Chapter 30: Light of Hope

"Your Captain said that he saw them take Lefiya over here," Ais said as they stood before a cliffside west of the port town.

"…What should we do?" Saber asked, he and Archer having lost their disguises. "Your friend being held here is obviously meant to keep outsiders from interfering."

"Umm…Mister Caster said that he saw her through some cracks where the moon was shining through."

The three of them glanced up and saw that the moon was directly overhead.

"So somewhere at the top of the cliffs," Archer muttered as he projected his bow and a mirrored arrow. He then fired it up and over the cliff, eyes scanning the top of the cliffs and taking in what he could get. "Hmm? That's…!"

Light suddenly started shining through the cracks in the cliff.

"That's…Lefiya's Magic Circle!" Ais said.

"Saber, you go with Ais and get Lefiya," Archer said. "I'll go look for Tiona!"

"Understood," Saber nodded as he and Ais started jumping up the side of the cliff toward the light, both of them swinging their blades at the cliff face, destroying it and making their way inside.

"Miss Ais!" A rather exhausted looking Lefiya called out as Ais and Saber stood in front of her, swords drawn and staring down a few dozen Amazons.

"Lefiya! Are you all right?" Ais asked as Saber returned his blade to his back and drew his daggers instead.

"Yes! I knew you'd come…and…isn't that one of Archer's Familia members?"

"Good evening, Miss Virdis," Saber said adjusting his glasses slightly. "It's a pleasure to see you again…although I wish it was in better circumstances."

"Gha-gha reem?!"

One of the Amazons shouted an order of some sort and the rest began to move. One of them shot forward toward Saber but in a flash of red, her blade was destroyed and her body was sent flying into a wall.

"I see…" Saber muttered as he shifted his second dagger into his right hand and began unhooking the rest from his belt. "Enemy parameters established. Sword Princess, protect your Familia. I shall take the front."

"Huh? Wait aren't you Level…" Lefiya began as Saber tossed his daggers up in front of him and as their pommels faced him, delivered several quick punches in succession, sending them flying toward the Amazons like arrows.

One of the Amazons managed to deflect the dagger but her weapon shattered in the process. The other three daggers were avoided and smashed into the stone wall. The daggers began to glow before causing the wall to erupt, blasting stone shards outward at the Amazons in front of them and collapsing the foothold of the Amazons standing on the level above them.

The rocks reached where Ais and Lefiya were standing as well but Ais's wind had returned and she was easily able to blow them aside.

"Were those…Magic Swords?" Lefiya asked as the daggers reappeared around Saber and orbited around him. "…The same as Archer?"

"You stand before a dragon," Saber declared as the daggers gathered in front of him and started spinning in front of him with lightning surging through his body. "Stand down or face its fury."

The Amazons did not understand the words coming out of Saber's mouth, due to not knowing any other language but the Amazonian language. However, they could tell the intent of his words clear as day. A challenge.

And so it was only natural for the warrior people to answer it by charging in head first…and for them to be sent flying by the Hero.

X-x-X-x-X

Archer sped down the cavern, striking down every Amazon that tried to stop him. It was a pain in the ass and he knew that there would probably be some problems down the line but he was doing his best not to do more than incapacitate the Amazons chasing after him. He was probably going to get a bunch of crazy Amazons on his tail in either case but at least they wouldn't be vengeful and angry alongside it. Hopefully.

"Still…they do start them pretty young, just like Gina mentioned," Archer said, batting a girl that looked to be only a little older than Gina into another Amazon. "Well, I suppose we're not one to talk with Primo…but they're all around Level 3 or 4 too…"

Eventually, the mass of Amazons thinned out and Archer came across a thin wall with light shining through several cracks. Peering through it, he saw a naturally made chamber with several Amazons sitting on the rocks, watching two other Amazons fight like some kind of makeshift ring. A short woman with red hair wearing a skull-shaped mask over her face was also directly across from Archer, directing the "festivities."

"That's Kali then," Archer muttered as he turned back down toward the two fighting Amazons. One he recognized as Tiona, covered in a strange red smoke, as she was fighting another Amazon that was surrounded in an ominous blackish purple light. Poison, if Archer had to guess.

He debated whether or not he should step in and help but decided against it. As Tiona took the damage from the other Amazon's punches which left smoldering burns on her skin, her speed and strength seemed to increase tremendously. The red smoke wasn't from the damage she was taking, at least not directly…it was probably the effect a Rare Skill of some sort, just like Bell's Argonaut. One that changed damage into the user's strength.

And against an opponent who seemed to be using a kind of poisonous aura to shield their body…it was the perfect counter.

"What a reckless idiot…" Archer muttered as he turned away from the fight and checked his pockets to pull out a pair of high potions. He didn't have any antidotes on him so these will have to suffice.

It was a big risk letting the fight continue.

He could shoot right through this wall and kill Kali, removing the goddess's grace from all of her followers, destroying the Familia and keeping both Tiona and Tione safe. But that would just put a target on the heads of Hestia Familia. Ais was here after all and she knew Archer had gone to help Tiona. And Archer wasn't sure that the girl would be willing to keep quiet if he were to kill a goddess.

"I have to smile…for all those who can't!" Tiona shouted, sporting the biggest grin Archer had ever seen on her face. "And if I have to smile forever before you'll smile back, then that's what I'll do! So here I come, Bache! Nothing's gonna stop me NOOOOOOOOWW!"

Tiona lunged forward at the other Amazon, the space between the two transforming into a storm of poisonous and super powered punches and kicks, their war cries shaking the very cavern itself.

"Tiona!" The other Amazon, Bache, screamed as her fist came in contact with Tiona's abdomen. An audible grunt of pain escaping the younger Amazon's throat. "Are you smiling now?!"

The poison ripped through her, all along her skin, burning her nerves, and the pain and shock practically sent her to her knees. But even through all of it, even though the hellish torture ravaging her entire body, Tiona still smiled.

"You bet I am!"

And then she punched back, her fist sinking into Bache's stomach with the same force the other Amazon had just inflicted on her with blood shooting from her mouth.

"Hurt me all you want! Bleed me all you want! I'll never stop laughing! I'll smile…for those who can't!"

Bache launched another attack at Tiona's face but she dodged the blow, crouching down with her ever present smile on her face.

"HERE I GOOOOOOOOO!"

A massive blow straight into Bache's chest. Sending Bache's body flying away, crashing into the far rock wall with a horrific crunch.

Archer was then reminded of something Tione had told him when he asked about Tiona's weapon, Urga. It was the Amazon word for "great destruction," and it certainly fit Tiona rather well. Letting herself get within a hairbreadth of death, she'd built up the effects of her skill to its very limits, releasing a truly "final" finishing blow.

It was the strongest attack she had in her arsenal.

It was certainly a lot more inconvenient and dangerous than Bell's Heroic Strike.

Bache slowly peeled herself off the wall and took a few steps toward Tiona before falling to her knees, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Tiona had won.

"—Se wehga! Se wehga! Se wehga!"

The Amazons were chanting. Thanks to the Grail, Archer could understand them.

"Thou art the true warrior! Thou art the true warrior! Thou art the true warrior!"

They were extolling Tiona, the victor of the rite. It was enough to shake the walls of stone and rock surrounding the two.

"Well done! Well done!" Kali said as she applauded Tiona with a smile. "As I thought, it was a mistake letting you and your sister go. However, the Rite is not yet finished…"

Kali's eyes were focused on Tiona who was still under suffering under Bache's poison before turning toward the defeated Amazon before ordering without any hesitation, "Kill her. Only then can the rite be complete."

Tiona's response, however, was as simple as always.

"Don't wanna," she said defiantly. "I'm not a warrior anymore and neither is Tione. We're Adventurers now…so I'm not gonna kill anyone else…not anymore, Kali!"

Her words silenced all the other Amazons who were either looking down in shock at the girl or at their goddess for orders.

"…You really have changed." Kali muttered slowly, almost mournfully at her former Child.

But it wasn't long before her smile returned to her face. "…But one thing certainly hasn't changed, and that's your connection with your sister."

The goddess raised her arm and the other Amazons who'd been watching over the match charged into the arena, surrounding Tiona in an instant.

"Tione is with Argana right now…far, far out at sea. There's no one to save you. You're coming with us…back to Telskyura!"

And that was his cue.

There was no way Tiona could handle all those enemies in her current state, even if she was a Level 6.

"Trace on!" Archer chanted, placing a hand on the cavern wall, analyzing its structure and finding the weak points he would have to target to break through.

And the weapon to do so would have to be…

Lightning arced across his arm as the image of a stupidly heavy and destructive double bladed weapon appeared by his side. Whether she had heard him or if she had simply known someone was there, Tiona smiled as she said to the goddess, "…We're not going anywhere, Kali."

Kali raised a single eyebrow as Archer brought the weapon to the wall.

"Because Tione and I aren't alone anymore!"

The wall exploded outward as Archer smashed through it, Urga in hand. Several more swords materialized around him and he sent them down to the cavern floor, creating a circle around Tiona as he landed beside her.

"Sword smith delivery," he said with a smirk as he looked over his shoulder down at the Amazon to see her beaming at him. He then tossed the two potions over to her before slamming Urga onto the floor in front of her. "Please confirm that all items have been delivered safely."

"One Urga, two potions and one friend!" Tiona said as she cheerfully jumped onto Archer's back in a hug. "Yep, everything's here!"

"You…how did you…" Kali began, staring at Archer in shock.

"If you're wondering about the Amazons I passed on the way here, don't worry," Archer said as Tiona quickly downed one of the potions. "They were really insistent on not letting me make the delivery so I had them take a little nap. They'll probably wake up with few aches and sores though."

"You're saying you're Hermes's kid?"

"Nah, he's from Hestia Fami-" Tiona began only for Archer to uselessly clap a hand over her mouth with an annoyed look on his face. "Ah…oops."

"Hesti-what!?" Kali repeated incredulously. "Has she even been down here long enough to get a High Class Child!?"

"Sorry, still Level 1 here."

Kali slouched forward, her jaw dropping at Archer's declaration.

100% true, as any God or Goddess would be able to tell.

"Oh yeah, did you find Lefiya?" Tiona asked. Her answer came from above as the ceiling blasted apart, allowing three people to fall in and land beside them. "Ais! Lefiya!"

"Sword Princess!?" Kali cursed. "That damn Ishtar screwed up after all…"

With the arrival of Saber and Ais, the surrounding Amazons didn't stand a chance. Ais and the Servants were able to make short work of them.

In a few minutes, all of the Kali's Amazons were defeated, causing the goddess to grit her teeth in frustration.

"You picked the fight with the wrong Familia, ya stupid gremlin."

Loki suddenly appeared from the path behind Kali and jumped kicked her, sending the smaller goddess sprawling to the ground as Loki planted her foot on Kali's head. At the same time, several members of Loki Familia charged in from an opening on the same level as the Tiona and the others.

"Loki!?" Kali growled as she turned her head to the side to glare at Loki. "Since when did you and Hestia get all chummy!?"

"Eh, I say we're not all that chummy," Loki said, with a smirk as she wiggled her hand from side to side. "It's just strictly business. Bet it feels pretty shitty to have all your plans fall flat into the dirt like your face?"

"Don't screw with me! How the hell are those two Level 1!? Where the heck did Hestia find them!?"

"Beats me," Loki shrugged as she glanced at Saber and Archer who returned to gaze impassively.

"Loki!" Tiona called out. "What about Tione!?"

"Eh, don't worry about her," Loki replied almost flippantly with a smile as she placed her arms behind her head. "I've sent her lovable knight out to pick her up."

"Finn, huh?" Archer muttered. "Yeah, I suppose that would work if Riveria could stop the boat."

"Riveria?" Tiona repeated. "Oh yeah! She can probably just freeze the lake, huh?"

"I hope that it will not cause too much harm to the marine life," Saber muttered, his eyes falling on one of the people that had appeared from the same path Loki had taken. It was a god with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail with a rather muscular body and well toned hands and arms. Considering where they were, it was most likely Njord. "It would hurt the local businesses."

"Well, our own business is done here either way," Archer said with a shrug. "We have to get back before we are missed."

"Indeed."

"Well, see ya around," Archer said to Ais, Lefiya and Tiona before he and Saber started leaping from rock to rock to exit from the top of the cavern.

"For the record, I didn't officially ask for your help so I aint payin' for it!" Loki called out after them as they disappeared into the night.

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia paced back and forth in the room as Welf, Assassin and the rest of her children minus the other Servants and Bell watched. Welf, Emma, Primo, Gina and Assassin had quickly returned to the inn when the fighting had started while Rider had gone to meet the others and pick up the harpy. Now all they had to do was wait for Caster to return and for word to be sent about the harpy from Bell's group.

"Perhaps you should sit down, Lady Hestia?" Lily suggested. "You're going to wear out the mat at this rate."

"I'll relax when someone else gets back!" Hestia replied, a hand over her stomach. "Guuu…I think I'm gonna get an ulcer from all this stress…"

"All the more reason to try and relax, Lady Hestia," Emma said grabbing the goddess by her shoulders and forcing her to sit down on a cushion. "Besides, they shouldn't have been anywhere near those explosions, right?"

"Ahhh…I need another vacation after this vacation!" Hestia sighed as she slumped to the floor. "But nooooo…it's back to work after this!"

"Do you really need to work, Lady Hestia?" Gina asked. "I thought the Captain made enough to cover everything."

"Yeah but I made Gil buy Bell's knife for him so I'm the one stuck paying that bill for the next century or so. Maybe I should look into buying some cheap property and starting an inn like I kinda wanted to do…"

"And who exactly would you have handle the expenses of running such an endeavor, Goddess Hestia?"

"You of course!" Hestia replied with a smile as Caster appeared from the window with a scoff before lazily flopping onto his side back on the floor. "Well, what happened?"

"The boy and Lancer have met up with Rider and have hidden themselves for the time being. Archer and Saber are also with them. Once the camp has been properly secured, one of them shall come retrieve us."

"So everything's a-okay?" Welf asked. "No one's hurt?"

"There are no more problems that we need to immediately concern ourselves with," Caster replied with a nod. "Aside from the lack of relaxation on this vacation I suppose."

"Wow, the Captain actually agreed with the Goddess on something," Primo muttered and Assassin nodded her head in agreement.

"We didn't get to play all that much after all," Assassin pointed out. "Oh well. Back to killing things in the Dungeon then!"

"Right…the Dungeon…" Primo muttered, glancing over at Emma.

"Well, playing all day won't get us much after all," Emma said with a smile, not noticing Primo's worried look. "By the way, just what exactly is your Magic, Lily?"

"It's a Magic that disguises Lily," Lily replied. "It doesn't have to be a thing that exists but so long as Lily has a good image of it Lily can transform into anything the same size as her. For example…"

Lily then turned toward Hestia with a rather mischievous smile on her face.

"Your scars are mine. My scars are mine."

Lily's form faded away and in its place was…

A small boy with white hair and ruby red eyes wearing a green tunic and blue trousers.

"Big Sis Hestia!" The young "Bell" said with a bright smile.

"BUFWAH!?"

The attack was super effective against the goddess, causing her to let out a loud choking noise as she fell forward, tears spilling out of her eyes with a rather happy smile on her face as Welf started laughing.

"To bring down a goddess so easily," Caster muttered with a raised eyebrow. "What a frightening power."

"Lady Hestia is just that simple," Lily said with a smile as Gina and Assassin were hugging and cooing over her mimicry of a much younger Bell. "Lily usually used this to change into a male pallum back when she was still a part of Soma Familia but she can also change into an Al-Miraj if she wanted to. It won't fool Monsters though…"

"H-hey, Miss Supporter?" Hestia began, raising a hand from her defeated position on the mat. "C-can you say it…just one more time?"

"Maybe another time as a reward for Lady Hestia's hard work. Stroke of Midnight's Bell."

With the release incantation, the fake Bell faded away and Lily's form returned, prompting a disappointed Gina and Assassin to release her.

"Is it just those two lines for your incantation?" Emma asked.

"That's right? If Miss Emma wants she can try using her Skill on Lily to try it?"

"Umm…"

Emma glanced toward Caster as if seeking his permission first and the king responded with a jerk of his head.

"T-then, I'll try it out."

Emma then turned her body so that she was facing Lily directly and the shorter girl did the same. Emma seemed to stare rather intently at Lily for a moment before pink lights started to rise up from her body.

"Hoh?" Caster made an interested sound as Hestia sat up properly, wiping the drool from her mouth.

"Your scars are mine. My scars are mine."

And, just like with Lily before, Emma seemed to fade away and was replaced by an older looking girl with waist long purple hair tied into two places at her lower back.

"Wow…it worked," Gina muttered in awe. "That's really amazing!"

"Who is this person?" Primo asked.

"It's Sophia…" Emma replied before quickly holding a hand near her throat as if amazed that her voice had completely changed too. "My…older sister…."

"Emma!?" Hestia let out a shout of concern as tears started welling up in "Sophia's" eyes.

"I…I'm sorry…I haven't heard her voice in so long that I…I…"

Hestia didn't say anything as she walked over and wrapped her arms around the girl's head, allowing her to sob into her chest. As she did, Welf scooted on closer to Gina.

"Hey, do you recognize that person?" Welf asked. "Figured that since you were Hermes Familia, you've seen more people in Orario than I have."

"Hmm…she doesn't look familiar to me," Gina said with a shake of her head. "Is she an Adventurer?"

"The Guild didn't have any information on her when Miss Flores asked a few days ago," Primo replied. "So she probably isn't…at least, not one registered to the Guild."

"Mmm…I hope she isn't part of an Underground Familia then…"

As Emma calmed down enough for her to undo the disguise and stop her Skill, she and Lily were both hit by fatigue from the backlash of the Skill at the same time.

"S-so that's how it works…" Lily groaned, looking rather pale and exhausted despite doing nothing all day. "But still…Lily feels like she sprinted all the way down to the Eighteenth Floor and back by herself…."

"Looks like it's something of a double-edge sword," Hestia said as Emma fell limp in her arms. "Still…what a dangerous ability."

"It is unlikely there will come a situation where Flores will have to use it though," Caster pointed out as Primo and Gina went to help Lily and Emma into their beds. "Still, be sure to familiarize yourself with your Skill as soon as possible, understood?"

"Y-yes sir," Emma replied from her bed.

"Then let's turn in for the night…" Hestia said as she turned to Welf. "Sorry to trouble you so much, Welf."

"Nah, it's no problem," Welf said with a smile. "I think I've more or less gotten used to it by now, haha."

"Well then, let's turn in for the night," Hestia decided. "It'll be a long day ahead for us tomorrow after all."

X-x-X-x-X

Archer's eyes narrowed a bit as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. He and the other Servants had stood watch all night with Archer perched at the top of a tree, keeping an eye on the entire forest that they had made their temporary shelter. Rider was staying in the wagon alongside Bell and Fia while Lancer was standing guard outside the wagon. Saber, the last member of the Party, had left the forest to return to town to bring the others over.

With four sentries that did not need rest on the look out and various runes scattered in the forest for detection, it was nearly impossible for anyone to get in without one of them noticing.

"…Looks like they gave up after all," Archer muttered as he jumped down from the tree. "Gareth probably took care of them all then."

As he landed on the dirt, Lancer turned her head slightly to look at him.

"Dawn already?" She asked and Archer nodded.

"Yep. So wake her up like she asked."

Lancer nodded as she and Archer peered into the wagon and to see both Fia and Bell sleeping with their heads on Rider's lap with the woman looking rather pleased with the situation.

"Aww, time's up already?" Rider muttered with a pout as she shook Fia and Bell on the shoulder. "Wake up, dears."

The harpy let out a soft groan as she sat up and looked around in a daze. Seeing the Servants staring at her however, caused her to flinch and quickly sober up.

"W-what is it? Are we under attack?"

"What are you talking about?" Archer asked. "We're waking you up because you're the one who wanted to watch the sun rise, right?"

"The sun?" Fia repeated. "Oh…right…the ball of fire in the sky."

For someone who lived in the Dungeon their entire life, the sun rising must have been an unfathomable phenomenon that only the crystals on the Eighteenth Floor would be able to imitate. That said, Archer wasn't even sure that Fia had even been to the Eighteenth to begin with. Harpies only spawned after the Eighteenth Floor after all.

"Do you think you can fly or do you want me to carry you to the top?" Archer asked as Fia stepped out of the wagon and stared up at the morning sky.

"I…I want to fly," Fia said, extending her wings out, allowing the light to shine against her red feathers. She then started flapping her wings up and down and slowly took off to the sky.

"Let's follow her," Bell said to Archer who sighed before nodding his head.

The two of them jumped up and landed on the branches above them, using them as a springboard to jump higher until they reached the top. There, they found Fia resting on a tree, staring wide eyed at the morning dawn.

"Don't look directly at it," Archer warned her. "You'll burn out your eyes if you stare at it for too long."

"Right…" Fia replied but didn't move her head at all, clearly lost in her own world and not paying attention to anything else but the sun. "It's bright…and warm."

"It sure is," Bell said with a smile. He seemed to be enjoying Fia's reactions to rather mundane things for people who lived on the surface.

"Something on your mind, Bell?" Archer asked.

"It's…" Bell began. "Do you think we can bargain with the Guild to keep 'tamed' monsters in our Home?"

"That depends if the Guild actually know about these Xenos or not," Archer said. "For all we know, it might only be Ouranos and Fels. Then again, if they know what most of us are…they might be hoping to use us as a shield against the Demi-Spirits."

"That's…what you fought down in the Dungeon with Loki Familia, right?"

"Yeah. If they are hoping for our help against them, then we should be able push a bit aggressively during negotiations. Despite what you seem to think, Bell…we have no obligation to fight against Evilus or Enyo for free."

"But…we can't just let them run around freely, right?"

"If you want to fight them anyway, then do so after getting something from it. Just think of it like negotiating the terms of a Quest, just like we did for Miach Familia. If you want to help people, you need to think of ways to help as many people as possible at the same time."

"I'm not smart enough to think like that," Bell said with a wry smile. "I can only help the people I see in front of me."

Archer looked to the side to keep Bell from seeing the frown on his face. Wanting to save people was not wrong…but with the way Bell was going at it, it won't be long before the weight of the world crushed the poor boy underneath it.

That then left the million dollar question.

Should Archer support Bell through it all…or force him to turn away before it came to pass and he dragged the girls into that hell with him?

But…did he really have the right to pull someone from a dream he himself strode face first into while ignoring the warnings of those close to him as well?

His thoughts were interrupted when Fia expanded her wings again and once more took off into the sky. The soft morning wind blew against her hair as Bell watched Fia fly with a bright smile on his face. It was the face of someone who had managed to save another from a terrible fate.

Did Archer really have the right to deny Bell such a simple pleasure?

Pain bit into his hand and Archer realized that his fingers were digging into his palm.

"Right…I'm just a Servant after all," Archer thought to himself as he watched as Fia slowly fly down and dive into Bell's chest with tears in her eyes as she thanked him over and over again for giving her the chance to fly in the open sky. "I can't tell Bell how to live his life. But at the very least…I won't let him become like me."

X-x-X-x-X

Thanks to Lily's Artel Assist and the fact that most of their luggage was still packed away in bags, Hestia Familia plus Welf were able to leave Melen at the crack of dawn without any trouble.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Primo asked as she and Emma stared up at all the suitcases stacked up and tied onto Lily's back that the tiny girl was carrying without breaking a sweat.

"Do not worry, this is much lighter than what Lily usually brings with her into the Dungeon," Lily said happily. "Maybe it's because Lily is now Level 2…"

"…Is it normal to bring so many things into the Dungeon?" Emma asked as she turned toward Gina.

"That depends on how many people go in at a time," Gina said. "If you only went in with Bell, Saber, Jack and Welf, then that's overkill, Lily."

"Lily refuses to be caught off guard in the Dungeon! You never know when something will come in handy!"

"Well, that Salamander Wool you got us back then did help a lot," Welf admitted with a chuckle. "And that big bag of yours means more room for Drop Items to carry back! Ahh…I better hurry up and finish Bell's new armor if we want to get back to Dungeon diving."

"Speaking of which…how many times does Lily have to tell Jack not to ride on top!?"

"But it's so fun!" Assassin insisted as she poked her head over the top of Lily's burden.

The conversation was rather cheerful, considering what it was they were about to meet up with.

"Are we almost there, Saber?" Hestia asked the Servant leading the way.

"Yes," Saber replied with a nod. "The camp is just up ahead."

They had walked rather far from the town and the main road to Orario. As the forest they had taken the harpy to was located in the center of a massive plain, it was rather easy to see that they were not being followed. A few monsters had attempted to strike at them from the trees but as they were monsters born on the surface instead of from within the Dungeon, even Emma and Primo could dispatch them with relative ease.

"…Are Dungeon goblins supposed to be more difficult than these monsters?" Emma asked as she looked down on the wolf-like monster she struck down.

"Well, the monsters born in the Dungeon are tougher after all," Gina replied. "The Dungeon is the source of most of the world's monsters after all so the ones on the surface are usually weaker due to being born 'naturally.'"

"I don't get it at all," Primo muttered as she shook her head. "I don't get anything anymore."

Hestia patted Primo on the head as they continued forward until they saw Rider's wagon in the distance with said woman and Lancer standing beside it, looking upward.

"Saber…you have returned," Lancer said as she moved just a bit faster than usual to stand just in front of Saber.

"Yes, Lancer," Saber said as his hands immediately found themselves around her waist, causing everyone else's eyes to glaze over with exhaustion. "Were there any problems?"

"None at all. Currently, Fia is watching the sunrise with Bell and Archer."

"Well call them down," Hestia said impatiently, not wanting to watch the two of them go at it again. "I wanna hear her story straight from her mouth."

"Understood," Lancer replied with a nod. She then crouched down a bit before jumping upward, breaking through the canopy in a single bound.

A moment later, she, Archer and Bell landed back down on the ground with the red feathered monster in tow. Seeing all the new faces however, prompted the harpy to hide behind Bell, using the boy to shield herself from their gazes. The action caused Lily, Gina and Welf's eyes to boggle as none of them had seen a monster act so meek in front of people before, at least not to ones that were on the same Level as they were.

As no one seemed to know what to say, it was up to Hestia to take charge.

"So you're Fia, right?" Hestia asked, bringing the harpy's attention to herself. "I am the goddess of this Familia. I heard most of your story from my Child but I would like to hear everything you can tell me first before we continue, is that all right?"

"…Okay," Fia said, causing the same three veterans to reel back in even more surprise.

And so, Hestia Familia plus Welf listened to Fia's tale.

X-x-X-x-X

Back in Melen, Loki and her Familia were overseeing the cleanup of the previous night's battle. From her investigations, Loki had managed to figure out that Ishtar was the one who coaxed Kali to come to Orario but for what reason Kali would not say. Knowing Ishtar, it probably had to do something with Freya though.

She also learned that Njord Familia had been using the Violas to cull the aquatic monster population in order to protect the fish that lived in the lake and by extension, the livelihoods of all the fishermen that made the lake their home and workplace with the help of the head of Melen's guild branch and the report she made to Ouranos (in exchange for being able to leave Orario for her little vacation in the first place) said as much.

But as per the Guild's MO, the entire thing was covered up and the blame of the chaos in Melen was placed solely onto Kali's shoulders, much to the little gremlin's rage.

And throughout all the chaos, her children had met up with two of that chibi Hestia's secret special forces dressed up like a Super Hero Team to fight against Ishtar's Amazons while also teaming up to rescue Tiona and Lefiya. Before that though…

Loki and Ais were resting in their hotel room while Loki had Finn direct the others for the cleanup proper. Lefiya was also resting in her room, being just too tired to deal with anything else, especially after she was told that she would be helping Hestia Familia's Primo Libera out with Magic Studies.

"…You're sure about this, Ais?" Loki asked as she turned to the beloved darling of her children.

"Yes," Ais replied with a nod. "That boy…the one who attacked Ishtar Familia, said that we were the ones working with Enyo."

Golden hair and red eyes. That was what Bete, Ais and the other girls had described the unknown interloper and one of the Amazons had claimed that it was the same person that attacked Freya's kids out of the blue.

The description reminded her of Hestia's Caster but the man had shown no interest in doing anything but lazing about like Hestia often did. Not to mention that the boy was like half Caster's size and apparent age so it couldn't have been him. Well, not unless he had a way to turn into a kid. Then again, the unknown boy also had no qualms in getting Archer and the other one caught up in his attack as well.

But still, to claim that Loki of all people was allied to Enyo…did that mean one of her little investigation buddies were their mysterious prey?

Ouranos. Hermes. Dionysus. Hestia.

Those were the four deities that Loki had gotten involved in with this little detective mystery of hers.

Ouranos was out. As the leader of the Guild, it was in his best interest to keep Orario afloat. He didn't spend the last thousand years building it up just to knock it down after all. He wasn't the type for that nonsense.

Hermes…was suspicious as always and he always seemed to use chaos as a method to search for something but due to his Familia constantly on the move as part of their messenger and delivery duties, they didn't have that much of a power base within Orario itself. Ais also joined the Familia in fighting against Evilus not too long ago where several of his children had been killed in the process.

Dionysus lost a whole bunch of his Children due to Evilus's actions with his Familia Captain being severely traumatized from the Nightmare of the 27th Floor. His motives were still a mystery but who would willingly throw their lot in with a group that slaughtered their Children for the hell of it?

And last but not least, Hestia.

From a no name Familia with a single member to the newest up and coming Familia with several powerhouses capable of defeating a Goliath with not even ten members. Granted, considering Archer's capabilities that wouldn't be as difficult as it sounded but Loki had her Children's firsthand accounts of what had taken place during that fight. An Enhanced Goliath, a Supporter dealing critical damage to a Minotaur on her own, and Hestia's pet rabbit defeating the Monster Rex in a single blow. Granted it was worn down by the more suspicious members of the Familia along with Hephaistos's favorite kid but it had the ability to regenerate its wounds…but a Level 2 should not have had the power to one-shot a floor boss, borrowing Tiona's Durandal or not.

A part of Loki wanted to just dismiss the boy's accusations as one big red herring but something about it made unable to just leave it at that.

It must be because Hestia was the most suspicious of the lot but the fact remained that she had zero members in her Familia barely two months ago and had been mooching off of Hephaistos without even going outside for nearly an entire year before that. She was just too new to have the resources and connections that someone like Enyo would need to have in order to do half the things they were doing right now…unless Evilus decided to take in a goddess with nothing to her name and build her up as a massive distraction. But then Lefiya had said that Caster had chased after the Evilus members they met on the Eighteenth Floor.

"Gaaaaaahhhhhh! This is such a pain in the ass!" Loki shouted as she ran her fingers through her hair irritably as Ais watched with a blank expression on her face. "My gut keeps saying that chibi is suspicious as all hell but my brain knows she's too much of a goody two-shoes to be part of Evilus. That and she's way too lazy to do half of this stuff."

It still doesn't explain away the sheer power that Archer, Saber and Caster seemed to have. And going by the patten, Rider and Lancer were probably the same as them. Lancer in particular bothered her. Loki felt as though she knew that woman even though she was 100% sure she had never seen her until the beach party. That said, Saber, Lancer's supposed husband according to Hestia, himself was also strange in much of the same way. Both of them seem to have Odin's marks all over them but Hestia claimed that she was the first one to give them their blessing.

"…Are you talking about Hestia Familia?" Ais asked.

"Yeah," Loki nodded. "I mean, don't you think it's strange that a bunch of Level 1s are able to keep up with you? Not to mention that rabbit of hers Leveling up so quickly."

Ais didn't say anything as she glanced off to the side.

"About that…" Ais suddenly said, causing Loki to clam up and listen carefully.

"What is it?"

"Saber…the one who went with me to rescue Lefiya. He said that he was the one training Bell Cranel how to fight."

"I see."

So was he the secret to the boy's fast level up then? Some sort of Magic or Skill perhaps?

"I…asked him to train me as well."

Ais's remark caused Loki to nearly fall out of her chair.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say that you, a Level 6, are asking him, a Level 1, to train you," Loki said as she tried to pull herself back into her chair.

"I did."

"…Do you know something about them?" Loki asked.

"That his swordsmanship is better than mine?" Ais replied, not quite understanding what Loki meant.

"No, she definitely understood," Loki thought to herself. "She's just dancing around the topic. Still, this is a good opportunity."

"Fine, I'll allow it," Loki said aloud. "On one condition. Keep an eye on them while you're there. I'm not telling you to look into all of their secrets but let me, Finn and Riveria know if it turns out that they're up to no good, okay?"

"Okay," Ais nodded.

"I should probably tell Lefiya to do the same."

"Do what?"

Speak of the devil.

Lefiya, still dressed in a sleeping gown, poked her head out of the room she had been sleeping in.

"Lefiya, are you okay now?" Ais asked.

"Ah, yes…thank you for worrying about me," Lefiya replied with a nod.

"Have you thought about the whole teaching that chibi's Primmy thing?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Lefiya nodded. "I don't know how much I will be able to help, but if I can return the favor to Archer this way then I will."

Well, considering both Hestia and her captain already considered all debts paid in regards to the Expedition, this had nothing to do with whatever Lefiya was thinking about aside from her own peace of mind. This was supposed to be "payment" for her rescue after all.

"Well, don't worry too much about it," Loki said, waving her hand. "At most it'll be a once a week thing. Supposedly she's only gone into the Dungeon once after all so she's still gotta get used to that and we got our own investigations. Just be sure to keep an eye on them to make sure they're not the ones working with Enyo or something."

"That's not possible!" Lefiya said. "I do not believe that a single person I know would work to a group as despicable as Evilus!"

"Well, then thinking of it like make sure that that chibi isn't being tricked by them then," Loki said, waving a hand back and forth. "Goldy may be smart enough to know when someone's taking him for a ride but that idiot definitely won't. Knowing her, she's bound to get in over her head sooner or later."

X-x-X-x-X

It was official, Hestia was completely in over her head.

"So you're telling me…your group has been working with Ouranos for at least fifteen years in the hopes that someday you'll be able to live alongside humanity?" Hestia asked the harpy.

"Yes…" Fia nodded. "Fels talked with our leaders and we give them some of our fallen off or broken parts in exchange for their help and protection."

"Parts?" Assassin asked, tilting her head to the side as she poked Fia's wings with interest to which the harpy paid no heed.

"Like my feathers or our furs and horns."

"Horns…" Gina repeated before her eyes shot open. "Wait, does that mean you have a unicorn amongst your group?"

At Fia's nod, Gia turned extremely pensive and both Welf and Lily looked rather pale. Unicorns were extremely rare monsters that were found in the lower floors of the Dungeon. Rarer than even infant dragons, their horns were an extremely valuable drop item that could go for tens of millions on the market due to their ability to cleanse all filth and harmful material. As an example, if one were to make a goblet out of the horn, any and all poisons and pollution found in any liquid poured into it would immediately be cleansed and removed.

"No wonder that Fels person can afford to give out such a large reward…" Gina muttered with a frown.

Hestia wanted to ask where exactly were the Xenos living in the Dungeon if the other monsters were also attacking them on sight but she felt that there wasn't really a reason to know that much detail. It was enough for the time being to know that the Xenos existed and that they were working with Ouranos, if not the Guild as a whole.

They needed to solve the problem in front of them, namely what exactly were they going to do with Fia? No…what did Hestia want to do with Fia. As the Familia goddess, she can't leave this to Caster or Bell to make a decision. Times like this were when the deity is supposed to take charge and decide what path their Familia will take.

"Then one last question, Fia," Hestia said softly as she looked the harpy in the eye. "Do you want to go back to the Dungeon…or stay with us on the surface?"

"L-Lady Hestia!?" Lily shouted in surprise but Hestia did not turn around to look. She kept her eyes focused on the harpy who had a bitter expression on her face.

"I…shouldn't…" Fia replied softly but Hestia shook her head. "I can't be the only one to-"

"I didn't ask whether you should or you shouldn't," Hestia kindly said with a smile. "I'm asking you what you want to do. Forget about us, Ouranos, Fels, the other Xenos and all of that other complicated stuff. Just tell me what 'Fia the Harpy' wants to do."

"I…I…"

Fia wrapped her wings around herself, her face scrunching up in apparent agony as she tried to voice her own desires.

"I…don't want to go back…" she finally said, tears seeping out of her eyes. "I never want to go back down there again!"

"Then that's all there is to it," Hestia said with a smile and her hands on her hips.

"But how are we going to convince the Guild to let Fia stay with us?" Bell asked as Lancer wrapped her arms around Fia and pulled her close.

"Well, I have a pretty good idea on how to do that," Hestia replied with a grin. "But it all depends on Lancer or Saber's abilities."

"Whatever you need, you shall have it," Saber said as Lancer nodded her head in agreement.

"Then go find a monster in these woods and tame it for me," Hestia said, causing everyone to stare at her. "It has to be tame enough that even Primo can touch it without fear of getting hurt. Not even a month later!"

"Why are you using me as an example!?" Primo asked as Saber and Lancer exchanged looks before turning back toward Hestia.

"Are we going to pretend that Fia is a Tamed Monster?" Lancer asked.

"Well, that's part of it but it won't be enough to let her stay with us," Hestia replied as she pumped her fist. "That is why I'm going to make Ouranos change things in my favor. As was said, we're the one who got this Quest pushed onto us so let's see just how far we can push this. But again, this only works if one of you can tame a monster to the point that it is completely docile to other people."

"Such things may be outside my area of expertise," Saber replied regretfully before turning toward Lancer. "However…"

Lancer had her hand up to her chin in deep thought.

"Although I would not have the necessary materials required to force a monster to be docile for a month out in the forest, I believe that it should be manageable," Lancer replied. "If we had something similar to that tracking plate that was on Fia however…"

"Seriously?" Welf asked. "More of that magic of yours?"

"Yes. Mind alteration isn't necessarily simple but it is doable. I could make you fall madly in love with that tree over there with it taking the form of the Goddess Hephaistos if I wanted to and you would not be able to tell the difference."

"No wait, why are you bringing my goddess into this!?"

Lancer's response was a simple smile as Welf's face turned as red as his hair.

"I see, so that is what you are planning," Caster muttered as Hestia turned her smile toward him. "How frightening. Should you muster up the motivation, you would probably orchestrate a strategy that would topple a castle in minutes."

"Ahaha…no way," Hestia brushed off Caster's compliment as though it was a joke. "No need to sell yourself short, Caster. My strategy would just be, 'sic em boy!' I'm sure you can do it in a few seconds."

Caster simply rolled his eyes at Hestia who laughed before turning to address Lancer again. "So if you have the right materials you could essentially make a monster loyal to a human?"

"More than that, I could make it so that it would wish to sacrifice itself for its 'master' without hesitation," Lancer replied as Bell rubbed the back of his left hand. "It would be one thing to use it against someone who possessed a will of their own but…"

Lancer turned toward Fia who shrugged.

"Monsters also attack us Xenos without hesitation so I don't really care," the harpy said.

In a way, Hestia felt that it was kinda sad. Despite possessing the capability of thought like the rest of the children in the lower world, the Xenos looked too much like monsters to be truly accepted. On the other hand, the other children of the Dungeon rejected them on sight and actively tried to kill them much like any other Adventurer who braved its depths.

No wonder Ouranos wanted to help them. To not have a place to call your own and to be an outsider no matter where you were? Even Hestia wasn't that unfortunate.

Saber and Lancer's runes had to be passed down to Emma and Gina as soon as possible. It would be a long term goal but if those Magic Runes could build a future for the Xenos, then it was a future Hestia herself will be a part of.

But first…they had to deal with Fia.

"Now then, let's get started!" Hestia said as she thrust her fist up into the air.

X-x-X-x-X

"…They didn't even bat an eye," Emma muttered as she glanced out the back of the wagon back toward the Ganesha Familia gate guards.

To get Fia inside the city, they first had Assassin ride on top of the wagon with her Presence Concealment Skill making nearly impossible to detect thanks to help of the rather misty morning they found themselves in. Then, with Saber's help, Fia was made to look like Assassin while wearing a heavy cloak.

Thus the guards didn't bat an eye when they looked right at her and allowed them all inside after checking their papers.

"Where do we go from here?" Bell asked.

"Well you all are going back to our Home," Hestia said as she hopped out of the wagon as Caster stepped off as well. "Caster and I are going to the Guild to see Ouranos."

"Would they just let you walk in like that?" Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we'll deal with it when we get there," she answered with a shrug. "Though I bet Fels will show up before then."

"Will he show up if the Captain's with you though?" Gina asked.

"Humph, do not worry about such trivial matters," Caster scoffed as he turned toward Archer. "Be sure to give the rest of Takemikazuchi Familia's payment to them when you return."

Archer responded with a simple nod before Rider ushered the wagon away.

With that done, the two of them headed toward the direction of the Guild.

"Hmm…it's been a while since the two of us walked together, huh?" Hestia asked, making some conversation in the quiet morning air. Caster did not respond but Hestia could tell he was listening all the same. "It was when you went to sell some stuff to Hephaistos, right?"

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Caster asked.

"I…are you mad? About what I've decided to do?"

"It is your prerogative as the Familia's Goddess to decide the direction to which the Familia takes. You could have the Familia forgo the Dungeon in its entirety and specialize in innkeeping and I still would not utter a word of protest so long as my own plans are not interrupted."

"Ahaha…I wouldn't go that far. Bell's dreams lie in there after all."

"Are you referring to his dreams of becoming a hero or the other one?"

"The hero one obviously!" Hestia shouted as Caster simply smirked at her. "I am quite satisfied with the amount of girls in the Familia already, thank you very much. But you're still okay with this right?"

"Your desire to work with Ganesha Familia in improving Taming Techniques is no concern of mine. Keeping that one within our Familia is actually to our benefit in drawing out the worms in my garden."

"So the reason he didn't voice any objections to keeping Fia with them was that he was using her as bait to draw out Evilus…" Hestia thought to herself.

She couldn't even fault him for that as it was her idea to bring her in in the first place. He was just using it to his own advantage.

She was going to have Lancer and Saber comb every inch of their Home to make sure everything and everyone was protected after this.

As they drew close to the Guild, Caster suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder and wordlessly steered her off the main street and into an alleyway. Moments later, a being in a black robe appeared in front of them.

"I thank you for your success in retrieving my comrade," Fels said as they lowered their head in a deep bow. "I apologize for not meeting with you sooner. The incident in Melen had forced me to turn my immediate attention to that."

"You are referring to the discord in the Branch Office," Caster said and Fels nodded their head in confirmation.

"Indeed. To my and my benefactor's immense regret, the head of the Branch Office had been receiving bribes from Evilus to aid in their smuggling of the violas to the surface. Unfortunately we could not retrieve much information about that from him and he has since been released from our service. He will do his part in his oh-so-admirable-goal in revitalizing the lake's ecosystem by working alongside Njord Familia."

Hestia supposed that that was their excuse in receiving said bribe.

"Moving aside from that for now," Hestia said as she narrowed her eyes a bit at Fels's appearance. "…Are you really human? You have the same air as the rest of the children but…"

"Do not bother the foolish philosopher with such banal questions," Caster said, causing Fels to slightly twitch in surprise. "You have demands to air, do you not?"

"That's right!" Hestia said as she thrust her finger out toward Fels. "Let me speak to your boss. I have some things I want to discuss to him about your comrade and the future of our dealings with each other. Not to mention what I want out of this Quest and headache you pushed onto us."

"Although I cannot promise anything other than monetary rewards from my end, my employer has been wanting to speak to you as well," Fels replied with a nod before carefully turning his hood toward Caster. "However…"

"If you wish to request that the goddess speak to him alone then I have no objections," Caster replied. "I am well aware of his location and you both are well aware the consequences of treachery at this point."

"We have nothing to gain from such a thing and would stand to lose everything with such an action," Fels pointed out.

Indeed, if they were hoping to use Caster and the other Servants as a buffer against the strange Monster Spirits that Archer had fought down in the Dungeon and against the mysterious Enyo that Hestia did her best to try and ignore and forget about then they couldn't afford to make enemies of them. It was this leverage over Ouranos and Fels that Hestia intended to use.

In short, it was a game where Hestia, for the first time in her eternity, held all the winning cards. And after that disastrous Old Maid game, she was feeling great.

"Then you go on ahead, Caster," Hestia said and Caster answered her with a nod before turning on his heel and disappearing into specks of golden light.

"Well then, please follow me," Fels said after a moment of staring at the blank space where Caster had been standing at.

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia followed the mysterious Fels a bit away from the main street before black fog seemed to surround them. Then, Hestia felt her arm be grabbed in the darkness before being pulled away. At first she thought they had been attacked but soon after she found herself with Fels inside a manmade tunnel.

The fog must have been Fels doing, either as a show of flair or to misdirect anyone observing them. Or perhaps even both. As they didn't go very far it was probably still somewhere near the Guild…probably a tunnel that Ouranos could use to escape in the event of an enemy attack.

"How long has this been here?" She asked as she rubbed her hand across the engraved patterns on the wall.

"I cannot say," Fels replied as he led the way down the tunnel with a lamp powered by a Magic Stone. "I can say it is much older than I. Perhaps it has been here since the dawn of Orario itself? However, its existence is not known to many, so I ask that you keep it a secret."

Hestia nodded her head. It was no skin off her nose in any case.

They kept walking until they reached a dead end. Fels placed his hand against the surface and muttered something underneath his breath which Hestia wanted to believe was "Open sesame." The wall then sank away, revealing another path that led into a massive chamber shrouded in darkness.

Hestia followed Fels up a small flight of stairs and into a stone hall and looked around the room, trying to take in the details from the barely lit room.

Large stone slabs covered the floor of the room and the ceiling of the room was so high that it was impossible to see it in the darkness. There was also another entrance on another end of the room with stairs leading upward, telling her that they were probably rather far underground. She felt like she was in a temple like the ones up in Tenkai…did this place date back all the way back to when the gods first descended?

Then her gaze fell toward the middle of the chamber.

Sitting on an altar among four lit torches that provided the only source of light was the person behind all of this nonsense.

"So it is you after all, Ouranos," she said to the wizened and majestic god.

Over two meters tall when standing, he exuded an intensity, a presence, and a divine authority that were in a league of their own, unmatched by other deities. Heralded as a "Supreme God" while residing in the heavens, he was one of the truly influential deities.

White hair and a similarly colored beard spilled from beneath the hood of his robe. His robust arms were propped on the throne's armrests…a god immovable. He simply existed in that spot, surveying the chamber like a ruler and a statue at the same time. The Father of Orario and the one who assisted the mortals in building Babel Tower to seal the Dungeon, Ouranos.

With his familia eventually becoming the Guild, he oversaw both the city and the Dungeon. However, he realized that someone with that much power must maintain a constant stance of neutrality. Therefore, he bestowed his followers with political power rather than Falna.

The last thing Hestia knew about Ouranos was that he spent his days beneath Guild Headquarters, offering constant "prayers" to the Dungeon. These prayers—powered by his immense divine authority—kept the Dungeon in check. It was his will that prevented hordes of monsters from reaching the surface and plunging the world back into the original state from the Ancient Times.

Or so the story went.

"It's been a long time, Hestia," he greeted her rather amicably.

"Well it has been a thousand years right?" Hestia asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest, not at all intimidated by the other's majesty. "Not since you, Zeus and Hera jumped ship and started a conga line of work for everyone else."

Ouranos let out an appreciative chuckle as Fels lowered their head.

"Then I shall take my leave," Fels said and Ouranos nodded.

"You have done well, Fels."

As Fels left, Hestia watched them go until she could no longer see their robed figure in the darkness.

"Since I'm the guest here, mind if I ask my questions first?" Hestia asked as she turned back to Ouranos.

"By all means," Ouranos nodded.

"I've chatted quite a bit with our mutual friend," Hestia began. "Are you seriously considering bringing the Xenos up to live with the rest of the children?"

"Of course," Ouranos replied without hesitation. "Their hearts and will are in no way inferior to our children. You have interacted with one personally. Can you truly say that you have not thought the same after interacting with that one?"

"…I have," Hestia admitted. "I don't see a monster…just a child that wants to live on the surface and watch the sun rise every day."

It was such a banal and simple wish to someone that took living outside the Dungeon for granted.

"So why did you drag us into it?" Hestia asked. "Is it because of my children?"

"Yes," Ouranos replied. "I became aware of what the majority of your children are after seeing the ability of the one who calls himself Archer. I have been looking for an opportunity to contact you and the incident with the Xenos, while unfortunate and no doubt traumatizing for her, provided the perfect opportunity. In more ways than one."

"You want to use my children as a line of defense against those Demi-Spirit things that Enyo is fielding?"

"Yes."

No excuses. No explanation. Just a simple confirmation.

"Although we have many powerful Familia in Orario already that could be called to arms, there is no harm in having a final line of defense hidden in a small Familia such as yours," Ouranos continued. "The fact that they are already powerful without the need of your Blessing is an advantage that cannot be understated."

In other words, if Hestia somehow was killed and sent back to Tenkai, the Servants would still be able to fight at full strength unlike Loki or Freya's Adventurers should the same thing happen to them.

"But what's keeping me from just packing my things up and leaving?" Hestia asked. "You're asking quite a lot without any reason for me to stick my neck out like this."

"Oh? Have you already changed to become someone who would disappear and leave behind the likes of Hephaistos or Takemikazuchi knowing that danger could arise at any moment?"

"Grk…grr…"

"But I would hear your request regardless. Was there something you wished for? A way to pay off your debt to Hephaistos perhaps?"

"Leave Fia with us."

If Ouranos was going to be blunt and honest with her, then she'll do the same.

"That is my only condition," she continued as Ouranos raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't want to return to the Dungeon and so I want to find a way where she can live happily on the surface with us. That's your end goal to begin with, right? I'll help facilitate it starting with her. So have the Guild give Hestia Familia permission to bring 'Tamed Monsters' up to the city like Ganesha Familia. You're working with him too, right?"

"That would not be possible," Ouranos replied with a shake of his head although not denying his partnership with Ganesha. "Giving you special permission like that would draw too much attention to you and the Xenos."

"Then why not just change the law against bringing monsters up to the surface?" Hestia suggested. "The Guild must have Tamers coming in every day who want to bring the monsters they beat down up to the surface with them. I know you keep track of all the Tamers that are registered with the Guild."

"And what did you have in mind?"

"Work with Ganesha for the most part. Change the law so that anyone can take a…lets call it a test or something. Have it so that any tamer can bring a monster to Ganesha Familia and show that the monster is properly tamed and then make them register the monster with both Ganesha and the Guild. If you don't want the city to be crawling with monsters then charge some stupidly large examination fee. That way only the richer and more established Familia will be able to do so."

"That does not address the problem that all monster aside from the Xenos will still lash out at anyone not their Tamer," Ouranos pointed out to which Hestia simply waved a finger at him.

"Fufufu…did you already forget who my children are, Ouranos?" Hestia asked. "Lancer's magic can dominate a monster perfectly. She just needs a catalyst to channel her magic through. Ganesha Familia use some kinda of tracking plate on their monsters right? One of those would do just fine. The monster will become so docile that it would show its belly to a child if ordered!"

Ouranos fell silent as he mulled over Hestia's words. From her position, Hesita could tell that Ouranos wanted to believe that it could work but he couldn't be sure just from her words alone.

"As I thought, putting my hopes into you and your children was the proper course of action after all," Ouranos finally said. "I will ask Ganesha to invite your child to demonstrate her ability. If it indeed works, then the Guild will consider your proposal. However…"

"I know, the moment Lancer disappears will be the moment this all comes crumbling down," Hestia nodded. "That is why she plans on passing down her magic to the other children in my Familia. And from there they will do the same. It's not exactly what I had in mind for my Familia when I first started out but if this helps the Xenos in the future then I'll throw my hat into your little scheme properly."

Ouranos nodded his head in understanding.

"But still…how did these Xenos come about anyway?" Hestia asked. "You said they come from the Dungeon but then why are only a few of them not driven to mindlessly kill people. And why do the other monsters attack them even though they share the same origin?"

"I do not know," Ouranos admitted. "I only know that they live in alienation and exile no matter where they go. Be it in the Dungeon or on the surface. However, the same can be said of you and your children if your Lancer's magic does not work as expected. If you wish to protect the Xenos Fia, then you may find your own place in this world at risk."

"This is the path my precious child has chosen," Hestia said. "Then that's the path we will take. Together. As a Familia (Family)."

It was faint but Hestia could swore she saw the briefest of smiles on Ouranos's face.

"So you don't have any idea why the Dungeon's creating the Xenos then?" Hestia asked.

"A theory, nothing more," Ouranos replied slowly. "Tell me…do you not find it strange…how a 'monster' who has never left the Dungeon before now, knows the concept of the 'sun?'"

"I have…" Hestia nodded.

"The souls of our children return to the heavens, are judged and sorted by our kind," Ouranos continued. "And then many are reborn into the world…So what about the souls of monsters? No, it would be better to phrase it as: If these monsters who are not our children have souls, where do you think they would go?"

"So you agree with the Xenos's theory?" Hestia asked, feeling her heart tremble.

"As I said, this is only my speculation, but I also have confidence it is correct. After death, monsters return to the mother from whence they came, the Dungeon…They're given new form somewhere deep inside the labyrinth and then are born again. This is what they believe…as do I."

"I still don't believe it…" Hestia sighed. "What is causing this to happen?"

"If one does not overthink it, the answer is rather simple," Ouranos replied. "Although the methods appear to be different it has always been the will of the Dungeon to send its children up to the surface."

Yes, every monster on the surface has either came from the Dungeon or have been born from monsters who have left it. Since the beginning of its existence, the Dungeon has always wished to send monsters up to live on the surface.

If one thought about it like that, it was only natural for the Xenos to wish for the same, wasn't it?

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia had left soon afterward guided back out by Fels, leaving Ouranos alone in his shrine once more.

"Will such a plan really work?" Fels asked as he reappeared at the steps of Ouranos's throne. "You did not want to take the Taming route because you considered it a path of thorns that would not lead to true coexistence, did you not?"

"I did," Ouranos nodded. "However, the normal method for Taming required the Tamer to beat the monster into submission before collaring them like a slave. I wish to see just how far my hopes can lead me in this matter with these Spirits. And it would be a small price to pay to gain their assistance in other matters."

"You did not ask whereabout they came from," Fels noted.

"They are wisps of legends that are passed down from parent to child and from storybooks that have not completely passed on into legend," Ouranos replied. "Are you not the same, my foolish philosopher."

"Please do not bring that up," Fels asked with a sigh. "But is there a difference between what you are hoping and regular taming?"

"As they are now, Tamed Monsters are nothing more than unexploded ordnance that could erupt at any time. We need a way to show that monsters can become more than that. If the Spirit's magic can make a monster docile to the point that there is nothing left to fear then eventually they would be able to survive without such trickery. I wish to believe that Hestia's children can build the bridge that can lead to a new dawn for both mortals and monsters."