Black dragon, Albert Waldstein, Aiz Wallenstein.
Narrator POV:
Watching the entire tedious process in which Royman, the guild leader, said the punishments and restrictions to Ishtar, who was sitting with an expressionless face.
Mikhael waited, sitting next to a bored Hestia. With a face that doesn't hide his disinterest, after all, that whole process would be useless.
For the last and most important step of his plan today. His real objective, why as such, Ishtar was only a small secondary objective.
While things could get dangerous, after a lot of planning and stress, he reached a more or less safe point for now.
But in Mikhael's mind, Ishtar was just a secondary character who was dangerous to him only because he thought he was still weak compared to the strongest in this world.
Because he thought that even using all his power in the PM, he should be around the power of a Lv.3.
If he were to push his body to the limit using his new magic, he should be able to temporarily fight against a Lv.5 based on its characteristics alone.
However, even though he was confident that he could survive against the majority of adventurers, that was the reason for his bravery in acting the way he did today.
He did not trust that he could completely protect Hestia with just his current strength.
And what happened in Freya's novel had left too a deep impression on him with one Lv.6 easily defeating hundreds of Lv.1.
He therefore had not become relaxed or arrogant after gaining some influence and support. Ishtar was just the appetizer, there were many and much more dangerous things in this world.
Whether it was Enyo, who had Orario in the palm of his hand while he made the most powerful families act in a play directed by him.
Or his group of high-level creatures, who could become stronger by eating magic stones and even went to the point of fighting evenly with the Loki Familia.
The 8 or perhaps more corrupted demi-spirits, who had a power similar to a Lv.7.
Disgustingly strong abilities and the ability to easily use magic powerful enough to terraform certain floors of the dungeon, which were larger than the entirety of Orario.
That's not to mention the disgustingly strong magic that 6 of them could conjure, one that was comparable to a divine attack.
The Freya Familia, who sooner or later he would have to face, the proof of this was how Freya looked at Mikhael, narrowing her eyes with joy and with the corners of her mouth raised.
Antares, who was an enemy comparable to a god once he absorbed Artemis. And even without that, he was a strong opponent for ancient heroes.
Or even the reason for Mikhael's headaches. The black dragon, a being that not even the alliance between the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia could defeat...Some people would think that he was exaggerating.
But those families had a Lv.9, a Lv.8, and dozens of high-level adventurers. All of those members had special skills.
Years of combat experience in the deep floors of the dungeon, which were like hell. First-class equipment, all kinds of talents, magic, etc.
And yet Alfia, the previous most talented mortal, described that they could do nothing but desperately try to flee against that monster.
They, the worthy and powerful alliance that annihilated the Leviathan and the behemoth, were helpless against that dragon.
And Mikhael didn't find that fact strange after thinking about it.
1000 years ago, that monster that came out of the dungeon along with the other two great quests. It was repelled away from Orario, and one of its eyes was destroyed, earning it the nickname "The One-Eyed Black Dragon".
But the person who did it was not a nobody, he was Albert Waldstein. The king of mercenaries, the husband of a wind spirit, a legendary ancient hero, and the father of Aiz Wallenstein.
According to Mikhael's knowledge, Albert was the strongest mortal in history and even possessed the help of a spirit.
Along with swordsmanship for which he was nicknamed "The Champion of the Sword".
One that was only slightly copied by Aiz Wallenstein, who later surprised everyone with her beautiful and skillful swordsmanship, which was just a shadow of Albert's style.
And a group of extremely talented women, several queens of different races, whom Aiz Wallenstein categorized as "at least as strong as Alfia."
And yet, that hero whose legend is even sung today. He could only give his life to destroy one eye of that monster and repel it.
Unable to prevent the dragon from taking away Aiz Wallenstein's mother, Aria, a wind spirit.
Taking into account that the monsters on the surface were weakened thanks to the fact that when they reproduced they split part of their magic stone to have offspring.
And that black dragon that had no decency and simply took away a spirit with clearly bad intentions.
Probably wanted to do the same thing Antares did with Artemis. And then go to sleep until "the promised time came."
Therefore, the calculation in Mikhael's mind was:
The current Black Dragon who took a wind spirit>=Black Dragon>>>Ancient Hero who was comparable to at least a Lv.10 or even Lv.11>>>Lv.9 of the Hera familia>>>The current Orario.
And feeling that headache return, Mikhael cursed the author of Danmachi, who created an absurdly powerful "final" enemy. Who would probably be defeated in the original story with something stupid like the power of love and friendship.
But at the same time, he felt his blood begin to boil as his heart beat with excitement.
The very thought of fighting such a monster and about the ecstasy he would feel once he won against something like that...
If he became strong enough, gained more powerful skills, and used his dragon slayer skill, he would perhaps be at a level close to that dragon and he could...
(Oops...) Mikhael forcibly controlled the wild smile that almost appeared on his face while he was lost in thought.
Aurelia, a much more realistic person, didn't worry about that. Not because she knew how strong that dragon was, because she didn't.
But because she saw this world as a gigantic training ground for her and Mikhael.
They were people who were going to climb to the top, a place where planets disappeared with the snap of a finger.
Was there any reason to be afraid of a mere dragon that couldn't even destroy a planet?
They simply had to prepare as much as possible, trying to eliminate unexpected things and enjoy the journey in the tutorial while they could.
That was the difference between them, he was someone idealistic and she was someone realistic.
He was a cunning warrior who knew that he should not underestimate any enemy and she was more of a proud strategist who saw the big picture clearly, but not so much the small details.
Of course, perhaps Aurelia's opinion would change if she knew how monstrous that dragon was.
But then she would calm down after remembering that she had the very embodiment of "potential" on her side.
'Cough'
"Mikhael of the Hestia Familia, what do you want as compensation from the Ishtar Familia?" Royman spoke after coughing to get the attention of the distracted young man.
Mikhael snapped out of his thoughts, looking at the guild leader and everyone, who were curious about what he would choose.
"I want two things." Mikhael held up two fingers, while he smiled. "The first is a document from the palace of Ishtar, no matter what it is or its value, any will do."
Everyone was taken aback by this request, even Royman, because the plan they agreed upon only went up to the point where they would take a fortune from Ishtar.
"Well...if that's what you want, you can be accompanied by they right now to look for that paper..." Royman spoke after a few moments of confusion, giving a signal to some guild employees.
And Ishtar just looked at Mikhael unpleasantly, believing that this request was just to humiliate her. After all, why else would he make such a strange request?
But she, who came out of the cage, contained her emotions and began to plan.
Once she got her "toy" from her "allies." She would attack along with her other allies the Freya Familia, along the way, also the Hestia Familia.
It didn't matter if she now lost authority or wealth, later she would regain them.
She trusted the "toy" of her. Furthermore, there were no documents of importance in her palace, at least on the surface that was it. There were some in "that place" but no one knew about it.
"If you don't mind, young man, I will go with you, this way possible conflicts with the Amazons will be avoided." Finn spoke after standing up to accompany Mikhael, who was going to leave the room with Hedin and some guild employees.
"I will go too," Aiz spoke after suddenly standing up under the doubtful gazes of several people. To which Finn simply nodded his head and turned his gaze towards Mikhael.
"Sure, sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Finn and Wallenstein-san" Mikhael nodded his head with a kind smile.
And signaling with his eyes to Ryuu before leaving, who nodded his head. Both she and Hogni would stay to protect Hestia.
"No, it's nothing, besides, you can just call me Finn." Finn began a chat as the group made their way to the pleasure district.
They briefly chatted about some topics, sometimes with Hedin joining the conversation, meanwhile, Aiz simply remained silent as she hesitated about something.
While Finn's impression of the polite young man only improved. They advanced toward the pleasure district.
"You know, Mikhael, my goal is to become a hero, someone like the goddess Fianna. I want to make myself a light that improves the status of the Pallum in this world."
Finn told him as he walked next to him. His goal was no secret, but it was very difficult.
The Pallums, were a race that were like small humans, without any special characteristics beyond better vision.
They once had moments of greatness, when there was a group of knights led by Fianna, a Pallum who was an ancient heroine. To the point where Fianna was later deified for some reason.
Hence the Pallums, who worshiped Fianna. They were immensely disappointed when the gods descended into the lower world...
Only for them to realize that there was no goddess called "Fianna".
Therefore, amid the ridicule and disdain of the other races. The Pallums lost any sign of their former glory, they lost their "bravery" and their status only continued to plummet.
Leaving as a result the Pallums of today, who were mostly seen as weak people with nothing special beyond despicable cunningness.
There were only a few exceptions to that rule, such as Lyra of the Astraea Familia, Liliruca Arde, the quintuplets of the Freya Familia, or Finn himself.
In his childhood had witnessed how despicable the Pallums could be, but he also saw their bravery in the sacrifice of his parents who died to save him.
Therefore, he changed his name, and he took the goal of becoming a hero who would bring hope to all the Pallums. He wanted to be the hero of his race. Even if that hero was artificial, fake, or just a hollow symbol.
"I think your goal is something admirable, something like wanting to help an entire race guided by a sense of duty is beyond me..."
Mikhael commented he wasn't the kind of person who would take up the banner of a race. and he would dedicate his entire life to that.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to see if he could give Finn a clue about his future path.
After all, the idealistic would-be hero that Finn was after seeing Bell Cranel's actions suited him more than the rational leader that he was right now.
"However, I think that is not enough."
"Oh, why do you think that?" Finn asked curiously, he didn't feel irritated that someone would doubt something in his goal. Instead, he welcomed any useful suggestion that would help him to find a better path towards his goal.
He was also curious about Mikhael's opinion, he was the son of someone who was admired as a hero just like him.
However what Finn was after was not a simple title of "hero", what he wanted to be was a true hero like Fianna, an ancient heroine who was deified by her amazing achievements.
"While it is true that Fianna was a light to the Pallums, but those Pallums were ones who still had their own glory and 'bravery.'" Mikhael began to explain under the watchful gaze of the group.
"No offense, but currently the Pallum race is in a much worse situation than the Pallum race back then"
"They lost their glory and the "bravery" that drove them to move forward, and after hundreds of years, they are in a decline that only increased with the passage of time."
"I think that something like a hero made to be a cheap imitation of Fianna is not enough to illuminate the Pallums who are sunk in an abyss... something beyond that is necessary, a more ambitious goal..."
"Like what?." Finn asked with interest clear on his face.
It was the first time that someone told him so much about his objective, others only admired him or simply mocked that he wanted to change a status quo that had been maintained for thousands of years.
"Something like an extremely brave hero belonging to the Pallum race who goes beyond the shadow created by the light of Fianna."
"One who becomes a pillar that sustains the hopes of all the Pallums across time after achieving feats that go beyond Fianna."
"That is why I believe that your goal is not enough, I personally believe that you should not aspire to pursue the illusory back of Fianna. But to overcome it in your own way, becoming not a torch for the Pallums, but a sun that illuminates their paths. "
"...What a terrifyingly ambitious point of view, but your suggestion seems reasonable to me, I'll think about it..." Finn spoke as he had a contemplative expression, analyzing the young man's words.
He really hadn't thought about something like that until now. To him, Fianna had been the absolute peak of the Pallums, one that he should try to replace, even if it was a false peak.
He never entertained the idea of going beyond who became a symbol of bravery. For a moment, he admired the young man's open mind for thinking such a thing.
But he was deeply moved by those words. Maybe...he would have to start rethinking his goal and how he wanted to get there.
"Thank you for the advice, young man." Finn snapped out of his reverie as he had a grateful smile.
"It's nothing, I was simply giving an opinion from an outsider's point of view, it's easy for me to say it without carrying your burden."
"However, I'm curious after hearing your ambitious suggestion. What is your goal in coming to Orario? To follow your father's footsteps?" Finn asked curiously, while Eina, Hedin, and Aiz listened attentively.
"My goal? If I had to talk about something closer it would be to try to make the Hestia Familia a powerful Familia."
Mikhael answered after thinking for a few seconds, and deciding that it didn't matter if anyone else knew since they would take it as the nonsense of an arrogant young man, he said his real objective in this world.
"But if I had to talk about a goal like yours, a long-term one, I would say it would be..." He spoke as a smile full of fighting spirit appeared on his face. "Hunt the black dragon."
Causing the entire group to freeze at his words.
The people of the guild thought that being young was really something, while they pitied Eina, who had to mentor such an ambitious young man.
Eina turned a little pale as she thought that she would have to have a long, long talk with the young man after this, to get such madness out of his head.
Finn looked at the young man in surprise, because he could tell based on his experience that he didn't seem to be lying. Neither did he look like a young man showing off.
(He...does he really want to hunt that monster? But if he's the son of Sisyphus and Alfia...maybe it's not impossible with his talent...) Finn thought while a certain girl next to him started to act strangely without him seeing it.
Pointing a finger at Mikhael, Aiz Wallenstein released a burst of wind from it towards the young man.
Right in the middle of the surprise of the others, who were thinking about the young man's ambitious goal...
That burst impacted the young man, without attracting much attention from anyone because they had taken a shortcut to get to the pleasure district.
"Aiz what are you doing?!." Finn shouted in surprise as his eyes moved from the girl, who was looking at something with extreme attention, to the young man. "Are you okay?!, Mik-."
Only to stop his words, while he watched the young man with great surprise.
The reason for Finn's surprise was the young man's current state.
His right eye, half of his face, part of his right arm, part of his right leg. The right side of his body was lit in golden flames that danced with the wind.
(I see!!!...that's why Aiz's strange reaction...he is like her!!!...he is another half spirit!!!.)
(Was Sisyphus a spirit? No, the boy said in the guild that that golden flame was the result of his new magic...)
(Added to the fact that his right arms are the result of a spirit's blessing and that only his right side is on fire... then perhaps it was the Falna that awakened the dormant blood of the spirits in him.)
(A family like the Crozzos, who were blessed with the blood of a spirit through his bloodline... I am increasingly curious to know where Sisyphus came from...)
That was the reason why Mikhael's body had to change to that of a half-spirit, otherwise, when he activated his magic...he would be incinerated by his own magic.
But as a side effect, he was able to use his flames even without fully using his magic. Although they did not have the same power as when it was active, they were the reason for Mikhael's confidence.
After all, Aiz Wallenstein was able to fight a Lv.7 creature based only on her wind and the skill Avenger. He, who had another extra feature like regeneration, should not be inferior once he reached her height.
"Are you looking for a fight?...No...are you testing me?!, Aiz Wallenstein!!!" Mikhael questioned in annoyance as half of his body burned in flames.
He really didn't want to show this trump card ahead of time. But the resonance between that girl's wind and his flame made these appear instinctively.
He didn't expect that she would suddenly attack him to test him, but thinking about it, it made sense, aiz Wallenstein was essentially an airhead.
Thinking about it now, it was his mistake to have mentioned the black dragon without thinking about the sword princess's possible reaction.
Instead of trying to probe him with questions, she was the type of person who would attack him to see if he was really like her.
The spirits were such that they attracted each other due to a spiritual resonance. That's why his flames emerged unconsciously when the girl's wind came into contact with his body.
And that was the reason for his title "messenger in flames". Probably one of the people in the group called him that when he was testing the effects of his magic.
"I will let it go this time... however I hope that such an attack will not be repeated for no reason, Sword Princess..." Mikhael said after calming down, as the flames on his body went out.
And he turned around and began to walk again towards the pleasure district, along with a nervous Eina who followed him along with the other guild employees who were sent by Royman.
It wasn't worth getting into a possible conflict against the Loki Familia over such a small incident.
Furthermore, there were no people besides them on the path they took to avoid annoying crowds.
(It seems that no matter how much I prepare, unexpected things will still happen... well, it doesn't matter. I was never the strategic type, once the game gets complicated, I will just knock down the entire chess board.)
And Mikhael's impression of Aiz Wallenstein became worse because of that incident.
Which Finn seemed to feel, as he snapped out of his surprise and put on an awkward smile, patting the shoulder of the girl who was frozen.
"Aiz, I can understand your enthusiasm, but you should have taken a more polite approach," Finn advised with the wisdom of a 42-year-old man who was the brightest Pallum.
"I would recommend finding a time to apologize to the young man, otherwise you will leave a bad impression on him."
Only the executives of the Familia and Loki knew about the girl's past.
The daughter of the ancient hero, Albert Waldstein, and Aria, a wind spirit.
A poor girl who was discovered by them in the dungeon while fighting monsters, after she was awakened by some kind of power who before that stopped her from aging and made her sleep for a thousand years.
And a young woman almost consumed by hatred towards the monster that took her family from her, leaving her alone in a strange world.
Knowing the girl's history, and knowing how similar she was to the young man, Finn understood to a certain extent why she acted like that. However, that was a method too rough.
"You can ask Riveria what to do if you have doubts, that boy is a friend's son, I don't want to get into conflict with him if it's not necessary and I'm sure you don't either..."
"..." Aiz stood there silently, as Finn began to walk, leaving her space to think.
(He really is like me...) Aiz at first felt that she was finally able to break out of the persistent disbelief that refused to have false hopes.
She who had lived for revenge until now, whose only real ties were a couple of people in the Loki Familia.
She who had been separated from her family by that damn monster and by the time, that cruelly advanced 1000 years.
She who had to take a sword because the hero promised by her father had never arrived when she woke up in the dungeon.
She found someone similar to her, someone who could give her a sense of companionship that Riveria's maternal love or Finn and Gareth's paternal love couldn't.
Another avenger, a son of a hero, a half-spirit, and...someone who wanted to kill the black dragon like her.
That's why she couldn't resist using her wind to check if the young man was like her or if it was just an illusion caused by her loneliness.
(I'll ask Riveria later what is the best way to apologize to him.) Aiz thought with a little panic as she remembered the young man's annoyed look. She didn't want him to see her that way.
So she encouraged herself and began to catch up with the others heading towards the pleasure district.
Not having noticed how her own smile was a little twisted when she thought about her past and the young man.
(Author's note:
And Mikhael had no idea that he was slowly making the sword princess fall. as always with his "unaware of the results of his own actions" Ahh rizz...
But anyway, this note is to explain that Aiz Wallenstein's mental state is not as good as that of the aiz in the original story, if you can call that good...
Because she proved to have multiple personality problem, (multiple selves), schizophrenia (she heard voices telling her things), anger problems, and other things.
(You can read Danmachi Sword Oratoria to see that I am not lying, aiz Wallenstein is indeed a citizen of Orario, where crazy women abound.)
And the reason for the change in this story is Tiona, who never joined the Loki Familia, she was the one who helped Aiz get out of the bubble that isolated her from the others in the original story.
And well...as a result, the Aiz of this story is a...little, just a little bit crazier than the original Aiz.
And Mikhael has no idea about it because he didn't have enough time to think about all the butterfly effects.
Furthermore, he grew up as a person who doesn't really care at all how other people react to his actions...
(Unless it suits him to achieve a certain objective.)
PS:Before anyone complains about another chapter of pure infodump, I plan to upload several chapters today, so don't worry about that :D)