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Chapter 64: Dependent of the God of Wine (Liliruca Arde)
Bell had left the city with Reborn to begin his training.
"I'm incredibly worried about Bell… but all we can do now is trust him. Besides, we still have another massive problem to deal with."
"Another problem?"
"Supporter-kun was taken."
"Eh!?"
The news that they had been attacked was shocking enough, but hearing that Lili had been kidnapped sent Tsuna's anxiety through the roof.
"You mean she was kidnapped!?"
"Yeah. While the Apollo Familia was attacking us."
"Wait, so the Apollo Familia kidnapped her!?"
"No. It was the Familia she belongs to."
"Eh? If it's her own Familia, isn't she fine…?"
"No, it's the absolute worst-case scenario. I don't know why they took her, but I can say one thing: if this continues, Supporter-kun won't be able to lead a normal life. We have to save her as quickly as possible."
"What do you mean? What kind of Familia is she in?"
Lili had always been extremely secretive about her past, so Tsuna had purposefully avoided prying. But given the current crisis, Tsuna decided to ask Hestia for the truth.
"Alright, I'll tell you. About Supporter-kun's Familia. Given the situation, I doubt she'll be angry if I tell you."
Judging that Tsuna deserved to know and that Lili wouldn't hold it against him, Hestia decided to reveal her past.
"It seems we are in the way. Let's go, Naaza."
"Yes, Lord Miach."
Sensing that this was a private conversation, Miach excused himself and led Naaza into the back room. Hestia thanked them for their consideration.
"So, about Supporter-kun… She belongs to the Soma Familia. They are a faction led by Soma, the God of Wine."
"Wine?"
"Yes. But it's not just any wine. It is wine crafted by Soma himself. It's called Divine Wine. And that wine is the exact reason Supporter-kun's life has been so tragic."
"Because of wine?"
"Soma's wine is perfection. It's no exaggeration to say there is no better alcohol in this world. Because of that, every member of his Familia who drinks it becomes completely addicted to it. The captivated members are driven by the desire to drink the Divine Wine again, and they desperately scrape together money to fund it."
"Why is that a problem?"
Tsuna had listened closely, but he still didn't understand why an addiction to wine would lead to a tragic life.
"The members enchanted by the Divine Wine try to get money even by dragging others down. Their minds are entirely consumed by the wine, so no one cares about Supporter-kun in the slightest. Her parents passed away a long time ago, so she is completely isolated within her own Familia."
"That's terrible… But if that's the case, why didn't she just leave…?"
"That's impossible. The patron God Soma won't listen. Actually, it's highly likely he doesn't even know the current state of his own Familia."
"He doesn't know!? Even though his Familia is falling apart!?"
"Soma has absolutely zero interest in anything other than brewing wine. He couldn't care less what happens to his own Familia."
"That's awful…"
"Generally, the rules for leaving a Familia depend entirely on the patron God. Some Gods allow it easily, while others don't. Knowing that Soma wouldn't even listen to her properly, Supporter-kun decided to leave the Familia in exchange for money. But since she lacked talent as an adventurer, her only option was to earn money working as a supporter. On top of that, because she was weak, other adventurers constantly abused and exploited her. Her own Familia wouldn't help her, and they didn't even care if she lived or died. Driven to absolute despair by everything, she resorted to stealing to save enough money to leave."
"Eh!?"
Tsuna was utterly stunned. He never would have imagined that Lili had resorted to thievery.
So that's why…
Tsuna finally understood why Lili had been so desperate to hide her true identity. It also explained why she used transformation magic to disguise herself.
"She would skillfully ingratiate herself with adventurers, endure their abuse, and then betray them, stealing their money. Shortly before you arrived in Orario, she approached Bell and became his supporter. Obviously, with the intention of stealing his money."
"So Bell was a victim too?"
"Yeah. When they went into the dungeon, she waited for an opening, stole his knife, and ran. But during her escape, an adventurer she had previously robbed caught up to her and exacted his revenge. Beaten half to death, she was almost eaten by a monster, but Bell saved her. Struck by the guilt of being saved by the very boy she had betrayed, she completely washed her hands of stealing."
"I had no idea…"
"After that, she faked her own death and continued working quietly as a supporter. But during the chaos of the attack earlier, she was dragged back to her Familia."
"But why would they go out of their way to do that? I thought her Familia didn't care about her."
"Not every single member is mindlessly drowning in wine. No matter how potent the Divine Wine is, just like normal alcohol, the intoxication fades and you build a tolerance. I've heard that the Level 2 adventurers in the Familia don't get as drunk and manage to keep their wits about them. However, their sense of camaraderie is still nonexistent. Yet they still took her. No matter how you look at it, this won't end well for her. That's why we have to save her, no matter what it takes."
"So you're going to storm the Soma Familia?"
"It's our only option. Conflicts between Familias are strictly prohibited by the Guild, but we don't have the luxury of caring about that right now."
"Got it. I'm going too. To save Lili."
"Tsunayoshi… Understood."
Sensing the same unshakable resolve he had shown when declaring he would fight in the War Game, Hestia said nothing and respected his decision.
Just wait for me, Lili.
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