"…Your food is getting cold," Aiz commented.
"I'm sorry Miss—" a sniff, "Wallenstein. It's just that…" another sniffle. "Nothing's been going my way today."
Aiz said nothing as she nibbled on the piece of fish. Her eyes continued to absorb Bell's presence with a hunger that can never be satisfied.
Bell should have expected something like this to happen. True to her word, Aiz had talked to Mama Mia about his state of dress. His Adventurer garb was covered in blood and he needed a shower. Mama Mia let him use the facilities reserved for the girls who lived on the second floor. She even gave him a spare change of clothes.
…It was the bar uniform. Complete with apron and headpiece.
It wasn't until recently was he questioning on why he walked out of the changing room with the headpiece on. No one was making him. He feared he was getting too accustomed to wearing women's clothing.
"There, there, Bell," Serafall came around with a tray of mugs for another table. She patted his head affectionately. "Look on the bright side! You're clearly the cutest thing here! I'm kinda jealous. Today was supposed to be my big debut too~"
Bell sagged in his seat a little more.
"Mama Mia! A round of the usual— Zeus' left nut!"
Heads turned as one group of Adventurers came into the bar. Bell recognized them as a group of regulars who came to the Benevolent Mistress almost every night. They were a small group with low levels.
Their leader was staring right at Bell with a blush appearing on his face.
"The Rabbit works here now?!" he shouted to the high heavens.
His comrades all froze with their heads snapping immediately towards wherever their leader was shouting at.
At first, Bell didn't understand why the man was shouting that. He came here just as regularly as anyone else. But then he remembered he was wearing the bar's uniform.
"I-It's not that! I'm—" he tried to protest.
Syr Flover, his usual waitress with the exception for tonight, crossed over the room faster than any Adventurer possible and stuffed his mouth with a rag. She smiled as sweetly as Serafall would towards the group of customers.
"That's right! The Benevolent Mistress has succeeded in acquiring a contract with Orario's Blue— erm… White Rabbit! Go and tell your friends!"
"Trevor! Go and spread the word!" the leader shouted to one of the men. "The world must know of this miracle."
The singled-out Adventurer gave a proud salute and hurried out of the door.
"Open up a tab!" the leader said as he and his group went to their usual table. "We'll be staying here long tonight!"
"So long as you can pay it," was all Mama Mia said about the matter.
"Syr!" Bell said once he could get the rag out of his mouth. "What are you doing?! I can't work here! I'm an Adventurer! Besides, I'm a customer too! I'm here with Miss Wallenstein!"
He shot Aiz a pleading look, begging her to save him.
"…I don't mind," said Aiz. She paused to consider something else. "Being served by Bell… Cute…"
Bell couldn't believe it. This woman was against him! He had believed in her!
"Bell, what's this about you working here?" Serafall circled around before heading back to the kitchen. She tucked the empty tray under her arm while putting both hands on her hips. She looked miffed in her cutesy, bubbly way. "I get the uniforms are super cute! But you're going to exhaust yourself if you go into the Dungeon and then work here afterwards!"
"I'm not!" he argued with his face heating up with each passing word. "Please, Serafall! I don't know what Syr is talking about!"
"Great Caesar's ghost!" another Adventurer shouted as he entered the bar. "The crazy kid was right! The Rabbit works at the Benevolent Mistress! Oi! Get your arses in here!"
He had taken a few steps out of the entry to shout into the street. There was a commotion from outside followed by the sound of marching feet.
Bell felt all the color drain from his face. Heads popped in. Adventurers and shop keepers came in and immediately spotted him.
He didn't realize how popular he was. People entered the tavern and tried to take tables. There wasn't enough room to house everyone and a few of the maids had to tell others to patiently wait for the next available seat. Some potential clientele left. But the majority chose to wait patiently at the chance of being served by Orario's newest idol.
He heard the name Blue Bunny pop up, probably because Serafall had dressed him in the bright blue mage's garb. But since he wasn't seen in the magical girl attire, they resorted to call him White Rabbit on account of his hair.
…Why did it feel like this was all planned by Serafall? Being called White Rabbit… finding out about this nickname on the same day he was given a white dress…
"Bell, this is the most amount of customers we've ever had!" Syr leaned in close— dangerously close enough to smell her. He tried to pull away but she pushed closer. "Please, Bell. Just for tonight? I'm sure Mama Mia will gladly pay you! You might even be able to keep the tips!"
From behind her counter, Mama Mia nodded sagely. Syr had been talking in a hushed tone for the loud customers to not hear her but the barkeep had been able to without a problem.
"I… I… I…" Bell became flustered as he didn't know what to do. He looked at Aiz, who offered no support whatsoever as her eyes were beaming telepathic messages for him to do it. And he looked at Serafall, who…
"Do it," she said with such a sharp expression it was as though she signed a bill that would start a war and murder millions. "Fulfill your destiny. Get out there, talk to new people, get harassed by Adventurers, and represent the Serafall name as my Queen. Only then will your training be complete."
Training? What training?! This was being considered training to become the greatest Adventurer of all time?!
"Besides," she spoke up next in a more sweeter tone and just as lovely of a smile. It was the kind of appearance that captivated his heart.
"You signed a contract. I own you."
…He couldn't argue against that. He couldn't deny a direct request from his goddess. No Adventurer could for their patron deity.
With great reluctance, and shaking knees, and perhaps a few tears, he stood up from his seat and let Syr pull him by his wrist towards the kitchens. A number of maids followed and huddled around him. They gave him the quick rundown on how to serve.
They bombarded him with more advice about being cute and friendly than they did about properly serving, how to manage the food and beverage, and what numbers were each table. It made his head spin.
"Good luck, Bell!" Syr cheered as she handed him a tray full of drinks and gently nudged him back out into the fray. None of the other girls went back to their stations. They all huddled by the kitchen window to watch his progress.
He felt every eye in the tavern look at him. His knees were buckling. His arms were shaking and he had to carry the tray with both hands. Even then, it began to tilt to one side and he had to stop walking to readjust himself. Pressure unlike any other was bearing down on his shoulder as everyone was watching him cross through the tavern.
…It wasn't until he was standing in the direct center of the room did he realize he didn't know where Table Seven was! None of the tables were marked!
Panic was starting to swell up inside him. His arms were shaking harder to where the bottles and mugs rattled against each other. The noise of the bar slowly died away until he couldn't hear anything except his rampaging heart.
He felt ready to puke and cry.
"…At the front left," one of the maids said as she walked briskly by him.
Lyu Lyon, the blonde elf with an ever stoic expression on her face. She was the only maid who hadn't flocked with the others to watch him work. She followed her own schedule and tended to her tables. She was walking back to the kitchen for a new order when she passed by Bell.
It was the only help she was going to give. But it was more than enough to settle him.
He spotted the table. He inhaled through his nose, held his breath, and took the steps needed to reach his destination.
"H-H-H-Here you go…" he said, stuttering to the point he bit his tongue. He kept his head bowed and avoided looking at the Adventurers as he set the tray down and distributed the drinks.
"Ah, to be served by the Rabbit of Orario," sighed one of the Adventurers. "Tis a good night, indeed!"
"I can die happily now," another said. "Oi, boss, we should come here more often!"
Bell said nothing else as he took the tray, kept his head bowed, and nearly ran back towards the kitchen. Heat burned through his face. He couldn't believe he had just done that!
He was a man! A man! And these Adventurers kept complimenting him like he was a girl!
"Nice work there, lass," said another Adventurer as he rushed by.
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Bell screamed and leapt a few celch into the air.
T-This man just patted his rear!
"Hey, watch it there!" another Adventurer from a different table turned around. He glared at the other. "Don't be scarin' off the Rabbit on the first day."
The message was reinforced by other patrons at other tables surrounding the man. Even his own teammates were glaring at him. The Adventurer who harassed Bell deflated and genuinely apologized for his mistake.
With his first task done, Syr handed him another tray, this time full of food, and told him where to go. She even told him which one was Table Thirteen and sent him off with another nudge… via patting his bum like the patron before.
He flushed scarlet and stared at Syr. She only offered a sweet smile and waved him off.
With that, the rest of the maids went back to work. They shuffled around the establishment with their own orders. They moved around Bell at a practiced haste while he had to take his time reaching his destination. They were all full of smiles as they exchanged small chatter with their customers.
Bell realized he had to do more than just deliver orders to the tables. He needed to mingle with the customers. That was the purpose of being within Serafall Familia. Serafall wanted to learn as much as she could about the mortal realm.
He saw her chatting away with one group of Adventurers. She placed her food down and 'blessed' it with love. She curled her hands together to form a heart as she moved it over the food like a saltshaker, showering the food with her imaginary spice.
The Adventurer's ate it up with gusto.
Bell flushed. He wasn't going to be able to do something like that!
"H-H-H-H-Hello!" he said as he reached his table. "Um… H-How are you… doing tonight?"
Yet he still couldn't match any of their eyes.
"Splendid!" answered the closest Adventurer. "We normally spend our dinners at our home with our god or down at the Rusty Dagger. But we heard you were working here so we had to see for ourselves."
Nods and noises of affirmation were made across the table.
"So… you don't… normally come here…?" he asked, finding a little bit more strength… That, or his nerves had overloaded to the point nothing else mattered and he was going to collapse at any second.
"Nah," another answered instead. "But the ale is cheap, the girls are great, and it's a lot closer to the Dungeon than Red Dagger. Don't know about these slackers, but I might be back every now and then."
"I'm tellin' Abigail," a third teammate said.
"Don't you dare, Rufus!" the second slammed a fist on the table. "I ain't saying I'm not going back to Red Dagger! But, come on! Don'tcha get tired of having the same ale every other night?"
"Both of you shudit. I ain't gonna listen to another of yur arguments again. Ya always do this. And it amounts to nuthin'. Yu'll probably do it all again tomorrow night."
The Adventurers went into an argument among themselves. It was quiet and controlled and seemed to be a normal occurrence. Their comradery circled around it. They snarled, they laughed, they drank, and they repeated the cycle again and again.
Bell slipped away to fulfill his next task.
As the night progressed, as parties came and went, he managed to exchange a few words with them in these brief moments. He heard little details about being an Adventurer, was given advice as a newbie, and was told exaggerated stories. He absorbed everything he could not just to tell Serafall later but for himself.
He would remember everything. He had to. The Adventurers here were experienced.
…Was that why Serafall called this training? He found himself able to engage in small talk with him the longer the night dragged on. He was enthralled by their stories and advice. And they were more than willing to give it to him. Many offered him to join their parties or gave him references to the best shops in the city.
He was growing stronger in knowledge. And his confidence was growing. It reached the point where he had forgotten he was dressed in a maid outfit. Every chance to fill out an order offered him a chance to grow a little more.
"Bell, can I have more chips?" Aiz asked from her table.
"B-Be right there!" he called out and almost made it towards the kitchen.
"No way!" someone shouted. "That's why there are so many people?! Look, look! Aiz was telling the truth!"
"Whoa!" came a matching voice. "The Blue Bunny really does exist! And totally in a dress! I can't believe this!"
At some point, while he was busy serving people, the table he and Aiz had occupied had been filled with more people. Chairs were stolen with the people compacted tightly to the small table. They didn't minded. They were already served with appetizers and a round of drinks.
In other words, there was no real reason for Aiz to call for Bell when Serafall had been charged with their table. She did it to point him out among her friends.
…Her friends being her teammates within Loki Familia.
"Eh? What's the big deal?" said one of the Adventurers at the table. He was a wolf-person. He took a swig of his ale while his eyes flashed over at Bell before returning to his teammates. "She's pretty cute. 'Course she's gonna be in a dress. She ain't like the both of you."
The entirety of the bar went dead silent.
"…Oh my gosh," said one of the girls, an Amazon girl.
"Bete… do you have a thing for the Blue Bunny?" asked the other Amazon, who was so close in likeness she might be a sibling.
The wolf-person, Bete, scowled heavily at them. His face was flushed from the alcohol and didn't notice the attention from everyone else around the tavern. "Oi! Not so loud! You'll scare her off before I get a chance at her."
More silence.
"Bwaaaaaaahahahahahaha!" the two girls broke up into hysterical laughter. One holding her gut while the other banged on the table so hard it caused the ground to shake.
Bell's face felt like it was in front of a furnace. He rushed towards the kitchen with his head bowed.
"Look what ya did!" he heard Bete shout at his teammates. "You hurt her feelings! Who the hell does that?!"
The two Amazon girls laughed a little harder.
"I… I can't… breathe!"
"Stawp… I… gonna… pee!"
Mama Mia grabbed Bell by the collar of his uniform before he could escape. She didn't say a word as she pulled a bowl of fried potato crisps from seemingly nowhere, put them in his hands, and turned him back around. She gave him a gentle shove— which nearly toppled him over by her impossible strength— and went back to serving her customers at the bar.
"H-H-Here you are," he said as soon as he reached the table. He placed the bowl down in front of Aiz. He was ready to cry as every bit of confidence he had washed away in this instance.
Here was Loki Familia, arguably the strongest familia in all of Orario. And sitting at the table were its most elite members. Every one of them were at least Level Five like Aiz Wallenstein. Two of them were Level Six.
"Sit," Aiz said to him. "Join us."
"I-I can't," he said, more so hoping it was an adequate excuse. He didn't work here. There really wasn't anything compelling him to keep working other than the word of his goddess. He probably met whatever quota there was about this by now.
"It's fine," Lyu Lyon said as she was passing through. "It's starting to die down. You've earned a break. I will send for a meal momentarily."
He almost threw himself at her feet and begged her to say the exact opposite. He wasn't ready for this sort of interaction! He almost ran away from Aiz earlier in the morning! There's no way he could face her familia so soon!
Unfortunately, he couldn't argue. Aiz had gripped the sleeve of his uniform as though capable of reading his thoughts.
The members of Loki Familia grunted a bit. They scooted aside, making themselves that much closer to each other and bordering discomfort, just so he had enough space to squeeze himself among themselves. There was even a random Adventurer from another party who gave up his seat just for him right before he left.
He had no possible way of getting out of this!
"Hello," said Bete, who had magically switched three seats over just to sit beside Bell. He gave a large smile that might have been charming to anyone else. "It's nice to meet you. Bete Loga. Any friend of Aiz is a friend of mine."
He extended his hand for Bell to accept.
"H-Hello," Bell said timidly, holding up a smile and trying to suppress his flash sweating. "I'm Bell Cranel. I-I just recently started being an Adventurer."
"Bell, huh?" Bete said with his smile widening. "That's a pretty cute name."
…And then he kissed the back of Bell's hand.
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck Bell. It burned.
Incidentally, the duo Amazon girls, who had their hands covering their mouths to withhold anymore laughter as they watched, broke apart into another round of hysterical laughter.
"…Mine," Aiz said suddenly. She grabbed the bottom of Bell's chair and pulled him a little closer towards her. Her eyes glared at Bete with hostility.
Bete matched her glare with one of his own.
"Bete," someone spoke up. A dwarf. He was about to take a drink from his mead until he gave a weary sigh. "Do you not realize the Blue Bunny is—"
Suddenly, the pair of Amazon girls tackled him to the ground. They wrestled a bit, pinned him to the floor, and pulled out rope from their packs to bind him. They even gagged him and hoisted him up towards the ceiling. The dwarf squirmed and tried to fight against their attempts but failed by their double-teaming.
"Quiet, old man!" said the bustier of the girls. "Don't ruin our fun! This is gold!"
"We're opening a pool!" said the… smaller. "How long until Bete gets a hint!"
"Mmmph mmn mffft!" said the dwarf as he twitched around.
"Honestly you two…" sighed the high elf of the party. She stared at Bell, then looked over to Bete, and then regarded the two Amazon girls. "Twenty for two weeks."
…Twenty what?
"Ha ha, if Riveria is doing it then I'll match that," said the prum within the group. He rubbed the bottom of his chin as he stared at Bete. "I'll say… one month."
"Oi!" their patron goddess called out from the bar.
Finally! There was a lick of sense among their group! A voice of reason! Perhaps their goddess will bel able to get them all to stop teasing Bell and—
"Lemme do it at half o' year!" Loki said. "An' I'll double it!"
"Match," said the high elf, Riveria.
"Yeah I can do that too," laughed the prum.
"…I don't know what's going on," began Bete in a slow voice. "But I feel like I ought to strangle the both of you."
The Amazon girls only giggled in reply.
"Don't mind them," the prum laughed as he spoke towards Bell. "We're all like this after a couple drinks. Name's Fynn, by the way. It's nice to finally meet you, Bell. Aiz told us a lot about you after the Minotaur incident."
"…W-What exactly did she tell you?" Bell asked with a shaking voice.
She knew he was a boy. She had called him out on it. Did she tell her teammates everything?
"Just that some Minotaur abducted a newbie," the high elf answered. "Based on the description she gave us, we assumed it was the recently popular Blue Bunny of Orario. Hmm. Or do we call you White Rabbit now, like from the stories?"
"J-Just Bell, please," he pleaded.
"So, Bell," Bete scooted a little closer, took a mug of beer from a passing waitress, and placed it in front of Bell. "Aiz was telling us this is just your first week as an Adventurer? Must be pretty tough. How's about you hang with us for a bit 'til you learn the ropes, eh?"
"I am escorting Bell," Aiz cut in with a sharp voice.
"Come on, Aizu~" the smaller Amazon girl cooed. "Don't hog the Rabbit all to yourself. You should share!"
"That might be a problem," Fynn said with his smile faltering slightly. He looked more apologetic this time. "See, we won't be able to take care of someone like hi— like Bell. We just received a quest from Thor Familia."
Bells attention perked.
"Awwwwww, that's right," the same Amazon girl groaned while sprawling her arms across the table. "But I wanted to see Bete make a fool of himself."
"Oi!" barked Bete.
"There's plenty of those chances in the expedition," the high elf muttered before taking a drink. The way she carried herself and spoke so elegantly she may as well be sipping fine tea and talking about politics. She left that impression towards Bell, though she was insulting her teammate further. "It's Bete."
"Oi!" Bete barked again.
"Excuse me," Bell raised his hand and nearly faulted in his confidence once he had their attention. "Um… I heard Thor Familia was wiped out in the Dungeon. Was this not true?"
"No, that sounds about right," Fynn answered. "They hired a bunch of mercenary Adventurers from other familia and led a raid through the Dungeon. Tried tackling the Leviathan down in the Sixtieth Floor. A few survivors managed to make their way up top. They're claiming to have run into the Great Red."
The bar became quiet after Fynn's words.
"Great Red…?" Bell asked.
"Wha?!" the previously deflated Amazon sprung back to life. "How do you not know about— gwoh!"
The other Amazon girl smacked her in the back of the head. "Bell is a newbie. Not everyone knows about Great Red like us."
"…The Apocalypse Dragon," Aiz spoke up in a quiet voice… more quiet than usual, in any case.
Apocalypse Dragon. That sounded like a vicious title. What sort of monster down in the Dungeon could it be to deserve such a name?
But… if it had wiped out a raid team who had been prepared to face the Leviathan… how much stronger was it?
"Great Red is strange," Fynn began. "He just showed up in the Dungeon fourteen years ago while things like the Leviathan and Behemoth have been spotted, killed, and been reborn for the past thousand years. What's stranger, he doesn't appear on one specific floor like Floor Bosses or Monster Rexes. He's what the Guild calls… a Random Boss Encounter. First of his kind.
"The entirety of the Dungeon is his domain. He swims through it, sinking into the walls and climbing through the floors without a problem. No monster can match him. No Adventurer can stand up against him. Very few have lived to witness him.
"We call him the Apocalypse Dragon because he slew both the Black Dragon and Zeus Familia when the two were battling."
Bell sat there in silence. He had heard Zeus Familia, the greatest familia in all of history, had collapsed within the past decade or so. They had the record for defeating the Leviathan and Behemoth thrice. There was even a rumor they had reached the absolute bottom of the Dungeon, though none of the members of the raid team were alive any longer.
In the book his grandfather read him, Dungeon Oratario, Bell read stories of heroes challenging the worst monsters known in the Dungeon. There were thirteen in total.
The Black Dragon was, undeniably, the strongest monster from the Dungeon. So feared was it, the entire world had requested Orario to slay it. It was the Grand Quest. And the familia who would slay the Black Dragon will rule the world.
Zeus Familia had challenged the Black Dragon. No one would learn of the results of that battle.
Fynn was telling him Great Red appeared and got rid of them both.
"Remnants of Thor Familia are supposedly down in the Dungeon still," the high elf carried on where Fynn left off. "So says their god, Lord Thor. He still has a strong connection to his children and can sense their presence. He has asked Lady Loki for our assistance."
Loki, who had taken a seat over at the bar instead of the pact table, swished her mug around a few times. "Ya. I owe him fur Rag'nok. Cheap bastard. Playin' that card all outta the blue like this."
"It's what siblings do, Loki-tan," Serafall slid another mug full of beer into her hands while taking the other one away. "Now, what were you saying about falna? You gotta be naked?! Is it anything like a prana exchange ritual?!"
"Oh, ya, that," Loki's words became a little slurred. She took a long swig of her drink before resuming some previous conversation with Serafall.
Serafall was nodding vigorously while scribbling down notes.
She must be asking advice on her duties as a goddess. While Bell was learning from Adventurers, she was learning from her fellow gods. And there wasn't a better god out there than Loki, who was the leader of one of Orario's strongest familia.
"So that's how it is," Fynn said with a wave of his hand. "Sorry, Aiz. But we can't afford to bring your new toy with us. We're going down to retrieve them."
Aiz pulled Bell closer to her while shooting a look at Fynn.
"We're only going to be gone for a month," the high elf sighed. "At most. The child has some high-end armor. I think he'll live that long until we're back."
"She," Bete corrected. "You alright there, Riveria? Had one too many already?"
"…More like I hadn't have enough," she retorted.
"It can't be helped," said the first Amazon girl. "Sorry Aiz, but we're going to need you for this one."
"Yeah, it's not like you can be in two places at once," the other said with a shrug. "Otherwise you can harass the White Rabbit all you wanted."
Everyone failed to notice the way Aiz's eyes flashed with inspiration. Mostly everyone. The high elf, Riveria, glanced once at her with a slight brow raised. She said nothing else as she went back to her drink.
"A month?" Bell asked. "But, I heard it took Thor Familia two years to reach that far down!"
"That's Thor Familia," Fynn explained with a plain smile. "We're Loki Familia. We'll be in and out before you know it."
…What a frightening difference in abilities. And to think, Thor Familia was one of the top ten strongest! Was this the might of the second strongest?
"We leave right after Monsterphilia," Fynn said to Aiz. "Preparations are still being made. That'll give you a few days to have fun."
Aiz nodded. A childlike wonder filled her eyes.
"Here you are," Lyuu appeared and placed a hot plate of the tavern's special in front of Bell. She also brought a mug of ale but saw the one Bell had hardly touched. "Oh. I did not realize you had drink. Excuse me then—"
"Nah, she can take it!" Bete took it from Lyuu and placed it on the table. "Bell, first piece of advice. If ya can't drink, you have no business being in the Dungeon! So drink!"
"You just want to get Bell drunk!" the bustier Amazon exclaimed.
"We see through your lies, Bete!" said the other.
"So says the two who drink more than anyone else here?!" Bete argued back. "Bell, don't listen to those two. Cheers! To adventuring!"
Bete raised his mug and waited on Bell.
"C-Cheers," he said and clanked the mug against his before taking a drink.
"A'ight, now look," Bete, as if it were possible, scooted a closer to Bell. "Since you're a newbie, lemme give you a piece of advice. So when you go down into the Dungeon…"
The rest of the night went on like this. Loki Familia continued to order drinks as they tried to give Bell advice. Everyone from the familia was unique and had their own set of skills. They debated with each other, compared experiences, but did agree in most notes. The amount of information they gave him was vastly more valuable than anything the Adventurers previously had given him.
Of course, that was until he could hardly follow their speech after the next couple rounds of drinks. By then, most of them were slurring their words. The exception being Riveria who was perfect in everything she did and Aiz who rarely said more than a full sentence.
And Bete kept ordering drinks for Bell.
But, as Bell drank out of sheer nervousness, he grew more open towards them. He was able to join in on their conversations. He shared his opinions and asked questions. And they treated him just as kindly. He was able to convince them to share a story of their adventurers.
He was able to share with them some of his stories when he was in the farming village.
The night all blurred together after his sixth drink.
"Don't worry, Bell," he heard Serafall whisper.
He was drifting. No. He was flying.
No. He was being carried on her back.
"You did good. They didn't suspect a thing. It looks like only the oldest of gods know about Devils. They trust you. You fed on so much of their sins. I couldn't ask for a better Queen."
He heard what she said… but his mind couldn't register them.
Nor would he be able to remember them in the morning.
It would be as if she never spoke.
0-0-0
"So, so then I tell her…" Hermes cackled, nearly letting his wine tip over as he patted Takemikazuchi's shoulder. "Now, this is the best part… I told her it doesn't go there!"
Hermes almost toppled over with laughter. Takemikazuchi let out a few chuckles to be polite. The god from the Far East didn't fully understand what the joke was.
…He also didn't laugh because if Asfi, Hermes' favorite and the topic of their conversation, had heard about any of this…
The two gods had bumped into each other at the buffet table of the Gathering. Hosted by the Ganesha Familia, gods all across Orario were invited to wine and dine with their fellow divines. Cheerful music played in the background, children of the host familia catered to the gods, and the gods mingled with another.
It was nothing unique. There was always a Gathering every month or two. It was just a fashion to display the amount of wealth the host familia had accumulated. After all, it costed a pretty penny to not just feed and entertain the gods. The host also had to satisfy their unworldly standards.
Really, it was more of a display of power. Only the best familias could afford to throw away millions of valis on a single night.
"But enough about me," Hermes began to wind down. He kept his large grin and let out a few impulsive giggles every now and then. "Take, how's the familia doin'? I heard one of 'ems going to ascend. Good for you."
"It's frightening how sharp your ears are, Hermes-san," Takemikazuchi kept up the polite smile. He knew the god meant well. "I suppose it was only a matter of time. I would have to file a report to the Guild at any rate. But yes, I'm quite proud of them. It just seems like yesterday I began to train them when they were children."
"All the children grow up so fast," Hermes agreed. "Why just the other day…"
Hermes paused as he felt a slight tug on his jacket. He looked around and didn't know who had tried to get his attention. But when the tug happened again, he more focused on the hem of his jacket this time.
There was a little goddess, manifesting in the form of a child, standing close to him and trying to get his attention by pulling on his jacket. Like any other god present, she was of perfect beauty, more resembling a doll than anything. Her hair was long and black, her skin as white as porcelain, and her eyes were as gray as stone.
She also had the eyes of a doll. Large, mesmerizing, but lacking in life.
Well, eye, actually. She had an eyepatch over her left eye. Though it complimented her extravagant (if not a little risqué with how it didn't cover her chest save for two strips of tape) black dress.
"I, like donuts," she said in an equally lifeless tone. She pointed towards the table he and Takemikazuchi were blocking.
"Ah, I'm terribly sorry, little miss," Hermes offered a smile and tipped his hat at her. "I will be out of your way. Takemikazuchi, it was a pleasure seeing you again. If you will excuse me."
"Much the same, Hermes-san," the other god gave a bow customary in the Far East and excused himself the same. He went off to mingle with the rest of his divinity.
Hermes began to move away when the back of his jacket was tugged on once more.
"Yes, little miss?" he turned and gave her another charming smile, already knowing it was her who tried to gain his attention once more.
"I, cannot reach…" she said, her voice dragging on. He couldn't tell if it was because of some hidden implication or if she was trying to sound saddened. It made him disappointed with himself. He was proud of his skills to read the intentions of the ladies.
Either way, a gentleman like him couldn't disregard the cries of a lady in distress.
"Worry not, I will fetch one for you," he turned and gave a bow befitting of a knight before a princess. He crossed back towards the table, gathered one of the deserts with a napkin, and handed it to her. "Here you are."
The little goddess didn't say anything. She only stared up at him as she took a small bite out of the donut.
"By your leave, miss," Hermes didn't drop the smile as he excused himself.
His jacket was tugged once more.
"I, want another…" she said.
It wasn't an imperious command. She was stating a fact. She wanted another donut and didn't know how to go about it. It was as though she didn't know how to ask for it.
What a very strange goddess. But, he couldn't say anything. He had his own quirks. Plus there were a number of oddballs out there. Like Ganesha.
Nobody was listening to Ganesha's speech. Yet the god continued to go on and on and on while striking poses fit for a professional body builder. And he kept shouting 'I am Ganesha' as if nobody knew who he was.
It even said so on the invitation. It included a cartoonish illustration of the god too.
"Of course, of course," he nodded and went to retrieve another one. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"
She said nothing. She munched on her second donut quietly.
"Then if you will please excuse—"
"I, want another…" she said.
He had blinked and magically the donut was gone.
"My…" he couldn't help but say, "what an appetite, little miss. What's your name?"
"…Ophis," the goddess replied after a momentary pause.
Instead of getting one individual sweet, he took the entire tray and handed it to her. One of Ganesha's children would notice the lack of donuts and retrieve more from the kitchens. Besides, it's not like anyone else was eating them.
The goddess' eye widened as though she had never expected to receive such a bountiful gift. She had no problem carrying the tray in her small arms.
"…Thank you," she said in the same monotone voice as before.
And with that, finally, she walked away.
Hermes let out a small chuckle before starting to head back into the fray again. Now, which god did he need to harass before the night was—
His coat was being tugged again.
Curses!
"I suppose you'd want some milk too…" he almost let out a weary groan as he turned around.
"…What?"
But it wasn't the little goddess that had tried to get his attention. Well, it was a little goddess, sure, but not as tiny as the one who had stolen his assistance. This one was maybe a few celches taller… and definitely more… how should he say this…? More graciously…
Oh who was he kidding? Hestia was stacked. For someone with such a childish appearance in both height and beauty, she had the breasts that were greater than even the best of Ishtar's children.
She wasn't called Loli Bigboobs without reason.
"Sorry," Hermes put up a hand to ease the smoldering goddess. Something was irking her. "I thought you were… Never mind. Hello there, Hestia. What can I do for you on this fine evening? Oh, and hello there too, Hephaestus. As lovely as usual, I see."
"Hello, Hermes," the taller goddess standing behind Hestia greeted back. Her expression showed how much she didn't want to be here. Not just at the Gathering (getting her in a dress must have been taxing to her familia) but here in this specific scene.
"Hermes, I need to talk to you!" Hestia said in a voice that couldn't decide whether it wanted to shout or whisper. And, though she was dressed for the occasion, Hestia looked frazzled. Hysterical, even. "You two are the only people I can trust about this! Maybe Miach but I don't know how much he can help me."
"…You're not in debt now, are you?" Hermes grossed as his smile strained.
Hestia was one of the few gods who didn't have a familia and had to get a daytime job. She was a poor goddess who lived in some ruin at the edge of town. She couldn't even afford proper accommodations.
"It's exactly what I asked her," Hephaestus muttered as she pulled a glass of wine from a passing server.
"How rude!" Hestia argued. She jerked as she realized how loud her voice had gotten. She went back to her… hoarse tone. "This has nothing to do with my financial problems! Something happened today while I was working! I ran into…"
She looked around the area and then gestured for the two of them to draw closer.
Hermes and Hephaestus exchanged a look. Hermes wasn't sure it was safe to get so close to Hestia in her current state of mind. Hephaestus gave him an apologetic look that told him it would be better to play along with this charade. Play along and hopefully she will go away.
They both stepped closer and bent down. Even then, Hestia had to tiptoe to whisper to their ears.
"I saw a Devil."
They all stood straight right after.
"…I'm afraid I don't know what that is," Hermes confessed. His smile was starting to falter.
"Same," Hephaestus said bluntly. "So, Hestia, what old man tried to touch you this time? I told you if you shout 'Stranger Danger' then the guards will—"
"It's not that kind of dev—" she began to shout again but then clamped her mouth with her hands. She put her hands down and spoke again in her somewhat low voice. "I would think you two would have known. We're all part of the same pantheon back in Heaven! Zeus fought against them when he first came down!"
"Zeus fought monsters," Hephaestus pointed out. "And we weren't around when he came here. The only ones who would know about his escapades would be those just old as him. That being your generation and older."
Hermes thought. There were very few gods remaining in this game of theirs that would remember the earliest days of the mortal realm. There were those old crones who were on the council that managed the Guild, Uranus himself, and…
No, it was a dangerous thought. Besides, it wasn't polite to mention a lady's age.
"They are monsters," Hestia raised a finger. "The worst kind! In fact, they're like the progenitors the monsters of the Dungeon come from! And one of them is here! Out of the Dungeon and walking amongst us!"
The two taller gods exchanged another look.
"You don't believe me!" Hestia accused.
"I've never heard of this term before," Hermes said with a shrug. "I'm pretty proud of my network, Hestia. Been doing this for a long time. And not once have I heard this before. Not even from the advance groups who have gone to the deep end of the Dungeon. How 'bout you, Hephaestus?"
"Never," Hephaestus retorted. "I've never heard of any class of monster called Devil. How about you, Freya?"
Hestia jerked and turned petrified.
"I can't say that I have," the irresistibly charming symphony that was Freya's voice made its way to their ears. "Hello there, Hephaestus, Hermes, and… Hestia! How have you been? That's a lovely dress."
Freya, the goddess of beauty who held the crown of the mightiest familia, approached them. Hermes was captivated by her presence, as it had ensnared the other gods and mortals who looked at her. Not even the most disciplined could avoid her charm.
Hestia could. But it was more in part of her immaturity than any sort of discipline.
"F-Freya, hi~" Hestia tried to put up a smile. "You didn't hear anything we were talking about… right?"
"Hestia," Freya breathed out while raising a hand to her own cheek. "Everyone could hear your conversation. But I don't think many are paying it any mind, so you need not worry."
Hestia's mouth fell open as her head spun around.
True to her words, gods and goddesses had heard. They were either looking at Hestia and gossiping about her with each other in hushed tones or were outright pretending to have not heard a thing while quickly looking away.
The rest just didn't care.
"I am curious, though," Freya began to bring up the conversation again. "What were you doing to spot this monster? And how was it no one stopped it?"
"While I was… working," Hestia was reluctant to admit. She was the literal poorest talking to the literal richest. "She walked up to my stall and ordered some food! She looks like any one of us. But I saw through her! She's evil! Evil! She even corrupted a child to become her thrall!"
"Oh, so that's what today was about," Hermes chuckled. "I heard you caused a commotion in the market plaza."
"Hestia," Hephaestus sighed. "Please be considerate of my situation. You have that job because of my referral. If you keep causing problems it's going to look bad for me."
"But I'm telling you this is serious!" Hestia pressed on. "You don't get it! They're like anti-gods! They'll take the children and turn them into—"
"Yo," someone called out. "Mind movin' a bit? I wanna get to the sweets there."
"Sorry," both Hermes and Hephaestus said in unison. And, together, they each grabbed one of Hestia's shoulders and pulled her aside.
"Why, Indra," Freya's smile shifted. "You were just the person I wanted to see."
"Sup~" the new god responded without looking her way. He was busy looking at his options and carefully choosing which ones he wanted.
Unlike most of the gods that had appeared in the Gathering, Indra was dressed in casual attire. He had a button-down shirt with flowers printed, fully open to expose his hardened chest. He wore a pair of board shorts with a pair of sandals. And he had a pair of circular sunglasses over his eyes.
It's not that kind of party, Hermes wanted to say.
This was the first time the god had appeared to any of the Gatherings. He was new, completely fresh to the game. And he was quickly ascending in power at an alarming rate.
Far too fast. Faster than Freya and Loki Familias did.
The Indra Familia had been able to take the number three spot in its first decade and wasn't showing signs of stopping there.
"Would you mind lending me your ear for a moment?" Freya asked. "There was something I wanted to discuss with you in private."
"Man… but I just got here…" he grumbled as he approached her. He popped a chocolate ball into his mouth and talked while he chewed. "Ya. Sure. I can dig it fer a bit."
"Charming," Freya said with her smile widening.
Whether Indra noticed the second meaning was unknown. He kept chewing while waiting for her to lead the way.
"If you will excuse me everyone," Freya said to the other three. "I wish you all a good night."
She turned and began to walk towards the balcony. Indra followed her without a word.
"So that's Indra…" Hermes muttered as he fixed his hat. "Guy didn't even say hi."
Hephaestus didn't comment.
"That's not important," Hestia said. "Now listen! That Devil who appeared is masquerading as a goddess! She calls herself Serafall or something like that!"
They didn't see it. He had his back towards them.
Indra's smile widened.
0-0-0
"So, Devils."
Freya didn't respond. For a moment, her mask almost slipped as pure revulsion swept through her. She put her hands on the balcony's edge as she looked out towards Ganesha's garden.
…Of course the god would have statues of himself. Most would. But did they have to be sculpted of him making those ridiculous poses?
Indra walked up beside her, rested his back against the balcony, and continued to chew away at his sweets.
"What do you know of them?" Freya asked right away.
"Nasty little things," Indra began but then cut himself off. He wagged a finger at her. "Uh, uh, uh! Freya, you naughty thing, you! Your Charm ain't gonna work on me. I can't just tell ya these things."
She kept the smile up.
Inda couldn't be Charmed by her beauty, much to her irritation. It was almost a wound against her professional pride as a goddess of beauty. Almost.
He was too insane.
Insane, but brilliant.
There were several reasons why Indra had risen from the absolute bottom to be able to stand beside her and Loki. Having the official place as third strongest was just a formality. Really, should their familias clash, Indra could stand against them on equal footing.
All of this was because Indra was as brilliant as he was insane.
He proved it once again by accidentally telling her he knew a lot about these abominations. And he knew it. He knew exactly how much she wanted the information. He also knew how valuable the information was.
"You've made quite the name for yourself," she began. "The fastest growing familia to date and one of the strongest too. We all thought you didn't care for festivities like this. We all thought you were so enthralled with your glutton for power. What convinced you to come today?"
"Free food, drink, and ladies," he said with a toothy smile. "I mean, did ya see the knockers on that one? Ba-kow! No wonder they call'er Lolli Big Boobs."
"Loli," she corrected. "I had thought you came from the Far East."
"East, but not far. Ya know there're, like, five or six or twenty countries in-between, yeah? Sides, loli ain't even from the Far East."
"It was given to her based off of a term deriving from the Far East. It means 'little girl'."
"Facts need checkin'," he said with a slight insult in his tone. "Loli comes from the west. Came from the term Lolita. Word still means the same but the origins of both come from… somewhere 'round here."
He waved a dismissive hand, ending the topic.
"Is that the sort of woman you're interested in?" she asked next.
"Nah," he denied right away. "Though I do like my ladies a little curvaceous. Don't mind her bein' short either. But feels like I'm doin' somethin' illegal if I tried anything. Young face and all that. Like a kid. 'Sides, it's more fun to look. Really, just look at 'em. They're like their own sideshow."
"You should have said something," she teased. "I could have introduced you."
"…Might take you up on that offer," he said in a somewhat more serious tone. Though he still had a lax presence. "Doesn't seem like she's gonna be backing out of this one. Shame. She really stepped in something here."
"What do you know about the boy she mentioned?" she asked next, trying to suppress everything within her to not give anything away.
Indra lowered his head so he could peer over his shades and look directly at her. "The Devil's thrall? Just some poor sap who got himself suckered into servitude. But you already know 'bout that. We both know you know. You saw him, didn't'cha?"
Freya kept up her smile.
"…He is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. I'd kill him myself if he didn't repulse me so much."
Indra cocked his head back and let out a throaty laugh. "Can't even dirty your hands through your kids, eh? Man, that's one vicious way to look at it, lady. So you're just gonna do nothin' 'bout it? Just watch him from a distance?"
"As it turns out, I won't have to," she said with a different kind of smile. "You will."
Indra said nothing. He only bit into another sweet and chewed slowly.
"That right?" he said after the silence dragged on. "What makes ya think I'm gonna?"
"Because you already are," she said.
More silence.
He gave an exaggerated sigh, "How lame! I didn't think you figured it out so soon! Kinda ruins the whole surprise now."
She had bluffed and it had paid off. She knew absolutely nothing about these creatures. She could only guess Indra had a plan of action based on his foretelling on how much he knew.
"But!" he said suddenly, raising a finger. "I have a better idea!"
She almost frowned.
He turned and pointed at her, "I'm going to do squat. I'm going to leave him be, let him get stronger, and then make you deal with it when you can't tolerate him any longer.
"See, Freya, I don't like you. Not even a little. Not you, or Loki, or any other horny honcho who dares to call themselves gods. Bunch of losers, if you ask me. All of you. Been here for millenniums and have hardly made any progress. I just show up and, boom! Already your match.
"But, see, being a god should be natural. It's a responsibility. Like raising kids. You're supposed to do that anyways. Worrying about personal wealth should always come second.
"Adventurers… so out of style," he grumbled next. "Do you wanna know my secret, Freya? Wanna know how I got so powerful so quickly? Oh, yeah, sure, I got kids of my own. I have a full pack of Adventurers like you do. But they're just overpowered miners. The guys who bring home the bacon to fuel the real secret."
He stepped up closer to her; close enough to be in her breathing space. She didn't shirk away. She watched him.
"Heroes," he whispered in awe.
He stepped away, spun on his heels, and began to trek away.
"Heroes?" she asked, both curious and disappointed. "As in the warriors before we descended from Heaven? The children without blessings?"
"Hmm…" he stopped. For this instance, a level of cruel animosity crossed his face. He was no longer playing. "Heroes, Freya. There was a time these kids ventured into the Dungeon before we showed up. And there was a time before that. And a time before that one too.
"It all started with a little story about Angels, Dragons, and these things called Sacred Gears."
He turned back around, waved over his shoulder, and left her.
Freya was left with her curiosity spiking.
0-0-0
"Job's done," Indra said. "Passed on the homework to the old hag. She's going to look into it. Pretty hilarious, she knows I'm making her do this too. And she knows she's going to no matter how much she hates me. Classic."
"That is… good," said Ophis. "…Thank you."
"Oh ho! Looks like you learned something new."
"They, were saying it after receiving from the mortals. I, am a god. I, must fit in."
"Don't worry 'bout the little stuff like that," Indra waved it off. "So how do we drag Loki into this? I don't think she's gonna take the same bait as Freya."
"First, we worry about Freya. Freya, is the strongest. She, will be needed to kill Baka Red."
"That's fine and all… but that's kinda long-term goal. What about this Evilus group? Or, you know, Devils starting to appear out of nowhere. I thought you said they weren't going to be a problem for another couple hundred years."
"…Baka Red is the reason. The Devils, they are acting in haste. Time is running out. They, will protect the Dungeon."
"I could ask the Heroes to take care of them. Better to be sure than entrust this to some greedy little harlot like Freya."
"No. They, are no match for the Devils as they are now."
"Even with Cao Cao? Y'know, all he needs is one hit."
"One hit he will not land. The Devils, are especially aware of his weapon."
"Ah. Didn't know that. Alright. So what's the next step?"
"…Find more ruins. Find the churches. Create more Sacred Gears. Uncover the Longinii. Our deal, uncover blueprints and I will tell you the lairs of the Dragons."
"All to make the Heroes stronger… So same as usual then. Sure thing. Will I be seeing you again anytime soon?"
"Perhaps. I, will find you again. I, must investigate this new Devil. There were seven… four of them have awakened. Three are still in stasis. The Dungeon does not have the power to resurrect them right now. Devils, cannot procreate. There, have always been seven.
"I, am curious about this… boy."