"A familiar ceiling."
Even though he had only been here once, Noir remembered it. This should be the Pure White Sanatorium.
Before he even sat up, Noir felt something holding his hand. He turned his head slightly.
What came into view was Hestia, drooling a little as she slept soundly beside him.
"Mmm..."
It seemed Hestia was in the middle of some dream. Of the two hands that had been tightly clasping Noir's, one unconsciously reached forward, as if trying to hold on to something.
"Mr. Fried Potato Puff, don't leave me~"
Hestia's body, which had been slumped over the bed, suddenly sprang upright like a coiled spring.
Her hazy eyes, caught somewhere between dream and reality, still carried traces of whatever grand adventure had been unfolding in her sleep.
She blinked, then noticed that Noir was already awake and looking at her. She immediately threw herself at him.
"Noir-kun, how do you feel? Is anything bothering you? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Perhaps because she had heard the commotion inside the room, Airmid walked in and gently pulled Hestia off Noir.
"So you finally woke up. Do you have any idea you've been asleep here for a full seven days?" Airmid said, clearly irritated. "Now that you're awake, hurry up and leave. Stop taking up a bed. You'd barely recovered, and then you ran off and attacked members of the Loki Familia. What exactly were you thinking?"
"I attacked the Loki Familia?"
Searching through his memories, Noir managed to piece together the vague outline of what had happened. He remembered being set up, and then losing control of his emotions.
As his memories gradually returned, his emotions had begun to revive as well.
Before, he could still feel anger and hatred, but what dominated him more was helplessness and suppression.
That long-buried oppression, combined with the power he had newly acquired, had shattered the restraint called reason.
Noir only remembered attacking someone, then being struck down in return.
What he had never expected was that the people he attacked had been Ais and her group.
"I was unconscious for seven whole days. Why?" Noir asked in confusion. "Did they demand compensation?"
"I don't know. Go ask at the Guild yourself," Airmid said. "And remember to be respectful. After all, it was members of the Loki Familia who escorted you back."
With Hestia's help, Noir quickly left the Pure White Sanatorium of the Dian Cecht Familia.
The treatment this time, however, had cost far too much. Noir's wallet was nowhere near deep enough, so he could only leave behind an IOU.
Their first stop was the Guild, where Eina handed them a debt statement worth eight million valis.
"It was originally ten million valis, but after deducting the compensation paid by the Soma Familia, as well as the reward for discovering the unexplored region, this is the final amount."
"Mm. Thank you." Seeing the worry on Eina's face, Noir offered his thanks. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble again, Miss Eina."
"May I ask why you attacked the Loki Familia?" Eina asked softly. "Was there some sort of grudge?"
"I mistook them for someone else."
Noir sounded more helpless than defensive. He could hardly admit that he had simply lost control and lashed out at everyone in sight. "If I get the chance, I'll go to the Loki Familia myself and apologize in person."
"Oh! So it was just a misunderstanding. That's good." Eina visibly relaxed. "The Loki Familia really is one of Orario's absolute strongest Familias. They have more than one Level 6, and a great many first-tier adventurers. In any case, do your best to avoid clashing with them."
"Hmph!" At the mention of someone she found irritating, Hestia let out a faintly disdainful snort. "My Noir-kun will catch up to them soon enough."
After returning to the church, Noir looked at Hestia, who was hurrying around busily in front of him, and asked, "Lady Hestia, what is that on your back?"
"Oh, this?" Hestia blinked, then slapped her forehead. "Seeing Noir-kun hurt like that made me so worried I completely forgot about it."
She untied the bundle she had been carrying on her back, took out the item inside, and handed it to him.
"I know Noir-kun is going to face all kinds of danger in the future. There's only so much I can do to help, but I hope this child can protect you in my place when danger comes."
The wrapping came undone, revealing a jet-black blade.
Slightly dazed, Noir accepted it and instinctively drew the sword.
It was a sharp one-handed weapon, around a meter long, its blade slender and perfectly balanced.
Hieroglyphs was engraved along the weapon, revealing its extraordinary origin.
This was the Hestia Knife.
Originally, this was the weapon Hestia was supposed to obtain for Bell after kneeling and begging Hephaestus for three straight days, paying two hundred million valis for a blade personally forged by the goddess of smithing herself. It possessed extremely high magic conductivity.
The weapon itself had a status of its own and could grow alongside its wielder's abilities. It was, in a sense, a living weapon.
Only those who had received Hestia's Falna could properly wield it. In anyone else's hands, it was worse than even the lowest-grade junk weapon.
It had been forged through a special method, incorporating Hestia's hair, her divine blood, and her own hieroglyphs.
That night, Noir did not practice his sword.
Instead, he sat cross-legged at the entrance of the church, gazing up at the brilliant night sky overhead.
Again and again, he ran his fingers over the two swords resting across his knees.
One had been given to him by Granny May, the woman who took him in when he had been on the brink of death, on the very day he became an adventurer.
The other had been given to him by Hestia, the goddess who granted him her Falna, and who, even after learning he had broken his promise and slaughtered adventurers, still went to beg a friend to forge a divine blade for him.
Why couldn't he be like other transmigrators?
He was not asking to be some master schemer, always in control of the board.
Nor did he dream of becoming some hidden sword saint who could safely grind his way to greatness in obscurity.
He only wanted the chance to grow in peace.
And even that seemed impossible.
"Noir-kun, what are you thinking about?"
Hestia walked lightly to his side and slowly sat down beside him.
"I'm thinking about what path I should choose from here on."
"When the cart reaches the mountain, a road will appear. There's always a way through." Hestia smiled faintly. "Right, Noir-kun?"
"Maybe. But I really do need to think calmly about it." Noir gently stroked the two weapons on his knees. "Lady Hestia, how much is this weapon worth?"
The instant Noir asked, Hestia froze like someone had hit pause on her. Then she let out an awkward laugh and hurriedly explained,
"Haha, well, a good friend of mine heard I finally had a Familia member, so this was a gift to celebrate our friendship. Yes. That's exactly what it was."
The more she talked, the more confident she sounded. In the end, she clenched her right hand into a fist and smacked it into her left palm, as though sealing the matter with absolute finality.
"Is that so?"
Noir did not press further. He simply lifted his head and looked up at the star-filled sky.
Under the night sky of this world, the stars blazed brightly, flowing together into a magnificent river of light so beautiful it almost stole his breath away.
"Oh, right, Lady Hestia. Amid must have explained to you while I was unconscious why I ended up sleeping for so long."
Noir lowered his head and looked at Hestia beside him, only to find her pretending not to hear him. She began whistling and darting her eyes all over the place.
It had been a long time since Noir had allowed himself to think deeply about anything.
Not because he did not want to, but because whenever he did, certain unforgettable memories always rose to the surface.
Wasn't that just another form of escape?
No different from before.
"Come on. It's late. We should get some rest." Noir brushed the dust from his clothes, stood up, and headed back into the church. "Tomorrow morning, we're going back into the Dungeon. First, we need to pay off that debt."
"Wait for me, Noir-kun." Hestia hurried to her feet and followed after him. "Before we go to sleep, let's update your Falna first. That way tomorrow's trip into the Dungeon will be a little safer."
[Noir: Lv. 1]
[Strength: G-207 → F-331]
[Endurance: B-749 → A-879]
[Dexterity: H-161 → G-292]
[Agility: H-142 → G-284]
[Magic: I-55 → H-175]
[Magic:]
[Skills:]
『Flame of Vengeance』
『Mask of Pain』
『High-Ranking Player』
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