The Hestia manor—now called the Hearth Manor—was lively today. Many adventurers of different Familias moved about the grounds, along with several gods. In the meeting room on the first floor, the seats were arranged with purpose.
The apex of the table was empty.
To the right sat Hestia. To the left sat Loki. Next to Hestia was Hephaestus. Next to Loki was Freya. Then came Takemikazuchi and Miach to the right of Hephaestus. To the right of Freya sat Aphrodite and the new guest invited by Hestia—Demeter. The other apex of the table was also empty.
Each god had their captain standing behind them. Except for Hestia. Behind Hephaestus stood Tsubaki. Behind Loki stood Finn. Behind Freya stood Ottar. Behind Takemikazuchi stood Mikoto—the new captain. Behind Miach stood Naaza. Behind Aphrodite stood a girl named Emilia. Behind Demeter stood another girl named Persephone.
Hestia stared daggers at Freya. Freya pretended not to care. Loki grinned as usual. Hephaestus was already striking up conversation with the other gods.
Then the door finally opened.
Damien walked in, with another person following behind him.
He spared no time taking the seat at the head of the table, sitting down comfortably. The gods and their captains grew quiet as he entered. He then gestured for his guest to sit at the other head of the table.
The guest was Fels.
"Now then... I think you all know why we are here." Damien's gaze settled on Demeter. "Demeter, I believe this is our first time meeting. Pleasure to meet you."
Demeter nodded, her expression warm. "The pleasure is all mine. I am intrigued by your plans, and I am grateful to be included in them."
"Of course you would be. The source of all our food is you. And I know for a fact that everyone here is very grateful for your Familia's services."
She smiled and gave him a respectful nod of appreciation.
Damien moved on. "Fels is here as a representative of Ouranos himself. That should clear all your doubts about the Guild's approval of our plans. I will explain the plans I have for the future of our mutual alliance, and you may speak your mind afterward."
No one argued.
He continued. "First of all, we will start the greatest alliance in Orario's history: the Eternal Hearth. The alliance's ultimate goal is to conquer the dungeon. To uncover the truth of our world. The dungeon. And the defeat of the One-Eyed Black Dragon."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"But that will not be our only purpose. Orario needs fixing. Too many Familias abuse their powers. Underground slave auctions. Prostitution. Weapon dealing. And many other forms of danger that lurk beneath us. Enemies outside the city are also to be dealt with. Orario is our city, and I will be damned to see it distracted from its purpose—the conquering of the dungeon."
His voice hardened.
"Too much poverty in a city that is supposed to be the greatest in the world. All because some gods—who are not in this room—think our world is their playground. We will deal with all of the city's problems. Unite it under one rule. A rule that aims to protect its people, serve them, and aspire to achieve more and more."
He leaned back.
"That is my main concern. If any of you have other ideas or plans, speak your mind. I stand as the leader of this alliance, but I am not the sole thinker. You will all be the cornerstones of this alliance. None of us can achieve anything alone. But together, we will change this city for the better."
Loki spoke first. "Beautiful speech, Damien. You have hit all the corners that needed to be addressed. I suggest we create a list of enemies and allies to this alliance. They may not be part of us, but the School District and the Ganesha Familia are among the good ones."
Takemikazuchi nodded. "Indeed. I agree with Loki. We must show that we are not here to take everything. Instead, we are here to help the good become better and take down the bad."
Damien nodded. "Well said. We will work on that list together. But for now, I will entrust Loki with the task of creating the initial list."
Freya leaned forward. "The question that is on my mind—and the minds of many others here—is how shall we enforce our power? How shall we react to the other gods? With power? Or politics?"
Tension rose in the room.
Hestia turned to Damien. "I say we take it slow. Not all gods are bad, and not all are good. Some need better guidance. We cannot wage war on all who oppose us."
Freya smirked. "Always thinking of a peaceful way. But wars are not won by peace."
Damien raised a hand, silencing both of them.
"Wars are not won by peace. But if we take the path of the sword, we would be no better than those we are trying to cut off." His voice was calm, measured. "Each case shall be handled appropriately. Those who stand in our way but commit no action shall not be messed with. Time will be on their side—for them to either change their minds for the good or commit a foul. But those who raise their blades against us, I will show no mercy." He paused. "Simple as that. Anyone who stands against this alliance is clearly not a useful asset to Orario."
Fels spoke. "I must say I disagree, Lord Damien. Some will stand against us for other reasons. Personal ones."
Damien looked at him. "Such as?"
"I can think of one." Fels hesitated. "I was hesitant to speak, as I did not think I would be one sitting at this table. But I believe Dian Cecht will not appreciate such an alliance. You deciding to support Miach financially to take over the potion creation market will make him feel jealous and vindictive toward the alliance. He cares a lot about money. But that does not mean he is naturally evil. It is more that our work hurts his interests."
Miach nodded. "I agree with Fels."
Damien narrowed his eyes. He thought for a moment.
"I would usually say I do not care about a man who cares more about money than the well-being of the city. But the city itself has harbored such greed for many. Money is an issue for a lot of people, and the goal of many. So we cannot hate him for his greed." He looked at Fels. "Understood. Fels, as the representative of Ouranos, I will assign you the role of judge. You will decide which Familias are against us for malicious intent and which ones are against us for conflicting interests."
Fels bowed his head. "I appreciate your open-mindedness, Lord Damien. I shall strive to be fair."
Aphrodite watched the interaction. Slowly, she raised her arm.
Damien noticed. "You may speak, Aphrodite."
"Master..." She swallowed, her voice trembling slightly. "I run a Familia that makes money from prostitution. My Familia is dear to me, and all the girls I have in my Familia are ones who take this profession seriously. It is, after all, the oldest profession." She lifted her chin. "I wish to take the lead in controlling the prostitution of the city. I will make it safe and free of exploitation by shady figures, like Ishtar used to do. I genuinely care about my girls. I wish I could help them make money from nothing, but some of them are broken or talentless. Their only way of survival is this. I promise to make it a completely safe process."
The other gods were shocked. A goddess was calling Damien master.
Damien considered her words. "Hmm. You make a good point. I do not see the reason to ban such a profession when many adventurers need relief from the horrors they see inside the dungeon. But you must promise safety for your girls. Safe intercourse and such."
He turned to Takemikazuchi.
"Takemikazuchi, why do you not handle the protection as well? I know you are a good person, and I can trust you to keep trouble out. Would you do that?"
Takemikazuchi bowed his head. "Of course. Our Familia has spent years fighting against Ishtar's prostitution rings. It would be an honor to ensure that the exploitation of young females is stopped."
"Good." Damien looked around the room. "Anyone else?"
Hephaestus spoke. "We have not decided how to handle our combat forces. Are we to unite them? Keep each our own until a call is made? Are we to form a special force?"
Damien nodded. "That is a good question. I will be frank. Inside the city and outside of it, I do not need any of your forces. I will call when things get too dangerous, but I can handle that. However, when we decide to delve deep into the dungeon, I expect each Familia to send their elites." He raised a finger. "That does not mean you are all eligible, though. For example, Demeter and Miach are exempt. They need only provide food and potions respectively. The dungeon delving is something only Hestia, Loki, and Freya Familias shall be responsible for. We will be the combat aspect of this alliance."
Hephaestus nodded. "I see. That is a great idea."
Damien leaned forward. "As I said, this alliance is not here to rule by force. If I was hoping for a militaristic alliance, I would only work with Loki and Freya. No. What I want is an alliance where each Familia is part of a massive cog. Where we all work together and provide something of benefit to the city."
Loki smiled and raised her cup.
"Let us make a toast!"
They all raised their cups and looked at Damien eagerly.
Damien raised his own.
"To the Eternal Hearth."
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