A Meeting well delayed (Patreon)

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/A few hours later…/

/Crunch… Step…/

"Huff… Huff… Are we getting there? Or do we have to climb more?" Hestia asked as she cleared some sweat from her forehead

"Well..."

"Stop being so dramatic, we barely walked anything, Silver carried us most of the way." Artemis replied as she looked at Hestia

"As I was..."

"You're one to talk! Back in Heaven I..."

"Just lazed about? Yeah, we know."

"We should be..."

"#!! What about you? Was your pass time to shoot up Gods with your bow?!"

"T-That was because they were a nosy bunch."

/Chatter.../

"Ahem!"

""...""

"If this 'map' is precise, then we should be getting close.

"And I mean it this time." Silver said as he looked at the parchment his grandfather had left behind for him

"Just one more mountain to climb and we should reach the plateau the Village is located at."

I think I can even see it from here, the mountains look old around here, and it seems like there's a valley up front.

We walked about fifteen Kilometers across the forest North of the Village before entering the mountains again.

From there, it was another fortyish-Kilometers to eventually reach the depths of the Beol Mountains.

We climbed a few mountains to get here and the last one was pretty much a precipice.

It's nothing complicated for adventurers to climb but the last mountain was a hurdle in itself, not something my parents should be able to climb...

How did they make their way up here? Were they carried like bags?

But how did my grandparents even know of this place?

It seems unlikely this came from my mother's side of the family... But I don't know much about my grandparents from my father's side.

They were adventurers at some point, something that led to a whole heap of trouble, but I don't know much about their actual lives, such as who their parents were and what they did.

They usually didn't tell many stories about their own lives... I should ask them about it when we meet again.

Maybe this Village is the one they grew up in?

Or a place they stumbled upon during their active years...

Well… It's quite a hidden place, so it's hard to say they just found out about it by luck while traveling.

They must've known how to reach it for quite a while, maybe they met someone who was born here...

Nonetheless, the details on this map are vague at best, so much so I got lost trying to track it.

Most of the hidden paths meant to ease the journey just ended up being glossed over due to this. I don't know where half of them even are.

I just brute-forced my way through the terrain… It worked, but it didn't help with my headache trying to pinpoint our location.

If I couldn't fly this journey would've been a complete nightmare.

Still, if I compare this map to my understanding of the region… Hum… There is a chance there is a path connecting to one of the main roads passing through the Middle of the Beol Mountains...

Assuming the Village is around here that is, otherwise I can only say the Villagers live in complete and utter isolation, which isn't quite far from my assumptions.

"Well then, shall we?" Artemis asked as she turned to Silver

"Of course." He replied with a smirk as he snapped his fingers

/Tremble…/

'The ground underneath them parted open and a rock dist formed, slowly ascending the mountain's side.'

"Urg…" Hestia said as she clung to Silver

I hate this... It makes me feel nauseous...

"..."

'He said nothing, letting the fearful Goddess hold onto him as he hugged her back.'

"I'm scared too~" Artemis said playfully as she held onto his arm as well

"..."

As if, you can jump and backflip with a bow tensioned and fire an arrow at an ant 100 meters away without missing it, as if this confuses you...

But I'll allow it... I quite like her shampoo.

It's the one I gave her during our last date.

'Rolling his eyes, they soon reached the top of the mountain, and from there on, they ventured into the valleys and rivers beyond the mountain peaks.'

…

/Meanwhile…/

"Huff… Huff…"

"U-Uncle… I-I can't… Breathe..."

"Just one more lap Kiddo, you won't cut it without some stamina, you need to be able to outrun a flying Wyvern, so don't waste your breath."

"Urg!..."

'Somewhere next to a calm and peaceful Village surrounded by golden wheat fields that waved in and out on the horizon, a man could be seen training a young silver-haired boy under the mild sun of the afternoon…'

/Chatter…/

/Din!/

"Hm?"

'As the boy vanished into the distance, running around a farm field, the man training him heard chattering coming from a house nearby, together with the clear chime of what seemed to be a bell.'

'When he turned his head to take a look, he was met with the face of a somewhat young, red-haired woman in her middle to late 30s, holding a small baby in her arms with a gentle smile on her face.'

"Dinner is ready, are you two still training?" She asked lightly to not wake up the baby

"Almost done, besides, you can't even call this training, I'm only having the boy run a few laps across a farm field, compared to our boy…"

/Tap!/

'Angered, the woman tapped her hand on the window's frame, giving the man a momentary scare as he was startled.'

"You can't keep comparing that kid to him! It's not healthy for his self-esteem!"

"I've been telling you this for months, if he hears you one of these days do you even know what could happen?"

"I… I didn't mean it that way though…" The man said awkwardly as he touched the back of his head

"Doesn't matter, just be more careful okay? He's such a lovely boy, don't break his dreams!"

"If I hear you saying that again I'll tell that to your mother!"

"It was never my intention… A-And please don't..."

I'm doing this because I want him to succeed, Okay?!

If you want to complain you should talk to your parents, they are much heavier than I am…

The most I do is help in the fields and run around with weights... While they...

'Although he wanted to say those words to his wife, the man eventually closed his mouth as he let out a sigh.'

'In truth, the boy had already ended the training a while ago, he was the one who had been pushing the boy to run more.'

'Over the months, he had been watching the boy's training.'

'At first, it was because he felt a bit lonely, without his son running around doing things all they long, and the fact most of his old friends were now far away, he didn't have many to talk with to pass the time.'

'Most of the Villagers seemed to fear him in a way, his wife said it was because of his strong body, beard, and sharp eyes which made him look intimidating.'

'In a way, his son inherited this gaze from him, which was quite problematic.'

'It was good with the ladies as it made him look tough, but he was a married man with children...'

'So he ended up training the lad when the latter came to him looking out for stories, and he ended up telling him tales of his son growing up.'

'How he used to strike trees with a wooden knife to how he used to see him forge, the way he read books and painted portraits of both him and his wife...'

'Then, he came to learn of the boy's dream and aspirations, and in a sense, he saw his son in him... So he began training him, trying to push him to a path he thought may aid him in persuing said goal.'

'And he only had one word to describe him:'

'Talentless.'

'He didn't know if it was because he grew up with an irregular child, but this boy couldn't hold a candle to the matureness of his oldest son.'

'The boy was a complete mess.'

'Cowardly, overly weak, even for his age, timid, frail… He even looked somewhat feminine.'

'Though as his wife would say it, he's cute.'

'Nonetheless... Several traits unsuitable for what the boy wished to become…'

'He didn't think it was the boy's fault though, it was definitely the Villager's fault.'

'There were little to no children in this Village as it was occupied of mostly elderly people or very young children who were too little to understand things.'

'There was a generation gap between them, and this poor child was all alone, because of this, all adults dote greatly on him, causing him to grow extremely dependent on them.'

'At the cost of some of his sense of individuality... But still, there was something there, hidden within him...'

'He knew it would be hard to change those, however, one step at a time, he would do his best to help him achieve his dream.'

'And as the days passed, he learned one thing… The fact the boy had the determination to pursue his goals.'

'He may be weak and frail, and rather unmanly for a twelve-year-old, yet here he was running beyond his limits.'

'When they just started, the boy could barely run a bit around the farmfield before panting, after a while, he began to run a full lap.'

'It was a good way to expend his energy before a big meal during dinner.'

'Nevertheless, one lap became three, five, and eventually, the boy began to run ten laps at the same time he used to run five… But that became his limit.'

'Right now, he was on his twentieth lap, he was slow, his steps were heavy, he wasa stumbling down every rock on his way, falling and hitting his face in the mud...'

'But he kept running as if there was something at the end of it.'

'What could that be? Only he could answer, but as long as he had that vision imprinted at the back of his eyes...'

/CRACK!!!/

"?!"

'Suddenly, the sound of something breaking echoed inside the house behind the man.'

"Rubia? Is everything okay back there?" He asked as turned his head

/Silence…/

'No reply.'

"Rubia?..."

/Crying…/

She's crying?!

'Concerned, the man got up from his position, quickly walking to the window and eventually into the house's entrance where he saw what was going on.'

"!"

So that's…

'There, he saw his wife holding a man tightly, a man taller than himself, stronger too… But very much like him.'

'Quite young, handsome too, clearly awkward at the intense display of affection being thrown at him.'

'It could only be one person, his son.'

"Mom... You're choking me, I'm not going to vanish okay?" Silver replied with a smile as he hugged his mother back

"You already did so before, not again." She said as tears rolled in her eyes

/Crunch.../

'She gripped him even tighter.'

"..."

She's being so dramatic… Oh...

That has always been the case.

/Sniff sniff…/

'She was crying soo hard her eyes and nose turned red, causing Silver to have the urge to cry a bit too...'

'But he knew that if he did so, she would only cry harder so he held it in for now.'

"You grew so much… Look at you, was city life hard?" She asked as she touched his face

"Did you eat well? Live well? Was it easy to find work? How is that going?..."

"Cough, I only have one mouth…"

"The city life itself wasn't that complicated, finding work was pretty simple and I can say I'm stable now, I already own a house and have enough money to go by pretty well."

"That's great! I can tell you've been eating well and… What's this?" She asked as she looked at his arm

'There was a small scar on his elbow, it wasn't very noticeable but for her, it was very apparent.'

'He didn't have such a thing before he left!!'

"Just a small scar, work-related injury…"

"Work? Oh no you… Didn't you want to become an Adventurer? Oh no, oh no…"

"Mother, calm down, it's really nothing special, this is the biggest thing I ever had…"

I miscalculated, I forgot I had such an inconsequential scar there.

And for her to have noticed it...

At least I know that the news of my accomplishments hasn't reached their ears, at least my grandparents kept things somewhat discreet if she's unaware of things.

It's better this way, I was expecting a much more exaggerated reaction...

"Take off your shirt."

"Wh… That's not proper…"

"Take off your shirt, I won't repeat it again."

"..."

'As she demanded, Silver took off his shirt, but as he said, there were no other glaring scars on his body, if there were any, it would be small and imperceptible to the Human eye.'

'But not to that of a mother's.'

'The truth was that he hid most of it, several of the small scars that had become part of his skin.'

'He could remove them at any time but he usually kept them for certain reasons.'

'For once, they were reminded of his mistakes, and at the same time, they looked a bit cool, he thought so at least.'

'And lastly, he usually kept them for when he did his small "operation" before leveling up since it was then when he would cause his body to go through a permanent change.'

'He could heal himself whenever, but continuously changing his skin permanently, altering its constitution wasn't something he thought healthy, so he preferred to do it all at once to reduce other permanent side effects if there were any… Though that was something he would have to wait and see to understand.'

'Healing his scar involved fixing the way his skin healed itself, and albeit a rather simple task, it could take some time if he wished to do it while avoiding potential serious repercussions.'

'There was no proper way to understand how his body-alterating shenanigans would end up clashing with the Blessing of his Goddess... And last time he tried something new, he gained a new Skill.'

'That may sound beneficial, but Skills are merely manifestations of a person's inner potential, they can be both beneficial and harmful. Potentially even terminal...'

'Nonetheless, it's not like that's a permanent solution, as over time, while many of his scars were removed, a few remained, and eventually, more appeared…'

'He would receive a bigger injury, heal it, and a scar would be covered by another, or vanish all-together as he healed his lost flesh back.'

'What would be the point of nitpicking them every time? It would only add to his stress.'

'That in itself is concerning, but so is the life of an adventurer, especially one as reckless as he was, this wasn't common, at all, Silver likely suffered as many injuries as an entire Large Familia would daily... If not on a monthly one...'

'Every time he descends to the Dungeon.'

'Monsters were nasty creatures, some possessed extreme toxins and acids that would leave even Silver's skin scarred.'

'It was just how things went, so this time, to make his mother relax and not worry about him, he hid them.'

'Maybe one day he would tell her what he went through, but today wasn't it.'

"... Okay, I believe you now." She said with a smile as she hugged him again

"Is it okay to doubt your son in the first place?" Silver asked with an awkward expression as his mother let him go

"... Son." Marcus said as he took a step forward

'He had been watching in the back, but he finally found an opportunity to approach them.'

"Dad... Your beard is longer."

""...""

'The two looked at each other for a while before they hugged silently with a nod.'

"That's it? Don't you have anything else to say to your son?" Rubia asked quietly as she punched Marcu's side

"..."

"A-Ahem... You're taller than me now, when you left, you were still about my height."

"Haha, I grew up a bit, I'm considered quite tall even back in the city, it's quite overwhelming sometimes since over half of the people there are a head lower than me."

/Tap…/

"You're strong too, good, that's how a man should look like." Marcus said as he tapped Silver's right arm

"So? How's life been? Orario and all of that?"

"Well..."

"Sigh, you two… Mel Mel, wait here for me, I have someone to introduce you to." Rubia said as she shook her head in disappointment

"... Mom, that nickname… She's gone."

Sigh.

"... Since you're here, did you meet your grandparents?"

"Not yet, we just came from the mountains over there, I saw you sitting here but as I approached, mother saw me and went into shock, dropping a vase on the ground as she ran through the door."

"That explains the noise..."

"But those mountains… You saw me from all the way over there? Impressive, you're getting better at this."

"Adventurers are pretty strong."

"I know, I also tried this blessing thing with your mother, we joined the Demeter Familia as common farmers... A shame I never managed to give her anything back, even after all of her hospitality and the fact she gave us some of her precious little time..."

"Father... You don't need to be like that, Demeter will be happy as long as you and mother are healthy, besides, if you wish to help her, we still have many seasons to prevent her with harvests."

"Heh, I know, but while living here, it's just that there's not much to think about, so I usually think of that."

"For a Goddess, the daily life of someone like me is completely inconsequential."

"..."

Depends on the God in question... But if it's Demeter, she would be very interested in your life...

"In any case, did you say you climbed the precipice? There was a much simpler path through… Ah, I see."

"Did father…"

"Yeah... His map was lackluster at best, the fact I even arrived here is a miracle itself."

"Sigh, really… He's always been so overly paranoid of things, especially ever since you left… I bet he made the map this way because he felt there would be persues after us."

"I heard from them that they solved this problem, but it doesn't matter anymore."

"I'm glad you made it here."

"Now... You said 'we', did you come with anyone?" He asked slowly, curious

"Well…"

/Step step…/

"Ahem… T-Th-That would be me!" Hestia said in an embarrassed tone as she approached from the side

Finally! The day has come!

'Different from her usual attire, Hestia was wearing a traveling cloak around her body, and her hair was tied up in a ponytail.'

'And thanks to her suppressing her Divinity to the maximum extent she could, the only thing Marcus thought when he saw her was how incredibly beautiful she was.'

'She looked formal and rather cute, although that was only from Silver's perspective.'

'For everyone else, Hestia was like a fairy.'

"This… I can't believe it… Is she…"

"Yes! I am his Godd…"

"She's my wife." Silver said as he interrupted Hestia, putting his hand over her mouth

"Gaha?!"

"Really?!"

'Both were shocked by this extreme revelation!'

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