Bell's POV
"Drink but don't let the drink take you."
The voice belonged to a Pallum adventurer sitting at the table beside ours.
"It must be nice being a fearless rookie! World's fastest rabbit, record-holder, oh, the lies and scams you've pulled! I'd be too ashamed to mimic you!"
His voice, loud enough to shake the entire tavern, drew all eyes toward him. Everyone's attention zeroed in on the Pallum adventurer.
Curious, I glanced at their table and noticed six adventurers wearing the same emblem on their gear: a golden bow and a flaming orb, a shining sun. I shot a questioning look at Toki, who quickly replied.
"Apollo Familia. Guild Rank D. They're a mid-tier faction, decent size, and annoying enough."
I shifted my gaze back to the Pallum adventurer. ...Did he just say "meow"?
"I'll give you this, your running skills are genuine. Must be how you managed to level up after wetting yourself while running from that Minotaur. A true rabbit! A proud talent!"
The Pallum's mockery, delivered with exaggerated sarcasm, earned approving smirks and laughter from his companions.
It wasn't pleasant, but I didn't react. Avoiding conflicts between familias had been drilled into me by both Hestia-sama and Eina ever since I joined.
Starting trouble here would only cause headaches for Hestia-sama. After all the worry I caused her during the middle floor incident, I refused to burden her further. So, I kept my mouth shut.
"Oh, I know all about you! The rabbit consorts with a ragtag bunch, some no-name smith, a kid supporter, and another scam rookie. What a party of rejects!"
More laughter erupted from their table.
My hands curled into fists. Insulting my friends, my family, was something I couldn't ignore.
"Let it go." Welf said casually, sipping his drink.
"Don't give them the satisfaction, Bell-sama." Lili chimed in, her voice firm.
Their words tempered my rising anger. I forced myself to take a deep breath, even as the Pallum's sneering voice grated on my nerves.
"Excuse me~! Another round of honey mead over here, please, nya!"
Toki, seemingly oblivious, ordered more drinks with a cheerful wave. The server hesitated, her smile strained as she delivered the order. Understandable, any sane person would want to avoid this tension.
Still… something about Toki felt off.
The Pallum, clearly annoyed by our lack of reaction, clicked his tongue loudly enough for the entire tavern to hear.
"A familia led by a worthless goddess is a familia not worth the dirt under my boots! A useless goddess breeds cowardly followers!"
That was it.
"I won't let you, "
Thud!
"ow!"
As I tried to stand, my chair refused to budge, and I banged my knee against the table. Wincing, I glanced down to see something dark wrapped around the chair legs. A shadow-like tendril extended from beneath Toki's feet.
"Toki!"
"Calm down, Bell. Starting a fight here would make Hestia-sama cry, wouldn't it?"
Toki took a long sip of his drink, a mischievous smile on his lips.
His words hit me like a bucket of cold water. He was right. Acting on impulse would only hurt Hestia-sama. I took a deep breath, letting the anger drain away.
I turned to thank him when,
"But hey, take a look at that Pallum, Bell! The moment I stopped you, he started glancing at his buddies!"
Toki's sudden shout drew my attention back to the Pallum adventurer, who flinched visibly.
"Hit the nail on the head, huh? Must suck being a lackey, huh? Always stuck with the dirty work."
"Toki-sama, what do you mean?" Lili asked sharply.
"That Pallum." Toki drawled, "might've been mocking Bell, but his eyes were trembling, like he was scared or something."
At Toki's obSvartátion, the Pallum's body visibly tensed.
"And let's not forget, you've been tailing us since we left the church, haven't you?"
"What!?"
I froze in shock. How had I not noticed? I prided myself on being alert, but…
"Wondering why you didn't notice?" Toki grinned. "You were too busy skipping to this celebration like an overexcited kid!"
I choked, unable to refute him. He wasn't wrong, I'd been so thrilled after Welf shared the news of my level-up that I'd let my guard down.
"Enough with the baseless accusations." came a calm but commanding voice from the next table.
The speaker, a human adventurer with strikingly handsome features, stood up. His chestnut hair, piercing green eyes, and pale skin gave him an almost ethereal quality. He was adorned with ornate accessories, each gleaming with purpose.
"That's Hyacinthus." Welf muttered under his breath. "Apollo's golden boy. A Level 3."
The tension in the room ratcheted up as Hyacinthus locked eyes with Toki.
"Toki." Welf whispered urgently, "don't start something you can't finish."
Toki stood, his movements slow but deliberate. "Bell, Welf. Move the table. I'll handle this."
We obeyed, though Welf muttered, "This is a bad idea."
As Toki stepped forward, I noticed his unsteady gait.
"Wait… is he drunk?"
"Yeah… he's totally drunk." Welf confirmed, his eyes wide.
Toki waved us off dismissively. "Relax, it's my fight."
Hyacinthus looked unimpressed. "You have no reason to quarrel with us."
"Reason? I've got a good one!" Toki declared, pointing a dramatic finger at Hyacinthus.
He took a deep breath and bellowed:
"YOUR GOD IS A CREEPY STALKER! AN OBSESSIVE FREAK WORSE THAN Hestia-sama!"
The tavern erupted into chaos.
"Isn't it proof of your lack of loyalty that you don't even leap to attack when your deity is mocked, nya~?"
With a quick flick of her hand, Toki taunted them. Provoked, several members of the Apollo Familia stood up and charged at her.
"Here we go!"
Toki grabbed the nearest adventurer, a Pallum, and used him as a shield to block the attacks of the others.
"Take that!"
She then hurled the Pallum toward the attackers, intercepting their next assault. Catching the arm of another adventurer who tried to punch her, she flung him into Hyakinthos, who had just stood up.
Two Beastkin adventurers came at her from behind, aiming a punch and a kick. Toki swiftly ducked, sweeping their legs out from under them. With considerable momentum, the two tangled and fell in a heap.
"Fufun~"
In a matter of moments, all six had been brought down. While the Pallum she used as a shield had passed out, the rest were sprawled on the floor, groaning in defeat.
"Is that all the mighty Apollo Familia has to offer, nya~?"
"Grr... You lot, get up and take her down!"
At Hyakinthos' command, the four conscious members scrambled to their feet and rushed Toki. Hyakinthos himself joined the fray.
Cheers erupted from the crowd, forming an impromptu arena for the brawl. Despite being outnumbered five-to-one, Toki held her own, dodging thrown chairs and tables so that they hit her opponents instead, redirecting punches into the paths of other attacks, and even performing backflips to evade strikes.
She overwhelmed them completely.
What's more, Toki wasn't even truly fighting back. Her actions were limited to throws, redirections, and the occasional trip. She hadn't delivered a single genuine attack.
All the while, she laughed joyously, as if thoroughly enjoying herself.
"Ugh, adventurers are so frustrating!"
"Hey, Bell, let's back her up, "
"No, it's fine. Toki isn't even serious yet."
The words caused a visible flinch among the Apollo Familia members still fighting.
"What do you mean?"
Noticing this, Welf turned to ask.
"She hasn't used her shadow."
"Ahhh."
Welf nodded in understanding. Indeed, Toki wasn't even using her shadow powers. She was merely toying with them.
"You... What are you playing at?!" Hyakinthos bellowed, clearly incensed.
"Well, nya~ if I got serious, it'd be over too quickly." Toki replied casually.
"Damn you! Always mocking us!"
Hyakinthos charged again, but the sound of splintering wood interrupted him.
CRACK!
Everyone turned toward the source of the noise. A young werewolf with gray fur stood there, one foot planted on the table he'd just kicked over.
"Enough with the scurrying around, you damn snake." he growled, his piercing gaze locked onto Toki.
It was Bete, the werewolf adventurer from the Loki Familia, infamous for his sharp tongue.
"Apologies, Bete-san." Toki said, unfazed by his menacing aura.
"Your antics are making my drink taste like piss. Want me to kick you to pieces?"
"Haha, please spare me, nya~" Toki replied, laughing lightly.
Her tone shifted, her gaze sharp as a blade."But if I face you... I'll have to get serious."
Their eyes locked, the air between them brimming with killing intent. The entire room held its breath.
After a long moment, the tension broke as both Toki and Bete withdrew their respective auras.
"This place is too cramped for a proper fight, nya~" Toki said.
"Agreed." Bete replied.
With that, Bete headed for the exit, followed closely by the rest of the Loki Familia.
"Hey, snake." Bet called out before leaving.
"Yes, yes, I'll pay for your group's drinks as an apology, nya~" Toki answered with a grin.
"Good."
The werewolf exited, leaving the tavern in stunned silence.
"So." Toki turned back to Hyakinthos with her usual mischievous smile."Shall we continue, nya~?"
Hyakinthos' face twisted in frustration before he spat,"Tch, let's go."
The remaining Apollo Familia members retreated, their leader leading the way.
"I'm not paying for your drinks, nya~!" Toki called after them.
As she let out a relieved sigh, Bell rushed to her side.
"Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, " Toki's sentence cut off as she suddenly clutched her mouth. Her face paled rapidly.
"What's wrong?!"
"I... feel sick."
"...Huh?"
"I'm gonna throw up."
Oh, that's right. Toki was drunk. She hadn't taken a single hit, but all that intense movement while intoxicated was bound to upset her stomach.
"Ugh, "
"Wait, wait, don't puke here! Welf, where can she–?!"
"Huh? Why are you asking me?!"
"Toki's about to hurl!!"
"Damn it, that's bad!!"
...In the end, Toki managed not to vomit in the tavern.
Afterward, I helped her back to the Hermes Familia home, explaining the situation to Asfi. She sighed, her expression a mix of exasperation and resignation, before taking Toki in.
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