บท 17: Chapter 15: Raid Under Moonlight 1. Hermes and Asfi
The people of Orario were brimming with energy in recent times.
It was not due to some disaster that took place or a major event from one of the key figures of the dungeon city.
It was due in part to the emergence of a certain figure.
One whose existence was reinforced by the various testimonies of adventurers coming from the dungeon, breathing at that moment due to the figure's efforts.
The testimonies numbered in the dozens then eventually into the hundreds over the course of two weeks.
Dispatching monsters with great efficiency.
Debilitating criminal adventurers with extreme prejudice.
He appears out of nowhere, responding to the calls and pleas of desperate adventurers.
Heavy metallic chains wrapped his body, the blades that were attached to them radiating an image of violence and strength.
A mystic blue haze followed wherever he went, accompanying his blue eyes which glowed in the darkness beneath his hood and mask.
His voice was unnatural, distorted greatly.
His tone was confident, speaking only in absolutes.
His strength dominated those who opposed him, his technique outmatching them just as much.
Once his enemies lay defeated before him, he would tend to those who called out to him, making sure they would all be able to make it out of the dungeon with their lives.
Many called out to the figure, wishing to repay him, wishing to know the name of their benefactor.
But he gave none, simply walking into the dungeon once more, fading into dust as he soon disappeared from view entirely.
The appearance of a hero. A hero that sought no fame nor glory. Simply doing what must be done.
A figure from fiction comes into reality. Such a scenario naturally strung into the heartstrings of the public.
A mysterious entity roaming the dungeons? Saving victims and punishing evildoers without hesitation?
It was the dream many thought impossible turned into reality.
Many began speculating who the figure truly was.
Some believed he was a strong and unknown adventurer from a forgotten era.
Most believed the figure wasn't a person at all, but a spirit produced by the dungeon, an amalgamation of the souls of unfortunate adventurers given life to ease their regrets.
Though there were many debates as to what the figure was, there was a consensus on what they called him.
Refusing to give his name, those who were saved by his actions and others who were enamored by his acts, began debating how they should refer to him.
Some suggested the alias "Wild hunt" based on the folk tale of a parade of spirits who slaughtered all that entered their path.
Others chose "wrought iron" to represent the heavy chains and metal armor the figure wore.
But all soon came to a final decision.
"The Gray Ghost"
None knew where he came from.
None knew when he would appear.
None knew where he would then go.
A warrior cloaked in gray whose presence was almost omnipresent.
The shadows became the irrational fear of the vile.
The once-feared darkness became a piece of comfort for passing adventurers, trusting he would be there.
Watching over them all in silence.
…
..
.
"CHEERS!-"
The sounds of joy rang throughout.
The Hostess of Fertility was once again filled to the brim with adventurers on this starry night of Orario.
Adventurers who just came back from the dungeon celebrate the fruits of their labor.
Bottles of alcohol accompanied with spreads of mouth-watering food.
Rowdy, but nothing out of the normal for this pub.
'I'm not as bothered by the loud noise as it once was…I guess I'm slowly learning to get used to life in the big city'
Bell thought to himself as he sipped on his water, a plate of food in front of him, it was his dinner.
It has been two weeks since Bell arrived in Orario and began his life as the dungeon's vigilante.
He soon quickly fell into a routine.
Waking up at the inn, then met with EIna before he went into the dungeon.
He would then change into his alter-ego before spending most of the day doing vigilante stuff.
Once he determined night was about to come in the outside world, he would quickly kill and gather the magic stones of early floor monsters, then come out of the dungeon as Bell Cranel the Class-I adventurer.
He earned enough to live a relatively normal life in Orario, learned more about the dungeon, gathered information about criminals, and saved innocent lives.
'Though I wish I had an inventory skill…all those magic stones I had to leave behind…'
Bell had to leave most of the magic stones of the monsters he killed since his carrying capacity was the same as a single person.
He also didn't wish to attract suspicion for gathering so many magic stones despite having no falna.
'But I did gather some of the more unique-looking ones, magic stones can help me train my tracing'
Bell would use magic stones he gathered to analyze their structure quickly.
Magic stones appeared as a series of complex structures when Bell tried analyzing one for fun.
He couldn't recreate them, nor could he absorb their energy like a monster, but it did improve the efficiency of his structural grasp by quite a bit.
Just as Bell was pondering on his thoughts, the crowd in the Hostess cried out in cheer.
"CHEERS TO THE GRAY GHOST!"
"CHEERS!"
"?!-"
Bell nearly choked on his glass of water when he heard that.
The current patrons of the Hostess were all in one way or another indebted to the Gray Ghost.
Some were saved by him directly from the hands of monsters or scum adventurers.
Most were related to a person who was still alive thanks to him, whether it be friends, family, or lovers.
'I can never get used to that…'
It became somewhat of a trend for people to toast to the Gray Ghost since no one knew where he was, so this became a way for them to give their thanks to the elusive figure.
"But still… it's nice to know that my actions helped caused this to happen…"
Seeing the cheerful faces of the numerous adventurers, all with their own stories, all with their own walk of life, it just reinforced Bell's drive to continue.
But as Bell was pondering his thoughts, a soothing gentle voice called out to him.
"Everything alright Bell? You looked quite serious there"
The beautiful gray-haired Syr appeared by Bell's side.
Bell then quickly replied back to her, not being shocked by her presence now, he had been going to the Hostess every night for his meals and had quickly gotten used to Syr's peculiarities.
"Oh it's nothing Syr, just thinking of random stuff"
'I can never seem to get to stop my habit of zoning out…'
(I mean, how else am I gonna info dump in this fanfiction-)
Syr pouted at Bell's natural reply.
"I don't like how I can't get the jump on you now…I quite liked it when you flinched in surprise before…"
Bell simply looked at the pouting Syr and replied with a deadpan tone.
"Of course, I would get used to it eventually. Blame your lack of control, you made me this way-"
Bell suddenly had a moment of realization as he said this.
'So this is how Medea felt with my teasing'
Syr noticed the hint of revelation on Bell's face, a dangerous glint appearing on her face briefly.
'Oh ho? I know that look…so who is he thinking about?~'
Syr…or more accurately Freya had been observing Bell for the past two weeks. She naturally knew his secret identity.
'I did have trouble tracking him down once he became invisible, but I was soon able to keep track of him while in the dungeon…'
Freya had seen Bell project his armor before he faded into nothing, so when the stories of a gray-cloaked hero began emerging throughout Orario, she was able to connect the dots.
'Bell mentioned to me that he was a Class-I adventurer, an adventurer with neither falna nor excelia…I doubt the guild would be so sloppy as to not check his status when applying for the classification…so how exactly does he have those powers?~'
Freya knew there were many paths to power outside of the falna given by a god or spirit, but never once did she encounter a power so potent as Bell's projection and reinforcement.
'It's also possible that it's the result of magic items, but such things would easily break down with how Bell constantly invoked magic and generally fought…even if they were constructed to use the user's own innate mind rather than the item's…how does he have such naturally large reserves of energy?~'
Freya was ecstatic as she continued pondering the mystery that was Bell.
Her fated Odr which had alluded her for so long still continued to do so even as she was face-to-face with him.
'Ahhh~ My dear Odr, you really are my destiny~ For you to surpass all the people I have met thus far so easily. To enrapture my desire so quickly~ Ahhh~'
Freya was like a child on Christmas morn. She simply wished to unwrap the present that was in front of her and take it for herself.
'But not yet Freya~ Now is not the time…'
She still needed more information. She needed to know more about Bell first before making her move.
Freya also knew that Bell wasn't at his maximum potential, she knew Bell could soar higher, so she would incentivize his growth whilst gathering information. Her familia was all but willing after witnessing the determination in her orders.
'What a sinful man you are Bell Cranel…Tempting and edging a lady with desire is quite rude~'
Freya also didn't make a move to enjoy the thrill she was currency experiencing.
This was the height of her emotions since descending from Tenkai, and she would savor it completely and thoroughly, like the world's finest wine.
'Every. Single. Drop.'
Freya ended her train of thought as she began once again admiring the soul of her beloved Bell.
'It never becomes less interesting no matter how much I look at it'
A great dark black. One which exuded a feeling of power and order rather than the typical despair and villainy the goddess associated with the color.
Behind the dark black was a radiant light that threatened to spill forth, but the darkness kept it in check, kept it reasonable.
It was a sight that drove Freya to become so eager with Bell when they had first met.
'A hero's light driven by a pure innocent desire to save the world…kept in check by a warrior's darkness who knew the world for how it truly was…'
...
..
.
"Haaa…The Hostess' food really is great~"
Bell was walking the streets of Orario satisfied with a full stomach. The gourmand within him was satisfied.
'I have eaten at a few restaurants in Orario, but the Hostess really is the best in terms of quality to price'
But as Bell slowly finished his thoughts about the food he has eaten, he slowly began walking to a more isolated street in Orario, then entering a nearby alleyway.
After reinforcing his senses and confirming he was safe, he invoked his magic.
「Trace...on」
A flash of blue spread across the dark alleyway, but once it disappeared, it was now empty, devoid of the person who caused it.
Bell, now transformed into the Gray Ghost, looked atop a nearby building for his target.
'The Dolos familia…'
The familia of the three adventurers he took down in his first moments as the Gray Ghost.
After going around the dungeon these past two weeks, Bell began encountering more and more members of the Dolos familia roaming about in the early floors of the dungeon, all preying on level-one adventurers to make a profit.
'Though it was quite hard confirming all of their connections to the Dolos familia…I had to use more extreme means to get that information out of them…'
Bell reminisced on his rather unpleasant experiences with the group of murderers, it made his blood boil.
'It would've been better to get rid of them then and there, but allowing the guild to learn about their group is essential to my plans…'
All of the times Bell had encountered members of the Dolos familia, he would leave it to the adventurers he saved to bring them up to the surface and report the incident to the guild.
It helped with spreading the fame of the Gray Ghost even quicker around Orario, but Bell had something else in mind when doing this.
'To get the attention of the guild and Hermes familia…'
Bell wanted those two parties to become involved in this scenario, so he purposefully gave them witnesses to extract information.
'From what I can tell, the Dolos familia is a disjointed group of criminal adventurers'
'They don't have a centralized base of operations, nor do they have a solid organizational structure. Some of them don't even know the name of their organization, simply receiving their falna and giving someone higher up a cut of their earnings…'
The Dolos familia's unique situation made it very hard for Bell to deal with. Their spread-out nature was naturally disadvantageous to him since he was alone.
'I can't simply deal with each base one by one, the others would eventually get word of my actions and hide even deeper in Orario'
'They need to be dealt with at all fronts at the same time…that's why I need Ouranos and Hermes to bring in their forces'
Ouranos can mobilize some of the guild's personal adventurers as well as mobilize the Ganesha familia, Orario's version of a police force.
While Hermes and his familia are specialized in espionage and information gathering, they will be able to locate all of the Dolos familias hideouts.
'They will be able to efficiently take them out…and today will be the day of the operation'
Bell came to this conclusion from the brief mentions of information he gathered. He would pass by the guild hall and the Hermes familia base with his enhanced senses to see the extent of their progress.
Bell would also find activity around the few Dolos familia base locations he was able to gather, knowing they were members of the Hermes familia performing reconnaissance.
'There's just one more goal left that I want to achieve with this'
Bell moved swiftly across the numerous buildings of Orario, making sure not to be seen, before stopping at the edge of the house's roof. The view he had was overlooking a group of interconnected buildings with a rather dilapidated appearance.
'My last goal…is to get the attention of Hermes'
Bell decided to with this course of action for two reasons.
First was that Hermes would eventually be able to learn about him, and potentially keep track of his movements. His familia has far more experience in the field of espionage than Bell, he wasn't foolish enough to think his abilities will be able to overcome their years of experience.
'If I'm going to be tracked regardless, its better I have control over the impression I make on him'
Bell wanted to leave a good impression on Hermes, and that was because of his second reason.
'I want Hermes to incentivize my growth. To place his bets on this era's hero on me…'
Hermes was an individual who was obsessed with the heroes that mortals have produced throughout the years, knowing the importance of their presence in times of turbulence.
With him being a devout follower of Zeus, he knew that until the black dragon was slain, the world wasn't safe.
So Hermes constantly looked for that figure that could guide this era of the world from the chaos that was looming over it. In the story of Danmachi, he found that in Bell.
Where Freya incentivized the original Bell's growth as a hero in terms of strength, Hermes focused more on Bell's mentality.
Orchestrating events so that he would come face-to-face with the evils this world truly contained, to allow him to remain firm in the face of such vice.
'There are certain things I don't agree with him like the treatment of the Xenos. But all in all, Hermes was a necessary presence in the original Bell's journey. He prepared him for the worst so that he wouldn't be broken by the events later on…'
'It's also beneficial if he fully places his hopes on me to become this era's hero. Hermes was so adamant in supporting Bell that he stated even if he hated him with all his soul, he would still continue to help him'
'Having the unconditional support of the god who runs the widest information network in Orario will definitely help immensely…'
Bell knew just how difficult his road will become, so he won't hesitate to jump into the jaws of danger if it meant he could accomplish his goals better…within reason of course.
'Now… let's focus on infiltration'
Bell shifted his thoughts from his plans on capturing Hermes' attention to infiltrating the Dolos familia base in front of him.
'This base stands out from all the others I have gathered if what one of their members said is true…this is the home of their familia's god Dolos, and where most of their stronger members reside'
Though the Dolos familia was interspersed throughout Orario, there would inevitably have to be a concentration of power no matter the organization, and this base was such a thing.
This would naturally be the place where Bell as the Gray Ghost will be able to meet him, since the rule of 'Mortal against mortal; god against god' was a thing, Hermes would have to come here to apprehend Dolos himself.
Bell also wished to test his strength against the best this notorious crime familia had to offer.
He wanted to know if he has the strength to take down the villains of Orario himself.
'I can see six men keeping watch of the perimeter of the area… they're are rather well hidden but they have a complete view of each other and the surrounding area…'
'I'll need to take them down at the same time, I can't risk one of them noticing one of the others is gone…'
Bell, having decided his course of action, immediately began invoking his magic to begin his infiltration.
'Six targets…initiate six-fold activation of projection sequence…structure…composition…manfucaturing…all complete'
Blue mists of magic began appearing all around Bell. Six small hazy clouds.
「Trace on....sword barrel...full open-」
From the surrounding mist clouds around Bell appeared six daggers of original design.
'The sword barrel technique of Emiya consumes a lot of my energy…but in situations like this, it's the perfect weapon'
The daggers, purposely designed to function as projectile swords, began tracking each of their respective targets.
Bell now only needed to activate the firing sequence, but he hesitated.
'This…will be the first time I will take a human life…'
Taking away a life for the sake of the many. A path that caused Emiya Kiritsugu to despair…one that forced Emiya Shirou to believe his ideals were nothing but trash meant to be thrown away.
'Once I do this…I will become a veritable hypocrite…striving to become this era's hero built atop a mountain of corpses'
Bell knew that nothing could be achieved without sacrifice, the world wasn't kind enough to have such a thing as an unstained hero.
He now stood over an abyss that might consume him if he can't hold firm to his goal.
'But knowing what's at stake…what will come…what I have to do…I'll do it'
Even if it meant trudging along a path built on the countless bodies of endless sinners.
Even if he became more drenched in blood than his enemies, he will continue moving forward.
'Even if my dream is nothing but the naive makings of a boy who was too scared to leave his room in a past life…I'll continue striving towards it….for this world that comforted me when no one else did…for the characters who I adored when I knew nothing of life…'
Bell thought back on his memories. All the memories he had accrued, all of the regret he had.
'For the bonds, I've made in this life…for the family and friends, I found…'
Bell thought back on those who cherished. All the connections his once lonely heart now had.
'For all of it. I won't regret my path. I won't hesitate any longer!-'
「Reinforce...」
Bell's mind began enveloping the structure of the daggers around him, strengthening the purpose of their creation.
And with a breath made with resolve that wouldn't shatter, Bell jumped into the dark abyss.
"All projections…launch"
The blades launched with immense force, reaching their target before they could even notice.
In an instant, the six guards were no longer of this world. Bell was now stained, he could never undo what he had done, but he didn't regret it. His glowing blue eyes simply shimmered with a strengthened will.
"..."
Power came into Bell's legs as he leaped from the ledge he was previously on, landing now onto the Dolos familia base.
'Infiltration begin'
...
..
.
Prior to Bell's firm commitment to the path, he has taken.
In another area near the same Dolos familia base were where the Hermes familia were preparing to infiltrate themselves, hiding from sight as they did so.
"Haaaaaa…."
Hermes sighed in annoyance as his familia members continued preparing for the operation, none of them spoke up to their god's sight except for their familia's captain who was more peeved about the situation.
"Lord Hermes…we're about to infiltrate a criminal familia base, so I would appreciate it if you don't lower morale with your behavior-"
Asfi Al Andromeda, the intelligent and beautiful captain of the Hermes familia, spoke to her god with a smile, but all present knew she was anything but happy.
Ever since reports came of a potential organized crime syndicate in Orario, Asfi wasn't able to get a good night's rest. Constantly interrogating, investigating, and reviewing the facts of the case to make sure she was on the right track.
All the while she was knee-deep in work, her god Hermes kept pushing more and more tasks onto her plate. Something she had already thoroughly beat him for.
"But it's all just too troublesome my dear little Asfi~ A weak god such as myself shouldn't even be in the front lines~ What will you do if something happens to this pristine face of mine ack?!-"
Unable to take her god's jokes any longer, and wishing to vent some of her stress at the person who only made it worse, Asfi dealt Hermes a quick jab in the gut, making him incapable of performing his usual antics.
"Y-You're so cruel to me Asfi…have you now no sympathy for the god who raised you?-"
To which Asfi promptly replied.
"I'll consider finding my sympathy for you after you properly compensate me for all my unpaid overtime. And you just kept begging for me to join your familia and leave my kingdom, I didn't ask to be raised by you"
Cold and uncaring. Asfi has long since become immune to Hermes' tricks. But though she acted like this, she did have respect for Hermes…just not most of the time.
Hermes wept tears as his familia awkwardly looked on, but even though he was playing the fool, his inner thoughts denied his outward appearance.
'I can get why Ouranos and the guild requested me here though…for a god to build up such an intricate criminal familia…I bet he didn't even have the wits to make this, its probably some mortal that helped him…*sigh* '
Hermes was truly annoyed at having to deal with a god who just did whatever he wanted without thinking of the consequences. He has long since grown a hatred for such gods and goddesses.
'Fools, the lot of them…they all just think this is still some vacation…not that I have a problem with that…I only have a problem with those that actively try to cause trouble'
He knew the current state of things. The fragile peace which held over Orario. He followed Zeus in admiration as led the mortals under his care along with Hera to take down the great beasts which wandered the world.
'Lord Zeus knew the true threat the dungeon and monsters posed. We gods might possess arcanum, but the process of sending that arcanum to the lower world is complex and convoluted, we can't just easily swoop in to fix the problems of the lower world…'
'If the dungeon and monsters were to wipe out the humanoid races…they would be given free rein to cultivate their powers and bide their time…and with the attitude that living dungeon has, it's only a matter of time until they bare their fangs towards Tenkai…'
Hermes knew that if they didn't stop the dungeon and monsters by assisting humanity, it will eventually create a war to defile the divine.
This was why he admired and served Zeus so faithfully, why he begrudgingly entered into Ouranos' service, and why he kept looking for a hero to define the era.
The fate of existence depended on whether adventurers could surmount the darkness that was soon to come.
'Though I'm annoyed with having to deal with another good-for-nothing god, something interesting did come out of this'
Hermes began thinking back on the reports he had received of a certain masked figure roaming the dungeons and saving adventurers.
'The Gray Ghost…'
Hearing of such a figure, Hermes immediately ordered his familia to begin gathering information on him, even though he took it upon himself to act. But it was fruitless.
'Aside from his appearance and some of the powers he used, we came up with nothing…'
Though Hermes knew such a thing was natural for a figure who had just emerged, he couldn't help it. It was something he had long been waiting for, the appearance of a hero.
'Is this perhaps something Lord Zeus planned? Aside from the constant reports he sends me of how adorable he finds his grandson, he hasn't mentioned anything about a new recruit for his familia…'
Bell had requested Zeus not to give out too much information about him to Hermes, as a result, Zeus fulfilled Bell's request by nagging endlessly about how much he loved him in his letters to Hermes.
'I'm glad to know he was able to find happiness after the failed raid, but still-'
Hermes resolved to simply keep waiting for more information to pop up on the Gray Ghost. In the meantime, he decided to take this infiltration seriously.
'I'm not in any real danger in this operation. The most powerful foe in the Dolos familia is some intermediate level two'
'My children have them beat in status, equipment, and experience. We're just going overkill so that we can apprehend as many of them as possible alive. They need to answer for their crimes…'
Just as Hermes was readying to lead his familia, he immediately sensed the arrival of a new individual along with his familia.
'Strong…'
Hermes knew that the presence he felt had just appeared out of thin air was strong, though he couldn't tell how it compared to his children.
"Asfi"
Asfi knew what Hermes wanted to ask and immediately replied.
"I have received no orders or messages from the guild of Ouranos about additional support, so this-"
Hermes finished her sentence with a grim look.
"-Is not planned. Everyone at arms!"
His familia immediately readied themselves for combat, Alfi readying her magic items to be used, and Hermes didn't fear this situation, this wasn't the first time he exposed himself to danger and he didn't plan for it to be his last.
But before anything could happen, Hermes gained a visual of the new presence that they all sensed, Asfi seeing the same not long after along with her fellow familia members.
"The Gray Ghost…"
Hermes spoke out, his voice emitting a bit of joy in it.
"So it's as you suspected Lord Hermes…"
"Yeah, he was the one that roped us into it"
Hermes replied to Asfi, a grin visible on his face. Bell had accomplished what he wanted. Hermes was thoroughly impressed with him right now.
'Seeing how you were connected to all the first reports of the Dolos familia and the testimonies of its members., I knew you might be planning something like this…Gray Ghost…'
Hermes had postulated two potential possibilities for why the Gray Ghost had left the members of the Dolos familia alive.
'He could've been a person who hesitated to take the final step, to do what was necessary…If that were the case, I might've helped him mature if I liked his potential'
Hermes was a master manipulator, if it meant orchestrating an entire city for his benefit, he could do so easily if he was driven enough.
'The other possibility…was that he intentionally left them alive…to get them to us'
Hermes held out hope that this was the case. For a person to act like a hero with the awareness to utilize every piece possible, it was as if his dream hero had fallen into his lap.
'You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention…show me what you can do…Gray Ghost!-'
They all watched in silence as Bell stood over the Dolos familia base.
They knew that this was a prime opportunity to gather information on the figure linked to the center of this entire operation.
They also watched out of curiosity for the hero that had emerged from nowhere.
In an instant, their eyes widened as they watched Bell perform his magic.
Sparks of blue came from his body, clumps of mystic mist gathered around him, and then six finely made daggers appeared all around him.
All daggers were trained on the six guards of the base.
"Such magic!- Asfi, can you gather anything from it?"
Hermes immediately asked his familia captain Asfi, the reports detailing how the Gray Ghost conjured blades and chains out of thin air came to his mind.
Asfi, having abilities and a skillset geared towards item creation, would have the best chance at understanding what had happened. But she couldn't make sense of what she saw.
"I…cant gather anything from it, Lord Hermes. It happened far too quickly for any item-creation magic I know of…"
"Even then, the quality of those daggers wasn't compromised to quicken the process…whatever magic that was…though the daggers it created weren't magical in nature, it far outclasses my own item creation…"
The Hermes familia members were stunned at what Asfi had confessed, Hermes even more so.
Though she wasn't the type to boast, she greatly took pride in her magic item creation abilities.
For her to so easily accept that it far outclassed her skills, such a thing wasn't an easy pill to swallow.
Especially since she was Perseus, one of the greatest magic item makers in all of Orario.
As the members of his familia began contemplating what Asfi had said, Hermes never stopped looking at Bell.
'He's hesitating…'
The hesitation that came before one took their first life. It was something Hermes was all too familiar with. The signs of a person contemplating whether to dive into the abyss to accomplish their goals.
Hermes began reconsidering his opinion of Bell, of the Gray Ghost, but…
"...!-"
He began to see Bell's eyes spring into life. Though he couldn't see his expression, the light his eerie blue gaze gave off under his dark hood, Hermes could feel it…
'Yes…'
The tempering of will, the strengthening of resolve, it was something Hermes was all too familiar with.
'Go further… you're almost there!-'
The strength to continue moving forward, amidst uncertainty and futility. A stubbornness that gives birth to a miracle.
'Move forward! Don't hesitate! Burn your life brightly! Lets its radiance cover all!-'
The birth of a hero.
Bell's eyes flickered the brightest they ever had, and his blades launched forward, taking down his enemies.
He didn't hesitate, nor did he question his resolve.
His goal lay much farther and until it was within reach…he won't ever look back on the path he chose.
"Even after all this time… it's such a beautiful sight to see"
He didn't exude the innocence of a naive dreamer.
Nor did he radiate the dread of a nihilist.
Bell exuded the confidence of one who accepted both. The admirable drive to attain an impossible dream. The awareness of the avarice-ridden reality he lived in.
One who has accepted his contradiction and hypocrisy yet continues unabated.
"That's hell you're walking into dear child…a path soaked in tears, blood, and sin…and yet you confronted it all and continued…you…you!-"
Asfi and the other members of the Hermes familia broke out of their contemplation to look towards their god who had just spoken.
Hermes wore a wide grin across his face, one they all never saw on their god, even Asfi.
"Lord Hermes?"
Asfi called out to her god but was replied with laughter.
"Ha…Haha…HAHAHAHAHAH- So you have finally arrived!"
"?..."
Asfi was concerned about what was happening to Hermes, but he soon turned around to give orders. A smile on his face, but everyone knew this was the most serious he has been.
"All of you are to observe the Gray Ghost. Don't interfere with his infiltration unless it jeopardizes the objective of the mission or the safety of the surrounding public"
The Hermes familia members questioned what could have led to such a decision, but they knew better than to question the inconceivable wit of their god, so they complied without question.
"As you wish Lord Hermes!"
They all promptly left for their posts, leaving Hermes alone with Asfi.
"...what are you planning this time Lord Hermes?"
Asfi knew that her god always looked at the bigger picture, so she didn't question how his orders went against the requests of the guild.
"Keep your eyes peeled Asfi… you're about to witness something most never get to see, even in a hundred lifetimes!"
She was simply quiet, she knew Hermes wouldn't pull a prank at such a serious moment, so she readied herself for what could possibly happen.
Under the veil of moonlight, the story left unfinished began to unravel itself once more.
Authors Note:
Hello and thank you for reading this chapter!
I know I did mention considering making a certain dog or squirrel appear, but I decided to scrap it and focus instead on Hermes.
I was planning on writing a fight scene in this chapter, but I got a headache midway through writing this chapter, so I wasn't able to.
Depending on whether it goes away when I sleep, I may or may not be able to update it tomorrow. Sorry about that.
Also, I debated whether or not to title this chapter "Night Raid" but decided not to HAHAHA.
Anyways, nothing much I can say for the next chapter, just hope you look forward to it.
Have a nice day!
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