Fun little experience

This is a massive chapter almost the size of a double chapter, being 4K words long.

This is what happens when I edit something twice, that's why it took a bit longer.

So yeah, enjoy my fellas!

Peace.

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/Later that day…/

'Somewhere in the Hestia Familia…'

"... Are you really leaving? Now of all times?" Daphne asked with a sigh as she turned to look at Silver

'Inside a room full of books with a table in the middle, Daphne, Silver, and Cassandra could be seen discussing something.'

'Though the blue-haired beauty watched more than talked, not knowing when or how to squirm her way into their conversation.'

"It's exactly because it's now, no one will expect me to leave, this is the perfect opportunity." Silver replied as he crossed his arms

"And who would be expecting that of you?!" Daphne retorted in annoyance as she touched her forehead

We just recruited 100 members and he wants to leave Orario...

And he uses the excuse that no one will expect that of him? In the first place... Who would be watching him?!

"Many people, too many to count..." Silver said with a heavy expression as he let out a sigh

There aren't that many people who would be willing to harm us with me here, but once I leave, that changes...

I won't feel right if I were to leave anytime but now, of course, there are times when I stay days in the Dungeon, so it wouldn't be that much different...

The problem is, the Dungeon is close to Orario, I can just teleport and be done with it, but if I move dozens of km away, hundreds... Thousands, then it won't be instant, it'll take me quite a while to get back.

And even if that is just a matter of dozens of consecutive teleportations, a few minutes compared to a few seconds is a lot.

Besides, I want to do much more than just visit my parents, I have to do this.

I have to grasp this opportunity and do it all at once, who knows if there will be another time I'll feel okay with leaving like this...

It might take years or even more, either that or I find a way to cross the distance of nations with just a snap of my fingers.

I can definitely move from one side of Orario to the next by linking the two places and crossing it through my Plasmids, but even that has its limits, the bigger the distance, the higher the load, and I already tried to open a door directly home recently...

And just by touching the door, my body felt weak, if I were to actually try to open it, I might suffer from something way more potent than just plain Mind Zero.

With that sort of reaction, I can't see the time when I'll actually be able to cross that distance, it may not even be possible.

Not due to a lack of Mind but due to a limitation in the way my Plasmid Works.

The way to progress isn't just about reviving my old powers and reaching the pinnacle of what I once was but also to develop more Plasmids and adapt them to this world's ways.

That takes time, but I may one day have to sit down and slow things a bit. Think outside of the box so I can keep increasing my prowess and dominate my Level range.

Not that I have that many competitors... Maybe if Zeus and Hera were here in full force... Okay, I'll stop inflating my Ego.

'As he stopped his quick string of thoughts, Silver crossed his arms as he looked at Daphne.'

"You wouldn't want to meet with whatever Ishtar's planning while I'm away, right?"

"..."

'Albeit Ishtar's status wasn't confirmed, they all believed she was still within Orario, hidden somewhere.'

'The Guild may say one thing but they were compiled to look at the facts.'

'As someone that knew Haruhime's ability and just by what Silver did to her Familia, Ishtar, being the prideful woman she is wouldn't sit still and cry in the dark.'

'She would do something even if that ended up being inconsequential to him... But would it be so for everyone else?'

'And above all, the fact Ishtar hadn't returned despite what happened to her tower is already extremely suspicious, and the way the Guild covered that up only adds up to the mess.'

'If Ishtar had returned to Heaven due to the collapse of her tower, then it would be one problem, but the fact she didn't and has yet to reveal herself is something else completely.'

'And Silver had already somewhat briefed them in on the situation, albeit he did not share the details with them, much to her extreme frustration.'

'Daphne wanted to say something but she couldn't, she had to give in.'

'Silver had a family, within and outside of Orario and he couldn't neglect either.'

'He needed to see them, he had talked about it a few times before, she just didn't expect him to bring up the subject again now.'

'However, she can accept him leaving for a few days, given his abilities and his own words, his adventure outside wouldn't last long.'

'The problem was his traveling companion…'

"Even if you need to leave… Why are you bringing the Goddess with you?!" She asked out loud as she clenched her fist, ready to throw up a punch as her forehead tensed

I know they're close but can't he be more sensible?!

You can't just kidnap our damn Goddess!

"I promised her that I would one day show her my hometown... And for a change of pace as well, I'll return her in one piece I promise." Silver replied with a chuckle

"With my abilities, as long as I put in the effort, within a few minutes of my decision I can return to Orario, even if that exhausts me."

"So instead of getting worked up over it… Would you like to go too?" He asked with a small smile as he clasped his hands together

"#!!"

'Daphne's forehead tensed even more as she clenched her teeth, while Cassandra seemed to be considering the idea silently...'

"Can you be serious?" She asked slowly as she looked at him, her eyes burning

If both Captain and Vice Captain vanish together with the Goddess if even for a day this place is going to crumble into pieces, and even if not, I can only imagine the pile of work that will be waiting for us once we return.

Unless he's willing to do all the work for me...

"Alright alright, I apologize." Silver said with a dry laugh

'But he wasn't done yet.'

"Still, I'll be passing by Melen for some business before moving on North. So would you like to pass by and see the ocean?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow

"!"

'Cassandra seemed very interested in the idea, her eyes flickering with light at the thought of it.'

"I…"

'Daphne hesitated a little, she may be a workaholic but that didn't mean she loved working over everything else.'

'The idea of taking it easy for once did entice her, but her duties…'

"Let's make this simpler then." Silver said as he tapped her shoulder

"Once I arrive at Melen and deal with my personal business, how about we have a Familia field trip?"

"Everyone together, it can't get any simpler than that." He said with an innocent smile

"What?!"

"Is it that strange? Remember that I can move everyone via portals, we don't really need to hide it anymore, at least not between ourselves."

It'll likely cause me to pop a few blood vessels, but I should be able to open a gate or move everyone individually...

I won't mind if it means giving everyone a good time.

"E-Even if we hide it, there will be rumors if people see us." Daphne said as she tried to think of reasons why it wouldn't be a good idea

"We just need to take it easy somewhere with few people then, the Lolog Lake itself is a few folds bigger than Orario, as long as we sit at a corner no one will see us apart from a few lucky boats roaming around, and even then, I can stop them from doing so."

"We can treat it as a Familia event, what do you think?"

"..."

'Daphne touched her head, thinking about the consequences of such actions.'

"People will notice if we all vanish." She added with a frustrated gaze

"Even if it's only for a few hours? We can always make an excuse, and if that's not enough…"

'Silver's eyes flashed.'

"I can make sure there is no one observing us, at least for a day." He said in a deep tone 

"..."

He speaks of the most absurd of things in the most casual of tones...

And he loves to be oddly insistent sometimes…

"I… I think it's a great idea." Cassandra added on the side, finally finding an opportunity to speak

"Cassandra…"

"But I have a condition… We should ask the other Executives while also making sure the newcomers have been properly settled in, Level 1 or 2 alike before setting off." She said with a serious expression, looking very professional 

""...""

'Both Silver and Daphne were so surprised by her sudden change that they grew silent.'

"S-Say something…" She said meekly on the side

"... Sigh, you're right." Daphne added as she scratched her head awkwardly 

I didn't expect Cassandra to speak like that, took me off course for a moment.

"Look, as I said before, it doesn't need to be now as in the first place, I don't know how long my personal business will take."

It likely won't last long, but it could take a few days, depending on how fast the investigation goes.

I could just force everyone to confess with my Plasmids, but that would leave a sour taste in the members of the Hermes Familia, they may even start avoiding me completely.

Who would hang out with a guy who can force your secrets out of you and make you forget about it?

And knowing Hermes, I would prefer if they were always close to me. 

You keep your friends close and enemies closer while keeping the insane bastards in your line of sight at all times.

"Regardless, I won't be leaving for now, so we have time to settle everything."

"At the earliest, I'll be departing only at tomorrow's late night."

"Meanwhile you can discuss this with everyone properly, though I doubt anyone would refuse, I mean, it's..."

/Slam!/

"That's too early!" Daphne said as she slammed her palm on the Office table

/Nod nod/

'Cassandra nodded silently to Daphne's words.'

"Even if everyone agrees, they all need to buy proper clothes for the occasion and we also need to buy all of the provisions even if we're only going to spend a tenth of a day there!"

"I know, don't worry about the money though, I'll be taking it out of my own pockets." Silver said as he posed

"That's not the problem here!"

This damn guy never bothered about money, he barely even counts it anymore, saying he'll just make more the day after anyway.

And this keeps causing me anxiety! It's not like he hadn't already agreed to an unreasonable contract worth hundreds of millions of Valis! 

'But Silver only smiled, causing Daphne to have the urge to punch him again, maybe that will make him wake up.'

'Yet, she knew nothing would change, he would laugh and shake her fist off while saying something that would only cause her an even greater headache.'

"Fine… You win." She said as she exhaled on the side, looking a bit defeated 

"Great, it'll be fun, a chance to lose up a little." Silver said with a large smile as he stretched his arms

"However, no matter what, I need time to finish all this paperwork, so if you want to get things ready…"

/SLAM!/

'She slammed a piece of parchment on the table and started scribbling on it at high speeds.'

"We'll need this… And this… Since we're on the subject, this too." She mumbled as she kept adding items to the list

"..."

'Silver was silent as he watched her add more and more items to the list, slowly sweating as he read through it.'

'But he kept quiet.'

"..."

'When he looked at Cassandra, the latter just looked away, darting from his gaze.'

...

"... Phew… This should be enough for now, if I remember anything else, I'll tell you."

"Since this is a rare occasion, might as well make it perfect."

"I agree… But please, once we're there… Well, we'll leave this for when we're actually there." Silver said as she folded the parchment, putting it in his pockets

"Also, for the price, don't bother too much about it, since it's a Familia event, we don't need our Captain to pull most of the weight alone." Daphne added on the side as she touched the back of her head 

"You gave the idea and we follow, it's not all on you, that's not how it's supposed to work."

"Daphne... How dependable." Silver said with a nod while Cassandra did the same

"You!"

"..."

Well... Most of the money from the Familia comes from me anyway, it's pretty much my own pockets...

And she knows that, but it's better to not remind her of that, if she gets too embarrassed, she may as well actually punch me.

Better let the conversation flow somewhere else...

…

'With that, Silver spoke with the two for a few more minutes before he left the room, Daphne's Office, thinking deeply as he made his way to the stairs:'

One less thing to worry about, a few more to substitute it.

My plans are simple, I'll be going to Melen to help Hermes investigate Evilus' supply lines he tracked there.

After interrogating the previous members of Evilus together with the cross-references between Hermes' and the Guild's own investigations, they both agreed on one fact, Evilus had to have a supply line sending them materials underground.

With their agents scattered throughout the city and Daedalus Street, there was no way any major shipment of materials would be missed by them, nor would they be able to transport materials and monsters outside of the city.

So as the days passed and they found nothing, there was only one answer:

The supply line had to be outside of the City, and the closest place for that to be is... Melen, especially since the Guild itself has already noticed some suspicious things coming from the port city once their gaze fell in the area.

Possible signs of Corruption.

I already know what's going on over there, of course, mostly coming from my memories but there's a lot of information I confirmed through interrogations.

Information I never shared... Because I can't just hand it all over to Hermes, it'll only create confusion.

Since we'll be dealing with the other side of Evilus, Demi-Spirits.

So far, the Guild has learned of Knossos and the fact that Evilus still exists and that they're quite strong with a powerful stronghold under the ground and with multiple Familias working together to maintain their forces.

There is Ikelos, Thanatos, the mysterious Eino...

And now, Ishtar has joined them also.

Their forces are unknown in number and overall power, but they estimate them to be about the same level as an S grande Familia, the likes of the former Ishtar and Ganesha.

Albeit anything above that is unlikely, still, that doesn't change how dangerous they are.

A stronghold made of Adamantite and Orichalcum that connects directly with the Dungeon and outside of Orario plus all of the unknown variables... This is a mess they aren't willing to take lightly anymore.

And things will only tense up if the Demi Spirits are revealed, especially this soon in the run.

I myself am afraid of them, if they somehow find a way to use the Demi Spirits for some sort of strange ritual and I'm not ready to deal with it... 

"..."

Just thinking about it gives me the chills, that's why I do not want to push Evilus too far. I don't want to see them resorting to things and tactics beyond my scope of understanding.

They aren't stupid and they are willing to do things beyond most people's line of reasoning...

If I had Finn on my side fighting against them, my worries would be relatively tamer, but without him, I'm alone against that madwoman, their Commander.

Thanatos himself is also rather capable...

That's one of the reasons why I recruited Lili, I need someone with that kind of strategic brain, it's not just about brainpower but the way they perceive the world and the battlefield.

Lili just needs the experience, and I'll give that to her.

Following on that line, the Guild previously confirmed Evilus' leader to be Thanatos.

However, that isn't truly the case and Hermes is already suspecting things due to his blatant appearance in Ishtar's Tower.

After all, how come the final Boss would make his entrance when the game had just started? That is likely what Hermes is thinking...

So far, the number of confirmed Gods on Evilus' side is three. Thanatos, Ikelos, and the recent addition of Ishtar, but the rabbit hole goes a tad deeper...

Ikelos himself is not really a God on Evilus' side but more of a... Trading partner then anything.

In any case, their forces are rising and the Guild is growing ever-concerned the more they learn, so I'll be going with Hermes to try and cut off one of their arms.

The reason why Evilus needs so many resources isn't exactly known to them, they can infer some things from the information they uncovered.

A large portion of the money goes to Knossos' expansion, but the reasons as to why this is done... I kept it hidden on purpose.

I don't want the Guild to find out about Daedalus and his curse just yet... Because they'll be dead set on destroying it.

I don't quite wish to see Knossos destroyed, I see it as a marvel of engineering and human ingenuity... And madness.

I would like to see it live through the ages, to see how far Daedalus's genius actually led him, how far he predicted and understood the Dungeon's motives and behaviors.

Regardless of that, the Guild may not fully grasp the reason Evilus needs so many resources, but the way they made such money was already laid bare for them to see.

At least their major form of income.

By capturing monsters and selling them above ground they made hundreds of millions if not Billions to wealthy magnates outside of Orario.

People that amass the wealth of countries, Kings, Princes, Nobles, merchants, that kind of people, not even big Familias can compete with the power of numbers.

At least not without causing a bloodbath...

There is a point where you go from Hero to Demon, even if you're defending a city from thousands, if you kill them all, are you truly in the right?

The same goes for the Guild, they can punish all that acted with Evilus for the sake of Orario, but what about their own families? Is it right to say Orario's people take precedence for what they already suffered?

Is it okay to use Orario's purpose as the Dungeon's seal to justify the mass genocide of all nations that do not go on with their agenda and interests?

Well... The way they do such trading is obviously through the hidden passages of Knossos that lead outside, which was also one of the Guild's biggest fears.

Nonetheless, it confirmed a mystery they hadn't had an answer for in years.

How did Evilus smuggle an army of monsters outside the Dungeon during the Great Feud?

Knossos, Melen... Everything was connected.

While most thought Evilus was done for, what they had actually done was a reconstructing of sorts...

Erubus built Evilus with the intention of creating a darkness so great it would in tow create the strongest of hopes... But with his death, the remaining Evilus members needed a new lord.

But then, Ryuu killed them all... Or so everyone thought.

The remainder of Evilus used Ryuu's outburst of rage and anger to hide in the confusion, letting the world think they were dead.

When the dust settled, they had all vanished, presumed dead under the hands of the Gale who also vanished on that fateful day, though few knew she turned into a waitress, gluing her broken heart still mending.

But none knew of Evilus' fate.

They cut off their tails and the Gods of Evilus, those that survived, were all sent outside of Orario, Exlied forever...

The Guild even has everything to believe they might be providing support to Evilus from the outside, which is possible, though unfortunately, I cannot confirm.

I would like to believe those Gods wouldn't really stop without some resistance...

In any case, this is a good opportunity for me.

I'll cut off Evilus' supply chain in Melen and rid the city of its corruption caused mostly due to fear of their retaliation.

I always wondered how the Poseidon Familia never acted to stop this from happening, but considering what they do for a living, it makes sense how they were unable to stop Evilus' grasp over the city.

Because they don't even know they're there.

The Poseidon Familia used to keep Melen under their watch as they were the first Familia to try to close up the hole at the bottom of the Lolog Lake, but after the uprising of the Zeus and Hera Familia 13 years ago, they managed to permanently close the hole with the remains of the Leviathan.

Quite the awe-inspiring Tale.

Now, with the city safe and the hole they protected for centuries closed for good, they set off to try and accomplish a long-lost dream, one they failed to see it through before…

The elimination of all monsters in the sea.

They just reappear every so often but their home is at sea…

A bunch of crazy people, no wonder everything's in shambles.

They are likely one of the stronger and more capable Familias in the world given how they helped Zeus and Hera take down the Leviathan and lived to tell the Tale.

The sheer fact they survived must've meant many if not dozens of their members leveled up through those fights, and since they didn't join in the final fight...

Their Familia should be likely intact... Unless they met something at sea.

But that's unlikely, they were the ones that made the Seal using its remains, so they are pretty capable themselves.

And although the Knight of Knights works at the School District, I wouldn't be surprised if he was once part of the Poseidon Familia before transferring to another.

Even so, despite such background, the only thing they do is hunt oversized fish… Sigh...

Can't blame them, even if their impact on the seas is small, if it weren't for them, sea travel wouldn't be a thing.

Either way, even if they failed to protect the city properly, they aren't to blame.

This is my chance to check many things I've always kept at the back of my head.

The Leviathan Seal and the Demi Spirit's offspring… It'll all be revealed to the Guild.

They won't know what it is at first, but it's a start.

I wonder what they'll have in surprise for us once we're there?

And how they'll react once I set everything ablaze.

'Smiling evilly, Silver thought about their expressions.'

'He was really excited for what they had in offer for him.'

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Notes

There were some changes in this chap because this chapter had been written before the release of Volume 14 of sword Oratoria where the Knight of Knight's location and identity was confirmed.

He currently works as a professor and the academy master of the School District.

Still, it makes no sense for him to have been part of the Familia he is currently part of unless everyone died to the Leviathan.

Nonetheless, its part of writing a story when the original material is ongoing, its likely that the next few volumes schedule to release soon will likely have some conflicts with things I was forced to be creative about.

Anyway, peace!