Chapter 80: Ryu's Special Training Plan, Apollo's Banquet Invitation! (Patreon)

The best way to adapt to the power gained from a Level Up... was to find a senior Adventurer and do some special training.

The obvious choice was Takemikazuchi, the God of Martial Arts. But after last night's celebration feast, bothering him again the very next day made Rozz feel a little awkward.

You couldn't keep fleecing the same sheep. If a god had to take part-time jobs to get by, it meant that Familia's finances weren't in great shape.

And special training meant asking the Tater Tot Stall for time off.

With that in mind, Rozz headed to the Hostess of Fertility to lock in his appointment with Miss Ryuu first. If he still hadn't gotten a handle on his new strength after that, he'd ask Miss Ais for help.

"Okay, let's do this!"

After a quick breakfast to fill his stomach, he reached the restaurant on Western Main Street. It was early morning, and there weren't many Adventurers around.

The restaurant hadn't opened yet. Only a door on the side stood ajar.

As Rozz arrived, he happened to run into a tall, gray-haired girl sweeping in front of the entrance.

"Good morning, Miss Syr."

"..."

She noticed him coming.

Even though she'd seen it coming, the gray-haired girl's face still lit up with a delighted smile, her bright eyes blinking.

Syr smiled warmly. "Good morning~"

"Mr. Rozz, are you heading into the Dungeon and just passing by?"

"No."

Rozz answered honestly. "I Leveled Up a couple of days ago, so I figured I'd give myself a little break."

"Now that the break's over, I came to bother Miss Ryuu."

"I found out in our earlier conversation that she used to be an Adventurer, so I wanted to train with her and firm up the basics after my Level Up."

He'd stated his purpose simply, then remembered the lunchbox Syr had given him on his last day. "Oh, and... the lunchbox you made that day, Miss Syr."

"It was really delicious!"

"I'm just happy I could help."

A flicker of disappointment crossed the gray-haired girl's face, but mostly she looked impish, almost devilish. "I thought Mr. Rozz came here to see me."

"But..."

"If it's Ryuu you want, the timing's perfect. She just got up and is training in the backyard, so she should definitely have time for special training."

Having explained, Syr walked ahead. At the mouth of the alley she paused, turned sideways, and invited him with a smile. "I'll take you there."

"Thank you, Miss Syr!"

Following her steps, Rozz reached the backyard of the Hostess of Fertility. There he saw the elf girl, wooden sword in hand, sweat flying with every swing.

Unlike usual, she wasn't wearing her leaf-green maid uniform. Instead she had on a light white tank top with green shorts.

Her short green hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and every swing of the wooden sword was crisper than ever.

Noticing someone had come into the backyard, Ryuu lowered her stance and turned around, spotting two familiar figures.

Syr.

And the black-haired boy Syr liked: Rozz.

Curiosity flickered in Ryuu's eyes, but she couldn't be bothered to think it over and simply asked, "What brings you two here all of a sudden?"

"Oh."

"Mr. Rozz is actually looking for you!"

Considering that Rozz had reached Lv2 in such a short time, Syr figured she could take at least some of the credit.

The gray-haired girl's voice was full of glee as she emphasized it.

"Mr. Rozz Leveled Up to Lv2 in the last couple of days, so he came to ask you... to help with special training."

"Ryuu, are you free right now?"

Syr didn't think Ryuu would take any interest in Rozz. But a chance to openly get involved in his growth like this?

She couldn't miss it!

Seemingly worried the elf would refuse, she added quickly, "Don't worry about Mama Mia, I'll talk to her."

"No problem."

"If it's special training, let's go outside Orario. It's more open there, and we won't have to worry about breaking anything."

She had made this promise with Rozz a while back.

And in Ryuu's simple way of seeing things, a promise had to be kept, all the more so when it meant helping Rozz grow stronger.

Because this was also her way of protecting her dear friend's smile!!

*

"Hehe~"

"I drank so much at the celebration feast last night, and I woke up without a headache... Good thing I ran into Rozz."

"It's all thanks to how well he takes care of me!"

It was nearly noon.

In the sunlight spilling through the window, the goddess slowly came to. The first thing she saw was her familiar bedroom.

Rozz must have brought her home.

But then Hestia looked down at herself, a little rumpled but still in the same white dress, and felt a sudden pang of regret.

"He's just too well-behaved, that's the problem."

"If I'm drunk, I won't remember anything tomorrow even if he did something improper. Could it be I'm just not attractive enough?"

The girl couldn't help muttering.

It was the truth.

Even if Rozz brought the Bonus Stage from Dream Training into reality, she honestly wouldn't mind.

But the guy just wouldn't do it!

"If you won't make the first move, then I'll just have to make it myself~"

As for what happened after she got drunk last night, Hestia didn't have many memories when she woke up this morning.

Everything was hazy.

All she knew was that Rozz had carried her on his back to Hephaestus's place, and then... he'd fed her hangover soup. The conversation itself?

Mm.

She had no memory of that at all. All she recalled were some words about things that would benefit Rozz's development, and that she could go to Hephaestus if she needed anything.

"Then let's see."

The goddess hummed. "What exactly did that tough-talking softie Hephaestus say to my Rozz last night?"

But when she opened the Exploration Log, what appeared before her eyes was completely blank. More precisely, there was only Rozz's movements for today.

"Having just Leveled Up to Lv2, Rozz decides, after a short rest, to find a senior Adventurer to firm up his current abilities."

"He finds a staff member of the Hostess of Fertility."

"After getting her consent, Rozz goes with her outside Orario and begins today's Adventurer special training plan."

Nothing from last night's drinking.

That wasn't hard for Hestia to understand, since the log only recorded things that happened that day.

Not being able to see it didn't matter~

She firmly believed that her best friend Hephaestus would never do anything to wrong her!

She climbed out of bed.

After a quick wash and changing into her shop uniform, Hestia looked at herself in the mirror and nodded, quite satisfied.

"Another day full of hope!"

Her Familia's only member had just reached Lv2. Yesterday had barely counted as a rest day, and today he was already thinking about how to solidify his strength fast!

So she couldn't slack off either.

She had plenty to do: work part-time at her good friend's weapon shop, think up an Alias for Rozz, and above all, build up her connections among the gods.

The Alias.

Even if she came up with one she liked, she might not be able to win it for Rozz at the Denatus held at the top of Babel.

Because it was decided by vote.

And most crucial of all...

Usually many gods would propose ideas for an Alias, and then the final decision was made by a show of hands based on the opinions in the room.

As long as she gathered enough gods...

Back in the Heavens, she'd been quite the homebody, but she actually knew plenty of gods. She just hadn't run into any since coming to Orario.

After all, with their divine power sealed, they were no different from ordinary people. If they weren't in Orario but in Blade-Forging City or Sin City, even meeting up was a hassle.

The only method left, and the most efficient one, was to hold a Gods' Banquet. Surely some idle gods with nothing better to do would show up to join the fun.

"Just thinking about it is a pain."

"If the Familia Home were as big as Hephaestus's, I'd just spend the money and throw a banquet at home and invite all the gods."

"What a shame..."

Carrying that regret, the goddess could only head to the Weapon Shop Branch. She'd finish her work first, and only then could she think about the Alias.

When she arrived at her workplace, there weren't many customers in the morning.

Most Adventurers were off exploring the Dungeon, and newbies couldn't afford weapons made by the Hephaestus Familia anyway.

"After drinking last night..."

Hestia felt a bit uneasy. "I'm a little late today, but I'm sure Hephaestus will understand."

"And I can go ask her about the Alias while I'm at it!"

*

It turned out just as she'd expected.

Hephaestus really had no time to deal with Hestia. Last night, while farming Rozz's Affection, she'd run into the "Sage" status.

And she hadn't gotten the Affection increase she'd hoped for.

Actually...

Looking at it from another angle, she could understand the behavior. After all, Hestia probably had no idea that she had a translucent panel.

She absolutely couldn't let that girl find out!!

Otherwise, Hephaestus didn't even dare imagine what ways Hestia would come up with, day after day, to squeeze Rozz's Stamina once she got desperate.

She looked at the gilded invitation lying on the desk. The seal on it, a "Golden Bow and Sun," marked the sender's divine identity.

Apollo.

Whether in the Heavens or here in Orario, the guy's personality hadn't changed much.

He loved throwing banquets.

Every time Apollo held a Gods' Banquet, he sent an invitation to her place, and she had basically never gone.

"Boring."

"It's not nearly as interesting as the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan, where I can build up Rozz's Affection and watch a hero being born with my own eyes."

Hephaestus quickly looked away.

Attending a Gods' Banquet meant mingling with all those gods, and the biggest thing to happen in Orario lately was surely...

Rozz.

She couldn't exactly go sharing the "Unknown" she'd discovered, could she?

Absolutely not!

Just then, the door to the office was pushed open. A Familia member would have knocked and asked first.

She looked up from the mountain of reports once more.

Unsurprisingly, the red-haired goddess saw Hestia's familiar figure. Remembering last night's incident with Rozz, Hephaestus felt her nerves tighten.

The Exploration Log.

That was her greatest worry. If this girl woke up before the log was cleared, Hephaestus would truly have no fig leaf left to hide behind.

"Hm?"

She tensed her cheeks, trying to make her expression look as normal as possible, and asked, "What brings you here?"

"Nothing major, really."

After all, she'd only been in Orario for a little over a month.

And when it came to divine connections, Hephaestus, who ran the largest weapon Familia in the Labyrinth City, surely had ways to help her out.

It's just...

Something about her good friend seemed a little off today.

Hestia didn't dwell on it and said lightly, "Our Rozz broke through to Lv2, right? So there's the matter of his Alias."

"As a goddess, I have to think about it."

At this point she couldn't help rubbing her hands together, eyes full of hope. "I just wanted to ask: what if I wanted to gather all my old friends from the Heavens?"

"So that when Rozz chooses his Alias, I could get him something nice-sounding."

Learning she wasn't there to ask about last night's drinking, Hephaestus quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Not looking directly at Hestia, she let her gaze drift to the gilded invitation on the desk.

A concrete plan came to mind.

"I think... with your finances right now, you definitely can't host a Gods' Banquet. If you really want to win it for Rozz..."

"There's a chance."

"I just don't know if you'd be willing. Two days from now, Apollo... is holding a Gods' Banquet at his Familia Home."

"..."

Following her friend's gaze, the goddess noticed the extravagant invitation too, and quickly got Hephaestus's meaning.

Back in the Heavens, the sun god Apollo had confessed to her in front of a crowd of gods, and she had rejected him without mercy.

She'd also made it clear she would never accept him, no matter what.

And the thought of mooching off a gathering of gods hosted by Apollo didn't make Hestia feel awkward at all. Even if he confessed a hundred times,

her answer would still be no.

To prevent any misunderstanding, she'd bring her beloved Rozz to this Gods' Banquet. It wouldn't just help him win a good Alias.

It would even...

let her announce to the other gods that Rozz belonged entirely to her!!

Thinking this over, Hestia waved a hand casually. "A chance to win Rozz an Alias? I can't miss that~"

"At a Gods' Banquet like this, you can usually bring your Familia members, right? Perfect. I can mooch a meal and let all those familiar gods meet Rozz."

"Hehe."

The goddess couldn't help humming as she spoke. "Only this way can I put a stop to them poaching him."

"?"

Hephaestus: I doubt that.

Considering Rozz would be attending the banquet, she seemed to have a very good reason to go herself, to keep other goddesses from getting close.

The red-haired goddess raised her head.

She said calmly, "This invitation was sent to me by Apollo, but if you want to go... I wouldn't mind bringing you along."

"Hestia, you know what to do, right?"

[Author's Note: PS: I'm sorry to you, dear readers, about the votes. I've been doing 4,000 words a day and taking a break from heavy hand use, and my tendonitis recovery is going well. I'd call it a barely-passable recovery. From here on I'll go back to my usual word count, and I'll pay back the bonus chapters owed for the various rewards during this time. Reader group: 1109609480 (real-time status updates every day, and any images that get banned will also be posted in the group).]