Chapter 91: Apollo's Recruitment, Why Is There Sichuan Opera in Another World? (Patreon)

When he threw the Gods' Banquet, not even Apollo had expected that Hestia, of all people, would actually show up.

Had she forgotten everything? Back at the Gods' Assembly in the Heavens, that woman had turned down his courtship in front of countless gods without a shred of mercy. How had she, in front of countless gods, refused his courtship without a shred of mercy?

Then again, it was all ancient history. And since coming to Orario, he'd found a whole new source of fun. A goddess he used to chase couldn't compare to his own Familia members.

"But still..."

"I hear the rookie Adventurer who recently broke Sword Princess Ais's world record is one of the members Hestia recruited."

"What kind of dumb luck is that?"

Compared to other Familias, Apollo's recruitment standards were remarkably lax. The first requirement was good looks, and an Adventurer's talent was a distant second.

He drained the wine in the glass beside him. He hadn't planned on picking a fight with Hestia. But when Apollo's gaze fell on the boy hooked on her arm, his thoughts changed all at once.

Black hair and a yellow-skinned Eastern face. Even among his own Familia, such a thing was unheard of. The boy was also clean-featured and handsome.

And most important of all, the moment he thought of Rozz's unprecedented, outrageous talent, his desire to add Rozz to his collection swelled into outright fanaticism.

"Not to mention..."

A feverish light slowly crept into Apollo's eyes. Driven on by the alcohol, he found himself recalling how he'd once poured out his love so earnestly, only to be cruelly rejected. This felt like revenge.

The god murmured softly:

"Hestia, you rejected my courtship... I won't hold that against you. So there should be no problem if I go after your child instead, right?"

"Besides..."

"It feels like such an excellent sprout would be a waste in your Familia!"

*

Of course Loki was going to turn up at a Gods' Banquet to join in the fun, especially with so many interesting things happening in Orario lately.

It was just that... when she spotted Hestia at the venue, she honestly had no intention of going over to say hello. Given what she knew of that woman's personality...

Rozz, after all, was the legendary rookie who had broken Ais's world record. Hestia would never pass up the chance to come over and show him off to her!

At any other time, Loki might not have cared. Her own Ais was a Lv5 genius Adventurer, after all.

But the situation was completely different now.

Seriously... whose Adventurer has a Hero Cloud-Raising Plan hovering over his head, completes a Level Up in a mere half month, and has every Stat at SSS?!

Barring accidents, Rozz would surely keep that talent going.

Loki really didn't want Hestia, the latecomer, stepping all over her. She had barely even looked into the translucent screen she'd finally managed to open.

The reason was simple enough. To unlock the new raising function, she had to farm Rozz's Affection, and gifts were unavoidable. Worse, she still couldn't be certain about something.

Rozz's Stats broke the theoretical limit of the Falna. If her own Ais, who chased limits above all else, ever found out...

"Damn."

"That absolutely cannot be allowed to happen!"

Picturing that scene put Loki in a foul mood. She couldn't afford to provoke Hestia or Rozz, so she'd just steer clear of them.

What she hadn't expected was that, even though she'd retreated to a corner of the banquet hall, she'd still pick out Rozz's very familiar figure among the Adventurers.

Curiosity piqued, the flat-chested, strikingly androgynous red-haired goddess squinted out of habit as she drifted closer, and then she caught what they were saying.

How to put it? Rozz himself was the subject of the heated debate, and he was standing there as a total bystander, offering perfectly objective, neutral commentary on himself.

What a wicked sense of humor... Especially when Rozz revealed who he was, the stunned looks on the Adventurers' faces gave off a strong impression of a naughty kid teasing old men.

"Hm? Rozz always seems so proper. I never imagined he'd act like this around Adventurers."

Honestly, this was kind of nice. Rozz was about the same age as her Ais, so there was no need for him to act so old beyond his years. This was the time to be full of spirit.

Let's go have some fun~

A sudden sense of kinship rose in Loki. Squinting, she chuckled and asked, "So how does that feel?"

"Hm?"

Noticing someone speaking to him, Rozz turned his head and saw the red-haired god Loki, leaning against a round marble pillar, her figure and gender instantly recognizable.

Especially that meaningful smile of hers.

He quickly guessed that Loki had witnessed the whole thunderous exchange he'd just had with those strangers. Being caught showing off by a god he knew felt oddly awkward. He cleared his throat and greeted her first. "Ahem. Lady Loki."

"Don't mind it."

"I actually found it pretty interesting. Whenever I dealt with you before, you always seemed to have the mind of someone much more mature." Loki waved a casual hand.

Looking at it another way, hadn't she just unlocked, at this very banquet, a special CG of Rozz that even Hestia would never get to see?

She raised her wine glass in a light toast. "I'm just here to mooch a meal, too. Apollo spares no expense when he throws a banquet."

"Even the liquor is the kind we normally can't bring ourselves to buy!"

Beyond that, though, Loki was far more curious about why Rozz had come to the gods' gathering with Hestia. A god from some lowly Familia might not know the answer.

But the Apollo Familia was, by any measure, a mainstay of Orario's strength. They surely had already learned the news that an Adventurer had recently broken the world record.

Besides, if she remembered correctly, Apollo and Hestia had clashed back in the Heavens, all because Apollo's confession was rejected.

If Apollo found out that the shining new star who had broken the world record again was Hestia's own Familia member, even Loki couldn't help looking forward to what came next.

"A truly delightful entertainment."

She couldn't resist murmuring, "Somehow I get the feeling tonight's banquet is going to be very interesting!"

"Hm?"

Rozz turned to look at Loki, who had voiced that remark out of nowhere, and a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes. If it had been any other god, he wouldn't have minded it at all.

But Loki was the Trickster God of Norse myth, so ignoring her words outright was not easy.

"What do you mean?"

"How should I put this..."

If Rozz had been a member of her own Familia, Apollo wouldn't have dared to entertain any ideas, no matter how many dog-sized guts he borrowed.

But for the newly founded Hestia Familia, Loki seriously suspected that pervert, that same-sex-loving deviant, might get some very nasty ideas because of Rozz's outrageous talent.

Besides, as she looked at the handsome, upright youth beside her, she thought of the special existence of the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan. Just as she was about to give him a simple warning...

Walking toward them from the far side of the hall came the orange-haired, short-cropped youthful god Apollo. He shot her a warning glare, as if cautioning Loki not to meddle.

"..."

They were both gods, after all. Normally, gods weighed pros and cons according to their relationships and avoided souring things over another Familia's members.

But Loki simply wasn't that sort of person.

A chance to raise Affection had finally landed in her lap, so she didn't mind giving Rozz a warm little reminder before things got ugly.

Lending charcoal in snowy weather was always the most precious kindness of all!

Following Loki's gaze, Rozz naturally noticed the male god walking toward them and the Familia member at his side.

Both faces were completely unfamiliar. The orange-haired god's cheeks were flushed as if from drink, and his expression was twisted with perversity.

Rozz had never met him. In particular, the brown-haired young man standing beside the strange god looked at him with what seemed like hostility.

It was baffling...

"Apollo."

Noticing the confusion in Rozz's eyes, Loki explained with a smile, "It's your Gods' Banquet. What are you doing in a corner like this?"

"None of your business."

Apollo had no intention of tangling with Loki. Mostly it was because the strength gap between their Familias was enormous, and he worried she might step in because of Rozz's talent.

He lifted his head. When his gaze reached the black-haired youth, it was filled with a fervor close to lust. "You're Rozz, a member of Hestia's Familia, correct?"

"I'm Apollo. Mind if we have a private chat?"

"..."

Absolutely not!

If it were a beautiful, delicate, white-haired petite goddess in twin-tails, 140 cm tall, that would be another matter.

Besides, Apollo's gaze alone gave him a visceral urge to recoil.

And why would Apollo be looking for him? Such a hard one to guess...

Even those Adventurers just now had been able to vaguely work out who he was, let alone a god like Apollo standing before him.

Was his talent really that rare?

Rozz kept a polite smile on his face and refused without hesitation. "I'm sorry, but Lady Hestia doesn't want me to have contact with other gods."

"I don't want to put her in a bad Mood."

"...Hm?"

The enthusiastic smile on Apollo's face froze the instant he heard the refusal. That familiar name, Hestia, filled the young god with irritation. Why was it Hestia again?

Damn it!

Gritting his teeth, Apollo swallowed his rage. He wanted to make a good impression in front of this new target. "Your god and I are... well, you could call us friends."

"All the more reason, then. If you're a friend of Lady Hestia's and want to catch up, I don't think you'd be looking for a mere Familia member like me."

Since the man was the host of the Gods' Banquet, Rozz had no intention of tearing the veil away just yet. A Familia Home on this scale meant the Apollo Familia was surely no pushover.

He kept his tone light. "If you have business with Lady Hestia, I can pass the message along."

"..."

Why did this guy feel slipperier than a loach?

Apollo's face flushed red. The string of refusals made it hard to keep his composure, especially with Loki standing not far off, watching the show.

So, in front of the other gods, he said calmly:

"I've looked into the Familia you belong to. Apart from you, there's only a single Supporter. With your talent, staying there would be a waste."

"Would you be interested in developing with the Apollo Familia?"

"Whatever Hestia can give you, I can give you as well. Any resource you want. I will spare no effort to raise your strength."

By the end, Apollo's eyes burned with fanatical possessiveness. He didn't voice the threat. His Familia members would do that for him.

"All you have to do is nod, and I'll take care of Hestia myself."

"Well? What do you say?"

"I'm sorry."

Things unfolded just as Rozz had expected. At bottom, Apollo wanted to win him over and was offering extremely generous terms.

From an objective standpoint, a promise like that from a god was genuinely tempting. It meant most of the Familia's resources would become fuel for his growth.

A fast way to get stronger.

But Rozz simply couldn't be objective about it. As for resources, his own Hestia was already doing everything she could for him.

Leaving now would be despicable. Jumping ship to another Familia just because a better platform came along was, to him, a worthless way of thinking. And that special reward that belonged to him alone...

Apollo certainly couldn't give him that!!

Rozz shook his head again and declined with a smile. "I think my current Familia is just fine. Rather than job-hopping to a better platform to develop..."

"I'd much prefer to build up the Hestia Familia through my own effort."

"..."

"Exactly, exactly."

Setting aside Familia loyalties entirely, Rozz's words struck right at Loki's heart. It was also why she hadn't tried to win him over with perks. She knew it was hopeless...

She folded her arms across her chest, her expression faintly disdainful.

"He's said it that plainly, Apollo. Tsk tsk~ Back in the Heavens, I never noticed you were this thick-skinned."

"..."

With the refusal laid out that bluntly, and Loki needling him from the side, the smile on Apollo's face turned gloomy.

The threat remained unspoken. He merely paused for a moment before leaving. "I hope you won't regret the choice you've made today."

"Surely I won't."

Rozz watched the god's retreating back, and his expression gradually grew grave. Loki's loaded remark from earlier clearly had something to do with all this.

He looked at Loki beside him. "What you said earlier... was it about this?"

"I love talking to smart people like you. Because... that talent of yours makes even me feel awfully tempted!"

Loki didn't try to hide it.

She laced her fingers together behind her head. "I'm telling you, don't assume every god you meet will be friendly to you just because the ones so far have been,"

"and form a stereotype that all 'gods' are kind."

"Mm."

Squinting out of habit, the red-haired goddess went on. "If I remember right, Apollo's apparently the 'address book' type, if you catch my drift."

"And besides."

"Any Adventurer he sets his eyes on, even if they flatly refuse, Apollo will force into submission with underhanded means."

"?"

Rozz: Even after transmigrating to another world, why is the damn gay drama still chasing me?!

*

[Author's Note: There'll probably only be about 4,000 words today. Consider it the author taking a day off, meow~]