Not a danmachi owner in sight!
I stood there, silent.
What else was I even meant to do? Stand in between them like a hero saving a damsel in distress from a monster.
First off, I ain't a hero yet. Secondly, while Penia is very much in distress as I know she will definitely be trying to recover from a hangover, she is not what I'd call a damsel. Lastly, while she is giving them a run for their money, I wouldn't put Goddess Astrea down as a monster.
"Allowing a child into the dungeon, what is wrong with you!" Astrea shouted at Penia, bombarding her with a volley of questions, each one in a harsher tone than the last.
"Like I told ya, I ain't forcing the boy! He's doin' it by his self," Penia's feeble attempt at arguing back was only infuriating the Goddess of Justice even more.
"It is our job as deities to guide mortals, to help them. Not to put them in active danger at such a young age!"
"Like you're any better!" Penia shouted back, pointing to the Astrea Familia. "You tellin' me they don't count as young!"
"Not compared to Percy they don't!"
"But compared to most others, they most certainly do, ya hypocrite!" Penia shouted back, pointing one of her wrinkly fingers in Astrea's face.
The intense argument was being watched by both members of the Goddess' Familia's, plus one extra. I look up at Sarah, wondering what she makes of this. Judging from her facial reactions of confusion mixed with annoyance and acceptance. I guess she is used to this kind of thing.
'Is this what all deities are like?' I wonder, thinking that I had gotten the wrong impression from the stories and Mother Maria. Penia helped lower my expectations, but a Goddess Like Lady Astrea. If she can be like this, then the rest of them are probably no better.
"So, Percy?"
I turn around to look at the captain of the Astrea Familia, Alise Lovell. I give her a tilt of my head as a sign to continue.
"Do you live near here?"
I think for a second. The building I sleep in isn't that close but compared to how big Orario is in comparison, it would be considered close, I think. I don't actually know how big Orario.
"Yeah, I guess so," I mumble.
"Can I see it?"
I give her a puzzled look.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? I want to see what your Familia home looks like. Besides, you've seen ours so it's only fair we get to see yours. It's called a fair exchange."
I heard Kaguya sigh from behind the redhead as the Prum, Lyra, walked up to me. She's the only one who I don't have to break my neck to look at so I don't mind talking to her.
"I'd go along with it. Once Alise wants something, she ain't gonna take no for an answer."
"...o-ok. But erm, what I have is different to yours," I try to explain.
Compared to their amazing house with a massive garden, comfy beds and big rooms, my place can barely even be called a shed. I'm embarrassed to show them it. They'd make fun of me.
"How so?"
Lyra was right, Alise doesn't want to give in.
"Well my Goddess doesn't stay there like yours does," I meekly respond.
For a second, the sounds of arguing from behind us stop as Astrea looks over at us. She must've heard us, shock on her face as her cheeks reddened even more.
"Are you joking! You don't even live with the boy! Do you just leave him on the streets of Daedalus?"
Penia let out a quick gag as Astrea ruffled her black robe even more while she gave me a scowl saying how could I throw her even more under the carriage? I will admit that one is on me but I didn't even think Astrea could hear me with how loud she was shouting.
"G-G-Goddess Astrea, it's not like that," I try to come to Penia's defence.
"It sure seems like it to me Percy!" Astrea quickly whipped her head around, her brunette flourishing in the air furiously.
"P-p-p-please l-l-let my...my G-G-Goddess go... please," I say in barely a whisper.
Maybe it was my slight step backwards or my quiet voice but Astrea seemed to calm down a bit after a few seconds. I watched her let go of Penia's cloak and unruffle her white dress. She gave a defeated sigh as she smoothed her brown hair out.
"I'm sorry for scaring you Percy, I kind of got out of hand there," She apologised.
"Oi, where's my apology?" Penia asked with a growl.
"An apology! Why in the heavens do you think-"
Astrea stopped herself from raising her voice again as he looked between me and Penia. Once again she sighed.
"Penia, I may have taken a few things a bit further than necessary," Astrea began.
"Too right ya did!" Penia quickly spat back, folding her arms gruffly.
At that remark, I swear I could see a vein pop on Astrea's head but to her credit, she stayed calm... ish.
"However," She continued. "You have done something that I believe required my interference as the Goddess of Justice."
I couldn't see the look she gave Penia but it was enough for Penia to quickly back off and grimace.
"Tch. Fine, guess there's no 'elping it now that ya know," Penia begrudgingly accepted.
"Good. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like the story of how this happened."
It was my turn to flinch. I really didn't want to talk about all this right now, especially not with an audience.
"W-well, I met Goddess Penia about 9 months-,"
"From the very start."
"Geh."
The look Astrea gave me was enough to send a shiver down my spine. I understood what she meant. So with my own defeated sigh, I began re-telling the story of my life with Maria, Carla and Jacob. The need for money and me hearing about Penia at some point. I even try to talk about my fight with Maria but I struggle to get through it, with Penia and Astrea telling me it's okay to bypass that part.
I don't mention Brant personally, only that I have someone helping me from time to time.
"What about your armour?" The elf, Ryu, asked. Like Brant, I don't fancy giving away Reg's identity. Considering how Astrea treated Penia, a Goddess, I shudder in thought of how she would punish Brant and Reg in assisting me.
"Like I said, someone helps me,"
"Hmmm, this mysterious man seems a bit..." Alise began.
"-mysterious," Kaguya finished in a sarcastic tone.
"Nah," Alsie quickly stated, ignoring or not even noticing the sarcasm from her vice-captain, "He sounds a bit dodgy is all,"
"That's one way of putting it I suppose," Lyra said, her arms folded as she sighed at her incompetent captain.
I'm looking at my feet at this point, too scared of how the others are looking at me. They are probably judging me, thinking I'm foolish and naïve. That I'm too young to be doing this. They're probably right.
I manage to look up at Penia. She had moved back to the bench she had slept on, having already heard most of my story. I wondered if she would abandon me, now that I had given up our secret, especially to someone like Astrea and her Familia. How much pushing from the Goddess of justice would it take for the old woman to remove my Falna? Maybe it wouldn't take any at all. Penia might've already decided to get rid of me as soon as Astrea revealed that I had exposed her.
I catch her looking back at me, her amber eyes not holding much comfort.
'Was this it?'
I'm sure if I went back through my memories this past year, I wouldn't be able to count on all my fingers and toes how many times I had thought that.
'But still, I'm here. I still managed to continue forward, one step at a time.'
That's right. I have already started. If the world had wanted to prevent me from taking this path, it would've done so before I killed that goblin, before I entered the dungeon, before I met Penia or even before Maria gave me that book.
No. Nothing was going to stop me, not even a Goddess. I would double my payment for Penia to persuade her or I would go find a new deity. If all else failed, I'd just go into the dungeon without a Falna and find a new way to get stronger. After all, Albert the mercenary king didn't need a falna to do more damage to the One-eyed-black-dragon than the entirety of the Zeus and Hera Familia combined.
As I stared at Penia, determination burning in my eyes, I saw her chuckle to herself. She slowly shook her head and stood up.
"Astrea," She called out to her fellow deity in a whisper.
"Hmm? What is it Penia?" Astrea asked puzzled. Penia had yet to start talking with her. It had been the other way the whole time.
"So what now?"
"What do you mean?"
Everyone else was distracted in their conversation and Percy was too busy lost in his thoughts to pay attention.
"I mean, what now? About all this. Percy, me, the mysterious man. What are ya gonna do, hmm?"
"W-well..."
It seemed Astrea had yet to think that far ahead.
"Can ya even do anything?"
"What do you mean by that Penia?" Astrea asked with a raised eyebrow. Most deities would've taken that as a slight to their pride but Astrea was different. She pondered what Penia had said.
"Look," Penia said with a point of her finger. Her finger was pointed at the young black-haired boy.
Astrea followed Penia's finger as she looked at the boy. Her eyes widened. She understood what Penia meant.
She saw the look of raw determination in his bright green eyes. She had seen that look before. She saw it in Alise when she recruited her, the girl's unwavering dedication to helping people, nothing or no one able to stop her.
She had seen it in some of Loki and Freya's children when they faced the challenge to rise up and take the mantel as the protectors of the city.
However, Percy's look surpassed even theirs. And Astrea understood. Penia was right, there was nothing she could do. She was sure that if they tried to stop him here, it would only put him on an even more dangerous path to pursue his goal. She was still unsure of what that goal was but she could see from the look in his eyes there was no stopping him from achieving it. At least if things remained the same, she would be able to have some control and participation in the young boy's life.
Penia let out a chuckle as she watched the cogs churn in Astrea's head. She was coming to the same conclusion as herself. That no matter what, Percy would continue forward.
Penia looked back at the boy, her child. That was right. He was her child.
It had been almost a year now since they had known each other and Perseus had never disappointed her. He always had some form of entertainment. Even the not-so-nice parts of his past and the relationship with his mother, but the way he pressed onwards was almost entrancing. It was something that an entertainment-starved deity such as herself had needed.
Penia wouldn't admit that she had grown attached and fond of the boy, not even to herself. Not yet anyway. But she would refuse the Goddess of Justice's command to release him from her ownership.
'I'm the one who helped him then, It's my right to keep him.'
Penia smiled as Astrea's shoulders slumped.
"All right. I won't stop him," Astrea relented. "But that doesn't mean I won't just leave him, especially alone with you," She stated with a jab of her finger at the Goddess of Poverty.
Penia waved the finger away from her face.
"Yeah, yeah. I didn't expect the likes of you to just go away quietly anyway. Can't just let people get on with their lives, can ya."
"And what does that mean?"
The back and forth between the bickering Goddess' was mild compared to how it started and it brought a relieving atmosphere to the square and the others in it.
"Come on then girls, time to go," Astrea said as she began walking away.
"Huh? We are leaving, without doing anything?" Ryu stated in shock. Her sense of justice was more rigid than the rest of her sisters and she didn't like leaving a child in this situation.
"What would have me do Ryu? Maybe give Percy back to his mother in disgrace, slap him on the wrist. Do you really think that'd be enough to stop someone who's already tasted the dungeon?"
Ryu tried to stammer out a reply but she couldn't find the words.
"Or perhaps you'd rather me send them to jail?" Astrea said lightly with a raised eyebrow at her daughter.
"N-No! Of course not, b-but..."
"I understand. We won't be just acting like this never happened of course." Astrea said as she gave a side eye to Percy.
This made Percy jump. He had hoped that was exactly what they'd do.
"Listen here, young man. I am not happy about this, not one bit. But I don't think stopping you here is the right course of action. However, that doesn't mean I'm letting you off the hook. And even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop my girls from interfering, even if I wanted to, isn't that right?"
"Sure is!" Alise perked up. "Now that we know of all this stuff," Alise enhanced her speaking with some random hand gestures. "We can't just sit back and leave you on your own, can we?"
"-huh?"
Percy was confused by what the redhead was saying.
Astrea smiled, knowing that Alise would be able to explain better than she could.
"Well, you said you are the only member, correct?"
Percy nodded numbly.
"Well then, that'd make you the captain, wouldn't it?" Alise said with a toothy grin.
"...wha?"
The rest smiled as they understood what Alise was doing, even Penia couldn't help but let out a snort of amusement.
"And as you know, I, the great Alise Lovell, is the captain of the Astrea Familia. That means we are the same," Alise continued, her smile getting bigger as she explained to the puzzled onlooker.
"Well, I'll let you in a secret only us captains know," Alise said, bending down, acting like she was telling top-secret information.
"Us captains need to help each other out."
"...r-really?" Percy whispered back, his eyes wide.
"Really really. And since we are both captains, that means it's our job to help each other out when we need it."
Percy looked up at Alise as she stood back up.
"So what do you say?"
Percy stared at the girl for a few seconds before looking down at the ground. He didn't know what to think. Was this girl being serious? Why would she accept him into the captain's secret? Since she's told him, that means she must be serious about it. But wouldn't this almost make them... friends?
Percy looked back at Alise who stuck her hand out, waiting for him to accept it.
'Does she really want to be friends... with me?'
Percy thought for a few more seconds.
"Oh just shake her bloody hand will ya," Penia grumbled from behind. This earned a few giggles from the others as Percy flushed slightly in embarrassment.
He shyly raised his hands but as soon as she saw it move, Alsie quickly grabbed Percy's small hand in hers and shook it heavily.
"Amazing! And you can't go back on a handshake between captains." Alise said with another smile and a thumbs up.
"Guess this means we're gonna be working together then?" Kaguya said, a small smile on her lips.
"Lookin' forward to seeing what ya can do," Lyra said, matching her captain with a thumbs up.
Ryu grumbled about how she still didn't like this but when Astrea put her hand on the elf's shoulder, the two looked back at the boy and smiled, with Ryu giving the boy a nod of her head.
Perseus looked on at the Astrea Familia, tears threatening to appear. He was overwhelmed. This was his first proper meeting with other adventurers besides Brant and Reg, and it had worked out. He wasn't going to be stopped but instead helped, and he would be able to help others.
Perseus had never felt more right about his choice to take this path as he smiled himself, unable to hide his happiness.
"Well, guess I'll see ya around captain of the Penia Familia," Alise stated as she turned around. The other members began to follow her, with Astrea bringing up the rear with Ryu.
"Wait a minute, can I say something?"
The voice came from the brown-haired woman. From the start, she had felt like an outcast in all this. Sarah had listened to the squabble of the two Goddess' and the sad backstory of the young boy, then she smiled as she watched the young captain of the Astrea Familia show wisdom and kindness beyond her age as she accepted the frightened boy. But she had not come all this way to be a bystander.
She walked up to the boy and his Goddess. She could feel the eyes of the others on her back but she didn't care. She stood by the boy's bedside when he was recovering and had followed him closely all the way here for one reason.
Percy and Penia watched with surprise as the woman lay on the ground and prostrated herself at them.
"Lady Penia, I thank you and your child from the bottom of my heart. If it wasn't for him, me and my Familia member would've died in the dungeon. If it wasn't for him distracting the irregular monster, we would've never escaped and died with the rest of my comrades that day. So for that, I thank you."
Sarah began leaking tears onto the cobbled pavement, her mind lingering on the images of Gryff and Gordon. Of Elfie and Frankie. She had bottled up the emotion till now but she couldn't hold it any longer and began crying.
Penia and Percy just looked at the woman on the ground, her hands outstretched before her. Astrea giggled slightly at their reactions, neither of them were clearly used to being thanked like this. They almost looked uncomfortable.
"P-please don't do that. I only helped because I was there. Anyone else would've done the same, I'm sure," Percy stuttered out, hands waving at the woman to stand up.
"Ha! I wouldn't be so sure about that," Kaguya snorted.
"I'd take the appreciation if I was you, Percy, it's the least you can do," Astrea advised.
Perseus just stared back at Sarah. He played with his fingers as he looked even more uncomfortable.
"... you're welcome," he managed to mutter out. Anything more and his face would be like a tomato.
Unlike her child, Penia seemed to have other ways of accepting an apology.
"Oh, so Percy saved ya. Saving is a risky business. But I, Goddess Penia, am a merciful Goddess," Penia began, strutting into a position as if she were preaching. Perseus' gaze swivelled to his Goddess'. He had heard that act before.
"I shall be lenient with your punishment. Let's say... a million valis."
"Goddess!" Percy looked up horrified at his Goddess.
The Astrea Familia looked on, some with horrified expressions while others wore looks of confusion. A Goddess taking advantage of a person in a weak and vulnerable moment. Astrea just rolled her eyes.
"None of that Penia."
"I do believe this is none of your concern Astrea. So, my child, what do you say? Do you accept your punishment with grace?"
"Goddess Penia, enough. We don't need money."
Penia gave Perseus a look.
'Are you joking?'
Perseus couldn't really argue back.
"...I don't want it,"
"Boy, I swear upon my name-" Penia started, annoyed that her follower didn't seem to grasp the situation. If he was to be a follower of the Goddess of Poverty, he would need to come to understand that you need to get every valis whenever you can.
"Of course Lady Penia. That is most reasonable," Sarah said, still prostrated on the cobbled floor.
"See. At least the woman is wise enough to understand the scenario."
Astrea walked over to Sarah and began picking herself up off the ground.
" Come on up, Sarah. I'm sure Penia is just joking. Your thanks are more than enough, isn't that right Percy?"
"O-Of course it is," Percy said in a panic, wanting this to be over.
"A-are you sure?" Sarah hesitantly asked.
"NO IT-"
"Of course it is," Astrea said, interrupting the ungrateful Goddess. She was beginning to regret her decision to leave Percy with such a lousy Goddess.
"Let's get going. We wouldn't want to leave you behind, now would we?" Astrea said as she led Sarah back. The woman wiped the tears from her eyes, bowed once more to Perseus and began walking off with the rest of the Familia.
"See ya in a bit!" Alise shouted back as she led her Familia. Percy smiled at that.
"Are you sure you know where you are going, Alise?" Ryu asked.
"Maybe we should ask Percy to lead us out?" Lyra suggested.
"Nonsense. I, the great Alise Lovell, know exactly where to go!" The boisterous captain stated.
The Astrea Familia would march through Daedalus Street for another hour before Astrea went up to a local and asked them for help while her daughters reprimanded their captain for her foolishness.
Perseus and Penia stood mutely in the square in front of the rundown church. They stared down the alleyway the group had vanished down.
They slowly turned to each other, both thinking the same thing.
'That was weird.'
Neither of them knew what to do next. Perseus nervously rubbed his arm with his hand while Penia began looking around, trying to find anything to talk about. In the end, though, Penia's curiosity got the better of her.
"So, ya almost died in the dungeon did ya?"
Perseus bit his lip slightly, not knowing how his deity would react to the story.
"I guess so. I mean, I'm alive so I guess it was alright."
"S'pose. Anyway, that woman said something about an irregular. Ya mind fillin' me in?"
So Perseus re-told the events from his fight with Brant, to his talk with her, just in case she had forgotten it with the aid of an unhealthy amount of alcohol, then to floor 12, the pass parade and the irregular monkey monster.
"Hmm, sounds like ya went through a bit more than ya expected then."
Perseus couldn't help but smile slightly at the nonchalant comment from his Goddess. The two just looked at each other before letting out a massive sigh. It had been a long couple of days for them both.
Penia had been hung up on whether her advice had actually helped and Perseus had gone through more than any 5-year-old should ever deal with.
Penia slumped onto the bench while Perseus just sat on the ground, his legs spread out as he lay his head back. However, when his head leant backwards to rest on the ground, Perseus spotted someone walking towards them.
He had brown boots that had dried mud on the bottom. Ripped, unkept clothing on his body with a scruffy brown mess of hair that could barely pass for a beard.
"I thought they'd never leave."
Perseus scrambled upwards and turned to face the man, his eyes wide in surprise. Penia lurched forward slightly at the voice.
"Who is it now?" She said annoyed. Too many visitors for today for her liking.
"Brant!" Perseus blurted out.
"Yo brat... how ya doin'?"
This was enough to pull Penia right back into the fold.
'Did the boy just say Brant? As in the guy who's been helping him out this entire time? That's him?'
Brant had been hiding a bit away after following the Astrea Familia through Daedalus Street. He could tell that none of them were at a higher level than him but with his busted leg, all of them would've beat him in a fight. Not that he planned on fighting them anyway.
His main focus was on the young boy who had led them through the maze and why he was with them in the first place. Then when they arrived at the square, he found a nice hiding spot on top of a roof and sat back to listen.
If he were to be honest, he did not like what he heard. And when Percy said he went into the dungeon because of him, Brant couldn't help but blame himself and his stupidity for putting the boy in such horrendous danger.
"H-h-how long have you been here?" Perseus fumbled out his question, still stunned at the appearance of his partner in crime.
"Long enough to hear what happened," Brant said, his voice wasn't stable either. The man wanted to try and act tough but after his time drinking and talking to Reg, Brant couldn't hide his worry and frustration, especially with a Deity nearby.
The two couldn't think of what to say next, Perseus not wanting to hold eye contact for even a moment, while Brant anxiously scratched at his pathetic excuse for a beard. Penia, who had wanted to know about the person helping her follower for a while now, used this time to break the ice and her sate her curiosity.
"So, you're the one who's been 'elping out my child?"
"Oh, you must be his Goddess. It's a pleasure to-"
"Spare ya hollow manners," Penia interrupted. "Percy's told me enough 'bout ya to know ya don't mean it and ya said it ya self, you've heard what was said so ya already know about me now."
Brant twitched at the harsh bluntness of the Goddess but he didn't mind, relieved he didn't have to put on an act.
"Yeah," He said with a sigh, "I'm the one who's been helpin' the lad out. I'm not surprised that he'd told ya but just so you know, he never mentioned your name to me."
"Aye, and I would've preferred to have kept it that way but 'ere we are," Penia said gruffly as she leant back on the bench.
Perseus was still looking at the floor, not knowing what to do. He had planned on getting Brant a lot of money or even a gift for him to say sorry for the way he acted. But after his fight in the dungeon, he lost his money bag and with his weekly taxes to Penia, he couldn't afford to buy him even a 'proper drink' as Brant liked to call the horrible-smelling liquid he consumed.
"Oi lad, ya gonna say anything or have you found something more interesting in that crack of cobble?"
Perseus lurched at the reprimand of his Goddess. His hand quivered into a fist as he struggled to look up at the man who had done so much for him. He realised it now. After the way the Astrea Familia and Lady Astrea acted around him and each other, Brant was only looking out for him.
He still didn't know how to level up but he realised now that Brant had been trying to stop him from doing something reckless but Perseus rebelled and ended up doing something even more stupid.
Brant stared down at the young boy. Only a child of 5 years and yet he had already done so much. Not even a year in the dungeon and he was already comfortable enough to traverse the 12th floor and fight an irregular, all while on his own.
'On his own?"
That was right. While Brant felt like he had given some sound advice now and then, he had allowed a child who should be still learning to read and write to go into the most dangerous place in the world all on his own. That was what made him get a headache every time he met with the boy. It was the anger and guilt at his uselessness. It was why he had given him a few sparring lessons. It was why he felt compelled to give advice and even why he helped him get some armour. And he used it under the disguise of greed but in reality, it was because of his pathetic pride.
Brant hated himself.
"Hey... listen, I just wanna say," Brant was about to apologise but he had taken a second too long.
"I'm sorry!" Percy shouted out, beating Brant to the punchline as he looked directly into Brant's brown eyes with his green eyes that shone.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you and calling you stupid and saying all that mean stuff. I'm sorry for acting on my own and doing something really really dumb and stupid. I should've listened to you and... and... and... I'm sorry!"
The boy had done his best to not choke up, to try and stop his stuttering habit from getting in his way. He did his best to keep his social anxiety in check to make sure he got through his apology without stopping because he wanted to show Brant how sincere he was. Brant knew this.
He had known the boy long enough and had yet to hear him speak a full sentence properly without mumbling or stuttering or even just slight pauses to think or to keep calm.
'This brat. Interrupting me just to say what I wanted to say. The cheek.'
Brant couldn't help but smile. Penia let out a snort of amusement at the look the man was giving the boy. Perseus took a big gulp of air as he kept eye contact with the man who would be eternally grateful towards for all the help he had given him.
Brant knelt and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Listen, Percy,"
Perseus's eyes widened slightly. It was extremely rare for Brant to call him by his name. He could count on one hand the amount of times.
"While I appreciate the apology, it is me who should be the one sayin' sorry," Brant calmly said as set his knee on the ground.
"B-But...?" Perseus tried to begin but Brant held up his hand.
"Let me finish, please. I'm the one who was in the wrong. You were simply askin' me a question and instead of telling you, I tried to act tough and mature when instead I was just being petty. You were right to call me out on my ego."
"But it was also b-because you didn't want me to go into danger," Percy remarked, not wanting Brant to feel so bad about himself. Percy hated seeing people get sad because of him. Mother Maria was enough but now Brant too was getting upset with himself.
"Oi, don't go feeling bad for me," Brant quickly stated.
'H-how' Percy thought.
"It's an adult's job to look after youngsters like you and I took the responsibility of keeping an eye on you and I failed. Because of me, you went into the dungeon and almost died."
Perseus was about to speak up again but remembered what Astrea had said a couple of minutes before.
"I'd take the appreciation if I was you, Percy, it's the least you can do"
"Brant..."
The man's attention was locked onto the boy. Perseus swallowed a ball of saliva, determined not to let the man down.
"I accept your apology," Perseus said as he put a shaky on the man's shoulder and did his best impression of a smile. It was really bad.
For a few seconds, no one said a word. Percy left this hand on Brant's shoulder while trying to maintain his smile, all the while Brant just tilted his head in confusion. Even Penia was puzzled as she raised her grey eyebrow at whatever was happening.
"Pfft!"
Brant couldn't hold it any longer as he let out a laugh, and then he burst.
Percy rescinded his arm as he lurched back in confusion as Brant began laughing. The man sat down on the ground and continued to laugh.
"H-huh?"
Percy was in complete shock at what was going on. He had given his best attempt at apologising and instead of accepting it like Sarah did, Brant was laughing.
'But I did what Lady Astrea said to do,' He thought as Brant continued laughing.
"Wh... wh... what was tha-a-a-at hahahahaha!" Brant managed to say through short breaths that he managed to grasp in between his laugh.
"I-I-It was me accepting your apology. W-W-what's so funny about it?"
Brant managed to calm down as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"Brat, I've had the misfortune of being on this world for almost 30 years and that was the most awkward thing I've ever seen. Was that an attempt at a smile? And what was with ya hand on my shoulder?"
Percy was in shock. He was laughing at him, at his acceptance. Sarah didn't laugh, but then again he didn't put his hand on her shoulder. That would've been weird... oh wait.
Perseus pouted in annoyance and gave a quick kick to Brant's shin.
"OWW! The 'ell was that for ya Brat. Ya know that's me busted leg!"
"Yeah, I do, that's the point! That's what you get for laughing at me."
"You little. Come here!" Brant said through grated teeth as he lunged at the boy, who quickly dodged the attack from the man.
Penia looked on at the sight and couldn't help but smile. She wasn't one for all that lovey-dovey stuff and the power of friendship but she would admit this was heartwarming as Brant went for Perseus' throat, with the boy narrowly avoiding it with Brant falling to the ground.
"Right right, can we wrap this up I'm beginnin' to get a headache from all the noise," Penia stated as she got up off her spectating bench.
Both Brant and I stopped just as Brant had grabbed a hold of my top. We both looked over at the deity as she made her way over, cracking her back awkwardly as she got up off the bench.
"Glad to see that whatever happened between the pair of ya has been resolved."
I was humble enough to blush slightly at the remark as Brant gently released me.
"Besides ya squabbling allowed me to realise something."
"What's that, Goddess?"
"Well ya mentioned how ya wanted to know how to level up, didn't ya?"
"Errh, well yeah."
"Oh yeah, S'ppose I should tell ya," Brant said as he stood up, wiping the dirt off his trousers.
"No need. I remembered something that I was told a couple hundred years ago since this is the first time I've been this sober for this long. Allowed my mind to think."
I didn't like that but as I looked back on my memories I couldn't think of a time when she had gone this long without a drink. And as I looked up at Brant, I sighed. I realised I was surrounded by drinkers, even Reg but he was a dwarf. I really hoped none of the Astrea Familia drank.
"What ya remember?" Brant asked.
"Instead of sayin', how bout I show the lad? Oi Percy, come over and take off ya shirt would ya."
I raise my eyebrow in confusion. The only time I take my shirt off for Penia was when she updated my Falna.
"Woah, hang on a minute. If ya gonna update his status, best I give ya some privacy."
"I ain't bothered. You're the closest thing the boy's got to a mentor anyway, and I'm sure Percy don't mind?"
I shake my head.
"Fine, If ya are alright."
"Besides, the brat might need ya help deciding."
"Deciding what? Wait, ya don't mean...?"
Penia grinned. It seemed the scruffy man had caught on to what she was implying. She was glad that her follower had picked a smart guy to help him along.
I look back at Brant as he stares wide-eyed at Penia and then back at me
"It's not even been a year, ya can't be serious. But then again, his stats are..."
I watched as the man went into a deep think as he began mumbling to himself, mentioning words like 'Over the threshold' and 'Irregular' but I was still in the dark. Brant had clearly grasped something I didn't.
I bent down in front of Penia as I handed her my knife. It was the same knife I had used to kill that large irregular monster. I always seemed to look back on my fights whenever I got my status updated. It had been a hard fight. I felt like I pushed past what I had been capable of before that encounter.
'All because I wanted to know how to level -up.'
I knitted my eyebrows at that thought as I felt my back get hotter as Penia's blood dropped onto my skin, opening up my Falna.
Penia had just mentioned the argument about the level up being solved but when Brant offered to finally explain it, Penia stopped him. Why? And she said that she remembered something and wanted to show me something. Show me what? How to level up, how was she going to do that?
"You're kidding?" I muttered as the revelation dawned on me.
"That took ya longer than I thought, Bhaha," Penia barked out a laugh as she continued to watch the numbers on my back grow and change.
I gasp in excitement as I look up at Brant who is staring intently at me and Penia.
"So? Is it true?" He asks in anticipation.
I can't see Penia's face but I hear her let out a snicker.
"Congrats Percy, you are now Level 2!"
Name: Perseus
Age: 5
Lvl: 1
(Process for level ascension applicable)
Str: A865 – A898
Def: A875 – S913
Dex: B702 – B717
Agi: B718 – B742
Mag: I0 – I0
Skill:
Stealth – Allows the user to go undetected when out of eye-line. Passive
Magic:
I'm walking down the streets of Daedalus. It had been 3 days since I levelled. To say the past few days had been hectic was an understatement.
Firstly, Brant had completely freaked out when he heard I could level up. I was happy that I had managed it even without knowing how to but apparently neither Penia nor I were properly reacting to this news.
According to Brant, the record of completing a level-up was in 18 months, let alone in under a year and I had done it in just under 9 months. Add on to the fact the youngest recorded level-up was the 12-year-old Ryu Lyon, who was also the previous record holder. Well, she was still the current record holder according to the records as Penia and Brant quickly agreed that this was to stay off the records. That was easy though as me and Penia hadn't registered as a proper Familia anyway, which was apparently news to Brant who sighed and went along with it.
Afterwards, I got Brant to explain to me how levelling up even happens. I remember every word he said but I didn't understand half of them, but it boiled down to accomplishing something amazing that someone of that strength shouldn't be able to accomplish. And beating that irregular was enough for me.
Honestly, I was glad that was enough because that was my limit of fighting capability, but that was probably why it was enough for my level-up.
After that, I had to make a decision. Apparently, for all level-ups, the adventurer gets something called a development ability. I only had two to pick from.
"Right, ya options are:
- Hunter
- Warrior
"Warrior?" Brant said confused.
"Something wrong Brant?" I asked. He was the one I was going to rely on for this decision as he knew more than me and Penia, who knew exactly nothing about all this.
"Well, I've heard of Hunter. It's the most common ability at level 2 and can only be acquired on your first level up. It's handy as it increases your stats when up against monsters who you have already beaten."
"That sounds really strong."
"Most development abilities are, they are your reward for levelling up,"
"So what's got ya so confused then?" Penia asked.
"Well I ain't ever 'eard of Warrior before, that's what's wrong."
I raise my eyebrow in confusion.
"So what, it's a rare one. That means it's good then?" Penia stated. She was starting to get back pain from being crouched for too long and her finger was starting to ache as well.
"No, it's more than rare, trust me. I've been around for a while, born and bred in Orario, and I've heard of the rare ones, even the spirit regen thing that Nine Hells has but this is something completely new and that means we don't know what it does. Wait, does it have a description?"
I could feel Penia squint at my back, trying to look for an explanation.
"Yeah, but it's short. All stats will increase when the user faces insurmountable odds."
"That sounds... really strong," Brant stated and I agreed. That means that if I fought that monster again but with this, I would've been given a boost to help beat it.
"You did say development abilities are meant to be strong," I mention as I can't help but smile giddily.
"So we agree we are going with this Warrior one?"
Brant ruffled his hair as he growled in his throat.
"S'ppose so, sounds like an upgrade on Hunter, to be honest. And if what happened is anything to go off, then the brat is gonna need something like that."
"Agreed."
"hey," I mumble at the comment.
I sigh as I recall the memory of Brant taking me to see Reg to inform him of the recent update. And I thought Brant's reaction was over the top. Reg's noise of surprise nearly brought his workshop to the ground with how much his booming voice rattled the wooden building. Though he did congratulate me and said we should celebrate soon, which I'm looking forward to.
He too was curious about my development ability but to be honest, I'm more excited about my new skill and especially my first magic spell. I can't wait to try it out.
The visit to the Astrea Familia was more awkward and unnerving as I had to go on my own. I easily remembered the way back, as I never forget directions.
To say none of them were surprised that the encounter itself was enough for the level up, but instead, it was the amount of time it took and the last update of my level 1 stats that got the stardust garden in uproar.
I met Neze, a 13-year-old wolf girl who stood a head taller than everyone else for the first time and our first conversation was about how I managed to do all this in such a short amount of time.
That was the problem, it didn't feel like a short amount of time, even though everyone was saying it was. I don't care if the last record holder took twice as long as me, even though I did feel bad for Ryu when she found out she was no longer the fastest. She did get the condolences that she is still the holder in the public eye but that apparently made it hollow, she had muttered while standing off in a corner with a depressed hazy look in her eyes as she soullessly nibbled on a sandwich. Though Astrea wasn't happy I was hiding from the Guild but she said that was a topic for another day and simply congratulated me.
'9 months. That's how long it took to go from 1 to 2. How long now from 2 to 3 and then 3 to 4.? The highest in Hera Familia was 9. And each level up is harder than the one before. No, 9 months was too slow and my abilities weren't even as high as they could be. I still had a long way to go."
I was still lost in thought as I navigated my way through Daedalus Street. For most, it would be a daunting task but with my memory and knowledge of the place, it was effortless. Currently, I was making my way to Mother Maria's place... back home. I decided she deserved to know about my level-up and that maybe this was enough proof to show that I was good enough now.
I just wanted any excuse now to be back with her.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear the sound of a girl talking in the distance. However, I quickly regained my attention as an overwhelming presence surrounded me, drowning me in its almighty strength. I looked up and hid behind some boxes. I was sweating profusely, barely able to breathe.
'What is this, what's going on?'
I then see a shadow appear out of nowhere. A hulking mass of muscle. I thought the irregular ape monster was strong but I could tell by a glance that this creature would make that monster vanish in an instant. My new develpoment ability was nowhere near enough to handle this either.
I had taken the back streets on purpose, not wanting to grab attention. I was never more grateful for my stealth skill than I was now, as that was the only thing keeping me safe from this being.
Bronze short hair with two ears nestled on top of his large head. His muscles bulged in his tight dark blue shirt. I couldn't help but stare in awe.
But then another movement appeared.
She was the complete opposite of the man standing there. A youngish woman with short grey hair tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing some weird green clothes and a white frill in her hair. Brown boots skipped on the ground as this girl, tiny in comparison, trotted up to the towering presence of whoever that was.
But then something weird happened. Something unexplainable. Something that made me lose concentration of even the man who had frozen me in place.
As the large man started to unravel a black cloak from underneath his arm, the woman began to... sparkle. It was the only way to describe the vision I was witnessing. As I remained hidden behind the boxes I was hanging onto for my life, the girl in the green clothes began to change.
She began to grow slightly, not just in her height but in her chest area and her hair began to grow longer too. Her facial features began morphing, getting slightly sharper and more refined.
Even though the transformation only took a few seconds, it felt like an eternity watching it. Before the large man wrapped the lady in the black cloak, I caught a glimpse, and that was all I needed.
My face flushed red at the sight. I had heard the terms cute, pretty and beautiful be thrown around but I never understood them. But now... now I did. While Amid may have been cute, Alise pretty and Astrea beautiful, this person far exceeded anything that could be described by words.
Just the sight of her made me lose focus. It made me forget what I was doing. It even made me forget that I had levelled up as my hand continued to squeeze the boxes.
*CRRRRRSHHHHH!*
Both the woman and the man had whipped their heads around at the sound. Before I even had the chance to run away or even curse at my recklessness, the man was there, behind me.
Stood only a metre away, I could feel his eyes, staring down at me with the intent of something I couldn't even imagine.
'h-how?'
He had been standing over 50 metres away. It almost appeared like he teleported. There was no way he was that fast. I could feel his eyes scan the area, bypassing me as I realised he couldn't see me as I was covered by my stealth skill and the single box I hadn't broken. That was the only thing keeping my stealth skill active, the only thing stopping his line of sight from seeing me. As soon as he took another step forward, he would look over the box and see me, cowering in fear.
I could feel my heart beat in my chest as I covered my mouth, stopping any noise from escaping. I curled up into a ball as I saw his shadow move slightly forward, though no sound was made, almost as if he was hunting me down.
I could feel tears begin to well up as I was on the verge of crying. I knew when he found me it was over. There was some secret there that I wasn't meant to see and by doing so, I was in grave danger.
"Ottar, do you see anything?"
Even the voice of the woman was otherworldly. Like it was sent from the heavens and was too good for the likes of me to hear it.
'Wait, did she just say Ottar?'
I knew that name. Every adventurer did and that only meant one thing. I was in even deeper shit than I was before. Because only one person in the city could command the Warlord, king of adventurers. The very pinnacle of strength.
"No, Lady Freya."
Name: Perseus
Age: 5
Lvl: 2
Str: I0
Def: I0
Dex: I0
Agi: I0
Mag: I0
Skill:
Stealth – Allows the user to go undetected when out of eye-line. Passive
Pain tolerance - Dulls pain. Activates after a threshold of pain is reached
Magic:
Chant - Bestow upon me the strength to beat my foe.
- Gift me the power to withstand their attacks.
- Absorb their strength and make it my own.
Another one down and the level up is done. Hope you are happy with his new skill and magic and it is one spell but also three, so only one slot is used.
Perseus' ending stats are pretty good after 9 months but he isn't satisfied but he is happy he's progressed, I hope you are happy for him.
Now we've dealt with one Goddess, another has entered but this time it is a lot worse.
Reviews:
cloudman3011 - Thanks, it's always tricky to right after a fight. And im sorry about Aiz not being the pair but she is Bell's and Perseus deserves his own love life.
korakovroman9 - Yes Amid's age was lowered but she is 17 in the books, 3 years old than Bell. With Percy getting one year on, she got one year down narrowing the age gap to 1 year. The support is appreciated.
Guest - HEERRRRRRREEEEESSSSSS MOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE... ok
Muhammed - Thanks and he might just be level 2
004 - Yeah I imagine Percy as a mini Alfia in some ways, especially in the future. And saying Percy is on dark souls mode, pretty much. Not saying Bell had an easy ride as he went through a lot in 6 months but Perseus is going thorugh something like that every 6 months for the next 10 years. So yh, he has worked a bit harder when they both meet in the future. And yes, the photographic memory is something I borrowed of the the promised neverland with Ray.
004 (review 2) - Nice and no this story will not be dropped, dont you worry. And his maturity is someting I need to handle properly. Too many fanfics and even proper anime/isekai have these kids of ages 6 and 7 act like adults and do stuff that those adults cant do and it's jsut boring to read and watch in my opinion so I'm trying to keep Perseus at a realistic place where he isn't stupid but is also jsut unaware of most things.
And with that, thanks for reading and I'll see ya later, Peace!