Exiting the empty room on the dungeon's first floor, Alex and his young assistant Lily headed towards the exit. Lily couldn't believe that the person who had saved her and the famous newcor were one and the sa. She rembered him being serious and focused when he entered the dungeon, and now she couldn't reconcile how this quirky guy in a mask could be the sa newcor everyone talked about. But the facts were undeniable: Alexander Voldigoad, the newcor everyone was buzzing about, turned out to be a very peculiar guy.
Lily continued to gaze at Alex, wondering how the person who saved her and this renowned newcor could be one and the sa.
"I have sothing on my face?" Alex asked, noticing Lily's intense stare. He checked his face to make sure the mask was off. Once assured it was, he decided to inquire, "Is there sothing on your mind, since you're staring at like that?"
"No, I'm just curious how that stern adventurer I once saw at the dungeon entrance turned out to be such a peculiar person," Lily replied. She was genuinely intrigued and mulled over many possibilities in her head, but none seed to fit the situation.
"(Laughs) So that's what's been on your mind. The answer is quite mundane and simple: I'm just that kind of person. You know, sotis when you go to a new place, you start acting modestly so others don't think you're strange and keep their distance," Alex explained, making his viewpoint clear. "But no one would suspect that behind the mask is soone who recently made quite a stir. Plus, I didn't want to cause trouble for my goddess, so I did everything to avoid being recognized," he continued.
"So you're actually a strange guy who just suppresses his nature so others don't see your true essence, and that's why you hid your face under a mask and went on to create trouble?" Lily sumd up. Alex just shrugged and replied, "You forgot to add that I didn't want to cause more trouble for my goddess."
"Is that really so important compared to the chaos you caused in the dungeon, leading to a punitive squad being sent after you? Are you only afraid of causing trouble for your goddess? And aren't you afraid she'll find out what you've done?" Lily spoke louder with each word.
"Firstly, don't shout. Secondly, no one will find out, except maybe... Damn, I forgot I told my goddess about the 'Stick I created for idiots' and a couple of others about my plan. Looks like I ssed up," Alex began to realize what he had disclosed to Hestia and others. He understood he had violated the first and most important rule: "If you're going to cause trouble, don't tell anyone about it." Realizing his mistake, he decided to find a way out or resort to the sixth rule: "If you've caused trouble and been discovered, under no circumstances admit to it." Coming to a decision, Alex chose to adhere to the sixth rule and act like he knew nothing.
"Why did you go silent?" Lily asked, noticing Alex's face first started to sweat, then returned to normal.
"Nothing much, I was just devising a plan to avoid trouble. And the solution is quite simple: I'll just deny all accusations because without evidence, they can't do anything to ," Alex replied. Lily could only roll her eyes at the absurdity of his plan and silently sighed, knowing she was his accomplice in this.
"Alright, let's go eat and talk. Maybe we can share our stories," Alex suggested, seeing that Lily wasn't saying anything more. Lily nodded and followed him.
At a random food stall...
Arriving at a place where food was sold, Alex and Lily decided to take a vacant table. Alex didn't want to go where he might et acquaintances. He pretended he had just gone out for a walk and coincidentally encountered a helper he decided to hire. He had no idea what awaited him when he returned ho: a group of angry goddesses interrogating him about his activities all day.
Sitting down at a free table and ordering their food, each of them was lost in thought. Lily was still pondering whether she was worthy of soone like him helping or saving her. Alex sat quietly, observing how Lily's expression changed every second. When the waiter brought their food, they began eating in silence, each imrsed in their own thoughts.
Alex still waited for Lily to gather the courage to ask him for help. He thought that if she didn't want to ask, he would offer his help himself. There were many ways to solve her problems, and the simplest one was to just barge into the family of the god of Soma and demand they release Lily. But Alex decided to leave that choice to Lily herself.
Finishing their food and seeing that Lily still hesitated to speak up, Alex decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Lily, if you have sothing to say, just say it. There's no need to be afraid," Alex said, breaking the silence. After his words, Lily tensed up, unsure of where to start.
"I... I just think I'm not worthy of help for everything I've done," Lily said, lowering her gaze, afraid to look at Alex. Without hearing his response, she looked up and t his gaze. Alex nodded at her to continue.
"I deceived many adventurers and stole money from them," Lily continued, still avoiding Alex's gaze.
"You need to bla yourself for stealing from adventurers. Yes, I'm against theft, but you did it to survive," Alex said, implying to Lily that she shouldn't bla herself too much. "Lily, many people do worse things to survive. What you did wasn't a good deed, but it wasn't the worst either," Alex continued. "Tell your story, and I'll try to help you. My strength is greater than you can imagine," Alex said, letting her know she could rely on him.
"It all started when I was born into the family of the god Soma, which made a mber of that family from birth. And from that mont, my difficult life began," Lily began, gathering her strength to tell her story.
"I was born into the family of God Soma. My parents were part of this family, and when I was old enough to take care of myself, they made earn money for them instead. Eventually, both of my parents died in the dungeon, leaving completely alone. After their death, the mbers of Soma's family neglected and constantly bullied . I couldn't fight back because I was weak. I even tried to beco an adventurer, but apparently, I had no talent, so I decided to switch to a support role.
Over ti, I learned how adventurers treat people like , and I began to hate them even more. Tired of this difficult work, I decided to escape from Soma's family and was taken in by an elderly couple who ran a flower shop. But my happiness didn't last long: mbers of Soma's family found , destroyed the shop, and hard the elderly couple who had taken care of . After that, I had no choice but to return to Soma's family to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.
Upon returning, I started hating adventurers, especially mbers of Soma's family, even more. Then I learned how I could leave Soma's family, but I needed money to do so. To earn it, I started stealing from adventurers who hired . But recently, mbers of Soma's family took my money, and I didn't know what to do anymore. And then you saved in the dungeon, and here we are, sitting and eating," Lily concluded her story, tears streaming down her face. She pondered why she deserved such a life and why, while watching other families appear so happy, she had to endure so much suffering.
"Don't cry, Lily, everything will be alright. If you need help, just ask, and I'll do everything I can to assist you," said Alex, approaching Lily, embracing her, and gently stroking her back to calm her down.
"It's all my fault, all because I'm weak. All my suffering is because of my weakness. If only I were strong, I wouldn't have suffered like this," Lily replied, continuing to cry and holding Alex closer.
"Lily, listen to . As a wise man once said, 'It's not a sin to be weak, but it's a sin to stay weak.' So don't worry, I'll help you beco stronger," Alex said, showing his readiness to support her.
"But how can you help ? I tried to beco an adventurer, and it didn't work out for ," Lily said, still crying.
"Lily, there are many ways to beco stronger. Being an adventurer isn't the only path," Alex replied, still holding the distressed Lily. "One way is to learn martial arts," he suggested as an example. (This is just nonsense made up by the author, so don't worry about it.)
"But first, tell , do you want to seek revenge against the mbers of Soma's Family?" Alex asked, wanting to know her answer.
"Yes, I want revenge, but I want to do it with my own hands," Lily said, clenching her fists in hatred.
"Don't be angry, my little hobbit. Your revenge can start right now. Do all the mbers of Soma's Family know your face?" Alex asked. Lily nodded in response.
"Good, then follow . Your revenge begins now. I'll teach you a technique that will help you unleash your anger on them," Alex said, standing up and beckoning Lily to follow him.
Shortly after... Leaving the diner, Alex and Lily headed to a deserted place. Once there, Alex explained to Lily what she needed to do and how to execute the secret technique. The plan was for Lily to stroll through the streets, waiting until a mber of the Soma family noticed her, then lure him into an empty alleyway. Understanding the plan and mastering the secret technique, Alex and Lily set out to find their first target. They wandered through the city until they encountered one who still had no idea what awaited him.
"Hey, Alex, that's one of the guys who took my hard-earned money," Lily said, gritting her teeth in anger.
"Well then, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, my little assistant, your revenge begins right now," Alex said, donning his chaotic attire once more.
Seeing Alex change back into his disguise, Lily approached her target to lure him into the alleyway. Lily erged from the empty alleyway, positioning herself so that a mber of the Soma family would notice her. Spotting her, he assud Lily was scared and attempted to flee. The victim thought Lily was scared of him and chased after her, unaware of the high price he would pay for his foolishness. Darting into the empty alley, Lily stopped and waited for her victim.
"You've got nowhere else to run now?" said the Soma family mber.
"I don't need to run anymore, but you should start," Lily replied in a tone that enraged the Soma family mber, who was ready to use force.
"What? You think just because we let you go last ti, you can say whatever you want?" the Soma family mber began, until he felt soone place a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a smiling mask and the person wearing it.
"Young man, would you care to believe in the 'Bread God'?" Alex said, gripping the Soma family mber's shoulder while Lily prepared to strike.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Get out of here before you get it," the Soma family mber aggressively responded.
"For your rudeness, my dear friend, you will have to pay. Now, my little assistant, it's ti to punish our uncouth friend," Alex calmly said, still holding onto the Soma family mber's shoulder. Then he turned to Lily, whose attire had changed to a white short-sleeved shirt, black knee-length skirt, black shoes, and a mask with red cheeks on her face.
Upon hearing Alex's words, Lily imdiately rushed forward and delivered the "Descendant Crushing Blow" to the poor Soma family mber, who promptly lost consciousness from the strike. Seeing the victim unconscious, Alex suggested continuing the search for several more Soma family mbers. Lily agreed with a smile. They found a few more unlucky targets, and Alex helped Lily vent her anger. This continued until evening approached. When Alex noticed it was getting dark and ti to return, he decided to talk to Lily.
"Lily, it's evening already, ti to head back. You can continue your revenge another ti," Alex suggested. Hearing his words, Lily tensed up, realizing she had nowhere else to go.
"If you have nowhere else to go, you can co with . My goddess is very kind, she will allow you to stay," Alex continued, noticing her tension.
Nodding, Lily agreed to go with Alex to his ho. Approaching the abandoned church, Lily couldn't believe he lived in such a rundown place. Alex reassured her that this place would be fixed soon and wouldn't be so dreadful. Entering the church, he began descending downwards. Alex opened the doors without looking inside.
"Co on in, Lily. My goddess is very kind, she will understand your situation and try to help you," Alex said, looking at Lily as she followed behind him.
"I see you decided to return after causing all that trouble," a voice echoed from inside. Alex turned around and realized he was in a tricky situation because besides Hestia, there were also Hephaestus and, surprisingly, Loki. He understood there was no point in running and decided to step inside, accepting his fate.
To be continued...
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