Chapter 811

"This is an impossible matter; you'd best give up on that idea. Monsters are monsters — how could they possibly be transformed from humans."

"But, Brother Broly said————"

"That's nonsense, utter nonsense!"

Harsh, biting words rang out in the orphanage, immediately followed by the sound of children crying.

"Apologies, Lady Hestia, Mr. Broly. Lady Penia is rather stubborn and still adamantly opposes accepting the monsters."

The orphanage caretaker stood at the courtyard gate, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, explaining to the two people before him.

Someone had brought a pile of supplies to the orphanage again to do charity poverty relief, yet his own Poor God was inside spouting off at them — it was truly too embarrassing.

"It's fine; we've come precisely to persuade Lady Penia."

Broly didn't mind and, together with Hestia, pushed the door open and entered, finding Periya.

This deity, who looked like an old granny, was glaring coldly at a group of crying children.

"Penia, why must you quibble with children?"

"Hestia, I'm not quibbling with children. It's just that these brats are a bit ungrateful. I've told them we cannot accept monsters, yet they unexpectedly still dare to harbor unrealistic fantasies about those hateful monsters, imagining those monsters are the reincarnations of their parents."

"Is there no possibility that their fantasies are real?"

"Absolutely impossible, absolutely impossible."

The Poor God emphasized it twice.

"For something not yet verified, how do you know it's impossible?"

"Impossible is impossible————"

Penia muttered.

Hestia looked back at Broly, her eyes somewhat helpless.

Wanting to persuade the Poor God to change her mind would probably be a bit difficult.

"Lady Penia, may I ask you to tell me the reason you so strongly reject the Heretic Children?"

Broly stepped forward and asked directly.

"The reason, that is naturally for the sake of the orphanage's children. Some of their parents died in the Dungeon, killed by monsters————"

Broly looked toward Ryu, Lefiya, Filvis, and the others who had followed along, passing candies to the children whose emotions were gradually soothed, exchanged a glance with Hestia, then looked at the Poor God and said: "As for the Heretic Children, some actually retain fragments of past-life memories, only their memories are extremely blurry, unable to confirm who their past selves were. And this time I've come, it's to reach a cooperation with the orphanage under Lady Penia's protection————"

"What cooperation?"

The Poor God looked at him.

"The Heretic Children are willing to work for the Guild in the Dungeon, and intend to take a portion of the money they earn to provide aid to Orario's orphanages————"

The Heretic Children occasionally dream, and indeed dream of some past-life memories; it's just that here, the memories are only those of being monsters, with no Adventurer memories.

However, as long as the rhetoric is spoken well, it can make people, make gods mistakenly believe that the Heretic Children possess the lifetime memories of Adventurers who once died in the Dungeon.

It just so happens that the Orario orphanages' days aren't going too well; combining the two, letting the fake monster parents shoulder the orphanage children's real parents' duty of providing for the family, is a win-win method.

The orphanage children's lives would improve, and the Heretic Children would also have a more suitable entry point to integrate into Orario's society.

"No, I refuse. Monsters absolutely cannot be accepted————"

However, such an obviously win-win proposal was met with a stern refusal from the Poor God Periya.

"Wrong, why? The money the Heretic Children earn is prepared for the orphanage; isn't that something beneficial to those children?"

If it were a stranger who didn't understand the Poor God, they'd probably think this Poor God just likes making people live in pure, impoverished hardship.

But Broly and the others had interacted with the Poor God Penia before; although this deity says with her mouth she wants mortals to live a bit more purely and bitterly, it's basically just talk.

A god who can shelter an orphanage on Daedalus Street to maintain normal operations, and who constantly says it's for the children's good — how could she possibly refuse this kind of option that would let the orphanage children live better?

But Penia was extremely resistant, and when pressed, couldn't explain why, only going around in circles saying it absolutely wouldn't do.

", this is————"

Hestia narrowed her eyes, looking at the Poor God's conflicted complexion, yet detected something amiss.

She pricked her finger, then used the Purifying Hearth Flame possessed by her own Divine Authority, directly burning it on the Poor God.

", Hestia, how are you here?"

The burned Poor God seemed to suddenly snap back to awareness, looking at the Loli Goddess before her with her hand on her, somewhat puzzled.

"Penia, how do you view the Heretic Children?"

Hestia stared dead at her and asked.

"What 'how do I view them'? What does this have to do with me?"

The Poor God wore a face full of bewilderment, like a senile old person.

"Lady Hestia, this is————"

"Penia, I fear she's been subjected to some kind of Hypnosis Charm technique."

"So, the reason the Poor God was the first to stand out opposing the acceptance of the Heretic Children was actually because she was manipulated by some unknown party?"

"That's the only explanation. Otherwise, a god who doesn't concern herself with affairs beyond the poor would absolutely never meddle in matters she doesn't care about for no reason."

Hestia nodded, then asked the Poor God: "Penia, regarding the matter of you being manipulated, did you truly not detect it at all?"

"No."

The Poor God shook her head.

"Then when did you feel that you had to oppose the Guild accepting the Heretic Children?"

Hestia pressed further.

Penia frowned and recounted how a few days ago, while sunbathing at the orphanage gate, she heard a passerby mention this matter, a nameless anger rose in her heart, and then she rallied people to start a protest parade.

"So, the abnormality appeared after you heard someone speak of the Heretic Children? Then do you still remember the identity of the passerby who..."

"... mentioned the Heretic Children?"

"It was a Daedalus Street Adventurer; I know their identity."

Two passerby Adventurers were found quickly, but when asked about the day the parade occurred, the situation of their answers regarding the heretical children at the orphanage front door both counted as unexpected.

"During that time, whether to accept the heretical children was the hottest topic; there wasn't a single person on the streets not talking about this."

"This God-sama, is there no more business with us?"

Hestia waved her hand, letting the two leave.

"It's not them."

The divine light in her eyes dispersed, and Hestia gave her judgment.

"If it's not these two, then who else could it be?"

"Perhaps, before that, Penia had already suffered hypnosis.

Penia, do you still remember if anything else happened before the parade occurred?"

"Put that way, my memory of the night of the day before the parade occurred is somewhat blurry."

The Poor God's outward appearance, though a penniless old grandma, doesn't mean her memory is truly poor; she quickly also pinpointed the time point her own abnormality appeared.

It's just a pity, although the time point was found, she herself also had no impression of that night's encounter; Broly and the others investigated the other people at the orphanage, wanting to see if they could find clues, but the result was that besides knowing someone was manipulating the Poor God's actions from behind the curtain, they gained nothing else.

"It seems the guy who hypnotized Penia is extremely cautious, and didn't reveal any horse's hooves."

Hestia frowned and said.

"This matter, the investigation scope can be expanded later."

Broly spoke, and looked at the Poor God.

"Penia-sama, now that you've been released from hypnosis, I don't know how you view the heretical children wanting to sponsor the orphanage?"

"Monsters intending to live days of purity, preparing to invest money on children who have lost much, that I of course welcome to the utmost.

It's just, unexpectedly it's you Hestia Familia acting as the middleman contact; it seems behind the Guild accepting the heretical children, there's also the shadow of you Hestia Familia; I fear you also exerted no small effort in it, right?

"

Broly laughed, didn't reply; this matter he and Guild Main God Uranus were co-conspirators, but there was no need to publicize it everywhere.

"Fine, the old hag doesn't care about this kind of thing either; speaking back to it, those heretical children monsters, just how much money are they willing to sponsor the orphanage?"

After the White Shrine Maiden returned to the Faction Residence from the orphanage, she had a heavy-hearted appearance.

"Felsweis, is there something you want to say to me?"

Dionysus looked at the hesitant elf, and directly opened his mouth to ask.

"Dionysus-sama, why did you manipulate Penia-sama to oppose the Guild accepting the heretical children?"

Felsweis bit her lip, but still asked her doubt.

"Detected this fast?"

"Dionysus-sama, please answer my question!"

The White Shrine Maiden increased the weight of her tone.

"It's all for you~"

Dionysus sighed.

"For me?"

Felsweis widened her eyes, confusion and puzzlement surfacing on her face.

Before she could pursue the question, Dionysus explained a step ahead: "I know you support accepting the heretical children, because you yourself are pursuing your abnormal self being accepted by the normal world, believing if Orario can accept abnormal existences like heretical children, it can equally accept your own abnormal self, right?"

Felsweis nodded; the Main God's words hit her heart's core; she thought exactly this.

"But Felsweis, have you ever thought, your situation and the heretical children's, are different."

"Dionysus-sama, where is it different?"

"The heretical children can be accepted because they are very clean; from when they appeared in the public view, they haven't harmed Adventurers, but you————"

Dionysus stood up, leaned over, and whispered in a small voice.

"Do you still remember your Mourning Elf title? Just how many Adventurers' fresh blood and lives was that forged from, do you not know?"

"Ah, this————"

Felsweis retreated a step in panic, her face's expression also becoming terrified; getting along with Lefiya, Broly and the others for long made her almost forget the filth on herself, and now reminded by her own Main God like this, looking at her own hands, she seemed to see fresh blood flowing on them.

"What do you want to say, shirk the responsibility of those Adventurers you once killed?

Ah, yes, Felsweis, you can completely do that.

Push all this onto my head as the Main God, and I will also calmly accept it.

Because I deeply love you, my child~"

Dionysus showed an expression tolerating everything to the elf.

"Ah, Dionysus-sama, I have no intention of shirking responsibility."

Felsweis hurriedly said.

【I of course know you won't shirk responsibility, because you are this kind of child, even if becoming a monster person, you would still suffer torture because of personal nobility, and this twist is precisely what I want to see mortal children,

the painful struggle between falling and preserving self~】

"I know, Felsweis, I understand you, but precisely because I understand this child, I didn't let you know what I was doing."

Dionysus covered up his own concealment of manipulating the Poor God to oppose accepting the heretical children with one sentence.

"As the former Mourning Elf, killing those Adventurers wasn't your fault; of course, it wasn't my fault either.

It's just at that time, we couldn't predict the future, and didn't know there would be a figure like the Hestia Familia Regiment Commander, who could now make surface people accept abnormal existences.

If we had long known, perhaps we wouldn't have formulated the plan to also turn the surface abnormal, and taken action for it.

All this, can only be said to be fate toying with people; fate played a joke on us, and the consequences this joke brought are already irreversible.

Those (killed by you) who died in the Dungeon, Adventurers, not even remains are left; even Resurrection Magic cannot revive them.

"And once, on some future day, the friends you cherish learn your true face as a banshee, do you really think they would still accept an executioner drenched in blood?"

Dionysus pressed closer and asked.

"I can keep them from finding out————"

Filvis stepped back, subconsciously speaking the words.

"Filvis, do you still remember what I told you before, that a true Filvis soul still exists in the Underworld?

Perhaps that child's soul will never be discovered, but perhaps it will be discovered tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or some future day.

When that time comes, will this child's secret still be concealable? Will you feel that the people who discover the truth will still treat you well, and not leave you because you are not the real you, or even turn against you?"

Dionysus's words brought a strong sense of crisis; Filvis wanted to shout that 【Lefiya and Broly and the others are not the kind to abandon her】, but the words stuck in her throat — she simply did not dare to be certain of it.

If she were the real Filvis, there would be no problem, but she is not — merely a monster revived from Filvis's corpse, possessing Filvis's thoughts and emotions; if the truth were known, that her hands are stained with blood and she has committed many evil deeds, would Lefiya and Broly and the others really still be willing to accept such a defiled self?

"Rather than fearing that one future day you will be discovered and everything you cherish will leave your side, better to continue executing our original plan and turn the people you cherish into abnormal existences as well; that way they will never leave your side, Filvis — do you think I am right?"

Filvis fell silent, only the expression on her face growing increasingly pained.

"It's fine, Filvis; if this causes you pain, then leave everything to me — you know nothing, and the relationship between you and those you cherish will continue until my plan succeeds————"

From Filvis's shadow, a virtual shadow gradually emerged; the shadow took shape — it was Ye En, who had once fought Broly on the 59th floor of the Labyrinth.

And she is precisely the magic clone conceived from the White Shrine Maiden's intense negative emotions, carrying all the filth Filvis refuses to accept.

Upon appearing, this magic clone glanced at the pained White Shrine Maiden with somewhat contemptuous eyes; though they are the same person, she felt contempt for the other half that cannot accept its own filth.

"Go on playing house with your little friends, pretending at friendship; the rest doesn't need a fake like you to meddle with."

"Don't speak of yourself that way, Ye En; you and Filvis are the same person."

Dionysus lectured her with a sentence, then slapped the collapsed elf's shoulder.

"Filvis, go back and rest; everything has this Main God laboring for you."

The White Shrine Maiden walked numbly back to her room, as if escaping reality.

Dionysus's mood was pleasant; he had used verbal pressure on his own Familia's captain and made the other side split off her filthy aspect.

Compared to the high-morality Filvis, the amoral Ye En is far more useful — doing all kinds of dirty work is child's play for her.