Chapter 76: Why Does It Feel Like a Supreme Bone Is Propping Me Up? (Patreon)

"I don't understand why so many goddesses are interested in Rozz. It's as if this war of love is doomed to go badly for me."

"That scene of all things bursting forth in thriving vitality is still right before my eyes…"

"Even against Hestia — baby-faced, big-chested, and throwing herself into his arms — and flat-as-an-airstrip Loki… the advantage is mine!"

*

That was Freya's pre-battle declaration.

The reason Rozz had deducted part of her Affection that time wasn't so hard to understand, now that she thought about it. After all, she herself was the one who'd started it.

Being able to activate Rozz's Hero Cloud-Raising Plan had ultimately come down to her identity as the Goddess of Beauty. Even if she someday truly claimed him, it would have to be as the goddess Freya. She'd have to meet Rozz as herself sooner or later.

She could hardly wear her "Syr" identity while forcibly taking him into the Familia under her "Freya" identity, and leave Rozz standing there with his sword drawn, glancing around in bewilderment, could she?

What kind of logic was that?!

After all, Freya truly despised philandering men. What she demanded of a partner was "devotion," along with a pure white, dazzling soul.

"Rozz."

Though the latter condition hadn't been met yet, she believed that with enough effort on her part, she could surely tune him into a shape she liked.

As for the hero's growth, Freya had also found a new approach. From Rozz's point of view, having his name and address inexplicably made public…

Hmm…

Now that she thought about it, that really would be infuriating, wouldn't it?

"It seems…"

"Rather than making trouble for Rozz myself, it'd be better to wait until his talent is fully revealed in Orario. By then, those idle gods will probably…"

"…be unable to wait to make their moves."

If she gave him too much attention herself…

Those gods… if they feared the existence of the "Freya" Familia and so didn't try to recruit the currently feeble Hestia Familia, where would Rozz find the trials his hero's growth was missing?

Besides,

Rozz's goal for the time being was to level up his Adventurer rank, and Freya was curious how far he could go!

Noticing the black-haired boy, who had gone out of his way to come to the Hostess of Fertility just so she wouldn't worry, Freya stood up at once.

To be precise, she was now showing close concern for Rozz as Syr's friend, striving to unlock the new feature of the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan sooner…

She wore the leaf-green maid uniform. This time, though, the black pantyhose made it even more striking, tracing the gray-haired girl's lovely leg lines to perfection.

A sweet smile brightened Syr's face.

The gray-haired girl didn't go over right away. Her gaze lingered on the table in front of her… until she found the one she'd prepared with such care among the many lunchboxes.

Then Syr walked toward Rozz, completely ignoring the wary-faced Supporter. "Good morning, Mr. Rozz!"

"Morning…"

"Don't make the people who care about you worry."

Ryuu had said those words to him, and Rozz thought they made a lot of sense. It was only a small detour to the restaurant anyway.

He explained the situation briefly, his tone relaxed. "After I finish everything with the Dungeon run… I should be coming to the restaurant to celebrate with Lady Hestia."

"I'll come find you then, Miss Syr."

"…"

If Hestia were there, Freya truly wouldn't dare show herself. The identity she'd barely managed to disguise would be seen through in an instant.

Even so, the gray-haired girl's sweet smile didn't waver. She held out the lunchbox herself. "If you're coming to find me… then I'd rather…"

"…get to spend time with you alone, Mr. Rozz~"

As she spoke, Syr's smile was full of mischief. "This is a lunch Syr made especially for you. I hope it helps!"

"Thank you…"

Rozz could swear he wasn't here to mooch a meal. But considering this was a lunch Syr had prepared…

Refusing would really be a bit of a slight to her kindness.

As he took it, he thought of all the help Syr had given him lately: showing him around Orario, lending him books on exploration.

Right. She'd even prepared free Dungeon lunches for him.

Rozz could clearly feel her goodwill. Before leaving, he thanked her again. "Thank you for looking after me, Miss Syr."

"Then I'll head to the Dungeon."

"Mr. Rozz, do your best in the Dungeon today… and please, please be careful!!"

[Affection +3]

Standing at the restaurant entrance, the gray-haired girl watched Rozz's back until he was gone. The smile on her lips never left her delicate face.

The Affection… was all back!!

Syr's fair cheeks were flushed, and she couldn't help sighing. "Forcing the seedling to grow only lowers Affection."

"In that case…"

"Could Hestia's gentle approach actually be the right one?!"

The good news: once Rozz finished leveling up his Adventurer rank, he'd have a stretch of free time, and she could test the theory with a date.

What she needed to think about now was the matter of Rozz's Alias once he leveled up!

That's right… Freya wanted to leave a mark that belonged to her alone on Rozz's growth, and an Adventurer Alias was exactly that.

"This is going to take a lot of thought…"

"He broke the fastest-advancement record of the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, and even cut it straight down to 20 days."

""Hero"?"

Actually, that Alias.

Paired with Rozz's Hero Cloud-Raising Plan, it had a strangely fitting ring to it, but it was surely unsuitable for him at his current stage.

The tree that stands tallest in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind.

She quickly dropped the idea. "If I'm going to pin my hopes on Rozz, the Alias "Pure-Love War God" doesn't seem bad either!"

At that thought, the gloom of all those other goddesses trying to steal Rozz away dissolved in the gray-haired girl's heart, no matter how high their Affection had climbed.

Could a childhood friend ever beat the girl who dropped from the sky?

Only when the black-haired boy's back had completely disappeared did Freya return to the restaurant, about to begin her usual day of work.

Then—

She quickly spotted that idiot cat-girl Anya collapsed on the floor, foaming at the mouth over and over, as if from food poisoning.

"Anya…"

"Even after all these years, this girl is still the same. She loves food so much. I never thought she'd upset her stomach, though?"

As the goddess of Anya's former Familia,

Syr looked down at the cat-girl lying on the floor. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth without her noticing, but then her eyes fell on the opened lunchbox.

…

Something about it looked strangely familiar to the girl.

*

The Dungeon run went smoothly.

Thanks to the boost from the Skill Mana Discharge, the most obvious change Rozz felt was how much faster he cleared monsters.

He just hadn't exchanged the drops yet. Otherwise, his earnings this stretch would be many times what they'd been before.

In the meantime…

he had slowed his development of the Myriad Phenomena magic a little, using the most efficient method to max out the boost to his Magic attribute.

Standing in Central Park once more, Rozz looked up. Night as dark as ink had settled over Orario, and Magic Stone lamps glowed along both sides of Adventurer Street.

Fifteen days had passed since he'd come to Orario.

He had started out uneasy, but with the kind help of friends and gods, he'd gradually adapted to this utterly unfamiliar world.

Relief.

That was probably Rozz's mood right now.

If he'd landed in the Soma Familia when he first transmigrated into the DanMachi world… he didn't dare imagine how miserable he'd be at this point.

He ought to find a chance to thank them properly.

He turned to the Supporter girl beside him, her face just as worn out. "Lili, let's stop here for today."

"Get some good rest tonight. Tomorrow's a day off, and there should be a celebration feast then. I'll come find you where you're staying."

"Okay."

With leveling up as the goal, exploration had to pause at this stage… no need to guess why.

Lili looked up.

She gazed at Rozz beside her, a rookie who'd known nothing at the start and had come this far in only half a month.

Really…

The Supporter girl was eagerly looking forward to what kind of unprecedented sight it would be once Rozz truly stepped onto Orario's stage.

But before they parted,

Lili looked up and gathered her courage. "What you promised me still stands, right? That you'd go out with me when you have time…"

"Of course."

*

Rozz returned to the Traveler's Hostel. The moment he pushed open the door, he saw the goddess waiting for him, already finished with her part-time work.

Seeing her beloved child come home,

Hestia stopped curling up on the sofa. As she hopped down, her enormously ample chest bounced violently.

Through the Exploration Log,

the goddess knew perfectly well that Rozz's goal was to level up his Adventurer rank, and she was even more excited about it than Rozz was.

"Dog-shit luck."

In the Heavens, that was probably how they'd put it.

Even Hestia had never imagined that the unconscious boy she'd taken in on a whim of fate could, in such a short time…

This naive rookie of hers, who had known nothing about Orario or combat, had grown into a shining star on the verge of breaking a world record!

Lv2.

In the Labyrinth City, that was a level that earned you a seat at the table.

And with Rozz's Potential, plus the nurturing of the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan, things would only go more smoothly from here.

"Rozz…"

"I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm also a little scared… With talent this good, the other gods are sure to fight over you."

Before the Status Update,

the goddess sat astride Rozz's lower back and leaned down against the boy's dependable shoulders, letting her feelings pour out.

Hestia sighed softly.

"But seeing the Adventurer talent you have finally be realized like this makes me really happy!"

Actually…

Rozz thought his goddess looked rather cute like this. If she were too perfect, it would only create a strong sense of distance.

"Gods."

Before transmigrating,

he'd had no faith at all. If he had to name one, it would be red, and the gods of his previous life had been more like vessels carrying certain hopes.

But in Orario,

when a god actually stood before him, Rozz couldn't help feeling a bit awkward. Immortal lifespans, coming down to Orario in search of novelty…

Flawless.

Perhaps that word described them best.

Especially with all the help Hestia had given him in the Dungeon and in daily life, it was hard to treat her as an equal.

Respect.

And gratitude for a god's help.

And after transmigrating to Orario, what Rozz considered starting a brand-new life script was encountering supernatural power that had never existed in his previous life.

It didn't mean forgetting one's duty as a human being!

From her words, he could strongly sense it… this uneasiness that didn't belong to a god made Hestia feel even more like a young girl, didn't it?

Good.

Faced with his goddess's feelings, Rozz felt he owed her a serious answer. He turned his head and proposed decisively, "Lady Hestia."

"Could you let me turn over first?"

"…"

The goddess nodded lightly.

She didn't know exactly why, but Hestia stopped sitting astride Rozz's lower back in that duck-sit pose.

She lifted her legs slightly until the black-haired boy had turned over.

When their eyes met, Rozz told Hestia what was in his heart in the most direct, no-nonsense way he could.

"I believe…"

"Meeting Lady Hestia was absolutely my good fortune. Past, present, or future, I won't regret my choice!"

"…"

Then,

the girl, who could clearly feel the heat of Rozz's feelings, didn't hold her pose. She leaned down and hugged her child tightly.

Hestia pressed her cheek against his chest.

She could even clearly feel Rozz's strong, powerful heartbeat, and she breathed in deeply, drawing in the scent that belonged to the boy alone.

And then,

the girl frowned slightly, concentrating. It felt as if there was a Supreme Bone pressing against her?

…

Rozz

Level: Lv1

Strength: SS1086→SSS1500

Endurance: SS1010→SSS1501

Dexterity: SS1125→SSS1533

Agility: SS1034→SSS1520

Magic: C603→SSS1499

…

Skill:

- Forge Onward

Magic:

- Myriad Phenomena

…

Even after finishing Rozz's Status Update, the goddess's cheeks were still flushed deep red, but what she felt most was anticipation.

What worried Hestia most

was that, because of the difference in their statuses as "god" and Familia member, Rozz would never dare entertain any thought of breaking the boundary between them.

Good boy!

All she could say was that a Familia member who didn't want to marry his god was definitely not a good Familia member.

After finishing the imprint of the stats Rozz had gained and finally raised through his recent trials, Hestia took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

Her eyes were full of anticipation.

But then,

when Hestia's gaze swept over Rozz's absurd attributes, which no Adventurer in Orario could possibly match,

all the mental preparation she'd done beforehand was shattered in an instant!

"Right, right."

"Every attribute… has broken the limit of the Falna system and reached SSS rank. At the same level, he'd leave other Adventurers behind by at least 50%, wouldn't he?"

Most crucial of all

was the unreasonable speed of Rozz's growth. What decent Adventurer could reach this point in just half a month?

"Oh, he's mine… then it makes perfect sense!"

Thinking of this,

Hestia could no longer hold back her smile. Pride, boasting, and above all, a possessiveness toward Rozz.

She murmured softly, "Rozz."

"I can tell you in all seriousness: you've created a brand-new history for Orario, and I believe this miracle won't simply vanish."

"So…"

"Let me help you level up!!"

…

[Author's Note: PS: Drifting clouds veil the moon but cannot blind the eye; though the seeker of the Way may die, his heart stays iron~ Monthly tickets, please. Never mind, I'm begging you all to hurry… Scold this author, I'm a maggot!!]