Chapter 43

Hatred. I felt utter and all-consuming hatred. Not at the Zeus Familia, not Hephaestus for being useless in the face of the adventurers, or even Freya for saving me via mind control that even now I still wanted to be under her gaze.

No I felt utter hate towards myself for being weak. For being that place to begin with.

I had a literal cheat, I could combine entire hills of materials to make better materials, I could have taken those elixirs to Hera and gotten a Grimoire and instead was playing coy to play down my talents.

I could have enchanted my armor with wards or other forms of automatic defensive measures, I could have inlaid gems into my armor that would store ridiculous amounts of mana to use the enchantments on the armor to passively defend myself.

I could have gone full slave master and merged dozens... Hundreds of monsters together to make a super monster to fight for me and still get Excellia through the Taming ability.

There was so many 'what ifs' and so many 'what I could have done' in the time I had been in this world. Laying here with still fucked up shoulders in my apartment that had thankfully survived the thrashing the Zeus Familia gave the compound with the sound of Tina sleeping across the room on the couch wasn't helping my mindset either.

But in the end, I needed to buck up. I wasn't going to play around anymore... Orario simply wasn't remotely safe with how fucking insane the stronger Familia's were with their might-makes-right mentality. Being an unmatched smith, magical item creator, or elixer maker won't protect me.

As Maxim's purge of the Hephaestus Familia was a very... Very blunt wakeup call that simply no one was safe in this Orario.

I gritted my teeth as I raised my hand up even as my shoulders crunched as the magically assisted healing through healing elixer's allowed me to move my arm at all. "That... Won't happen again." I hissed clenching my hand closed in a fist as I swore that I wouldn't be at someone's mercy like that again.

And with a thump my now painful arm dropped back down onto my bed as I tried to make up a game plan.

'Hephaestus isn't going to have much if any time, to help her Familia members get prosthetics. Tina and I are too vulnerable in the dungeon in the deeper floors past the tenth floor. Frankly... I already made a mask that gives me water breathing.' I thought before nodding as a solid plan came to my mind.

'I will take Tina to the Great Lake of Melen, it's not far from Orario being less than six hours walking and we could get back and forth from Orario to Melen in probably half an hour using my Infant Dragon as a mount... Probably far less time if we can secure a Unicorn or Kelpie to use as a mount.' I thought as I knew a great deal about the city of Melen. 

For good reason, as it was called the minature Orario for a reason. Due to the secondary dungeon entrance within the center of the lake, there was a constant stream of middle-floor monsters streaming into the lake allowing adventurers in the area to consistently reach level four or even five. And then they would typically switch to an Orario-based Familia to continue growing.

It was perfect for me because it was a much lower leveled zone for the adventurers which were the true danger in this world right now. Also... The deities of Melen were more focused on using the city in games to make money and entertainment. Rather than Orario's current atmosphere of just getting as strong as you can.

I nodded my head with a solid plan settling in as I finally relaxed slightly and then as I was considering getting a sleeping draught that I used to tame monsters to knock my ass out to rest. I heard a thumping on the door before it was opened and wordlessly I summoned an enchanted dagger under my blanket from my inventory.

As my door opened up I blinked seeing who was coming in and I grunted out seeing royal-looking elvish beauty stride into my room with purpose. "Empress, what do you want?" I asked bluntly as I looked at the highest leveled adventurer in the world along with being the Hera Familia's captain.

But Albion didn't respond as she came over and with a snap of her staff she dragged over a wooden seat so she could sit beside me and without a word she stared into my eyes for a long minute of silence before she broke it. "Coward." She stated.

I didn't blink, I didn't deny it, nor lash out at her for her words. I simply responded in kind. "I cannot grow here, there is no hope for a sapling to grow when rabid lions burn down the jungle to have a savannah."

The Captain of the Hera familia closed her eyes and without her responding I continued. "I have been in Orario for less than a month... In that month, all my close death experiences were the cause of an adventurer." I shook my head and spoke with clear derision in my voice.

"I have been an adventurer for less than a month and I already can kill infant dragons. I slaughtered my way out of monster parties being dropped on my head. I can even kill minotaurs if I wanted too without much issue."

I looked directly at Albion as I bluntly asked. "What kind of heroes are the actual threat to someone's life when just below a person's feet is a pit filled with endless darkness and monsters that slathered for our lives?" I asked rhetorically and she finally reacted to my question.

"We are not heroes Jake Barris, we are adventurers who fight to become strong and lay the foundation for those who follow to go further beyond our own steps." She stated coldly and with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

But I hit her with a gut punch as I softly responded. "Is that what Materia would say?"

Albion froze and for a moment I thought she was going to storm off with how stiff she went but instead, she sighed and nodded. "Indeed... Materia is sheltered and none of the Familia would bully her in such a way."

I then pulled my hand from under my blanket but instead of the dagger, I held the golden glowing elixir that had streams of silver light forming and disappearing within it. "Take it, this is strictly for Materia as it has her blood tied to it's creation. I however am leaving Orario in the morning. When I get the materials I will come and give Alfia her elixer as promised."

A comical loud thump rang out and for a moment I thought Tina fell out of the couch or something but she was still asleep, but instead my eyebrow rose as heeled footsteps rang out in my apartment as from the hallway came another woman. This one being Shenhe who was armed with her spear in one hand.

"My goddess was worried that you would flee Orario, either giving up being an adventurer altogether or simply have your mind tainted by Freya's charm... Gladly I can report that although you planned to leave Orario, your mind is still your own. And more importantly you still have the light of ambition in your eyes." She spoke before looking at Shenhe as she spoke at me.

"Your leaving Orario will not happen as of right now Jake Barris. With Hephaestus gutted, Hera wants you to make the familia adamantine quality armor, weapons, and of course, continue making our elixirs. You running off to Melen or another area will not be considered... But you are right Jake." She admitted while my face was blank.

"You are a sapling right now... And if the Hera Familia is to get any use out of you, then we have to make sure to invest in your present and make sure you simply survive to unlock more of your potential. Hence Shenhe will be living here as the guardian of the Hephaestus Familia... And your minder."

With that, Albion stood up and without another word, she elegantly strode out of the room without giving me a look or allowing me to reject her 'royal' decree.

'I am going to fucking make a teleporter to get away.' I mentally swore as Shenhe without a hint of shame climbed onto my bed straddling my waist and tilted up my chin as she leaned down with her face coming close as she said softly. "I have materials for you to make elixirs... Heal up quickly please."