Chapter 165: Hate The Sin, Not the Sinner

It has been quite a long time since I spent my time in tranquility. Gods don't sleep, but they still have the option to 'replicate' this action and shut off their senses. That's what I did just now.

Holding Arteemis' hand, we walked across the Northwest street.

"It was a good sleep. I haven't done that since I learned more about certain things."

"I am glad it did. You have been burdening yourself several times already."

"Well…"

Although I always regained myself after each 'big revelation' I faced, I couldn't help but notice how often it happened. 

After the trip to the Singularity, I went and had a trip to a parallel world. What followed next was me gaining endless knowledge one after another.

At this moment, 'omniscience' was something 'rooted' into myself. I could, in fact, 'see' the future and likes.

However, I chose to 'close' it during these times. I had a feeling that things wouldn't have worked out as it was right now if I 'already' saw the final outcome. Nevertheless, it remained as a passive that told me about 'everything' within my surroundings.

Even now, I truly understood the story behind Aiz as well as the creation of this dungeon city, Orario.

Unless a person could maintain their 'mindset' as a 'higher being' for eternity, omniscience would simply erase the last bit of humanity that Magisters fought for.

I have lost the mortality, fear of death, and the fear of loss. Everything that was left were my own emotions as well as my ability to feel things like 'love' and 'happiness'.

This was the main reason why gods, god-kings in general, feel extremely distant from humans. The Lion King was an example of it—that entities like them are inhumane.

I would like to retain what was left of me.

"Orion."

"Mn?"

"About the girls around you…"

For a moment, I felt a tinge of panic.

"What are you planning to do?" She asked me in a neutral tone. "Even if you plan to accept them, we don't plan to reject them."

I went silent upon hearing it before recomposing myself.

"I… think I am clear with my feelings. I won't run from it anymore."

Just as we were talking solemnly about that topic, my intuition told me to look up at the sky. It was a girl with golden hair. She is currently falling towards me.

"Kishi-san~!"

Instinctively, I tried to settle things with simple magic, but they somehow did not work for the girl.

'Strange…'

No matter how eccentric it was, I was left with no choice but to catch her with my free left arm.

"It's been some time, kishi-san."

Her pale blue pupils stared directly at me. That sense of familiarity was enough to remind me of someone.

"The girl from the reverse side… How did you…"

"Of course, it was to meet you!" She paused before looking at Artemis who was being held with my right hand. "Did I interrupt something?"

This time, I sensed a clash between bloodlust.

'Since when did I do something to attract her..?

*****

Two weeks.

That was the time Nobu stayed off the grid. He hadn't done his usual visits to Gekai at that time due to him being preoccupied with the Philosopher's Stone project. He still did his usual routine back on Earth, but the rest of his time was spent on achieving the [World Magister] level.

"Teacher… He should have achieved something great."

Just beside the door to the Hephaestus Familia home, a short girl leaned on the wall. Her eyes were closed, as if she was pondering something deeply. Her thin arms were crossed over each other as her pointy finger tapped her arm with rhythm.

"Teacher said that my progress was already fast, but…"

The brown-haired pallum, Lili, sighed as her consciousness resurfaced.

"Being one step ahead of others… He really is like that."

It was not only Aiz and Riveria who developed at an extremely fast pace. Lili, a 'normal' pallum, developed just as fast as them. Within two years, she became a level eight adventurer on the surface. Little did the public know that her true level was level nine.

Moreover, she had also reached the state of a Magister through a strange occurrence.

The moment her 'dream organs' were further developed, it was as if a 'flood' of something rushed straight at her, pushing her at this level. Along with that 'flow' were some vague memories of prayers as well as her 'own' voice.

Lili opened her eyes, revealing a pair of scarlet red pupils. It contained a hint of heroic aura as well as a vague feeling of 'deep'.

The Goddess of Pallums, Fianna.

That was the conclusion that Lili had reached.

For some reason, she was boosted by Fianna's memories and accumulated "faith" as a goddess. Although she was more than certain that she is a Magister, she felt that she could do something else.

"If even gods can't let me stand by his side…"

Her mutterings were interrupted when she saw the usual calm countenance of a white-haired boy. Lili's excitement was reduced by half when she saw a goddess hugging his entire right arm.

Just as she was about to greet him, she felt that the air around them felt odd.

"Hm—?"

Her eyes caught the "dejected" golden-haired girl with unusual clothing. She stood more than a meter behind Nobu. Her eyes never stopped looking at him with resolve, however.

"Teacher…."

"I'm sorry for the wait, Lili."

"It doesn't matter, teacher." Lili retracted the words in her mind as she focused on the 'strange' feeling that Nobu gave. "Teacher, you reached a new level."

In response to that, Nobu nodded. His golden pupils remained the same to her—like that of a teacher who taught his students.

"It was the level beyond the Magister state. It took me some twists and turns, but I managed to reach it today." He replied. "Let's come in. We can't let the others wait."

"Understood. But… Who is this girl?"

She pointed out to the short-haired girl who continued staring at Nobu with a certain smile.

The girl noticed Lili and was about to introduce herself when Nobu took the lead.

"She is an acquaintance of mine from another world."

"I see…"

Unfortunately for him, Nobu got to see the 'woman's intuition' in action. His omniscience pre-empted him of Lili's doubt towards the girl.

"Sajyou-san, we can talk about things later."

"It's alright, My P… Kishi-san."

Lili felt a dangerous feeling around the seemingly innocent Manaka. Under her surprised looks, Manaka disappeared out of thin air. Nothing could be felt from her the moment she disappeared.

It was at this moment did she realize that she was not normal. Even her senses failed to pinpoint Manaka's current location.

"I knew this day would come… but I don't like her actions."

Artemis, who was silent up until now, spoke her feelings.

"Not her, but her actions?" Nobu asked.

"Despite her strength, I could see that she is still an immature child."

The two had a personal talk, and Lili, who was with them, felt a strange feeling in her heart.

'Were my guesses right? That I…'

Just like the girl from before, Lili fell to a sullen mood.

Just then, a touch on her head pulled her out of it.

"You were thinking something bad just now, weren't you?"

"Teacher…"

Lili's management of her micro-expressions faltered.

"Let's go. I believe the others are already waiting for us."

*****

Everything kept moving despite Nobu's absence. The Hephaestus Familia continued doing their work—smithing. With Welf's abilities, they could still output magic swords that broke free from its previous versions. 

Adequate equipment and sufficient knowledge from the other world greatly advanced Gekai. 

Though, these are controlled, lying at the hands of the Loki, Hephaestus, Hermes, and the 'shocking' Soma Familia.

The fourth familia, specifically, had its status skyrocket due to the contribution of its current captain, the girl known as 'Blood Spear'.

As for the Hephaestus Familia, they became the holders of the technology that came from another world, making their way from 'medieval' smithing into the 'modern' one. 

These changes resulted in creating a 'strange' atmosphere within Orario. A lot of high-end technology seeped into it, making it feel detached from the rest of the world.

"This is a gathering. A gathering…"

The honorary 'instructor' of the Soma Familia, otherwise known as the 'Sage' within the Hephaestus Familia, is currently choosing her dress in a panic.

"The last time he visited was two weeks ago. He must've… no, surely performed something important in his world…"

"Wouldn't this event double as his celebration?!"

A voice behind her startled Filvis. When she turned around, she saw a mirror image of herself who, instead, wore a black-themed dress.

"Ein… You acted faster…"

"Isn't this our attempt to capture Nobu-kun's—"

"Please stop!"

A blue scarf-like object covered Ein's mouth, only for it to be worn off by the latter in an instant.

"You're fooling yourself at this point. Why not simply admit it?"

"Because… Because…"

It took some time for Filvis to find the answer.

"If I… no, we get rejected, things will definitely change."

Unknowingly, she placed herself in the shoes of a typical high school girl (joshi kousei).

"If it was only that, then the things we had done before wouldn't matter!"

It was a single step.

That time, the opportunity to be saved was presented to her. Filvis (and Ein) simply took that one step that changed their lives. Since then, they continued taking these "one steps" that redefined their experiences over and over again—be it her current strength as a level eight adventurer or her current standing.

She chose to be an 'instruction' to several familias as it would better serve her talents than simply staying at the Hephaestus Familia. That alone gave her a reputation that transcended familia barriers. She became the prime example of an adventurer who could fully interact with familias other than her own.

(A/N: Danmachi has a culture where familias have a 'Stay out of our trouble' rule. Meaning to say, adventurers respect other familias, therefore staying out of a familia's matters.)

"A single step…"

In the end, Filvis gathered her composure back.

"We need to reach that level first."

"It should be soon."

It was a complete coincidence, or perhaps a machination of fate, that every talented person gathered around Nobu. The prodigies Aiz and Riveria managed to reach the Magister state after a short span of time. Lili's progress was just as absurd as them due to her connection with her past self, Fianna.

Filvis and Ein also held their advantage, namely Einsel. 

It was a unique magic that allowed them to exist as two independent bodies. During their studies, they found out that even their souls were the same—they were separated just like their bodies.

Strangely enough, a 'connection' is present between the two, thus allowing them to share several things among them such as perception and mana. In deeper levels, their dream organs were linked to each other, allowing them to surpass the output of everyone beneath the Magister level.

Thus, as long as they find the way to reach that level (i.e., the Infinite Conversion state), they would become strong Magisters too.

With Filvis' conflicts resolved, they stepped out of their room.

"Hm? You two took some time dressing up."

The sparsely-dressed Tsubaki greeted them in the living room. She could be seen playing with a metal glove fitted on her right hand.

"I suppose these could act as alternatives to magic tools. Studying brought me back from my times as an apprentice…" 

She muttered absentmindedly before returning to herself. 

"He should be at the front door, and…" Tsubaki cut off her words as she saw the person they were waiting for opening the door. "...there he is."

"It seems like you enjoyed studying, Tsubaki-nee."

The white-haired man greeted her teasingly.

"Don't underestimate our capabilities to work without rest. Everyone in the smithy became obsessed with the things you brought over. I guess adding new twists on a simple weapon is a part of its novelty."

Before, there could only be the design, balance, length, and weight to be considered in a weapon. When the blacksmiths discovered that they could do more than that, plus their work being enhanced by new tools from another world, their productivity exploded sharply.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they plan to build a mecha after some time."

"That's why I kept that from them."

In the end, blacksmiths sought to create a 'perfect work', and it surely isn't limited to medieval weapons.

Nobu's attention turned to the two identical girls.

"You are about to perfect it. I'll try and guess it was Filvis who didn't sleep properly."

"I also contributed too!" Ein defended herself. "But Filvis did lose sleep."

"Ein..!"

Just like always, Ein 'betrayed' Filvis.