"So, what brings you two here?"
Relieved that Hestia didn't pursue the sensitive topic, Astraea shifted the conversation, inquiring about the true purpose of Hers and Hestia's visit.
"We'd like to discuss sothing with Charlie Avalon. Is he ho?" Hers replied with his characteristic cheerful smile.
His eyes scanned the room, and he nearly lost his composure at the sight before him.
Chibi versions of Divine Beasts road casually, so playing with Est. Hers struggled to contain his shock.
(Oi, oi, oi, did Charlie stumble upon a spirit nest or sothing? I thought he only contracted one spirit, but there are seven! Good grief, how many secrets is he hiding?!)
His heart raced with excitent. Though a bit eccentric and cunning, Hers was, after all, a god. The essence of gods descending to the lower world was to seek amusent, and he was no exception.
Now, faced with an individual who could add color to the monotonous and boring lives of gods, how could Hers not be intrigued?
"Soone called for ?"
From the kitchen, Charlie entered the living room, wearing a simple apron that made him look like a ho cook.
"Hm?"
One eyebrow raised as he noticed the unexpected guests: Hestia and Hers.
"Oh, this is unexpected. You can cook, Charlie?" Hers smiled brightly, eyeing the apron Charlie wore. "It's rare to find a First-Class Adventurer who can cook. Usually, First-Class Adventurers prefer buying food or hiring soone to cook for them rather than doing it themselves."
"Well, there's no woman in this house who can cook. As for hiring soone… that's an idea worth considering."
Cooking for four people was indeed a hassle, and Charlie seriously considered Hers's suggestion. Despite having three beautiful won living in his ho, none of them had any talent for cooking, leaving the task to him daily.
"You don't need to cook for , Charlie. I can eat out." Astraea said, her usual grace and calm tinged with slight embarrassnt.
Not only was she staying in soone else's ho, but she also wasn't contributing, even in the kitchen. She didn't want to be seen as a freeloader, especially in front of another god. Read full story at novel_f??re
"Hoh~"
Astraea's shy reaction made Hers narrow his eyes, suspecting sothing.
"Hers! Have you forgotten why we ca here?" Hestia snapped, her worry for Bell's safety making her lose patience. She glared at Hers, annoyed by his leisurely, roundabout attitude.
"Don't be impatient, Hestia. The plan starts tonight, so there's still ti." Hers replied casually, shrugging. His smile never faded, as if the situation was just part of an amusing ga to him.
Turning his gaze to Charlie, who sat in a single chair flanked by Aishia on his right and Astraea on his left, Hers finally spoke bluntly.
"Charlie, I want you to join this Quest."
"…"
Charlie took a piece of paper Hers placed on the table, reading it silently. The two won on either side of him, Astraea and Aishia, leaned forward, reading the docunt from their perspectives.
"Bell Cranel is missing?"
Charlie looked up, his eyes filled with questions.
"Yup. Bell and his party should've returned from the Dungeon by now. Unfortunately, an accident occurred. They encountered mbers of Takemikazuchi Familia being chased by Almiraj, and they were used as bait by the Takemikazuchi mbers to escape."
Needing Charlie's unmatched strength, Hers explained everything he knew, including details about how the Pass Parade began.
"Though it's rare, I didn't expect Takemikazuchi's children to do sothing so immoral." Astraea said, her disapproval clear. As the Goddess of Justice, she detested wicked actions.
She hadn't expected Takemikazuchi, a God of War, to have such cowardly and morally deficient mbers in his Familia. Disappointnt was etched on her usually calm face.
"Well, that's what most adventurers would do in such a situation. Compared to the well-being of unknown adventurers, Takemikazuchi's children prioritized their comrades' safety. Of course, I'm not justifying their actions. It's just the reality." Hers quickly added, noticing Astraea's sharp gaze. He could sense the disapproval radiating from the Goddess of Justice.
"In this rescue Quest, Takemikazuchi Familia mbers are also participating. They're not bad kids; they regret setting Bell up. If their character was truly rotten, they wouldn't have confessed their actions to ."
As one of the victims of this incident, Hestia didn't entirely bla Takemikazuchi Familia. After all, their regret wasn't a lie.
In life-or-death situations, people would do anything to survive, even if it ant sacrificing others.
"…"
Since Hestia herself held no grudge against the culprits, Astraea felt it wasn't her place to judge. She chose to remain silent.
"So, Charlie, will you join?" Hers asked.
"Please, Bell look-alike, save Bell!" Hestia pleaded, her blue eyes brimming with tears about to spill. To her, Bell's safety was everything.
The existing rescue team for Bell consisted of Takemikazuchi Familia mbers and the captain of Hers Familia, Asfi Androda.
Setting aside the Takemikazuchi mbers, who were only Level 2 adventurers, Asfi was Level 4. Technically, a team of six Third-Class Adventurers and one Second-Class Adventurer was more than sufficient to explore the Middle Floors of the Dungeon and rescue Bell and his party.
However, the Dungeon was unpredictable, and anything could happen. Having a First-Class Adventurer join the team would drastically improve the Quest's safety and success rate. A Level 5's presence would be an invaluable guarantee of safety.
"Bell look-alike, huh…" Charlie gave a wry smile, rubbing his temple. "Goddess Hestia, that's not how you ask for help. Aside from our similar hair color, we look completely different, don't we?"
"You're right. Bell is way more handso and cooler than you." Hestia nodded confidently, her eyes sparkling as she pictured Bell. "Bell-kun is far… cuter!"
"No, Charlie is more handso." Aishia, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion, but her disagreent was unmistakable. She wouldn't let Hestia's statent slide.
"Hah?! Bell is obviously leagues more handso!" Hestia exclaid, feeling her opinion was under attack.
"That's a biased perspective. No matter how I look at it, Charlie is more handso than this Bell you're talking about." Aishia retorted, her eyes challenging Hestia.
"Grrr… You're a spirit; our aesthetics are different!" Hestia passionately defended her stance, pointing a finger at Aishia.
"Ahem, Hestia, stop arguing. Rember why we're here." Hers interjected with a forced laugh.
Though he enjoyed watching won bicker, he had to stop them. It wasn't the ti to antagonize Charlie. After all, they were the ones asking for help, and nothing was worse than requesting aid from soone they'd just upset.
"Alright, I don't mind helping."
Without much deliberation, Charlie agreed. For him, saving Bell was a simple matter, especially since Hestia was the one asking.
"Really?! Thank you! You're a good person, Bell look-alike." Hestia exclaid, montarily forgetting her spat with Aishia.
"My na is Charlie Avalon. Please rember that, Goddess Hestia." Charlie sighed helplessly at Hestia's careless nickna. He didn't mind the "good person" card, but he wanted his na rembered correctly.
Afterward, they discussed the departure ti. Hers explained that the rescue team would move at night, using the darkness to avoid attention. Once all details were settled, Hestia and Hers left to prepare.
anwhile, Charlie resud cooking dinner. As he chopped vegetables, an idea struck him.
"Oh, right, I forgot about Senrigan. Let's check on the protagonist's situation."
Senrigan activated!
Instantly, Charlie's vision transcended space and ti, piercing the depths of the Dungeon. He saw Bell and his party's situation firsthand.
Bell's group continued their adventure, though they now used foul-slling sacks as monster repellents—a dirty trick showing their desperate situation. They were still facing a Hellhound, but Welf cast Will o' Wisp, causing its fireball to backfire and kill it. Though Welf looked tense and exhausted, he claid he was fine to continue.
"Even without , they'll be fine. After all, Bell is the protagonist. Even if a protagonist dies, they'll sohow co back to life."
Unlike Hestia, who was anxious about Bell's fate, Charlie knew Bell was this world's Child of Fate. He was confident everything would turn out fine, even if life-threatening dangers arose.
Reviews
All reviews (0)