章 31: Is it wrong to defy common sense?
While Freya got refreshments ready, Hestia took the time to take a look around.
An entire floor of Babel, devoted just to Freya's personal use. One far above Orario with the occasional cloud drifting past the window.
An astronomical display of wealth and power. The fact that Freya had it all to herself was proof of that, but then there was everything else too.
Fancy carpets made from the drops of monsters from the Deep Floors of the Dungeon. A few weapons hanging on the walls that looked to be made of orichalcum. A couple of Crozzo magic swords as well. An entire bookshelf filled with grimoires...
Just being surrounded by all of the wealth was enough to put Hestia on edge. And that wasn't mentioning the super plush and comfortable chair that Hestia was sitting on right now, or the fancy crystal table in front of her where Freya had already placed a platter of gourmet pastries and sweets.
"Well. I suppose a bottle of Soma should be fine." Freya took out a fancy crystal bottle and walked over with a pair of silver chalices. "Good things are meant to be shared among friends, right?"
"...Yes?"
Freya smiled and sat down across from Hestia, pouring out the wine into the chalices.
As she did, Hestia watched Freya, trying to figure her out.
It was odd. She had heard about Freya from Loki's complaints back in Heaven, but Hestia had never met Freya.
From the fact that she was a goddess of beauty, Hestia thought that Freya might be like Aphrodite. Haughty, jealous, and mean.
But she surprisingly wasn't.
...There was the fact that Freya insisted on sleeping and having a child with Bell, but she wasn't trying to force it. Not only that, but Freya didn't take any offense to Hestia's attempt at mutually assured destruction to send them both back to Heaven.
In short... Hestia had to admit that Freya was a bit admirable. And she could see why the Freya Familia was number one in Orario.
It didn't mean that she accepted her insisting on being with Bell though. Even if it was only 'once.'
After all, Hestia and Bell hadn't even done that yet! Or gone a date!
Freya slid the chalice over to Hestia and smiled. "You seem to have quite a bit on your mind, Hestia."
"A-Ah." Hestia took the chalice and said, "I... suppose I do."
Freya picked up her own chalice and swirled the wine around before taking a sip. "Mm... Charming. But a bit too intoxicating."
Hestia took a sip as well and then winced.
An indescribable taste. Not sweet, not sharp. Just... Like Freya said, it felt intoxicating. 'Perfect.' Something that reminded Hestia a lot of the Ambrosia she had back in Heaven. But...
Freya laughed and said, "Not for you, I take it?"
Right. It didn't sit well with Hestia. There wasn't anything wrong with the drink. Objectively, Hestia could say that it was perfect. But it was too perfect. Enough that someone could easily lose themselves in the drink.
"...I'm sorry." Hestia pushed the chalice away and said, "I'm not the type who can appreciate these high class goods."
Freya waved her hand and said, "It's fine. The home isn't the sort of place for these types of drinks, so I didn't expect you to enjoy it. And to be frank, I don't enjoy it as much either." She set her own chalice off to the side and said, "It feels a bit too much like looking in a mirror."
Hestia blinked. "A mirror?"
Freya laughed. "Yes. I suppose it's just a tad too similar? But let's set that aside for now." She leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. "So have you talked about it with him?"
Hestia pursed her lips. "...I have."
Freya's violet eyes lit up and a genuine smile crossed her face. "And?"
'Oh, Bell. Why do you have to be so special?'
Hestia recognized that light in Freya's eyes. It wasn't just obsession, but a complete adoration. Like she was waiting on his every word and completely lovestruck.
She'd seen it before on the followers that Aphrodite charmed. But... It was strange seeing it from a goddess.
Only more proof that Bell was special. ...And a reminder of how much she loved him for making it clear that he only wanted Hestia.
But...
Freya blinked and then reined herself in. The light in her eyes and her smile faded a bit, turning back into a cordial expression. "I'm sorry. I got a bit excited there."
"No. It's fine. Just..."
"You can be honest." Freya tilted her head and said, "We're friends here, after all."
"...Are we really?" Hestia looked at Freya, staring into her eyes.
She still didn't get it. The fact that Freya was offering to help a new familia like hers... The obvious reasoning was that she was trying to set things up to take either Bell or Fina away. Likely both.
Except...
Hestia could see that she didn't intend that. Freya sincerely meant her words. And she didn't have any malicious intent.
But...
"Why are you interested in Bell anyway, Freya?"
That was the big question mark.
Freya didn't say it outright, but she implied that she had already been eyeing Bell before she overheard the conversation between Hestia and Hephaestus. Not only that, but she had the power and resources to take him if she wanted.
And considering what Loki had said about Freya liking to take people in as trophies, Hestia thought that was the case with her and Bell. That it would be an exchange. A sort of business transaction.
But it wasn't.
Instead, Freya had offered a friendship on her own initiative as well as an alliance between her familia and Hestia's familia. Not only that, but Hestia had to talk her down from showering them with gifts.
"Mm." Freya reached out with her index finger and started swirling the rim of her chalice. "...It's a bit embarrassing to say. And it's rude to say it about a taken man as well, but..." She let out a bright smile and said, "I'm simply in love."
"...Eh?"
Freya giggled and placed her hands over her chest. "I'll admit, it started as curiosity. To be able to sense my gaze and then his rapid improvement... As I'm sure you're aware, I *adore* heroes. From that point, I was already interested. But then..." She smiled and said, "To resist my charm and to toy with my heart like that. To know all about my little games and play along only to reject me in the end..." She let out a soft sigh and placed her hand against her cheek. "It's a first for me, you know?"
Hestia blinked.
And then it clicked.
...By the heavens.
Goddess of Beauty had the ability to charm others. While it wasn't always active, there was always a little bit of charm in their very presence.
And Bell's skill allowed him to take in the factors around him and incorporate that into his own abilities.
Then, if Freya had been constantly observing him, Bell would have constantly been exposed to her charm. And as a result...
"Um. Freya."
"Yes?" She let out a bright smile. "What is it?"
...How could she bring this up? No, should she bring this up? It was good to have someone like Freya on their side, right? And it would help a lot in keeping Bell and Fina safe.
But...
Argh.
"This might sound ridiculous... But you've been charmed by Bell."
Freya nodded. "I know. He's just so lovely, isn't he? But I'm sure you have personal experience considering you were willing to give away your chastity."
Hestia blushed. "I-I haven't... I mean..." She coughed and said, "A-Anyway, I'm being serious! Bell's special. One of his skills... Well, I won't say exactly what it does, but you might have been charmed by it. The same way you would charm a mortal."
"Oh?" Freya tilted her head, thinking. "I suppose that would explain Horn and Allen's complaints about me being different..."
Hestia nodded. "Right. So... If you want, I should be able to-"
"But I was already aware of that."
"H-Huh?"
Freya giggled and said, "Like I said, it's a first." She placed her hands over her heart and said, "It's amusing. I haven't felt this warm in quite a while... I'm a bit jealous, you know? If I had acted a bit faster, it could have been me enjoying that man's love all to myself."
Ah.
...Well. She tried.
"In any case..." Freya lowered her hands and relaxed a bit before looking back at Hestia. "What did Bell say about this? Did he accept my offer?"
"He, um... wasn't too enthusiastic about it?"
Hestia winced, waiting for Freya to snap.
But she didn't.
Instead, the silver-haired goddess let out a sigh and said, "Of course. That man would definitely say that." She laughed and said, "His love for you is just that strong, isn't it?" An envious but also respectful gaze.
Hestia let out a strained smile. "I-I guess so."
Freya sighed again and leaned on the table, resting her head against her hands. "What a man. So dutiful and caring... Both an ideal hero and a father. Unwavering even in the face of temptation without consequences... Ah, how my heart races..."
'Heavens above. Someone save me.'
Hestia was ready to deal with a Freya that was actively trying to snatch away her family. She was also ready to deal with a Freya who just wanted a 'taste' of Bell for a business transaction.
But this crazy lovesick woman who seemed ready to throw everything away for Bell's sake...
...Hestia had to wonder again. Was Bell really even human...? At this point, she was wondering if he was really a monster of talent or something.
"Now." Freya spoke up, and said, "I hope you don't mind if we talk about a few other things in the meanwhile? For example, how is it being a mother? That adorable little daughter of yours... What was her name again?"
"Fina. And..." Hestia hesitated, keeping a close gaze on Freya. But seeing that she was genuinely interested and... somewhat stable at the moment, she continued. "She's the light of my life. To be honest, I didn't expect to become a mother at all... Or fall in love, but..."
"But you wouldn't have it any other way?"
Hestia let out a content smile and nodded. "That's right."
...Even if Bell kept giving her headaches with all the ridiculous stunts he kept pulling off.
"Do you think I would be a good mother?"
"E-Eh?"
A loaded question.
Freya waiting eagerly for a response.
"U-Um... Well...?"
xxx
"Wow!" Fina clapped her hands and said, "That looks super cool, Uncle Welf!"
Welf let out a strained smile and said, "Yeah. It... does, doesn't it? Haha."
It was around noon. During that time, Welf had continued working on some armor and testing out new designs and theories.
At first, he was worried about Fina. Specifically, about what he was supposed to do by watching her.
But surprisingly, she mostly stayed quiet and just watched him work.
...Though considering her father, maybe Welf shouldn't be that surprised.
Anyway, he worked on testing out new armor designs and theories. During that time, Fina stayed a safe distance away, watching Welf work.
And now he had just finished making a chestplate.
A basic concept. Just testing out some ideas on plain iron. No special material or anything like that. Only focusing on the concept of 'durability' and 'protection' while hammering away, trying to will himself to have the best result possible.
Welf took his iron chestplate off and set it on the anvil. After that, he went to grab a pick and a hammer to test something.
"Hm?" Fina tilted her head and said, "What are you doing now, Uncle Welf?"
"Well. Armor's supposed to protect you from danger, so I want to see just how strong this is."
Fina's eyes lit up with understanding and she nodded. "Ooh! I got it! Like Daddy's black armor, right?"
"Right. Like Black Demon protects your dad in the Dungeon."
Fina paused to think and said, "I don't think it did a very good job though. When Daddy was looking at it yesterday, it was all split in half."
Welf paused and then turned to look at Fina. "...What? Black Demon was split in half? How?"
Fina shrugged. "I don't know. Daddy looked really concerned though and said something about a double-edged sword." She paused and said, "What's a sword, Uncle Welf? Is it that sharp pointy stick that people carry?"
"It's the sharp pointy metal stick, but yeah." Welf frowned. "A double-edged sword though..." He tilted his head to think and said, "...I guess I can see that. There should be a lot of metal to block attacks, but it would be slow and hard to move. Even if Bell is fast and comfortable with the armor, he can be faster without it... Was that why it was damaged?"
Bell *did* say that he mostly wanted Black Demon for training. Then, did he accidentally go outside of his usual training place and run into a variant monster or something? Knowing his luck, that was completely possible. And in that case...
"All the more reason to test this, huh?" Welf turned his attention back to the iron chestplate.
A steel pick and a hammer. Since the chestplate was iron, a good hit should pierce it.
'Should.'
But... if Welf's suspicions were right...
A loud clang, followed by a shrill screech.
Fina jumped up and covered her ears. "Ow!"
Welf winced as well and said, "Sorry Fina."
"I-It's okay, Uncle Welf." Fina shook her head and said, "But can you let me know before you do it again? That hurt..."
"I think once is enough for me."
That hurt his ears too.
But now it was time to check the results and...
"...Bell's ridiculousness is starting to rub off on me, huh?"
Welf let out a dry laugh.
Because it didn't make sense.
Hephaestus had showed it to him when talking about advanced materials and the reason why the Blacksmith skill was necessary. A sword that was unbreakable, no matter what it endured because it had been given the <Durandal> attribute. While it would bend and distort if overused, it would never shatter or rip apart.
Unlike the swords Welf made with his Crozzo Blood, a <Durandal> weapon would never leave you or break when you needed it the most.
But it was also expensive since something could only be given <Durandal> if it was made from Orichalcum.
...Yes. That was supposed to be the case. But...
Welf stared at the completely undamaged iron chestplate. And then he looked at the completely ruined steel pick.
...Who the hell were Bell's parents? And how the hell did he know all of that about smithing?
Welf would need to do a bit more testing to be sure, but it seemed like he had somehow managed to make <Durandal> iron armor. And if not <Durandal>, then at least a way to turn raw iron stronger than steel.
...Wait. Then could it be applied to cheaper materials? Copper and tin?
Welf set his ruined steel pick and his hammer aside before moving back to start up his forge.
But then he heard a small growl from behind him.
Turning around, Welf saw Fina blush, holding her belly. "S-Sorry, Uncle Welf. But I'm hungry..."
Welf blinked and then scratched the back of his head. "No, I'm sorry Fina. I didn't mean to make you wait for lunch."
She shook her head, causing her white hair to scatter. "It's okay." She smiled and said, "Uncle Welf looked like you were having fun, so I didn't want to bother you."
Welf walked over and patted Fina's head. "You're a really good girl, Fina. But you should be a bit more assertive. Like your dad."
"Assertive?" Fina blinked and said, "What does that mean?"
"Er... Make people go at your own pace? Or go along with you?"
Fina frowned. "...But that's mean. It's not nice to make people do things that they don't want to do." She paused and then said, "Does Daddy do that?"
"U-Um. Well..." Welf coughed, doing his best to not think about the time Bell dragged him along to fight a hundred goblins the other day. "Of course not."
Fina's frown deepened as she stared at Welf's face. "...Really? Uncle Welf, you wouldn't lie to me, right? Mommy said liars are bad people."
"L-Let's eat some lunch for now. Bell said that he left sandwiches for us in that box, right?"
A small and ordinary wooden box in the corner of the room. Bell had brought it in before he dropped off Fina.
Welf walked over and opened the lid. "Let's see what he-"
"Hm?" Fina walked over and peered into the box. "What's wrong, Uncle Welf?"
Welf stared at the box that *definitely* went deeper than it normally should as well as the dozens of different food items that looked like they were frozen in time. He blinked, wondering if it was a trick of his eyes, but nope. Still there. Seeing that, Welf sighed and said, "Nothing, Fina. Just... I guess your dad cares about you a lot, huh?"
And doesn't care at all about what other people would think about how ridiculous he was being.
"Anyway... What do you want for lunch, Fina?"
"Oh! The pasta looks good! Can we have that?"
"Of course. Can you set the table up for me? I'll get the food."
"Kay~!"
xxx
The first floor of the Dungeon. One of the many empty rooms situated in the middle of the floor. An ordinary and unassuming place that nobody would be interested in.
Normally.
But at the moment, an intense fight was breaking out between a monster and a trio from the Loki Familia.
"Ais!" A man who looked like a young boy with blonde hair swung his spear, barely blocking a blinding flurry of attacks aimed at his neck. "Use Ariel! Lefiya, Arcs Ray!"
"Understood." A young swordswoman with light blonde hair and an impassive face stepped back and raised her sword. As she did, wind gathered, slowly wrapping her sword.
"Y-Yes, Captain Finn!" That came from a young elf girl with blue eyes and orange hair tied in a loose ponytail.
An immediate change in the flow of battle.
The monster attacking Finn immediately let up and turned towards Ais, moving to strike.
But it stopped and immediately spun back, swinging its shadowy blade.
A clash of sparks erupted as Finn let out a chain of attacks. And then-
"Arcs Ray!"
Lefiya finished her chanting, sending a barrage of white lights shooting towards the shadowy monster.
At the same time, Ais charged at a blinding speed, her sword aimed at the monster's glowing green and gray eyes.
And to finish it off, Finn did the same.
But-
"H-Huh?" Lefiya gasped. "I-It disappeared?"
Lefiya's magic spell dissipated on impact, dissolving like water as it splashed against the monster's body.
Not only that, but the same was true for the screeching wind around Ais's sword. Her momentum suddenly vanished, her sword stopped far before reaching its target.
Only Finn's spear struck. And even then, it only nicked the monster as it dodged at the last moment.
And then the monster was gone, sinking back into the dungeon floor and vanishing.
Ais lowered her sword and frowned, taking a look around.
Lefiya looked around as well and said, "W-What happened, Captain Finn?"
"...It ran away." Finn checked his thumb. Since he didn't feel any pain, it seemed like the threat was over. His skill was telling him that their target had fully retreated and wasn't coming back for an ambush. But... "That wasn't an ordinary War Shadow."
Ais nodded, her frown deepening. "Captain Finn. Did that monster seem familiar to you?"
"...A little. But..." He paused and then shook his head. "Whatever the case, the quest was a success. We gained reconnaissance on the variant War Shadow. Let's head back up for now."
"But..." Lefiya stared at the room and said, "We didn't beat it. And if we were struggling, won't other adventurers...?"
A solemn silence.
A variant War Shadow that couldn't be taken down by a party consisting of a Level 6, 5, and 3...
"...There isn't anything else we can do about it for now but report it to the Guild."
Still.
Finn glanced back at the spot where the War Shadow vanished and frowned.
...Could it be that there were still traces of Evilus left in Orario?
First the demispirit and now this...
"...Let's go."
He would talk it over with Riveria and Loki later. For now, he had to get the girls out of there safely before some other unexpected variable appeared.
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