Power Corrupts: Small Deadlines (ch.23) (Patreon)

Zanis knew better than to try to argue with a pissed off god and made a hasty retreat, practically fleeing the establishment as if Hestia was the devil herself. Given that I had never seen her like this -- the absolute fury etched onto her face as she marched out of the Hostess, bombarding every sense with her godly presence until bystanders were left gaping...Maybe he wasn’t wrong. Because Hestia was marching to the Soma familia’s house, her fists clenched so hard that they trembled at her sides, forcing everyone in our way to part like the red sea, the air around her telling them that if they didn’t then she would go through them.

I trailed behind her, the power that Hestia kept under a lock and key washing over my skin in crashing waves, leaving behind a tingling sensation. She wasn’t using her divine power or anything. She was simply taking the top off, reminding everyone exactly what she was -- a god playing at being human. Only now someone had pissed her off to the point she didn’t feel like playing anymore. 

Hestia marched through the streets, hungover adventures and drunks instantly sobering up the moment that her power washed over them. It was hard to describe it in words, but it was like realizing that you were in the presence of a being that you couldn’t even comprehend even if you tried for millions of years. Like all of a sudden, you realized that you were an ant in comparison to a giant so massive that it could reach out and pluck out the sun from the sky itself. 

I carried my blackened and battered sword in hand, but I’m not sure I needed to bother. I doubted anyone so much as notice my presence as I trailed behind Hestia as we made our way through the winding streets of Orario. Neither of us spoke because there was nothing to be said. In the end, both of us knew that this was a bad idea. Both of us knew that this was only going to escalate the situation, but neither of us cared. Or, rather, we were pushed well past the point of caring. 

“Oi, is that Hestia?!” I heard someone exclaim. I glanced over to see that it was a plain-faced man that would be completely indistinguishable from the crowd that gathered if it wasn’t for the fact that he was a god as well. 

“Ohhhhh! Someone sure got her worked up!” Another god commented, “the last time I saw her this pissed was when Apollo transformed himself into her underwear back in Heaven!”

“So scary! Who’s gonna get smited?” A god asked, their voices carrying only because they were the only ones capable of speaking. Mortals were left speechless, myself included, but gods...they watched on and talked. Laughed and gossiped. This really was just a big game to them, wasn’t it?

“I heard it was Soma!”

“Ehhh?! I totally forgot that guy came down from Heaven!” One god gasped dramatically as we continued towards the Soma familia home. 

“Yeah! Go beat him up Loli-big tits! And raid his alcohol cupboard while you’re there!”

“Yeah! Go, Hestia! Bring us booze from that stingy NEET jerk-face!”

“You can do it, Hestia! We believe in you!”

“”””””Hestia! Go Hestia!”””””

They were cheering for us, and I knew that was a good thing, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel happy about it. Not when it felt so mocking, and their main drive was the dim hope that we would share Soma’s wine with them. From the sound of it, it already got around why we were butting heads with the Soma familia, yet the vast majority of the gods that were drawn to Hestia’s presence didn’t seem to care about the reason. 

They were here to be entertained. That was it. 

Back when I was watching the anime, it never clicked just how scary that was. 

“Ignore them, Jericho,” Hestia spoke, not looking at me as she continued forward. Her voice was hard and sharp enough to cut, each wore reverberating through me like the air itself shook when she spoke. “Let them have their fun,” she ordered, my head nodding of its own accord. I’m hoping that she had a plan for them, or in general, because my head felt so numb that I don’t think I could come up with one if I tried. 

I tried to speak but my tongue felt fat and clumsy in my tongue, so I abandoned the effort. I simply followed after her, the mutterings of the gods falling on deaf ears as we continued forward. The busy streets and shops gave way to a district filled with homes, grand mansions hidden behind massive gates. I didn’t recognize any of them, but Hestia seemed to be drawn to a mansion like a moth to a flame. 

It proved to be the right one because Zanis was standing outside of it along with his familia. To his right stood a dwarf with brown hair that flowed into a short brown beard, a battle axe held loosely in his hands as he leaned against the gate almost casually. He, I’m guessing, was the Soma familia’s second level 2. Standing to Zanis’ left was an elf that I didn’t recognize, but he seemed to be tweaking out so badly that I named in Twitch in my mind with a single glance. 

“Lady Hestia-” Zanis started, trying to put on a brave face, but it was impossible. It didn’t matter if you were a level 2, 6 or 100 when it came to staring down a god’s might. No, not even her might, it was simply her natural presence that she wasn’t suppressing.

“No,” Hestia cut him off with a single word, the gathering of Soma familia members shivering as she spoke. My gaze swept over them, my stomach clenching at the sight of them. I knew that only two of them were level 2 adventurers, but there were...hundreds of them. They filled up the courtyard, dozens of them taking up positions in the windows with bows in their hands, all of them pointed directly at us. 

My weapon felt impossibly heavy in my hand as I took in the crowd of adventurers, their rough faces blurring together as I asked myself a simple question. 

If I had to fight them all right now, would I win?

And no matter how I looked at them all, there was only one answer that I came to. 

No. I couldn’t. 

“I’m not here for you. I don’t care about anything you have to say. Now get out of my way,” Hestia continued, undeterred by their numbers. She didn’t even slow down as she continued forward, setting herself up to crash into Zanis if he didn’t do what she said. 

“I understand you’re upset, but this could be considered an attack on-” Zanis started, only to be cut off as Hestia neared simply because she didn’t slow down. They played a game of chicken, and Hestia won. Zanis stepped out of our way, our eyes meeting as I walked by him. I could see the raw rage in his gaze, and I could only hope that he could see the hate in mine as we entered the Soma familia property without issue. 

Zanis stepping out of the way seemed to be a signal for the others. The dense wall of adventurers stepped out of our way, parting to reveal a stone pathway. I could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on us as we walked up the stone path, hundreds of adventurers flanking us as we walked towards the front door. 

According to Eina, the Soma familia had about three hundred members, though more and a few were questionable since they seemed to be inactive. I’m hoping that meant that they were dead rather than retired, but even then...if this came to a fight...I wasn’t sure what I could do. And, more than anything, that scared the hell out of me. 

Hestia pushed the doors open with surprising strength, revealing a home that might have been nice at some point, but someone had long since stripped the place of any wealth, leaving behind only hints that it had been there at all. The wooden staircase looked like it was meant to be covered with a fancy rug up the middle, but it was gone, while the staircase itself looked like it hadn’t been polished in years. The floors were scuffed, the same with the walls while any decorations looked like they were stripped from them. 

What really caught my attention was the fact that there were more adventurers indoors. Archers took up positions at the top of the stairs, their bows trembling badly enough as they aimed at me rather than at Hestia that I spared a worry that they might shoot on accident. Hestia didn’t seem to notice them as she walked up the stairs, completely unafraid, and it was only as I walked up the stairs after her that I realized that we were being followed. 

I knew who it was without having to look and I hated it. At the very least, I was putting myself between Zanis and Hestia, even if it did mean my own back was left exposed to him. 

The archers at the top of the stairs melted away as Hestia approached, letting her walk towards a large set of doors that overlooked the doorway without issue. She came to a stop in front of it, glaring at the door as if she was silently demanding that it open itself. Or, rather, that Soma be the one to do it. Instead, the door remained closed for a long second until Hestia’s face twisted into an almost uncharacteristic snarl before she pushed the door open herself. 

“Soma,” Hestia started, striding into the room with me a half step behind her. My gaze landed on the god of the moon for the first time and…

The guy looked like a corpse. His mane of black hair was an unkempt mess that fell into his eyes so I couldn’t see them, leaving the bottom half of his face bare. A scruffy beard grew over gaunt cheeks, his skin was devoid of any pigment as if it had been years since he last saw the sun. He was dressed in a simple loose cloak that was covered in old stains, as were his hands. 

Worse, he didn’t even look up as we entered. A mortar and pestle were in front of him as he ground away at some ingredient, the sound of it impossibly loud as we stood there before him. A moment passed. Then another. Then those moments turned into a minute. Then another minute passed in near silence.

He hadn’t even noticed us. An actual god was broadcasting her displeasure at him, and he was so absorbed in his task that he didn’t even notice that we were here. I wonder if he noticed when Lili was here, trying to be released from his familia? Did he notice when they took her from this room, beat her then nearly killed her? Now, with every passing second as the tension grew heavier, I felt my rage growing. It certainly didn't help that both of the people responsible were standing in the same room as me. 

I wasn't the only one apparently because Hestia took two small steps forward before she lashed out with a hand, smacking the mortar off the desk and sending it flying until it broke against the wall. Only then did Soma look up. 

"You," Hestia began as she slammed her hands onto his desk, making the dozens of vials jingle from the force. "Do you have any idea what you've let happen?" Hestia demanded, her voice filled with raw emotion. 

Soma stared at Hestia for a moment, his rat's nest of hair blocked his eyes from view, but I felt his gaze on me for a moment. He tilted his head as he looked back at Hestia, his lips quirking down. 

"No?" He questioned, his voice filled with so much innocent confusion that I wanted to hit him for it. "Why are you here?" He asked, either oblivious or not acknowledging that Hestia was about ready to smite him into nothing. 

"Your familia has been attacking mine for weeks," Heatia spat, his ignorance infuriating her just as much as it did me. 

"That," Zanis spoke, his voice level despite everything, "is untrue. I never gave any order to harass the Heatia familia-" 

Hestia whipped around, rounding on Zanis before she jabbed a finger in his direction. "You don't get to talk," she decided, making Zanis' mouth snap shut. The air itself seemed to tremble with a silent 'or else.' satisfied she made her point, Heatia turned back to Soma. "Your familia tried to murder Lili. Do you remember her? She was here last night begging to be released from this...disaster of a familia to join mine!" 

Something passed over Soma's face at that but Hestia either didn't notice or she didn't care. "Then your familia beat her and that...that piece of...shit tried to kill her!" Hestia swore for the first time, jabbing a finger in Zanis' direction. "They broke into my home to finish the job! And now he tried taking Lili back by saying that we kidnapped her!" 

"Oh," Soma commented, sounding more than a little lost. "I'm sorry?" 

I could hear something snap inside of me at the half-assed apology. How could someone be so out of touch, so oblivious…

"Do you think that being sorry is good enough?" I snarled at him, squeezing my blade hard enough that Zanis reacted by placing a hand on his. I couldn't be bothered to care as I glared at the deadbeat god, something dark welling up inside of me. Soma looked at me for a moment, shifting in his chair. 

"I'm very sorry?" He tried instead, scratching at his cheek absentmindedly. 

I wanted to jump over that desk and throttle him. I...think I might have only a short hour earlier. Before the dragon, with the raw rage and hate bubbling in my chest, I might have done it. Just because it would feel good. Because I would find a way to justify it to myself to make it worth it. 

"We're not here to hear your empty apologies," I stated, surprising myself with how calm I managed to make myself sound. "We're here to take Lili from you degenerates." 

"Name-calling from a murderer?" Zanis poked, his voice smug and judging. What he said didn't make an ounce of sense, but it didn't need to. He was needling me. Trying to get me to lash out. 

"Yes. Name-calling from a murderer. And I'll murder every single one of you down to the last man, women, and child with my bare hands if it means Lili is free of you pieces of filth," I swore, realizing I was telling the truth when Hestia gave me a sharp look. 

"Ah…" Soma muttered, "you're the one she talked about." 

He…

Hate surged in my chest like the biblical flood sent by God, ready to wash everything away to start over fresh. If Zanis wasn’t in the room, I would have dropped my weapon just to make sure that I didn’t murder Soma with it. 

“I am,” I agreed, my voice tight as my heart hammered at my ribs. The gall...he sat there and did nothing, and now… “What did Lili say when she was here? Were you even listening?” I heard myself ask, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer. If he had no idea if he hadn’t...I don’t know what would be worse -- if he listened and didn’t help her or hear her at all. 

Soma gave a shallow nod, “she was worried about you.” Soma explained, delivering a punch to the gut. “She didn’t think you could win in a War Game but knew you’d try anyway. She came here to be released so you wouldn’t have to risk your life.”

...Lili…

“Why didn’t you let her go?” Hestia asked with a quiet anger in her voice, and it sounded all the deadlier for it. 

“Because she wanted Soma more than she wanted to leave-”

“I’m going to kill you,” I swore, interrupting Soma, making him flinch because he could hear the truth in my words. Zanis reacted by drawing his sword, bearing it at me, but he didn’t move to strike me down. He was waiting for me to give him that ironclad reason to kill me, to make this whole problem go away with the excuse of ‘I was defending my god.’ I wouldn’t give it to him. 

“Jericho…” Hestia trailed off, her expression shifting from anger to worry as she looked at me.

“You put that filth in her, got her high out of her goddamn mind, then used that as proof if she was worth helping or not? Fuck you, you piece of shit,” I swore, standing perfectly still. Not even my voice conveyed the raw rage and hate I felt for the waste of space before me. “I couldn’t care less that you’re a god. This isn’t over until you’re dead. Not fucking off back to heaven, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure you’re rotting in the dirt when this is over. You can smite me when it happens. So long as you die, then I’m happy.”

I should have been here. To stop Lili from ever touching that garbage to prove anything, much less if she deserved to be saved. 

“You…” Soma trailed off, the shock of my promise seemed to wear off a lot faster with him than the others. He tilted his head before giving a shallow nod to himself. “You want a War Game?” He hazarded a guess, making Zanis sputter, lowering his weapon as he turned to his god. 

“Lord Soma, you can’t be considering this?” Zanis shouted, “you cannot bet your own life in a War Game! They have wronged us just as much as we wronged them, this can be settled without dragging this into the public eye!” 

Soma gave a small shrug, “It’s not against the rules, so it should be fine.” The deadbeat god turned his attention to me, his eyes hidden by his hair but, as much as I hated him, I couldn’t say that he didn’t have the air of a god around him. His gaze was heavy, just as heavy as I would imagine that Hestia’s felt on her walk over here. “I’ll accept your War Game challenge on one condition…”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “You want me to drink your crappy wine,” I deduced, getting a small nod from Soma. 

“If you manage to resist it, then I’ll accept your challenge. You can have whatever you want -- Lili, our wealth, home and my life. Whatever you wish,” Soma stated, shutting Zanis up with a gesture of his hand. “But only if you resist.”

“Jericho,” Hestia started, shaking her head at me, but...I wanted to do it. I wanted to knock back that drink, spit it in his face, and rub his face in it. 

“Fine,” I agreed, feeling Hestia grab my hand, squeezing it tightly. I glanced down at her and offered what I hoped was a gentle smile. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” I told her, my voice soft as Soma fetched a sake glass and an urn of Soma wine. Hestia felt the truth in them because she relaxed ever so slightly, believing me. Zanis, on the other hand, radiated smugness out of every pore. I was going to enjoy watching that face crumble. 

Stepping forward, Soma poured me a wide shallow cup of murky white alcohol. Even from so far up, I could smell its sweet scent. Soma handed it to me, his hair still hiding his eyes, but I felt his gaze on me as I took the glass. Slowly, I raised it to my lips and…

It was delicious. I would go as far as to say perfect. I felt warmth travel all the way down to my soul like there was a fire burning in my gut that was as pleasant as a thick blanket on a cold winter morning. The taste of it reverberated through me, assaulting every sense with a feeling of pure bliss. Despite myself, I could see why people lost themselves to this feeling. 

It was euphoria. It was too good to be true. Everything melted away -- pain, fear, stess, all of it, which would lead me higher until I was completely gone for however long this high lasted. A single sip, and I could only describe it as being freed from worldly concerns. 

Yet, I slowly reached out to the urn, gripping it tightly, idly aware of how Hestia gasped and Zanis began to chuckle. 

Maybe, just maybe, if things had been different then I could lose to this feeling. If I hadn’t watched drugs destroy my dad’s life to the point it nearly ruined mine, maybe I wouldn’t have the hate and spite to fuel my resolve. Because, unlike Lili, it wasn’t love that let me overpower the high. It was spite. It was rage. It was hate. It was every dark feeling that had built up over the day over what happened until that haze was pushed away in favor of murderous rage. 

I picked up the urn and threw it against the wall, the sound of glass shattering was impossibly loud in the silent room. Soma leaned back in his chair as I gently placed the glass back on his desk. 

“One week,” I said, drawing myself up to my full height. “We’ll have the War Game in one week.” One week to train. One week to level up. One week to get new armor and weapons. 

Soma smiled at me and I hated him even more for it. “One week it is then,” he agreed with a nod of his head. 

I turned around, seeing Hestia smile at me. I grabbed her hand and walked away, my gaze landing on Zanis as I walked out of the room. His dull gray eyes promised vengeance, a bloody and brutal one at that. I maintained eye contact the entire time before I left the room, feeling the gaze of dozens of eyes. 

These people were the ones that beat Lili within an inch of her life. I looked at them all, refusing to feel intimidated as I lead Hestia out of the building. All of them looked rough now that I was looking at individual faces. Deadspots on their teeth, ruined skin, greasy hair, and beards. Some sneered at me, others impassively stared me down, while a few looked completely impassive, only here because Zanis told them to be here. 

This was what I was up against. Hundreds of adventurers. 

And I had a week to be ready to crush them all. 

…

“Did anyone die?” Was Mama Mia’s greeting as we stepped into the Hostess, her gaze dipped down to my sword, so I held it up to show that it was still blood-free. Then her gaze slid over to Hestia, who looked more than a little sheepish. Her anger had a long fuse but was explosive when she reached the end of it and she settled back down after the outburst. 

Hestia shook her head, “no! Nothing really bad happened. We had a nice, civil discussion with Soma and now we have a week to prepare before we crush them into the dirt!” Okay, maybe all of her anger hadn’t dissipated during the walk back. Only mine had. 

It felt like a stone was lifted off my chest -- I said what I wanted to say. Soma and Zanis were still alive, but their execution date had been set. Now it was simply a matter of making sure I was strong enough to make sure both of them died when the time came. 

“Good,” Mama Mia said, glancing over to the side where several members of the Hostess peeked out, eavesdropping on the conversation. “If you had, then we wouldn’t have been able to help you. A lot of these strays aren’t the kinds of girls that want people looking too deep into their pasts.”

I saw Anya nod sagely while the others simply nodded, so I’m guessing her deep, dark and tragic past wasn’t as dark as the others. The only one I knew was Ryuu’s -- she killed everyone connected to an organization that had killed her familia. Even a tenuous connection was enough to eliminate entire familias down to the last member. 

“That’s probably why Zanis was here -- he figured you’d cut us loose if too much attention was drawn onto you,” I hazarded a guess, something he said back in Soma’s office standing out to me. “It sounded like he was pretty against this becoming a War Game, or getting the Soma familia in the public eye.” Something that was impossible now since Hestia’s walk to their home was going to be the talk of the town.

“Hmph,” Mama Mia scoffed as she cleaned a glass. “Idiots like that can only understand how they think. But, eh, the worst case didn’t happen. Now, what happens next for you?” She asked, a challenge in her tone, but it was softened with a kind edge. It was less than she was grilling me, and more of pressing me to take the next step. 

That was a good question. “We need to let the Guild know that there’s a War Game happening. After that, it’ll be decided what kind of War Game it will be.” At that, Mama Mia nodded. 

“They’re decided by roulette most of the time, but some gods like pulling a type from a hat,” she informed, reminding me just how random the outcome was decided. It really came down to chance what kind of odds I was going to be facing and I hated it. 

“Then I need to make sure I can win no matter what kind of War Game it is,” I said, making Mama Mia crack a smirk. Hestia squeezed my hand, still refusing to let go of it, and I savored the gesture of support. 

“Good attitude,” she complimented before she turned her attention to where the girls were hiding out. “Now, the rest of you get back to work!’ She barked the order, making the girls scramble out of their hiding place. The slowest amongst them was Syr, who offered me a wink and a wave as she disappeared into the kitchen. However, Ryuu met Mama Mia’s gaze evenly, making the older woman let out a small sigh before she made a dismissing gesture. “Go beat some sense into him.”

I feel like I should be offended, but, if anything, that was very fair. 

“I’ll go inform the Guild-” I started, only for Hestia to firmly shake her head. 

“No, I’ll go take care of the Guild. You focus on your training! Don’t let anything distract you, got it?” Hestia decided, letting go of my hand to cross her arms and put on an authoritative air. I glanced down at her to see that she was serious. I...didn’t like it. Especially after we had just royally pissed Zanis off, but would he do anything so soon? 

“Take someone with you when you go, please,” I requested, relenting despite how much I wanted to lock Hestia in a room and not let her out until all of this was settled. She nodded firmly in acceptance. Perhaps I was worrying too much -- it would be self-destructive to attack us right now, but when has that ever stopped anyone? I couldn’t risk Hestia on even the slightest chance. 

“Course!” Hestia said before she wrapped her arms around me. She let out a small sigh, and I could practically feel her want to speak about what happened at Soma’s, but there was too much else to be done. Maybe later when there weren’t so many other people around. I gave her a small squeeze back before letting go, looking at Ryuu to give her a nod to show that I was ready. 

“We will be back by nightfall,” Ryuu told Hestia, pulling up her mask as she donned her adventuring outfit. I still thought it looked ridiculous, but if she was going to be training me then I couldn’t care less what she wore. Hestia looked back at her to give Ryuu a firm nod. At the very least, I’m glad that they’re getting along. 

My gaze lingered on the stairway as we turned to leave the Hostess to begin my crunch time, only to tear my gaze away. As much as I might want to, I couldn’t wait by Lili’s bed, waiting for her to wake up. I secured us a single week, and I had to make the most of every second. And I knew that she wouldn’t want me to sit around when I could be working out my legs to deliver the boot to the Soma familia. 

Even still, my mind lingered on what Soma had said as I tore my gaze away to follow Ryuu out of the building. Lili had taken Soma and she had succumbed to it. It wasn’t a surprise, not really. Back in the anime, she only barely managed to fight through it because Bell was kicking down the door at the final second for her to deliver her answer. 

And I hadn’t been there. 

That wouldn’t happen again. 

Ryuu led me out of the city, taking me to a small grove that looked like it had seen some use. I looked around, brandishing my burnt weapon, while she held a wooden sword. “This is my training ground. I would appreciate it if you told no one of it,” she requested as she turned to face me. 

“I won’t say a word about it to anyone,” I promised with a nod, parking myself across from her. 

She nodded her thanks before her gaze roamed over me -- I still wasn’t wearing a shirt, was I? But, it seemed that Ryuu was looking me over with a critical eye rather than checking me out. “You said that your goal is to learn how to wield a sword, and increase your stats? Is that still true?” 

My grip tightened on my sword as I gave a shallow nod, “yeah, it is.” I confirmed, only to pause after a moment. “And I’m not stupid enough to say that you shouldn’t hold back, but you can batter me around more than you should be able to. I’ll survive so long as I have a health potion handy.”

“Is it a skill?” Ryuu questioned, tilting her head to the side in thought. “No, don’t-” 

“Yeah, it’s a skill,” I confirmed before she could retract the question. There was no point in trying to hide it. It was impossible that she wouldn't notice and, after everything, I could at least trust her with a piece of the truth. "And it's part of the reason while I can get stronger so quickly. The harder that I'm pushed physically, the bigger the gains." 

She seemed to digest that for a moment. "I see," Ryuu said, and that was the only warning I got before she moved. She was a blur that I could almost follow, and that was only because of my perk, but reacting was impossible. I barely had time to move my blade before I felt her wooden sword crack across my cheekbone hard enough that I flew to the side, lifting off the ground for a short flight before crashing to a sliding halt. 

Blood filled my mouth as I blinked slowly, my face more numb than pained. Was that a good sign? I think it meant my face wasn't broken. 

"I will fight you with the strength of a level 3, then," Ryuu decided on her own as I rolled into my side, spitting blood before I staggered to my feet. "Most believe that a level up makes you worth twenty of your previous level in a fight. As far as generalizations go, it's not completely wrong. In theory, fighting me is akin to fighting four hundred level 1s." 

That's some scary math, I thought as I leveled my sword at her. 

"Is there anything else I should know about your skill before we continue?" Ryuu asked, her tone dangerous. 

"...I don't need to sleep."

"Excellent." 

…

It was weird to think of Jericho as scary. Heatia knew him as a giant cuddlebug that enjoyed her cooking and gave her massages. Even when he killed the Soma adventures broke into their home, Jericho never really struck her as scary. Angry, absolutely, but it was hardly like she was calm. 

Jericho threatened to kill a god and he meant every word. 

"Do you need some help, Lady Heatia?" Syr asked as Heatia dragged Jericho's backpack with her. He made it look so light, but that dragon claw weighed an absolute ton and so did that lump of metal. 

"No," Hestia grit out, pushing herself to take another step as the bag drug against the cobblestone. She was getting odd looks from those that passed her by, and more than a few were pointing and whispering. Hestia ignored them, knowing they were whispering about her outburst. She didn't regret it. She was angry- 

Actually, she still was angry. The nerve of Zanis to come to the Hostess and accuse them of keeping her captive after he tried to murder her! She couldn't bear to listen to another filthy word that came out of that sleazeball’s mouth, and she snapped. Hestia hadn't broken the rules, so she was safe from being booted back to heaven and she wouldn't suffer any consequences simply because the gods were being entertained. 

And then with Soma...that clueless…she was getting worked up just thinking about it. Hestia channeled that anger into taking another step while She watched her with a worried expression. 

"Why do you need the monster drops?" She asked, grabbing a sleeve of the backpack anyway to help her pull. Honestly, it was like Jericho filled the thing with rocks. 

"Because Jericho needs armor," Hestia explained, recalling what Jericho told her. It was a shame about that Welf child, but it sounded like he was dealing with his own personal issues. "And there's only one smith that I trust to make it." Her friend wasn't going to be happy with her, but at the very least she was providing the materials. 

Syr accepted that as an answer and helped her drag the heavy bag of loot all the way to the Guildhall. They ignored the odd looks they were getting, dragging the thing all the way there until they ran into their next mortal enemy. The stairs. "I'll pull, you push," Heatia ordered, undaunted as they dragged the bag up. 

If Lili would wake up, then this task would be so simple. The thought hit her like a punch, her grip slipping on the bag for a moment. Ryuu said not to worry because Lili was just resting, but seeing Lili there, dead to the world was just…!

Hestia only realized her mistake when the bag began to tip backward while Syr made panicking noises. "H-hey!" She shouted, snapping Heatia out of her thoughts in time before the bag tipped back too far to crush Syr. Hestia heaved, but it seemed that Syr lost her balance because she felt the bag get tugged away from her. 

Then it suddenly stopped. 

“...Rocks?” Hestia heard a gentle voice question, a familiar one. She glanced over to see long blonde hair, golden eyes, and a slender body. Ais Wallenstein. She held the bag up with a single hand, staring questioningly at its surface and...of course Jericho would fill his bag with rocks. Hestia didn’t know what she was expecting. 

“Thank you, Miss Wallenstein,” Syr said, letting Ais hold the bag in place with an ease that the two of them hadn’t managed with a single hand. 

Ais turned to Hestia, her face blank but her eyes were shockingly expressive. Despite herself, Hestia saw why Loki favored Ais amongst her children. Loki always had a thing for kuuderes. In her golden eyes, Hestia said nervousness and sorrow. And it was then that Hestia recalled that Loki had kicked Jericho to the curb instead of helping. 

“Lady Hestia…” Ais started uncertainly, “we want to train-” Ais didn’t get to say anymore because the hussy that was throwing herself at Jericho last night slapped a hand over her mouth. Tiona, Hestia recalled only because she was an A-cup while her sister, Tione, was an E-cup. 

“There, uh...is...something we would like to help you with...and...it has to be a secret or we’ll get yelled at a lot by Loki?” Tiona hedged, making Hestia wonder who she was trying to fool with that act. Her eyes kept darting to the side, making Hestia glance over, just in time to see the tail end of a ponytail of someone jerking out of sight behind a pillar. Right. 

Loki was the god of mischief, so there was no point in wondering if she was scheming something. The answer was simply always yes. It was a question if she was scheming something against her or not…

Hestia looked into Ais’ golden eyes that silently pleaded with her. If Loki was plotting against her, then at least Ais and Tiona were ignorant of it, that much she was certain. Slowly, despite her anger from before, a small smile began to tug at her lips. It seemed Jericho had much better luck with his female friends than he did his male ones, she thought. 

“Thank you...we could use the help.”