42 The one Behind the Rumors 2
First chapter volume, you know how it is, we slow down a little and develop the initial plot and events.
...
We are back baby!
It took long enough...
In any case, here you have it.
If you forgot what happened, allow me to explain:
Earlier this day, Silver completed his body transformation and Leveled up.
After that, they went to the Guild to report.
And after doing a few more things, they went to the Hostess of Fertility to eat as a small commemorative party for his Level up.
And some things happened...
-----------------------------
'The pub was in silence. Everyone watched the Platinum knight, the man who saved Loki and Artemis, and the supposed guy who killed the irregular on the middle floors and also the fastest person to rise to Level 2…'
'Previously, these achievements had been thought to belong to different people, but who knew… That they all belonged to one person.'
'Everyone now looked in surprise at the knight who suddenly appeared in Bete's chair.'
"!!"
I didn't even see him move…
'Tiona and Tione were in shock.'
What happened?!
'Lefiya couldn't believe her eyes.'
So this is the famed ability… It is even greater seeing up close, I didn't even notice his movement and barely even felt it.
Would he mind if I asked him to demonstrate its full capabilities?... Of course, he would...
I should find a proper reason… Perhaps an item in exchange?
But what item would hold the same value as this sort of knowledge?
'Riveria smiled, she could barely hold her curiosity.'
Interesting… How should I react if an enemy approaches me with such an ability?
'Gareth looked at Silver as he scratched his beard, thinking about how he would counter such a move.'
So this was what saved Loki and Artemis? Impressive. If he can do that multiple times already then the spot for the fastest might get a new holder soon.
'And Finn was deeply interested in it as well.'
'Not only the Loki Familia, but everyone in the Pub had their mouths open.'
"... Sorry for ignoring you all, my deepest apologies." Said Silver as he removed his helmet, revealing his face to everyone
"Oh…" Said Tiona with her eyes shining as she looked at the handsome face of Silver
A hottie!
'Lefiya had seen her fair share of handsome men, however, she never cared about them, nevertheless, she has to agree Silver is… Good looking.'
'Ais however, fixed her eyes in Silver's well… Beautiful silver eyes… She finally remembered where she saw him!'
'He seemed a bit different though... Not exactly what appeared in her memories.'
But where is his scarf?
'Everyone had their own reactions to his appearance.'
'Mist started to envelope Silver once again and when it dissipated, Silver was once again in his normal attire.'
"..."
Something happened but I can't quite place my finger on it…
'Riveria and the others made sure to pay attention to the changes, however, everything seemed strange as the armor suddenly disappeared.'
'Silver looked at them again and said:'
"Nice to meet you all, my name is Silver… For obvious reasons. My parents weren't really that creative." He said jokingly
"Sorry about what just happened just now, your friend is fine…"
Although he won't return in a long while… If he can, that is.
"..."
'The Loki Familia members were quite stunned, they thought he would be angry or even worse, resentful of what they did.'
'He helped them and now they bothered his private life, although that was mainly Loki's fault they still felt bad for it.'
/Whispers…/
'People around the Pub started to talk in a silent tone between themselves.'
'And so it starts, the rumors…'
"#!"
'Mama Mia, who was about to intervene, decided to stop after seeing the situation get in control, however, she decided to increase the price of everything they ordered by 35%!'
"How interesting!"
'Chloe looked at Silver with interest, so did the other employees of the HF.'
Looks like our handsome client is much more than just a pretty face…
Although he was quite kind and entertaining to talk with…
'Chloe had a pretty high opinion of Silver, different from others, he would normally react to her teasing in a positive way and try to tease her back, and as such, a friendship was born.'
It's just a shame he only passes through the Pub in the early mornings and during the night.
'Not counting his day-offs of course.'
'Syr on the other hand, had a tremendously large smile on her face as she looked at Loki.'
"Ha… Seeing you treat us so cordially only makes things harder for me… Sorry for interrupting your private life. I am Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Família." He said as he bowed once
"I am with Finn, I am thankful you are so gentle, sorry for Loki's misbehaving. I am Riveria Ljos Alf, Top-Executive of the Loki Familia." She said as she bowed
"You talk as if I did something evil…" Said Loki
"Nice to meet you young one, names Gareth Landrock, also a Top-Executive of the Loki Familia." Said Gareth as he did a quick nod
'It was by no way disrespectful.'
"Me me! I am next!" Said Tiona
'Silver already knew all of their names, from the original work and from when he was waiting in the HF with Loki, she bragged about her children through half of the entire time.'
'And how couldn't he know the names and appearances of the most famous adventurers in the city?'
'Tiona almost got up on the table as she said:'
"I am Tiona! Tiona Hiryute! I am actually a fan…"
'Tiona was pretty excited, she loved her Hero stories, even more those that looked imposing and mythical, and Silver's armor was all of that, the way he appears in the smoke and disappears…'
'As for the difference in power? Why would she care? The Amazon sisters aren't known for being aware of their surroundings in pretty much anything they do, be it in fighting or when talking…'
'At least most of the time...'
"I am Tione Hiryute, a pleasure to meet you." Said her sister as she did a gentle bow unbefitting of her image in Silver's head
I need to keep a good image in front of the Captain…
"Ah ah…"
'Lefiya didn't know where to begin in her introduction.'
"You must be Lefiya right? Loki told me a lot about you last time I saw her." Said Silver
"I-I... Awa-wa-wa-wa… Yes…" She replied
'She wasn't embarrassed because of Silver's appearance or anything, she just had conflicting emotions and didn't know where to begin.'
'From one side she was envious, from the other, she was thankful since he protected the place she calls home.'
"Ais… Ais Wallenstein." Said Ais in her monotone
'Ais seemed really interested in Silver…'
/Geee…/
'Silver felt as if he could hear her drilling stare.'
'Ais however, didn't seem to realize what she was doing as she kept trying to figure out what made him so special.'
"Eh?!"
Even Ais…
I can't… I can't falter now!
"Lefiya… Viridis."
'Everyone talked and greeted Silver, no one talked about Bete… Poor him.'
'Once everyone talked, Finn said:'
"Once again, as a representative of the Loki Familia, I would like to thank you for what you did last time. It's really, really meaningful to us, you saved Loki after all."
"Pardon me for being direct. But for a long time, we have been thinking of giving you a proper reward, but due to the circumstances, we couldn't really approach you. Is there anything you desire?" He asked
'The table became silent.'
"Sheesh! Finn! You are being way too direct, give the child some space…" Said Gareth
"Hahaha…"
'Finn laughed awkwardly as he placed his right hand on his head.'
I might've been too hasty… I guess I am a little bit too excited.
"In any case, Finn is right, is there anything you would like to get as a reward?" Asked Riveria
'Loki jumped and said her line:'
"Everything is in the house! Even me~! With the exception of Ais. That's a no." Said Loki
'Everyone looked at Loki with a speechless look.'
"A tempting offer, however, I will have to refuse…" Said Silver with a smile
'But Silver didn't stop there.'
"Loki already promised a reward last time I saw her, so there is no need to reward me with anything."
"OH! I forgot about it… Te-Hee!" Said Loki as she struck a cute pose
'Finn and the others looked at Loki with an expression that said: Why didn't you tell us this?'
"Hum… However, I still wish to reward you, not as the captain of the Loki Familia, but as Finn, Child of Loki." Said Finn with a smile
'But inside his head hurt as he thought of what his small Goddess is hiding from him...'
'The others seemed to agree.'
"Sigh… If that's the case…"
If you insist so much, don't blame me...
"How about a spar? With each of you." He asked
"?!" x Loki Familia members
"It might be too much to ask, but I…"
"Buwahaha! I like your spirit, kid!" Said Gareth
"What an interesting reward, may I ask why you wish for that reward?" Asked Riveria
'Everyone seemed to agree with her question.'
"Well… I know I can't compare in terms of stats, however, I have been having difficulty in improving my fighting style. My hope was to see if I could learn anything from watching you all."
And build some connections but that is a side effect.
My Grandparents might've trained me, but they were not proficient in everything.
Seeing how I fare against a true super-elite, that's what I want to know.
What would they think of my fighting style and all of that?
Asking for money is a waste, help with something? What could I possibly ask from them?
And although Loki was joking, I don't doubt she was actually being serious about her own offer…
But, I don't think having a steamy night with Loki is a good way of making favorable impressions on them…
"He… I like the idea!" Said Tione
Although I am a bit worried about Bete...
"I will go first!" Said Tiona
It's best if I don't tell this to Bete.
"..."
'Ais was also excited… In her own way. She wanted to know how he grew that fast, could she use the same method to grow stronger.'
"Looks like everyone agrees!" Said Loki with a smile noticing the gazes of the others
'Lefiya however, stopped thinking as she decided to go with the flow…'
"..."
'Silver smiled, however, he was deeply confused about something…'
Just how long is Hestia going to take in the bathroom?
…
/In the bathroom…/
"WHY IS THIS DAMN LOCK!... AHH!"
'Hestia once again failed at opening the door.'
/BANG! BANG!/
'Hestia hit and kicked the door, but it was rock solid, unmoving.'
'It barely even made any noise…'
'This was a bathroom made to withstand drunk adventurers… There is little a frail Goddess like Hestia can do to escape it through unconventional means.'
"MY DATE IS ON THE LINE! I EVEN WENT TO THAT FANCY BATHHOUSE! HOW COULD IT ALL END LIKE THIS?!" She said as she punched the door at high speeds...
'Just kidding...'
That's right! Silver will come to my rescue!
He will realize I am taking too long and…
"Wait… Could it be?!"
"No…"
He might be thinking I am doing number 2!!!
"NOOOO!"
'Hestia wailed as she kicked the door…'
…
/It had been around 6 minutes since Silver came into the Loki Familia table and around 8 since Hestia left for the bathroom/
'Tiona looked deeply at Silver.'
"Did you come alone this time?" She asked
'The others were also curious about the boy, with Finn wanting to ask him some questions, however, it was too inappropriate to ask such questions.'
'How did he send Bete away, and how he did all of that stuff?... All of these questions flooded their minds…'
'Decency stopped even the likes of Tiona and Tione from asking…'
"Yeah! Did you bring your girlfriend?" Asked Loki
'But not Loki…'
'Everyone looked at Silver.'
"I came with my Goddess today… We were commemorating my advancement…"
"Oh…" Said Tiona with an awkward smile
Shit! What a bad way to start!
'Tiona wasn't the only one in an awkward situation.'
'Stopping him in his private time was something, the other was to stop him doing a commemoration.'
"A commemoration needs drinks! Bring us more beer!" Said Loki out loud as she ignored the awkward mood
'Somehow, she managed to break the ice a little and make everyone a little bit more comfortable.'
"Although I would like to drink with you all, I really need to check up on my Goddess, she is quite clumsy, and considering it has been quite some time since she left…"
"It's fine, we only wanted to say hello." Said Gareth
"Come visit us in the castle any of these days, we will be free until the start of next month." Said Riveria
'She was very curious about his abilities, especially his space magic, something so rare even she had never seen in action and only studied about.'
(things like gravity are more common, although still very rare. Teleportation is something super rare… Much rarer than healing abilities and storage abilities.)
"Sure, I will…" Said Silver as he got up from the table and went to the bathroom
"... And so he left." Said Tione
"I like him, he is a good kid." Said Gareth as he went to drink his beer… But the mug was empty
"I agree… Although I think it's a shame he left so quickly." Said Finn
There are a lot of things I need to confirm with him…
I guess I will have to wait, thankfully it won't be too late.
"Did you all notice him chanting anything?" Asked Lefiya in wonder
Perhaps it was just silent... AHHH! I shouldn't have asked! What if they think I am just deaf?!
But an Elf can't be deaf!... Most of the time...
"..." x Everyone on the table
"It isn't good to inquire about others' personal things, Lefiya." Said Tiona
"AH! I am so…"
I was just a little curious...
"However, I am quite interested in it as well." Said Riveria
"He might've just chanted in a quiet tone, unfortunately, Bete, who has the best hearing among us wasn't here… In any case, once he visits us, we will have the chance to find out." She said
'The others nodded, however, they continued to talk about the knight…'
…
'Silver made his way to the bathroom, his acute ears started to hear banging on the walls.'
'It was really faint amidst the sounds of the people eating.'
"!!"
Did something happen?!
'Silver remained calm as he walked inside the woman's bathroom without caring in the least, shocking the others that were looking at him.'
'Even Ais was shocked…'
Is he a pervert?…
"Hestia? Are you there?" Asked Silver as he walked inside
'There wasn't anyone inside the simple bathroom, however, Silver soon heard it:'
"Silver? Silver! Help me!" Said Hestia out loud
'He walked to her location and saw that the door was jammed by what seemed to be a small piece of chipped wood that fell inside the locks mechanisms.'
"Hm?"
'But Silver knew that even such a small piece was really hard. Hestia would be able to break it in a short amount of time.'
"Calm down, it seems the lock is jammed." He said
"Umu…"
'Silver easily removed the wood chip and opened the door for Hestia, who immediately jumped out of the cabin to breathe.'
"Haaa… It was really stuffy inside there. I didn't want to dirty or tear my dress by trying to climb out of it."
"..."
'Silver rolled his eyes.'
"In any case, let's get out of here before people start to think something is wrong."
"Hum? And why would they…"
AH!
'Hestia pulled Silver out of the bathroom as her face got red.'
…
'Once they got out of the room, multiple people looked at Silver and Hestia with strange faces.'
'One of them being none other than Mama Mia.'
"Oi…"
This brat… What is he doing now…
'Her face was red, but certainly not of embarrassment…'
"Hestia was trapped inside the bathroom because something fell inside the lock, I heard it when I went to call for her." Said Silver as he cut the chase and told what he had done
'But Mama mia wasn't buying it, this brat has already caused her a fair share of trouble today.'
'But someone came to the rescue!'
"That again? I thought I had fixed all of them yesterday. Don't blame him, Mia, even I got trapped in there once, don't you remember?" Said Syr with a sorry smile as she cleaned the table
'Once the people heard what happened, their strange thoughts dispersed like smoke.'
'Silver nodded at her in gratitude as he went to his seat to eat, not even for a moment did he look at the raging demon on the side.'
"It's a shame the food is now a little cold, would you like me to give you two another plate?" Asked Syr
"It's not in the house." Reassured Mama Mia
"It's fine…"
'As Silver said that he passed his hand above the plates and the food magically heated up again.'
'This scene shocked Syr and Mia. Although the latter only raised an eyebrow.'
"Was that magic Mr. Silver?" Asked Syr as she approached Silver from his side
"Now that I am closer… Aren't you a little different?" She asked as her face got really close to Silver's
'But then her face got a tad bit red.'
"Like a bit more handsome?" She whispered to Herself
'Silver heard her, but not Hestia.'
"?!"
Who the f*ck is this?!
'Hestia who was about to enjoy her food, when she suddenly stopped and looked at the Silver-haired lady who 'lovely' approached Silver.'
This place is already booked so get out!
'Hestia gazed at Syr with an intense glare, however, she completely ignored it.'
"It's nothing too great, just a small trick." Replied Silver
"That's still very convenient… Mr. Knight." Said Syr as she smiled cutely and teasingly
"As for my appearance, I don't really know what changed, it's just a lotion." Said Silver
"Oh? Playing distant? Can you…"
"!!"
'But Hestia's gaze just seemed to get even more intense as she watched this development, she even bit her lips.'
'She was so out of focus that she didn't even realize that Silver's identity had been revealed.'
'But even if she knew, she wouldn't care much since on her end, she wanted to just brag about Silver accomplishments to other people.'
"Stop it, else those others are also going to bother me even more." Said Silver as he turned his head a little to look at a pair of Catgirls who were sneakily watching him
"Nya?!"
'The two catgirls, now busted, ran away to take orders.'
"..."
There's more?!
Tsk! I thought they were only friends but it seems I was wrong!
'She looked at the Silver-haired girl'
This one is the most dangerous!
"Hm?... !!"
'Hestia looked to the side and noticed… Loki.'
"Eh?"
'Loki also looked to the side and noticed Hestia… And then she saw Silver on her side.'
"!!"
It can't be… He is this 'Milkers' Children?!
'Loki's face distorted, she couldn't keep herself calm.'
'She had researched this man, but not about which God he was under since she wasn't interested in that… Not exactly…'
'The best to put it is that she was so occupied with things that she barely had time to find out who was the boy with white Scarf.'
To think it was her…
'Some of the people on the table noticed this action, and they looked in Silver's direction, noticing Hestia.'
'And they didn't know why Loki showed that face.'
"... Heh…"
'Hestia smiled mockingly as she gazed at Loki, squishing her boobs as she showed them off to her.'
'She spelled letter by letter, B-O-A-R-D.'
'This action made them immediately realize why Loki was acting strange...'
"Arg!"
'She got really angry but she didn't want to cause trouble since she felt the intense glare of Mia.'
"Just you wait…" She said as she chugged another mug of beer
'In the end, their anger towards each other today steamed from a misunderstanding.'
'Hestia thought Loki was simply trying to mock her like she always did when in fact, she was just surprised she was Silver's Goddess.'
'While Loki thought Hestia was mocking her since Silver, who was filled with talent, perhaps even more than Ais, was a member of her Familia.'
'Worse, as his Goddess, Loki would have to thank her for his actions... And she would never do that.'
'Nevertheless, even if they knew this, they would still get in conflict… For obvious reasons.'
…
'Silver talked about some random things with Syr before she was forced to go back and take on some of the client's orders.'
'After a while, people stopped looking at Silver as they enjoyed their food and talked about the most recent news.'
'However, it was obvious that today's news would soon travel across Orario, and everyone would know that the Red and Platinum, were the same person, none other than the Rookie that beat the fastest Level up record by 10 months.'
…
'Everything seemed to be going well for Silver and Hestia, they ate good food and had a good time… Mostly.'
'After an hour or two, the two paid for their bill and left, unaware of the waves that today caused in Orario.'
'Although Silver frowned at the price, he "happily" paid off the bill when Mia cracked her knuckles, creating an airwave that lifted his hair.'
'Hestia would eventually find out why the adventurers today were looking at the two of them so intensely, however, it wouldn't be today nor tomorrow.'
'She expected people to talk about Silver's new record, but she didn't expect Loki to reveal that he was actually the Red knight all along. And she would soon learn that he is also the Platinum knight.'
'And when she does learn… She will be in for a really bad time… Because she will realize she had gotten, yet another competitor…'
'However, would she be even capable of connecting the dots? She is quite dull sometimes...'
"TCHIU!" Sneezed Hestia
"Did you catch a cold?" Asked Silver
"Sniff... I don't think so."
Is someone cursing me?
HA! That board!
'As if she had reached enlightenment, Hestia continued on her way home with Silver.'
…
'Like the wind, the rumors spread like lighting, reaching the ears of many in a single night.'
'The boy's legend was only starting.'
…
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Notes (READ IT)
After this is the start of Volume 3
But if you look at the sequence of chapters, you will see that there are only side chapters. You can jump them and read the first chapter of volume 3 in order to keep going in the plot.
Or you can read them, but be sure they don't continue the main story, on the contrary, they add more to what already exists.
They wont go anywhere, so you can come back to read them, just don't forget they exist!
