Chapter 87: Hestia, if you don't raise Rozz, there are other goddesses who will! (Patreon)

Standing in Orario's Central Park once more, Rozz found it was already evening. Everywhere he looked, the square was packed with bustling Adventurers.

This expedition had gone quite well.

He'd pushed his deepest-reached floor into the middle floors, up to Floor 14. If there was any real regret, it was only that…

He hadn't run into an anomaly like a "Monster Feast."

Rozz looked at the Supporter girl beside him, her childlike face etched with exhaustion, and said, "Let's call it a day for today's exploration."

"What now?"

Lili looked up.

That grueling run, especially the steadily rising water temperature on the middle floors, had wrung her Stamina completely dry.

The bad news:

Ever since this guy had finished his Level Up, he never collapsed from exhaustion after a day in the Dungeon the way he used to.

Damn it.

That also killed off any chance of secretly carrying a collapsed Rozz home. So how on earth was she ever supposed to get to eat him?

The Supporter girl's heart ached with gloom.

But that was only Lili's on-again, off-again ambition. If she wanted to eat Rozz… she'd have to keep working at it, relentlessly.

She raised her head.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Hmm…"

Compared to before, the most obvious change since choosing "Stamina" as his Development Ability at Level Up was that he just wasn't that tired anymore.

An ability that could dominate the hidden world, and he was spending it on exploring the Dungeon. (Annoyed.)

He mulled over Lili's question for a moment, then gave his answer.

"Well… I think I should swing by Hephaestus's weapon shop. My new way of fighting is really hard on weapons."

It was the truth.

When he fought with the "Chidori Blade" as his main method, the sharpness of his weapon rose to a level it had never reached before.

And the price?

After just today's intense exploration, Rozz had already found many fine cracks along the edge of his katana.

The smith who forged it probably never imagined it would be used this extremely.

He shrugged, a little helpless. "Exploring like this is probably going to cost a lot in repairs."

"Then go take care of it."

Having learned where he was headed next, Lili didn't even feel like tagging along. Once his weapon was repaired, this guy would surely go straight back to the Familia Home at the Traveler's Hostel.

That was fine.

At least Rozz wasn't like those terrible Adventurers who finished exploring and then headed off to the Pleasure Quarter to pick up those awful habits.

"Exploring as usual tomorrow?"

"Of course."

Even if his weapon needed repairs, he could still fight with the ninjutsu "Chidori." That was probably the payoff of having a diverse set of combat methods.

Remembering Hestia's instructions, Rozz didn't forget to remind Lili before he set off for the "Hephaestus" weapon shop.

"About tomorrow night, I might need to get back to Orario early. Lady Hestia is taking me to the Gods' Banquet."

"Oh~"

—

Adventurer Street was actually livelier than Rozz had expected. Usually, once exploration was done, nearly everyone went straight back to their Homes to lie around like corpses.

He arrived at the branch of Hephaestus's weapon shop.

Rozz scanned the surroundings but couldn't find his own beautiful little goddess. Instead, he ran into a red-haired big sister.

Hephaestus.

Compared to her usual crisp look of white shirt and work trousers, the goddess in front of him now, setting aside her identity entirely, looked like a mature, elegant older sister with an exceptionally perfect figure.

Yes.

Her custom-made wine-red evening gown fit snugly, tracing out Hephaestus's already tall and flawless curves.

A true mature beauty!

Her vermilion short hair and black eyepatch gave her a distinct aura all her own.

She seemed to notice Rozz's arrival. The goddess, still holding her hands up to tie her hair, turned around, baring a pale swan neck. Her gaze was a little surprised at first.

Then a casual smile bloomed on Hephaestus's delicate face. "Rozz, were you looking for Hestia?"

"She went home half an hour ago."

"…Is that so?"

Not finding Hestia at the shop left him a little disappointed, but Hephaestus showing up made up for it nicely.

At her question, Rozz answered honestly. "Actually, I came tonight to see you, Lady Hephaestus. There's something I'd like to ask a favor with."

"…"

Thanks to the Exploration Log's updates, Hephaestus naturally knew exactly what this guy had come for tonight. Besides, it was a rare chance to be alone with Rozz.

That Affection, she was absolutely going to farm until it overflowed!

She turned her back to the black-haired boy and fixed her hair ornament in the full-length mirror. When she turned to face Rozz again, her fair cheeks were faintly flushed.

Hephaestus spoke again, her voice carrying the languid drawl only a mature beauty could pull off, and she didn't ask what he'd come for.

"Rozz."

She went on at her own pace, lightly lifting the hem of her skirt. "What do you think of this evening gown I had made?"

"…"

Testing a good cadre with something like this!

Especially with Hephaestus's eyes lifted at him, so enticing, Rozz thought it over for a moment and decided to stop thinking altogether.

Lolis are right, and cat-girls are right.

And now it seems a mature beauty like Hephaestus is right too!

Rozz answered honestly. "You look amazing… Personally, Lady Hephaestus, you're absolutely the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Heh heh~"

Orario had plenty of beautiful goddesses.

Even if Rozz had lied here, Hephaestus wouldn't have minded. But hearing his candid answer, as a goddess, she was genuinely delighted too.

"Still, I won't be wearing this gown to the Gods' Banquet," she said lightly.

"I don't want to be stared at in strange ways."

Having said that, Hephaestus seemed to remember something, and she reminded him offhandedly, "The formal wear for you to attend the banquet…"

"I picked that out for you too."

"I just don't know whether you'll like the style. Hestia clocked out early tonight precisely to pick up your clothes."

"!!"

If she hadn't mentioned it, Rozz would have nearly forgotten. Accompanying his goddess Hestia to the Gods' Banquet meant he had to wear formal wear, at the very least.

He couldn't embarrass his goddess, after all.

He looked up at Hephaestus, his mind full of one thought: where else could he find a big sister like her?

"Thank you…"

…

[Affection +5]

[Affection Stage: 2]

[Affection Stage: 42/50]

…

Hephaestus watched the translucent screen of the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan pop up just as she'd hoped, bearing the news that Rozz's Affection toward her had risen.

The bewitching smile on the red-haired goddess's face grew even brighter.

She waved a hand carelessly. Only the last 8 points of Affection stood between her and unlocking Rozz's brand-new development stage.

She had to push harder!

Especially after learning that Hestia had gotten ridiculously lucky and drawn an Adventurer like Rozz in Orario, only to take a hands-off, free-range approach.

Hephaestus's attitude had shifted subtly at that moment. That kind of neglect was a waste of Rozz's talent.

One slip, and quite possibly the boy would get himself killed in the Dungeon!

If Hestia ever found out that she was also a player in Rozz's Hero Cloud-Raising Plan…

What she most wanted to say was probably this:

"Hestia, if you won't raise your husband, there are plenty of gods who'll raise him for you!"

Perhaps because the Affection had risen, the smile on Hephaestus's face was sincere, especially under the boy's dazed stare.

Hmm…

She used to resist dressing like this, but if it was for Rozz, she suddenly felt it wasn't so hard to accept after all.

A certain Goddess of Beauty had once said:

A perfect figure exists to be admired by the opposite sex.

At Apollo's Gods' Banquet, Hephaestus could never dress like this. In front of Rozz, she certainly could.

And she could farm some Affection on the side. Two birds with one stone!

With a soft laugh, she invited the black-haired boy and turned toward the shop's office. "Come to my office with me."

"Okay."

—

The office smelled wonderful. A faint fragrance drifted through the air, nothing like the harsh stink of cheap perfume from his past life.

Thick books filled the mahogany shelves along both sides of the room.

The moment Rozz stepped in, he saw her seated on the sofa, her flawless, snow-white legs crossed in an alluring pose.

The slit at the base of her red evening gown, in an unguarded moment, quietly gave away a glimpse of that lovely view.

[Somehow it feels like we should talk about something else on an occasion like this.]

After stating his purpose first, Rozz set the katana in need of repair on the desk, scratching his head to redirect his attention. "I feel a bit bad about this."

"It's a weapon you gave me, Lady Hephaestus, and I didn't take good care of it."

"…"

As the goddess of Forging, Hephaestus naturally hoped that users would cherish their weapons. But sensing the sincerity in Rozz's feelings, she raised her head.

She didn't blame him at all. Her eyes flashed in mock reproach. "Is it possible that the whole reason I gave you this gift was…"

"So you could put it to good use and come back to Orario safely?"

With that, she picked up the weapon from the desk and drew the katana from its sheath. Her sharp gaze immediately landed on several cracks along the edge.

How many days had it been since she gave it to him?

Sure, this katana only counted as a Grade 3 armament, but even within that grade it was in the top tier.

How could it break this easily!

Hephaestus recalled the Exploration Log's contents. There were few details on the combat, but it did mention the Skill he'd mastered.

"Chidori."

She set the weapon back on the desk and looked up at Rozz. "I'll have Tsubaki repair it for you later."

"Actually…"

"More than the repairs, I'm curious how on earth you managed to wreck it like this in such a short time."

"Because that weapon is a Grade 3 armament, no matter how you look at it."

"…"

Rozz honestly didn't know much about weapon grades, but he knew this one sat in the display window with a staggering price tag of a million.

Under Hephaestus's gaze, he hesitated for a moment, then explained selectively. "My Skill is kind of special. It produces something like lightning."

"Hm?"

Even as a goddess, Hephaestus couldn't hide her surprise at this. Among gods, it wasn't an especially astonishing thing.

But in all her years of building a name in Orario, she had never once seen an Adventurer who could wield lightning!

Brimming with curiosity, she arched an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "I'm quite curious about this Skill of yours. Can you show me?"

"Sure."

Given the chance, Rozz actually wanted to get to know this mature-beauty goddess better. Besides, he'd already told her everything about his stats.

"Chidori."

There was nothing much to hide about this Skill, shaped with Myriad Phenomena.

Rozz raised his hand. As he drew on his Mind and shifted its output form, pure white lightning surfaced in his palm.

In an instant,

the sound of countless birds chirping burst out.

He answered truthfully. "I think the weapon's durability dropping this much is the result of this Skill."

"Chidori."

Hephaestus was brimming with curiosity. "Why did you give it that name?"

"When I use the Skill, the sounds around me get drowned out, and it sounds like the sharp cries of lots of birds."

Rozz's first theft, and if he stole again, he'd answer for it!

Knowing that he couldn't lie before a god, he could only answer within certain limits, with information that would never expose his identity as a transmigrator.

As he stopped feeding it his Mind, the Chidori arcs dancing across his palm faded at a rate visible to the naked eye, and even the office sank back into Silence.

Rozz added at the end,

"As for the effect, it basically boosts a weapon's killing power."

"…"

More than the effect of Chidori, what Hephaestus really wanted to know was how on earth this guy had managed to conjure it by hand.

A new and unknown wonder.

Honestly,

since she'd really started getting to know Rozz, the novel and unknown things she'd encountered in this short time were richer than her entire twenty-odd years before.

The red-haired goddess asked again, "How did you do it?"

"Maybe my ideas are just a bit out there. I always felt that the way we use Mind isn't very comprehensive."

"Since it's something inside my own body, I figured I should be able to give it attributes based on what I imagine."

These words were truly an insight Rozz had arrived at after mastering the Myriad Phenomena Magic, and the key point was that…

it seemed…

that in all of Orario, only he could do this to this extent?

Even Lili, who had fully mastered the principle behind releasing Mana Burst, couldn't replicate it no matter how hard she tried.

"…"

Silence.

Especially hearing Rozz's matter-of-fact answer, the look on Hephaestus's delicate face turned rarely complicated.

Because,

from what he'd just said, there wasn't a trace of emotional fluctuation in his tone, not a hint of pride or self-satisfaction.

She murmured softly,

"You ought to be proud of yourself, you know."

"Consider it payment for the brand-new unknown you've brought me. Don't worry about the repair costs. As for any other reward…"

Hephaestus thought it over for a moment.

Her tone was relaxed. "You can pick any weapon you like from the display window. You can't very well explore the Dungeon barehanded, can you?"

"Really?!"

"Would I lie to you?"

[Affection +3]

The mature beauty laughed, unable to hold it back.

Hephaestus looked at the Affection notice that had popped up again on the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan. A mechanism where effort earned a reward like this was truly easy to get hooked on.

It was just that…

She couldn't help feeling a little wistful. After all, the help she could offer Rozz was limited to weapons and armor.

So then,

should she consider following Hestia's example and give Rozz a reward that could soothe… and relax his weary mood?

[Author's Note: This chapter counts as part of the October 1st update and won't be counted toward the 2nd's update, meow. And now for the usual begging for monthly tickets.]

[Author's Note: It's National Day holiday, but the author gets no holiday, meow! Monthly tickets are addictive ǒ.jpg]