As the entire tavern heard Lili's words, quiet murmurs spread throughout the room, people whispering among themselves about the information she had revealed. Many of them already knew exactly who Hyakinthos was. A Level 3 adventurer was no ordinary individual. After all, someone who possessed a falna and had reached that level could easily be considered a mid-class warrior.
What many also knew about him, however, was his intense and obsessive devotion to his familia's god, Apollo. His loyalty was infamous, spoken of in hushed tones rather than open conversation. Some even went so far as to suggest that the love he possessed bordered on intimacy, though such claims were rarely voiced aloud. The majority chose to dismiss it as mere rumors, not necessarily because they doubted it, but because provoking the members of Apollo's Familia was something few were willing to risk.
Even so, it remained a fact that Bell and Lili were facing a Level 3 opponent in an actual conflict for the first time, aside from their encounters involving their captain. The weight of that reality had not changed. No matter how prepared they might have felt, this was still unfamiliar territory for both of them, a situation they had never truly experienced on their own before.
Bell, despite the pressure bearing down on him and the sudden realization of who he was facing, did not waste a single moment. He burst forward toward Hyakinthos at the maximum speed he could possibly unleash, closing the distance in an instant. Channeling all that momentum, he launched himself into a flying kick aimed straight at the captain of Apollo's Familia.
Any adventurer witnessing the exchange would have already been struck by such an attack. The speed, the timing, and the force behind it left little room to react. However, the Apollo captain was not just any adventurer.
Hyakinthos stepped backward at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the kick as it swept past him. In the same motion, he reached out and caught Bell by the attacking leg, his grip firm and unyielding. Bell's strike was stopped instantly.
Without hesitation, Hyakinthos twisted his body and hurled Bell away, sending him flying in the direction the attack had originally been heading.
Yet, instead of crashing into the floor, Bell somehow regained his balance midair. He twisted his body, steadied himself, and landed gracefully on the tavern floor in a crouched position. His boots slid slightly against the surface as he absorbed the impact, coming to a controlled stop rather than a rough fall.
In that very same moment, Lili moved. Without pause or warning, she leapt over Bell, using his lowered position as a springboard. She shot toward Hyakinthos, her fist drawn back as she jumped, fully intending for the punch to land squarely against his face.
'Does this pip-squeak think she's going to do anything to me with that kind of speed?' the Apollo captain thought, clearly amused by what he saw as a foolish decision. 'Too slow. I just have to block her blow and immediately counter.'
Just as he had planned, he raised both of his hands, bracing himself in a solid blocking stance as her attack came in. Confident and unshaken, he was certain the exchange would end in his favor.
However, what happened next did not align with his expectations in the slightest.
Lili's punch still landed. Even through his guard, the impact struck true, sending a jolt through his arms and into his body. The force staggered the Apollo captain backward, his balance breaking for a brief but critical moment.
'What?!' Hyakinthos thought, his expression twisting into one of shock and pain-like. He hadn't expected a single punch from the small prum to hit with such weight, such force.
'How-?!' Hyakinthos thought again, his mind scrambling for an explanation. But he had no time to dwell on his mistake.
In his staggered state, he suddenly sensed movement beside him. His eyes widened as Bell appeared at his side, having closed the distance seemingly in an instant. Frozen in shock, Hyakinthos could only watch as the rabbit adventurer twisted his body, already in motion, preparing a roundhouse kick aimed directly at his liver.
"Checkmate, mister," Bell said as his kick landed.
The impact sent the Apollo captain flying, his body crashing across the tavern before slamming into one of the tables on the ground.
Bell and Lili both allowed their bodies to relax just a little. Even so, they remained alert, fully aware that the fight might not yet be over. Despite that, the two still found the time to exchange a brief fist bump, a silent acknowledgment of what they had just accomplished together.
The onlookers watched the scene in utter shock. Seeing the Apollo captain beaten down by what they considered to be "mere" Level 2 adventurers was nothing short of a revelation. It went completely against everything they thought they knew.
"Did they really just beat up Phoebus Apollo?"
"What in the world is going on?"
"How can Level 2s defeat a Level 3?"
The murmurs steadily increased in volume, voices overlapping as people whispered about the sheer absurdity of the situation unfolding before them. Disbelief spread through the tavern like wildfire.
Luan, who was still conscious after the punch from Lili, could only stare in horror. His eyes were wide as he tried to process what he had just witnessed, equally shocked by the current situation.
However, the battle was not yet over.
"How absurd."
Bell and Lili turned their attention back as they saw the Apollon captain slowly beginning to rise from where he had crash-landed, courtesy of Bell Cranel. He pushed himself upright and eventually stood fully, one hand moving to cover his stomach where he had been struck.
Although the blow was not supposed to amount to much for a Level 3 adventurer like him, the kick Bell had delivered had proven to be more painful than expected.
"To think that two rookies have made a mockery out of me?!" Hyakinthos shouted, his face twisting into something frantic and unhinged. "You two are dying today!"
Hyakinthos roared in anger as he blitzed toward the two he was fighting at that moment. The speed he generated became nothing more than a blur to the majority of the low-class adventurers present, their eyes unable to properly follow his movements.
In the next instant, he was suddenly right in front of Lili. The abrupt shift made her flinch in shock, her instincts completely unprepared for the sheer speed a Level 3 could display. It was a sudden, overwhelming presence that left no room for reaction.
She did not have time to think.
A punch slammed straight into her stomach.
"Puaghhh!" Lili spat out the air in her lungs as the impact drove the breath from her body. The sheer force behind the Apollo captain's blow nearly knocked the wind out of her entirely, pain ripping through her core.
Hyakinthos did not stop there. He immediately followed up with a sharp hook to her face, then an uppercut delivered right after, each strike flowing into the next in rapid succession. Before Lili could recover, he twisted his body and unleashed a spinning kick aimed straight at her stomach.
The impact sent her flying backward, her body crashing hard onto the floor as she skidded across the tavern ground.
"Lili!" Bell shouted in alarm, his voice thick with worry. Seeing his companion-in-arms get speed-blitzed caused his muscles to tense instinctively, his body reacting faster than his thoughts.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury of time. No chance to think of a strategy, no room to plan a counter to the Apollo captain's overwhelming presence.
Because he was next.
"?!" Bell's eyes widened in shock as Hyakinthos suddenly appeared directly in front of him, far closer than he should have been.
The Apollo captain didn't waste even a second waiting for the white-haired rabbit to react. Twisting his body, he drove a vicious hook straight into Bell's liver.
"Aghhh!" Bell violently spat out his breath from the impact. Pain surged through his body as his vision blurred, the force of the punch rattling him to the core.
Hyakinthos didn't stop there. Just as he had done to Lili, he unleashed a rapid series of quick, brutal punches, each one precise and merciless as they crashed into Bell's body. The assault ended with a powerful uppercut that lifted the rabbit off his feet, sending him flying through the air before he slammed into the ground, landing right beside Lili.
Hyakinthos clenched his hands, deliberately mimicking the motion of cracking his knuckles. He then looked down at the two battered members of Hestia's Familia lying on the floor, their bodies writhing in pain from his handiwork.
A smug, arrogant smile spread across his face.
"How does it feel to get beaten up?" he taunted coldly. "It's not nice, is it, you damn losers."
With clear intent, Hyakinthos began walking toward the two, his goal was obvious. he planned to beat them even further into the ground.
However, before he could take another step, he suddenly felt a hand clamp firmly onto his left shoulder from behind.
A gigantic hand, to be more precise.
"?!"
He quickly turned his head behind him, only to be met with an overwhelming presence in sheer size alone.
A man.
A titan of a man.
Hyakinthos instantly froze in horror as he lifted his gaze and met a pair of glowing, golden eyes burning with anger. A deep frown was etched onto the man's face, heavy and unyielding. Long blonde hair flowed down his back, wild and untamed, giving him an almost feral presence. His massive body was shrouded in a golden silhouette of aura, faint yet unmistakable, radiating pressure with every breath he took.
Hyakinthos tried to nudge the big man's hand off his shoulder, but it was completely useless. Instead of loosening, the grip tightened, far tighter than he could handle. The sheer force behind it dragged him down, nearly forcing him onto one knee before he could stop himself.
'W-What is this strength?! W-Who is he?!'
Hyakinthos thought desperately as he struggled, pouring everything he had into resisting the titan's crushing grip.
The big man, however, paid him little attention. His gaze shifted past Hyakinthos and toward the two beaten members of the Hestia Familia.
Though he remained quiet, his presence alone was enough to silence the tavern.
After a brief moment, the big man loosened his grip slightly.
Hyakinthos noticed it immediately.
Seizing the opportunity, he twisted free and quickly retreated, creating as much distance between them as he could. His breath was heavy, his heart pounding as he steadied himself.
Once he had escaped, Hyakinthos shouted toward the towering figure, his voice sharp but laced with tension.
"Who are you?!"
The big man turned his gaze toward him, his expression cold yet calm. His eyes then settled on the captain of Apollo's Familia before he spoke in a low, steady voice.
"Aurelius," he said simply. "The captain of the two kiddos you beat up."
The moment those words left his mouth, the tavern erupted once more, though not into chaos, but into hushed murmurs and whispered conversations. The name spread through the room like wildfire, the earlier silence giving way to uneasy speculation and restrained shock.
Hearing this, Hyakinthos threw aside everything he had felt from Aurelius, casting it all out the window. His hatred surged to the surface, completely overwhelming any trace of logical thought he had left.
"HAHAHA! So you're the so-called one who killed two Goliaths, isn't it?" Hyakinthos laughed maniacally, his voice echoing through the tavern as though he had gone completely insane.
"A FRAUD!" he shouted once more, his words loud and venomous, clearly intended to humiliate the Titan standing before him.
"Do you honestly think that we believe you?!" Hyakinthos continued, his sneer twisting into something feral. "I can take you down in one blow right now, you ROOKIE!"
Fueled by a surge of adrenaline and rage, Hyakinthos lunged forward toward Aurelius, drawing back his fist as he aimed a punch straight for his face.
Aurelius, on the other hand, remained completely indifferent. As Hyakinthos closed in on him, encroaching upon his personal space, Aurelius merely raised his hand and struck him with a casual backhand slap across the face.
The result was immediate. The captain of Apollo's Familia was sent hurling through the air, his body crashing violently into the tavern's wall. The impact left him embedded in it, forming a small crater-like dent where he had struck, the wall cracked and broken around him.
"I don't care whether you lot believe my feats or not. All I care about is that you shut the fuck up," Aurelius said, his expression utterly nonchalant, as if the tension filling the tavern meant nothing to him.
He then turned his gaze toward the members of Apollo's Familia, his eyes briefly settling on Hyakinthos, who was still sprawled across the floor.
"Either you scram," Aurelius continued coldly, "or I'll have my turn beating the shit out of your asses next." As he spoke, he casually cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp and deliberate, carrying an unmistakable sense of intimidation.
Hyakinthos, along with his now fully awakened Familia members, could only stare back in terror. The confidence they had carried moments ago was completely gone. One by one, they hurriedly got to their feet before scrambling out of the tavern in a complete retreat. Even so, Hyakinthos managed to shout back, "You'll regret this!" toward the titan as they fled.
Aurelius watched the Apollo Familia exit the tavern, his gaze following them until they were gone. He then shook his head slowly.
"What a bunch of weak-ass gay adventurers," he muttered in disappointment.
The titan then walked over to his two comrades, both of whom were now visibly bruised and bloodied from Hyakinthos's assault. His heavy footsteps slowed as he came to a stop beside them. Upon reaching their side, he lowered himself and crouched down, carefully checking to see if they were still conscious.
"Hey," Aurelius called out to the two of them, his voice steady but firm as his gaze moved between their battered faces. "Are you still awake? Or do you want to rest on the floor for a while?"
"Y-Yeah, s-sir," Lili said, her words stuttering as the pain coursed through her body. She winced slightly, clearly struggling to keep her composure. "I-It hurts a ton, t-though. I g-got to a-admit."
Aurelius shifted his gaze away from her and turned toward Bell. At a glance, the white-haired rabbit seemed to be in even worse shape, his body marked with far more bruises than Lili's. Aurelius leaned closer and reached out, poking him lightly.
"Kid, you awake?"
There was no response. Bell remained completely still. For a brief moment, the titan felt a flicker of concern, his expression tightening as he waited for any sign of movement.
Then, faintly, a soft sound reached his ears.
"Zzzz."
"Zzzz."
"….."
Aurelius stared down at him with a deadpanned expression, his face utterly devoid of emotion as a single thought crossed his mind.
'How the heck do you even fall asleep after getting your ass beat?'
Aurelius let out a quiet sigh, ultimately deciding to let his rabbit comrade enjoy his rest. With careful ease, he bent down and lifted the sleeping boy, settling him securely over his shoulder with practiced familiarity. His intention was clear as he would carry him all the way home.
After making sure Bell was properly supported, Aurelius turned his attention toward Lili. His gaze softened slightly as he looked at her.
"You wanna be carried too?" he asked casually, having already received permission from his prum comrade.
"I-It's fine, Sir A-Aurelius," Lili replied quickly, waving her hand in a small gesture of refusal. "M-My l-legs aren't as b-bad as being hurt e-elsewhere."
In response, Aurelius gave her a gentle smile. "Alright then," he said calmly. "Just ask me if you can't walk. I'll carry you home."
"O-Okay," Lili said quietly as she pushed herself up from her previous position. Once she was on her feet, she turned and began walking toward the tavern's exit, her steps cautious but steady.
Aurelius, meanwhile, made his way to the counter with the intention of paying for his comrades' food. As he arrived, he reached into his belongings and pulls out a pouch of valis, placing it down in front of the counter. The amount inside was more than enough to cover the cost of the meals, as well as most of the damages that had been caused during the commotion, at least part of it.
After offering his apologies, Aurelius turned away from the counter, preparing to head toward the exit where Lili was now waiting for her captain. However, just as he was about to leave, something caught his attention. His gaze shifted, and he noticed someone seated at the counter table, someone who looked strikingly familiar to him. For a brief moment, his steps slowed as recognition began to settle in.
"Look at who we have here," Aurelius declared, his voice easily cutting through the noise of the tavern. One by one, the patrons turned their attention toward the direction the titan was facing. "Nice meeting you here, little doggy."
His words reverberated throughout the tavern, the sound carrying an undeniable weight with it. Almost immediately, the atmosphere shifted. The people inside wore expressions of fear and unease, some stiffening in place while others quietly averted their gazes. The reason for their reaction was simple.
Aurelius had just openly insulted a member of the Loki Familia, calling him little doggy without a hint of restraint.
And that person was none other than the Vanargand himself.
Bete Loga.
"Tch," Bete clicked his tongue, clearly irritated by the mocking nickname he had received. His sharp eyes narrowed as he glanced in Aurelius's direction. "You've got some balls calling me that, you damn brute."
Aurelius merely smiled in response, completely unfazed by the hostility directed at him. "HAHA! I do."
Bete scowled, annoyance written plainly across his face. Rising from his seat, he turned away, clearly having no intention of staying any longer. "Fouling my mood with this shitty squabble," he muttered as he began making his way toward the exit.
When he was halfway there, he stopped. Slowly, he turned his head just enough to cast a glance back toward the captain of Hestia Familia. "Don't get too damn cocky," he warned. "It'll bite you back one day."
Without another word, he passed by Lili and continued on, leaving the tavern and disappearing to who knew where.
Hearing Bete's words, Aurelius simply shook his head. Still, he couldn't help but find the sudden advice from Vanargand unexpected.
Soon after, he left the tavern as well, heading back toward his home with Lili walking quietly beside him.
Upon arriving home, they were immediately met by a wrathful goddess (aka their mother figure) who did not hide her displeasure at the state they were in. Her sharp gaze swept over them, taking in every bruise, tear, and sign of the mess they had brought back with them.
What followed was a long stretch of nagging and relentless yapping, her voice echoing through the room as she scolded them one after another. None of them dared to interrupt, knowing full well they had earned every word. Well, Bell was already out cold, so no words came form him obviously. Though, upon the nagging that she did, she tended to both Lili's and Bell's injuries.
Eventually, once her frustrations had been thoroughly vented, the matter was finally put to rest. Exhausted from both the ordeal and the lecture, all of them retired for the night and went to rest.
The next morning soon arrived, with Aurelius strolling through the streets alongside Lili and Bell, the three of them heading toward the Adventurers' Guild. Their purpose was clear—to explain the incident from the previous day to their advisor. Though none of them were particularly enthusiastic about it, it was something that needed to be done. Before long, the familiar building of the Guild came into view, marking their arrival at their destination.
"Well then," Aurelius spoke with a tired sigh, glancing toward the entrance, "let's just tell that demon spawn about yesterday's issue and get out of here, you two." His tone carried little motivation as he referred to their advisor, Eina Tulle, someone the titan-like man had labeled a "hell spawn."
Bell and Lili hesitated for a brief moment before responding to their captain.
"How about we go inside and explain everything ourselves, Captain?" Lili suggested, her voice steady. "Yesterday's fight was our fault. We were the ones who started it."
Bell nodded in agreement with Lili's words, guilt weighing on his expression. He felt bad that their captain had been dragged into resolving what was, in the end, their own mistake.
"Eh? Are you sure about that?" Aurelius asked, raising a brow. "I'm the captain here, so I should be the one taking responsibility." He spoke as he gently declined their offer.
"It's alright, Mister!" Bell said quickly, determination flashing in his eyes as he tried to push the idea back onto his captain. "We need to learn how to take responsibility too. We can't keep relying on you all the time."
Aurelius looked down at the two kids standing before him. For a moment, he was silent and then a small, proud smile crept onto his face, touched by their growing sense of maturity. "Fine," he finally said. "But if she starts that demon nagging of hers, don't come whining to me when we get home."
"We won't!""Don't worry about a thing!"
Both of them answered at the same time, their faces oddly bright and cheerful.
'They're a bit too happy about this…' Aurelius thought, a metaphorical bead of sweat sliding down his forehead. 'Oh well. Better positivity than negativity, right?'
After that, he told the two of them that he planned to stroll around for the day. Since it was their day off, he figured he might as well take the opportunity to wander around the city and look for something interesting.
He bid them farewell and left them behind, setting off to enjoy a relaxing walk of his own.
As he walked through the streets of Orario, Aurelius couldn't help but notice how lively everything felt.
'There are more people than usual,' he thought as he watched crowds moving about, each person seemingly enjoying their own business. 'Probably because it's the weekend.'
He paused for a moment before another thought crossed his mind. '…Is it even the weekend today? I honestly don't know. The names of the days in this world are really weird. I should probably learn them soon.'
With that thought, he continued walking.
Suddenly, he bumped into someone. The items the person had been carrying slipped from their grasp and scattered onto the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Aurelius said immediately as he crouched down to pick them up, not paying attention to who he had collided with.
"Oh, it's fine," came the reply. The voice was female, and she too seemed distracted, as if she were in a hurry. She hadn't looked at him either.
Together, they picked up the fallen items, mostly groceries, before finally lifting their heads to face one another.
"…"
"…"
Both of them froze, momentarily stunned.
"It's you," the girl said.
Only then did Aurelius properly see her. Green hair framed her face, flowing down into long strands, and atop her head were dog ears, seemingly of the deschund long hair breed, covered in the same green colored fur.
Aurelius stared at her in disbelief, his thoughts spiraling as realization struck.
'Isn't she—'
His memory snapped into place almost instantly.
'—Zephyra?! The anomaly girl that wasn't from my memories of this world… the one who recently reached Level 8?!'
_____________________________________________________
...You thought I was about to be gone for another 4 months huh?
...
...
...
Honestly, it was tempting lol.
but, I decided that I would like to LOCK IN as of this moment.
Though, the chapters wont be as long as it used to be, bringing the word count at 3k minimum. The chapters would be posted at least 1 minimum a week.
So yeah, sorry that I have been gone for months and months long without a trace. Life was.....it likes to play a game of chess with me.
That's all from me. See you in the next chapter
:D