Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! After the failed raid on Knossos, the Loki Familia has to gather what they learned and reassess their next move against the Evilus remnants and the mysterious Enyo. Their members could also use a little down time to recover, while they still have the time to spare. Meanwhile, the Hestia Familia still wants to save Haruhime from the Ishtar Familia. With the backing of both the Freya Familia (should Hestia ask it of Freya) and the Loki Familia (both for their new partnership with the Hestia Familia and because they’re now certain that Ishtar Familia is involved) surely they can make a move to get the adorable Renard out of her slavery. The first ‘blow’ has already been launched though, and it’s a LEGAL one! The point of the ‘spear’ comes from Eina and the Guild instead of any force of Adventurers.
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Chapter 48 – Recovery and Investigations
The Twilight Manor, home of the Loki Familia, was a bit quieter than usual today, but not in a solemn manner, as one would expect if they’d lost members in the raid on Knossos. It was a restful quiet as everyone took some time to recover from the injuries and mental fatigue they’d sustained while in the manmade dungeon.
“Hah…” Tiona let out a relaxed sigh as she laid in the shade of a tree in the back garden. “I’m glad we all made it back.”
“Me too.” Ais agreed with a little smile as she leaned against the tree they were sitting under. Even her fight with the redheaded Creature…Tamer…whatever, hadn’t burdened her heart as much as she thought it would. Getting to see Bell right after that fight, to hug him, hold him, and take in his warmth, it had all gone a long way to snuffing out the ugly black flame of revenge in her heart once more. ‘It’s much easier to think and relax without the black flame…’ Ais thought to herself as a gentle breeze lightly brushed over her. Her new battle dress, gifted to her by Bell, had done exactly as her boyfriend had wanted and protected her from the cursed sword of the redheaded Creature, and that still warmed Ais’s heart even now.
Lefiya enjoyed watching Ais relax, a gentle smile on the Elf woman’s lips. “It was a terrifying experience…but because everyone worked together, and with the extra support we received, things went better than they could have gone.” She was still happy that she’d gotten to work together with Filvis too, even if they had a bit of an argument during the chaos of everything.
“We might’ve been pushed back this time. But we’ll come back at them even stronger next time. Especially since we know what we’re dealing with now.” Tione said with confidence as she laid on her side, her face propped up by her hand, her cheek resting in her palm as she looked at Tiona, Ais, and Lefiya. There was a soft and quiet happiness in her green eyes as the ones that she cared about were here with her to enjoy this down time.
Tiona smiled at her sister. “Heck yeah we will!” She sat up and looked at Ais and Lefiya. “Right after I get a new Urga!”
That made Lefiya, Ais and even Tione face fault.
“Idiot Tiona!” Tione sat up and lightly shoved her sister.
“But my last Urga got destroyed by that giant Demi-Spirit thing in Knossos! I can’t go charging back in there without a new, and even better, Urga!” Tiona declared with simple logic and a smile.
Ais couldn’t help it as a soft and warm laughter came from within while she smiled at the bickering sisters. Lefiya nearly swooned, but managed to keep her reaction to a bright smile and reddened cheeks. Tione and Tiona both blinked at Ais before smiling at their ‘third sister’ and how happy she was in this simple moment together.
The failed raid on Knossos had almost ended in tragedy; but with the help of Hestia Familia, everyone had made it back alive to have these simple and normal moments of peace again. It only made Tione, Tiona, and Ais love Bell all the more as he’d saved Line, Runi, Lloyd, Kalos, Anju, and Liza from a terrible death at the hands of Valletta Gerde. So, instead of mourning the loss of their friends and Familia members, they were enjoying a nice day of recuperation before they got back to figuring out how to deal with the Evilus remnants and the shadowy forces of the one called ‘Enyo’.
They had no idea that Line was currently a flustered, blushing mess in her room after finding ‘get well soon’ flowers left for her by Bete. The Werewolf having apparently dropped them off early in the morning before leaving the Twilight Manor to look for clues to finding the Evilus remnants…more specifically, Valletta Gerde; to make the psychotic bitch pay for what she’d done to the ‘weaklings’ of the Loki Familia.
“Oh, oh!” Tiona beamed brightly at the others. “Wanna hear something I overheard earlier?!” She asked while leaning forward a bit.
“What is it?” Lefiya leaned forward a little too, curious about what had Tiona smiling so much.
Ais nodded, her golden eyes filled with curiosity, as she leaned in.
Tione cocked an eyebrow at her sister. “Well?”
“While I was walking through the corridor to head for breakfast this morning, I heard Loki through the door to her office. She was super excited and said that Gareth was one step away from Leveling Up!” Tiona told them all, throwing her hands up in the air excitedly.
“Oh!” Ais looked amazed at the news.
Lefiya blinked once and then a little smile crossed her face. “That’s amazing. But after that fight against the Power Bull Demi-Spirit you told me about, it’s well-earned.”
Tione hummed thoughtfully. “So, I guess the old man is going to be Loki Familia’s first ever Level 7, huh?” Given that she still challenged Gareth to spars on occasion, that would only make him a tougher opponent. “It’s going to be even harder to defeat him if he Levels Up. I just got to Level 6…so who knows how long it’ll take to reach Level 7.” The challenge of surpassing Gareth would get more difficult, but that only made Tione’s Amazon blood surge with determination to overcome that wall and reach the goal she’d been aiming for since she’d first been defeated and joined Loki Familia all those years ago.
“Right?!” Tiona giggled playfully. “We’ll have to work even harder if we want to catch up!”
“Level 7…” Ais said with a little hum as she thought about Gareth’s potential Level Up soon. She’d also become Level 6 not very long ago, her stats were currently still in the ‘I’ range, though they were close to reaching ‘H’ after the battles in Knossos.
Lefiya considered her own postponed Level Up as she was trying to increase her Magic stat to reach ‘S’ rank at the very least before she ascended to Level 4. ‘Perhaps I should increase my own training… I can’t hold those precious to me back in the coming battles!’ She resolved herself to improve further so that she got the most that she could from her Level 3 Status before Leveling Up and gaining the boost that would come as a Level 4.
-Hearth Household-
It was a lazy morning for the Hestia Familia, all of the members taking some time before they got busy again working to save Haruhime from the Ishtar Familia.
“Mmm…” Lili hummed softly, contentedly, as she snuggled with Bell in the master bedroom. They were the only two still in bed as Hestia had gotten up to make breakfast a bit ago and Eina had gotten up and dressed for work, leaving warm kisses on Bell and Lili’s lips. Then she’d headed down to get another delicious breakfast before she left for work.
“Love you, Lili.” Bell said softly as he held Lili’s soft body flush against his and placed a gentle kiss atop her head.
Lili smiled in bliss as she left a soft kiss on Bell’s chest. “Love you too, Bell.” There was nowhere else she’d rather be at the moment; she was warm, happy, and oh so comfortable.
As the two cuddled together, Bell ran his hand up and down Lili’s back, enjoying the soft feeling of her loose pajama top against his palm. The two weren’t naked, though Bell was sleeping shirtless, but that only made the cuddling all the more lovey-dovey. Just two people who loved each other and were spending a lazy morning lying in bed together. There weren’t any thoughts of this snuggle time becoming sexual in their minds, the two just wanting to be close and relax in each other’s arms.
As he lay there, warm and comfortable, Bell thought back to last night when Hestia had given him a Status Update.
-Flashback-
Hestia was straddling Bell’s hips as he lay on his stomach in their bed. The familiar blue-white glow of the Falna was illuminating the area as Hestia watched Bell’s Excelia from his fight with the crazed Valletta Gerde. “I was already worried about this raid…but seeing you fight someone to protect others is so like you, Bell.” Hestia said with a half-smile as she reached the end of the Excelia.
“I just wanted to do everything I could to prevent Cassandra’s bad dream from coming true.” Bell said as he lay on the bed and let Hestia continue the update.
Hestia smiled and softly ran her hands over Bell’s shoulders, squeezing them gently. ‘That’s another thing to look into though. Could THAT be what Cassandra’s strange, undecipherable Skill actually is? Some kind of prophetic ability?’ That only brought up even MORE questions though as such an ability was more likely to be divine in origin than not.
Bell hummed at Hestia’s gentle massage of his shoulders. “I’m just glad that I got there in time.”
“That woman was truly twisted. I’d rather you not make enemies of people like that, if possible.” Hestia lightly fretted over what kind of enemies Bell could be making by helping the Loki Familia deal with these Evilus remnants and those that worked for a mysterious figure that was hidden even further in the shadows. The ‘children’ that followed ‘Evil Gods’ almost always tended to be the worst of the worst from everything that she’d heard from Hephaestus and Freya, both of whom had been around and had their own ‘children’ fight in the Great Feud years ago.
“There was something very…off about her.” Bell agreed as he recalled the sick pleasure that the woman—Valletta Gerde, according to Finn—had clearly been getting from beating on the already injured and exhausted Loki Familia members. ‘She’s a Level 5…but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got to protect my Familia!’ He wouldn’t back down if that mad woman tried to come after him or his family.
Hestia moved the Excelia over into the Basic Abilities and watched the number rise considerably. “Such selfless acts of heroism in the face of insurmountable odds do make a difference.” She placed a blank paper onto Bell’s back once the numbers stopped increasing. “But you wouldn’t be my Bell if you weren’t such a Hero.” She said with love and affection as she copied the new Status with a twirl of her fingertip.
“Thank you, Hestia.” Bell smiled warmly over his shoulder at Hestia, even as he took the paper from her. It was always made warmth flow through him when someone he loved saw his actions as those of a Hero. His goal seemed just a tiny bit closer to being reality as he continued to do what he could for those around him. “Let’s see…”
-Status-
Bell Cranel
Level 3
Strength – I 43 > H 102
Defense – I 40 > H 100
Dexterity – I 45 > H 106
Agility – I 47 > H 110
Magic – I 42 > H 103
-Magic-
Firebolt
Vesta Enhance
Enchant Magic – Incantation: ‘Rise’
(Increases all Basic Abilities for five minutes. Then can’t be cast for five minutes after the increase wears off. Effect rises based on the Magic Stat.)
Thunderbolt
-Skills-
Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s feelings.
Dual Wield – Significantly increases Strength and Dexterity when wielding a weapon in each hand.
Argonaut – Executes automatically after charging from active actions.
Heroic Will – Raises Stats when the user refuses to give up in the face of adversity. Those with lower Stats see the user as near unassailable.
Dragon Slayer – Heavily increases all abilities when fighting Reptilian Monsters, massively increases all abilities when fighting Dragon Type Monsters, potentially making the user stronger than their actual Level when fighting them. Passive.
-Developmental Abilities-
Luck – H
Hunter – I
Anomalous Resistance – I
-Status-
“That’s more than I was expecting.” Bell admitted as he saw that each of his Basic Abilities had reach ‘H’ rank from his fight with Valletta.
Hestia locked up Bell’s Falna securely, making the glow fade away, before running her hands over his back. “Your desires and dreams resonate with your determination and feelings, and through your Skill that increases both how much you grow and how fast that growth is. Fighting a Level 5 in a life-and-death battle to protect others, like a Hero, seems to have increased the amount of Excelia you gained.” She told him with a warm and loving smile as she lightly massaged his back.
Bell relaxed into the bed more, the tension slowly releasing from his muscles under Hestia’s soft hands. “Love you, Hestia.” He let out a sigh of relief, not having realized just how much stress his body had accumulated from such a fairly short exchange.
“Love you too. Just let me take care of you, Bell.” Hestia said, her voice warm and soft as she massaged Bell’s back to soothe his body and loosen up his tense body.
-End Flashback-
Lili hummed lowly as she snuggled into Bell a little more, if that was even possible. “Lili could stay here all day…”
Bell chuckled softly, continuing to gently rub her back as he held her. “I don’t think we can stay all day…but a little bit longer would be fine.” He softly nuzzled her hair, making Lili giggle a little at the simple affection.
In the smithy that had been built for Welf, the blacksmith was spending his day off performing basic maintenance of the Hestia Familia’s equipment. For him, the simple and familiar motions were almost as relaxing as going to a spa would be.
“The Goliath Armor held up well, even against a Level 5.” Welf smiled at his creation, only a bit of scuffing on the vambrace that Bell had mentioned blocking a kick with. “But we’ll eventually need even better equipment.” He thought aloud while checking over Zan Kyojin’s blade, which had been embedded in a brick wall after Bell threw it at his opponent. “Just a little sharpening for you.” Welf prepared the whetstone, but glanced over at the destroyed Kokutogenishiki in the corner of the smithy. “Speaking of better equipment… I’ll need to make sure that Sandai Kokutoge is much better than its predecessors.” He chuckled lightly to himself at how much he was getting to work with his Blacksmith Developmental Ability since joining the Hestia Familia. Deciding to focus on that a bit later, Welf sat down and set his mind to sliding the edge of the Zan Kyojin along the whetstone, his experience with the process made a smooth sound fill the smithy as he worked in peace.
Daphne was lying on the couch, stretched out in her pajamas, reading one of Hestia’s many books as she was able to actually enjoy a day off without having any work that needed to be done weighing on her mind. ‘This is a welcome change from Apollo Familia. When was the last time that I was just able to be lazy?’ She mentally wondered while flipping to the next page in the book. The smell of breakfast filling the air made her stomach rumble. Daphne’s golden eyes glanced over the top of her book and towards the kitchen door, knowing that Cassandra was helping Hestia with the cooking this morning.
In the kitchen, Cassandra was minding a simple vegetable soup while watching Hestia cook next to her. “You’re so skilled, Goddess.” She complimented her new patron Deity.
“Thank you, Cassandra.” Hestia smiled brightly at the compliment. “For this part, you want the onions to turn golden before you remove them from the pan.” She showed Cassandra how the onions had browned in the pan on the stove. “Then you remove them, and add the meat.” She placed a few good-sized cuts of meat in the pan to cook in the light oil and the flavor of the onions that had been browned previously. “That’ll impart a bit more flavor to the meat.”
“I see.” Cassandra nodded as she listened to the meat sizzle and watched Hestia’s movements. “Is this when you add the spices?”
Hestia smiled, but shook her head once. “Not just yet. If you cook herbs and spices too long, then they’ll lose their flavor.”
Cassandra didn’t know that and made sure to remember it for the future when she helped out in the kitchen. “That’s why we only put salt and pepper on the meat before it went into the pan, right?”
“Exactly!” Hestia smiled brightly at Cassandra. “While the meat is cooking, we’ll take the browned onions and add them to some scrambled eggs.” She pulled over another pan, showing her expertise in the kitchen, and easily cracked a few eggs into it once it reached a proper temperature. “You want to keep them moving so that they get fluffy.” Hestia showed Cassandra how to move the eggs around the pan to make scrambled eggs. “Then, once they’re fluffy, you add the onions we browned earlier!” She took the onions and added them to the eggs, then mixed them together.
“It smells good…” Cassandra hummed happily as she breathed in the aroma of the food.
While breakfast was being prepared, Mikoto was in her room, looking out the window at the people happily starting their days in the Hearth District. She was trying to be patient, knowing that Eina had brought the issue of Haruhime up to her superiors at the Guild. But that was getting harder for her as time passed; the desire to see her childhood friend again…to apologize for not being there back then…grew and gnawed at her from inside.
“Haruhime-dono…” Mikoto let out a heavy sigh, wondering how her friend was doing right now. “We’ll save you soon, one way or another.” She promised both herself, and her friend that was trapped within the Pleasure District. They had the backing of the Loki Familia after helping them with their raid on the strange place called Knossos; so there shouldn’t be a force within Orario that could stop them from freeing Haruhime if things came down to a fight.
“Let’s go!”
“Wait for me!”
“Slowpoke!”
“I’m gonna get there first!”
Mikoto looked down at the street in front of the Hearth Household and couldn’t help but smile a little as she saw a group of young children running towards the park at the corner. A few adults walked at a more sedate pace behind the rushing children, clearly their parents, and the family scene reminded Mikoto of all the things that had changed for herself recently. “I’m sure that Haruhime-dono would love this place too.” That made Mikoto think about all the things she wanted to show Haruhime as soon as possible once they freed her from Ishtar Familia. Takemikazuchi-sama and their friends from the Far East, Hestia and everyone in her current Familia, the many sights and notable landmarks of Orario as well.
For the first time since learning of Haruhime’s location, Mikoto’s mood had improved and become more positive. The subtle warmth and reassurance of Hestia’s Domain of Family helping Mikoto look forward to the good that would come soon enough.
-Hearth District Market-
Syr and Ryu were doing some morning shopping for the Hostess of Fertility; just to restock on essentials and get a few groceries for the kitchen. Noticing Ryu’s eyes glancing in the direction of the Hearth Household, Syr couldn’t help but grin at her friend.
“Did you want to stop by and see Bell, Ryu?” Syr asked playfully.
Ryu turned to face Syr so quickly that the other waitress blinked in surprise. “N-No!” The pink on Ryu’s cheeks was adorable as she was caught pining for her boyfriend. “We’re here to shop and Mama Mia will get annoyed if we take too long.”
Syr giggled behind her hand at Ryu’s cute denial. “But it’s only a short trip to the Hearth District market, much closer than the other markets we used to go to, so we’d have time for a quick visit.” She pointed out that the Hearth District, being literally down the street from the Hostess of Fertility, had become the tavern’s go to market for supplies and groceries since it was so close. “I won’t tell Mama Mia if you don’t~”
“W-We should focus on our task…” Ryu said after a moment, her pink cheeks were now compounded in cuteness by her lightly wiggling ears.
A large group of Goibniu Familia workers walking along the same street got both Ryu and Syr’s attention, both from the size of the group, and the noise they made as several of the men and women from the Smithing and Architecture Familia bought their breakfasts from one of the food stalls along the market street.
“What’s on the schedule for today?” One burly Boaz man asked a woman with a clipboard in one hand and a steaming flask of what smelled like coffee in her other hand.
The woman, dressed in the same workmen’s clothes as the rest of the group, looked over the paperwork before speaking. “Lots fifty-six and fifty-seven need to be finished. But that’s already partially done, we just need to demolish the last of the old structures and then clear them out. Should be done by lunch time.” She flipped the paper with her thumb, showing years of experience of handling the paperwork with one hand. “Lots fifty-eight and fifty-nine are going to be a pain though…they’re the largest in this section of the district.”
The Boaz man nodded and took a bite of his large sandwich that was still hot from the stall he’d bought it from down the street. “They had a plan for one of the bigger lots, right?” He asked after swallowing his food.
“Yeah…there’s a note.” The woman squinted her eyes to read the small writing. “Goddess Hestia wants to build a school…I think? I can barely read Derren’s handwriting when he writes small like this.” She flipped the paper back down onto the clipboard before taking a drink of her coffee. “Still, the Goddess thinks of everything, it seems.” She said with a smile, watching some kids playing in the nearby park. “With all these little ones around, they’ll need a school here.”
As the group of Goibniu Familia workers continued on towards their current work site, Syr looked thoughtfully at the backs of the group and then around at the various children she could see in the Hearth District. ‘Hmm, perhaps I could bring up the idea of moving Maria’s orphanage to the Hearth District with Hestia? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind giving orphans a place to call home.’ She thought to herself with a small smile, knowing that a new building for the orphanage, parks to play in with other children, and even a future school would do wonders for Maria’s work of raising the often forgotten children left behind in Orario when their Adventurer parents died in the Dungeon.
“Syr?” Ryu looked at her friend, seeing Syr lost in thought. “Are you alright?”
“Just perfect, Ryu.” Syr smiled brightly at the Elf woman. “Let’s get the shopping done.” Ryu agreed with a nod as they walked towards a large green grocer shop to purchase vegetables. “And once we’re done, we’ll stop by the Hestia Familia home on the way back!”
Ryu’s face turned red at that declaration. “Syr…”
-Hearth Household-
Breakfast had just finished up and after plenty of thanks to Hestia and Cassandra for cooking, Lili, Daphne, and Welf agreed to help with the dishes, letting Hestia, Cassandra, and Bell relax.
A knock on the front door got Bell’s attention and he walked over to see who had come to their home. “Hello…” Bell’s greeting trailed off as he saw Ryu and Syr standing there with grocery bags in their arms. “Good morning, Ryu.” He smiled warmly at his girlfriend. “Good morning, Miss Syr.”
“Good morning, Bell.” Ryu smiled back, even with her cheeks a rosy pink and her ears just slightly wiggling from happiness.
“Good morning.” Syr said brightly with a smile. “Would Goddess Hestia be available to talk for a moment? I had something to ask her about.”
Hestia, hearing her name, walked over to the front door. “Ryu and Miss Syr?” She looked between the two young women and bid them to come inside. “Come in, put those bags down for a minute.” She welcomed them into her home with warmth and hospitality.
Bell gently took the grocery bags from Ryu’s arms and set them aside. Once his hands were free again, he softly took Ryu’s hands into his and looked into her blue eyes. “I’m glad to see you so early today, Ryu.”
“I’m glad too.” Ryu said as she enjoyed Bell’s hands holding hers. A moment later and she wrapped her arms around Bell’s waist, pulling him into a hug. “Mmm…” She hummed happily when Bell’s arms wrapped around her and held her close.
“Ryu…” Bell whispered, getting Ryu to look at him. He kissed her lips softly and Ryu instantly melted into it, pressing herself flush against Bell as she kissed him back.
Syr giggled quietly, nearly reveling in the true love she was seeing between Ryu and Bell, before she turned her attention to Hestia with a smile. “Goddess, I had a thought while shopping in the market this morning, and I was hoping that you might hear me out?”
Hestia broke her gaze from looking at Bell and Ryu sharing their love together and smiled at Syr. “I don’t mind. What’s your idea, Miss Syr?”
“I know a woman named Maria that runs an orphanage in the southeast of Orario. It’s in a fairly rundown section of the city and not the best place for growing children.” Syr explained the current situation. “I was wondering, though I don’t know if it would fit in with your plans for the Hearth District, if you might consider building an orphanage here for Maria and the children to relocate to.”
“An orphanage, huh?” Hestia didn’t dislike the idea at all. She’d ensured that parks for children to play would be within the Hearth District from the very beginning. With families moving in and starting the next part of their lives under her ‘domain’ it only made sense to also make plans for a school to be built as well. ‘I hadn’t thought about an orphanage though. It wouldn’t hurt to give those little ones left behind a place to call home, a warm hearth to gather round, and a place to become family.’ Her Domain Divinity swelled just slightly as she thought about it and a warm and gentle smile crossed her lips. “I think we can do that easily.” She looked up slightly at Syr, her blue eyes warm and curious. “How many children does this Maria have under her care? I’d like to meet her and the little ones too.”
Syr placed her hands together and beamed at Hestia. “Thank you very much, Goddess Hestia!” She began to tell Hestia about Maria’s orphanage and the children the woman was taking care of, as well as her hopes for Hestia and Maria to meet soon.
It was several minutes later that Syr and Ryu left the Hearth Household and were walking back towards the Hostess of Fertility together, their arms once more ladened with their grocery bags. Ryu had a beautiful little smile on her face and was practically walking on air, which seemed to catch the attention of more than a few people walking on West Main street this morning.
“Told you it would be fine to have a short visit.” Syr playfully teased Ryu as they walked down the street.
“Yeah…” Ryu’s almost absent response showed just how happy she was, still lost in an adorable lovey-dovey fog after spending time with Bell.
Syr couldn’t cover her mouth with her hands, both carrying grocery bags, so her beautiful laughter rang out in the morning air. ‘There’s nothing better than true love~’ She thought to herself happily, nearly able to feel the love that Ryu had for Bell just by standing next to her friend.
-Guild-
Rhemer, the Guild Section Chief, handed an official envelope, bearing the Guild’s emblem, to one of the most trusted and taciturn staff that he had available. “Deliver this to Ishtar Familia. Let them know that it’s highly urgent that their Goddess see it immediately.”
The older man, his expression serious and seemingly unshakeable, nodded as he accepted the official letter. “I’ll take care of it, sir.”
“Don’t linger too long, you know what the Ishtar Familia is like.” Rhemer reminded the other man.
“I’ll take a few others with me, just in case.” The man nodded to his superior before walking off to grab a few other Guild employees to go with him to the Pleasure District long before it normally opened. It was best to go now, during the Guild’s normal hours of operation and the Pleasure District’s downtime, mostly to avoid all the crowds and confusion that the night brought to the redlight district.
Eina watched from her desk as the group of five left the Guild building not too long later. “This is all I can do for Miss Mikoto’s friend…and for Bell.” She said quietly to herself, gently resting her hand on her lower tummy. “Hopefully, this can be resolved without your papa having to get physically involved this time.” But knowing Ishtar Familia, that wasn’t the most likely outcome.
“Eina!” Misha called out to her friend with a bright smile. “Tea?” She offered Eina a warm cup of green tea. “No caffeine for you…Miss Mama.” She playfully teased with a laugh.
“Thank you, Misha.” Eina accepted the cup of tea, making sure Misha saw her eye roll at the light teasing. “What do you think are the odds of Ishtar Familia cooperating with another Guild investigation?”
Misha didn’t even pretend to think. “Zero. Probably less than that, even.” She deadpanned; everyone in the Guild knew what the Ishtar Familia was like and what had happened five years ago.
-Belit Babili ~ Ishtar’s Room-
In the late morning, Tammuz Belili knelt before his Goddess after presenting her with a letter from the Guild. He kept his head bowed as Ishtar broke the wax seal bearing the Guild’s emblem and pulled the letter from the envelope. Her deep amethyst eyes moved across the paper as she read…only for her gaze to sharpen and become angry as she finished reading the official letter.
“What is this?!” Ishtar nearly roared as she almost crushed the paper in her hands. “An investigation?! Who would DARE to make a claim that I’m falsifying my Familia’s information after how I handled things five years ago!” She’d hunted down the five other Goddesses of the Pleasure District and sent each and every one of them back to Tenkai for DARING to oppose her. Yet here in front of her eyes was another official notice of investigation…though this time it wasn’t for failing to report Level Ups, but for suspicion of having undocumented Familia members. The Guild was treating this as a case of potential tax evasion…similar to what they’d done before, but for a different kind of ‘failure to report’ than back then. “Who could they possibly think I’m hiding?” It WAS true that she was hiding Haruhime…but outside of her own Familia, no one else in Orario even knew Haruhime existed as more than another prostitute in the Pleasure District.
“Goddess, forgive me, but could this be related to the incident with Rabbit Foot from a while back?” Tammuz offered up a possible explanation, despite his Goddess’s anger.
Ishtar’s eyes widened just slightly before narrowing again. “That night…” She recalled it and the commotion that had been made when the ‘Slayer of the Sun’ had escaped from this very building. “They never did catch Rabbit Foot, and I was too busy with my meeting with Hermes.” A dark smirk crossed her lips as she recalled a valuable piece of information she’d gotten from the Messenger God after taking him to her bed. “Ah, but that bitch does have some affection and care for Bell Cranel, doesn’t she?” She pulled the half crushed paper open again, reading over it once more with a slightly clearer mind now that she’d reined in her anger a bit. “There’s not much time before the Guild investigates, but I’ve already overcome their inquiries before and turned them to my advantage. I’ll just need to do it again.”
Tammuz bowed his head again. “As you wish, Goddess.”
“The ritual will be held soon enough.” Ishtar stated with a self-assured grin. “Once we settle the Guild’s suspicions and demand compensation again, I’ll have perfect cause to go on the warpath once more.” Her War Domain slipped into her Divine Aura, and Tammuz suddenly felt like sharp spears were lightly poking into his flesh from all angles. “And I know exactly how to get that arrogant bitch to accept my challenge this time around!” Ishtar’s eyes glowed with a faint light at finally being able to force Freya’s hand. The other Goddess of Beauty wouldn’t be able to just smirk and brush her off this time! “Tammuz, gather the Berbera! I’ve come up with a new plan, and the first step is to abduct Bell Cranel!”
-End Chapter-
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Ishtar…you’re about to jump on a landmine with BOTH feet.
Well, hubris goes before the fall, is an old saying for a reason.
The Loki Familia and Hestia Familia both get some downtime after the failed raid on Knossos. Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya rest and recuperate while talking about Gareth being close to Leveling Up and becoming Loki Familia’s first ever Level 7!
Good for our Dwarf ‘uncle’, right? Kek!
Hestia Familia has a nice lazy morning, with Lili getting to spend extra time cuddling with Bell in their bed. Happy little Prum bean!
The Hearth District creates new places of home and business, meaning that a market opened up REALLY close to the Hostess of Fertility! Ryu and Syr go there for morning shopping and overhear some of the plans for the Hearth District’s continued development.
That gives Syr an idea! Well, two ideas…one to tease Ryu about going to see Bell; but the other is to move Maria’s orphanage, a place that Syr visits on her time off, to the Hearth District so that the children there will have a warm, safe, and kind place to call home. Syr can be quite the adorable heccin’ bean when she wants to be!
Hestia likes that idea…and Bell likes seeing Ryu and giving her love and affection…so it’s quickly agreed upon that one of the lots being cleared out and then rebuilt will become a new orphanage for Maria and the little ones!
With Ishtar making a plan to abduct Bell, unknowing that Hestia Familia has the support of the Loki Familia (who are ALREADY certain that Ishtar Familia has something to do with Knossos and the Evilus remnants), neither does she know that Freya and Hestia have become friends, and Ishtar is definitely unaware of just WHO Bell’s lovers are…will she start a fight that her Familia has no chance of winning?
Keep reading to find out!
Let me know what you thought!
Until next time, later!