DANMACHI: The Silence's Heir (OC x Freya)

Chapter 21

GODDESS HESTIA

Two weeks had passed since Hestia familia had gotten itself into a wargame with the Soma familia, and the city of Orario was abuzz with activity as they prepared for the eventual battle.

They officially agreed to the terms today during a short Denatus, though this was just a formality; both captains had set the terms at the start. Neither her nor Soma seemed to have any intention to shrink back from their captain's words, not that she did not have a desire to.

The terms of the match were absolutely absurd, and yet she could do little but believe in her Bell-kun to pull through. And speaking of her children, both Bell-kun and Inumaki-kun were nowhere to be seen. Both of them had gone on to train separately for different purposes, and she only got to meet Bell-kun once every week when she updated her status.

And much to her surprise, her precious Bell-kun was growing at a monstrous speed. Already, he was very close to ranking up, not that she could tell him that, for she had been forbidden by Inumaki-kun to keep Bell's stats from him and to only tell him that he was improving at a good speed, but he needed to work harder.

As for the captain himself, she had heard nothing from him, nor had anyone in Orario, for that matter. And people had been looking for him, especially after the Guild's special announcement exonerating him of those heinous allegations from years ago and declaring him a hero for the attack on Riveria and the 27th-floor incident.

But none could find out where he was.

"AHHHHHH!" Hestia screamed as she lay there on the sofa in the cozy room where she had once housed for over a year when she had first descended from the heavens.

"Why are my children so troublesome!" she screamed into the pillow, as the sound of a hammer hitting the petal periodically spread all over the room.

"Go rant somewhere else," Hephaestus screamed from the forge as her fellow goddess continued to hammer away in sheer concentration.

"I have nowhere else to go. Both my children are ghosting me and training, and I don't even know where they are," she complained petulantly.

"And what about you! Why have you been holed up in your forge for weeks now? You didn't even come to the Denatus," she complaint, and Hepaesteus finally put down the hammer and wiped off the sweat from her forehead.

"I was busy with work. Plus, didn't you tell me yourself that the terms were already decided," Hephaestus added, and seeing the sweat coat her whole body made even her cheeks heat up as she turned away her gaze.

"Yeah, but still, you could have to support me," she complained, and Hephaestus shook her head.

"I will be there at the main event, it's not as if I am making any progress in my current endeavor," and she was surprised by those words.

"What are you trying to make?" she asked, for what kind of creation could it really be to give the goddess of the forge trouble?

"Huh, I am afraid even I don't have the answer for that yet," and she had rarely seen Hephaesteus so dedicated and driven in their time together, but this was a marvel.

"So, your kids are away training?" she asked and Hestia nodded.

"Yeah," and she was very much bored.

"Then why don't you see what you can do to help them? You said that Inumaki-kun gave you the funds to look for a suitable new lodging for your familia. Have you looked into that," and she shook her head in embarrassment. Things had devolved so quickly that she had not had the time.

"Why don't you do that? I gave you a list, didn't I, of all the available spaces," and Hephaestus, being a merchant familia, had the connections to source something like that.

"Your children are out there giving their all. Don't you think you should do the same," Hephaestus added, and she perked up at those words as she looked at her red-haired friend with an irritated gaze.

"You are just trying to get me out of here, aren't you?" she added, and Hephaestus smirked as she turned back to the forge.

"Two things can be true at once," she answered as Hestia sighed got back to her feet and became energetic once more.

"Ok, then. It is time for Hestia familia to look for their new home," and with that she walked out of her friend's forge, and made her way out on the streets, and began to look at the addresses given to her by her friend, and she looked at place after place and found herself unsatisfied for one reason or another until only one place remained.

"It's a bit away from the city," she whispered as she slowly made her way to the edge of the city, as she approached the abandoned castle that was up for sale. By now, the evening had turned into night, and so this would be her last stop before she settled down. as she reached the gates of the decrepit castle, she was surprised that it was in much finer condition than she had thought.

"Hello," she called out as she pushed open the door, and yet no response came as she walked into the castle and was surprised to see its condition and all the furniture set around the room, and then her eyes landed on the banner placed on the walls, and her eyes widened in realization as she recognised that pattern.

"It cannot be," she gasped, and then suddenly, she heard the sound of cracks and looked up and saw the ceiling breaking.

"OHHH!" she screamed and tried to jump as the ceiling crashed right above her.

She covered her head, preparing herself for a world of pain, when a sweet voice emerged from the room.

"...Gokou," and then she saw a figure blur past her, and the falling stone roof was cut down into pieces as a figure stepped beyond her and sheathed their blade before they turned to face her.

SLASH!

"Who are you?" they questioned sharply, and it was a girl. One with raven black hair and even blacker eyes was wearing a red and black kimono with flowers decorating her hair, and one of her sleeves was folded up, showing an absence of an arm.

The girl glanced back, the moonlight hitting her face at an angle, as she pushed her blade back into its sheath.

CLACK.

"And why are you trespassing here?" she asked sharply as Hestia gulped nervously.

"I..." but before she could say anything, they were interrupted by a very familia voice.

"Hestia-sama!"

"Bell-kun!"

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GOJOUNO KAGUYA

That day, five years ago, Kaguya had thought her life forfeit when she had come face to face with that monster. The Juggernaut, the one called upon by the treachery of Evilus, it had ripped through friend, foe or ally with no care, decimating first ranked adventurers like they were nothing.

And in the blink of an eye, it had taken her arm from her leaving her a cripple, while killing more than half of her comrades. Even those that lived were injured or too terrified to do anything.

In those moments of hopelessness, she had resigned herself to her fate. And then he had appeared, as a blur at first and had fought of the monster infront of her eyes. A boy. No, a child, much younger than her, one that she was guilty of isolating as well, and there he was fighting off that monstrosity singlehandedly, pushing it back as he healed her and her friends.

And then he had asked them to escape. To leave him with that thing. She knew who he was. All of Orario did. He was her son, that traitor's child. The heir to the Silence. He was supposedly a level 3 adventurer even though when it came to him it was well known that levels mattered little.

But still, he fought that thing while she lay there afraid and helpless, before she ran away alongside her friend escaping the wrath of that beast, leaving him all alone to face that thing.

And he had returned then, much to her shame and relief. Carrying with hi what remains he could salvage of her comrades, before he had gone and exacted revenge on their behalf, as he annihilated the whole Rudra familia and killed the said god with his own hands—and committed the ultimate taboo.

And then things became far more complicated, as they lost their Goddess, and it was rumoured that it had been his work. Kaguya had been confused, but her rage overpowered both her reason and confusion as she attacked him once again alongside her friends to exact revenge for Astarea-sama.

They were defeated, routed. All four of them, and yet he spared them their lives, leaving behind his famed weapon for some reason, and Alise was the first to say those ominous words, to voice out the doubts and confusion that lingered in her own heart.

And so, they would go after him, and chase him down. They would find him as well, years later and find out the truth of that day. And at that time, as the young child who barely reached her shoulders explained to them the truth she saw him for who he was. A child.

One who carried a burden far heavier than her, than any of them. And yet he did so without complaining, without asking for a reward. Even now with everything the city had put him through he fought for it, fought against the cult of Evilus to save them.

And in that moment she had made up her mind, that she would stand by him. That she would never doubt him again. No matter what. And if Alise's expression was anything to go by her friend had made the same resolution and so they would ask to follow him, and ask for him to train them.

And train them he would, and only then she would see the sheer difference between them, and see him for how special he was. But more importantly, see just how young he was.

"So, you are Kaguya-kun?" the timid goddess asked as she served them both tea, giving her young charge a small respite as they gathered once more in the run down training grounds of the once lively mansion.

"I am," she replied, and she saw those eyes light up, as she leaned forward. Such innocence, such naivety for a god was rare.

"Astraea told me all about you. All of you," she added, and that name made her still as her hand halted as she turned towards the Goddess, surprised at the words.

"You know Astarea-sama?" she asked and the Goddess of the hearth nodded.

"I do. We were best friends, and I often kept her company after she ascended," the last words were spoken with sadness, as she saw her eyes light up.

"She missed all of you a lot, and often talked about you. All of you," she added as she gave her a bright smile filled with innocence.

"She was very proud of you all, and wished you all the best in the life," and that was just like her. She had sacrificed herself for them, for some human children when she had no need to, but she had.

"Still, I did not know that you had returned to the city?" she asked.

"Inumaki-sama asked our help to train Bell-san," she told the truth, and none of them would ever deny his request. Not after what he had done for them.

"Ohh, so you are the people training Bell-kun," she added bright eyed and she nodded.

"Yes, me and my colleagues are looking after Bell-san's training," and the said adventurer smiled awkwardly at that.

"Inumaki-san told me to not mentio it to anyone, even you Hestia-sama," he explained and the said Goddess huffed petulantly.

"I do not understand but he must have a reason," she added before she turned towards her.

"So, how is he coming along. Is his training going well," she asked her enthusiastically and she could see the boy in question perk up at those words as well.

The truth was that she was taken aback by the speed of his progress. Initially she had not seen what made Bell Cranel so special. What made the boy worthy of time and attention of Inumaki-sama?

But now after having spent weeks seeing the boy grow by leaps and bounds infront of her she could see why he was interested in him. And then there was the matter of the similarities between them, initially she had chalked them all up to a coincidence but the more time she had spent training the boy, the more the similarities between him and a younger Inumaki-sama had become apparent.

There was a connection here. One that few were probing, but she would keep it all to herself, for it was not her place to question him.

"He is performing well," she gave an encouraging answer but did not delve into the details as she had been instructed by him.

"If he continues to strive and work as he has been for the past weeks, he will be able to claim a victory against the Soma familia captain easily," and that was the truth. Both her and Alise were level 4, Lyra was level 3. They were all high ranking adventurers, all of them putting the boy through the bender all day, and she had to hand it to him, he knew of the privilege he was being given and he ate away their instructions like a hungry boar.

She could reckon that he could take on a fresh level 2 adventurer right now, and there was still time for them. Time to hammer him into shape.

"Thank you. It is all thanks to you and your friends," he added bashfully, as the Goddess perked up.

"Good. Good Bell-kun," she said before she turned towards her.

"Oh, and I don't think I thanked you for saving my life," and there was a brightness in that smile that she found nostalgic, that she found familiar as she saw the silhouette of their own patron goddess in her.

"There is no need," she said with a smile as the Goddess clumsily drank tea, as Kaguya's eyes turned towards the caved-in ceiling, and her brows furrowed.

If her guess was right this was not an accident. That collapse. It had been deliberate and all this could have only one purpose.

Someone was trying to sabotage the war game. Someone was trying to sabotage Hestia familia. Inumaki-sama's familia and she would not let it happen.

"Hestia-sam..."

"Kaguyaa!" but her words were cut off as a familia voice came from the side, and she turned to the side and saw her red-haired ex-captain walk into the room.

"I have an interesting piece of news...." but Alise stopped as she saw that they had company, and her eyes widened as she recognized just who had stumbled into their past home.

"Hestia-sama," she called out, and the Goddess smiled as she got up and greeted the girl.

"That armor and red hair. You must be Alise," she said as she put forth her hand.

"Astraea has told me all about you...."

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