A Survivor's life in the dungeon (A Danmachi Fanfic.)

Chapter 127

*Dusk*

Heracles sat in his office, an angry scowl etched on his face. He sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair.

"Damn it!" he cursed, his mind replaying the afternoon's events. "Talk about hypocrisy." He grabbed a bottle of ale from his drawer along with a glass, looking at it for a few seconds before choosing to chug the liquid straight from the bottle.

He slammed the bottle on the table after chugging it halfway. 'And here I am, always preaching about not letting emotions control oneself...' The god stared at his hand, vividly recalling how he had raised it towards August in a fit of anger. He clenched it tightly and sighed, closing his eyes as he massaged the bridge of his nose. Honestly, the stress was starting to get to him after everything that had happened, especially with the revelation that Hyakinthos, Apollo familia's captain, might be a level 6 as well.

'Apollo... What have you done?' Heracles's mind began to ponder the worst, as there seemed to be no logical solution for a mortal to gain such strength in such a short time.

Before he could contemplate further, a knock sounded, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Who is it?"

"Lord Heracles, it's Helga... I would like to discuss something with you."

"Come in." Heracles straightened himself up, attempting to hide the stress showing on his face.

Helga opened the door, moving in front of Heracles' table and giving a respectful bow. The god gave a curt nod in return, then gestured for her to sit.

"I take it the others aren't taking the news well?" Heracles guessed why Helga was there. "I can understand if you and the others opted to leave this familia, especially after what August, the captain, did."

Helga shook her head. "On the contrary, Lord, August managed to raise morale inside the familia." She answered, but Heracles could see that there was more to it by the looks on her face. "It's just... It makes me worry."

"Hence why you're here, wanting to discuss something with me?" Heracles took another glass from his drawer and slid it towards Helga. He then poured the glass with the ale.

"Yes, Lord..." Helga held the glass and took a small sip. She then sighed as her face turned serious. "I believe August isn't ready to lead the familia, Lord... To be honest, Denki is more capable of leading the familia compared to him."

Heracles appreciated this about Helga; she didn't mince her words and went directly to the point. He nodded in understanding and took another gulp straight from the bottle. "I understand where you are coming from. Even I can see that he isn't ready."

"Lord, he needs time to adjust... There's no denying how strong August is. But I believe that his strength is the same reason why he hasn't acclimated to his new role as captain..." Helga paused, staring at the amber liquid inside the glass as she twirled it around. "We simply can't keep up with his standards, making him unconsciously take everything onto himself... If this keeps up-"

"He'll isolate himself from the others." Heracles continued for Helga, running his hand through his hair. "I can see that as well. I admit, I may have rushed this one; I thought he could adjust, adapt into the role... I fail to see that no matter how strong he is, at the end of the day, he is still just a kid."

Heracles stood up from his seat and strolled toward the window, staring at the setting sun and the city starting to brighten up from the artificial lights.

"By the way, you said earlier that he was able to raise the morale of the others... How was he able to achieve that?" Heracles asked without looking back at Helga.