34 In Flames III

Once again, my commentary before we start.

First, power stones and bonus chapters.

We managed to beat the previous record by a landslide!

from around 440 power stones last week, we went all of the ways to 666! Really, that was the last registered value before it reset back to 0.

This means two extra side chapters. One this week, but the second one I still need to think of where to put it.

The Discord Server.

It's going alright, however, It will take a while. I once again ask if there is anyone who can give me tips and suggestions.

In any case, I am currently taking a look and once I have a basic server with things such as roles well made and an Ai working, I will give you all an invite.

As I said last week, this week won't have a third extra chapter since I am going to change the earlier chapters.

My only regret is that I am going to lose all of those sweet comments, RIP.

I have also been looking for an artist to draw some scenes and add some flavors to the story.

Mostly some of the more impactful scenes.

However, that's for the future.

Apart from that, I think I will take a small break after the end of this volume. This is so that I can stock up on some chapters and give myself some room to breathe, at most, this will take a week.

For the Patreon users, expect to not receive chapters for about a week, sorry about that.

However, you guys still have 5 chapters until the end if I am not mistaken.

I think this is all!

Until next time.

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'On top of a tall house, two people watched the chaos in the plaza near the Twilight Manor.'

"Are you sure we shouldn't help?" Asked the blue-haired girl in a worried tone

"Hum… I wanted to see a bit more, but I think the worst has already passed… I don't know what to make of the situation." Said the blond-haired man with the green hat

Things are happening way too fast for my liking.

'His eyes were sharp and his expression was grim.'

"Take the others and go help heal the wounded, it wouldn be too much to remain here just watching." He said

"Understood." Said the girl as she jumped from the ceiling

"..."

'The blond man got up and fixed his failing hat.'

"This time, the Loki Familia almost fell together with the Artemis Familia, what an event… Platinum knight huh… He never ceases to impress."

Loki will have a hard time paying him off, I cant wait to see what she will give him...

'Hermes' face got a little red as a smile appeared'

"That's a little bit much... although I don't doubt she would do that..."

'He looked at the broken and burning Castle'

"~Phew~ Looks like Loki will have some trouble… It's pretty much confirmed at this point that the Denatus will be brought forward this time…"

Sigh, I hate that place...

'He smiled.'

"And she will be pretty pissed for sure… That will be fun, even more so when they meet…"

How will she act when she finds out who he is? And that he is one of Hestia's Children?

"No matter how much I think I can't imagine Loki thanking Hestia... That would be something to look out for!"

'And with that, the blond man disappeared into the darkness.'

…

"... He's dead."

"?!" X The others

"Are you sure Riveria?!" Asked Lefiya

'Riveria noded.'

"He stabbed himself with a nail filled with some sort of potent poison, it increased his strength but it also caused immense harm inside his body, something the likes of a health potion can't heal."

"If we had a Unicorn's horn… Then perhaps." She said\

But I don't carry such an expensive thing with me all of the time... We do have one but it's on one of the supporter bags.

"It can't be…" Said Lefiya in a depressed tone

'Lefiya had a healthy life, she grew up as a healthy kid like any other, but she had a deep drive to get stronger and that was what made her stand out in her academy days when she reached Level 2 in 3 years when she was 11.'

'She leveled to Level 3 in a year. Ever since then, she was groomed to be Riveria's successor, although that won't be needed anytime soon since Riveria is barely in her heyday's… No, as an Elf, she is barely past her young adult years…'

'Because of this, Lefiya has yet to get used to seeing real people dying, much less fighting against an assassin…'

(She has yet to "Man-up" as she did in the anime)

"I will carry him, we can't leave him here, nor can we lose time investigating." Said Gareth

"Thanks, Gareth." Said Tiona in a smile

'Gareth put the body on his back and they ran after Ais.'

'But they barely knew that the man's objective had already been achieved…'

…

'It had been around 12 minutes since Loki and Artemis arrived in the HF.'

'Loki was sitting on a chair with her head down, she had clearly lost the bet'

"... Alright. I think enough time has passed, and I am decently rested, how about we go back to the Castle?." Said the Knight

"I also thought it was time." Asked Loki

"Sigh… In the end, the only thing I did was flee and hide…" Said Artemis in a depressed tone

"Don't be like that Artemis~. It happened with everyone, think about the others, I can't even lift a knife properly." Said Loki with a 'sad' tone

"She is right, in the end, your Familia members would surpass you and they will be able to fight on their own." Said the knight

"Talking about Familia, where are you from Mr… Knight?" Asked Artemis

"..."

'But he didn't say anything.'

"Why that drama! Just tell me already!" Said Loki

It's not like it would take long for me to find out anyway…

"Loki! Don't be rude." Replied Artemis

"Sorry about that, I am… Shy." Said Silver in a monotone

The moment I tell you my 'peaceful' days will end, I will keep my identity a secret until I level up.

Until then I can relax...

"..." x 2

"In any case, I will reveal identity one day, at that time we can talk again." He said

'Loki opened her eyes slightly as she looked at the knight.'

"Let's go." He said

'Like last time, Loki easily went into his arms while Artemis had some difficulty in doing so.'

/Tremble…/

"Hm?"

'Strangely, the HF started to tremble.'

"What is happening?" Asked Artemis

"I didn't know Orario could have earthquakes." Said the knight

"Because it can't." Replied Loki

'The earthquakes soon stopped after a minute, they were not that strong, rather faint in fact, but still unusual.'

…

'The knight led the two through the door like last time, they appeared in a dark alley.'

"Alright, we are here, just follow this alley and you will see the mansion." Said the knight as he turned around.

"Where are you going?" Asked Artemis

"I am going home to take a nap and possibly a shower."

Hestia must be worried, it's been a while.

"…"

'Artemis tried reaching out to him, but she didn't know what to say.'

'But who was she? How could she not ask?'

"How… How can I repay your help?"

"No need, I did this for the stability of Orario. It was for myself."

"No! As someone who seeks justice I…"

'Silver interrupted her.'

"Alright… How about this, one day, you and your Familia will help me once, I won't ask for anything beyond their capability at the time."

"That's… Alright." She said with a little bit of hesitation

"Then add me in as well… However, I can't promise too much, those guys can be quite uncontrollable." Said Loki

'The Knight turned around and said:'

"Then, I shall take my leave."

'And with that, he turned into smoke, like he wasn't there, to begin with.'

"That's quite the way to leave…" Said Loki as she tried to grasp the smoke

If I could arrive and leave a party like that I would be the talk of the town!

'She grabbed Artemis' arm and started running.'

"We don't have to wait!" Said Loki

"Wait!..." Said Artemis as she looked behind her, trying to catch a glimpse of something that wasn't there anymore.

…

'Silver walked out of a door and appeared in an alley near the restaurant. He noticed it was quite empty.'

'He placed his hand on his head, trying to shake off the minor headache'

"Please, everyone, leave through the front door in an orderly way." Said one of the butlers

"..."

Are they evacuating the people? Makes sense, the enemy's true objective is unknown, so it's better to evacuate people from the surroundings.

'Silver changed his clothes back into his casual wear and disappeared from his location once more.'

…

'Silver reappeared inside the restaurant, after drinking a few blue potions and washing his face a little in the bathroom, he made his way to his table'

'As expected, most people had already left, but there was still a girl sitting on a table, waiting for someone.'

'There were several plates and even a sealed bottle of wine, all of it was untouched…'

"..."

Sigh…

"Guess who it is?" Said Silver as he placed his hands on Hestia's eyes

"!"

"Silver!"

'Hestia got up from her chair and jumped to hug Silver.'

"Calm down I am fine…"

Sheesh, what a worried girl…

'Hestia however, didn't remove her head from Silver's chest, she seemed to like it…'

'As Hestia enjoyed her "reunion" with Silver, someone approached from the side'

"Mister, miss, could you please accompany me to leave?" Said a butler on the side

"Of course, we were about to do that… However, is it possible for us to bring the food?" Asked Silver

"Of course, we shall do that this instant!"

"Grr…"

'Hestia on the other hand glared at the butler with an intense glare.'

'Silver obviously noticed that.'

"Sheesh, stop bothering the butler…"

"If you want to hug me that much we can do it later." Whispered Silver in Hestia's ear

'Hestia went still.'

"EH?!" Said Hestia as her face got as red as a tomato

"..."

Hahaha!

'Silver laughed inside his head, it was too easy to tease this little girl.'

"..."

'The butler felt as if he was holding a candle, however, he was more than used to when couples flirt in front of him, as that was his job as a butler.'

…

'After going down the stairs they arrived at the reception where they got their coupon back and a bag filled with the food and even a bottle of wine.'

'Feeling the weight of the bag and the wine inside it, Silver couldn't help but grimace at the losses the restaurant made…'

'However, this is only something small when compared to the massive profits the restaurant makes monthly.'

"..."

Perhaps I should set up my own business?... Nah, too much work.

No wonder so many outside corporations want to make a branch in Orario... This city is super-rich.

…

"Can you set the table while I take a shower? I am quite sweaty after running around the place." Asked Silver

"Hm? Are we still going to eat?" Asked Hestia

"Would you prefer to remain hungry? Don't joke with me please."

'Silver turned around and went to shower.'

"... Dummy." Said Hestia as she cleaned the table

He is visibly tired and yet wants to make time and eat like this when he could just grab anything…

'Her smile was captivating and warm…'

…

'Hestia waited for Silver to leave the bathroom, and as expected, he took a shower in no time at all.'

'In 8-10 minutes he was ready.'

"Sorry for making you wait." Said Silver as he left the bathroom

"..."

'The scene of Silver leaving the bath in his pajamas with his hair slightly wet was a little bit too stimulating for Hestia.'

'It made her feel strange…'

'Hestia herself had already changed clothes into more comfortable ones, it was a shame her dress didn't have time to shine too much...'

"Let me heat the food first…"

'Like last time, the food soon started to release steam while Hestia salad got to the ideal temperature once again.'

"Done… Thanks for the meal." Said Silver

'He took this habit since Hestia always said this when she ate, and after a month of this, he started to copy her since she seemed happier when he did so.'

"... Thanks for the food." Said, Hestia

…

'The two happily ate, Hestia asked what happened and Silver answered without hiding much, but he still kept some things a secret, like his bet and 'suspicious' interactions with Loki and Artemis. Hestia already knew a lot anyway.'

'And Hestia couldn't help but remain surprised, despite the humble and short way Silver explained, Hestia understood how meaningful his actions were.'

'Just like how serious the situation truly us…'

'Mortals attacking a God… At this point in time, it's kind of a hidden rule that mortals should deal with mortals while Gods deal with themselves.'

'Yet… This happened, a terrorist attack aimed to kill Gods…'

"... In any case, the Guild will surely counterattack this time, and I don't doubt other Familias will soon follow. They can't leave such a 'fearless' criminal organization to exist." Said Silver as he took a sip from his wine

"..." Hestia didn't have much to say, today's situation made her understand how cruel people can truly be.'

'She wasn't overly naive, but her view of the world had greatly changed… To the point, she started to feel fear.'

'What if… What if she is the next one?'

'She shook her head. And looked at Silver.'

"Hm?... What are you thinking about?" He asked

"Nothing."

…

'They ate and Silver helped in cleaning the dishes, they brushed their teeth and went to sleep. However…'

"... Why are you on my bed?" Asked Silver

One thing is for her to sleepwalk to my bed, another is for her to invade it like this.

Did she lose a screw because of the pressure?

"... You said it first." Replied Hestia with a red face

"What?... Oh… I see. Well, make yourself comfortable then." Said Silver as he smiled

'Hestia couldn't move… For some reason, something deep in her made her stop, she couldn't take the next step.'

'Silver noticed it, of course, so he turned around in bed, showing his muscular back to Hestia.'

(Sleeping in clothes? Pfft! It's either only underwear or shorts! Na-Na-Naked?! Get out of here weirdo!)

"I will sleep first, because the bed is a little small, be careful to not slip off."

"..."

'Hestia felt she was weak… She took the first step yet she couldn't finish it.'

'But she couldn't help but smile at his actions.'

"Excuse me then…"

'She got inside the bed sheet and hugged Silver.'

"..."

One step at a time…

…

/Over an hour earlier, near the Twilight Manor…/

"... Artemis-Sama, we finished healing all of the injured." Said Rethusa

"..."

'But she didn't reply, she only stared at the moon in the sky, as if remembering something.'

"?... Artemis-Sama?" Called Rethusa

"..."

'Rethusa became worried as she got closer to her goddess and took a look at her face.'

/Gasp!/

'Rethusa realized what was going on… That sad expression, the longing in her eyes, the depressive aura and red cheeks!'

"..."

Artemis-Sama is in…

'Many possibilities passed in her head.'

I need to confirm it.

"Are you thinking about the knight?" Said Rethusa from behind her

/GASP!/

'Artemis jumped in shock and almost fell on the ground.'

"Wh-Wh-Wh-What?" Asked Artemis as she shook her head

"Sigh… I knew it." She said

"What do you mean?!" Said Artemis as she fondled her hair and looked at her feet

"You are in love obviously. I guess it was expected considering the circumstances…"

To think she would fall so easily... Sigh. I should've given her some advice...

Although... That knight was really cool... It's hard even for me, to not feel favorable towards him.

'But Artemis stopped her thinking her by lightly elbowing her waist.'

"You are mistaken, how could I fall in love?" She said in a serious tone

"..."

'However, her red face told another story.'

"... Sigh."

Who would think this strict Goddess who never thought about romance would fall in love at first sight…

However… The situation wasn't normal… A platinum knight falling from the sky while saving the girl from danger is the perfect fantasy…

The problem is that I don't know his personality or his looks… I can't let an ugly prick take the heart of our pure Goddess…

'Many tried to court this Goddess and her Children, but the end result was the same, a threat to have their balls cut. This was how Artemis dealt with love.

'And now that she is in love, how can she allow her to date just anyone?'

'What if it was a girl you ask? A simple refusal with some girly things...'

/Step step…/

'Artemis tried to sneak away, but Rethusa wasn't going to allow that.'

/Kya!/

"I can't let you be led around by anyone, I will bring you to Lante, she knows much more about love than me, she will certainly help you in understanding what you are currently feeling." She said as she pulled Artemis hand

"I told you that I am not…"

"Let's think this way, such a "cool" guy is bound to have many girls interested in him, wouldn't it be sad if your first love failed, let's go talk with Lante so the next time you meet him, you leave a bigger impression on him."

'Artemis stopped to think.'

"... I-I-I guess it wouldn't be too troublesome…"

'Rethusa rolled her eyes.'

'The two girls made their way back into their group and together, they went back to their Familia house.'

…

"... And that was what happened." Said Loki as she sat on a table

'Near Loki were the executives of the Familia, Lefiya was 'sadly', taking a shower alone and resting, she worked a lot already…'

'They were in the main office of the Familia, however, the place was completely wrecked, the tapestry was destroyed, many pieces of furniture were ruined, and there was a massive hole in the wall that led to the emergency room.'

'Apart from the stains of blood in some places…'

'This gave Loki an unmatched Level of anger... Something she never felt before.'

'The others felt as if Loki was about to burst, they had never seen her this angry before.'

'It showed something completely different from her usual relaxed and playfully state.'

"... What a strange fellow." Said Gareth as he thought about the Knight

"At least everything ended well, somehow, we didn't lose anyone, although some of the injuries were extremely severe, some of them might end up having to retire…" Said Riveria as she let out a sigh

'The atmosphere got a little heavier.'

"We can deal with that later, let's focus on the subject at hand." Said Finn as he tried to change the course of the conversation

"Loki, you said he entered the emergency room, how exactly?" Asked Finn

"I told you already, he just appeared there. I think it was the same thing he did later…" She replied

"What do you think Riveria?" Asked Tiona as she sat on the broken couch

"Hm… Many barriers are surrounding that room, it's not possible to enter using conventional means unless you are ready to face the consequences... However..."

"I know there are some extremely rare magics that can allow people to move short distances in an instant while ignoring spatial influence, but the number of recorded cases is so low that I can't even remember where I heard this from." She said

"That would explain how he entered the room without triggering the defensive mechanisms…" Said Tione

"But that ended up in crapping the entire room when those bastards tried to force their way inside." Said Bete

"Everything just went 'boom'... I would've liked to see their faces!" Said Loki, towards the end, her expression was that of a Devil ready to kill someone…

"Why are you smiling? Just look at this place, think about the cost…" Said Riveria

'She wasn't smiling because she thought the situation was funny...'

"... In any case, what he did was still unusual. Not only did he move an extreme distance, but he also did it with precision." Said Loki

"That's a point…" Said Riveria, but she stopped when she saw Ais lifting her hand

"Do you have something to say, Ais?"

'Ais noded'

"Why are we talking about the knight in this situation?" She said while tilting her head in confusion

"..."

"It's because he is suspicious. We never heard of such an adventurer with this specific set of abilities in Orario." Replied Finn

Although he could just be a new one...

"Heh? Isn't it too much to be so suspicious of Loki's savior?" Asked Tiona with a questioning tone

'Ever since she heard the story of the Knight and how he saved both her and Artemis, she couldn't help but think about the heroes in her fairy tales. So she has quite the favorable impression of him.'

"Are you doubting the Captain huh?" Siad Tione in a serious tone

'Although she had the same question in her head, however, her instincts told her to follow her captain, and these instincts never failed her.'

"It's just standard protocol… If I see him, the first thing I will do will be to thank him."

"But due to how serious the situation is, I can't help but investigate everything to find any leads. For example, the knight might know something, and if does, questioning him might help us solve this situation." Said Finn

"..."

'Ais conflicted, once again, she was beaten by someone else. However, she isn't angry, not at all, she is just confused since she didn't even have the chance to see who he was.'

'She couldn't help but be interested in someone with such an unusual ability… Is he strong? How fast is he? How does he train and all of that.'

"What about the rest? His looks and other abilities? What do you all think?" Asked Finn

"... A tall armored knight, didn't we hear something like that some time ago?" Pointed out Gareth

"Now that you say, two weeks ago, during that incident, wasn't that adventurer also wearing a full red plate?" Said Tiona

"However this one wears Platinum white armor." She said

"Well, he could've just changed it, I find it harder for two strong adventurers who prefer Full plate to suddenly appear in Orario at the same time." Said Tiona

"That's impossible, that adventurer already showed a particular set of abilities that would, in theory, maximize his Magic slots. So they can't be the same person." Said Tione

"Don't we have Lefiya? She can use hundreds of spells!" Said Tiona

"Don't be so stubborn sister, Lefiya is one of a kind, someone like her isn't going to appear in at least a thousand years." Said Tione

'The two sisters faced each other in a standoff.'

"Hm… I think it's quite possible for them to be the same person." Said Riveria

"What?" Said Tione

"Really?!" Said Tiona in a happy tone

"I mean, we have Magic items and tools, it's not impossible for some of his abilities to be results of such things, and also, he could be like me and have a way to create multiple effects out of a minor selection of magic."

(N1)

"That would be more unlikely than seeing a pack of Unicorns in the Dungeon." Commented Bete

(N2)

'He seemed to be the most relaxed about this entire situation as he placed his two feet on top of the table, but that couldn't be farthest from the truth.'

'His ears were constantly moving around, trying to catch any suspicious sounds, Bete had his guard up in case anything happened.'

"..."

'Finn remained in silence, his thumb was still hurting, he felt that the truth was beyond what they could imagine… This went deeper than it seemed.'

"So, if we assume this Knight is the same person from last time, what do we do?" Asked Gareth

"For now, we should wait." Said Loki

"Why? I thought you were the most interested in finding who he was." Said Tiona

"Hehe… Don't worry, we'll find him soon…" She said with a big macabre smile

'The others rolled their eyes and they soon continued their conversation.'

"So, With the knight out of the way, let's talk about the terrorists themselves…" Said Finn

…

'On the next day, Loki could be seen in her office reading multiple reports, one of them being the amount of money they would have to spend to fix everything…'

'Riveria was on her side speaking her own opinions about what their course of action should be.'

"... And that means… No more expensive Wine until everything is stable. No room for negotiations." Said Riveria

"Urrrg… FUCKING TERRORISTS I WILL HUNT THEM ALL DOWN!!" Screamed Loki in sadness and anger

…

/Let's roll back a little to the night a few hours ago…/

'In the next chapter'

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Notes

N1

Chant Connection: A technique that only Riveria is able to use. Chant connection enables her to change the strength of her magic based on the chant length and mind usage.

Through this, she is able to use nine magics, which is the source of her alias Nine Hell, though she is able to use them separately as well.

Her magic is separated into three groups of three magic based on the type and chant length, with each magic in a group referred to as a level, such as Wynn Fimbulvetr being the first level of Vas Windheim. WIKI

N1

Unicorn- An extremely rare monster that is very rarely encountered even by high-level adventurers. WIKI