The Protagonist System

299 Business Acumen Part Two

The hostess was unhappy about their dismissive behavior. “Troublemakers are not welcome here.” She said and kicked the bag of money to let it roll a little ways back to Finn. “Take your trouble elsewhere.”

The dwarf named Gareth stepped forward with his hand on his axe handle. “Don't you know who we are?”

The hostess looked at him like he was scum. “We can all see who you are.”

Gareth looked pleased with her answer until the woman spoke again.

“People who don't have the decency to observe the no armor or weapons rule that is clearly posted on the wall outside.” The hostess said, her tone dismissive. “Or is it because you are uneducated barbarians and can't read?”

The dwarf growled and pulled his axe from his back.

“That's enough.” I said in a calm voice. Despite being all the way across the crowded room, everyone within range of my voice easily heard it. “We are here enjoying a nice meal with our family and friends...”

“We're here to rescue Aiz from scum like you!” Riveria the elf shouted.

“The only scum here is the Loki Familia.” Hestia said and stood. “Spreading lies about my Familia and making people believe that having a loving home, and people that care about you, is a bad thing.”

“It is when you steal members of another Familia!” Loki shouted as she stepped out from behind the executives that had been hiding her from view.

“You mean like you and everyone else does?” I asked and stood as well, then I walked around the table and over to them and stopped five feet away. “How many of your Familia members were forcibly recruited from other Familias by you and your executives because they had a useful skill? How many did you have killed because they refused your generous offer?”

Loki didn't verbally respond and it didn't matter. She hadn't denied my accusation that she had people killed when she couldn't convince them to leave their Familias for hers and there were several guilty faces on her executives.

My telepathy also found out Loki had been doing that for a very long time, not counting sabotaging other Familias and their efforts to recruit more useful people. Hestia had been right when she said the stronger Familias snatched up anyone they thought was useful, no matter what that person might have wanted.

“For your information, and everyone else, Aiz was welcomed into the Hestia Familia because she knew Hestia needed someone to watch her back after I was sentenced to die by the gods without a trial.”

There were a lot of surprised sounds from the crowd and most of them were muffled.

“I died and came right back in a new body and you fled like the other gods and goddesses did. Did you feel guilty over murdering me or were you afraid I would deal with you like I dealt with the other goddesses I killed while defending myself from their plots and schemes?”

Dead silence answered my words and Loki looked worried.

“However, you made a mistake. You overreacted about Aiz finding someone that actually needed her and told everyone the Hestia Familia kidnapped her, instead of telling them the truth.” I paused dramatically. “Anyone, in any Familia, has the right to voluntarily leave their Familia if they think their Familia is not where they want to be. Most don't, because they are like Tiona and believe all Familias treat their members the same way.”

“A Familia is supposed to be welcoming and where you should feel safe, where everyone has your back and will support you in whatever you do.” Hestia said and walked over to stand beside me.

“You should not feel pressured, coerced, or guilty when your goddess demands you be her plaything and you have to constantly refuse her because she just doesn't understand that everyone has the right to tell her no.” Tiona said and walked over to join us. “The Goddess Kali is worse than you and I hated her for it, which is why I asked to leave our home.”

“Loki isn't as bad as her.” Tione, her twin sister said.

“I've learned that's not a good enough reason to stay in her Familia.” Tiona responded and the rest of our Familia walked over to stand with us in front of the Loki Familia. Hephaestus and Tsubaki also walked over and stood behind us, clearly showing their support.

“You're right, though. Loki isn't as bad as Kali. It's why I stayed as long as I did and took the abuse from certain members. I didn't realize there were other Familias that didn't treat you like disposable playthings.” Tiona said and both Aiz and Lili nodded. “I always thought Loki's behavior was normal, with Freya and Ishtar as shining examples, and I never bothered to look into any other Familias until Aiz left.”

“You abandoned us, too!” Riveria exclaimed.

“You were wrong to vilify Aiz and Goddess Hestia, and I told you so. You told me to leave and I left.” Tiona said and her sister nodded.

The other Loki Familia executives looked surprised when they heard that.

“It was the best decision I ever made and my new Familia is everything I could have asked for. I can fight strong monsters, I can have a healer heal me anytime I'm hurt or exhausted, I have a support person carrying everything from monster crystals to monster parts, and the sex is fantastic!”

That caused blushes to form on the faces of most of the women around us, as well as the customers in the restaurant, and Loki drooled a little as she imagined it.

“They didn't need to know that last part.” Lili whispered. Everyone still heard her because it was so quiet.

“I didn't tell them it was Bell wrecking us all.” Tiona said with a shrug.

Surprised sounds came from a lot of people and there was a lot of whispering in the background.

“They really didn't need to know what we do in private.” I said with a sigh.

Tiona shrugged again. “I don't see the problem. It's just sex.”

“It's just sex for you.” I said and didn't sigh again, even though I wanted to. “People will think that's why I only have beautiful women in my harem and that's not true.”

“YOU HAVE A HAREM?” A lot of the men yelled in surprise, Bete the werewolf included.

I sighed fairly loudly, because that question deserved one. “It's the start of one. I married My Goddess first and she's pregnant with my child...”

There were a lot of thumps in the restaurant from fainting women hitting the floor after hearing that. I had forgotten it was supposed to be impossible for a mortal and a goddess to have a child, which was too much of a shock for some of them to handle. I wasn't going to stop my monologue now, though.

I nodded to Ryuu and she cast her wide area healing spell and everyone gasped as all the women woke up. “I will be asking Lili for her hand in marriage next.” I said and looked down at the pretty prum's bright red face. “We might have to hold off on kids until she gets settled into her new job.”

“What about them?” Bete the werewolf asked and pointed at Hephaestus and Tsubaki.

“I'm not an idiot like you.” I said and he growled at me. “We need to spend a bit more time together before I can ask them to have that kind of committed relationship. All I can do for now is be there when they need me and...”

“You cheating scum!” Riveria almost shouted and thrust her silvery-white staff forward as it started to glow. “How dare you defile Aiz and not make her your only partner!”

My danger sense blared at me, so I used heat vision to instantly melt the head of the staff. It was reduced to molten slag and ended whatever magic she was going to cast. Everyone gasped in shock at the odd attack and Riveria let the staff go. The now useless magic item fell to the floor and the metal cooled as it spread out and hardened once more.

“Let me make something clear.” I said and glowed gold and floated up into the air slightly. “What I and the women I bring to my bed do, is none of your concern. We are all consenting adults, we risk our lives every day, and we deserve to have someone that cares about our needs and desires.”

The entire Loki Familia took a step backwards as they readied for a fight.

I used a mass and weight altering power on them and they all fell to the floor with a cry of pain at weighing three times their normal weight and density. The rest of their Familia that had gathered outside, all collapsed to the dirt and were unable to handle the pressure.

“Anyone that attacks me and mine, and be assured that the women standing with me are mine, whether they are in my bed or not, I will retaliate with appropriate force.” I said and held a hand out, grasped all of their weapons with telekinesis, and closed my hand.

All of the weapons were crushed into small metal and wood balls, even the ruined staff. There were shocked sounds from everyone outside, since they all had shown up for a fight and now their weapons were just small balls of useless metal.

“That's assuming they allow me to defend them, of course.” I said and slowly landed and let the gold glow fade along with the powers I was using on the Loki Familia. “Aiz, Tsubaki, and Tiona are more than capable of handling all of you on their own.”

“Tiona could barely hold off her twin and she's only a Level 5.” Finn scoffed and stood up as he wiped off his knees.

“That Tiona was a member of your Familia.” I said and patted Tiona's shoulder. “This Tiona is a member of the Hestia Familia.”

“As if that makes a difference.” Riveria said. Funnily enough, she was a lot calmer without her weapon in her hand, just like the rest of her Familia.

“It does.” Ryuu said and had a thoughtful look on her face. “It really does.”

“I propose a contest!” Loki shouted and everyone turned to look at her. “You say Tiona can take on all of my Familia? Then prove it.” She said with a wicked grin, as if she had already won it. “If we win, you give Aiz back. If you win, you can have Tione.”

Shouts and protests came from several people on both sides about how unfair that was.

I let it go on for several minutes and stared at Loki's smug expression. Her thoughts were about how she wouldn't be losing anything, since Tione was already lonely and would soon leave to be with her sister, and she had everything to gain by getting her de-powered obsession back into her Familia.

I had to stop the argument before it got out of hand and remembered the best way to do so. A sonorus charm on my throat let me bellow like it needed. “SIIIIILENCE!”

Everyone screamed from being startled and they covered their ears.

I cancelled the charm. “Have you all calmed down and decided to use your indoor voices?” I asked and smiled at all the glares I received. “Then I can respond to Loki's stupid proposal.”

“Hey!” A few of her executives exclaimed.

“Neither Aiz nor Tione are things to be put up for trade or sale. They are their own people and you have no right to dictate what they can and can't do or with whom.” I said and everyone on my side nodded. “In fact, I'll go one step further and say that even I don't have that right, because I'm not an idiot that would dare try to dictate something like that to someone I care about.”

“Well said, My Bell.” Hestia said. “Familia members are to be cherished, not used like pawns in a game of chess.”

“I want to do it.” Tiona said confidently and turned to look at Aiz. “What do you say, Aiz? Do you want to gamble your future on my fighting skills?”

“Can I fight, too?” Aiz asked.

“Both Familias should fight in a tournament!” Someone from the crowd shouted.

“Colosseum! Colosseum!” A few others chanted.

“I'm sorry, that wouldn't be fair to the non-combatants.” I responded.

“So you're a coward, too?” Bete asked, dismissively.

I sighed, because the idiot couldn't keep his mouth shut. “Hand or foot?”

“What?” Bete asked, confused.

“Which one do you give up your rights to for being an idiot? Your hand or your foot?” I asked and he didn't respond, so I moved and was immediately in front of him and used Panacea's power to detach his hand and sealed the wrist on his arm and his hand to not cause him any blood loss or trauma. “Hand it is.”

Everyone was shocked when I walked back over to stand beside Hestia and I propped the now severed hand onto my shoulder. Bete just stood there and stared at his rounded stump where his hand used to be.

“Does anyone else want to keep making stupid comments?” I asked and everyone shook their heads, even all the customers in the restaurant. “Good.” I said and looked at Tiona. “It is up to you if you want to do this, because the win conditions are not enough to justify the risk.”

“What do you want instead?” Loki asked before she could stop herself. She winced slightly and cursed her own curiosity, because she had just lost the high ground in the contest. Her demand for the prizes could now be ignored for whatever I asked for, which suited me perfectly.

I smiled warmly, because I had Loki trapped and she was going to regret it. “In one week, Tiona will fight your entire Familia, by herself, in either single combat or all of you at once. It's your choice.” I said and again everyone was shocked. “The stakes? The winner gets to stay in their Familia and the loser's Familia will be disbanded.”

Complete and utter silence met my words and I could see Tiona was flattered that I trusted her that much and she was excited about the upcoming fight.

“Who's the coward now?” I asked rhetorically and no one answered. “See you in a week at the Colosseum.”

A wave of my hand shoved them all out through the open door and I did a quick repair spell on it, then I dropped a temporary ward to stop them from coming back inside.

“Let's finish our dinner and go home.” I said and led them back to our table.

*

The other gods and goddesses had kept a close and very discreet eye on Bell Cranel and the Hestia Familia, just to see what they would be doing about his death and his return. None of them expected to hear about the challenge that Loki had proposed and Bell had changed to the highest stakes possible.

“Goddess Demeter? A letter has come for you.” One of her attendants said and she accepted the heavy parchment envelope. It was quite expensive-looking and she was slightly saddened that she had to break the wax seal on the back of it to read the contents.

“What is it?” Aphrodite asked, curious as to why her recent visit was interrupted.

“I've been formally asked to be the judge of a dispute between two Familias.” Demeter said as she read it through. “Apparently, Loki couldn't accept that her prized Sword Princess voluntarily left and pushed things to win Aiz back from Hestia. Now it's an all out fight and the loser has to disband their Familia.”

Aphrodite gave her a searching look. “You don't look happy about that.”

“We already lost several Familias because of Bell. We don't need to lose another one.” Demeter said with a sigh and folded the letter to put it back inside the envelope.

“You think he's going to win?” Aphrodite asked, surprised.

“Win? He's going to slaughter them.” Demeter said and shivered slightly, and not in a good way. “You weren't here and didn't feel how powerful he was.”

“I doubt it was that impressive. He's just a mortal.” Aphrodite said, dismissively.

“That's what I thought, too.” Demeter said and traced her fingertips over the wax seal of the Hestia Familia that had sealed the envelope. “It's the first time I ever felt nervous around anyone and he's the child of a virgin goddess.”

“I heard he married her, bedded her, and then died.” Aphrodite softly chuckled. “It's the shortest marriage on record.”

Demeter lifted her eyes from the emblem. “She accepted him as her husband again and their bond is stronger than it ever was.”

“What?” Aphrodite asked. “How is that possible? You didn't perform the ceremony a second time.”

“I didn't have to.” Demeter smiled sadly. “They did it themselves.”

“That isn't possible. Your powers are supposed to be absolute when it involves the sacred bonds of marriage!”

“I know.” Demeter said and her eyes dropped back down to the envelope. “I know.”