Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 374.5- Virgo’s Day Out

11:00 AM, Moonlight Tower.

“Ahh! That was delicious!” Virgo said having finished eating breakfast.

“Now we can go!” said Alise.

“Mom, are you coming as well?” Auberon asked.

“Hmm… Sorry, but no. I have some things to attend to. Oh, Auby, tell me, have you finished your special painting?”

“Hm! I finished it two days ago!”

“Wonderful! Is it already packaged?”

“Hm!”

“Then when mine are finished, I will go and deliver it to him!”

“Then you’re going to spend the day painting?”

“I am. It seems your father is in desperate need of some good art to fill those empty walls.”

12:34 PM, West Section of Orario, Heroes Bridge.

“So… These are monuments to past heroes, huh?” Virgo said, looking at them.

“Yes. I figured you would like it since you are the Spirit King of Sung Tales; do you know some of their stories?” Ryuu said.

“Do you know this one?" Alise points at a statue.

“Hmm… Sir Garrard? Hmm… Somewhat.”

'How did that greedy womanizer get a monument?’

“What about this hero?” said Auberon.

Virgo walks and reads the plate.

“Gilgamesh? Ah… that hero.” She said it with a sad tone of voice.

“Do you know his tale?” Auberon said, looking up at her.

“I do. Gilgamesh’s Quest, as it’s now known. A tragedy if you asked me. I do not understand why they turned a tragic love story into a generic hero and monster story.”

“Do you know what it was originally called?” asked Alise.

“I do. It was originally called The Pursuit of Love. The Whore of Babylon was a spirit much like me; her name was Enkidu, and she was contracted with her hero, Gilgamesh. Contrary to Gilgamesh’s Quest, the two of them were already in love. But one day, as they were going about their daily lives, Enkidu was struck by a curse by another spirit who hated seeing her have such a splendid hero as Gilgamesh. The curse caused her to seek flesh. Both carnally and physically. Gilgamesh showered her with as much affection and love as he could, but it wasn’t enough to fill that hole the curse made. And this began his tale. He chased after her, defeating all who went after her for a full year when he finally caught her. Their battle raged only for a single cycle of day and night. He plunged his blade into her chest. He held her tightly as life slowly bled from her chest and onto the cold bodies she had slain in her starvation. He stayed there crying as his heart lay in his blood-covered hands.”

“Oh… That is sad.”

“Yes… I did skip over a lot of details, but yes.”

“…So there is Cirrus’s monument!” Ryuu said changing the topic.

“Oh! Where!” She said looking around.

“On the far end.”

“Ooo!!” She quickly went to the far end.

When she arrived, she could see a very detailed monument. It had his likeness down to a T. It even had White Night, Circe, Fafnir, and Hecton depicted.

“Wow! They even got Fafnir and Hecton!” Alise said.

“Seeing that fight, I am sure they had a good enough idea of how to sculpt them—” Ryuu was cut off by a child running up to them.

“Alise!!!”

“Hm?” Alise turned to see a white-haired girl coming running up to her. “Gersemi!!”

The two ran up and hugged each other.

“Ryuu!” said Freya, coming over in her Syr appearance.

“Syr!”

The two friends meet once again.

“Oh? Who is this pretty girl!” Virgo said, looking at Syr.

Freya looked at Virgo and then at Ryuu.

"Ryuu, who is this… person?” Syr said.

"Oh, she is—”

“I am Elysium’s spirit! My name is Virgo!”

‘This spirit…’ Freya puts on a small smile. ‘Why does she have a nearly identical soul to Ryuu?’

“Oh, so your Cirrus’s spirit?”

“Yup! He made me himself back in heaven!”

‘That’s how! But... did he truly create a spirit from a soul replica!?’

She looks at Virgo and Ryuu again, and she can even see some resemblance. The only differences they had were their hair, soul, and bust size.

“Oh, so you're like his child, I see!”

“Yup! But I call him my king! Say, do you wanna come along? They are showing me around Orario!”

“Of course! You don’t mind if we join you, do you, Ryuu?”

“Hm. Not at all.”

They then spent the day walking around the city.

2:09 PM, Entertainment District, Quetzalcoatl’s district.

“Hmm!!” Virgo enjoys eating delicious food. “I never had chilaquiles before!” She scarfed it down and asked for seconds. “Waiter!! Can I get another!!”

“Will do!!”

“Ah~ I am so jealous you can eat these every day!” Syr said.

“Very. I wish I could eat these as much as you do.” Ryuu said.

2:49 PM, around Babel.

“I didn’t know spirits could eat that much," said Gersemi.

"Yeah, I have never even seen Fafnir eat," Auberon said.

“…Huh?” Ryuu said. “Now that I think about it, I have never seen Fafnir or even Hecton eat."

“Oh, Hecton said it’s because they are connected to us!” Alise said.

"Oh, so they share a stomach, I see.” Syr/Freya said.

'Most likely, they live off their magic or something else. Their souls are very, very closely linked to one another. A vibrant red is nicely incorporated with the forest green and gold of Alise’s soul, while Auberon’s…’ Freya glances at Auberon’s. ‘A radiant night sky-like soul with six different colored eyes. He and Fafnir are a perfect match.’

“Oh…” Virgo looks at the entrance to Babel. “So this is the entrance to the Dungeon, huh?” She walked inside Babel and looked down the stairwell to the Dungeon.

“If you want Ryuu and—”

“No.” Virgo cuts Freya off. “My king only gave me one order that I must never break. An order that none of his spirits may ever step foot in the Dungeon until the twelve knights' ranks have been filled.” She then stepped away.

She looked solemn as she walked away. A far cry from her usual cheerfulness. This was the first time Freya could see a direct resemblance to Ryuu.

As Virgo walks to sit on a bench, a small Pallum stands before her.

“So are you the spirit that suddenly appeared in Orario?” Finn said.

Virgo’s eyes widen.

‘How remarkable… He looks the same as Leo. Fufu… It seems some of us are destined to repeat our previous lives' footprints.’

A warm smile grows from her previous solemn expression.

“That I am. Tell me. Are you perchance the Pallum, Finn?”

“I am. You are well informed.”

“Of course! My king gave me knowledge of a good number of people! Say, tell me, Finn, have you heard the tale of Lady Fianna and her order of knights?”

“Hm? Of course, I have.”

“Tsk, tsk.” Virgo shakes her head. “You truly jest, Finn. Do you think you know the truth about Fianna? They did not even have a statue of her on the Heroes Bridge.”

“!” Finn’s eyes widen. “What do—”

“Come young and old!" Virgo shouted as, from her shadow, a magnificent lyre came out. “I am Virgo! A spirit created by the first God of Elysia! I am the Spirit King of Sung Tales!"

Several people began to gather around in great interest.

“Allow me to tell you the story of a noble and fearsome order of knights that have been long lost to time itself and subjected to discrimination due to the knight's race! I am, of course, referring to the great and noble Order of Fianna! The knights that help make Orario!! This!!” She strums her lyre with such magnificent skill and finesse that even more people begin to gather around her. “(Allow me to paint you the tale.) [Poem of Wishe]!!”

From that moment forward, everyone heard her voice, and the lyre was taken to another world. They saw and witnessed the tale of the Order of Fianna.

8:41 PM

“Hic! Hic! Hic!” Several people were brought to tears.

“And so the tale of the Knights of Fianna has come to an end,” Virgo says as her magic fades away. “A tale of blood, honor, and revenge ends with self-sacrifice.”

“So… That is how it went,” Finn said, smiling with tears in his eyes. “I feel like I can—”

“Not yet, Braver,” Virgo said, walking up to him as she put her lyre away. “You must keep going. The Pallum will need a god to truly be inspired. A simple bards tale will not be enough.”

“Even if your song can move this many people?”

Virgo didn’t even look around before giving her answer.

“No. Inspiration needs to be spread and told, and with these legs of mine, it will take years. But a god can do it all with a single snap of the fingers. So I hope to see you again. Not as a Pallum, but as my creator. Goodbye, Braver.”

Virgo takes her leave, with Ryuu, Auberon, and Alise following right behind her.

“…A god… A… God.” His eyes reignite with a bright, burning passion.

Walking back home, hand in hand, were Freya and Gersemi.

"Mom, I wanna be a powerful warrior like Fianna!” Gersemi said.

“Fufu. Very well. I will teach you how to be a great and fearsome Valkyrie.”

“Yay!!” She said it excitedly.

‘Fufu… Your child, Elysium. She takes after your singing ability.’