Chapter 5: Ouranos
To secure Tsuna's right to remain in the city, the two of them set out to confront the supreme authority of Orario: Ouranos.
"This place is..."
Tsuna tilted his head back, staring straight up. They stood at the base of the colossal, white limestone tower that pierced the clouds, dominating the city's skyline.
"This is Babel," Hestia explained.
"Babel?"
"Do you see that massive staircase over there?"
She pointed toward a sprawling, cavernous entranceway leading deep underground.
"That's the entrance to the Dungeon. Adventurers head down those stairs to fight monsters. Babel was constructed directly over the labyrinth's maw to act as a definitive lid, preventing the monsters from escaping onto the surface."
"No, seriously! Isn't this building way too ridiculously tall just for a lid!?"
Even as a barrier against monsters, building a skyscraper so high that the peak was lost in the clouds seemed utterly excessive.
"Well, Babel serves a lot of other functions too. It houses the Guild's main branch, the currency exchange, massive shower facilities for returning adventurers, high-end commercial Familia shops, the Denatus hall where the Gods hold our regular meetings, and luxury residential floors for the wealthier deities."
"I-I see..."
"By the way, one of my part-time jobs is located in this building."
"One of...? Wait, you're working multiple jobs!?"
"W-Well, yeah..."
Hestia looked away awkwardly, scratching her cheek.
"A-Are you okay!? You're a Goddess, but you're working multiple shifts!?"
"I mean... our Familia is really poor..."
Realizing that she was practically working herself to the bone just to keep a roof over her head, Tsuna couldn't help but feel incredibly worried for her.
Wait... her reaction is completely different from earlier...
Tsuna noticed she was acting much more embarrassed and ashamed of her jobs than she had been back at the church.
"Anyway! You should be worrying about yourself right now, not me! If we fail here, you're getting deported. And if you get thrown out of Orario, you'll probably just die in the wilderness outside the walls!"
"O-Oh right..."
"Chatter ends here. From this point on, it's a high-stakes gamble with your life on the line. Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
.....
Steeling his nerves, Tsuna followed Hestia into the sprawling, pristine lobby of the Guild's headquarters within Babel.
"This is the Guild's reception hall. The Guild manages the city's administration, oversees the adventurers, and regulates the Dungeon."
As Hestia explained their surroundings, her eyes locked onto a young woman standing behind one of the polished counters. She had emerald-green eyes, brown hair, and distinctly long, pointed ears.
"Perfect. Advisor-kun is here."
"Advisor-kun?"
"That Half-Elf girl with the glasses over there. She's Bell-kun's personal Dungeon advisor. I know her fairly well, so if we're going to ask for a massive, unreasonable favor, she's our best bet. Come on."
"Okay."
Deciding that a familiar face was significantly better than a random stranger, Hestia marched straight toward the young woman's counter, Tsuna trailing nervously behind her.
"Hey there, Advisor-kun. Do you have a minute?"
"Goddess Hestia. Yes, what can I do for you?"
Her name was Eina Tulle. As a Half-Elf born between a human and an elf, she possessed sharp administrative skills and was incredibly popular among the adventurers she managed.
"Did something happen?" Eina asked, noticing their tense demeanor.
"W-Well, you could say that..."
"Is that boy a new recruit for the Hestia Familia? Are you here to process his registration paperwork?"
"Ah, haha... that's something we do need to do eventually, but..."
"Then what exactly brings you here today?"
"Umm... well..."
"?"
Seeing Hestia nervously fumbling for words, Eina tilted her head in confusion.
"We need you to arrange a meeting between this boy and Ouranos."
"Ehhhhhh!?"
The demand was so utterly absurd that Eina shot up from her chair, slamming her hands on the desk and screaming in shock. The sudden outburst echoed through the quiet lobby, instantly drawing the stares of every adventurer and Guild employee in the vicinity.
Realizing she had made a scene, Eina flushed bright red, cleared her throat, and slowly sat back down.
"W-What is the meaning of this!?" she hissed, leaning over the counter and keeping her voice to a harsh whisper. "You can't just waltz in here and demand an audience with Lord Ouranos!!"
"I-I know that... but I can't tell you the reason..."
"You can't tell me..."
"Please! I'm begging you!"
"P-Please help us!"
Hestia slammed her hands on the counter and bowed her head deeply. Seeing the Goddess bow, Tsuna immediately followed suit, bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
Eina was completely taken aback. It was one thing for a rookie adventurer to beg, but for a divine being to lower her head in the middle of the Guild lobby was unheard of.
"Y-You need authorization from the Guild executives to meet Lord Ouranos! I'll talk to my superiors and see what I can do, so please, raise your heads!"
Realizing there had to be some profound, unavoidable circumstance driving the Goddess to act this way, Eina promised to try her best. Tsuna and Hestia finally straightened up.
Even if I ask... there's absolutely no way the executives will grant an audience with Lord Ouranos for a single, unregistered human with zero justification...
Despite her promise, Eina knew the request was entirely hopeless.
But then—
"I grant those two permission for an audience."
"...!?" x3
A deep, resonating male voice suddenly echoed directly into the minds of everyone in the Guild hall. A massive wave of shock and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"I have an interest in that human. Let them through."
"B-But, Lord Ouranos..." Eina stammered.
"I will speak to Royman myself."
"U-Understood..."
Still reeling from the direct divine intervention, Eina shakily stood up and unlocked the heavy gate next to her counter, gesturing toward the back corridors.
"Right this way..."
"Looks like we cleared the biggest hurdle," Hestia whispered to Tsuna with a sigh of immense relief.
They stepped through the gate, plunging into the heart of the Guild.
.....
Escorted by Guild personnel, Tsuna and Hestia descended deep beneath the Guild headquarters. The pristine marble of the upper floors gave way to ancient, unrefined stone. The winding path grew incredibly narrow, swallowed by a heavy darkness illuminated only by the sparse, flickering light of wall-mounted torches.
"This place is..."
Eventually, the narrow corridor opened up into a massive, cavernous chamber. Four towering braziers burned in the corners, casting long, dancing shadows across the room. And there, sitting atop a monolithic stone throne upon a raised altar, was an imposing man with stark white hair and a flowing white beard, staring down at them with piercing eyes.
This is the God who founded Orario...
Ouranos was entirely emotionless, radiating an overwhelming, oppressive aura of absolute authority that Hestia completely lacked. The sheer pressure of his presence sent a spike of intense anxiety through Tsuna's chest.
"It has been a while, Hestia."
"Yeah, Ouranos. Has it been a thousand years since we last met?"
"A thousand years!?"
Hearing them casually throw around a millennium caused Tsuna to yelp in shock. Hestia didn't even bat an eye.
"A thousand years is nothing to us Gods. We're immortal, eternal beings. We experience time on an entirely different scale."
Ouranos shifted his gaze from Hestia down to the trembling teenager.
"Since you are accompanied by Hestia, I assume she has briefed you on my identity. But I shall introduce myself regardless. I am Ouranos. The God who established Orario."
His voice boomed through the chamber, echoing off the stone walls.
"Tell me your name."
"Y-Yes! My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi!" Tsuna squeaked out, his voice cracking violently from the sheer tension.
"Ouranos, thank you for agreeing to see us on such short notice," Hestia interjected smoothly, stepping forward to draw the pressure off Tsuna. "And forgive the sudden intrusion. It's a massive emergency. I need you to listen to this boy's circumstances."
"Very well. But before we get to that, there is something I must ask him. Do you mind?"
"No, go right ahead."
Given that they were the ones begging for a favor, Hestia respectfully yielded the floor to the founding God.
Ouranos leaned forward slightly on his throne, his ancient eyes locking onto Tsuna with an intensity that seemed to pierce right through his soul.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi. Do you know a man named Giotto?"
"Eh...!?"