Chapter 104: [BONUS] - Undercurrents in Orario!

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"What are you thinking??"

Hestia saw Hephaestus glaring at her, clearly on the verge of losing her temper.

"Those girls are from Elsos Village. They're heading into a completely different world, and it won't be easy for them. That's why I asked Demeter to help give them a Falna."

Hestia had, of course, suggested Demeter for the job.

"I mean, you can't really expect village girls to start hammering anvils, right?" Hestia said dryly.

Each God's domain was very specific. If they joined the Goddess of Agriculture, their Falna skills would focus on farming and harvesting. If they joined Hephaestus, they'd end up learning forging and blacksmithing as they grew stronger.

These girls were just simple country folk with little experience outside their village. Making them work at a forge just didn't make sense.

More importantly, since they were moving to August's world, there was a good chance they'd never come back to Orario.

"No way. I'm joining in," Hephaestus said right away. "If Demeter can do it, so can I."

Hephaestus was quick to spot hidden motives. If she sponsored those girls, she'd have the perfect excuse to check on them, which meant she could visit August's world. There was no way she was letting Demeter have that chance all to herself.

At first, Demeter wanted to say no.

As a caring Goddess, she felt she should know where her children were going and what they were doing so she could protect them. Sending them to a strange new world where she couldn't check on them was a big concern.

But when Hephaestus jumped in so quickly, Demeter realized what was going on. She was a Goddess too, and no one understood a God's plans better than another God.

Oho?

Demeter lifted her eyes and gave Hephaestus a knowing look.

This sneaky blacksmith. She's close with August... She's definitely planning to use 'checking on the kids' as an excuse to visit his world. And knowing August, he'd probably let her.

'You're not leaving me behind.'

"You know what? I'm in," Demeter said right away. They could figure out the details later—getting a spot was what mattered. This was a huge chance.

As soon as Demeter spoke, Hephaestus grabbed her wrist with a strong grip.

She smiled sweetly. "I get half."

Her smile was almost scary, like she was about to snap.

"Okay, okay! Fine, half it is!" Demeter flinched, clearly unsettled. Wow, she's really losing it. This one really can't stand missing out.

Still, Demeter leaned in and whispered a warning. "You already have a big Familia. You don't really need these girls. You can find other reasons later, but you can't watch over them forever."

She felt she had to remind her fellow Goddess of the truth. Living in another world was serious—it would shape those girls' futures. They might not see their Patron Goddess for years.

"Relax. I know my limits," Hephaestus replied, her face returning to normal.

Jealousy aside, she was practical. Gods were fully responsible for the children they accepted, and the kind ones took that duty very seriously.

Hestia watched as the two Goddesses came to an agreement.

Nearby, Miach and Takemikazuchi thought they could help out too. Adding new members to a Familia was always good, and their small, short-handed groups could really use more people.

"Do you want us to—" Miach began, but didn't get to finish.

Demeter and Hephaestus, who had just been whispering together, turned sharply. They glared at the two male Gods with cold, empty eyes. The intense resentment from the Goddesses felt almost like a physical blow to Miach and Takemikazuchi.

"Let me get that! I'll pour the tea!" Takemikazuchi quickly stood up and grabbed the teapot, laughing nervously.

He quickly changed the subject.

Miach had clearly just made a big mistake. If Takemikazuchi made things worse, the Goddesses might really attack them. You should never underestimate a Goddess's grudge.

The mood in the room became awkward right away.

August watched everything happen but wisely stayed out of it. He had just finished making sure his last guests from Earth had left safely.

Drafting Falna contracts was Hestia's job. Hephaestus pushing her way into the deal confused him, but he kept quiet. He understood what was going on, but decided not to mention Hephaestus's obvious motives.

"Anyway," Hephaestus said, changing the subject. "This whole thing really made you famous. The other Gods were almost drooling over what you did. If Ouranos hadn't ordered everyone to keep quiet, half the city would have rushed to the Elsos Ruins to steal your people."

Takemikazuchi nodded in agreement.

The whole event had shocked the divine community. The modern soldiers August brought performed so well that every God watching was completely focused on them.

"Hmph! Of course! This is the Hestia Familia we're talking about!" Hestia boasted, lifting her chin with pride.

But putting her pride aside, she admitted, "Honestly, even I didn't expect things to go that far. I thought those soldiers would fight like normal Adventurers. Who knew they'd just ignore the rules and bomb the whole battlefield?"

She laughed nervously. She really hadn't expected their powerful way of fighting.

If people found out, many Familias would fight hard to recruit those soldiers. Despite what most thought, the Gods in Orario loved big armies and organized battles.

They were a lot like Ares in that way.

"It's already happening," Demeter said with a chuckle, covering her mouth. "I've heard rumors. When Ares and his group heard about August's soldiers, they started making a huge fuss, demanding to hire them."

Demeter usually worked outside the city, but she had good ties to international intelligence.

Rakia was known for its harsh military campaigns. They had wiped out the Elven homelands and shattered the Beastman kingdoms.

It was obvious that militant Gods from other countries wanted to hire August's modern troops. They were too effective.

With that kind of firepower, any God could easily take over the world.

"Ugh, is Ares really still on that bullshit?" Hestia groaned. "Those warmongers love acting like old-school conquerors. It's just like the politics in August's world—lies, propaganda, and nonstop border wars. It only ends when someone is totally humiliated."

"Whatever, forget about them! We're here to celebrate!" Hestia said as the tavern waitresses started bringing huge plates of food to their table.

With several Familias gathered together, even the ones who were always broke, it was the perfect time to relax and have fun. Whether people were freeloading or not, as long as everyone was eating and enjoying themselves, that was what mattered.

Soon, the tavern was filled with loud, happy laughter.

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While the tavern was full of cheers, something very different was happening elsewhere in the city.

Daedalus Street.

Deep inside a hidden sewer tunnel, fallen Gods and the darkest parts of Orario's underworld gathered there.

Someone ran frantically through the twisting tunnels, hurrying back to their hideout.

"Captain! Captain Dix!" The figure burst into the room.

It wasn't a man, but a dark-skinned Amazonian woman. "The Hestia Familia! They're back in the city! All of them!"

She looked around at her crew. The whole Ikelos Familia was in the hideout, except for the three members August had already killed. They were clearly getting ready for a new operation.

Dix Perdix gripped his red spear.

His face under the goggles looked calm, but a flash of real panic showed through.

"Hey. Useless Lord Ikelos," Dix called out. "How the hell did they get back so fast? Even at a forced march, round-trip to the ruins should take a month minimum. How did they pop back into Orario the very next day??"

Dix couldn't figure it out. August must have some crazy travel ability they didn't know about.

"Who knows?" Ikelos muttered, lying in the corner with his hands behind his head, eyes closed.

He wasn't really sleeping. He was just picturing the bloody end that was sure to come for his own Familia. How could he know how August managed those impossible travel times?

"Forget it. Asking you is a waste of breath." Dix sneered.

Since their deadbeat Patron returned from the last Denatus, he had acted like someone waiting for the end, completely checked out. Dix didn't know what happened at that divine council, and Ikelos wasn't saying a word.

Dix decided not to ask. If the God wanted to talk, he would.

"Whatever. If they're back, it just means I can deliver their welcome-home present right on schedule." Dix turned to his second-in-command. "Gran. What's the status on our little arrangement?"

"The hit is in." The bald thug, Gran, flashed a cruel, jagged smile. "Deposit's already been paid. Ten million Valis. A bounty for the heads of the Hestia Familia members."

They knew they couldn't go after the Monster rookie. But that didn't matter. With enough money, they could just hire freelancers to hunt down the weaker members.

Thanks to their connections with the Evilus, the Ikelos Familia already had the full list of Hestia Familia members. There was one [Level 2] and three [Level 1].

Every name was on the hit list.

Since a bounty on August would be way too expensive, the ten-million-Valis reward was only for the others: Liliruca Arde, Yui Hirasawa, and Ui Hirasawa.

That was about 3.3 million Valis for each person. For a group of rookies, it was a huge reward.

And the best part was that the Hestia Familia would have no idea who put out the hit.

"Let's see if those underground assassins are really worth the coin," Dix laughed darkly.

Assassin groups were a holdover from the Dark Ages, but there were still plenty of people willing to kill for money.

By hiring them, Dix could attack Hestia's group while he kept selling his smuggled goods. Even if someone investigated the murders, the trail would end with the assassins and never reach the Ikelos Familia.

Listening to his captain boast, Ikelos didn't crack a smile. He didn't move an inch from his resting position. He simply kept his mouth shut.

'Enjoy your last few days, Dix,' the God thought grimly. You're about to face a real monster.

Did Ikelos love his Familia?

He enjoyed watching his 'children' chase their wildest ambitions.

That kind of reckless drive was exciting for a God, but it always brought trouble. In Ikelos's eyes, Dix's little assassination plot was nothing more than the final, pathetic flailing of a dead man walking.

Ikelos had seen August's combat footage and knew exactly how he defeated his enemies. More importantly, he knew August fought without any normal sense of right and wrong. Someone who fought monsters without holding back would be even more ruthless against people.

It was obvious that the entire Ikelos Familia was doomed...

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Meanwhile, deep within Orario, there was a secret underground bounty exchange.

A brown-skinned Chienthrope walked into the dimly lit club.

"Ice water, please," Lulune Louie ordered, taking a seat at the bar.

In this club, 'ice water' was street slang for asking for the latest open hit list.

"One thousand Valis," the bartender grunted, not looking up from the glass he was polishing.

Lulune's jaw dropped. "Are you robbing me?? A thousand Valis??"

She was shocked. She only came in to look for gossip, and this guy wanted a thousand Valis just for the menu? That much money could buy her a huge meal or several rounds of good drinks. What kind of markup was this?

"One thousand Valis," the bartender repeated, stone-faced.

"Fine, fine." Lulune muttered, sliding the coins across the counter.

The bartender pocketed the cash and slid a folded dossier across the bar.

"A VIP client just put up a huge bounty. The target is the most wanted group in town right now: the Hestia Familia," the bartender said calmly. "Except for their captain, there's a Ten-million Valis reward to take out the rest of the team."

Lulune stared at the bartender in disbelief.

Did this guy misread the zeros? Ten million Valis just to kill three [Level 1]s?

"Has anyone taken the contract?" Lulune asked sharply. She needed to know if someone was already hunting them.

"Yeah," the bartender replied, throwing in a freebie since she was a regular. "A [Level 4] assassin personally picked it up."

Someone had already taken the job. And it wasn't just a street thug—it was a real [Level 4] professional.

'Shit. Talk about a death wish...' Lulune thought, masking her shock.

Whoever put up that bounty was incredibly bold. Going after that crew was basically suicide.

"Alright, I'm out," Lulune said, grabbing the dossier and slipping out the door.

None of the people in the club even looked up. Bounty hunters, assassins, and rogue Adventurers all kept to themselves. Every one of them had seen the Ten-million Valis bounty. It was the unspoken topic everyone avoided. They were all silently agreeing to stay far away from it.

Lulune stepped out of the underground club and quickly ducked into a nearby dark alley.

Hermes and Asfi Al Andromeda were waiting in the shadows. They moved forward while she approached.

"Here," Lulune said, handing over the dossier.

Hermes took it and cracked the seal. Inside was the complete hit list detailing the Hestia Familia roster.

"Just as I suspected," Hermes murmured, his eyes narrowing. "They're all on it."

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