Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Bellatrix POV.
clapclapclap
I clapped slowly, chuckling mockingly as my targets flinched slightly. The dark-haired elf stood before the blond god. In front of me were Dionysus and Filvis.
It had been really easy to follow Loki and her werewolf through the sewers while I was invisible; it was a good idea to have taken one of the watches that Sera had enchanted to eliminate all nearby smells and noises; that werewolf-thing had quite sharp senses.
And I had to admit it, Loki could be scary when she got serious. If she hadn't had her powers sealed, I wouldn't have risked following her so closely.
They had been investigating the incident involving the plant monster that appeared at Monsterphilia, which led them to a cave in the sewers where other monsters lived.
Then, once they left and met the other god, it was even easier to sneak into the meeting between Dionysus and Loki.
"It's awe-inspiring how you managed to divert attention and deceive the goddess of deception. I'm impressed." I said in a masculine voice that didn't belong to Alucard. I had assumed another form, grabbing one of the demons I had killed in the underworld while leaning against the wall.
"Oh? I didn't know we had ears to hear," Dionysus said almost nonchalantly. "Although I don't know what you mean by deceiving Loki. Nothing I said is false. I only seek justice for my children," Dionysus said calmly.
"Wow, I don't detect a single hint of lying, you're truly amazing, Enyo." I said as a smile grew on my face.
"Enyo? Who's that? I think you're confusing me, sir." Dionysus said without a hint of reaction. I just smiled. He was good, terribly good, divinely good. He hadn't reacted, but…
"You're amazing, Enyo, but you should train your pet better so it doesn't react; it gave you away." I mocked with a wide smile. Filvis stopped stiffly and paled considerably, but Dionysus just kept smiling.
"Honestly, I don't know what or who you're talking about. I know I'm not a well-known god, but my name is Dionysus, not Enyo." Dionysus continued to insist with the same smile. I sighed. I punched the ground and appeared next to Dionysus.
"Dion-" Filvis was too slow to prevent me from touching Dionysus's shoulder, at the very instant I appeared next to him. I clung tightly to his shoulder until we stopped moving all over the city. When we finally appeared, we were above Babel, hundreds of meters above the ground.
Dionysus staggered slightly backward, about to open his mouth when I unleashed a Stupify powerful enough to put him to sleep for far too long. I hummed as I stared at the god.
Honestly… the gods of Orario were far too arrogant, descending with their powers sealed, believing no mortal would dare challenge them. Or… they simply didn't care; they were immortal. Even if a mortal were to kill them, they would simply return to Tenkai.
Even so, kidnapping one had been so easy it wasn't even fun. Even constantly bothering Freya is more entertaining than this. I almost felt like taking out a Harpe that Sera had stored in her Pocket Space and killing him while drinking all his blood.
I sighed wearily, quickly banishing those thoughts from my mind before they could take root. I pulled a couple of potions from my Pocket Space, used magic to grab the liquids, opened Dionysus's mouth, and poured them down into his stomach. Then I took out a seal from The Company and placed it on his cheek, the only part of his skin that was unprotected.
Once the seal was in place, I took out several empty flasks, lifted Dionysus's hand before removing the sleeve of his suit, made a long cut on his wrist, and began to drain his blood.
Thanks to the sleep potion and the blood replenishment he was forced to ingest, there would be no risk of him waking up or bleeding to death; the last thing I wanted was for his Arcanum to activate at this moment.
Once I've filled three vials, I'll cast a little healing magic on the wound before setting Dionysus aside. I glanced at the three vials of blood in my hands. I wasn't sure if Sera could use them to awaken the Falna in people, but she would be able to do something with the blood of a god.
I threw them into Pocket Space before giving Dionysus the antidote, then grabbed a coin, turned it into a Portkey, and placed it on Dionysus's chest. Just as he was about to wake up, the Portkey took him back to the alley where I had kidnapped him.
I hummed softly. It didn't really matter what Dionysus or Enyo or whatever his name was had planned for Orario, but there was a list of people Sera wouldn't mind capturing and selling to increase her credits.
I didn't even bother using a time grenade because it didn't matter; he never saw my face, and he won't be able to do anything for the next three days before I decide to sell him.
It was boring having a limited list of objectives, but so far, I was having the time of my life going to the dungeon daily; completely ruining Orario wasn't in my plans at the moment.
I sighed wearily as I walked to the edge of the tower, my appearance changing again as I reverted to my Alucard form. I appeared once more, and this time, I emerged in an alley near the guild.
I entered easily and headed towards Eina, who opened her eyes wide, apologized to the customer in front of her while calling one of her colleagues to attend to him, before turning towards me.
"Welcome back, Mr. Alucard." Eina greeted me as she stood in front of me, and I smiled broadly.
"Greetings, Eina Tulle, I come with good news. My dear wife is more than happy to sell her… items." I said with a smile. Eina's eyes widened and shone brightly, but she calmed her excitement and simply nodded.
"Excellent! Please follow me to a private room and let me call the Guild Leader." Eina said quickly as she led me to the room. "Please wait a few minutes," Eina said before dashing out of the room. I hummed as I plopped down in one of the seats.
I hummed softly while I waited, then, after a few long seconds, I heard hurried footsteps approaching, then stopping on the other side of the door. I could hear a heavy breath before the door opened.
Royman Mardeel, a surprisingly fat elf, didn't even know elves were capable of gaining weight. For some reason, the smile on his face reminded me of Slughorn whenever he dealt with one of his 'famous' students.
"Greetings, Mr. Alucard. I am Royman Mardeel, head of the Guild. It's a pleasure to meet you finally," said the fat elf who had appeared, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. I raised an eyebrow in his direction.
"Mr. Mardeel, it's good to meet you." I said as I stood up to greet him, bowing slightly.
"Please, call me Royman," he said, almost cheerfully. I just hummed. Royman turned around and looked at Eina. "You can leave. I'll handle this myself," he said almost dismissively. Eina was about to bow and leave.
"Let her stay," I said casually as I intervened. They both opened their eyes; Royman was even about to speak, but I raised my hand. "This won't be the only time I'll come to sell things to the guild. I can't bother you every time you come, Lord Royman. You're surely a very busy elf."
"It's best for everyone if Miss Eina handles future transactions so as not to disturb you," I said politely. Eina looked surprised as she stared at me; I just winked at her discreetly.
"Of course, of course," Royman said quickly. I almost snorted at how easily he was manipulated. "So, shall we begin? They mentioned something about a storage bag that... can hold much more inside," Royman said slowly, gesturing to the seat where he had been sitting.
I nodded as I took my seat. Royman took the front seat while Eina stayed behind him.
I reached inside, opened it, and pulled out a small leather pouch. I went inside and began pulling out the same pouches, one after another. Both of their eyes widened with each new pouch I pulled out. By the time I finished, I had stacked 20 of them.
"20 storage bags, each bag can hold the same amount of items that would fit in a 5mx5mx5m room, they are made to be lightweight even when filled."
"Unfortunately, they're only made of leather, quite sturdy, I must say, but it won't stop them from being stolen. Even so, they have a small spell to make them more resistant to damage. They would be able to withstand blows from a level 4 adventurer without even scratching the bag."
"I hope they meet the requirements," I said, smiling broadly. Both Royman and Eina looked slightly dazed as they stared at the large number of storage bags. Royman was the first to recover.
"I... there are more than I expected, they made me believe that their... creation would take time," Royman said carefully as he glanced slightly over his shoulder.
"Not really. My wife specializes in creating magical objects; she can make them with ease as long as she has the ingredients. The problem is getting them to Orario, though that's been sorted out." I said with a slight smile, and Royman nodded slowly.
"Alright then, let's talk about the price," Royman said, adjusting his suit. "Can I?" He asked, pointing to one of the bags. I nodded.
Royman grabbed one and slowly looked at it, then opened it and put his hand inside, then his whole arm.
"Truly fantastic," Royman said as he withdrew his arm. "What happens when you put a lot of things inside? Do you have to take everything out? " he asked quickly.
"Intention. The person holding it has to think about the specific object they want to remove, and it will come out on its own. Saying the item's name also works. Otherwise, it will just start pulling things out randomly." I said immediately, and Royman nodded.
"What happens when the bag breaks? Is it possible that it loses its magic?" "How long will the object last, and how many uses does it have? " Royman asked. I smiled slightly. Good questions. He wasn't as stupid as I thought.
"If the bag breaks, everything inside will leak out; it's impossible to stop. It has no limits on its use; as long as it's in perfect condition or retains its shape, it will remain usable. And finally… how long would it last? The materials aren't the best, so my wife's magic has its limits. She gave an estimate of… about 30 years," I said with an apologetic smile.
They both froze once again.
"30 years?" Royman asked slowly, and I nodded.
"Too little?" I asked innocently.
"No!" Royman said quickly, his eyes wide. "On the contrary, I'm surprised. Most magical artifacts last only a few months to a couple of years," Royman said without hesitation. "Thirty years is... much longer than I expected," Royman admitted. "Do they need any maintenance?" Royman asked suspiciously.
"No, as long as no one is messing with the magic of the bags, no. And I don't mean using magic around them; a high-level adventurer could cast magic next to them without any problem. As long as no one is trying to figure out how they're made, there shouldn't be any problem."
"I won't be responsible if it breaks because someone ignored that warning," I said simply, and Royman nodded immediately.
"Understood. Now, about the price… how about 70 million Valis each? " Royman asked, looking at the bags. I hummed softly. I wasn't really interested in haggling over the price. Those bags were easy for Sera to make; it didn't even take her 15 minutes to complete all 20.
Selling them for 70 million was almost outright fraud. Still, Iguess supply and demand, they were a really valuable item here in Orario, especially since they had never been seen before.
"Do you have 1.4 billion to buy them all?" I asked curiously. Royman's smile became more fragile.
"We'll need a few days." Royman confessed, and I chuckled slightly.
"Actually, I have an offer. An exchange. My wife likes magical artifacts for studying. So I'll trade the bags for other artifacts, any kind, grimoires are best, but I'll also accept magical weapons and any artifact created with the Mystery skill." I said with a broad smile.
The Loki Familia could use Grimoires to pay for Sera's books, but if Grimoires were to disappear from the market for some reason… well, Riveria would have fewer payment options left. Just a coincidence, obviously; I'm simply fulfilling Sera's wish to acquire as many magical artifacts as possible.
"That... would actually work for us," Royman murmured. "Will... any item work?" Royman asked cautiously. I nodded.
"Anything will do, a simple trinket or a magic weapon, anything. Obviously, equivalent to the price they would originally sell it for to other adventurers. I won't accept something like a magic watch in exchange for a bag." I said dryly, and Royman nodded quickly.
"Of course, of course, we have things that the Guild has accumulated over the years. I'm sure you'll find the price we agree on satisfactory." Royman said quickly, and I nodded.
"Well, and since we're on the subject... I have another item I'm sure you'd like to have for sale." I said playfully. Royman looked at me curiously. I stood up, took out a small bag that was different from the others, and showed it to Royman. It looked more like a package than a bag.
So I threw it on the ground and the enchantments activated; quickly, a small tent sprang up on the floor of the guild room.
"This is a portable tent. It has the same enchantments as the bags, so its interior is much larger and fully equipped so that 10 people can rest comfortably inside." I said simply, Royman's eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he stood up.
He approached with long strides, swallowing audibly. I just smiled and opened the tent, inviting him in. Royman crouched slightly and carefully stepped inside. I signaled to Eina to come in as well.
Once the three of us were inside, the two people from the guild looked around in complete amazement.
"As you can see, it's fully equipped and habitable. The taps provide unlimited drinking water. The cover has the same lifespan as the bag, although unfortunately, it's less durable and therefore more likely to be damaged under adverse circumstances."
"Everything inside is removable, and new furniture can be added as the owner wishes. Unfortunately, tents take longer to make, so my wife was only able to make five in such a short time," I said easily, pointing to everything.
"This... this is incredible. Storage bags would already completely change deep-level raids, but this... this is something else." Royman murmured in amazement, then looked at me intently. "Let's talk about the price," Royman said intensely.
I laughed heartily. Okay, let's see, doing business with the Guild and getting things for Sera, that's it. Now, what was next on my list?
…oh yes, capturing some monsters that drop items to make potions, sending them to the underworld to breed with animals from that world. The monsters were capable of reproducing outside the dungeon, and Sera wanted to see if those items could be used to create potions.
If that were the case, having a good monster farm would be much more profitable, and I wouldn't waste my time in the dungeon's lower floors.
After that… I had to find a way to get high-level Excelia. A week had already passed since I'd become an adventurer with a Falna, and I'd descended the floors of Orario really quickly, so I was fighting stronger and more numerous monsters each time.
All my stats were approaching an A, which meant I could level up, but the problem is, with my current strength, it would be hard to find a challenge. In the worst-case scenario, I'll have to keep accumulating regular Excelia until I find a way to get high-level Excelia.
It was really annoying; I didn't even know if I could trick the Falna somehow, like forcing the fights to be harder. I'll have to ask Sera if there is an easier way to do it, or I'll consult with Miach, too.
I had a lot to do.