Chapter 58: Imprisoned Heart

Red and silver steel flashed at each other as the two black clad warriors, both wearing masks that failed to hide their identities from their opponent.

The army of defeated amazons had already fled from the two and once they did, the silver spear turned against the red blade.

There was a certain eagerness to it, as if the spear had been longing for an opportunity to clash against his Demonic Sword.

Saber knew who the man was. Vana Freya, one of Freya Familia's top Elites and the one who held the title as the fastest in Orario, a title Saber believed was well earned.

Each strike could easily shatter steel and stone. Each swing left a blade of wind sharp enough to sever the lamppost beside them. Each step they took was enough to shatter the stone road beneath their feet.

Vana Freya wielded his spear in the name of love for his namesake.

The Servant of the Sword wielded his for his Master and his own love.

Both were Warriors of Love, and the spearman had the Servant's respect.

And it was for that reason he was able to keep pace with Saber.

However…

The red blade swung down in an arc and the silver spear moved to intercept.

However…keeping pace was all he could do.

The red blade smashed down against the silver spear and the spear splintered, allowing the blade to continue its trajectory downward.

The red metal struck and carved through flesh, leaving a wound across the cat person's chest, sending him to the ground.

"…I apologize, but it would be folly for me to not meet your enthusiasm head on," Saber said as he relaxed his stance, signaling an end to the bout. "Your skill is hardly lacking, but you should not skip steps when seeking new challenges."

"What…do you know?" The cat person spat as he propped himself up despite his wound.

"The love you wield is powerful, and while its current target is indeed worthy of it, is it truly what you desire?" Saber continued as he pulled out a potion from one of his pockets. "Is it truly what you need?"

After placing the bottle by the spearman's foot, ignoring any slights to the spearman's pride with his right as the victor, Saber turned on his heel and walked away.

"If you are to continue moving forward, you must ask yourself, 'Whose love does your heart truly desire?'"

"You think I don't know what I want?"

"Mortals can want a great many things. I only ask you to stop lying to yourself about what you wish for the most. If you insist that you are not, then you are welcome to try me again."

Leaving those words, Saber vanished over the rooftops, leaving a furious and roaring spearman behind. But Saber paid no attention to the man's frustration. He had played around for long enough.

It was time to return to his Master's side.

X-x-X-x-X

Chaos.

That was the only description that could accurately describe the situation they were all currently in.

Or at the very least, the situation Lefiya had found herself in as she was hanging onto a frantically running Bell's back with all of her might.

"Why are you this fast!?" Lefiya shouted, having been forced to cling onto him due to being incapable of keeping up with Bell's sheer speed. "Didn't you just Level Up!?"

Did the Grand Day incident give him that much high value excelia?

"I don't know!" Bell shouted back. "And it's not like I'm as fast as Miss Ais or Miss Tiona!"

"They're Level 6! Of course you can't be as fast! Wait is this Arg-gack!"

"Uwaa!"

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted when her foot got hooked on a piece of rooftop, pulling Bell's head back, just as a blade was swung over them.

"Sorry!" Lefiya said quickly as Tiona came in and knocked the Berbera that took the swing away.

"N-no…thanks for that."

"These crazy ladies just keep coming!" Tiona noted with annoyance. "Was it like this back in Melen, Ais?"

"Yes."

The reply was punctuated with another burst of wind and a screaming Berbera.

"Be careful," Ais continued. "They have someone that can cast an Anti-Magic Curse as well."

Bell's eyes widened immediately at that. And to Lefiya's surprise the younger boy's speed actually picked up at that, even in spite of the dress he was wearing.

"Gyaaaaaa!"

Of course, the burst of speed left her more or less flying off his shoulders like a cape.

Bell's feet were shattering the rooftop tiles with each step, scattering them everywhere and leaving a trail of destruction as he zipped across the rooftops, jumping and sprinting with every other step.

"W-wait a minute! Slow down or I'm gonna get thrown off!" She screamed.

Was Argonaut increasing his power again?

It was all Lefiya could do to hang on. Meanwhile, the waitress keeping herself steady in Bell's arms was smiling without a care in the world as if she was used to being carried around in the middle of a high speed chase.

"Watch your heads!" Bell said as they came across a wooden building made in a Far Eastern style. He quickly moved his hand to cover Syr's head while Lefiya braced herself.

Bell crashed through the wooden window feet first and kept sprinting the moment his feet touched the ground without missing a step, shattering and splintering the wooden floorboards at the point of point of impact as well as with each step he took.

"Forget Level 3," Lefiya thought to herself. "His power and speed are practically Level 4 already!"

Was this a side effect of having Argonaut in his body? Or was it the effect of him being "Master?"

Was Bell taking in the Excelia from the other Hero Spirits, leaving them at Level 1 while his own growth was skyrocketing? It did fit into Argonaut's Comedy in how he was a weak nobody before gathering his friends and making a contract with the Great Spirit Jupiter.

"Bell, you're leaving a trail!" Syr shouted, being careful not to bite her tongue.

Bell glanced behind him to see the small craters he was making in the floor before realization flashed in his eyes. Rather than making his steps lighter, however, he kept the pace until he reached another window and held a hand out without dropping Syr.

"FIREBOLT!"

The super quick cast spell blasted the wooden window open, as well as the one on the building next to theirs as Bell reached it. However, instead of going through, he stopped on a dime before turning into a nearby room.

He threw the door open, rushed in and quickly shut the door as quietly as possible.

The three of them held their breath as they heard yelling and the thudding of half a dozen footsteps before there was a long stretch of silence.

"…Are they gone, Jack?" Bell whispered.

"Uh-huh," came the white-haired girl's voice and Lefiya looked up to see her peeking through a knife-sized hole above them. When did she get there?

"Then let's catch our breath for a moment," Syr said. "That being said, they might come back to check all the rooms in this building when they realized that we didn't actually leave."

"Is there a way we can sneak out though?" Bell asked. "They'll probably be watching the building too…maybe a basement path?"

"Why would a brothel have one?" Lefiya asked.

They did need to leave as soon as possible but it wasn't as if they could just walk out the front door or else it would just be another chaotic chase scene.

"Maybe we can wait until Miss Ais and Miss Tiona take care of the Berbera and then come pick us up?" Lefiya suggested.

"How would they be able to find us?" Bell asked.

"The same way we tracked you down the first time," Lefiya said, her eyes moving toward Syr for a second. "So our best bet would be to hide and-"

The door to the room suddenly slid open.

A blonde woman stepped in with a tired sigh. As her eyes were closed upon entry she didn't notice them at first but she quickly realized they were there.

The next instant, several things happened at once.

Jack lunged at the woman with her knife but was quickly grabbed by Bell who threw his arms around her waist and pulled her back while Lefiya snatched the woman and covered her mouth before she could scream as Syr slammed the door shut.

"Listen!" Lefiya hissed as Bell was struggling with Jack. "We're just hiding in here until the chaos outside dies down okay? We don't want to get involved with what the Berbera are doing. Understand?"

The woman slowly nodded her head as Lefiya removed her hand from her mouth.

"My apologies, were you customers?" the woman, a renard Lefiya noted, asked. "Lady Aisha and the others can be a bit rough when they lose control."

"Do you know what's going on?" Syr asked.

"No. I do not know much about what Lady Aisha and the other Berbera do when I'm not part of their Party to go down in the Dungeon."

It sounded as though this woman was most likely a Supporter or another auxiliary member of Ishtar Familia.

"Ah, please excuse my manners. This humble one is known as Haruhime. It isn't much but if you'd like, you can stay here in my room until things calm down outside."

"Even if it calms down, for a moment, there's no telling what might set them off again, right?" Syr asked.

"Do not worry, there is an underground passage in this building that leads out into the markets. I can lead you to it."

Lefiya couldn't help but wonder why a brothel would even have a secret passage. Maybe it was to move supplies and personnel between buildings without getting in the way of the street workers or patrons?

"Or maybe to get into Knossos if Ishtar Familia really is working with Evilus…" she thought darkly.

Still, it didn't look like Haruhime was part of that if she could easily buy their story. That or she was too sheltered or naïve to think that they were the reason for the chaos going outside.

Bam bam!

"Haruhime, you in there?"

A loud knock rang from the door and Haruhime immediately moved to answer it while Lefiya and the others pulled the still struggling Jack behind a dresser.

"Yes?" Haruhime asked an amazon that appeared at the doorway. "What is it?"

"Have you seen a pair of scrawny humans and an elf come through here?"

"No. Are they the reason why everyone is running around?"

"Yeah. That little rabbit we're after is pretty good at running."

"Rabbit? I thought you were looking for humans and elves?"

"Well…you'd understand if you ever see him."

Lefiya glanced back at Bell who seemed to be paying more attention to Jack than the conversation. He had heard people, even within her own Familia, refer to him as a rabbit but she herself didn't really see it. No…wait…his white hair and red eyes could draw parallels to an al-miraj…

"Is this chaos going to go on all night?" Haruhime asked.

"Nah, since a few members of Loki Familia seem to be involved, they're probably long gone by now," the Berbera replied. "And since Phryne's gone missing, some of the girls are thinking of giving up for tonight."

"I see."

"Well, make sure you let someone know if you hear anything strange all right? Everyone's especially on edge right now due to all the commotion. You never know who might take advantage of it."

"Yes. Thank you for your concern."

And with that, the woman disappeared and Haruhime returned back to the others.

"It seems as though the others have decided to give up," Haruhime summarized for them.

"Thank you," Bell said as the girl in his arms had finally calmed down and stopped struggling, opting to fold her arms and puff out her cheeks in a displeased pout instead. "For not telling them we were here."

"I didn't think there was any reason to say that some customers were caught up in their search," Haruhime said. "But…do you know anything about that human they were looking for? I can't imagine any man catching everyone's attention like this."

Syr started giggling into her hands as Bell let out a long suffering sigh.

"Well…apparently they're after the Moonlit Dawn that everyone in the city is talking about," Syr replied before letting out another giggle.

"Shh, they might hear us!" Bell hissed.

"Do not worry," Haruhime assured him. "The rooms are quite soundproof."

Bell opened his mouth for a moment before snapping it shut, no doubt deciding it was better to leave things at that.

"Should we try leaving now or wait a bit?" Lefiya asked.

"Hmm, it might be cutting it a bit close for Bell's plans with his Familia but I believe it would be best if we wait a little to make sure they're all gone," Syr replied before turning to Haruhime. "An hour or two at most. That is…if it's all right with you?"

Lefiya felt that that was way too long to wait and wondered if Syr didn't want to drag things out a bit for her own amusement.

"Yes, that will be fine. In return…would you mind if we exchanged words until it is time to leave? Even after coming to Orario I do not leave the Pleasure District that often aside from the few trips to the Dungeon for Expeditions."

"So even someone as fragile looking as this renard was being made to go into the Dungeon," Lefiya thought to herself before asking, "As a Supporter or a backline member?"

"Yes. The most I can do is help with the bags. Although I haven't been able to leave the building lately."

Lefiya supposed that Ishtar Familia wanted all their members to experience the Dungeon no matter the capacity. Then again, just like Loki Familia, they probably have dozens of different Parties going in and out every few days so they need everyone to pitch in when they can. Especially considering the Berbera were well known for only having two moods. Fighting and…night work stuff.

From there, they talked about their origins. Lefiya explained how she came to Orario to study in the Education District before joining Loki Familia while Bell left his small farming village in the mountains after his grandfather passed away to seek Adventure. Syr, for her part, seemed to have lived in Orario most of her life though she wasn't sure if she came from outside of Orario or not and if she did it would have been before she was old enough to retain those memories.

When it was Haruhime's turn however…

The prostitute had came from the Far East, from one of its island nations. As Lefiya had suspected, she used to be an aristocrat that worshipped the Great Goddess Amaterasu. Amaterasu was an actual goddess in Tenkai and was often worshipped by the people of the Far East. From what Lefiya heard, her position as a Great God was similar to that of Zeus up in Tenkai so she probably didn't have the opportunity to descend herself yet. It seemed some people considered this both a blessing and a curse as it meant that the worshippers couldn't meet their patron goddess directly but it also meant that they wouldn't suffer any cracks to their image should their goddess have some decidedly un-goddesslike traits like Loki.

However, it seemed that Haruhime had been found with crumbs from a shrine offering that a visiting pallum merchant had presented to the goddess's shrine on her person when she was eleven, making her father believe that she had eaten it even though she had no recollection of the matter. Thus leading her to be disowned on the spot.

"…Do you sleep walk?" Syr asked with a frown.

"Not that I know of," Haruhime replied without much concern on her face as if she had long since accepted the disownment. "At the very least, none of the others have noticed me doing so since I came here."

Continuing the story, the merchant had taking a liking to Haruhime and saved her from any harsher punishment, like execution, by taking her with him and they left the very same day she was disowned.

"…No matter how you see it, that pallum was suspicious, right?" Syr said dryly causing both Bell and Lefiya to glance at each other with the same thought.

"Is that so?" Haruhime asked, not understanding where they were coming from.

Lefiya couldn't help but inwardly sigh at that.

She knew that Finn had wanted to change the image of pallums being notorious sneaks and untrustworthy people but with pallums like that merchant and that one from Apollo Familia that started the War Game, it seemed to be an uphill battle.

He didn't seem to be deterred however as there were other pallums, like Hestia Familia's Supporter, who lived honestly with their heads held up high.

Haruhime's story only went downhill from there as she was separated from the merchant when their carriage was attacked by monsters and the merchant abandoned her only for her to be saved by bandits who brought her to Orario where she was placed on auction and eventually bought like merchandise by Ishtar to be a part of her Familia.

Lefiya and the others could only stare at the quietly sobbing woman once her story was finished.

"How do I put this gently…?" Syr began, piercing through the awkward silence. "You seem to have lived an unfortunate life…"

Lefiya glanced at Bell, wondering what he thought of such a dark tale but the boy seemed to have a tired and resigned expression on his face as he tightened his hug around Jack's body. It seemed as though he was already well aware of such stories and why the Guild turned a bind eye to any slave trade within the pleasure district. If she had to guess from what she knew about the Hestia Familia's members…it was most likely Caster who made sure he was aware of it as he seemed to be the most tactless person and most willing to speak of such things from within a Virgin Goddess's Familia.

Strong adventurers have similarly strong urges.

Those venturing out with their lives always on the line deal with enormous amounts of stress. Constantly spending time in the Dungeon, battling against death itself takes its toll as Lefiya herself was well aware. The need to vent stress and frustration can take many forms, and while Lefiya was content to relieve it by going shopping with Ais and her other friends or studying magic tomes with Lady Riveria, she knew that some people could lash out violently to relieve their stress…or come to places like casinos and brothels.

That was why the Guild turns a blind eye to this place. Its existence reduces the amount of bar fights and property damage caused by adventurers. The Pleasure Quarter is a necessary evil. And that was why they would likely ignore Ishtar's attempts at attacking Bell as much as possible. At least until it got too blatant and got in the way with Hestia and Ganesha's Familia's attempts to integrate the intelligent monsters like Sleipnir and Berserker…if that is indeed what they were doing.

"But, it is not all bad," Haruhime finally spoke up again. "As you might have noticed earlier, the others, my new sisters, take care good care of me."

Certainly, that rough looking amazon looked genuinely concerned about Haruhime and wanted to make sure she wasn't caught up in any trouble.

"Also, I have always been curious about Orario due to the many stories coming out of it."

And as if on cue, Bell's downcast eyes lit up.

"Are you talking about Dungeon Oratoria?" He asked brightly.

"The same!" Haruhime replied with a nod.

Lefiya's ears immediately perked up as well.

"Dungeon Oratoria is fascinating…" Haruhime continued. "But the story I remember most was about a group of valiant knights from different territories joining forces in search of the Dungeon for a way to cure their queen."

"Isn't that from 'The Adventures of Garland?'" Lefiya asked. She also read the story from the copy found in her Familia's Library.

"That's right!" Bell said. "It's the one where the queen had fallen ill and could only be cured by the Holy Gr-"

Bell's body immediately froze up as he turned his head away with a look of realization and a slightly high-pitched gasp.

"…Bell?" Syr called out, looking slightly worried. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yes!" He replied just a bit too quickly. "I just remembered another story I heard about the Holy Grail in that it could grant wishes so I was wondering if the actual reason they Grail cured her was because they wished upon it or if it was a Holy Grail made from a unicorn horn which is where its purification properties came from. Aha…ahahahaha!"

"Suspicious…" Lefiya thought as Jack slapped her hands on Bell's cheeks to calm him down.

There weren't any other stories about the Holy Grail in Dungeon Oratoria so it might have been a story passed down or one modified by Bell's Grandfather instead. At this point however, Lefiya was willing to take Bell's words as truth. The Holy Grail may have indeed been able to grant wishes.

Wait…

Knights…or rather Heroes…all coming together from distant lands for a single purpose.

"It can't be…" Lefiya muttered to herself.

It really shouldn't be.

Bell was Argonaut, not Garland after all.

She then glanced back at him as Haruhime started grilling Bell more about Dungeon Oratoria.

Lefiya had known that Bell had an immense source of knowledge when it came to Heroes and their stories. So she was quite surprised to find someone keeping up with him without missing a beat. Actually, due to the fact that Haruhime knew stories outside of Legends like the story of Snow White, you could make the argument that the renard knew more than Bell did.

Lefiya then turned to the person who hadn't said a word since the discussion started.

"Are you all right being left out?" Lefiya asked Syr who had been mostly quiet throughout the conversation.

"Well, I'm not happy that he's talking so cheerfully with another girl but since he's so happy about it, it's hard to stop him, right?" Syr replied with a difficult smile. "I'll have to brush up a bit myself though. I'm more familiar with 'modern' heroes than ancient ones after all."

It seemed as though this girl was going after Bell hard.

"By the way, what's your favorite kind of story?" Bell asked.

"My favorite?" Haruhime repeated. "It's hard to say when asked so suddenly. However, I believe stories that involve a warrior rescuing a maiden often leave a lasting impression on me."

Stories where a someone goes through great lengths to rescue another. Ais's face immediately came to Lefiya's mind but she also couldn't help but think someone like Saber would fit into that role better.

Lefiya also couldn't help but wonder if it was a rather unsubtle call for help.

She wasn't the only one thinking that however.

"Then…do you want to leave?" Jack asked, snapping Lefiya's attention to her. For a moment, she had completely forgotten about the girl. "Come with us when we run?"

Haruhime gave her a soft smile before shaking her head.

"There was a time where I did wish for a hero to take me far away," she admitted. "But that time has passed. There is no hero that would come for me."

"Why not?" Bell asked after a moment's pause as if he was considering a very bad idea. "If you call for help, a hero would surely come."

"Because, I am neither a beautiful queen nor a fair maiden in imminent danger. I am simply a prostitute. Someone who had given their body to countless men. I have had no right to indulge in the world of fairy tales and heroes since the day I learned what had become of me. Even if I could leave, there are those who attack me on sight. Thus Dreams and desires have no meaning. I'm not allowed to have them."

"According to who?"

Rather than Bell, it was Syr who asked that.

"Certainly in stories of Heroes, an untouched maiden is the one that is saved," Syr admitted with a frown. "But that is fantasy, this is reality. If only virgin girls are allowed to be saved by heroes, then the world would have died long before the gods descended."

She then gave Haruhime a soft smile.

"Prostitute or not. Virgin or not. You are allowed your own wishes and dreams. You are allowed to be happy. Your worth isn't something you decide on your own. It is something the person who is willing to save you decides."

"Even so, I cannot have someone who is so good of heart to risk themselves saving me," Haruhime countered. "Are you familiar with The Adventures of Gilgamesh?"

Bell's eyes widened and Lefiya understood what the renard was alluding to, having just heard about the story.

"Are you referring to the Whore of Babylon?" Lefiya asked.

"Yes. The whore's lust drove countless heroes and kings to their ruin. To heroes, whores and prostitutes are beings of destruction that don't deserve to be saved."

Lefiya could see where she was coming from. Haruhime must have thought about her position for a long time.

However, Syr remained unconvinced.

"But that's what separates zeroes from true heroes, isn't it?" Syr asked. "To save someone no matter what society or the world at large thinks of them? If there is a true hero out there, then they would save you, no matter the risk. Even if the gods themselves declared that whomever should rescue you from your fate be cursed to fall into ruin, a true hero will still come for you!"

"All the more reason for them not to waste their life for someone like me."

The argument was going in circles now. Syr and Bell's appeals were not taking hold to the depressed renard.

"If you don't like living here and don't want to get away from it…why not just disappear?"

The atmosphere in the room went from passionate to cold in no time flat.

Three pairs of eyes were staring at the blank green ones being held in Bell's arms.

"If living is painful then you should just disappear right?" Jack asked. "Disappear and never bother anyone else. That's what the bad mommies always told Us."

"Bad…mommies?" Lefiya couldn't help but dread to ask.

"Mommies who make babies all the time then throw them away when they're born. Ones who don't want Us."

Bell and the girls all flinched at that.

"That's…" Haruhime began but no words followed it.

"Living is painful but you don't want to die?" Jack continued. "Isn't that weird? Won't it be easier? If you don't want to try and be happy, then why live?"

Each sentence seemed to pierce Haruhime's heart like poison daggers.

Daggers in the form of the cruel innocence of a child.

Come to think of it, Lefiya remembered that the girl had called herself an "unwanted child" all the way back down on the Eighteenth Floor when Tsubaki kidnapped…invited Bell for a chat about spirits and legends.

"Jack, that's enough…" Bell said softly as he tightened his hold on her.

"Is it? If she doesn't want to find someone like Mommy to save her, then why live? That's what Mr King always says."

"Please don't meet with him by yourself…"

As expected, it sounded like Caster was a bad influence on kids. Then again, considering he was supposedly Gilgamesh, he probably was turned off at the mere thought of dealing with harlots.

"I'm sorry about that," Bell said as he placed a hand over Jack's mouth to keep her from saying anything else.

"No…children often see things others can't or refuse to see," Haruhime admitted.

As she glanced out the window, it seemed that it was time to leave.

Bell looked as if he wanted to say something more but held his tongue.

"Hmm…this isn't good…" Syr muttered quietly.

"I agree."

At this rate, a battle between Hestia and Ishtar Familias will not be far off.

X-x-X-x-X

Whether the Berbera had given up or had gone back to "work," Lefiya wasn't sure but building was quiet as they made their way down into the basement.

The entrance to the passage was hidden behind several large barrels full of alcohol and under a fairly intricate looking rug.

"This should lead you back to the markets," Haruhime said. "Please be careful."

Syr was the first to step in, followed by Lefiya. As they descended the stairs, Lefiya noted that Bell and Jack weren't following. She turned around to see the boy staring at Haruhime, his mouth opening and closing as if he were trying to force some words out, only to helplessly close them as Jack dragged him down the steps.

It wasn't until they reached the bottom of the steps that she closed the entrance, and drowned them in darkness for a moment before a small lantern lit up, courtesy of Jack.

"Did you have that on you this whole time?" Lefiya asked.

"Yep," the tiny girl replied. "But We don't use it much since it's smaller than everyone else's. But We keep it since we can hide it under Our cloak."

"That's convenient," Syr replied, being the only one among them without a Falna, and by extension, it's night vision package. "Do you think Saber, Miss Wallenstein and Miss Hyrute will find us?"

"We followed Miss Ais to you three in the first place so I'm sure they will find us…though I'm not sure about Saber," Lefiya added after a thought.

"He might already be waiting for us…" Bell muttered.

They walked down the passage for a bit longer before coming up to a set of stairs that led out into an alleyway where they could hear the hustle and bustle of the market.

Above them, the sun had fully set by now and the stars were shining in the sky.

"…Everyone's going to kill me…" Bell muttered despondently.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Syr said with a smile.

"Indeed, Master…I am sure everyone will be more concerned about your current manner of dress instead."

"Hyah!?"

Bell let out a shriek as Saber landed beside them.

"My apologies for being late in the rendezvous," the bespectacled knight continued without missing a beat. "I was held up by a skilled opponent."

"Were you now?" Syr asked, to which Saber shut his eyes and bowed slightly. "Hmm…"

"Lefiya! Little Argonaut! Jack! Miss Waitress! Are you guys all right?"

A moment later, Tiona and Ais joined them as well.

"Ah, you're still wearing that, huh?" Tiona asked Bell with a smile, prompting Bell to immediately pull the dress over his head and throw it on the ground, evidently having grown tired of it.

Well, at least he was still wearing his trousers.

"Kyaaa, Bell, you're so bold~" Syr said with a smile as she seemed to attempt to burn the sight of a shirtless Bell into her eyes.

Saber took off his cloak and wrapped it around Bell without missing a beat, much to Syr's dismay.

"I had enough! I just wanna go home!" Bell let out a cry into the night sky.

X-x-X-x-X

The group parted ways with Syr from there. Saber had offered to walk Syr back to the pub but she declined him.

"I had enough fun for one day, so you should hurry back."

With that said, the group headed straight toward the Hestia Familia mansion without any detours.

"By the way, Jack said something about a party?" Tiona asked Saber.

"Yes," Saber answered with a nod. "We are welcoming another Familia to live at our Home as part of an Alliance of sorts. Today was to be the welcome party for them."

"Ahh, I see. I guess it would be too much to ask to join as well, huh?"

"Miss Tiona…!" Lefiya began but Saber shook his head.

"If the Goddess allows it," the knight replied.

Luckily, the opportunity to ask Hestia came rather quickly.

"Where have you three been!?"

The tiny black-haired goddess had been pacing back and forth in front of the gates with Caster standing behind her, the latter wearing an amused smile at the Goddess's fury.

"How long does it take to deliver some juice?" Hestia shouted. "You should have come right back! What happened out there and…why is Bell half-naked? And that goes for the three…no…two of you."

The goddess's enraged voice trailed off as she just stared at them with blank eyes.

"Actually…" Bell began with a weak voice before relaying a bit of what had happened to the Goddess.

"GIL!" Hestia shouted once Bell's story had finished. "EXPLAIN! NOW!"

"Far be it for me to understand the whims of a goddess," Caster replied with a dark chuckle. "Not even I could predict that she would move so boldly. Provoked or not."

"Why did you need to provoke her in the first place!? Don't we have enough problems to deal with?"

"Those problems are yours to deal with. I am merely acting in accordance to our contract."

"Gugugugumumumu…"

The goddess could only let out a series of unintelligible grumbles before letting out a deep sigh.

"Well…thanks to you three for helping out I guess," Hestia finally said to the three Loki girls before turning back to her Adventurers. "Saber. Bell. Jack. go inside and wash up. Everyone's all set and waiting for you three."

The three of them nodded before trotting on inside with Caster following behind them.

"As for you three…I don't suppose you want to stay for a bit?" Hestia asked. "At least have some food and then I'll have Archer quickly magic up some temp clothes like a coat or something so you don't have to walk through the streets looking like Ishtar's ilk again."

"Thank you…" Lefiya tried not to sound too desperate in her thanks but she could tell from her cracking voice that she had failed miserably. "But…are you sure we won't get in the way? It's a welcome party, right?"

"Well, after everything that seemed to have gone on, I'm sure Take will understand," Hestia replied before stopping herself and gave them all another look over. "Ahh…on second thought, I'll have Archer get your clothes ready first. I don't think you'll leave a good impression on Primo if you showed up inside wearing that, Miss Elf."

A strangled cry escaped Lefiya's mouth as she quickly nodded her head again.

Hestia quickly stepped aside and gestured for them to come in and had them wait just outside the main building before heading inside.

A moment later, Archer stepped out and froze at the sight of them.

"…I have many questions," he began.

"Please don't ask," Lefiya begged and he nodded his head.

In an instant, familiar clothes appeared in his hands and he handed them over to the girls before directing them to change inside the small building off to the side.

"Hey…should we ask about you-know-who?" Tiona asked as the three of them changed in the somewhat messy forge.

"I…don't think it's a good idea to bring it up right now," Ais replied.

"Yes…besides, he's from a different Familia," Lefiya added. "We can't force ourselves into their problems."

Granted, it didn't stop her from wanting to know more about the talking monsters but that was something that Loki will have to talk with Hestia about eventually.

"Everything all right in there?" Archer's voice came from outside, telling them that he was still waiting for them.

"Y-yeah! Just a sec!" Tiona called out.

"I-in any case, let's take up their offer for dinner then head straight home," Lefiya said, prompting the other two girls to nod in agreement.

When they quickly exited the forge, holding their costumes, Lefiya quickly turned to Archer.

"Just to be sure…these clothes won't suddenly burst into light like all your other items, right?" She asked quickly.

"You won't be having any wardrobe malfunctions if that's what you are asking," Archer replied with a sigh. "Though those things are just normal cloth made to look like your normal clothes. No special enchantments or traits so don't go treating it like you would your regular clothes and dive in acid or something."

"That one time was NOT intentional!"

She'd rather not remember the time she and Bell nearly got eaten by that Violas trap down on the Eighteenth Floor if she could help it.

Having said his piece, Archer let out a small chuckle before opening the door for them to head inside.

The manor's interior was decorated with banners depicting the emblems of Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familia as the party seems to have just begun. The Adventurers of both Familia were crowded around a large buffet table filled to the brim with various dishes that were served in small portions that could be piled onto a plate and eaten in one bite.

Two different pots of soup were sitting on the stove in the open kitchen area so they could retain their heat. The food on the table seemed to be ordered in terms of meat and vegetable ratio, probably for Primo's sake as the younger elf was piling vegetable spring rolls onto her plate while Welf Crozzo was on the other end of the table with the barbecue ribs.

The most eye-catching dish of all, however, had to be the centerpiece.

A mountain of fried potato puffs.

One that was disappearing rather quickly thanks to the combined efforts of Ais and the newest member of Hestia Familia, Karen Morris, while Gina was staring at them with wide eyes as if she was witnessing something horrific but couldn't look away.

Meanwhile, Tiona was hovering around the counter where Archer was placing some dishes into the sink, leaving Lefiya to herself.

Though Lefiya didn't know the names of any of the Takemikazuchi Adventurers, she decided to try and engage in some smalltalk with them. It was only right to at least apologize for crashing the party.

"I'm sorry for intruding in on your party," she said to the human man that was the Familia Captain.

"Lady Hestia explained the situation so it's all right," Kashima Ouka replied.

He was a rather tall man, standing taller than even Archer, who had been the tallest "human" she knew before now. Well built with a tan that spoke of a life in the sun long before he started diving in the Dungeon.

Her gaze then fell on the two dark-haired girls talking to Lancer; the ones not bearing the Hestia Familia Emblem.

"Is it just the three of you?" She asked.

"There were others but they're making a delivery back home," Ouka explained. "And so we joined up with Hestia Familia to help make up the numbers."

It must have been an important delivery to reduce their numbers like that.

"See, Lord Takemikazuchi runs an orphanage back home alongside another goddess, Lady Tsukiyomi. We send most of the money we make from the Dungeon back there."

As Lefiya nodded her head in understanding, Primo popped up between them, holding a plate of cucumbers with some kind of brown paste next to it.

"Miss Viridis, have you tried this paste yet?" The young elf excitedly asked. "It tastes amazing with this cucumber!"

"What is it?" Lefiya asked as she glanced down at the plate.

"Ahh, that's miso, a spice from our homeland," Ouka explained. "We brought some food over from our old place since it didn't feel right to make Hestia Familia cook everything. It's made from fermented beans so I think it might be suitable for an elf's palette."

"A spice from the Far East then?" Lefiya asked as she took one of the cucumbers and topped it with the paste before taking a bite with a satisfying crunch, allowing a combination of the salty paste and the watery vegetable to wash over her tongue. "Oh…this isn't bad."

"Right?" Primo said with a nod as she took one for herself. "Even though he's from the Far East as well, Archer said he doesn't cook much food from there."

"I wonder if it's because he's the only one from the region," Lefiya said, taking a sweeping glance around the room.

"I think only Mister Welf really likes it," Primo continued. "I like the rice dishes but everyone else prefers bread."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Ouka said as he watched Primo dig into another cucumber before letting out a squeal of satisfaction.

Then, the man's hand went up and patted the girl's head.

"…Umm?" Primo asked as she looked up at him.

Ouka seemed to realize what he was doing as he quickly pulled his hand back.

"No…this is…ah…I'm sorry!" He quickly apologized for his faux pas.

"I-it's fine…" Primo quickly replied. "Everyone else in the Familia does it all the time…"

Lefiya couldn't blame them. If Ouka had been a bit slower, she might have done the same.

Ouka quickly excused himself as he went to get a drink, allowing Lefiya to ask the question on her mind.

"Hey Primo? Where are Rider and Emma Flores?"

Primo's ears immediately drooped at the question.

"Umm…they got hurt during our last Expedition so they're resting now…"

Considering her haunted expression, it must have been rather serious. Lefiya couldn't help but feel worried, considering she suspected Rider to be a Spirit as well…just what did they find in the Dungeon that could seriously injure a Spirit?

The fist thing that came to mind was another Demi-Spirit but she felt as though having two so close to the surface was risky for Evilus if they wanted to remain under the radar or at least not have their plans explode in their face before they were ready.

The other thing was that their Expedition got caught up in Caster's own attack or at the very least, the effects of it. Maybe they ran into some monsters from the lower levels and Rider got hurt protecting them.

Either way, it wasn't something she was going to ask Primo about. She didn't want to bring up any more bad memories. At the very least, no one in Hestia Familia seemed to have died.

Primo kept her eyes on the ground for a moment before turning them up to meet Lefiya's. Her mouth opened for a moment before it slowly clicked shut.

"What's wrong?" She asked but Primo just shook her head.

"No…I shouldn't talk about it at a party…"

That just made Lefiya more curious…and worried. It was something she probably shouldn't push.

"I see. Then, you can come talk to me whenever you're ready."

"Yes…thank you very much…"

Lefiya had a small idea what the topic might be. They were probably not the only Party that had been caught up in Caster's attack…

As the thoughts swirled in her head, Bell stumbled into the party area with exhausted steps, stopping by Welf who handed a glass of water.

"By the way, I noticed that both Welf Crozzo and Bell are only drinking water."

Deciding to change the subject, Lefiya directed Primo's attention to the two human boys.

"Ah…that's because…" Primo began but a voice cut in.

"That's because Miss Rider said that boys who get into drunken bar fights don't get to drink anymore."

It was Lily, the pallum Supporter. It looked like she was going around cleaning up any empty dishes that had been set down.

"Bar fight?" Lefiya repeated as Lily took her empty plate from her. "Ahh…you mean the incident that led to the War Game?"

"Yes. While everyone's thoughts were about getting revenge after the Banquet of the Gods, Miss Rider and Lady Hestia remembered what sparked the incident afterward and has banned them from alchohol for a while."

"Ahh…"

Well, she couldn't deny that it wasn't an appropriate punishment. She supposed that they were dealing with it even during the party because Rider was currently recovering.

"Is Berserker still outside?" Lefiya asked as Lily walked away to deposit the dishes in the sink.

"Ah, yes," Primo replied with a nod. "He and Fia, our harpy, are eating in their tent outside."

"I see."

For a moment, she considered asking Primo if he had said anything about the siren but decided against it.

She wasn't supposed to know that Berserker could talk after all and the question might make Primo "reveal" that fact. She wasn't sure Takemikazuchi Familia knew about it either.

"Can I see him?" She asked and Primo nodded with a smile as she led her out into the back yard where the white and blue tent standing almost four meters tall and ten meters wide was there as usual. However, the harpy was standing in front of it while Berserker was nowhere to be seen.

At the sight of the two elves, the harpy's eyes turned sharp as she spread out her wings and let out a loud snarl through her face mask causing small characters to light up on it.

"SHAAAAAA!"

The suddenness of the action caused even Primo to flinch.

"Ah…I'm sorry," she said before turning back to Lefiya. "I don't think Berserker wants to be disturbed right now."

"You can understand them?" Lefiya asked.

"Yes. Thanks to Lancer's magic."

So that's how they were playing it.

"It's fine. I'm sure he's just resting," Lefiya said quickly as they stepped back inside.

As she wondered what else to say, she overheard Caster saying something to Takemikazuchi.

"By the way, God Takemikazuchi," the king began. "I heard that renards are rather rare outside of Orario?"

"Hmm?" The war god looked up from his plate of noodles for a moment as he processed Caster's words. "Ah, that's right. Most of them are members of nobility after all. Not everyone's head is full of Adventure like little Karen over there."

Said human girl's cheeks flashed red for a moment before she continued stuffing her face with a potato puff.

"What brought that question on?"

"Nothing too important," Caster lazily replied as he was examining his own fingernails. "I am simply only aware of two currently living in Orario and felt that the numbers were rather disproportionate compared to the other races."

"Oh? Who are they?" Takemikazuchi asked. "None of them should be Level 2 Adventurers or else they would have been brought up at Denatus."

"Not at all. The first is a member of Soma Familia that goes by the name of Momiji Shinonome. My Supporter and Vice Captain had the unfortunate run-in with her in the middle of a Monster Party turned Pass Parade a few months back."

As Takemikazuchi nodded his head, Lefiya could see a malicious glint in Caster's eyes as she realized who he was going to say next. Bell was also looking Caster with wide eyes.

"The other goes by the name of…Sanjouno Haruhime."

CRASH

The sound of a plate shattering caused all eyes to turn to one of the girls of Takemikazuchi Familia, the shorter girl who had her eyes covered by her bangs, Hitachi Chigusa.

"Is that true!?" Takemikazuchi asked as he lunged at Caster, no doubt about to grab his shoulders, but the man quickly slapped the god's hands away from him.

"It is right there in the Guild Register," Caster said with an annoyed look. "She is a member of Ishtar Familia."

"Ishtar!?"

"Ahh…come to think of it, there was a woman by that name," Saber suddenly said. "I recall hearing an amazoness call out to a blonde renard with that name down in Melen."

"…You mean back when Ishtar Familia attacked us?" Ais asked.

"Yes. She was the target of a rather deadly assault, wasn't she?"

"Yes. That blonde boy tried to kill her."

Lefiya had no idea what Ais was talking about but the words did jot her memory of what Haruhime had said earlier. How someone had attacked her and forced her to remain inside at all times.

"Hey Take…do you know this Haruhime girl?" Hestia asked.

"Y-yeah…" Takemikazuchi replied as he glanced at his Adventurers who all wore the same pale expressions. "My kids used to play with her when they were younger. Who'd have thought she'd ended up here in Orario…and with Ishtar of all people."

"Umm…" Bell spoke up as he and Lefiya shared a look. "About that."

With Lefiya's help, Bell filled everyone in on the story of how Haruhime had kept them hidden from the other members of Ishtar Familia and how she had told them her story of how she arrived at Orario.

"To go that far…" Takemikazuchi muttered once the story was finished as he bit his lower lip.

"L-Lord Takemikazuchi!" The remaining member of the Familia, Yamato Mikoto, spoke up. "We need to help her!"

"She's part of another Familia," Takemikazuchi replied despondently. "We can't just walk in and take her away."

"You might be able to," Caster said, the evil look in his eyes not quite disappearing. "She is a prostitute, no? Simply buy her. Most are working through a contract. Buy the contract, buy the woman. It should be around two or three million valis, depending on her rank. And whether or not she's a frontline combatant."

"Two or three million…" Ouka muttered with a pained face.

No matter the Familia, a few million valis was nothing to sneeze at. And they must have sent most of their money home with their other Familia members too.

"Hey Caster…" Hestia spoke up but her Captain cut her off.

"I refuse to spend even a single valis on one of Ishtar's whores. Do not ask me again."

As expected of "Gilgamesh." He wanted nothing to do with whores of any kind.

Still, Lefiya felt that Caster was not surprised at any of these turn of events. Sure, he may not have expected Bell and Lefiya to run into Haruhime, but he must have deliberately brought her up in front of Takemikazuchi to provoke some kind of reaction.

However, dinner was finished and Lefiya left the Hearthstone manor without ever figuring out just what Caster was planning.