"Sasuke get me some more hot water and some clean clothes." As soon as those words left her mouth a blur passed by leaving a tub of hot water and a pile of clothes neatly folded beside her station.
Naaza said nothing as she wiped some sweat off her forehead before she began cleaning the injuries of her patient. One of the many women who came to the pharmacy looked completely awful. More than a dozen women came with plenty of bruises on their bodies and damage to their...private parts. Naaza knew what those injuries were and what caused them but didn't dwell on it and started gathering the women to a private room where both she and Miach were busy treating them.
Now, while Naaza doesn't like women approach her God with the intention of flirting with him she wasn't so insecure as to let a victim of... rape dissuade him from handling matters like this.
Apparently, that wasn't what Sasuke thought as he said that he thought that she would shoo Miach away and handle all the women herself. He got bonked in the head for that rude assumption. She loves Miach but there is a time and a place for her to feel jealous and now wasn't the time.
Standing next to her, Miach, garbed in a medical gown called out to Sasuke, "Sasuke! I need the potions stored in the wooden box labeled 'High Potions'!" Another blur and the box Miach asked for appeared in front of him.
Since Sasuke doesn't have any form of medical knowledge he's been relegated as the errand boy. Getting anything either one of them asks for in a jiffy. This cut the time of getting the material themselves, allowing them to focus on their patients more.
"Is everything okay, Doctor?"
Naaza's attention was brought back to her current patient, she smiled as she comforted the woman. "Yes, everything will be fine. Luckily, your injuries aren't as severe as I thought and you'll make a full recovery." The woman sighed in relief as Naaza saw her body begin to relax.
Standing up she went to fetch some potions when she stumbled and nearly fell.
"Kyah!"
But rather than kiss the ground she was caught and placed on a chair by the same blur that had been running around since early morning. Sasuke was working double time by bringing in supplies for them and catering to the patient's needs, like giving them food and water.
"Be careful, Captain, I haven't cleaned the floor yet," Sasuke said, stopping right in front of her to hand her a cup of water before disappearing once more. She looked around and saw the many used and discarded medical supplies were left on the ground. From bandages to empty bottles of potions, they were littered everywhere making walking into a hazard.
Sasuke returned a moment later with a bag tied to his waist as he started picking up the trash, placing them into his bag to dispose of them later. She would have felt bad were it not for the speed at which he was doing it. Not even a minute and the floor was already clean again.
"Naaza, do you need a break?" Miach came back, just having finished dealing with his latest patient. His face was also covered in sweat just like she was before. The patients all came in the morning, just as they opened up shop and it was now in the middle of the afternoon. The two of them had been working non-stop, only taking a break to eat lunch prepared by Sasuke, before getting back to work. "If you want, I can handle the rest from here. There aren't many patients left."
Looking around, almost all of their beds were occupied, with some being shared by two people. When they couldn't fit anymore Sasuke would come and escort them to some of the available rooms in their home.
She shook her head, quickly downing the glass of water, "I'm okay. I can still help... they need help." Putting the glass down, she stood up more determined than before. She lightly patted her cheeks as she approached her next patient.
"Thank you, once again."
"No problem, so long as you all keep your promise then we're all good."
Sasuke said, wiping off the sweat of one of the patients staying in one of the rooms in his Familia home on the second floor due to the room where most of the patients usually stay is full and packed. He is keeping more than seven women company while helping the two certified doctors at the same time.
At the same time meant that he made two Shadow Clones and had them discreetly help around without being spotted by anyone. This jutsu especially, cannot be found out by anyone outside the Familia, even though he has yet to inform Naaza about his true capabilities but that's only because she would abuse him even more if she found out.
And he'd much rather not suffer the mental burden of creating Shadow Clones, after all, he doesn't have a Tailed Beast inside him to ease the burned... well that and he wasn't an idiot like Naruto.
"Eat your meals and get some rest." Sasuke left a plate of food by her bedside before moving on to the next patient. He continued doing this until all of them were fed and were now resting, sound asleep.
Letting out a sigh Sasuke checked the time on a hanging wall clock before heading back downstairs to rest up a bit. Outside of helping Miach and Naaza by getting potions and cleaning up, he had to occasionally step out and buy some more medical supplies like bandages and the like. He also had to purchase some simple clothes for some of the women to wear since most of them came in with nothing but rags.
Sitting down in one of the available chairs. Sasuke checked the time again and waited.
Suddenly, a sharp knocking could be heard from the front door. Getting up Sasuke opens the door and is greeted by the stern face of the blue-haired woman dressed in orange accompanied by two more individuals garbed in a similar outfit to her, with the addition of a familiar looking individual just beside them avoiding making eye contact with him.
The blue-haired woman looked directly at him, her gaze unchanging, "Excuse me, I am Shakti Varma, Captain of the Ganesha Familia, we've come here to see the possible victims of abuse that have escaped. May we enter the premises?" Her voice was cool and even, yet carrying a level of authority he expected from her. Sasuke noticed that she glanced and his exposed left sleeve, since he left his poncho back in his room, before quickly glancing at his left eye.
"Hn."
Nodding his head, he opened the door and let them come in. Shakti nodded in thanks followed by the two that were accompanying her. Then to the final one, a former member of the Aeshma Famila that he sent to report the incident to the Ganesha Familia, this world's equivalent to a policing force.
After dealing with Aeshma, he gathered as much evidence as he could about the immoral acts that the disgusting God was doing to the point of even making him verbally confess all his wrongdoings. With this, even if another Deity were to interrogate this man, he could just say that God confessed everything and would detect that he was saying the truth.
Sasuke wanted everything about what Aeshma was doing to come to light, which is why he organized everything this way. Collecting physical and verbal evidence then giving them to the former members then using said members to deliver the evidence. This way he was guaranteed success with a 100% success rate.
The only thing he excluded was his identity. For obvious reasons. He meticulously cut off any potential loose ends or anything that might tie him to any more trouble that Aeshma was connected to. He simply acted in the spur of the moment with next to no preparation, he had to do all this in the span of a single night. Were it not for the help of his Shadow Clones this would've taken days at least.
Closing the door Sasuke spoke to the group, "Miach is busy treating the remaining patients. Wait here, I'll inform him of your arrival and ask whether or not it's okay for any of you to see them." They all agreed and waited, Sasuke went to fetch Miach. A little later he came out with the blue-haired God.
"Lord Miach, apologies for coming on such short notice." Shakti bowed her head in front of Miach to which he simply smiled and waved it off.
"It's alright, Shakti. I understand."
The two began discussing what happened and the investigation of the women in their care. As Shakti was explaining this Miach would occasionally glance at Sasuke who was watching the proceedings happen with a watchful eye.
"So Aeshma was the one responsible for all of this," Despite his soft voice, the anger could be felt when Miach spoke. His hands clenched into fists were shaking in barely restrained anger. "Where is he now?" Miach asked through gritted teeth.
Seeing this Shakti chooses to answer truthfully, "We don't know. We suspected that he fled Orario, but it wouldn't explain why some of the former member have their Falna removed."
"Some?"
Shakti grimaced before answering, "We first went to the Aeshma Familia home to investigate and hopefully find some clues, however, once we got there we saw a pile of burnt bodies stacked on top of one another in the front yard. With the help from one of the former members who reported to us we were able to identify, albeit barely, the bodies that belonged to the Aeshma Familia." Shakti gritted her teeth as her gaze turned steely. "Apparently, from their testimonies, all of them were the ones who participated in the activities of the Familia."
That's right after he had Aeshma under his control, Sasuke didn't hesitate to kill all who participated in the debauchery. It helped that many of the victims were actively helping with the killing, using whatever they could find that could kill their tormentors.
Sasuke tuned out the conversation sat back down and rested. He advised that others do so as well seeing that this might take a while. After they were done discussing Shakti and the rest, were allowed to see the patients. Sasuke had led them to the second floor, as the ones in the first weren't ready to talk.
"Some are already asleep but there should be at least one that is still awake," Sasuke informed as they entered the room. "Just be mindful of your words when you talk to them, certain phrases tend to trigger bad memories." With his warning given Sasuke let them do their business and simply waited close by.
Shakti nodded and approached one of them. Just as he said, most of the women were simply sleeping comfortably with only one of them still awake, seemingly unable to sleep.
Shakti cautiously approached with members of her Familia following her lead. "Excuse me," The woman noticed their approach when they entered the room and had her guard up. Understandable, given what they've been through it would be weirder if she didn't react that way. "I am Shakti Varma from the Ganesha Familia. We are here in hopes of answering a few questions to help with our investigations regarding the... Aeshma Familia incident." The woman sneered at the mention of the God's name.
"W-What do you want to know?" She weakly asked.
"We were hoping you could answer about the individual that rescued you," Shakti asked. Sasuke, who was quietly standing at the end of the room glanced at them. "Testimonies from the former Aesma Familia members said that a certain individual threatened the God into removing everyone's Falna before disappearing with said God." Shakti saw the woman who looked weary and was now looking at her with narrowed eyes.
"Why do you want to know about him?"
"The individual threatened a God," Shakti answered resolutely. Over to the side, Sasuke couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment.
'Poor choice of words, Shakti.'
The Genesha Familia Captain strongly implied that they were going to arrest their savior, the person who liberated them from their torture from a cruel God who viewed them as nothing more than breeding machines. And to make matters worse, they were also implying that they were they were going to arrest him for the crime of harming said God.
The woman's voice got heated. "He saved us." The atmosphere was getting worse. The two members that Shakti brought were also noticing the change in the woman's demeanor. At this rate, she might lash out if this continues.
"That doesn't justify him harming a Deity," Shakti argued, trying to reason with the woman. "If this individual is capable of harming a Deity, then he is a threat to all the Deities in Orario. We don't want another Gale Wind incident to occur this time again."
'Valid reason, but not enough for an emotionally distressed woman that has been held captive because of the very God Shakti is defending.' The consensus is reasonable, if there is an individual that's capable of killing the Deities willy-nilly, Orario will be threatened as a whole. Imagine fighting a monster in the Dungeon only to suddenly lose your Falna because someone killed your Deity on the surface. Orario's fighting force will be depleted if that was the case since this city doesn't have its own dedicated army. It solely relies on its adventurers to defend the city. 'But emotions aren't logical. She won't care about what might happen to the Deities in this city. They can all die for all she cared. What matters to her is that she was wronged and Shakti having the gall to defend them.'
Also, who is this Gale Wind? He'd never heard of that name. And they supposedly killed a Deity? Did they catch the guy, or are they still running loose? He'll have to drop by the Guild's Library and follow up on it. Maybe Rose would know about it.
The woman and Shakti simply stared down at each other, the tension in the air was sharp enough that it could be cut with a knife. No one spoke and simply waited for something to happen. A moment passed, and the woman spoke up again.
"Do you know what it feels to be raped all day every single day for years?" Everyone awake in the room, excluding Sasuke, flinched at her words. Shakti, who is affected most of all, grimaced and was about to apologize but the woman didn't let her as her eyes became empty. "Do you know what it feels to be treated like a slave, to be looked at as an object rather than a person, to be forced to give birth to children that you weren't even allowed to hold?" The Ganesha Familia swallowed, their tongues caught in their throats. The former Aeshma Familia member that they brought along gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist to the point that his nails were digging into his palms causing him to bleed. "I'm glad that the God is gone. I'm glad that the things that tortured and violated us were ruthlessly killed. And I'm thankful for the only person who saved us. Avenged us. Freed us. If you think for a moment that what he did was wrong, then leave." The woman's face looked scary to everyone present, an empty gaze locked at Shakti's eyes that made the veteran Level 5 shiver. "No one here will help you."
With those final words given the woman laid down on her bed and pulled the sheets up, covering her whole, ending the conversation. Shakti said nothing and simply stood up and turned to leave with the others following. Her face told him everything he needed. Her face showed regret, regret, sadness, anger, helplessness, but most of all, a pang of building guilt that she couldn't save them when they were all suffering.
"Thank you for having us. I believe we intruded enough," Shakti said quietly, bowing her head to Sasuke. "We'll be on our way. Please give Lord Miach our regards."
"Hn." Sasuke nodded. "I'll show you all out."
Shakti nodded and he led everyone out the door. As they were all leaving he discreetly handed something to the former Aeshma Familia member as he passed by. He said nothing and simply took it without a fuss. Once they were all gone he went back upstairs to the resting room. The woman who they were talking to before was out of bed and is now standing up.
"Good work, you can go back to what you were doing before."
The woman nodded before exploding in a puff of smoke, revealing that the woman they were talking to was simply a Shadow Clone using Transformation Jutsu before body flickered away. Sasuke anticipated that someone was going to visit them today. Investigations of this magnitude will require immediate action. He fully expected the Ganesha Familia to send a woman to do the interrogations because letting a man do it would be a terrible and insensitive idea.
What he didn't expect was that they'd sent the Captain to question the freed women, he knew next to nothing about her other than her level, position, and her Familia. But it turns out she is more easily manipulable than he originally thought. The moment the Clone managed to successfully guilt trip her, he'd already won. She is now emotionally unstable and will be more prone to impulsive action. The story the Clone told wasn't a lie. All of it was true, including the part where they would take the newborns away.
His eyes hardened at that part. He already sent another Clone to the facility where they were being kept, keeping an eye on things and making sure they didn't escape. Right now, he was simply waiting for the right moment to reveal the location. And now that the stage was set, it was time for the actors to perform their parts.
Shakti walked along the road, her head down as the words of the woman she spoke to replayed in her head. Each word she spoke struck a cord within her as a knot began to form inside her stomach. They continued to walk until a familiar face was seen approaching them.
"Captain! Captain!"
Another member of the Ganesha Familia was calling out to her, seemingly distressed. As he approached, the former member of the Aeshma Familia opened the note he was given now that everyone was distracted. The note revealed instructions that needed to be carried out.
'It's time. The location will be revealed. Once you've done your part, repent, or face excruciating death.'
The man swallowed. The former member was once a part of the group that participated in the debauchery within the Aeshma Familia. It was only after the birth of his child that he started to regain his senses. He tried asking for his child only to be denied and beaten for even thinking of such things. After that, he never touched any of the women again and became part of the group that opposed their treatment. But that didn't absolve him of his sins.
The only reason he was spared was because the woman who had given birth to their child pleaded for his life to be spared. Their Savior agreed on the condition that he was to pay for his sins. He immediately complied, so long as his child is able to live happily, he is more than willing to do anything. His role was simply to act ignorant, only providing certain information when they mentioned certain phrases with the reason that knew them through hearsay. And only after everything is said and done, he is to turn himself in.
At least he was allowed to see his child one last time.
Back to Shakti, she watched as one of her Familia members, Modaka, handed her a report. She read them as he began explaining the situation, "We found a location that's connected to the Aeshma Familia," His declaration was enough to gather their attention. "According to some witnesses, they said they spotted a large number of cloaked individuals entering what seems to be a safe house carrying something in their arms then leaving empty-handed moments later."
"Who are these witnesses, Madoka?"
"It's Modaka, Captain. They were orphaned kids who happened to be hanging out in the area," Modaka explained after correcting his name. "It's relatively abandoned so no one would think twice about orphans playing there."
Shakti read the detailed report, but what was concerning was according to what was written, there were sounds of cries coming from inside. Her stomach sank, with the story they had heard from the woman before about their newborn children being taken away. She began piecing it all together.
Shakti sharply turned to the former Aeshma Familia members, "You! Do you know anything about this?" Her glare was enough to send shivers down everyone's spine, both her fellow Familia members and anyone who was eavesdropping. The man was not spared by this either and nodded his head.
"I-I heard some other members mention a safe house where they keep the 'future members', but I didn't know what they meant by it," The man stuttered out as Shakti began thinking of her next move.
"Should we head back and report this to Lord Ganesha?" One of them suggested.
"What? We should definitely go!" Another said. "What if they run away again? This could be our only chance!"
Modaka approached Shakti, "What should we do, Captain?"
Shakti gritted her teeth, the scorn-filled words that the woman had said still fresh in her mind. She clenched her fist as she made up her mind. No more dawdling.
"We're heading there immediately," Shakti announced, grabbing everyone's attention. "Madoka, lead us to the area where the safe house is. While one of you escort him," She pointed the the former Aeshma Familia member, "And bring him back to-"
"W-wait! Please let me help," The man pleaded to her, his face etched in guilt as he fell to his knees. "The truth is, I was also a part of the members who engaged in the activities." His confession was met with surprise from all sides. "I realized too late that what I was doing was wrong! It was only when my child was born did I came to my senses. I know it's shameful to ask this, but please! Please let me come so I can see my child one last time!"
The revelation was met with silence. Shakti stared at the man with a dark look, her mind filled with utter disgust and contempt for the kneeling man. "Take him back and put him in a cell. Make sure he's locked up and report back to Lord Ganesha." She then turned and motioned for Modaka to lead the way, leaving behind a distraught man to weep in despair.
Later that day, Ganehsa Familia would find the safe house of the Aeshma Familia, and inside were indeed the newborns along with children up to age five being tended by plenty of nannies that were hired to take care of them. They were all taken away with the children being reunited with their mothers while the nannies were taken back to the Ganesha Familia home for interrogation.
Afterward, once they were all healed, the women in the care of Blue Pharmacy were all called to the Ganesha Familia home where a tearful reunion took place. All of the mothers were reunited with their children. However, not all of them were claimed, some wanted nothing to do with the child they were forced to bear and immediately left without another word. No one stopped or forced them as they had been through enough already and forcing them to take care of an unwanted child would be detrimental to the both of them.
Thankfully, plenty of the women were more than willing to take the unwanted children as their own. With the help of the Ganesha Familia, they were all given a large sum of valis to help with their new free lives. Ganesha Familia also assisted in finding them homes as well as taking them back to their families and loved ones.
All in all, everything turned out for the better with everyone getting a happy ending.
...
Well, almost everyone.
In an abandoned cabin, on the outskirts of Orario, Aeshma's unresponsive body was tied and sealed inside a wooden coffin. Said coffin has numerous strings of Far Eastern writing all around it. A single tag of paper was in the center, seemingly the source of the string of writings as it all converged there.
The technique was used by Anbu and other special ops shinobi to capture and contain their targets alive for transport and later be sent to either be judged, interrogated, or killed. In this case, to contain the God indefinitely until he is needed again.
Sasuke was writing on a desk he made using Wood Release, writing down certain things about his findings a couple of days after the whole Aeshma debacle. He wrote down his experiences and his plan for the God. Seeing as his Arcanum could be used as an external energy source to punch through a hole in space-time powerful enough to send him home. Though the chances of that would be unlikely.
Closing his notebook he sealed it back in his storage and left the cabin. Aeshma would be fine, according to Miach, Deities, despite looking like mortals, can survive without food and drinks. The reason why they do it is simply because they've taken a liking to it. Apparently back in heaven, despite having Deities that govern over food, they don't necessarily need to eat, since they don't have the innovations mortals have when it comes to cooking food everything tastes plain to them.
Once he was out of the cabin, Sasuke activated a genjutsu around the area to keep anyone from discovering his little hideout. It's strong enough to fool even chunin-level shinobi. It was inspired by the seals used in one of Orochimaru's hideouts.
"That should do it," Sasuke watched as a thick fog appeared and surrounded the cabin until it was no longer visible. "I should head back before the others notice." He activated his Rinnegan and a portal appeared in front of him. Stepping into the portal, Sasuke left, leaving behind a silent fog-filled forest.
A couple of days had passed after the incident with the victims of Aeshma and Naaza couldn't help but groan in annoyance at her conflicting feelings. On one hand, she was steaming mad when she heard the story of what happened to them from Ganesha Familia's Captain, but on the other hand, said Familia covered the expenses for all of the victims.
She sat behind her counter she mulled over everything that had happened when Sasuke's words came to mind.
"What's done is done. They are free and healthy. Focus on the positive things rather than the negative. Nothing will happen if you keep dwelling over the past."
"He's weirdly wise when it comes to stuff like this," Naaza sighed as she continued taking inventory. She needed to make sure Miach didn't give out potions again for free. It was the weekend and both men were out today. Miach was out stocking up on groceries since they were running low, and Sasuke was headed to a bookstore to purchase some new reading material.
Strangely enough, Sasuke suddenly declared that he wouldn't go into the Dungeon on Saturdays and Sundays, saying that both days were his rest days now. Something Miach eagerly agreed with. She supposed that Miach was worried that Sasuke was overworking himself lately and wanted him to take a break.
The front door opened followed by the sound of footsteps entering. Naaza looked up to see a familiar head of white hair. "Welcome, Bell. Here to buy some potions?"
The white-haired adventurer nodded his head, "Yes. Two potions, please."
"Just two? Don't you usually buy at least five? Don't tell me... you've been cheating on me with another store haven't you."
Naaza's faux look of betrayal was bought by the innocent Bell who was flustered and began apologizing causing Naaza to drop the act.
"I'm kidding, Bell. Don't take it too seriously."
"Hah. Sensei did warn me that you might do that."
"Sensei?" Naaza tilted her head at the word. She was sure that was Far Eastern.
Bell perked up. "Oh! That's what I can Mis- Er, Sasuke, when he's teaching me."
Naaza blinked. "Sasuke is teaching you?" Bell nodded, stars in his eyes. "What is he teaching you? How to fight monsters?"
"That along with other stuff like hand-to-hand combat in case I lose my weapons and some strategies when dealing with strong opponents. Oh, and he said that he'll teach me how to use throwing knives and shurikens, giving me some ranged options."
"I see," Naaza rubbed her chin. This was the first she's hearing this, though there's nothing wrong with what he's doing she still felt like he should've at least told her or Miach about this. "Do you two go to the Dungeon together?" If he's teaching Bell then he might be partied up with him as well. But Bell shook his head, ridding that thought.
"No, he said he didn't want to babysit me."
Naaza watched as Bell scratched his cheeks. He then paid for the potions before waving goodbye. She thought about what Bell said about Sasuke helping him out. She thought about the Dungeon again, more specifically on the day where she almost lost her life. A shiver went down her spine as she recounted the events of that day. The Miach Familia was going to the Dungeon as usual, then they were ambushed by a hoard of monsters, everyone was almost killed, and monsters were eating and ripping apart her limbs, then miraculously surviving that day and only losing an arm.
Ever since that day she was afraid of monsters and would always freeze up whenever one would get too close. And when that happens, she's as good as dead. But Sasuke is here, he can fight monsters with no problem even after... losing an arm himself.
Come to think of it, she nor Miach had never asked what happened to his arm. They were hesitant about breaching the topic, but after knowing him for almost two months now she doesn't think that he'll be bothered by just asking. The two had gotten closer after they all went out to celebrate Sasuke's first anniversary, taking the advice Sasuke gave her about being more open and getting to know her Familia members now that she's the Captain.
'If I'm with him then maybe I could...' Before she could finish that thought the front door opened again and Miach entered carrying in his arms bags of groceries.
"Ah! Naaza! I'm sorry but could you help carry these to the kitchen?"
"Of course, Lord Miach."
Sasuke was wandering the shelves filled with books looking for a specific one. He was visiting a bookstore that he visits frequently, it contains most of what he likes and varied enough for him to check for any new titles.
Today it was empty and only the elderly clerk was here to keep him company. He passed my many books ranging from informal to fictional. He kept passing by until he found one that caught his eye.
"Tales of a Traveling Scholar."
He muttered out the title and reached for it, just as his hand was about to touch the book another hand joined in. Soft, was the first thought that came to mind as he accidentally grasped the other hand just as a light squeak could be heard right next to him.
He followed the length of the hand and saw a head of brown hair, a pair of short horns along with a pair of mocha ears with brown spots. A youthful face, staring at him with green eyes, her cheeks dusted in a light pink. However, what caught his eye the most was the bronze cow bell wrapped around her neck using a blue ribbon.
'What in the Ganyu goat milk is that?'
Overall, she's a young cows, a Demi-Human race that resembles a cow, girl that's pretty cute.
He mentally slapped himself at that thought. While he may have the body of a nineteen-year-old, he is still mentally a twenty-five-year-old. She looks way too young for him to think such indecent thoughts.
Pulling back his hand he addressed the girl. "Sorry about that." He saw the girl do the same and attempt to speak to him but was paralyzed by his appearance.
'Like I said, a curse.'
As he was ruminating on his appearance the girl managed to squeak out a reply. "N-No! It's alright!" She appears flustered, a common occurrence for girls he meets.
"Well then, if there's nothing else," He reached for the book again and took it before she could. The girl saw this and tried reaching for another copy but was saddened when it seemed to be the last one.
"Oh no. I was really looking forward to reading that one too," The girl lamented, her ears expressively drooping down. Seeing her looking like a kicked puppy he supposed he could do his good deed for the week a little early.
"Let's ask the clerk to see if they have another copy in stock."
The girl blinked at him, seeing him gesture to follow him. They both walked up to the elderly man and inquired about another copy of the book she was looking for. The old man left momentarily to check his stock, he came back holding a slightly luxurious-looking version of the same book.
"I'm sorry, but I only have this left," The old man placed a thick hardcover book of 'Tales of a Traveling Scholar' on the counter. "I only have this limited edition left. It a much more expensive than the standard copy, but it contains some of the author's personal thoughts about some of the chapters adding more content for the readers." After that, he told them the price.
Which was quite pricy.
"I can't afford that." The girl lamented yet again, looking at her bag of coins. "I only saved up for the standard one."
The girl's shoulder sagged as Sasuke took a look at the limited edition book. Truthfully, he didn't know that there was a limited edition of this book or the fact that the concept of a limited edition of anything existed aside from food.
"Here," Sasuke handed his book to the girl, surprising her as he took the limited edition for himself. "I'll buy this one instead."
"A-are you sure?"
"Hn."
After they purchased their books they exited the store. The girl happily held the book on her chest with a pleased expression. "Thank you again, Mister..."
"Sasuke Uchiha. Call me Sasuke but drop the Mister."
"Oh, then thank you, Sasuke!" The girl happily said. "My name is Iris. Iris Bennett. Nice to meet you!"
Iris Bennett. Doesn't ring a bell. She's either a character that appears in Danmachi that I never heard of or she is just a normal resident here. Either or.
"Hn."
Sasuke nodded his head and was about to leave when Iris quickly called out to him. "W-Wait! Please, let me treat you to something!" Sasuke looked back with a raised brow. "A-As a way to thank you for helping me! Please."
Usually when girls invite him to stuff like this is usually to get in his pants, how the tables have turned, so he usually politely declines. But he sensed that the girl in front of him had no such intentions and was simply honest about treating him in gratitude.
So, against his better judgment, he decides to indulge a bit. What's the wors-. Let's not finish that sentence.
"Sure."
Iris let out a beaming smile as she led him to a nearby café. Luckily for her, he happens to like coffee. Although wasn't like those coffee snobs back on earth, he was quite knowledgeable about certain brands and beans. Ah. He's already missing his coffee machine. It was so expensive too.
After placing their orders the two began making small talk. It ranges from themselves, and their shared interest in books, to what they were doing in Orario.
"So you're looking for a Familia to join to become an adventurer?" Sasuke asked as he finished his cup.
Iris nodded. "Yes. Although not for lack of trying." The girl let out a strained smile. "It's my dream to become one. So I won't give up just yet. I'm currently working part-time in this café actually. Today is my day off."
"Hn."
Sasuke stared at his empty cup for a moment. He could try inviting her to his Familia. They most certainly need more members. While the Miach Familia is a Business-Type and not an Exploration-Type Familia, that doesn't mean they can't have their own expeditions. Sasuke goes Dungeon diving regularly, and the only reason why their Familia Rank hasn't risen is because the Familia is an aforementioned Business-Type and only consists of two members. it would be unreasonable to raise our rank like that.
Plus... Miach would be happy to find out if another member would join, and it would lessen the load on Naaza, who is the one who is always maintaining sales.
She could also use some more friends now that he thought about it.
"Iris," Sasuke called out to her, getting her attention. "I'm actually a part of the Miach Familia. We're a Business-Type Familia that specializes in making and selling potions in addition to being one of the few medical facilities in Orario." Iris' eyes widen upon hearing that. "If you'd like, you can join our Familia. It might not be one you're looking for but it's enough to get you started at least."
"Wait? Really!" Iris smiled upon hearing that. But Sasuke had to add one more thing.
"Though a fair warning. The Miach Familia is currently in debt and we are working to pay that first. It's actually the reason why no one wants to join our Familia in the first place. I'm telling you this now so that you won't come and join us with rose-tinted glasses."
Sasuke pulled out a bag of valis and handed it to the server before Iris could, even though she offered to treat him, he was the one who paid in the end.
He stood up and addressed her one last time before leaving. "We're located in the Western District. Just look for a place called Blue Pharmacy, and if anyone asks just say Sasuke sent you. Take your time and think about it before making a decision."
"E-excuse me."
For the umptieth time today, Rose sighed as she mentally prepared herself to deal with this nearly daily occurrence.
"Yes? How may I help you?" Rose asked neutrally. The young adventurer, a black-haired Cat Person, was nervous. The young man's eyes kept peeking at her chest before darting back to her face.
"W-where do you f-find quest?" The young man stuttered out, from behind him, Rose could see what seemed to be his party members, consisting of two other boys his age, snickering to themselves. It appears that they've put him up to this, which further serves to irritate her.
"You may find the Quests available posted on the Quests Board over there to your left."
"O-oh. Um, thanks." The young man awkwardly scratched his head, seemingly not yet done.
Rose sighed. "Is there anything else, sir?"
"U-um. You're very p-pretty."
Rose said nothing and just stared at him with a blank expression for a good second before responding. "If that is all, then please step aside for the next one in line."
"...oh, okay." The young adventurer was taken aback at the indifferent response to his advances. He listlessly swayed to the Quests Board with his buddies catching up to him.
Rose sighed, yet again, dealing with young adventurers trying to flirt with her was a daily occurrence. Mostly it was young men trying out their luck since she'd already rejected most of the veterans a long time ago.
As she was organizing her paperwork someone decided to interrupt her, sliding up right next to her station. She caught a glimpse of silver tresses swaying in her line of vision.
"So," She could already tell who it was even before looking up. "Someone's popular as usual. A shame that it wasn't a certain someone that said those words." Sophie's teasing got the desired results. Rose's tail started gently swaying, no doubt she was thinking of that scenario in her head. Her reddening cheeks only serve to further prove her point.
"I already told you that he's not looking for a relationship," Rose huffed, putting away her stack of paperwork. "And neither am I in case you've forgotten."
Oh, Sophie hasn't. She believed Rose's words since the day she first declared them, after losing another lover she took a chance on in the Dungeon. She continued believing in those words, staying true to them until the day he came.
Sasuke Uchiha. Age nineteen. Joined the Miach Familia only a month and a half ago. Position: Vice-Captain. Level One.
A handsome boy that suddenly appeared one day asking to be registered with Rose being the only one available at the time to attend to him. Sophie was right next to her when it all happened. The boy was respectful, yet only spoke very little and was straight to the point. Aside from his attractiveness, there is nothing else of note.
Well, aside from his unusual left eye and a missing arm.
Thankfully he wasn't annoyed by the attention it was getting. The two only spoke briefly before he left and Sophie thought nothing of it. It wasn't until he started speaking to Rose every day did she noticed the changes in her coworker. At first, she thought that Sasuke was only talking to her because she was attractive, but quickly found out that that wasn't the case.
His questions always involved the Dungeon and Familia's. Certain laws inside Orario, and Guild policies that he needed to know. Aside from that he never asked her out, told her that she was pretty, or even flirted with her. He was completely disinterred in her. She thought at first that he just didn't swing that way.
She shivered.
When that thought first popped into her head she got a scathing glare from him that gave her nightmares for a week.
"I think someone is thinking rude things about me."
Seriously, can he read minds? How did he know that?! She quickly discarded that thought and saw that it wasn't Sasuke who was interested but it was Rose instead. She didn't know how it started, but all of a sudden Rose started engaging in dialogue with Sasuke.
Whenever he would drop by she would make an unconscious effort to talk to him. At first, she tried making small talk after he asked about monsters on the upper floor, she would purposefully leave things out to make Sasuke inquire about it, extending the length of their conversation. She then began talking more casually to him. Talking about hobbies and other interests. It was fascinating. Rose, the only Guild employee who actively disliked making any meaningful connection with adventures was happily talking to one. And it wasn't just her that noticed, both Misha and Eina as well. Those two were somewhat close with the Werewolf so they quickly picked up on what was going on since they were under her guidance when they first joined the Guild.
Sophie began thinking, what caused this sudden change in Rose? Was it his face? Did she get bewitched by his handsome features like some of the other female staff in the Guild? Was it his maturity? He always gives off a mature and dignified aura whenever they talk to him making some speculate that maybe he was a noble. Was it because he was younger than Rose? She tossed that line of thought out the window as soon as Rose snapped her gaze toward her, giving her a glare close to Sasuke's.
If it wasn't all that then what was it? What did Rose see in the young man for her to start falling again?
Someone familiar entered the Guild causing both Sophie and Rose to perked up upon seeing who it was. He wasn't wearing his poncho that they'd always seen him wear, revealing his empty left sleeve. His mismatched eyes locked on to them, or more specifically at Rose before walking up to them.
Sophie looked down to see that Rose's tail started happily wagging but kept that to herself. She likes to live after all.
"Rose. Sophie." Sasuke greeted them with a nod.
"Sasuke."
"Hey, Sasuke. What's up?"
The two returned the greeting with Sophie giving a lazy wave. Now that he was closer they noticed he was wearing a shoulder bag filled with something. It looked like... scrolls?
Rose ignored it and spoke up first. "Did you just come back from the Dungeon? You're a lot earlier than usual." Sophie suppressed a snort. Of course, she would keep track of his time in the Dungeon. "Did something happen?"
Rose tried to hide it but there was a hint of worry in her voice when she asked him that. Fortunately, Sasuke shook his head, alleviating her concerns.
"I plan on taking breaks on weekends, only going to the Dungeon on weekdays this time. Miach was worried that I might be overworking myself so I plan on taking two days off every week." Sasuke explained before facing Rose. "But that's not why I came here today. Rose, I need you to accompany me in the Guild's Library, there's something I want to read up and you might have more knowledge on the topic."
As a member of the Guild, assisting adventurers like this is among the many duties every employee has. So for him asking her to help him in the library is pretty normal. But the truth was that she was very happy to be able to spend time with him.
Rose nodded, with her tail wagging she began leading the way to the Library, but not before hearing Sophie's remarks.
"Enjoy your date you two~"
Sophie snickered to herself when Rose stumbled in her steps. She looked back at her with an embarrassed glare while Sasuke wisely ignored them.
"Gosh. I'm never going to get over those two."
Author's Note
Here we are! Back again! Anyways, here is the aftermath of the previous chapter. The survivors got a happy ending and wicked God is being punished. Also, does anyone recognize this new character? I thought it would be nice to have another character possibly join the Miach Familia before season 2. Wink Wink Nudge Nudge! IYKYK.
I originally didn't plan on writing the aftermath but I decided against it since I felt it was kinda needed. I did another coin toss and the result speaks for itself. Also! Iris wasn't supposed to be the one Sasuke will meet in the library, it was supposed to be someone else but then I remembered that it didn't match the current timeline, So I had to change the person since I already wrote the scene and it felt like a waste to delete it all.
Addressing some concerns about the Falna!
So, from my own research the Falna doesn't seem to show what the person experience. I think that was a fanfic thing. I don't read the light novel (please have mercy LN readers) and an anime only watcher and it doesn't mention or imply that the Gods can see what the adventurer did without being notified before or after.
But if there is proof proving otherwise please let me know, I'll adjust the story to mention the little detail.
Anyways that's all for me! This fanfic was spell checked by Grammarly.
