46 Chapter 46 Alt POV

The queen of the gods. The goddess of possibly the strongest Familia in the world. There were many titles and adjectives that could be applied to Hera.

But she hated the adjective of 'perplexed'

Hera gently pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared at the sheepish form of Shenhe who shifted at the pure annoyance radiating from her form. "You lost them... You a level six adventurer lost two level one adventurers who just left Orario. How? How does that happen?" Hera questioned in pure disbelief.

She was well aware that Shenhe was a monster in combat, and even more importantly she regularly acted as an elite slaughter scout who would clear the way for smaller expeditions into the dungeon for wealth gathering. So although she wasn't a true tracker, she did have some tracking abilities.

To say nothing of the sheer physical ability she could employ in searching for people at high speeds.

So in essence there was just one question... Just how did they get away?

And Shenhe with a frown answered. "Their tracks out of the city were wiped out as you well know. And it's not like they escaped on their own as I used a bent Mythril rod around his leg and his table with that table's base also had a dense metal pole that went into the floor... Jake and Tina were level one's so it's impossible for them to have broken or even sawed their way out of the bindings I put him in without a higher leveled adventurer releasing him."

It wasn't an excuse for her failure. It was just a simple reality that there was an outside influence acting as Jake was acknowledged as a great crafter, he most certainly wasn't a woodsman who could wipe out their traces like an accomplished assassin.

So that left one other option for Hera.

"So who kidnapped him is the question... No, the real question is whether they know about Materia's cure already and want to hold Alfia's cure over our heads." Hera mused with a frown and at that Shenhe frowned with her hands on her knees cracking into a fist at the realization that not only had she failed in her duty, but she might have put her friend and rival's recovery into jeopardy.

Sitting down at the long table filled with the Hera Familia's high leveled executives the beautiful blond Sword Saintess Eris spoke gently with her covered eyes taking in the souls of her surrounding members. "Unless he is being held in captivity within the dungeon, at least to my own senses I can confirm he and little Tina are no longer in Orario. Should we expand the search outside Orario then?" She finished with an open question.

At that question Hera grimaced as although she and Zeus had unrivaled power within Orario, stomping on people's toes in searching for an 'unknown' adventurer would only make their familia weak. 'If only I had Eris or Barghest watching him.' She thought irritably as neither of them would have left their posts even for a good cause.

But still she responded in clear reluctance. "We can pay off some information brokers to look for people meeting their description... But we cannot directly be looking for them, especially with how the Zeus Familia members may take the person as some kind of challenge and will kill him just to prove a point."

The Captain of the Familia in Albion then spoke out with her voice coming out bluntly. "Speaking of proving a point... Already many Familia's are complaining rightfully that their weapon and armor orders are going to remain incomplete with their multi-million Valis payments being wasted with the culling of the smiths in the Hephaestus Familia."

Hera's eyebrow twitched and she snapped slightly at the elf royal. "And? What will those complaints due for anyone, just ignore them as no one can help them now, and even Gobininu has pulled a number of his smiths out of the city to supposedly go 'teach the smiths of Melen.'" Hera snorted and continued. "More like the old goat is getting prepared for his own Familia to be tested by Maxim."

As it was clear that Maxim the captain of the Zeus Familia couldn't give a rats ass how Orario felt about him and his Familia so long as he gathered the power and materials for him to complete the vaunted goal of slaying the monsters of the Three Great Quests. He was at the peak of Level 8 currently and by taking part in slaying either the Leviathan or Behemoth he would for sure reach level nine and by killing the other and then with some grinding to pad out his stats, and then killing the One-Eyed Black Dragon...

He would fulfill his goal of reaching level 10 and becoming a divine with his falna's stored divinity sublimating to elevate his existence.

Albion then added on with a snort. "I am of the opinion that Jake somehow fled, sure someone or many other people may have helped his escape subtly. But regardless I did speak with him after he woke up, and he made it clear that he wanted to leave Orario while still wanting to keep his agreement with you Lady Hera." 

Before Hera could respond Eris then softly spoke. "If that is the case, then trying to force him to come back to Orario, or otherwise hunting him down like a dog will only make him feel adverse things towards our Familia... Honey is more valuable than vinegar after all." She finished and Hera sighed giving Materia's closest friend in the Familia a look before she closed her eyes to gather her thoughts before nodding.

"Fine... We will all keep an eye out, but don't draw attention to him as I agree with you both. From my own meeting with him, I can say he is a rather prideful young human who will fulfill his end of the deal one way or another." Hera finished before shrugging with a cool smile crossing her face as she added. "And once the adorable mouse sticks its head up from its burrow we have many ways of making sure he can be tracked and we will have a smith and potioneer that can make high-end things." 

Eris then stood up from her seat her taking her large staff/blade into her hand as a walking stick with her speaking out. "In that case, I am calling in my vacation days... After helping console all the new orphans of the Hephaestus Familia I am going on vacation for a week."

Hera waved her hand in acceptance as she was well aware that unless it was an important expedition Eris was typically a solo act anyway.

-

Across the city in a beautiful lounge filled with the soft sound of water flowing from a small waterfall in the center of the room were two goddesses sitting across from each other.

One being the goddess of beauty in Freya, and the other being the goddess of knowledge in Kusanali both sitting across from the other. With Freya not at all being happy due to recent events.

"Kusanali... You really put me in a bad spot with this." Freya said with a frown as she looked at her ally of convenience.

Freya was a goddess who preferred a more subtle touch. Walking up and shoving a knife into an adventurer's throat while he was mentally shattered under her divine Charm was not at all subtle. And even Ouranos made a mention of how everyone in the incident was trying his patience with how they were all but unleashing their Arcanuem here in Gekai.

Which would equal a swift boot back up to Tenkai, and even he particularly focused on Hephaestus. With the true king of the gods rather bluntly telling her to get over the losses of her children as they were just mortals. And if she cared so much she could go back up to Tenkai to take care of their souls rather than making his job of keeping the dungeon from eating all of Gekai harder.

The green-eyed goddess of knowledge sighed and then said bluntly. "And what am I supposed to do about that? I myself put my neck on the line when I wiped Shenhe and Gawain's memories of trying to track down Jake so they couldn't then track him down. And then I had my own Familia members in the crosshairs as they wiped away his tracks."

In response, Freya leaned forward with her silky pale breasts becoming more exposed in her open-cut dress peeking out as she twirled a finger over the rim of her wine glass as she said huskily. "Even still... I want repayment for my work in keeping your boy toy alive." 

Kusanali however snorted and quickly retorted. "Freya you are fooling no one... You saw his soul, you tested it with your charm and now you want to mount him like a dog in heat at how he kept his mind at feeling your divine essence of beauty. I in fact could be seen as giving you the favor of having him owe you a life debt." She finished with a cold smile making Freya roll her eyes.

'Damned goddesses of learning... Can never play with them fairly.' Freya thought with a huff before she tilted her head to the side as something occurred to her. "Oh... You little fox you, you pushed him to go to Melen where your Familia is based correct?" 

The snow-white-haired goddess clapped her hands with a proud smile as she happily agreed and even explained more. "Indeed! I even went so far as to make sure as to which house he would be living within after helping an ally on hard times move onto a new place. We are even going to be neighbors in fact!"

'And they call me a thirsty goddess whose desire knows no limits.' Freya thought sardonically as she raised her glass to her ally in congratulations but as both godesses drank their expensive wine, Freya had one last thought in her mind. 'Hmm, Melen... I do in fact look rather fetching in a swimsuit, maybe it's time I also get out of Orario before Maxim decides to pay me, in particular, a visit.'