And yet. Compared to Ishtar, who looked about ready to devour someone whole—
Apollo, seated on the other side, was reacting in an utterly different manner at this moment.
His forehead was beaded with fine droplets of sweat, and he kept tugging at his too-tight collar, swallowing again and again, looking exceptionally nervous.
Still, that wasn't really his fault.
Right now, Apollo's guts were green with regret.
He stared blankly into the distance at Demeter, who was chatting and laughing merrily with Haimer, along with that flock of little goddesses chirping away their loyalty. He felt his scalp prickle in wave after wave.
Perhaps Ishtar, having once been publicly humiliated by Haimer back in the Heavens—a wound carved into her very bones—had set her heart, dead and resolute, on opposing Haimer.
But what about himself? Why was he doing this?
True, back in the Heavens, he hadn't kept his own mouth in check. He'd run his mouth a few cheap times, gone and teased Hestia with his words, and on top of that swooned like a lovesick fool over Haimer.
The result was that Haimer had beaten him black and blue, then strung him straight up, dangling above the Divine River of the Heavens.
That time he really had been dealt with so brutally it was hard to even look at—and partway through, when the divine war broke out, he'd even been killed a few times, only to be revived and hung up all over again. You could say he'd utterly lost face before every last god in the Heavens.
But now, calming down and thinking it over carefully—
This grudge didn't really seem all that great, as far as he was concerned.
His tagging along with Ishtar to stir up trouble had been nothing more than the feeling that Haimer, this killing-star, had suddenly descended to the Lower World.
The gods were all drumming nervously inside, hair standing on end, and they'd thought only of huddling together—strength in numbers, bolstering their presence—so they could at least preserve themselves in the Lower World.
Who could have imagined that this anti-outsider alliance, before it could even bring its strength to bear, would be blown apart from within by Demeter and her pack?
Wasn't this just being stubborn to a single-minded fault, only to get blocked on both ends? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Thinking of this, Apollo swallowed a mouthful of saliva and let his gaze sweep dully across his surroundings.
The scene that met his eyes only chilled him to the very heart.
The small and mid-sized Familia gods who had originally stood on the same battle line as them were now, every single one, dodging eye contact with a vengeance.
The moment his gaze swept their way, those gods would immediately raise the wine cups in their hands, either pretending to lower their heads and concentrate intently on savoring their drink, or grabbing the person beside them and feigning a lively, heated conversation—not daring to make the slightest bit of eye contact with him.
Avoiding him as if he were the plague. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
Seeing this, Apollo's heart grew even more unmoored, and he couldn't help but steal a sidelong glance at Ishtar, who was grinding her teeth in fury.
This sinking wreck of a ship was eighty percent likely to go under in the future.
If he kept butting heads alongside that madwoman Ishtar, then later, should Haimer truly find the time to settle these accounts—
He feared he wouldn't even get the chance to be deported back to the Heavens.
Better find a chance to jump ship.
Meanwhile. On the other side.
Having heard the firm confirmation Haimer had given, Demeter's eyes curved into lovely crescent moons, her whole face brimming with ardor.
Since her purpose had already been achieved, she was quite tactful about it, knowing that an occasion like this was no place to keep pestering and hovering around Haimer.
"In that case, then, we won't disturb Lord Haimer's meal any longer."
Demeter bowed slightly, and the flock of little goddesses behind her followed suit, bobbing repeatedly in gratitude.
"Once your new base is finished, we'll be sure to come bearing gifts to offer our congratulations!"
With that said, Demeter led the dozen-odd goddesses—still in their excited state—as they scattered, each returning to their own seat.
The crowd dispersed.
The field of view opened up once more.
Hestia, holding that half-eaten slice of jam bread, cheeks still puffed out, watched the receding backs of those departing goddesses and gave a little "hmph."
Loki leaned back against her chair, legs crossed, a mug of ice-cold ale in hand, cracking one of her squinted eyes open a sliver to look at Haimer.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk—looks like you've got yourself another busy stretch ahead."
"This bunch has plainly decided that you're a tree worth leaning on in Orario, rushing to pledge their fealty to you, hoping to take shelter in the shade beneath this great tree of yours."
"Exactly, exactly!"
Rarely finding herself on the same side as Loki, Hestia nodded forcefully.
She crammed the remaining half-slice of bread in her hand into her mouth all at once and mumbled indistinctly.
"Haimer, why did you have to agree to them? We've already got more than enough of our own Familia's affairs to deal with—and now you're meddling in their business too? What if they go and cause trouble?"
"Yes, honestly, Haimer, you've taken on so much logistical supply in one breath—do you really intend to recruit a huge batch of Familia members for your new base in the future?" Hephaestus set down the cup of black tea in her hand, her single eye turning toward Haimer, a trace of curiosity likewise carried in her tone.
After all, there was surely a purpose behind Haimer building a new base on such an enormous scale.
But if it came to recruiting people to join the Familia—
Judging by the current scale and number of adventurers in Orario—
To recruit so many, he'd have to recruit from outside Orario.
"That's right."
To this, Haimer met the gazes of the others and gave a nod as well.
"From now on, I'll be recruiting many people."
"So the scale of the new base has to be large, and the supplies it will require down the line are likewise no small figure."
"Therefore, since there are people willing to provide goods at a low price, a mutually beneficial arrangement like that holds nothing bad for me."
The food, clothing, and daily necessities, the medical care, the everyday expenses of several—even tens of—thousands of children.
In Orario it would absolutely amount to an astronomical sum.
Count on the existing commercial alliances of Orario?
Those merchants, fattened on profit, would only loot a burning house and hold out for the highest bid.
And so the agricultural produce in Demeter's hands, combined with the textile, pharmaceutical, and other living-skills of this group of lowly goddesses, was perfectly suited to fill that gap.
It was bound to be a guaranteed, no-loss deal.
"You're not really secretly scheming something dangerous behind my back, are you?!"
Hearing Haimer's words, Hestia couldn't help but mumble, refusing to let it go as she pressed in close and tugged at Haimer's sleeve.
Seeing this, Haimer could only reach out helplessly to press down on Hestia's head and soothe her into calm.
Then his gaze took the opportunity to make a circuit around the table.
Hestia, Hephaestus, Loki. One was missing.
"Looking for Freya?"
Loki had also caught Haimer's motion, and she jerked her thumb toward the direction of the hall's exit.
"That gal cleared out long ago. Before she left she dropped a line saying she wasn't all that interested in the upcoming title-naming segment—found it boring—so she headed straight back to her Familia to rest."
Haimer understood.
...
After some time had passed, the breakfast gathering wrapped up in a hasty, perfunctory manner.
The attendants began clearing away the remains, and the main event to follow in the Divine Council was, at last, finally about to formally begin.
It was the most central part of the Divine Council—and the segment the gods never tired of—the bestowing of titles.
The location was the topmost floor of the high tower at the [Ganesha Familia]'s base.
The adventurers of each Familia remained below, waiting.
The gods, meanwhile, ascended a staircase paved with white marble, climbing all the way up.
On either side stood the ramrod-straight military police of the [Ganesha Familia].
When the daylight had brightened completely, the gods finally arrived at the very summit of the [Ganesha Familia]'s base.
The space here was extraordinarily open.
All four sides were utterly unobstructed. The moment one lifted their head, they could see a cloudless, azure sky stretching ten thousand miles, along with white clouds drifting endlessly overhead. Above the grounds.
Around the perimeter rose white stone pillars, one after another, soaring straight toward the heavens.
Below were white, terraced semicircular seats arranged in rings, rising tier upon tier in stepped fashion—enough to seat several hundred gods.
Although the gods found their places in twos and threes and sat down, the atmosphere still carried a thread of tension that refused to dissolve.
Especially at this very moment, in a corner seat off to the edge and slightly higher up—
A goddess with short chestnut hair, dressed in a plain linen long-skirt, was tugging at the sleeve of another goddess beside her, complaining in a low voice.
"What do I do... I worried so much last night I couldn't sleep a wink."
The chestnut-haired goddess's brows were knotted tight, her whole face etched with worry.
"That child of my Familia toiled away in the Dungeon for five whole years, and last month, at long last, finally managed to sublimate his level up to Lv.2!"
"But... but our [Messer Familia] is just too small. Normally we can't so much as make a ripple in Orario—nobody pays us any attention at all."
"Think about it—what if, later at the council, some god from one of the big Familia gets bored and casually tosses out some malicious, ill-natured suggestion, and gives my child a strange, weird name?"
"That one called something like the Holy Dragon Knight of Dawn—wasn't he saddled with that name by their mob-mockery? That child later found it so humiliating that every time he went to the Guild, he was too embarrassed to lift his head and face anyone."
The more the chestnut-haired goddess spoke, the more her confidence drained away.
After all, at past Divine Councils—
Giving the adventurers of those weak, small Familia some malicious, thoroughly chuunibyou nicknames had always been the favorite entertainment of these gods who had lived too long and were bored out of their minds.
Bizarre titles like "Wolf of the Raging Gale" or "Burst Dark-Flame Caster" were everywhere you looked.
The minor gods being targeted were weak and isolated, with no room whatsoever to argue back in a place like the Divine Council, and in the end could only grit their teeth and let their children accept it.
"This... today's atmosphere—surely it won't happen, right?"
Hearing this, the goddess beside her, equally lacking in confidence, gently patted the back of the chestnut-haired goddess's hand.
Then—
Ganesha, wearing his elephant mask, stepped up onto the central high platform at the front with slightly stiff movements.
The flamboyant flair with which he usually bellowed "I Am Ganesha" out in the streets had all been reined in, scrubbed clean away.
"Um... everyone, the title segment of the Divine Council now begins."
Ganesha cleared his throat and obediently picked up the roster, beginning to read.
The result was that the entire white ring-shaped venue fell into utter silence.
The wind up high was strong; even the howling of the breeze as it swept past the stone pillars was clearly audible.
The scene of days past—where everyone scrambled to seize the right to speak—simply did not materialize.
The sidelong glances of all the gods drifted, faint and almost imperceptible, toward the man in the very front row.
Haimer sat right in the center of the first row, one hand propping up his chin, his gaze flat as he watched the high platform ahead.
Before he spoke up—
Who would dare make the first sound and become the conspicuous one?
Even Loki, who normally loved stirring up mischief the most, was at this moment leaning back in her chair, arms folded across her chest, wearing the look of someone utterly uninvolved, purely here to watch the show.
"Ahem, so then... next up is Deedeeana of the [Messer Familia]."
Seeing the situation, Ganesha had little choice but to grit his teeth and read out the name belonging to the short-haired goddess's Familia in the corner.
"Regarding this adventurer who has sublimated to Lv.2—given that she excels at guerrilla combat in forest terrain."
"Does anyone have any opinions on a title?"
Ganesha's gaze swept across the fan-shaped, spread-out ring of spectator stands.
...
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Time seemed to congeal.
The chestnut-haired goddess was so nervous she clenched her skirt hem all at once and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
And yet—nothing happened.
The mob-mockery that the little goddess had originally feared did not happen; instead, what arrived was a collective silence across the entire venue that stretched on for a full half-minute.
Not a single god was willing to speak up at this moment!
And certainly no one was in the mood to make sport of a small Familia's adventurer.
The gods fell collectively silent, each sitting up properly and primly.
After all, they were terrified that raising their voices a touch louder or making a slightly larger movement might displease that vicious god in the front row.
Seeing no one offer any opinions, Ganesha waited up on the platform for a good long while, a layer of fine sweat seeping out across his forehead too.
"Since no one has any objections then..."
"Then, based on the title submitted by the goddess Messer—Deedeeana, [Flower of the Wind]... approved!"
Ganesha settled it at once.
The chestnut-haired goddess in the corner instantly snapped her eyes open, her body going limp as she collapsed straight back into her chair, letting out a long breath.
It passed just like that?
It had actually been approved so smoothly, as a matter of course.
At Divine Councils of the past, this was something she wouldn't have even dared to dream of.
Some of the bolder goddesses had even secretly cast grateful glances in Haimer's direction.
After all, though they didn't dare to step forward and strike up a conversation—
The silence among the gods already spoke for itself.
At Divine Councils of the past, lowly gods like them had no say whatsoever.
A single casual word from the patron god of one of those big Familia could press them down so hard they couldn't lift their heads.
But today was different.
The fierce god was sitting right here, and anyone who wanted to act up had to weigh it carefully first.
After that, the Divine Council proceeded onward, step by step in order.
But after all—
In the Lower World, for an adventurer to sublimate their level had always been an exceedingly difficult thing.
It required slaying a powerful foe several ranks above oneself, or completing an extraordinarily arduous expedition, accumulating a great mass of great deeds—and which of those didn't mean rolling and struggling in the Dungeon for several hundred days just to barely brush against the threshold of Lv.2?
Under normal circumstances, the Divine Council was held once every three months.
For a single Divine Council to produce two or three new Lv.2s already counted as a quite respectable result.
And so, when Ganesha swallowed a mouthful of saliva and flipped to the next page of the roster—
The atmosphere of the entire venue tightened in an instant.
The main event had arrived.
After all, the rumors circulating in Orario these past days had been far too horrifying.
Things like cutting clean through the twelfth floor on the very first day.
Things like tearing a Minotaur to shreds with bare hands.
Things like every single member reaching Lv.2 within the span of just a few short days.
At first, there were certainly those who doubted it—after all, how could there possibly exist monster-like newcomers such as these in this world?
But now, the Guild's official announcement had come out.
This meant that those rumors were not only all true, but were even, perhaps, watered-down versions after the Guild's conservative assessment.
"Next up—all members of the [Haimer Familia]!"
"According to the Guild's in-depth investigative report—"
All members of the [Haimer Familia], within a few days of registering their adventurer status—
"In the upper levels of the Dungeon, triggered and successfully suppressed an upper-level Monster Feast."
"In the Great Tree Labyrinth of the Dungeon's middle levels, encountered an attack by a mammoth, and successfully hunted it down."
"On the twenty-first floor of the Dungeon, once again encountered and put an end to a middle-level Monster Feast, with the number of monsters slain impossible to count."
"In summary of all the above—"
Ganesha paused, and beneath his mask his eyes flashed with shock.
"Every member of the [Haimer Familia] sublimated their level in under half a month—or one might even say within the span of a mere few days!"
Every single word read out on an occasion like this had to be a fact verifiable on record.
Those records of spoils exchanged, the testimonies of witnesses, the haulage manifests of the Takemikazuchi Familia—each and every item was iron-clad evidence that could not be falsified.
The gods were aghast.
Within these few short days, Amou Kirukiru had very nearly walked the entire road that ordinary people couldn't finish in a single lifetime.
"So then!"
Ganesha's voice continued, and he raised his volume, pulling the attention of all the gods back to the platform!
"As for the order of the [Haimer Familia] adventurers sublimating to Lv.2—we begin with Amou Kirukiru!"
"Because the [Haimer Familia] and Amou Kirukiru did not submit any intended title to the Guild in advance!"
"Based on intelligence the Guild gathered from the mouths of various adventurers, Amou Kirukiru's primary combat style is pure physical brawling with weapons cast aside, and she possesses an extremely strong desire to attack!"
"As for Amou Kirukiru's title—does anyone, esteemed gods, have any good opinions?"
With that said, Ganesha lifted his head, his gaze sweeping across the stands for a third time.
The result was just as expected.
On the matter of the [Haimer Familia]'s title, the gods collectively played mute.
Everyone kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts.
After all, were they joking?
Bestowing a title upon the killing-god's foremost familia member.
One would have to find their own divine life far too long.
On the matter of the [Haimer Familia], the gods of Orario perfectly demonstrated the meaning of "each sweeping only the snow from their own doorstep."
Hestia, seated right next to Haimer, was at this moment sitting in her seat with extraordinary obedience, breaking from her usual habits by not piping up to cause any disruption.
After all, though she normally squabbled jealously and didn't get along with Amou Kirukiru back at home—
Hestia was, in the end, a proper goddess.
She understood, ultimately.
The bestowing of a title was the most unforgettable moment in an adventurer's life.
It was also a symbol of Amou Kirukiru's honor as a member of the [Haimer Familia].
In a matter of such great principle, she naturally wouldn't go stirring up trouble or doing something inappropriate at a time like this.
And moreover, though Hestia was very unwilling to admit it in her heart—
Still. Amou Kirukiru's performance genuinely was worthy of all this.
Likewise, Hestia was all the more curious in her heart: in Haimer's eyes, just what sort of title should Amou Kirukiru receive?
As for this—
As for this, Haimer too was deep in thought.
What should Amou Kirukiru be called?
Although, given Amou Kirukiru's nature—domineering and supreme, fond of trampling everything underfoot—the title "Empress" that she'd originally held back in her own world, at the Symbiosis Armament Academy, was actually quite fitting.
But in the Lower World's somewhat peculiar context, those two words, "Empress," were not something that could be casually pulled out and treated as a trifle.
To anyone who had lived in Orario for more than fifteen years—
Hearing those two words, "Empress"—
What surfaced in their mind would absolutely not be a newcomer who had only just stepped over the threshold of Lv.2.
Rather, it would be the faction that had once stood shoulder to shoulder with the [Zeus Familia]—and was even more tyrannical still—the pinnacle clique that ruled over the entirety of Orario's dark age: the [Hera Familia].
And also—
That terrifying monster who, in all of Orario's history, was likewise the only one ever to reach the Lv.9 level, a height no one to this day has been able to attain.
—The captain of the [Hera Familia].
—The "Empress."
That name represented absolute martial force, and absolute dominion.
Even though, with the failure of that expedition fifteen years ago against the Black Dragon—one of the three great adventure commissions—was declared—
The upper-echelon combat strength of the [Hera Familia] was wiped out to the last.
They had already been driven out of Orario, vanishing without a trace entirely.
And the "Empress," as captain of the [Hera Familia], had long since died in battle out on that barren wasteland where not a blade of grass grew.
But the weight of this title in the Lower World—
Would still, like a great mountain, press down heavily upon the heads of all.
No one dared lightly touch this taboo.
Even now, no matter how astonishing the talent Amou Kirukiru displayed—
Her body's hardness rivaling steel, fighting like a madwoman—
Still, in the end she was, after all, nothing more than a newcomer who had just stepped over the threshold of Lv.2.
The name "Empress"—let it be saved for later. When Amou Kirukiru can use her own talent to carve out a bloody path in this world, and prove that she has the qualifications to stand alongside, or even surpass, that legend who once stood at the very pinnacle of Orario—then let her decide for herself whether or not to accept this title seized from someone else.
For now, what she needed was a title that precisely summarized her current standing in his own heart.
And so... the very first title for Amou Kirukiru, after her level sublimated to Lv.2...
"Let her be called—『The Calamity God's Vicious Blade』."
____
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