is that so? In that case—we need to exterminate the pests. I'll take
command."
Lilly's face turned a shade paler in fright. Frantically kicking her legs, she
managed to get her body up against the bars with her hands still tied behind her
back.
"You're breaking your promise?! You said that Lady Hestia wouldn't be
harmed!"
"She came to attack us. It's not my fault if she gets burned by her own
flame."
"Lilly will convince her to leave! Please, let Lilly talk to her…!"
"Absolutely not. I can't allow my beloved ally to be put in such danger. I bet
they're here looking for you."
Zanis's claim that he needed to protect her was the final straw. Lilly's fury
ignited.
"Lilly refuses to work with you if the promise is broken!"
"How unfortunate…"
Zanis closed his eyes and calmly walked up to the iron bars.
A sneer on his lips, he leaned down to look Lilly in the face.
"Then it can't be helped. I've got a bottle of soma with your name on it. I'll
make sure you drink every last drop."
"—"
Lilly froze.
"Soma's influence should turn you into a very dependable servant…You'll be
happy to comply with every order I give you."
The "absolute" that was created by Soma.
A merciless drink that turned the hearts of the people of Gekai into an endless
spiral of drunken ecstasy and unbearable craving.
Not too long ago, one sip of the concoction was enough to make Lilly covet it
more than life itself.
"!"
Not caring if her skull cracked, Lilly whipped her head forward in an attempt
to inflict any amount of pain possible on Zanis.
Dunnnn. But the iron bars got in the way. The sound reverberated throughout
the cell as her head bounced off. The man just smiled as he watched a trickle of
blood work its way down the girl's face, thoroughly enjoying every second of
the hatred emanating from the girl's eyes.
"Chandra, keep Erde in here for me."
"Humph…"
The dwarf didn't respond to his leader's order, only turned his back on the
prison cell and sat down. Zanis only shrugged in response before disappearing
from Lilly's line of sight.
She wanted to yell out, get him to come back, but no words would come out
of her shaking throat. The man had been planning on breaking his promise and
even intended to turn her into nothing more than his drunken pet from the start.
Dammit all! Lilly gritted her teeth and decided that now was the time to
break out of her cell.
The only reason for her to stay was gone. She had to help Lady Hestia and
the others escape.
"…!"
She worked her way into Chandra's blind spot and began to vigorously pull
at her bindings.
But the dwarf just sat there, taking swigs of wine from the calabash strapped
to his back. The wires dug deeper and deeper into her wrists as she fought. She
called upon every trick she'd learned as a thief—including how to quietly trigger
her magic. The claws of a werewolf grew on her fingers, allowing her to loosen
the grip of the wires just enough to get her hands free.
However, she kept her hands behind her back to hide the fact that she was
loose. Now all that was left was figuring out how to escape without the guard
noticing.
Lilly's mind kicked into high gear as she tried to find a way to get out of the
cell without drawing Chandra's attention.
But it was the dwarf who spoke up.
"Ya want out, get out."
Lilly was stunned.
Chandra didn't even bother to look at her, only wrapped his massive palm
around the lock of the cell and yanked it clean off the door frame.
"Wh-why…did you go against Mr. Zanis's order?"
"I hate his guts."
The loathing in his voice was more intense than the sounds of battle raining
down from upstairs.
"I came ta this city 'cause I heard I could drink the most fillin', most
delicious wine around. That's how I found this Familia. But now it's nothin'
more than that man's toy. No amount of our god's wine can satisfy me."
Lilly stared at the side of the dwarf's face as he took another swig from his
calabash.
Chandra Ihit, an upper-class adventurer at Level 2, same as Zanis.
Never once had he extended a helping hand when Lilly was alone and
tormented by other members of the Familia. At the same time, he had never
joined in.
"Got a feelin' you hate him just as much as I do. So, I'm lookin' the other
way."
He took another look over his shoulder. Chandra's deep brown eyes met
Lilly's chestnut gaze.
Lilly decided to believe his rather simplistic desire for delicious wine and
seized the opportunity.
"Thank you very much."
After a quick show of gratitude, Lilly ran out of the cell.
Being restrained and locked up for three days had taken its toll on her body.
Tripping over her feet several times, Lilly ascended the stairwell to the surface as
fast as she could.
"…?!"
She emerged at the end of another long stone hallway, but the sounds of
battle were coming from the other side of the wall.
The clash of metal on metal, desperate yells and screams of pain—every
sound was like a knife through Lilly's heart. She couldn't stand it. Looking
around to find a way through, her eyes managed to catch light coming through a
window at the other end of the hallway. She wasted no time getting there.
The window was slightly higher than her head and barred off just like her cell
was belowground. She jumped off the ground, grabbed the bars, and stuck her
head between them.
"Mr. Welf, Miss Mikoto, too…?!"
Despite her very restricted view of the battle, Lilly saw many familiar faces
engaging Soma Familia in combat.
The inner courtyard was wide and littered with piles of boxes, some of which
stretched all the way up to the roof. However, the area was absolutely flooded
with enemies. Welf and Ouka protected the front lines, Mikoto providing them
with blind-side protection. Nahza and Chigusa supported them from a slight
distance. Their whole group had been forced into the corner of the courtyard by
the seemingly endless onslaught of Soma Familia.
Most of their enemies were lower-class adventurers, but their numbers were
overwhelming.
"Please get out of here! Run, hurry!"
Lilly's face turned blue as she used every bit of air in her lungs, pleading with
them.
There was only one reason why these kind people had come so deep into
enemy territory: her. All the damage they took, every injury they sustained was
her fault.
She yelled with all of her might in hopes that the battle would stop. It just so
happened that Hestia was holding her head in both hands behind a storage box
near the same window and heard Lilly's cries.
"Miss Supporter?!"
"Lady Hestia!"
Nahza was using one stack of boxes as cover; Hestia had been even farther
behind her. Keeping her head low, Hestia went to Lilly's window.
The two were reunited, face-to-face through a hole in the thick stone wall.
"Don't worry about Lilly! Please escape now!"
"I can't do that! I'm not leaving this place until you come with us!"
"WHY?! Lilly won't cause any more trouble! Lady Hestia won't get dragged
into any more bad situations without Lilly! So please…!"
The two young ladies argued back and forth, stay or go, through the iron bars
of the window until Hestia screamed back:
"We're going to face Apollo in a War Game!"
"?!"
"It's a Castle Siege! Two Familias will collide head-to-head with their full
strength!"
Lilly was lost for words as she heard Hestia's blitz of an explanation.
The thought of Hestia Familia, which only had one member, taking on the
full force of Apollo Familia in a War Game was beyond belief. Bell was going to
have to attack a castle by himself?
Hestia paused for a moment to catch her breath, not taking her eyes off of the
flabbergasted Lilly.
"I'm doing everything I can to give Bell a chance to win!"
"Eh…"
"Right now, that boy is going through hell to prepare for the War Game! But
it won't be enough! We need you! It's hopeless unless you're with us!"
—What was that?
They need Lilly in order to win the War Game?
She didn't believe her. Lilly always held other people back—how could she
possibly be the key to victory?
Other people had used her as a doormat, taken advantage of her at every turn,
and stolen many things from her. How could one prum girl trapped in this dark
reality possibly be of any use?
Why was she worth saving?
Hestia was spouting nonsense.
"We can't win without you! It has to be you, no one else!"
The young girl objected.
She had never been needed before, and yet this goddess said she was.
That boy was the only one who ever helped her, who ever said that she was
needed—now it was time to help him.
Hestia wanted Lilly to come to Bell's aid.
"Please, help us
____help Bell!"
She ran.
She ran as if shot out of a cannon.
Hestia's pleas on replay in the back of her mind, she zipped through the dim
stone corridor doors of Soma Familia's storage facility with nary a sound.
It wasn't something that weak little Lilly should be able to do. How could she
possibly be able to save Bell? Hestia overestimated her worth despite her
divinity.
But…!
She said Lilly was needed.
She asked for Lilly's help.
She wanted Lilly, no one else.
No one had ever wanted her before, no one had needed her. But now, there
was.
"Wah…!"
Her vision blurred, head feverish. Her chest felt so tight that her ribs might
strangle her lungs.
There was no way to describe the onslaught of emotions that tore through her.
Her only desire now was to help Hestia and those fighting for her in the
courtyard. And to do that, she had to move.
With Zanis at the helm, there was only one way to stop this battle: appeal to
the only person with more authority in the Familia than its leader, the god Soma.
Lilly desperately searched through her memories of the day she was brought
here and remembered seeing the deity in the building. He was also her only hope
for being released from her contract with the Familia. She had to persuade
Soma.
She used her memories to piece together a small map of the facility. There
was an observation tower that overlooked the entrance to the underground
holding cells. She was almost certain that the highest room of this tower
belonged to Soma himself. That's where she'd find him.
Leaving clear tears in her wake, Lilly rushed to find the stairwell that would
lead to her god.
"They don't know when to quit…"
Zanis watched the battle in the courtyard unfold from the roof of the storage
facility.
Soma Familia's soma wine cellar was a central tower at the front with five
more towers on each side encompassing an open courtyard below. His
subordinates were engaging intruders who had been forced underneath one of
the lookout towers in the corner of the courtyard.
Zanis chuckled to himself as the group of less than ten desperately tried to
fight back. He silently applauded them for making it this far despite the
overwhelming odds.
If he were able to capture the young goddess below, it would be easy to strike
a profitable deal with Apollo. He was already working out the finer details in his
mind as he ordered his subordinates to surround the enemy.
"…?"
Zanis watched the battle like a hawk until a flash of color caught his
attention.
It was Lilly, on her way to the main tower.
What the hell is Chandra doing?! he silently snapped, his cheek twitching in
agitation. But his smile returned a moment later.
"Interesting. What do you think you can do?"
Leaving one of his high-ranking subordinates in charge, Zanis took off to
intercept Lilly.
Lilly ran through the vast complicated passages of the main tower.
At long last, she found the stairwell leading to the second floor.
Emerging from the narrow confines of the lower floors to this new open
space felt extremely liberating. The lower hallways were narrow and there were
many doors leading to small rooms and other passages. She could see blue sky
outside the open windows and the candlestick-style magic-stone lamps were
bright and clean.
Soma's room was on the third floor.
Every adventurer who should have been on guard had gone to join the fight.
It was eerily quiet.
"Where do you think you're going, Erde?"
"?!"
A voice came from behind Lilly as she ran down the open corridor. CRASH!
A window out of her line of sight was destroyed.
It was Zanis. The upper-class adventurer had broken the second-story
window before jumping through. Casually stepping on shards of broken glass,
the man taunted Lilly again.
—He found me!
Willing more speed out of her weak legs, Lilly zipped around the corner and
out of sight.
"The stairwell in that direction only goes up?"
"?!"
Lilly suddenly felt a pressure from behind her before she was tapped on the
shoulder.
The palm of Zanis's hand was all it took to send the girl crashing to the floor.
Nauseating pain overtook her as her body tumbled forward on the stone floor.
Fighting through it, Lilly climbed to her feet and started running once again.
"Fu…ha-ha-ha-ha-hahahaha?! Now now, Erde, what's the rush?!"
The man's menacing laughter sounded from behind her. Lilly frowned and
continued pressing onward.
A moment later, the man's boot plowed straight into her ribs.
"Agh!"
"Don't tell me, you're going to try to meet with Lord Soma? Pointless!
Absolutely pointless!"
His kick sent her face-first toward the wall. Fighting to find her balance, Lilly
kept moving forward.
Her thin legs reached their limit and Lilly had to thrust her hand out to the
wall to catch herself.
"What makes you think that he'll listen to you? The only thing our god cares
about is his wine!"
"Ighhh…!"
"Runts like you are nothing but background noise to him! No matter how
much you revere him, asking for help will leave you with nothing but dismay!"
He let Lilly gain some distance before catching up and striking her again.
Then he'd do some more taunting and repeat the process over and over. Be it his
fists or his feet, one strike was enough to send Lilly's small body flying in any
direction he wanted.
It'd become a game to him. His black shadow would overtake Lilly, then he'd
decide how to hit, enjoy her squeal of pain, and then look down over her as she
got up and kept going forward.
All the while he would jubilantly remark about how all her effort was for
nothing.
"You're a strange one, Erde! I thought you were smarter than this! I liked that
cold look in your eyes, like you hated the world and everything in it!"
In her darkest days, she had tried many times to escape the abyss only to have
her connection to Soma Familia drag her right back in. The shell of a man who
was Zanis sneered at Lilly.
However, the tears welling up in Lilly's eyes were not caused by her dark
past but by the pain coursing through her body. She would never show tears of
sadness again. She had already shed far too many.
Overcoming Zanis's physical and verbal attacks, Lilly pressed on. Forward,
forward until she finally found the stairwell and climbed to the third floor.
There were only a few walls on this floor, making one large room with one
area portioned off—Soma's private room. Lilly channeled all the strength she
had left into her legs and made a break for it.
"Three, two…WHAM!"
"AGUHH!"
Zanis counted down and playfully announced his own kick, hitting Lilly right
between the shoulder blades with all of his strength. The girl's body whipped
through the air like a rag doll.
However, his kick sent her hurtling toward the door to the private chamber.
Lilly folded her arms across her chest and used that momentum to break it open.
SLAM! Lilly tumbled into the chamber as the doors creaked on their hinges
after slamming into the walls on both sides.
"…"
Soma was there.
He stood in front of the wide balcony, tending to many different kinds of
plants growing in the sunlight.
He paid absolutely no attention to the sounds of battle outside the window or
even to Lilly's loud entrance. The amount of water that each plant received,
future ingredients for his wine, was the only thing on his mind at the moment.
"Lord Soma! Lord Soma! Please listen to what Lilly has to say!"
The deity kept his back to her as Lilly tried to peel her injury-ridden body off
the stone floor.
At first, the god continued working in his slightly dirty robe despite Lilly's
pleas until finally turning around with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
Zanis had entered the chamber—it was he who Soma was looking at through
his long bangs.
"This is much too bothersome, Zanis. I left all trivial matters in your hands."
Ignored by her own god. Lilly was shocked.
Zanis enjoyed the look on her face to no end, gleefully chuckling under his
breath. He kept his eyes on the girl and said:
"I apologize for the abruptness, Lord Soma. It appears that one Lilliluka Erde
wishes to speak with you directly. Won't you lend her your ears?"
Zanis spoke with a calm and almost mocking tone, as if he knew what was
about to happen.
Looking even more perturbed, Soma shifted his gaze down toward Lilly.
The girl managed to force her aching body into a kneeling position.
"I beg you, Lord Soma. Please bring an end to the battle taking place outside
—please save Lady Hestia and those fighting alongside her! Please, please…!"
Soma's cheek twitched as if Lilly's voice had hurt his ears. He slowly
squared his shoulders in front of her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the expression on his face showed that he
believed it to be a waste of time.
"What good are the words of a child who succumbs to wine so…easily?"
"—"
Lilly fell silent after hearing Soma's monotone words. A cold chill swept
through her veins.
But it was the look in his eyes that did it, made Lilly realize the truth.
Soma was disappointed. Disappointed in his own followers, disappointed in
the world of Gekai.
The Divine Wine, soma, had caused Soma Familia to collapse from within.
Just as he said before, the children succumbed to the power of the drink he was
giving them as a reward. They soon began fighting amongst themselves for
more, became selfish beyond belief.
From the god Soma's point of view, all he did was reward them with
delicious wine for their services. But rather than thank him, they turned on one
another for more drunken pleasure. He had become disillusioned by their
primitive reaction to his more refined methods.
—Soma harbored no ill will. He had no urge to inflict pain. At this point, he
had no interest in any followers like Lilly at all. He was completely detached.
The divine being who'd had enough of the crude people of Gekai continued
to produce soma and reward the children who made it possible for him to focus
on his craft.
"The words of children who succumb are…irrelevant."
Soma's eyes, black as ink, were finally pointed in Lilly's direction. However,
Lilly's face was not reflected in them, only empty disappointment.
Lilly remained still, unable to find any words in the face of her god's cold
stare. It was Soma who moved first.
He took a bottle of white wine off one of the shelves built into the wall of his
chamber.
Lilly watched in dumbfounded silence as Soma took a glass from a different
shelf and said to her:
"If you can say the same thing after drinking this, I'll listen."
—She couldn't breathe.
The deity poured the wine into the glass, its cool yet sweet aroma filling the
room. He held the glass out to her. Lilly looked at her own reflection on the
surface of the white liquid.
Divine Wine.
Her throat clenched. Sweat poured down her face. The glass nearly slipped
from her grasp as she tried to take it with both hands.
Memories of the dark days when she was under the influence of soma's
power rampaged through her mind. She looked back up at Soma, shoulders
shaking in fright. The god's face was void of emotion as he watched her from
behind his bangs.
Zanis watched all of these events unfold, smiling as if he'd seen this coming.
"Ah, aah…!"
Lilly stood up on unstable legs.
Her breaths very shallow and staggered, she took another look at the glass in
her hands.
She had no choice. In order to save Hestia, in order to finally break her ties
with this Familia, she had no choice but to drink it.
Lilly brought the glass to her lips, hands shaking and palms clammy.
This wine had once turned Lilly into little more than a monster.
It had stolen her life from her, caused all of her problems.
Under the watchful eyes of Soma and Zanis, Lilly willed her mouth open and
drank it down.
"—"
The world warped around her in the blink of an eye.
A boundless drunken euphoria enveloped her. The bliss was intense enough
to bend her consciousness.
Tink! The glass fell out of her hands, hit the floor, and rolled away.
Her arms and legs quivered. She couldn't keep standing and fell to her knees
like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.
Acute warmth filled her cheeks as her eyes went out of focus…Lilly giggled.
"—a…haa."
The flavor of the most delicious wine in existence made her heart melt.
Soma watched the girl's spirit disappear and turned his back to her without a
second thought. Lilly's ears stopped picking up the sounds around her, with only
one exception: Zanis's bloodcurdling laughter.
Overwhelming contentment spread throughout her body. Memories flashed
before her eyes before disappearing again. Nothing inside this room mattered to
her, was worth seeing. Even her purpose for being here, why she was so
determined to drink the soma, felt like nothing more than a passing thought.
Everything that made Lilly who she was evaporated in an instant.
She saw everything in the room with a white hue.
Her body, mind, and spirit were warm.
Down, down, down she went.
Then, just as the white was about to embrace her, she saw something.
A boy, a smiling boy.
"—"
Her craving intensified. The animal that demanded soma within her was on
the brink of taking over.
But amid all the white around her, she saw how the boy smiled when he
saved her that day.
It remained deep within her soul even after everything else had been erased.
His smile stayed with her.
"…"
A single tear slowly rolled down her cheek.
Her slack, open mouth smiled for a moment before weakening again. Lilly's
head started to rise.
The warmth of the boy's smile had awakened her heart, filled her with new
emotion, and caused a tear to be shed.
Lilly had returned.
"...Please."
Not much sound escaped her lips, but it was enough to stop Soma in his
tracks.
A moment later, he spun around with vigor.
His long bangs swung out of the way, revealing his black eyes. Lilly's
trembling figure reflected within them.
"…Stop it, please."
Her words were getting clearer.
Soma and Zanis looked on in disbelief.
Lilly made eye contact with Soma.
"Lilly's begging you—stop the fight!"
Her words were unchanged as even more tears trickled down her face.
"Wha…"
She didn't know if that sound came from Soma or from Zanis.
She persevered. Lilly held off the effects of soma.
Countless people had fallen under its spell, becoming little more than savages
in the process. And yet this little, fragile girl had not.
It didn't matter that her Status was low, that her body was weak. She defeated
soma with sheer willpower.
"Lilly wants to save those people!"
She yelled her most earnest desire as loud as she could.
She sounded no different from a sobbing child.
Bonds with her allies had been forged in the fire, and she was a Phoenix
emerging from the flame, guided by them.
"Lilly knows, even without any gods telling her, Lilly knows that she was
born for this moment!"
It was highly unlikely that Lilly would ever forget.
Even if she died and was reborn many times, even in the deepest pits of
hell…
Lilly would never forget the smile on that boy's face.
"Every mistake Lilly has made was in preparation for this day!"
The warmth of the hands that reached out for her, the kindness of his
embrace.
She'd never forget the smile of the one who rescued her.
The image that had been seared into her very soul would never fade.
"This time, it's Lilly's turn to save him!"
Bell's smiling face and warmth filling every corner of her mind, Lilly yelled
once again.
She had not forgotten all of the mistakes she made and the gray areas of her
past. Those memories gave her the strength to keep shouting.
"Please, bring an end to this battle!"
Lilly's voice was loud enough to be heard outside the tower.
"..."
Soma stood, unblinking eyes locked on the girl.
Gods did not grow or feel distress of any kind. It was hard to comprehend
what just unfolded.
Seeing a person of Gekai change right before his eyes for the first time left
Soma speechless.
"No way…?!"
Zanis sensed danger in the expression on his god's face.
His feeling of invincibility gone, he pleaded with the deity.
"Lord Soma, you mustn't listen to her! Our Familia is under attack—!"
"Quiet, Zanis."
Soma turned away without so much as a glance in his direction.
Zanis fell silent, face twitching as he knew that there was no chance for a
counterargument. Soma made eye contact with Lilly once again.
His ink-colored eyes clearly reflected the young girl's gaze. Then he walked
toward the end of his chamber and opened the large window.
The empty wine bottle still in his hand, Soma stepped out onto the balcony.
He could see the battle raging in the courtyard beneath him. Standing next to the
railing, he raised the bottle high above his head and threw it into the courtyard.
Spinning end over end, the bottle sent flares of sunlight flashing all over the
battle before crashing into the middle of it.
The shattering sound made all members of Soma Familia come to a halt.
Every head in the courtyard turned toward the balcony, waiting with bated
breath.
"Stop fighting."
Soma looked down on the rest of his followers as he made his declaration.
Soma Familia's members were blindsided by a direct order from a god who
had never shown any interest in anything other than his hobby before. No one
even considered going against it.
Ignoring Zanis's commands, they listened to a higher power and put down
their weapons.
"Soma moved on his own…?!"
An uneasy silence descended over the battlefield. Zanis couldn't believe what
he was seeing, his eyes glued to Soma's back. He shook his head from side to
side, refusing to accept what was happening. His mask of refined intelligence
broken once again, muscles all over his body began twitching nervously.
He rocked on the balls of his feet—BANG! The main doors at the base of the
tower had been kicked in. His shoulders flexed.
Knowing that the intruders would soon arrive, Zanis looked around the room
in a panic. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Lilly on the floor.
"Damn you! At least give me the pleasure of slicing you open before—!"
Zanis jumped toward Lilly like a beast capturing its prey.
The man had only seen her as possible profit; he captured her out of greed.
His avarice made him torment her and now she was too physically weak to run
away or defend herself. She was the reason why his perfect world had come
crumbling down. Withdrawing a rapier from the hilt on his belt, he smiled to
himself, believing that she should be punished for what she had done to him. He
reached out with his left hand.
However, just before his fingers reached her collar…
An arrow was fired at his chest.
"?!"
Zanis barely managed to avoid the attack that came from outside the window.
The arrow buried itself in the wall behind him, making a small web of cracks
in the stone. Zanis looked back outside in shock.
There, standing on top of the nearest lookout tower, was a Chienthrope
wielding a longbow.
"I'm ready! Fire away!"
"You don't have to tell me."
Zanis heard the voice of a young man and saw a flash of gold as the
Chienthrope took a new arrow from him and promptly slid it over her bow. She
pulled this new golden arrow back, took aim, and fired in one swift motion. But
she wasn't targeting Zanis. The arrow plunged deep into the stone wall next to
the balcony.
The man had only a moment to feel surprise—he saw a very thick wire
attached to the end of the arrow. His surprise turned to disbelief.
As if to confirm his wildest fear, a young man with red hair and a greatsword
over his shoulder ran across the wire toward him.
"?!"
The red-haired man kept his balance, pulling off some very acrobatic moves
as he raced across the wire bridge connecting the two towers. The wire held firm
under his weight. Sword balanced against his shoulder, Welf quickly reached the
balcony, jumped over the silent Soma's head, and landed just in front of the
window.
The smith's black jacket unfurled behind him as he stepped inside the
chamber and came to a stop in front of Zanis and Lilly, both wearing looks of
astonishment.
"It's time for you to come back, Li'l E."
"Mr. Welf…"
"We're gettin' outta here."
Welf set his jaw, smiling at Lilly before turning to Zanis.
"I've come to collect this one. I've got a partner who is waiting for her."
"Rrrgh—Like hell you are!" Zanis charged without hesitation, brandishing
his weapon high in the air. Welf held his own weapon in his right hand and
rushed to meet him.
A rapier against a greatsword in a duel.
The two blades collided in a shower of sparks, the opening bell.
"Come at me, smithy!"
With the ferocity of a madman, Zanis stepped into a forward slash before
whipping his blade around and into an upward slice.
All he managed to do was take a small slice out of Welf's black jacket. It was
an attack that would have skewered any lower-class adventurer, but the young
man dodged it handily and used that momentum to slash his own sword
diagonally upward at his opponent. Zanis was unable to step into his next attack.
Both Level 2 adventurers, they matched each other blow for blow, and their
movements gradually picked up speed.
The shock waves generated on impact were strong enough to make Lilly lean
backward as the echoes of their clashing blades filled the chamber. Welf
deflected Zanis's spinning strikes and high kicks with the armor on his left arm,
not allowing any attack to hit home.
Zanis used his rage to fuel an onslaught of slashes.
Welf held his ground, using his sword like a highly mobile shield despite its
weight.
Considering the weapons the combatants were using, Zanis held several
advantages. He knew speed was on his side and he could use it to overpower his
red-haired adversary. Welf calmly read his movements and narrowed his eyes.
"Tough to bully an upper-class adventurer."
Welf's back, shoulders, and arms all flared to life at the same moment.
The massive blade whipped around the young man's body in a powerful arc.
It met Zanis's downward slash head-on, overpowered it, and sent the rapier
flying.
"—"
Time stood still for Zanis.
His techniques and maneuvers were useless in a contest of strength—a
"warrior smith" like Welf wasn't about to fall for the same tricks that
adventurers who relied on a high Status would overlook.
Lilly heard Welf's black jacket swish as the man closed the distance between
him and his unnaturally rigid opponent.
Seeing everything in slow motion, Zanis tried to jump out of the way but
watched helplessly as Welf's left foot collided with his chest.
Then he saw the blade flash as it spun around.
Welf had flipped his hold on the weapon so that the blunt edge was facing his
enemy.
"Sloppy. That weapon of yours is crying."
With that said, Welf drove the entire blade forward in a rising arc aimed right
for his opponent's head.
"GHEEEEE—!"
The blow struck Zanis with such precision that it split his glasses right down
the middle before launching him backward.
Momentum carried his body straight into the wall, the man's scream of pain
cut short by the impact.
Zanis fell to the stone floor like a bag of potatoes. The blunt edge of Welf's
greatsword left a thick red line down the center of the motionless man's face.
What was left of his glasses lay on the floor beside him.
"That should do it," said Welf as he returned the blade into its sheath at his
shoulder and looked down at the white eyes of his unconscious foe.
"Ya really got it done…Won't have ta drink as much tonight."
"…Mr. Chandra?"
Soma Familia's Chandra had appeared in the chamber and stood behind Lilly,
commenting on Welf's victory in the duel against Zanis.
The usual unfriendly expression on his face, Chandra turned the man's body
over and fitted him with sturdy handcuffs that even upper-class adventurers
would have difficulty breaking.
"He was stealin' soma, usin' it for his own profit. Deserves some time in the
slammer."
"What happens now…?"
"I'll make sure ya get no trouble. It's all up to our god after that…Maybe
now our voices will reach 'im."
Apparently, Zanis had hijacked the Familia using Soma's name and punished
anyone who dared say anything against him. Now that his treachery had been
exposed right in front of Soma's eyes, Chandra felt that the new era was about to
begin.
The god himself was still out on the balcony, assessing the damage to his
chamber—but his gaze always came back to Lilly.
"Are you all right, Supporter?"
"Lady Hestia…"
It wasn't long before Hestia and the other adventurers led by Mikoto and
Ouka made it to the third floor of the main tower.
Truly grateful to Lilly for all of her hard work, the two made eye contact for a
moment before Hestia walked over to talk with Soma.
"I would like to make a deal for the supporter, Lilliluka Erde, to join my
Familia."
"…"
Soma stood silently on the balcony as Hestia stopped just before the open
window, neither of them blinking.
"Please accept this knife as collateral for payment."
"L-Lady Hestia, that's—?!"
"It's all right. I've talked with Bell."
Lilly gasped when she saw the goddess hold out the Hestia Knife and hand it
to Soma.
"This knife is a very expensive weapon. If we should lose the War Game, you
can get a lot of money for it."
"…"
"But if we win, I'll buy it back from you with our reward money…I'll make
Apollo pay for it in full. Once you have the money, I'll take my knife back."
She explained that should Hestia Familia win the War Game, she was
planning to take a large sum of money from Apollo. Soma held the weapon in
his hands, running his thumb down the Ἥφαιστος logo engraved into its sheath.
He looked up at her.
"Indeed, this is more than satisfactory. She may leave my Familia."
His lips barely moved as he spoke to Hestia.
Welf, Mikoto's group, and Chandra stood quietly in the doorway as Soma
once again cast his gaze upon Lilly.
Badly injured and still bleeding, she managed to make eye contact. The two
stayed still until finally an answer was heard.
Soma shifted his posture to face Hestia head-on and nodded, saying, "I
accept."
Hestia, Soma, and Lilly went to the second floor of the main tower, leaving
everyone else behind.
All three of them entered a small room that had no windows. There was no
need to worry about any information being exposed to prying eyes or ears. The
three set to work in the dim light.
Lilly sat on a chair, pulled off her shirt, and exposed the Status on her back.
Soma made a small cut on his finger and ran it across the hieroglyphs, the ichor
in his blood making the markings glow.
His finger made quick movements across her skin, as if unscrambling a
puzzle. The hieroglyphs glowed brighter with each passing moment until every
mark started to blink.
Now it was Hestia's turn. Pricking her finger, she added her own ichor to the
mix, gradually erasing several hieroglyphs as their color faded. The markings
indicating Soma's contract disappeared from sight as Hestia's name and symbols
engraved themselves above Lilly's name at the top of her Status.
Conversion.
A ceremony that allowed a child of Gekai to be transferred from one Familia
to another.
A ring of light worked its way around the girl's Status, making it look like an
epitaph in the dimly lit room. The markings for Hestia Familia shined brightly at
the top.
From this moment onward, Lilly was now one of Hestia's followers.
"Lady Hestia…is this really okay? Using Mr. Bell's precious weapon in a
trade for Lilly…?"
"Perfectly fine. Everything will be back to normal if we win the War Game.
And we need you for a chance at winning. No problem at all."
Lilly's nerves had settled down considerably now that the ceremony was
complete and she was fully dressed. However, the collateral made her uneasy.
Despite that, Hestia puffed out her chest and said everything would take care of
itself.
"Trust me, no problem. Now let's go."
"Y-yes…"
Lilly's eyes kept jumping from one deity to the other. Hestia placed both
hands on the girl's shoulders and guided her out the door.
"…Hest…ia?"
"That's me. What is it?"
Hestia closed the door behind Lilly and turned to face the god she was
meeting for the first time. Soma wasn't even sure how to pronounce her name.
Only the two of them remained inside the small room.
"…Did that girl actually receive my Blessing?"
Even now, he remembered the strong look in her eyes. And yet Soma had no
memory of her. Hestia was the only one he could ask.
"Without a doubt, she is one of the children who suffered due to your selfish
discontent. She's a little girl who grew strong as a result of your neglect."
Hestia took it a step further, telling him to imagine how much Lilly had
suffered after being abandoned by her own god.
The blue in her eyes became intense orbs in the dark as Soma was unable to
respond to her accusations.
"You should think long and hard about why she changed, the meaning behind
it."
Hestia had her hand on the door handle as she wrapped up her lecture with
that and left the room.
Soma was left alone with his thoughts.
He stood there quietly, Hestia's words running through his mind.
Hestia and Lilly rejoined the others at the base of the main tower and exited
Soma Familia's wine storage facility.
Miach had been waiting one block away in case of an emergency. Joining the
group of more than ten, they all ran together through the backstreets.
"Lilly's very sorry for the trouble she's caused…Thank you."
"It's all right…"
"Think nothing of it, Miss Lilly."
"That's right…It's nice to see you again."
Nahza, Mikoto, and Chigusa—her eyes hidden behind her bangs as usual—
responded to Lilly's apology.
Welf and the massive Ouka, holding a greatsword and a battle-ax over their
respective shoulders, were having their own conversation next to the girls.
"That wire, did you bring it with you?"
"Nah, found it in that tower. Thought it might be useful so I picked it up."
The sun seemed to be smiling down at them as everyone celebrated the
success of their mission.
Lilly moved closer to Hestia.
"But, Lady Hestia, Lilly doesn't understand how she can make a difference in
the War Game by herself…"
Hestia smiled at her confusion and then looked back at the path ahead.
"Not quite."
Hestia shook her head as Miach spoke up.
"You won't be alone."
All they had done was increase Lilly's confusion. She tilted her head in their
direction and Miach smiled back at her. Feeling another gaze on her, Lilly
looked the other way to see Mikoto with a very determined look in her eyes.
Even Welf was smiling at her.
The group reached a four-way intersection.
"See ya later, Li'l E."
"…Lady Hestia, we'll take our leave here."
Welf peeled away from the group and went down the right path. Ouka,
Mikoto, and Chigusa led their group down the road to the left.
Miach, Nahza, and Lilly watched them leave from the center of the
intersection when a sudden breeze swept through the backstreet.
Hestia held her black hair out of her eyes with her right hand.
She looked up at the blue sky, where the wind was blowing in a new
direction.
"Hmmm—gahhh…"
Takemikazuchi groaned.
He was pacing back and forth inside his own room in an old building
designed to house multiple families, built on the side of a narrow street. The god
lived alongside his six-member Familia; this building was their home. Arms
folded in front of his chest, he wore a troubled expression.
"The War Game…I want to assist Hestia, but…"
The Guild had already announced the details of the War Game.
Takemikazuchi knew full well that it was a castle-assault style and everything
that entailed.
His good friend needed military might and he wanted to help her. But he was
in a quandary.
Should he transfer one of his own followers to Hestia Familia with a
conversion ceremony, or not?
"It's impossible for Miach. He only has one and his Familia will collapse
should she leave…"
Without any members, Miach Familia would be disbanded by default and
revoked by the Guild. Miach would lose the reputation and recognition he'd
worked so hard to gain. There was also the possibility that he could be forced to
sell his home in order to pay off current debts.
Takemikazuchi completed yet another lap around his room, mumbling to
himself as he considered every possibility.
"Even among my own children, the only two who could compete with
Apollo's children are Ouka and Mikoto. Chigusa and the others would only
weigh them down…"
Chigusa and the other three were still Level 1 adventurers. Only Ouka and
Mikoto made sense.
"Ouka is the captain. I can't send him…"
Which would mean the only option was Mikoto—
"Would she be willing to go to a different Familia…?"
Mikoto loved Takemikazuchi Familia too much.
She'd always had a strong sense of justice and an urge to do what was right.
Was she capable of betraying Ouka and her allies? There was also the mission
given to them by their hometown in the Far East to consider—Mikoto would
never abandon it.
"I'll just have to find some way to convince her…After all, I'm the one who
wants to help Hestia…But wait, if I did that…Ghaaaaaa…!" Takemikazuchi
stopped in the middle of the room and scratched his head with both hands as he
groaned at the ceiling.
Caught up in a fit of very ungodlike indecision, he almost didn't hear the
knock outside his door.
"Lord Takemikazuchi, it is Mikoto…May I speak with you?"
"Ohh!" The deity jumped on the spot in surprise at the girl's visit.
Mikoto must've interpreted his surprise as an affirmative and opened the door
with a slight bow.
"…? Has something happened, my lord?"
"N-no. Everything's fine. Nothing to worry about."
The girl tilted her head as Takemikazuchi hastily straightened his hair.
Forcing an air of calm, the deity closed his mouth and looked upon his
follower. She, too, wore a distressed expression similar to his own.
Her silky black hair was tied back in its usual style. However, she carried
herself without her normal level of confidence, shoulders uncharacteristically
drooping. Even her violet-colored eyes were trembling as she met his gaze.
The two stood face-to-face in silence.
The tension building, Takemikazuchi gave in and opened his mouth.
"—Mi-Mikoto."
"—Lord Takemikazuchi!"
The two spoke at exactly the same moment.
Both paused, saying, "My apologies, go ahead," and, "Speak first, I insist,"
back and forth.
Mikoto was the first to accept the offer.
She took a deep breath and made eye contact with her god.
A moment later, she threw herself to the floor at his feet. Takemikazuchi
Familia's special technique, the prostrate bow.
"Please forgive me!"
"Wh-what?"
Takemikazuchi was taken aback by Mikoto's sudden plea, her hands, knees,
and forehead on the floorboards.
She didn't look up, only raised her voice to be heard clearly despite speaking
directly into the floor.
"Please allow me to go assist Sir Bell!"
Takemikazuchi's eyes shot open.
"Despite nearly causing his death, I haven't done anything to atone for my
actions! I also made a promise; we made a promise to help each other!"
Mikoto's body shook as her voice took on a more serious tone.
"This is my chance. I can't abandon him in his time of need…"
The look of surprise gradually left Takemikazuchi's face as he watched his
follower bare her soul to him.
His shoulders relaxed, arms hung loosely at his sides.
So we both came to the same conclusion…
He had been with her for so long and yet he had failed to anticipate how she
would react to the situation. It was shameful.
Takemikazuchi grimaced before a genuine smile grew on his lips.
"Ahhh…" He let out a long sigh. Mikoto's shoulders shook once again.
The deity looked back up at the ceiling and mumbled under his breath.
"One year…Such a long time."
Mikoto looked up with a start.
It was a rule among Familias: A child who had been transferred to a different
group with Conversion could not be transferred again for at least one year.
Mikoto immediately understood what his words meant. Her face grew
brighter and brighter by the second.
"But it will pass. Learn as much as you can from Hestia's children and come
back stronger than ever."
"—Yes, sir!"
Mikoto brought her fist and palm together as Takemikazuchi smiled upon her.
Lastly, she gave him her Familia emblem for him to hold on to until she
returned.
Mikoto Yamato had joined Hestia Familia.
"…"
Hephaistos sat at her desk, examining a dagger in her hands.
She was visiting one of her Familia's shops located on Northwest Main.
Rather than working in her private office, she was focusing on this particular
weapon.
There was a story behind its maker. A rather difficult child, his skills had
been rather unpolished at the time he forged this dagger, but passion for his craft
alone gave him incredible potential—that "passion" could be felt by anyone who
used the blade.
Hephaistos herself could feel it coursing through her when there came a
knock at her door.
"Enter."
She opened one of the desk drawers at her side, returned the blade to its
sheath, and placed it inside.
Closing the drawer, Hephaistos looked up to see the silhouette of a young
man in a black jacket standing in the doorway: Welf.
"What is it?"
Rather than answering, Welf walked up to the other side of her desk.
Showing no hesitation, he came as close as the desk would allow and met her
gaze.
"I've come to say good-bye."
He closed his eyes and continued.
"I'm joining Hestia Familia. Please allow it."
This was not a request for permission, but a demonstration of strong will and
determination.
Leaving Hephaistos Familia would mean that he would be forbidden to use
her logo as a smith. Despite attaining his dream of becoming a High Smith at
long last, he was willing to forfeit the right to engrave "Ἥφαιστος" into any of
his work and leave Hephaistos behind.
"And what makes you think I would allow such a selfish decision?"
"Because the goddess I know and love would scold me if I didn't."
Welf responded without missing a beat.
Hephaistos displayed no emotion, her face stoic as she asked another
question.
"Didn't you want to overcome the blood in your veins, create a weapon that
exceeds magic swords?"
"As long as I have a hammer, metal, and a good flame, I can forge weapons
anywhere. The one who taught me that was you."
Even apart from her, he would work to spread his name and reach a higher
plateau.
He answered her without any hesitation.
"And what was it that inspired this intense enthusiasm?"
Welf raised his chin and grinned.
"Friendship."
At long last, a smile appeared on Hephaistos's lips.
"Then I accept."
Hephaistos stood up from her desk and walked toward a long line of
hammers on a shelf behind her.
She selected one that was the same crimson color as her hair and eyes, and
picked it up.
She approached Welf, still standing in front of her desk, and handed the
hammer to him.
"A parting gift. Use it well."
Hephaistos said her good-bye by bestowing him with the soul of a smith.
Welf grinned from ear to ear and graciously accepted it with a bow.
"Thank you for everything."
The fabric in his black jacket ruffled as he turned to leave.
Leaving the goddess he revered behind, Welf confidently strode out of the
office.
Welf Crozzo had joined Hestia Familia.
"…So that's how it is. Would you mind helping out again?"
Hermes kept a close eye on her face as he asked.
They were a little ways away from The Benevolent Mistress, inside of the
wooden building where the employees lived. The elf Lyu sighed at Hermes's
forced smile.
"God Hermes, are you mistaking me for some handmaiden?"
"Sorry! But do this for Syr. Bell needs your help!"
"I would like you to refrain from using Syr as a bargaining chip…"
"S-sorry, Lyu…"
"Syr, your apology is unnecessary."
Three figures huddled together inside Lyu's private quarters: Hermes, Syr,
and Lyu herself.
There were only a few days left before the War Game. Hermes had lobbied to
allow outside involvement for just this reason, to request her help.
The condition: said outsider must belong to a Familia outside Orario—must
have the blessing of a deity from outside its walls. Since Lyu's goddess, Astria,
had not been in the city for some time, there would be no objection to her
participation.
Hermes felt slightly guilty for being directly responsible for forcing Bell and
Hestia into the extremely disadvantageous Castle Siege and this was his way to,
kindly, offer his assistance.
"Should I fight, there is a high probability that my identity will be revealed
during the War Game."
"Don't worry about that. I'll convince everyone that you came from
someplace on the other side of the mountains before the fight begins. No one
will believe you're a waitress at a bar once I'm through with them."
Several events in the recent past had landed a hooded adventurer on the
Guild's blacklist—there were still many who resented the "Gale Wind." Hermes
already had a plan to help keep her and those living with her anonymous and
safe.
Lyu sighed. "Mother Mia will scold me again."
Either way, the ex-adventurer couldn't abandon Bell to his fate. The elf
agreed to Hermes's request.
The room itself had very little decoration. Lyu walked a few paces to the
corner and grabbed a knapsack along with a wooden sword.
"I'll handle the paperwork with the Guild. It'd make it a lot easier to jump
through the hoops if I had your Familia's emblem. Do you still have it?"
"I do. Be sure not to misplace it."
"It'll never leave my sight," he said with a nod as he took the badge engraved
with the sword of justice and wings from her.
Lastly, Lyu approached Syr, who was holding out her cape.
"Do your best, Lyu. I'll come up with something to say to Mama."
"You have my gratitude, Syr."
Lifting the string of her knapsack over her shoulder, Lyu flashed a soft smile.
Hermes and Syr saw her out of the building and watched as she disappeared
into the night.
Lyu Lyon had joined the War Game.
Blades clashed in vicious flurries.
A silver flash, lashing forward at tremendous speed, was blocked head-on by
the downward swing of a crimson blade. Knife and saber collided under the
reddish glow of dusk, their wielders' blond and white hair flowing in the breeze.
The boy's long shadow passed over the stone surface, slamming into the
girl's shadow over and over. Each time he was thrown backward and each time
he charged again.
Their brutal training was taking place on top of the city wall around Orario.
"You learned how to…react without seeing…"
"D-do you really think so…?"
It was already the fifth day.
Aiz lowered her saber, signaling a brief pause in the action. Bell took a deep
breath and took a look at his own body. What was left of the evening sunlight
illuminated all the cuts, scrapes, bruises, and dried blood that littered his skin.
Completely covered in sweat, the boy's condition showed just how intense these
training sessions had been.
After gathering supplies and setting up a small camp, Bell had committed
himself fully to sparring with Aiz. They started just before the sun rose each
morning and continued until the stars lit up the night, dramatically increasing the
length and intensity of their sessions from the last time they were here. They ate
meals together and slept at the same time; neither of them had gone into the city
even once. A dirty pot and the remains of a fire sat on top of the path just inside
the chest-high stone wall, a guardrail on the city side of the wall. Three water
bottles and three sleeping bags also sat at the base of the guardrail.
Bell had his eyes focused on the cuts crisscrossing his arm when suddenly
—whoosh! A saber came at them from his blind spot without warning. His
instantaneous reflexes brought his weapon into the path of the oncoming blade,
deflecting it before he jumped backward.
Looking very rabbitlike, standing with his left shoulder higher than his right,
he stood at the ready for the next attack. Aiz seemed very satisfied as she nodded
over and over.
"Guess who's back!"
Bell and Aiz turned to face the owner of the cheerful voice.
Emerging from the doorway of the tower that housed a stairwell connecting
to the city street was Tiona with a very large backpack over her shoulder. She
skipped her way up to them and plopped the backpack at their feet on top of the
stone path with a light "Hup!"
"Picked up a ton of meat and fish! Bread and water, too!"
"Thanks, Tiona…"
"Sure thing! Ah, Argonaut, these blades work okay for you? I bought about
five of them."
"Y-yes, thank you very much…s-sorry for the trouble."
Bell stood next to Aiz, scared stiff, as Tiona withdrew the weapons from her
backpack one after another.
Tiona had been supplying the two of them with food and items for the past
five days. It was thanks to her that Bell and Aiz could focus solely on training.
Bell couldn't shake the feeling that he was building up quite a large debt to
the always smiling, happy-go-lucky Amazonian girl Tiona. With the exception
of Ushiwakamaru, he couldn't count how many blades had snapped in half or
been damaged beyond repair during their combat sessions.
"Well, I heard quite a bit around town. First off, the War Game is four days
from now."
"Four days…"
"Yep. It's gonna happen outside of Orario, so we have to think about travel
time…I'd say you've got maybe two more days left."
Tiona continued to relay the information she had collected that day.
Her update complete, Bell looked out over the guardrail and across the
beautiful cityscape.
"Exactly one week…Goddess."
The five days of training plus two more would make one week. Bell said a
quick thank-you to his goddess, who had managed to deliver on her promise.
Bell's ruby-red eyes smiled; he knew that somewhere in this gorgeous city,
Hestia was smiling back.
"Also, you'll never guess what was posted on the Guild's bulletin board.
Hestia Familia has some new members."
"Eh?!"
"Soma, Takemikazuchi, Hephaistos…Looks like all three of them transferred
someone."
Bell fought to contain his surprise and delight until Tiona was finished
talking. The two girls watched as his face lit up and tears of happiness rolled
down his face.
Hestia had saved Lilly, plus Welf and Mikoto were coming to help him. He
didn't need to know the details because he already understood. The black void
that had been eating away at him finally lifted, a new warmth flooding his soul.
Bell stretched out his arms. He looked at Aiz and Tiona with renewed
strength and willpower, feeling stronger than ever.
"Another round, please!"
The look in his eyes made Aiz and Tiona smile.
"Yes…"
"Try to keep up!"
The two girls went on the offensive beneath the red sky.
Three sets of legs dashed about with blinding speed.
Aiz, Tiona, and Bell mixed attack with counterattack in the very limited
space on top of the city wall. Two daggers, one silver saber, and two insanely
wide swords struck with jolting impacts, sparks lighting up the twilight sky.
"Ehsaa!"
Bell did everything he could to keep the attacks of two top-class adventurers
at bay. All the while he couldn't take his eyes off the massive blades in the
Amazonian girl's grasp. Despite learning how to defend against attacks from the
side, knowing that another blade exactly like that edge of death was following
right behind it sent shivers up his spine.
He knew immediately that the weapons were order made. Seeing her wield
the thick, heavy blades as if they were nothing more than shortswords was the
stuff of nightmares. The Amazonian girl smiled, practically laughing as she
danced her way into every strike.
Rather than trying to defend against such an attack head-on, Bell chose to get
out of the way.
Jumping back to avoid the first and to his right to dodge the second, the boy
managed to get clear. However, Tiona charged forward even though her weapons
weren't poised to strike.
"Hup!" Spinning in midair, Tiona unleashed a kick right into Bell's face.
"Geh?!"
The wheat-colored skin of her bare foot buried itself in his cheek, sending the
boy flying backward. Hitting the stone floor and bouncing several times, Bell
rolled to a merciful stop.
"Try not to use potions. If you take one after every hit, you'll run out really
quick. Better to kick the habit."
"I-I'll try…"
Tiona approached him with her swords over her shoulders, looking like
wings from hell. Aiz wasn't too far behind. Tiona gave him some advice as soon
as she saw the boy's hand reach for his leg holster.
"That's the thing about being an adventurer. We still have to be able to move
even after the crap's been beaten out of us!"
Although she was holding back, the kick of a top-class adventurer to the face
can inflict immense damage. Bell slowly nodded as feeling returned to his head.
Just as she'd suggested, it would be a good idea to learn how to fight well when
not at full strength. The lesson had literally been beaten into him.
Gritting his teeth, Bell climbed to his feet as Tiona looked on with a satisfied
smile.
"My turn."
"?!"
The session started back up. Bell was forced to use both knives in order to
repel Aiz's direct attack.
Not only that, Tiona circled around to his blind side and continued her
assault. Two of the greatest sword wielders in Orario weren't holding back any
techniques on top of the city wall. Bell desperately intercepted each strike,
deflecting the blades out of his ever-changing path. However, he hadn't come
here to learn how to defend. He had to find a window for counterattack.
Fighting off his own cowardice, Bell surprised both of them by charging
forward.
"!"
Aiz's posture slipped ever so slightly.
Her feet and shoulders weren't on the same page, moving in different
directions as Bell came in for his attack. Bell couldn't believe his luck. The girl's
feminine frame was trying to retreat, leaving her side wide open. This was his
chance and he didn't hesitate.
A golden opportunity—score a hit on the Kenki.
Taking aim for her ribs, Bell took a quick step forward and thrust the dagger
in his left hand toward his opponent.
"Hm."
"—"
But Aiz spun her body around like a top, armor a blur.
Taking advantage of his outstretched position, Aiz easily dodged the weapon
and traded places with Bell. Now directly behind him, she whipped her saber
forward with less than her full strength and nailed the light armor protecting the
boy's back.
"BuuHA?!"
"You dove for the opening…" said Aiz as Bell landed flat on his chest on top
of the stone floor.
Only then did Bell realize it was a trap. She had baited and set it for the rabbit
as though to demonstrate the prowess of a skilled hunter. Bell's head hit the
stone surface in disappointment.
The boy pushed off the stone floor into a sitting position. Aiz crouched down
in front of him and continued her lesson.
"Monsters and people fight differently…"
"Y-yes."
"Monsters always attack head-on, aiming to kill…but people read each other,
change their strategy."
Unlike monsters that used their full power all the time, people used
techniques and experience to gain the upper hand in a fight. This was especially
true of the combatants of similar strength and skill.
"People become easier to read when they see a window. Just like now."
"…!"
"Guard is lowest when the final blow is near…That's what I was taught."
People became overconfident when they saw victory within their grasp,
which meant they neglected to cover their blind side.
That was especially true during a duel.
Bell looked up, making eye contact with Aiz as she finished her impassioned
explanation.
"Your best opportunity lies in the moment you've been cornered. Don't
forget."
Bell carved her words into his very soul.
Aiz held out her hand. Bell nodded and took it.
She pulled him to his feet.
"How about some more?"
"Yeah…"
"Yes!"
Both combatants nodded at Tiona's invitation and their battle heated up once
more.
Lessons of the top-class adventurers fresh in his mind, Bell continued his
training long into the night.
In order to grasp victory or to rescue a friend.
Each of the people caught in the whirlpool was taking their own actions for
their own reasons and coming together.
The city of Orario might appear calm on the surface, but excitement was
building underneath its placid exterior.
The War Game was fast approaching. With each passing day, the average
citizens of the city discussed it on the streets, at their workplaces, and over a jug
of ale at their favorite bar. The number of adventurers going into the Dungeon
fell dramatically, forcing disappointed shops to close early. No one seemed to
want to do anything else. Even the children seemed to sense that something was
different. Many of them gathered in city parks wielding toy swords and staging
their own games.
Orario was quietly, but undoubtedly, boiling over with excitement. It grew
more intense as the War Game drew nearer.
Most of all, the ones closest to the people caught in the whirlpool had their
own reactions as they watched the preparations unfold.
The curtain of night fell over the city, revealing a star-filled sky.
The white tower in the middle of it all looked over the city as magic-stone
lamps gradually lit up its surroundings.
"Lady Freya, it has been completed as ordered…Lady Freya?"
In the highest room of Babel Tower.
While Freya heard the words of her follower, Ottar, she didn't respond in the
slightest.
The man looked upon her in concerned confusion as she ran her fingers
through her long, gorgeous silver hair. The goddess sat in her usual chair facing
the window, watching something outside with so much intensity that Ottar was
afraid the glass would melt.
"…Fu-fu."
Her silver eyes were being drawn to a fierce battle taking place atop the city
wall.
The blond-haired, golden-eyed knight along with the warrior wielding
massive twin blades fought two-on-one against a white-haired boy. Two female,
one male, three different spirits "glowed" as they clashed. Freya was enjoying
every second of it.
She felt no pity for the boy whenever he was launched into the air by the
Amazonian girl or cut down by the long-haired human.
This was because every time the boy got up, his soul shone brighter. It was as
if this training ground was a forge and the girls were eliminating all impurities,
like a smith prepping metal. They were drawing out his soul's clear glow.
It was that glow that originally drew Freya to him and would hold her interest
until the end of time. Every hit the boy took added a new sparkle. The goddess
sat there, completely transfixed.
"…Are you certain that we can allow Apollo's followers to go through with
this?"
Ottar tried once again to draw her attention away from the city wall.
Her eyes stayed put, but she used one thin finger to pull a lock of her silver
hair behind her ear and grinned.
"I thought about crushing them for trying something so stupid but…No."
Her silver eyes narrowed as they followed the boy charging back into battle
against the human girl and the Amazon.
"No goddess worthy of her divinity wouldn't want to see how this turns out."
Her cheeks pulled back into a full smile as she looked down from her spot
among the stars.
Unable to rest, the stars twinkled brightly through the night.
Even at this late hour, the Guild headquarters was alive with activity. Clerks
holding stacks of papers, receptionists carrying boxes upon boxes, and
employees with no time to sit down were busily working in every corner of the
Pantheon decorated with white pillars.
With the War Game only four days away, there was enough work to be done
to make their eyes spin.
"No more! I'm gonna die right here!"
"Misha, you're too heavy…"
The human receptionist Misha set yet another stack of papers down on her
desk before drifting over to Eina and collapsing onto her back amid the
commotion. The half-elf looked at her old friend with tired eyes as she spoke
again.
"Eina, wha'cha doing…?"
"Making a plan to keep people away from the war zone…Advising, I guess."
A small mountain range of paperwork encircled her desk, each pile bearing
Eina's handwriting.
"Do not enter" was written in big, bold letters—all referring to the Shreme
Castle ruins located southeast of Orario.
"Shreme Castle…Didn't that group of robbers decide to move in a while
back?"
"Yes. Ganesha Familia accepted our request to remove them ahead of time.
A few quests have also been issued to help them out…It's a good opportunity to
catch them while we can."
Eina continued writing while she responded to Misha's question.
Misha could hear the constrained energy in Eina's voice despite her weak
tone. The girl looked at the side of Eina's face before standing up and bringing
her chair next to her.
"Eina…are you worried about Bell?"
"…Worried? How could I not be worried…"