Chapter 38: Opening Gambit

With the declaration done, the goddess Hestia decided to take her two Children and leave the party early, not wanting to spend another second around Apollo's presence.

"Hey Emma," Hestia began as the three of them crossed through the entrance to where Rider was waiting for them with the carriage. "Is there anything you want?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Like do you want to stop by and get some snacks on the way home? Maybe a cake?"

"You're being extremely nice all of a sudden, Goddess. Is everything okay?"

"That's what I want to ask you…"

As Bell followed behind them he heard someone running up behind him.

"Bell! Wait up, Bell!"

Turning around, Bell saw that it was Welf.

"Are you serious about this?" The smith asked. "Apollo Familia has over a hundred members you know?"

"Even so, it's not like they can field all one hundred at the same time," Bell replied, repeating the words he heard from Saber. "We have our own advantages so don't worry about it."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Welf. We'll beat them back, and then everything will be back to normal, and we can head back in the Dungeon together as always."

Welf looked as though he wanted to say something else but held his tongue.

"Hey…you'll let me know if you need anything, right?" Welf asked.

To be honest, Bell would love to fight along side Welf in this battle but a War Game was a confrontation between two Familias. There was no way Hephaistos would be able to lend one of her own to help Hestia.

"I think we'll be fine…" Bell began but something told him that that wasn't the right thing to say. "Well, we have all of our equipment that you made for us after all so its quality has always been perfect. To be honest, I'd love it if you were there with us but this is our Familia's problem."

"…Right."

With a nod, Bell bid Welf goodnight and hurried over to the carriage where the others were waiting.

X-x-X-x-X

"I'm being left out of it again…" Welf muttered as he saw Bell off.

It couldn't be helped, he knew that. The two of them were from two different Familia. In normal circumstances, they shouldn't have been in a Party together in the first place. They should have kept it a strict Smith/Adventurer business relationship.

But even so.

They were friends, weren't they?

Torn between two different and exclusive desires, Welf felt loss.

He had been wanting to discuss what he should do with Bell and Emma the other night, but thanks to Apollo Familia, those plans were a wash.

"Welf."

The smith looked over his shoulder to see his goddess standing behind him.

"Lady Hephaistos…" Welf began as he turned around to face her. "I…I want to…"

He was silenced by Hephaistos placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Go home and rest for the night," she said. "If you still feel that way in the morning then come to my office in the Northwest Main shop and we'll talk when you're ready."

After saying her piece, Hephaistos returned to the party while Welf lowered his head in thanks.

X-x-X-x-X

"I hope you're happy!"

Bell and the others returned home and convened with the Familia around the dining table for their usual meeting.

Once there, Hestia immediately started by calling out Caster, who simply weathered her glare with a condescending smirk.

"I am quite satisfied with your performance, yes," Caster acknowledged with a nod.

"I take it that the party wasn't just a simple affair with dancing and good food?" Archer asked as he set tea down for the party goers plus Rider.

"That Apollo actually tried to pit the blame all on Bell!" Hestia shouted. "And he didn't say a thing about what happened to Emma! I don't care anymore. Let's win that War Game and take everything he owns!"

"Fuhahahaha, indeed this was the spark necessary to light your fire," Caster laughed in satisfaction. "All that is left is to decide the rules of this little game."

"How does it get decided again?" Primo asked, looking from Gina to Lily, the two most experienced Adventurers in the Familia.

"Well a Denatus is called and the Gods decide the rules there," Gina explained.

"Lily supposes the details depends on how the gods as a whole are feeling," Lily added. "They might leave it to Lord Apollo and Lady Hestia to decide between them or they might put in their own ideas."

"Auuugghhh…" Hestia let out a pained sigh as she thumped her head on the table, causing her tea to splash around in its cup. "It's going to be like the Naming Ceremony all over again!"

"What will you argue for, Lady Hestia?" Lancer asked. "Caster believes that the enemy will hope for a battle that 'forces' us to showcase our abilities on the field. However…"

"We don't have to make things that easy on them," Hestia continued in understanding as she lifted her head back up. "Then I'll try to go for a one-on-one Champion's Duel. You're up for it, right Caster?"

"I would not have made the offer I first place if I were not. It would not due for the ignorant to question why I am in the position I have."

"Ahh…I guess it would seem weird to most people if the Captain isn't the strongest Adventurer in the Familia," Gina muttered with a nod. "If the Captain fights then everyone will understand."

"But…if the Captain fights…then that means people will die, right?" Primo asked quietly.

"That is only natural," Caster ruthlessly confirmed. "Do you think that there is a single mongrel alive that would survive my wrath?"

"B-But it isn't as though the people who disapprove of their god's action can go against him, right?"

"And they are soldiers going to war against us either way. You would have me show mercy to those who will try and kill you?"

"We don't know that!" Primo pointed out. "We don't even know what the rules are yet!"

They were the words and feelings of an immature child who only just reached two digits in age. In terms of her race, she was someone who only just barely grew out of being an infant. And it was because of her immaturity that she could only use such childish arguments.

Killing people was bad. When you die that is where your story ends along with your hopes and dreams. People who would advocate for killing others so easily were wrong.

Arguments based around emotion as expected of a child.

"She has a point, Caster," Rider spoke up, coming to Primo's aid. She then turned toward Hestia. "Goddess Hestia, how about we put the rest of the War Games talk until after we have a clearer picture of what's about to happen? We don't even know what the God Apollo is after, correct?"

"Oh right," Hestia admitted with a nod. "I was so done with the party and his face that I didn't even pay attention to that."

"The god's desires are irrelevant," Caster said. "For he will not achieve it. As such, it will be up to you to decide what you wish to receive from our eventual victory instead."

"You're certain that we're going to win without even knowing the rules of the War Game?" Hestia asked. "What if it's decided that we do something stupid like a Quiz Game instead?"

"The true purpose of this War Game is an excuse for the hidden enemy to view the combat prowess of the Familia's Adventurers. More Specifically, the Servants along with Cranel. The God Apollo will push for a War Game based around combat."

"Will we be fighting only Apollo Familia?" Saber asked. "Would these mysterious backers not attempt to intervene?"

"As far as War Games go, it's a Familia one-on-one," Gina explained. "The only way we'd be fighting more than one is if Lady Hestia agrees to it. That being said, we can't get help or expect help from anyone else either."

"Yeah. Not happening."

Hestia denied that possibility immediately.

"Do you know who's pushing Lord Apollo to do this?" Gina asked. "Is it this Enyo person? Or Evilus?"

"Perhaps," Caster replied but did not go into detail probably because he had nothing more to say in regards to that.

Assassin then let out a huge yawn before rubbing her eyes.

"Guess that's time to head to bed," Hestia decided, thumping her hands on the table. "I got to head to Babel for that emergency Denatus in the morning too. Any complaints if I try to get a Champion's Duel?"

"Do you think it'll actually work?" Rider asked. "Speaking objectively, if the masses had to pick between a massive all-out battle between the two Familias and a duel between two people, wouldn't they want the all-out battle instead?"

"Doesn't mean she shouldn't try," Archer countered. "We don't lose anything from it."

Rider accepted his words with a nod as everyone stood up.

As Bell was about to head upstairs, someone called out to him.

"Beru."

Berserker was looking at him through the window as usual with Fia's head just under his own.

"Are you two okay?" Bell asked, peering out toward the sky to see if it was still raining. "Staying dry?"

"We're fine," Fia replied. "What about you? You've had a scary face for the last two days."

"I'll be fine once this is mess is done with," Bell sighed as he covered the lower half of his face with his hand.

The thought of simply raiding Apollo Familia did cross his mind but there were too many cons to such an action. First of which would be that it would make it more difficult to work with the Guild. Such a blatant disregard for their laws wouldn't go unpunished and he didn't want to do anything that could make it harder to help Fia's friends. The second was that he wasn't sure they wouldn't be able to keep it from spilling out into the city proper. He didn't want to get innocent people involved in this grudge.

"No worry…Beru," Berserker said as he nodded to Bell. "I will protect you. So Beru should do what Beru wants."

"Haha…thanks, Berserker. Goodnight. You too, Fia."

"Let us know what happens and we'll help kick those jerks off their high horse!" Fia said before Berserker carried her off in his arm to head back to their tent.

Bell saw them off before heading to bed himself. He had to keep his eyes on the big picture. This spat with Apollo Familia was just a pebble in the road that needed to be kicked aside as soon as possible.

X-x-X-x-X

The Guild officially approved the War Game between Hestia and Apollo almost immediately with preparations beginning all around the city as people waited for the announcement date.

However, no one was busier than the Guild employees. They had to find a way to allow both sides to unleash their full potential within the rules of the game while posing no danger to the citizens of Orario. The combatants would need supplies, directions, and most of all a stage on which to conduct the War Game. It could start any day; there was no time to waste. They also had to accommodate the wishes of the gods who were wanting to make the event an even bigger spectacle.

Every soul in the city, Adventurer or otherwise, was waiting with bated breath for the conditions of the War Game to be announced. In the meantime, all they could do was prepare for the result of the day's Denatus.

All eyes and ears awaited with bated breath for the news that a sudden change to a certain law that had been announced on the same day went unnoticed by all but the most perceptive of individuals.

Hestia's seat at the large table of gods was directly across from Apollo, allowing her the "pleasure" of glaring at him as the talks began, led once again by Loki.

"You're certainly enjoying this," Hestia accused her currently second hated enemy.

"Hey, it's not like I had any control over whether or not a War Game would happen," Loki pointed out. "That's between you and Apollo. Only an idiot would think otherwise. I'm just here to enjoy the fireworks."

And with that, the meeting began once the residing gods and goddesses took their seats.

The first order of business was to complete the paperwork that dealt with the prize for the victor.

"Once I'm victorious, I shall claim Bell Cranel."

"…!"

Apollo's declaration made Hestia's eyebrows shoot up into her bangs. Putting aside the fact that he was after her precious Bell, he was also unintentionally ripping away the support beam of her entire Familia. If Bell was no longer in the Familia, what would the Servants do? Follow him to Apollo Familia or just disappear?

Either way, it would leave Hestia with only Lily, Emma, Primo and Gina. And while that sort of Familia would be perfectly fine for a Virginal Goddess, Hestia was not about to let Bell go that easily!

"I want to make that perfectly clear. There will be no petty excuses or far-fetched assertions after everything is over. Should Hestia win, she's free to demand whatever her little heart desires."

Apollo punctuated his declaration by taking a sip of the wine he had brought along with him.

"That's no good, Apollo," Demeter said. "It's best to make everything clear from the start."

"I don't mind, Demeter. Hestia is free to claim whatever she wishes from me, should she win that is."

Demeter shrugged her shoulders as if to say "Well, I tried" while the record keeper nodded with an "All right, then."

With the prize decided and mostly clarified, the next step was to decide the rules of the War Game.

"How about a Champion's Duel," Hestia forced her idea straight off the bat. "We can hold it right here in Orario's Coliseum for everyone to see. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Agreed. There's no fun watching two lopsided armies clash."

"A fierce duel where two people fight with all of their might is better as you don't have to worry about missing something on the other side of a battlefield."

Miach and Takemikazuchi immediately came to her aid. With their words, a few other deities nodded their heads, much to Apollo's ire.

"Oh, but where's the fun if it ends quickly?" A golden haired goddess asked. "Both of your Children took down the Goliath, didn't they you two? Then the two Familia strengths should be rather close even if the individual strength isn't. Wouldn't it be more fun to see everyone partake in the game?"

"Ninsun brings up a good point," Dionysus jumped in. "But one person deciding everything doesn't seem fair."

"Yeah but if we put it to a vote, we're just going to vote for our own idea, right?" Loki pointed out, fingers crawling over toward the bottle in front of Apollo.

"Then how about we draw for it?" Apollo suggested, pulling his wine bottle out of Loki's reach. "Everyone puts an idea in a box then we have one person pull it."

Eager to get on with the meeting, Apollo's suggestion was accepted by the majority.

Hestia wrote "DUEL" in big letters before dropping it into a box the record keeper had pulled out from somewhere. Once that was done, Hermes was selected to draw a slip from the box.

And the name of the game was…

X-x-X-x-X

"Mutual Siege?"

The sun was already setting by the time Hestia returned to the Hearthstone Manor. Thus the report of the day's event was delivered over dinner.

"Basically it's a War Game where both Familias hold up in a castle and siege each other from them," Hestia explained. "Each Familia is also given five flags or banners to place around the castle at predetermined points. We win if A: You defeat the other Familia's Captain, B: You bring all five of the other Familia's Flags back to our castle, or C: The other Familia surrenders. The time limit is five days. If it expires, the Familia with more flags capture points wins. Destroying an enemy flag doesn't count as a capture and it just means less capture points for you and you can't claim the B victory. But if you destroy your own flag, on purpose or on accident, then that counts as an automatic point for the other Familia."

"Define 'destroying,'" Archer requested.

"The Emblem on the cloth is unrecognizable. You can break the stand and tear the cloth a bit but if you can't see the Familia Emblem, then that counts as destruction. Us Gods will be watching so you can't get cute."

"We're not going to have to build our own castles…are we?" Emma asked worriedly.

"No. There are some old outposts around Orario that were made back before Orario was formed as a first line of defense against the Dungeon's monsters. The Guild and Ganesha Familia will clear them out and then we get first pick on which one we want."

Hestia then glanced over at Archer.

"I'm thinking of picking whichever has a higher tower," she said with a grin to which Archer just shook is head with a smile.

"But…to think this all happened because Lord Apollo wanted Bell," Lily muttered, glancing over to Bell who looked less than pleased at that prospect. "Does he know that Bell is connected to the Servants?"

"I don't think that's it," Gina replied. "Apollo sometimes goes after Adventurers that match his tastes. It's not usually this much of a spectacle though."

"I guess that lends credence to Caster's theory," Rider muttered. "Someone's looking forward to a show…"

"No, this overt action might simply be because of Master's fame," Saber pointed out. "Bell Cranel, Record Holder and Killer of the Goliath. The entire city, if not the world, knows that he is a part of Hestia Familia. If he were suddenly to become a part of Apollo Familia then questions would be raised."

"Nevertheless, it would seem that there are gods that are jealous of your toys, Goddess Hestia," Caster said as his eyes swept across the table and landed on a certain girl. "Do you not agree, Emma Flores?"

"What!?" Hestia shouted as everyone wheeled over to Emma who flinched at the sudden attention. "When did this happen? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I uh…didn't think it was that important?" Emma offered with a wince. "A god came onto me at the party but backed off when Mister Deimne stepped in."

"Who?" Hestia growled with a voice of a legion.

"Umm…I don't really remember his name. I don't think he even introduced himself properly. It got pushed to the back of my mind after the whole War Game thing."

Hestia angrily grumbled to herself as Primo tugged on Emma's sleeve.

"You're having a lot of bad luck lately, haven't you?" The elf asked as Emma could only offer a weak laugh in response.

"When will the War Game begin?" Lancer asked, bringing things back on topic.

"Oh right," Hestia said, shaking her head. "Officially, the War Game begins in ten days. However, since we…or rather all of you…are participants, you'll have to leave beforehand to set up your defenses and stuff like that."

"Right," Archer muttered. "We also have to bring along supplies like potions and food that the Guild might miss…since I'm going to assume this isn't going to end in the first fifteen minutes?"

Archer glanced over at Caster as he spoke as the King returned his gaze.

"I will admit I am conflicted as to how to proceed," Caster admitted rather freely. "This situation, as banal as it is annoying, provides a good opportunity. As some here find the expedient solution detestable, let us take advantage of this and use this as a training opportunity."

Ignoring Primo's shrinking form, Caster turned his eyes to Bell.

"Once the War Game begins, I shall give you until the end of the third day," Caster said as Bell sat up. "You, with the assistance of your fellow mortals, shall take the leading role in this performance. The captures of the flags and/or the defeat of their Captain must fall to one of you. As Vice Captain of this Familia, your duty will be to draw up as well as enact a battle plan."

"Me?" Bell asked, looking surprised.

"You are in command of several Servants, several of which can decimate armies on their lonesome. Show to me that you are both capable and worthy of properly utilizing their strength in battle.

Caster then drummed his hands on the table allowing a large sheet of parchment to fall in front of him depicting a hypothetical battlefield. Soon after that, seven small golden statues dropped down on one side of the map.

A knight holding a sword, a bowman, a soldier with a spear, a charioteer, a hooded robed figure, a being wearing a skull-shaped mask, and a looming wolf-like beast.

There was no mistaking what these pieces represented.

"However, there are conditions," Caster continued. "The specifics will depend on the state of the battlefield, but know that you are not to have a Servant deliver the final blow to the enemy Captain."

"That has to be either me or one of the girls, right?" Bell asked, understanding what Caster was trying to say.

"Precisely. Focus on assaulting the enemy castle. Use the strength of the Servants to shore up your own individual weaknesses and the defense of the Castle. I should not have to explain it to you, but this is a test to see how much you understand the power you wield and lead. The conditions may change depending on the battlefield so be prepared to modify it."

Bell nodded his head.

It wasn't just the Servants he had to understand, but the girls' strength as well.

"Umm…so what happens if we go past the third day?" Gina asked, raising her hand.

Caster waved a hand, causing the map and statuettes to disappear. As he leaned back against his seat, Bell felt the hair on the back of his head and arms stand on end as the king exuded his entire majesty before them.

"Then Apollo Familia shall die."

X-x-X-x-X

"This is a first…" Hestia muttered as she sat on top of Caster's desk, looking toward her Familia Captain who was setting some papers to the other side of the desk. "Threatening someone by holding the enemy hostage."

"This is a motivational strategy that only works on the soft-hearted," Caster said. "As such, it is particularly effective on the boy and Libera."

"It's working pretty well on me too! Not to mention the other girls!"

"I will not say that Arde and Gwen are unaffected but as veterans, their hearts are more hardened to it. Arde even more so. Naturally, its effect on the other Servants is miniscule."

Hestia couldn't help but nod in agreement. None of the Servants had shown any sign that they would protest the decision. Rider and Lancer, the two people that Hestia would have thought to show some concern, actually nodded in approval.

"So…what do we do about the other god that's trying to steal my Emma away?" Hestia asked.

"Nothing," Caster began before adding, "For the moment."

"You can't tell me that that isn't a high priority for you."

"It is not because there is nothing to do. He cannot act so long as the War Game takes place lest he draw the eyes of the rest of Orario for trying to sabotage our Familia. And should he continue his efforts after the War Game, then he is a fool that shall be dealt with accordingly. Enter."

Hestia blinked as she turned toward the door even though no one had knocked. Caster leaned back into his chair as the door opened up to reveal Primo, fresh out of the bath, with her hair down.

"Umm…I wasn't sure if I still have to come study?" Primo said as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

"Of course. A distraction as simple as this is no reason to cease your duties. Unless you feel there is something more worthy of your time?"

"N-no, I don't really have anything I need to do…" Primo replied with a quick shake of her head.

"Then continue where you have left off from last night."

Primo nodded as she picked up the stack of papers on Caster's desk and carried them over to the couch.

"Then I'll get out of your way," Hestia said, hopping off Caster's desk. "Don't stay up late, Primo."

"Yes, Lady Hestia!"

With that, Hestia left the two to their own devices.

Time passed silently with the only noise in the office coming from Caster's pen or the shuffling of papers and stone tablets. Although she didn't say anything, Caster could see the girl throwing glances over at his direction once every few minutes.

"If you have something to say then say it," Caster said, causing her to jump. "But do know that I will hear nothing about my conditions for the War Game."

"No, I wasn't thinking about that…" Primo replied. "I was…wondering if you would get mad if I asked if I should take the Grimoire now."

"Hoh? And what brought about this change of heart?"

"I…don't think I have completely changed my mind just yet. I was worried that if I took the Grimoire now, the spell I get won't be as powerful as if I were to wait for Level 2."

"The reverse can be said to be true as well. The effects of the Grimoire are completely random. But that is mere conjecture to begin with. Even a weak spell may be powerful if used correctly. See your Vice Captain's Firebolt for example. It is relatively weak but it has no chant and its travel speed is rather quick. What truly matters for the spell is how it is deployed."

Primo nodded her head in agreement. Her spell, Lumine Pledias, was extremely powerful for a spell she received at Level 1 but its accuracy was rather horrible. That being said, even a glancing blow was quite effective against the monsters in the dungeon and the spell fired seven beams at once, allowing her to target several enemies at once. It's power only increased when paired with the staff Caster had given her.

"But you are quite greedy, aren't you?" Caster asked with a chuckle. "To want another spell on par with that one."

"Uuu…is that bad?" Primo asked, ears reddening.

"Not at all. It is only expected of an Adventurer. But I will still only give you one Grimoire."

"I-I only need one!" Primo insisted as Cster let out another chuckle. "But…how many of them do you have?"

"We received three of them as a reward from Fels," Caster explained. "I plan to give one to the other two as well. Let us make Hestia Familia a Familia of Magic."

Although Caster punctuated his words with a chuckle, he was not entirely joking. Magic was a game changer after all. Even if the power that the Grimoires provided were random, having a hidden trump card up one's sleeve would be a boon.

The only tragedy he could see would be if Emma or Gina received a long chant spell, something useless for a frontline fighter until they mastered Concurrent Casting.

Still it would not do to keep them to himself right now.

With a drum of Caster's fingers, the three heavy Grimoires fell onto the couch beside Primo. Each of them had a different cover.

"Take them with you when you leave. Pick which ever you want and distribute the rest."

"Yes!"

With that said, Primo tucked the books under her arm and left the king's office.

X-x-X-x-X

Primo wasn't the only one studying in preparation for the War Game.

By his request, Bell's training with Saber increased in both duration and intensity. Archer also did the same for Emma's training.

The two of them trained from morning to sunset, stopping only for meals and bathroom breaks.

As for Gina…

"Um, should I be training too?" The Amazon asked as she and Rider stood at the side and watched the other four train.

"Hmm? Isn't your training partner right behind you?" Rider asked.

"Who?" Gina began only to freeze as her pupils slowly moved to the corner of her eye and she turned her head to see a smiling Assassin behind her. "Uhh…hi Jack."

"Hi Gina!" Assassin replied with her mouth wide open in a smile. "Let's play tag!"

"Can we play tag without your knives?" Gina asked, placing her hands on the handles of her own knives.

"Nope!"

"Go play in the Dungeon you two!" Rider shouted as Assassin chased a screaming Gina out of the yard and into town.

Gina's new training regime involved a lot of running. Particularly running through the Floors of the Dungeon while being chased by Assassin while cutting down any Monsters that got in their path. Oh and while defending herself against Assassin herself.

"Remind me again why we are having her doing this?" Hestia asked, propping her head up on the windowsill next to Rider's head.

"Well, Gina is the second fastest combatant we have that can take a flag," Rider explained. "Bell or Lily could do it but they might prove better holding off Apollo Familia while she gets away."

"We could just have Bell slip in and out. The flags are in predetermined spots after all."

"I'm not sure it would work. Apollo Familia is targeting Bell directly after all. They would most likely swarm him if he got too close. Well, it's not a bad idea to have extras either way."

"Well, I can't deny that," Hestia admitted. "But isn't there a better way to train her? Her Agility would definitely increase if Jack is chasing her and probably her Endurance but…I wonder if she knows how to go easy on Gina."

"I'm sure it will be fine."

X-x-X-x-X

"Hah…hah…hah…all the way to the Eleventh Floor huh?"

Gina placed her hand on a tree as she looked around the fog covered Floor. Even as a middling Level 1, a full on sprint down the Dungeon wasn't that tiring to her but she did need a moment to catch her breath. If she were at least Level 2, she bet she could run all the way down to the Monster Rex Floor if she didn't run into any minotaurs along the way.

"Ugh…still didn't the others say this is basically her home field advantage?" Gina asked as she placed her back against the tree and looked around, trying to find some sign of Assassin.

There was some movement in the fog before an imp leaped out toward her, only to be stabbed in the face before it could reach her. Drawing her second dagger, she flung it to her left, allowing it to sink into another imp's chest as she kicked the first one off her other dagger.

"Don't underestimate an Amazon just because she's little!"

With that declaration, three more imps charged her. She ducked passed them to retrieve her thrown dagger, giving the downed imp one last stab in the chest for good measure before grabbing the body by the arm and flinging it toward the others as though they were bowling pins.

With the new trio temporarily disabled, Gina went back for the first body as she sheathed one of her daggers to free up a hand. Grabbing the corpse, she proceeded to use it as an improvised club as she bashed the downed imps into a bloody pulp.

She normally didn't fight in such a brutal way since she needed the Magic Stones, and thus had to fight with precision with her daggers. But there wasn't any need to do so here. Letting loose like this was one of the near universal joys of an Amazon after all.

There was a rustle behind her and Gina turned around to see Assassin poking her head up above a pair of orc corpses, each one having had their stomachs and throats carved open with a cleaver.

For a moment, the two girls simply gaped at each other until Assassin broke eye contact.

"Gina is scary," Assassin finally said as she sank behind the bodies in fear.

"You of all people don't get to say that to me!" Gina protested with all of her might as tears welled up in her eyes.

X-x-X-x-X

Two days after the start of the advanced training, a message came to the Hestia Familia Home from the Guild.

The castles they and Apollo Familia were going to be residing in had been prepared and they are free to head over and prepare their defenses whenever they were ready.

"And naturally, the goddess can't come with us…" Lily muttered as they convened one last time before the Adventurers would leave to go to the War Game site.

The fact that the goddess would be left behind in Orario, alone, only just hit Bell and the others.

"No need to worry about me," Hestia waved aside their worries. "Loki, of all people, offered to let me stay with her until the War Game's over."

"She's clearly fishing for information, isn't she?" Archer suspected. "She'll probably try to get you to tell her about us or the Grail. Speaking of which…"

"We can't just leave that lying around, can we?" Bell muttered with a nod.

"That's the thing that lets you summon the Servants right?" Gina asked. "Can't the Captain just keep it in his vault while we're gone?"

Caster, who had just been propping his head up with his elbow on the table simply opened an eye as he glanced to the side.

"Well, I suppose I have room for another wine goblet," Caster muttered with disinterest.

"Umm…are you being literal or…?"

Gina's mouth snapped shut as a pure golden goblet slowly pushed itself out of the king's treasury as he ran a finger across it while everyone stared.

"A second…grail?" Hestia gasped.

"Oh, have I not said so from the beginning?" Caster asked. "All the treasures of the world belong to me. Why would I not have such a thing? Do not ask me to lend it to you."

That order cut off any further questions.

"So…are you going to take up Lady Loki's offer?" Emma asked, turning to Hestia.

"Hmm…I rather not but I might not have a choice," Hestia admitted. "We don't know what the people who were hunting Fia and her friends are up to and there's no telling if Ishtar's lot pieced together that it was Saber and Archer who got in the middle of their fight with Loki."

She glanced at the two who met her eyes without hesitation or shame.

"I would rather ask Hephaistos to put up with me a bit but if those guys from Melen come knocking, I rather Loki take the brunt of it than her."

"Well they do have the firepower to weather it," Archer admitted.

"Besides, she wanted a show so badly she can pay me for the trouble!"

"Don't trouble her Adventurers too much though," Rider warned the goddess. "Will the Home be okay if we're vacating it though?"

"There should be no problem," Lancer replied as she met Caster's eyes for a moment. "Between Caster and my preparations, the Manor shall be perfectly protected in our absence."

"Good to hear," Hestia nodded. "Just thinking that someone might attack this place while we're gone makes me hesitant to hire a house-sitter again."

With the Goddess's safety as well as the Manor's taken care of, all that was left was to prepare to leave.

"Rations?" Hestia asked.

"The meat has arrived this morning," Caster replied.

"Shopping for vegetables and spices are done as well," Archer added with Rider nodding her head as well. "We've also received the shipment from the Guild."

"Potions?"

"Lily and Miss Lancer visited Blue Pharmacy and bought most of their stock of Dual Body/Mind Potions, regular Mind Potions, and High Potions," Lily reported. "Just in case!"

"Miss Ersuisu was rather pleased even though Lord Miach tried to just give them to us," Lancer said with a wry smile. "She put a stop to it impressively quickly though."

"Probably to thank us for the dress and carriage rental," Hestia said with a chuckle. She understood her friend all too well. "Well then, are we forgetting anything?"

Bell looked around to see if anyone would bring anything up.

Fia would wear a cloak and blend in with the rest of the Familia as they left the city while Berserker would dematerialize and follow behind them so that he wouldn't get in the way of their preparations. Bell felt bad but the Servant himself pointed out that he couldn't fit in the carriage anyway.

"Of course we are missing something," Caster said to everyone's surprised. "That fool is running late."

"Who?" Primo asked as a smirk appeared on Caster's face.

No sooner did she ask that did the doorbell ring.

Lancer made a move to stand up and answer it but Gina and Emma grabbed her by the shoulders and kept her seated.

"But it could be Apollo Familia again," Lancer pointed out.

""Exactly,"" came the girls' identical reply.

Lancer's expression became one of bewilderment as Saber let out a chuckle from the seat across from her. Rider decided to get up and answer the door herself.

A few minutes later, she brought in a tired looking Welf with several items wrapped in cloth tucked under his arms.

"Welf?" Bell began, unable to hide his surprise. "What are you doing here? And what are those?"

"I'm so glad I finished before you guys left," Welf said as he carefully knelt on the ground in front of Caster, setting most of his packages to his side save for one which he unwrapped.

In Welf's hand was a dark crimson longsword that reminded Bell of the blade he had used against the Black Goliath. Except the blade in front of him made the other Magic Sword, one that had burned the Black Goliath to the point that it could no longer regenerate the damage it took, look like it was something thrown together at the last minute.

Its sleek blood red body shined like the setting sun. The lighter ruby red metal wrapped around the dark crimson like an aura, encasing the burning flame held within.

It was the first time Bell had seen the blade…and yet it also felt familiar. Deep within him, he thought he could hear the jovial laughter of a young man who fancied himself a hero.

"So you have found your answer, Welf Crozzo?" Caster asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Welf nodded, eyes narrowed with resolution as he turned toward Hestia. "Goddess Hestia, please let me join the Familia!"

"Eh?" The sudden request caught Hestia completely flat-footed. "Eeeeeeh!? But what about Hephaistos?"

"I said my goodbyes to her before coming here," Welf replied as he turned from Hestia to Bell. "I owed a lot to her, I really do. But I think my place…my future is here, with all of you. My friendship with everyone here can't be replaced by anything. This sword is the crystallization of my beliefs. I won't compromise my friends for my pride anymore."

Welf then stood up and presented the blade to Caster, offering it to the king who took the blade in with his eyes while another in room burned the blade's power within his own soul.

"Surely you did not craft such a specimen to offer it as a mere ornament," Caster said with a frown. "The achievement and resolve it represents is your own. Wield your own pride with conviction, Welf Crozzo."

"Yes."

Welf responded with a single word of affirmation as Caster let out an amused huff.

"Well, Goddess Hestia?" Caster asked. "The decision on who to add to the Familia has always been yours."

"You don't have to remind me," Hestia said with a complicated smile. "But Welf…don't take this the wrong way…I'm really happy that you want to join us and all, but are you really sure about this? I feel like I'm stealing you away from Hephaistos."

"No worries, Lady Hestia," Welf assured her with a big grin. "The two of us reached an understanding."

"Yes yes, I'm sure the Smith Goddess was quite pleased to hear that you will attempt to make her your woman," Caster said with a bored voice that caused Welf to blink blankly for a moment before wheeling around toward the king with a beet red face. "Oho? So it was true."

"I-! You-! How!?" Welf sputtered as Emma, Rider and Gina rushed up to Welf, eager press him for the details.

"You look happy, Bell," Lily said, popping by Bell's arm.

"Is it that obvious?" Bell asked, fully aware of just how brightly he was smiling. "You're looking pretty happy yourself."

"Lily is just happy that Bell is happy~"

"Oh right, I guess we should tell you what's going on in this Familia, huh?" Emma said once she and the others were done interrogating Welf.

"What do you mean?" Welf asked, looking completely drained from the questioning even though he managed to fend them off without breaking.

"How half of the people in this Familia are Spirits!"

Welf stared at the smiling Emma for almost a minute. He then swept his eyes across the rest of the Familia, including the two monsters, before landing on Bell who simply nodded his head.

"Well…" Welf began with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "That explains a lot."

And with that, the newest member of Hestia Familia was accepted into its ranks and accepted them in turn.

X-x-X-x-X

Welf Crozzo

Level 2
Strength: I12
Defense: I13
Dexterity: I29
Agility: I11
Magic: I20

Magic:
Will-O'-The-Wisp: Anti-Magic Fire

Blasphemous Burn!
Will-O'-The-Wisp!

Skill:
Blood of Crozzo: Ability to Forge Magic Swords. Strength of Magic increased during production process.

X-x-X-x-X

With their packing done, all of Hestia Familia gather at Orario's West Gate with their goddess seeing them off.

Starting with Bell, Hestia went around giving her mortal children, plus Assassin, a big hug, only hesitating when she got to Welf. The newest member of the Familia simply laughed as he opened his arms out to accept her affections.

"Now then," Hestia began. "Go out there and show the world that we mean business. I'll be here when you all come home as winners!"

"Yes, Goddess!" Bell and the others said before climbing onto the wagon where the Servants were waiting for them.

"Time is of the essence," Caster said as he sat at the front of the wagon, just behind the driver's seat where Rider was sitting, with a small portable arm rest by his side. "Make your final checks now. We will stop for nothing until we reach the castle."

A round of "Yes" came from the younger members of the Familia as they all checked their bags and equipment one last time.

Welf also passed out the other Magic Swords he had brought along the other day. Lily received a small one, white in color, that could fit in her palm like the one she had used to blow out the minotaur's eye during the Boss Fight. A purple one was given to Gina, one that was big enough that the girl had to hold it with two hands. The final one, another red Magic Sword, was given to Bell.

Bell asked if it was all right for him to receive something like that but Welf said that it was a perfect fit for Bell.

"I saw it in a dream," he said. "Figured one would look perfect in your hands."

"If you say so…"

Emma also received a new blade, although it wasn't a Magic Sword. It was a new blade made out of blue metal to act as a sister to her Gekka that Welf had made for her earlier.

"…Not that I'm not happy to receive this but…when was the last time you slept?" Emma asked as she admired the blue crystal-like sword while eyeing the smith suspiciously.

"Ehhh…I'll sleep on the way there," Welf said, not meeting her eyes only to quickly duck as Emma tried to smack him with the sheath of her new sword. "Hey! Easy!"

"How many times do I have to tell you!" She shouted as she started chasing after him. "You need to rest properly! It's important to your health!"

"I get it! I get it so stop chasing me with your sword out!"

"Umm…these are normal Magic Swords, right?" Gina asked as she looked at the curved blades in her hands. "Well, I say 'normal' but they're still Crozzo Magic Swords…"

"Y-yeah," Welf said, doing his best to ignore Emma angrily thwacking the back of his head with the wooden sheath. "They'll break like normal if you over do it. So be careful."

"Lily understands," Lily nodded as she secured the blade in a pocket within her sleeve. "Emergencies only."

"Primo? Are you scared?" Assassin asked, leaning to the side on one foot to look at her elf friend's face.

"U-uuu…a bit…" Primo admitted as she clutched her staff like it was a security blanket.

"Don't be scared! We'll protect you! Berserker will too!"

"T-thanks…uu…"

Although the girl tried to put on a brave face, she still looked a bit ill.

Once everyone had finished checking their belongings, they started to squeeze into the wagon.

"Maybe we should have gotten a second one," Rider muttered as she peered over her shoulder. "Even without Berserker, Saber or Lancer here, everyone's all crammed inside."

"Can't be helped," Archer said with a shrug. "Even if we got a second wagon, the beasts pulling them won't be able to keep up with your horses."

"I suppose that's true. Still, I hope Saber and Lancer don't get into any trouble along the way."

Saber and Lancer had left before the rest of them. The former was going to follow and keep an eye on Apollo Familia while the latter was going to reach the castle first and get a head start on the preparations.

"Ah! They haven't left yet! Hurry!"

"W-wait a minute! Slow down!"

A voice rang out just as Bell was about to climb into the wagon.

Looking over his shoulder, Bell spotted Tiona and Lefiya running over toward them.

"Archer!" Tiona called out, waving a free hand toward them while holding her massive twin-headed sword behind her. "Little Argonaut!"

The two Loki girls probably came to escort Hestia to their Familia Home once Bell and the others left. Although they probably wanted to see them off as well since they were in such a hurry.

"Coming here to see us off?" Archer asked stepping out of the wagon as Caster rolled his eyes behind him in annoyance. Primo also poked her head out from under the canopy to see her magic teacher.

"Yep!" Tiona replied without hesitation.

"Well, it's more like we're here to escort Lady Hestia," Lefiya said as she returned a wave from Primo. "Getting to say goodbye to all of you is just a nice bonus."

"Well, we appreciate it nonetheless."

As Tiona ran over to Archer, Lefiya walked over to Bell and Primo.

"Are you two doing okay?" Lefiya asked. "I heard this all started because Lord Apollo wanted to bring you in his Familia?"

"So it seems," Bell replied with a frown. "I never even met him before seeing him at the Banquet of the Gods. I don't know why he's after me."

Frankly, Bell thought it was a bit creepy.

"Isn't it because you're famous?" Lefiya offered. "Miss Ais said that she had a lot of gods trying to get her to leave our Familia when she first hit Level 2. The same happened to me when I got my third Spell."

A lot of offers had come Bell's way as well, but he had turned them down as he had no intention of leaving his goddess.

"I don't know…it seems different than that."

"Perhaps he is attracted to you, Bell?" Gina offered, appearing beside Primo's head.

"P-please don't joke like that, Gina."

"I'm not. He likes cute boys after all. Just look at his Captain. What do you think, Thousand Elf?"

"Umm…no comment?"

"To Lord Apollo's tastes or to Bell being cute?"

"No comment!" Lefiya repeated as both she and Bell flushed red.

Off to the side, with Tiona and Archer were having their own conversation.

"So how are you going to beat Apollo Familia?" Tiona asked Archer.

"We'll just have to try and get lucky, I suppose," Archer replied with a shrug. "They have over a hundred people with a mix of Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Adventurers against our tiny group of three Level 2s and ten Level 1s after all."

"You're still going on with things like that?" Tiona asked with a frown.

"It's the truth though."

"Well I don't like it when you say things like that. So stop it."

Archer just blinked as he stared at the pouting Amazon.

"Now now, don't bother Archer too much, Miss Amazon," Hestia said, squeezing herself between them. "He's got a long way to go after all."

"Muu."

Tiona let out a "humph" before turning her back to Archer.

Archer's gaze remained on the back of her head for a moment before he looked down toward Hestia who was giving him a sly grin.

"What?" He asked her.

"Nothing~" Hestia said as she elbowed him in the leg because she was too short to reach his ribs without standing on her tiptoes. "Get moving, killer."

Archer just shook his head as he climbed back into the wagon.

"I'm sorry that I have to take a break right when you just started teaching me…" Primo apologized to Lefiya.

"No, it's not your fault," Lefiya denied quickly before putting on a smile. "Just finish things up quickly then come back safely. I'll be waiting for you if you want to continue."

"Of course I do!" Primo replied. "A chance to learn with Thousand Elf is something I never would have dreamed of being able to do!"

"Ah…ahahaha…is this how Lady Riveria always feels?"

Lefiya could only offer a wry smile in the face of Primo's exaltation.

As Bell was about to climb in, he felt a presence behind him. Turning around with a yelp, Bell found Syr and Ryuu standing there, the former holding a basket in her hands.

"Don't think you're going to get away without a parting gift," Syr said with a smile as she pushed the basket into Bell's hands. Inside were several sandwiches, both cold and slightly warm; several thermos filled with the fragrant tea and alcohol; and one last bag full of…something…he wasn't sure what.

"This is?" Bell asked as he picked up the bag in one hand.

"It's a special treat just for you," Syr explained with a big smile.

"It's chock full of protein," Ryuu added.

"I see."

"It'll be the first time since Monsterphillia that I'll get to see you in action," Syr continued, clapping her hands together. "But you have to promise me that you'll win okay?"

"I don't plan on losing," Bell said with a nod before hopping into the wagon which finally got moving. "Thanks for the food."

"Good luck! Stay safe!"

"It's chock full of protein."

Although Syr was happily waving at them, the elf could only repeat the line as though she was a broken record.

"Kick their butts, Archer! Little Argonaut!"

"Stay safe!"

"Go forth my heroes!" Hestia shouted after the wagon as it sped off into the distance. "Go forth and bring home victory!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Welcome everyone."

It was night by the time the Hestia Familia Adventurers reached their castle.

Thanks to basket of food that Syr and the others from the Hostess of Fertility gave them, the mortal members of the Familia were more or less at full capacity when they reached the castle where Lancer greeted them.

Or at least, they should have been.

"Oh precious solid ground!" Gina said as she fell out of the wagon and onto the ground. "I missed you so much."

Thud! Thud!

Primo and Assassin fell out of the wagon as well, landing on Gina's opposite sides, pure exhaustion on their faces.

"Are you all right?" Lancer asked, looking worried.

"Ehh, they'll be fine," Welf said as he hopped out of the wagon and stretched his arms out above his head. "It's just super cramped in there."

Behind him, Archer and Bell were helping a haggard looking Emma out before Caster and Lily stepped out. Only the High Class Adventurers and Servants seemed to be unaffected by the long and abnormally speedy trip that should have taken at least two days.

If one were to look closely at Assassin's face, one could see that she was smiling and had only flopped over to mimic her two friends.

"Where is Fia?" Lancer asked as Berserker materialized by the girls side and poked them in the stomach with a single giant finger, causing the elf and Amazon to reflexively giggle and curl up.

Lancer answer came when the harpy flew down and landed on Berserker's massive shoulder.

"There you are," Lancer said with a slight frown causing the harpy to look down in apology.

"I'm sorry…but it's the first time I got to fly around under the sky in forever," the harpy muttered but Lancer's frown quickly disappeared into a smile as she cupped the harpy's face in her hands.

"I am not angry," Lancer said. "I'm just being overprotective."

As Fia nodded her head, Bell let Archer take Emma as he looked around the castle.

Bell hadn't seen too many castles before but considering that this one was supposed to be part of a defensive line around the Dungeon before the gods came down to plug it up with Babel Tower, he thought this must be a "standard" look to one.

Stone walls formed the main defensive layer of the castle, each one standing over ten meters tall. Being situated on a flat and open plain, there was little chance that anyone would be able to approach without a lookout being able to spot them. Several of the watch towers had crumbled due to age and disuse but the central keep was still standing tall. There was even a large bell at the top, probably used as an alarm. On the four corners of the walls, four blue banners depicting the burning grail blew softly with the breeze. The last of the banners was to be placed in the main hall of the castle, the same one where Caster would be residing in for the duration of the War Game.

"Have you begun the preparations?" Caster asked Lancer.

"Yes," Lancer replied. "The majority of the walls have been repaired and sealed. I have not started working on the watch towers yet however and there appears to be a tunnel that goes along underneath the castle. The castle that Apollo Familia will be using is located about two kilometers to the west."

"Humph, then the enemy starts with a massive disadvantage already," Caster muttered as his eyes fell onto Archer's back. "Mongrel. Follow me."

"Huh? Y-yes!"

Bell turned and followed Caster up to the walls where the two of them could see plains which would be the location of their battle.

"Do you see the enemy castle?" Caster asked.

"Yes," Bell nodded, eyeing the empty near-identical stone castle in the distance.

"The God Apollo may have considered this War Game to be to his advantage but there are several weaknesses that his army has. Can you name a one?"

"Their supply line," Bell said immediately. "I don't know much about wars, but all stories say that an army can't fight on an empty stomach. They have over a hundred people so they would need a lot of food to feed them for the duration of the War Game as well as the set up time."

"Humph, you will get no points for such an easy answer," Caster said but Bell could see his smile. "Have you taken that into consideration in your battle plan?"

"Yes. Have you decided on the restrictions?"

Caster nodded.

"First off, other than Berserker and Assassin, none of the Servants are to enter the walls of the enemy castle. Archer cannot leave our castle walls, not that he should need to. Berserker cannot go further than the inner yard of the enemy castle. Naturally, Assassin cannot deliver the final blow to the enemy Captain."

"Yes," Bell said, nodding in understanding.

"There is no specific objective I will have you accomplish either," Caster continued. "Just be aware of the final condition."

"Yes."

Bell had to defeat the Apollo Familia Captain or steal all five enemy banners within the first three days or Caster will act independently.

"Also, be aware that if a single mongrel reaches my throne room, the battle will end."

"…I understand."

"Good. Then let us return to the preparations."

"Yes."

With a nod, Bell fell back into step behind Caster.

X-x-X-x-X

The days passed as Bell and the others prepared the castle for battle with the only interesting thing happening was the large convoy bearing the emblem of Apollo Familia heading to the other castle in the distance.

"Guess it would be against the rules to go burn those supplies before the War Game starts for real, huh?" Welf asked as he and Bell watched the wagons disappear into the gates.

"Probably," Bell muttered with a nod. "Either way, we shouldn't do anything that'll let them complain about the result."

"Well, we're going to go after that Captain of theirs rather than capturing their banners right?" Welf said. "Nothing they can do when we kick his butt."

Welf then turned around to look back into the yard and Bell followed his gaze.

Emma was currently training with Archer as pink light was floating off of her body, telling them that her Skill was currently active. Lily was sitting on a barrel, watching the fight and the one whose Status was being borrowed. Lancer was also standing by just in case.

Even Bell could tell that Emma was moving much faster than Lily ever could with her zipping around trying to get through Archer's defense. But Bell's first Servant wasn't giving her any chance to break through.

"That Skill of hers is crazy," Welf muttered as Bell nodded his head in agreement. "You think she'll end up being able to take the Status of multiple people soon?"

"That's scary," Bell said with a laugh. "She already adds on our Status when she borrows it. If she takes on another person's Status wouldn't she basically be a Level 5 then?"

"If she doesn't die from doing that," Welf said, all traces of humor disappearing from his voice. "She'd have to get pass Level 1 first I think. If she gets super tired from just one person, she might seriously have problems if she goes for a second one."

Bell could only nod his head again at that.

"Still, she could hold a charge from Lily or you for twenty minutes while fighting now."

"Still only five minutes for you though, Mister 'I'm actually Level 3,'" Welf said, wrapping his arm around Bell's neck.

"Aha…ahahaha…"

"Must be because you have seven superheroes connected to you."

It was about the only reason Bell could think of as well. Perhaps he was growing this quickly because his connection to the Servants were transferring most of their excelia to him? It wasn't as though he had any other Skill besides Argonaut after all.

"Oops," Welf said as the two of them watch Emma's aura die out before the girl flopped over. "Seriously, the drawback is way too big for that Skill to be useful."

"Yeah."

The two of them watched Lancer rush over to Emma's side just as Saber appeared beside them.

"I have returned, Master," Saber said, kneeling down next to Bell.

"Thank you for your hard work," Bell replied. "Are you tired?"

"Thank you for your concern but it is unnecessary. I will deliver my report. Apollo Familia made no suspicious stops aside from camping to rest for the night. Some merchants took advantage of this to sell them materials such as food and potions but nothing untoward. From what I can see their leaders did not make contact with anyone suspicious."

"Guess it wouldn't be that easy, huh?" Bell muttered.

"Guess we'll have to watch our backs during the War Game itself?" Welf asked. "But would they really try something when half the world is watching?"

"If their intention is to expose us Servants, then that would be the best time to do so," Saber pointed out before standing back up. "I will report to Caster now."

"All right. Be sure to rest up once you're done."

With another nod, Saber dematerialized without another word.

"Guess we better be heading to work too," Welf said as he stretched his arms up above his head. "Gotta go collapse those tunnels so we don't get attacked from below our feet."

"Don't get caved in while you're in there."

"Dude, don't say something so scary."

The two of them parted with a laugh before separating to head to their own jobs.

X-x-X-x-X

Days continued to go by without incident as Hestia enjoyed the hospitality of Loki Familia. That being said, she didn't do much aside from hole herself up in the guest room they provided to her to stay out of the way of their normal operations.

That being said, she did spend some time talking to Loki's favorite human girl, the Amazon that seemed to have a thing for Archer, and Primo's magic teacher. The topics usually centered around her Adventurers, and that was fine. She didn't get a lot of chances to brag about them after all.

Then the day of the War Game's start came.

"Oi, Chibi!" Loki shouted as she threw open the door to Hestia's guest room. "Time to get going!"

"Yeah yeah," Hestia said, having already prepared herself in her best day clothes to head to Babel Tower where the majority of the gods in Orario would be watching the War Game from. "I'm guessing that we'll be allowed to use the Divine Mirror to watch the War Game?"

"Yep. We'll also be opening them up all around the city so all the kiddies can watch too."

"Bending the rules to make it fun as usual, huh?"

"You betcha! Besides, how else are we going to make sure yours and Apollo's kids keep to the rules."

Hestia wanted to protest that her Children were all law-abiding citizens but they were hiding Bell's Level after all.

With that said, the two goddesses left the Twilight Manor to head to the thirtieth floor of Babel Tower once more.

Excitement continued to rise all across Orario. Bars opened early; food stands and restaurants gathered their employees early to prepare for the rush.

Posters had been plastered all across the city as advertisement by various gods wanting to build up the excitement and tension. The posters were split across the center with the Apollo Familia's red sun and bow emblem hanging above Hestia Familia's belled grail emblem.

The posters even made their way down to Melen, although most of them had been torn off the walls by members of a certain Familia and the Guild employees in the city were too afraid to tell them to stop and could only put more up only for those to be taken down as well.

Nearly every Adventurer was taking the day off from the Dungeon and packed themselves into various bars and restaurants alongside the regular citizens and workers of the city who also managed to get the day off. Not only that, the plaza in front of the Guild building had a stage constructed in front of it to allow commentators to provide their own commentary for the incoming action.

Loki and Hestia reached the thirtieth floor of Babel tower a few minutes before noon. Nearly every deity in the city planned to watch the War Game here. Those that were not present were planning to watch it in their own homes or mingle amongst the mortals in bars and restaurants.

For some reason, Hermes had decided to bring his Captain, Asfi Al Andromeda, with him. The woman looked rather uncomfortable being the only mortal amongst the gods but no one said anything about her being present.

Loki and Hestia shared a glance but simply shrugged and decided to ignore it as well.

"Should be about time," Hermes muttered as he pulled out a damaged pocket watch. He then raised his head and spoke in a deep voice toward the ceiling. "Ouranos. We hereby ask for permission to use our 'power.'"

Hermes's words rang throughout the chamber as Hestia quickly took a seat in the corner of the room, away from everyone else.

A moment later, Ouranos's voice responded in kind.

"Granted."

The old god's words resounded throughout the entire city as Loki, Hermes, and several other gods and goddesses all across the city and its surrounding territories cracked their knuckles and got to work.

Hundreds of windows appeared all across the land from Orario to Melen. Through these windows, one of the two castles of the two warring Familias could be seen.

It was the Divine Mirror, one of the various abilities that the Divine could use, which was why Hestia was so surprised that Caster had given Bell something so similar to it. These Divine Mirrors were the source of a god's clairvoyance that allowed them to scry into a faraway location at any point in time. This way, every deity in Orario could watch the War Game alongside their children, even though the battle would take place far from the city.

"Test, test, one…two…Ahem. Good morning and good day! I'll be providing blow-by-blow analysis of today's events, the chattering fireball himself, Ganesha Familia's Ibly Archer! Some of you may already know me as the Fire Inferno Flame. Remember that name!"

As one, all the Divine Mirrors portrayed a dark-skinned man claiming to be a commentator for the War Game stood at the front of it with a magic-stone voice microphone clutched in his hand. A large crowd had already gathered in front of him in the plaza in front of the Guild.

"Joining me today to add his own insights into the festivities is none other than Lord Ganesha himself. Lord Ganesha, a word, please!"

"I am Ganesha!"

"Yes, thank you very much for that!"

"Ah, so that's where he was," Hestia muttered to herself as she watched her partner-in-crime, strike a pose to the cheers of the crowd in front of him. She had thought that the chamber was a bit too quiet.

"Now that the mirrors are in place, I'll set the stage once again! Today's War Game is a Castle Siege battle between Hestia Familia and Apollo Familia! Both factions' combatants are already in place and waiting for the signal to begin!"

Hestia swiped her hand across her mirror so she could see what her children were doing.

In no time, she could see most of her children standing in a line on top of the castle's western gate, facing Apollo Familia's castle. Bell was standing in the center, his hands resting on top of new red Magic Sword as he stood in the center of the line. The sight of her precious Bell looking so gallant caused her heart to skip a beat and it took all her willpower to keep herself from giggling like a school girl.

Emma and Welf were flanking him, the latter having his arms crossed in front of his chest and the former was clutching the jewel pendant around her neck as if purposely drawing attention to it. Would the one she was searching for see it?

Lancer and Saber stood on Emma and Welf's other side respectively, both of them still as statues with their weapons planted in front of them in a similar fashion to Bell. No, perhaps Bell was mimicking them to look a bit more cooler?

Gina and Primo stood in the far end of the line to Bell's right, the latter holding a conch shell horn, while Lily and Assassin were standing on the other end to Bell's left.

In Hestia's completely unbiased, honest and fair opinion, they all looked so cool.

The only ones she couldn't see in that formation were Archer, Rider, Berserker, Fia, and Caster.

The latter she found in the main hall of the castle where Caster was resting with his elbow propping his head up in his usual lazy fashion, showing no intent to get involved in the War Game if he didn't have to.

Rider was waiting directly behind the gate in her chariot, pulled by her two white horses that waited patiently for the order to move. Connected to the chariot was a large metal box covered by a drape aside for the large hole at the very top, big enough for a child to slip through.

At the very top of the tallest tower of the castle, there was a figure wearing a cloak nestled in the corner which Hestia suspected to be Fia.

Nested just above her was Archer, crouched low to the ground wearing a rather tattered looking white cloak that blew in the wind and surrounded by six swords stabbed onto the roof of the tower.

Hestia didn't even bother to see what Apollo's kids were doing.

All of her own Children were prepared for War…and she was not going to miss a single second of it.

X-x-X-x-X

In one of the bars littering Orario, there was a last call going for bets on the outcome of the War Game.

Apollo Familia outnumbered Hestia Familia almost ten-to-one in numbers and the Level difference spread was quite high as well.

That being said, the odds for bets was situated at fifteen-to-one, still in Apollo's Favor.

Most of the city had bet on Apollo Familia to win but a staggering amount of people were betting on Hestia Familia to win big instead.

For gods this was only natural as it was quite common for them to bet on the underdog in hopes of hitting the jackpot.

For others…

X-x-X-x-X

"THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND ON HESTIA FAMILIA!"

"Mord!? Are you crazy!?"

"Shaddap! I'm betting everything I got on you, Moonlit Dawn! It's my fault you're in this mess in the first place so I'll treat ya good when you win!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Naza…are you sure this is okay?"

"Lord Miach, it is only natural to bet on our friends to win, isn't it?"

"But, and I know it is hypocritical for me to say, but that is all of our savings…"

"It will be fine. Do not worry and believe in Bell."

X-x-X-x-X

"Come on Bell! Show Apollo's Children who's boss!"

"T-Takemikazuchi-sama! Please don't be so reckless!"

"Don't worry Mikoto! As a God of War, I shall give Hestia's Children my blessing!"

"You can't give your blessing to another Familia's Adventurers!"

"It's just an expression, Ouka. Besides, with this win, we'll be able to send a lot more money to Tsukuyomi and the others back home."

X-x-X-x-X

Back within the Twilight Manor, Lefiya was sitting with Ais and the Amazon twins in one of the lounge rooms watching one of the Divine Mirrors that had popped up in their Home.

"Bete's not coming?" Tiona asked her twin.

"He said he didn't want to watch a one-sided beat down," Tione said with a shrug. "He'll probably pop in later though."

"Well yeah. We'll get to see Archer look super cool after all."

Tiona's eyes were completely focused on the figure sitting at the very top of the tower, shining in anticipation to what he might do. Tione raised an eyebrow in surprise before turning her attention back to the screen.

"We are just seconds from noon!" The announcer's voice carried through to the Manor all the way from the Guild. And then, as countless bells rang across the city, the announcer roared out, "LET THE WAR GAME…BEGIN!"

Lefiya's hands found themselves over her heart as she found it roaring in anticipation.

On screen, Bell Cranel had raised his hand up, pointing straight into the sky…or rather…the sun itself. The action was mimicked by the other members of his Familia that was standing around him on the wall when he suddenly clenched his fist at the sun. Whether that was a signal or not, Lefiya wasn't sure but Archer suddenly stood up and tossed the cloak he was wearing off to the side as the person below him started ringing the bell.

"Ooohhh…" Tiona let out a gasp of appreciation and delight.

Archer wasn't wearing his usual red mantle and instead was only wearing the black armored body suit he always wore underneath it, exposing his bare muscular arms for the entire world to see.

Lefiya then felt a deep chill coming from the south west of Orario but she put the feeling aside to watch Archer pull one of the blades stuck on the roof beside him out.

As he nocked the blade onto his bow, Lefiya felt the words of her chant ring in her ears.

"You are the master archer…" she mumbled as Archer pulled the string of his bow back, causing the blade to twist and elongate into a more aerodynamic and needle-like form in front of everyone's eyes with red sparks flying off the man's body before they were quickly replaced by wisps of blue flame.

And then, the "arrow" was released.

It streaked across the afternoon sky like a blue shooting star. Within seconds, the "arrow" had crossed the two kilometer distance between the two castles straight into its target.

A flag bearing the Apollo Familia Emblem that had been planted on their own tower.

The arrow struck the base of the flag sending it flying from the roof and down to the grounds below where an Apollo Familia strike force had been preparing to set out.

Tiona's wild cheer was only just narrowly beaten by the roar of the city outside.

X-x-X-x-X

The first strike was often the most crucial one as it was an opportunity to set the pace for the battle to come. It was something even someone like Bell understood.

"Damn, that's a nice shot," Welf said with a whistle of appreciation as he had his hand over his eyes while leaning over the wall to try and get a better look.

"It's begun then," Saber said with a nod. "Master. Your orders."

"Right," Bell nodded as he turned to Primo, his heart hammering in his chest in anticipation and nervousness. "Primo, sound the horn."

"R-right!" Primo nodded as she brought the shell to her lips and blew with all her might.

However, all that came out was a weak sputtering noise. In an attempt to rectify her mistake, Primo quickly tried blowing again, only to get the same result as everyone turned toward her in worry.

After three more failed attempts, Primo's face was nearly as red as Welf's hair.

"Umm…you want me to do it?" Gina offered with a weak smile.

"Please…" Primo weakly cried. "I'm going to bury myself in a hole and die."

"N-now, now," Lancer said quickly as she ran over and placed her hands on the elf's shoulders. "You're part of the opening strike. Do not worry about a little mistake."

"A little mistake that the entire world saw me do…" Primo pointed out. "A little mistake that will follow me all the way through my career as the next future Great Mage…"

On the contrary, if Primo had had the clairvoyance of the gods, she would have seen that her embarrassing performance had won her quite a few fans amongst the more motherly citizens of Orario. Gods and mortals alike.

"D-don't mind it," Emma said as she ran over to help as well. "Come on, Rider and Berserker are waiting for you."

"The enemy has recovered from the initial shock and are leaving the castle," Saber reported. "They are attacking."

Primo quickly shook her head as Emma led her to the center of the gate where Rider and the meal box were waiting below.

At Gina's successful horn, she jumped down and landed on top of the box, beside the hole.

"Good luck out there," Rider encouraged her with a smile before Primo jumped into the hole and was caught by a pair of powerful hands.

"Ready?" Came Berserker's voice in the dark.

"Ready!" Primo said, finding her courage at last.

Berserker then pounded his fist against the wall of the box. A lashing sound sounded outside as a pair of horses cried out and the box began to move.

Primo nestled herself on Berserker's back where a special seat had been prepared, allowing her to stand securely upon the minotaur to support him from behind.

This was it…this was the true first page of her own Heroic Myth. It would be her and Berserker against the enemy's first wave. Her hands clenched the golden staff in her hands as she heard magic blasts being fired in front of her, courtesy of Rider's blade as well as the sound of arrows battering against the metal box they were in.

"Hang on, you two!" Rider's voice said as the box suddenly swerved rather violently before coming to a stop. Berserker then turned around to face the opposite direction as the sound of wheels and hooves traveled away from them.

"I'll make up for that awful first showing," Primo said to herself as several small explosions erupted around the box's joints, destroying the seal keeping them inside. "I will succeed Lady Riveria as the next Great Mage!"

The walls of the box fell open, revealing the three meter tall minotaur, clutching a massive club in one hand and an equally massive steel shield in the other with the tiny elf child on his back.

"And that's why…let's get em Berserker!" She shouted as she pointed her staff at the dumbstruck Apollo Familia members.

"▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!"

Hestia Familia's War Game has begun.