A reminder for FFnet only readers to check out the story thread on the Spacebattles forum. You can find omakes written by me and other readers for more enjoyment. The fic also has a tvtropes pages that you can use to find the thread directly as well.
Chapter 41: To the Next Stage
Gina Gwen let out a soft groan as she opened her eyes and looked around.
"This is…my room?"
Instead of a spartan room lined with stone, she was in a small, yet comfortable room of wood and plaster decorated with things any ten-year-old girl would love. Storybooks, songbooks, stuffed animals, and ceremonial daggers.
Well, things a ten-year-old Amazoness would love anyway.
"Yo, Sleeping Beauty."
Gina's eyes fell down at the foot of her bed where the red-haired Smith of Hestia was sitting with what looked like a sewing kit by his side.
"Welf?" Gina asked as she tried to sit up, fear slowly building in her chest. "…Why can't I feel my arm?"
"Ah, that's because you're on like a million painkillers," Welf said as he walked over and placed a hand on her right shoulder to keep her still. "Magical and normal."
Gina followed his hand and saw that her arm was wrapped in a cast and was tightly bound to her chest to keep her from moving it. And just like that, all the tension sputtered out of her like a leaking balloon.
"Lancer said your arm will heal up just fine, but it'll take a few weeks," Welf continued as Gina ran a hand over her arm to make sure it really was still there. "Jackie and Primo were here too but they fell asleep, so Lancer carried them back to their rooms. Bell, Lil'ly and Emmy wanted to stay too but they kinda clonked out the minute we got back so Rider put them to bed before heading to the kitchen. Fia's still here but she just clocked out."
Welf indicated the harpy who had one leg in a small cast as she was sleeping soundly with her back against a wall.
"So…we're back home?" Gina asked as Welf gently made her lie back down and pulled her blanket up. "Did we…win?"
"Duh," Welf replied bluntly as if he was insulted that she might have thought otherwise, causing her to smile. "Anyway, I'm just here because I'm used to staying up all night working on stuff and to make sure you don't wake up all alone."
"Thanks, Welf…" Gina replied honestly. She did appreciate his sentiment.
"You can thank me by looking over the armor designs I'm going to make for you starting tomorrow," Welf said, ruffling her hair. "I know Amazoness don't usually use them but I'm going to have to insist on this."
"Fine…" Gina begrudgingly agreed as she rubbed her shoulder with her free hand. "What were you working on there?"
"Haha…well I wanted to add a few cool things to it, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to show you what I got now."
Welf went back to the spot on the floor where he had been sitting and picked up a bit of cloth.
"Ta-dah! A new one for your collection!"
It was a teddy bear. Its fur was a light brown color and it was wearing a yellow chiton over its body held together by a belt with three tiny gems slotted in. It also had a little club in one of its hands and a red dagger in a small sheathe around its waist.
Gina wanted to squee, but her body felt too tired to do more than let out a soft squeal.
Her glee was still obvious in her face as Welf let out another chuckle before placing the teddy by her head.
"He's so cute Welf!" Gina said as she rubbed her cheek against it. "I didn't know you made things like this too."
"Well compared to leather armor, it's way easier," Welf admitted. "Though I think I kinda screwed up on the face."
Taking a closer look at it, Gina noted that the eyes were half closed, and its snout took up a generous amount of space on the lower half of its face, giving the teddy a rather sly and smug look.
"I know I'm the one who made it and all, but I feel like its face is mocking me."
Gina couldn't help but giggle at the sour face Welf was making while staring at the teddy as the door opened up.
"It's getting late, Welf," Rider's voice said as the woman came in holding a mug in one hand and a plate with a sandwich in the other. "You should head to-"
The woman stopped speaking when she locked eyes with Gina. Rider then seemed to blur in place for a moment before Gina blinked and found the Servant kneeling in front of her, sandwich and drink still in her hands. Rider then shoved the snack into Welf's hands and pulled Gina into a tight and warm hug.
"You're awake…" Rider said, choking back tears. "Thank goodness…"
"Um…Rider?" Gina began. "You're kinda…um…"
Rider's fingers dug into Gina's skin a bit before her grip lessened and the woman leaned back a bit. She reminded Gina a lot of her own mom, though the way they showed their physical affections differed greatly.
Not to say that Gina's mom never hugged her; just never so tightly. Her dad had said it was because she had once dislocated his arm when she hugged him at full strength, so she always had to hold back when showing affection to others.
"Gina?" Rider suddenly called her name and Gina realized tears were falling from her own eyes.
"Ah…sorry…" Gina said as she wiped her eyes with her free hand for a moment before Welf handed Rider a handkerchief that the woman then used to wipe them for her.
"You have family outside of Orario, right?" Rider asked. "Do you want to send them a letter or go visit them?"
"N-no…I'm fine…" Gina said quickly. "The only ones who would go out that far from Orario would be Hermes Familia anyway…"
It wasn't as though she had left her old Familia in bad terms. She just had enough of a god who lost over half of the reward that was paid for by the blood of her friends over something as stupid as entering the Dungeon for his own personal amusement. Her old Familia understood her reasons and saw her off warmly, but she'd feel awkward if she had to rely on them for anything now.
Rider just stared at her softly for a moment before nodding her head.
"I understand. Do you want something to eat? Or would you rather rest some more?"
"Umm…I'd rather eat with everyone else…"
"All right. I'll call you once it's time for breakfast. Though the Caster and the others haven't returned yet. They're probably dealing with the Guild…same with Goddess Hestia."
With that done, Rider left the room, muttering to herself. Gina then turned back to Welf for an explanation as the young man was stuffing the sandwich into his mouth, being careful not to let any crumbs fall onto her bedsheets.
"Yeah…Caster, Saber and Archer are still back at the Castle to deal with the cleanup," Welf explained after swallowing. "Caster…kind of blew up like half the world just as the end bell rang…so he probably has to explain that."
"Did he say why?" Gina asked.
"At a guess, I think that's where the bad guys were hiding," Welf said. "It was both far away enough from our base that no one would pay attention to it on the Divine Mirrors and close enough for those plant things to attack us."
At the mention of the violas, Gina rubbed her arm again.
"Well, don't worry about that stuff," Welf said as he stood up and placed a hand on Gina's head. "Just leave everything to your big brother and rest."
Gina looked up at Welf with a giggle.
"You know Amazons don't have brothers, right?" Gina asked.
"Hey, first time for everything."
"Then, I'll leave it to you, 'Onii-chan!'"
Welf let out a strained cough as he clutched a hand over his chest.
"W-what was that?" Welf asked.
"It's something I learned from the Gods who came to Orario from the Far East," Gina replied with a smile. "They said it's a magic spell that little girls could say to older boys to make them weak."
"No one should have this power…" Welf said seriously before an evil smirk appeared on his face. "Why don't you get together with Primo and Jackie to say it to Bell?"
"You're mean, Welf."
"Oh, you wound me."
Welf playfully placed a hand over his heart as if someone had shot him there before setting the empty plate and mug on the nearby desk before plopping himself down on the floor beside Gina's bed so that his face was just visible to her from her spot lying down.
"…What are you doing?" Gina asked, blinking in confusion as she moved the teddy to the side to see Welf's face better.
"Feeling a bit lazy to go back to my room since it's in the second building," Welf said. "So, I'm going sit here and fix up some things."
"…I see."
"Oh right, Lancer also told me to make you drink this if you happened to wake up early. Something so you could relax better."
Gina nodded her head as Welf helped her drink the rather bitter liquid.
"…Thanks, Welf…" Gina muttered as she nestled into her sheets.
"For what?" Welf asked simply, pretending to not notice as he sat down and started patching up the holes in his coat.
As exhaustion caught up Gina again, she muttered out, "It wasn't your fault."
But even as Welf's hands stopped moving, Gina had already traveled back into dreamland.
X-x-X-x-X
"I see…so Gina's fallen back asleep then."
"Yes, Goddess Hestia."
Hestia and Rider were in Hestia's office with the latter having prepared a late-night snack for Hestia as well after reporting to her about Gina's condition.
Hestia had been dealing with the Guild to discuss the terms of her winnings until late into the night.
Deciding to get rid of a potential pain in the butt for the future, she seized the entirety of Apollo Familia's assets aside from the personal effects of Apollo's Adventurers; heirlooms, clothing, and the like.
Their weapons, armor and supplies on the other hand now belonged to Hestia Familia along with the entirety of their treasury and Familia Home. Apollo was also to disband his Familia and be cast out from Orario by the end of the week.
Originally, Hestia would have just been fine to take everything Apollo owned and be done with it, but after what happened to Gina, she wanted to never see his face again. She wanted to get rid of his entire Familia altogether, but the Guild begged her to reconsider as the loss of a hundred veteran Adventurers would cut into their profits.
And so, not wanting to make things harder for Ouranos than she had to, she settled for just kicking Apollo out.
"You don't think it's too much?" Hestia asked Rider who shook her head.
"No, if anything I say you are being too lenient," Rider replied. "You should have forced his Familia pay us millions in tribute each month instead. Then we could have used the money to build a better home for the Xenos."
"Yeah but that means I have to see his face," Hestia pointed out with a sigh. "That said, I do have his mansion now. But I am not completely sure what I want to do with it."
"You don't wish to move us into there?" Rider asked.
"That place was big enough to fit over a hundred people and have plenty of room to spare. We don't need that much space yet and I don't want to walk five minutes just to find the dining room or a toilet."
"Well…you have a point there."
"Besides, we still have two entire buildings to fill out here. I don't want to make Gil's renovations be for nothing. He paid good money for them after all."
"Then what will you be using the new building for."
"Well…I always did wonder if I was any good at running an inn," Hestia admitted. "It'll probably need some renovations, but I have Apollo's money to get started with that."
"Would the inn workers be part of the Familia too?" Rider asked. "I don't have anything against that but…"
"Hmm…probably not," Hestia admitted. "We still have to keep the Xenos a secret after all. I might give the future managers my Blessing so they could handle any problems in keeping order but I'm not looking to expand any more for the time being. Well…I wouldn't mind one or two more to help out our B-Team while Gina is healing up."
"…You are much calmer about all of this than I expected," Rider admitted as she looked at the goddess. "I admit, I thought you'd be much angrier."
"Oh, blindingly so," Hestia said, her tone and demeanor a complete contrast to her words. "Especially if what you say is true in that Caster knew about it beforehand. But what can we do about it? If he felt that that was the best course of action, then the alternative might have been even worse…that or it's just me putting my faith in the man who brought my Familia up from nothing."
"Then…what do you plan to do in regard to Evilus and Enyo?" Rider asked. "Will you be joining Goddess Loki in her alliance?"
"Nope," Hestia said, shaking her head. "As much as I'd love the extra help, I can't risk any of them knowing about the Xenos. We're already drawing those smugglers' eyes from openly using Fia and Berserker in the War Game after all. Even if the latter isn't technically one."
"Then our immediate goals?"
"As a Familia, probably prepare for anyone trying to force their way into our Home to get to Fia. For me personally, I'm going to get to work in turning our new property into an inn. The more I think about it, the more I actually want to do it!"
Rider simply let out a sigh as she wondered if things would be okay with a goddess like this.
X-x-X-x-X
Caster and the others returned to Orario within the next few days and the Servants, minus Berserker and Assassin, convened with Hestia in order to get an explanation for Caster's actions.
"Considering the circumstances, it was the most optimal outcome," Caster said, weathering the death glares from Rider and Lancer as if they were nothing more than rather adorable animals.
"Gina's arm being used as a chew toy is considered optimal!?" Rider demanded, making Hestia, Saber and Archer take a step back to give the woman some room.
"Is it not your duty as Captain to prevent such harm from befalling the young ones?" Lancer added. "Or will you say that you did not see the attack coming?"
"I am not a god," Caster said simply, narrowing his eyes at them. "And I will not have you confuse me as such. If you wish to force the blame upon me, should I not say the same of the two of you? Instead of playing 'House' or being distracted with love affairs, should you not have remained vigilant as well? I have made it no secret that our enemies would move to strike at us, correct?"
Rider and Lancer turned their heads away in anger.
"And, as I have said it time and time and again, I am but a watcher. There is no need for me to act unless I am personally affected. There is no excitement to be had if I am to step in each and every time."
"Then…what was the worst-case scenario?"
Saber asked.
"The one who would have been targeted would have been Libera," Caster replied. "The creatures are naturally attracted to magic and the child is always practicing in her off-time."
"I see…" Hestia nodded in understanding. "And if they had, Berserker would have…well…gone berserk."
Hestia shook her head at her lame turn of phrase.
"And if Bell had been outside…" Archer began.
"Naturally, being the beacon of constant magic as he is, he would have been the perfect bait. But as it was…"
Caster simply shrugged.
Even the violas had not been strong enough to dig through the solid rock that was the castle even if they had been able to tear through its outer walls. Thus, being unable to reach their intended target, they split off and attacked the other beacons of magic.
"So that's why you were outside," Hestia muttered. "Were you trying to distract them?"
"Humph," Caster scoffed at the notion. "For what reason would I offer myself up as bait for a bunch of brats?"
Hestia simply shook her head with a smile at Caster's non-answer.
"Fine…" Rider said, accepting Caster's explanation. "Then what are we going to do about them? About Evilus?"
"Naturally, retribution will be had," Caster replied. "But…the conditions aren't perfect to mount an assault."
"Conditions?" Lancer repeated. "So, you know where they are?"
"Of course. My informants have spotted them, and I have located their base. However, if we strike too early, we will simply be attacking an empty hovel."
"I get it…you want to wait until most of them are home before you strike," Rider muttered.
"I have no interest in chasing after scurrying rats any more than I have to. But have no fear, we will not need to wait long. I have already prepared the perfect bait to ensure that the rats remain home for our attack."
X-x-X-x-X
And so, the curtain fell on the War Game, with Hestia Familia standing victorious.
The exploits of Hestia Familia became the talk of the town and their Adventurers became hometown heroes almost overnight. They were the center of attention wherever they went after returning to the city.
Obeying Hestia's demands, Apollo Familia was disbanded immediately. Apollo said his good-byes and released every one of his followers before being escorted out of the city for the last time.
Hestia had wanted to stand on the gates while going "Neener-neener" to her enemy as he left just to twist in the knife but was talked out of it by Bell and Emma.
As for the now Familia–less adventurers, they went their separate ways. Some went on journeys of self-discovery, others were scouted and joined other Familias, and a few fell into despair. A small group, including Hyacinthus, went against the laws of Orario by leaving the city to follow their god.
And thus, some semblance of normalcy returned to Hestia and her Children's lives.
X-x-X-x-X
The café had barely just opened for business when Caster stepped inside.
"Wel-" the hostess at the door turned to greet him but stopped short once she recognized who he was.
Caster ignored her as he glanced around. It would appear that he had arrived before anyone else. The place was currently deserted.
Perfect.
Seeing that the employees were unable to handle his magnificence, Caster strolled over to an empty booth in the corner of the café without waiting to be prompted, plucking the menu from the hostess's hands as he did. He sat down facing the corner with his back to the rest of the aisle.
As he skimmed through the menu, Caster paid the staff the bare minimum of attention. The serving girls had quickly gathered together and were chatting and giggling amongst themselves until the owner shouted at them to get back to work. If Caster didn't know better, he'd have thought he had stepped into the Hostess of Fertility by mistake. Except the owner was a human male instead of a dwarf female.
Caster ordered a simple breakfast set when one of the servers finally came over to take his order. He didn't really glance at what it contained and had simply ordered the first thing that he saw in the breakfast section of the menu.
Due to certain excruciating circumstances, he had to eat outside this morning. Not that he needed to eat of course, due to being a Servant.
It just provided an excuse to leave the house for his errand.
The meal was a simple and standard fare. Eggs, bacon, some toast and a coffee. Cheap and perfect for a quick morning meal.
However, Caster picked at his food as he set some documents down in front of him and read through them as the café slowly began to fill up with regular citizens and Adventurers alike seeking their morning nourishment.
More than a few stopped at the entrance in shock when they saw him before taking their seats. For one reason or another, the booth next to Caster remained empty while the rest of the café filled up.
Then the seat was taken by a chiethrope wearing a hood with pointed ends for her ears. As she placed her order and relaxed against the back of the booth she spoke up.
"Have I kept you waiting?"
"No, you are on time. Early even."
Caster's eyes did not leave his work as he began eating the slightly cold meal with one hand.
"What have you found?" He asked, his mouth barely moving but carrying well enough that the woman's ears could still pick it out over the bustle of the restaurant.
"They've gone to ground," the woman replied. "It seems like they caught wind of what Loki Familia is planning. Not that it was particularly subtle. All of their Level 6s were seen getting their stuff maintained and they were buying a lot of healing supplies. More so than usual for a Familia of that size. Anyone could see that they are planning some kind of operation. But since they didn't buy a large number of rations or hire Hephaistos Familia Smiths again, it's clear that they aren't going on another Expedition."
Caster nodded his head. The seed he planted was about to bear fruit then.
"That's enough," Caster said as he allowed a bag of coins to appear by the woman's leg, hidden to the rest of the building. "If they have hidden themselves then there is no need for you to continue your work. Until Loki Familia's operation is complete and we have a result, our association is finished."
The woman didn't reply as the bag vanished up into her sleeve.
"Anything else?"
"None. However, should you feel that you are in danger, you are welcome to come to Hestia Familia for protection, Gita Meyers."
"Hopefully it won't come to that."
His informant was unaffiliated with any Familia and hadn't received a blessing from any of the gods of Orario. She made a living gathering and passing information along to whoever paid and wasn't interested in joining the Magic Stone trade of Adventurers. However, it also meant she had very little in the way of protection if she suddenly found herself in possession of information well above her pay grade.
Caster was fond of competent people and there was no way he was going to toss a useful one away after he was done but he also wasn't going to force someone to change their way of life. If one is to change, then they must do so by their own will.
"Oh, but there is one last thing I wish to know before we part."
"Yes?"
"What is the most popular bakery in this city that sells muffins?"
The query surprised Gita so much that she threw all confidentially to the wind and looked over her shoulder at Caster in confusion and incredulity.
X-x-X-x-X
"Umm…what is all of this?" Gina asked.
She had finally regained enough strength to walk without help even though her arm was still in a sling and wrapped tightly against her chest to allow it to heal.
Nevertheless, both Primo and Assassin were unwilling to leave her alone, so they ended up sticking closer to her more than usual.
But the three of them had suddenly been called up to Caster's office, with Gina's new teddy, nicknamed Tri-Star after the three gems on its belt, tucked under her arm. There, they found a dozen muffins, wrapped into four bags of three had been waiting them on top of the irate king's desk.
"Exactly what it looks like," the king growled, one hand propping up his head with his elbow on his arm rest. Beside him was a rather satisfied looking Rider. "Baked treats for the three of you for your accomplishments during the War Game."
The Young Girl Trio of Hestia Familia shared a confused glance at the unusual generosity of their Captain.
"Wait…aren't these muffins from that store?" Gina asked as they took the packages in their hands. "The one that's always has an hour long wait?"
"Ah, they are!" Primo said, pointing to the mascot design on packaging. "I recognize this thing!"
"Thanks, Mister King!" Assassin said happily.
"If you are quite finished then begone!"
The girls nodded and quickly scampered back out the office. But as Gina closed the door behind her, she could hear Caster say something to Rider.
"There! Are you satisfied!?"
"Very. I'll stop hiding chili peppers in your meals now."
What was that all about?
X-x-X-x-X
"Miss Eina! Long time no see!"
Bell called out to his Advisor as soon as he and Saber entered the Guild.
The entire building almost immediately fell silent at Bell's voice as everyone turned to stare at them, causing Bell to flinch back. However, Saber ignored the gazes as he placed a hand on Bell's shoulder and led them over to Eina's cubicle as usual.
"Long time no see, Bell and Mister Saber," the half-elf Advisor replied as usual. "You came at a great time. We got a few Quests that specifically asked for your Familia, including ones from the Guild itself…oh…but before that. Congratulations on winning the War Game."
Eina had gone right into business mode but managed to offer her congratulations all the same.
"Thank you!" Bell said happily, both for receiving the praise and because that trouble was finally over, and he probably won't see Apollo or any of his (former) Adventurers ever again. "Oh, and we probably should hand these over before anything else."
"Hmm? Level Up reports?" Eina asked as she picked up the first one. "Ah…so Miss Gwen has Leveled Up. Thank goodness…she's okay then?"
"She's a bit shaken but her arm will be fine after another week or so," Bell replied.
"That's good to hear."
Eina then flipped to the other page only to immediately freeze at its contents.
However, she was not about to make the same mistake she made a little over a month ago.
"Before we continue, shall we move to a private room?" Eina asked, putting on a splendid mask of professionalism as she led them to their usual room. Once the door was closed and locked, she immediately rounded on Bell with her hands on his shoulders. "LEVEL 3!?"
"Ah…yeah, that's right," Bell said blankly.
"Putting the time, it took aside, it's only natural, correct?" Saber asked. "We defeated a much larger Familia with Bell spearheading our efforts. We also defeated the Monster Rex with Bell delivering the final blow as well."
"The time it took is precisely why this is so strange!" Eina said, letting out a long sigh before sinking into a couch while Bell and Saber sat across from her.
"Umm…I'm sorry for the trouble?" Bell offered but Eina shook her head.
"Well…this is great news," Eina continued. "Two Level Ups out of the War Game then?"
"Yes," Saber confirmed. "Unfortunately, no one else has managed to Level Up from this ordeal."
"I don't think this city can handle more people Leveling Up in only a month or two…" Eina sighed. "In any case, I suspect that your Familia Rank will go up again so please be prepared for that."
As the two of them nodded, Eina then took out the papers she had been meaning to give them first.
"As I said before, the Guild has received several Quests that asked for your Familia specifically. Most of them are the usual material requests from the Dungeon but there are a few interesting ones."
"…A photoshoot?" Bell read off the page.
"Yes. The store specializes in taking memorial photos and the like. Their request involves using your photos and likeness as part of their advertising."
"Oh…"
"The request only calls for the two of you, Mrs Lancer, Miss Flores and Jack. The payment is rather decent although I suspect it will take a few hours. They are also asking for your measurements to prepare the outfits. The theme they wish to use seems to be 'Family' and 'Love.'"
Bell's eyes glazed over as a dry laugh escaped his lips while Saber closed his eyes in an understanding, but not self-aware, nod.
"Another Quest I want to bring to your attention is this one…it's one the Guild itself wishes to make to you…or rather, to Miss Rider and Mister Archer."
"A Cooking Show?"
"Yes. The impromptu show the two of them put on the first day of the War Game was very popular in the city. I tried the recipe myself and it was delightful. And so, due to the sheer amount of request we received, the Guild wishes to give them a venue so they can put on a show more frequently. If not a show, then cooking classes that anyone can attend."
"This is the first I've heard of this," Bell muttered as he turned to Saber who could only offer a shrug of his shoulders in response. "I mean, the Goddess did joke about doing that, but I didn't know they actually did it."
"Well it's not mandatory but please discuss it with them at the very least," Eina continued. "The Njord, Ninsun, and Demeter Familias have all expressed their desires to sponsor the shows as well."
That could definitely help ease their food expenses.
"Of course, it is your Familia's right to reject all the Quests but do at least give the second one a thought."
It looks as though Eina was one of the people looking forward to the shows. Well, the decision remained with Archer and Rider in the end since they were the ones doing it.
X-x-X-x-X
"Apollo Familia sure has some strange tastes…"
Emma let out her commentary as she, Hestia, Lancer and Lily were touring the former Apollo Familia home so that the goddess could get a better idea of what she was working with before going forward with her inn idea.
"Statues upon statues…all of Apollo!" Hestia shouted as she picked a bust, looking as though she wanted nothing more than to throw it at a wall. However, she must have decided that it would be a pain to clean up as she set it back down with a little thump. "Well, at least we won't be hurting for plaster and stone."
"It's big enough that Goddess Hestia needs to hire at least ten people just to focus on cleaning," Lily said, a notepad in her hands having done a quick catalog of the rooms. "Lily counted at least twenty rooms but that isn't counting the ones underground or the secret hidden rooms. Lily already found five of those…and each room is also big enough to fit in at least three or four people comfortably."
The manor, constructed of solid stone and wood, was three stories tall. In addition, it had yards in the front and back as well as a surrounding iron fence. When it was still owned by Apollo Familia, over one hundred adventurers had called this place home. Even if they included their goddess in the count, Hestia Familia had only thirteen members, fifteen if one also included Fia and Berserker.
"It was the right idea not to use this as our new Home just yet," Hestia nodded. "We'll probably have to split the rooms in half…agh, that's gonna up the renovation costs…"
Hestia had wanted to bring Caster along for his opinion but…
"Are you or are you not also a Goddess of Architecture!?" Caster had shouted at her before slamming the door on her face.
In short, she was on her own. For now, at least.
"Goibniu Familia must be happy that we are giving them so much work," Lancer muttered.
"Hmm…it'd probably be too much to give each room their own shower, so we'll probably have to expand on the public bath that's already here," Hestia continued, muttering to herself. "What do you girls think? Should we hire people to work here to bring in some more Familia members?"
"The latter is the cheaper option but Lily wonders if we'll be able to find that many trustworthy people to know about the Xenos and Servant so easily," Lily said. "That being said, hiring young women who couldn't join the Dungeon Crawling business wouldn't be that much more expensive. It would be cheaper than hiring professionally trained ones through the Guild at the very least."
"Maybe you should have Rider or Archer work here to take care of the inn's food needs?" Emma asked. "I think bringing even one of them over would definitely help bring people in."
"Ohh! That's an excellent idea!" Hestia began before shaking her head. "No wait, wait…we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's focus on cataloging and cleaning everything in this building before nightfall at the very least. I have to meet with Take tomorrow too."
With that said, the four of them split up again with Emma walking through the halls, picking up discarded and forgotten items left behind by Apollo Familia. A few socks, some leather bags…just basic things that could easily be overlooked when a Familia of over a hundred people had to suddenly vacate the premises. There was even a cute looking pink pillow that had someone wedged itself between a pillar and a wall.
Emma gathered up all the items and moved to deposit them outside of the gate. Lancer had said that several Apollo Familia members were still hanging around their old Home, no doubt hoping to get back anything that Hestia Familia might be throwing out as unnecessary.
Lily would probably try to sell the missing items back, but Emma felt that it would be rather difficult to try and sell back a single sock.
Just as she set the box down, a cry sounded out to her right, causing her to step back from the box. Not a moment later, someone dived toward it, snatching the pink pillow from the rest of the items.
"It's here!" The long-haired woman cried. "It's here, it's here, it's here!"
The woman seemed so happy to be reunited with her pillow that she was hugging it like it was a long-lost friend.
"Sorry about that…" a red-haired woman quickly came up to apologize for her friend. "She was really looking for that pillow."
Obviously the two of them were former Apollo Familia Adventurers but Emma recognized them as the two that had been in the same room as Hyacinthus during the War Game.
"Umm…Daphne Laulos and Cassandra Illion, correct?" Emma asked, surprising the redhead. "I memorized the names and faces of all of Apollo Familia's High-Class Adventurers. I had to know who to watch out for during the War Game and run away with all my might from after all."
"Well, aren't you diligent?" Daphne asked with a wry smile. "Congratulations to your victory and all of that."
"Umm, are the two of you okay?" Emma asked. "Lily did shoot you with a Crozzo Magic Sword after all."
"Was that what that as?" Daphne asked in surprise. "It felt like a punch from an electric minotaur."
"No, Berserker was outside."
Daphne simply shook her head as Emma smiled at her little joke.
"Anyway, no hard feelings about your win," Daphne continued. "The two of us weren't exactly on good terms with Apollo in the first place."
"I do feel kind of bad about taking your Home though."
"Apollo was the one who started it, despite all of our protests, so it's all on him. Although I do have some questions about the sheer high quality of you Hestia Level 1s, it's not my place to ask about it."
"I see…well, if you or anyone else are missing any items, let me know and I'll keep an eye out for it."
"Thanks, but we probably shouldn't outstay our welcome."
Daphne's eyes turned up toward the building and Emma followed them. There, on the top floor was Lancer, peeking through the curtain with viciousness, vigilance, and venom laced eyes.
"Though I say that, we'll probably be seeing a bit more of each other in the future," Daphne said.
"Huh? Why is that?"
"Cassandra and I got scouted by the Miach Familia. Your goddess is friends with him, right?"
"Ah, yes, that's right. We also buy from Blue Pharmacy for most of our potion needs. I see…it's good that Lord Miach's getting more members…but are you two okay? I heard from my Vice Captain that he has quite a bit of debt, right?"
"It's a bit big but it's not impossible to clear," Daphne said with a shrug. "We'll manage."
With that said, Daphne grabbed Cassandra by the collar and proceeded to drag her away. No sooner did the two disappear from view did Lancer materialize by Emma's side.
"What did they want?" Lancer asked.
"Miss Illion was hoping to get her pillow that she forgot," Emma explained. "And that they're with the Miach Familia now."
"I see," Lancer muttered, all hostility draining away in an instant. "Well, I suppose that's fine then."
"Bell already got mad at Jack for going off and attacking that pallum, Lancer," Emma reminded her as Lancer averted her eyes. "And they're not Apollo Familia anymore. And it's not as though they were part of that group from back then anyway."
"My mind understands but my heart does not," Lancer replied simply, looking rather ashamed and crestfallen. The expression quickly vanished when she turned down the street. "Ah…Master and Sigurd…"
Emma turned to see Bell and Saber walking on over, the former reading some papers while the latter was carrying lunch in a basket.
"Hey you two!" Emma called out. "Did the Guild visit go well?"
"About as well as one could expect, all things considered," Saber replied, handing the basket to Emma before taking Lancer into his arms as if it was only natural.
Emma only shook her head in tired exasperation before turning to Bell.
"What are those?"
"Ah, Quests that people addressed to our Familia," Bell replied. "Most of them are requests for Drop Items from the Middle Floors but there are a few interesting ones that Miss Eina pointed out."
"Ooh! Let me see! Let me see!"
Accepting requests from civilians before going on an adventure was what being an Adventurer was about, right?
The first sheet she grabbed was apparently one from the Hostess of Fertility. Syr had heard of a spring on the Eighteenth Floor that supposedly produced water so delicious that any cooking that used it would become even more delicious. It also had massive skin revitalizing properties.
"Bell! This one! Let's do this one, right now!"
"Huh? Oh, the one by Syr?"
"Yes! Let's go! Right now!"
As a girl, Emma had to see the effects for herself. The fact that it was also an excuse to see the Under Resort for herself was just a bonus.
"Hey you slackers!"
A shout caused the four of them to look up and see Hestia poking her head out from a window.
"No lazying around when we have work to do unless you invite me too!" She protested angrily. "Get back to work! I want to at least get things up and running before Grand Day! That goes for you too, Bell! Saber!"
The two humans and two Servants quickly ran in to help.
X-x-X-x-X
"…Should I feel annoyed or appreciated at this?"
"Annoyed. Definitely annoyed."
Welf and Archer were standing in the last of the newly added buildings to the Hearthstone Manor that Goibniu Familia had added when they were on vacation in Melen, but Caster had kept hidden. Until today that is.
It had been a forge. One perfectly suited for a smith's needs as the Blacksmith Familia knew exactly what was needed.
While it was certainly convenient for the new Hestia Familia Smith, it didn't change the fact that Caster had ordered it when there was no one in the Familia that could make use of it.
"Well, at least I won't be stuck using a portable forge," Welf said as he went around settling his personal tools in with the new equipment while Archer helped. "But…was it really that obvious that I'd join sooner or later?"
"Well, Bell was really hoping you would even if he never said it out loud," Archer said. "After all, you're the only guy friend he has. This Familia is filled with women, spirits and monsters otherwise. That isn't to say he doesn't enjoy your friendship either way."
"Got a point there, and yeah, I get it."
Welf was looking rather sheepish at being so appreciated by Bell. As he turned to Archer, the young man noticed the Servant was looking at the weapons Welf wanted to put up for display. None of them were Magic Swords or anything special. Just little things he made for practice and looked good enough that he didn't want to melt back down.
"You really do work hard," Archer noted with a smile. "Compared to my way of doing it, I definitely appreciate the regular path of using a hammer and forge."
"Your way makes me want to cry sometimes, to be perfectly honest," Welf replied with a wry smile.
The "arrows" that had been fired into the walls of the Apollo Castle had been copies of the same Magic Sword Welf had given Gina, souped up to a level that they could smash a wall to pieces in one blow, even if it destroyed them instantly.
Due to the circumstances of the War Game, Welf had given Archer permission to do so but it hurt both his pride as a Smith and as a person to see his several all-nighters of work completed and made more powerful in less than a minute…and mass produced at that.
No wonder Caster hated him.
Welf wouldn't say that he felt the same, but it was… humbling to say the least.
"I wouldn't want to step on your toes," Archer said. "You're this Familia's Smith, not me. I'm only good at making things that are going to be broken at a moment's notice anyway."
"That's because you and Saber taught both Bell and Emmy that completely awful way of fighting! You're making every Smith in the city cry you know!"
A style that involved destroying your opponent's equipment. Certainly, useful for people who are afraid of killing their human opponents like those two, but it certainly had a different price to pay.
"You say you can see into a weapon's history and blueprints, right?" Welf asked. He wasn't that angry since it wasn't his weapons being shattered but he felt like he had to air the words out for the sake of those who did make them. "Then shouldn't you know the blood sweat and tears we Smiths put into those weapons!"
"I do, but I don't particularly care when they are currently being used by enemies. I do care when I know the person using them or the one who makes them, which is why I ask for permission before breaking them. Except for Caster. Then I do it to get under his skin."
A Familia where everyone respects the Captain's power and authority but hate the man himself. How in the world has it not collapsed upon itself?
"Still, I can't imagine any of you guys getting beat when the going gets tough," Welf said. "Spirits are amazing…"
"We may be but there's no such thing as invincible, Welf," Archer said. "Anyone can be beaten with the right weapon, tactics, or people by your side. Be it a school teacher with proper training and support from a mage, or a person who practiced a powerful martial art while equipped with blessed weapons or Magic Items passed down in their family, or even just some punk kid who got lucky. A Servant can be taken down as easily as any monster from the Dungeon."
"…These examples are oddly specific," Welf began, staring at Archer with a raised brow. "Did you-"
"As a hero, I've seen quite a few things," Archer replied with a chuckle. "Some things amazing that they might have came out of one of Gina's fairy tales. Others so horrible that Rider would beat me to death with her bare hands if I were to mention them out loud."
"See, before the War Game, I would have considered that a joke," Welf muttered, shivering slightly at the memory of the woman's rampage.
"It'd be a mistake to consider someone's surface behavior to be everything they are," Archer said with a shrug.
"Yeah. 'Always be wary of the humble ones' and all that."
Archer let out another soft chuckle as the two of them got back to work organizing the forge.
X-x-X-x-X
"All right, now look this way…and hold…"
SNAP!
Bell struggled to keep his eyes open as the room erupted in smoke, flash and powder. In front of him, Assassin let out an annoyed groan as Lancer gave her a soft chuckle before stopping her from rubbing her eyes and ruining the makeup covering up her scars. Saber, for his part, remained still and motionless like a statue made of ice.
The four of them had were dressed in slightly formal suits and dresses and had been asked to pose as a "family" for the pictures. Lancer and Assassin were at the forefront with the former sitting down on a chair and the latter standing beside her. Saber and Bell were standing behind them with Bell placing his hands-on Assassin's shoulders.
Off to the side, Emma was smiling, holding a coat in her arms as she was dressed in a refreshing spring dress. She was going to have her picture taken too but after this.
Saber and Lancer also had taken several photos together beforehand and each one of them looked like a romantic masterpiece in Bell's amateur eyes. The Family photo right now, where Bell and Assassin were positioned in a way that made them look like the two's children, made Bell slightly embarrassed and he didn't think he was someone worthy of pretending to be their child. Saber and Lancer however, said the opposite in that they couldn't ever be called Bell's parents. That honor was reserved for the ones who actually held the title, even though Bell never knew them.
"All right, that's good!" The photographer said as he looked at Assassin with a friendly smile. "Good job hanging in there."
Assassin responded by sticking her tongue out at him to which he laughed good-naturedly.
"Then, everyone please step off to the side. Mister Cranel if you can quickly change costumes for the next shoot. Miss Flores, if you could step up as well."
Then next on the themes of "Family and Love" was Bell and Emma.
If Hestia had known about this, she definitely would have put a stopped to it, but as she was too busy working on making renovations to the inn, she simply saw it as an opportunity to let everyone see how great her Children were and approved the request without a second thought.
"All right, you two get in a bit close…and Mister Cranel, if you can place a hand on her shoulder."
"Eh!?"
Emma's pink one-piece dress had left her shoulders bare.
He understood that it was just for a picture but…
Emma, for her part, just let out a giggle, but Bell could see that her cheeks were red as well.
"It's just a hug, Vice Captain!"
"You can do it, Mister Cranel!"
The peanut gallery of Gina and Primo, who came along to see Assassin get dolled up, called out to them.
"Come on, Bell," Emma said with a teasing smile. "You already carried me all the way home before, right? Soaking in the rain and everything."
"N-no, uh…the circumstances between then and now are completely different…"
"Then…you don't want to touch me?"
"Please work on your phrasing, Emma!"
"Umm…I know our store asked for this, but can you two put the flirting off until after we finished this?"
"W-we're not flirting!"
As the shooting continued, Gina grabbed Assassin before the girl could wipe away the make up and pulled her toward another store employee while Primo followed behind.
"Hey, is there another room for used shooting?" The Amazoness asked. "If so, can we get a picture with just the three of us?"
The employee looked surprised but nodded as Gina handed over payment for it.
"A picture with just the three of us?" Primo repeated as they were led to a different room.
"Yep! Besides, why should they get to have all the fun?"
"This isn't fun…" Assassin mumbled, fingers dangling in front of her face as she wanted nothing more than to scratch it.
"Come on, we're going to be friends forever, right? So, let's keep track of memories with this."
"Memories huh," Primo muttered, looking convinced. "All right, I'm in!"
"You better be, because I already paid for it after all!"
"Can We at least wipe this stuff off?" Assassin begged.
"Come on, you look cute. Just keep it on for a little longer, okay?" Gina requested and Assassin grumbled but obeyed.
The three of them then squeezed together, arms linked, and cheeks pressed against each other with smiles that could melt the coldest of hearts.
"""Cheeeeeeseee!"""
SNAP!
A flash and cloud of dust later, the photo was theirs.
"Awesome! Let's do this every year from now on!"
"We're not putting this stuff on again!"
"Now now, you don't have to…"
As Gina, Assassin and Primo crowded around the photo to admire it, Saber and Lancer looked on with a smile.
The photo would eventually find its way into a large album along with dozens of other similar photos belonging to a powerful mage that led one of the strongest Familias in Orario as one of her most precious of treasures.
But that was a story for another day.
