Is it wrong to Speak in a Dungeon? Chapter 13 (Patreon)

I do not own Danmachi/Jujutsu Kaisen or any other referenced franchise, only my own OCs.

{Thoughts}

“Speech”

Character Sheet / System Text

“Tvs, Radios, Texts, and newspapers…”

(Disclaimers)

*Onomatopoeia*

“Cursed Speech”

…

…

I slowly sit up from my bed with lazy eyes as I stare out of the window while releasing a rather loud yawn.

It’s still quite early in the day. Problem is, I have a lot to do today.

Yesterday night a large commotion happened at the Soma Familia’s- or, the former Soma Familia’s Headquarters. Apparently, the members that were healed enough to move after my obliteration decided that the first thing they should do was raid their old Headquarters for Soma wine before the Familia is dissolved.

So, as soon as the first batch of Soma Familia members were released, they rampaged their way back to their headquarters and began raiding the wineries and storages of the entire place while fighting amongst each other every step of the way.

One of the level 2s, the mage which I saw summoning a magic circle, apparently blasted the Headquarters with a powerful magic spell that destroyed the entirety of the entrance and injured dozens of civilians with the projectile debris.

It seems the Soma Familia manages to still be a nuisance even after its dissolution. I’m surprised no one realized how much of a vermin they were before now.

Well, the guild definitely did if the guards that were escorting me were anything to go by.

[... Those guys do… not have ‘Rizz’... Right…?]

… We’ll work on it, Edias.

Speaking of Edias. Edias is currently bloated with an excessive amount of Valis from my ‘gambling’ earnings.

What did you think I was gonna say? Pervert.

I sold a ton of the stuff I had gotten from Edias’s crystal rooms in the 3 days before the Soma Familia wargame. Eina’s face when I started bringing hundreds of floor 20 and under crystals was a sight to see, and I had to assure her a hundred dozen times that I was not an idiot and that I, indeed, knew what the fuck I was doing.

Which is a lie. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing half the time.

But the other half where I do know what I’m doing…

Valis: 3,250,000,000

This is the estimated amount of money I’ve gotten from everything, including the gambling money I got from being one of the only people to actually bet on myself in every betting ring I could find.

Yes. I’m a billionaire. I’m probably richer than just about every Familia out there, and this is not counting the liquidated assets I have that I can sell or keep.

I’ve not finished going through everything I got in the 17th floor crystal room. ONLY the 17th floor Crystal Room.

It’s too easy. It’s way too easy!

[Amusement]

[... You’re getting a… big head again…]

Let me enter my arrogant young master arc for at least a few chapters, damn it!

Can’t even have fun in Ohi- Orario.

… Orario is suspiciously close-sounding to Ohio…

The sound of something crashing downstairs echoes into my room as I sigh and get out of bed with a grumble.

“... Can’t even sleep in Orario.”

I already know that it’s just the newest addition of our Familia exploring the new territory, so I’m not in a rush to head down as I do my morning routine and change out of my sleeping clothes.

Once I’m done, I slowly walk out of my room and downstairs into a rather amusing scene.

Bell is holding a very fancy and very giant sword up and Lily is slowly getting up from the ground while rubbing the back of her head with a wince. Bell notices my presence first and smiles at me brightly while waving, leaving only one hand to hold the hilt of the giant sword.

The sword dramatically falls in slow motion as Lily squeaks and jumps out of the way just in time to dodge the slow swipe as the sword hits the ground and bounces off of it harmlessly.

… It’s a fancy display sword, not actually sharp.

It seems Lily was looking around the house like a mouse while sniffing around to find anything expensive. Old habits die hard and this giant sword must’ve caught her eyes enough that she tried taking it out of its hanger on the wall.

I slowly walk towards both of them and give Bell a light smack on the back of his head before ruffling both of their hairs. “Did both of you have a good sleep?” I slowly ask with a small, lazy voice while taking my hands away.

Bell nods happily, accepting the mess I made of his hair easily. Lily, on the other hand, pouted at her ruined hair while lightly glaring at me.

“... It was… comfortable. Very comfortable…” She eventually spoke with a tiny voice as I patted her on the head one last time before heading into the kitchen.

“I’ll begin working on breakfast. Bell, take Lily and initiate operation ‘PTSD’.” Bell pales slightly at my words as I quickly clarify. “No, not the first one, second one.”

“Oh! Yes! I’ll take Lily and initiate operation ‘Poke The Sleeping Dragon’ on Lady Goddess!” He enthusiastically saluted me as I responded with a lazy nod. Lily looked terrified at the mention of ‘sleeping dragon’ but followed Bell anyway.

“... W-what’s operation ‘PTSD’ number 1…?” She whisper-asked Bell as he paled and shook his head.

“... You don’t want to know…” He whispers back with a slight edge of horror in his voice.

Amusing.

…

[Several Minutes Later.]

“... It’s too early for this shit…” Hestia grumbled tiredly as both Lily and Bell froze and stared at her with gaping mouths and I quickly smacked her on the head with a wooden spoon.

“I’ll wash your mouth with soap if you use that language around the children again.” I warn her with a glare as Lily and Bell turn to me indignantly at being called children.

“I-I’m 15!” Lily protested with an annoyed pout while crossing her arms childishly. Bell turned to look at her with shock at being the younger one of the pair.

“... Did I stutter?” I reply blankly with a hidden smirk as she gaped again before turning away with a ‘hmph’.

“... This is why you’re my least favorite child.” Hestia grumbled with a light glare while rubbing her head.

Edias pinged inside of me to signify a lie as a small smirk appears on my face, aimed at Hestia.

“Lying sets a bad precedent for the young ones, Hestia.” I ‘chided’ Hestia with a disappointed frown that morphed from my earlier smirk as she flinched and rolled her eyes.

“... Snitches get stitches, Edias.” Hestia picked up a spoon from the dining table and began ruthlessly beating some carrot pieces on her plate while Lily looked at her with confusion.

“... Who’s Edias? … And why is there an extra chair?” Edias slowly appears out of my body and sits on the chair next to me as Lily’s eyes almost pop out of their sockets and she gapes for the tenth time today.

“... Try… me…” Edias speaks to Hestia with a smug smirk as Hestia pushes her non-existent sleeves back while flexing her arms at Edias with narrowed eyes.

Lily continues gaping at Edias for a few seconds before her finger shakely points at her. “W-who’s… W-where did the fairy come f-from!?”

Edias’s eyes widened and an explosive blush appeared on her face as I tried my hardest not to burst out laughing so as to not embarrass Edias even more.

She sensed my amusement anyway and turned to glare at me with embarrassment as I shrugged sheepishly.

“This is Edias, she’s one of the unofficial members of the Hestia Familia. Mostly because she doesn’t have our Goddess’s falna. She’s my… personal guardian spirit, so to say.” I briefly explain to Lily, not wanting to give her the heart attack of knowing that this is literally the dungeon yet.

Lily’s blush from calling Edias a fairy died down as she stared at Edias in amazement before alternating between looking at me and her for a few seconds.

“... Are you… two…?” Hestia choked on her food and Edias quickly covered her face with embarrassment while Bell-

Well, he’s staring at us with confusion as usual.

“... You could say that.” I answer mischievously with a smirk as Lily blushed slightly before shaking her head.

“... R-right. Does she also protect u-us…?” Lily asks hesitantly as I turn to Edias.

“... Yes…” Edias nods to Lily with a small smile and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Yes. You wouldn’t imagine the number of times Edias saved Bell from certain death in the dungeon because he was being an idiot.” Bell blushed crimson in shame as Lily turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “A rather common occurrence for him if I may add.”

Bell covered his face with a groan as everyone smirked at him (minus Lily, she’s just staring at him with amusement).

“I expect you to help Bell with your knowledge once you start heading back into the dungeon. While he may be much stronger than you are, you are his senior in just about everything else.” Lily blinked at the sudden request before blushing at the praise as Bell turned to look at her with amazement. “Bell, I trust you to listen to Lily’s advice and instructions in the dungeon. She’s got leagues more experience in the dungeon than you, and maybe even myself in the earlier floors.”

Lily shuffled slightly uncomfortably at the positive attention she’s getting. Bell nodded to me with determination while Hestia stared at Lily curiously.

“... U-um… I’ve gotten as l-low as the 11th floor in the dungeon before I started being called a l-liability…” Lily’s posture shrunk slightly at her own words as Hestia frowned and quickly patted her on the head comfortingly.

“You don’t need to worry about being a liability anymore, Lily. From now on, you’re never going to need another person’s help to keep yourself safe.” I reassure her while shaking my head and discreetly reaching for Edias’s stomach under the table.

“... I-I don’t think you should have that much f-faith in me… I’ve already a-accepted that I’ll never be anything except a useless s-support-” Before Lily can finish her sentence, she’s lightly bonked on the head by a long stick I pulled out of Edias as she lets out a yelp and reaches for her head to soothe the point of impact.

“We do not condone that type of negativity here in this Familia. Here, you will be positive or you will be silent, understood?” I lecture her firmly without giving her any room for argument as she hesitantly and perturbatively nodded while rubbing the top of her head. “Good. Those are Captain’s orders.”

I lazily put the stick back into Edias as no one gave a second glance at the stick that disappeared into her. All except the terribly confused Lily glancing at everyone in the table with horror.

“Hestia, I wish to get my status updated to see if the shi- show yesterday brought me any improvement. It wasn’t too taxing on anything except my magic, but I should have gotten a huge amount of High-Quality excelia for defeating several level 2s and hundreds of level 1s.” Hestia looked like she was about to grumble something before pausing and looking thoughtful for a few moments.

“... Actually, yeah. That may get you a few hundred points just because of how impressive a feat like that is.” Lily spat out the drink she was sipping on to calm herself as she looked at Hestia with shock before turning to me with horror.

“H-hundreds!?” Bell tilted his head in confusion at the question, he himself usually gaining at least 100 overall in his stats.

“... We’re… special.” I comment ominously and stand up from the head of the table before clapping my hands.

“Jūryoku no Hakai.” The dirty plates on the table begin floating into the air before neatly lining up next to the sink. Edias then floats to the kitchen and puts an apron on while tying her hair back and slowly eating the plates with a determined face.

She then ejects them out of her body completely clean and places them in their respective cabinets.

… We’d make great restaurant staff.

Hestia jumps out of her seat and begins hopping up the stairs to her room so she can prepare for my status update. “Wash your hands first, I’m not letting you update my status with your dirty hands!” I call out to her from downstairs as she almost slips and turns to me with a huff.

“I was going to do that anyway!” Edias pinged inside of me. “Stop snitching, damn it!”

I shook my head in amusement and slowly walked upstairs after washing my hands.

I took my shirt off and settled on Hestia’s bed as she slowly sat on my back and began doing her thing.

A few minutes later and she lets out a gasp of surprise, making me sigh in exasperation.

What the fuck could it be? I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary to bring me a skill or magic of some kind, and I didn’t do much yesterday to get any major stat boosts.

“How the hell have your stats improved so much since last time!? I only just updated your status yesterday! It’s almost as much as what you got in your 3 days of training!?” … Or not.

What the hell…?

“Here! Look!”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Name: Michael Inumaki

Race: Human (Jujutsu Sorcerer)

Level: 2 (!)

Ability Scores:

STR: D- 510 —> C- 614

END: A- 869 —> S- 992

DEX: D- 592 —> C- 689

AGI: C- 624 —> B- 731

MAG: S- 998 —> SSS- 1381

Development Abilities:

Mage: I

Spearman: H

Sorcery: E

Magic:

• Cursed Speech

This magic allows the user to infuse their words with cursed energy to improve the spirit of their commands, forcing all those who hear it to obey.

• Jūryoku no Hakai

No Chant Magic. Gravity is a mere illusion to be manipulated and to manipulate with. Attraction and Repulsion, Telekinesis and Microgravity, all are within your grasp, and all shall be within your grasp.

“... Never again, never will it escape my grasp.”

“For the peak shall grow; extending to the tallest point of existence, yet be brought down to its knees all the same when the time comes.”

“... Attack it may, Reality held no authority over the one unbound by the world.”

[]

[]

Skills:

• Cursed Energy Manipulation:

The ability to gather, channel, and release Cursed Energy. The greater the Negative energy present, the more energy can be channeled and gathered.

• Privative Gathering:

Increased Excelia gained from the gathering of Cursed Energy.

• Indomitable Will:

Your willpower is your greatest strength. You tread on through life unobstructed by what goes around you, incapable of stopping your march.

…

I stand up in shock as I stare at my magic stat’s increase, not having seen that much improvement in such a short amount of time for such little effort ever before.

“... This is unnatural. Even for me.” I quickly admit as Hestia’s face grows even more shocked at my casual admittance. “Something’s amiss. This is not… my growth.”

As weird as that may sound, I did not do enough to guarantee this much improvement. Perhaps a hundred point in each stat could be explained by just saying ‘high-quality excelia’, but this is 700 something points.

What the hell could’ve gotten me this much growth?

“Umm… Goddess? Mikey? Can I also get my status updated?” Bell knocks on the door of the room as I blink out of my thoughts and look to Hestia with a nod.

“Come in, Bell.” Bell opens the door and enters with his usual bright smile as Lily awkwardly walks in behind him before closing the door and turning back to face our questioning faces.

She blushes and shifts uncomfortably at our looks. “U-um… I-I haven’t gotten a status update in a l-long time… I thought that t-this would be a good t-time?” She hesitantly explains as Hestia gains a look of understanding.

“Oh, alright! Just sit to the side for a second and I’ll update your status.” Hestia smiles at Lily as the small girl awkwardly nods and sits on a nearby chair.

Hestia nodded back and began working on Bell’s status.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Name: Bell Cranel

Race: Human

Level: 1

Ability Scores:

STR: A- 808 —> SS- 1002

END: A- 899 —> SS- 1033

DEX: S- 934 —> SS- 1095

AGI: S- 969 —> SS- 1104

MAG: D- 582 —> SS- 1001

Magic:

• Fire Storm

No Chant Magic. Release an Unrelenting Storm of Fire consisting of many scorching rays and bolts of flame to bombard your enemies and obliterate everything in your path.

“... The reality I face is undesirable, it shall burn.”

“Only when all other paths have burnt… will my fire finally subside.”

“The fire that shall illuminate the path of the darkness.”

[]

[]

Skills:

• Kinēshon Kikuro:

Denial of Reality. The user experiences extreme growth as long as they are working towards the reality they desire. The more they struggle to attain their desired reality and the more they reject their undesired one, the higher the effect.

…

I smacked Bell on the back of his head. “Stop spamming your magic every 5 seconds. You probably keep edging mind down like an idiot, don’t you?” He laughed sheepishly at my words as Lily held Bell’s paper with a million fleeting emotions on her face, horror being one of the most prevalent ones.

“M-more than 999… A-all of them…?” Well… Yeah.

“The maximum is apparently 1500, at least for me.” Lily’s head creaked slightly at my words as she turned her head to stare at me with dreary eyes.

“... A stat of yours… reached 1500…?” She asked with no emotion in her voice as I hid a smirk.

“No.” She blinked. “All of my stats reached 1500.”

Her eyes slowly dulled until they had no light inside of them as she slowly handed the paper in her hands to the confused Bell. She then slowly walked to the sympathetic Hestia and jumped into her arms.

“... I joined a Familia of monsters…” She whispered under her breath as Hestia sighed and patted her on the back with dulled eyes of her own.

“... You’ll get used to it… Welcome to the Hestia Familia, Familia of the Dungeon and its Monsters…” Lily looked up at Hestia with a slight bit of confusion before she simply shook her head and got up.

“... Bell, out of the room.” I quickly grabbed Bell by the scruff of his neck like a cat while dragging him out of the room as Lily sent me a grateful look.

I let go of Bell once we closed the door and we both awkwardly stood on the outside of the door for a few minutes before Hestia called us in and we entered again.

“It’s confirmed, it was just Mikey’s Falna that is weird rather than each mortal having a different feeling soul. Bell’s Falna feels weird, but it’s still very similar to Lily.” Hestia announced as soon as we entered, making Bell and Lily look at me with confusion. “You on the other hand, well, I have no idea what’s going on with you.”

I rose an eyebrow at Hestia, clearly unamused, as Edias floated through the floor and entered my body with Lily watching in shock. “Why do you think?” I ask dryly.

“... Interesting point.” Hestia stared at me with raised eyebrows, already knowing that this was just my way of not answering in front of Bell and Lily.

After all, my falna has been with me longer than I’ve had Edias. Hestia knows that my soul has been like this even before Edias, so that excuse will only work on the other two.

I shrugged at her and picked up the paper that was set on the side of the bed as Lily visibly panicked for a moment.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Name: Liliruca Arde

Race: Pallum

Level: 1

Ability Scores:

STR: I- 91

END: H- 120

DEX: G- 231

AGI: F- 302

MAG: F- 392

Magic:

• Cinder Ella

Transformation magic that enables the user to transform into anything around their size. Capable of utilizing special senses and abilities of chosen transformed creature.

“Your wound is mine.”

“My wound is mine.”

“Echoing message of midnight.”

Skills:

• Artel Assist

When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, the skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

…

“... Not bad. A lot better than I thought, actually.” For someone without protagonist bullshit, of course. “We’ll work on this together from now on, alright?” Her eyes widened slightly in surprise at my words before she nodded rapidly.

“You don’t seem surprised by her magic.” Hestia pointed out as Bell peeked from behind me at the paper and let out a gasp.

“That magic sounds awesome, Lily! You could be a ninja like the stories Mikey told!” Bell suddenly put his hands into the shadow clone hand signs while covering his face as he looked at Lily with ‘serious’ eyes.

“Shadow Clone Jutsu!” … Nothing happened. Not that I expected anything to happen from the idiot.

I turn my head away from Bell. “... Unfortunately, I have work to do today. I sadly will have to postpone your training for today, Bell, Lily. You two are allowed to head into the dungeon, but not past the… 10th floor.” I ordered the two while tiding my clothes and patting both of them on the head once.

{... Edias, kill anyone that even looks at the both of them funny. I will not be taking any chances, alright?} I coldly order Edias as she emits an intense feeling of glee at my words, probably planning to execute that order down to the very last letter.

[... They won’t look… at anything ever… again after I’m… done with them…]

I pity the person who dares look at both of them with even the smallest bit of greed or envy.

“I will head out now. Stay safe kids.” I waved at the trio while leaving the room, ignoring the sounds of protests and indignation coming from all three of them.

… I have so much work to do...

…

…

I slowly walk into the guild with my hood up, avoiding the overflowing number of adventurers and hopefuls scouring the guild building in hopes of catching a glimpse of me.

Eina is seated in her assigned desk, her surroundings completely vacant to the point of being unnatural as she sits there with exasperation.

… So, they’re intimidating anyone that isn’t me from approaching Eina so they can catch me when I’m going to talk to her. How smart…

Not.

I slowly walk towards the booth as Eina’s head snaps towards me, probably to yell at the person entering a restricted area without permission, but catches my face under the hood as her mouth shuts with an audible click.

I nod to her and slowly walk into the booth area and into our usual booth as I see Eina sit down calmly on her desk, acting as if nothing’s wrong.

Ah, good. She’s not rushing straight to me, she’ll first wait for a few minutes so no one suspects anything once she leaves her desk and comes to my booth.

I expect that the adventurers will catch on eventually, but that’s a future me’s problem.

As I sit in my usual booth and make myself comfortable for a few minutes, I’m pleasantly surprised as Eina enters the booth with a sheepish expression on her face and a certain unexpected god walking behind.

“... You are… Michael Inumaki…” The god of wine, Soma, states as he enters the booth behind Eina with his usual dull expression and clothing.

… Well, I didn’t expect this.

“... I am. You are… Soma, the God of Disappointment.” Eina freezes in her tracks at my clear mockery and turns to me with horror as I tilt my head lazily at the god.

Soma doesn’t react to my insult and simply walks deeper into the room to sit on the opposite side of me.

“... Do you speak of me when you talk about disappointment… or my wine…?” He curiously asks me despite still having the same blank, dull voice.

“... Both. You’re a terrible excuse for a god who makes disgusting wine.” I answer truthfully as Eina looks like she’s about to throw up and quickly teleports to my side with her hands around my neck in an attempt to choke me into speechlessness.

“I apologize sincerely for his words Lord Soma! He doesn’t mean a single thing he said-” “Lie.” “-He didn’t mean to say a single thing out loud-” “Lie.” “-He has severe brain damage from dropping his head on a rock when he was young-” “... Lie…”

Eina smashed her head against the table once her third excuse failed miserably as Soma looked at her blankly before turning back to me.

“... Why is my wine… disgusting…?” He completely ignores the insults aimed at him in favor of the ones aimed at his wine.

My eyes grow cold as I stare at this disappointment of a man… and a god.

How could a fucking immortal god of all things ever fall this low? Gods are supposed to be prideful and spiteful beings, not… whatever the hell this dude is.

“...Multiple reasons. I will not lie to you, I am quite an avid enjoyer of fine wine. I even have a wine cellar directly connected to my office full of… decent wine.-” Since I haven’t wasted money on actual good wine yet. I’m an enjoyer of wine, not an addict. “-And the thing that separates those mortal-made wines from yours is quite simple…” He focuses his entire attention on me as I stare at him dead in the eyes.

“... They actually fucking taste good.” He physically recoils at my words as his face morphs into one of genuine shock. Eina herself stares at me in shock at my admittance that normal man-made wine tastes better than real Soma Wine.

“... The people who make that wine… They do not cheat as you do. They do not pick up a rotted piece of fruit, throw it into a cauldron of water, mix it with a small sprinkle of Arcanum, and get a wine that can make a man lose his sanity, so much so that he cannot think of anything but his next sip of the disgusting wine.” I roll my eyes as I speak, not minding the shocked faces of the two other occupants of the room.

Soma’s face almost looked like it was going to morph into a rage at my words, but it sadly didn’t go past a very imperceptible frown.

“... Those wine-makers… They import the freshest and best fruit they can get, they experiment with different ways of fermenting and creating the wine, and they put their hearts into their wine-making. Something you’ve probably never done considering how all you do is sit by a cauldron with a face of a man in his 100th anniversary of depression and stirring with barely any strength in your arms.” I continue my denunciation of this man with a tone of annoyance, not even looking at his facial expression anymore.

“... So when someone like me comes, one that cannot be affected by the mind-altering drugs you place inside of your wine… I’d choose the one that actually tastes good. The one that’s made to be savored for its taste, not the one that would forcefully make you enjoy it by drugging you to hell like an overdosed person in an alleyway.” I end my rant with a huff as I pull a glass filled with wine out of ‘nowhere’ and sip on it while staring Soma in the eyes.

Eina looked like she lost all life next to me, not even an ounce of movement happening in her motionless corpse.

Soma’s face, on the other hand, seemed to have morphed into one of realization and understanding as he stared at me with a light in his eyes that wasn’t there before. His eyes now held life, unlike the dead dull look they had before.

“... I… believe I understand now… I… was never making wine… I was merely making a replica that was only… imitating what a true perfect wine could do… Nothing but a fake…” … Well I wouldn’t say it that way but whatever floats your boat, man.

“... Good for you. Now, what is it that we actually have to talk about? I doubt you’re only here to ask why your wine is disgusting.” I wave my hands dismissively as if signaling the passing of our last conversation.

Soma shook his head. “That’s all I wished to speak to you about.” He got up from his seat as Eina’s life returned and she jumped out of her seat in shock.

“W-what!? You told me that you wished to discuss the number of reparations you need to pay for attacking the Hestia Familia!” Soma looked the slightest bit sheepish at Eina as she spoke with shock.

“... That was a lie I said so I could speak to Mr. Inumaki. I apologize.” He didn’t sound apologetic, but okay. “I have already dismissed everyone in my Familia yesterday. The remaining funds of the Soma Familia are all to be given to the Hestia Familia as recompense. At least… the ones that haven’t been stolen by my former children.” He speaks with an uncaring tone as Eina’s jaw dropped to the floor and she slowly turned to me.

I shrugged. “I’m already quite well off on money. Pay for the repairs of the manor your children attacked and I’ll be satisfied.” I offer with the same uncaring tone he used as Eina’s jaw dropped further.

Though… speaking of those Soma Familia members… After what they did today, I don’t feel comfortable letting them run wild and maybe scheme around me in the future for revenge.

{... Edias, kill all former Soma Familia members that enter the dungeon again. Spare the children that are Lily’s age and under. They’re most likely the biggest victim group in that Familia that I can spare.}

[Ecstastic. Affirmative. Overjoyed.]

Cool.

“... No… I will be… leaving Orario. I will not need the money. I have… forgotten… what wine is long ago… I will be traveling until I can… remember…” His face gains a minuscule anticipatory smile as he stares at the door with fog in his eyes.

“... I see. Here.” He turns to me with confusion before catching a big bag. The clinks emanating reveal that its contents are Valis. Lots of Valis. “... You need money if you wish not to die on your trip. Consider this an… investment, from the Hestia Familia. When you’ve found your answer, give me a proper wine that will have me desperate for the next sip without needing any of the previous addictives and additives.” His face slowly grows shocked as I speak before eventually settling on a small, genuine smile of gratitude.

“... Yes… I’ll create the best wine you’ll ever taste… Of that, I swear it on my name: Soma, God of Wine, Divine Winemaker.” Without another word, Soma exited the room slowly without any of his earlier facial expressions, the only thing signifying his change being his now clenched fists.

Eina slowly stared at the exiting Soma before turning to me with a completely blank expression on her face.

I blink. “Are you oka-” “Get out.”

…

… What?

“... Eina…? Are you oka-” “ONE WEEK! Is it TOO MUCH to ask for ONE WEEK of peace? It’s just HEART ATTACK AFTER HEART ATTACK with you ISN’T IT?!?”

She suddenly leaped at me and began choking me (or trying to) like she was doing earlier with a fire in her eyes begging for vengeance.

… You make it too easy, Eina.

“... I didn’t know you were into this kind of play, Eina… At least close the door so your co-workers don’t peep like they’re doing right now…” I dramatically cover my body with my arms while turning away with embarrassment in Eina’s grip as she freezes.

She slowly creaks her head towards the open door as she sees 3 of her female coworkers, Misha, Rose, and Sophie, all staring at her with varying expressions of embarrassment.

Eina slowly stood up and took her hands away from my neck while peering at her coworkers, stone-faced. She slowly turned to me, bowed slightly, and turned around while methodically walking toward her coworkers.

I watch in amusement as Eina, in a show of surprising strength, grabbed all three of her coworkers and dragged them into the opposite booth despite their defiance and pleads for mercy.

… Damn.

I slowly get up from my lax position and stretch before heading out of the booth.

Forgetting to put my hood on out of instinct.

As soon as I take a step outside of the booth and into open view, a million ravenous adventurers all run to me while roaring in determination, each for a different reason.

I’m barely saved by the bell though as a group of guards I’m familiar with come to save the day by blocking the hallway, stopping the crowd from advancing any further.

My heroes all glance back simultaneously and give me a look of gratitude before turning back and barking warnings at the desperate adventurers in front of them.

I’m dragged by the shoulder by the one guard I actually know the name of as Davis quickly pulls me deeper into the guild with a grin.

“Quite fancy seeing you here, eh partner?” Davis asks with a grin as he drags me away from the crowd’s vision and into a different hallway.

“... Not the hero I wanted, but the hero I needed.” He released a loud, boisterous burst of laughter at my words while patting me on the back.

“Right back at you, partner. Me and the boys lost our minds while watching the war game yesterday, you really put the hurt on those Soma bastards without even moving a single step! We each owe you a dozen drinks after that show.” We slowly made our way into a hallway with a single door at the end with an emergency sign above it.

“... I believe that means I have sufficiently accomplished your request to ‘take a few dozen of them down a peg’, no?” He laughs again at my words and pushes the door open while giving a quick salute to the two guards that seem to have been guarding this emergency exit.

“Sufficiently? You wrecked the entire arena floor and- not just that- also left the bodies of the Soma Familia in a small, neat hill, making it a piece of cake gathering them up to go to the infirmary! You made our jobs easier and you wrecked the Soma Familia’s shit. If you ever need anything, me and the boys got you anytime.” He slowly lead me through an open area into an alleyway as we exited the guild area and escaped the hell that was the earlier crowd.

Pretty sure I was flashed by half a dozen different girls in that crowd, but I couldn’t get a better look before I was dragged away.

… Some sacrifices are necessary though.

“... How about you make good on that offer about those drinks this weekend?” I haven’t cracked open a cold one with the boys since coming to this world, mostly because I don’t have any ‘boys’ that are old enough to drink.

I also don’t have any guy friends. Like. At all. Bell is more of a little brother than a… bro.

Well, he’s a good bro, but not a bro, you know?

Davis looks surprised for a second before breaking out into a grin. “Sounds good! The boys and I usually gather around evening, drop by the pub named ‘Hostess of Fertility’ and we’ll pay for the first few rounds.” … It always comes back to the Hostess, doesn’t it?

“Got it. Good luck with the… crowd.” I clasp his forearm in thanks and he does the same with a grin before we both split off, him to the guild and me to my next destination.

… Hephaestus Familia.

…

…

[Sometime later, Hephaestus Familia Headquarters.]

I slowly make my way into the lobby of their main building, not minding the stares some of the residents seem to be aiming at me.

Walking to the receptionist at the counter, she looks up at me with a small smile before her eyes widen and she almost jumps out of her seat, much to my amusement.

“... Good morning. I have some business with Lady Hephaestus regarding a certain debt that our Familia needs to repay.” I get right into business as the secretary quickly calms herself down with only a minor blush to show her earlier panic.

“Ah, the office you’re looking for is on the right hallway-” “I apologize for interrupting, but this is a personal debt between Lady Hephaestus and my Goddess, Hestia. It does not concern the Hephaestus Familia.”

She looks slightly surprised at my interruption and hesitates on what to do as I roll my eyes.

“This debt includes several hundred million Valis to be transferred directly from the Hestia Familia to Hephaestus, whatever accounting office you believe is sufficient to handle this is certainly not.” She visibly panics at the amount I state before she quickly looks down at a paper- probably Hephaestus’s schedule- and looks back up at me with a grimacing smile.

“Lady Hephaestus should be free right now, please head down this hallway and take the first left.” After giving me directions, I thank her and make my way down the hallway until I am outside of a door with the name ‘Hephaestus’ written on its doorpost.

I knock 3 times politely and wait a few seconds before I hear someone say ‘Come in’ and slowly enter.

Closing the door behind me, I turn around to see two ladies behind a burgundy desk, one with striking red hair and fair skin, the other with black hair and slightly darker skin, both with red eyes and an eyepatch on one of their eyes.

“... I apologize if I disturbed anything important, ladies. I am Inumaki Michael, Captain of the Hestia Famili-” “Yeah we know who you are, Mr. Popular! No need for useless introductions.”

… It seems that it’s my turn to be interrupted, for once.

I wryly stare at the interrupting half-dwarf girl as Hephaestus sent her an admonishing glare, to which she responded with a careless shrug.

Hephaestus sighed in resignation before turning to me with an apologetic smile. “I apologize for her behavior, Mr. Inumaki. She’s merely… excitable. Now, I do not remember scheduling any meetings with you at this time, so I will presume that you had something urgent you wished to discuss?”  Right to the point. Just how I like it.

“... Yes, I’ve come here to repay the debt of the blade my Goddess recently commissioned from you. I thought that, as this is more of a personal debt between goddesses, I would meet you directly to recompense you the full amount. Just as a precaution.” I see both ladies’ eyebrows rise to the top of their heads, each for different reasons and the half-dwarf girl turns to Hephaestus with her hands on her hips.

“What’s this about a commissioned blade? I didn’t hear anything about this from any of our blacksmiths. Plus, with how he’s speaking about directly paying the debt, it’s got to be an exorbitant amount.” Hephaestus sighs and rubs her temples tiredly at the girl’s question.

“... It’s a long story, Tsubaki. Mr. Inumaki, forgive me for asking. but this should be a debt worth several hundred million Valis. It’s barely been a week since I created that weapon for Hestia… How could you have gathered that much in so little time?” Tsubaki’s jaw drops at the amount before she turns to me with incredulity and turns back to Hephaestus with shock.

“... I do not enjoy having debts looming above my head for so long, so I took the chance to become a multi-billionaire while I was gathering money for the weapon. I had nothing better to do, anyway.” Yes, become surprised at the unimaginable power of mine that places me at the top of this world’s food chain!

Money!

Why do you think Batman solos your favorite verse, after all?

Hephaestus looked at me blankly for a few seconds before sighing and pushing her hands deeper into her temples. Next to her, Tsubaki looked like she was split between laughing her ass off at Hephaestus’s expression or choking me to try and find out how I made so much money.

“... Ignoring that for a second. As you said earlier, this debt should’ve been between only Hestia and I. Neither of us planned to concern our children in our debt.” She narrowed her eyes (eye*) slightly at these words as I crossed my arms.

“And let my goddess slowly slave away her life for the next few decades, maybe centuries, just to repay a debt she made for her Familia’s sake? Unlike you, my goddess’s side of the deal was not so easily solved by the skills her divinity gave her.” Hephaestus winced slightly at those words. “Not to mention, do you realize how terrible our Familia’s image looks with that debt under our goddess’s name? I could not, in good conscience, ignore a debt like that, even if it was not my own.”

Hephaestus took a few seconds to silently process my words before she exhaled tiredly for the third (maybe fourth?) time this meeting. “... I suppose that… that’s a fair concern to have… Very well, will you need a moment to bring the payment-” Her words are interrupted as a suspiciously small bag of Valis gently lands on her table and both ladies turn to me with a raised eyebrow.

“... Bag of holding, from the guild. No, I did not deduct the amount the bag of holding costs from the overall payment.” Hephaestus’s eyebrows twitch at my quick clarification before she rolls her eye and grabs the bag to inspect its content.

Tsubaki looks over Hephaestus’s shoulder at the inside of the bag curiously before whistling in appreciation as Hephaestus’s eyebrows twitch and she glances at the half-dwarf with exasperated irritation.

“... This seems to be correct. And yes, before you ask, I can tell that this is the right amount from a simple observation. It comes with experience.” She ‘interrupts’ me with an eye roll as I raise an eyebrow with amusement.

“... I was not planning to ask anything.” Her eyebrows twitch at my truth before Tsubaki bursts out laughing from next to her and slams the desk in laughter.

… That desk’s too strong, I don’t trust it.

WAIT! I got it. That desk…

… Is the final boss.

To be able to take Tsubaki’s (a level 5) attacks without a single crack or even a flinch… What power!

Anyway-

“Do you have any more business you wish to conduct, Mr. Inumaki?” Hephaestus asks with a sigh as Tsubaki muffles her last few bits of laughter.

“... Yes. Though, I’d say that it’s less business and more… a request, regarding my Goddess Hestia.” I give a slight pause as she stares at me with surprise before I continue. “... I believe it’s time you ceased your uncaring facade with my goddess and returned to being her friend.”

Hephaestus’s eye widened at my words before it quickly closed and a frown made its way to her face. “... I do not know what you’re speaking about, Mr. Inumaki. The reason I kicked Hestia from my Familia home was that she was a shut-in that wasn’t doing anything besides leeching off-”

“Do you really think I’d actually believe something like that?” I interrupt her with narrowed eyes as she froze in shock. Tsubaki next to her narrowed her eyes at me for my interruption, but I continued unobstructed. “Hestia is not a materialistic person. She would’ve asked for a few books every couple of weeks and some snacks to keep her happy every now and then. At the end of the month, it would’ve been a few thousand Valis at most. You’re probably one of the richest Familias in the world, are you telling me that your friendship with her was so fickle that a few thousand Valis a month to keep her FED was too much?” Hephaestus stood up from her chair and slammed the desk in anger, probably at the insinuation that her friendship with Hestia is anywhere near fickle.

“You DARE-” Hephaestus froze in the middle of her sentence as I smirked and slowly gave her a small clap of my hands.

“... Quite the intense reaction for someone so willing to abandon their friend for a few thousand Valis, don’t you think?” She didn’t answer, opting to stay silent, but I didn’t need her to answer. “I applaud your act. It may not have tricked me, but you sure had Hestia fooled, considering how hurt she always looked when your name is brought up.” Hephaestus recoiled slightly with a distressed expression on her face at my words.

“It’s quite odd, no? Hestia spoke greatly of you at all times, even when occasionally complaining about you she always spoke with a fond tone and happiness. Yet every time she finished talking, her face would grow slightly bitter. Where was this great Hephaestus that was her friend through ‘thick and skin’ now? … Apparently, she seems to not care about her friend anymore.” I spoke with a reminiscing tone at the start before my voice turned cold by the end of my speech, really pushing the point.

Tsubaki is currently staring at the both of us with bewilderment at the suddenly tense atmosphere, looking conflicted between either breaking this up or hearing the full story.

Hephaestus eventually sighs a deep, tired exhale while slowly sitting back down, looking exhausted. “... It’s not… as simple as you think…” She tries to argue but I hold a hand up.

“No, it’s actually quite simple. You believe that Hestia is too soft. Too weak for this world. You wished to show her that, and probably convince her to return to heaven so she can be safe from this terrible reality in her little bubble upstairs. So what did you do? You kicked her out of your Familia home, you forced her into an abandoned church to live in, and you simply waited.” I pause.

“But you couldn’t possibly leave her with just that, she’d starve in a few days, right? So you left her very functional furnishing because your heart ached too much to simply throw her into the fire without the tiniest bit of help. A few weeks later, you watched as Hestia grew more and more depressed and lonely, not having anyone she could even speak to anymore. It was almost the prime time to strike, but then a little rabbit and I arrived and ruined all of that, correct?” I ask rhetorically, staring at Hephaestus’s downright horrified face at my probably spot-on analysis of her plan.

“As the days passed, you realized that your plan failed and that Hestia was now happier than ever. Eventually, she was living contently in a sizeable house near your Familia home with her Familia, completely unlike what you planned for her. Her eldest child, the Captain, is the record-breaker of leveling up, completely shattering the previous record by being 17 times faster. Her other child is not far behind, being a week or so away from leveling up himself.” I don’t see a problem with revealing the last part. They’re gonna know as soon as he levels up anyway once it’s announced.

Their faces grow shocked at the last part, but I move to finish my argument and push my point into this stubborn goddess’s head.

“So, what’s the move now that your plans have failed and Hestia seems like she’s probably going to stay in the mortal world for a long time?” I ask rhetorically and quickly answer myself. “You drop the act, you take your friend back, and you go back to how you both were. No more scheming behind each other’s backs, no more sacrificing your friend’s life in the mortal world out of foolish worry, no strings attached. That’s the correct path. There’s no other ‘scheming’ necessary.” I decide with finality as Hephaestus’s eye grows sad and Tsubaki pats her on the shoulder while glaring at me with slight hesitance, unsure if she should be mad at me or not.

The room descends into silence once I stop speaking as I continue pointedly staring at Hephaestus, showing my unmoving stance on this subject as she rubs her temples with fatigue and gloom.

Eventually, Hephaestus breaks the silence with a small chuckle, which slowly turns into a silent laugh as she looks up from her desk with a sad smile.

“... Hestia really did find a good one, didn’t she? You aren’t even afraid of my retaliation for this… lecture I was forced to endure, are you?” She asks with empty amusement as I roll my eyes.

“It is not me who should fear retaliation, but you. A Goddess that is so stubborn that she refuses to take her friend back even after everything’s resolved is not one I’d allow near my own. Hestia’s too stubborn as is, I don’t need her getting any worse.” She let out a few more chuckles at those words as her half-dwarf captain stared at her with horror at the sound.

“... You are a terrifying child, Inumaki Michael. Not just in strength, but in mind too.” She puts her hands down from her temple and sighs at me with a small amused smile. “... I honestly do not know if I should be glad that Hestia has you or frustrated that Hestia has you.”

“... So, what’s your answer? Will you give Hestia her friend back… Or will you double down on your foolishness and keep up your uncaring facade?” I do not reply to her statement, instead bringing us back on topic as her captain glares at me for the latter part of my words while Hephaestus chuckles.

“... You’re quite blunt I see.” She notes, but I don’t reply in favor of staring at her with raised eyebrows. “... Fine… You’re correct. I… made a mistake. I was… worried, for Hestia. I always am. She’s… a fire that lights up the room like no other. I feared that allowing her to stay in the mortal world would extinguish that fire, leaving nothing but cinders… but you and your younger Familia member only helped that fire glow brighter than ever. The day Hestia left my office with that weapon, the glow on her face was unlike anything I had ever seen before… It made me happy.” Hephaestus took a second to breathe and collect herself.

“... I’ll approach Hestia at a time I’m free to see if she’d be available for… a meet up. Like old times.” She smiled with an expression of reminiscing on her face before she blinked and looked to me with a wry face. “... Are you satisfied now?”

I shrugged and placed my hands in my pockets. “... As long as you truly do as you say, I’ll be satisfied. I’m still slightly unenthused by the fact that the person who left Hestia to fend for herself in the first few months of her descent will return to her, but as long as you make it up to Hestia, you will not hear anything from me.” She winced slightly at those words, but I didn’t mind it as I made my way to the door of the office.

“... Now that we’re done with our chat, I believe I have overstayed my welcome. You ladies must have a lot of work to do that I’m currently distracting you from, I will see myself out.” I opened the door and nodded to the two girls.

“Wait.” Hephaestus called out before I could step out as I slowly turned to her with a tilted head. “... Mr. Inumaki… Please… protect Hestia on my behalf. She may be… slightly annoying at times, but there’s no goddess out there better than her. Please, be patient with her, and keep her safe… That is all I can ask.” She closes her eye and inclines her head slightly to me as I gaze at her silently for a few moments.

“... You have nothing to worry about, Lady Hephaestus. Orario will sooner fall before I allow a single hair of Hestia’s to be touched under my watch. She’s my goddess, the one who accepted me with open arms despite my… eccentricities and flaws. All I have for her is gratitude, you can rest assured of that, at the very least.” I nodded to the pair one last time before making my way out of the office and back to the receptionist lobby.

On my way out of the Hephaestus Familia, a rather tall obstacle suddenly rounds around the corner and bumps into me roughly as I fall- Just kidding- they fall with an ‘oomph’ and I slightly stumble back.

“... Agh, Damn it…” I look down to see a rather familiar mop of bright red hair, belonging to one of the original cast of Danmachi, currently packing things back into a box he was holding before he bumped into me.

Welf Crozzo, the last remaining Crozzo with the ability to actually make magic swords, and also the person that probably hates magic swords the most in the world while not being an elf.

My lips purse slightly at the sight of the dude and I accidentally let out an ‘Ah’ of acknowledgment laced with slight disappointment.

His head snaps up at the sound of my voice as he stops packing the fallen items into the box and glares up at me, nose flaring momentarily in anger before he packs the last few items into his box and jumps back onto his feet to tower above me angrily.

“What is it, huh?! You disappointed that you bumped into the ‘wasted potential’? Got something to say, Huh!?” He takes a step forward with the box under his arm as I roll my eyes and my hand blurs for a second before landing on his neck with an open palm.

“... Calm yourself. You are clearly angry with something unrelated to our current encounter, and I am certainly not the best target for you to release your anger upon.” He freezes at my touch, sweatdropping at the speed my hand landed on his neck before he took a step back.

I bring my hand down as his free hand quickly rubs the area my hand landed on, clearly shaken from the sudden move.

“... Right, sorry about that… Business hasn’t been going well, and… I had to bring this box back from the clerks at the Tower of Babel.” Bro… Nobody asked, but I won’t say that because I’m nice. “... Though, I still saw your look of disappointment at seeing me. What’s up with that, huh?” He glared at me again, with a lot less heat this time but still quite intensely.

I shrugged. “... I simply think that you have a lot of potential that you’re brutally sabotaging by refusing to utilize your magic sword creation.” His face twisted in anger before he took a deep breath and gripped his fists.

“Your opinion is unappreciated and unwelcome. All you adventurers can think about is magic weapons this, and magic weapons that… What happens when your magic weapon suddenly breaks in the dungeon? What will you do then!? I refuse to make weapons that will simply break when their wielders need them most. Weapons are supposed to be partners, reliable friends you can count on at all times.” He rants at me with heat and frustration as I simply stand there and allow him to speak his heart out, already knowing how frustrated he must be by now.

“... I agree with you.” I say once he starts to take a couple of deep breaths as his eyes widen in surprise. “Which is why I’m so disappointed in how you think.”

His brows furrow in confusion at my words as I sigh and rub the back of my head in exasperation. “You refuse to bow to everyone who wishes to force you to make Magic Swords, instead working for the admirable goal of making a weapon that adventurers can count on in the roughest times. Yet… Instead of utilizing your magic sword creation capabilities to create this indestructible, reliable weapon, you continue with the same mindset.” He seems slightly touched by my first few words before his eyebrows furrow further at my latter words and a frown appears on his face.

“... What the hell does that even mean? Magic Swords always break after a few uses, I can’t make a weapon that’s close to my vision if that weapon breaks after a few uses anyway.” He tries to argue as I exhale deeply and shake my head at him with disappointment.

“Who decided that Magic Swords have to break after a few uses?” I ask him while stepping right in front of his face with a frown.

“What are you talking about? Everyone knows that! That’s an unequivocal fact.” He replies with confusion.

“And tell me again, who are the people that ask you to make magic swords?” I ask him with a raised eyebrow as he pushes air out of his nose in annoyance.

“Everyone does! Everyone-” He freezes at his own words as I roll my eyes and slowly nod my head.

“Exactly, this is why I’m disappointed. You refuse to listen to the people who wish to force you to make magic swords, yet listen to them when they tell you that Magic Swords have to break after a few uses.” I take a hand out of my pocket and jab him ‘lightly’ on the chest as he winces and stumbles back slightly. “Why do you allow others to dictate how YOUR skill works? Why do you listen to them when they tell you how YOUR skill should be used and how it works? You don’t need to use your skill in the way they want you to use it, but that doesn’t mean you should abandon it entirely.” His face begins shifting through emotions at my speech, switching between Denial, Realization, Shock, and more.

“... You have a gift. YOU choose how you use it, and by the gods, you must use it. That doesn’t mean you have to use it the way others wish for you to use it, but that you must use it in the way that makes YOU happy.” I jab his chest again with a glare as his face looks down at the ground with silent shock.

I watch his face cycle through emotions again, determination slowly creeping forth as I nod my head with satisfaction and step to the side to resume walking again.

“... Wait, please.” He suddenly requests as I have a minor flashback to Hephaestus a bit ago and slowly turn around to see him bowing to me deeply.

“... You are Michael Inumaki, right? … You’re the record breaker and vanquisher of the Soma Familia.” He doesn’t ask the latter part, stating it as a fact instead. “... Please allow me to enter your adventuring party. I… I need to level up to gain the blacksmithing development ability and achieve my dream, but I’m incapable of moving past the 10th-floor Solo. My Familia members are… not exactly the most friendly type towards me, so I can’t ask them for help… So, please, allow me to join your party!” He bows deeper and requests loudly as a small smile makes its way onto my face.

“... Very well, but you will sign a contract with me to become my personal blacksmith.” His head snapped up at my words with shock, unable to comprehend what I said. “I’ve been simply gliding through with any satisfactory weapons I could find, but I have yet to find a blacksmith worthy of contracting myself to. Now that you’re here though, what choice is out there that’s better than the one who will one day create the first weapon to surpass the creations of the gods?” I slowly extend my hand out to Welf as he looked up at me with a touched expression before steeling himself and gripping my hand with a fire in his eyes.

As of right now, this is a dream scenario for Welf. I am an up-and-coming Level 2 that shattered the previous level-up record into the ground. Hundreds, if not thousands of blacksmiths out there would kill to become my personal blacksmith. Considering how I acknowledged that Welf won’t be making me any magic swords, this is basically a celebrity picking a random dude out of a crowd of thousands to become his butler.

“Yes! I will not let you down, Inumaki.” He promises seriously as I nod and retrieve my hand back.

“See that you don’t… I’m guessing you’d rather be called Welf?” He nods with a grimace as I reply with a nod of my own. “Well met, Welf. My Familia lives on the outer edge of the Hephaestus Familia’s land, drop by as soon as you resolve your business and we shall finalize the contract.” I give him the exact address and he nods while promising to visit as soon as he can before we split off and I resume my slow walk back home.

… My Talk no Jutsu is on fire today… First, it was Soma, then Hephaestus, and now Welf? … I am kicking ass right now in the Charisma scene.

I got that maximum 20 Charisma. It’s no wonder that girls are all over me. Heh.

[... What girls? … And where do… they live…?]

{... No, Edias. No murder. Also, I need to stop transmitting my thoughts over the connection when I’m monologuing.} I mentally complain as Edias releases a feeling of amusement.

Slowly making my way through the moderately empty streets, I eventually reach my fully repaired home and slowly enter with a sigh, already sensing who’s inside.

“Mikey!” Tiona called out to me from the couch in the living room with an excited wave and I blankly stare at all of the occupants of the room.

There’s Hestia and Lily on one couch, the former glaring at Loki who’s sitting next to Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya on a different couch, with the sole elf there sweating bricks as she looks between me and Loki.

“... Loki Familia. I’m happy to see that you all are well, to what do I owe the pleasure?” I slowly move to my own seat just as Bell exits the kitchen with a tray of snacks and I watch him smile at me before setting it down and sitting next to Hestia.

“Nice seein’ ya as well or whatever. Ya really were kickin’ ass in that wargame yesterday, hmm? Care to explain all that fancy floatin’ rock levitatin’ stuff goin’ on back then?!” Loki asked with an eager grin as I rose an eyebrow.
“... I’ve attained a new magic recently.” I answer simply, giving a non-answer as that was already quite obvious. Loki pouted at my words and I saw Tiona shake Lefiya for a second before the elf let out an ‘um’ to grab my attention.

“A-ah… What was the… meaning of the chant you did…? I did some research but… I wasn’t able to get anything coherent…” She asks with slight curiosity but with apology in her eyes, probably at asking this question in front of her Familia rather than when alone.

“... How about you tell me what you were able to get from your research? I’d like to see what you were able to gather first.” She blushed slightly but nodded nonetheless as her Familia members stared at her curiously with Tiona nodding smugly as if already knowing that Lefiya will get it right.

“U-um… I believe your chant was something along the lines of… ‘Flower Crazed Heaven Bone Spirit Withered Pine Love Suicide Cursed Energy Destruction’.” I almost cringe at the words, internally regretting not picking a different chant over this one.

“... Well, that’s quite a… decent guess. It’s Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness: Withering Pine Lovers' Suicide, Breaking of Gravity. Cursed Energy and Gravity share the same word, specifically Jūryoku.” I explain with a slight cringe at my own words, feeling more chuuni than the time I began “Omae wa mou shindeiru”ing everything after I reached 1000 in Strength the first time.

I really regret not thinking of a proper chant beforehand now. Now they’re either gonna think I’m chuuni or think that I have some sort of deep-rooted backstory involving something something flowers. Damn it Shunsui, couldn’t you say something cooler with your sexy voice?!?

“... Ah. Yes… Gravity…! That makes more sense now. I should’ve realized that your magic worked by using such an abstract concept like gravity!” Lefiya seemed like she was rationalizing things in her head, so I turned to the confused Tiona and Tione (with the latter showing it less) as well as Loki, who narrowed her eyes (despite already being closed) at me.

“... Gravity, eh? That’s a powerful magic boio. Extremely powerful. If I didn’t know you better, I’d probably be worried about a mortal havin’ that type of magic. That stuff should only be touched by the gods.” Everyone blinked at Loki’s words, including myself, before I sighed and smiled wryly.

“... Despite how much of a fool you act constantly, I forget that you’re still a goddess, and that you know the possible applications of a magic like mine despite how uneducated people are regarding the intricacies of Gravity.” It was her time to be surprised as her eyebrows raised at my words and she tilted her head with furrowed brows.

“... I’m surprised you even know what I’m talkin’ about. No mortal should be knowledgeable about the dangerous applications of gravity, most barely know more than the basics of how gravity works…” She stared at me with a dangerous edge in her eyes as I shrugged carelessly.

“... I’m educated. I have no plans to carelessly mess with time and space or summon a black hole I can’t control, you need not worry.” Her eyes opened completely at my words in shock before she burst out laughing.

“... You even know that much? Darn, ya really are as ‘educated’ as you’re sayin’. Alright then, be careful with how you use yer magic so the gods upstairs don’t come knockin’ down on your head.” The other occupants of the room look at Loki in shock; horrified at the implications that my magic is so dangerous it can warrant divine intervention from the gods in heaven.

Even Hestia seems shocked, probably not as god savvy as Loki since she always locked herself in her temple and didn’t do anything other than the bare minimum she had to as a goddess.

I simply nodded and Loki seemed to hesitate for a second about something before she chuckled dryly.

“Hate to continue the serious atmosphere here… but I gotta ask ya somethin’... Important.” I raise an eyebrow and gesture for her to continue as she scratches her cheek. “... Do ya know yer parents by any chance?”

…

… Huh?

“... An odd question… My parents are not in this world any longer, if that’s what you’re asking about.” Everyone winces at the slightly blunt delivery I gave before Loki chuckled apologetically and shook her head.

“... Er, nah, that’s not what I’m askin’. I wanna know if you know who yer parents are.” … Okay…?

I know my parents, but not Toge’s. I think he’s the only Inumaki we actually know in JJK.

“... You could say that I know half of my parents, but not the other half. Bloodwise, at the very least.” Loki’s eyes widened at my words before she grimaced.

“... I see… Would yer mother’s name be… ‘Alfia’, by any chance…?” She asks with a serious look as I furrow my brows at the name.

It sounds familiar… Wasn’t that the lady that’s literally always on the ‘popular searches’ on the Wiki and seen on every page you open no matter what? I think she was a level 6 and from the Hera Familia.

Wait.

Wait wait wait.

… She’s Bell’s aunt I think. I think.

THEY THINK THAT BELL’S AUNT IS MY MOTHER?!?

I suddenly begin laughing at Loki’s question as she recoiled in surprise at my sudden bout of laughter, but I didn’t mind it as I covered my mouth and quickly regained my composure, only releasing a few chuckles.

“... Oi oi, what’s so funny? I ain’t ever seen you laughin’ like that before, I didn’t even think someone like you could laugh like that! Mama Riveria could never!” Loki asks in confusion as I wave my hands apologetically and clear my throat.

“I am not the child of the Silence. That’s physically impossible, anyway.” Because I’m not from this world. “It’s just… It’s quite ironic that you believe that I of all people could be related to her.” Loki raised an eyebrow at my words before they furrowed. The other occupants all widened their eyes at the title drop of the Silence from me as their heads snapped to Loki.

“... By your words, I’m assumin’ you actually know someone who’s related to her?” She asks me gravely as I rose an eyebrow.

“... Theoretically, if there was. They’d be nothing alike, having never met before and only being distantly related. I would also destroy your Familia if one of their hairs was even touched.” The entire room’s eyes widened at my words and direct threat as Loki’s head snapped to Bell with widened eyes.

“... Well, I’ll be damned.” She mutters and shakes her head while quickly looking away, a wry smile on her face as I crossed my arms while glaring at her from where I’m seated. “No need to put yer panties in a twist, I ain’t gonna do anything.” She quickly raised her hands innocently into the air as I rolled my eyes.

“... I’m glad. Have you asked enough questions now?” I ask while tapping the couch rest, ignoring the bewildered gazes of everyone other than Loki aimed at me because of my earlier threat and laughter.

“Ah, yeah that’s all I got. Oh! Hey, did ya really drink a cup of Soma wine and then call it disgustin’? Like, real Soma wine?” She suddenly asks as if remembering the question as I shrug again.

“... Yes.”

“Damn, how!? I’d fuckin’ kill for some of that stuff!” Tione smacked Loki on the head at the crass language as I quirked a smile at the scene.

“... Ask a former Soma Familia member, and you’ll know how.” My lips twitch as I smile knowingly at Loki, watching her tilt her head and shrug unknowingly.

“If ya say so.”

“... Now, is there anything else you wanted other than to ask those questions?” I ask wryly as Tiona raises her hand excitedly.

“Oh! I wanna practice Haki again! We never got to do more than a single session and I haven’t had any luck summoning it alone!” Tiona exclaimed excitedly and punched the air with a pout.

“I see… Lily.” The girl’s head snaps to me as soon as her name is called, looking mortified at being spoken about in this conversation. “Will you be fine taking another day off the dungeon? I was planning on taking you and Bell today, but as you see…” I gesture to the Loki Familia as Lily’s eyes widened.

“U-uh… That will be f-fine… I’d like a l-little more rest anyway…” She admitted and I nodded in understanding.

“... Then I suppose that we’re training for today. Will you be joining us, Miss Tione?” I turn my head back to the Loki Familia and to the older Amazon as she freezes.

“... Well, I suppose I should. If only to make sure no one does anything idiotic.” … Ok.

“... Very well, then let’s be off.” I look at Bell and he shakes his head. I nod to him and get up from my seat alongside the Loki Familia to make our way to the yard outside.

… I need a vacation.

…

…

Not my best chapter, I’ll admit. But I’m having a pretty terrible writer’s block right now that’s lowering my writing quality and quantity to a mere 1-2k words a day and this terribly.

I’ll do my best to improve my writing quality as soon as I can, but if I can’t do it soon, expect the upload schedule to deteriorate until I can get my shit together. My real life is pretty zoinked right now so I may eventually need time to pull myself together.

Hi Patreons. Sorry for the delay on the chapter. I hope that chapter was still enjoyable despite all of that. It’s a bit longer than usual too, so I hope you enjoy that. I also haven't shown this chapter to my beta yet since I wanted you guys to have your chapters as soon as possible, sorry for any mistakes you find.