Danmachi - Eldritch Apostle

Niall was at home with Azathoth and Haruhime, giving Haruhime some books from his past homeworld. Haruhime was fascinated by the books Niall provided, finding the stories within them intriguing.

"Where did you find these books, sir?" she asked, her tail wagging as she gazed at the book in front of her.

The book was none other than Book of Troy, one of Niall's favorite mythological works from his past life. To Haruhime, this legend was completely unheard of prompting her to question Niall's origins.

Niall gently patted her fluffy tail, but his hand was quickly swatted away by Yoko, who slapped him on the back of his head and offered her tail in exchange. Haruhime smiled at the playful interaction between Niall and Yoko and opened the book's first page.

"That book is from my homeland, somewhere very far away... You should keep it hidden though, someone might want to steal it." Niall warned Haruhime about the potential danger the book could bring.

Haruhime nodded and turned the page, becoming even more engrossed in its contents. Seeing her so absorbed, Niall decided to leave her be. She was soon left alone in the room with nothing but her thoughts and the book.

As Niall and Yoko closed the door behind them, they stopped in the main hall. "It seems like she's fond of mythological books. Once she finishes that one, I'll give her another," Niall remarked.

He began to pet Yoko's ears, causing her to smirk in satisfaction at this rare display of affection. Even though she knew he just wanted to feel the softness of her ears, Yoko appreciated his gesture. It was a sign of his growth.

Two months had passed since she found his soul and claimed it. During that time, he had been through a lot and had grown exponentially. However, a lingering sense of danger weighed on her heart—fear of a possible danger lurking just out of sight.

One of the deities who ascended just like her could be targeting Niall, though she wasn't certain yet. Confident in her power to protect him, Yoko knew it wouldn't be easy. Her family was proof enough of that.

She decided not to tell him about the danger until he was strong enough to handle it. Otherwise he'd waste precious time worrying instead of focusing on his growth. For now she would protect him from any threat, even if it meant unleashing her full power.

Her smirk faded slightly as she pondered these thoughts. Noticing her change in demeanor Niall pulled his hand away.

"I'm heading to the surface to take a walk, see you later." Niall said waving as he left, not giving Yoko a chance to say goodbye properly.

She smiled softly and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner for Haruhime. To her surprise, that fox could eat quite a large portion of food.

---

Niall walked through the bustling town of Rivira alive with the chatter of adventurers, however tension hung in the air fueled by earlier disturbances. He overheard a random adventurer mention that a large party had recently ascended to the surface following the death of Goliath.

Rumors about an abnormal Goliath had spread to the surface, with many adventurers reporting strange earthquakes. Tsubaki along with her familia went to the Adventurers' Guild to provide a detailed report of the unusual beast.

During her report, Tsubaki became convinced that Niall had defeated this abnormal monster. However, when she mentioned his name a guild employee gave her a perplexed look.

"Are you sure it's that adventurer, Lady Tsubaki? According to our records, he's only a Level 3 with little to no information about his abilities..." the employee said, scrolling through Niall's sparse file which only noted that he was a magic user.

Tsubaki was puzzled.

Niall's records lacked any mention of significant feats or extraordinary powers that would mark him as a prodigy. Realizing further questioning would be futile, she thanked the employee and left.

Her mind buzzed with questions. 'How could someone at his level defeat a creature that could kill even me, a Level 5 adventurer?' she wondered as she made her way home.

She noticed the concerned glances directed at her, adventurers silently worrying about what she had encountered. With a decisive stride, she led her group back to their district where Hephaestus's familia resided.

As one of the most influential familias in Orario, Hephaestus's familia was renowned for producing top-quality weapons and armor.

Tsubaki dismissed her group, letting them return to their dorms and headed straight to Hephaestus's office. Eager to relay what had transpired in the dungeon she stormed into the office, startling Hephaestus out of her wits.

"Goddess, I'm back!" Tsubaki exclaimed as she burst through the door, causing Hephaestus to drop the pen she was using. With a sigh, Hephaestus bent down to retrieve it, revealing her graceful feminine figure.

"Did you need to burst in like that and scare me?" Hephaestus asked, shaking her head with a weary smile. "Now, what's got you so eager to see me?" She set her pen aside, clearly relieved to take a break from her paperwork.

Tsubaki plopped down into a comfortable chair and exhaled deeply. "Remember that boy you kicked out of that abandoned church some time ago? Well, I ran into him in the dungeon today. Turns out he's a Level 3 adventurer after all..."

Hephaestus leaned back, recalling the boy with the unnatural eyes. His appearance had left a lasting impression. "Yeah, I remember him, hard to forget someone with such a strange look."

Crossing her arms, Tsubaki fixed her gaze on Hephaestus. "He defeated a Goliath variant today—barely broke a sweat. Just strolled up to me like it was no big deal. He seems like a decent guy, but there's something... off about him. His whole presence feels wrong."

The shift in Tsubaki's tone from casual to serious made Hephaestus straighten her posture. She considered the possibility that Niall's true level was being concealed.

It wasn't unheard of for gods to falsify records.

"And he's from Hermes Familia," Tsubaki added. "The guild only has him listed as a magic user."

Hephaestus narrowed her eyes at the mention of Hermes. Known for his involvement in shady dealings, Hermes was not a god to trust lightly. "It's possible Hermes lied about his level for some reason, but confronting him about it could strain relations. If he's with Hermes, he's probably not an enemy, just... a very mysterious adventurer possibly tied to Hermes' schemes."

Tsubaki nodded thoughtfully, trusting her goddess's intuition. Hephaestus's instincts were rarely wrong.

"And what about this Goliath variant?" Hephaestus returned to the topic. She hadn't heard anything about a variant until now.

Tsubaki recounted the entire ordeal, leaving Hephaestus wide-eyed. The idea that a monster rex could act with such intelligence suggested something disturbing: the dungeon itself might be granted monster enhanced intelligence to combat Niall. If true, it meant Niall had done something extraordinary to provoke such a response.

"You should keep your distance from him," Hephaestus warned. "If his true level is closer to 5 or 6, he's dangerous. I don't think he's an enemy given his ties to Hermes, but we must be cautious."

With that their conversation shifted to lighter topics, and they continued talking for an hour. As night fell, both were exhausted from the long day and retired to their rooms.

Meanwhile, Niall wandered through the dark, empty streets of Orario searching for something interesting to pop out. However fate had other plans and from the shadows a cloaked figure emerged.

Niall's vision pierced through the figure's cloak, revealing its internal organs with unnerving clarity.

The man stepped forward.

"Greetings, adventurer," the figure said, his voice smooth. "Would you be kind enough to hear my offer? I know we've had bad blood, but let's leave that behind and forge a new path toward greatness."

The man pulled back his hood, revealing a handsome blond with piercing green eyes and a disarming smile.

"God Dionysus..." Niall murmured, earning a surprised smile from the god, who had something significant to offer.