Chapter 24: Seikatsu_shi
Chapter Twenty-Four: Seikatsu-shi
"Mr. Aedan?"
Fresh in the morning, only the early-risers were up and about, which included Bell and Aedan, "Captain? Good morning; what can I do for you?"
"Well, I'm planning to go see if the Guild has everything ready for the mapping work we turned in, and I wanted to see if you would go with me"
A bit confused, but thinking there was something private that the boy wanted to speak on, he agreed easily and they left after informing Lili. The walk was mostly silent, but they made small talk of plans for the future and how to make their familia grow to new heights at a faster pace, speculation on the girls' former goddess, and other such things. Arriving at the Guild itself saw them go straight to Eina, seeing as how there weren't many others there at that time.
"Hello Bell, Haroeris, what can I do for you two?"
"Hello Ms. Eina, we came to see if there is an update on the map assignment?"
"Oh, there should be today; hold on and I'll go check to see" she left the counter at that to go further into the building. While they waited, another familiar face came up to them.
"Rabbit Foot, Haroeris, good morning" Rose bowed her head politely as they exchanged greetings.
"I'm happy to see you all made it back alright; next time we'll have to take you all down to Rivira to rest for while" Aedan said, smiling at the werewolf woman.
"That would be nice; I'm sure not many non-adventurers have ever been down there. We've heard all about it, but seeing it must be something else"
As they continued to chat amicably, Bell felt a strange mental sensation pull at the back of his mind, and the only thing he could come up with was one time when Welf mentioned something about being a "third wheel". Luckily, Eina came back pretty quickly, smiling and holding a small packet of papers.
"Yes, we have the final paperwork here! With the assignment completed and verified: the Hestia Familia has been credited with 2,145,000 vallis to its account with the Guild, as well as a certificate to wave five percent of this year's tax on the familia. Additionally, maps made available to purchase through the Guild with your work will of course be credited to the Hestia Familia; good job you guys!" She presented Bell with the packet, which simply contained paper confirmation of all that she told them on separate pieces of parchment, all signed by Royman Mardeel, the head of the Guild.
"So, do you have any plans moving forward, Bell?"
"Well, we talked about it, and the results were so good from this assignment, that I've more or less decided we should continue on with this sort of work. It's making us very familiar with the dungeon, and we're growing so quickly, too! Now that our familia is expanded and up to speed, I think we can stick together and continue on and map out the Dungeon from floor 18 to the next safe zone on the 28th"
His words drew some surprise from the girls, but Eina smiled, "That would be pretty challenging. Given that most of those floor have even less work done and are much larger, there will be a lot to do, not to mention the monsters; still, you've already gone down to The Water City, despite what happened, so I think in terms of strength you should all be fine. You'll need to be careful still, though, and make sure you're prepared, too! Most of those floors are in the so-called the Large Tree Labyrinth for a reason"
After saying goodbye, they left the Guild with the papers, and Bell looked to Horus after a moment, "Um, Mr. Aedan, there was actually something important I wanted to ask you"
'Ah, as I thought…'
"Speak freely, captain; I'll answer you if I can"
"Well, I just wanted to learn more… about you? Can you tell me about yourself, and your past? I talked with Ms. Alfia the other day and learned more about her, and I've been spending time with all our other new familia members, too, except you. So I wanted to get to know more about you"
"That's a bit surprising, but I do understand. Tell you what, why don't you come with me for a bit; I meant to pay someone a visit to gather some information, but you may learn what you want if you come along. This would involve you anyway, so it's fine for you to come with me" without elaborating, Aedan led Bell through Orario quickly, still trying to beat the press when most people would get up and going for the day. It didn't take too long before they got to a building with a signpost emblazoned with a cap, boot, and feather.
"Lord Hermes?" Bell asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
"That's right; come on, let's get inside"
They went in to the lobby of the building to find it lit dimly, and only occupied by a single, if beautiful, elf. She greeted them, but seemed to instantly focus on Bell upon seeing him.
"Ah, do I… know you miss? You seem familiar"
She nodded quickly in response, seemingly having trouble keeping his gaze, "Yes, you actually saved me from a group of monsters before, though you may not remember; my name is Laurier, it's a pleasure to properly meet you"
"Oh no, the pleasure's mine; you can call me Bell"
"Of course, so what can I do for you two today?"
"Well…" Bell was unsure, looking back at Aedan for help.
"If possible, we would like to speak with your god, Hermes. Could you tell him we're here for an exchange of information?"
The elf woman's shoulders seemed to sag a bit, at that, "Yes, I can do that; please wait just a moment" her voice noticeably more monotone than before, she left, and true to her word was scarcely gone a minute before she returned, "Follow me on inside, he's already waiting for you" she took the pair on a short walk to a small but comfortable office, with Hermes and Asfi waiting on them.
"Thank you Miss Laurier, we can take care of them for now" her god sent the elf off easily, and they traded greetings as Bell and Aedan took seats opposite the god and his captain.
"So I'm told you've come to us for an exchange of sorts, young Haroeris?"
"That's right, but truly I came to ask you for information, and I thought that information would also be your price"
"You do know me well, but the final price depends on the product, you know"
"Well, we can start with three things: we're seeking out strong allies to complete the final Grand Quest, as you know; I would like to know of any people at level 4 and above that you're aware of, not just in Orario, but the whole world. I plan to recruit everyone from Orario who is willing and move on from there. I also want to know if you have anything on the remaining Harbingers, as well as any Divine Artefacts. Just to preface, Fels already told me that Excalibur is somewhere near Beltane, and that he believes Aldebaran awakened shortly after Bell slew Antares"
"Hm…" Hermes made a show of stroking his chin, "That's quite an order; so what would you offer in trade for that?"
Smiling, Horus went right for the god's weak point, "I could tell you all of my past that you can ask; how does that sound?" Truly, it shouldn't have sounded like all that much, especially for what he was asking. That is exactly what was going through Asfi's mind; however, Aedan knew that- so long as he didn't know it already- Hermes would jump on something that could even possibly be important, especially so if he could more or less monopolize it.
"Your mysterious past, eh? Alright, I'll do it!" Asfi abandoned all decorum and rubbed her face with her palm, knowing how much vallis that information could net them, "Is there anything else?"
"That's well enough for now; if I need more, I'll come again"
"Alright, then let's get started; would you like to begin?"
"I don't mind; ask away"
"How old are you, precisely?"
"687 years, in a few months at least"
"You have been long for this world…where are you from, your homeland, I mean?"
"… It was a territory that once lay where the Dragon Valley now covers; it was called Gallia"
"Gallia, I see. Do you have any kin from before whose descendants still live? Remnants of your homeland?"
"Not that I know of. Certainly, none of my bloodline survives. It was a brutal time, even after the first of the gods came down from Heaven. The world was even more embroiled in disasters and martial turmoil than it is now. I- and all of my family- were warriors before I joined Osiris; that was after we had been weakened in a long and drawn-out battle with another country lost to time: Germania. In our weakness, both countries fell to the threat of surrounding monsters; to my knowledge, the land became wilds until the Dragon terraformed it into the Dragon Valley"
"…You know, Osiris never ascended; he should still be somewhere in Gekai"
"It would please me to see him again; I might depending on what you tell me; I'll have to see"
"Alright then, how old were you when you joined Osiris?"
"I had just turned 27, actually"
"What of your time with Zeus, and Hera, too, I guess? What did you think of them?"
"Zeus is a pervert, but friendly enough, and the life of any gathering, while Hera is essentially a man-hating queen. She tolerated me only because I trained her members well, as I did for Zeus"
"What about the training? Are there any moments that stand out to you?"
"Yes, over time, the strength that adventurers have been able to grow to has increased, which has interested me. In theory, if there was a capable enough person when the first god came down and blessed them, they should have been able to soar to the same peak that someone could today, so I'm not sure why the case has been one of gradual growth instead"
"Perhaps it's just the course of things?"
"Maybe, but it doesn't explain how even before then, the Sword Champion was able to injure the Dragon even without a falna"
"There is likely more to the story, though some things even I don't know; is that all you remember of your time with Zeus and Hera, though?"
"I wasn't… particularly close with my familia members, nor with anyone outside of them. I can remember when I first trained the golden generation before they went off, and the current class of Orario's elite. I do regret not being closer with them, and not pushing harder for being allowed to go with them. Zald was taken out of commission after the Behemoth, and Alfia after Leviathan. Their strength was reduced going to face the Dragon, where I may have perhaps made a difference, though I doubt it"
"Why is that?"
"I'm powerful, but not overly so. Alfia told me of the story from that battle, how they battled even with her and Zald's reduced strength… It was a massacre of course. None of them stood a chance on their own, but even together it wasn't enough. Even Hippolyta- the greatest of their number at that moment, a level 9- was reduced to begging for the monster to spare her and the others in the end before it consumed her; apparently they did tax it enough that it wasn't in much of a merciful mood" Hermes grimaced as Bell and Asfi had gone pale, "The Supreme Seraph, Empress, Corinth, Heracles, Spartacus, High Stella, Predator, Silence, Valkyrie… their party wasn't lacking for power; I'm not sure I would have been enough to tip that scale. Even if I could claim to have been greater than the others, I don't think I could have done more than injure that creature. It's why I am planning this very thoroughly; failure is not an option, and we have an account of one battle with it, so we have no excuse not to use it to the fullest. We have no excuse to lose"
"How long until you think you're ready to confront it?" Aedan ignored that Hermes had gone beyond the stipulation of asking after his past, answering anyway.
"It depends on your information, of course; we should collect all the strength we can and try to kill the dragon before the next four years pass; if we need to, we may have five" At that, Hermes nodded while Asfi nervously swallowed, thinking that- one way or another- the most powerful monster in history was going to be a primary issue for the world during her lifetime.
"Well, that was enough for me; would you like me to convey the information you seek here verbally?"
"That won't be necessary; unless it's not much of substance, you can have it sent to our Familia home in paperwork"
They wrapped up the little meeting soon after and Bell was soon on his way with Aedan once again.
"So, did that answer any questions for you, captain?"
"A little, but I still have more"
"Feel free; there's still time before we're back home"
"What's it like to have lived so long? You were born just a few hundred years after the old heroes lived; the ones recorded in the Dungeon Oratoria!"
He chuckled, "Well, there's a novelty to it, I suppose. It's also nice to stay and continue on since my first god Osiris has not returned to Heaven; if he had, I would probably be more disappointed about living so long"
"What about your family? You miss them, don't you?"
"… I do, yet it's been so long since we were parted, that the hurt I have for that has long since gone dull. I still think of them from time to time, and the enemies we fought, too. I guess… there is a part of me that motivated my reclusive behavior, which was a worry about making bonds which would fade long before I pass on, but I would like to grow beyond that weakness, now. I think perhaps I will look for my old home when we have a chance to go to the Dragon Valley, too"
"Mr. Horus, what are you planning to do once you get that information from Lord Hermes?"
"With your and Hestia's permission, I intend to travel about Orario and try to get everyone that is sufficiently strong on our side for the mission. Once I have, I'll call a meeting for all of us to get on the same page, and design a training plan for everyone to follow for the time being while I travel to collect allies from abroad. Once I return, we will all delve into the depths of the Dungeon, all the way to the 100th floor, then come back. This is vital for instilling the importance of the quest into everyone, as well as what will be required of us. I also intend to collect the Divine Artefacts in the Dungeon then.
"After that, we will seek out and destroy the remaining Harbingers, collect Artefacts, and prepare equipment, strategies, and gather all the power we can. In the end, we will journey to the Dragon Valley for a final stint of training before we confront the Dragon"
"Then you want us to do all of this in the next four or five years?"
"That's right; in that time, I hope you will reach the same level as I have, or surpass me, and that our allies will also grow. We cannot accomplish anything with less strength than Zeus and Hera. They confronted the Dragon with many adventurers of first and second class strength; from what I know, they were unable to truly damage it, only tire it. I also have reason to suspect it will be stronger when we fight it than when they did"
"Huh!? Why do you think that?"
"It has always seemed strange to me that the Sword Champion was able to injure a beast of the caliber of the One-Eyed Black Dragon, despite his contract with Aria. Given the battle with Zeus and Hera Familia, I don't think he would have been able to, unless the Dragon had gotten stronger in the interim. After learning what you told me of the Xenos, I believe that is exactly what happened. Obviously, it was powerful even all that time ago, but was even more so when it last fought against Zeus and Hera's children. We should expect it to be even stronger when we face it ourselves"
"Wait… then you think that the Dragon is… a Xenos?"
"Given what I know without having faced it myself, yes. It is capable of speech, wields vast intelligence, and can use magic. If it isn't a Xenos, its close enough to treat it in the same category. Barring- of course- negotiating and co-existing with it. That may be an option, just not one I think is worth entertaining"
He laughed as Bell vigorously nodding in agreement.
"Ah, looks like we're back home. Thanks for today, Bell; it was very nice to spend it with you"
"Of course! Let's go out again together sometime soon, okay?"
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