Chapter 37: Casus Belli
Bell thought it must have been quite a sight, him returning home with an unconscious Emma in his arms.
Hestia and Rider certainly didn't find it funny though as the two of them dragged Bell in and had him lay Emma on the couch as Lancer checked her head wound and listened to Bell explain what happened.
"Apollo, huh?" Hestia grumbled with a sigh as the entire Familia, except for Caster who was still holed up in his office, turned toward the goddess. "Of all people, it just had to be that guy."
"Is something wrong with that god?" Primo asked with a sniff, not releasing her grip on Emma's hand.
"Well, to put it lightly, I don't really like him that much," Hestia admitted. "A lot of stuff happened and I don't really wanna talk about it."
Primo and Gina shared a glance but neither of them said anything.
"What shall we do?" Lancer asked. "This is clearly a provocation against us. We cannot let this go unanswered."
Although Lancer's voice was as soft as always, Bell could practically feel the anger radiating beneath the woman's kind exterior.
"I understand how you feel, Lancer," Hestia began. "But it's best to let something like a bar fight stay a simple bar fight. There's no need to escalate this."
"But…"
"That's my decision as a Goddess, Brynhildr."
Lancer flinched slightly at her true name being called and lowered her head in apology as Saber placed a hand on her shoulder.
"My apologies, Lady Hestia. I spoke out of turn."
"It's fine. To be honest, I'm super angry too and I do have half a mind to send all of you to burn down Apollo's house but that really won't solve anything and would just make it harder to work with Ouranos in the long run."
"It'd probably feel really good though," Gina mumbled and Rider gave her head a half-hearted push to tell her to be quiet.
"I'm sorry too…" Bell said, lowering his head as Assassin clung onto him. "I tried to stay out of it…I really did…but…but…"
But between the insults to Hestia and them hurting Emma, it was too much for him to bare.
"You did fine, Bell," Hestia said, walking over and pulling Bell's head into a hug. "Even though you were angry, you did well holding back."
"At the very least, you didn't hit them first," Archer said. "I guess we have Ruffian Dog to thank for that."
With Mord striking first, it should prevent anyone from saying that it was Hestia Familia who escalated things into a brawl although Bell was a bit upset that he didn't get a chance to throttle that pallum himself.
Still, Bell could just barely keep his rage in as he scrunched up his eyes to keep himself from crying. He hated that he felt like this. Hated that he wanted to go find those Adventurers again and break all of their arms for what they did. But it was unbecoming of a Vice-Captain to act like that and it sure as hell wasn't very heroic to seek revenge like that.
"Should we go and tell Lord Caster?" Lily asked tentatively.
"I am standing right here."
Caster's words caused Hestia, Bell and the other mortal members of the Familia to jump and turn to see the Captain with his back against a wall.
"Gwen," Caster spoke up, making Gina to jump to her feet in attention. "What is the etiquette for two Familias to resolve confrontations. I cannot imagine the Guild would stand for open war in the middle of Orario."
"Heh?" Gina looked surprised to hear what she was being asked but she quickly recovered. "Ahh um…I guess most Familias would try to settle their differences quietly…but worse comes to worst…it would be a War Game, right Lily?"
"Lily agrees," Lily nodded. "Wait…Lord Caster is not thinking…"
"And what does a War Game entail?" Caster continued, ignoring Lily.
"Umm…the details of the exact War Game is decided by the Gods at a Denatus," Gina said. "But its always a big event that the entire city gets in on."
"So that's it then," Caster muttered, blowing air out of his nose.
"Do you know something, Caster?" Rider asked. "Do you think Apollo Familia's objective is a War Game?"
"The Sun God is nothing more than raw meat thrown in front of a savage beast," Caster said. "While he is without a doubt acting in his own interests, he has been coaxed to do so on another's suggestion."
"…Evilus?" Archer suggested, causing everyone's eyes to turn to him.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Hestia Familia is a household name ever since our triumph over the Goliath. Apollo Familia has done the same with a Familia of over a hundred members. With that information, the Sun God should have known that our strength is about equal, even if that conclusion is false, and not act so rashly on his desires. And yet, he chooses to antagonize us."
"You believe that someone wishes to use a War Game to gauge our true abilities," Saber said. "And Apollo Familia is the piece they will use to do so."
Caster simply nodded his head as his eyes fell on the still unconscious Emma, his eyes narrowing.
"So, what's the plan then?" Archer asked. "Do we wait and see what happens or do we take the initiative?"
"We do nothing!" Hestia cut in. "I don't want to blow this out of proportion! They knocked Emma out and Bell broke their arm. It sucks but I want to leave it at that!"
"You will not get the chance to refuse," Caster countered. "The one pulling Apollo Familia's strings are committed to this course. Either you agree to a War with rules or you watch this city burn."
"Urk…guh…"
Hestia let out a grunt as she turned her head away, unable to refute Caster's logic.
"If need be, challenge them yourself to a duel between Captains and I shall offer his mongrel's head to you and end this farce quickly. Although, I doubt they will agree to that."
"That's right…" Rider muttered. "If your hypothesis is correct, then they would want a set of rules that have all of us fighting. Or at the very least, ones stacked heavily in their favor."
"Then why not propose an open field battle?" Lancer suggested. "A way for us to clear them out in a single strike."
"No, there's no reason we have to go along with what they want, right?" Archer pointed out. "A champion's duel is the fastest way to get this over with."
"E-everyone's talking like a War Game has already been decided…" Primo muttered.
"Well, I guess it's better to take the initiative in this sort of thing," Gina noted while Hestia buried her face into her hands with a sigh.
"…What about us?"
The entire Familia, aside from Emma, turned as one toward Fia who was sitting in Berserker's lap.
"Are we going to get involve in this too?" Fia asked. "I'm willing to help if so!"
"Oh yeah…would we be able to bring them along?" Primo asked.
"I mean there are monsters on the surface that Tamers could use for whatever reason," Gina replied with a shrug. "If we have some kind of open field battle then calling monsters to our cause is only natural for Tamers."
"But since they're monsters Apollo Familia won't hold back against them, right?" Bell asked.
"Apollo Familia's highest Level is 3," Lily said. "Their Captain is Hyacinthus Clio, also Level 3. Considering Berserker is a Servant, Lily doesn't think that anyone would be able to hurt him. Fia though…harpies are considered Level 2 monsters but Lily doesn't know how that works with Xenos."
"Aghh, that's it!" Hestia shouted, stomping her foot on the floor. "No more talking about War Games! Goddess's order!"
As Hestia tried to get control of the topic again, Emma let out a groan and slowly opened her eyes.
"Emma!"
Lancer and Primo turned around when Bell shouted Emma's name and jumped to her side.
"This is…the living room?" Emma spoke slowly and softly as she tried to sit up, only to wince and bring her hand to her head. "Ow…"
"Careful," Lancer said softly. "You were struck in the head."
"We did our best to help…" Assassin said, popping up beside Emma's face while indicating the bindings around Emma's head. "Nothing broken though."
"Thank you, Jack," Emma said, placing a hand on the Servant's cheek. "What is everyone doing right now?"
"Deciding how to get revenge on Apollo Familia for hurting you," Rider replied bluntly without any trace of humor.
"What!? There's no need to go that far for someone like me!"
"Of course there is a need," Caster countered immediately. "A strike against you is a strike to the entire Familia. To ignore an outsider injuring you is the same as saying your wellbeing means nothing to us."
"Oh, so you do care," Archer mumbled as Hestia winced at the obvious barb before glaring at Caster.
Bell wondered if Caster was particularly angry right now even though he still looked and sounded as exhausted as he did this morning. His words seemed even sharper than usual and was not pulling any punches around Hestia.
"But still…" Emma began but was quickly silenced by Caster's look.
It felt as though the Servants, plus Fia, were raring for battle while the other mortal members wanted the thing to blow over. Bell didn't particularly want to get into a war with Apollo Familia, but he could not just let it slide either. That pallum who insulted Hestia and the man who hurt Emma…he wanted those two to pay.
"Mommy? Your face is scary."
Jack's words snapped Bell out of his thoughts as he quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
"Look, even your star child wishes to do battle," Caster said, taking advantage of Bell's thoughts.
"But…"
Revenge seems unbecoming for a hero.
"It's only natural to strike back when you have been dealt an injustice," Rider of all people said. "You have to strike back in a way that leaves them unable to hurt you again.."
Did she read his thoughts?
"But it's been a long day," Rider continued as she placed her hands on Hestia's shoulders. "Let's let Bell and Emma rest and come back to the topic tomorrow."
Although Rider was on the side of the War Game, she decided to play mediator and postpone things so emotions could cool and things can be discussed more calmly.
Caster simply huffed as he turned on his heel to return to his office. Primo knelt down and gave Emma a big hug before following after him.
Lancer the helped Emma to her feet and proceeded to help her to her room while the others left the living room to do their own things, leaving only Bell, Hestia and Assassin in the living room.
"…Hey Bell," Hestia began. "What do you want to do about this?"
"I'll go with whatever you want to do, Goddess," Bell replied immediately. "Although I want to get back at them for hurting Emma, I'll follow your lead whatever you decide."
He didn't think it was wrong for Hestia to want to choose a passive response in the interest of keeping the peace. But he felt that if they didn't do something, Apollo Familia might come after them again.
Hestia simply let out a tired sigh as she dragged her feet toward the stairs.
With just Bell and Assassin left, Bell knelt down in front of her with his hands over his shoulders.
"Jack," he began.
"Yes, Mommy?" She replied.
"Please do not go for your knife so quickly," Bell said. "I know you were angry. I was too. But that's no reason to go for a weapon like that."
"But they hurt Emma."
"I know, and I'm angry at that too. But before that they were only making fun of us, which wasn't very nice either. But it's not good to pull weapons out if the other guys don't do it first. It makes you the bad guy."
"And being a bad guy would make Mommy sad?"
"Extremely."
"Then We won't do it again!"
The promise was made with such a bright smile that Bell found himself smiling as well.
Whatever comes later, Bell was sure they would be able to deal with it. As a Familia.
X-x-X-x-X
"So your preparations are complete then?"
"Yes, Lady Riveria! We already told them that I will head on over tomorrow."
Lefiya was currently in Finn's office talking to Finn, Riveria and Loki. The topic was naturally her tutoring of Hestia Familia's Primo as payment for their assistance in Melen. Ais was also going to be sent as Lefiya's guard. Just in case.
"So you decided to go through with this after all?" Finn asked, turning to Loki. "And here I thought you would make up some excuse to delay or go back on this."
"As much as I hate giving the chibi a leg up on things," Loki began while rolling her eyes. "I would rather eat my hands than be in her debt."
And between saving Lefiya and helping Tiona, the debt was disgustingly big.
"Plus, this is a chance to see how she runs things," Loki added. "And how exactly a bunch of Level 1s are fighting on the same field as Level 5s."
"That being said, it's most likely a combination of Rare Skills and Archer's magic," Finn pointed out with a wry smile. "Not something we, or any other Familia, can replicate."
"What kind of Skill lets someone hit on the same level as a Level 5!?"
Lefiya raised her own hand up shyly as Riveria let out a soft chuckle as Loki rubbed her forehead.
Lefiya's Fairy Canon could heavily increase the effect of her magic. Combined with her Magic Fairy Ring, which allowed her to copy any Elf Magic she knew the chant to, she could just barely hit on the same surface level as Riveria by using the Elf Queen's own spells. Naturally, it was only the surface level as Riviera, being a whole three Levels higher than her could hit several magnitudes harder than Lefiya ever could.
Just then, the door opened without anyone a knock or announcement.
"Everyone but the old geezer's here?"
Bete Loga stepped into the room without waiting to be invited.
"What's up, Bete?" Loki asked. "Thought you'd be sleeping after going out for a drink with the guys."
"I was, until some assholes started a brawl," Bete replied. "Some weaklings from Apollo Familia were shit talking Archer's Familia right in front of that kid Vice Captain of theirs."
"Bell Cranel, right?" Finn asked. "Did they start a fight?"
"Nope, but he sure as hell finished it. Broke that pretty boy Phoebus Apollo's arm then knocked him out with one punch."
"…That's Apollo Familia's captain, isn't it?" Riveria asked with a frown before turning toward Finn. "I believe he was Level 3?"
"Huh!? But Bell's only Level 2!" Lefiya spoke up before bringing her hand near her chin, suddenly unsure of herself. "…Right?"
"There hasn't been any announcement for any of Hestia Familia's Adventurers leveling up aside from Liliruca Arde," Finn said as Loki raised an eyebrow with a knowing smirk on her face that Finn ignored. "Loki, do you think Hestia is the type of person to hide Level Ups from the Guild?"
"Itty bitty can't keep a secret to save her life," Loki replied. "That said, that was when she was in Tenkai, so who can say how much she changed since coming down here."
"How did this start anyway?" Riveria asked Bete. "Was it just insults?"
"Started that way then some guy I don't know that was eating with them started strangling the pallum throwing insults at them."
At the mention of a member of his race, Finn's smile turned a bit bitter but Bete didn't stop speaking.
"Some girl tried to get him to stop then got grabbed by Apollo Familia and then things exploded when that pallum was thrown at him. The kid pulled his Familia back and tried to keep out of it before the girl got beaned in the head."
Bete then shrugged his shoulders as if to say "Then you know the rest."
With the report done, Bete went off without another word.
"A Level 2 defeating a Level 3 with a single punch?" Finn began. "Either his Status is as high as it was at the Minotaur fight again…or they're hiding his Level Up."
"You said it was all S right?" Loki asked as Lefiya's eyes boggled at the revelation. "I think Ais might have been onto something when she decided to ask that Saber to train her. Her Status went up a whole twelve points after the first day."
"That is frightening in its own way," Riveria pointed out. "It means Saber is a swordsman on par with a Level 6 at Level 1."
Silence filled the room as Riveria's words hung over them.
"Umm…"
Yet Lefiya still found the courage to speak up.
"I did have an idea about that," she began and the other three listened to the idea she shared with Ais about the other night.
Then once morning came, she and Ais left the Twilight Manor on the norther end of Orario to head to the Hearthstone Manor on the western end with Ais leading the way.
The rain of the previous day had stopped but the clouds were still murky and the streets were still lined with deep puddles.
Lefiya carried with her several books and reference notes that she had used and taken while learning under Riveria herself.
"Are you okay?" Ais suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
Lefiya had been distracted as she was mentally listing off what she should go over first. Normally theory should take priority but it seemed as though Primo was already perfectly channeling her Mind and casting her spells. But she decided it wasn't a good idea to cut corners until she got a good handle on Primo's level first.
"What do you mean?" Lefiya asked Ais back.
"You're about to be a teacher. Are you worried? You're going to be Primo's Riveria."
"Huh? There's no way I can be compared to Lady Riveria like that!"
"But you were taught by her and now are teaching another elf. And Thousand Elf is a famous name."
The elf that could cast a thousand spells, something thought impossible so long as one considered the limits of the Falna. The Falna could only bless the Adventurer with three spells at max with few Adventurers even reaching that maximum.
However, upon reaching Level 3, Lefiya had received a Spell that when cast, allowed her to use the spell of another elf. Her personal repertoire hasn't exactly reached a thousand yet though. It hadn't even reached three digits yet! It was a heavy name that the gods had given her that matched the weight of Finn and Riveria's expectations for Lefiya to succeed the latter in the future.
Maybe cultivating her own rival in a rival Familia would be what Lefiya needed to spur her own growth. However, the fifteen-year-old Lefiya had no intention to lose to a ten-year-old.
She was already close to falling behind the fourteen-year-old Bell after all.
As their destination grew closer, they saw a Guild employee standing at the front gate talking with one of the women of the Hestia Familia.
"Thank you for going out of your way like this," the red haired woman said as she accepted a sheet of papers from the Guild employee.
"It's part of my duties so it's no problem at all," the employee replied. "I was asked to do it because I was tasked as your Familia Advisor after all. That being said, I havn't seen any of my advisees in a while."
"I'm sorry about that, Eina," Rider said with a wry smile. "We've been pretty busy with several things lately."
As Eina nodded her head, the two of them turned to see Lefiya and Ais walking up to them.
"Oh, Lefiya Virdis and Ais Wallenstein," Rider noted. "You're rather punctual. Come on in."
"Yes," Lefiya nodded as Eina bowed her head and made to return to the Guild while Ais and Lefiya crossed the gate into the manor.
It was Lefiya's first time in the building and although it lacked the sheer magnificence of the Twilight Manor, she felt that it was rather homey all the same. She did think it was rather quiet however. Which was strange considering how much noise Primo and her two friends made at the beach the other day. She had been expecting the three girls to be running around like they had been on vacation. Did their Captain run a tighter ship at home then?
"Is everything okay?" Lefiya found herself asking, feeling rather constrained at the atmosphere.
"Hmm? Oh, everyone is just rather tired at the moment."
Rider easily brushed the question aside as she led them into the kitchen where a familiar face was busying himself.
"Yo, Ais. Lefiya."
Although it might be rude to the man in question, Lefiya thought that Archer looked more at home working behind a kitchen counter than on the battlefield. Compared to the expression of apathy he wore when cutting down monsters the man who was tending to a sizzling pot in front of him with a satisfied smile on his face seemed like a different person.
"Good morning, Mister Archer," Lefiya returned the greeting while Ais simply nodded.
"Give me a second. I'm just finishing up a snack for the kids."
"What kind of-" Lefiya began just as Archer lifted the item from the pot.
It was small and round, and had been sitting in the pot of boiling oil for a few minutes, giving the outside layer a crisp golden brown color.
Lefiya's fellow Familia member was completely transfixed as she watched Archer lift one potato puff after the other out of the pot and onto a plate with a napkin on top of it. The stack grew to a respectable size, one that could easily fill the stomachs of three growing girls.
Archer then picked up the stack and set it on the counter with Ais not taking her eyes off of them for a second. Archer then took a napkin and wrapped it around one of the puffs. He then tossed it toward Ais, whose hand snatched it out of the air like a serpent.
"Sorry we don't have any sweet creams," Archer said with a shrug as Ais elegantly devoured the snack. "Most of the Familia prefer them plain so we haven't had a need to stock the ingredients."
"It's fine," Ais replied. "Thank you."
"Getting started already?" Rider asked, and Lefiya turned around to see her leading Primo and her friends into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Miss Virdis!" Primo said with a bow. "I'm ready to receive your instruction!"
It was an overly polite introduction from an obviously nervous child. This was probably what Riveria saw in Lefiya when she started her own instruction.
The amazon and human ignored their guests and immediately went for the snacks.
"Feel free to use the table," Rider said, pointing to the dining table. "It's probably more convenient to use than the living room anyway. We really don't have a place to study in a group here, do we?"
Rider mumbled that last bit to herself as she grabbed a few of the potato puffs and headed out into the garden toward a massive tent that had been pitched up for some reason.
As Lefiya sat down at the dining table with Primo, Ais turned toward Archer.
"Is Saber here?" She asked.
"Yeah," Archer confirmed. "He's spending some quality time with Lancer right now."
"And Bell Cranel?"
"He's resting in his room."
Lefiya felt that this had to do with the bar brawl the previous night. According to Bete, Bell was furious that one of his Familia members had been hurt. Since it was unlikely that Lancer or Rider had been hurt, and Primo and her friends are here, it must have been the older human girl that got hurt.
However, it wasn't time to worry about that right now. Lefiya quickly cleared her head of such thoughts and focused on her new ward in front of her.
X-x-X-x-X
Time passed as Lefiya lectured Primo on the theory of Magic.
To Lefiya's relief, Primo was both a clever and diligent student. She understood the material rather easily and she made clear what she didn't understand to allow Lefiya to clarify for her.
As the study progressed, Ais was enjoying herself by sampling Rider and Archer's cooking with the other two girls until Saber arrived in the kitchen with his wife beside him.
"Oh, Miss Wallenstein is here as well?" Saber noted.
"Yes, Teacher," Ais replied with a nod, causing Saber to chuckle.
"Sadly our yard is neither large enough nor private enough to continue our lessons," Saber said. "So I hope you were not expecting too much."
"Not at all. I came to…hang out?"
Ais tilted her head to the side as if she was unsure if that was the correct term.
Although Saber seemed to be in a good mood, there was a shadow cast upon Lancer's face. Lancer's mood seemed to give form to the general atmosphere of the manor. It was as though everyone was doing their best to ignore something and go about their day as if nothing was wrong.
If Lefiya hadn't heard about what had happened, she wondered if she would have been able to tell something was wrong. She didn't have much faith in her ability in noticing such things if she didn't have some idea of it before hand.
Lefiya wanted to ask about Bell. She wanted to know if he had actually Leveled Up. She wanted to know if he was okay.
The first question she decided was pointless. The Guild announced all reported Level Ups without question so as to keep to their role as Orario's neutral mediator. The second, she felt, was honestly none of her business as an outsider to the Familia. She wasn't sure if they were close enough for her to be considered a friend even if their two Familias had a slight mutually beneficial partnership in spite of the mutual dislike between their goddesses.
They wouldn't be true allies however, as the Hestia Familia goddess and her Captain refused to get involved with Loki Familia's investigation into Evilus. Lefiya believed that it was because even if a good portion of Hestia Familia had been touched by Spirits, the Level 1 girls have not. If that was the case then getting involved would put them in untold danger.
Lefiya was torn in wanting the assistance of powerful Adventurers like Archer and Saber, and wanting to keep those like Primo out of the line of fire.
Frustrated with her contrasting views, Lefiya let out a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. Unfortunately, Primo seemed to have taken in the wrong way as she jerked and looked up at Lefiya.
"S-sorry, am I taking too long?" Primo asked, her ears drooping rather expressively.
"N-no, not at all!" Lefiya replied quickly. "I was thinking about a problem that was bothering me. Don't worry about it!"
Primo nodded her head in understanding as she went back to taking notes from the theory book. Lefiya had to be more careful. A student observed their teacher almost as much as the teacher observed their student. Any sign of discomfort could be taken as a failing on their part in the student's eyes.
She was learning even as she was doing the teaching.
The doorbell suddenly rang, causing the Hestia Familia Adventurers to share a confused glance before Lancer raised a hand to volunteer herself to answer it.
Not even a minute after she disappeared out the front door did Lefiya realize something was about to go wrong. Both Saber and Archer's eyes widened and the two of them immediately shot after her without a word with Ais following them shortly after.
No longer able to concentrate, Lefiya ran after her friend with Primo and the other girls right behind her.
Outside the front door, they found Archer and Saber struggling to hold back an enraged Lancer who seemed to be seriously attempting to throw them off of her while clamoring to get her hands on two women at the gate like a woman possessed.
"You dare…?" Lancer was saying as she, in a surprising and frightening show of strength, threw Archer off of her and sent him flying into the wall without even turning her head his way. "You people dare show yourself here!?"
"Brynhildr, calm yourself!" Saber said, wrapping his arms under hers to hold her back. "Restrain your anger before the situation becomes worse!"
"Archer, are you hurt?" Ais asked, helping the man to his feet.
"Just my pride…" Archer mumbled as he shook his head.
Lefiya turned toward the two women at the gate and recognized the emblem on their uniform. That plus Lancer's enraged outburst allowed her to figure out that these two were from Apollo Familia. Lefiya agreed with Lancer; they had a lot of nerve to show their faces in front of Hestia Familia.
The woman with long black hair was hiding behind the one with short-cut brown hair. Both women were staring at the gate…or rather what used to be the gate. There was nothing there outside of molten iron that was slowly seeping across the grass.
Lefiya found a pair of gentle, yet firm, hands grab her shoulders and carefully move her from the doorway to get through.
"As you can see, Apollo Familia isn't exactly welcome here right now," Rider said to the two women. Although her face and tone were rather amiable, Lefiya felt as though she was staring at a lit powder keg that could go off as violently as the woman that was still trying to throw off her husband. "May I ask for the reason of this unexpected visit?"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The long-haired woman apologized over and over. "We'll just be leaving!"
However, she was grabbed by her friend by the scruff of her neck.
"I understand your reluctance to talk to us," the short-haired woman replied. "I really do."
She then released her friend and introduced herself as Daphne Laulos and her friend as Cassandra Illion.
"We were asked to deliver this to you and your goddess."
Daphne reached into Cassandra's pocket and pulled out a letter with a wax seal depicting her Familia's emblem.
"What is this, an invitation?" Rider asked, accepting it with a frown.
"Yes. Please hand it to your goddess. I'm sorry for all of this."
Rider's frown only deepened as she nodded her head and watched the two women leave without another word.
She then turned toward Ais and Lefiya with a sad face, and Lefiya knew what she was going to say without her saying it.
It was time for her and Ais to leave.
X-x-X-x-X
"An invitation to the Banquet of the Gods to be held tomorrow night, is it?"
Hestia came back from work only to be received by that invitation instead.
Bell, Emma, and the rest of the Familia were seated at or near the dining table as part of a meeting.
"Well, it's about time one came along," Hestia muttered as she tossed the invitation down on the table in front of her. "It's been a bit over a month since Ganesha's after all. But for Apollo to do it…what is that guy thinking?"
"Let us decline," Lancer suggested. "We have no reason to let you go into the enemy's stronghold on your own."
"I would't be on my own," Hestia said, tapping her finger on the letter. "It says that I can bring up to two guests with me."
"Guests?" Lily repeated as she and Gina exchanged looks.
"This is the first time I've heard of that," Gina added. "It's always been exclusive to the gods."
"I guess this is Apollo's way of livening things up," Hestia said with a sigh. "After what happened last night, I guess we can't just ignore this, huh?"
"Of course not," Caster answered her with his elbow on the table to prop his chin up. "You would essentially be declaring that you are not willing to face Apollo to the rest of the world. That you are willing to turn a blind eye to Flores's disgrace. That you are willing accept any demand they force upon the Familia without a word of protest."
"All right, all right, I get it!" Hestia shouted, slamming her hands on the table. "Then I guess that means you're coming along?"
"By all means, allow me to rid the world of Orario's divine population. That way Hestia Familia shall rise from the ashes as its sole Familia."
"Never mind, forget I said anything."
"Then who will you take along?" Saber asked, eyes turning toward Bell. "I assume taking Master along is only natural."
"Of course!" Hestia admitted with a smile as Bell let out a dry laugh. "With this kind of invitation, it's basically asking for us gods and goddesses to bring one of our Captains as well as our favorite Child to show off."
"Then since bringing Caster is a recipe for disaster," Archer began as Caster simply gave a rather evil smirk in agreement. "And Bell is both your Vice Captain and favorite. Who else are you bringing along?"
"Hmm…" Hestia folded her arms in thought as she glanced around the table. "I want to bring one of you girls along since I'm already bringing Bell…"
"To avoid the harem rumor?" Lily asked with a smile before turning away as Hestia glared at her.
"Then, can I volunteer?"
All heads turned to the pink haired girl that spoke up.
"Hoh?" Caster was the first to say anything as everyone else aside from Saber and Archer were surprised at her initiative. "You wish to willingly throwing yourself into a den of wolves?"
"I…" Emma began. "…Am an Adventurer. I'm not just some girl that has to be protected all the time."
"Is that so? But in my eyes, you are. You are but a mere babe that has only just recently bloodied her hands in battle under the careful eyes and guard of your betters."
Caster's eyes swerved from Emma to Lancer and Gina before returning to the girl.
"Even so, I am an Adventurer," Emma repeated. "I cannot grow if I do not enter new battlefields. I cannot grow if I do not fight new enemies. I…cannot grow if everyone treats me like some fragile flower!"
"Emma…" Bell began before shutting his mouth.
"Fufu…ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahahaha!"
All eyes turned to Caster as the king let out a hearty laugh to the wide-eyed stares of Hestia, Assassin, Fia, and the mortal members of the Familia.
"'Tis like watching a cub beg its mother to be taken along on a hunt," Caster said after he had his fill of mirth. He then leveled his eyes on Emma fully. "But it was a splendid performance. Indeed, you are not a fragile flower but one that blooms in the middle of a battlefield. Your growth cannot be cultivated in a garden. Only through war can you achieve your true beauty."
Bell was surprised. It looked as though Caster was extremely happy with Emma's answer. Happy to see her break out of her shell and strive toward even greater heights.
"Heh…you actually like people a lot, don't you Captain?" Gina asked with a smile.
A frown appeared on Caster's face as his gaze swerved over to Gina. No, it wasn't that he was frowning. He was struggling to maintain his kingly mask in response to Gina's unexpected question.
"…And what are you expecting me to say?" Caster asked. "I actually like people? Have you not been paying attention at all? Even if you are a new addition to the Familia, surely you could tell from how I treat all of you mongrels? Do not ask answers to the obvious!"
Rather than being angry, it looked as tough Caster was desperately trying to avoid giving a straight answer while also trying to avoid outright lying in front of Hestia. Just like a pouting child who got caught.
If someone were to form their own answers based on how he treated the Familia as he says, then it was easy to understand his feelings towards humanity.
Bell wasn't the only one who realized this as both Rider and Lancer had their hand over their mouths and Hestia was sporting a massive grin on her face.
Refusing to lose face, Caster quickly changed the topic back to the smiling Emma as he glanced at Hestia.
"Getting back on topic, it is not I who would decide your participation. Well? What will you say to your Child who offers you her heart in the form of prayers and wishes."
"As if I can say anything else…" Hestia answered as she turned to Emma with a smile on her face and with warmth in her heart. "Of course I'll take you along, Emma."
"Yes! Thank you very much, Goddess!"
"Then let's go try on your party dress!"
"…Yes?"
X-x-X-x-X
It had been at the tail end of winter when Bell had mysteriously found the Holy Grail within the Dungeon. A little over two and a half months have passed since then and Orario was completely enjoying its spring weather before summer came. Which was why the sudden thunderstorm two days earlier had taken the entire city by surprise.
But despite the aftermath harsh weather it did nothing to damper the mood of the gods eager for fun.
In front of a large building owned by the Guild, several carriages were making their way to the various entrances. There several gods and goddesses entered the venue with their favored children in tow.
Hestia Familia was no exception.
A white carriage baring the emblem of a goblet holding a roaring flame with a bell tied to it stopped at the designated zone and the red haired driver descended to open the door for its occupants.
"Please watch your step, Bell," Rider said as Bell descended from the carriage.
"Yes, Rider."
Bell had been forced into a black tuxedo with a flowing blue cape attached to the lapel via a pair of silver clips. Both the vest and the cape had a flame design that stretched across the boy's frame.
Bell turned around and helped Hestia descend. The goddess was wearing a brilliant red dress with the same flame design as Bell, one that opened up to reveal her bountiful cleavage as well as a good portion of her back, leaving a shawl to her shoulders and upper arms.
Once Hestia had stepped down Bell extended his hand again to help the final occupant down.
Emma took his hand with a white gloved hand, one that stretched all the way to just below her shoulders, and was adorned with pink flowers at the end. Her white dress was also adorned with white flowers over the fabric with the hem covered to the brim with pink roses.
In Bell's eyes, his goddess looked like the queen of a distant land (or at the very least looked the part of a goddess) and Emma was her princess.
"Then please enjoy yourself everyone," Rider said, lowering her head to the three. "I will be waiting to pick you up when you leave."
And reinforce you should something happen.
Bell nodded his head in understanding as he turned toward Hestia and Emma.
"Umm…" he began as he looked at their arms.
As a man, Bell should be the one to lead them in but Hestia was their Familia Goddess. Would it be better for them to flank her instead?
"Come on, I have enough love for both of you," Hestia said, making the decision for Bell as she wrapped her arm around Bell before taking Emma by the hand.
"Hee hee, of course, Goddess," Emma nodded with a giggle as Bell let out a chuckle of his own.
"I wonder if Miach is here yet?" Hestia wondered out loud as they entered into the ornate entrance hall.
Hestia had visited her friend earlier in the day and learned that he had also received an invitation to which she immediately grabbed him and his sole Familia member, Naza Ersuisu, and brought them along on a shopping trip that she paid for. She even got them their own carriage to attend the party with. It was done to allow the hard working Miach to relax a bit, and for Naza to spread her wings.
"I'm sure he's around somewhere," Bell replied. "We should worry about ourselves first."
"I don't think they would do anything obvious in a gathering of so many gods," Emma pointed out. "We'll probably be fine…physically anyway."
"Right. If Caster is correct then they'll probably declare a War Game using what happened the other night as an excuse."
"Mumumumu…that's enough you two!"
Bell and Emma let out a yelp as Hestia stepped on Bell's foot while pinching the back of Emma's hand.
"We aren't here to pick a fight," Hestia reminded them. "If they come swinging then I'll let all of you swing back. But not until then! We have to be seen as the ones defending ourselves."
Bell knew that deep down, Hestia already resolved herself that a War Game would be in their future, but she was both holding onto the slim hope that they could escape that bothersome event. Failing that, she would give it her all to show everyone that this was her reacting to an injustice rather than her picking on a weaker Familia.
As they walked passed the golden pillars decorated with hundreds of candles, they reached the massive ballroom filled with chatting deities and mortals alike. The guests mingled with one another under the light of countless chandeliers equipped with Magic Stone lamps that illuminated the buffet tables lined with various appetizers and courses for them to enjoy.
"There are a lot of people here," Emma noted as Bell nodded in agreement.
"Not all of them seem to want to be here though," Bell pointed out.
There was an elf that was wearing a miserable expression on her face as another patted her back, a dwarf in clothes far too tight for him with an Amazon was laughing at him, and a pair of chienthrope and cat person adventurers glaring at each other as their poor goddess was trying to get between them.
"It looks like every Familia has their own problems," Emma muttered.
Bell nodded his head as a voice rang out throughout the ballroom.
"Welcome, dear guests! I am glad to see you have all arrived!"
Bell's eyes turned toward the direction of the voice and spotted a god standing at the opposite end of the room.
He had short hair that was the color of the sun. The bright and wavy locks glide over one another like early afternoon sunbeams. With a smile that is equally as brilliant, his handsome looks were powerful enough to make both men and women stare in awe.
He was flanked by two Adventurers; one man and one woman. Bell hadn't seen the woman before but the man…
"It's him…" Bell found himself snarling, only to stop when he felt someone grab his hand.
"Bell…" Emma called out his name in warning.
"I know," he said, squeezing her hand slightly. "I won't start anything."
"Let's keep as far away from them as possible," Hestia decided. "We'll start over there by the appetizers!"
Bell and Emma shared a wry smile as they allowed Hestia to drag them to one of the long tables where a massive spread of food awaited them. Before they could start snacking, someone called out to Hestia.
"There you are, Hestia."
"Oh, Hephaistos!"
The goddess Hephaistos had brought along her Captain, a half-dwarf by the name of Tsubaki Collbrande, and Welf, much to Bell's surprise.
As Hestia greeted and chatted with her friend, Welf stepped up to Bell and Emma.
"Y-yo," Welf said, looking rather unsure of himself. "You two doing okay? After…uh…"
"We're fine, Welf," Emma assured him with a smile. "Don't act like it was your fault."
"But…"
"Really, we're fine," Bell said as well. Honestly, he still wanted to at the very least get his hands on that pallum who started it all, but it was better to never see him again instead. "We already have an idea on how to deal with this mess."
Welf opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by a loud voice pushing itself into the group.
"Oh, everyone's here!" The god Hermes said as he came up to them followed by Asfi Al Andromeda and Falgar Batros. "Evening Hestia! How's little Gina doing?"
"She's doing just fine," Hestia replied rather neutrally. "Thanks for asking."
"I see, I see," Hermes nodded with a smile while his Adventurers looked a bit regretful at the mention of their former member. "That's good to hear. But Hestia, I'm really surprised to see you here. Considering it's 'Phallus the Passionate' that's hosting this party."
"P-phallus?" Bell repeated in confusion as Emma's cheeks turned bright red.
"Oh are you interested?" Hermes asked, ignoring the absolute death glare that Hestia was leveling his way. "Back in Tenkai Apollo never failed to entertain everyone. He was also quite the persistent lover boy. Wouldn't you agree, Hestia?"
"How should I know!?" Hestia shouted as she turned her back to Hermes and started stuffing her face with gusto.
"Does that mean…our Lady Goddess is the target of…?" Emma asked before trailing off, looking from Hestia's head to Hephaistos. The smith goddess nodded her head with a wry smile.
"Indeed, Miss Emma," Hermes confirmed. "Apollo would spend most of his time trying to get Hestia out of her temple with all sorts of poems and gifts and she would rebuke him each and every time."
As Hermes went on about Apollo's escapades to try and win Hestia's heart, Bell and Emma leaned in close.
"Do you think Apollo did all of this as another attempt to get our goddess's attention?" Emma asked Bell.
"Who knows," Bell replied. "I don't think we can ever understand the minds of the gods."
Perhaps this sort of nonsense was also part of the reason for Caster's animosity to them.
Their huddle was interrupted by a loud cheer from the crowd near the entrance. The two of them turned their heads to see the crowd parting to allow a silver-haired goddess, flanked by a giant animal person and human woman, to pass.
"Looks like Freya's here too," Hermes noted.
Bell knew the name, of course. There wasn't anyone in the entire world who didn't know that name. They were considered equal to Loki Familia in power and hosted one of the two Level 7 Adventurers in the entire world. The Boaz, Ottarl.
Then that goddess, dressed in a form fitting black dressed that looked as though it was holding back paradise, would be Freya, the Goddess of Love that both Lancer and Saber were wary of.
Bell felt that she was indeed beautiful enough to hold that title.
Amidst all the gazes transfixed by Freya beauty, Bell didn't fail to notice that all the goddess in the room were either exasperated or angry at her appearance. One goddess in particular was looking as though she wanted nothing more than to murder her.
With long, dark-colored hair, and dressed in thin silks that was almost translucent, the goddess was biting her nail in anger as the group of gods and men that had been trying to talk to her had their attention stolen away by Freya's appearance.
"That's Ishtar."
Bell turned his head away to see that Hestia was looking at him.
"Bell, Emma," Hestia began, catching Emma's attention as well. "Don't stare at Freya for too long, or Ishtar for that matter. Goddesses of Love and Beauty can charm any child just from them looking at her."
With her warning given, Hestia returned to her food as Bell and Emma shared another look.
Ishtar. The goddess that was the target of their king's hatred, and the one whose Familia Archer and Saber attacked in defense of Loki Familia.
"Burn her visage into your mind. We shall come to blows soon enough."
Bell could hear his king's words clear as day even though Caster was nowhere near him. Perhaps it was a good idea that Hestia hadn't taken him along after all.
However, contrary to Hestia's hopes, it was difficult for Bell to avoid looking at Freya. Because the goddess was walking right up to their group.
"Good evening, Hestia…Hephaistos," Freya said in a lovely voice even though she was completely ignoring Hermes. "I hope you both are doing well."
"Evening, Freya," Hephaistos replied. "It's been a while. Since Ganesha's banquet, right?"
"Indeed."
Hestia, seeing that she probably wasn't going to be able to avoid the conversation by eating, turned around to face Freya as well.
"Hey, Freya," Hestia greeted the other goddess simply before turning to Ottarl. "Your goddess is working you hard isn't he, Mister Boaz. The shopping trip the other day and now this?"
"It is my honor and pleasure to serve her, Goddess Hestia," Ottarl replied curtly.
"Shopping trip?" Hephaistos repeated, looking between Freya and Hestia. "You mean the two of you went out? Together?"
"Well, she basically shanghaied me, yeah," Hestia nodded.
"What a surprise. You hardly leave your room for anything, Freya. Why the sudden change?"
"I couldn't help it," Freya said with a shrug and a little pout. "It was suffocating being inside all the time. And Hestia's the only one that would give me an honest opinion when trying out dresses. Even Ottarl can only say synonyms for 'beautiful' no matter what I picked."
"She threatened to go out in a see-through negligee if he didn't say something different," Hestia added with a long sigh. "He tried really really hard though."
Bell watched in amazement as the world's strongest Adventurer…looked down in shame while the other woman with them patted his arm in consolation.
Even the World's Strongest was nothing more than a child before his goddess.
Bell didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing though. It made Ottarl seem a bit more human in that regard.
"But it's good to see that something good came out of it," Freya said, suddenly turning her attention to Bell and Emma. "Your children look absolutely wonderful, Hestia."
"Oh did you pick these out for us, Lady Freya?" Bell asked. "Thank you very much."
Although Bell thought his words of gratitude weren't anything special, the three goddesses were staring at him in surprised. Bell blinked back at them before he turned toward Emma to see if she had any idea what was wrong, only to find her eyes slightly glazed over as if she was in a trance. The same thing was happening to Welf and the other mortals too. Was this the goddess's charm.
"My…how unexpectedly…wonderful," Freya said as she extended her hand to touch Bell's cheek. Bell's back went rigid as if someone had shot lightning at him. "Would you perhaps show up in my dreams tonight?"
"Huh!?"
"LIKE HELL!"
Hestia immediately forced herself between the two of them, smacking Freya's hand away.
"Eyes off Freya, Bell!" Hestia demanded. "Look at me and only me! Freya is a dragon that devours every man she gets her hands on. A rabbit like you wouldn't last two seconds against her!"
"Y-Yes!?"
For a moment, Bell thought Freya would get upset but she simply laughed it off, enjoying Hestia's over the top reaction.
"Well, I suppose I should go before I upset Hestia even more," Freya said with a smile, her eyes lingering on Bell for a bit. "Until next time. Ottarl. Helun."
Calling the name of her two children, Freya led them away. Bell couldn't help but watch them go with his eyes following the swaying of Freya's hips.
"Bell, you pervert."
Emma's words caused Bell to jump and turn toward her as she refused to look him I the eye. However, he had no words to refute her accusation.
"…Well, that explains why no one noticed us."
A new voice inserted itself into the group and Bell turned around to see the Goddess Loki, flanked by her Familia Captain, Finn Deimne, and Ais Wallenstein.
"A pair of boobies showed me up," Loki growled as Finn let out a dry laugh.
"Well that's what happens when you come in late, Loki," Takemikazuchi said with a shrug.
Both Finn and Loki were in black suits while Ais was in a pale green dress. The effect made it look like a princess being escorted by a pair of bodyguards, making Ais stand out all the more. Perhaps it was the Goddess Loki's intention to show off Ais as much as possible?
"Hmm…so you brought these two?" Loki asked, eyes scanning Bell and Emma up and down. "And here I thought you'd bring Goldie along with your little Bell."
"He rejected the offer," Hestia replied with a shrug. "Didn't want to hang out in a place full of gods."
"Hmm, that so? Well, in any case, I got some things I wanna talk to you about."
"Pass. I want nothing to do with whatever it is you want. I've got enough on my plate as it is."
"Yeah no. Hermes."
"Sorry, Hestia~"
Hermes and Loki both slipped their arms under Hestia's shoulders.
"Huh?" Hestia lets out a dumb noise as she's suddenly dragged away by the two gods. "Wait, what!? No! Stop! I refuse to participate in your games! Bell! Emma! Save me!"
However, Bell and Emma could only watch as Hestia disappeared into the crowd.
"Sorry about that," Finn said with an apologetic look on his face. "Loki really wanted to talk to your goddess about some things."
"Is it necessary to drag her away like that though?" Emma asked with a frown to which Finn could only apologize again.
Bell waited for Hephaistos to leave with Welf and her Captain before speaking up.
"Is it about your investigation?" Bell asked, placing his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah…she's trying to get you guys to help out like you did in Melen. Thank you again for that by the way."
"No, I didn't do anything."
"Is it all right to talk about it?" Emma asked with a worried face.
"Hmm? We're just talking about your Familia sharing your vacation spot with mine, right?" Finn asked with a smile.
"Oh…right."
"In any case, it's a pleasure to see you again, Bell Cranel. And a pleasure to meet you, Emma Flores."
"You know me?"
"I made it a point to know the names of everyone in Hestia Familia," Finn replied with a smile. "We may be allies in the future after all."
"I hope so," Bell nodded with a smile. "A pleasure to see you again, Mister Finn."
Bell then pulled a hand out of his pocket and shook Finn's. The only sign that Finn noticed what Bell had done was a quick blink but his expression did not change at all. With that done, Finn took Ais and the two of them walked off as well.
"I hope that was okay," Bell muttered.
He didn't know what it was, but Caster had said to pass it along to Finn during the party. How he knew that Braver was going to show up and not Nine Hells, Bell had no idea. The King's foresight was amazing. Bell's hand went into his pocket once more as he fiddled with the second object he had been entrusted by Caster.
Emma set her glass down on the table and looked like she wanted to grab something to eat for a moment until the music suddenly changed. The change in music suddenly brought several people, to the center of the ballroom.
"Ohh, a dance!" Emma said, clapping her hands together in delight.
"A dance, huh…" Bell muttered.
"Want to give it a go?" Emma asked with a smile as she took his hand in her own.
"Huh? Are you fine with me?"
"The goddess had Rider teach you a bit right?"
She did indeed, but Hestia had probably been expecting him to dance with her instead.
"Well since the goddess isn't here, it's fine if I take you for a bit, right?"
"Please don't tease me like that…"
"Too late~"
With that said, Emma dragged Bell to the dance floor with a smile that Bell wasn't able to refuse.
X-x-X-x-X
"And?" Hestia demanded as she sat at a table with Hermes and Loki. "What's so freaking important that you're getting between me and dancing with Bell?"
"Weren't you just stuffing yer face before?" Loki reminded her.
"That was before, this is now!"
"Now now, calm yourself, Hestia," a second god said with a smile. "It's just a meeting between friends is all."
"And I said I have enough on my plate without getting involved with your messes, Dionysus!" Hestia shouted at the blond god. "Specifically this mess that Apollos is trying to drag me into."
"Ahh yes…" Dionysus muttered. "I did hear that your Familia's got involved in a little bar brawl."
"Oho? Little Bell getting drunk and lashing out?" Hermes asked with interest. "Now I've seen everything."
"He didn't start anything!" Hestia said, coming to her child's defense. "It's Apollo that hurt my Emma first! Ogma and Hephaistos's child can attest to that."
"Cept Ogma's not here tonight," Loki pointed out.
"I don't think he even got an invitation," Dionysus said. "Strange, don't you think?"
"That's why I don't have time to deal with you three!" Hestia said, slamming her hands on the table. "Until I figure out what that idiot is planning, I can't focus on anything else."
"Well, just answer this, Hestia," Hermes said quickly before she could stand up and leave. "Are you planning on sending the full might of your children against Apollo?"
"That all depends on him," Hestia replied, spitting out the last word as venomously as she could. "Half of my Children are out for blood and I'm doing everything I can to keep them calm."
"By that you probably mean that Captain of yours, right?" Loki asked.
"Oh, perhaps we may see a War Game in the next few days?" Dionysus asked, eyes sparkling like a child wanting to open his present. "Things have been rather dull around here lately."
"I like dull!" Hestia protested. "I want this to blow over without anything happening!"
However, it was obvious to all deities present that she knew that that wish had no chance to pass.
As Hestia left, the other three deities turned on each other.
"You really think that idiot Apollo is going to go for a War Game?" Loki asked Dionysus.
"Apollo is, if nothing else, a showman," Dionysus replied. "He wants something from Hestia, that much is obvious. I wonder what it could be."
"Isn't it obvious?" Hermes asked. "It has to be about Bell Cranel."
Loki couldn't help but nod in agreement.
A few months ago Hestia had been a literal nobody in Orario. She had spent the first several months on Gekai living with and mooching off of Hephaistos's kindness. Then she met Bell Cranel who became her first child then one after the other, she gathered a group of Adventurers who could hit well above their wight class. Loki knew that she was not alone in wondering what exactly was the other Child Hestia had brought along to this party was hiding. Would she be the next Bell Cranel and shatter her Vice Captain's record in reaching Level 2?
Lefiya had offered the idea that Hestia's Familia was in fact full of Spirits possessing the bodies of the Adventurers within. Loki had heard about the strange tale of Argonaut from Finn, who had in turn heard about it from Tione, a few days ago and the fact that four of her Children saw and experienced it firsthand was enough for her to believe that it happened. Spirits loved playing tricks on people, even more that Loki herself did. Gods and mortals were subject to their pranks, but it was always all in good fun without any lasting damage.
Could Hestia, or perhaps Bell Cranel, be drawing in Spirits who wanted to play the role of the Heroes of the old era by borrowing the bodies of willing mortals, or at the very least lending them their aid through powerful Magic Swords? Or perhaps they sensed what Enyo and Evilus was up to and were preparing to make a stand against them with Hestia being the one who just happened to find them?
Was that the secret behind the nicknames? If Bell Cranel had gone by the name of Argonaut when he first appeared on the big scene people might have laughed at first, but considering his growth and rapid increase in strength, people would have wondered if there was more to the name than just a childish title. And then some unscrupulous people might have tried to destroy the boat of heroes and spirits before it could reach ashore. People like Enyo perhaps?
As such Bell Cranel used his real name in public but in private the others would call him "Master," perhaps to show that he was the one who called them together while "Caster" was the one running the show in public.
"Bell Cranel?" Dionysus asked, looking rather surprised. "Really? I would have thought that this was yet another attempt at wooing Hestia. Perhaps Apollo is seeking to use this as a way to merge their Familias together?"
"In either case, he would still get Bell Cranel and the secret he carries with him," Hermes pointed out. "I think Apollo will force this to end up as a War Game no matter what so let's take advantage of this."
"What are you up to now?" Loki demanded.
"We should try to make it as big of a show as possible," Hermes replied. "A big enough stage that allows Bell Cranel and the rest of Hestia's Children to showcase their abilities."
"So you don't want something simple like a duel or a tournament?" Dionysus asked with a wry smile. "It certainly would make it easier on Hestia."
"I do feel sorry for Hestia and her trouble in all of this, but I am far more interested in seeing how something like this blows up in Apollo's face in the biggest spectacle ever."
Loki and Dionysus exchanged wry smiles.
So Apollo's defeat had already been decided in Hermes's mind then.
"Well, I'll agree in your plan to make the War Game as big of a spectacle as possible," Dionysus said with a nod to Hermes. "I admit I want to see firsthand how Moonlit Dawn handles himself when pushed into a corner."
The two gods then turned toward the sole goddess in their little alliance.
Loki was conflicted.
Much as she was loathe to admit it, she owed Hestia's kids a lot.
Archer had protected Finn and the others on the Fifty-Ninth Floor and then worked to save Tiona from Kali. Caster's foresight had saved the majority of the expedition from suffering from poison and allowed them to rescue Lefiya and Tione from Kali as well.
If they were connected to Spirits then Loki wanted to be on their good side so that they would help protect Orario in the future from Enyo.
But on the other hand…
"I'm in," Loki agreed as she slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward with a rather evil grin. "Not that I really care what happens to Apollo but a chance to make thing harder for Itty Bitty just a bit is always welcome."
Hermes and Dionysus simply shook their heads with expressions that said, "Here we go again."
X-x-X-x-X
If Emma Flores was honest with herself, she was not exactly sure where exactly her Vice Captain, a boy one year younger than her, stood with her.
She idolized him, that much was for certain. Perhaps not as much as Bell idolized Archer and the other Servants but she understood that she was holding him up on a pedestal. It may seem strange to put someone younger than her on a pedestal but it was the truth. The fact that he had made his name ring throughout Orario at only the age of fourteen by defeating a minotaur and reaching Level 2 in a little over a month made her realize that her dream of doing a similar feat was possible.
Not for the glory of accomplishing such, that was a mere means to the true end. The glory of any accomplishment Emma would achieve was nothing more than a signal flare, one that she hoped that the only family she had for fifteen years would see it.
I am here.
It was the only message she hoped to send, and one that she hoped would be received.
That was why Emma did not want to stay behind while watching the others march out to fight. She wanted to be by their side. She wanted to be by his side.
Emma had truly meant it when she considered Bell to be "Argonaut," subsequent event notwithstanding. Bell was sure to be the vessel in which Hestia Familia would ride on to their future. Between his summoning of the Servants, to his desire to help Fia and the other Xenos, Emma knew that it would not be Caster or Hestia who decided the future of the Familia, but Bell.
And that was why Emma, even as she danced with the young boy doing his best not to step on her toes, wanted to find a spot to stand by his side.
Once the song came to an end, the blue and white flower spinning in the middle of the dance floor stopped and slowly moved to the side with the rest of the dancers to the applause of the spectators.
"Well?" Emma began as she turned to Bell with a smile. "Did you have fun?"
"It was new, I'll admit," Bell replied with a smile of his own.
The two of them headed to the edge of the ballroom and grabbed a drink off a table. As they relaxed, a girl in a pale green dress slid up beside them.
"Miss Ais?" Bell asked I surprise. "Is there something wrong?"
"I'm sorry but…can I stand here with you two?" Ais asked, looking rather distraught.
"Of course you can," Emma replied as Bell nodded in agreement. "But can I ask why?"
"Finn got caught."
Emma and Bell shared a confused look before Ais pointed off to the side where Finn was currently surrounded by a crowd of over two dozen women. Emma could only make out the stiff smile on the man's face that spoke volumes about how he felt about his "lucky" situation.
"And…you two are the only other people I know here," Ais admitted.
"I understand," Bell nodded. "I would't want to be alone here either."
"Are you not having fun, Miss Ais?" Emma asked.
"Not really," Ais admitted. "And you don't need to use 'Miss.' Both of you. Just Ais is fine."
"Okay, Ais!" Emma switched gears immediately which prompted a smile on the Sword Princess's face. "Then why don't you try dancing as well?"
"Dance?" Ais repeated.
"With who?" Bell asked only to lean back when Emma turned her gaze toward him with a smile. "Me!?"
"Are there any other guys around here?"
Certainly there were about a hundred, but that wasn't the point.
Ais and Bell looked at each other and almost simultaneously turned away with a blush on their cheeks. The sight only made Emma's smile grow even wider. It might be rude to tease someone older than her, but Bell was free game for her, Vice Captain or not. It was her right as an older member of their family as was taught and abused against her by Sophia.
And Emma exercised that right by pushing the two together and sending them off onto the dance floor with a smile.
She had no idea how quickly she would come to regret that decision.
As she was enjoying the sight of Bell awkwardly try to lead Ais around while trying to touch her as little as possible out of embarrassment, someone came up to her from behind.
"You there, girl. Show me your face."
Emma blinked a few times when she heard that and slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder. There she saw a god being flanked by two men.
The god had long unruly red hair and yellow eyes. He wore a suit like most of the men at the party and seemed to be eyeing Emma with a strange look. One that she definitely did not like. However, she didn't want to be the cause of yet another feud for her goddess so she had to be polite.
"Yes? How can I help you?"
Whatever his answer was going to be, Emma certainly didn't expect him to grab her chin with his hand and jerk her head around as if he was examining her face.
"What do you think you are doing!?" She demanded as she stepped back away from him.
"Examining you," the god replied as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
The sheer gall of it all stunned Emma, and she wanted nothing more than to leave as soon as possible.
"Yes, you will do fine," The god nodded, ignoring Emma's indignation. "Which Familia are you from? I demand to speak to your god immediately."
"I have no obligation to answer that," Emma replied with a frown. She turned around to leave only to be grabbed by one of the god's adventurers.
"Lord Aeshma asked you a question," the tall blond man said, his dull purple eyes. "Show some respect."
"I have nothing to say to any of you. Let go!"
"Answer Lord Aeshma's question."
However, Emma was unable to wrench her arm out of his grip due to her lower Status.
"The lady asked you to let go."
A cold voice sent a shiver down Emma's spine as the man quickly released her. Turning around, she saw Finn standing behind her, hands on his hips with a frown on his face, marring his boyish looks.
The god, Aeshma, frowned as he glared at Finn.
"Enoch, Gregory, let us go."
With one last look at Emma, the god took his followers and left.
"Sorry for stepping in like that," Finn apologized to Emma after he watched them go.
"Oh no, I'm very grateful for your help, Mr. Deimne," Emma replied as she rubbed her wrist.
"Is that so? Your expression seems to say otherwise."
Emma quickly brought a hand to her face to hide her expression.
"No, that's not-"
"It's fine, I understand. It's frustrating when you don't have the power to protect yourself and are forced to rely on others, isn't it?"
Emma didn't feel like he was patronizing her but instead speaking from experience. She supposed that was only natural. He had been an Adventurer for much longer than she had been alive despite being shorter and looking younger than Assassin.
"Besides, consider it my thanks for helping out Ais too."
Finn turned to the dance floor and Emma followed his gaze to see both Bell and Ais smiling at each other as they weaved across the floor.
"Fufu, there's no need to thank me for that. That sight is its own reward."
She'll probably have to report the incident to Caster and then get chewed out at all the problems she's causing. But so long as Bell is happy, Emma could deal with a few inconveniences.
Naturally, such happiness was short lived as the music suddenly stopped and the source of their major problems stepped up to Bell.
"Excuse me."
Emma quickly bade the Loki Familia Captain farewell and hurried to her Vice Captain's side while their goddess approached from the opposite side.
By the time Emma reached them, Apollo was demanding compensation for his injured Adventurer. To Emma's surprise, he was talking about the pallum, not the human that whose arm she heard Bell had broke.
"What are you talking about!?" Hestia demanded. "Bell never even touched him!"
"My dear Luan came home so beaten and bloodied that day I had to hide my eyes…My soul wept in his presence!"
Apollo placed a hand on his chest like an overdramatic actor before pointing to his other followers, all of them crying as if on cue. A pallum then stepped forward, completely wrapped in bandages like a mummy.
"Oh wow, is the autumn festival here already?" Hestia asked, looking completely unimpressed. "It was your child who nearly bashed my Emma's head in! Bell didn't touch any of your pallums. Ogma's Child was the one who did it."
"Perhaps but is it not your Child who told him to do so?" Apollo asked as he raised a finger. "All these witnesses said so."
Several people then came forward, surrounding Emma, Bell and Hestia. All of them were saying Bell was the one who started the fight by telling Mord to attack the pallum, Luan, when Mord had done so all on his own accord. The strange thing is…Emma had no recollection of seeing any of these witnesses at the bar.
"One of my beloved followers was badly wounded. I cannot accept this lying down. The reputation of my Familia is on the line…Hestia, will you not take responsibility for his actions?"
Apollo let out a demand, smiling confidently at his apparent success in trapping them when Bell opened his mouth for the first time since he arrived.
"By showing the truth," Bell said as he fished out an amulet with a blood red gem in the middle.
"Bell?" Emma began as he knelt down to place the amulet on the ground before placing a hand over the jewel.
Immediately, a light shot out of it and something formed in between Apollo and Hestia.
"What is this?" Apollo demanded.
"It looks like…a Divine Mirror but…there's no way Bell could…" Hestia began as something started showing inside of it.
It was showing Emma, Welf and Mord sitting at a table at the bar from someone's, Bell's, point of view. Emma was about to ask what Bell was doing when a shrill voice sounded from the image.
"I also know that his Familia is led by some goddess not worthy of even the slightest shred of respect. You'd have to be pretty weak and stupid to join a disgraceful deity like that!"
It was the voice of the Luan…and Apollo Familia seemed to recognize it. The hall was quiet as everyone seemed to watch in surprise.
The image quickly spun around with Bell's voice demanding Luan to take back his words.
When Luan refused and started insulting them further, Mord pushed himself into view without anyone prompting him to and started throttling the pallum. Emma herself then appeared to try and get Mord to calm down when a member of Apollo Familia tried to grab her and for Mord to pull her back and start the fight.
The view moved back as Bell and Welf had dragged Assassin and Emma out of the brawl before the image turned to see Welf jump into to help Mord. The image stepped forward before spinning to show Emma pleading for Bell to not get involved.
Emma then winced as she watched something collide with her head, sending her bouncing off the wall. It certainly looked awful when she saw it from an outside view. She couldn't remember if she felt it or not. The image then turned back toward the fight and into the eyes of the man who obviously threw it before the image cut off.
Emma's eyes then moved to her goddess who was gaping at the empty space in horror before she turned away to glare murderously at Apollo, who was looking less confident then before. Bell however, was looking at the man beside Apollo, with a triumphant look even though the image cut away before it showed Bell's own retaliation.
"You. Were. Say. Ing?" Hestia demanded through clenched teeth.
"I was saying that I cannot believe you would go so far to slander me and hide your crimes!" Apollo said. "If you are going to go that far then I have no choice! Hestia, I declare a War Game!"
"Bring it on! We'll wipe the floor with you punks!"
The God of the Sun's declaration was met with the righteous indignation of the Goddess of the Hearth to the cheer and applause of the attending deities seeking amusement on Gekai.
