Old man Deus… was Zeus…?
Kaelis just stared at him.
This was certainly unexpected.
Seeing as there won't be anymore possibility of conflict, the others removed the covering from their faces and gave the two space.
"Wai wai wai wait! Hold on a minute! What's going on here!?
He pointed at Deus like he was accusing him of tax fraud.
Deus, now known as Zeus, stretched his arms with a long, satisfied groan, completely ignoring the tension in the air.
"Mm. Freedom. Those robes were far too stuffy."
"Are you gonna explain what's going on or what?" Kaelis was exasperated. "Are you stalling?"
Zeus shook his head.
"No. I'm thinking of where to begin…" After thinking for a minute, much to Kaelis's annoyance, he spread his hands out dramatically.
"I'm Zeus!" He announced loudly.
"Really?" Kaelis stared deadpan. "I thought I got that already. Thanks for refreshing my memory, genius."
"…"
Zeus coughed to expel his awkwardness before putting on a serious face as he began explaining.
"I'm sure you already know about the incident that happened fifteen years ago—the raid that my and Hera's familia joined forces to destroy the One eyed black dragon and about how we failed."
He went on to explain that after their failure, and having their children nearly wiped out, their positions in orario as the strongest was ultimately pulled from under them by the Loki and Freya familia.
And as during their reign, while they were being praised as the strongest, prodigies among prodigies—they were also called tyrants.
Although they didn't outright bully others, they constantly pressure smaller familias because their standards suffocated them.
Every expedition they led set the bar higher. Every record they broke widened the gap.
"Though. While my familia had no trouble slipping out of Orario unannounced, the same could not be said for Hera."
Zeus said as he sighed and shook his head as he recalled the commotion that went on during that time.
"What do you mean?"
"Well you see, while my familia could be said to have no enemies, Hera had one that was as vengeful and crazy as her familia—the Freya familia."
Seeing the confusion on Kaelis face, he summed up the relationship between them into one sentence.
"Hera kinda forced her into a fight that Freya couldn't win and made some demands."
"Oh. So she took revenge at the opportune time when you guys aren't as strong."
"Yep. Freya challenged her to a war game and beat the crap out of her then banished her."
He looked like he wanted to laugh but held it in as this was supposed to be a serious situation.
Kaelis nodded before asking the question he wanted answers to.
"So how did this turn into destroying the farm?"
Zeus then sighed as he rubbed his forehead.
"The thing is… I've been avoiding Hera for fifteen years now. And she's coming to these areas to continue searching."
"Why are you avoiding her though? I don't see any reason to. Aren't you guys supposed to be husband and wife?"
I mean, they were in myth, right?
"A man needs a little time away every once in a while, you know. And if you knew that woman, you'd understand."
He snorted and turned his head embarrassingly.
"…She's kinda crazy." Muttering under his breath.
A few seconds of silence passed as Kaelis simply stared at the god in front of him which was then broken by said god.
"Anyway! She's searching for me and I gotta find another hiding spot!"
He announced, crossing his arms and pointing his nose up.
Sighing to himself, Kaelis then asked, "So why destroy the farm and run off leaving Bell?"
Zeus then dropped the bombshell.
"Bell isn't truly my grandson." He stated as a matter a factly.
!!
"What? So he was adopted and that's why you're abandoning him?" Kaelis was dumbfounded.
"Hell no! That's not why! And I'm not abandoning him! Correct your statement!" Zeus pointed at him exasperatingly.
"Then what? If you can't answer then that's what I'm going with." Kaelis retorted.
"It's cause he's the child of one of my familia members!"
"...…"
Now it's not just Kaelis who was shocked, the remaining members of Zeus familia was taken aback by the revelation as well.
They immediately hounded Zeus for answers.
"What do you mean, Lord Zeus!?"
"Hold on—the father? Bellial? Christen? Hereford? Who!?"
"Why would we leave him behind if he's one of ours!?"
"Move, move—you're crushing me—gods, give me space!"
Zeus raised both hands, face straining as they crowded in.
"Alright! ALRIGHT! Back up—one at a time!"
So the group reluctantly gave him breathing room. Barely.
Zeus huffed, dusting off his robe.
"Thank you. Now—before any of you jump to conclusions—the reason I didn't tell you earlier is simple but I hope you keep it a secret."
He took a deep breath.
"It's also Hera's grandchild."
"..."
Again, silence fell around them as they all stood frozen.
Not waiting for them to recover, he continued.
"Both my and Hera's child got in a relationship and had Bell before they died, so I took him in and raised him. If Hera found out about Bell I knew I hid with him, I'm not gonna hear the end of it."
"….."
"So I decided to orchestrate my death and leave Bell to go on an adventure and that would lessen my troubles when I'm caught."
Kaelis and the others simply gave Zeus a look that said, Your trash.
"But why destroy the farm? We could still use it, you know, or sell it for a high price and get funds."
Kaelis massaged the bridge of his nose.
If they sold it before, they could've gained a lot of cash as it's a big farm, but now that it was overrun with monsters and burned heavily, its price is significantly less.
"Hm? I guess I didn't want Bell to have anywhere to come back to. If he has nothing left behind, he can't turn back if things get rough out there and would have to keep pushing forward."
Zeus said with a sincere smile on his face.
The same one Kaelis saw daily when he looked at Bell after he finished training.
"…"
Everyone simply listened to his reason as they understood it came from not just as a grandfather, but as the god, Zeus, patron god of the most powerful familia that orario has ever had.
"…so what now?"
This question was posed by Kaelis.
"…I'll still follow through with what I had planned." It seems Zeus had already made up his mind.
Shrugging, Kaelis said, "Fine. Do what you want. I'll keep an eye on the boy until we meet again."
He turned and began to walk away.
"Thank you. And before you go…" Zeus called out.
Kaelis stopped. "Hm?"
"Are you truly not part of a familia?"
"…Didn't even know what that was until I met you."
Whoosh—
Kaelis shot into the sky, leaving before anyone could react.
The Zeus familia watched him vanish into the distance.
"Kaelis Valeblade…" Zeus murmured. "An unusual young man. But… he's something special."
…
It didn't take long for Kaelis to reach the farm.
Landing just outside, he walked toward the house, taking in the devastation.
The farm was badly burned—dark patches marred the fields, visible from a distance.
The house itself was in disarray, battered from the monsters' rampage and Kaelis's own destructive exit.
It was a miracle it was still standing.
I wonder how I'm going to explain this to Bell… Kaelis thought, feeling the familiar weight of a headache pressing behind his eyes.
He spread his spirit once more, scanning the area. His reserves dipped below fifty percent as he picked up every life sign within three miles.
He's still in the forest…
Only about an hour and a half had passed since Kaelis left, so it was still early afternoon.
Returning quickly to the training area, Kaelis wore his serious expression.
"Hm? Master? Where did you go?" Bell jumped up, excited to see him.
But the moment he noticed Kaelis's face, his smile faltered. Something was wrong.
"Bell, I need you to listen carefully. The farm… it was overrun by monsters, and Deus… he's not with us anymore."
Chapter 51 end.
—————————————
I'll admit. I don't know what I'm gonna do next chapter cause a sad scene aint my forte. I might just skip ahead.