In the world Levi came from, there was a saying: If people think you have weapons of mass destruction, you'd better actually have them.
Hestia didn't know the saying, but she understood the principle. When Levi was Level 1 or 2, the Familia had to keep their heads down. Now that Levi had reached Level 4 and held a "Royal Flush" in his hand, did they still need to live with their tails between their legs? Had Levi spent all those Valis and accumulated all that Excellia for nothing?
Moreover, the two Familias she actually needed to worry about—Loki and Freya—already had a good idea of Levi's situation. As for the other "fun-loving" gods, some had first-tier adventurers, but that group definitely did not include Apollo.
Orario was the City of Heroes, but at its core, it still followed the law of the jungle: Might makes right.
Powerful Familias could trample the weak at will, and the latter had no choice but to accept their fate. If the god causing trouble today were a powerhouse with Level 5 or at least Level 4 adventurers, Hestia might have endured for safety's sake.
But for Apollo... She recalled what Levi had told her during one of their quiet moments: "One punch thrown now prevents a hundred later."
A new king is always crowned atop the corpse of the old. The Apollo Familia was a solid mid-tier power; since they refused to coexist in peace, Hestia was more than happy to "kill the chicken to warn the monkeys." She would use their miserable end to suppress the wandering eyes of the other gods.
Apollo, of course, had no idea what had passed through Hestia's mind in those few seconds. Even if he had, he would have brushed it off as a bluff.
"Heh~" Apollo sneered. "It sounds like you're declaring yourself my enemy, Hestia?"
"You can take it that way," Hestia shrugged, looking entirely unfazed.
Seeing the two gods at each other's throats, the adventurers grew tense—but the gods grew ecstatic. Grudges between deities were common, but few went public in such a dramatic fashion.
At that moment, a blond god wearing a beret and dressed like a ranger stepped out from the crowd. It was a mutual acquaintance of both sides, the god known as "Absolute Neutral"—Hermes.
"Hestia, Apollo... since you've reached an impasse, why not settle this the Orario way?"In other words, Freya had visited Levi's hometown during one of her trips and had met him. From Hephaestus's understanding of Freya, she wouldn't let a potential opportunity slip by. To put it bluntly, Levi hadn't caught Freya's attention back then. This was intriguing. A child once overlooked was now desired.
Hephaestus shook her head with a peculiar expression, piquing Loki's curiosity. "So, what kind of riddle are you two playing at?"
Hephaestus glanced at her friend, still lost in her own world, and after a moment of thought, decided to share what she could. But just then, the magic stone lamps in the hall suddenly went out, leaving only a spotlight in the center.
The host of the banquet, Apollo, wearing a crown of olive branches and dressed in a red cloak and a white robe that exposed half his chest, appeared before everyone with open arms. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my banquet..."
He followed with a speech that was neither too long nor too short. When not in one of his manic phases, Apollo was a relatively normal deity—after all, he was the head of a familia with a solid foundation of Level 3 adventurers. However, it was unfortunate that he had ulterior motives for hosting the banquet today. It wasn't long before Apollo began his antics.
"Oh my, isn't that my divine friend Hestia from the upper world?" Apollo suddenly turned his gaze toward the group of goddesses.
Hestia, already unsettled by Freya's earlier words, was in no mood for provocation. "You'd better not bother me right now."
But if Apollo didn't stir trouble, he wouldn't be Apollo. "You seem reluctant to see me, but my children can't stop thinking about your child, Levi Bright, isn't it?"
As Apollo spoke, a magic stone lamp in the corner of the banquet hall lit up, revealing three human adventurers in casts and bandages. The scene caused a stir among the gods and adventurers present.
Hestia, having anticipated Apollo's mischief, merely frowned slightly upon seeing the three. "What are you trying to say?"
"Am I not clear enough?" Apollo replied cheerfully, showing no sign of anger over his injured followers. "My children were adventuring in the dungeon and encountered a young dragon. Just as they were about to kill it, your child Levi appeared out of nowhere, snatched the dragon, and injured my children."
Hestia's eyes widened at his words, then she realized Apollo was twisting the truth. She calmly retorted, "Apollo, are you staging this farce to slander Levi because he's not here today?"
"Slander? Why would I slander him?!" Apollo feigned indignation. "My children are the ones who were injured!"
Without giving Hestia a chance to find flaws in his words, Apollo turned to his three injured followers and asked:
"Did you encounter a young dragon?"
"Yes."
"Were you planning to kill it?"
"Yes."
"Did Levi kill the dragon?"
"Yes."
"Were you injured?"
"Yes."
Mortals cannot lie to gods, or more accurately, any lie would be immediately detected by the latter. However, this doesn't mean gods are omniscient. Apollo cleverly crafted a narrative of 'Levi stealing his familia's prey and injuring them' through unrelated questions.
Hestia, who heard Levi's dungeon adventures over dinner every day, knew how 'honest' her child was. While she understood this, others might not. Or perhaps many gods saw through Apollo's trick but treated it as a spectacle since it didn't concern them.
"Ridiculous," Hestia scoffed. "Everyone knows Levi hasn't been in Orario for long and hasn't even been an adventurer for a month."
She paused briefly. "I remember Loki's 'Sword Princess' took nearly a year to reach Level 2. Or are you suggesting, Apollo, that I got incredibly lucky and found a super rare card capable of taking on three opponents and a Level 2 young dragon?"
Apollo laughed. "Hestia, should I remind you why you approached Levi Bright in the first place?"
Hestia: "..."
With Apollo's words, the crowd, especially the adventurers, began to realize something. Levi Bright, captain of Hestia Familia, was known for confessing to Hestia in the guild hall before she became his patron deity. But before that, rumors suggested he had ventured into the dungeon alone before receiving a blessing.
When this news first circulated, many adventurers were skeptical. Even some gods chose not to believe it. After all, in the long history since Orario's founding, the concept of adventurers and divine blessings had become inseparable. No one would be foolish enough to enter the dungeon without a blessing.
But Apollo's words and Hestia's reaction suggested that the rumor, once dismissed as a joke or fake news, might actually be true?!
"What kind of monster is he?!" an adventurer muttered, voicing the thoughts of many present.
Among the crowd, Naza Eris, captain of the Miach Familia, who had once nearly set a trap for Levi, looked particularly troubled. Though she had since become an apothecary, she understood the nature of adventurers well. While there were good people among them, many were vengeful and wouldn't hesitate to betray others.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi : I'm Surrounded by Goddesses (132 Chapters, Ongoing)
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Miach, standing beside Naza and guessing her thoughts, patted her head. "Don't worry. Hestia and I are friends, and Levi has already told Hestia to let me know he doesn't hold a grudge."
"I see..." Naza nodded, finally realizing her mistake, not just because she was caught but genuinely understanding her error.
"Levi Bright dared to enter the dungeon before receiving a blessing, or perhaps he had a blessing from a familia not recognized by Orario's mainstream," Apollo declared. "Either way, I believe the guild should inspect his blessing and make the results public."
His intentions were clear as day. Yet, aside from Hestia and her few friends, the other gods didn't care. Instead, driven by curiosity, they voiced their agreement.
Hestia frowned in displeasure. "Why?"
"Because he injured my children!" Apollo replied with a sickening smile. "As the victim, I have the right to demand this!"
"Your three children weren't injured by Levi," Hestia stated calmly, but her next words, cold and clear, echoed in everyone's ears. "If they were, you wouldn't see them on the surface again."
Apollo: "Huh?"
The three injured adventurers: "..."
Everyone else: "???"
"Didn't catch that? Want me to repeat it? Sure, no problem." Hestia crossed her arms. "The child I chose, my current lover, my future husband, Levi Bright, doesn't tolerate any nonsense. If you don't provoke him, fine. But if you, Apollo, continue with these baseless accusations..."
She paused, her twin-tailed hair swaying slightly, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Then be prepared for Levi to target your familia until it's completely disbanded."
"!!!!"
Hearing Hermes's suggestion, Hestia—still relatively new to the Lower World—didn't react immediately.
Apollo, however, let out a twisted, sadistic laugh. "Ha! Now that is a marvelous idea."
"It's decided then, Hestia! Let us have a War Game."
"If you lose, you hand over that boy, Levi Bright, to me and leave Orario forever. Conversely, if I lose—"
"One billion Valis," Hestia interrupted sharply.
"What?" Apollo blinked, stunned.
Hestia pursed her lips. "I said, if you lose, you give me one billion Valis. Cold, hard cash. And you will be the one leaving Orario."
She wanted to ask for even more for Levi's sake, but she knew that most Familias only kept liquid assets ranging from a few million to a few hundred million. One billion Valis was likely the absolute limit Apollo could scrape together even if he sold off his Familia's entire estate. Not every god was like Hephaestus, who could drop two hundred million on a whim.
Hearing the "Blue Ribbon's" terms, Apollo's expression turned peculiar. The surrounding gods looked equally surprised.
Hermes couldn't help but chime in, "Hestia, when did you become such a money-grubber?"
Hestia shot him a look. "Why do you care? Just stick to being your 'Absolute Neutral' self." She turned back to Apollo. "Two conditions for two conditions. It's fair, isn't it?"
Just as Hestia had absolute faith in Levi, Apollo had total confidence in his own Familia—likely because the opposition only had a single member. After a moment's thought, Apollo nodded. "Deal."
"Then, what about the specific format of the game?" Hermes continued his role as the mediator.
"A duel?" Hestia suggested.
Apollo immediately vetoed it. "In your dreams! Your Familia only having one person is a result of your own laziness; I'm not stupid enough to throw away my numerical advantage."
The twin-tailed goddess narrowed her eyes. "Just say you're scared."
"Me? Scared?" Apollo acted as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, yet he didn't take the bait. "Fine, let's say I'm 'scared.' Regardless, a duel is out."
"Then let's draw lots," Hermes suggested, stepping in before they could start bickering again. "Since everyone is here, you can all write down the game formats you'd like to see, and I, as the neutral god, will draw one."
Hestia crossed her arms and nodded noncommittally. Apollo agreed that drawing lots was the fairest way. As for the other "fun-loving" gods, they cheered as they scribbled down all sorts of bizarre game types.
Fifteen minutes later.
Hermes held up a parchment that read 'Legion Flag Capture War' and looked at Hestia with an apologetic expression. "Um, sorry about that..."
Hestia: "..."
"Fine. Legion Flag Capture it is." Hestia had prepared for the worst-case scenario from the start. After the initial shock, she nodded in acceptance.
Apollo was ecstatic. His Familia had over a hundred members. While most were Level 1s, he had over a dozen mid-tier Level 2s, and his captain, Hyakinthos, was a Level 3. There was no way he could lose.
Seeing both of his divine friends—specifically Hestia—agree to the stakes, Hermes adjusted the brim of his hat.
'Oh? Is Hestia really that confident in this Levi Bright?' 'To even agree to a Legion War...' 'Or is it as Apollo said? Did Levi receive a Falna long ago and just has a "complicated" background?' 'If that's the case...'
Deciding to test the waters, Hermes turned to the other gods and spoke up. "While this was the result of the draw, a Legion War is still too disadvantageous for Hestia's side. Therefore, I propose—"
Before he could finish, Hestia's voice rang out again.
"I refuse."
"What?" Hermes blinked.
"I said, as the party involved, I refuse your proposal." Hestia didn't know what Hermes was up to, but knowing his nature as a "Chaos God," she wasn't about to let the situation slide into unknown territory.
However...