Graduation

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/A few hours ago, just a few moments after the final fight ended…/

'Back in the workshops of a certain smithing Familia, two girls talked inside an office…'

'Each had one of their eyes covered by an eyepatch, one had her left eye blocked, the other one, the right.'

'An Half-Dwarf and a Goddess.'

'The Cyclops, Tsubaki, Captain of the Hephaestus Familia, and the Goddess herself.'

"Well, damn, kiddo got me impressed, in more ways than I can express." Tsubaki said with her arms crossed as she looked at the projection slowly vanish in the air

"I did praise his courage and boldness when he said those things in front of those clowns, but I also condemned his recklessness, guess that was all unfounded huh, boy had everything in his grasp."

Honestly, I was wrong to think so? I doubt anyone thought anything else.

'She shook her head with a small smile.'

"When I first saw him from afar, he came to me as a contained sort of fellow, then the War game came, and I realized he was…"

"Pretty similar to you?" Hephaestus mumbled with a tired smile

"Ha! At the time I thought I was more energetic!" Tsubaki said as she puffed her chest

"..."

Despite how odd it may sound, I think she is right...

When she was younger, Tsubaki used to be completely unhinged. Every time she made a weapon she would go to the Dungeon, and test it out until it broke.

That was why she's currently the highest-leveled blacksmith in all of Orario.

Even now, she still has that habit.

'Hephaestus dropped her head low, it seemed there was no way to put some sense in the thick skull of this Half-Dwarf.'

'Regardless, Tsubaki had to give Silver some credit...'

"Can't say the same now though… It's a bit over my budget… Not for long though!"

Challenging a Level 6... I'll have to make something good...

'She smiled widely.'

"My spirit has been kindled! I need to make something… Anything!"

I'll pour my all into this next project! How much Orichalcum do I have?...

Tsk! I'll have to get some! Fine, it won't take long.

'But the moment she took a single step, she turned to look at her goddess.'

'And seeing her expression...'

"Hm? What are you stopping? Go on, I'll be fine on my own." Hephaestus replied with a 'small' smile

"You sure you won't regret it?"

"... When you go outside, make sure to call Saul for me."

"Saul? Got it." Tsubaki replied with a smile as she saw Hephaestus get up from her seat

'And while she left, Hephaestus gazed at the city through her mirror, remembering something of the past.'

"It seems that day came much faster than I expected, I don't even have anything ready…"

Sigh, he gives me too much work.

"My hands still hurt from making those gloves…"

But now... No one should complain if I officially sponsor him, will they?

…

/Sometime later…/

'Below the ground inside a small stone room full of shelves filled with wine bottles, a man with blond hair could be seen grabbing one bottle after the other, cleaning them slightly with a thin cloth before neatly placing them back in place.'

/Creak.../

'The door to the room opened, interrupting his concentration.'

"Dionysus-Sama? Are you cleaning?" An elven woman with smooth black hair asked as she entered the room

'He didn't turn to face her, he already knew who it was.'

"Yes Filvis, I'm feeling a bit iffy you see, so I decided to do some light cleaning in the room, and give it a new look." He replied with a side glance

"Is it due to the War game?"

"You might say so."

'He smiled.'

"Who wouldn't appreciate a warrior trying his all against an impossible scenario?..."

"Struggling… Bleeding... Fighting against Despair... Putting his all to win."

"It was indeed an incredible show, few can accomplish anything near, much less during such a wide gap." Filvis replied with a slight nod

Even when I was... I could barely fight an opponent a Level higher.

... That was a long time ago...

'Dionysus did not reply, instead, he continued to clean his bottles.'

"..."

'But midway through, he stopped, grabbing a singular bottle, unsealing it.'

'Call it instinct, or mayhaps, he saw something on the bottle that attracted his attention...'

'As if something had been out of place, it might've been the unique way the light shone on the wine inside, or simply his intuition as a Divine existence.'

'He had made each and every one of these bottles, he knew them inside and out, so why did he open this one?'

/Sniff…/

'He smelled its contents, and his expression immediately became dark.'

'His eyes revolving into dark spirals, shadows covering his face...'

"Filvis, did someone enter this room while we were away?... Let's say… During the festival, we went to a few days ago?" He asked without turning around, merely grabbing the bottle and twirling it around

'His voice did not waver, his body did not even move.'

"Hum? No one would enter your room without permission Dionysus-Sama."

"Ha… That's true."

'This was everything he needed to hear, his body started to move again, and he turned his face slightly with a small smile.'

'His gaze turning back to the bottle, he said:'

"I guess I'm just being paranoid."

'And so, he stored the bottle back in place, but once Filvis turned to the side, his expression darkened even further.'

…

/Sometime later…/

'Around an hour or so after leaving the Manor, Silver also left another large house, this time, followed by a blue-haired lady…'

'This girl had a stronger expression as compared to Hestia, though equally as beautiful.'

'As he walked out of her home, she seemed very relaxed as she flicked the back of his head with her finger, full force.'

/FLICK!/

"!"

'The force of her finger hitting his head was such he recoiled slightly forward.'

"Ouch…"

It doesn't hurt but come on…

"Hopefully with this, you'll wake up." Artemis said with a slight smile as she pushed her hair aside

He needs some... Physical education so he can properly understand how I feel.

"I..."

'There was no need to go over their entire conversation again, so he only sighed, before turning to face her.'

'From his words to hers, his expression to hers, the pain, tears, and smiles they shared back inside...'

"... I'll come back soon." Silver said after a moment of pondering

"As you should." She said with a smile

'But Silver shook his head.'

"This time it's different, I want to do something else..." He said with a strong expression, looking directly at her eyes

"..."

'Artemis became slightly embarrassed as she looked around, fondling her hair.'

"There is somewhere I would like to go, and I would like to go there with you."

'He smiled, and so did Artemis.'

"Then I'll wait, though it doesn't seem that'll take long…"

"!"

'Artemis didn't say much, smiling silently, and this, for some reason made Silver frown.'

'So quickly raising a barrier to prevent others from seeing, he took a step forward and hugged her tightly.'

"Hum?!"

'This sudden action surprised her greatly, completely throwing her out of composure.'

/Kiss/

"!..."

'Once he hugged her enough, touching her cheek, he brought her face close to his as he gave her a small kiss.'

'Her face now completely crimson red, he brushed her hair and enjoyed the moment.'

'Silver had already realized that he needed to be a bit more proactive with her, and most importantly, spend some extra time with her.'

'That was why he planned to leave Orario, and this small trip outside would be the perfect moment to do so.'

/Hug.../

'Letting her face fall to his chest, Artemis let her thoughts wash away under the faint breeze of Summer.'

...

/Time passed.../

"Mnm... Silver..."

'Artemis slowly took a step back, albeit it took a lot of willpower to do so, she had to let him go today.'

'This wouldn't be a problem normally, but they were… In plain public!'

'There weren't that many people on the road, but if any saw them... Even Artemis knew problems would soon come.'

'Even if they were under his barrier, if there were anyone paying attention to them, they would certainly frown at the fact they suddenly vanished.'

"We…!"

'But Silver put his finger on her mouth, preventing her from speaking.'

"Don't say anything… Let's just enjoy this."

/Pout.../

'Pouting, she grabbed his hand with a slight frown.'

"Don't get cocky... That's my line." She said with a smile

"But... Alright, I don't mind." She said with a smile as she hugged him back, and somehow she smiled even more

"..."

She's very clingy too...

Not that I mind.

'Sometimes he wished for the strength to quickly come back so he could enjoy his life outside of the Dungeon more.'

'But he also thought that there was no need to be hasty, he would still live many decades to come... Though for that, he had to first get stronger, strong enough to shape the future.'

'Yet, he also didn't want to make anyone wait.'

'What a predicament...'

…

'After a slight moment between them, and even another slight kiss, they parted ways, a promise left behind.'

…

/Back at the Guild…/

'Silver entered the Guild, and he was immediately bombarded with gazes.'

'Some he recognized, others he didn't, and of course, he made sure to smile.'

(Image?)

'For those that he did recognize, he decided to tease them a little, such as a certain half-elf, he posed elegantly, making her frown and her expression turn red in a mix of anger and embarrassment.'

'But as he saw that, Silver felt satisfied... Because he managed to break her fear, even if just a little.'

'As he became stronger, more dependable, it seemed his relationship with these people became more and more distant in some paradoxical way.'

'That's why he always tried to be a bit goofy around them, because he valued this small friendship they had built, and he didn't want it broken just because of a small clash of ideologies and misunderstandings.'

'His greatest progress was seeing a certain red-haired beast woman smile in relief, even if just for a split second.'

'Waving his arms around, greeting friends along the way, Silver met with a certain Elf...'

"I knew you would come, it was only a matter of time…" Loiju mumbled with a tired expression as he shuffled some papers on his table

'But before he had the chance to reply, the Elf dragged him along the hallways of the Guild and into a private room.'

...

"Now we can talk." Loiju replied as he fixed his glasses and rested his head on the comfy sofa

"Right... So, why do you look so tired?"

'Loiju opened his mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat.'

'His mouth opened and closed as he tried to come up with some words until he took off his glasses, which seemed to help him focus...'

"I… M-My heart can't take all of this, phew…" He said as he put his foot on the table

"..."

'Silver decided to listen instead of making a light joke... For now.'

"Hearing you go and blow up Ishtar's house… It already made me skip a beat, I thought you were a goner, or at least, it would be hard to keep working normally."

"I even half expected them to come to me and demand some sort of answer I do not possess..."

"Then, the War game came… And I mean, I was already aware you were Level 3, but I didn't expect you to be so…"

"Damn awesome?"

"Bat crazy!"

"Almost the same." Silver said with a sly smile

There's only a fine line between courage and rashness.

"The only thing that made me relax was the fact you came to me to talk, but even so..."

"Haaa… At least it was all over… For now at least as I can already see the people coming to annoy me in the future."

As always, it's me that ends up having to clear the messes he makes, it was the same after the War game with the Apollo and Tityos Familias.

Long ass reports... Damn bureaucracy...

"I'm already happy my Boss didn't ask me to provide him with an answer regarding your Level… And even if he does…"

"You're just going to tell him that you know nothing."

The Guild won't ask him for answers now that I'm technically working with Ouranos...

"Obviously, what else do you expect me to say?" Loiju said dismissively

Just shy of 6 months... And already Level 4... Wait...

/Thud!/

'He slapped the table.'

"You leveled up, right?"

'Silver looked at him with an eyebrow raised.'

"What do you think?"

"Yes?"

'Silver smiled.'

"I even got a new Skill."

"... You kidding me, right?"

"Not at all."

/Silence.../

'Loiju looked at the ceiling without his glasses, it was difficult to describe what he was feeling at that moment.'

"To think the guy I went to advise just by convenience ended up like this..."

"..."

"Fate brings together the weirdest of things sometimes."

'He stayed silent for a moment before continuing.'

"Regardless, we can leave all of this business talk to later, just leave that to me, and as always, if there is something for you to deal with personally, I'll call you."

I'm sure the Hestia Familia will start to receive a shit load of personal commissions now that they proved they can hold themselves... He proved that.

They already received such commissions from time to time, but it was directed at him, with this, some ambitious people may decide to gamble and invest in their future...

While also trying to get on his side.

Who wouldn't want to get on the side of a new rising power? Especially one of his caliber? They did the same to Ishtar, Freya, and Loki.

Due to everything he showed, once he becomes Level 5, he might have the power to even contend with the Loki Familia's top Executives.

Perhaps he can even do more... As he has the potential to become Level 6.

Truly... Just what kind of adventurer did I fish out?

This has been... The greatest gamble of my life.

...

"In any case, time is the least of our worries…"

'He smiled a little before becoming serious.'

"For now, I want to congratulate you, not only as an advisor but also as a friend."

"As this will likely be the last time I'll be able to call myself that."

"Huh? Why?"

'Loiju looked slightly apologetic.'

"Look at you, you're already a grown-up Level-4 adventurer, according to protocol, I should've stopped long ago, even if this is an unprecedented situation."

"It's impossible to hide it now, everyone knows you're a High Level 3."

"I'm sure they're all running around like headless chickens because the adventurer that was once Level 2 suddenly became top Level 3."

"There will be many people staring at you for a myriad of reasons..."

"And after this fight, everyone will think about whether or not you Leveled up... And I don't think it would be a good idea to hide it any further."

"Yeah... I've planned for that." Silver said deeply

"I'm not really going to hide it anymore."

I'm far from what I wished to be, but now, let them know, let them see who I am.

A Level 4 that can take on a Level 6, this is the adventurer I am.

Even if not universal... I should at least be able to take on the Elite Level 5s such as Ais with her Ariel and Avenger... Or so I wish.

Though in her case, I wonder if I would truly be able to clash with her with brute strength or have to resort to tactics to win.

'Loiju smiled evilly.'

"I got it, make them tremble in fear, right?"

"..."

/Cough!.../

'Slightly embarrassed, Loiju continued:'

"Anyway, even if I wanted to avoid too much extra work, I have to eventually advise someone else, it's the rules."

"Though I should be able to make excuses for now, since it has barely been half a year since I started advising you… You know how the Guild is with their enforcement of rules, at least within themselves."

"..."

"That's everything I wanted to say, of course, I don't plan on stopping doing what I already did, you can always come to me and ask me for some help in sorting commissions and the like."

"Though I expected some free food from time to time, your pockets won't even budge for all I know."

"..."

'Silver smiled helplessly.'

"But officially, today or this week at most will likely be my final days as your advisor, from here on out, you're a fully-fledged adventurer… Even if that was already the case from long ago."

'Silver smiled a bit as well.'

"So nothing changes I guess."

"Of course it does! Now, I'll have to change how I brag!"

"..."

"From the present to the past… Oh! The glory days…"

"At least from now on, if anyone asks, I'll just say… I taught him."

'He looked really proud as he said that, and Silver had the urge to laugh as well.'

"Alright, you win."

'It seemed their small discussion had come to an end... Until...'

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, here it is." He said as he took something from a small box in the corner of the room

"That is?"

"The thing you asked me to do, already forgot about it?"

"Oh! Of course not, I actually wanted to see it."

'Loiju opened the box and took out a small object, it was similar to a pyramid without the tip, with a hollowed interior covered by glass.'

'It was a magic item…'

...

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Notes

I think after the next chapter, it'll be a good spot to stop and show the side chapters, especially now that we had a POV of Hephaestus, we need to know what exactly she was talking about.

Aside from that, here are some images of Loiju, I think I already showed them, but doing it again won't be a problem.

(Image)

If you want any character made into images, say it to me and I'll try to make them.

Aside from that, I have already prepared the next recruitment Arc, and that will likely be the last one of this Novel.

Or the second to last, I just don't see the Hestia Familia getting any bigger, and if I am to have a character join, it'll be through individual arcs rather than 'big' ones.

As I said, my focus this time will be Orario Rhaspsodia, the failed game that was pretty much abandoned.

The reason for that is because there are some pretty interesting characters there and the plot is rather good... Or so I would like to say.

I looked for it, and I found no gameplay of it... Zero, none.

Because of this, I have pretty much complete freedom to add what I want to each character's background, some are pretty neat...

If you do know of any video on youtube about this game, make sure to send it here so I can take a look.

This will be my first import from the games into the main story, and expect the other games to make an appearance as well in some way shape, or form.

With these characters and the time we have, even if the Hestia won't become any Freya's or Loki's, by the time the cannon timeline should've started, the Hestia Familia will likely be as stronger if not stronger than the original Astrea Familia, which is pretty neat too.

And with some OP characters from the games, they may have enough elites when coupled with Haruhime.

Speaking of her, I was thinking if I should go with the theories people think of her...

Haruhime was already confirmed to be an add-on character by the author with the purpose of boosting the story since he himself admitted that if they went on like that, they would lose to the Black dragon.

So some people think Haruhime might awaken some sort of boosting magic that can increase Exilia's gain, even if minimal, in order to help the members of the Hestia Familia at least Level up a few times and not be a bother to Bell.

What do you all think about that?

---

Also, I wanted to share my timeline so far regarding the exploration of Evilus.

Evilus is a pretty important faction, but I feel they are currently in a strange spot that most readers might've not caught on to due to the way I write.

Pretty much, everyone thinks Evilus died after what happened during the dark ages, Ryuu murder spree of everyone associated with them was the final drop that killed them.

We do know Ryuu didn't kill the Gods as there was a scene in the anime where she left the God behind without touching him as he mocked her.

So, aside from a few individuals, most simply think every single one of them died.

But, for convenience and also because it makes sense, I decided to make some characters like Hermes doubt that there would, at least, be a few members left.

Valletta's body was never found, and she was their commander after all.

Neither was her God, no one knew who she was under.

Then, years passed and the Xenos started to get hunted down.

We know what happened, Silver helped them kill the members, and this pretty much proved to the Guild that something strange was going on.

After that scene, there was a small event where Silver brought Fels to show her his ability to question the dead, this event gave the Guild a much broader idea of what the fuck was happening, the existence of Knossos, and so on.

After this event, we had a small scene where Fels was exploring Knossos, but soon left after deeming the task too dangerous to do on her own.

What we do know is that the Guild secret forces are likely mapping every nook and cranny of Orario in search of secret entrances.

We are unaware if the Guild has a key to Knossos, but it's almost 100% guaranteed Silver has one, as he looted the items left behind by the Ikelos Familia.

He may have more than one key, or simply gave the only one he had to the Guild, or they exchange it whenever it's needed, but so far, the Guild made no movements to enter Knossos.

The answer for that is obvious, the Guild doesn't have the power to do so even if they were to bring Ganesha and Silver.

So instead, the Guild has taken a passive approach where they try to map as much as they can and cut as many resource lines from the surface to limit the growth of their enemies as they try to gather allies for their cause.

This will eventually lead to further events as shown in the Sword Oratoria manga and novel, as Loki investigated things on her own after the death of her children within Knossos.

All of this was because Dionysus wanted to destroy Orario around Season 1 of the anime, but due to Freya's growing obsession of Bell, she ended up interfering with his plans by coincidence, and he lost the chance to strike, due to this, Loki started to investigate the appearance of the strange monsters that appeared during the monsters festival, finding out one of the doors to Knossos.

Then, Evilus tried to bait the Loki Familia into a death trap, almost succeeding if they had not underestimated them.

That is how everything started.

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Well... I spoke quite a bit.

What I want to say is that... I am working on the future plots and there is a lot to cover still.

I always like to read theories and suggestions, so if you have the time, share them with me.

Thank you for reading, see ya soon.