Chapter 354: War game debut
Chapter 354 - War game debut
A war game was a grand festival for everyone living in Orario.
Any news regarding the war game, whether rumor or truth, immediately drew widespread attention.
Even before the guild could make an official announcement following the denatus where the battle conditions were set, rumors were already spreading like wildfire.
"A siege battle? That is literally hell mode!"
"Isn’t that way too unfair for the Hestia familia when they only have one member?"
"I heard Mahiro is crazy strong, even Hyakinthos and Aisha couldn’t beat him, but his luck is plain terrible."
"In any other format, he might have had a fighting chance. Drawing a siege battle completely ruins it, there is no way he can win now."
"Maybe a miracle will happen? After all, he is an adventurer known for defying the odds."
Under normal circumstances, siege warfare was a format used only as a last resort.
Conquering an entire fortress demanded a staggering toll in casualties and resources.
The attackers required massive siege engines like catapults, rams, and ballistas just to break through the gates, all while the defenders held every tactical advantage from behind high stone walls, raining down arrows and death.
Standard military strategy dictated that attackers needed at least triple the defender’s numbers and supplies just to stand a chance.
Although this world lacked gunpowder and cannons, destructive magic was far more devastating than any conventional weapon.
Once Mahiro, the lone attacker, approached the fortress walls, he would be greeted by a storm of spells and arrows, turned into nothing more than a sitting target.
As word spread that the war game would take the form of a siege, nearly everyone lost faith in Hestia, leaving only a handful of dreamers hoping for a miracle.
"What do they know, those blind fools..." Hestia grumbled as she walked back into the base. "Mahiro, you have to smash Apollo and Ishtar into the ground!"
"Isn’t that obvious?" Mahiro replied with a calm smile.
"I am so sorry..." Hestia slumped across the table, gazing up at Mahiro with a guilty expression. "It is all my fault for having such terrible luck. Drawing a siege battle of all things, if only I had pulled a one on one dueling format instead!"
Hestia lamented, slapping her cheeks with both hands.
"There is no need to blame yourself." Mahiro took a sip of the tea Haruhime had prepared and said casually, "The format makes no difference to me. The only variable is how long it takes, the final victory will be mine regardless."
"I am just putting so much pressure on you," Hestia said, her face scrunched up in distress.
"By the way, when does the war game begin?" Mahiro asked.
"Three days from now," Hestia answered.
A war game could not be held inside Orario itself. The venue selected by the guild was an abandoned ruin city on the outskirts of Orario. These three days served as a preparation period, allowing the defenders to fortify their position in the ruins while the attacking side readied themselves for battle.
"Three days," Mahiro muttered, tapping his chin. "That is a bit long."
Mahiro did not care about the history or traditional rules of war games. The outcome was already set in stone.
Unless a level 10 adventurer somehow materialized within the ranks of the Apollo and Ishtar familias, nothing could reverse the result. Otherwise, defeat was their only option.
Yet ever since the gods descended to the lower world, a level 10 adventurer had never existed. Expecting a level 10 warrior to suddenly appear among those two familias was complete fantasy.
"By the way, what about Takemikazuchi? Did you get in touch with him, Hestia?" Mahiro glanced at Haruhime, who was quietly tending to household chores while wearing a maid outfit.
"Take said he needed to wrap up some business with his familia and take stock of their belongings first, so he will be coming over this afternoon," Hestia replied.
"Lord Takemikazuchi..." Haruhime murmured softly.
Hestia looked over at Haruhime and asked, "Haruhime, do you know Take?"
"Yes," Haruhime nodded. "I spent time around Lord Takemikazuchi when I was a child."
"No wonder," Hestia said. "Take seemed so surprised when he heard news about you!"
...
In the afternoon, Takemikazuchi brought two of his familia members to the Hestia Familia headquarters as scheduled, and the topic of Haruhime was brought up.
In the Far East, Haruhime was born into a noble family. Her misfortune began when she ate the offerings brought by the pallums to worship the god Amaterasu. This enraged her father, a shrine official serving Amaterasu, to the point of planning to execute his own daughter. Persuaded by their pallum guests, Haruhime’s life was spared, but she was disowned by her father.
The truth was that Haruhime had been framed.
After being kicked out of her home, Haruhime was quickly taken away by the pallums. It turned out that those pallums had become obsessively infatuated with Haruhime upon first meeting her, leading them to orchestrate the entire frame-up. On their way back, they were attacked by monsters. True to their cowardly nature, the pallums abandoned Haruhime, treating her as dead weight, and fled to save themselves.
Just as she was about to be killed by the monsters, bandits rescued her. The bandits simply turned around and sold Haruhime to Orario.
In Orario, Haruhime was taken in by the Ishtar Familia. Since then, she had been secretly protected and cared for by an adventurer named Aisha. Originally, Haruhime was supposed to receive clients like the other prostitutes. However, she was a bit different from the rest. Haruhime was a timid girl, the type who would faint from pure embarrassment just by looking at a man’s collarbone.
Whenever she fainted, Aisha would usually step in and handle the clients for her. Because of this, Haruhime remained a pure maiden to this day.
Although Haruhime was granted falna, her aptitude as an adventurer was unremarkable, save for her level-up magic, Uchide no Kozuchi. Even when the members of the Ishtar Familia took her into the dungeon to gain excelia, she couldn’t accomplish much. Over time, the Ishtar Familia gave up on Haruhime and imprisoned her, treating her as nothing more than a convenient tool. They even planned to find the right opportunity to sacrifice her and forge her into a Killing Stone.
Takemikazuchi’s two familia members had been Haruhime’s best childhood playmates. They had never stopped looking for her. Seeing her again and hearing about the unjust suffering she had endured, the two girls burst into tears.
In contrast, Haruhime simply wore a gentle smile and comforted them. Having experienced darkness for so long, she was deeply satisfied with her current life. Even if this peace only lasted a few days, she had no regrets.
"Don’t worry, Hestia. The Takemikazuchi Familia will definitely support you this time. I have sold every property we could spare to bet on your victory," Takemikazuchi said gratefully before leaving.
"Why does it sound like you originally didn’t plan on betting on us, Take? Did you really think my Mahiro would lose?" Hestia raised her brows, her tone turning sharp.
"Hahahaha!" Takemikazuchi laughed dryly, turned on his heel, and ran away.
"I am so sorry! Our patron god is being incredibly rude!"
The one who spoke was Hitachi Chigusa, and the girl standing beside her was Yamato Mikoto. Both hailed from the Far East. Deeply ashamed of their god’s behavior, the two bowed low to apologize to Hestia.
Hestia smiled and shook her head, assuring them it was fine.
"Lady Haruhime, we will come visit you often from now on," Mikoto promised.
"Lord Mahiro, thank you for saving Lady Haruhime. If you ever need our help in the future, we will definitely be there."
Mahiro smiled and thanked them.
After learning that she had childhood friends here in Orario, the smiles on Haruhime’s face grew more frequent. Naturally, they were no longer the fragile, pale smiles of her past, but genuine smiles from the bottom of her heart.
The official transfer of Haruhime into the Hestia Familia could only take place after the War Game ended and the Ishtar Familia was defeated.
Three days passed by quickly.
During those three days, Mahiro occasionally ventured into the deeper floors of the dungeon to hunt monsters, just as he always did. At the same time, he deliberately spread rumors about the true reason behind the War Game.
In short, the reputations of the Ishtar Familia and the Apollo Familia, two factions that were already disliked, were completely ruined under Mahiro’s intentional manipulation. In contrast, the Hestia Familia’s fame skyrocketed. In the eyes of the public, they suddenly became the heroic faction that defied oppression to rescue a tragic maiden.
Originally, the residents of Orario were not optimistic about the Hestia Familia’s chances. As the inside story behind the War Game gradually leaked out over those three days, their support rate climbed steadily.
Of course, there were even some well-informed individuals who dug up the fact that Ais had been the one to snatch Haruhime away. Normally, this would have been an insignificant detail; after all, the War Game had already been declared, and such minor things no longer mattered.
"The fastest adventurer to level up in history is actually dating the Sword Princess, Ais?!"
"Shocking! Did Ais steal the orphaned girl from the Ishtar Familia because Mahiro took a fancy to the fox girl? Did she really not hesitate to offend the Ishtar Familia just for him?"
"Who said Ais is just an emotionless doll?! Give me a dozen girlfriends like that! It is too sweet!"
Similar rumors swept through Orario in an instant, rivaling even the discussions about the War Game itself. Ais immediately overtook Freya to become Orario’s top candidate for the best girlfriend.
"Who is spreading these rumors?! It is absolutely impossible for Ais to fall in love with Mahiro!"
When she heard the rumors flying around Orario about Ais and Mahiro’s relationship, Loki jumped up in rage. She almost marched straight to the Hestia Familia’s headquarters to murder Mahiro.
"Those ignorant humans! Mahiro and I are obviously the couple here! Why are they pairing him up with that Ais Wallenstein?! I am so mad!"
Hestia was seething with jealousy when she heard the news.
It took Mahiro a great deal of effort to soothe the rampaging goddess, eventually quieting her down with some comfort beneath the sheets.
On the morning of the fourth day, a beautiful figure dressed in blue and white knocked on the door of the Hestia Familia’s residence.
"Mahiro, let’s go."
"Coming, Ais."
Mahiro and Ais stepped outside of Orario, officially marking the start of the War Game.
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