DANMACHI: The Silence's Heir (OC x Freya)

Chapter 11

Deep in the darkest corners of Orario two masked figures stood face to face with another. The topic of their discussion the very adventurer that had returned to Orario, the one person who could destroy all their plans.

"I never thought he would have the courage to return to the city after what they did to him," added one of the figures.

"And yet he is back, and as long as he is here, he is a threat to our plans," the other voice came in.

"Indeed, that he is. After all, he is her son, and if there was ever an adventurer who could do the impossible, it was her. We must get rid of him," the initial voice added.

"How?"

"Just as we did it all those years ago!"

And with that, they walked out of the cave system, their masks now replaced by others until they came upon a red-headed goddess and an adventurer in the streets and were called out by the adventurer beside her.

"Stop!"

RIVERIA LJOS ALF

Rumors were a dangerous thing. It was something that had taken her quite some time to understand the real damage just simple whispered words could cause, and right now, as they stood infront of the dead body of an adventurer, she was reminded of her own, of her own hubris in falling a pray to these rumors all those years ago.

"I am telling you he killed him," Boros, the keeper of Rivira, screamed as he pointed towards the Grey-haired boy she had wronged, alongside many others.

"Do you have any proof to prove such an allegation, Boros?" the captain of her familia, Finn Deimne, the Braver, cut in sharply, shutting up the whispers and the rumors as the Level 3 veteran became quiet.

"No, but I am telling you this is his doing," the man continued to insist, as the one beside the grey-haired boy became unsettled, she was an elf, Riveria could tell easily, but was hiding her face for some reason.

"They are saying that he was killed by a female and he is walking around with one just here. She must have ensnared that guy, and he must have killed," and she saw the blonde elf rile up at that allegation as several people joined in, their vulture-like gazes turned towards a boy once hailed as Orario's savior.

She could notice Ais getting riled up beside her, her eyes continuously tracing back to the elf beside Inumaki-kun as the rumors grew louder and louder, and she was herself reminded of the rumors from all those years ago.

Similar rumors had sprouted around a younger Inumaki, turning him from a hero to a villain in but a few days, as the doors of Orario were shut on him. And to her shame how, these very rumors had affected her as well, and she had separated Ais from one of her only and dearest friends.

"Enough!" the Braver Finn's voice rang out, his status as the captain of the Loki familia enough to silence everyone in the room as he stepped forward himself.

"I am afraid you are wrong, Boris. By the accounts of the guards, Inumaki-kun and his comrade entered Rivira about an hour ago, but the dead body is more than four hours old. While coming here, we saw the very stones left on the lower floors by him and his friend as they climbed down to this level. So, I can confidently say that Hashana was not killed by him," Finn added before someone joined in.

"But what about his friend? She is a girl, and we know he was ensnared by a girl acting as a prostitu..."

"That is impossible," she cut in, as everyone's gazes turned towards her.

"Because no elf would degrade herself like that," she added and everyone nodded along, the tales of the elf and their behavior was known to all.

"But who else could even kill a Level 4 adventurer like that? The only person here both powerful and heartless enno..."

"I am done here!" Inumaki's voice ran out as he pushed himself off of the wall and walked out of the room as Finn glared at Boris.

"Enough! Boris, this is not the time for baseless accusations! Given the timing of the attack it is very likely that the person who did this is still here. I want everyone to gather outside, we the Loki familia will search through them, especially the female adventurers," he added, and the keeper of Rivira was forced to accept as everyone cleared the room, leaving only Finn, her, and Gareth in the room as each of them looked at each other.

"It is happening again," she added, and Finn nodded, rubbing his chin.

"If Loki-sama had not warned us about this, perhaps even we might have been susceptible to these rumors," Finn added as he glanced towards the door.

"Someone is trying to destroy Inumkai-Kun's reputation," Finn added.

"Now the question is, is this the same person from seven years ago? Or is this someone new?" Finn added, and she nodded.

Because this was how events had unfolded seven years ago as well, with the attack of Erebus on Orario. Inumaki was away from the city during that time but due to his connection with Zald and Alfia the Silence, his reputation took a massive hit, and yet his prowess and record as an adventurer was a massive help to him.

That was until the Great Massacre on the Twenty Seventh Floor, where many a familia were wiped out based on erroneous and wrong information, the source of which was claimed to be him. And soon enough Orario's pillar of hope became its enemy number one, and the new hero became the new villain.

In that time, Orario did have a slew of First-class adventurers, including herself, Gareth, Ottar, and so forth, and yet the most famous adventurers in Orario were not them.

No, it was him and Ais, the two young prodigies cutting through the dungeon, reminding the city of Orario's betrayers with their youth and potential—Zald and Alfia.

And then there was the fight, one in which she had played a rather regretful part and the famous party had broken up, something which was seen by all of Orario as the declaration of his guilt.

"Could it really be them?" Gareth asked, and there was no need to elaborate on who he was talking to. For there was but one great evil capable of this.

The very organization that had brought Orario to the brink of destruction—Evilus.

"Perhaps," Finn added as they walked out of the building.

"But if so, then why? Why target him so specifically?" she asked, and the most intelligent of Orario's adventurers, the Braver hesitated to answer.

"I have but an inkling to thy why, but I will hold my tongue until things clear up..."

And with that, they walked out and saw adventurers lining up outside as Finn stepped forward.

"Now we will begin the inspections," and his announcement was met with a cheer from the female adventurers all of whom rushed towards him with zeal as her own familia's Tiona screamed forth.

"These damn bitches! Get away from the captain!" and she felt a smile appear on her face as she saw her sister holding back the amazons from slaughtering all the girls surrounding their captain.

And as they got busy trying to locate the killer from amongst the female adventurers when suddenly an ominous feeling erupted over the entire of Rivira, and her eyes widened as she heard adventurers scream and run, as pandemonium erupted all over the 18th floor, considered to be a safe floor.

Why?

"Impossible?" she gasped as she saw those all too familiar plant monsters appear all over the floor, attacking people left and right.

"There are monsters here!"

0000

RYUU LEON

Ryuu had expected this. She truly had. When he had told her about the survival of Evilus, a part of her had understood how the events from seven years ago had truly unfolded, on how the rumors around him had begun and been spread all over by them to discredit him.

This had just confirmed his own suspicions and eroded away at her previous doubts, confirming his words that something rather sinister was being plotted in the city.

And now, days after his reemergence, the same thing was happening again. However, they had found an unlikely ally this time. Loki familia had come to their aid and had cleared up the allegation surrounding Inumaki-kun, who was eyeing a certain adventurer in a very threatening way.

They had found her trying to run away as the Loki familia checked over all the female adventurers, though her level and credential suggested that was not the killer they were looking for.

"You are Lulune, from Hermes familia," he identified the girl, much to her surprise, as she nodded.

"Yeah," she said bashfully, her dog ears put down as Inumaki-san stared her down with those scarlet eyes of his.

"Someone else is here," she added as she felt another presence beside their own and looked back and found two of Loki familia members there. She recognized one of them instantly, for she was none other than 'Kenki' Orario's most famous adventurer.

"Get away from the killer Inumaki-kun," Ais Wallenstein and her friend added as she took out her sword as the Hermes familia member panicked and screamed.

"Nooo!"

"She is not the killer," Inumaki-san came to her aid.

"She was trying to run," the other girl, an elf, added, and Inumaki-kun added.

"That does not mean anything. Plus, I know of her. She is a member of the Hermes familia, a level 2 maybe 3. She could not have killed Hashana who was a rather strong Level 4, even if she had tried," he intervened, as Ais Wallenstein looked at the dog girl as Ryuu reached for her own blade.

"Are you certain?" she asked, and Inumaki-kun nodded, and so the blonde put down her blade as she joined them.

"Then what were you doing here, Lulune-san," she questioned, and the second-class adventurer began to panic before her shoulders dropped, for she knew that no lie would work infront of them.

And as Ais Wallenstein and Inumaki-kun interrogated the Hermes familia member, she was approached by the other elf girl from Loki familia.

"You are an elf as well, right?" she asked, and Ryuu looked at the girl and nodded.

"I am," she said, and the girl smiled.

"Hi, I am Leyfia Virdis," she recognized that name. She was the Thousand Alf, a level 3 mage from Loki familia who was becoming rather famous.

And she saw that the young elf seemed put off but still added on.

"How do you know Inumaki-san?" she asked, and she saw the girl looking at the grey-haired boy with a strange expression. And how exactly did she know him? Did she even know him at all?

"We began our life as adventurers at the sa...."

And then suddenly, as she saw the Kenki reach for the package, she saw her grab her hand as she fell, only for Inumaki to reach out for her in time and the package.

"Ais!" he gasped in worry. Suddenly, the whole ground began to shake. Ryuu reached for her blade, and they began to hear screams and shouts from all over the floor.

"What is going on here?" Leyfia questioned as she gripped her own staff tightly as Ryuu answered.

"I do not know?" she answered as she turned back towards Inumaki-kun and the 'Kenki.'

"Is she fine?" and he nodded as he helped her steady up, as the source of the commotions emerged infront of them.

"These monsters..." she gaped as she recognized them.

"They are from the monsterphilia," the elf beside her added. They saw them rip through other adventurers, and they attacked them before suddenly. She saw their eyes shift towards their group, and they all came after them.

"Get behind me," she said to the mage elf, as she saw them rushing towards them.

BOOM!

And suddenly, she was distracted by an explosion from behind her and was caught off guard as a monster came at her from the side.

"Shit!"

"Astraxis!" she heard the chant as she braced herself for pain that never came, and she saw a silver hue cover both her and the elf behind her as she saw Inmuaki-kun blocking an attack from an adventurer with his spear.

"Futaba!" she attacked the monster, cutting into two as she slashed at its head as she turned towards Inumaki-kun.

"Inumk..."

"Go and help the others," his voice cut in as she saw another attack appear out from the smoke, as both he and Kenki took out their weapons and got ready to face the assailants.

"We will deal with this," he said, giving her a nod. As she saw the monsters slaughtering adventurers by the dozen, she gritted her teeth and nodded.

"So be it!" with that, she turned towards the elf.

"Begin chanting, I will distract them," she said as she geared up her blade, and the elf panicked for a bit.

"But..."

"Don't worry about them," she assured her, as a green hue began to cover her as she began her own chant.

"In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky...."

"After all..." she added as she jumped up and cut through another monster, evading the branch of another. She noticed that they seemed to be going after the adventurer behind her for some reason.

"...together both of them are nearly impossible to defeat!" For a while, she may not know much about Inumaki-kun. She was not deaf to the rumors that surrounded Orario's Greatest Duo—The infamous prodigal children.

"....Respond to my foolish voice; give me now divine protection of Starfire. Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you....." she continued her own chant as she cut through one monster after another, and she heard battle rage behind her.

"...Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler. Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy," she finished the chant as she landed in front of a group of dozen adventurers scurrying away in fear. She finished her chant and screamed the Spell Key.

"LUVIA! LUMINOUS WIND!" and green orbs emerged from behind her and raced towards the hoard of monsters attacking them

BOOOM! BOOOM!

"That magic." "It's her!" "The Gale Wind!"

0000

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