Dungeon.
That same day, at night, as I walked floor by floor, I made my way to the Xenos Village. It was on the fourteenth floor, and since the monsters posed no danger to me, since a couple of magic shots were enough, I was digesting what I'd heard from Bell and Hestia, whom we'd placed with us for the day. Ouranos had hinted in passing that I should bring Bell with me. And, of course, it was unclear to me why or why not.
From talking to Hestia's child, it was learned that he had come to Orario because he had been inspired by tales of heroes from a non-native grandfather. To be more specific, to gather a harem. Of course, he didn't explicitly say that, but a couple moments were enough to get that detail.
I hadn't made the connection between our Familia, Bell, Ouranos, and the Xenos Village, but Morgan had. As a fairy who saw the human essence, and as a woman who could weave intrigue, use people, and manipulate them as she wished, she came to understand the situation rather quickly.
According to her, assuming that humanoid female monsters with the appropriate traits would be among the Xenos, the boy might well try to help them and then even lead them out of the Dungeon because it was the "right" and "honorable" thing to do. Bell wouldn't even try to think about the consequences, but would just do it, i.e., go one step further than we do.
So Ouranos sees Hestia's baby as a backup plan if things don't work out with us. He realizes we're not going to dance to his tune, but Bell? Unknowingly and with childlike enthusiasm. And yet neither Morgan nor I can come to understand his motives. Chaos and destruction are too trivial. There's something else, but we don't know what it is yet. Now...
I stopped abruptly in the middle of the tenth floor, which was the same stone walls, floor, and ceiling, but with more height and light like morning mist, and then grinned.
- "What an interesting exercise you have in following the first level from his home itself. May I assume that you are perverts or just plain burglars?" I said into the void behind me.
The answer to my words was a silence that didn't last more than a minute. Three men emerged from the mist: an elf with golden hair and coral eyes, armed with a staff, the end of which was a blade; another elf, apparently dark, with silver hair and green eyes, armed with a sword; a man armed with a spear, with cat ears and a tail, black hair, and a mask covering his eyes.
- "What can I do for you?" I asked the silent pursuers, sensing cold fury and vengefulness from them.
- "We are of the Familia of the Goddess Freya," said the elf.
Well, I can say I expected something like that. It would be strange if they left an attack on their goddess unanswered. Though, I don't see a captain among them, which is pretty famous in Orario. None of them carry two large swords or have the height of two meters, pumped up bodies, or animal traits of a hog. I have a hunch where he is, though, and I have to say, he's worth feeling sorry for. Just a little bit.
- "Expectedly," I shrugged, "I take it. You want to 'collect your debts'?"
- "You're oddly calm for a first-level comprehender," the half-human said, "Or have you already accepted your fate?"
- "No. You're just too weak to make me uncomfortable."
- "Then we'll check it out." The half-man said mockingly and rushed toward me, pointing his spear at my stomach. And, of course, his attack was blocked by a magic circle, forcing him to break the distance. Seeing this, the three, including the attacker, frowned.
- "I told you so. Weak."
- "So that's what your confidence was all about," the elf muttered, and as soon as he finished his sentence, his gaze met the gazes of his companions for a moment, and then I felt them all grow serious.
In the next moment, two circles instantly appeared in front and behind me that blocked the spear and sword respectively. The dark elf and half-human didn't stop there. They circled around me, trying to break through the defenses, but each time they were stopped by my magic. The third member of their group didn't stand idly by either, but poured a hail of lightning spears that couldn't do me any harm either.
And while the surrounding ground turned into a full-fledged battlefield, I watched with interest the strength of the adventurers of this world just by standing still.
I must say, they are impressive. Somewhere rank "D" if you take the Nasuverse system as a basis. Yes, it's only a rank higher than the minimum rank, which is 'E', but that same 'E' denotes superiority over the average human by a factor of ten. And what I see is well within the 'D' rank, albeit the maximum. The dark elf and the half-human distinguished themselves with speed and weapon handling, and the latter with magic.
At some point, the attacks stopped, and all three came together with serious and disgruntled expressions on their faces.
- "Is that it? Not impressed." I grinned, but they ignored my words.
- "Hedin, any ideas?" The half-human asked.
- "No. His defenses seem impenetrable, and it's definitely not something the first level possesses," the elf replied, then glanced at the third member of the group.
- "What about you, Hogni?" The half-human continued questioning.
- "No. No matter how fast we move, or how many attacks he has to block at once, it's all to no avail. And he doesn't even look tired. We need to retreat, Allen, Hedin," said the dark elf, to which the two reluctantly, but still agreed, and were about to leave when a huge wall of flame appeared right in front of them, blocking their escape route. Seeing this, they turned their heads sharply in my direction, showing their eyes widened with surprise.
- "Well, well, well, where are you going? Isn't it my turn to attack?" I smiled, and a large magic circle lit up beneath me, from which a couple dozen golden chains burst out and rushed towards the trio.
They reacted quickly. The dark elf and the half-man prepared to block the chains, but as soon as their weapons made contact with Enkidu's copy, they were thrown back a couple of dozen meters. The elf tried to change the trajectory with his lightning spears, but the chains simply tore them apart as they continued their flight. One of the chains did reach the elf, but seeing the consequences of his companions, he dodged rather than block.
- "This is definitely not the first level!" The elf was indignant.
- "The information in the guild was wrong!" The half-human added.
Now they were like mice running away from snakes. The chains chased them all over the floor, wriggling and changing their trajectory like vipers, and the members of the Freya Familia could only run away, for they could not parry and block without harming themselves.
Of course, the trio tried to bypass the wall of fire, but as soon as any of them moved two hundred meters away from me, another one erupted, followed by another and another. Eventually they and I were trapped in the fire formation, with no way to leave without my permission.
Seeing no other prank, they rushed at me again, now with the intent to kill, except that my passive defenses had not been turned off. And at the moment of contact with the protective circles, when they slowed down for a moment, the chains caught up with them, binding them hand and foot.
And so, I stood over the immobilized trio with a grin on my face, surrounded by huge bright flames as they tried to free themselves, throwing furious glances at me.
- "So, what should I do with you..." I mumbled thoughtfully, scratching my chin.
- "I suggest you let us go and come back quickly," the half-human grinned, "We may have failed you, but what about your woman? If you don't hurry, you'll never see her again."
- "Oh? So, I was right. Ottar, your captain, went after Morgan," I nodded, getting a gloating grin, "You're the one who should be worried, not me. Even I wouldn't make Morgan angry."
As soon as the last word was out of my mouth, the eyes of all three of them widened in surprise and incomprehension, and I shook my head.
I wonder if she'll kill him.
-0-
In a dark alley not far from Emiya's residence that was lit by the bright moonlight, Morgan stood with a smirk on her face and her axe staff in her hand, staring at the bleeding Ottar, whom she had slammed into a half-destroyed wall.
His body was covered with multiple wounds and through holes, his right eye had left the eye socket, the tendons in his legs and arms were severed, his brown hair was almost completely turned to ash, and swords worth millions of valis were lying nearby, broken into many shards.
The alley itself felt as if it had felt carpet-bombed, for it was almost completely destroyed, as were the nearby houses. Thanks to the closed field that Morgan had set up, their scuffle hadn't gotten beyond a certain area. But were there any casualties, or even fatalities, caught in the hot hand? Of course, but the Fairy Queen didn't care.
The gods couldn't feel Morgan's powers because she was a fairy, and a special one at that, created by the planet itself, even if in another world. And so for everyone outside the confines of the closed field, nothing ever happened in that area.
Gathering all his remaining strength, Ottar slowly raised his only remaining rust-colored eye, where he was met by Morgan's undisguised amusement.
- "Oh, you're alive?" she grinned, "That's good, because someone has to get a message to your goddess."
- "Fuck... you..." Ottar said.
- "How rude," Morgan said and jammed the hilt of her axe staff into his leg, causing Ottar to grimace in pain but not make a sound, "Tell her that one more such withdrawal by any of her Familia will mean total annihilation. Do we understand each other?"
The answer was silence and a vengeful look, which Morgan found acceptable. Through her staff, she channeled mana directly into Ottar's body so that he would survive the night, healing his wounds a bit, and then dispelled the closed field and went home in spirit form.
There's a very short list of those Morgan respects, and if the offender wasn't on it, he automatically signed himself an estimated sentence. But at the moment, it was to her advantage to let Ottar and Freya live. For now.
Next time, it would be different, and even Roman wouldn't mind, because both he and Morgan only cared about a certain circle of individuals. What about everyone else? They won't care. Definitely...
-0-
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