"Monster Festival" While Drake trained Welf and Bell, a goddess watched from the Babel Tower. Freya sat on a sofa, holding a goblet of blood
"Monster Festival"
While Drake trained Welf and Bell, a goddess watched from the Babel Tower.
Freya sat on a sofa, holding a goblet of blood-red wine. Through the wine, everything was tinted red.
With her divine power sealed, Freya couldn't clearly see what was happening on the city walls.
However, Freya wasn't observing something so superficial.
"I eagerly await to see how much light that child can produce!"
In her eyes, the world seemed to consist only of the flickering flame in the distance.
The moment Bell withstood Drake's killing intent and demonstrated his resolve, that light suddenly intensified.
Freya instantly became excited, her cheeks flushed, her eyes brimming with tears.
Unfortunately, no one else witnessed the beauty goddess's emotional state; only a minotaur saw this scene.
Orario's sole Level 7, the strongest adventurer, Ottar, stood impassively in the shadows.
He only reacted when Freya spoke to him.
"Ottar!"
"Yes, Freya-sama."
Freya said, "That child is far more than he appears; his light has flaws."
Ottar replied, "Only those who have experienced adventure are true adventurers."
Freya smiled at her King's reliability. "Then I entrust this to you, Ottar!"
"As you wish!" Ottar would always fulfill his goddess's desires.
…
After several days of training, Drake told the two they could rest for a day.
Their growth over the past few days was undeniable, especially Bell's; he was no longer a novice.
His "One Heart's Longing" skill was incredibly powerful, his growth speed astonishing even Drake.
Of course, Bell's diligence was also a factor; he pushed himself to the limit in each session.
Drake gave them a day off because the Orario Monster Festival was tomorrow.
The Monster Festival, proposed by the Guild and managed by the Ganesha Familia, was Orario's largest celebration.
Ganesha Familia's beast tamers would demonstrate monster taming in the arena, Orario's largest such performance.
Drake suspected the Guild held this festival to alleviate public fear of monsters, ultimately preparing people to accept rational monsters—the Heretics.
Regardless of the Guild's intentions, an extra celebratory festival was always welcome.
Drake intended to let the two relax, giving them the day off.
However, Drake knew this Monster Festival wouldn't be peaceful.
Not only would Freya cause trouble to test Bell, but Dionysus would also use the festival to rehearse his city-destruction plan.
The eventful Monster Festival began as scheduled; Orario buzzed with activity from early morning.
Drake walked down the street, eating freshly bought fried potato balls. Whoever invented them, they even had soy sauce octopus-flavored ones! They tasted remarkably like takoyaki.
Drake swallowed the potato ball, wondering why he hadn't just bought takoyaki.
The worldview, derived from a work based on the Japanese way of life, infused even the otherworldly food with its unique creativity.
Drake moved with the crowd towards the Ganesha Familia's arena.
The highlight of the Monster Festival was the Ganesha Familia's taming demonstration.
Drake had seen several beast tamers, but none were genuine. Jura relied on magical tools to control monsters. Vendetta was even more unusual, commanding monsters only because he had become one of them.
Drake wanted to witness a tamer subduing monsters with their own abilities.
Upon reaching the arena, however, Drake saw Loki and Ais talking with the Guild's half-elf advisor, Eina.
Drake felt an urge to turn around and leave; he sensed trouble.
Loki spotted Drake, who was trying to blend into the crowd.
"Hey! Drake, over here!"
Drake pretended not to hear, but Loki approached him.
"Drake, don't be so cold! We had a misunderstanding, but isn't it resolved?"
Drake sighed, seeing Loki put her arm around his neck. "Loki-sama, our relationship isn't that close, is it?"
Loki smiled. "Don't be so stingy! Stingy men have no women, you know!"
Drake glanced at Loki without replying; Ais approached.
"Drake, about the other day… I'm truly sorry."
Drake sighed. "It wasn't your fault; you're not the one who needs to apologize."
Ais fell silent; she wasn't eloquent and didn't know what to say.
Loki, however, spoke up. "I know you're a fair person, Drake. Let's forget about that; could you help us with something?"
Drake sighed. "I knew you wouldn't ask for anything good, Loki-sama."
Trouble had arrived; Drake wished he'd left earlier; if he'd entered the arena, Loki wouldn't have pressed him into service.
Standing on a rooftop, overlooking the streets, Drake reflected that he hadn't intended to interfere with this disturbance.
However, Loki and Eina had asked for his help; for the Hephaestus Familia's sake, he had to act.
Drake focused his senses, quickly locating the active monsters.
As in the original story, Freya had opened Ganesha's monster cages, releasing the captured creatures.
These were Level 1 monsters from the upper levels, but many non-adventurers were present during the festival.
Adventurers were mostly unarmed; encountering monsters would be dangerous.
Loki and Eina wanted Drake to deal with the escaped monsters.
Drake sped through the streets, quickly finding a half-orc attacking a pedestrian.
Drake kicked the half-orc's head, exploding it. Without waiting for thanks, he moved to the next monster.
Ais was also quickly eliminating the escaping monsters. The two of them almost completely cleared the streets.
Then, Drake sensed the Fallen Sprite's foul energy.
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