The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

Chapter 203: Banquet

On the ground, Uranus and Hestia happened to talk about this topic, but Hestia did not give an answer. She did not know how many [heretics] there were in the dungeon, but she thought there must be quite a few. It was impossible for Hestia to accept so many people. However... if those heretics were really accepted, the Hestia Alliance might be able to become a unique family in Orario that could rival the Loki family and the Freya family.

Gods don't care about reputation, but when Hestia thought of Loki's melancholy expression, she felt a little tempted; she quickly shook her head, threw this tempting idea out of her mind, and changed the subject to Ouranos.

"Those who know about this..."

"Among the gods, besides me, there is only Hermes, who accepted my commission, and then there is Ganesha."

"G-Ganesha!?"

Hestia was startled by the unexpected name of the divine creature. Ganesha was a well-known name as Orario's 'Guardian God'. It could be said that the Ganesha family was the backbone of Orario. Moreover, the annual Monster Festival would only make him even more famous, and so on...

"Could it be a 'Monster Festival'?"

"Exactly. We started holding the festival a few years ago to try to ease public resistance to monsters as much as possible."

The Monster Festival, where monsters were trained to perform, was initiated by the Guild, not a whim of the gods. The history of this festival is actually quite shallow, and it's said that the Guild didn't explain much about the Assembly of Gods. However, most of the gods at the time found the Monster Festival interesting and approved the proposal, which became a grand annual celebration held by the Ganesha family.

But now Hestia understood the purpose of the Monster Festival and the reason why the guild had not explained it.

In other words, Uranus personally orchestrated the event, willingly taking the risk to bring the monsters out of the dungeon and stage a performance. By having the handsome tamers cuddle with the "monsters," the public's perception of the monsters as a threat is softened, making them as close to life as possible, achieving a buffering effect.

This is a plan to allow the "heretics" to bask in the sunlight one day.

It's not a "monster festival" but a "friendship with monsters".

The intention is to emphasize friendly relations with monsters through the celebration, but it's ultimately just a prelude, and clearly hasn't achieved a greater impact so far. Just like humans overcoming their fear and domesticating wolves, this is a monumental undertaking that will take time to bear fruit. Perhaps centuries or millennia from now, humans will be able to accept these heretics just as they accept dogs.

But there is an obvious difference between heretics and dogs. The wisdom of heretics is the biggest variable.

"To get assistance, I told Ganesha everything."

While the Monster Festival was hosted by the Guild, the Ganesha Family, comprised of numerous beast tamers, was the primary organizer of the event, including the performances. To avoid unnecessary suspicion and secure full support, it was unavoidable to inform the Lord Ganesha of the divine will.

“What surprised me most was hearing this now.”

Hestia thought of the burly god in the elephant mask and wiped the sweat from her forehead. But considering Ganesha's generous and magnanimous personality, he might actually agree to this. Perhaps upon hearing that these heretics possessed reason, he saw them as ordinary "people," beings whom he, as a city god, should protect.

Find some time to talk to him next time.

"Are these the only ones offering assistance?"

"Do not."

Uranus answered, looking down at his feet... as if looking at the underground maze spreading out below him, and continued:

"And Fels."

·Dividing line·

"This is truly... a development far beyond our imagination."

A mixture of surprise and wry laughter spread to the lively banquet where singing and dancing were in full swing.

A neutral voice coming from the cave entrance interrupted the conversation between Koya and Reed. Koya breathed a sigh of relief, while Reed stood up and walked towards the person who came, pulling him to Koya and the others.

"Fels, you're here!"

A black suit that resembled a shadow, and patterned black gloves. Seeing this eerie, mysterious figure hiding his true identity, how can I put it? The villain's appearance was too obvious.

Fels. Reed had mentioned this name several times during the conversation just now. He was the one who helped them.

"I came earlier than you said."

"I'm in a hurry. Let's not talk about that for now, Reed. Please explain what happened briefly. To be honest, I'm a little shocked."

After listening to Reed's rambling story, the man in black, who understood the situation, laughed.

"It seems you are more capable than we thought."

Firth gave Koya and the others a line that was either a compliment or a joke. He said, "Talking to monsters about their own ailments—anyone who could do that was either a madman or an extremely kind idiot." But Firth couldn't tell which of these two was Koya. Or was he simply indifferent? Just like Ganesha, communicating with them as equals out of wisdom?

"First of all, let me say a few words, nice to meet you. My name is Fels, and I'm the liaison between Uranus and Reed and the other 'heretics'... I'm primarily responsible for ambassador duties, but I also do odd jobs."

"Doing odd jobs?"

"Hmm, well...would it be easier to understand if I said he was the one monitoring you and the dragon girl?"

Fels smiled from beneath the darkness of his hood and raised his gloves.

"I have been observing your actions quietly for the past few days."

Fels openly admitted that he was the guild's "spy" and knew all their inside stories up to the present day.

"Are you...are you a monster too?"

Haruhime asked in confusion, noticing that the aura of this strange figure was different from her or her companions.

"No, Fels is human."

Reed answered her question, and Fells shook his hood up and down.

"Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they were once human."

Haruhime looked at Fels in confusion, not understanding why the adjective 'once' was added.

"Let me show you."

The man in black grabbed the hood of his hood with his gloves and ripped it off. Instead of pupils, there were only dark, empty eye sockets, two flames burning in his eye sockets. His face was devoid of skin where it should have been, rows of teeth and bones exposed. What appeared before Koya and the others was a living, skeletal skeleton.

Hatsune and Haruhime were so frightened that they hugged each other. Now they understood why the word "once" was used, but the question was... Was this guy really human in the past? How did he become like this now?

"Look at your image...you're really not one of those monsters like the Skeleton Warriors, right?"

Although Koya was amazed by the appearance of Fels, he was not afraid. The main reason was that he had seen the skeleton-like Garula spirit countless times in Uruk, and the benefits of being knowledgeable and experienced were revealed at this time.

Fels, however, found Koya's composure somewhat unbelievable. Wouldn't a normal human see him the same way as the two little girls? He was quite confident in the terrifying power of his current appearance.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a monster. Didn't I tell you? I used to be a human."

"Fels is the 'Sage', an extremely powerful magician."

Reed couldn't stand Fels's mysterious appearance anymore, so he directly revealed Fels' identity, which happened to be quite well-known in Orario. However, after hearing Reed's additional explanation, Koya and Haruhime were a little confused, but Hatsune recognized the name.

"'Sage'!? You mean that 'Sage'? The only one in the magical kingdom who successfully created the 'Philosopher's Stone'—the 'Sage' who possesses eternal life!?"

"Oh, oh...it should be that 'Sage', right...?"

Hatsune Miku suddenly wasn't afraid anymore. She rushed to Reed and waited for his answer with burning eyes. Reed, who lacked earthly knowledge, didn't understand why Hatsune Miku was so excited. For a moment, he was actually shocked by this little girl who had no fighting ability.

The Sage is the creator of the Philosopher's Stone, a magical tool that can manifest eternal life. He is the highest-ranking magus in history who has mastered the power of "mystery" to its highest level.

It is said that he went to the Lord God to report the successful creation of the "Philosopher's Stone", but ended up watching the magic tool smash to pieces on the ground... If this is really this sage, then he is a legendary figure who can be compared with fairy tale heroes.

"To be precise, it was the fate of the man once called the 'Sage'."

However, the Skeleton Magician didn't seem to like the title of Sage. He said to them in a self-deprecating tone:

"As the stories passed down through generations... and even today, the hateful Lord God shattered that 'stone,' leading me to persevere in my delusion. My pursuit of infinite knowledge led me to cling to eternal life. Even though I discovered the secret of immortality, I ended up like this."

Fels described what happened between him and the Lord God, stroking the black clothes covering his body from top to bottom with his black gloves.

"The backlash of the arcane technique has caused my flesh to rot and fall off. Now I've become something uglier than a monster. I can no longer feel hunger or thirst... I'm a living undead."

He said that the secret method he developed could be described as a "curse."

I don’t know whether to say it is sad or regrettable that this unknown sage ended his life.

He created the Philosopher's Stone of immortality with a human body, and was able to create the secret method of this "curse" even after the Philosopher's Stone was shattered. He is indeed worthy of his name as a sage and is a person with talents comparable to those of a god.

"Now I call myself 'The Fool (Fels)'."

The Fool. "Sage" has degenerated into the name of a ridiculous fool. The skeletal magus, no longer able to express joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness through expression, and unable to smile, calls himself this.

"...Then, how come you, the end of the 'Sage', are here?"

"Well, it's because of some reasons. When I was stranded in Orario, Uranus took me in."

Fels seemed to like Koya's calm and indifferent attitude, and answered his questions without any hesitation.

"Now I have the privilege of observing the trends of the times from this 'center of the world.'"

Fels put his hood back on and told everyone, as if he was satisfied with his current situation.

·Dividing line·

"I didn't expect even the 'Sage' would show up... Even a god like me, who just descended to the mortal world, knows this name. So, that child just now is your right-hand man, Uranus?"

"I won't deny that, aside from the 'heretic' with whom I maintain a cooperative relationship, Firth is the only chess piece I can freely use... He's my personal soldier."

Ouranos nodded in response to Hestia's question.

He said that on the one hand he was using the [Ganesha Family] and other factions allied with the guild, while behind the scenes he had the sage Fels taking on confidential missions and dirty work, and was active in secret.

"So that child played a significant role in keeping the true identity of the 'heretic' hidden until today."

"Exactly. We have been in contact for more than a few hundred years."

In addition to the aforementioned duties, the man in black was also responsible for the personal protection of Uranus. He was witnessed by a staff member when the guild headquarters was moving, and thus received a name that is similar in every era, becoming the elusive "ghost" in rumors.

"I met the heretics twenty years ago—"

At that time, adventurers from a [Family] with close ties to Uranus captured them. A complete gag order was imposed within the faction, preventing Reed and his companions from spreading their information to Orario. That [Family] has long since been annihilated and no longer exists. Of course, this wasn't Uranus's doing. Like the Astraea and Ishtar Families, that Familie was eliminated by natural selection. If it still existed, Uranus might have had a much easier time.

After that clan left Orario, Fels obeyed the will of Uranus and served as a messenger to maintain relations with them.

This was their first contact with the people on the surface.

"After listening to the words of those I rescued, we called them 'heretics' and established the Heretic Community."

"community?"

"Its purpose is to protect the 'heretics' born within the dungeon. It is an organization composed of their so-called compatriots."

·Dividing line·

"There are currently around a thousand heretics... their numbers fluctuate, with Reed, Rei, and Gross being some of the earliest members. Breaking it down further, there are around a hundred heretics who can communicate freely with humans."

Fels pointed at the lizardman Reed, the singing bird Rei, and the gargoyle Gross.

"I was the one who came up with their names, by the way."

"...So, you're the boss?"

Hatsune has calmed down again and can communicate normally with Reed and Fels. She actually didn't understand when it came to the leader. After all, the lizardman Reed was very weak... His strength was only about Lv.3Lv.4. Although much stronger than his kind, it was not enough compared to those deep monsters. But they did listen to Reed. They wouldn't decide who would be the leader based on the time they joined the community, right?

"Well, kind of. The first group also included Shulong (Gu Liu), but he's too big to move around freely, so I'm kind of the one leading everyone."

"Why would those deep-seated heretics listen to you?"

"We don't have the same pursuit of rights as humans do. Everyone in the community is a family, and I'm not their leader. I can only be said to be their 'parent'."

Chapter 204: Dungeon

Neither Uranus nor Reed in the dungeon continued to ask about how to make Albion a human being. It was not known whether they had other plans or understood that Hestia and Koya would not continue to talk about this topic. The meeting between the two gods in the prayer room was about to end, and the banquet in the dungeon was about to end with the cessation of Leila's singing.

At the end, they conveyed a message.

Reed: "There is a clan in Orario who knows about the existence of us heretics and is searching for and capturing us with a purpose—"

Uranus: "There is a clan in Orario that hunts heretics and sells them as precious commodities to dignitaries outside of Orario."

Reed's words reminded Koya of the Daedalus Familia whom he had left behind on the nineteenth floor. As the most well-known architectural family in Orario, it was incredible that they appeared on the nineteenth floor of the dungeon, and they were obviously following him and his group.

How should I put it? While there's no direct evidence that the Daedalus Familia are the ones hunting heretics, it's pretty close. And the reason they're following Koya and the others is probably because they hope to learn Reed and the others' hiding place through them. But... how do the Daedalus Familia know about Albion's existence?

Let's talk about this question later. The banquet ended, and the meeting with the gods was over. When Koya and his party walked out of the dungeon, the sun had just passed over the wall of Orario. A day was not long, but the secrets he received that day made Koya feel overwhelmed. He was only a Lv. 4 adventurer. How could he know so many secrets?

When Koya and his group returned to Hestia's base camp, the Hearth Hall, Hestia was standing at the door waiting for their return. Seeing that the four people returned safely, Hestia was relieved.

In front of Hestia, Koya asked her with a little confusion.

"Hestia, what exactly is a dungeon? And what exactly are intelligent monsters like Albion..."

"A dungeon is a dungeon."

·Dividing line·

Neither Uranus nor Reed in the dungeon continued to ask about how to make Albion a human being. It was not known whether they had other plans or understood that Hestia and Koya would not continue to talk about this topic. The meeting between the two gods in the prayer room was about to end, and the banquet in the dungeon was about to end with the cessation of Leila's singing.

At the end, they conveyed a message.