Loki's usually closed eyes suddenly snapped wide open. The ever-present smile on her face vanished, and a vein bulged on the left side of her forehead—a clear sign of how furious she was at what Kazuma had just said. She pointed her index finger straight at him.
"Aqua Familia, huh? Good!! Then it's settled! War Game!!! A War Game between Loki Familia and Aqua Familia!!"
"War Game?? I have no idea what that is, but basically, you from the Loki Familia want to challenge our Aqua Familia to a fight, right? Fine, I accept!!"
Kazuma accepted Loki's challenge without giving any thought to the consequences. In his current state of being "high"—or rather, in "Top Condition"—he tended to make impulsive decisions.
The Hostess of Fertility fell into sudden silence. Everyone inside tried to process what they had just heard.
The Loki Familia, one of the strongest in Orario, had challenged the newly formed Aqua Familia—barely two days old—to a War Game. This was the kind of news that could shake all of Orario.
"Hoooh, you've got the guts to accept, huh? In that case, I'll send my messenger to you in three days. I hope you won't regret it."
Loki grinned widely, clearly thrilled that Kazuma had so easily taken the bait. Just imagining how she could get her revenge on him brought her immense satisfaction.
"Loki... are you serious?"
Finn regretted leaving this matter in Loki's hands. It hadn't even been a minute since he entrusted her with the issue, and she had already challenged another Familia to a War Game.
"I'm serious, Finn. Now, let's get out of here!"
Loki responded briefly before leading the Loki Familia out of the Hostess of Fertility. Aqua Familia followed suit, leaving right after Kazuma released Tiona and Tione from his Bind spell.
After all the main actors left the pub, the adventurers who had been there quickly exited as well, eager to spread the news across the city. The core of the rumors that circulated had two major points.
First: Three Level 5 adventurers from the Loki Familia were defeated by a Level 1 adventurer from Aqua Familia.
Second: The Loki Familia had challenged the Aqua Familia, which had been formed just two days ago, to a War Game.
....
....
....
Midnight at Twilight Manor
Twilight Manor, home of the Loki Familia, stood on the northern side of Orario. The building was made up of several tall towers, overlapping and supporting each other.
At midnight, when all activities within the manor were supposed to come to a halt and the lights should have been out, the exact opposite was happening.
All the lights in the manor were on, and every member of the Loki Familia was awake, discussing the upcoming War Game.
Inside a meeting room, there was a round table.
At the head of the table sat a blond-haired Pallum, leading the discussion.
He was Finn Deimne, the captain of the Loki Familia, currently at Level 6.
Seated around the table were the core members—the strongest warriors of the Loki Familia.
First, there was a female High Elf named Riveria Ljos Alf, the vice-captain of the Loki Familia. Like Finn, she was a Level 6 adventurer.
Second, a Dwarf named Gareth Landrock, also a Level 6 adventurer.
Third, Aiz Wallenstein, a Level 5 swordswoman.
Fourth, their goddess, Loki, who was clinging to Aiz's side.
As for the rest, Bete, Tiona, and Tione were unconscious. Beside the three of them was Lefiya, who was trying to heal them with her magic.
"Alright, all the core members are here. Before we proceed, I've asked Raul to gather information about the Aqua Familia. While we wait for Raul to return, let's discuss the adventurer named Satou Kazuma. Please share your thoughts first."
Finn kicked off the meeting by asking everyone for their opinions on Kazuma.
"He's a very strong adventurer. Just by the way he effortlessly dodged Bete, Tiona, and Tione's attacks, I'd say he's at least Level 5 or higher,"
Gareth was the first to voice his opinion.
"Yeah, I agree with Gareth. Only adventurers above Level 5 can pull off moves like that. Even I can't fight against Tiona and Tione without getting touched by them at all."
Finn blinked and nodded in agreement with Gareth's assessment.
"But why have we never heard of an adventurer named Satou Kazuma or the Aqua Familia? Judging by his name, he's likely from the Far East. However, adventurers outside Orario can only reach a maximum of Level 3. I think the reason he's so strong must be because of that black and white mask."
Although Gareth and Finn's opinions seemed reasonable, Riveria disagreed.
"Hmmmmm...."
Aiz fell silent, lost in thought. Although she tried to hide it, Loki noticed.
'So the kid I saved in the dungeon earlier is named Bell. I thought he ran away from me because he was scared. But based on what that guy Satou Kazuma said, that kid actually likes me.'
"What's wrong, Aiz-tan? If you want to say something, just go ahead," Loki urged.
Loki tapped Aiz on the shoulder, pulling her out of her daydream. Aiz shook her head; there was no way she could say something like that in such a serious moment. Instead, she redirected Loki's attention by discussing Kazuma's abilities.
"I think Satou Kazuma's ability is quite dangerous, especially that skill called 'Drain Touch.' He only needs to touch Bete, Tiona, and Tione briefly to defeat them. Even now, they're still unconscious, despite Lefiya trying to heal them."
Upon hearing Aiz's opinion, everyone turned their attention to Lefiya, who was tending to Bete, Tiona, and Tione. Riveria, as Lefiya's mentor, asked her,
"What about you, Lefiya? What did you find after examining Bete, Tiona, and Tione?"
"Their condition is similar to Mind Zero, but worse than that."
Mind Zero is a condition where someone faints due to using too much magic until their magical energy is completely depleted.
"Worse than Mind Zero? Please explain further, Lefiya."
"If Mind Zero is a case of someone running out of magical energy, their current condition is different. Bete, Tiona, and Tione has had all her magical energy drained completely, and her vitality has also decreased."
"Draining both magical energy and vitality? That's an incredibly dangerous skill. Moreover, its activation only requires a simple touch."
Riveria took a deep breath and exhaled, realizing just how dangerous the Drain Touch skill was.
In the midst of this important meeting, Raul finally returned to Twilight Manor after gathering information about the Aqua Familia. He hurried to the meeting room to share this crucial information.
"Finn, I've gathered information about the Aqua Familia!"
"Good job, Raul. Then go ahead and share everything you know about the Aqua Familia."
"Alright, then let's start with their members. Their goddess is named Aqua, and the Familia has three adventurers."
"Their captain is Satou Kazuma, and then there's a small girl named Megumin; judging by her appearance, she's definitely a mage. Lastly, there's a girl named Darkness, who wears black armor and wields a longsword."
"The Aqua Familia arrived in Orario two days ago. They arrived at Babel using a large magic circle."
"At first, people thought a new goddess had descended from heaven, but since there were three mortals following her, the Guild decided to investigate further. After confirming, they found that the group came from a city called Axel."
"When they arrived here, they knew nothing about Falna; even their goddess, Aqua, didn't know how to grant it."
"So it can be concluded that all the adventurers in the Aqua Familia are Level 1."
"...."
"...."
"...."
"...."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing Raul's last statement. More specifically, it was the last two words. Those two words felt like a massive explosion, rendering all the previous information insignificant.
"Level 1, you say?"
Loki couldn't contain her shock. She stared at Raul with narrowed eyes full of suspicion.
Children from the lower world couldn't deceive the gods; it was an absolute rule. Loki knew that Raul wasn't lying to her, but that didn't eliminate the possibility that he could have received false information and mistakenly believed it to be true.
"There's no mistake, this information is accurate, and there are many eyewitnesses to confirm it."
"If this news is true, then the adventurer named Satou Kazuma becomes even more dangerous!"
Finn interrupted Loki and Raul.
"What do you think, Loki? Do you still want to challenge the Aqua Familia to a War Game?"
...
...
....
On this moonlit night, the city of Orario was illuminated by a moon unobscured by clouds.
Under the moonlight, Bell ran toward the outskirts of the city, tears streaming down his face. Behind him, Hestia tried to catch up with Bell by running with all her might.
Bell ran with all his might until he finally reached a river. He decided to sit by the riverbank and reflect on what had just happened.
"Why?"
"Why did I run away?"
"Why did I flee when someone humiliated me in front of the girl I like?"
"Why didn't I have the courage to deny it?"
"Is it because everything he said was true?"
"Damn it..."
Fifteen minutes passed.
Hestia finally found Bell sitting alone by the riverbank. He looked very sad and gloomy.
Hestia had heard directly from Bell how he was saved by Aiz Wallenstein. Of course, Hestia understood why Bell was feeling this way, especially since his embarrassing story had been exposed in public.
Hestia approached Bell and tried to encourage him.
"Bell-kun"
"Hestia-sama"
Bell lifted his head and saw Hestia standing behind him. He quickly wiped away the tears still lingering on his cheeks.
"Bell-kun, I know you've been losing your confidence lately."
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize! Listen to me, Bell-kun, you're a novice adventurer; it's natural to be weak. So don't compare yourself to those who have been adventuring for years. They've become strong because they've spent years fighting monsters and honing their skills."
"But, Kazuma-san..."
"Ah, he's an exception; don't think about him. What I want to say is that you are my family. I don't care how strong the adventurers from other familias are. So you just need to concentrate on yourself, without worrying about what others think of you."
After that, Hestia and Bell chatted for a while before deciding to head home. On their way back, they heard something unbelievable.
"Hey, did you hear? Loki Familia challenged Aqua Familia to a War Game!"
"Huh? Aqua Familia? Which familia is that?"
"You don't even know? Aqua Familia was just formed two days ago!"
"Hahaha, then I offer my condolences to Aqua Familia. Just two days since their establishment, they're already targeted by one of the major familias in this city. It seems they'll be crushed soon enough."
Hestia stared at Bell, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.. Bell mirrored her expression, gazing at Hestia in disbelief. They were both questioning what they had just heard.
However, as they continued walking, everyone on the street was saying the same thing.
Hestia and Bell rushed toward the Hostess of Fertility, hoping Aqua Familia was still there. But when they arrived, it was too late.
Aqua Familia was gone, Loki Familia was gone, and all the customers had left the Hostess of Fertility.
In the pub, only a few female waitress remained, busy tidying up.
Hestia approached a yellow-haired elf waitress and asked her,
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Ummm… what is it?"
"Is it true that Loki Familia challenged Aqua Familia to a War Game?"
"Yeah, that's true," the waitress replied succinctly.
After that, Hestia listened closely to how Loki Familia challenged Aqua Familia to a War Game.
Hestia and Bell grew even more doubtful about what they had heard; they might have believed they were in a dream if the elf's information were accurate.
So, if the information from the elf was true, then.....
"Aqua Familia fought against Loki Familia because they tried to stop Loki Familia from humiliating Bell in public."
(To Be Continued)
(A/N: Sorry, I took too long to write this chapter. Honestly, I'm feeling a bit lost while writing this. I've already written quite a bit of the plotline, but I'm confused about how to wrap it up. To be honest, I prefer fast-paced stories, but when I worked on this chapter with a fast-paced approach and asked my friend for their opinion, they said no one could follow my writing unless they opened my head and read it directly from there. So, I've decided to slow down the pace of the story.)