Chapter 15: The Goddess's Love Brain Battle (Patreon)

The Falna update was done, and Renan had taken the opportunity to make a tidy profit from the rune scrolls that only he could craft.

Next, naturally, came upgrading his gear and buying supplies.

Oh, right. He would need to project his consciousness into other worlds in the future, and he had no idea what might happen to his body here in DanMachi while he was gone. For safety's sake, staying at an inn was no longer a good idea.

He'd have to buy a property on North Main Street as well, and preferably a detached villa.

The thoughts flashed through his mind. Renan turned to the brown-haired goddess beside him and took his leave.

Astraea didn't try to stop him. She walked him to the front gate of the Star Hall herself, then watched with a smile as the boy turned and walked into the night-darkened street, until his figure had vanished completely.

When the goddess turned back, she found the girls of the Justice Familia had gathered around her without her noticing, every one of them with a gleam in her eye.

Astraea tilted her head, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes. "What's the matter, everyone?"

It was Kaguya Gojouno who answered. With only the family in the Star Hall, the Yamato Gentian spoke far more casually and bluntly than before: "Lady Astraea, you seem to… like Renan quite a bit?"

A human of the lower world, especially a girl of around twenty, might have blushed or squirmed at such a question, then deflected it with a huffy retort or some hesitant change of subject.

But this was Astraea. Never forget that she was a Goddess of Justice who had existed for over a hundred million years.

She paused only briefly before nodding, perfectly composed. "That's right. That child is special. In Orario, any god who knows his situation couldn't help but like him, and want him for themselves."

"Then…" Kaguya Gojouno opened her mouth, but the question that followed was a little improper, and in the end she didn't say it.

But Astraea was no ordinary goddess. How could she not guess what her children were thinking? She swept her gaze around the circle. "You want to ask why I didn't keep Renan here by force just now, don't you?"

The girls didn't answer, but the looks on their faces gave away exactly what they were thinking.

The smile already tugging at the brown-haired goddess's lips grew wider. She raised a slender arm, white as jade, and tapped her cheek with one finger. "That's the wisdom of a mature woman, you know~"

"Because of Soma, that child still harbors a deep resentment of gods and keeps his distance from them, even though he's made two deals with me."

"If I did anything too frivolous now, I'd only scare him off."

"Besides, the Astraea Familia has only ever recruited girls. If I suddenly let a boy stay the night, it wouldn't matter to me as a goddess, but your reputation outside would certainly suffer."

"We're all adventurers, and nobody can say whether an accident or tomorrow will come first. But if possible, I'd like you all to retire safely someday, marry, have children, and live out your lives in peace."

Astraea spoke with complete sincerity.

The girls listening were all touched, and it showed on their faces.

"So, Lady Astraea, what do you plan to do next?" Iska asked.

She was an Amazon, and had always been utterly straightforward about matters of love.

Hearing this, the others turned curious eyes on their patron god as well.

Even Ryu and Celty, the two elves who embodied "nobility," were no better.

Alize even thumped her chest. "If you need it, Lady Astraea, we can always change how the Familia recruits from now on."

Seeing her children rally behind her, Astraea smiled confidently.

"There's no hurry with Renan and me. Honestly, this game where he runs and I chase is rather fun. But…" She paused briefly. "Alize, Kaguya, I'll need to trouble you again tomorrow morning. Please deliver invitations for me to Loki, Freya and Ganesha."

…

While the goddess and her girls discussed him, Renan, the subject of it all, had already returned to his inn and gone to rest, completely unaware.

He had vaguely sensed that Astraea's attitude toward him was a little too kind, but right now only two words filled his head: get stronger. Everything else could wait.

The next morning, a little past eight.

Renan woke early and ate the breakfast the inn provided. Then he slung on the pack that held all his assets and spent roughly half an hour walking south to Babel in Central Plaza. He rode the magic stone elevator up to the shopping floor that sold every kind of equipment.

After some searching, he found the Hephaestus Familia's main shop near the southwest corner.

Renan pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Apparently the doorbell had alerted someone. A black-haired "girl" came out from behind the counter. She wore her hair in a ponytail with an eyepatch over her left eye, and her chest was simply bound in white cloth, leaving a wide stretch of bronzed skin bare.

She glanced at the boy who had walked in, then flashed a grin. "Welcome! What can I get you?"

Renan didn't hesitate and rattled it off like a menu. "I need a one-handed sword for under 5 million Valis, a short one-handed staff for around 10 million, and a full-coverage guardsman plate armor set. Ah, and the armor should be under 30 million if possible."

"Oh, and one each of the four types of Elven Ward Cloth, please."

"And lastly…"

"Hold on." Seeing that he intended to keep going, Tsubaki hurriedly cut him off.

She let out a long breath. "Let's do this one piece at a time."

As she spoke, the dwarf-blooded girl gestured for Renan to follow.

Renan didn't hesitate either. He nodded and went with her to the weapons section.

Tsubaki walked up to a rack and began picking through it. "Rapier, single-edged sword, double-edged sword, katana… which do you usually like to use?"

Renan thought for a moment. "A double-edged sword, I guess. Oh, and a thicker blade, if possible."

"Sure." Tsubaki nodded without thinking much of it and took down a broadsword from the rack. It had no ornamentation at all, with a gray-black blade and a silvery-white edge.

"I forged this one not long ago. The main material is [High-Carbon Steel], with about 2% [Adamantite] mixed in. It's strong enough for the middle floors, even the deep floors. It resists corrosive attacks poorly, though, so you'll need to maintain it regularly. That's also why it's a bit cheaper: 4.2 million Valis."