[AT HERMES FAMILIA]
As the morning came, having already woken up for 30 minutes, yet still haven't shown any signs of getting up on the bed.
Staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.
If it's 8 months ago, before Mother hasn't shown any signs of getting pregnant yet, I would've already been getting up and starting a new day full of energy. Yet my mood's already started deteriorating after my mother started showing signs of being pregnant; it's only because of me still clinging to the last string of hope that I can still keep myself together that hope, well, it's ridiculous—getting cheating abilities.
As ridiculous as it sounds, it's only normal for me to get such foolish and nonsensical ideas of hoping to at least get cheat-like abilities; after all, who among the reincarnated or isekai'd people wouldn't dream of wanting to get one!?
Before I died, it's already becoming too common for reincarnated or summoned people in novels, comics, and anime to get at least one cheat-like ability.
So, me getting such foolish ideas is completely normal.
I've already started getting desperate just months after I got born. After all, knowing that the one who gave birth to you has an incurable disease and is about to die in the future, who wouldn't be?
I've already started planning things just a few days after I was born, but I can only make slow progress due to the many weaknesses of being a baby: I can't talk properly, I can't walk, I can't even handle any slightly heavy stuff, I have to act like a baby, and I have to make it look like I'm some kind of genius or talented baby who can learn quickly and not something too creepily mature, like what an adult would act or it'll only be detrimental for my future plans if I got caught.
It's only when I turned one that I got to start speaking some basic words, making it easy for me to borrow some books, though I only first started reading the basic ones, like something for me to learn the language of this world, the history, other races, gods and falna, and obviously the dungeon.
And it took me a whopping one and a half years just to finish only the basic ones, even with the advantages of me being a reincarnated person, because being a baby means having a weak body; it's too easy to get tired—physically and mentally.
Can't really overuse a baby brain even with the mentality or soul of a teenager. After that, I skipped reading other stuff and started directly at learning alchemy, medical knowledge, and everything about all the currently known diseases.
And for another one and a half years, I barely gained the basics for several reasons.
Firstly, I'm not smart. Secondly, some of the logic and common sense that are deeply ingrained in my head from my past life are getting in the way, making me too narrow-minded to completely learn everything, as the majority of it relies on magic.
And lastly, my aunty—Alfia, she always forces me out of my room to train me when I just barely became 2 years old, after hearing that I'm a genius and too talented, which made me almost go crazy.
And I can't just tell her that my mother's going to die earlier than they predicted thanks to my lecherous old man and the failure in killing that hateful one-eyed black lizard, causing the majority of the familia members to pass away from both the lizard and the Loki and Freya Familia, who also killed and kicked out some of the remaining members due to the nefarious deeds that the Zeus and Hera Familia did to them.
If those mentioned events hadn't happened, my mother should've been able to live for at least 10 years, but without the support of the Zeus or Hera familia, it's completely impossible.
Even if I always tried to tell Alfia that I want to study more things that are needed to cure both of their diseases, she wouldn't even bother listening to me and always threw me outside to train (beat) me.
"I really hate her," I muttered as I was reminiscing about the past.
Just thinking about the past makes me feel a bit of regrets: one, I should've spent more time with my mother; two, I should've killed my lecherous old man myself; and some more.
Though, thinking about it, even if I want to spend more time with my mother, it's hard, not only because she needed to spend the majority of her time resting and having her daily checkup. I also needed to study more about medicines and alchemy quickly after learning the current timeline, which made me even more desperate and frustrated.
After all, the first thing that I did after learning that my mother is Meteria and I'm in Danmachi was to check the current timeline.
If I were born at least 10 years earlier before the subjugation of the black lizard, I would've at least learned more and hopefully gained skills or even magic about curing diseases due to my intense yearning for creating anything that will help cure the disease permanently or at least temporarily to buy some time.
Not only for learning more but also waiting for my cheats.
Though, now that I think about it, does it make me a horrible person for seemingly not feeling too much about my mother, who just died yesterday? I wonder?
I only feel empty right now, so does that make me one? If I spent more time with my mother and have gotten more attached to her, would I feel anything else? Something more intense and dark?
After all, not only have I lost my mother but also some of the familia members of both Hera and Zeus that took care and played with me when they had some spare time, as my mother doesn't really have much strength to take care of my needs every day, making me also feel some attachment to them.
But why don't I still feel anything? Or maybe I do, but can only subconsciously suppress it right now when I still can't sort out my feelings?
*Sigh*
But I guess thinking about heavy stuff is useless to me right now, as I needed to think more about what I have to do from now on.
My brother, the protagonist of this world, Bell Cranel and Alfia, who also have an incurable disease like my mother.
Firstly, getting some skills to cure Alfia and gaining more strength is something I needed.
I can think about Bell's later, as he has Zeus to take care of him safely away anyway.
Though I also need to go outside of Orario. After all, I'm not even sure if I can survive here without sufficient strength, as the Evilus will make a move soon after the fall of the Zeus and Hera familias.
Some people already know my connections to both familias; I also don't want to go with Zeus and Bell. There's no one reliable enough to train me in that village; also, Alfia and Zald needed to return to Orario after escorting them to that village to take care of some matters, so they're a no-go.
"I guess I need to ask that lecherous God, huh?"
=================================
"What!? You don't want to go with us?" An old man exclaimed.
Though he may look old, he still has a large muscular body and is full of vitality with the way he always moves.
It's the God that led one of the most powerful and renowned familia in the history of the world, the God King of the Olympian Pantheon, it's none other than, the God of Lightning—Zeus.
"And you also wanted someone to train you away from Orario? Hmm..." Zeus, bewildered, scratches his beard with a thoughtful manner as he thinks about the request of one of the sons of his two children from his familia.
Not only was Van a son of his children, but he's also one of the children of the man he considered a close friend. So he considered thinking about his request more carefully.
*Sigh*
Looking into Van's eyes, who's already determined on training away from him and Orario, he couldn't help but sigh as he can't, or rather is powerless to do anything to convince him after all what happened to him, so he can't really stop him, or it'll only be detrimental to his growth when he already knew the benefits of what Van wanted to do.
Even though he's not his chosen hero or one of the reincarnated warriors or renowned figures of the past, he can't help but feel responsible for him too, not just Bell.
But thinking of any trustworthy people outside of Orario that can train Van is quite problematic.
Aphrodite can make any man stronger but is still a big no-no; Athena is a bit too busy and unreliable sometimes; Poseidon's Familia is not compatible with what Van needed in his training; and some trustworthy battle-oriented gods from his pantheon still haven't descended yet.
"Hmm..." Zeus kept brainstorming until his eyes brightened and he became wide-eyed. With a large smile on his face, he turned to look at Van, who's blankly staring into an empty space.
"Good news, child! I know a perfect person who can (hopefully) train you outside of Orario! Though don't expect too much!"
Zeus happily shouted to Van while thinking of that person.
That's right! She's the only person he could think of, someone reliable and can be trusted, someone who's aligned with Justice, though she can be a bit too extreme to men sometimes, even making it into a sport when hunting them; fortunately, that's only to the perverts who tried to peek and sexually harassed her or her friends and those with evil dispositions.
And in terms of hunting skills, she's one of the top in Genkai; she's also extremely skilled in teaching useful skills not only for hunting and survival but also various miscellaneous stuff needed in life, making it even more perfect for Van!
Speaking of perverts, I hope she became milder after spending some time in the mortal world away from her stalkers and admirers so she won't turn me into a porcupine.
Zeus have a cold sweat as he thought about the past when he almost became a porcupine from trying to peek at her while she's taking a bath in a lake.
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[English is not my native language, so, please do forgive me if there's an error in my grammars]