.

.

/Half an hour later…/

"Is it… Over?" Asked Silver

"... Yes..." Replied Loiju

"... Are you sure you aren't going to..." Asked Silver

"SHIU! Don't make me regret it!" Whispered Loiju

"..."

Thanks...

'Silver knew that what Loiju was doing was slightly against the rules.'

'But Loiju had decided that he wouldn't submit the Level-Up model.'

'The Level-Up model is a paper written by an advisor every time their adventurer Levels up, and in it, the advisor is supposed to write things such as skills, Da's, and the method used by the adventurer to Level up.'

'It might seem contradictory when your think about it, adventurers are supposed to hide their abilities from others, but the Guild is effectively collecting such information.'

'However, it is true that the Guild is fair and would never share such info with others.'

'And this is the truth... Most of the time.'

'The Guild does not manage Orario, or at least it should be the one at the top.'

'But in truth, it's the Freya and Loki Familia that is at the top, the Guild only manages most of the city affairs. If Freya or Loki were to act and put some pressure, the Guild would bend over...'

'But of course, this would likely create some conflicts that could very well after how Orario is managed. Ouranos is pretty powerful after all.'

'If he wishes, all of this 'dream on the surface' the Gods are having would end in a single night...'

'Most of this info collecting is more so that Ouranos can better manage the city and impede something dangerous appears.'

"Can we go drink something now?" Asked Silver

"No…" Replied Loiju

/Thud…/

'Silver dropped his head on the balcony.'

"You will have to go without me." Said Loiju in sadness as he looked at a stack of papers on the counter

"Sigh… Good luck." Said Silver

"I am used to this anyway. Perhaps tomorrow if I have time." Replied Loiju

/Cling!/

'Loiju picked a large bag and dropped it on the counter.'

"Here it is, the reward for the subjugation of the monster and the reward money gathered by the Loki and Artemis Familia."

'Silver looked at the large bag surprised.'

"That looks heavy…" He said

"Let me see… It's quite a lot since they were rather generous." Said Loiju

"Was that even necessary?" Asked Silver

"It's more than necessary, if they haven't given you a reward, then their prestige would've suffered a hit."

"Sigh… They already promised me so much already…" Replied Silver

"This and that are different things, whatever they promised to you in private is informal, while this is their formal answer. Plus, a lot of donations are mixed within this." Said Loiju

"Donations?"

"Some of the people you saved gathered money and sent them to the Guild as a commission, that's why there were so many papers for you to fill." Said Loiju

"This isn't normal, since it's much easier to just pay the person in question directly, but by using the Guild, those people expect their thanks to reach you eventually."

"Hercules, in particular, gave us quite a hefty amount as a reward…"

"So… How much is it?" Asked Silver

"1…2…4… 5.4 Million Valis." Said Loiju as he read the paper

'Silver opened his eyes in surprise.'

"That's quite… Low?" Said Silver in surprise

/Smack!/

'Loiju smacked a book on his head.'

"Don't be greedy!... Although, yeah, I understand what you are talking about."

"Most of the money came from the Loki and Hercules Familia, a total of 2 Million and 600 Thousand respectfully."

"The Artemis Familia also worked hard to gather 340 Thousand."

"..."

They worked hard, huh.

It's not impossible for a Family on their Level to gather this amount of money in one month, but they sent the money within a week after the event, meaning, they probably worked hard while they were not fully recovered from the fight…

'Loiju noticed the pensive state of his friend and asked:'

"What do you plan to use this money for?"

"Now? Materials, definitely."

My money didn't really change much recently, since I spent a lot on materials that are now filling up my storage…

I should have over 10 Million with this though… It's quite an amount even for Level 4's.

"Not on gear? You could buy something better than what you already have." Asked Loiju

"Yes, I agree. However, that would in a sense, clash with my current Skill."

'Upon hearing this, Loiju shut up, understanding this conversation had come to an end.'

"I understand, but make sure to keep yourself safe down there. I don't want to hear about you fighting some sort of exotic monster on the Lower floors…"

At least until you are Level 3…

"That probably won't happen…"

"Probably?! Now, listen here you little shit…"

'But Silver ignored Loiju and left the Guild with a smile, ignoring the Elf's screams behind him.'

…

'As Silver walked in the busy streets of Orario, his Platinum armor attracted the looks of many.'

"..."

This is getting burdensome…

'He turned around and entered an alley…'

'He soon reappeared in another nearby alley, he was wearing his casual clothes, his armor and money bags were nowhere to be seen.'

"Much better, I was getting stuffy on that armor."

"Is it time for me to retire from it? My fighting style does not suit such heavy armor."

I only made it because of its protection and because it looked cool, later on, it became something to hide my identity.

But that isn't needed anymore...

'Silver stared at the busy road.'

"..."

From now on, People will start to pay attention to me. I wonder how long it will take until I can't even feel relaxed while walking…

"There is a bar nearby that I like, it's too late to go to the HF and I am sure that place is filled with people right now…"

And those girls… They would certainly bother me…

I also don't want to risk meeting Loki again.

"Hestia should be at home… I have some time for myself." Said Silver as he whistled

…

'Silver soon reached the bar, it wasn't anything fancy, in fact, it looked just like any bar on the street, however, this place just so happened to have a decent cook…'

'He used to come here since it was closer to the Church and cheaper than the HF and he even brought Hestia here once, but it has been quite some time since then.'

/Chattering…/

"..."

The place is just like always.

'The place just looked like any medieval RPG tavern, several tables in an open hall, you could see a small part of the second floor, and there was a balcony in case you wanted to sit near the bartender.'

'On the far left, there was a small stage where someone played what seemed to be a lute.'

'Most of the tables were filled and the second floor was closed for cleaning, these were busy hours after all.'

'Silver soon found a small table and sat, ready to order his food.'

/Bam!/

'Next to him, a tall young man with blond hair sat, making a lot of noise in the process.'

'He looked like a delinquent with his blond hair and piercings…'

'It made Silver remember someone, but he soon forgot what he was trying to remember.'

'But no one batted an eye.'

"So? Care to explain?" Asked the young man

"..."

'Silver looked at the man up and down.'

"Did you forget your manners?" Said Silver

'The young man was stunned.'

"Shit man! Don't bring this right now! It's been a few days since I last saw you and now this?! Do you even know how sho-ck-ed I was?!" He said as he moved his hands and opened his eyes wide, showing his 'surprise'

"Yeah yeah, it's been a while Tom." said Silver

"Before we continue, let me get you some drinks, it's on the house today."

"How surprising! Are you willing to pay something for me? Don't you usually do that only to girls?"

"Dammit Silver! What do you see me as?!" Asked Tom

"A perverted and Cheepstake Playboy?"

"..."

Look… I… Fuck…

"Come on!" He said

…

'The two continued to laugh and talk for a while until the drinks arrived.'

'Silver had the classic Beer, while the young men had some wine…'

"So, start talking." Said Tom

"What do you want to hear Tom?"

"Stop being ignorant! You are smart enough to figure it out! Tell me! Why did you hide the fact you were a famous man!"

"Would it have changed anything if I told you I was the Red knight?"

"Of course it would man! I could've flexed so much…"

Imagine all of the girls…

"..."

Of course…

Just what I should've expected from Tom.

"I have my reasons, let's leave it at that okay?"

'Tom looked at his friend, he seemed different from the last time he saw him, but he attributed that to his Level up.'

"Alright then, keep your secrets." He said as he drank another mouthful of wine

"Things have gotten quite interesting since you were last here." He said

"Tell me. Just what rumors did you hear this time?" Asked Silver

'Silver started to listen to him, and at the same time, he started to go over how he met such an oddball.'

I met him not long after I became an adventurer, it was on the day I brought Hestia here.

Her beauty attracted this good for nothing, who tried to hit on her.

From there it was the classic… I hit him in the face and knocked him out after he crossed the line.

And the thing is, he is the son of the bar owner, however, this sort of development is rather common since he's not an adventurer.

Out of 10 tries, 4/10 he leaves, 6/10 times he gets knocked out on the floor, with his father having to clear the scene for him later.

And 1/1000 he actually gets the girl... Alright, not this exaggerated.

After that event, I got to know him more over some food, and he is quite a social guy, despite his looks and way of acting, he never forced himself on a girl…

Sober…

He knows how to manage the place quite well and he is quite hardworking. It's just a shame he doesn't want to settle yet. Otherwise, I am sure he wouldn't have much trouble finding a wife as his father wants.

As for his mother… She died early, perhaps that's why he is like this?

Every once in a while I come here and hear the gossip he accumulates over the days. Quite a lot of information can be gathered this way.

…

"... And finally, there are some rumors that there will be a War game soon." Said Tom

"You sure? Who against who?"

I see, so the rumors have finally started to spread…

When Hestia told me about the Denatus, of course, she told me about the challenge from Leto.

But of course, Tom seems quite excited, he deserves a little bit of fun from all of the free drinks he gave me.

"That's unknown, but it seems the main cast is rather unknown, so I imagine it will be a War game between minor Familias."

"When these happen, the results are normally kept hidden only to fade over time."

"Why?" Asked Silver

"You don't know, but War games are quite frequent."

"But the ones big enough to be broadcasted across Orario are quite rare. I am talking about the type where you would see dozens of Level 2 adventurers fighting against each other with the occasional Level 3 and even 4 in some sort of spectacular situation!" He said as he raised his wine glass

"The small ones aren't worth the time and effort of actually being advertising unless they involve something that can attract the attention of others."

"So they normally appear and go like the wind. In fact, we could wake up tomorrow and hear a message from the Guild saying: War game between A and B ended! B won bla bla bla…" Said Tom

"It's been some time since the last big War game however, almost two years.... One and a half?..." Said Tom as he wondered

"... I see."

An interesting piece of trivia.

"Sigh… It's rare to see adventurers fighting, and those displays of the Ganesha Familia don't really bring the excitement they once did in me, it's always the same thing, monster vs this guy, or that girl… You know what I am saying, right my guy?" Asked Tom as he drank his wine

"... You look bored." Asked Silver

"Is it that obvious? I mean, of course, I am! Every day is always the same, dad is always thinking about the bar. It's always: Fix this, cook this, clean this, and bla bla bla."

"And man, even though adventurers are cool, I know very well I am way past the time to become a proper adventurer, and between us, I was never the courageous type of guy."

"Hm?"

To admit that… Guess the wine is starting to have some effect.

"... Tell me, Silver… How…"

/Bam!/

"I am done hearing about this bullcrap…" Said a man on the side

"..."

Trouble? Already?

'Tom knew that trouble was on the way, simply by hearing the tone of the man.'

"Hm?"

'Silver also looked to the side.'

'It was a burly man, but not overly so. He was using a kind of officer clothing that had an ornate print on the shoulder.'

(I don't know the precise word for this, kind of like military prints… Help is appreciated. Miltary tag? flag? Those straps you see on the sleeves...)

'The print was that of a strange massive egg-shaped structure breaking in two, below it was what seemed to be a rocky mountain, and above it was a cloud with a few lighting bolts.'

"..."

'Silver went deep into his head, going over all of the Familias he knew but…'

'Nothing came into his mind, meaning, they were most likely small Familias who didn't even have a Level 2 adventurer.'

"You fucker. Are you the Red knight?"

"..."

'Silver didn't answer, instead…'

"And who are you? Didn't your parents teach y…"

'However, while Silver talked, the burly man rushed at him at an incredible speed!'

"?!!"

Shit

/FWUSH!/

/BAM!/

/CRASH!/

'Silver quickly kicked the ground, making his chair fall, taking the opportunity to roll to the side and stabilize himself.'

"You have quite the reflex…" Said the man as he cleaned his hand

"Fucker..." Said Silver as he looked at his food

'The man had completely crushed the table, including all of the drinks and appetizers.'

'He looked to the side to see that Tom was alright and turned to face his assailant.'

'Silver looked at the man in annoyance.'

'But he wasn't the only one observing his opponent.'

'The burly guy was also analyzing Silver...'

Even though I was testing him, his position and the situation shouldn't have been enough for a Level 2 to evade…

'Tom was lucky since he got up from the table the moment he heard the man's tone, so his legs were not hurt.'

'The two were now staring at each other.'

"Aren't you an angry guy? How many did you drink to act like this?" Said Silver as he tried to figure out the reason the man was so angry with him

This fucker... There went my peaceful and fulfilling day...

I don't recognize the emblem... So he must be from a small and unknown Familia, but this speed indicates otherwise.

I can't judge someone's Level solely from this, but this speed would be enough to compare with some top Level 2's. If not Level 3 depending on how he distributed his stats.

While his strength… A table isn't enough for me to determine that.

"Heh… I guess you already forgot. 3 months ago… Does that ring any bell?" He said with a sneaky smile

"Hm…"

3 months ago? And he specifically said Red knight…

That would be before I even became an adventurer. In fact, it would be around the time when I arrived in Orario…

The only adventures I met during those times were the guys I crushed in the gates…

And the guys I killed in the Dungeon…

'Things suddenly locked into place for Silver.'

"HA! It seems you finally realized, yes, you killed my friends that day. And we finally found you, after so long…"

/Whispers…/

'The people around the tavern started to whisper to each other.'

'Slowly, they started to give way to the group…'

'Tom had already left to get help, it's not against the law for adventurers to fight like this, however, it was clear things were going to get bloody…'

'His father looked from the side, thinking about the costs… It was clear none of them were "weak".'

"You didn't expect to escape unpunished right?..."

"Unpunished? No no no, in fact, I was rewarded not so long ago!" Said Silver

'Silver smiled widely. Making the man incredibly angry.'

"I mean, your friends were attacking another group because…" Said Silver as he tried to remember the situation...

"There is no proof!" Screamed one of the man's companions as he cut Silver

Heh, good try kid, but there is no evidence that supports that!

"He is right, as far as things go, you conspired with the Leto Familia to ambush and kill multiple of our promising companions, of which, one was a recent Level 2…" Said the burly man

"You seem to be mistaken about something. 3 months ago, I wasn't even an adventurer."

Let's play with you for a while. Show me what you have to offer…

/Whispers!/

'People seemed to remember that he was the rookie… And that all of the rumors about him were because he had Leveled up… In two months!'

"..."

'The man's face was completely red.'

"I was here thinking about what was all of this about, and it was just those criminals' companions causing trouble. If you want some petty kind of revenge, go to the Guild and we can talk later." Said Silver

To think they would target me when they are already involved in a War game… This is more than just for their revenge.

It's almost as if they are admitting they are in the wrong.

And I have many ways to prove my innocence.

"Hehe…"

'But the burly man only smiled.'

"Normally the conversation would end here, however…"

'He took out a small piece of paper.'

"We researched a lot about you… Mr Silver from the Hestia Familia."

"..."

To get my information so fast… Sigh. I guess there are ears everywhere.

"Just around that time 3 months ago… There was quite an interesting thing. Do you remember when the Guild released the paper about the Goliath…"

/Whispers…/

'Most people seemed to remember, it was quite an interesting event.'

"So you would remember who did it right?..."

'He lifted the paper on his hands.'

"According to the witness, it was a red knight."

/Whispers…/

"But that is not all, look down here… It says… That the transformation of the Goliath only seems to happen when it is fighting… A normal man."

/Whispers…/

'People discussed it frenziedly...'

'The situation seemed to take a dark turn.'

'However, Silver was still calm.'

"So what about now?" Asked the man with a grin

"... Pfft! Hahaha! You dug up some shit huh?" Said Silver as he laughed

'The people seemed confused.'

"You showed all of this trash but… It doesn't say anything. At the end of the day, you said it yourself, there is no proof I killed them."

"So no matter how much you distort reality, I am still just as innocent as you."

I could pass the blame onto the Leto Familia by saying they could be lying since they were the ones who reported the event to the Guild…

But that would be too easy and I really want to beat the crap of this guy now…

"So, please… Shut the fuck up before I make you." Said Silver as he smiled

'But the burly man just cracked his knuckles.'

"... If you don't come with us passively… Then we shall make you."

"So, you better obey us, trash from a small Familia." Said one of his companions

"Wow... I am soooo offended by that right now..." Whispered Silver to himself ironically

"The only thing good about your Familia is the tits of your Goddess yeah?" Said another one of his companions

/Clack.../

'Silver's eyes sharpened, his muscles tightened as he clenched his hand…'

I don't even know why I am getting pissed off for such low-class…

But… That's fucking personal…

'Lighting cracked in his left-hand fingers while embers started to ignite in the air around his right hand.'

"And how do you plan to do that?" Silver asked in a threatening tone

'It was clear to everyone in the tavern that he was angry.'

"..."

'The man smiled.'

"Are you angry, kid? This is just the start. After you, Tityos-Sama will deal with your Goddess, 'personally'." He said with a lustful smile

"..."

Low-budget villain...

'Silver hand bones started to crack loudly…'

"In order to get justice for our fallen companions… Get him!" Said the burly man as he pointed forward

/FWUSH FWUSH!/

'The 4 companions behind him dashed after Silver!'

'But he only smiled… Creepily.'

...

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