Orario.
In the evening of the same day, our entire Familia was summoned to him by Ouranos, the god, the head of the Guild, and, in fact, the ruler of Orario. And now we were in the 'Prayer Room' located beneath the Guild, which is his abode. And besides the full cast of our Familia, there was also a monster with us that was sleeping in Tia's arms, and its size was no bigger than a house cat.
The place was a rather dark room with a pile of columns and a high throne, where Ouranos himself sat. He looked to be about sixty, had gray hair and blue eyes, and his attire was a white robe and a black hooded cloak.
As the silence hung between us, broken by the monster's quiet snoring, I processed the past events at a rapid pace.
Of course, we had taken the monster with us, reducing its size. And that had gotten a lot of attention. In just a couple of hours, the news traveled all over the city, and almost every person I met was actively discussing it. The gods were especially interested in it, as Arcanum was forbidden to use, but somehow Tia managed to completely subdue the monster.
Among other things, when an extremely satisfied Morgan returned home, I asked what made her use magic. The answer to my question was silence and a caustic smirk, but without any explanation.
- "Your Familia has made today a very special day," Ouranos' deep voice interrupted my musings, "Do you have anything to say?"
- "We'd like to hear a clarification," I said calmly.
- "In that case, let's begin. Morgan le Fay harmed the goddess Freya, spilling her divine blood and leaving several wounds," he explained, to which Morgan responded with a satisfied smile, Tia with a judgmental look, and me with a raised eyebrow.
- "So that was the reason for the manifestation of your powers, huh? Care to share the details?" I asked her.
- "I'm sure you noticed that the monster was enchanted," she said, to which I nodded briefly, "It was the handiwork of a goddess, and of course I punished her."
- "Attacking a god, much less injuring one, is a crime," Ouranos said sternly, "The punishment is banishment from Orario forever."
- "And you will ignore the fact that the actions of this goddess may have cost the lives of mortals, 'ruler' of Orario? How hypocritical," Morgan grinned, to which Ouranos showed no visible reaction.
- "Aaaaaa~" Tia added, supporting Morgan and condemning Ouranos.
- "Freya Familia is one of the strongest at the moment, so some concessions are acceptable towards her. However, she will be punished in compensation," Ouranos said in a measured tone, "And I don't like your tone, fairy. You forget who you're talking to."
The last phrase was spoken without arrogance, which I found a good sign. It means that he has no problem with criticism, but is mindful of his authority and place. I suppose you can have a conversation with him with some respect. Plus, having read a couple of books on the history of this world, I managed to learn a few things.
- "For all that, my companions are right, Lord Ouranos," I said, "The gods are forbidden to use the Arcanum, for if they do, they will be forcibly sent back to Heaven. Shouldn't monster charms be punished in the same way?"
- "Like I said, Freya Familia is one of the strongest. I can send Freya back, but then there will be a gap in the city's strength that you are unlikely to be able to fill. Given what I've heard, that's not certain," Ouranos replied, to which I shrugged, Tia frowned, and Morgan grinned.
Well, we have nothing to back up those words. After all, we're not going to be here long.
Also, that old man seems a little suspicious. Ouranos has indirectly confirmed that it is he who returns the gods to Heaven, and not some Alaya-like mechanism of the world. That is, when an Arcanum rule is broken, he and the rest of the gods are the ones who give the verdict, and there may be more like Freya.
- "It's interesting that you mention the punishment but nothing about its execution, Lord Ouranos," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets.
- "Indeed," he nodded, "And the reason for that is now sleeping in Tiamat's hands."
- "Aaaa~" Tia asked, not realizing what Ouranos was getting at.
- "The original purpose of Monstrophilia was not to entertain the audience, but to show the possibility of taming monsters, and further coexisting with them on the surface."
- "Hmmm... interesting, but I still don't see the point. Monsters will still remain monsters in people's minds." I said.
- "Monsters follow their instincts, trying to kill any surface dweller. However, there are exceptions to this rule. They are also monsters born from the Underground, but they have intelligence, can speak human language, can coexist with mortals, and wish to go to the surface. We call such monsters Xenos," Ouranos explained, to which I raised an eyebrow.
Okay, now that makes sense. If we plan on introducing intelligent monsters into society, we'll first need to expand the way we see the world. Create the assumption in people's heads that monsters can be interacted with in ways other than violence. That is, so that they are not instantly thrown at them. It's a very long and laborious process, but the result is possible.
- "If we summarize your words and message, we can assume that you sympathize with these 'Xenos' and even help them, Lord Ouranos," I summed up, "And, as I understand it, you're essentially offering a quid pro quo, aren't you?"
- "That's right, Romani Archaman. I'll forget about the attack on Freya and support you to the best of my ability, and in return you'll take care of the Xenos. Given what happened, people won't have any more questions for you than they already have."
- "Aaaaaa~" Tia was about to agree as Morgan stopped her abruptly.
- "Oh, you want to turn the whole city against us and wreak havoc using our Familia?" she grinned, "We are always ready to fight back, god, and I'm sure the outcome for you will be extremely unexpected."
- "And what kind of care are we talking about?" I added, "If I understand correctly, you want us to house the Xenos, and that would definitely turn out the way Morgan described."
- "I apologize for not being more specific," he apologized surprisingly calmly, "I want you to start interacting with the Xenos in the Dungeon, to teach them how to live among humans so that when the time comes, they can integrate into mortal society. And, as previously stated, I will give you my support."
I thought for a moment, then looked at Morgan.
- "Is he lying?" I asked her mentally, using the link between Master and Servant.
- "No, but he's not telling the whole truth," her voice echoed in my head, "He definitely has an ulterior motive, and the wording he uses indicates it. However, you've already figured it out."
- "Aaaaaa~" Tia also mentally asked.
- "I don't mind taking care of xenos, Tia, really, but we're obviously being tried to be used here. And I need to figure out why."
I could certainly subdue everyone by force, as one use of Noble Phantasm would suffice, but that's definitely not something that would please Tia. And even if I bring this world to its knees and order it to live peacefully, sooner or later conflicts will erupt, and they will definitely erupt as soon as we leave.
So, a long term solution will be required, not something else. What Ouranos is proposing sounds good, yes, but what does he want to accomplish with it? No one knows. Could things get much worse? Yes, it could. And for that reason, we need to get to the bottom of this. And if that's the case.
- "In that case, we agree."
-0-
We ended up leaving the Prayer Room soon enough. Ouranos explained the location of the Xenos Village and asked us to pay a visit there soon. Well one tiny detail indirectly hinted at Bell. He was being coy, but for now we just had to go with what he said. As a last resort, I'll still use force if the town suddenly turns on us.
All the way from the Guild and all the way home, we were accompanied by questioning looks from the people of Orario. It was mostly about the monster in Tia's hands, and about her. I didn't pay much attention, for Ouranos had assured us that our Familia would not be touched under threat of punishment, though it wasn't really necessary.
When we reached Emiya's residence, Hestia and Bell were waiting for us at the door, looking worried. I also sensed that we were being followed, and the pursuer's intentions were not good. I'm guessing someone in Frey Familia, given Morgan's actions.
- "Is something wrong?" I asked Hestia calmly as we got closer.
- "Are you alright? What did Ouranos say? You're not leaving the city, are you? Are you?" The goddess of the hearth gibbered, shifting her gaze between us.
- "I suggest we discuss this inside, Lady Hestia. There are too many prying eyes outside," I said and invited them inside. They looked at each other, but then slowly followed us in.
In fact, I could have ignored them and just politely sent them home, but Ouranos had mentioned Hestia's baby for some reason. As if he was important, and I wanted to know why that was so. Maybe some clue or something will come out during the conversation that will shed some light on Ouranos' motives. Uh-huh-uh.
-0-
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