The banquet was perfect.
Though the Hestia Familia was small, their shared hardships had forged them into a close-knit family. With the dark clouds finally lifted, everyone's spirits soared.
At the gathering, Adam finally revealed all he had kept hidden.
He detailed his mission requests from Ouranos and recounted reaching the 59th Floor during his joint expedition with the Loki Familia. He also confessed to Hestia that he would have confronted the Apollo and Soma Familias regardless of their targeting Bell.
Hestia accepted this without complaint. She trusted Adam's maturity and judgnt, unlike Bell who needed constant supervision.
They also uncovered information about the mysterious figure. Upon questioning Zanis under his deity's pressure, he confessed to their dealings.
The connection had been simple — the figure traded special magic stones for common market goods like food, weapons, and regular magic stones.
This arrangent had worked well for both parties until three months ago, when the figure suddenly ceased all contact.
When Zanis showed Adam the unused magic stone, his expression darkened. Dark green energy swirled within it.
It matched perfectly with the stone the corrupted Demi-Spirit had absorbed on the 59th Floor!
The mysterious figure's sche beca clear — they had used these trades to bring the stones to the surface, unleashing flower-type monsters throughout Orario. A calculated plot.
But Adam's part was done. His only remaining task was to report this to Ouranos.
During the banquet, they also formally introduced Beatrice to everyone.
The legendary Spirit's appearance stunned the group. Given the previous chaos, proper introductions had been impossible. Now, with the danger past, both sides could finally be open with each other.
There was just one small complication.
Beatrice was extrely tsundere. Everyone except Adam who tried talking to her would get snapped at — not even the deity Hestia was spared.
But no one took offense. People tend to be forgiving toward beautiful beings, after all. Beatrice's pouty deanor was undeniably adorable, and she had been their greatest asset in the fight against the Apollo Familia. As Adam had noted, without her, their victory would have been far more difficult to achieve.
Despite her harsh tone, everyone could detect the awkward concern beneath her words. They found her mannerisms rather endearing.
Not everyone was chard, though. Syr, in particular, was visibly upset. When the gray-haired maid spotted Beatrice perched in Adam's lap behind the counter, her aura of gloom beca so oppressive that even the ever-cheerful Anya wanted to escape.
The cat-eared girl's instincts warned her of danger, her tail twitching nervously.
Unfortunately, Syr caught her. She dragged Anya to the back kitchen to be her taste-tester for new experintal dishes. The cat-eared girl cried out the culprit's na in despair.
Her voice was as pitiful as an abandoned kitten's. Adam could only pretend not to hear — better a friend's fate than his own. He could barely protect himself.
Rembering the Beauty Goddess's cooking — which rivaled the darkness of stargazing — he could only mourn silently for the cat-eared girl. Each ti he'd tasted it, it had made him question existence itself, unable to fathom how anyone could create such terrifying cuisine.
After a mont of silence, the banquet reached its peak. Without Aqua's elegant dancing, the celebration lacked its usual codic touch and felt sowhat incomplete. He found himself missing that fool.
As the banquet drew to a close.
"Looking forward to your next visit."
Ryuu stood at the door bidding farewell to the celebrated heroes of the Hestia Familia, but Adam imdiately recognized her true identity.
"Ryuu, thank you for your help today."
"It was nothing significant."
Ryuu hadn't intended to keep secrets. She'd assud Bell and Hestia had already revealed her identity to them. But they hadn't.
"Well, we of the Hestia Familia will rember this favor and surely repay it in the future."
After making this promise, they departed without waiting for her response. Ryuu remained on the street, silently watching these rising stars while offering her heartfelt blessings.
"Eh—they've left?" Syr burst out hurriedly.
Earlier, she had watched Adam being intimate with the small girl. Though she knew the cute tsundere child was a Spirit contracted to him, she couldn't suppress her intense jealousy.
With no other outlet for her feelings, she had taken them out on Anya. She'd planned to see them off when they left, but now she'd missed her chance. The disappointnt stung.
"You're too late, Syr." Ryuu said flatly.
Being naturally reserved, she didn't know how to comfort people, so she simply guided Syr back to the busy tavern, hoping the work would help her forget about missing them.
"Really... I didn't even get to say congratulations." Syr's expression fell.
When she had first spotted Adam, she'd stepped forward eagerly to congratulate him on his victory.
But he seed more distant now, his gaze deliberately avoiding hers. This wounded her deeply.
'It must be that Spirit!'
After pondering it, she convinced herself this was the only explanation.
It definitely wasn't her fault!
Syr had already dismissed the real answer.
"But... that man, why... why does his soul shine even brighter?"
Why, why, why?!
She had to know!
She desperately needed to know!
Led by Ryuu, Syr gazed dreamily at the 『Hero』 as he walked into the distance. Her legs weakened, her palms grew hot, and her cheeks flushed. A warm feeling swirled in her stomach.
She recognized this sensation and understood its aning.
"I... can't hold back anymore."
She whispered to herself. No one heard her quiet words. The Beauty Goddess was preparing to act.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
Loki Familia Headquarters, Twilight Manor.
As one of Orario's premier Familias, their headquarters was magnificent, and their mbers' strength was unmatched. Their pool of talent far exceeded that of smaller Familias.
However, Loki, their deity, wore an expression as if she'd bitten into sothing sour.
"That annoying shorty! Taking the Rabbit was one thing, but now they've even taken the Hero..." She looked ready to weep.
Initially, she suspected Adam was a spy sent by Ouranos to conspire with them, but Finn's thorough investigation in the Dungeon proved otherwise.
The praise from her Familia mbers after the expedition was overwhelming — so much that if she couldn't verify their status boards herself, she would have suspected mind control.
She thought that would be the end of it. But what followed was beyond imagination.
Apollo had instigated a conflict, and others had piled on when the Hestia Familia seed vulnerable. Just when everyone thought they were finished...
Adam launched a stunning counterattack!
With a single devastating magical strike, he eliminated 100 Apollo Familia mbers and successfully extracted a mber from the Soma Familia — earning him the "High-Priced Girl" title. His influence skyrocketed.
She was consud with jealousy!
She had rely found it amusing at first, nudging things along with Freya, but the situation had evolved faster than she could comprehend. In re monts, they had beco their equals.
Absolutely not! This needed to be contained!
She couldn't allow that shorty to grow their Familia unchecked!
How could they permit them to beco Orario's third largest Familia at this rate?
As Loki pondered what pretext to use for a visit...
Ais appeared.
"Loki, co with to the Hestia Familia."
"...Why?"
"To fulfill the promise made before."
Ais's expression turned unusually serious, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"I want to duel the Hero!"
✧✧✧
T/N: Hey! Liked what you read? Support your friendly neighborhood translator on Patreon! Think of it as buying a coffee... or ten!
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