Ch 9: Declaration of War

...

By the time Zoro and Lily came back, Bell had woken up and was quite embarrassed about the blunder he made last night.

"What's the point of being embarrassed at this point"

Bell immediately shook his head, bowing down "No, I… I'm really sorry"

Zoro watched him for some time before softening his tone a bit so as to not scare him

"Remember this, Bell. Some fights aren't worth fighting and some opponents aren't worth wasting your time on. Let them say whatever they want and laugh it off. The more you react, the more they'll come after you. Learn to control yourself and be proud of said control"

This was the requirement for being strong. If one were to repeatedly react to simple provocations then they could easily be led by the nose by others, something Zoro didn't want Bell to experience

Bell vigorously nodded his head taking in every word Zoro told him "I'll try"

"Good. Now stop looking down. Stand up like a man should"

"Yes"

"Can't Hear You", Zoro raised the volume of his voice

"YES SIR!", Bell shouted on top of his lungs

"That's better. Now go and freshen up"

Hestia who had been standing to the side listening smiled a bit nodding her head "Yes if you understand then good. Now leave", showing both Bell and Zoro the way out

"What?"

"What?"

Both Bell and Zoro were confused. What did she mean by that?

"I'm going to give Lily my Falna so"

"Oh. Then we'll wait outside"

With that both Zoro and Bell went outside. This church they called home was really small. By now they had made enough sum to be able to buy a decent sized home but there was no need, at least not yet. Now that Lily was joining in… yes, they needed a better place to live. One big enough to easily accommodate them all as well as future members.

It didn't take long "You two can come in" but just before going in someone came up, a pair of beautiful girls.

These two girls were similar in height but completely different in temperament.

Short haired girl looked like a calm but strong river while long haired was meek like a cat, two completely different looking girls with completely different personalities. The cloths they wore were of great quality so they should belong to some wealthy family or familia.

Why would someone like them be here, in this diplated church?

"Who?", Zoro directly asked them their names and by extension the purpose of their presence here.

Hearing that the short haired girl looked at Zoro and Bell "Is this where Hestia Familia lives?", asking a with strong and cutting voice.

"Yes"

Hearing affirmation, the meek looking girl came forward "Emm this is…" handing an envelope to Zoro

"This is?" It was a letter with golden covering on top. It looked like something used for invitations.

On its lid was an emblem of a familia composed of sun with a bow and arrow "Ahh! … this emblem is…!?" It was familiar one. Bell had seen the same Emblem on the clothes of the guy he was beaten by in the pub they went for party.

"You know this emblem" Zoro didn't recognize this emblem. In fact, other than Loki familia, he wasn't aware of an emblem of another familia.

"Yes, this is -" Before he could finish though, the short haired girl interrupted

"I am Daphne, and this is Cassandra" Zoro could sense they were physically strong, at least lvl 2 for each.

Girl called Cassandra came forward, fidgeting "Uhm i…it's an invitation. Apollo sama has arranged for a party and has invited Hestia sama. It's not customary so p…please feel free to reject i-" Cassandra was chopped in the head by Daphne stopping her from speaking any further

"Deliver it to your celestial and lastly, my condolences"

"Ehh…!?"

With that they left leaving the duo dumbfounded.

"Let's go" Zoro waved at Bell and left.

By the time they got back, Lily was there standing holding onto a white paper. She looked happy and relieved and all sort of other emotions.

Zoro beckoned to Bell who was still quite lost in thought. At first Bell didn't get it but immediately after went towards Lily "Congratulations Lily. You're part of the family now"

"Thank you, Bell-sama," Lily looked happy. This was probably the first time since Zoro saw such a genuine smile blossoming on her face.

"Yes Congratulations. Although I would have loved to celebrate this, but we have a problem" He took out and showed the sealed letter to Hestia. According to Bell this letter came from same familia he had been beaten by.

There was a smell of conspiracy here. Something big was about to happen.

Hestia took the letter with confused gaze but got tense after seeing the seal. She clearly recognized the emblem, it belonged to that flasher. She immediately opened the seal and her expression got uglier the more she read.

"What does it say?" Her expression showed it wasn't anything good.

After reading a couple more times, Hestia waved the letter like a fan "Nothing. It's an invitation to 'Celebration of Celestials' at Apollo's mansion. Whatever I'm not going" She looked completely unconcerned as if previous worry was just a lie.

Why would she concern about something she wasn't even going to attend?

"Suit yourself but would that really be the best choice?"

"Not really. Okay fine I'll go and face whatever comes my way" It was obvious that there was no other choice. Even if reluctantly, she had to accept since otherwise they wouldn't know the reasons and intentions of the other party.

"That's the spirit" Clearly that was the right choice and their only choice

"But I won't go alone. It's said to be a double invitation so I would need to bring one of you with me"

Zoro immediately raised his hands "Take Bell. Although this smells rotten like a conspiracy but it's better with bell then with me since one, I'm not good at that stuff and two, you can try to resolve the conflict from last night" that was the most logical reasoning he could come up with

"What if it's a trap" Hestia never trusted those like Apollo and not to mention that fellow was really annoying to deal with due to his continuous proposals towards her.

"Then we'll know his real intentions. Anyway, I doubt he would do anything in everyone else's presence there" Zoro could tell this Apollo wasn't a good thing but if they wanted to know other intentions, they had to take some risks.

"Yosh! get ready Bell. We're going shopping" Hestia immediately jumped off of her seat and started preparing to head out.

Bell on the other hand had stayed silent from beginning to end. He wasn't a fool and had realized that all of what happened last night was definitely some kind of trap laid specifically for him but now he was already strangled with no way to leave. The main problem was he had even involved his familia into it.

Honestly, he had no face to speak anything here and thus stayed silent. Lily was the same and shared his blame, so she too stayed silent throughout.

The night was young, and it was especially colourful at Apollo's mansion. Tonight, Apollo had invited many on what was referred to as celebration of celestials. Normally only celestials were allowed to participate however due to Apollo changing things around, each celestial was allowed to bring one of their children with them so this 'celebration of celestials' was truly a spectacle.

Right outside the main gate, an extravagant carriage came to a halt. It was big enough to easily carry many people. Once stopped, passengers started leaving one by one

"Let's go Bell-kun!"

"Y-yes."

The first group to leave the carriage was Hestia Familia. Hestia seemed pretty energetic while Bell was flustered and a bit down

"Slow down Hestia. What's the hurry?"

Second group to leave the carriage was Takemikazuchi Familia. Take had brought along Mikoto with him who seemed very nervous since this was the first time for her to visit such an extravagant gathering.

"My thanks Hestia, Bell for your Help"

Third group to leave the carriage was Miach Familia. Miach had brought along his only current child Nazha with him who seemed perfectly fine as if whatever was going on in here was of no concern.

This carriage was booked by Hestia Familia. It was extravagant so that they wouldn't look bad in this gathering. Many referred to her as dirt poor and now she wanted to get rid of that title at all costs.

Miach and Take had also been invited to this gathering, but Miach wasn't going to come initially while Take too had similar mindset but for completely different reasons.

Miach Familia was poor even with the help of Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familias who constantly buyed off their products, they were still under some debt. Although thankfully they had managed to clear off most of this debt so that was better. Anyway, they weren't going to come due to financial reasons.

Take on the other hand was well off and had no financial issues, but he didn't like Apollo at all so his reluctance.

Hestia wanted them to be present as a form of support. They were her best friends other than Hephaistos and this gathering wasn't as simple as it seemed to be on the surface so like they say, the more the merrier. Thus, she personally visited and requested them to come along and even helped Miach where necessary. After hearing her out they too understood the situation and thus decided to tag along.

After leaving, the group of six moved towards apollo's mansion. This wasn't just a mansion; it was more like a castle than anything. Comprised of many floors with one main hall at the very centre. This hall was the gathering point for all guests.

Normally no would invite other familias to their own homes but it was different here and that difference came with security. Security here was very tight since Apollo familia itself possessed more than 300 members each of whom was standing alert stopping anyone from going where not applicable.

Right now, many had gathered in the hall. It was very lively and cheery atmosphere with Hestia's group mixing in with them chatting.

"Ah! There you are"

Hestia immediately looked northwards after hearing a familiar voice

"Hephaistos!" It was Hephaistos, another one her best friends who was being accompanied by a red-haired young man. Seeing him Bell exclaimed "Welf!" Bell had never expected to see Welf here. Unlike Hestia Familia, which was very small, Hephaistos familia was a big one with many story people so the chances of seeing Welf here were very small almost none and yet here he was, standing.

"Why so shocked Bell!?" Naturally he understood for that exclamation but what could he do. Even he was surprised when Hephaistos chose him much less Bell

"No. Nothing" Although it was surprising but nothing that couldn't be handled

"Oh! You two know each other"

"Yes. I have a contract with him" Welf replied to Hephaistos nonchalantly

"Oh, it's him. Well not too bad"

Right at this moment, another party made their entrance making themselves be known "Ohhh! so this is our record holder Bell Cranel or maybe I should call you silver Lining"

It was a man whose very definition seemed to be free spirited. He was accompanied by a serious and intellect looking girl wearing glasses. After coming over she simply nodded a bit and remained silent.

"Che! Hermes"

"Come now. Why so irritate? It's been a long time since we last met"

"I have no interest in meeting you"

"Don't be so cold"

This was natural occurrence whenever Take and Hermes met. Hermes identified himself as Take's friend while Take refused to ever acknowledged that.

"Long time no see Hestia. Seem you're making waves" Hermes then turned to Hestia. The relationship between and Hestia was fine. They could be considered friends, but Hestia didn't want to deal with him. This guy was just too shrewd

"Yeah. When did you come back?"

"Not long and guess what I hear right after coming back, a record holder! Can you believe that. Truthfully, I didn't but facts speak louder than words don't they my little Bell" Hermes turned towards Bells who shivered all over feeling as if all of his secrets were opening in front of this man with none bare. This was a strange feeling but real, nonetheless.

"Hermes. Stay away from him" Hestia came in between Bell and Hermes as if protecting the boy

"Oh, come now Hestia. We've been friends for so long and yet you can't trust me"

"Nope" Direct refusal and it held truth. Hermes was one person she didn't put her trust in since she always felt this guy was a bad omen. As if he was always scheming. Hestia in general couldn't stand people like that.

"That hurt you know"

He truly did look hurt, but Hestia ignored him looking around for some clues.

"Clap Clap Clap" Hall grew silent with the sound of clapping. Right in the middle of the hall, Apollo stood in all his majesty. He had truly put in some effort to adorn himself

"My friends, I'm glad to see you all here enjoying this night. While thinking of making this event special, I came up with an idea to have you all bring along your favourite children. So how is it. Seeing so many of my kins and their children gathered here in this hall fills me with un-precedent joy and happiness I cannot begin to express." He suddenly looked towards Bell with light smile of his face "I am certain tonight is bound to be filled with many new encounters and opportunities"

"I have assembled the best food and wine I could so please enjoy the night"

While everyone clapped, Bell was nervous. He hadn't seen wrongly he was certain. Even though it was only for an instance, but Apollo was looking at him. Normally he would have ignored it as a coincidence but given the circumstances, things could be more complicated than he thought.

Hestia on the other hands gritted her teeth whispering to herself "He's planning something. Now, I'm certain" Things really were going to get complicated, and she could only wait.

Bell was lost in his own thoughts. Everyone around him was talking about how Apollo had made this event interesting, and he too wanted to know the kind of man Apollo was. So far as he was concerned, Apollo didn't give him any positive vibes

"So, what is Lord Apollo like?" He approached Hestia who was busy conversing with Hephaistos at the moment but his answer came from behind him

"Oh! You want to know about him Bell"

"Y-yes Lord Hermes"

"Come now. No need to be so stiff" He turned to Apollo's direction with a glint in his eyes "Hm, well to put it bluntly he's a follower of passion, someone who would go to great lengths to get what he wants. He's quite persistent in fact and if you don't put him in place, he would never let go. Hestia can tell you more about that" Hermes seemed amused remembering some past events

"Hmph!" Hestia was naturally aware of what he was talking about, but she couldn't care less

"Hahaha Oh! Look who's coming over"

It was Freya with King Ottar in tow. As soon as she appeared, everyone in the group stopped with whatever they were doing. She was just too mesmerising and beautiful even without using charm that any simple gesture from her could hook a man's soul away.

"She never appears in these kinds of events often. It's strange" It was Hephaistos who broke the silence seeing Freya coming over.

Freya was a kind of woman who would rather be by herself, and this was common even in the upper realm. She rarely ever appeared and yet during these past months, this was already the third time for her to make a public appearance. Hephaistos couldn't help but think of that as strange

Seeing her coming over, Hestia took a step forward frowning "Why are you here?"

"Can I not come to say hello?"

"I don't think we have any sort of friendship not to mention I don't like you and you know it"

"My" Freya on the other hand seemed amused in nothing else "That is why I like you Hestia. So straightforward"

"This is him" She bent a bit towards Bell stroking his cheeks "Would you fulfil a dream of mine tonight?"

"Hm…!?" Bell was flustered with no idea of what to say. He averted his eyes looking at ground as if to find something.

"As if!" Hestia brushed away her hand on Bell's cheek "Bell she likes to joke around so just ignore her"

"Hehe… I seem to have upset you, Hestia. Until we meet again" and she took her leave not before side glancing at Bell increasing his suspicion.

It happened from time to time but Bell felt as if someone was looking at him from afar. This gaze was constant and could be felt by him almost every day he went to dungeon. It wasn't just him, Zoro too felt it and, in the beginning, looked towards Babel tower but eventually ignored it telling Bell to do the same thing. Now it seemed that feeling might have originated from her though he couldn't be certain.

"Tch! Such a show off"

"Loki?!"

"Yo! Itty bitty!"

"Seems you learned to wear a dress. Actin all grown up"

Hestia looked at her from top to bottom finally nodding "So finally gave up. I'm not surprised with that manly figure of yours"

"What'd ya say?!"

And they started fighting. Others around just sighed not interfering since this was a common occurrence whenever these two met.

Rather than this fight Bell focused on who came with Loki, it was Ais. Right now, in this new getup, she didn't look like a gallant, headstrong swordswoman or an adventurer.

NO!

She looked more like a princess from fairy tales Bell had grown up with as a child. For him her beauty surpassed everyone including Freya

He just kept on staring at her fascinated by this change.

"Ah…"

Ais too noticed his gaze and couldn't help taking a step back Fidgeting. Even she didn't expect that feeling as if her body wasn't under control at the moment

'S-So cute…!' His face couldn't help but heat up. Seeing this almost subconscious reaction from her also opened up his heart to a possibility that perhaps he might have a chance after all

"So, this is famous record holder" It seemed their argument had come to a close since Loki came overlooking intrigued "Nah! This kiddo ain't doin nothin in front of my Aizu"

Although it sounded like she was looking down on Bell her mannerism suggested something else "Hmph! Sounds to me like rambling of a sore loser"

"!?Haah?!" before they could come to blows, Bell and Aiz intervened separating them from each other.

After some time….

"Whew…" Bell took a sigh of relief from all the stress he had been feeling till now. If nothing else, their little argument had brightened up his mood by quite a bit.

He was standing in front of a balcony taking in the outside view enjoying the moment all by himself

"Am I interrupting?" when someone came over

Bell looked at the newcomer. It was Hermes "Hm! Oh no please"

"Haha I couldn't help but be curious seeing you standing alone like that. Why? do you not like parties"

"No nothing like that. I just needed some fresh air"

"Is that so. Here drink up"

"Thanks"

"We never did get to have a nice chat. As you know I'm Hermes or commonly known as world traveller. Mind telling me about yourself?"

Bell found it suspicious but his past wasn't anything secret "Oh, I'm…"

"So, then you spent your entire life in the countryside alongside your grandfather. I just don't understand why you became an adventurer. Was it for wealth or perhaps fame?"

"Nothing like that. It's just… why are you so interested?" and he changed the topic. His reason was embarrassing so he didn't wish to share it with anyone else

Hermes hearing that just smirked "Hardly anyone wouldn't be interested in the record holder"

"I see" not quite convincing but whatever

"Changing the topic, do you perhaps know of Zeus?"

"Who's that?"

"So, you don't. Well, I'm not surprised. It's been so long since he exited the scene" Even though he was talking to Bell, his eyes weren't focused. This wasn't due to liquor rather it seemed he was reminiscing about something

"He led the most powerful Familia in the history of Orario. You said you liked hero stories; well, many such heroes came out of his Familia. He's a living legend among the older generation"

"Aren't Loki and Freya familia the most powerful?" Bell felt stupid right after asking that. He said the most powerful in 'History' so this familia could have existed in the past while Loki and Freya existed now

"They are now but even they can't hold a candle to old Zeus && Hera Familias" It seemed he was looking down of the current two most powerful familias but perhaps that was Bell's imagination.

Still, this was shocking enough. Bell didn't know what to say since so far as he was concerned Loki and Freya Familias were beasts each holding a lvl 7 to boot. If this Zeus and Hera familias left them in dust then their power was unimaginable but,

"What happened to them?" He already had an inkling

"You already understand don't you. Yes, they're gone. A single failure destroyed centuries(s) old Familias into nothingness to the point none of the newer generation even know of their existence"

"Which failure?" Bell was getting more and more intrigued. Just what could have caused the fall of such behemoths

Hermes was satisfied just seeing his enthusiasm in the subject "One Eyed Black Dragon. That's what they went after"

Just hearing that name sent shivers down his spine "What!? I-isn't that just a legend"

"Nope, it exists and is roaming out there even as we talk" Hermes's voice grew solemn but not for long

"Haha you shouldn't worry about that stuff for now. Come we have a party here so let's enjoy"

"Can I ask something?"

"Sure"

"How strong were they?" He was referring to those old familias. Just saying they were strong wasn't enough. He needed to know their exact levels

"Inquisitive han. Hm let me see. I don't know how to explain…. Oh yeah. Let me just tell you their captain's levels. They were both veteran lvl 9, that should be enough, no!"

"W-what!?" 'Lvl 9'. He couldn't even imagine that

"Don't be so shocked. This was the result of their heritage which was based upon over three centuries of hard work. Let's just say they filtered talents over and over until getting the best seeds"

"That's…" Bell could only scratch his head over that remark

"Anyway, where were we? YES! Let's just enjoy. It's about time for dance to begin. Any partner in mind?"

"Wha! I-I don't even know how to dance. Please go ahead. I'm fine with just being here"

"Come now that's no fun. Let me take a wild guess, it's sword princess, isn't it?"

"Y-you're wrong. It's nothing like that"

"Don't be shy. Just leave everything to me"

Hermes literally dragged Bell towards Aiz who was just standing there, watching Loki and Hestia's never-ending quarrel.

"Sword Princess! It's an honour. Would you like to dance with me?"

Aiz looked troubled. She looked over Loki asking her for help, but Loki wasn't paying attention here anyway so…

Just as she was about to reject the offer, Hermes turned over "It's such a shame. How could I forget something so important, but it would be embarrassing for me as a man to not even honour my own invitation" He then turned to Bell "Bell take my place" winking at him in form of encouragement and leaving the scene

Bell stood still with his mind in chaos. What was he supposed to do now? Should he just apologize and leave. NO! That would definitely leave a bad impression but what now?

He looked around searching for clues and eventually found one, rather many examples of men inviting woman to be their dance partners. Taking inspiration, he too went ahead offering his right hand

"May I have this dance?" His heart race was at maximum capacity at the moment.

Would she reject or would she accept?

Seeing his flustered appearance, Aiz smiled softly accepting his outstretched hand "Gladly"

And thus began their dance. It was unsteady since neither had any experience but eventually they matched each other's rhythm and steps without any coaching, perhaps due to being adventurers.

They were fine but someone wasn't "eeehhh Aizu-tan!?" Loki right now was being held down by Asfi, captain of Hermes Familia. She struggled to get out but how could a lvl 4's grip be weak

Asfi turned to Hermes "I will not shoulder any responsibility" she was tired of his antics and was certain he was going to get thrashed by an angry maiden soon

Hestia of the other hand didn't say anything. She knew of boy's fascination with sword princess so who was she to get in his way even if she didn't like Loki. That said she was annoyed since Bell came with her as her partner and yet now here, he was dancing with someone else.

"I'll handle him later" She turned her gaze from Bell towards Apollo, sharpening. Party was coming to an end with dance and that would be the time things get going. Whatever Apollo was planning would come to light by then and she could only wait for now.

Her wait didn't go for long and with a loud drum, dance came to a stop with Bell re-joining her. Over on the side she could see Loki pummelling Hermes with Asfi and Aiz just watching without intervening.

But she ignored all that since Apollo was coming over with pleasant smile plastered over his face

"It seems you're enjoying the party Hestia"

"Yes. Very much and I must thank you for your invitation"

Take and Miach too came over with Mikoto and Nazha in tow. It seems things were starting

"Oh, don't mention it. So, this is the famous record holder. Oh yes that reminds me of a matter that happened recently"

"What matter?"

"Nothing much. Just a small fight between our children but I must say, it was quite cruel of your child to do this"

With that he motioned, and three men came forward. Two were completely fine but they were carrying a pallum wrapped in bandages. He seemed to have suffered some grave injury

"This!?" both Bell and Welf exclaimed at the same time. Of course, they recognized this pallum, his name was Luan if they didn't remember wrong. He was the instigator of fight that occurred in the pub

"See how bad his condition is. How are you planning to compensate me for this?"

"He wasn't this injured!?" It was Bell who spoke up but "So you do accept injuring him" Apollo took advantage and reverted his statement against him

"T-that's…" Bell didn't say anything anymore since things could get worse

"What do you want?" Hestia didn't play around. She already knew they were trapped and regardless of whatever they might say, she was certain Apollo would present many witnesses all of whom would slander them. Not to mention, it was indeed Bell who took the first action

Welf too understood the situation and thus remained silent

"Nothing much actually. Just hand over Bell Cranel and this could be considered over"

"You don't seriously expect me to agree"

"Then you force me Hestia. I declare war game on you"

Apollo had played all cards right and yes; he had prepared further evidence and witnesses in case they argued but it seemed he wouldn't need them.

But this was too easy. He expected them to present at least some sort of argument and yet Hestia directly came to point even though it was obviously disadvantageous to her. Another thing getting on his nerves was how calm she was as if everything happening here had already been calculated beforehand.

...

Sometime before the 'Celebration of Celestials'

Zoro came to Hestia who was checking her new dress she bought for party. Bell and Lili had gone over to bring Takemikazuchi and Miach along with their ride so these two were alone at the moment

"Any idea what he might do?"

"None" Hestia shook her head in denial. She really couldn't understand anything by now

Zoro thought of a possibility "Hm. If I'm not wrong, he's after Bell" and it was most likely truth. Bell was a Record Holder and Celestials attraction towards him was great at the moment.

"I have the same thought" Hestia agreed. Although it was more like an inkling than certainty but she trusted her instincts on this one

Zoro was in deep though for a moment suddenly awakening "tell me something. Can any celestial steal a child of another familia away?"

"You mean-"

"There's a possibility"

She once again shook her head "No, they can't. Atleast not forcefully since guild would never allow that" so far as she knew, rules regarding this were very strict. There was one case "Although if they willingly left to join another familia then no one can intervene" and this was it. One was given a freedom a choice here and they could choose to stay or leave

"I see. So is there any 'legal' way to steal someone" People like Apollo would never dirty their hands. So what if rules were strict. There always existed loopholes which could be taken advantage of and wouldn't break any rule

Hestia put her hands on her head, massaging, trying to remember anything "'legal'… yes! One comes to mind"

"What?"

"A war game"

"What's that?"

"It's kind of like a competition between two or more familias used to resolve their issues. Although the consequences of losing one are very severe"

War game was an event whose history dated back to 800 years ago. Back then two strong familias were in grave conflict and said conflict was affecting everyone around them. Irritated by these constant fights, Ouranos decided to give them a stage to end everything once and for all. A stage where winner would be able to ask anything of the loser and loser would have to comply, of course so long as it stayed in moral territory and was a possibility.

That stage was war game. Later on, it was used to end many similar conflicts but there was a condition to declare war game on anyone.

"Would he go that route"

"Probably. It's a possibility and he has a cause as well"

And that condition was 'just cause'. Without such cause, one couldn't declare a war game, but Apollo had a cause.

"That fight in the pub? If I'm not wrong, he'll exaggerate the happenings and even prepare solid evidence and witnesses"

"Yeah, and our case is weak since Bell was the first one to throw a punch" They were already mired in it.

"Hahahaha….." Zoro suddenly started laughing maniacally shocking Hestia out of her seat.

"What happened!?"

"Haha no nothing. I'm just happy knowing someone came to our doorstep to deliver their everything"

"What do yo- Oh! I see. I think I understand what you want to say but they do have huge numeric advan… forget it" She probably remembered 'Conquerors Haki'. So what if they had numeric advantage, more than 90% wouldn't even be able to fight in front of him. As for others, she was certain her members could handle them

"This is a good way not to just get a new home but also some prestige"

"Since you're the captain so decide. How many members would you like to be part of our familia?"

"Atleast twenty and atmost fifty should do"

"And here I though you would go with a smaller number"

"Small group of elites is good and all but this work needs a lot of manpower"

"You're right about that"

They were already planning for future disregarding Apollo Familia. It wasn't that they were overconfident, NO. Rather Apollo Familia simply wasn't worth their attention except for their property that is

...

Thinking back on her conversation with Zoro, Hestia couldn't help breaking into smile but she controlled herself keeping a stern face

"I accept"

And a bombshell exploded on his head. This was something he never expected. There was no comparison between their familias, not in quantity nor quality in both of which he surpassed her by a great deal.

'Just what is she thinking? Wait!' He turned to Hephaistos "Are you going to help her?" Yes, only Hephaistos could change this sure situation. It was no secret that Hestia and Hephaistos were best of friends so if in case she landed Hestia a hand by allowing her to borrow a single lvl 5 adventurers, it would be game over

"I won't intervene" Perhaps she would have but Hestia specifically told her not to since that would undermine both of their familias. One thing that Hestia did ask her help for would be coming soon

"I hope so" Apollo naturally didn't trust her but so what? He needed to take some countermeasures and he knew just how

"Since you have accepted then let us decide modus operandi right here and now. We do have quite the audience"

Even if Hestia did accept she wanted to end it fast, preferably with a single battle so as to hide as much of her familias power as she possibly could

"Fine then I'll put forward my suggestion, one on one between captains" Hestia immediately put forward her proposal with Miach, Take and Hephaistos taking her side agreeing with it.

But naturally Apollo wouldn't have that "My proposal is Battle Royale in an open field" He had a big familia and he intended to take full advantage of that fact

"Now now. Since we're all here then let us take part"

"Yeah. It wouldn't be fair if you just decided on that on your own"

"That wouldn't be interesting anyway"

They forgot that there were others around who just loved to cause chaos. They would naturally not let this chance go by

"Since that's the case, let us decide this the old fashioned way, lottery" and those extras decided everything, completely ignoring the fact that this matter had absolutely nothing to do with them.

But who could blame them for being excited? It had been so long since something this interesting came about

Lottery was cast with everyone putting in their own preferences and once drawn, it was castle siege.

On side would defend while the other would attack. Hestia took attack for them since defending a castle with only three individuals would be impossible.

Rules were simple,

Within three days the attacker would have to take the castle by either taking out the commander or the flag

Defenders would have to defend for these three days

If attack succeeded, then Hestia Familia would be the victor and if defence succeeded then Apollo Familia would be declared Victor

"Why don't we add another rule since this is just too unfair. I can't bear look at it"

"Hermes!?" Apollo gritted his teeth. Why was this guy interfering at this point?

"I don't have a problem" Hestia was still calm as if all this had nothing to do with her. This nonchalant attitude of hers was disturbing for Apollo

"So, this is what I propose, 'attackers would not be eliminated within three days neither would they be held prisoner even if they lost'. What does everyone think?"

"WE ACCEPT"

"Whatever. Not like it would change anything, but I too have one condition. From now till beginning of the war game, neither familia would be able to add anyone above at or above lvl 3 unless said individual was already part of the familia"

This was his condition. Apollo naturally was doing this as a prevention measure against Hephaistos who might lend a member to Hestia.

"That's understandable"

And thus, the method and rules were decided. This event would take place a week from now outside of Orario in one of the abandoned castles and regardless of who won, the loser would lose everything and would have do whatever the winner decided.

This event would change the flow of everything

...

AND END

So, we're moving forward to main events. I know I skipped an entire 'arc' or maybe 'saga'. It just didn't fit right in my story, so I had to remove it. That said, I'll be making subtle changes to everything like I have kept on doing.

Oh yeah perhaps I butchered the party scene especially the beginning but oh well. I hope you fellows find it entertaining.

I'll introduce some of my OC along with some interactions you might have been waiting for after this event is over with. IF you want any change in anything moving forward, tell me. If I find it feasible, I'll add in the story at any point so feel free to express yourselves.

Afterall I am here to fulfil your fictions as much as my own.

Anyway, next week might be difficult but I'll see

REGARDS