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

Chapter 37: Witness to a Legend

Following Morning

The day had finally come.

After days of relentless training and preparation for the War Game against the Apollo Familia, today we would finally face them.

It had been decided that the format would be a Castle Siege, with us as the attackers. The added rule made things simple: if either I or Hyakinthos was defeated, the opposing Familia would immediately claim victory.

On paper, the odds were against us. Our Familia numbered only five—since Est didn’t count, belonging to the Artemis Familia—while the Apollo Familia boasted over a hundred members. Normally, such a gap would be cause for concern, especially with the eyes of countless deities on us. But though we couldn’t reveal certain trump cards like our infinite mana through Inexhaustible, we had other methods. Methods that, once revealed, would shock the city—but better that than exposing the Company perks, which were essentially broken cheats.

For now, it was still morning, and we were gathered around the table, eating breakfast together before the War Game began at noon.

“Eat, Naaza. We’ll need our strength later,” I said, noticing the dog girl still poking at her food.

Blinking, Naaza looked up at me from across the table. My words finally seemed to sink in, as she blushed faintly and forced herself to take a bite. “S-Sorry. I was just… thinking about the battle.”

“We’ll be rooting for you and everyone, Naaza-senpai~!” Emma chimed cheerfully from further down the table, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“Heh, we don’t need luck to beat a bunch of weaklings, but the cheers are appreciated, I guess,” Ram added, smirking with her usual arrogance.

“Hmm. I might have to fight barehanded if I don’t want everyone turning into red goop when I use my flail,” Rem mused, tapping her chin in mock thought despite the morbid imagery.

“Rem-sama, please don’t describe things like that at the breakfast table,” Lili deadpanned, looking faintly green. “Especially not with that innocent expression on your face.”

A gentle tug on my sleeve drew my attention downward. Est, perched on my lap, sat with her mouth open expectantly, clearly demanding I continue feeding her. She had been pouty ever since waking up, upset that she wouldn’t be allowed to accompany us into battle. That clinginess had persisted through breakfast, hence her spot where she was now.

Chuckling softly, I patted her head, cut another piece of the blueberry pancakes I’d made, and held it to her lips. She quickly ate it with adorable nom nom sounds that drew amused glances from the others.

“Are you worried about the War Game, Rein? You don’t look it,” Lante asked curiously, sipping her juice and drawing everyone’s attention back to me.

Looking around at their expectant gazes, I offered a confident smile. “A little, I admit, but I’m more confident than anything. We’ve trained hard for this, and I won’t let everyone down by losing. You can count on me.”

“That’s the spirit, Rein-kun~!” Hestia shouted, standing on her chair with arms raised high. “We’ll show that pervert Apollo who has the better Familia, and then really make him pay for daring to try and take you away from me!”

“You mean from us,” Artemis corrected with a roll of her eyes, though she was smiling softly when she looked at me. “We’ll all be rooting for you, Rein. So go and teach that piece of trash a lesson.”

“Yeahhh!”

The rest of the Familia raised their voices in agreement, the atmosphere swelling with excitement until the table became rowdy and lively, just like any other morning.

“I won’t let you down,” I said firmly with a nod.

=====

By the time noon approached, the city felt like it was holding its breath.

From the streets of Orario to the highest seats of Babel, people were gathering, eager to witness the spectacle. A War Game was rare enough but one involving Apollo’s notorious Familia and a rising star like ours was irresistible.

The Guild had set the stage outside the city, where a battlefield had been conjured through divine authority. Before us loomed the chosen castle: an ancient fortress pulled from who-knew-where, its walls thick and weathered, bristling with defenders already taking their positions. Above it, the banner of Apollo flapped smugly in the wind.

We had arrived by carriage, and along the way Syr had pressed a pendant with a green jewel into my hand. I remembered it helping Bell in canon. After thanking her and promising to visit when this was over, I tucked it close to my chest. Her smile lingered in my mind even now.

Minutes before the clash, we stood outside the fortress gates, waiting for the signal.

I drew a slow breath, adjusting my grip on the sword I had forged myself for this moment along with others similar to it, and looked to my Familia.

“Ready?” I asked, voice calm but carrying weight.

Ram scoffed with trademark arrogance, Rem’s grin was sharp, Naaza gave a firm nod despite the tremor in her hands, and Lili was nowhere to be seen which was just as planned.

“Then let’s show them…” I turned back to the looming walls. “…what happens when they underestimate us.”

The horns sounded.

The War Game was on.

=====

Orario — Babel — Hestia’s POV

Hestia stood in the tower of Babel with Artemis and Hephaistos at her sides, staring into the distance where the battlefield would be held. She worried her lip as she waited.

Behind them, dozens of gods and goddesses packed the chamber, voices rising in excitement. Bets were placed, boasts exchanged, the air thick with anticipation.

The doors opened with theatrical timing, and Apollo strode in at last, eyes immediately finding hers with a leer that made her stomach turn and made her want to punch him.

“Glad you could make it, Hestia~ Are you ready to lose your precious Reinhard-kun?” he purred.

Her fists clenched in rage. “It’s you who’s going to lose today, you pervert! And when we win, you’ll never bother us again!”

Before the argument could spiral, Hermes’ smooth voice cut through. “Alright, everyone, it’s almost time. Uranus, grant me permission.”

From the heavens, the Guild’s founder answered: “Permission granted.”

With a snap of his fingers, Hermes conjured a floating screen of divine light. The image spread across Orario—every Familia hall, every tavern, every home now had a perfect view of the War Game.

The scale of it struck Hestia all at once. After today, Reinhard’s name would be known to every single soul in the city.

She felt two warm hands steady her shoulders. Turning, she met Artemis’ firm gaze and Hephaistos’ encouraging smile.

Hestia inhaled deeply, then shouted with all her heart, not caring who heard her. “Kick their butts, Rein-kun! Everyone!”

Her voice sparked the crowd, other gods and mortals alike raising their cheers in unison.

And then the bell tolled noon.

The War Game had begun.

=====

Back with Reinhard and Co.

“Everyone knows their tasks. I’m counting on you.” I said over my shoulder, receiving determined nods before I sprinted ahead and drew my sword.

It didn’t take long to reach the castle walls. Archers lined the battlements, already nocking arrows. I stopped, exhaled, and gripped my blade tighter.

‘Sorry, Welf. Unlike you, I have no trouble crafting magic swords.’

I swung. A blade of wind roared forth, slamming into the stone.

Without pause, I drew a second sword, flames coiling around the edge before I unleashed it. Fire joined wind, turning into a roaring inferno.

‘And unlike your flimsy swords… mine don’t break.’

With both weapons raised, I struck again. Wind fed fire, birthing a blazing maelstrom that devoured a good portion of the wall.

Screams rang from within, but I paid them no mind. My swings were precise, meant to terrify, not kill.

As half the Apollo Familia charged out in panic, I smirked. In their blind rush, they failed to notice the shadows slipping inside: Rem, Ram, and Naaza.

Stabbing both magic swords into the ground beside me, I pulled a plain blade from my duffel bag and readied myself.

“I apologize… but I will have to be a little rough with you.”

=====

With Rem, Ram and Naaza

“Now’s our chance.” Ram’s eyes gleamed as she signaled her sister and Naaza forward.

The chaos Reinhard had stirred made their infiltration seamless. Naaza quickly split off, bow already drawn, searching for high ground.

Moments later, the twins halted. Thirty Apollo Familia stood in their path.

Ram cracked her knuckles, smirking darkly. “Well, Rem, it looks like it’s time to teach these wannabe perverts a painful lesson.”

Rem lowered her head, hiding her face except for the grin stretching across it. “For the crime of wanting to steal Reinhard-kun away… a few broken bones is the least of what they deserve.”

The thirty men, sensing their doom, swallowed hard. The twins looked deceptively cute, but their murderous aura left no illusions.

=====

With Hestia and Co. — Hestia POV

“Magic swords!? Are those Crozzo magic swords?” Apollo’s voice cracked in shock, just a few seats behind Hestia, Artemis, and Hephaistos.

“No.” Hephaistos’ reply was calm, eyes locked on Reinhard’s blades. “Reinhard can forge magic swords on his own. And before anyone asks—no, he doesn’t have Crozzo blood. This is all his own work.” She spoke with fascination… and pride.

Murmurs rippled through the chamber. Hestia ignored them, her chest swelling with pride.

“My Rein-kun is full of surprises~” she boasted, puffing up with glee.

“He sure is,” Hephaistos agreed softly.

“One of a kind, isn’t he?” Artemis added with a dreamy smile.

“Tsk. Doesn’t change the fact that they’re outnumbered,” Apollo spat, scowling.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hestia noticed Hermes leaning close to his child, Asfi, whispering rapidly. His gaze never left Reinhard, and Hestia’s eyes narrowed.

‘What are you plotting…?’

Before her suspicions could deepen, two breathtaking sights seized the crowd’s attention.

First, Reinhard stood against fifty at once, cutting them down with breathtaking swordplay and flawless hand-to-hand strikes, each foe crumpling in seconds.

Second, the twins—Rem and Ram—plowed through their enemies with nothing but fists and feet, each blow brutal, decisive, and merciless.

The chamber erupted in noise.

“Woo-hoo! That’s the way, Rein-kun! Rem-chan! Ram-chan! Show no mercy!” Hestia shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice joining the roar of excited gods.

=====

Hermes POV

He hadn’t been wrong.

Reinhard truly was the Hero that Orario—and perhaps the entire world—needed.

The way he moved, as though he had fought in thousands of battles, with not a single wasted step, spoke volumes. More than the sheer strength he was clearly holding back, his skill was overwhelming.

No ambush caught him unawares. No arrow ever found its mark. Every swing struck true. His swordsmanship was so refined that even the strongest adventurers in Orario looked crude by comparison. Not even the famed Sword Princess could hold a candle to him.

‘Sword Saint, indeed.’

In only a few minutes, fifty adventurers, most between Level One and Two, lay unconscious at his feet.

And then there were his allies. The twin maids, deceptively small but monstrously strong, crushed thirty more enemies with terrifying ease. Their Chienthrope companion supported them from the shadows, each arrow placed with surgical precision.

But most impressive of all, to Hermes, was the Pallum girl. The way she had twisted information and misled Apollo’s forces had done more damage than any blade, crippling three-quarters of their strength before the fighting even began.

‘What will you do next, I wonder?’ Hermes mused, his smile curious as he saw the Hestia Familia members each draw out a potion and drink.

Catching Hestia from the corner of his eye, he noticed her smug expression and chuckled. Another surprise up her sleeve, no doubt.

“Hah! This is turning out to be even more fun than I expected.”

=====

Apollo Familia — Cassandra’s POV

They were doomed.

When Cassandra first learned that her god Apollo had set his sights on another unfortunate soul, she hadn’t been surprised. This time it was the rising star of Orario, the so-called Sword Saint.

Upon meeting him, she found Reinhard not only impossibly handsome, but also kind. That alone explained why Apollo wanted him. Afterward, when no prophetic dreams plagued her, Cassandra allowed herself to believe that things would be fine, that perhaps this time they might simply gain a new comrade. She had even dared to hope she and Reinhard could be friends.

But then came last night.

The strangest vision she had ever endured. A dream of the very sun being blotted out, snuffed away by the very planet itself. She had dismissed it as nonsense… until she saw Reinhard again.

Just for an instant, her cursed sight betrayed her: Reinhard towering as a giant, a beautiful white and gold blade at his side, striding forward as though to trample everything in his path. Then the vision vanished, leaving her shaking.

And now, here he was, effortlessly cutting through fifty members of her Familia like they were nothing.

Her heart sank further when she watched him approach the castle gates, which swung open as if by magic. The figure she thought was Luan shimmered, revealing instead the form of a brown-haired Pallum smiling up at Reinhard.

Her knuckles whitened on her staff. She saw the worry in Daphne’s and even Hyakinthos’ faces, but the truth rang clear only to her.

‘We’re doomed.’

=====

Loki Familia — Twilight Manor

“You gotta be shittin’ me!” Bete snarled, slamming his fist into the table hard enough to rattle the mugs. “There’s no way he’s Level Three!”

“Whoooa He’s so strong!” Tiona all but bounced on the edge of her seat, stars sparkling in her eyes.

“...Impressive,” Tione muttered, arms crossed, but her eyes betrayed her admiration.

“Did you notice, Riveria?” Finn asked from his chair, thumb pressed against his lips as he leaned forward, studying the screen Hermes had conjured.

“He’s holding back,” Ais said quietly, her golden eyes never leaving Reinhard’s figure.

“Yes. Even after taking out fifty of them, not a drop of sweat, not a single wasted breath,” Riveria agreed, frowning in thought. “And that potion… could it be the same miraculous concoction that healed Hephaistos-sama’s eye? I noticed his companions use it too. An elixir, perhaps?”

“The lad’s a blacksmith as well,” Gareth rumbled. “Those magic swords, they were stronger than any Crozzo swords I’ve seen, and not a crack on them after all that use.”

“Now I get why our dear Ais was so interested in him~” Tiona teased with a grin. “Strong, mysterious, and super handsome~”

“What did you say!?” Bete barked, bristling instantly.

But Ais didn’t answer. She hadn’t heard them at all. Her gaze was fixed, sharp and unblinking on Reinhard as he cut his way through Apollo’s soldiers with fluid grace.

‘How… did he get so strong so quickly?’

=====

Hostess of Fertility — Syr’s POV

“Syr! Stop gawking and serve the damn drinks already!” Mia’s bark snapped her back to the present.

Freya, wearing her mortal mask, forced herself to move. She set the waiting mugs down at the table with a sheepish smile, though her silver eyes never truly left the floating screen.

Reinhard.

Her Odr.

Finally, the world was seeing him for what she had known from the moment she first glimpsed his soul, that incandescent light that even gods had no right to.

It pleased her, in a way. He deserved recognition. To be celebrated. To be adored.

And yet… her smile wavered for the briefest moment, her lips tightening into a scowl before she forced it away.

Because now, others would notice.

Pests like Apollo, and worse—other deities, rival Familias, parasites, leeches—all who would seek to covet what was hers.

Her fingers tightened around the empty tray until the wood creaked.

‘No. I won’t allow it. If any dare reach for him, I’ll crush them. All of them.’

She resumed her smile, radiant and false, as she drifted between tables, but her gaze remained locked on the screen, drinking in the sight of him.

Her Odr. Her beloved.

And soon, hers alone.