Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 344- Orion’s Fate

After the Leviathan was slain by Ai, the whole School District went to help with processing the Leviathan’s body.

Ai took the magic stone, and, to their surprise, it didn’t turn to dust.

"Seems the body is the reward, huh, Cirrus?" Poseidon looked at him.

"Yeah." Cirrus nodded. "If you need my help, just knock on my door."

Cirrus turns and leaves.

"Sure thing! I’ll send you the most valuable material. I’m sure you could make a good armor or weapon or two! Also, come by later! We're all going to have a party!"

"Uraaaa!!" The whole of School District roared.

"I’ll see… I’ll be inside. The fight took a lot out of me."

"Of course!" Poseidon nods with a big smile.

"I’ll also be in soon, honey!" Ai said. "I’ll just help with some cutting, and we should be good to return to Fuyuhama!"

"Hm." Cirrus waves as he walks away.

Cirrus walks back to his room and sees his son and his friends. They were all starry-eyed, looking at him.

"That was amazing, sir!!" shouted Retsu.

"You were so cool, my lord!" Mairu shouted.

"You and Sensei were so powerful!!" Musashi said.

"You were really cool, Dad!!" Haku said. "The blue, sharp flames were really amazing!!"

Cirrus's heart swelled three times its size, seeing his son and his friend smiling so happily.

"Thank you." He nods at them. "But I am a bit tired." He walks past them, patting their heads. "Sorry, kids, but I need a little nap."

"Sure thing, sir!" Retsu said.

"Got it, Dad!"

The kids went over to help with the Leviathan.

Cirrus went to his room on the ship and collapsed on the floor.

Thud!!

"Huff!!! Huff!!! Huff!! Grrr!!" He barely manages to get on all fours.

‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!’

It was frustrating for Cirrus. He never felt so restrained or so powerless. Every moment was torture for him.

"Sir." Hecton came out and helped him onto the bed. "Rest now, and please drink." He holds several more potions and antidotes. "If you can’t, we can just inject it into you?"

"Just lay me on the bed and pour it down. I'd rather not get more shots."

Hecton helps Cirrus to his bed, and Cirrus opens his mouth wide open. Hecton pours potion after potion and antidote after antidote into Cirrus to try and curb the poison.

"Master." Said Fafnir, appearing. "Should you not inform Circe of this? She could make something to lessen your conditions?"

"No, I’ve given her an extremely important task right now." He leans his head back.

"And that is?"

"She’s keeping watch over the Black Dragon, which currently resides in Dragon Valley." Said Vesta, appearing. "The moment it makes any moves, Cirrus will intercept it."

"I know of the plan, but..." Fafnir clenches her fists. "Master, I don’t think you could fight it long enough for the other to come and finish it off. With all due respect, master, but what if that human girl was lying about those visions she saw in her dream?"

"Fafnir, do you know why I trust those visions?" Cirrus looks at them with his eyes half-closed. "It’s because her skill makes it, so no one believes her. A way for her skill to be balanced out."

"A double-edged sword, if you will, Faf." Said Hecton.

"Still… you—us… we’ll…" She looks down, and a few tears run down her face. "Be separated…"

"Fafnir, I know this is hard, but it’s either me or everyone else. I still have my promise with Art, Ai, Malion, Ryuu, and even Bell."

"To be a hero," Vesta said, placing her hand on Cirrus’s forehead. "And to fight to live with your family."

"Can’t you or even Hestia cure him?" Fafnir asked.

"I have said so before, but neither I nor Hestia can do that; we have even discussed Prometheus and Hephaestus or any god of flame, but the situation has changed drastically. The poison is as much of him as his skin is. The flame has him wrapped around its metaphorical finger, his soul being the finger. Any attempts at purifying it will result in Cirrus dying. His fate has been sealed, as I said on that day he put to rest Epimetheus."

"Tch…" Fafnir clenched her fists tightly. "Then why isn’t it affecting me and Hecton?"

"As I said after Epimetheus’s death, the flame prefers humans over monsters. The last of its divine will, even after so much corruption, still prefer anything over monsters. Emboldening those three black beasts must have been some way for it to find a suitable host to be its champion, or at the very least, kill the one who slew its previous one."

"What utter bullshit! It went into the Behemoth and Leviathan! So what of me and Hecton? We can handle it!"

"I am sure you both could, but the fact remains that Cirrus is the lynchpin that connects you all, and from my understanding, the connection goes only one way to benefit Cirrus. As for the monsters you mention, I assume the corrupted flame had some grudge against Cirrus after killing its champion."

"Enough arguing," Cirrus said as he slowly closed his eyes. "I’m tired."

"Sorry." Vesta and Fafnir said.

"…You know, Art wanted to call me Orion as a pet name."

"…" Vesta made a bitter smile. "What luck that you're dying of poison, huh?"

"Well, it’s better than getting shot by my wife... Well, shot and killed. Say, what should I call this poison?"

Orion's fate was always the same. He always dies in the end. Either by Artemis’ hand or by Gaia sending a scorpion. Even the mighty Heracles died from the poison from the tainted blood of the centaur Nessus after he was shot and killed by one of Heracle's hydra poison-laced arrows.

"Malitiae Scorpius."

"How… on… point." Cirrus then falls asleep.

Vesta removed her hand and looked at Hecton and Fafnir.

"Try and keep those vestiges in check."

"And where are you going, Vesty?" Fafnir looked at her with a bit of anger.

"There is another matter I need to attend to quickly. Excuse me."

She then disappeared in a flicker of fire.

Back in the locked room in the Moonlight Tower, a flicker of fire appeared.

"Vesta!" shouted Callisto.

"Hold on a second." She takes a deep breath with her hands out. "Catch it. Hmm!!!"

Bwoosh!

White Night appeared from thin air.

It was only possible with the help of the sheath Hephaestus, Tsubaki, and Eupheme made.

Callisto quickly grabbed White Night from the air.

"My apologies, Calli, but your father just got done with dealing with the Leviathan."

"Then is he coming back soon!" she said, with eyes full of anticipation.

"Not for a while, so let’s resume where we left off, shall we?"

"Hmm…. but it’s just… It’s that we were—"

"I know." Vesta places her hands on her cheeks. "I know it’s hard, but you must bear with it like she did for those years within that tomb of darkness. You are almost there. Can you do that for me and your father?"

"…" Callisto takes a deep breath and opens her eyes. "Hm! Let’s get this done!"

North of the continent, deep within Dragon Valley.

Rumble!

Rumble!

Several dragons fly around from the rumbling.

From afar, on the outskirts of the valley, a pinkish-blue hawk watches.

‘Please don’t wake up. Just keep sleeping, you calamity.’

Somewhere within the lands of Chyong.

Boom!!

A pillar of night shoots down from Heaven.

"Fuu~," Walking out of the pillar was a goddess with bright red hair and eyes. "It’s nice to breathe in the air of Gekai again." She smiled. "Well, that’s enough enjoyment. It's time to get that old bastard, Zeus. Ah~ I can't wait to get to Hestia's!"

She then immediately walked in a direction with confidence.