The Six Powers—no, correction—the Six Powers of the Werewolf were fully mastered by Bete with Altair's assistance. However, whether Bete could completely absorb, refine, and further enhance these techniques would ultimately depend on his own efforts.
Altair's contributions to strengthening the Loki Familia earned him the collective friendship of its mbers. Loki was delighted, and the rest of the familia shared her enthusiasm.
Though Hestia and Loki were rivals on a divine level, that didn't stop their familias from becoming allies and cooperative partners.
Indeed, after Altair finished his comntary, he and Finn discussed their previous expedition together. Finn, the captain of the Loki Familia, and Altair, the leader of the Hestia Familia, quickly reached an understanding in a pleasant atmosphere, mutually acknowledging each other's familia as allies.
This was a significant developnt for the Hestia Familia's growth in Orario.
After leaving the Loki Familia, Altair returned to his familia's base as usual. On his way back, he didn't encounter any ambushes, though even if soone had tried, they wouldn't have been able to detect him.
However, to Altair's surprise, while no one had intercepted him on the way, soone was waiting for him back at the base.
"Altair-sama, Apollo has co to visit."
"Apollo?"
Standing at the gates of their base, Altair looked at the speaker, his face showing clear confusion.
"Yes, Altair-sama. Apollo is here."
"About two hours ago, Apollo arrived. Right now, Lady Hestia is in the hall, dealing with him. I ca out to wait for you and give you a heads-up."
"What's his purpose? Did he bring anyone with him?"
"He's alone."
Altair had already heard about the downfall of the Apollo Familia a few days prior, an event in which he himself had played a significant role. However, as far as he knew, no one should have discovered his involvent. He had been ticulous in covering his tracks, ensuring no evidence was left behind. Apollo shouldn't know.
"Let's go in and take a look." Altair decided.
After a mont of thought, Altair reasoned that Apollo likely wasn't here to confront him. If the god had known that Altair was responsible for wiping out so many of his subordinates, he would have shown up with the Ganesha Familia demanding justice, not co alone.
Given that Apollo was by himself, the situation seed manageable.
Altair pushed open the door to the hall and imdiately spotted Hestia sitting across from Apollo. The golden-haired god lounged on a sofa with an air of carefree arrogance.
As for Hestia, she wasn't as combative as she had been during her last encounter with Loki. She refrained from rushing forward to confront him directly; their relationship hadn't reached that level of hostility.
"Altair-kun! You're finally back!"
Hestia's face lit up as she saw him enter. She had been glaring at Apollo for what felt like an eternity, and her eyes were sore. Yet Apollo showed no intention of leaving. Now that Altair had returned, she could finally rely on him to help get rid of the unwelco guest.
"Hestia-sama, I'm back." Altair replied with a nod.
Turning his attention to Apollo, Altair noticed the god looking up the mont Hestia addressed him. Upon seeing Altair, Apollo imdiately sprang to his feet, his face lighting up with excitent.
He began walking toward Altair, his voice eager as he spoke.
"My knight! I've finally found you!"
What the—!?
Altair was startled by Apollo's overwhelming enthusiasm and instinctively reached for his giant blade from his dinsional pouch, ready to swing it.
But Hestia was faster. She rushed in front of Altair, spreading her arms wide to block Apollo.
"Apollo, what do you think you're doing to my Altair!?"
Even with Hestia blocking him, Apollo's expression remained elated, though he did calm down slightly. He glanced at Hestia before turning his gaze back to Altair, taking two steps back. Then, with a bright smile, he introduced himself.
"My knight, please allow to introduce myself. I am Apollo, the God of the Sun."
"Greetings, Lord Apollo." Altair responded politely to the introduction, though he imdiately corrected Apollo's claim.
"By the way, Lord Apollo, I am not your knight. I am Hestia's knight."
It was crucial to clarify this imdiately—otherwise, this maniac would undoubtedly escalate his nonsense.
"That detail doesn't matter, my knight! I've finally found you!"
Apollo completely ignored Altair's correction and continued speaking as if no one else existed.
"From the mont I saw your portrait at Denatus, I was utterly captivated, unable to think of anything else. For days, I've been longing to et you, but I've been too busy—especially with the recent catastrophic blow to my familia. Now, I've finally had the chance to see you in person, and you are even more perfect than I imagined! You are my ideal knight, my dream lover, my sun!"
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Apollo had just declared Altair to be his sun.
If Apollo had been a woman, this over-the-top confession might have emotionally overwheld an unsuspecting target—especially given Apollo's strikingly handso appearance.
But the problem was that Altair was a man, and he knew exactly what kind of person Apollo was. Hearing this confession only made Altair's skin crawl. He even considered unsheathing his sword then and there.
Hestia, however, acted faster.
As soon as Apollo finished his speech, she kicked him back onto the sofa.
"You pervert! Try saying that again, and I'll kick you out of here entirely! Altair is my family, not your sun!"
"Hestia, you only t Altair before I did. My love for him is no less than yours! In fact, my love burns far hotter than yours!"
Hotter? Of course it did—Apollo was the God of the Sun, after all.
"I think you're completely delusional!" Hestia retorted sharply.
"And no one in this world could love Altair more than I do! Everyone in Orario knows your infamous reputation, Apollo. You just want to steal my Altair away from !"
Hestia knew Apollo well, and precisely because she understood him, she was certain that his intentions toward Altair weren't pure.
"I'm sorry, Lord Apollo, but I have absolutely no interest in you. My only desire is to remain Hestia's knight." Altair stated firmly, politely rejecting Apollo's absurd confession.
"I understand that I don't currently have the ans to win you over, Altair. But don't worry—I didn't co here to fight today. I only ca to let you know that I, Apollo, will always love you. I will rebuild my familia and reclaim my forr glory. When I rise to the top once more, I will co back to invite you again. Then, I'll show you just how fiery my love for you truly is!"
Despite being rejected, Apollo showed no signs of disappointnt. Instead, his face lit up with an unsettlingly cheerful smile.
"I will always be watching you, my knight!"
___
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