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It had been three days ever since Stheno and Euryale had revealed themselves and they had finally agreed on what Medusa planned to do after much persuasion, with only the condition that Kisuke was not allowed to go near her for the duration of her 'training'.
He thought that it's because the sisters still couldn't trust him and they were afraid that he might do something that he deemed 'interesting' for the sake of his curiosity and put Medusa's safety in jeopardy. Little did he know, however, that it was for the simple consideration of their dear little sister as they knew that Medusa didn't want Kisuke to see her monstrous form.
Of course, that condition wasn't a big problem for Kisuke, but he too had conditions of his own if they wanted him to agree to it. First was that they were to be accompanied by Yoruichi at all times and second is that he'd disregard everything and take a look if the situation got dangerous. Since they were reasonable enough, Stheno and Euryale easily agreed to it, making Kisuke question if they just didn't like him since they allowed Yoruichi near them.
In any case, Kisuke wasn't seeking their approval and if they didn't want to get along, then he didn't have any reason to put in any effort towards it. It'd be a different story if it was requested of him by the girls, but that's for the next time since he's about to leave.
Naturally, they can't have Medusa's training within the Dungeon and her case was the most dangerous one since she'd be emitting loads of unknown Divine Aura that the Dungeon wouldn't be able to ignore no matter how much the one controlling it tried.
After being persuaded, Kisuke immediately sent them away to his planned location while giving Yoruichi everything she needed because their two Goddesses were hurriedly approaching with a very grim look on their faces.
Since they were able to still feel Stheno and Euryale's Divine Aura despite being enclosed by the barrier, Kisuke decided against introducing them to Hestia and Artemis for the time being and hearing their side first just to be safe.
The moment they left, Hestia and Artemis burst through the door and saw the familiar lingering lighting effects of the teleportation magic that had just been used.
The two panicked Goddesses immediately asked Kisuke where the unknown Gods were, but before he answered, he asked them to calm down and how they knew that there were Deities within the room.
As they were also confused and this was the first time in their long lives they've encountered something like this, they had a hard time describing it, but ultimately, Kisuke was able to piece their words together and was able to conclude some things that they couldn't describe at all, 'So they were able to feel their Divine Aura just from the initial release. Although I was able to act fast enough, the aura was still able to reach them without diffusing.'
'On top of that, although familiar, it's also very foreign and they felt threatened by it? I don't have any information to point out the problem, but it's obviously going to be a hassle if some other Deities were to discover them. I sent them to a very secluded area of the world and even sent Yoruichi items that could block the sights of those peering from Heaven except for Chaos, so there shouldn't be any problems for now. However, it looks like I'll have to work on a much stronger sealing artifact for the two of them.'
After arranging his thoughts, he finally answered Hestia and Artemis' questions. Clearing that they were Medusa's older sisters that have been hiding within her to recover and they finally came out today. Hestia and Artemis felt relieved after hearing this but some concerns regarding their Divinity were left.
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With all of the preparation done for his return and no unusual reports from Yoruichi, Kisuke spent the whole three days accompanying everyone to where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do.
"Don't you have to prepare more? I mean since you'll be taking me, you ought to have more work to do.", asked Aika while she's being accompanied by Kisuke around the market to buy some souvenirs.
"You don't have to worry about that. I've already made preparations in case Yoruichi wouldn't be able to assist me, so doing anything further would just be redundant.", Kisuke answered while looking around for something interesting.
"...I suppose I should have reached that conclusion. Then I won't be holding back today! Let's go take all the strange things!"
"No, no, no. You should not be taking strange things for souvenirs. That isn't how it wo-..."
Aika immediately looked back in confusion and saw Kisuke wearing a rare serious face, "What's wrong?"
Kisuke didn't answer immediately and started rubbing his chin, "...It looks like a troublesome Goddess went berserk."
"A Goddess?"
Kisuke didn't elaborate any further and turned around and walked away while waving his hand goodbye, "I'll be returning to Orario, but I won't be taking too long."
After disappearing through the crowd, Aika felt Kisuke's aura disappear. However, there's something on his leaving back that bothered Aika but she couldn't point it out, '...What's this feeling...?'
Aika wanted to forget the strange feeling she'd had since it's Kisuke that's involved here and there should be nothing to worry about. But after a few minutes of deliberation, she decided to trust her guts and hurriedly contacted Yoruichi.
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After receiving a whisper from the 'Dungeon', Kisuke teleported back to Orario. However, he didn't do so within the city but reappeared outside of its perimeter. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but smile wryly after seeing the whole city was is covered by a potent Charm Magic, 'Just what did ticked her off this time for her to unleash such a desperate move?'
Editors:
Kisuke recalled the brief conversation he had with the mystery voice inside the Dungeon while looking at the current state of Orario.
'A Deity used a power that was barely within the scope of the rules.'
'If it's within the rules, why contact me and risk being discovered?'
'A Deity is only a Deity because of their Divinity. That same Divinity, however, gives them a stubborn but volatile mindset. As long as it is in line with their desire, they could risk almost everything and if not addressed correctly, it may devolve into a situation where they unleash their Arcanum in this plane.'
'I see. I get your point. So where is it? I'll deal with it.'
'Orario.'
'...'
Kisuke stood on top of one of the barriers he placed on Orario and activated it. The barrier discreetly gathered the information for him and the moment he got his answers, he muttered, "This isn't my fault, is it?"
He sighed and deactivated the barrier as he'd already gotten everything that he needed to know, 'So a Deity could use Magic to emulate their own Divinity to this degree and it still isn't against the rules. Or is it just Freya? This needs some confirmation. Although I doubt it's as strong as their original ability, it's useful when their Divinity is sealed since, in a sense, Magic is way harder to seal due to how complicated it can become.'
Kisuke then watched the gate for a few minutes and saw that the flow of goods and people were still normal. Although the effects of the charm disappeared the moment they left Orario, no one noticed the changes. At this moment, he felt a familiar presence overlooking the city in the distance.
'That's... Andromeda-san and Lion-san. So they've managed to escape the city before being put under its influence. They shouldn't have any ability to anticipate the sudden assault of Charm Magic, so someone probably warned them.'
In any case, it doesn't hurt to hear their side of things so he quietly approached them from behind, only revealing his faint presence when he was a few meters away from them.
Asfi and Ryuu were overlooking the city from an elevated plain and were discussing how they would infiltrate the city to pull out Hermes, "It's no use. The entire Freya Familia were mobilized to watch the gates and the walls. If we want to enter, we'd need to go in the darkness of the night.", Asfi muttered.
Ryuu stared at the area where the Hostess of Fertility is located before replying, "Even if we enter, how are we going to evade their members? They've already been alerted of our escape and each and every one of them is capable of sniffing us out."
"It's hard, I know. But we have to do it. Only with Hermes-sama's wisdom could we have a chance to deal with this situation."
"...But all of this just for a single young boy? I really can't understand the Deities' strange obsessions."
Asfi was about to give a comment of her own when Ryuu suddenly turned around while shouting, "Who's there!?"
Asfi also hurriedly turned around and readied her weapon since the only people that would be after them now is the Freya Familia. However, she froze on the spot when she saw the familiar tall man wearing a Far Eastern outfit with a matching bucket hat and the usual grin plastered on his face.
Asfi peeked at Ryuu and saw that she was also frozen, 'Hmmm...?' However, she had a feeling that she's not having the same reaction despite having the same expression as her.
But before she could think any further about it, Kisuke greeted them jovially, "Good afternoon~, Andromeda-san, Lion-san. It has been a while. Although as much as I want to catch up, do you mind filling me in on what's going on?"
Recalling this man's ability, Asfi's eyes lit up in hope, 'He might be the one who'll be able to make way through this chaos!'
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Hearing the situation from Asfi and Ryuu, Kisuke said while rubbing his chin, "In summary, Freya-sama enveloped the entirety of Orario with her 'Charm' and hypnotized everyone in it to acknowledge Bell Cranel as her child. You two were only able to escape because Hermes warned you, who was by his side during the onset of this great Magic."
"...Yes. We couldn't bring him out with us because he knew that we wouldn't make it if we were to carry him out.", Asfi answered with a guilty expression.
"Don't blame yourself for it. It's not your fault but that heavy-handed Goddess'. It's already fortunate that you two were able to escape."
Kisuke then stood up and said, "Well then. Now that everything is clear, I'll be going inside Orario and deal with this."
Startled, Asfi and Ryuu could only watch Kisuke silently leave but before he could disappear from their sights, Ryuu called out to him while reaching out her hand, "W-wait!"
Kisuke stopped walking and turned his head, "Hmm?"
"Are you really going just by yourself!?"
"Yep."
"It's a Goddess you're up against! If you're not careful, you'll fall to the same spell as everyone!"
"I can't explain it, but something like that won't be effective on me."
Ryuu gritted her teeth. She didn't want him to dive into the danger alone so she added, "Take m... us with you! I'm sure we'll be of assistance! Even becoming a decoy in case you need to escape is fine!"
But Kisuke just resumed his steps and waved his hand at them, "No need. I'll be fine on my own, even if the dialogue breaks down."
Ryuu wanted to say more but Asfi grabbed her arm to stop her. The former looked at the latter shaking her head and said, "You know it, Lion. We would just be an unnecessary burden for him."
Ryuu looked down and bit her lips but didn't say anything any further.
'It's a wonder why you're so adamant about this, but that isn't important right now. If Urahara is going in, it's unavoidable that there would be some commotion. We could use this chance to slip through.', thought Asfi while sighing.
Kisuke, on the other hand, didn't stop walking and aimed for the gates of Orario. Truthfully, even though he could have brought Asfi and Ryuu along with him as they could be some extra cards, he didn't want to be near them right now, especially Ryuu, 'She's making the same expression as Sona from before... Only trouble would come if I bring them.' Kisuke thought while wiping the cold sweat that was about to drop from his forehead.
Editors:
28th00: Yep, sounds like Freya. Ryuu is being as suicidally
Like a normal traveler, Kisuke lined up along with those who wanted to get inspected to enter the city and it didn't take too long for him to enter since the line wasn't that long from the start, 'The number of people moving decreased. Is it because there's a certain limit to this great spell?'
While thinking about that, he noticed that the members of the Freya Familia were approaching him with their weapons partially pulled. But before they could confront him, someone else came running over and whispered something to their leader. After the leader hesitated for a moment, he and his group went back to the top of the wall to continue their survey of the surroundings.
Ignoring this bit, Kisuke strolled through the streets until he reached the market and there were a few things that he noticed. Although it hasn't been long, there are actually no male Adventurers that are glaring at him, 'Is it because they got tired of it?'
Wanting to confirm this anomaly, Kisuke went towards the skewer vendor that really hates him for his apparent success in life, "Three of these skewers please~."
Strangely enough, the transaction went normal, 'Hmmm? What's this? Could it be...'
At this point, Kisuke started suspecting a certain possibility and continued his conversation, "Say, mister. I'm actually new around here but the reason I'm here is to look for my missing twin brother. If it's not too much to ask, have you seen someone with the same face as me within the city?"
While busy grilling his meat, the vendor took a quick peek at Kisuke and shook his head, "No. It's the first time I've seen your face. Well, I'm really not familiar with most of the faces around here so you should probably ask more people. Since this is the city of Adventurers, most outsiders would want to explore the Dungeon so you may try asking the Guild about it. It's located northeast of here. Ask anyone on the way there since all the people living here are aware of its location."
"Thanks~ That helps a lot~!"
"If you're really thankful, buy a few more."
"Then I'll take three more."
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Kisuke asked a few more people and was able to confirm that, including the fact that Bell Cranell became a member of the Freya Familia, Hestia and Artemis Familias existence was forgotten, 'But why?'
Kisuke could hardly think of any reason why Freya would do this, 'Is it because a simple knowledge of our existence is a threat to her? She's really giving us all the credit in the world.'
Kisuke started walking again, this time, however, with a definite goal in mind, 'For now, I'll go bother Loki. Since Lysa and Challia-san are near her, she should be safe.'
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Currently laying down on a couch and staring at the ceiling frustratedly, Loki really hated the current state of the city and her children.
A few days ago, just after the Goddess Festival that honored the Goddesses of Harvest, Freya went ballistic and took control of everyone within the city. She didn't exactly know the reason but she could guess it after hearing about Bell Cranel, 'That horny Goddess!'
Loki sighed. She didn't really like someone else controlling her children but her options are almost nonexistent with her biggest fear that was her own children turning against her, 'Although I'm thankful enough that I was able to use Kisuke's lingering aura from Lysa and Filvis to defend against this Magic, I can't actually do anything in my position. Even Ouranos was stuck in his mighty seat and I don't think any Deity with their mortal avatars could resist that without gathering enough Divine Aura in time.'
But despite being frustrated, she couldn't help but admire the intricacy of this spell since Freya was even able to erase Hestia and Artemis Familia's memory from everyone, 'Apollo's empty mansion was explained as him breaking a rule and expelled from Orario while the Magic and Ki training that Kisuke provided apparently came from a certain ruin to the far north. Thanks to the actual existence of the book and Kisuke's weird obsession of making it look old to make it look like a 'legit' treasure, the memory manipulation went without any hitch. Finally, Filvis and Lysa's existence was apparently discovered from the depths of the Dungeon in their last expedition.'
Of course, she's aware that Freya could have not known this as it was her children that filled in the blanks that were left.
Except for Loki, Filvis and Lysa's memories were safe because of Kisuke's lingering aura and Loki reminded the former not to tell anyone any of this due to the danger that they may face. As for the latter, she didn't have to worry about it because the only word that the small Dragon could utter is 'Aria'.
'If only I had a way of contacting Kisuke...', thought Loki as she squirmed around the couch.
Off to the side, Riveria looked at her with furrowed brows, "Loki... You've been acting really strange these past few days. If there's something you're concerned about, please do tell me. Your current mood is already starting to affect the members and their training. They are really worried, you know?"
Out of vexation, Loki suddenly shouted, "Ahh!!! All of my worries would be gone if you could contact your only husband candidate!"
Loki's words instantly unsettled Riveria and with a frown, she replied, "I'm not seeing anyone nor do I think of looking for one. You're really acting weird even with these jokes."
But strangely enough, Riveria couldn't keep her pulse from shooting up, 'What's wrong with me?'
Loki caught this and wanted to tease her more. But before she could say anything, Tione entered the room they're in and said, "Loki, a strange guy is looking for you."
"A strange guy?"
"He wouldn't tell me his name but asked me to tell you that the most lovable shopkeeper is here. Strange ri- !!?"
Sooner than Tione could finish her sentence, Loki hurriedly stood up and bolted towards the door as fast as she could while shouting on top of her lungs, "KIIIIIIIIIIII-TANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!! I MISSED YOUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Editors:
28th00: The
After being dragged into the lobby, Kisuke was now sitting in front of Loki who had a large smile on her face, "I'd never thought that you'd be that happy to see me. The current situation must be vexing you to no end."
While the drinks were being served, Loki's smile grew even wider, and said, "I too, never thought I'd be ecstatic to see your face. And you're right, it's annoying me to no end and I can't do anything worthwhile about it. Although it surprised me too that you came here openly."
Kisuke thanked the server and replied, "I have no reason to hide. I'm not a criminal, after all."
Loki then opened her eyes slightly before saying, "In her eyes, she begs to differ."
But immediately after, Loki shrugged her shoulders, moving the conversation, "Since you came here out in the open, it meant that you didn't need my assistance or whatsoever. So why have you come here instead of confronting her?"
This time, it was Kisuke's turn to shrug his shoulders, "I'd only cause a commotion before I could even reach her. And no way I'm going to sneak into her place since I'll only interrupt her flirting time. She might go insane in my presence and unleash her minions on my way in droves. Nothing good would come out of it if that were to happen."
"So you came here to wait for her to come to you instead?"
Kisuke grinned and answered, "I might as well check the state of things here. It looks interesting, in any case~."
Loki leaned back and sighed, "As long as you don't involve them later, you're welcome to stay here. Though I doubt you'll be waiting for that long."
Seeing that it was a good time, Finn who has been behind Loki all this time along with Riveria asked, "Loki, isn't it about time that you introduce us to this gentleman?"
"His name is Kisuke Urahara, a friend, though a nasty one. That's really all you need to know about him."
"My~ Loki-sama, that isn't a nice way to introduce someone~."
If it's a friend in Loki's dictionary, no matter what kind, then Finn knew that he won't be a detriment to the Familia as he knew how rare Loki would refer to someone as a 'friend'. Even most of the fellow Deities that were close to her couldn't make Loki accept them as a friend, but more like an acquaintance or an accomplice.
Though Finn is quite concerned with the content of their conversation and the fact that he's staying for an unknown amount of time, 'Lysa is fine since most of the town is already aware that Ais tamed a baby Dragon, but if by any chance that he discovers Filvis Chalia's inhuman nature, it would be difficult to tell if we could still trust him.'
Finn then turned to Riveria to ask for her opinion but he saw her making a weird expression and asked, "What's wrong, Riveria? Do you know him?"
Finn's question made Riveria jump a little and she hurriedly shook her head, "It's nothing. I just thought that he's somewhat familiar but I couldn't remember where I've met him.", turning to Kisuke, Riveria continued, "Excuse me, but have we met before?"
Instead of Kisuke, however, Loki was the one who answered while chuckling, "You've certainly met him before, alright? It's just that you already forgot about him."
"I already forgot? I'm sorry but someone as striking as him should have stayed in my memory if I have even a bit of an encounter.", Riveria isn't just asking about it because she didn't believe Loki but because every time she looks into his eyes, a weird feeling raises up from her chest and would slightly heat up her face. She wanted to get into the bottom of this, 'I certainly don't have any memory of him... But what is this...? It's as if I'm forgetting something incredibly important... I don't like it.'
Of course, she did her best to use her most famous poker face and didn't let out any of her suspicions to show, except, Loki was able to see through it quite easily.
Kisuke, on the other hand, was already thinking of ways to tick this High-Elf that had already forgotten about him in an attempt to see how strong the actual hypnotism is when he heard whispers from the door and turned towards it seeing Tiona, Tione, Bete, Raul, Annakitty, and Alicia.
"So, what do you think?", asked Tione.
Tiona looked at her in confusion and asked, "About what?"
"You know what I mean! Loki never has been excited at the arrival of a man! And she clearly shouted for everyone to hear that she missed him!"
"...So what does that mean?"
Tione sighed and almost forgot that this pure battle junkie sister of hers has the same knowledge of romance as a toddler, "Forget it! Bete! What about you? What do you think of him? I think he's Loki's previous lover, or at least they had history!"
Bete looked at her expectant eyes with a disgusted expression, "Why do you think I care about any of that? All I can say is that I don't like that guy. Something about him ticks me off but I can't put my finger on it... Tiona, why don't you smack his head? His smile especially annoys me."
"Why don't you do that yourself? If you really want to kiss Riveria's staff."
Even with their low voices, the four inside could still hear them quite clearly. While Finn was sighing, Riveria's brow was twitching, but aside from that there's nothing else from her.
Loki and Kisuke, meanwhile, both have dumbfounded expressions, "Does it look that way?", the latter asked.
Loki then put her hand on her face in surrender, "Don't mind it. They are the worst people to judge a man and woman's relationship."
A few moments later, a new group of people appeared behind Tione's group and the one holding onto a small white Dragon asked, "What's going on? Who came?"
Tione, Tiona, Bete, Raul, Anakitty, and Alicia turned around to look at the group who had just gone shopping, Ais, Lysa, Lefiya, and the masked Filvis.
Thanks to the shifting, however, the little Dragon got a direct line of sight of Kisuke. She stared at him for a few seconds, making sure that she's not seeing the wrong person, and started squirming within Ais' arms when she was able to confirm it.
Lysa's sudden violent movement caught Ais off-guard and inadvertently let her go as she flew straight to Kisuke at a blinding speed, "Lysa!?"
No one was able to stop her at her sudden flight and when Finn and Riveria noticed that a white silhouette charging straight to Kisuke seemingly with full intention to cause harm, it was already too late, "Watch out!"
Beyond their expectations, however, Kisuke just slightly shifted his head without ever turning his head and as the little Dragon flew past by him, his right hand shot out, grabbing the creature's tail, stopping its trail.
Kisuke then raised the Dragon in front of him and said, "Oi little lizard. Since when did you develop the guts to attack me from behind? Do you want to experience high-speed flight once again? This time, let's do ten times as fast. I know you'd enjoy it."
The gleeful Dragon who knew that she couldn't hurt Kisuke even if her attack was successful became horrified and hurriedly shook her upside-down head in panic, [Aria!]
"And shouldn't you have already learned an extra word or two? On another note, you're a lot heavier now too."
[Ariaaa!!!]
"What? You're growing? You certainly became a bit longer, but not as much as you've become wider."
[Aria! Aria! Ariaaaa!!!]
Kisuke ignored that protesting Dragon and turned to Loki, "Aren't you pampering her too much? You ought to make her work too."
Editors:
28th00:
Ais immediately rushed out before Lysa could even reach Kisuke only to immediately halt her charge when he caught her precious partner. But that wasn't the end of it as she was dumbfounded when the man and Dragon started communicating as if they'd already known each other way back. Meanwhile, the other members also had the same reaction as Ais.
'The only time she could have met this man is when we first discover her deep within the Dungeon but that's not the problem. He's speaking as if he already knew that we're taking care of her even before receiving the rumors from the town.', thought Finn and became even more suspicious of the unexpected guest.
The next instance, however, sent another wave of shock as Kisuke let go of the Dragon, but instead of returning to Ais like they were all imagining, Lysa flew on top of Kisuke and comfortably nestled on his shoulder, "L-Lysa?"
The members of the Loki Familia couldn't believe their eyes as they knew how the pompous Dragon acted. She was already hard-pressed when someone wanted to lightly touch her scales and only ever rested in Ais' arms despite the others trying everything they could think of to get her close to them.
But now, said Dragon's proud demeanor had already disappeared as she rubbed her face on Kisuke's cheek, trying to act coy with him.
Never could they have imagined that someone of a much higher existence was following Kisuke. Lysa thought that if she was always acting arrogant in front of him, she'd receive a Divine Punishment.
However, before they could even ask where Kisuke could have possibly met Lysa, someone else stepped out from the crowd and approached him.
"Fil-... Visha? Where are you going?"
The masked white-haired woman ignored Lefiya and continued walking without hesitation. This action of hers, however, made everyone, except for Loki and Lysa, nervous. Since Filvis was already technically dead, she shouldn't approach anyone and she shouldn't even speak outside of the Twilight Manor in case someone recognizes her by her voice.
Finn clenched his fist and gave Filvis a threatening look but the latter just ignored this warning and continued unfazed. Seeing this, Finn got ready to forcefully take her away as her existence could threaten and tarnish the name of Loki Familia that they've built for a long time.
However, as soon as his eyes met with Loki who had been already looking back at him, Finn unclenched his fist and sighed, 'If she thinks this is fine then there's nothing else for me to say.' Even then, he still waited with a bated breath since he didn't know what Filvis was trying to do.
Nevertheless, the wave of surprises didn't stop as Kisuke turned to her direction when he felt her gaze and greeted her with a smile, "I see that you're doing great, Challia-san. And it seems that you've also learned how to hide your wings now."
If they had their weapons on them right now, they would have already pulled them out and pointed them at Kisuke.
The tension was high and the short silence was very unbearable for the Loki Familia. Not knowing what's going on made their mind draw blanks and that within their own territory which they consider their safe base.
Of course, Loki knew how they were feeling so as to not further increase the pressure around, she spoke like this is normal, "So you didn't teach her that? I assumed you gave her some method to hide those."
Filvis then took off her mask, showing her ruby red eyes with cross-shaped pupils, "I saw how that girl Tanis did it and figured that I can do it since we're technically the same. And this is the least that I could do if I want to act like I'm still an Elf."
Kisuke noted the lightness in her words and the change in her demeanor compared to when he first saw her and said in an admiring tone, "Heehh~... So after what happened to you, you've become more open-minded, huh."
To that, Filvis responded with a wry smile, "It's thanks to you who first found me. Talking to me as if you couldn't care less about how I look, I only realized recently that that instance gave me a brand new outlook that I wasn't willing to view before. That was very important to me... Thank you."
After living her daily life with the Loki Familia, she realized that small differences aren't really such a big deal after an understanding has been reached on both sides and she really never had a chance to recognize that thanks to her encounter with Kisuke. Ever since then, she wanted to express her gratitude to the man who brought her here, 'I'm sorry, Lord Dionysus... But it turned out that you're not the only one who could accept and understand me.'
Kisuke understood her point but he just shrugged his shoulders, "Then the same credit goes to everyone in Hestia and Artemis Familias. They treated you the same, after all." But even if she has a point and it was because of him, Kisuke would still not accept her gratitude because she was 'saved' not because of him, but her own will. Technically, Kisuke just conveniently used her to understand the circulation of souls within the Dungeon.
Though the simple truth was that Kisuke just wanted to piss Dionysus off by not sending Filvis to him and didn't like the fact that the Dungeon was 'recycling' souls without any care to their individuality.
"F-Filvis-san... Do you know him?" Lefiya asked a question with an obvious answer.
Finn and Riveria, meanwhile, turned to Loki and asked, "What does this mean, Loki?"
"It's simply because it was this guy here and his companions that met Filvis-chan first.", answered Loki with an exasperated voice, "But even if we explain it, there's no way you'll understand."
Finn furrowed his brows, "How are we supposed to understand if you don't explain it in the first place? Whether we understand it or not, it should still be up to us."
"That's true but the situation is more complicated than you could imagine because of what's happening right now. Don't worry though. I guarantee you that you'll all understand it in a few days at the latest."
Kisuke chuckled at Loki's words, "Aren't you giving me too much credit? What if that stubborn Goddess doesn't want to pull out?"
"Then force her off her high horse. Give her a good smack if you have to."
Kisuke contemplated while rubbing his chin and said, "For that, do you think pissing her off would work?"
Editors:
28th00: Oh yes, this is gonna be damn near nuclear.
Those from the door also approached Loki with varying expressions, trying to figure out who the mysterious man in front of them was. Kisuke, however, only found this amusing and refused to answer their questions seriously, 'It's like being given a chance to mess with them for the second time.', he thought while thinking of ways to deal with Freya and considering doing it with heavy hands since it seems to be more effective that way, if that's Loki is wanting to suggest by kicking her off her high-horse.
And just now, Kisuke felt his tracking magic react and checked it. From her room on the top of Babel, Freya started moving while the rest of the Freya Familia within the tower and on the ground began converging, 'An hour at most, huh? Really... What does she have against me that she's willing to gather all of her forces just for me?'
Kisuke looked around and took a closer look at everyone who was very overt with their suspicion and slight hostility to the unknown he brought. A few seconds later, he decided how he should kill his time, 'Might as well check their progress. I'd hate it if they become useless baggage if the worst is to come. They should at least be able to deal with mobs with ease if there are any.'
To start with, Kisuke turned to Filvis and asked, "Have you started using your abilities?"
"...Did you mean the abilities that came with this body?", Filvis was slightly distressed and hesitant but after shaking her head, she answered, "Yes... To a certain extent."
"F-Filvis!", Lefiya suddenly called out in panic while they looked at her strangely and with confusion, including Loki.
Seeing this, Kisuke instantly guessed the situation, "So you haven't told anyone else your abilities and your current race except for her?"
"No. We didn't hear anything about it. Although I knew that they were hiding it, I never forced them to tell everyone.", Loki answered and became incredibly curious on why Lefiya became scared, 'What sort of ability does she have to give a reaction like that?'
Kisuke sighed at this and said to Filvis, "Then reconsider it. Hiding it would only put the others in danger by having the wrong assumptions."
Although Kisuke could also understand Filvis' plight. Drinking blood and acquiring power from it really sounds evil and monstrous.
Filvis looked at Lefiya who's still panicking and trying to say something before smiling at her antics, 'As long as she trusts me, I'm alright even if others look at me with disgust.'
She then looked back at Kisuke and replied, "You're right. I should have done this from the start."
Turning to everyone, Filvis continued, "I'm sorry for keeping this to everyone but according to him, I'm now what's called a Vampire."
Loki raised her brows, "Vampire? What's that?"
After a short pause, Filvis answered, "A monster that can vary in appearance, they say. But it's main ability is to drink the blood of others to strengthen themselves."
This claim of hers made the others' eyes wide open while Lefiya became incredibly nervous. Even though the latter was biased to Filvis, Lefiya still had a hard time accepting that ability of hers and it was only recently that she agreed to participate in her secret training.
Filvis looked at everyone's face and she could easily see the disgust and fear even though they were trying to hide it, 'I already expected this, but seeing those expressions isn't as easy as I've expected.', she thought with a bitter smile. Even though it hasn't been very long when she first arrived here, she already considered everyone as her comrade.
Finn and Riveria wanted to say something but Loki raised her hand to stop them, "For now, I'll do the talking. Whatever your impression and judgment are, save it until this is over."
Everyone nodded and kept it to themselves as Loki had instructed.
Facing Filvis, Loki continued, "I won't say anything regarding on why you choose to hide it 'cus I understand where you're coming from, but from Lefiya's reaction, she already knew it and to some extent, already assisted you by providing the needed components, yes?"
"...That's right."
All eyes converged on Lefiya but this time, she stood tall and bore the pressure. It's for her precious friend so the least she could do is to show that there's nothing wrong with it.
Loki leaned back and thought for a moment before turning her attention back to the amused Kisuke, "So? What are these Vampires? I think it's better to hear it from you."
Kisuke already expected such a question coming for him so he took out a notebook that he had been hiding under his sleeve, "Let's see, let's see... According to the records that I've acquired, they are beings of night, thriving under the moonlit sky as nobles of pride."
But Loki suddenly interrupted him by slapping the table, "Leave the poetic intro out! Give us the basics!"
Kisuke pouted his lips in protest but did indeed skip the intro, "Vampires are known for their abilities that surround blood, mainly absorbing or consuming them for a temporary or permanent boost in strength."
"Aside from that, they are also known for their ability to transform into beasts or mist depending on their aptitude. They also have the ability to charm people as an auxiliary for their blood consumption and a subset for this ability is to control smaller animals and insects."
"They also have increased regeneration based on their individual rank, from the capability to restore large wounds to being almost nigh unkillable."
"Of course, their own blood is also special since it can contain vast amounts of Magic Power so each and every Vampire are also very capable Magic-Users if they're trained properly and their aptitudes are usually on the colder side of the spectrum. If you want a comparison, they are on par or maybe even better than Elves' natural talent for Magic."
"And finally, as long as they could consume blood regularly, they are practically unaging with an estimated lifespan of at least ten thousand years and those in the highest ranks with their age just being numbers that they could easily forget and ignore."
"...What's up with that ridiculous prowess.", Loki commented with twitching lips, "And why do you sound like you've already met a lot of them?"
Editors:
28th00: Vamps really do get a ridiculously OP package, but their weaknesses are just as ridiculous, and even common! The highest rank ones are effectively (Un)Living Gods with no weaknesses, but to actually get there? Oof.
