Is it wrong to Speak in a Dungeon? Chapter 15 (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”

…

…

It’s been six days since Takemikazuchi told me about the future headache of the Far East’s Royal Court.

It’s been more peaceful than I expected it to be, to be honest.

I’ve trained with my Familia members & Lefiya quite a lot.

… I am slowly making my way up to my next level up. Bell did so already, a few days ago.

… It was quite the spectacle watching the event that caused his level up… Even if I was the one who caused it.

Let’s go back a few days…

…

[Bell POV - Flashback]

I slowly wake up groggily with confusion as I feel an unfamiliar rough surface under my body instead of the softness of my bed in my room.

My confusion grows further when I feel the familiar feeling of my armor and sheathed weapons weighing down on my chest as it rises from the ground.

I suddenly feel my hair stand at its end as I jump to the side and hear a powerful crash behind me. Looking back, I immediately notice a sizable dust cloud gathering around a figure in the middle, slowly pulling some form of appendage out of the ground I was sleeping on a second ago.

I quickly let my honed battle instincts do their work and unsheathed my weapons, holding a tanto in each of my hands while staring warily at the figure inside of the slowly dissipating dust cloud.

My eyes widen in shock and slight horror as the dust clears, revealing the extremely rare level 2 monster: Crystal Mantis.

But not just any normal Crystal Mantis… This one was different. Its shade was darker… its eyes glowed an unnatural and downright menacing dark blue… and it gazed at me with an unnatural intelligence that made the pit in my stomach grow with fear.

No… It was not truly intelligent. I still see the dull, blank eyes filled only with rage and desire to kill. The bloodthirsty monster did not have intelligence, it had instincts.

Extremely sharpened instincts.

I see my reflection on the edge of Honed Hearth, my trusty blade Lady Hestia bestowed upon me, and feel my nerves ease as the black edge slowly turns crimson in my grasp.

I do not know where I am. I do not know why I’m here… All I know is that I must kill.

The Unnatural Crystal Mantis released an ear-piercing screech and charged forward at me, apparently satisfied with the amount of glaring it had been doing earlier. I quickly breathe in and feel my eyes sharpen as it nears, quickly adjusting my stance.

It swipes at me with incredible speeds I’ve never seen in any other monster before and I quickly jump into the air above the attack while pushing an outstretched hand at this thing’s face.

“FIRE STORM!” An inferno of fire is released from my hand, a few dozen firebolts shooting out and flying to impact the Mantis’s head directly. I do not foolishly believe that my attack would do anything more than injure its head and blind it momentarily to give me time to-

“What!?” My face grows in horror as the Mantis swipes once through the smoke, revealing its spotless face without even a dent to show for my earlier attack. It then brings up its earlier claw and swipes at my body while I’m flying through the air.

No… Not again…

I quickly bring my two blades up and clash against its claw, feeling my arms strain under the powerful force behind its swing as I gasp and quickly stab one of my blades into its claw, barely piercing through.

It was all I needed though. I quickly use that blade to push myself onto the Mantis’s claw and then I begin running up its arm, ignoring its angry screech as I jump to its head with both my blades and stab forward at its head.

My regular blade fails to cut through, but Honed Hearth successfully pierces through and damages the exoskeleton of the Mantis’s skull. The Mantis screams in anger and pain as it recoils slightly at the attack before flailing its head around in an attempt to throw me off its head.

I decided to dismount its head as I watched it flail its head toward a nearby wall. That proves to be the right decision as it roughly smashes its head into the wall, screeching in anger again as it watches me easily avoid the impact.

… I see. Its crystal exoskeleton is resistant to my fire… With how hard its crystal is, my other blade has almost no chance of piercing… This may just be the worst ‘match-up’ for me.

I quickly lunge forward as it begins to shake its head to remove whatever dizziness it got from headbutting the wall, sprinting on the ground this time to not be caught ‘lacking’. The Mantis regains its clarity easily enough and screeches while swiping down at my body underneath it, but I easily move out of the way and slide underneath its body while extending a hand.

“Fire Storm!” I chant once again with determination, watching a storm of flame explode out of my hand and impact the Mantis’s back as I quickly jump after the fire and thrust Honed Hearth into the center of its chest, where the core should be-

My eyes grow surprised as my blade pierces cleanly through, not feeling any resistance from the would-be-destroyed core. The Mantis screeches without showing any signs of deterioration as it tries to flail and throw me off its body again, having minimum success.

Suddenly, it moves backward at a speed dissimilar to its previous showing as my eyes widen and I’m harshly smashed into the wall from earlier. I dazedly hear the Mantis screech after I’m hit, its body moving forward again.

… It’s going to attack again!

I quickly jump out of the crater just in time to dodge a side-swipe from the turning Mantis, its claw impacting the wall mercilessly as I breathe out a mental sigh of relief and raise my two tantos-

… Ah… My normal tanto broke…

I need more… force…

I close my left eye as blood slowly trails down and obstructs it, idly throwing away the broken Tanto and bringing Honed Hearth up toward the Mantis while wiping away the blood on my eye.

… I’ve still got this. I believe in myself… All I need to do is find the new core’s location and destroy it!

I scream out in determination as the Mantis faces me and I quickly run forward, not allowing the Mantis the initiative. I watch the Mantis screech and charge as well, its speed much greater than before.

I extend my now free hand at the Mantis and once again scream “FIRE STORM!” as I feel my mind reserves sap significantly, too drained than Mikey would have liked, but I give it no heed.

He would understand.

The firebolts impact the Mantis head-on and barely slow its charge, but it’s all I need as the smoke once again obstructs its direct vision. I lunge forward to its torso and pierce slightly higher than the earlier hole I made, leaving my blade halfway out this time.

“Fire Storm!” I scream out with a fire in my eyes as Honed Hearth brightens with Orange and Crimson coloring, and a second later the Mantis screams out in anguish as its body begins to light up with the same color. My firebolts all begin to rampage inside the Mantis and my eyes narrow as a part inside of its skull begins to glow differently from the rest of its body.

That’s where its core is! Why… No. Not the time for thinking.

I unsheath my blade from its body and jump away, dodging the slash from its claw while moving to find the best opening to finish the Mantis. I feel my instincts suddenly scream at me and I quickly jump to the side just as a pillar of crystal explodes out of the ground where I was just standing. I see the Mantis glaring at me hatefully, my eyes widening in horror at this sudden ability of the Mantis.

I begin to zigzag around the room as crystal pillars begin rising from every wall, floor, and even roof. I jump into the air to dodge two pillars closing in on me from my two sides, not noticing a third pillar exiting the wall behind me.

“GAH!” I notice too late and am impacted from behind harshly as I fly forward, right into the Mantis’s claw as it slashes down, hitting me and trapping me in the ground under its sharp appendage.

I feel my body light up with pain, my head feeling almost cloudy from the force I’ve endured. The Mantis’s claw rises from on top of me and the ache traveling through my body helps me regain enough clarity to realize that I needed to move NOW.

I cough painfully and extend a hand at the Mantis. “Fire… Storm!” I chant and watch my firebolts fly out of my hand in an attempt to stall for even a few seconds of time. I am almost successful as I manage to jump out of the crater I was laying in, but the resulting attack from the Mantis barely nicks my back and I fall face-first into the ground.

With a single painful groan, I bring myself up onto my feet and turn to the Mantis, noticing it bring both its appendages into the air while staring at me.

… I don’t have enough Mind for another significant Fire Storm… But it’s fine, I won’t need it.

I glare at the Mantis with heat and notice that it flinches the most minuscule amount it can before it screams out in rage and slashes down. I grip Honed Hearth and feel the warmth it still retains after I cast Fire Storm through it earlier.

It’s now or never.

I cry out in determination and run forward, dodging its first claw and jumping atop it to scale its arm just as I had done at the start of this fight. The other claw quickly tries to swat me off of its body but I jump into the air and lunge at the Mantis’s head.

My instincts cry out again and I turn around mid-air to block the crystal pillar exploding out of the roof to attack me as I feel my arms strain, the force behind the pillars rattling me significantly. I grunt at my aching arms and feel the pillar cease its attack as it solidifies.

I pivot my body in the air once again and use the pillar as a foothold, noticing the Mantis staring at me with some form of surprise as I shoot off of the stone pillar.

This Crystal Mantis would not be the end of me… I have too much I still need to do. Too many I still need to surpass. Too many of my friends… and family that I need to protect.

I release one last scream and grip Honed Hearth with both my hands as I fly through the air toward the Crystal Mantis, feeling my entire body ache painfully but ignoring it.

“Sorry… But it’s my win. Goodbye, Crystal Mantis!” I declare with finality and stab my blade down into the Mantis’s skull, impaling it cleanly. The Mantis screeched a single, loud shriek as its core was destroyed before falling onto its back.

I stumble off of the disintegrating corpse shakily, barely keeping Honed Hearth in my hands. I feel my vision begin to dim, and I quickly begin looking around the room for any possible threats.

… Edias should protect me, right…? Why… am I even here though…

Before I could continue hypothesizing on my current situation, a familiar hand lands on my head comfortingly and I feel my adrenaline immediately begin to fade away.

“... Mikey…”

I lost consciousness.

[End of Flashback]

Now, obviously, he wasn’t going up against an actual enhanced Crystal Mantis. Oh no. He would have died no matter how much Plot Armor he tried throwing at it. A true Enhanced raises a monster’s level, and a Crystal Mantis is a level 2…

Bell does not have the ridiculous stats yet for fighting things above his level and pay grade. A level 2 is within the realms of possibility, but not a 3. Not like me.

That Crystal Mantis… was a bit special, but nowhere near Enhanced. In fact, I’d say it was made slightly weaker in terms of Durability and Strength, but a bit faster with that special crystal ability.

How I made it… is a great question.

Anyway, Bell reached his threshold after that fight, giving me quite a surprise.

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

Name: Bell Cranel

Race: Human

Level: 2

Ability Scores:

STR: SS- 1002 —> SSS- 1250 (MAX) —> I- 0

END: SS- 1033 —> SSS- 1250 (MAX) —> I- 0

DEX: SS- 1095 —> SSS- 1250 (MAX) —> I- 0

AGI: SS- 1104 —> SSS- 1325 (MAX) —> I- 0

MAG: SS- 1001 —> SSS- 1250 (MAX) —> I- 0

Development Abilities:

Luck: I

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.

• Argonaut

Reveal to the world your true Heroic Desire. The greater the Desire, the greater the Strength, the greater the Drain. Let the Bell of Heroes chime and ring.

…

It seems Argonaut was non-negotiable with Bell. I do not mind one bit. His heroic desires are admirable and good for his growth, not to mention how powerful the ability is from what was shown in the anime/novel.

Luck too. Hestia picked it up as soon as she looked at it, making me chastise her for several hours for not even allowing Bell a chance to know all of his development abilities.

To be fair, she made a great point when she said Bell would’ve just done anything I or she said, but I still wanted him to learn to make the right decision. This ‘Luck’ ability is unknown, but it was quite useful if Bell’s plot armor was anything to go by. I have no doubt that this skill is just the world reaffirming/justifying his plot armor.

The other options weren’t really as enticing from what I heard, but I digress.

That didn’t stop me from grounding Hestia, though. Which sucked for her since she had ‘mysteriously’ gotten back on good terms with Hephaestus and had been visiting her quite often in the last week.

She fucked around and found out, I suppose. Skill issue.

Back to Bell’s status though, I’m quite surprised that our ‘MAX’ for each stat are different, but it makes sense. How could you expect the MAX of each person to remain the same? Each and every person has their own ‘limit’, so it only makes sense that my and Bell’s ‘MAX’ are different.

Though his Agility having a much higher MAX than his other stats is quite amusing. It seems that no matter how hard I try, Bell’s ability to run away will always be his greatest strength.

He was extremely embarrassed and indignant when I pointed that out. Hestia and I had a good laugh once she stopped crying about being ‘unfairly’ grounded. ‘Unfairly’ my ass.

Though speaking of MAXes…

As I’ve said before, I’m nearing my next level up and expect to reach it at any moment in the next week. My status…

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

Name: Michael Inumaki

Race: Human (Jujutsu Sorcerer)

Level: 2 (!)

Ability Scores:

STR: C- 614 —> S- 998

END: S- 992 —> SSS- 1289

DEX: C- 689 —> SS- 1145

AGI: B- 731 —> SS- 1174

MAG: SSS- 1381 —> EX- 1503

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.

…

It seems my MAX increases with each level. MAG has yet to reach its maximum despite hitting 1500 like last time. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not since I now have to waste time maxing myself out before I can level up and get that massive power boost.

I’m obviously not going to rush it and just level up though. I’ll need every point I can in the future, and let it be known that I was always a completionist in all of the games I played. I won’t leave my game at 99% completion just because I was a little impatient, after all.

I snort slightly and shake my head, moving my head up to stare at the ruined yard I’ve been training in as I crouch down and begin carving something into the ground with my spear.

I’ve achieved… a decent bit of the available abilities in the Jujutsu Kaisen system. Partly thanks to Toge as he was in no way a joke as a Semi-Grade 1 Sorcerer.

Already capable of Curtain and working on other Barrier Techniques, I’ve advanced down the table quite well. I’ve achieved Black Flash… once. But that’s good enough to mark all of the above abilities down.

I also achieved Reverse Cursed Energy and have almost ‘mastered’ Cursed Speech, so that lane is definitely not lacking…

But I have yet to make any significant progress in my Domain…

I already have an idea of what it will be, and while the inner me screams in embarrassment at how… everything it is, it is undoubtedly going to be a very powerful addition to my arsenal once I’m able to materialize and realize it into existence.

It will encompass my Cursed Speech, yet remove an absolutely vital part of it while utilizing a different ability I’ve recently discovered to… set the mood, so to say.

I feel an almost evil grin make its way to my face as I pause, the giddiness almost overwhelming my rationality. I shake my head, clearing my downright sadistic thoughts with amusement.

That Domain Expansion is not going to do my Sadist side any good. Too bad Bell is fucking immune due to his lack of Cursed Energy. Or as immune as one can be from a sudden shift in dimension. As well as all the other stuff that will happen in there. Yet the main cake will be unavailable, unfortunately.

I take a deep breath to get back on topic as I raise a hand in front of my face, watching the familiar black energy enveloping it. I close my eyes and once again pull my Cursed Energy reserves together, attempting to multiply them to create Reverse Cursed Energy as I had done almost a dozen days ago.

The energies almost gravitate to each other as I command, yet I feel something missing and fail to recreate the same feeling I had achieved earlier. All the other attempts afterward yield negative results, pun intended.

I huff and lower my fist, reopening my eyes as I feel a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. The familiar cool lips of Edias land on my cheek as my own lips incline upward slightly.

“Sorry for the break. I’m ready to continue.” I place a hand on Edias’s cheek behind me as I feel her pout on my cheek and she wraps me tightly.

“... Are you… doing fine…?” She speaks, her voice sounding a lot less hoarse and unnatural after I finally got the 23rd-28th floor Crystal. It was a hassle convincing Edias that I wasn’t going to mess around and was only going to get the crystal and leave, yet I managed. I acquired both the bank and the newest IEdias X Pro, now with improved text-to-speech capabilities.

Edias pinches my waist and I chuckle.

“I’m doing just fine, thank you for asking Edias. Contemplating some stuff that has to do with my Cursed Energy, nothing serious.” I ease her worries and move out of her arms as she floats into the air and nods thoughtfully.

“... I’m unsure… of how… your Cursed…” She paused for a second after struggling to form more than two words at a time, rolling her eyes with a huff as she opened our link.

[... I’m not perfectly sure… how different your control… of ‘Cursed Energy’ is… compared to mine… but I’m here to… help if you need… me…]

“Thank you, Edias. I appreciate it. Glad to have you by my side.” I give her a light peck on the cheek and pick my spear back up from the ground, moving to a different side of the training grounds while finishing my thoughts.

… Other than improving my stats and finishing my last level up, I’ll need to finally achieve Reverse Cursed Energy, progress my Domain, decide where I wish to advance my Cursed Speech, and continue working on my not-so-secret project…

That being my creation of a new Cursed Technique.

I’ve been in between two choices of what it could be… Originally, I was thinking of capitalizing on energy construct creation, creating energy attacks made from Cursed Energy similar to… the Rasengan, or a Kamehameha wave.

But I’m also considering delving into a Vibration technique instead, as it might be easier to achieve because of the nature of Cursed Energy. Vibration itself is no joke, Whitebeard’s power is Vibration and it’s capable of breaking space and time because of its sheer intensity. Of course, I’d not be near that level anytime soon, but it does not change the fact that Vibration is not a laughing matter.

Energy constructs seem like the versatile option, being able to create any temporary energy construct I may need at a time and possibly controlling it to my bidding.

Vibration is the firepower option, granting me a much stronger attack power as well as an alternative in case my magic or Cursed Speech fail or are not viable in the current situation.

I positioned myself on the other side of the field from Edias, watching her pump herself up and ‘roll back her sleeves’ despite not having long sleeves. An amused smile makes its way onto my face before I return to my thoughts.

Other than working on my own techniques, I’ve been training Lefiya and Lily on top of Bell. Tiona has dropped by consistently over the last few days, yet I haven’t seen Ais in a while.

I’m planning on taking Lefiya with me into the dungeon for the first time soon, but the incoming threat of the Far East is making me hesitate on leaving Bell and Hestia alone again…

There are about… 9 days until the Denatus of the gods where Bell and I are going to get our titles. That’s also the time when I was supposed to be ‘approached’ to be informed about my ‘summon’.

Oh… to be a simple Shonen Protagonist without brain cells, capable of ignoring problems until they arrive and dealing with them by using the power of friendship and plot armor… One can only wish for such a blessing…

I have… been working on a plan. I’m not experienced enough to have a 101 guide on ‘How to defeat an entire country that’s trying to enslave you because you look Asian’, but I… have a plan.

The plan is simple.

I am the Joker.

Wait, wrong plan. I’m not resorting to my villain arc just yet, that’s the plan C for a different scenario.

Why did I have to go from defeating a fodder Familia of nobodies to defeating an entire country…? Should I just say fuck it and challenge the Apollo Familia early so the jump between enemies makes more sense in the story? It at least has a level 3, so…

Wait, is Ishtar weaker or stronger than the Far East? She has a level 5, and I haven’t found anything about a level 5 in the Far East… yet the Royal Court does not answer to Orario and wouldn’t need to submit the levels of its adventurers as a normal Familia would.

Though they probably would still answer to Ouranos. Maybe. Ares is still waging war against Orario even if he is an idiot, so Ouranos’s influence might not be all-encompassing. I doubt he’d get them to back off regarding me, since ‘I belong to them’ or whatever…

But I could probably call in a favor with him to get them to back off once I wreck their shit in. After all, I can’t be cleansing the dungeon if I’m stuck playing servant to some snobbish noble. I’m sure Ouranos wouldn’t want Edias’s reaction to that, too.

Hm Hm.

My eyes widen and I quickly turn my head to the side as a pouting Edias punches the air my head was just occupying with significant force, the air shifting from the force of her strike.

“Don’t ignore… me!”

… I’ll think more about it later.

…

…

After finishing up some CE practice/exercise with Edias, I had a little chat with Bell before heading to the guild to finish some paperwork and finally report Bell’s level-up.

I made my way through the familiar streets of Orario, carelessly walking while ignoring the occasional recognition from the random civilian.

I wear a lot of covering clothes that don’t have many striking features, so it's easy for people to look over my figure if they’re not specifically looking for it. Exactly what I was going for when I decided to wear this stuff.

My eyes exasperatedly stare at empty space for a minute before I huff and turn, entering the closest random alleyway in my path.

I slowly walked into the alleyway with my hands hidden in my cloak, a terribly blank expression on my face which slowly turned wry as I kept walking.

I wanted to finish up with the guild and quickly deal with some other business, but it seems I’ll first have to handle the Aizen Sosuke currently watching me. Unfortunately for them, I do not enjoy being watched nonconsensually very much.

My right hand slowly moves out of my cloak as I continue walking through the alleyway, reaching for ‘air’ as color begins to shift in the nearby space.

“... I believe I have humored you enough, Perseus. Is it not time to finally reveal what exactly it is that you want from me?” I suddenly speak out and continue walking blankly with a new hat in my hands, the form of Asfi Al Andromeda slowly materializing behind me with shock.

I inspect the hat in my hands. It’s a hat similar to the one Hermes gave to that random level 2 who kidnapped Hestia and tried to beat Bell up out of jealousy in the original story, inadvertently spawning the Enhanced Goliath once Hestia almost unleashed her Arcana in the dungeon.

… That didn’t happen here, so I don’t know if I should be upset or simply not care. Doesn’t matter though, I’ll be keeping it.

“... Interesting hat, I’ll be keeping both of them.” I spoke first before Asfi could as I saw her open her mouth to speak, stopping in confusion once she heard my words.

“... Both?” She mutters quizzically, turning shocked once another hat flies into my hands, and her god, Hermes, materializes a few feet away with a few awkward laughs.

“Ahaha… Why hello there, Mr. Inumaki…” Hermes greeted me while scratching his cheek as I stared at him blankly and turned to Asfi, watching her glare at Hermes. “... Hello to you too, little Asfi.” He grinned at the girl despite her glare, only having the littlest grimace in his grin.

“Lord Hermes!? What are you doing here!?!?” She whisper-shouted at the god furiously while glancing at me as I crossed my arms, watching the by-play amusedly.

“Well I couldn’t help how worried I was about my little Captain, so I followed you here so we can… you know.” He not so subtly glanced at me before turning back to her as she facepalmed at his lack of subtlety and stomped her way over to him.

Before she could inflict divine punishment upon his ass, I decided to intervene as I cleared my throat. Asfi stopped in her tracks and turned to me immediately, clearly alert as she isn’t sure what reaction I’d have to being watched & followed.

“... While it’s amusing watching you two squabble, I would like to know the reason you were both following me.” I blatantly pull my spear out and stab it into the ground, leaning on it unashamedly as Asfi steps protectively in front of Hermes. “... This is most certainly a demand by the way, if that helps.”

Hermes chuckles with amusement despite Asia's growing tenseness and places a hand on her shoulder, ignoring her warning look as he steps forward towards me and places an arm around my neck like an old friend.

“Well, Mr. Inumaki, are you aware of the Hermes Familia’s specialty by any chance?” He asks in a ‘hush-hush’ noise as I stare at him with amusement, only showing a blank deadpan on the surface.

“... Information gathering, espionage, smuggling.” I answered simply while getting straight to the point without lowering my volume as Hermes placed his index finger in front of his mouth and shushed me.

“Yes yes…! But don’t be so obvious… The walls have ears, don’t you know?” He informs me with ‘concern’ as I roll my eyes and push him off gently, placing my spear back in its handle.

“... I could sense you both despite your invisibility. If the walls had ears, I’d know.” His eyebrows raise at my words before gaining a smirk on his face. “Now, what does your family’s specialty have to do with spying on me?”

We both already knew exactly what they were spying on me for, but I was not about to play the game of ‘oh, how could you ever accuse me of such a thing’ with him. Better to get it from the horse’s mouth or whatever the saying is.

“Well… many people around have been quite interested in you ever since your level-up and wargame. You’re one of the biggest celebrities around right now, you know! The one who leveled up in a mere 3 weeks, beating the second-fastest record by a year!” He began trying to butter me up as I rolled my eyes and smirked under my collar.

“... Third-fastest record, actually.” I correct him as he turns to me with confusion, unaware of what I mean. “My Familia member, Bell, has leveled up to Level 2 in one month and 4 days.” I inform him with the littlest bit of pride in my voice as his face grows shocked, Asfi mimicking his shock with her own at my announcement as well.

Hermes’s eyes instinctively begin searching my face for signs of deceit, yet he quickly remembers that he’s already a living lie detector as he begins laughing out loud maniacally.

Asfi turns to look at him in shock at his laughter, but he doesn’t even notice her as he continues to gleefully laugh at something neither of us seemed to know.

I could guess, though.

“Is that so!? Well, I’ll be damned! It seems your Familia is full of quite a talented bunch, huh? Two level ups in a collective two months, more or less… how inspiring!” He compliments?- notes with an almost excitable laugh as I gaze blankly at him and turn to his Captain with a raised eyebrow.

She seems just as confused as I am, staring at her god with twitching eyebrows and concern. I don’t blame her, he looks like he’s gone crazy with how he’s laughing right now.

“Indeed. Now, let’s get back on topic. Who are you gathering information about me for?” I abandon tiptoeing around the topic and get straight to the point as my stare bores into the still gleeful god.

“Haha… Ah, no one specific actually. I just thought that the information might be handy in the future.” He admits with a few weak chuckles, his face looking almost secretive.

Edias’s lack of a ping shows that he wasn’t lying, so he might just want me to make a fool of myself by pushing despite him already speaking the truth. Or his face is just naturally that annoying.

{Would a god of deceit have a chance of bypassing your lie detection?} I curiously ask after having a moment of realization as Edias ‘huffs’.

[... Hmph. As if…]

Got it.

“... I see. Very well then.” His face grows slightly curious once I don’t push further, but the smirk on his face shows that he wasn’t as surprised as one would expect.

“Ah, then if that’s settled… mind if I get my hat back?” Hermes smiles wryly while staring at me, Asfi facepalming behind him as he does so.

I already put them away into Edias’s body, so I’m gonna be annoying about it.

“... Hat? I apologize, but I do not wear that type of attire myself. I have no hats on my person at the moment.” Edias’s body doesn’t count as my body, so I’m not lying technically.

His face grows incredulous as my words register as truth before he chuckles weakly and raises a finger into the air helplessly.

“Haha… That’s quite funny… Please do give the hat back though, they’re really expensive to make…” He pleads while putting his hands together as I smirk at the pathetic display and roll my eyes.

“... Hmm. If I were to have that hat somehow, then I suppose there’d be a way for me to return it to its rightful way… on a few conditions.” His eyebrows raise slightly at my words but he shrugs and gestures for me to continue.

“Shoot, I suppose.”

“Here.” I threw a bag of Valis from inside of my Cloak that I took out from Edias. “That’s ten million Valis, more or less. Do not spread any information you have on me or my Familia anywhere. Do not seek any information you don’t already know about me. Inform me if anyone approaches you for information about me or my Familia and tell me who they are. If you do that, I’ll pay you more than what they would offer you. Come back to me on the same day every month, and I will pay you five million Valis just to keep doing that.” Hermes and Asfi’s faces grow shocked as I speak, and I spot Asfi’s eyes turning into dollar- Valis signs as she stares at Hermes murderously.

“Woah! What type of money are you bringing every month to be capable of making such payments?” Hermes asks in ‘wonder’ as Asfi winces and looks at me in alarm.

“... Let’s add a fourth condition. Don’t ask questions. That’s technically the same as the second condition, but I specified it just for you.” I reply dryly to Hermes as he laughs awkwardly and nods.

“Well… uh… we accept! Though uh… where are the conditions for the hat…?” Hermes asks with a tilted head. Although, he doesn’t seem as concerned about it as he was before now that he has gotten all of that money.

“That is a different thing… Tell me, do you have any information about the Far East and its Royal Court?” Hermes’s expression could not have changed any faster as his face turned grave, gravitating upwards to the sky for a moment before looking down at me seriously.

“Sorry. I can’t help you.” He immediately denies while shaking his head as both Asfi and I blink in surprise.

… Well, I’ve gotten a good measure of how powerful the Royal Court is already just from that. I believe I understand.

“I see. Thank you, then.” I take one of the hats back and hand it back to the genuinely surprised Hermes as he takes the hat back with confusion.

“... You won’t push…? No. I’ll take my small victories and go. Fancy doing business with you, Mr. Inumaki. I’ll be sure to drop by next month to collect my Familia’s ‘payment’!” He shook his head again and returned to his carefree smirk, twirling the hat in his hand before placing it on his head. “I promise that nothing will be coming out of my or my Familia’s mouths, though make sure nothing comes out of yours either… After all, the walls may have ears you can see, but I bet you can’t stare into the sun and see it.”

With those parting words, Hermes grabbed Asfi’s hand and began leaving with haste. The poor girl was staring at him with so much confusion and concern it was almost hilarious.

… I see.

… How effective is Curtain…? Is the light it allows in artificial or the same normal light…?

… Shit.

Fuck fuck fu-

Calm…

I do not know all of the facts. Panicking will get me nowhere.

{Edias… Please tell me if you ever feel off while with me.} I request from Edias as I quickly begin to make my way to the guild, a new hat on my head as my body grows invisible to the human eye.

Hermes only asked for one of the hats back… Don’t mind if I do…

[... Yes. I will… Is everything alright…?]

{... Perhaps.}

…

…

“WHAT!?!?” Eina screamed as she slammed her hands on the table, the papers atop it becoming disorganized as Bell winces next to me.

“... Mind your volume.” I look up from the papers I’m signing to lightly glare at Eina as she immediately sits down with a sheepish expression while ‘innocently’ sitting with a prim and proper posture.

“Ahem…” Eina cleared her throat with a small blush on her face, my eyes slowly lowering after she did so. “S-sorry… U-um… Are you joking…?” She asks with the slightest bit of hope in her eyes as Bell chuckles awkwardly.

I sigh and look up again, staring at Eina with a raised eyebrow as I see the life drain out of her body. “... Do I sound like I’m joking, Eina?” I ask her dryly as she lifelessly shakes her head.

“U-um… Are you annoyed by my level up Miss Eina…?” Bell asks hesitantly as Eina’s head snaps to him with her eyes widened, clearly regretting her delivery with how distraught Bell seemed.

“N-no! Not at all! In fact, I’m overjoyed that you’ve gotten stronger!” She quickly clarifies while flailing her arms in front of her desperately as Bell nods his head slowly.

“I believe I won the bet we made a few weeks ago, no? I said that Bell would level up in a month, and… it’s only been three weeks I believe?” I abruptly point out as both Eina and Bell turn to me with surprise, both of them suddenly remembering that I did, in fact, do that.

“W-woah! How’d you know Mikey??” Bell questioned with awe, clearly impressed with everything I do as he usually is.

“I told you to be confident in yourself, didn’t I? I knew from the start that you’d manage to do it, so is there any reason to doubt my judgment?” Bell blinked slowly at my words, his face slowly morphing as if he just heard some deep wisdom from a sage and is now contemplating the meaning of life.

“... I honestly don’t know what to think about you anymore…” Eina sighed tiredly before quickly jumping up and stomping out of the room once I opened my mouth to speak. “I’m going to go get the necessary paperwork, bye!”

I slowly close my mouth with twitching eyebrows as Bell laughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his head.

I don’t need your protagonist's habits right now, Bell. I need someone to sass. If I do not get someone to sass, I will be very upset.

[... Do not take it… out on bunny boy…]

{Your maternal instincts are showing, Edias.} I immediately retort as I feel my testsassterone levels ease, having gotten some relief.

[... Why does he look… like an Almiraj…?]

I almost laugh at Edias’s genuinely confused question as she doesn’t even try to deny me. We were just walking around in the dungeon the other day and encountered a lone Almiraj. Edias inspected it a lot more closely through my eyes and then inspected Bell later and found too many similarities that she now can’t keep the image of both of them side-to-side out of her head.

I saw her contemplating patting him on the head or throwing him into the correct level in the dungeon the other day ‘so he can meet up with his pack’. Funny shit that was.
[… Silence yourself…]

Sure thing.

“Bell, whatever is said in this room will not be discussed outside with anybody. Understand?” I suddenly turn to the edge of the room and speak to Bell, watching him nod his head in confusion immediately in the corner of my eye. “... Fels.”

The cloaked figure exits the area it was hiding in at my greeting as Bell jumps from his position with alarm, staring warily at the figure but not moving once he notices that I’m still sitting relaxedly.

“Sir Michael. It is an honor to see you again after… the events of the last few days.” Fels speaks to me with their hoarse voice as Bell gives me a side-eye and hesitantly sits down.

“... It certainly has been eventful, yes.” I agree, waiting to see where Fels was going to go with this.

Is he and Ouranos aware of the problem with the Far East? Or is this something else?

“... I see. I regret to inform you that it seems your troubles will not be coming to an end in the foreseeable future…” Fels speaks out after a few seconds with a ‘grave’ tone, or as grave as a floating cloak inhabited by a skeleton can sound.

Ah, so they have learned of the Far East stuff? Interesting.

“... and why is that exactly, Fels?” I questioned with narrowed eyes as something began to float out of Fels’ cloak and landed on my lap. It looks like a scroll.

Opening the scroll, my eyes widened in shock as I read a formal request from ‘Lady Amaterasu’ to Ouranos asking to not involve himself with the ‘coming Far Eastern matters’. My name is not mentioned in the letter, but it’s heavily implied that a ‘Far Eastern asset’ is going to be ‘retrieved’ in the coming weeks.

Asset…?

Asset…?

Who the fuck do they think they are calling me an ‘Asset’...?

“Mikey…” Bell speaks from next to me with concern as I tightly grip the unnaturally strong scroll in my hands, glaring at it with heat.

“... From the lack of surprise or confusion on your face, I will have to assume that you are already aware of what the content of this scroll is stating?” Fels speaks again as the scroll flies out of my hands and into their cloak. I glared at losing my stress ball, quickly losing the heat in my eyes a few moments later as I sighed.

Amaterasu herself…? Why though- Oh, stupid question. Record holder.

But still… a formal letter to Ouranos asking him to not involve himself, just for a level 2?

Record holder or not, people right now assume that I leveled up as soon as I was able to, so my stats are complete garbage. Which is obviously nowhere near the truth since I’ve literally maxed out my stats, but no one actually knows that.

… Why would Amaterasu involve herself directly with the retrieval of a single level 2? There are plenty of underlings for her to choose from and assign such unimportant work.

“... I’ve been told. The Royal Court is planning to send out for my ‘return’ to the Far East. Unfortunately for them, I am neither interested in ‘returning’ to the Far East, nor am I from the Far East.” I speak with slight venom in my voice, patting Bell on the head as he has been staring at me with worry for some time now.

“... I see. Your not being from the Far East does change things… Unfortunately, the Royal Court will not back down even if that was proven to be true. You are seen as too valuable to be passed up, and while you may not be Far Eastern… you certainly look the part…” Fels slowly shakes their head at me as I sigh in annoyance, agreeing with them.

… This changes everything. I thought that I would be seen as a single unimportant straggler who was lucky enough to level up, not as an important ‘asset’ that the supreme leader of the Royal Court is involving herself directly with to retrieve.

Depending on how valuable they deem me, I may be actually fighting an entire country right now. That was supposed to be a fucking joke…

“... I suppose you’re here to let me know that you and Ouranos are unable to help me directly, yes?” I ask Fels after a few moments of silence.

“... Unfortunately, yes… Though… We also would like to warn you that some… other Familias… have you in their sights.” Oh great. Just one thing after another.

[... Murder?]

“I don’t think I need to make you aware of how furious Edias is right now, do I? Not only am I possibly being taken away from the dungeon to potentially serve as some random noble’s servant, but several gods are gunning for me.” Fels shifts uncomfortably at my words, the implied threat of Edias acting up if this bullshit continues being quite clear.

“... We are incapable of acting directly… but if there is anything we can do that would help assuage your troubles…” Fels offers after a few seconds of shifting nervously as Bell stares at me in shock at mentioning Edias openly.

I raise my eyebrows at Fels and stay silent for a few seconds, letting them grow more anxious before I finally sigh and speak.

“One, I do not need any distractions from the guild in the coming weeks. Call off all of the nonsensical paperwork you give my Familia every month. I already know that 90% of it is not actually necessary, but is actually a way to keep the Familias on their toes and potentially catch any foul play with some of them. It’s only an annoyance to me and is not actually necessary in any way.” I raise a finger as I speak, Fels’s body ‘nodding’ easily at my condition since Ouranos controls the guild and can easily achieve something like this without trouble.

“Two, buy me time against all of the Familias that are aiming for me right now. You should know since you’ve been here since we entered, but Bell leveled up a few days ago and has broken the previous record holder’s record just as I have. I need some time to deal with everything around and prepare, and I may be forced to leave for some time to deal with the Royal Court… so I need you to buy as much time as you can.” Fels doesn’t immediately nod this time, standing still for a few long moments before eventually nodding hesitantly.

“... We will do our best, but we cannot promise… too much.” I nod in understanding and move on, happy with what I’ve gotten.

“... Third, I’d like a license allowing me to own monsters outside of the dungeon and keep them with me in my Familia’s grounds. I’d also like for it to include permission to use them in battle or as Sentinels as needed.” Fels seems to exude shock at my request, his form remaining silent for an entire minute at this request.

“... That… can be achieved. I will need to consult with Lord Ouranos to check if they are fine with this, but I do not foresee any issues with this request…” Fels ‘nods’ again as Bell looks at me weirdly at the request, not commenting any further though.

“That will be fine. Lastly, I’d like any information you and the guild may have on everything related to the Far East.” Fels seems to move quickly to deny this request, but I speak first. “I understand that this request seems difficult, but I am not giving any specific deadline. The information can always be transferred subtly to me on any silent night.”

The room is engulfed in silence after that request, Fels looking like they’re in a state of contemplation while Bell nervously glances around with a gulp. I drum my fingers on the side of my chair while waiting for Fels’s answer, not looking tense in any way as I wait.

Eventually, Fels speaks.

“... I suppose that… this request is possible. I will speak with Lord Ouranos. That is all I can guarantee, Sir Michael.” Fels speaks with ‘regret’ in their hoarse voice as I nod my head a few times.

“I will be awaiting his verdict then. I believe Eina is approaching the room, so it's time for you to return, Fels. We shall speak again soon.” They nod their head back to me and slowly exit the room, disappearing from sight without another word.

Just as he leaves, Eina opens the door to the booth and enters with a sheepish expression.

“Ah, I’m so sorry for taking so long! My co-workers suddenly walked up to me and began speaking about random topics, not letting me go despite how many times I told them I was busy.” Eina huffed and rearranged the papers in her hands, handing them to me. “Here, this is everything you need to fill out for… Bell’s level up.”

I nodded to her. “Thank you, allow me to fill this all out.”

Eina and Bell began chatting about different things as I filed the paperwork, but the only thing I could think of at the time was the coming storm…

I still need a vacation.

…

…

After finishing up all of the shit I had to do in the guild, I and Bell bid Eina farewell and returned home. We picked Lily and Hestia up, and slowly made our way to the Hostess of Fertility to celebrate Bell’s level-up.

We’re currently seated on one of the tables away from the bar, with Bell next to Hestia and Lily sitting next to me in the inner seat so she can be as far away from other adventurers as she possibly can be.

Hestia and Bell are arguing about something nonsensical as usual while Lily tries to mediate between them. Something about ‘rabbits’ and Bell being offended. The usual.

I spot Ryuu making her way to our table from the corner of my eyes. We make eye contact and she nods her head, which I return with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Miss Ryuu.” I greet her as she stands at the head of the table, the others looking up from their conversation to the elf girl.

“Mr. Michael. I see you seem to be here with your Familia?” She greets back and turns to the others, nodding to Bell.

Hestia turns to me with narrowed eyes, as if suspicious of something. I turn to her with my own narrowed eyes, daring her to say anything. She doesn’t though and quickly looks away nervously.

“Yes. Brown here is Lily, our newest member and supporter.” I pat Lily on the head next to me. Lily nods her head nervously to Ryuu, not making any eye contact as I pat her on the head. “This is Ryuu Lion. A friend of mine who helped me quite a bit when I was preparing to fight the Soma Familia.”

Lily’s eyes widened slightly at Ryuu’s introduction and she quickly looked to Ryuu to confirm, which the elf did not as she stared at me blankly.

“You’re too kind, Mr. Michael. My ‘help’ was definitely not needed, as shown by your complete annihilation of the Soma Familia.” Ryuu’s voice had an odd tone to it that was indescribable, but before I could comment about it…

“Woah! Mikey and Familia! It’s been too long since you guys visited the hostess, it's nice to see you guys again!” Syr suddenly appears, greeting everyone with bubbling happiness as Hestia blushes slightly at the sight of the girl and looks at me with a slight glare.

Ah great… Never escaping that one, am I?

“It has been quite a long time, Syr.” I nod to the girl amiably, noting how she piped up slightly at my acknowledgment. “What exactly do you mean that your help was not necessary, Ryuu? I don’t believe I would’ve been able to win if not for your help.” I turn to Ryuu again, not wanting to let go of that point as I raise an eyebrow.

“Oh! Ryuu has been sulking about how easily you destroyed the Soma Familia, thinking that the training you guys were doing was unnecessary in the end.” Syr giggles slightly, Ryuu turning to her with a glare.

… Damn, really?

I didn’t expect this at all from the serious elf character.

I look at Ryuu with amusement as she turns away, not even attempting to maintain eye contact. Syr giggles again at seeing this, her amusement matching mine at the Tsundere behavior from the elf.

“Ahem… as amusing as this is, we should probably begin ordering food to celebrate Bell’s level-up!” Both Ryuu and Syr turn to Hestia with shock, turning to look at Bell next as he laughs sheepishly and rubs the back of his head.

“... You’ve already leveled up as well, Mr. Cranel?” Ryuu asks incredulously as Syr nods her head furiously next to her.

… Syr is faking it. She can apparently find out the strength of someone by the look of their soul, so she should know that he’s leveled up already. Oh well, she’s just playing her character or whatever.

“Ahaha… I have! It was a few days ago, I finished my daily dungeon expedition with Mikey and was updating my status… and boom! I was ready to level up!” Bell described his situation with wonder, though he tilted his head at the end. “I had a weird dream the night before, though…”

… Haha… I forgot to say, but Bell thinks that everything with the Crystal Mantis was a dream since he woke up in his bed a few hours later no worse for wear. I suspect Hestia has an idea of what happened, but she hasn’t said anything since that day.

“That’s amazing, Bell! You broke the… well, the previous record holder’s record by several times!” Syr complimented Bell as he blushed and nodded happily, clearly cheerful at that fact as well. “Haha, I assume you’ll be next little lady?” Syr turns to Lily with a smile as Lily stiffens and gapes.

“W-what?? Of course not… Mr. Mikey and Bell are monsters, Lily is not like them at all…” Lily shook her head furiously at Syr, but I rolled my eyes and karate-chopped her on the head.

“You’ll get there in a month or two, just give it time.” Everyone on the table except Bell stared at me incredulously, probably unsure if they should believe me or not. Lily herself seemed horrified at the insinuation, the sudden growth spurt in her stats now being a lot scarier than it was before.

“... Only you, Mr. Michael.” Ryuu muttered with the littlest amount of amusement.

Ah, yes. The link I have with Lefiya was also formed with Lily if that wasn’t obvious already. She hasn’t gotten too much use of it yet since we’ve only dungeon-dived into the upper floors so far, but she’s already growing faster than anyone in her place reasonably should.

So yeah, only me I guess.

“Alright, I guess it's time we properly begin celebrating then. Everyone order what you’d like, there’s no need to hold back tonight.” Hestia and Bell cheered at my words while Lily just nodded shyly. I caught Syr subtly staring at me before inclining her head to the door, sending me a secret message as I nod.

It seems she wants to speak privately later.

We eat, drink, and celebrate for a while with a cheerful atmosphere surrounding us. I spoke with Ryuu and Mama Mia for a while about some of the stuff I had done in the Wargame, Mama Mia more so than Ryuu since the elf already knew all of the tricks I had done during the fight. Hestia was the only one allowed alcohol in our Familia (I just didn’t drink it voluntarily) so she eventually began rambling and drunkenly flirting with Bell while declaring how proud she is of him, making the poor rabbit boy embarrassed. Lily tried her best to calm Hestia down but to little effect as the goddess celebrated loudly.

Eventually, I subtly made my way out of the pub and into the alleyway right next to the pub, approaching the CE signature of Syr who was waiting for me there with a big smile on her face.

I decided to add a little extra layer of safety and cast a Curtain on the alleyway, blocking anyone from hearing or seeing anything inside. I also kept my senses sharp so no repeat of the Ryuu incident happens again.

“Mikey~ You’ve kept me waiting for too long, you know? I knew you’d be busy with all of the annoying aftermath of your war game, but isn’t it too harsh to forget about little old me?~” Freya recognized my barrier technique and didn’t wait for another second before quickly jumping me, holding me in a tight hug while pushing her arms into my cloak with a blissful smile on her face.

[... Ah shit… Here we go again…]

“... You would be more surprised if I actively pursued you, wouldn’t you?” I dryly commented, her giggles showing she didn’t take offense despite the somewhat rude words.

“I suppose so~ Although, I still need to ‘get my fix’, as you put it… Else I’d go crazy and kidnap you in a love-filled frenzy~” She spoke theatrically as she described what she’d do if she didn’t ‘get her fix’, my deadpan showing how I felt at the moment.

“... Have you heard of the Far Eastern word, ‘Yandere’, by any chance?” I blankly stare at the form of Syr which is still holding onto me tightly, feeling her freeze at the word before shaking.

“Pffft…” She laughed amusedly at the word and looked up at me with a tilted head. “I suppose that is an apt way of putting it, huh? Though I’m not sure if mentioning the Far East is very appropriate right now…” Oh shit. She knows.

“... You’re aware?” I look up at the sky, sighing tiredly at the full moon that stood above us before looking back down at the amused goddess.

“Yep! I’m surprised you are aware, though. What’s the secret source of information you have, hmmm?~ Mine needed a lot more ‘coercing’ for me to get what I needed…” Freya finally moved back a bit, putting some space between our two bodies as she smirked at me with narrowed eyes.

Ah, poor Hermes. Probably. Can’t say shit to the top dog around. Or I suppose he has to say shit when the top dog orders him around.

“I am quite capable when need be.” I answer simply, not revealing anything. Freya huffs with ‘annoyance’, though her amusement was easy to see.

“You meanie~... I don’t like having to solve mysteries!” I raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes with a smile. “Okay, I suppose that was a lie. I love mysteries~”

So do all the gods in this world. Anything they don’t know or find entertaining is practically a godsend to them, and that’s ironic because they are the gods.

“... What exactly are you planning to do about it? I’d rather if my plans were not disrupted because the wild element, that is your Familia, decided to act.” I ask seriously while staring into Freya’s eyes, watching her hum contemplatively.

“Weeell… I could just tell my Otter to deal with those fools for trying to claim what’s mine, but the guild wouldn’t like that very much… and while I don’t really care what they think, I’d rather not step on so many toes by acting like a tyrant…” She speaks with a thoughtful tone, sounding ‘unsure’ of what to do if her frown meant anything.

“... In other words, you’d rather wait to see if I can deal with this by myself first before acting yourself if I fail.” Her frown morphed into a smirk, her eyes gaining a glint of amusement.

“No need to expose me like that, you know?~ If we both already know something, we don’t need to say it out loud…” She pinched me playfully, pouting once I didn’t show a reaction to her ‘attack’. “Buuuut you’re right~ If you’re unable to deal with them on your own, then I’ll do the same thing I said I’d do if you failed to defeat the Soma Familia.”

My eyes widened. “You’ll force me into your Familia if I fail to defeat the Royal Court?” I ask with an edge in my tone as her pout widened.

“You forgot the part where I make Otter train you until you’re strong enough to defeat your enemies by yourself before retiring together on a farm somewhere and living the rest of our lives happily like husband and wife~” She spoke all of that in one breath, a dreamy smile on her face and a ‘blush’ enveloping her ears and neck.

[... Can we do that… instead?]

… Bruh.

“... I suppose I did.” My dry answer makes her huff but she doesn’t comment further as the alleyway slowly becomes silent.

After the silence extends for a bit too long, Freya’s smile weakens slightly and she finally breaks the quiet.

“... If there’s a way for me to help you indirectly… I would not be averse to offering my aid…?” She offers hesitantly, definitely surprising me if my face is anything to go by.

… It’s quite weird that she’d offer her aid despite this being a chance for her to get me into her Familia. Not that she couldn’t do it right now, but gods love their little games of ‘can he’ or ‘can he not’.

“... I appreciate the offer, but I do not believe that there’s a way for you to help me right now that is subtle enough to not cause an outrage…” I carefully word my sentence out, not wanting to imply anything. Freya’s head tilts slightly at my words, her face looking amused.

“... You are aware I’m probably the most wealthy woman in the world, right?” She traces her finger on my neck as she ‘explains’ to me like I didn’t already know.

“... I’m aware. I am not lacking in money, though. I’m already a billionaire.” I see no reason to hide this. It’s not like money matters in the end beyond being able to get better gear and equipment.

Freya’s face grows shocked at my admission before she laughs. “You truly are incredible, Michael. Even the most prominent issue of Familias, money, is nothing to you… I fear the number of women that will flock to you in the future.” Back at it again with the women thing? Do you want Edias to explode?

[... Grumble.]

Nevermind.

“... I am not a person who cares for such things. Lose any ideas you have about ‘women’ flocking to me.” I sigh in annoyance as Freya giggles, finding something amusing.

“I’m aware… From what I’ve seen so far, you seem to only find women that are strong, yet weaker than you, attractive. You were almost neutral to Ryuu when you first met, not caring much about her beyond wishing to stay under the radar. Yet you are now a lot more friendly with her after successfully defeating her in a spar multiple times. As for the little elf you’ve taken under your wing, she was always weaker than you ever since you both met, so you warmed up to her immediately and teased her without a second thought. Isn’t that right?~” My body froze at her description of me, and I felt my cursed energy rage inside of me as I glared at Freya and gripped the hand that was touching my face.

“Do NOT speak as if you know me. You know NOTHING.” I bite out, glaring at her unflinching eyes as she smiled softly and used her other hand to gently cup my face.

“... You’re correct… I don’t know much about you. I wish to change that. I want to know all about you, from your likes, dislikes, and even your past… You do not need to fear me in any way, my Michael… Anything I learn of you will remain secret in my heart, forever…” She spoke with warmth, ignoring the hand I was gripping tightly as she stared into my eyes with her ‘love’.

I open my mouth to speak anything but find nothing that I wish to say. I exhale angrily and let go of Freya’s hand, turning around and marching off without another word as my fists tighten painfully.

I don’t look back at Syr as I move, the barrier I cast collapsing as I exit its radius. I’m allowed a few moments of silence to allow my anger to calm before Edias hesitantly interrupts it with her words.

[... Was what she said… true…?]

…

… Not right now, Edias.

…

…

Here we are. A bit of a sneak peek into the next arc as we see several influential individuals speak of the coming troubles. What could all of this mean? Why is the Royal Court so fixated on Michael? And when the heck is Michael going to get his deserved vacation!?!?

Ramadan has really fucked me up in the last few weeks. I know other writers always joke about not being able to write even a thousand words every day, but I really wasn’t able to write except for like 3 days where I wrote 3-4k words in each one. I had my Beta spam me a countdown to make sure this chapter came out today, so yeah.

Hi Patreons. Its me. Ya boi. Been a second since my last upload huh? I managed to post before two weeks were up, I think. So that's good. Hope yall enjoyed your long awaited chapter though!

By the way... REALLY IMPORTANT!!!

Do you guys want me to start a Discord for you guys? If yes, Patreon only or should I just let everyone in? Also if you guys want it and say yes, anyone thats good with making discord servers and has experience with it lmk in messages.

Also here, some memes: