So, after a few minutes sorting out Jarvis' new stock in the Guild of Tristitia - entitling him to 500 rhea of the company's profits per month in exchange for an amount that was probably agreeable and the amount subject to increase based on negotiation- the party makes their way out of the castle. Belphegor sees them out, seemingly pausing for a moment. Raising her hand, she snaps her fingers, and a faint thunderclap can be heard in the distance.
"Almost forgot, but that SHOULD be the barrier taken care of. You're going to need to get the other Demon Generals to break down the barrier if you want into Ultima. You COULD kick their asses if you need to, but if I could ask a favour, go easy on Asmodeus. I swear, that woman's the only other sane demon in all of Helllrealm."Shortly after the party (and Kazuto) leave, and as soon as she's sure they're out of earshot, Belphegor finally releases the breath she'd been holding in the whole time.
"....in all the time I've been alive, that's the closest I've ever come to dying. That Goddess....she could've killed me at any point. Good thing she's a whale. Gives me enough leverage."
"Going to need to call the moving team at some point today. Maybe later."She yawned. The Demon General of Sloth had some
manga to be reading. The important stuff could be done later.
Belphegor has been added as a Contact.
It was now the middle of the afternoon.
The castle had been investigated, most of the straggling demon minions apprehended by Initia's police force - a reasonably effective police force, given that Initia was one of the biggest cities on the continent - and the palace had been cleared for reuse about an hour ago. Every adventurer in Initia had been called to deal with the mess, ranging from greenhorns fresh off the Seedsprout Road to hardened veterans visiting from Penultia to see old friends. The whole mess would likely have been solved in about an hour or two given the small size of the total demon invading force against the sheer number of adventuring parties.
Of course, all of those adventurers needed something to do afterwards. The city center of Initia was thus flooded with adventurers taking some time out of their day to rest, whether it was
Clash of Legends players running the new raid together, having some food at the pubs, placing bets on the football match between Ishim Hotspur and Batali United (the favourite was Hotspur, they'd signed Crisco Monty, one of the best footballers in Generia, last year and their coach was a Revivian who, unbeknownst to everyone else, had coached the Japanese Olympic football squad) or enjoying the other amenities in Initia, whether it was museums, adventuring programs or everything else that the city, one of the major hubs of Generia, held.
The party - plus Kazuto, who decided to tag along for the moment - could only find a sports-focused tavern, the Wyvern's Redoubt, as one of the only establishments that still had space for them. The place was heavily biased towards Batali United, given the portraits of some of the best players of years past and banners of the team colors and icon - green and yellow, with a shield holding a stylized wyvern over a striped golden background - all over the walls. In the corner, a group of hooligans are screaming at the crystal tablet broadcasting today's game, specifically at the game's referee about sending Batali United's midfielders off for a clearly faked injury from Ishim Hotspur's striker. Given how loud the hooligans were and the size of the tavern, Shoes was no issue in comparison, and the bartender happened to like horses anyway, not that he could stop Shoes from going where he pleased.
Of course, for the more practically minded, the artisans' quarter was around the corner from the Wyvern's Redoubt, and within it, blacksmiths, magic shops and all sorts of other places to acquire the gear necessary to defeat the Demon Lord.
....
Lilian, Selene, Marcia, Shoes, Jenkins and Yliss are being sat down by Serena, the goddess with her eyes closed.
"....alright, I don't like this, but....you guys were a LITTLE bit useful. Maybe. And I need.....a few more people to help me. I'm going to give you the same offer I gave everyone else, since I know a few of you saw it already. You help me defeat the Demon Lord, I'll give you one million rhea, each, to be delivered when I have the Demon Lord's head. You can think about it now, you can come back to me, but I need an answer today, yeah?"Meanwhile, elsewhere in the tavern, Asuna is suddenly poked at by a friendly goblin.
"Hey. Can I get ya something?"For Kazuto's part, he's, of course, brooding at the bar, drinking something non-alcoholic. The bartender didn't ask why.