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40 Years of Grief
🕑 Added 2022-02-18 19:55:40 +0000 UTC------------------------------
"How about we consider recruiting some people?" Asked Hestia as she placed one finger on her chin
'Silver, on the other hand, let out a long sigh, it seemed the boring responsibilities were finally catching up to him in this life…'
"Why do you look so down?" She asked when she saw Silver's uninterested look
"... When I become the Captain, what do you think I will have to do?..." Said Silver as he laid on the bed
"Listening to their complaints, guiding them, protecting them in the Dungeon, paperwork, and many more… I am not too keen on doing that." Said Silver as he looked at Hestia
"..."
So you're saying that you are lazy?
"No, I am not lazy." Said Silver with a deep smile on his face as he looked at Hestia's face
"?!"
'Hestia almost choked on air, but she calmed down…'
"It's true that the Captain of a Familia normally has a lot of responsibilities, but it's not like you will do everything alone, that's what those big Familia do, right?" Asked Hestia
'Silver stayed there for a moment until he said:'
"I guess I can leave all of this boring work to someone else…" He said as he scratched his chin
"That's not what I said…" Said Hestia as she face palmed
"But… What you said is true, this Church isn't nearly enough for a Familia… It's already quite small even for the two of us…" She said in an embarrassed tone
"So I think… It's time for us to move." Said Hestia in a sad tone
'Silver noticed this and said:'
"Its not like this place will cease to exist if we are not here, we can always come back if necessary after all." Said Silver with a smile
'Hestia recovered from her sad mood.'
"You are right!" She said
"Tomorrow, let's go to the Guild and finish the boring paperwork." Said Silver as he got up from the bed
"There is a lot to do, and I am sure we will need to prepare well to receive new members… Such as removing all of the annoying statues of Apollo from his house." Said Silver as he went to the bathroom
"True, I guess that place will need a renovation…"
Such as switching the beds and other things…
'Silver arrived at the door to the bathroom and said:'
"Also, I want to hear about my alias when I finish my bath."
"?!"
'Hestia was stunned when she heard him talk, but when she recomposed herself, Silver had already closed the door.'
…
/One and a half day later…/
'Orario once again returned to its previous schedule.'
'Adventurers went to the Dungeon…'
'Old people opened their shops…'
'And a very tired Elf once again went to the Guild…'
'Orario always moves forward, no matter what happens.'
'Although, people still fervently talked about the event 2 days ago and the recent notice by the Guild.'
'On the wooden board, you can see a big piece of paper that read:'
/Hestia Familia recruiting!
Head to the Hearth Mansion, SouthWest of Babel!
Recruiting starts at the end of the first week of March and ends 3 days later…/
'Many expected this to happen, so it didn't come as a surprise, after all, if the Hestia Familia didn't score while the iron was hot then they would be missing a massive opportunity.'
'Although, for those that knew the people in question personally, they questioned themselves with what had happened.'
'After all, ever since the War Game, be it Hestia or Silver, it was pretty much impossible to get in touch with them.'
'Nevertheless, some people still knew what was going on…'
'Hephaestus gave Hestia a one Week vacation so she could deal with things such as contacting the Goibniu Familia so they could renovate the mansion while Silver…'
'Silver on the other hand...'
…
"What the fuck is this?" Asked Silver as he watched the pile of papers on the table
"Language my guy... And who told you to avoid me you little bitch?!" Said Loiju as he smiled evilly
"I wasn't avoiding you! Didn't I say that several times already?!" Said Silver as he collapsed on the chair
I couldn't really visit him after the War game.
And one the day after, I went to the Dungeon to get used to these new stats, there isnt much I could've done…
Well, I could've visited him but…
"That's why I keep searching…" Said Loiju
"Searching what… WAIT!" Said Silver in a hurry
"Searching for who the fuck asked!" Said Loiju in a loud tone with a thin smile
'But he got serious soon after.'
"Look at the trouble you cause me!" He said as he pointed outside the room
'It was good to point out that Silver and Loiju were currently in a private meeting room inside the Guild.'
"People kept asking me about you! And not only that…" He said in a deep tone
"That fucking fatty! Do you know how much he has been pressuring me recently?!" He said as he talked about the Guild Head
"Oi oi, keep your voice down, unless you want to lose your job…" Said Silver
"Urg!... I can't even relax anymore." Said Louji in a dramatic tone
"... How about we address this issue instead of arguing for no reason." Said Silver
"Sigh… Yeah, I am done with this, it's not even your fault anyway." Said Loiju
"What is all of this anyway?" Asked Silver
"A bunch of things, requests, contracts, and more."
"After the War game, many people tried to get in contact with you, but when they couldn't find you, guess who's their next option?" Said Loiju
"Honestly, it was quite refreshing seeing some people trying to suck up to me in order to get some information, although, I can't say it's good either… It's rather overwhelming."
"I am used to my peaceful life, so this is quite out of the ordinary." Said Loiju
"In any case, sorry for the small rant dude." Said Loiju as he sat on his chair and rested his head on the table
"It's okay man, I'll pay you a drink any of these days." Said Silver as he picked one of the papers on the pile
"... Bla bla bla… Transfer of property huh… Wasn't this already done by the Guild?... Oh…" Said Silver as he read the paper
"Yeah… 'By the Guild' you mean… Me?" Said Loiju sarcastically
"Isn't leaving all of this to you, abuse of authority or something?" Asked Silver with a frown
"Yes? I mean, this is kind of my punishment for not disclosing information about you, since that caused the Guild their fair amount of trouble, and I am sure it is only going to increase as time goes on." Said Loiju as he thought of what the fatty told him
"What kind of problems are we talking about?" Asked Silver in wonder
"That I can't say because I have no fucking idea." Said Loiju as he shrugged
"Alright then, just tell me where do I need to sign so we can end this quickly." Said Silver as he picked a pen on the side
"Alright, this shouldn't take that long anyway… Sign here and here…" Said Loiju as he pointed with his ruler
'And so, the two started their long and tedious process of signing dozens of papers… What a way to pass the morning…'
…
/At the same time, in a big workshop…/
'Hestia could be seen collapsed on a chair as if her soul had been sucked out of her.'
"... Come on… Dont be like that…" Said Hephaestus as she looked at her fallen friend
"Look, you asked for it, and I made it…"
'But Hestia suddenly jumped and grabbed Hephaestus' shirt.'
"I BARELY STARTED TO ENJOY THE LIFE OF THE RICH BUT I AM ALREADY BANKRUPT?!" She said as she cried
"Urg… You don't need to pay everything upfront…" She said as she frowned
I knew this would happen…
"LOOK! Look at how many zeroes this paper has!!" She said as she pointed at the paper
'One, two… Five, seven…'
"300 Million Vallis!! How am I supposed to pay for this… BUWAAAA…" Cried Hestia as she hugged Hephaestus
'Hephaestus looked at her friend and couldn't help but sigh in helplessness.'
This will be tough…
(In comparison, Bells Knife went for about 200 Million Valis, since the process to make this Halberd was the same, I only increased the price since it's a Halberd)
…
'Even though they were supposed to be enjoying their victory, Silver and Hestia were having their fair share of troubles…'
'So let's forget about them for now and go back…'
/Yesterday night… AKA, the day after the war game/
'Somewhere dark and claustrophobic, a man could be barely seen under the faint light of a single candle.'
'He was chained, but his body was devoid of injuries… For the most part.'
"..."
'In front of the man, was another man sitting on a chair, he had a frown on his face as he was in deep thought.'
"... He got us." Said the man as he got up from the chair
"What do we do with this guy?" Said a feminine voice behind him
"Just release him somewhere, he is not involved with what we are searching for." Said the man as he turned around
"Understood Hermes-Sama." Said Asfi as she fed another potion to the man and unchained him before a tall beastman entered the room and dragged the unconscious man outside
"..."
How clever of you… Dionysus.
To make use of this situation to completely clear your name and put the blame on someone else…
'Hermes frowned as he thought.'
'With the help of the Diary, they managed to grasp the faint trace of the terrorists and they managed to find that Dyonisus was the traitor of Orario.'
'However, his connection with all of this was always very dubious, his motives completely unclear.'
'And in any case, it was never confirmed to be Dyonisus himself, in fact, it could be anyone in his Familia!'
'But even after investigating and spying on them for weeks, they found no info… Nothing.'
'However, Hermes always believed it was impossible for the traitor to be someone else other than him.'
'Nevertheless, without evidence, only trouble would come, no one would believe him if he said it all came from a diary from a dead adventurer… Even more, when he actually hid the fact that this adventurer was the so-called Irregular monster.'
'In fact, Hermes has yet to investigate this… Just what happened to that boy?'
'Why did he transform into smoke like other monsters?...'
'In any case, without proof, there is no way to bring Dionysus into the light.'
'And with this War game, Dyonisus completely erased all possible dirt on him by passing the blame onto Tityos, who is currently detained in the Guild.'
"And worse… Tityos didn't even know of this, from his perspective, he was only preparing a plan B in case things went bad by buying some illegal items in the dark market… Something many do…"
How could he have predicted that those items he bought would be related to all of this mess?
A perfectly laid trap...
'Hermes thought as he frowned.'
"SIIIIIGH…" He exhaled exaggeratedly
'Hermes looked at the candle on the side and said with an awkward smile.'
"I kind of pity him… Even if he won, he would've been condemned for being the terrorist, but he lost in the end and now he also has to carry the mantle of being the most likely suspect of being the traitor."
I also pity him for being the outlet for Loki's anger…
Yet… I also hope this matter ends with this and that he won't be able to move as freely as previously.
She can't remain on edge forever, she has greater warriors and responsibilities…
Dionysus might've won this time, but I have the advantage now.
"Dionysus… You might think you've escaped and that your identity is still safe, but you don't know the fact that I already know who you truly are." He said as he extinguished the candle
I will watch you closely…
"But I truly wonder how the boy at the center of all of this will act in the future…"
I can't help but say that I greatly undervalued and underestimated him…
What you displayed and showed me… You have what it takes.
'In the dark, Hermes smiled widely as he said:'
"Shall I help you grow into a Hero?" He said as he left the room
…
/That same day during the night…/
'Even though it was nighttime, Orario's front gates were still filled with long lines of people waiting to get access to the Center of the world.'
"Name." Said a Guild worker with a paper on his hands
"..."
'In front of the Guild guy who was clearly tired and annoyed of his work was a beautiful green-haired Elf with a kind expression.'
'He seemed slightly old as he had a few wrinkles on his face.'
'Overall, he was most likely a middle-aged Elf.'
"My name is… Aetos… kaukas." He said as he looked at the guy in front of him
"Ho? Quite an unusual name for an Elf." Said the Guy
"I know… I got it… Long ago, from a person that I consider very dear… Obviously, that person was not an Elf." He said with a thin smile
"I… I am sorry for that man, I didn't mean to bring back old memories like this." Said the guy in an awkward tone
'Aetos smiled and shook his head to say he didn't mind.'
"So… Where did you live and… OH! I didn't know you were a resident of Orario…" Said the guy as he read the stack of papers on his hand
"That was long ago. Several decades ago, I retired from being an adventurer and went back to the countryside, but duty has called me back to this beautiful city." He said as he smiled
"I see… But what time for you to come back… Orario hasn't been really peaceful these days." Said the guy as he scratched his head
"Is that so?" Asked the Elf
'The guard was about to say more when he noticed the long line of people in front of the gates.'
"... Although I would like to talk with you, I have my duties to finish, you can always ask anyone in the city, these past events were pretty big after all."
'The Elf nodded.'
"These documents are rather old and outdated, so I will ask you to go to that line over there and get a temporary pass, once you get that, go to the Guild within 24 hours to get your papers renovated, failing to do so and taking over 48 hours to go to the Guild is considered a minor crime…" Said the Guild worker as he listed several more things
"I know, it seems the laws are as strict as ever." Said the Elf as he chuckled
"In any case, have a good night." Said the Guild worker as he left to talk with another person on the line
…
'As Aetos waited in the new line, he couldn't help but dwell into his thoughts.'
… I didn't expect these old documents to hold any meaning anymore…
It seems Orario has grown more complacent with their security over the years.
In the past…
'But the Elf stopped walking as he said:'
"The past doesn't matter anymore."
'He looked at one of the papers in his hand, it showed the image of a young and handsome Elf.'
I… Really got old… Sigh.
'Suddenly, the corner of a picture appeared on the side below another paper as the Elf organized the papers in his hand.'
'He immediately recognized what it was, but he hid the image behind the paper without any hesitation.'
"..."
'His face showed his conflicting expression.'
'He looked at the high moon in the sky and thought:'
Over these decades, I couldn't help but wonder if the choices I made so far were truly what I wanted… What was right…
Who am I kidding? They were never right from the very beginning.
Even more so recently… My lack of vision ended up killing everyone under me…
It was all due to my own selfishness to achieve something great…
But even so…
'The faint memory of fire and destruction passed through his head, a piece of memory he didn't want to remember at all.'
'This time, he couldn't help but grasp his necklace.'
"The Old Heroes fall, and new ones arise to take their place."
But what would happen to the world if the new Heroes don't even have the time to rise?…
"... Then… It's up to the old Heroes to make time." He said as he took the picture from behind the other paper
'It was a beautiful painting of a group of people, all of which were well equipped and armed, they looked strong.'
'He looked at a particular couple, a catgirl with a pair of big knuckles and a young man with dark hair, a thin longsword on his waist.'
'The Elf smiled, but the smile was soon replaced with a grim expression.'
I… Failed you all.
One last time, allow me to say sorry to you all.
I am not worthy of carrying your dream, but someone has to do this.
From here on out…
'The Elf's fingers started to turn red as a small flame started to burn the paper.'
If even Zeus and Hera failed…
Then… I will need to use methods considered unethical and… Devilish.
'As the paper burned in his hand, he looked at the burning figure of the man and the woman.'
You might've thought that by hiding it with your grandson and fleeing somewhere beyond my sight, you would be able to stop me…
"But I bet you didn't expect him to grow famous this fast right?" He said with a chuckle
With this… The last component is in my hands…
A dream that took me over 40 years to achieve…
Soon…
'And with that, the Elf narrowed his eyes as walked forward.'
"... I wonder how much he resembles you two…" Said the Elf as he continued on his way towards Orario
...
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Notes
