P/N let me know if there's any mistakes and I will try to fix them
EPILOGUE
The Decision's Cost
He walked through city streets illuminated by the western sun.
The sky was still red. Bell had parted ways with the Xenos and
was now en route to Daedalus Street.
Although it pained him to leave before Wiene woke up, he left
her in their hands.
The public would be more than just suspicious should anyone
see him together with her. Fels joined Lido's group to help the
Xenos who were now scattered about the surface.
Bell walked with his head down, so as to not draw attention.
He'd arrived on one of the mazelike district's main streets
where Hestia Familia and Loki Familia were most likely still
around. He couldn't just run home and let the whole thing blow
over.
Bell had to see with his own eyes exactly what had happened,
what his decisions had caused.
No one had shouted at him on his way through the city streets
—but the situation changed the moment he set foot back here.
"...?!"
Guild employees rushed about; injured people sprawled out on
the ground. Several broken walls also looked familiar. People in
the area started to notice the pale boy taking in the sights as he
passed through.
Townspeople, adventurers, and Guild employees glared dag-
gers in his direction.
He was the boy who had prioritized his own greed, protected a
monster, and pursued it himself for money, and they silently crit-
icized him with a vengeance.
"Yo, Bell Cranell. You get that dragon's jewel?"
"Why would you do it…? And Loki Familia was fighting so
hard for us."
"Some adventurer you are…Little Rookie, my ass!"
Although it wasn't long before people he'd never met began to
take out their anger on him.
They didn't hide their merciless contempt for the boy as he
trudged through the street.
Hostility, hatred, and despair.
Never having been faced with these dark human emotions be-
fore, Bell's breath caught in his throat.
The name of the "Little Rookie," renowned ever since his vic-
tory in the War Game, had fallen from grace.
Fame and high hopes could be lost with a single action. They
were two sides to the same coin. One side meant trust; the other,
disappointment.
Bell had betrayed them all. The coin would never flip.
As he encountered the anger of those hurt by his actions, Bell
felt his trembling hands turn cold as he endured and pressed on.
Then…
" ."
Bell came to a halt when he arrived at the street.
The stone pavement was split and broken everywhere. Moun-
tains of debris occupied spaces where houses once stood. There
were charred remnants of the battle. The devastation told him
one thing—this was what his decision had cost.
"Bell…"
Hestia stood off to the side of the road. Welf and Mikoto were
with her. Lilly and Haruhime looked physically ill. It made Bell's
heart ache.
"..."
Aiz was a short distance away. She was staring in his direction
with the rest of Loki Familia looming behind her. While some
were busy at work, there were others who clearly wanted to give
him a piece of their minds. Bell swallowed hard.
"...!"
Then, several Guild employees came into view, along with
what was the main battleground.
Amid all the venomous glares, one of the women caught sight
of him and immediately rushed over.
She had swishing brown hair, emerald-green eyes behind her
glasses, and pointed half-elf ears.
"Miss…Eina…"
Eina came to a stop right in front of the dazed boy.
Her piercing gaze was accompanied by a deep frown, a severe
expression that he'd never seen on her before.
No one dared approach.
Everyone around stood completely still; the silence seemed
deafening to Bell's ears.
Eina slowly opened her mouth.
"You put numerous people in danger for self-centered reasons.
You even attacked other adventurers Is this true?"
—It's not.
He wanted to say so.
The last thing he wanted was for her of all people to get the
wrong idea.
Unfortunately, he couldn't say anything for Wiene's sake—for
all the Xenos.
Bell hung his head and answered.
"…Yes."
A moment later—SLAP!
A dry impact accompanied the pain in his cheek.
Eyes wide with shock, he looked up. Eina stood with her right
hand out and tears in her eyes—she was angry.
"I don't believe you…!"
Then tears spilled from her emerald eyes.
"I could never…believe you…!"
Crying, Eina wrapped her arms around Bell.
She had seen through his lie, and she was angry that he was
hiding the truth, pained by his unwillingness to talk to her.
Bell was speechless as Eina hung off him and hiccupped be-
tween sobs.
—Lend a weeping lady your shoulder, hold her.
His grandfather's teachings echoed in the back of his mind,
and both of Bell's arms rose to the middle of Eina's back…before
falling limp at his sides.
—Gramps, I…
I don't know what to do.
It was his fault that Eina, whom he practically saw as his older
sister, was weeping. The people around them forgot themselves
watching the miserable scene.
Hestia and her familia quietly observed them.
With both of Eina's arms wrapped around his shoulders, Bell
raised his head toward the sky.
The darkening red reflected off his eyes.
It was early morning.
The sun still had yet to rise, and the sky was a light-gray hue.
The rain that had fallen through the night had finally lifted.
Amid a light morning fog, the northernmost gate of Orario's city
wall opened.
"So my days in Orario have come to a close…but I never
thought you'd be the one to see me off, Ganesha."
"It is because…I am Ganesha."
Ikelos stood before the open gate, just about to walk out as
Ganesha and his followers stood witness. The wheat-skinned
deity's navy-blue hair swished to the side as he flashed a grin at
the masked god and said, "You know, that's not an answer."
Loki Familia had brought Ikelos before the Guild, where he
admitted to his familia's involvement in black-market dealings.
He had also confirmed that they had been capturing monsters be-
hind the Guild's back.
It was determined that his familia's activities had caused the
monster surface breach that had sent the city into chaos, and he
was therefore permanently exiled from the city two days after the
incident as punishment.
With all his followers gone and his familia's assets confiscated,
the deity was expelled with nothing but the clothes on his back.
"Well, sure beats being sent back up to heaven."
"The Guild certainly considered that, and I hear there was
much debate."
"I know, I know. They needed a scapegoat to make a scene,
right? After all my familia did, can't really blame them…"
Ganesha was silent beneath his mask as he watched Ikelos ac-
cept his fate with a grin.
The Guild had granted townspeople entry into the North Gate
to witness the send-off and, despite the early morning hour, a
large crowd of people and deities had gathered. They were all
here to see Ikelos leave with their own eyes.
"But you know…my only regret is that I lost my front-row seat.
Just when things were starting to get good."
Ikelos looked back inside the gate, taking in Orario for the last
time.
"I'm jealous, Hermes."
"—To sum it all up, things are starting to settle down."
Hermes casually opened his arms toward the elderly deity and
brought his report to a close.
Beneath Guild Headquarters, in the Chamber of Prayers,
Ouranos at his altar and Hermes were conducting a secret meet-
ing amid the light of four torches in the darkness.
"I've got my children out combing the city, but they can't find
too many people upset with the Guild. That's probably all thanks
to Ikelos taking the blame and responsibility."
Ikelos and his followers were being held accountable for allow-
ing monsters to escape onto the surface and putting the city in
danger. There was no one else to blame, so all the criticism was
concentrated on him. The Guild had managed to alleviate the sit-
uation for now by sentencing the culprit. The fact that this inci-
dent was no longer considered a "monster surface breach" also
benefited their cause.
The deity played his role as a scapegoat, agreeing to perma-
nent exile.
"The public is still not aware that sentient monsters exist. But
then again, Rivira's residents saw armed monsters, and there's
the connection between the eighteenth floor and Daedalus
Street…It's only a matter of time before people figure out there's a
way into the Dungeon outside of Babel."
However, only a few familias and the Guild knew about Knos-
sos.
"I leave the rest up to you," Hermes remarked offhandedly.
"From what I've seen, this incident already seems to be going
away, so there's no problem."
Ouranos opened his mouth to speak to the dandy deity, who
was trying to wrap it all up with a nice bow.
"However, it is not over."
"I know," Hermes said with a nod before him.
"The Xenos who escaped from Loki Familia…As none of them
can return to the Dungeon, they live in constant fear of adven-
turer search parties. Their lives are on the line."
"Kind of ironic, finally getting to see the surface like they al-
ways wanted but having to go back into the Dungeon to survive.
Problem is, the Guild's higher-ups have not only kept Babel off-
limits but they've sealed off Daedalus Street as well. Not to men-
tion Loki's children are standing watch all over. They have no way
to get home."
"It's only a matter of time until the Xenos are captured, along
with Fels for protecting them…"
With the world against them, Hermes ventured, "How about
bringing Loki into the fold? Slim as our chances are."
The god slumped when Ouranos responded with perfectly
composed silence. He widened his narrow eyes, his aura changing
instantaneously.
"Ouranos, you are the pillar of strength holding up the Guild
and the city itself. If you pray for peace and order to continue
within Orario's walls, you must symbolize those very things."
"..."
"Even if there are undertakings you'd like to keep hidden, any-
thing that would dirty your reputation…"
"…I'm aware."
Hermes's continuous chattering finally elicited a response
from Ouranos.
The dandy deity smiled the instant he heard that answer.
"—So then, Ouranos, why not put me in charge of keeping fur-
ther incidents under control?"
"…What is your thinking, Hermes?"
"What's with that tone? I just want to get in your good graces.
Think of it as a reward for working as your pawn."
That was Hermes's request.
"I can't allow that boy—Bell Cranell—to up and disappear. I've
bet everything on him, Ouranos."
Public opinion had shifted drastically, and many now hated
the young adventurer.
Hermes declared his intent to prevent the boy from being de-
stroyed and exiting center stage.
"Why do you favor the boy so?"
Without offering any of his personal feelings toward the boy,
Ouranos decided to ask the deity directly.
Hermes grinned.
"Because he's a parting gift from Zeus, maybe?"
Crackle! A sudden burst of sparks from the torches illumi-
nated Ouranos's wide eyes.
The elderly god remained silent and slowly closed his eyes.
"May I have your cooperation this time, Ouranos?"
The elderly deity remained silent in the face of the dandy god's
dark smile, accepting of all things good and evil—and nodded.
A bluish night sky looked down over a pile of rubble on the out-
skirts of town.
A single monster had concealed itself in the shadows, breath-
ing ever so quietly.
The black minotaur, missing an arm.
The blood, still flowing from open wounds, had dyed its black
fur a rusty crimson. Drip, drip. The Labrys protruded from the
blood-splattered ground at the bleeding minotaur's side. The
monster's incredible vitality was the only thing keeping it alive.
"..."
The tranquility was so complete, the thrill of battle felt like a
distant dream. The monster slowly shifted its gaze to the hole in
the crumbling ceiling overhead.
The sky on the surface. It could see innumerable pinpricks of
starlight that didn't exist in the Dungeon.
A waning quarter moon appeared from behind wispy, flowing
clouds.
It was shining white tonight.
Gone was the golden glow, replaced by cold light.
The monster gazed at the white crescent as though searching
for something it had yet to find.
P/N I will post volume 11 and 12 tomorrow maybe even 13, bye have a great day or a good night