Danmachi: Strongest Familia

Within a few days, the guild's approval for the bombs finally came through.

Riveria had already found a suitable store and, in one go, purchased three stores located on the upper, middle, and lower floors of the Tower of Babel.

Even in another world, the cost of real estate remained absurdly high, especially in places like the Tower of Babel, where ordinary people could hardly afford the store prices.

Sol had never expected that becoming a god and arriving in another world would require him to take out a loan just to buy property.

From the start, Sol had no intention of marketing the bombs as a luxury product. Instead, the shop was set up on the lower floors, where most low-level adventurers gathered. It was the ideal location for such a product, priced affordably enough that even adventurers with limited Valis could purchase it.

The only consolation was that, since the shop was located in the Tower of Babel, they could open it right away without wasting time.

Now, they just had to wait patiently for the bombs to spread among the adventurers.

One morning, after a long stretch of busy days, Sol decided to take Riveria out for a leisurely stroll.

Finally able to relax a bit, Riveria allowed herself to be pulled along for a morning date with Sol.

As they passed by the entrance of the dungeon, they saw a large group slowly emerging from its depths.

The team had several huge cages, each containing various monsters from the upper and middle floors. The monsters were tightly restrained, with animal handlers by their side to keep things under control.

The unusual sight of the team attracted a lot of attention. Seeing that the monsters weren't causing trouble, a crowd gradually gathered from all directions. It seemed that humans weren't the only ones who loved a spectacle—Riveria, too, pulled Sol to a stop and watched.

"Is this a member of the Ganesha family?" Riveria asked, spotting several familiar faces among the group.

Seeing the scene, she recalled hearing rumors in the guild a few days ago about the Ganesha family planning to hold a monster festival. They had reportedly spent a lot of money building a structure similar to a Colosseum.

"Is that place finished?" she wondered aloud.

"It seems like the monster festival is coming soon. How about we go and cheer for Ganesha?" Sol suggested, noticing Riveria's interest. 

The monster spectacle wasn't the main draw for Sol—it was more about the celebratory atmosphere, with plenty of food and entertainment to enjoy.

"I think that sounds good. By the way, I could bring that girl, Haruhime, out too. She hasn't been out much recently," Riveria added thoughtfully.

She had been spending a lot of time with Haruhime lately and had gained some understanding of the girl's quiet nature. Riveria had come to realize that it wasn't mere introversion—it was psychological trauma.

Unlike the original plot, where Haruhime had spent many years with the Ishtar family and had Aisha, her older sister, to care for her, the current Haruhime was a deeply hurt child. She had been abandoned by her family, kidnapped by bad people, and trafficked by humans. The psychological scars from those experiences made her too fearful to leave the safety of her new home.

Haruhime was like a lost animal.

In the first few days, Riveria could barely even have a normal conversation with her. It was only through Ahri acting as a mediator that Haruhime slowly began to open up to her.

Among the current family members, only Ahri, Sol, and Riveria herself had formed a real connection with Haruhime. Irelia could barely manage to interact with her.

Riveria was beginning to feel the need to give Sol more work. 

Otherwise, he'd spend his entire day doing nothing at home, which was bound to frustrate her... and it might negatively impact the morale of the newer family members.

——

"Haruhime really should go out and get some fresh air more often; if she stays cooped up at home every day, she'll end up withering away," Sol said, his tone righteous.

Riveria looked at him with a bemused expression. "Are you really qualified to say that?" 

She couldn't help but think about how long it had been since 'he' had gone out. Aside from today, he hadn't left the house in quite a while.

People with psychological trauma, and here you are, holed up in a dead house yourself!

The two continued strolling through Orario's downtown area. The streets near the Colosseum of the Ganesha Familia were bustling with activity, likely due to the upcoming monster festival. Although the event wasn't yet in full swing, it was already far livelier than usual.

Vendors seemed to have an almost supernatural sense of timing, quickly setting up their stalls as preparations for the festival gained momentum.

Once the monsters arrived, the speed at which the festival was being set up skyrocketed. Within two days, Ganesha had announced the official start date for the monster festival at a gods' meeting.

A celebration like this was just what the bored gods needed, and they eagerly promoted the event among themselves. The news spread through Orario like wildfire.

On the morning of the monster festival, Sol arrived early with Riveria and Haruhime. The entire alley was packed with a crowd so dense it was nearly impossible to move through.

The air was thick with the scent of cooking smoke, mingling with the aromas of various foods, which stirred a feeling of hunger in those nearby.

But the scene was a bit overwhelming for Haruhime.

The little girl was so small that if she ventured into the crowd, she'd likely get lost in the sea of people.

"This celebration is much livelier than I imagined," Riveria observed. "Shall we go in?"

"Let's wait a little longer," Sol replied, shaking his head. "The Ganesha family won't just stand by and let this chaos unfold without taking action."

He was unwilling to risk their safety in such a crowded place, especially with someone as beautiful as Riveria by his side. In a situation like this, someone might try to take advantage of her, and once they entered, there would be no turning back.

Haruhime visibly relaxed upon hearing Sol's decision. She wasn't keen on going into the chaotic crowd either. 

Riveria didn't protest. The three of them found a spot to sit at a nearby restaurant. Though it wasn't much quieter than the festival grounds, the restaurant offered a more peaceful escape, where they could enjoy the view from a distance.

The tables quickly filled up, and within minutes, the area around them was packed with others, many of whom seemed to be pretending to enjoy the event from afar, just like Sol and his group.

"Hey, Sol-sama, Riveria-sama! Are you here for the Monster Festival too?" 

It wasn't long before Alise spotted them and waved from a distance. Soon after, Astraea joined them, and Sol invited the two women to sit with them.

"This child, too, is a newcomer to your family?" Astraea asked. "I remember there's a fox named Ahri among the new members, right?"

"That's right," Riveria confirmed. "This child was rescued by Ahri. She was kidnapped by human traffickers and brought to Orario."

"Kidnapped?! Damn human traffickers!" Alise exclaimed, her fists clenched. "We'll make sure they pay when we get back!"

"Calm down, Alise," Astraea said, tugging gently at Alise's wrist. "Don't scare the little one."