Chapter 5 – The 1st Break
"Well!" Zelretch clapped his end
"That's the end of Gilgamesh's story, the first hero of my world"
"I must say…I'm very much impressed with that man"
Everyone turn their attention to Freya as says that
"Heehh…so he got your affection then?" Loki asked
"Who knows, tempting someone as prideful as him would be an interesting challenge.." the goddess of beauty said with a smile
"Hahaha, as expected of you, Lady Freya" Hermes said with a chuckle
Everyone had been so engrossed into the story that they had not realized 4 hours have passed. The rise and the struggle of a hero truly is a captivating story.
"It would be very tiring to watch one story after another, so I recommend that we take a small break before continuing on with the next one" Zelretch said as he stood up from his chair
Everyone agreed with what he just said and stood up from their seats as well and everyone start mingling once again. The deities, for some unknown reason, are mingling together and none of the adventurers have any attention to disturb them. With that said, they're free to do whatever they want before the next story starts.
Bell has decided to remain seated
"Not planning to eat anything?" Ryuu asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly
"Ahh, I'm kinda not feeling hungry right now" Bell said
"I see…I'll bring you some snacks and a drink later" the elf said as she headed towards the drink's section…while Aiz is staring at her back
"…you two are…close?" she asked the white hair boy next to her
"Umm…we have gone through a lot recently" Bell said tiredly
"I see…"
"Hoh, what are you lovebirds doing here? I can help if you want to have some time alone"
Bell jumped a little as he felt a rough hand grabbing his shoulder, while Aiz just staring blankly at the perpetrator who also has his hand on her shoulder as well.
"EHH!? It's not like that Mr. Zelretch!" Bell frantically said, his face's red as tomato
'Cute' Aiz though as she watches his reaction
"Just call me Zelretch, 'Mr' makes me feels old" Zelretch said
"…but you're old" Aiz plainly said
"True, but it doesn't mean I had to like it" the vampire chuckled
"Uuhh, Mr- I mean, Zelretch…can I ask you a question?" Bell stammered
"Feel free to ask anything you want, my boy"
"Umm, before this…you said that you're interested in me…uhh, why is that?"
"Because you're interesting"
"Huh?"
"I knew of your dream, Bell Cranel" Zelretch said
"Ehhh!?" Bell blushed, again
"Hahaha, relax my boy. Your secret is safe with me!" the vampire laughed, teasing the boy sure is fun
"Anyway, I knew that you're obsessed with the stories of heroes…tell me then, how do you feel about Gilgamesh?"
"Uhhh…"
"Just say whatever you want my boy, the King of Heroes is not here so you have nothing to fear" Zelretch joked
"…I always imagine a hero as a courageous and kind soul…one that will do anything to protect those in need
"Gilgamesh…I honestly don't know what to think about him"
Zelretch raised an eyebrow when he heard that
"Why so?"
"…even though Enkidu has explained the reasoning behind his action, I still don't think that it was justified…I found that some of his actions were abhorrent
"But- maybe it's because I'm still too young and too small in to understand his reasoning…"
"You don't consider him a hero, then?"
"N-no, I do think he's a hero…just one or the type that I'm not used to…but he's undoubtedly a hero" was the boy's answer
Zelretch harrumphed before turning his attention to the blonde girl that hasn't said a thing since the conversation started
"What have you learn, Aiz Wallenstein?"
"…that not all hero are the same?"
"Indeed, all of you will see various types of hero later as we progressed even further"
Zelretch lift his hands from the two' shoulders and heading towards the drink's section
"Enjoy the break, young ones!" was the last thing he said to the two of them
"Oi vampire, come here for a sec!" it was Loki
Zelretch finished his wine in one gulp and walks toward the gathering of gods and goddess
"How can I help you, lords and ladies?"
"We have…some questions that need to be answered, Mr. Vampire" Hestia hesitantly asked
"Of course, of course. Ask away!"
"Okok, 1st question…what are gods in your world?" it was Hermes who asked the question
"Hmmm, you need to be more specific Lord Hermes"
Ouranos just sighed
"What are the nature of gods in your world?"
"Nature of gods? Hmmm…"
"We assume you already knew, that we're beings with the highest authority in this world...as far as we know that is…" Freya muttered
"At first we assume that it is the same in your world, as those deities that were shown in the mirror have the same godly auras as us…albeit a bit unrestrained"
In the world where gods and goddesses live side by side in the lower world, many would think it's gonna be hard to differentiate the deities from the Children as many of those deities took physical forms that closely resembled mortals. However, it's actually very easy to differentiate them.
Deities have this godly auras in them that can be feel by those that are living in the lower world. Even though their physical forms might not be that impressive, the aura still compels the Children to respect them.
"…yet, that 'woman' slaughtered many of your gods like they were nothing…" Hermes said
"Therefore, we came to a conclusion that the gods in your world-" Hestia was about to finish her sentence before Zelretch interrupted her
"Are not the highest authorities in my world?"
"Correct, which is why we're asking about the nature of our counterparts" Freya said
Perhaps the battle scene between Sefar and the gods truly bothered them. The gods and goddesses in this world, while weak and not having any access into their divine powers in their physical form, cannot comprehend the possibility that they can be defeated while having full access to their authorities.
Yet, Sefar did just that.
"Your assumption is correct. The gods don't have the highest authorities in my world…after all, most of them had all but disappeared in my world"
"Let me explain this as efficiently as possible" Zelretch continued as if he's lecturing some curious children
The gathered deities have decided to ignore that
"It might be strange a concept for you, but from where I came from…the world that we lived in has its own will"
"A will?" Ouranos asked, intrigued by such foreign concept
"Yes…more specifically, the will to survive" Zelretch said
"The world's will to survive…" Loki and Freya muttered while Hestia and Hermes just listened
"Yes and we called it…Gaia. Gods, monsters, and humans…all of them without any exception resides within the world. You understand what that means right?"
"I see…so this Gaia has the highest authority in your world…" Hermes said
"Correct, God Hermes. It is Gaia's duty to protects all creatures living inside it…by using Nature Spirits and creatures"
"…spirits" Loki whispered
"What about the gods then?" Hestia curiously asked
"The gods that lived in my world were separated by what we called as 'Pantheon'. These Pantheons had their own territories to rule over"
"I see…so it's like Olympus, where Hestia and I came from" Hermes said, rubbing his chin
"Indeed, and the nature of the gods…are difficult to explain I must say" The vampire said, mirroring Hermes's action
"How so?" Freya asked
"Not all Pantheons have the exact same nature…to make it simpler, there were gods that just already there and there were also gods that existed because of humans"
The gathering deities seems to understand what he implies…except for Hestia that is
"Uhhh…what do you mean?" the goddess of hearth asked
"Gosh, you're so stupid!" Loki said
"What's that!?"
Zelretch just laughed as he watched the two goddesses yelling at each other
"Goddess Hestia, do wind have feeling?" the vampire asked
"Huh? Of course not, it just one of many elements that made up nature"
"Correct, but imagine this. Ancient humans did not have any understanding regarding this kind of subject, so they just assumed that a higher being was responsible for some unexplainable things in their daily lives…these sort of thinking resulted in the birth of new goddesses and gods, born out of humans' imagination and ideals"
"Huh!? You meant some of the gods and goddesses in your world were created by the Children?" Hestia asked disbelievingly which Zelretch answered by nodding his head
"Ancient cave-men feared lightning strikes as they did not know what caused such phenomena. Therefore, they convinced themselves that a deity was responsible…these collective thoughts resulted in the birth of a new god or goddess of lightning"
"That's…" Hestia didn't know what to say as she gaped at the information given by Zelretch
"The strength of a god also directly tied to the number of worshippers he or she have. That is why the Age of Gods started to decline after Sefar's rampage"
"I see…because that giant killed so many humans, the Pantheons' source of strength, their powers gradually waned" Ouranos concluded with thoughtful looks
"Correct" Zelretch nodded
"What about that woman, Sefar, then?" Freya asked
"Hahahaha, Sefar would be more complicated to explain!" Zelretch laughed
"The simplest explanation I could provide you is that…she came from the outside of the world"
The deities looks confused, not understanding what he means by that
"She came from a place so far away, farther than you can imagine…for the world we live in, she could be considered as a foreign invader. One that doesn't answer to the authority of the world"
"It means that she's that powerful because Gaia doesn't have any power over her?" Hermes asked thoughtfully
"Yup"
"Hmmm, your world truly is something" Freya chuckled
"Heh, kinda wish we have someone like your King of Heroes here in this world…to deal with that dragon" Loki muttered, earning a nod of agreement from Ouranos and Hermes
"You might think that there are no others that can match the power wielded by the King of Heroes…but remember this, there are several beings in my world that even Gilgamesh would hesitate to confront" Zelretch cryptically said
"…and what are they?" Hestia hesitantly asked
"Heh, beings that are even more overpowered than that Goldy? I'm curious on how your world hasn't been destroyed yet with them walking around unrestrained" Loki said
Zelretch just chuckled. She has no idea.
"We call them…the Beasts, the Evils of Humanity"
"Level 12 or 13 according to Lord Ouranos's measurement, imagine that!" Tiona excitedly said to the gathered adventurers
"Even Hera's Captain was only Level 9…" Riveria muttered
"That world truly is something" Finn said with a small smile
"Aye, and we haven't seen the others yet" Gareth said while standing next to Finn
"What's wrong, Lefiya? You look kinda down" Tione asked the elf who seems to be in distress
"That human…and Miss Aiz…and that elf" Lefiya growled as she glared at the direction of her 'rival' who looks pale when their gazes met for a second
Not only Lefiya, but a certain pallum supporter of Hestia Familia is also glaring daggers at that particular spot. Mikoto just laughed at the pallum's reaction while Haruhime can't help but feel a little jealous as well. Welf on the other hand, is deep in thought. Probably thinking whether he can create some weapons that resemble the ones owned by Gilgamesh.
"Tch, just give it a rest already" Bete said, which earned him a glare from Lefiya
"I think it's the end of the break" Finn said as they watch the deities and Zelretch finish with whatever discussion they have
"Alright, let's start with the second round!" Zelretch said as he clapped his hands loudly and motioning them to return to their respective seats before sitting on his personal chair under the mirror
Lefiya is trying to get Aiz away from Bell and Ryuu' sofa before Tiona and Tione drag her away and forced her to sit with them. She doesn't look happy...at all.
"So, does this next person has any fancy title like the previous one?" Loki asked as she plopped to her seat next to Riveria
Zelretch gave her a small smirk
"Rejoice! We'll watch the beginning and the life of a man proclaimed as the 'King of Magic'!"
Note:
Hahaha I'm sorry but for reason my mind won't stop thinking that I need to that pick that man correct choice for some reason. But don't worry, I'll definitely write their reactions to Heracles, Achilles, and Karna! Hope u all won't be to upset about this :)
It's a short chapter and I used this chapter to sort of explaining the nature of Fate gods and Gaia. I didn't write to much detail about that as it would be hard explaining why the Greek Gods are Alien Mecha and the Aztecs are some kind of space virus.
Some of you also mentions that having the Danmachi casts reacting to several overpowered Heroic Spirits in a row would be a little bit overwhelming for them, and I found myself agreeing with that. I'm thinking of writing their reaction to Fate!Asterios after this as I have several ideas on what to do with him (Interaction with Theseus) before proceeding to Heracles/Achilles. What do you all think? I can skip Asterios if you can't wait for Heracles/Achilles.
The other Heroic spirits that I will definitely use are Saber Arturia (Along with Knights of the Round and Merlin) and Siegfried (Tragic ending and a dragon slayer). Kinda conflicted whether I should use EMIYA Archer or not as they will watch one of the FSN Route (UBW= Clash of Ideals or HF= Love over Ideal).
The ones that still in maybe territories are Medusa (born from the wishes of mankind for an ideal goddess and you know…Gorgon) Cu Chulainn (Not really familiar with his lore but really likes him), Jason (Danmachi casts' reaction to him will be fun but Argo have a lot of heroes that I'm not familiar with), and Julius Caesar (I would probably focus more on his conquests, civil wars, and subsequent assassination. I really like reading Roman history)
The lists above can still change though, let me know if you have any more recommendations!
Also, I don't think I'll do any FGO plotlines as it will be too confusing for the Danmachi casts. I really want to write their reaction to Camelot, Babylon (Battle of the Gods!), and Solomon's Grand Temple…but if I do, I have to write from Fuyuki and I really don't want to write Septem (Hated it and I won't enjoy writing it)
There's a chance that I'll write about their reactions to the World of Notes. I think it would be fun seeing their reaction to the state of the world and the Aristoteles (The Types).
Anyway, I'm done ranting. I apologize for any grammar/structural errors in this chapter. Hope you enjoy the story!