The helmet worked its wonders on all the slaves but two of them... They were just broken exactly like the soulless husks I used to fuse into Tamamo. And as such the helmet didn't even work on them as there was no soul for it to interface between said soul and the mind.
But with all the slaves freed, and their free will returned. Then came Astraea's Justice. A justice which was as swift as an arrow and as deadly and to the point as a spear to the heart.
"Did you enslave that man? Did you torture this woman till the point her soul shattered? Did you feed your older brother who was about to inherit your parent's property to the monsters in the lake."
So many questions dragged out from the ever so willing mouths of the slaves gave Astraea concrete evidence to ask her questions.
And to say nothing of her domains as a goddess of justice. But you couldn't tell a lie to a Danmachi divine period. So when the nobles, the powerful merchants blustered, lied and even threatened her.
She kept a calm face and would simply repeat the questions with Lyra or Kaguya giving the charge a good punch to the stomach to get them to squeal.
And it was damning... Under the gaze of the goddess, they confessed under coercion of further violence and of course the futility of lying due to their bodies' state as a limbless nugget.
Then with a truthful conviction being made, Astraea would consign each and every one of the surviving merchants, nobles, or criminals that Eris captured to death by drowning in the lake.
As she said bluntly. "Justice is earning the consequences for your own actions. The life you lived, making others suffer does not preclude you from an easy death... And nor will it gain you any favors in the afterlife."
And I watched as the ladies of the Astraea familia with emotionless expressions carry out the divine judge's orders of execution. Only Alise the Astraea Captain, looked discomforted but even she put aside her feelings, and the limbless criminals were thrown far into the water of Lake Melen.
With the blood leaking from their limbless bodies quickly attracts the monsters within to drag them into the waters.
Then with all the masters dealt with, and the answers Eris wanted pulled from their mouths. I spoke out as silence fell over us as we took in the freed men and women who were standing awkwardly as they covered up their shame as their owners didn't clad them in proper clothes.
"Now... What will we do with these free people?" I asked throwing a look at the people.
The people shivered and then the first man I gave the helmet raised a hand and said. "I just need some work to make money to go home... I was taken from my town when I went hunting and I just want to go home to my family."
I raised an eyebrow as many people didn't want to be involved in Melen, let alone Orario's bullshit. But after a while, I saw the elf girl, and the cat girls ask their own there own plans.
The elf girl looked over at Astraea and while looking nervous she asked. "Could I join your Familia, Lady Astraea?!"
And as I looked at the younger elf, I realized that she looked a bit familiar. Then as Astraea looked at her and asked. "What is your name young elf?"
I realized who she was as she placed her hand over her chest and announced. "My name is Ryuu Lion, Lady Astraea!"
'Huh, makes sense as I haven't seen Ryuu yet... However I can't help but wonder if anything with her will change with how she was ever so briefly a slave for a while. Or hell was she even a slave in canon?' I wondered in thought.
But while Astraea was accepting Ryuu into her familia the two cat ladies walked over to me and Eris with the older black-haired cat beastkin asking. "Excuse me benefactors, but are your familia's accepting members?"
To which Eris looked at the woman and her daughter and said bluntly but not un-kindly. "No, the Hera Familia at this point isn't accepting new members that haven't had a Falna yet."
Even as the mother and daughter looked a bit dissapointed, I remembered how all the level three's basically of Hepheastus's Familia had been slaughtered or crippled along with all the level fours being utterly slaughtered. As they were the only ones who could slightly resist the Zeus members who purged our Familia.
So I gave a slight noise of thought before I shrugged and asked. "I am part of the Hepheastsus Familia, and she would be open to having a Level three join for sure."
I then added with some curiosity in my voice. "As an adventurer, what is your focus and occupation?"
As in I was asking if she was an enchanter, mage, typical murder hobo adventure, a smith, or a potioneer.
And after she regathered her thoughts, the matronly beauty laid a hand on her chest as she spoke softly. "I am a combat-focused adventurer... Though I am rather adept in working with threads and leather to make adventurer quality clothes and undersuits."
She then held an arm out to her daughter and she spoke a bit more nervously. "And my daughter Blake here has been trained by myself as well, in both combat and doing some seamstress work."
I put a finger up my lip before I looked over at Tina and Tamamo who nodded together. With Tina saying with a wry smile. "We need more people to fill out this mansion. And Lady Hepheastus certainly won't say no."
The older woman gladly clapped her hands together making her ample bossom bounce in their low cut outfit as she said with some excitement. "Good! My name is Kali Belladonna, I was one of the executives of the Osial Familia before he was forced to flee the southern desserts. And this is my daughter Blake Belladonna who hasn't gotten a Falna yet."
I gave a slight hum of thought as I gave the two ladies a more introspective look with their introductions and honestly... There certainly nothing to complain about some beautiful catgirls.
So I smiled and I gave Tina and Tamamo a couple of small bags filled with Valis and told them. "Girls please lead these ladies and gentlemen to the hotel district and rent out a couple rooms for them to stay to get their feet under them for a week. Eris, I need to speak with you about the commission Hera gave me."
I knew better than to mention Alfia's cure, as she was still the 'Demon of Talent' and her sickness being removed would make her so. Sooo much scarier with how much faster she will grow, to say nothing of her physical bodies issues being removed.
So as Astraea, and the rest of her ladies went to help send the freedmen and women to a couple of hotels to get them on their feet. I walked back into my mansion with Eris and the two Belladonna's following me.
Once we got inside I told the two to go get a room as it looked like Blake was a couple steps away from being catatonic from all the stress of the night. And then I went into my own bedroom with Eris to speak with her in privacy.