Danmachi: My Adventure With a High Fairy Queen, Vol. 1

Kleptos, God of Greed

Whispers of unease rippled through the bustling streets of Orario. Shadows lurked in every corner, eyes peering from beneath hooded cloaks. Medusa's spies had infiltrated the city, their presence a suffocating fog that settled over the once vibrant metropolis.

Every resident of Orario, the Adventurers most of all, were on edge. Not a day went by without the city hearing news of more and more adventurers vanishing during quests, never to be seen again.

In the heart of the Guild, a new figure emerged from the shadows, his presence both captivating and unsettling. Lord Kleptos, head of Kleptos Familia, the god with a smile that never quite reached his cold, calculating eyes, assumed control with an iron grip that left no room for dissent.

His words dripped with honey, each syllable carefully crafted to lull the unsuspecting into a false sense of security, but those who listened closely could detect the undercurrent of malice that laced his every utterance. The Guild, once a beacon of hope and order in the chaotic world of Orario, had fallen under his sway, its members now mere puppets dancing to the tune of their new master's dark ambitions.

With his shadowy influence spreading like wildfire throughout the city, it was only a matter of time before all of Orario fell under his thrall. The once-proud adventurers, driven by greed and lust for power, became mere tools in his arsenal. Their exploits were used as propaganda to bolster the Guild's popularity and secure Lord Kleptos's position.

No one dared to stand up against him.

Lord Kleptos's takeover of the Guild had been a masterful display of manipulation and deceit, a carefully orchestrated symphony of lies and half-truths that had left the organization reeling. He had arrived in Orario under the guise of the God of Wealth, his pockets lined with gold and his tongue dripping with promises of prosperity. The Guild, desperate for a solution to the seemingly endless stream of crises that had befallen the city, had welcomed him with open arms, unaware that they were falling prey to his insidious schemes.

His followers were quick to spread the word of his generous donations to the Guild, his seemingly endless generosity winning over the hearts of many. But it was not long before whispers began to circulate, tales of the sinister schemes behind his supposed benevolence. With each honeyed word and calculated gesture, he had woven a web of deception, ensnaring the hearts and minds of the Guild's members with his silver tongue. They had fallen under his spell, drawn to his charisma like moths to a flame, never realizing the danger that lurked beneath his charming exterior.

Royman Mardeel, the Guild's pudgy, incompetent leader, was a mere pawn in his game. The once-proud institution had been reduced to a mere puppet, its members dancing to Lord Kleptos's whims like marionettes on a string. The lord had uncovered Royman's darkest secrets, the skeletons that lurked in the deepest recesses of his closet, and had used them to bend the man to his will.

The Guild's corruption, its willingness to compromise its principles for the sake of profit, was no secret. But even they had their limits, their honor code ensuring that their actions were always within the boundaries of what was acceptable. With each whispered threat and knowing glance, Kleptos had tightened his grip on Royman's soul, until the once formidable leader was nothing more than a hollow shell, a marionette dancing to the lord's twisted tune. Royman now moved through the halls of the Guild like a ghost, his every action dictated by the fear of exposure, his once vibrant spirit crushed beneath the weight of Kleptos's blackmail.

But Kleptos's greatest triumph had been the ousting of Ouranos himself, a coup that had sent shockwaves throughout the divine realm. The god's shadowy influence had seeped into the Guild's very foundation, its members now little more than cogs in the dark machinations of his sinister plot. He had single-handedly brought the Guild to its knees, the once-powerful organization now little more than a shadow of its former glory.