Chapter 269: Investigating Melen End
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/Swoosh!/
/SPLAT!/
"Huff… Disgusting monsters." Aisha said out loud as she slashed a Violas in half with her cleaver
/SPLAT!/
/BAM!/
/PIERCE!/
'While Silver finished his fight with Evilus, the Hermes Familia continued to clear out the mess around Melen, saving as many people as they could while also clearing out debris from roads and extinguishing fires.'
'Together, they pierced through the chaos, bringing down all monsters in their path, and there was little they could do to stop them.'
"... It's been silent for a while now." Vultus said as he raised his head, looking at the horizon
""...""
'Most of the members of the Hermes Familia remained silent at his words, thinking deeply about what was happening out there.'
'Even though they were fully focused on their current task, all of them without exception were paying attention to the horizon, trying to follow the distant sounds of Silver's fight against Evilus' forces.'
'It was hard not to, as from time to time, tremors would shake the city, as such was the might of first Class adventurers when they clashed.'
'This was a fight no one was there to witness... Aside from a certain blond God who watched it from time to time from the ceiling of the houses nearby.'
'At the end of the day, the Gods would always be there to witness a mortal's folly.'
"Tche, you guys really think something would happen to that man?" Aisha said on the side as she swung her cleaver onto the ground, cleaning it from the blood of the Violas
"Even if the situation got serious and he got hurt, he would still be able to flee regardless."
"He's the last one we should be worrying about..."
"You're right." A voice came from the side
""!!""
"Humph."
'Taking a step from within a nearby alley, Silver walked into the light of the day, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.'
'Aisha on the other hand just exhaled lightly as she closed her eyes.'
'Eerily enough, he looked completely fine, as if he was leaving a bar instead of a fight.'
'It was hard to say just how much he had actually suffered, how many injuries he had taken...'
'Maybe it was for the best, as this way their conscience would lighten up.'
'Perhaps this was exactly why he cleaned himself.'
"It's done…" Silver said in a low tone as he stopped walking
"S-SILVER-KUN!" Hermes exclaimed from above as he jumped down from a house nearby
/Grab…/
'But instead of holding him, Silver locked him in the air, causing him to awkwardly remain there as he looked around with a helpless expression.'
"There you are you troublesome guy." Silver said as he slowly lowered Hermes to the ground
Annoying bastard, was he watching me?
I hate this... The way Gods watch everything.
Is everything just a performance stage for you?
I... Sigh, whatever, there's no point in trying to squabble with a God's morals... They'll usually come on top anyway.
What can a 2-dimensional drawing on a piece of paper understand about everyday life in a 3-dimensional world?
"If you're here it means things are done on your end?" Lulune asked as she breathed heavily, a bit tired from running around
'She sat down on a box nearby as she tried to recover her stamina, something many from the Hermes Familia began doing, they needed this moment of respite.'
'Silver turned his head to meet them, and upon seeing their expressions, he exhaled lightly before relaxing a bit.'
"... Mostly, I have detained them all but I'm unsure of their identity, so I would like if you could do that for me." Silver said as he crossed his arms
"Way to go, man!!" Pock said on the side as he raised his hands high
"It seems you got yourself a fan." Pot said with an amusing smile as she looked at her brother
"Sis!"
'Silver chuckled while the brother and sister duo fought on the side.'
"In any case, it's mostly over now…"
"Let me handle the rest, we can talk later." Silver said as his eyes sharpened
"What are you...?!"
/JUMP!/
/Fwoosh.../
'He jumped to the skies with a burst of wind from his foot, looking at the city from a bird's perspective, his arms crossed.'
'With a quick glance, he saw that most of the Violas had been taken care of, either through direct extermination or capture, as even now, the members of the Njord Familia were working on the streets, holding some of the beasts down with harpoons tied to thick ropes used to bind ships down.'
'Even if it took forty men to tie down one tired Violas...'
'Silver couldn't see any rampaging around anymore, but he knew there was some hiding in the flames, he could feel the presence of their Magic Stones.'
'In a sense, the damage was smaller than expected, most likely thanks to the fact the Violas were different from ordinary monsters as their priority was the gathering of magic stones.'
'Because of this, many instinctively gathered in the docks and around warehouses where Magic Dust and Magic Stones were stored.'
'Nonetheless, the death toll was likely still in the dozens to hundreds.'
/Snap!/
'Having made his decision, with a snap of his fingers, the broken stone around him started to gather in the air into the shape of multiple thorns.'
/FLASH!/
'Then, with a swing of his arm, all of the stone thorns fell into Melen like comets in the sky, penetrating into the bodies of all remaining Violas, either killing or pinning them to the ground as they pierced through the rubble and buildings in its path.'
Next...
'Following that, he clapped his hand, and the fires burning around Melen slowly converged to him, as if they were being pulled away… Leaving behind only cinders, ash, and half-burnt materials.'
/Drip…/
'Sweat falling from his face from the rather wide ranger use of his Plasmids, Silver eventually closed his palm, extinguishing the ball of flames on his hand as he descended back onto the ground.'
"..."
I overdid myself a little.
But this is good... Because I'm still awake.
My strength is slowly recovering and I can already affect an entire Town.
Not yet at the level I was before but more than good enough for this world... For now at least.
The Dungeon holds many surprises still, I've yet to go beyond the 37th Floor, much less double that depth.
There's much space for growth still. I have yet to plateau.
They say all adventurers have a limit, maybe I have one as well. A time when my Skill begins to lose effectiveness.
But so far, it has only grown stronger.
/Thud…/
'In a rather cool way, Silver stepped back on the earth in front of the Hermes Familia, everyone in awe and agape at his actions…'
'Perhaps a bit too much…'
/Approach…/
"Oi… You can't do something like that… I won't be able to hold myself if you act this mainly~" Aisha said seductively as she approached Silver, touching his chest and shoulder
'Several of the boys rolled their eyes while the girls were either too ashamed to intervene or their faces were completely blank.'
'It seemed this was a usual sight for the Hermes Familia.'
"... Can we not? Now's not the time to play around." Silver replied as he pushed her away
Seems she's in good enough shape to hold those thoughts, good, I'm a bit too tired to tie broken bones back together and stitch flesh.
In any case, how do they even tolerate her... In fact, how did she even join them?
Is fate trully that strong or was it inevitable given the circumstances?
... Aisha vanished after that 'incident'... And since she's here, I assumed Hermes is the reason why she was out of the radar for a few weeks.
Did he give her shelter with the condition of her joining him for a while? I can see that being a possibility.
Maybe he fished her out as he saw the fall of the Ishtar Familia on the horizon, I can definitely see that if he knew what was coming.
Though, at the same time, it's not within her personality to just accept... But what can she gain from Hermes?
Would she still steal things from him just to help Haruhime? I mean, I would be happy for her if she did but not that I need, it would just be me giving bullets for Hermes to nag at me in the future.
Sigh, whatever, too tired to think...
'While he thought about her, Aisha said:'
"Fufu… I've done rougher, but beating up these monsters has pushed me past the realm of comfort, I'm more interested in a bath and a meal than anything." She said as she closed her eyes in silent agreement
""...""
'Taking this chance while everyone was silent, Falgar took a step forward, acting as the Captain of the Familia once more:'
"... Sorry to ask any more of you, but can you also pinpoint the location of the injured and survivors within the rubble?"
"Yes I can, rather easily at that." Silver said as he tapped his right foot on the ground
This much is easy, the problem is the scope... And my headache was already strong enough as it was.
My powers are growing beyond what my brain can process.
'Using a combination of many Plasmids, he started by identifying all injured, and then he manifested their locations for the people around to be able to find them.'
'He did so by creating a rather visible pillar of light above their location, and albeit the fire didn't burn for long nor did it spread everywhere, there were still dozens of lights all around.'
'They were all people that had been buried by the rubble or were trapped within the ruins of their homes.'
'And every second, those lights increased as Silver slowly scanned across the entire city, trying to pinpoint as many people as he could without missing anyone in the process.'
"Excellent work everyone! We can discuss the rest later, for now, let's move!" Hermes exclaimed as he started running in front
""...""
'Although none said anything, they all thought the same thing:'
'What a shameless God!'
"..."
'Silver, on the other hand, furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Hermes, but in the end, he did not raise the issue, opting to let things flow as there were still people to save.'
'It didn't matter if it was now or later, Hermes would have to talk or face an ass-kicking like none before.'
'Still, there wasn't a point in blaming all of this on Hermes when the ones that burned and attacked Melen were Evilus.'
'He may have contributed by effectively provoking them into this, but Silver wasn't naive, he knew this would happen regardless of his actions.'
'Because Evilus wouldn't allow their source of supplies to be thwarted that easily.'
'This was a cold War, one the Guild wasn't willing to let it blow, and neither was Evilus.'
'They were mostly shooting at each other with Evilus being more proactive due to being cornered and also because they knew the Guild had no one but themselves to call for backup because otherwise, things would quickly escalate out of control.'
'And Evilus knew that, so they're making full use of the Guild's censorship to run wild... That is, until the time comes.'
'The time to throw the world into darkness.'
'As for the Guild, they need to keep things under wraps as they know Evilus thrives when chaos runs wild, as it would signify the return of the Dark Age.'
'Of course, the Loki Familia is there to prevent it from happening and so is Freya's, but counting on the latter for anything was beyond foolish.'
'As for Silver, he was trying to play in the middle, because while he wished for the disappearance of Evilus for a variety of reasons, he did not wish to push them too far.'
'Because it was not time yet.'
'People severely underestimate what they can do, and if they decide to just blow themselves up, even now, they may be able to accomplish their Goals.'
'Of course, their leader aimed for a cold, brutal victory, so until all pieces fell together...'
'He would keep playing this game, one Silver knew he was bound to lose unless he kept pushing forward because there was only one thing a Mortal could do to win against the Divine...'
'And that was surpassing their expectations.'
…
/Later…/
'Atop the ceiling of one of the houses nearby…'
"..."
'Silver stood silent as he watched over the city, his arms crossed like before.'
'Beneath him on the street, he could see the Hermes Familia talking and discussing with one another, mostly due to the fact Asfi had just returned with Njord in toe.'
'By now, a great conversation should be ensuing inside, he could hear the whispers of their arguments as they threw words at each other.'
'And of course, he was very much interested in being part of it, the problem was...'
'He had someone to see first.'
"... I know you're there, I stood here for a while just for that, it's rather chilly up here so don't keep me waiting." Silver suddenly mumbled out loud without moving his head around
/Fwoosh… Shuaa.../
'The shadows on the side of the ceiling slowly moved, taking the shape of a hooded figure.'
'Fels.'
"As perspective as ever, Adventurer Silver."
"You praise me too much... Then, shall we begin?"
"Fuu... I apologize if this may come as an affront because I know how the Guild must be feeling and struggling about this issue..."
"But do tell me, how much of this was planned?" He asked as he looked at the smoke rising in the distance
"... Everything."
"... Then why is the city burning and people crying?" He asked deeply as he turned his head to the side
"..."
'The air seemingly grew heavy...'
"You said you planned this, you're sloppy, you're better than this." Silver added as he turned back to look at the city
"You think you'll win by making sacrifices? Did you forget this is exactly what they want?"
"Evilus is composed of people that lost everything, desperate men and women who were led stray by Gods that whisper sweet things into their ears."
"By creating chaos you develop the perfect scenario for them to recruit more forces, and today many families will eat dinner without one or multiple members."
"You know that don't you? Why did you agree with Hermes? Or was this Ouranos' orders?"
"Just tell me that." He said deeply as he closed his eyes
"... Originally we…"
"Sigh... You don't have to explain, I know... Just treat it as if I'm talking to myself." Silver replied with a grunt as he shook his head
It's impossible for a plan to always succeed, variables can lead to disasters more often than not, besides, Hermes is no dog, he can think and act by himself, and I'm sure he has his own excuses for what happened today.
I can see it in his face, Hermes is coping with this situation silently, taking in the blame and cries of the people silently, mourning for the people who lost their loved ones without letting the others know.
The blame is not his to carry alone, in fact, it's even possible to say he avoided a direct and more brutal confrontation with what he did today, minimizing the number of casualties and injuries despite the chaos all around.
I can't tell how many died today, likely not many but each death is meaningful.
But definitely, less had Evilus been able to fully develop whatever they had in mind for this place.
Regardless, more would've died were he not to have acted as bait.
Nevertheless, that's why you never stick to a sole plan, you create Plan B and C, yet, even then, only a capable person can pick on the traces of all Plans and the unpredicted variables to create something new.
And only Gods can see beyond that.
I imagine this was why Hermes participated so intently this time instead of sticking to the sidelines, he was trying to figure out the enemy's way of thinking while also minimizing the dangers from variables, taking control of his Familia directly.
A shrewd God, the worst kind to deal with, right behind Loki, but at least she's easy to please...
I didn't see anything strange with the enemies' movements this time, but who knows what Hermes managed to deduce by watching from the shadows.
He might've even done an entire side investigation while the city was in chaos, trying to pick up traces of the invisible higher hand controlling everything.
But honestly... I can't see it yet. I know it exists, but I can't see it moving here, everything I can think of are just assumptions from knowing the greater board. I can't say it counts.
"... Let's forget about all of that for now, I'm not that petty nor honorable enough to throw bullets at you for something I would probably do as well." Silver said as he turned around
"Instead, let's talk about the results, the consequences of these actions."
"What is the Guild... Ouranos, planning to do now that this has happened?"
'With Fels Orbs, she could instantly communicate with Ouranos if she wished, Silver was a hundred percent sure she did so throughout the entirety of this Event if not coordinating with his forces in the sewers between Orario and Melen.'
'Just thinking about it gave Silver a headache, trying to figure out the thinking process of multiple Gods at the same time was more than tiring, it was a waste of his time and neurons.'
"..."
'Nevertheless, Fels silence was everything he needed to hear.'
"By now, you should've figured out what happened, care to share?" He asked as he sat at the edge of the ceiling
'Silver already knew the dynamic between the powers of Melen, however, he thought it would be best to confirm it rather than rely on information he wrote in a diary years ago.'
'The future was made by the present, if he kept relying on information he gathered in the past, he would eventually come across a roadblock or incident not so easily solvable.'
'Thus, Silver was always collecting information, to perfect his thinking as much as possible.'
"I don't know much more than what you already knew. Whatever darkness is left in this incident will likely be cleared by God Njord's words." Fels replied slowly as she took a step forward, standing next to him as she looked at the Guild Branch below
"But the dynamic between the Guild and the Rulling power of Melen has already been revealed."
"Then... I'll hear that directly from them." Silver said as he turned his head to look at the Guild Branch again
"Very well, nevertheless, I'll send you a report if you wish."
"I appreciate it." He said as he got up
Although this issue ends today, remaining ignorant is never wise.
"Then… What about the members of Evilus?" Silver asked as he turned his attention back to Fels
"There was something odd about them, I never thought them to have such forces." He pointed out as he scratched his chin
"You're correct, that's because they don't have them." Fels replied as she touched her own neck
"They're being affected by magic, Curses to be more precise."
"A curse I've never seen before, something that can greatly enhance their physical abilities beyond the limit of their Levels, however, for such an increase, it's definite that they'll have to pay an equally severe drawback, if not greater." Fels said as she recounted what she found out after inspecting one of the unconscious bodies of the people Silver captured
"The Curse manifests in the form of a string of black tattoos throughout one's body, starting from the neck and down into random body parts, taking the shape of strange strings and abstract forms, sometimes taking more coherent shapes like objects and animals, but those were rare."
"From what I could tell, the tattoo will spread to areas associated with one's area of expertise, but that's hard to confirm without getting the answer directly from the Curser."
"That's all I found out so far, it's one of the strongest curses I have ever seen, having increased the potential of a Level 2 adventurer to the high ends of a Level 3, high enough to make them somewhat of an opponent to a Level 4 adventurer."
"Although, the degree of strengthening varies, and how much so is hard to say, some of the captured cultists were adventurers reported missing for years, so it's hard to say how much they actually grew before being cursed."
"It would be up to you to tell me that by comparing what you experienced with their actual strength... Although..."
"I only have so much Status Thief to spare."
"... Than, none of them are…"
"None, they're all long missing people, there are a few who still need confirmation, but if they're taking this long to confirm it, there's little to fear in that regard."
"There are none who could've been possibly charmed... Well, they certainly weren't forcibly pulled from their original Familias as you worried." Fels replied as she cut Silver
"Although it's hard to say how some of them made the conversation between Familias, although at the same time, some of them still belong to other Familias, so their Status is likely being updated rather than renewed."
"They could be spies, and we're paying close attention to all of those possibilities, you'll be the first one I'll be contacting if someone goes missing or we find something odd."
"Hum…"
So I was overthinking… But better that then accidentally killing a member of the Ganesha Familia, as an example.
"... That's it for today... Oh yeah, I almost forgot."
"Loki... She's already onto the existence of the Xenos."
"!"
"H-How did it come to this?" Fels asked in a mix of worry and surprise, clearly taken aback
"It seems Ais and her party met with a 'certain' Minotaur in the Deep Floors, you better check up with them later and confirm the story from their own mouths." Silver replied as he crossed his arms
"Before something worse happens."
"For some reason, Loki called me a day ago to see if I knew anything about this "Talkative" Monster."
"I can't fully say if it's because she trusts me or because she finds me suspicious. Part of me would prefer to be taken as a trustworthy person, but then again, I don't know if Loki can trust anyone aside from the people within her own Familia."
"... A bit harsh but justifiable, it's Goddess Loki we're talking about."
"In fact, this makes some sense now."
"Hm?"
"Your surprised face always amuses me..." Fels said with a chuckle as she raised her hand to her mask
"Go on."
"Cough... Today, before I left after you, I heard Goddess Loki went in for a surprise visit with God Ouranos."
"I was unsure what she could possibly want but now that you mentioned this... It seems there'll be quite some discussion once I'm back."
"... Didn't Ouranos talk with you about it through the Orb?"
"While in the field, Ouranos-Sama will avoid talking about unrelated issues to the mission at hand to avoid distractions and interruptions."
"... Truly an old man."
"P-Please don't say it like that, have some respect..." Fels said as she raised her hand in front of her mask again before turning around
"I'll be taking my leave now, once again, thank you for lending us your hand during this issue, I can't exactly imagine what might've happened otherwise."
"Worst case scenario, I may have been forced to intervene to save the Hermes Familia."
"... True."
Fels is Ouranos' most important asset, if she is revealed ahead of time, it could lead to a mountain of issues.
By herself, Fels may not look like much but she's a Sage with deeper magic Knowledge than Riveria.
If only her Level were a bit higher, Ouranos might've not been as helpless as he usually is...
"Anyway, until we meet again." She said as she vanished into the shadows
"... Until."
'Once she completely vanished, Silver turned around, jumping from the ceiling.'
'It was time to wrap up this issue once and for all and move on with the day.'
'He still had a lot to do outside of Orario.'
...
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Notes
Finally, this Arc is done, which means it's the start of the next Arc!
Also, I'll be dropping the side chapter, the Beach Episode soon, which is the direct follow-up to this one, it's one of the more complex chapters I wrote merely due to the extreme number of characters that appear in it.
It serves as a way to end these last few Arcs for good and as a way for Silver to say Goodbye to the others before he goes on his way.
There will be characters from the Hestia, Miach, Takemikazuchi, Leto, Kichijoten Familia, and more, together with other side characters who were all invited to attend this beach party.
I don't quite remember what I did with the chapter, but I didn't go too hard with it, and it's completely skippable as far as I was aware.
But it's supposed to enrich the story, there are still many other side chapter ideas left for me to execute, such as the birthday of many characters, including Silvers, the return of Loiju's brother and his wife for part 2 of Babysitter Silver, and so on.
This chapter was already rather long and by now you're likely pretty tired, so I'll stop here.
Thank you for reading it all, peace!
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