Chương 12: Because I Didn't Want You to Be Sad

Sunset red burned across the sky, dyeing all of Orario in evening light. Magic-stone lamps slowly lit along the streets. At the edge of the slums, near the abandoned district, Hestia leaned against the broken wooden doors of the old church with both hands behind her back. Her lonely gaze rested on the end of the street, watching for a certain figure to appear.

"It is almost dark. Cael still has not come back..." Did he leave? A god like me really is... At that moment, a long shadow appeared at the end of the street. Hestia quickly looked over, but when she realized it was not the person she was waiting for, she sighed in disappointment.

"Goddess Hestia."

"I remember you. You are that... um... Guild person, right?" Hestia blinked.

"Eina Tulle." Eina stopped in front of Hestia and braced both hands on her knees, panting after running for so long.

"What does the Guild want with me?" Hestia asked, confused. She had only just formed a Familia and did not even have an emblem yet, so there was no tax to pay the Guild. The Guild would not issue a request to a god like her either. If there were a matter for a deity, Ouranos would contact her directly.

"I am the rookie adviser responsible for Cael Veyren of your Familia. An Irregular has occurred in the Upper Floors of the Dungeon. Cael has not returned yet, so I came to notify you, Goddess Hestia." Hestia's body shook.

"An Irregular? Cael still has not come back? What happened? Please explain clearly."

"A short while ago, the monster spawn rate in the Upper Floors began multiplying without any regular pattern. Monsters that should have been born deeper down also began spawning on higher floors. The Guild has already issued rescue missions to bring out adventurers trapped inside. But so far, Cael has not come out of the Dungeon. I do not know if he..." Eina explained as simply as she could. By the end, even she lacked confidence that a rookie on his first day as an adventurer could return from such an emergency.

"Impossible. Cael is still fine. I can feel it. My Falna has not disappeared." Hestia shook her head at once.

"No. I have to save Cael." Without hesitation, she ran toward Babel. The loneliness in her heart vanished instantly. Cael had not left her. The boy who had seen her so poor and still smiled so happily could not possibly have secretly abandoned her. Cael was her only child. She had to save him. She would go to the Guild and issue a request. No matter how much debt she owed afterward, it would not matter. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Wait, Goddess Hestia." When Eina heard that Hestia's Falna had not disappeared, she let out a breath of relief. That boy who knew no common sense was still alive. Thank goodness.... Hestia ran barefoot through the crowded street, paying no attention to anyone around her. The only thing in her heart was seeing her only Familia member.

"Hm? Hestia? Why are you in such a hurry?" At the familiar voice, Hestia stopped at once. The surprised voice belonged to one of her divine friends. He wore a white shop uniform, had black hair tied into a small horn-like braid, and held a paper bag of potato puffs. Like Hestia, he worked at one of the potato puff stands. Takemikazuchi.

"Take! I need your help with something. You have to help me. I am willing to pay any price." Hestia clung to him like a drowning person finding a lifeline. Her plea was urgent, and her eyes were unusually firm.

"Huh? What happened, Hestia?" Takemikazuchi asked blankly. It was the first time he had ever seen Hestia this frantic, and the first time she had asked someone for help like this. Was this really Hestia?

"My only child entered the Dungeon on his first day and is trapped inside. Please lend me your strength. I know this is unreasonable, but please." Hestia bowed without caring about her pride as a god.

"Child? You have a Familia member?"

"Wait. Trapped in the Dungeon? Do you mean during that Irregular? I just heard about it from Mikoto. I never thought..."...

"Hah... Hah... I can finally see the exit." Cael's body swayed. He looked as if he might collapse at any moment. His vision was already blurred, and even the sunset shining through the Dungeon exit felt painfully bright. The sword Eina had given him was covered in chips and cracks. Even the tip had broken off. The other sword had shattered completely during battle. He had killed seventeen wolf-headed monsters whose base values were at least two hundred.

He had also killed an unknown number of goblins, War Shadows, and demon wolves. The light armor that had protected his chest was gone. His chest was a bloody mess from a wolf claw strike, and bloody wounds covered his entire body. In his other hand, he carried a backpack full of Magic Stones. It was so packed that several stones had fallen through the gaps and scattered on the ground. The pack had been abandoned by some supporter.

Since he had killed so many monsters anyway, he had picked up some Magic Stones along the way.

"Good thing it only lasted two hours. Otherwise, I really would not have made it out. Heh. Did it stop targeting me, or can it only last two hours?" Cael laughed in relief, feeling as if he had grasped some important pattern. I changed. I completely changed. The weak dreamer from before, who could only imagine things, was gone. Battle, heat, slaughter, and the boundary between life and death really were the fastest ways to change a person. Noise reached his ears. Warm sunset light touched his face.

He had walked out of the Dungeon. His vision was so blurry that he could only vaguely see a familiar person running toward him in a panic.

"Cael!" He was caught in someone's arms. Warmth and softness surrounded him. Blue ribbons. Hestia. His goddess. One of the characters he had adored most in his old life.

"Cough, cough. Lady Hestia... I came back before sunset."

"If I did not come back before sunset, Lady Hestia would think I despised her poverty and secretly left. You would definitely be sad."

"I did not want you to be sad." Cael could no longer stand. He fell to his knees and struggled to lift his head, forcing out a smile. His face was covered in blood and dirt, making him look wretched, and blood still marked the corner of his mouth.

"I also got stronger." After saying that, his consciousness spun and sank into darkness. Hestia held the unconscious Cael, whose body was covered in wounds, and his warm words pierced straight through her heart. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but a happy smile filled her face.

"Cael is hurt this badly. I almost lost my only child. I should be sad. I should be devastated. So why am I so happy deep down?" She gently stroked Cael's bloodstained hair. Her youthful face softened with love and emotion. To have met a child like Cael... I am so, so happy. Behind Hestia, Takemikazuchi watched the scene and felt moved.

"Hestia, you really did meet an excellent child." The members of Takemikazuchi Familia behind him were shaken as well. The sight of that blood-soaked boy had struck them deeply. Was this really someone who had been an adventurer for less than a day? The backpack that had fallen from Cael's hand spilled purple Magic Stones across the ground, and under the sunset, they glittered with dazzling light.

"Cael..." Eina stood frozen, staring at the blood-soaked boy who had lost consciousness.