บท 302: Commemoration of a Free Nation
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/Sha sha sha…/
/Splash.../
"... How long do you plan on staying there?" Artemis asked as she sat at the edge of the Spring, playing with the water as she let her feet soak
"Just let me soak for five more minutes…"
"You said that twenty minutes ago, though."
'It had been around half an hour since the Swamp King died, and the situation had calmed significantly.'
'Following the awkward encounter from his lack of clothes, Silver quickly clothed himself with a towel before resuming his nightly swim.'
'The feeling of swimming in the Spring was simply divine… No wonder the Swamp King remained in it for hundreds of years.'
'To some degree, Silver felt he was growing stronger just by swimming in it, and for good reason. His many hidden injuries were being healed, and even the scars he had on his skin were slowly peeling away as the divine power of the spring healed him back to his natural state.'
'It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that as long as he stood within it, he would live forever...'
'Of course, not everyone had the patience or the time to relax.'
'The first ones to leave were Uskari and Lidari.'
'The death of the Swamp King left a bitter taste in their mouth. Because at the end of it all, they weren't even given the chance to redeem themselves, even at its final moments.'
'They left the center of the forest with regret but also excitement, as today, they would finally be able to sleep soundly knowing that their land… Was now safe, and the children of the future could grow without fear.'
'Meanwhile, Haruhime, Kaede, and Momiji collapsed on the ground, too tired to stand after everything they went through.'
'Yes, they technically just ran around, and Momiji did nothing at all, but the psychological impact of this little venture wasn't going to be lifted so easily…'
'Under the bright stars and the quickly approaching light bugs, Haruhime and the two sat down at the edge of the Spring, catching their breath as they watched their Captain argue with the mysterious Archer over his lack of conduct.'
/Sha sha…/
'Haruhime would often touch the water in the Spring; it would sparkle whenever she touched it, filling her with a warm, fuzzy feeling…'
'Right, an adventure was meant to be like that... Albeit she felt something was wrong.'
'She would often gaze at them in the distance, feeling odd and even a little left out.'
"..."
'Meanwhile, Talvi kneeled on the ground next to the Spring, looking at her reflection as she still tried to process what had just transpired.'
'Like Haruhime, she would often touch the spring water, smiling… Only to grimace as she saw Silver playing inside it.'
'They were meant to drink that! Can you stop?!... But of course… She never voiced her worries… Not because she didn't want to but because…'
'She felt everyone deserved a little peace after all they've done.'
Mother...
'Memories passed by her eyes, but she let go of them in the end.'
'Never forget. But she couldn't let them hold her back.'
'It wasn't the perfect "and they lived ever after" kind of ending, but it was far beyond everything she could've ever imagined.'
'After all, it was something not even her Goddess believed possible.'
'It was... Bittersweet.'
…
/A few minutes later.../
/Crackle…/
'After he enjoyed the Spring and teased Artemis for what happened before, Silver began cleaning after the mess he had caused.'
'By now, Talvi and the others had already returned, leaving him alone to watch the stars above.'
'Artemis was the last to leave, likely to try and hide herself from the others.'
'Oh well, it wasn't like he cared if rumors started going around... Not now.'
'As he relaxed on the Spring of Life, Silver concluded many of his regrets.'
'It was more of a psychological form of acceptance to his long past mistakes, but it seemed that the Spring did more than just heal one physically... It also seemed to affect their mentality.'
'At the end of it all, as his hair swayed around on the water, he thought about his entire life, from start to finish, from one... To the next, and the one after...'
'When he finally finished his reflecting...'
"... Phew… This was tiresome." He said out loud as he let himself float around
Well… It didn't end like I wanted to, but I won't complain.
It was decent enough.
An immortal monster... A magic created from trial and error by mixing in dozens of bloodlines by a desperate Goddess and her believers...
I'll write this down eventually.
'He looked around. Many of the trees had been toppled, the stones surrounding the edges of the Spring had all been flattened, and a dozen of his traps never triggered… Or were never given a chance to.'
Hum… I better disarm those before something happens…
'Silver's traps weren't really anything special. Some were purely mechanical, like weights to hold the monster down momentarily, while others… Where just a pit full of explosives.'
'The ol' reliable…'
'In the end, he didn't quite use any of them as the Swamp King's strength proved too dominant for any of them to even matter.'
'They were mostly to test the waters anyway, as he set them up while he estimated the monster's strength.'
I never planned to damage it with those traps, but it doesn't matter. It's all good for me since now I can reuse those materials elsewhere.
As for the rest… Fixing this place shouldn't be too much of a bother. The problem is… All of the trees we destroyed further down the Swamp.
How many hectares of forest did it destroy?...
The Spring of Life has brought many dying trees back to life, but it cannot piece back together a splintered tree…
Maybe I should just leave things as they are. As a casualty of war… In due time, everything should regrow with the Spring's overwhelming life force.
"At the very least, none of the Ancient trees toppled."
'Belthane was the City of Springs… Yet there were no Springs.'
'That was because the putrid Swamp had covered everything.'
'What Silver once thought to be an extension of the Spring of Life had been artificially created by the beast.'
'Over centuries, the Swamp King terraformed the forest to make it more suitable for itself, but now that it was dead, the Swamp naturally began to vanish, leaving behind dozens of natural Springs and lakes amidst the ancient trees.'
'The reason the trees looked the way they did was also because of the Spring's overwhelming life force. It forced the trees to adapt in real time over centuries, changing their original appearance to the ones they saw now.'
"If they take some time to clean up the place, Belthane could become a major tourist town… If they find a way to get the people through the Beol mountains…"
"It could be a spot for merchants to stop by… But the Spring's power shouldn't be shared so easily…"
Even the diluted waters that flow from the Spring hold immense power, and it would be too much to mindlessly share with others…
But… That's not something for me to worry or care about. In the worst possible scenario, I can just step in and "claim" this city for the Familia by allying with Bhera.
While Hestia and Bhera don't do well together, they share some similarities like their love for the children, and I'm sure they would hold a compromise if there was a way to help them.
/Splash!/
'Silver stopped drifting in the Lake, swimming to the shore before jumping onto solid ground.'
"That's enough swimming for today… Phew! I feel great!" He said as he stretched his arms
No pain, no joints cracking, many of my scars have vanished, and my skin's smooth.
Above all, I'm extremely energetic! I feel as if I had the best sleep of my life…
"This is just too much, man… I'll grab a few gallons of these; just a small vial could save a person's life."
'Albeit true, to Silver, it was the perfect item for him to train!... As if he didn't have enough of that already…'
/Swoosh… THUD!/
'To finish everything off, Silver raised his hand, gently moving the ancient stone dome back to its original spot.'
'It was a miracle it was still intact...'
/SPLASH!/
'With that, the Spring of life returned to its natural state, as it was 1000 years ago.'
"Annnnd… It's all done."
There's nothing else to do here… I guess I can say my trip to Belthane is officially over.
'Silver scratched his chin as he looked at the Spring, now full of buzzing light bugs flying above it.'
"Well… Just because it ended, it doesn't mean it's an eternal farewell."
I'll visit often; after all, I'll need many more vials…
'If Hestia were here, she would exclaim this is a sacred place that shouldn't be tarnished before trying to bonk him.'
'Of course, Silver would've just ignored her before jumping inside anyway.'
'If Bhera was here, how much would she curse him?'
'He was essentially taking a shower inside the medicine her children needed to survive…'
…
/A few moments after the Swamp King's demise…/
'Blue and Golden light shone upon the night sky, creating an ethereal scene above the forest's depths.'
'From afar, many witnessed this scene with heavy gazes…'
'Including two Goddesses…'
"... They won…" Bhera said in disbelief as she watched the lights vanish in the distance
"AHA! Did you see that, Bhera?! Just as I told you! They did it! Silver took down the monster!" Hestia said on the side with a large smile as she squirmed
That's how you do it!
You all worked really hard, everyone!
'Hestia was over the moon as she looked at the lights in the sky. If she could, she would jump with joy, alas, she was tied to a pole on the corner after she kept trying to run away.'
"..."
'Bhera, on the other hand, only displayed a mildly shocked gaze, as if still trying to process what she just witnessed.'
"Huh? Is that it for your reaction, Bhera? No comment? Nothing?" Hestia asked with an upset expression as she looked at Bhera's face
'Bhera's expression slowly changed to a light smile, and then…'
"It feels like a waste." She said as she closed one of her eyes, teasing Hestia as she stuck her tongue out to provoke her
"Huh?"
'She smiled lightly, a dozen emotions contained with her lips and eyes as she looked back at Hestia.'
'And for a moment, she closed her eyes, almost shedding a single tear as she chuckled.'
'One thousand years of excruciating pressure... All gone.'
"If I knew things could be this fun… That such a thing could've been possible…"
Seeing them all gather and try to face this monster together…
'Bhera and Hestia saw everything, from the trio's escapade to their encounter with Uskari, Silver's face-off against the Swamp King, and the eventual meet-up at the center of the forest.'
'Even if not perfectly, she could see and feel their blessings move around in the dark, shining and glowing ever strong as their wills burned with desire.'
"Then I would've spared no effort in stirring things up as I tried all sorts of things with them." She said with an honest and kind smile as she looked down at the torch lights in the faint drizzle
'Yet, just as her smile came, it vanished, being replaced with a look of sorrow and sadness.'
"For the children that already departed… I wished I had been there for them. That I had looked after them properly and not so far apart."
"Bhera…" Hestia said with puppy eyes as she grew emotional
"That's why I feel like I've wasted these past few hundred years."
'But as she turned to look at Hestia, her face grew annoyed as she teased her again:'
"And stop right there with your puppy eyes, I don't want to hear that "Faith in Heroes" thing both you and Artemis share."
"You're not going to poison me."
"..."
'Hestia smiled slightly as she closed her eyes…'
"Anyhow, can you untie me? It's a little uncomfortable."
"That's how it's supposed to be, though?"
"Yes? Then, please… W-Where are you going?"
"To see if my children are alright and well. I won't stand if they're hurt." Bhera replied as she turned to the side
"T-Then let's go together, but please! Don't leave me like this!!"
"Hmmm… Is that an order?" She teased again as she stood before a door leading outside of their room
"Bhera!!"
…
/Later…/
"... On a scale from one to ten…"
"Zero."
"Zero? Come on. What's your basis of justification?"
"I don't like you."
"And that discounts ten entire points?"
"Who said you got a ten to begin with? If we went with that analysis, you would go into the negatives." Bhera replied with a scoff as she crossed her legs
"That's harsh, I feel like I did a good job. At least deserving of an eight. If not enough, then give me an explanation so I may receive greater scores from future clients."
"Why should I? I would rather remain silent than curse someone else with your presence in the future. Besides, isn't that too much for how you handled things?"
"HARSH! But on a counterpoint… That's a perfectly viable score for my performance!" Silver said with a chuckle as he poured some wine for himself
'Following the Swamp King's demise, Belthane began to change as everyone slowly learned of the fateful fall of their Tyrant.'
'Silver and company returned to the city at the mountainside to rest. Meanwhile, Uskari and Lidari resumed their duties, calming the populace down and retrieving the beast's carcass the Swamp King used to parasitize, using it to convince all of its downfall.'
'Given the Swamp King in itself dropped nothing aside from its Magic Stone, it was the only way to convince everyone on short notice given they were in the middle of the night and it would be too dangerous to lead the people to the forest to look at the clean Springs.'
'Silver did not care for the giant snake's body given its terrific state, and he had no use for its skeleton either. So donating it to the city so they could remember this day for generations felt the right thing to do.'
'For now, the citizens of Belthane had much to do if they wished to return to their old ways of living, to the time they all used to live on the tall trees of the Swamp.'
'In truth, when he first arrived at Belthane, Silver saw many old ruins built upon the giant tree trunks.'
'Those were the original edifications the people of Belthane used before they were all forced outside to the mountains.'
'The way things used to be until a hundred or so years ago was that most of Belthane was located within the giant Swamp Trees with only a small part of the population living within the mountains so they could farm and raise cattle.'
'But with the corruption of the Swamp and the arrival of the Swamp King's awakening, many migrated to land, far from the Swamp, to protect themselves, leaving only a few behind.'
'Living above the Swamp wasn't really that big of a deal.'
'When the houses were built tens of meters above ground, even the horrid smell of decaying matter in the swamp washed away under the breeze.'
'And now that the Swamp had mostly been pulled back thanks to the Swamp King's death, quality of life within the trees would consequentially skyrocket.'
'Which meant that for the people that remained, the price of real state had just shot up!...'
'Not that it mattered. The people of Belthane would never take advantage of themselves like that.'
'And in the end, it wasn't like they lacked the space… There were thousands of giant trees, and they would go nowhere.'
'It was a new beginning.'
"Phew… Then what about a reward? Do I gain anything from this achievement? Aside from this Date?" Silver asked as he raised an eyebrow at Bhera
"I thought you did all of this because you felt like it and didn't want any recognition nor help, which, by consequence, indicates you weren't here for a reward either. Is that correct?" Bhera asked as she grew a little serious
'She also scoffed inside, "date?" look at him go...'
'Silver rested his head on his chair, looking at the sky as he asked:'
"Sigh, you're still holding onto that?"
'Bhera chuckled, looking at her people laughing and dancing on the streets as some came and went in a hurry.'
'With the faintest of smiles, she said:'
"Gods can hold onto grudges for centuries."
'Even now, almost an hour after its death, people still ran around excitedly, wanting to share and discuss the news with anybody.'
'The soldiers were also just as busy… Drinking and enjoying their time with their friends and family.'
'Tonight was the first of many. The first day of Belthane's "independence".'
"You're all the same…"
/Clink!/
'With those words, Silver finished his food.'
"Then, I imagine we can end this little 'date' of ours, can we?" Bhera asked with some slight annoyance as she looked at Silver wipe his lips
'Meanwhile, Silver patted his belly with a light smile as he replied:'
"That's rough. I at least enjoyed the food. It was delicious."
"Men are satisfied as long as their bellies are full, such simple creatures…"
"..."
'Although he did not reply, he still smiled.'
"Well... My partner could make do with some extra words, but I don't mind the view." He added with a chuckle as he looked at the moon in the sky
"... Pfff... Alright, you're so shameless that I'll give it to you. It's a new experience, given everyone is so stiff around here."
Having a child like that around... Doesn't sound so bad.
No wonder they changed that much.
The mortal world... It is full of interesting individuals.
'Moments before, after Silver's return, Bhera called him for a private chat in a restaurant nearby.'
'Although she never said it outright, it was evident this was her way of saying thanks. And maybe also as a way to punish him, given the way Hestia looked at him as she saw him walk away…'
'Bhera called it a "date", but in truth, they barely talked at all.'
'But he knew that with this, Bhera was now in possession of a gun full of bullets, ready to shoot them all if needed.'
"Well… At least let me ask you a question before we depart."
"If you speak or not, it doesn't matter, does it?"
"Here it goes anyway…"
"You know, I've been thinking. Everyone's cheering, and you're here with that serious expression, so I wanted to ask since I'm quite the dense guy..."
"Are you happy?" He asked as he got up from his seat
"..."
'Bhera turned to look at the people cheering and parting at the streets, their smiles wide as they danced around the place.'
'She also saw the two Renards and the Humme Bunny being flung around the place as they were given plates upon plates of free food and items, their hands so full they could barely stand.'
Is this… Happiness?
'With that question on her mind, she turned to the side, ready to answer…'
"Huh?"
That brat…
'But her partner… Had left!'
'The only thing left was a small note on the table, reading:'
"-Thanks for the free food, 7.9/10.-"
"-You can keep this! Don't lose it.-"
"-With love, your favorite adventurer. Mellios Silver~-"
'Next to the note, a small Magic Stone about the size of her fist remained.'
'Thousands of sparks of light could be seen under the translucent stone…'
"... Sigh…"
He sure is as annoying as his Goddess…
"Favorite adventurer huh…"
To begin with, it's not like I know many...
All the others… Must all be in Heaven by now.
I did spend quite some time here, now that I think about it…
'With a slightly devious smile and some mysterious thoughts, Bhera left the room, her children waiting for her below.'
'It would be a long night for the people of Belthane.'
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Notes
This is the defacto end of the arc, its likely going to be the biggest out of every small arc of Silver's time outside of Orario.
I have a few places in line for him to visit before we return and begin the next arc, which will likely have him Level Up to 5 together with a few extra timeskips.
After that, I guess we'll slowly move on to the start of Cannon.
How strong will Silver grow till then? Well, if he keeps his growth speed, I wouldn't be surprised if he became Level 7 or higher by the time Bell was supposed to arrive at Orario. But we'll see about that.
Silver will begin growing strong and so will many other characters around him so he can have some supporting cast for the future.
Thank you for reading, peace!
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