Three days had passed since the Rakian invasion concluded. Ouranos contacted Hearth Manor, informing them that a formal reply had arrived from Rakia. Tsuna, Hestia, and Reborn gathered to hear the report.
『To summarize, there were zero fatalities. By immediately publicizing the truth about Celua, we successfully quelled the citizens' fear of an unknown mastermind. However, it seems the patron God Ares and King Martinus are facing fierce, nationwide condemnation.』
"Well, that's obvious," Reborn remarked coldly.
Despite having no strategic reason to wage war against an invincible city like Orario, Ares and Martinus had exhausted their military, leaving their homeland defenseless. Because of their sheer incompetence, a terrorist nearly collapsed their entire nation. It was only natural that the citizens were furious at their leaders.
"…"
Tsuna, however, felt a deep pang of guilt, knowing that someone from his world had caused such immense suffering for the people of Rakia.
"Still, I'm surprised the citizens haven't tried to abandon the country," Hestia noted.
『Most of them wouldn't know how to survive outside their borders. Furthermore, Rakia has waged war against countless nations other than Orario. They are deeply hated across the continent. If they leave and their nationality is discovered, their lives would be in extreme danger. They truly have no choice but to remain in Rakia.』
Right, they did use Crozzo's Magic Swords to burn down Elven forests and Spirit sanctuaries… Tsuna recalled the dark history of Rakia's relentless warmongering.
『Because of this incident, it is highly likely that both the King and the patron God will be forcefully replaced. It may sound callous, but this disaster might actually force Rakia to reform into a proper nation.』
Martinus and Ares had piled foolish decision upon foolish decision for years. This catastrophe was the final straw that shattered the citizens' patience. It was practically guaranteed that they would be dragged down from their thrones.
"There's one more thing I forgot to mention. Those cursed rings Celua made? She apparently distributed them to underworld brokers in Rakia," Reborn added.
『Are you saying people other than Ted possess those rings?』
"Yeah. But equipping them drains the user's life force until they die. It's highly unlikely they'll be weaponized on a large scale. But that isn't the real problem. Apparently, those rings were manufactured entirely using materials native to this world."
『Meaning it is possible to mass-produce rings capable of generating Dying Will Flames even in the lower world.』
"That's not all. Celua also successfully developed a technology to convert live monsters into Box Weapons."
"Eh!?"
Tsuna gasped in shock, never imagining that someone could actually turn Dungeon monsters into Boxes.
"But don't panic. Fearing retaliation from the Vindice, Celua kept the existence of the Flames and the Box Monsters a strict secret. And fortunately, the two people she worked most closely with are already dead. In other words, the worst-case scenario of the lower world descending into chaos has been avoided."
『A narrow escape, it seems.』
Ouranos breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Celua's extreme paranoia had inadvertently contained the threat.
"That concludes our report."
『Good work. Contact me immediately if anything else happens.』
Ending the call, Tsuna and the others settled into the living room to wait for Bell and the rest of the party to return from the Dungeon.
"They're late."
The sun had set, and night had fully fallen. Knowing Bell's usual schedule, Reborn frowned, sensing that something was wrong.
"Do you think something happened to them…?" Hestia asked nervously.
"I'll go look for them!!"
During his recent expedition, Tsuna had nearly died after getting caught in a Pass Parade. Knowing the horrors of the Dungeon firsthand, Hestia's anxiety was highly contagious. Tsuna jumped up, frantically grabbing his gear.
"There's no need for that."
Reborn sensed familiar presences approaching Hearth Manor.
Exactly as Reborn predicted, Bell and the others walked through the front gates completely unharmed. Hestia and Tsuna let out massive sighs of relief.
"Who is that? A new Familia member?" Reborn asked, narrowing his eyes.
Though Bell and the party were safe, a small, cloaked figure was hiding nervously behind Bell's legs.
At Reborn's question, Bell wore an incredibly awkward expression as he slowly pulled back the figure's hood.
Amber eyes. Long, pale blue hair. Pale skin. A brilliant crimson gem embedded in her forehead. And sharp, undeniably monstrous claws.
"Eh…!?"
The moment Tsuna saw the girl's features, he instantly recognized her true nature. She was a monster.
"Explain everything."
Monsters were the absolute, sworn enemies of humanity. Since the Hestia Familia didn't have a Tamer, Hestia realized there had to be a profound reason for Bell bringing her to their home, and she calmly demanded an explanation.
A massive swarm of Firebirds had spawned on the 19th Floor, threatening to block the main routing paths for Dungeon exploration. To prevent this, the adventurers of Rivira had organized a massive subjugation raid, and Bell had been drafted to help.
The raid was proceeding smoothly until Bell was accidentally separated from the main group. While wandering alone, he encountered a Vouivre. However, instead of attacking him, she was cowering in terror, tears streaming down her face, desperately trying to escape from the Firebirds. Without thinking, Bell jumped in and saved her.
Noticing she was badly injured, he offered her a potion. And then, defying every known law of the world, the monster actually spoke to him in Koine.
Unable to simply abandon a creature capable of human speech and emotion, Bell resolved to protect her. After desperately convincing Lili and the others, they waited on the 18th Floor until nightfall when the Dungeon traffic thinned out, and carefully smuggled her back to the surface.
A talking monster…
Tsuna recalled the Demi-Spirit he had fought on the 59th Floor. However, the Vouivre trembling behind Bell didn't radiate the sickening malice or pure, concentrated evil of the Demi-Spirit. She was desperately clinging to Bell's leg, looking at them with wide, terrified eyes. Tsuna firmly concluded that she was an entirely different kind of existence.
"…What are your orders, Lady Hestia?" Mikoto asked quietly.
As the patron Goddess, the final decision on how to handle the Vouivre rested entirely with Hestia.
"…Keep this an absolute secret. We will observe her for now. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea how to process this either. To think something like this could actually exist…"
Even an omniscient God was baffled by the existence of a talking monster.
"Monsters are the enemies of the lower world. I know we are supposed to fight them. But seeing her tremble like this… I simply cannot abandon her."
Though she knew the laws of the world dictated that monsters must be destroyed, Hestia was far too compassionate to cast aside a terrified, crying child. She officially decreed that they would protect her.
"Gau?"
Waking up from his nap on the sofa, Natsu hopped down and locked eyes with the Vouivre.
"Gau♪"
Usually timid around strangers when not in combat, Natsu surprisingly trotted right up to her.
The Vouivre flinched at first, but slowly, hesitantly reached out a clawed hand and gently patted his head. Feeling her touch, Natsu purred happily, and a massive, radiant smile spread across the Vouivre's face.
"It's so warm and fuzzy~."
"""!?"""
The Vouivre spoke, perfectly expressing her joy. They hadn't doubted Bell's story, but actually hearing a monster speak fluent Koine left Tsuna, Reborn, and Hestia in absolute shock.
Shortly after, they decided to name the Vouivre 'Wiene.'
However, at that moment, Tsuna and the others were unaware that this fateful encounter would soon plunge all of Orario into unprecedented chaos.
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