251 The new Twilight Manor
Hey guys, I'm alive, a bit tired though.
It's been a long while since the last chap, including Zero Fate.
Can't say I'm devoid of reasons for that, but it's still inexcusable that I left you all without an explanation.
Exams and being sick sum it all, but my lack of interest in writing has certainly made it all fall to this.
Not so long ago I had successfully written 25+ chaps of Danmachi and 3 advanced chaps of Zero Fate, ever since then things went downhill.
Well then, last chap, we finished the Recruitment Arc, and now it's a day or so after that.
I'll try to pick up the pace with the releases again.
That's about it everyone, enjoy.
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/Later…/
'After yet another busy day at the Hearth Manor, Silver and Hestia later enjoyed a night together at a restaurant where they ate plenty before leaving with bloated bellies.'
'Following that, they spent around an hour going around the beautiful night scenery of Orario, visiting areas they had never been to, like the beautiful houses surrounding the major River of Orario and the many boats fishing at night, their weak lantern lights shining in the water like the stars in the sky.'
'A beautiful date full of everything one should had, one they haven't had in a while due to their circumstances but one they enjoyed to its fullest nonetheless.'
'Before going back home, however, they stopped by a small sweet shop to eat some sweets to finish their date with a sugary feeling in their mouths.'
'For just 300 Valis, they enjoyed themselves plenty under the elegant streets of the District, it was now time to go back home.'
'On the way back, they stopped by a few shops here and there, buying a few things for their companions, little rewards for a week of hard work.'
'Once they were done, they made their way back and put everything away as now wasn't the time to share it all with them, it wasn't that late but it was still too late to give someone a present.'
'So when everyone knew they had returned and everything was alright, Silver snuck into Hestia's room and they vanished from the Manor.'
…
/Somewhere further West…/
'In the old ruins in the District directly above the West entrance of Orario, an old Church stood.'
'Well, not that old now that it has been reformed.'
/Swoosh.../
'Silver and Hestia reappeared within, but they didn't do anything weird, instead, they just reveled in the moment with Silver sitting in one of the Church's pews while Hestia watched him from afar.'
"..."
"It's been a while, hasn't it." Hestia said as she looked at Silver
"Hum... You speak as if we haven't visited this place recently, in fact, I was even afraid you would grow tired of visiting it." Silver replied with a teasing smile without turning his head
'He wasn't wrong, Hestia did indeed "love" this place.'
"I-I… Y-You know what I mean!" Hestia replied with a completely red expression, knowing full well what Silver was talking about
"But... Yeah… It's been a while." Silver said as he looked at the repaired colored glass on the wall, It was beautiful and colorful, depicting a woman holding a child
'Silver didn't know who it was nor what it was meant to signify, but it was one of the few things that hadn't broken over the decades or even centuries this church had been left abandoned.'
'With a little bit of a touch, it sparkled more than ever.'
I like this place… Even if at this point, we spent more time in the Hearth Manor than here.
Unfortunately or fortunately, that place is a tad too big for me...
The Old Church always felt warmer, it's hard to describe.
Sometimes, I kind of remember my time living here alone with Hestia, waking up and walking to the Dungeon like everyone else.
Of waking up with her by my side since she would always snuck into my bed…
A simpler lifestyle, closer to one another, without too many responsibilities.
A certain calmness I can't quite put my hand on.
/Hug…/
'While Silver was in deep thought, Hestia approached him from the side, sitting down next to him and hugging him gently.'
"You're thinking too much, enjoy the moment." She said as she snugged into his arm
"... Right."
Guess she's still a Goddess who can feel one's emotions.
…
'The two stood like that for a few moments until Silver decided to tease Hestia a little.'
"So? The night is passing, I thought you were going to 'punish' me?" Silver asked with a small smile on his face without facing Hestia
"And who's to say I'm not? Humph!" She said as she crossed her arms with a pout
"... Is that so?... I don't mind, this fine too." He said with a gentle smile as he pulled her closer
"!... What are you doing?"
"Hugging you, is this also not within the permissible?"
"Urg… This is... Fine…"
"Then…"
/Kiss/
'While distracted, he pulled her in for a kiss, taking her off guard.'
"T-T… Not permitted!" She said with an embarrassed face
This is infraction number 1!
"Why not? Haven't we done so many times before?"
"But today you're being punished!"
"I see, then no kisses." Silver said as he continued to hug her
"..."
Why does it look like I'm the one being punished here?
'It was clear Hestia was thinking about something rather deeply.'
…
'Later, after he had enough and the tiredness started to hit him again, Silver pulled Hestia into a princess carry, and amidst her many protests, he led her to the basement room where he gently put her on the bed after using his powers to clean it up perfectly, making it smell like flowers.'
'And once he placed her there, he turned around, making his way to the bathroom where he took a shower, leaving Hestia with a mix of a poker face and a red expression.'
'Not long after, he finished his shower, and instead of doing anything, he laid in the bed and said good night before turning to the side and sleeping.'
"ZZZZzzz..."
"..."
This...
'Obviously, Hestia was in no way pleased with this outcome, how dare he sleep like that?! This was supposed to be the most brutal of punishments!'
'Ever!'
'She would be getting back at him for all of that "unauthorized contact" he had with all of those girls and Goddesses alike!'
/Grind.../
'Grinding her teeth and pushing the gears of her mind into action, Hestia dived into the shower as well, having a great idea.'
'She would make herself irresistible, make him completely and utterly unable to sleep!'
/Giggle…/
'Giggling within her bathtub, Hestia prepared herself as the minutes passed…'
…
/Creak…/
'Eventually, Hestia left the bathroom, faint waterdrops still in her wet hair as she walked into the bed, wearing a loose nightgown that was rather provocative.'
"..."
/Flip... Flip.../
'And to her utter surprise, Silver was there, reading a book without a care in the world, flipping its pages without as he let out a light yawn.'
"Ah, you're done, you sure took your time preparing yourself." He said as he placed the book by the side
"I see you're wearing that gown we bought, It's as good as I thought, you look gorgeous."
And sexy.
"R-Really?" Hestia asked as she fidgeted with her hair, feeling Silver emotions, it made her feel glad and happy...
"H-HUH?! That's not how it was supposed to go!" She suddenly exclaimed as she noticed what Silver was trying to do
"..."
'But he merely smiled at her.'
"Urg…"
"Well then, I'm waiting for my punishment." He said as he got up from the bed, walking to her
/Stops/
'He eventually stopped one foot in front of Hestia, touching her chin and lifting it up so their eyes would meet.'
'Lightning seemed to cross through her body as he did that, causing her to freeze in place.'
"Well then, don't tell me you took that long of a bath with all of those products only to have me sleep throughout the night, did ya?"
"Wasn't this supposed to be a night... You wouldn't allow me to forget?" He said as he leaned in for another kiss, this time, a bit lewder
"Umn…"
'Her expression was beet red, even after doing so many times, Hestia was as slow and embarrassed about it as she had been her first time.'
'Not that it was bad, Silver never bothered with the act of guiding her, it's part of the experience, and it made things more exciting on his end, she also seemed happy to be led and that was how she seemed to prefer things to go.'
'He loved seeing her face go from her ordinary smile to this, and from this to… Well, something better not shown around kids.'
"I'll… punish you… Thoroughly." She said in a meek tone as she looked away
/Smirk/
'With a smile, Silver held Hestia's hands, pulling her to the bed.'
'Well, from here on out, music would be made, and this time, Silver let Hestia be the main composer, even though she wasn't very good at it.'
'Though from everything he saw and felt, he could see she had the talent for it and that she was enjoying it that's for sure.'
'Perhaps it was just the quality of the instrument, that should've played a part in it.'
'If they had the chance, he should let her try something like this again… If she had the energy for it.'
'Because by the time they were done, Hestia's will to move was negative.'
'He thought what excuse he would give to the others regarding her terrible sleeping schedule… But that was a problem for tomorrow…'
/Shine…/
'Oh wait, the sun was already rising.'
"..."
I'm tired…
'Another night without sleeping, Silver was about to go insane.'
'Was it worth it?'
/ZZZzzz…/
'Seeing the Goddess sleep next to him, those thoughts all vanished away.'
'What was he even thinking about? There was never the need to think about it.'
'Because every moment with her was…'
"Shil…Va… Zzzz…"
/Snore.../
"..."
I still have some hours, at least that way I can recover some energy.
But I swear I'll take a day off before I depart… A day off before my Vacation, perfect.
'His mind set in stone, Silver turned to the side, closing his eyes as he hugged Hestia with one arm.'
'She was the perfect pillow… Albeit she also thought the same of him.'
'And in the battles throughout the night, Hestia would always win with her terrible sleeping habits, always managing to kick his blanket away.'
'There was little he could do about it.'
…
/A few hours later…/
"... Are you really leaving?" Loiju asked as he adjusted his glasses
"For a while, yes, I'll be visiting my Family, to see how things are going." Silver replied as he took a sip from his cup
My grandparents forgot to tell me where they moved to, but by now they should be back... Or at least have a hint for me to follow.
Otherwise, things will get complicated.
"Honestly… I'm surprised."
"Why?"
"Ha… Given your recent track record, I believed you were going to rush to Level 5 or something, go kill Amphisbaena on your own, and maybe blow up the entire White Place because you were bored..." He said with a dry laugh, only to stop as he saw Silver's expression
'And when he did, his smile vanished.'
"Wait… You aren't serious... Did you..."
"Yeah, I did try to do that." Silver replied with a poker face as he looked at his nails
"..."
Of course he did, by the Sacred tree...
"A shame I failed." Silver added with a sigh
"By the time I got there, someone else had already killed it, it may reappear every month or so but this margin of error kind of played me."
"The day I started to prepare was when I realized I was too late… Despite starting my hunt a few days before the predicted time, Amphisbaena appeared earlier than normal and was killed by the members of the Ganesha Familia who were capturing monsters in the area, you know, due to Ganesha's fall event."
It's already been three months since the Monsterphilia and with it, the last event Ganesha will host this year.
There are the End of the Year and New Year celebrations, but they're more of a massive party hosted by many if not all Gods of Orario at the same time rather than something he individually hosts.
Everyone gives a little bit to form a massive celebration, even Familias like Freya's will give something like money for them to buy food and distribute it during the festivity.
Demeter also donates a lot of food for the event.
"I really wanted to fight it, there were some things I wanted to try but in the end, that was how things went."
Amphisbaena's fire is not magic but an organic flame produced by an organ inside its body.
What does this mean? It means I can study it and potentially create a Plasmid.
A potent fire that can burn a Level 4 and greatly injure a Level 5 that burns on water...
It may not be that big of a deal, there are many alchemical fires that can do something like that, but Asphisbaena can also spew red mist that can defuse Magic.
And that, for me, is much more valuable.
It would also be the greatest of flexes, to steal a Monster Rex's magic.
"Besides, it's been two weeks already, soon enough I'll have the chance to try again." Silver added with a large smile as he tapped on the table
"... That's just like you." Loiju said with a helpless smile as he grabbed a book from the side
"Is there anything official for us to go over?" Silver asked as he looked at the book
"Hum? No… Ah, I apologize."
"This isn't a record of the Guild, it's just a diary." Loiju replied with a chuckle as he took out a pen from his chest pocket
"A diary? When did you pick up writing?"
"Yes, and not so long ago…"
"After putting in some thought, I came to the conclusion I should try writing since I read quite a little myself."
"And I've been enjoying it."
"However, I also realized that I know very little about life, so I decided to try and just write about what I know for now… My own life."
"Surprisingly, I've been having some fun spending a few minutes here and there to read what I have recorded, at the end of the day, I end up remembering some things I even forgot about due to my busy days."
"I also had a great time trying to remember older memories and pass them onto a piece of paper, it's been making me reflect greatly on myself..."
"So if you don't mind, allow me to add a new line to my Diary."
"It's all yours." Silver said with a smile as he took another sip of his cup
If he likes it, I won't stop it, he's a millionaire anyway, and he needs something to pass his time.
"Cough… My dear Diary, 8th of September, XXYY, a bit over 8 Am…"
"Location: Inside one of the private boots of the Guild."
"Today, my reckless adventurer shared with me yet another of his nonsensical Dungeon experiences, this time, a rare failure."
"Hum... Rather harrowing..." Loiju said with a small look of enlightenment as he found the right words to use
"Oi… Do you need to phrase it like that?" Silver asked with a frown
'But he was ignored.'
"... It seemed that after his recent exploits, he put another big target in his eyes, the Boss Monster of the Water City, Amphisbaena... But as fate would dedicate..."
"He bit more than he could chew."
"Alas, he was too late, losing the chance to get himself… Wet."
"..."
"End of line."
/Poof!/
'Loiju closed the book with a satisfying poof, blowing some air into his face as he placed it aside.'
"I would like to raise some objections to what you just wrote…"
"Too late, the ink has already dried." Loiju retorted with a serious expression
"Not a problem, I'll just remove the ink in its entirety." Silver replied with a smirk as his right hand started to transform
"Huh… I forgot you could do something like that… Please stop it's disturbing."
"Do you have the heart to mess with history?!" Loiju protested dramatically as he protected his book, hugging it tight
"If it's accurate, yes, but as if what you just wrote is right!" Silver protested out lod
"It's exactly how I see things, please do not interfere." Loiju said as he continued to affirm and attest to his own words
"#!! Looks like there's a need to change how you think then, don't you worry, I can do that too…" Silver said as he cracked his own neck, his right pupil changing as it became a spiral
"..."
'But when he saw Loiju running away in fear, he sat down again as he rolled his eyes.'
Forget it.
...
'In the end, the two just laughed slightly before Silver got up from the table.'
"Leaving already? Not even going to get a few commissions as you always do?"
"... You know, ever since you won that fight they have been piling in your name, all kinds of people now wish their requests to reach your hands, and they pay very, very well."
"I already sorted out the ones you can't accept due to your contracts as you told me, there's no better Advisor than me is there?" Loiju said with a large smile as he tapped his own chest
"..."
You're being paid extra to do that, don't try to butter me up when I'm already in charge of all your drinks for the next 15 years...
"Give them to someone else, there's quite a few things for me to do today, so much so I won't have the time to go to the Dungeon."
"Woah, you're really busy today." Loiju said with some surprise as his eyes opened wide
"Things happen and… Were you being ironic?" Silver asked as his eyebrows twitched
"Hum? Why would I? I don't understand what you're talking about." Loiju said as he looked at Silver innocently
"..."
This knife ear...
'Silver let out a sigh, turning around as he waved his right hand in the air.'
"See you later, try to not die from overwork again... Or spend your money irresponsibly."
"I could say the same to you, how much did you spend to buy the entire street in front of your home again? Who was the guy begging me for all kinds of commissions just so he could make some extra bucks?"
"Humph… As if I begged, stop extrapolating reality." Silver said as he averted his eyes to the side
"So what were you doing?"
"Inquiring for potential job offers." Silver replied with a smirk as he moved to the door
"You sure have a way with words... I concede." The elf said as he raised his arms up
"..."
You're the one twisting everything and you dare concede what you started?!
...
'Two friends exchanged their farewells before returning to their equally busy agendas.'
'And while Loiju returned to his Office chair to drink his coffee and listen to the complaints of his coworkers, Silver made his way to the North, towards the Twilight Manor, Loki's home.'
'She wanted to ask him something, and he was there to find out what that was.'
'The last thing he wanted was for that noisy Goddess to look for him and cause trouble, she would definitely cause some regardless, but better to close this issue inside her own home where the only thing she can break are her own vases.'
'Since whatever it was for her to have sought him out first… It was certainly not anything ordinary.'
'So he prepared himself mentally and physically for what could very well be a battle of extreme Wits with a Goddess whose main attribute was trickery.'
'He had secrets to keep and he couldn't let her learn anything, at least not from him.'
'Where would his credibility go if he let go of them so easily, after all?'
'It wouldn't be easy, and she would certainly gain what she wanted, but Silver would at least put on a resistance!'
"Phew... Since I'm visiting... A gift shouldn't hurt much."
I never thought I would say this... But I'll go buy some Soma Wine.
Not the bad stuff they sell outside, but the "good" shit they keep for themselves.
She'll appreciate that, as for the others... I'm not quite sure what they like.
I'll figure it out on my way to the Soma Familia.
'His poker face taking over his face, Silver entered an alley before reappearing further SouthEast, and not long after, he reappeared in the North, resuming his carefree walk.'
…
/Around two hours later…/
'After a relaxing and lengthy walk across one of the central streets of Orario, stopping by every now and then to buy some things, Silver finally arrived at the Plaza where the Twilight Manor stood at its center.'
'A classic European style towering castle several floors high that had multiple towers that reached over ten or not more floors in high together with tall and strong walls that surrounded the entire perimeter hundreds of meters in circumference.'
(Image)
"Hum…"
Looks like they finished refurbishing it.
After the conflict where their Manor was attacked, the Loki Familia went into an extreme reform of their home, defenses, and surroundings.
The area is now much open and easy to defend, it looks better too since they must've spent quite the budget on everything.
I heard they contracted with multiple construction-type Familias to do a mega project and move everything around them, above and below the ground.
The Guild also gave them the right to do so and even helped, though that was more of a formality.
Loki was angry and Ouranos wouldn't try to stop her from defending herself, even if it meant having her mess around with the architecture of the city on a small scale.
At least she didn't change the layout of the Northern Street, well, it would be too much for her to do so, as it was one of the city's landmarks.
Though when it's Loki, one can never be too careful.
And honestly, I'm a bit skeptical about meeting with her, talking with Gods is already hard and stressful enough, much less when they're trying to dig up truths from someone.
Most affirm it's impossible to hide things from the Gods, and I agree.
The only reason I managed to hide things from Hestia was because she respected my privacy and because she wasn't exactly that prone to seeking out what I was doing while also being gullible.
But if Hestia were to put her focus on something, any of that would be hard to accomplish, even for me.
That is why one must trick them into believing something else.
And that is by no means an easy thing to do.
'Letting out a sigh, Silver cracked his neck, approaching the gates of the Manor.'
'Now that he thought about it, this may be his very first time visiting them like this, entering through the front gate…'
…
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Notes
