Chapter 11: Hestia's Gift
"Boss, just what was that?" asked a tall and lanky man. Being clad in extremely light leather armor and armed with multiple daggers of differing sizes, the man embodied what would be considered stereotypical attributes of a rogue. The only trait that stood out from his unassuming face was his continuously narrowed eyes—which were not unlike those of the goddess Loki. "You just told us to bring all of our equipment to the dungeon today without explaining anything… Is this kid really that important?"
Canoe's group was currently climbing back to the surface, killing any monster that stepped into their path. Canoe's only goal was to secure a relationship with the new adventurer known as Tian. Finding the name of an adventurer at the Guild once you know who to talk to was not a problem for him. He, after all, understood the importance of the Guild very early in his career, and being friends with some of the members of the Guild's staff ended up being a great investment in the end.
Giving away public information on adventurers wasn't an illegal practice in itself, however, it was severely frowned upon by the Guild, information leaks in the past usually wounded up ending badly for the adventurer—and more importantly for the Guild once it was revealed that they were the ones that transferred the details to the wrong person.
However, what was strictly forbidden was giving information on adventurers that weren't even third-class adventurers yet. Asking anything on a new adventurer was akin to painting a bright red target with a neon sign saying 'shoot here'. Canoe personally had never fallen into this trap, but he had to discipline his boys once or twice about never doing this.
Therefore, since beginner adventurers were the main source of money for Canoe and his group, he couldn't afford to let the Guild know of his activities, at least not in such a stupid way.
Canoe's group was filled with above-average level 1 adventurers. This meant that they could take care of a smaller group of adventurers of the same level or even a stronger one, so long as he was alone.
This way, they were confident that if they chose their target correctly, they could afford to get rid of any problems they could encounter along the way. Of course, the problem was that there simply weren't enough targets, to begin with. The Soma familia was far from being the only familia in the city looking to take advantage of new adventurers.
It could be said to be one of the most profitable activities for low leveled adventurers that didn't want to take a lot of risk.
Cracking down of this type of activity proved to be hard for a Guild with neither the resources nor the people to deal with it.
The only familia that could act as a policing force was destroyed years ago because they made too many enemies. In the end, despite the boisterous appearance of Orario most of the activity here was criminal, easily making the city one of the most dangerous in the world to live in.
"Yes, he's one of the most famous level one adventurers right now," answered the small raccoon-man. "Although not many people expected his growth, a lot of familias have been trying to keep an eye on him, but the lackluster descriptions of his appearance and the general lack of information on him have hindered them."
"Huh? Hold on Canoe-san, you have to explain it from the beginning…"
"I second that. I wasn't exactly… Listening to rumors and shit for the past few days…"
Canoe looked at the confused faces of his subordinates and sighed when he realized that none of them had any idea of what he was talking about.
"Alright, listen well! You see, this guy only arrived in Orario a few days ago, or that's what my confidant in the Guild thinks. The reason why he's famous is that he went into the dungeon as a beginner and destroyed the goblins and the kobolds of the first four floors. Came out wearing nothing but a part of his shirt to hide his status and with a huge amount of magic stones."
"How is that surprising Boss? I mean, have you seen what he did to these poor Killer Ants? Man, even I feel bad for them!"
The group laughed at the man's comment. Canoe, after chuckling, continued his tale. "I agree, but that's not the point. The thing is when he came out the first day he was noticed, with all the magic stones, he was hurt. And by hurt I mean he was injured nearly everywhere on his body. None of these were serious, and to be honest, he probably got away with one or two scars from what I've heard, but it doesn't change the fact that back then, he shouldn't have been able to stand against a Killer Ant," he paused for a second, to let his words sink in for the rest of his group.
Nearly everyone went still, realizing what kind of crazy progression this information meant. The rogue of the group's eyes widened and his head snapped towards Canoe. "So that means that he was able to go from fighting against goblins to fighting against hordes of Killer Ants?"
Canoe nodded, letting a smirk appear on his face. "There could be multiple reasons for that. First, the guy has an innate skill that allows him to have fast growth. This would explain the insane pace he has been going at, but that also means that the day he became famous wasn't his first day," seeing his goons listen to him intently, Canoe continued. "However there's a problem with that. The guy I know in the Guild told me that he was responsible for the guild investigation launched on Tian-"
"Tian?" interrupted one of his men.
"Yeah, that's his name apparently. Anyway, so there was a guild investigation because they thought that he was a higher-level adventurer unregistered that went around and killed beginners for the magic stones. A blue-killer basically. However, that turned out to not be the case, he is indeed level 1, and what's more important, is that he entered the city of Orario for the first time the same day!"
"Couldn't he have been just someone that already trained from outside the city?"
"Yes, it could be. In fact, that's my current theory. While there is definitely some sort of accelerated growth, there's no way he could have beaten large numbers of goblins and kobolds if he barely started. The thing is… Zanis agrees with me."
"Zanis?!"
"The level 2?"
"Exactly," answered Canoe, his confident smirk growing once more. "Zanis is the one sponsoring this whole operation. He's the one that got most of the information on him throughout the last few days, and I only confirmed part of it. However, Zanis doesn't want to try to scam Tian, there's simply no need for it. With his growth, he will probably become level 2 in a time close to the Princess' record, according to Zanis."
Most of his men gulped when they realized the kind of money they could be making thanks to Tian.
"So we need to snatch the place of Supporter as fast as possible before others realize what is going on. He comes from a poor familia and his goddess doesn't have the means to grant him that kind of support. Therefore that spot is free and Zanis took the initiative to claim it. He doesn't want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Moreover, if it comes down to it, he is ready to get rid of him at any moment. Despite his growth, he is still level 1."
"It makes sense now… But why did you need us then?"
"Well, I couldn't exactly go and face the man by myself after all. But with all of us, even he had to be careful about what he did," shrugged Canoe, before he looked at Lili who tried to make herself as invisible as possible. He stopped, crouched, and put his arm around her. She shivered at the proximity of her worst enemy and kept her head down, hoping that he would go away.
"You see," said Canoe, poking Lili's head while the rest of his men stopped to look at what he was doing. "I'm a good friend of Lili here. And she's a wonderful supporter for our familia."
His squad started to laugh mockingly, knowing exactly Canoe's relationship with Lili, who was balling her fist under her coat. Her lips were trembling in fear, while phantom pain assailed her body, reminding her of what Canoe could do to her if she didn't listen to him.
"So what's going to happen is… Lili right here will listen to Tian's every order. Lili will dutifully collect the magic stones and get a cut of the profit. Lili will have a good relationship with the talented adventurer so that nothing bad can happen and we can all profit together! Speaking of together… I'm sure that you know Lili that… You should be grateful for what I've done for you," Canoe said, grabbing Lili's chin and forcing her to look at him. His voice held a tinge of mockery but couldn't be anything else other than an order.
"So as good friends, I think it's fair to say that I'm the one that should get the money right?" stated the raccoon-man, smiling at the pallum—showing his awful grin at the same time.
Lili quickly nodded, fear evident in her eyes, which made Canoe release her and laugh. The glee of his band made Lili tremble in impotent fury, cursing herself for being so weak.
"There you go boys, we have a stable source of income now!" shouted Canoe, his whole group cheering at the expense of the weak supporter that would do most of the work. "Before we meet with him though, who wants to go drink a few beers at the pub. My treat!"
They all nodded, happy at the prospect of being able to get money safely.
Meanwhile, Lili's gaze was resigned, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get away from her nightmare anytime soon.
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"Hestia! Bella! I'm back!" I shout as I enter our familia home.
The same familiarity and peace hit me once more as I stepped into the building. My mind immediately calms down and I start to relax due to what I think is Hestia's aura seeping through her bindings. The sudden movement upstairs tells me that Hestia is quite eager to see me.
"Tian!" she exclaims, before leaping into me—and due to the size difference—hugging me like a koala would cling to a tree.
Her legs around my torso, she squeezed my body for a while before checking for any injury.
"I hope you didn't get hurt in the dungeon?" she asks, looking over every inch of my body searching for blood.
I laugh, before hugging her back, which prompts her to squeak in surprise. "No my goddess, this time nothing bad happened to me," I answered.
She freezes, before taking my head in her hands and making me look into her eyes. "You're lying Tian… I know I'm a goddess."
I guess nothing can really escape her notice…
"You're right," I sigh, remembering my current situation with the Soma familia. "I'll tell you later…"
She looks me in the eyes, searching for any deceit, her eyes laden with worry before she sighs in defeat and lets me go. "You'll tell me everything right?"
I nod and smile fondly at her antics, "Yes I will… More importantly, is Bella here?" I ask, removing the heavy bag full of money from my back. The moment it touches the ground, the sound of money startles Hestia, who then looks at my bounty of the day.
"H-How much?" she gulps, taking small steps towards the bag full of gold coins.
I can't help but snort at Hestia's newfound love for money. Ever since me and Bella, well, mostly me, started to bring in a lot of valis, Hestia had been keeping track of everything that enters and leaves this Church. I don't know if it's because she doesn't know what to do now that she doesn't work anymore or for any other reason, but she seems adamant about helping us with the money aspect at least.
"I didn't know you were such a golddigger, Hestia," I say, before taking a step back and putting a faux shock expression on my face. "Could it be… You only took me in because of the money my body could make?"
Hestia chuckles for a bit, grabbing the heavy load of the bag with difficulty—her cheeks slightly pink as she steals a glance at my body.
The result of cultivation is visible, despite my slow progress. Clearing the impurities from my system has proven to be a slow and methodical task, but one that grants enormous benefits.
"That wasn't my intention when you joined my familia… But I can't say that it hasn't been a benefit," throws back Hestia, dragging the gold towards the space she dedicated to holding the money.
Laughing, I help her carry the bag, staying intentionally close to her for the rest of the way to the room. Despite being in ruins, the Church was mostly intact from whatever happened in this part of Orario. There were a handful of rooms we could still use to hold the money.
As opposed to the modern world, getting a bank account was rather hard to do. A couple of familias specializes in the banking industry, while the Guild also has a similar service available, but none are similar to what I am familiar with. What is offered is just a way to hold money for a certain fee, but neither the Guild nor the familias truly has the way to protect your assets if they are to be targeted by any decent threat.
The banking system of this world is rudimentary, however, it is possible to exchange money for checks at the Guild.
Then again, I shouldn't be expecting anything from a world where there are so many disparities in power levels. Relying on third parties is very hard to do in this world, especially since I know that due to me my familia will stick out in the future.
"We're starting to have a real fortune…" I remark, seeing the number of valis we have become substantial. While the money we have is nothing compared to most familias I'm sure, we still have a good amount for the number of adventurers in the Hestia familia.
And honestly, the cost of living when you sleep in an abandoned Church is close to none anyway. Most of that money is going to go towards equipment anyway, but I don't necessarily need it and Bella already has bought some of it with her own money.
"Phew… Well, this is nothing compared to what Hephaestus had when I was living with her—But I agree, this is quite a bit of money."
"We're probably going to wait for a bit before we're able to purchase any good equipment anyway."
"Oh! Speaking of equipment," perked up Hestia, before taking my hand and guiding me towards her room.
"Whoa, what are we going to do in your bedroom, Hestia?" I say, amusement seeping through my tone. She groans and rolls her eyes at my words, but once we're inside the room, she presents to me a clothed stick.
"What is that?" I ask, carefully picking it up. The weight of whatever is being covered is slightly surprising, a bit heavier than I thought it would be.
However, it's a weapon. Now that I think about it, she went to Hephaestus a couple of days ago to discuss the matter of hiding a status. "Hestia, is this what I think it is?" I say, gulping as I start to unveil the weapon hidden away by the smooth drapes.
I am greeted by the most beautiful spear I have ever seen. Not that I have seen many, but still.
No wait, is it a spear?
The blade is too thick and too curved for it to be a spear.
"The weapon is called a Guan Dao, from what Hephaestus told me," Hestia says, noticing my confusion. She grasps the hand that isn't carrying my new weapon with both of hers.
"Tian," she calls out, her voice full of emotion. My throat is stuck once more, realizing what Hestia has done for me. "I know that I'm not a useful goddess, but you chose me regardless. Even if I don't have anything to give you… I still wanted to help you. I couldn't bear watching you risking your life in the dungeon every day while I sat there and collected the results of your fights,"
I look at her, her eyes are glossy as if she is containing tears, and her smile is beautiful. Captivated, I don't know what to answer, and if her slight chuckle is any indicative, she seems to know it.
Fuck, I've never been good with stuff like this. I remember mentioned off-handed that if I could get a sturdy weapon, it would probably be a polearm, but I never expected that she would actually get me one.
"I-I, You really didn't need to-"
"I know Tian. I know that I could have simply kept going like this… But I want to give back, to give back what you've offered me. I was ready to leave the mortal world… I figured that if nobody wanted me, then there was no point in me being there," she says, tightening her hold on my hand. "And then you arrived… I don't think you realize how much you mean for me, as my first child. I had waited for this moment for centuries, and you came into my life out of nowhere, when I'm at my lowest."
Although I want to speak, I hold back my words when I see the emotion moving Hestia's face. She also doesn't seem to be good at stuff like this.
"S-So, that's all I can offer you Tian," she states, releasing my hand and pointing towards the Guan Dao.
I rotate the weapon so that the tip points up toward the sky, then move to hug Hestia. It's the only way I can express what I'm feeling right now, to embrace her with her head barely reaching my chest.
Her smile grows wider as I whisper, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, my child."
In spite of what I'm feeling, I can feel a presence entering the Church, a presence I recognize.
Bella.
Even so, I don't want to let go of Hestia. Focusing on each other's warmth, we forget the outside world for a while. In the end, I lift her up so that she could hug me more comfortably. While she is supported only by one hand on her back, I focus on her breath which tingles in my ear and has a calming effect on me.
When Bella enters the room, searching for us, I release the hug at the last moment, long after Bella notices us. Her face is red from the scene she just witnessed, but right now I'm entirely focusing on Hestia.
Whether it's her red cheeks, the way her eyes shine when she sees my expression, or the way her touch lingers for a moment before letting me go.
Hestia really is the best.
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A/N:
I have a chapter in advance on my Pat re on! Here if you'd like to give me some support:
Pat reon .com (slash) HiddenSword
Hestia is Bestia, simple. Here is some Fluff so that you don't get withdrawal symptoms. No, but more seriously, I'd say that they kind of start their relationship in a way due to this, although the reasoning behind this has already been mentioned in the past chapters, and a lot more is about to be unveiled in the future, related to cultivation of course.
Also, Canoe is not dumb and wants a stable source of high income for him and the boys. As an experienced level 1 adventurer, he knows the kind of numbers that Tian is pulling right now and has been pulling, and he wants in. Surprisingly, he has no ill intention towards a rapidly climbing adventurer that is clearly really strong for a level 1, who would have guessed.
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