Evening at the Hestia Familia.
Laughter and cheer echoed through the dilapidated church — not just from their victory in the war, but also because of the massive pile of valis on the table.
V$100,000,000. This was Adam's return on his bet at odds of 1:20 — unimaginably high.
After all, who would have expected to find soone as powerful as Adam in this declining, rundown headquarters of a weak Familia?
Even Hestia hadn't anticipated it. Though she was the Goddess who had bestowed her blessing upon Adam and welcod him into the Familia, he spent little ti with them. They knew almost nothing about his past, nor did they expect his strength to reach such heights.
Even with the Spirit's help, his power was simply extraordinary!
She had known he possessed great potential, but potential and actual strength were two different things.
Take Bell, for instance — while he had potential, it ant nothing until transford into actual strength. As things stood, Adam could defeat him easily with just one hand. That was the reality.
"Wow, I can't believe we actually won." Welf said with a laugh, sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Mikoto, while swinging her katana in the air, said dejectedly, "Yeah, I can't believe we won when we barely helped and just hid in the back."
"Indeed." Her words resonated with Welf.
The two of them had left their original Familias and joined Hestia Familia to help Bell through his difficulties.
But they had turned out to be unnecessary. Adam was simply too strong, single-handedly crushing the Apollo Familia and making the two of them superfluous.
"Welf, Mikoto, stop saying such foolish things! We'll always rember the loyalty you showed by choosing to join Hestia Familia, so don't think of yourselves as unnecessary!"
"That's right, Welf, Mikoto. Thanks to you both, the Goddess and I were saved from danger. You're our saviors."
Adam and Bell, each in their own way, expressed their gratitude to the two.
"Adam, Bell."
"Lord Adam, Lord Bell."
Welf and Mikoto were moved to tears. They hadn't been useless after all; they had made a contribution.
Beatrice remained silent, just quietly leaning against Adam.
Expecting this tsundere loli to comfort others was impossible. It was already good enough that she wasn't mocking them. So at this mont, she chose to stay quiet.
"Everyone..." Hestia also had tears in her eyes.
Seeing the Familia's harmonious atmosphere and mbers getting along so well made her deeply happy.
However, she held back her tears. After all, the Familia was no longer the empty shell it had been when Bell was its only mber. Now with six mbers and a victory over the Apollo Familia, they had beco renowned.
So she had to be more formal than before, maintaining a goddess's dignity and grace.
With this thought, she proudly thrust out her chest.
Bell, noticing her upturned nose and proud expression, asked curiously, "Goddess, is it because of our victory in the war? You seem very happy."
"Hehehe, partly because of our victory in the War Ga, but there's sothing else making happy."
"What is it?"
"Adam's alias has been decided." Hestia bead with pride.
But there was an even bigger revelation — Welf and Mikoto had just learned that Adam was only Level 2!
"W-wait! Adam's alias?"
"Yes! Are you saying Lord Adam is only Level 2?!"
The two pressed their faces close to hers, demanding an explanation.
"Yes, what about it?" Hestia pushed away their approaching faces and casually delivered the shocking news.
"What do you an 'what about it'? How did we not know Adam was only Level 2!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
Indeed, they had been completely unaware. Before the War Ga, they knew nothing about Adam except Hestia's assurance that his strength was formidable.
And formidable he was — Adam had opened with a world-destroying magic spell that obliterated the Apollo Familia in one hit. His strength had earned not just their recognition, but their fear.
Yet he was only Level 2? It seed impossible!
But faced with this reality, they could only stare at Adam with new eyes.
Monster... That's what their gazes said.
"Hey, you two, what's with those looks? I'm going to get angry."
"Ah, Adam, you really are a monster."
"That's right, that's right."
"Calling soone a monster is so an!"
Friendly teasing lightened the atmosphere, and Adam took no real offense.
Still, he was curious about what title the Gods would bestow upon him.
"Hero!" Hestia announced without delay.
But she noticed sothing wrong imdiately. Looking at the easily discouraged rabbit, she saw his head drooping just as she'd feared.
"Hero" did sound more impressive than "Little Rookie", and it was the very title Adam had dread of.
Yet Bell felt the title didn't belong to him, and his heart sank.
"Bell-kun..." Hestia wanted to comfort him but found herself at a loss.
anwhile, even Adam seed unimpressed.
"Eh?" She asked, bewildered, "Adam, don't you like this title?"
"Well, sort of." Adam replied, "It's a fine title, but I've been called this so often in my holand that it's lost its aning."
Demon Slayer, KonoSuba, Re:Zero — if not Savior, then Hero. He'd grown weary of such empty titles.
"Bell-kun, a title is just a title — it ans nothing. True strength is what matters. That's the real asure of a person's worth."
"Adam..." Bell's gaze held not just surprise but admiration.
He admired this mindset — the belief that recognition should co through one's own strength, not through titles or Familia connections.
Though his admiration for Adam ran deep, it couldn't match what he felt for Ais. After all, the Sword Princess had saved his life in that chance encounter, and the pure-hearted rabbit's feelings for her went far beyond re admiration.
"Sigh." Hestia felt torn between joy and dejection.
Her emotions swung wildly, like a roller coaster she could barely handle.
Adam's dismissal of the hard-won title, coupled with Bell's near discouragent, created a contrast that overwheld her.
At least Adam's perspective had steered Bell away from fixating on empty heroic prestige. Without that guidance, she would have been at a loss.
Still, Adam's indifference stung.
She'd boldly challenged the other Gods at Denatus, willing to make enemies just to secure this title. Now she wondered — what had it all been for?
She couldn't help but feel disheartened.
"Well, getting such a cool alias is still worth celebrating." Hestia decided to reward herself and suggested, "Why don't we have a party to celebrate both our victory and Adam's new title?"
"Oh!" x3
Everyone agreed with the proposal.
Celebrating after a victory was only natural.
But not right now.
"Wait, I disagree." Adam clapped his hands once, drawing everyone's attention, "Let's put the party on hold. There's sothing more urgent we need to do."
"Sothing else?"
"Have you forgotten? There's still a Pallum princess being held captive by villains, waiting for us heroes to rescue her."
Adam's aning was imdiately clear to everyone.
Liliruca Arde — the Pallum girl who had always helped Bell escape from trouble.
"Supporter."
"Lady Lily."
"Lily."
"That's right, we need to save Lily! That bastard will pay!" At her ntion, Welf beca agitated.
It wasn't that he had feelings for her — he felt pure sha at his inaction when she was taken. Though he had been in a difficult situation himself, that was no excuse.
Bell felt the sa way.
He had wanted to rescue Lily even before the War Ga began, but Adam had stopped him, prioritizing the war.
Now that he had permission, he wouldn't delay any longer.
"So everyone, let's go rescue Lily together!"
"Oh!!!" x4
Everyone cheered loudly.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
Following Adam's lead, they left their base and headed toward the Soma Familia's headquarters in the sunset's glow.
They walked with heads held high, full of confidence. As victors, they had earned that right.
Their presence imdiately caught the attention of other Adventurers in Orario. Even without ntioning Adam, who was already a rising hero, their determined deanor drew a crowd of onlookers.
Finally, they arrived at the Soma Familia's headquarters.
When the guard saw the large group approaching, especially Adam at the front, his legs began trembling uncontrollably.
His knees nearly gave out. If he hadn't been leaning against the doorpost, he would have collapsed to the ground.
"W-what do you... what do you want?!" His trembling voice betrayed his fear and unease.
Adam didn't want to trouble this low-ranking mber unnecessarily, but he had no ti for lengthy exchanges.
"Hello, I'm Adam Carter. I have business with Captain Zanis. Would you relay that ssage?"
Though polite, his words carried an unmistakable tone of command.
"Yes, understood!" The guard straightened his back as if receiving orders from his captain, then turned and ran inside.
anwhile, Adam and the others waited patiently outside.
After a while, Zanis appeared.
"A pleasure to et you. I am Zanis Lustra, captain of the Soma Familia. Hero Adam Carter, it's an honor." His introduction was impeccably courteous.
Even a villain could make a favorable first impression with such manners.
Yet sothing about his bespectacled, seemingly refined, smiling face felt artificial and affected—rather off-putting.
Adam and the others instinctively frowned.
Still, one shouldn't strike a smiling face. Though they had co to pick a fight, beating him up in public would cost them popular support, even if justified.
"Pleased to et you, I am Adam Carter." Adam made his own introduction.
Of course, those behind him needed no introduction.
"I've long admired your heroic reputation, Adam, but what brings you here today—"
"There's sothing I'd like Captain Zanis to answer."
"What might that be?"
"I've heard that our friend Liliruca Arde has been imprisoned. Is this true?"
Adam's words imdiately sparked interest among the onlookers.
They hadn't expected him to bring up such an explosive topic in front of so many people.
"Imprisoned?!"
"Is it true?"
"No way!"
"Why not? This is the Soma Familia we're talking about..."
"Yeah, exactly."
In Orario, the Soma Familia was notorious for its scandals and dark rumors, though they maintained a thin veneer of respectability.
But now Adam had torn away that façade.
At this, Zanis's composure cracked.
"Slander! This is slander! Sir Adam! You're deliberately trying to defa our Soma Familia!" His voice trembled with barely contained rage.
Yet his dramatic outburst earned no sympathy.
After all, every experienced Adventurer present knew the Soma Familia's true nature.
And this was precisely Adam's strategy — to expose their dark side!
"Is that so? Perhaps I was mistaken. My sincere apologies, Captain Zanis." Adam's apology ca with a calculated addition, "However, I have a proposal, if you would consider it."
"What proposal?"
"As you know, Lily is our dear friend, but her being in a different Familia troubles us." Adam's concern seed genuine as he continued, "Would Captain Zanis consider letting her join us?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Zanis snapped.
He had already seen through Adam's purpose — he wanted Liliruca.
But he couldn't release her.
He coveted her magic, planning to profit from her convenient spells. More importantly, he had indeed imprisoned her. If Adam discovered this, the Soma Familia would face his wrath!
He had to refuse, no matter what.
But then Adam spoke, "Let's not be hasty, Captain Zanis. We'll provide compensation."
"Compensation?"
"Ten million valis!" Adam thrust one finger skyward and declared, "As compensation for your Familia's loss, we'll pay ten million valis!"
The onlookers gasped in shock.
"Wow, ten million!"
"They'd pay that much for soone?"
"This can't be real."
"Who is this person? I need to know!"
"Take the deal! I would!"
"Yeah, too!"
Whispers rippled through the crowd of spectators, all suggesting Zanis should accept.
Zanis's heart stirred at the offer.
But he kept his composure, knowing no amount of money could make him give up Lily.
His eyes glinted as he devised a way to refuse.
"I apologize, but we must decline. However, if the Hero could offer one hundred million valis, we might consider it."
One hundred million! The spectators gasped at his outrageous demand.
V$100,000,000! Even the mighty Loki Familia or Freya Familia wouldn't pay such an astronomical sum.
They watched as Adam pondered the offer.
"Alright, I accept."
Simple and direct.
"Whoa!"
"He... he actually agreed?!"
"Impossible!"
"Such an insane price, but why?!"
The crowd stood stunned by both n's audacity — one to demand, one to accept.
Now everyone wondered about this Liliruca Arde. What made her so special that soone would willingly pay one hundred million valis for her freedom?
Zanis wondered the sa thing.
"W-wait! You're actually agreeing?"
"Yes, I am."
"W-why! Why would you agree?!"
"That's a strange question." Adam spread his hands and said, "I told you, didn't I? Lily is our important companion. To free her from suffering, we'll do whatever it takes. One hundred million valis? That's quite a bargain, don't you think?"
Boom!
His words thundered through the crowd of onlookers.
This unwavering devotion to a companion earned everyone's admiration. By tomorrow, word of this would spread throughout all of Orario.
The Hero Adam Carter had astounded them once again!
"W-wait! I refuse, I cannot agree!" Zanis stamred.
Even at the astronomical sum of one hundred million valis, he wouldn't release Lili.
At this point, even the onlookers sensed sothing amiss. Given his notorious greed, how could he possibly refuse such an unbelievable sum?
This was Zanis's dilemma.
His heart ached, but he couldn't agree!
Imprisonnt, abuse, threats, intimidation, punishnt — if Adam learned of these things he had done to Lily, even fleeing Orario wouldn't save him from righteous retribution.
"Why won't you agree? Didn't Captain Zanis say that for one hundred million valis—"
"I only said I would consider it! After consideration, I refuse to let Liliruca go!" Zanis's voice cracked with desperation.
"Is that so? You won't agree? Then there's nothing to be done—" Adam sighed, as if admitting defeat.
"Adam!"
"Adam?!"
"Sir Adam!"
Bell and the others called out anxiously behind him.
Though they supported his offer of one hundred million valis for Lily, they couldn't accept him giving up.
The onlookers shared their dismay, believing Adam had truly surrendered.
So did Zanis. He even breathed a sigh of relief, internally sneering at this so-called hero who gave up when things got difficult.
But in the next mont, Adam said sothing no one expected!
"So, you won't agree?" His deep voice rose steadily as he declared, "Then I, Adam Carter, as vice-captain of the Hestia Familia, hereby declare war on the Soma Familia! With our resolve to save our friend at stake, we absolutely will not surrender!"
"Oh!!!" x4
"Oh!!!" xN
Bell and the others cheered loudly, joined by the excited shouts of the onlookers.
The atmosphere crackled with electricity. No one had imagined that barely half a day after the War Ga had ended, the flas of war would ignite again.
And by the sa person!
"W-what?!" Zanis stumbled backward.
At this mont, Adam finally showed his fangs.
"Co on then, let the ga begin."
✧✧✧
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