A day had passed since the incident with the Enhanced Species.
Tweet-tweet—!
Accompanied by the chirping of birds, Rivira—the town where one could enjoy a source of light similar to the sun despite being underground—offered a rare moment of respite.
"Good morning, Lily."
"Good morning, Bell-sama."
Following the crisis on the 25th floor, the vines that had strangled their path had fortunately vanished. However, for the sake of the wounded and to ensure a safe return, the party had decided to recuperate at an inn in Rivira.
"We certainly went through a lot for our first expedition."
"Ahaha, we really did."
Bell reached out, his expression softening.
"Everyone must be exhausted, so let's just take it easy for a bit."
Wanting everyone to return to the surface safely, Bell had booked rooms despite the exorbitant prices, prioritizing the party's recovery.
"Once we've made it this far, we can head back to the surface whenever we're ready."
"...Bell-sama!"
"Hmm?"
"Could you spare me some time later?"
Lily gave a bright smile.
"I'd like for the two of us to have a chat, just for a change."
Lily watched Bell for a moment before making the proposal. Though Bell couldn't guess her intentions, Lily simply continued with a grin.
"Not right now?"
"Yes! Once today's work is finished, let's have a nice, relaxing time!"
"...."
If Lily is the one asking...
"Sure, I understand."
Meanwhile, on the surface, a Denatus—the gathering of the Gods—was being held for the first time in quite a while.
"It's been a while since the last Denatus, hasn't it?"
"Was it because we couldn't find a good time?"
"Well, you know, Ikelos caused quite a mess in various ways."
"Ah~ so that's why it was postponed!"
The meeting was supposed to be held regularly, but due to the recent Xenos incident and the exile of Ikelos, the Denatus—intended for verifying information on children who had leveled up and conducting the naming ceremonies—had been delayed.
"The regular assembly of the Gods, the Denatus, huh."
"In reality, it's nothing more than a place for idle gossip."
Even if it was for information verification or naming, the Gods' peculiar sense of nomenclature meant that the sessions were mostly dominated by chatter. Honestly, postponing it didn't cause any real issues.
Miach, knowing this, wasn't particularly thrilled about participating.
"I agree. The Gods only come here to kill time."
Sitting next to him, Takemikazuchi echoed Miach's sentiment, clearly displeased with the meeting.
"To think they'd name Mikoto's alias [Zekkei]...!"
Though it seemed he had his own specific reasons for his distaste.
"Well, even so, there's a reason we had to come today."
"I heard, Hestia."
"!!"
Hestia agreed with the sentiment, but this was one divine meeting she had to focus on. As she was staring intently at a piece of paper, someone approached and spoke to her.
"Hephaestus!"
"It seems the children went through quite a lot in the Lower Floors."
Hephaestus sat down beside Hestia, looking relieved for the Hestia Familia's sake.
"I heard they made it back to the 18th floor?"
"Yes, the news reached me as well. They've all arrived safely, one way or another."
At those words, Miach and Takemikazuchi also broke into smiles.
"Indeed, it must have been a good experience for them."
"I'm looking forward to hearing all the stories they'll bring back."
"Fufu, then we really can't afford to back down an inch in today's meeting, can we?"
"The naming ceremony for the adventurers."
Given the nature of the Denatus—where 'divine sense' often translated to 'bizarre aliases'—Hestia had to be on high alert. She needed to protect Welf, who was receiving his first alias, and Bell, whose alias was guaranteed to be updated.
"I have to make sure Bell-kun and Welf-kun get decent names, no matter what..."
"The same goes for our Chigusa, sigh..."
Takemikazuchi clenched his fist.
"I must avoid a repeat of Mikoto's [Zekkei]..."
As Hestia and Takemikazuchi agonized over their respective concerns while waiting for the meeting to begin—
"I AM!!!"
"GANESHA!!!!!"
A very familiar voice, recognizable in an instant, thundered through the hall, signaling the start of the divine assembly.
"I shall be presiding over this Denatus."
At that sight, some Gods simply laughed, while others, like Hestia and Takemikazuchi, remained lost in their worries.
"....."
"Heheheng~"
Among them, Freya and Loki had also taken their seats.
"Now, let us begin!!!!"
""""Yeah....""""
"Ha ha ha!!"
Amidst the varied voices of the Gods and Ganesha's boisterous laughter, the Denatus officially commenced.
"Now then, for Welf Crozzo of the [Hestia Familia]."
"Written as 'Everlasting Fire,' read as [Ignis]!"
"It's decided! [Ignis] it is!"
Welf, a scion of the Crozzo bloodline and a member who had recently become almost as famous as Bell within the Hestia Familia, had his naming ceremony. Hestia had broken a sweat to ensure he received an alias that, while perhaps a bit dramatic, wasn't outright bizarre.
"..."
Hestia trembled slightly.
Of course, if one knew the hidden meaning behind the name, some Gods might have preferred something truly weird instead.
"Now for the highlight!"
Setting that aside, the eyes of the Gods converged on the next set of adventurers as Ganesha shouted their names with vigor.
"The moment you've all been waiting for!"
He struck a pose.
"We shall proceed with the naming ceremonies for Bell Cranel and Akumo!!"
"""Ooh!!!!"""
Akumo, the undisputed strongest adventurer in Orario. Bell Cranel, the undisputed top prospect of Orario.
The two were already the center of the Gods' attention, but after the adventure and the battle they displayed during the recent Xenos incident, the interest from both the populace and the deities had skyrocketed.
"He's ranked up twice!"
"That's way too fast!"
Furthermore, Bell was the fastest record holder and had achieved the monstrous feat of ranking up twice since the last Denatus.
"If Akumo-kun is also a subject..."
"No way...!!"
"Heheheng! Ye're only just realizin' it now?!"
The fact that Akumo, a Level 8 adventurer, was up for a naming ceremony was enough to shock not only the surrounding Gods but even Hestia and Hephaestus. Loki laughed, making no effort to hide her pride.
"Level 9..."
"No one has ever reached that height except for the captain of the Hera Familia, [The Empress]..."
As even the Gods marveled—
"May I offer a suggestion?"
""""!!""""
Freya boldly raised her hand, showing her interest in the two. When it became clear she intended to decide their aliases, the Gods were once again stunned by her blatant display of favoritism.
"Is she serious?"
"Freya-sama is?!"
"Is she marking [Little Rookie] and [The Pioneer] as her own?"
The other Gods wondered if the recent incident was the reason for her overt interest.
"What's this, what's this? Have ye become a fan of Bell-kun and Akumo?"
"Yes."
Freya smiled radiantly.
"After seeing that fight against those monsters last time, even my heart began to race."
Ah... those beautiful lights back then...
Freya shivered as she recalled the brilliant spectacle Akumo and Bell had shown that day.
—[Meteor Strike]
The one who stood against that massive, eerie red moon...
—[Full Bloom]
The giant red moon in the sky. Akumo, who had created a garden of fire that shone even brighter, refusing to be eclipsed, had looked like a masterpiece painted just for her.
And to think that child would show such a bright light as well...
It wasn't just Akumo she had discovered there.
The sight of the boy charging toward Asterius—someone far stronger than himself—with a white blade in hand was the image of a hero emitting a light brighter than anything else.
"Freya~"
"Ye lecherous woman..."
Of course, her behavior was... well, it was more than enough to make two specific goddesses extremely wary. They spoke to her with voices dripping with caution.
"Since it's you of all people, I assume you'll give 'my Bell-kun' a wonderful alias, right?"
"Right~? Ye won't be givin' 'my Akumo' any strange aliases, will ye?"
"....."
Freya merely replied with a quiet smile to Hestia and Loki's sharp words. A murderous tension, where neither side would yield an inch, seemed to flow between them.
"Yes, of course. Hestia, Loki."
Finally, the aliases Freya proposed began to leave her lips.
"How about [Vanadis Odhr] for both of them?"
""""Ooh!!!!""""
She spoke with a slight blush, looking genuinely happy. It was a proposal so blatant that anyone could see her true desire—to call them the 'Goddess's Partners.' The Gods marveled at her boldness.
""What do you mean, 'Partner'!!!!!""
"Ye lecherous woman!!!!!!"
"Bell-kun is a member of 'my' Familia!!"
Hestia and Loki protested vehemently at the same time, firmly correcting the fact that both boys belonged to their respective Familias.
"Did you not like it?"
""Of course not!!!!!""
Freya's nonchalant response only served to infuriate Loki and Hestia further. Taking it as a challenge, Loki began shouting out her own ideas.
"I'd rather name 'em like this!"
She slapped the table.
"[Loiseros]!"
"""Eeh...."""
"What!! Ye got a problem with it!!!"
Since Akumo was well-regarded by most Familias and was an adventurer who frequently performed cross-Familia quests, Loki's proposed alias—meaning 'Jester's Toy'—which reeked of her desire to monopolize him, was not well-received.
"""It doesn't suit him at all...""""
"Ye bastards!!!!"
It might have just been that her image didn't fit that kind of name.
"Eeei!! Just give Bell-kun and Akumo-kun normal aliases!!!"
Hestia wanted to give a proper alias to Bell-kun, whom she cherished more than anyone, as well as to Akumo, who was Bell's foster father and someone she owed a great debt to. However—
"Me, me! My masterpiece! [Marron Cream]~"
"That's too hard! I don't even get what it means!"
"Just have both of them come to our Familia~"
"Marry me!!"
Starting with Freya and Loki, the other Gods began throwing out all sorts of aliases, half-jokingly.
"[Public Hero]!! Let's just all share them!!"
Hestia's grip tightened.
"Come to think of it, wasn't there a rumor that the brat had a thing for monsters?"
"In that case! [All Okay]!!"
Crack!
However, the three goddesses were of one mind when it came to being angered by their interference.
"Will you all just SHUT UP!!!!"
"Knock it off, aye?"
"Shall we settle this with a War Game?"
""""Hiiiieek!!!""""
Under the roar of the Goddess of the Hearth and the chilling threats from the two goddesses of the strongest factions, Akumo's alias was officially maintained as [Pioneer], and Bell's alias was decided as [Rabbit Foot].
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