Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 318- Return To Fuyukusa

Out at sea.

Whoosh!! Creak!!

Whoosh!! Creak!!

Whoosh!! Creak!!

There was a storm.

"Hah…" Artemis sighs. "This was too fast."

"I have heard of the problem Cirrus has while on ships," Malion said.

Currently in the room were Artemis, Malion, and the kids. Cirrus and Ai were helping the crew with the storm.

"What problem?" Haku asked.

"Your father has horrible luck while at sea," Artemis answered.

"How bad is it?" Callisto said. "One book I read said that the sea is unpredictable. Or was it a harsh mistress?"

"7 out of 10 times your father is out at sea. The ship runs into a storm. I would call it bad luck, but... well."

Artemis knows how high Cirrus’ luck stat is, but even then, he has remarkable luck to always find himself in a nasty storm.

"Do you think Haku and Calli inherited their father’s luck at sea?" Malion asked Artemis.

"… Uh." Artemis looks at Callisto and then at Hakushika. "Oh, my god. We never had a chance."

"It seems you will need to avoid sea travel," Retsu said.

"I mean, it’s not that bad, right?" Haku looked at his mothers. "Right?"

Artemis sucked in her teeth.

"Yeaaaah… it’s pretty bad."

"Or pretty well!" Malion pointed it out. "It was because of his luck that he met your aunt Circe on her island."

"Aunty Circe has an island!" Callisto said. "Where is it? Why didn’t anyone mention it before?"

"Because it is very, very far away," Artemis said. "And there is no reason to go back. Also, they do not know where it is. They ran into another storm and lost where the island was."

‘Granted, I am curious how he lived those years on the island."

 Some days later in Yamato.

Klopp! Klopp!

Klopp! Klopp!

Klopp! Klopp!

"Wow!!" said Calli, Haku, and Retsu as they looked out at the snow-covered trees.

"Are you warm enough, Malion?" said Cirrus, handing her a coat.

"I am fine. The insulation in this carriage is very good, and with six people in here, I’m plenty warm." She said it graciously.

"Well, when we arrive, it’s best to put it on. The winters here are colder than what you expect," Said Ai.

"Yes, the winters in Yamato, especially in Fuyukusa, are cold, given how far north it is." Said Artemis.

"I see then, I guess..." She gets up and sits next to Cirrus. "I would need to keep warm." She made a slight smile as she wrapped her arms around Cirrus.

They continued to ride for a few more hours, finally arriving at Fuyukusa’s gate.

"Yo!" Cirrus said. "I’m back. Tell Lord Susanoo and everyone I’ll be at my home, and I’ll come in tomorrow to look over the work needed.

"Yes, sir!!" the guard shouted as they let them pass.

"I thought you said you had no work!" Haku said.

"Yeah, well, if I don’t tell them they're going to come and get me, I might as well cut the time wasted."

While riding through the city, the kids were amazed. Malion, who was near the window, was amazed by how dazzling the city was. When compared to Orario, Fuyukusa was very modernized.

"Cirrus, did you build all of this?" Malion said this while still looking at the passing buildings.

"You really built this place, Dad!" Calli said, looking at Cirrus with starry eyes.

"Ooh... S-so you run all of this!?" Haku said.

Haku understood now why he told the guard that he would be coming to work tomorrow. Had he not, many would have come and bothered him to help run this massive beast of a city.

"More or less, I just funded the construction, helped with the city planning, and also managed just about everything. Oh hey, driver, take a right here and keep going!"

"Yes, sir!"

Arriving at their home in Fuyukusa, the kids and Malion were still amazed by the home.

"Wow! This is so pretty!!" Calli said, running around.

"Can we look around!" said Haku.

"Sure thing!" said Ai. "Just try not to make a mess, alright."

"We won’t, Lady Kyūjouno!" said Retsu as the three of them went off.

"It’s been so long since we’ve been here." Said Artemis. "I’ll turn on the heater."

"I’ll go get the rooms ready." Said Ai.

"Malion, just rest. I need to go and check on the defensives." Said Cirrus.

"Alright, but you don’t have to be so protective of me." Malion goes and takes a seat.

"He was like that for us as well," said Ai.

"Yes, it is rather cute to see him so worried." Said Artemis.

"Hmmm…" Cirrus took his leave.

As everyone went off, Malion got up and checked the kitchen.

‘Let's see if the food is rotten.’

She opened the fridge to find it completely empty.

"Hmm... Hecton, what happened to the food? Did he get rid of it when he left?"

A head popped from her shadow.

"Yes, Sir Cirrus cleaned it out. The only people who came here were members of the Susanoo Familia to do basic cleaning. Allow me to restock the food." His hands shot out of her shadow with food.

"Is the food still good while in the shadow?"

"Yes, but it has a more bland taste if eaten as is, but once cooked, it will regain more or less its taste."

"Huh? Neat."

The day was spent cleaning the home and making dinner, the kids picked their own rooms, Retsu as well as he will be staying with them. Ai very much insisted on it.

The next day.

"Hahaha!!" said Susanoo as he picked Ai up. "How are you doing, Ai!!"

"It’s good to see you again, Lord Susanoo! Where is Lady Kushida?" Ai looked around.

"She busy with your brother Akio dealing with some business."

Susanoo puts her down.

"Aw... I wanted to meet her again."

"She will be back in a few days don't you worry."

"How has life as a mother been, sweetie?" Said Aomi coming up to her with Akeru right behind. "And where are my grandkids?"

"You didn’t forget them, did you?" Akeru said.

They both looked around.

"It’s hard, Mom and Dad. I did not forget them. They are—Kids!!!" Ai shouted. "Come over here!!"

Running over in order of arrival were Retsu, Haku, and Calli.

"Haku, Calli, this is your grandma and grandpa," Artemis said.

"Hello, grandma! Grandpa!" Haku and Calli said.

"My, how adorable you all are!" Aomi came up to them and pinch their cheeks. Her eye fell on Retsu. "And who are you?" she said, looking at Retsu.

"I am a student from Hóngsè," Retsu said.

"Oh? Who is this lovely dark elf?" asked Akeru.

"I am Malion Dökk Zephyr; I am Cirrus’s third wife."

"Another to the family!" Aomi said happily. "Our family has certainly been growing!" she said, hugging the kids.

"Lord Susanoo, could we speak inside?" said Cirrus.

"Of course."

Going inside were Susanoo, Cirrus, and Artemis. While inside the meeting room, Cirrus put Sound Eaters everywhere.

"So Calli was her name?" said Susanoo.

"It’s short for Callisto." Said Artemis.

"Well, Callisto is a cute child... Tell me, how did you manage to hide her divinity? When you told me of Artemis having a child, I was rather hard-pressed."

"Truth be told, if you weren’t a trustworthy god, I wouldn’t let this fact escape a few people’s lips." Said Cirrus.

"And I am grateful for that, Cirrus. Your and Artemis' child is a miracle to the world and all gods. The moment I saw her, it was difficult not to see her as Ai’s daughter. I assume you created magic tools to make her hair match that of Ai’s, correct? Maybe a sort of glamor effect?" he said, looking at Cirrus.

"Yes, her natural hair is like Art’s, and her eyes are mine. Of course, the cherry on top was the fake fox ears. Hephaestus improved them so they're seamless. I also added a misdirection effect to the necklace where it makes one notice the white hair and fox ears before her physical appearance. It’s all rolled into one package that's around her neck. I had it tied to myself and Artemis, so it will never run out of juice."

"And what if she wishes to be an adventurer? The risk of her losing the necklace rises drastically. Will you stop her?"

"Should that day come, and it probably will, I already have something ready. Vesta."

From his right shoulder, a wisp of fire came into being, forming a chibi Vesta.

"When the day comes, Cirrus will introduce me to her, and when she comes into contact, I will forge a contract with her that will forcibly hide her godly heritage from being revealed. This form is already powerful enough to handle a young demi-god like her with two spirits' magic cores and Zeus’s Bronte."

"Will it actually work? And has she even developed any abilities so to speak?"

"I am 100% sure."

‘Mostly because they don’t know she is Nox’s reincarnation. Her compatibility with White Night surpasses Cirrus’.’

"As for her abilities they will appear through her status." Artemis answered. "But this is a first so... we do not know if she will developed godlike powers."

"But giving her a status has essentially worked as a sort of chain." Cirrus said. "And we hope any abilities that do come up will be through the status."

'From what Ais has told me of a Nephilim, having Artemis be the one to have Callisto's metaphorical leash will certainly rein in some troublesome abilities should they if or ever arise.'

"Very well now. I actually have some other news to bring up regarding the fishing economy." Susanoo said changing topics.

"What about it?" said Cirrus. "Is Poseidon’s Familia taking too much or what?"

"No, nothing like that. The god of the sea knows it like the back of his hand and a bottle of rum, but... he said that lately the amount of fish he was catching has slowly been dwindling for unknown reasons."

"This is serious. When did it start?"

"I don’t know. Poseidon just entered the room and said to me what I had just said to you. His Familia has been investigating it for a while, but nothing has been found yet. I even asked how serious it is, and he said it’s nothing that will affect us anytime soon, but it will in the coming years."

"That's... hmm... we need to keep an eye out on that and start developing fish farms. Is there anything else I should know?"

"That’s about it; everything else I can handle, but there is some stuff that needs your input."

"Is it long?"

"Nothing you can’t knock out in a few days!"

"…Haa… This sucks." Cirrus said dejected.

"I tried my best, but the paperwork never ends," Susanoo said, staring out into space. "Endless and endless string of words that slowly chip away at my sanity..."