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Chapter 59: Unrest (Sinister)
A week had passed since the expedition ended and they returned to the surface.
"I'm home, Tsunayoshi. A member of the Loki Familia asked me to give this to you."
Hestia had just returned from her part-time job. She handed Tsuna a sealed letter that a Loki Familia member had intercepted her with. Tsuna opened it and scanned the contents. It detailed the specific date and time for their upcoming meeting.
"What does it say?"
"Remember how Finn said he wanted to give me the reward for the expedition and discuss something important at the Loki Familia's home? This is the date and time. It also includes an apology for taking so long to reach out, saying they had a lot to deal with."
"I see. More importantly, are you sure you didn't want to go to the celebration party, Tsunayoshi?"
Bell and the others were not at the church; they were currently out celebrating Welf. After Tsuna had returned to the surface alone, the rest of the group had been caught up in a massive Irregular event in the dungeon. During that chaos, Welf had successfully leveled up to Lv. 2. Upon ranking up, he acquired the Development Ability 'Blacksmith', officially becoming a [High Smith]. Bell had organized a party to celebrate the massive milestone.
"I wasn't with them when it happened, so it felt a bit out of place. Plus, I thought I might get called over by the Loki Familia today."
"Well, if you're fine with it, I won't press the issue."
"Setting that aside, are you okay, Hestia? You got caught sneaking into the dungeon. Didn't the Guild give you a severe warning and fine you heavily?"
"W-Well, yes… But since our Familia is basically broke, the amount they took wasn't actually that devastating. Hermes's Familia, on the other hand, is a mid-tier faction… They got slapped with such a monstrous fine that Hermes is still staring blankly at a wall."
"R-Right…"
Tsuna felt a twinge of pity. She had kept her entry into the dungeon a secret just as Hermes instructed, but they had been found out anyway, making his discretion entirely pointless.
"Speaking of which, Bell ranked up too, right?"
"Yes. And by ranking up, he was officially granted the alias [Little Rookie]. Not only that, he managed to rank up in just a month and a half. He's officially the fastest record-holder in history."
"Fastest in history, huh? Bell really is amazing."
Though the actual record-holder is you, Tsunayoshi.
All of Orario firmly believed that Bell Cranel held the record for the fastest Level Up. However, Hestia was the only one who knew the absolute truth: the true record belonged to Tsuna.
The requirements for a Rank Up were reaching a specific threshold of basic abilities and accomplishing a Great Feat worthy of the Gods' recognition. Since arriving in Orario, Tsuna had fought back-to-back battles against First-Tier adventurers like Ais, Finn, Allen, and the Gulliver Brothers, and had continuously slaughtered powerful monsters during the recent expedition. Thanks to his unique Falna skill, his growth rate was unmatched, and he had already achieved several absurd Great Feats. By all standard rules, Tsuna was more than qualified to rank up.
However, under Ouranos's strict orders, Tsuna was forbidden from leveling up. If that gag order didn't exist, Tsuna would have been universally recognized as the fastest-growing adventurer in the world.
Well, it's not like I can tell anyone, even without Ouranos's gag order.
Bell leveling up in a month and a half had drawn the intense scrutiny of countless Gods and adventurers. Tsuna had met the requirements in less than a single month. If anyone found out that a vastly superior version of Bell existed right beside him, the ensuing chaos would be catastrophic. Hestia's lips were tightly sealed.
Then, it happened.
"Lady Hestia!!"
Lili's frantic voice echoed through the church. A moment later, Bell and Welf stumbled into Hestia's line of sight, both covered in nasty bruises and minor cuts.
"We'll explain later. Healing comes first."
"H-Hey!! Your head is on fire!!"
Tsuna had instantly ignited into his Hyper Dying Will Mode without putting on his gloves. Welf, seeing this state for the first time, stared in utter shock.
"It's fine. This is my power. I'm going to use my flames to heal you, so hold still."
"W-Wait! There's no need to go that far!!"
Assuming Tsuna intended to literally cauterize their wounds with fire, Welf panicked. Since their injuries weren't life-threatening, burning them shut seemed wildly excessive. He threw his hands up, shaking his head frantically in refusal.
"It's okay, Welf… Tsuna has healed my injuries before. It doesn't feel hot at all."
"If you say so…"
Trusting Bell's word, Welf reluctantly agreed to let Tsuna treat them. Both boys slumped down onto the sofa.
"Here I go."
Tsuna placed a hand on each of their heads. The flame on his forehead shifted from orange to yellow, and the two boys were enveloped in the gentle glow of the Sun flame.
"M-My wounds are…!?"
"They're closing…!?"
The Activation characteristic of the Sun flame stimulated their healing abilities, closing their cuts and fading their bruises in seconds. Seeing the supernatural healing firsthand, Welf and Lili were absolutely stunned.
"So, what exactly happened? I thought you were at a celebration party today, not the dungeon."
Reverting from his Hyper state back to normal, Tsuna asked for an explanation.
"There were some people at the tavern badmouthing the Gods… We ended up getting into a brawl with them and the rest of their Familia…"
"Bell held it in. I was the one who threw the first punch. It's my fault Bell got hurt. Please, don't be mad at him."
Looking deeply ashamed, Bell explained the incident. Welf immediately bowed his head, attempting to take the full blame and protect Bell.
"I understand what happened. I'm not going to punish you, so please raise your heads."
"Lady Hestia…"
"I'm happy that you got angry on my behalf, Bell. Truly. But fighting in the streets is still a no-go."
"But… those people were insulting you!!"
Bell could tolerate being mocked himself, but hearing Hestia being ridiculed was something he simply couldn't forgive. He couldn't easily accept her reprimand.
"I know how you feel, Bell. If the roles were reversed, I'd be breathing fire too. But think about it. If I went out and got into a brawl, and came home beaten black and blue, how would you feel?"
"...I'd want to cry."
"Exactly. And I feel the same way. Tsunayoshi does too."
"Ah…"
At Hestia's gentle words, Bell snapped back to reality and looked over at Tsuna. Seeing the deep worry etched onto Tsuna's face, Bell finally realized the gravity of his foolishness.
"And because you got hurt, Tsunayoshi had to use his power to heal you. Do you understand what that means?"
"Yes… I'll control myself next time. I'm sorry."
"..."
Even if they had been provoked, their reckless actions had caused Tsuna emotional distress and forced him to use his abilities. Crushed by a wave of guilt, Bell apologized. Though he remained silent, Welf looked equally remorseful.
"However, the opposing faction's reaction is what worries me. I just pray they don't hold a grudge and try to retaliate against Sir Bell and the others…"
Glad that Bell was unharmed, Lili nonetheless voiced her concern that the opposing Familia might seek petty revenge.
"I threw the first punch. They shouldn't have any reason to target Bell."
"That may be true in theory, but highly prideful adventurers—especially Familias that obsess over saving face—won't let this go easily. This could turn into a massive headache."
"Hmm, that's true."
Agreeing with Lili's assessment, Hestia crossed her arms, pondering how to prevent any further escalation.
"Hey. Are you sure this was just a random bar fight?"
""""Eh?""""
While Hestia and the others were brainstorming ways to avoid a grudge, Tsuna alone voiced a far more chilling suspicion. Having never considered the possibility of a setup, the other three looked at him in surprise.
"I don't have any concrete proof, but… I can't shake the feeling this was a trap…"
"Now that you mention it, it doesn't seem entirely impossible…"
Hearing Tsuna's logic, Lili realized the possibility. The enemy could have deliberately provoked them into throwing the first punch to fabricate a justifiable reason to pick a fight with their Familia.
"Still, for Sir Tsuna to suggest such a dark theory…"
"Ah, no… I was just remembering a time when I was set up and framed as the bad guy, and it felt somewhat similar…"
"Just what kind of life have you been living…?"
Coming from the usually soft-hearted and optimistic Tsuna, saying such a thing was so wildly unexpected that Lili and Welf were left speechless.
Tsuna was speaking from personal trauma. Back in his world, he had been cornered by XANXUS, the ruthless Boss of the Vongola's elite assassination squad, the Varia. The current situation felt eerily similar to XANXUS's manipulative tactics.
Years ago, XANXUS had orchestrated the largest coup d'état in Vongola history, an event known as the "Cradle." Though the coup failed, the incident was heavily classified. Only the Vongola's highest-ranking executives and the absolute elite who fought in the battle knew the truth.
However, when XANXUS returned to the public stage during the Ring Conflict to determine the next Vongola Boss, he needed to silence anyone who knew about the Cradle. He manipulated Tsuna into fighting the 9th Boss, framing Tsuna as a traitorous villain. By doing so, XANXUS aimed to win the loyalty of the allied mafia families, eliminate those who knew his past treason, and establish a completely dictatorial regime.
After hearing the description of the opposing Familia, Hestia decided to proactively seek out their patron God and settle the matter peacefully before it could escalate any further.
However, no one could have predicted that Tsuna's dark suspicion would be proven right in the absolute worst way imaginable.
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