Danmachi Familia from Hell

15

- That is quite unexpected - said Hades after his follower relayed everything he had heard from Leila. - Are you certain she wasn't forced to say that or simply made the whole thing up?

- No, my lord - replied the elf standing before the god, who was sitting on a bed in his room. - There was not even a trace of tension in her voice, as if she were lying out of fear of someone’s wrath. There was also no inconsistency in her story. Nothing she said later contradicted her earlier words. I would therefore rule out fabrication as well.

- Heh - the god sighed gloomily. - I regret not speaking with her myself. We would’ve known instantly whether she was deceiving us or not.

At first, it was the golden-eyed one who was meant to have a chat with the blonde. However, Belakher had stopped his patron, claiming that they couldn't predict how a cornered woman might react. The likelihood that they were dealing with someone willing to kill the earthly form of a being from the Upper World was slim. However, the fact that Hades was suppressing his divine aura and appeared merely mortal did slightly change the situation. Landgrave insisted that he be the one to confront Leila, since in case things got physical, he’d be better suited to handle them.

- A justified position - said the long-eared one. - Unfortunately, we cannot change the past. All we can do is alter our plans for the future.

- What do you propose?

- And what would you command, my lord?

In response to the question, Hades’ gaze grew distinctly sharper and colder.

- Belakher - the god said sternly. - Do not graciously attempt to dodge the answer again. I am well aware that the final decision will always be mine, but that does not change the fact that I’d prefer to hear your opinion first.

- Y-yes, my lord - the elf replied nervously—not out of fear, but because he had been so easily seen through. - In my opinion, we should not cancel the expedition to the castle, but...

- But what? - the god asked calmly.

- We could go there with a less hostile mindset. I’m not saying we can afford to lower our guard. However, if the lord of the stronghold turns out to be not only intelligent but also non-hostile toward us, we might attempt dialogue.

The golden-eyed god nodded, then rested his head on his fist.

- Wise - he said with a trace of approval in his voice.

- However, if this demon proves to be not the dreadful creature he’s been portrayed as in most tales, another problem may arise.

- And what might that be? - asked the god, though he already suspected what was on his servant’s mind.

- Lord Ares will not be pleased to hear that we’ve reached an agreement with the killer of thousands of his children and abandoned our aggression against him.

- That’s also true.

Hades was aware that his nephew would not be satisfied with such a turn of events. Of course, they would still provide him with plenty of useful information, so in theory, they would have fulfilled the contract—at least partially. After all, should Belakher prove incapable of defeating the self-proclaimed ruler of the province, the King of the Underworld had promised to summon Zeus to deal with the matter. However, if their potential foe turned out not to be a threat, the golden-eyed god had no intention of sending the thunderer’s familia after him. Meanwhile, the god of war wouldn't care in the slightest, even if the one who had killed hordes of his worshippers turned out to be a saint—he would still want his head.

- Let’s not trouble ourselves with that just yet. Not until we’ve visited the fortress and met its master - the golden-eyed continued.

- I dare say, my lord, that with your gift for negotiation, even if you spared him, you'd still be able to talk your relative into a reward worth tens of millions - said Belakher, half-jokingly and half-truthfully, which brought a flicker of amusement to his god's face.

- There may be something to that - Hades replied with a little smile.

The eldest son of Cronus might not have been a cheerful trickster like Loki, but he knew how to appreciate a well-timed jest. Landgrave, as a loyal servant who held deep respect for his patron, usually remained formal and rigid in his presence. But a good servant's duty was not only to obey orders blindly but also to sense what their master most needed at a given moment. In Belakher’s view, what Hades needed then was a brief mental respite in the form of a simple joke.
After that brief moment of levity, stoic calm returned to the King of the Underworld’s expression.

- We’re not changing our plans - he declared. For the next three days, we will pretend to be ordinary tourists. After that, we will go to the castle and what we do there will depend entirely on its resident.

And so it was.
The next morning, both pretended to be suffering from terrible hangovers. Seeing this, Darius informed them that in the neighboring village of Lizora, there was a brewery with centuries-old beer-making traditions. So the god and the elf went there, and they didn’t need any acting skills to appreciate the golden brew. They ended up spending most of the day there, then returned to the inn where they had rented rooms, ordered a hearty dinner, and went to bed.
On the second day, they toured the area, visited Rekudel’s workshop, where all sorts of zinks in various colors and sizes were lying around. They also listened to the owner’s performance on the antique instrument and rewarded it with a handful of coins.
In the evening, instead of eating in their rooms, they went down to the main hall of the tavern, where they joined a group of local peasants. What followed was a long feast that lasted until late into the night—only ending when the farmers’ wives firmly explained to their husbands that it was time to go home.
On the third day, they spent time walking forest paths with a guide and visiting the homes of some people they had met the day before, who showed them what their everyday lives looked like. When night fell, all the candles in the houses were extinguished, the tavern was closed, and its owner and daughter went to bed. Then, Belakher and Hades rose from theirs.
The god was waiting in the designated spot, dressed in a dark cloak with a hood. The elf arrived within minutes, wearing a similar outfit and an old wide-brimmed hat.

- Are you ready? - asked the King of the Underworld, to which he received a confirming nod in reply. - Then let's go.