Chapter 48 I am completely innocent.
Chapter 48 I am completely innocent.
"So, Jake didnt I warn you not to play with other women???" Hestia threateningly asked me, but the scariest thing was the placid smile she was wearing that disguised whatever thoughts she had.
I rolled my eyes at seeing the short goddess puffing up like a peacock trying to look bigger. "Hestia, I heard info about a Renard being sold into the redlight district and there is literally less than a dozen of them in the redlight district altogether, so it was pretty easy to put together and find her."
Hestia pouted as she couldn't find an excuse to give me shit without sounding like she wished I left Haruhime to be pleasure slave... "Look Hestia, I just wanted to help your friend and if it makes you feel better I literally didnt touch a single woman in there except the actual act of bringing her home."
"Ugh fine!" She truly didnt have a single thing to complain about other than me actually going into the nasty place so she was obviously feeling a bit frustrated at me for not leaving any room on the proverbial noose.
"How did the Denatus go anyway?"
Hearing my question all the adventurers in the room perked up as we listened in to hear the latest news.
Freya smiled a bit wryly as she spoke when Hestia covered her head and threw a hood over her face in mortification. "You all got interesting names... Especially you Lili." The girl didn't seem all too enthused and when the name Loli Atlas was explained she just laid face down in the Pew and we could all hear her screams of mortification and promises of revenge.
Meanwhile Bell was a bit torn to be named after a pyscho rabbit that kills everyone and anything whether it's mortals, spirits, or even other monsters, and most famously killed the equivalent of a level seven, centuries ago when a host of knights and a bonded pair of a knight, and a spirit attempted to slay it but failed.
Now the moment of truth as Freya turned her eyes back to me. "Jake your name is actually a great name but it could draw the ire of a..." She drawled off and Hestia after pulling herself out of her embarrassment finished.
"Artemis is pretty possessive about the name as one of the spirits she made was basically married to a mortal of that name."
Ah yes, the majority of greater spirits that used to roam where basically shards of deities within the heavens tearing pieces of themselves off and then attaching them to spirits as they were born and are basically the reason why there is still mortal life on this world.
I remember Bell's and Welf's ancestor also had such a contract with spirits and that's why Welf's family could make magic swords but nowhere near the quality his ancestor could as his wouldn't break after a few swings.
Welf's spirit partner was Vulcan, an off shoot of Hephaestus. Whereas Bell's ancestor was Kronos an offshoot of Zues and would explain his Realis Phrase ability as helps him grow so much faster. Though I was highly curious if the gods themselves recognized the current generation as being close to reincarnations to the past.
"So, is she going to come hunt me down or something?" I shrugged as honestly, I wasn't even sure if Artemis was eaten by Antares yet or what her situation was, but I knew she wasn't really a threat, nor was her Familia unless she got the drop on me.
Both Goddess's shook there heads with Hestia responding. "It will likely take a year or two for news of your name and record breaking to reach her enough times for her to believe it with how she is always on the frontier fighting surface monster's.
"Well, it should be fine then especially with my stats being in the B range." And wasn't that a kick in the pants with the higher number of varieties of monster's the faster I was collecting stat points and even Ryuu was about to level up in a few days with the rate we were going.
The biggest thing was that there simply wasn't enough high quality Excellia that was within decent reach as I was going to get creamed if we tried to fight the Amphisbaena. a two headed dragon rated at level six and each of the heads were able to shoot different magic and even worse was the fact that it loved to fight underwater in those water floors.
I had a funny thought for a second. "Hey what happens if I hit level three before the next Denatus in three months?"
Both Goddess's were reminded that technically I was technically able to level up and only the need of high quality Excellia and my desire to surpass the S rank on all my stats with each level kept me from leveling.
Hestia frowned and started twirling her finger through her twin tail as she was deep in thought. "Hey Jake, could you maybe make a depth charge or something to kill the Amphisbaena."
I could see the frown she had, was not whether I was able to make it or not, it was about whether me simply using a bomb would count as me killing the Monster Rex for the level up?
I was leaning on yes because otherwise how would Mage's level up when all they have to do is point at a big monster and chant a couple lines, but me making the bomb in question would probably play into using it and getting the level up from it.
"I imagine yes, and I bet it would count for a level up, wouldn't it?"
Freya nodded firmly replying. "Yes, Asfi Andromeda, Hermes's Captain is a magic item creator and she leveled up to level four by using several million valis bombing the Udaeus boss to ash." Ok so pay to win tactics are allowed, good to know...
Ok so I think several bombs hooked up to a magical signal that can be set off remotely would be best as the Amphisbaena is perfectly capable of saying 'fuck this' and just going to another floor through the waterways should we spook it with only being hit lightly with the bombs.
We all kept discussing our next moves and whether we should approach the Loki Familia to kill that boss as it was going to impede our way into the Lower Floors.
But Hestia frowned heavily as she turned to me. "Jake why is there an Amazon at our wards trying to find a way in..." Err for a moment I blanked making her face turn red at my mental failure.
"I was careful not to followed..." I frowned and then walked outside with my weapon in case Ishtar was here in force to retrieve Haruhime.
I only marginally relaxed seeing it was Aisha standing out here, but I kept my guard up as she was armed with her huge great sword and was clearly pissed as she stared me down.
"May I help you, Aisha?" I asked making her clench her weapon harder and as I looked around, I saw something in the distance of the night sky. 'The redlight district was a lot brighter... is there a festival or something I missed?' I thought.
"Give me back Haruhime or I will break all your bones kid..." She said coldly.
I just chuckled making her swing her great sword against the ward with a loud smashing noise. "Aisha, you do realize you and Samira are the only level three's left in the Ishtar Familia, correct?" She froze at my question, but I continued. "I can tell you aren't as mind fucked by Ishtar's charm as you should be, so why are you even helping her by trying to bring back Haruhime?"
"I have been looking after her for so long and I am not giving up her safety to the first pretty boy who was able to sneak her out!" She roared and I remembered even when Bell literally rescued her and was about to take her way with the Familia about to be crushed by Freya. She still, shit tested Bell and beat him half to death and had to be thrown off the damn tower with an Argonaut Firebolt to take the fox girl home.
'Actually, her actions might just be a standard packaging Amazon psychotic behavior for determining mates.' I thought remembering Tione's fixation on Finn.
"Ok Aisha, here is what's going to happen I am going to beat your ass like one of your people's tribal drums. Then I get to keep Haruhime as I am obviously strong enough." I said confidently hoisting my charge blade in its axe form over my shoulder and then with a mighty woosh it exploded in flames draping my armored from in haunting blue flames that raged around me and provided an intimidating back drop.
Aisha looked surprised for a moment at my sheer candid challenge but my actions after that, made her hips visibly twitch as basically her whole body was displayed while she was wearing a belt around her chest and a little bikini bottom covering her lady bits.
I still wreathed in dark blue flames approached the woman who had to quickly back pedal from the pure heat as she couldn't even keep her eyes open as they kept drying out looking at me. I didnt actually want to hurt her really as both my weapon and fire were on a different level compared to Bell's firebolt in cannon.
Deciding to see if I could just scare her off, I used my new magic and mentally flipped the switch to the non-chant magic.
"Fwoosh." My flames evolved past its blue stage to become a hellish dark purple, and I could feel my boots sinking into the ground as it softened from the ridiculous heat wafting off me not to mention even the wards surrounding the mansion were almost boiling as though a liquid.
'Uh oh.' I mentally thought seeing the damage I was causing my surrounding's and the amazon was in full retreat as she sprinted away from me only to collapse and start holding her feet in obvious agony making me cut off the flames and almost slouch at the heavy drain of using that version of flames.
"I declare myself the winner as you can't even trade blows with me..." I said with a righteous straight face making the Bell and Lili clap there face in shame at my shameless way to win.