Is It Wrong to Explore the Dungeon Even Though I’m Overpowered? (Danmachi SI- WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 21: Aftermath

Standing before the arrogant god with a blank look on my face, I just wanted this day to be over.

So much blood.

So much death.

And all of it by my own hands.

The only thing keeping me from throwing up right now was Stress Defense.

I took a step forward—and in the next instant, I was already behind Resheph. A small, precise chop to the back of his neck, and he crumpled instantly. My Luminal Shroud materialized behind me, wrapping itself around his unconscious form without hesitation.

Normally, capturing a god would’ve been far more difficult—especially if they were aware of the Shroud’s effects. But in this world, every deity’s Arcanum—their divine power—was sealed the moment they descended. It was the same reason Hestia had been so easily taken during that expedition to the dungeon in the original canon.

I was just glad it was almost over.

‘Now I just have to wait an hour for the binding to take effect.’

Activating Conjunction, the perk that let me telepathically communicate with those bound to me, I reached out to Ram.

“Ram, I’ve captured the god Resheph. I’ll be up in the clouds for the next hour—please take care of things on the ground until I return.”

“Of course, Reinhard-sama. Leave it to me.”

Her voice was steady and serious—no doubt she could feel the weight pressing on me, but she said nothing. I appreciated that more than I could express.

“Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, I launched myself skyward, piercing through the clouds until I landed atop them—held aloft by my Divine Protection of Clouds.

There, in the calm above the world, I finally activated Trace Defense—the ability that shielded me from clairvoyance and similar detection. I had kept it off until now, worried that if Freya couldn’t find me through her mirror, she might act irrationally in her desperation.

But now, secrecy was essential.

What I was about to do next couldn't be allowed to reach anyone's eyes or ears—unless they were already “in the know.”

After all, I wasn’t just punishing Resheph.

I was going to erase him.

From history.

From memory.

From existence itself.

Well… that wouldn’t fully happen until 24 hours after the capture—but the point stood.

A god of war, undone not in battle… but by a single boy with powers far beyond mortal comprehension.

Est, still in her sword form and resting gently in my right hand, remained silent. But even in silence, her presence soothed the storm within me. Once more I silently thanked my past self for buying Stress Defense, for without it I wasn’t sure I could’ve held it together.

Closing my eyes, I let the wind wash over me. The warmth of the sun touched my face, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I found a moment of peace. Before I knew it, an hour had passed.

A soft ping echoed through my mind, signaling the successful binding of Resheph.

Opening my eyes, I pulled up my HUD and pressed the ‘Sale’ button next to his name. A countdown appeared—marking the time he had left before he vanished from reality.

With my job done, I descended from the sky, placing the unconscious god back where I’d found him, just a short distance from the cliff’s edge.

He would awaken confused, probably cursing my name—but he was safe. For now.

His Familia, captured earlier just before their god, would be going to a dungeon. They would remain there until they, too, followed their god into oblivion.

=====

I stepped back onto the scorched earth beside the fort’s entrance and immediately spotted Ram standing watch—arms crossed, her expression unreadable as ever.

Est reappeared at my side in her human form a heartbeat later. Without a word, she reached for my hand, giving it a small squeeze. Her presence was steadying, grounding—a quiet reassurance I didn’t know I needed.

Arry stood alone at the gate, dust and ash clinging to the edges of her cloak. She straightened as I approached, her eyes still wet with tears, but her posture resolute.

I drew in a slow breath and gave her a tired nod. “It’s done. You’re safe now.”

Her chin lifted. Her voice trembled, but the strength behind it was unmistakable. “Thank you, Reinhard. I know… I know it had to be done.” She swallowed hard, then squared her shoulders. “My people are safe. My kingdom will rise again—I’ll see to it myself.”

She paused, gaze drifting toward the ruined horizon before locking back onto mine. “And I’ll keep my word. Every slave from Lioad will have a place here. I swear it.”

A quiet smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “Thank you.”

A moment later, Ram stepped forward and took my other hand without a word, her touch gentle but firm. “Welcome back, Reinhard-sama. There are no more threats. You can rest now.”

“Good,” I muttered. “Thank you, Ram.” The mental fatigue hit me all at once now that it was truly over. “Did you get those two restrained?” I asked, referring to the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Resheph Familia.

“Your Ram has, don’t worry,” she replied simply.

With that, Ram and Est quietly guided me into the fort’s interior.

“Reinhard, rest,” Est murmured on my other side, her tone somewhere between affection and insistence.

“One moment,” I said, turning to glance back at Arry, who followed behind us at a short distance. “Do you need anything else from me?”

“No,” Arry answered at once, shaking her head firmly. “You’ve done more than I ever could’ve asked for. Rest now. Leave the rest to me.”

“Alright,” I said quietly.

Then I let Ram and Est lead me away.

We found a room not far inside. The moment my body hit the bed, I felt my mind slipping, consciousness fading fast. The last thing I registered was the feeling of two pairs of hands gripping mine—and the warmth of their bodies settling beside me in the dark room.

=====

Back in Orario—A Day Before

“Rem-san, thanks again for accompanying us to the dungeon! We learned so much!” Emma beamed as she spoke for her group, the others nodding or offering their own enthusiastic thanks.

“Yes, Rem-san. We truly appreciate your help with our Familia members these past few days,” Rethusa added, bowing respectfully. As the Captain of the Artemis Familia, her words carried a bit more weight.

“Thanks, Rem~ I knew we could count on you with Rein gone,” Lante chimed in brightly, offering a cheeky grin.

“No need for thanks, everyone.” Rem gave a modest shake of her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Besides, you’ve all helped me, too—whether it’s with chores around the house or looking after Hestia-sama and Artemis-sama when I’m busy.”

“Huhuhu, Rein sure got lucky with a girl like you~” Lante teased, making Rem’s blush deepen—with a faraway look entering her eyes.

“Lante,” Rethusa interjected, turning to her fellow familia member with just the faintest smirk. “Weren’t you the one complaining the other day that Reinhard-sama hasn’t been paying enough attention to you lately?”

A brilliant blush bloomed on Lante’s face, her pointed ears turning scarlet. “Rethusa! That was supposed to stay between us!”

“Hihihi, it’s funny seeing all of you in love with the same guy,” Emma giggled, her cheeks tinged pink as she watched the exchange with wide, curious eyes. “Though… I guess I kind of get it. Senpai is really handsome—and dependable, too~”

“My my, Emma~ Don’t tell me you’re falling for Reinhard-san now?” Love Silva, the white-haired catgirl, teased with a grin that could only belong to a serial instigator.

“W-what!? O-of course not!” Emma yelped, face now as red as Lante’s, flailing her hands in embarrassment.

Just then, Orianna Drake—dressed in her usual knightly attire—cleared her throat. “Speaking of Reinhard-dono… I’m sure you’ve all noticed the buzz around the city lately. His name is on everyone's lips.”

“Hmph,” Rem suddenly huffed, arms crossing as a sharp glint entered her eyes. The abrupt shift in her mood startled the others. “The next time I hear someone badmouthing Reinhard-kun in front of me, I swear—I’ll beat them to a pulp.”

Lante leaned toward Rethusa, whispering with a crooked smile, “Yep, there it is. Rem’s other side.”

Rethusa merely nodded, her expression unchanged but eyes knowing. They—and everyone close to Reinhard—were well aware of how Rem treated anyone who wasn’t tied to him. If you were in his inner circle, you got her quiet acceptance. If you weren’t… well, you’d better not speak ill of him.

Just that morning, in fact, they’d barely managed to restrain the wrathful Oni when someone in the marketplace had dared to call Reinhard a liar and a cheater. Rem had nearly snapped.

It had taken both Rethusa and Lante, plus a few of their newest recruits, to physically hold her back before she could do any permanent damage.

The contrast was always jarring. One moment, Rem was the cold, stoic maid with a deadpan stare. The next, whenever Reinhard’s name came up—or worse, when he was actually present—she transformed completely: a blushing, lovestruck girl who could give even the most clingy girlfriends a run for their money.

“Though I wouldn’t mind teaching those fools a lesson for doubting Reinhard-sama,” Rethusa added, her voice sharp as her eyes narrowed with quiet fury.

“Same,” Lante agreed, her usually teasing expression hardening. “Some of the things I’ve heard… they have no idea what they’re talking about.”

As the group approached their home—the once-crumbling church now fully restored and standing proud—they spotted a familiar nuisance: a couple of adventurers knocking insistently at the front door.

“Tsk. Those pests again,” Rem muttered with a low snarl, her expression darkening. She strode forward, and within seconds, managed to send the nosy adventurers packing with a glare and a few harshly chosen words. No one wanted to deal with an angry Oni maid—especially not one holding a flail rather menacingly.

It had become a recurring problem lately. Adventurers from all over Orario—and even a few from outside the city—kept showing up, all eager to join the Hestia Familia. Whether they were attracted by its current talk around the city, curious about its secrets, or just chasing rumors about Reinhard’s meteoric growth, the result was always the same.

They were all turned away.

Hestia had made it clear: no one joins without Rein-kun’s say-so. As captain of the Familia, only he could decide who was worthy of joining their ranks.

And until he returned… the door would remain firmly shut.

=====

Following Day

Inside the softly lit church, the air was thick with unease. Despite the bright midday sun streaming through the newly restored stained-glass windows, a subtle heaviness lingered—one none of them could quite ignore.

Hestia sat curled up on one of the couches, her twin tails drooping lower than usual. Across from her, Artemis sat straight-backed, hands resting neatly in her lap, though the tension in her shoulders betrayed her inner unease. Rem stood by the window, arms crossed, gaze distant. Rethusa and Lante flanked their goddess protectively, both unusually subdued.

It had been this way for hours.

None of them had spoken it aloud, but all of them could feel it.

The ache in their chests.

The weight pressing on their souls.

The pain Reinhard was enduring.

The Conjunction perk—linking them to Reinhard through an empathic bond—had signaled something was wrong earlier that morning. Since then, nothing had felt right. They couldn’t see what he was facing, but they felt it.

Reinhard’s usual warmth, that steady sense of hope and resolve they had grown used to feeling at the back of their minds, was gone. It had been like a comforting blanket—assurance that he was safe, strong, and smiling.

Now, it was replaced with something else entirely.

Crushing sadness.

Overwhelming guilt.

A weight that didn’t belong to them, but was being shared nonetheless.

“It’s like…” Hestia’s voice finally broke the silence, soft and trembling. “Something inside him broke—but he’s holding it together just enough so we don’t worry.”

“Reinhard-kun…” Rem whispered, tears streaking down her cheeks, hands pressed tightly against her chest. “What happened? Who hurt you?”

Artemis didn’t scold the outburst. Her emerald eyes shimmered, darkened by sorrow—and barely-contained fury. “He’s hurting. He’s exhausted. If someone laid a hand on him…” Her eyes glowed faintly as a flicker of her sealed Arcanum slipped free before she forcibly calmed herself.

“I felt it too,” Rethusa added in a quiet tone. “It came out of nowhere. So much guilt. It felt like… he did something terrible. But there was no malice in it. Just sorrow.”

“He didn’t want to do whatever it was,” Lante said, her usual teasing nowhere to be found. “But he did it anyway. Probably for someone else’s sake. That’s just so… Rein.”

Rem turned from the window, her voice colder now, filled with a protective fury. “If I ever find out who forced him to make that choice…”

“There’s no use getting angry unless we know what happened,” Hestia said gently, though the flicker in her eyes matched Artemis’s. “What matters is that when he returns, we’re here to remind him he’s not alone.”

“Hestia is right,” Artemis nodded. “Whatever he endured… he must know we’re waiting. And that he doesn’t have to carry it in silence.”

A quiet agreement passed among them as the silence settled once more.

Reinhard wasn’t back yet—but when he returned, they would be ready.

To welcome him with smiles on their faces. To comfort him and help him heal.

=====

Top of Babel

 The wind howled atop the highest peak of Babel, brushing through silver hair that glittered beneath the sun like liquid moonlight.

Freya stood at the edge of her private terrace, her white gown billowing around her like mist. But her beauty—usually serene and untouchable—was marred by a deep scowl. A rare sight for the Goddess of Beauty.

Her enchanted mirror, once a faithful window into his world, now lay dark and lifeless. No matter how many times she commanded it, it refused to show her what she most desperately craved.

Reinhard.

Her Odr.

Gone from her sight.

“Unacceptable,” she hissed, eyes faintly glowing with fury.

A sharp crash rang out as her goblet shattered against the stone tiles behind her, crimson wine splattering like blood. She turned sharply to the towering figure who had stood silent through her tirade.

The mirror had worked fine earlier that morning. Freya had witnessed something incredible—something divine. She had seen her beloved unleashed. Power beyond reckoning. The kind of strength that hadn't graced the world since the Age of Heroes.

No... not even then.

Her Reinhard was stronger than any hero that had ever lived.

His strength, tempered by kindness. That beautiful, unwavering soul. His conviction, his presence—it had made her fall in love with him all over again. And now? To be denied even the sight of him?

It was unforgivable.

“Ottar,” she snapped, her voice like velvet dipped in venom. “How soon can we reach the Kaios Desert?”

The King, stoic and immovable, bowed his head slightly to mask his unease. “My Lady. Marching from the city could provoke the Guild. It may take days to receive the proper permissions.”

“I do not care about the Guild!” she spat. “I want to find the insect who dared to hide my Odr from me—and kill them myself.”

“Please allow us to handle this,” Ottar said, his tone measured, careful. “I can dispatch Allen to investigate and dispose of the source of this interference.”

“Not good enough.” Freya turned away from him, her voice like steel beneath silk. “If my sight of him isn’t restored by nightfall, I will leave myself. With or without you.”

Ottar’s grimace was nearly imperceptible, but his bow deepened, hiding the tension on his face. Deep inside, he prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

Freya stepped forward to the edge of the terrace, her eyes locked on the horizon—southwest, toward the Kaios Desert. Toward him.

Her Odr.

‘Wait for me, beloved. I will soon rid this world of the pest that dares to keep you from me.’