Thank you all so much for the support we've had this week!!
2 CHAPTERS TODAY!!
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"You've got a hell of an appetite today, kid!"
Mia Grand stood by the table with her hands on her hips, watching August and Liliruca Arde dig into their food.
She appreciated custors who paid attention to their food. Most Adventurers in the tavern just drank and boasted about their Dungeon trips, but August and Lili concentrated on finishing their als. That showed real respect for a good al.
"Whoa, is that the Artemis Familia?"
"Never thought I'd see them in here."
"An all-female Familia... The Astrea Familia was the last one we had..."
A group of Adventurers walked into the tavern. They looked tough and were also pretty good-looking. As soon as they ca in, the drunk Adventurers at nearby tables started cheering and whistling.
Nearby, an elven waitress carrying a tray paused. When she heard the Adventurers shouting, Ryu Lion noticed the Artemis Familia. She hesitated for a mont, then quickly hid her reaction and went back to serving August's table.
As Ryu set the plates down, the Artemis Familia claid a large booth across the room.
"..." The captain, a woman with deep auburn hair, noticed the elven waitress and gave Ryu a warm, knowing smile from across the room. It was a quiet mont of respect between two people who understood each other.
But the captain's gaze didn't stop at Ryu. She scanned the dining area and locked eyes with August.
Standing up, she walked straight over to his booth.
"Greetings. I am Rethusa, Captain of the Artemis Familia."
Rethusa offered a formal introduction.
August stopped eating, a little surprised. He hadn't thought anyone from Artemis's group would co over. He looked up, taking her in. She was beautiful and had the disciplined presence you'd expect from the top warrior of the Goddess of Chastity.
"August," he replied, giving a brief nod.
"I ca to thank you. For what you did for our Familia," Rethusa said, bowing deeply at the waist.
To her, August was a savior. If the famous 'monster rookie' took the ti to warn them, their mission must have been dood. His warning had saved every woman in her squad.
"Don't ntion it," August waved it off. "As long as your Patron Goddess keeps a level head, you'll be fine. If you ever do decide to hunt that thing down, make sure you bring an alliance of at least five [Level 5] Adventurers. Anything less is a death sentence."
August did the math out loud. Antares wasn't just any monster; it was made to kill Gods. Even if Artemis led the attack, a group of [Level 3] rookies would be completely wiped out.
"Five... [Level 5]?"
"..." Rethusa turned pale. That much strength was out of reach for her group. They didn't have the connections or money to hire so many top Adventurers.
"If the threat level is that extre, we have no business taking the subjugation quest."
That kind of raid was only for the very best in Orario. For a group like hers, it just wasn't possible.
"Still. Thank you for the warning," Rethusa reiterated. The Guild was going to have to handle this disaster themselves.
"Right." August nodded.
With her gratitude delivered, Rethusa returned to her booth. She sat down with her squad, relaying exactly what August had just told her.
Lili kept eating, watching the conversation unfold.
"She is a phenonal captain," Lili noted, impressed.
Lili noticed how protective the captain was. By putting her pride aside to thank a rookie in public, Rethusa showed she cared more about her team's safety than her own ego.
"She carries herself with far more maturity than Lady Artemis," Lili added.
"Speaking of which... Lord August, why exactly did you warn Lady Artemis?" Lili tilted her head, a teasing smirk spreading onto her face. "Was it because she's pretty?"
She was testing him. Usually, August ignored Gods who weren't close to him. Even when he saw a God, he acted like they didn't matter. Warning Artemis was a big change from his normal behavior.
Was he smitten?
"Because Artemis and Hestia are friends," August answered flatly, shutting down the romance theory.
"If Artemis marched out there and died, Hestia would cry her eyes out."
"I don't let the heroine of my story shed tears over pointless tragedies. Stories built purely on suffering are garbage. I'm not letting that happen on my watch."
August made his rule clear. He didn't want tragic heroines crying just for drama. He wasn't going to let sothing preventable ruin his peace.
"Oh. I see." Lili blinked, processing the significance of his words.
Wait... He took her out for dinner because Hestia wasn't at the church. He was looking after her.
"Does that an... I'm a heroine too?" Lili murmured, her face flushing red as her imagination spiraled into overdrive.
But before she could bask in the fantasy—
"WHO TOLD YOU THAT??"
"I AM THE HEROINE! YOU ARE THE SIDE CHARACTER!" Hestia's voice bood right next to her ear.
"Lady Hestia??" Lili jumped out of her skin.
After getting over the shock, Lili stood her ground. She wasn't going to lose this argunt.
Lili argued fiercely. "In Lord August's story, I am the heroine! You are just the supporting cast! The mascot!"
"You little brat! When did a Supporter get the right to talk back to ??"
Hestia lunged forward, grabbed Lili by the cheeks, and shook her back and forth. A Supporter trying to take her place? Hestia was ready to show her just how strong a true heroine could be.
Lili fought back, squirming and arguing through squished cheeks. She couldn't out-muscle a Goddess, but she wasn't going to surrender the title.
August watched the argunt, but then his attention shifted to the tavern entrance.
"Miss Hephaestus, Lord Miach, Lord Takemikazuchi."
"And Lady Artemis..."
August saw four Gods standing right behind the two who were fighting. It was quite a gathering of Gods.
"Yo."
The Gods waved, watching Hestia wrestle her new recruit.
"We just got back from Babel," Miach explained, pulling up a chair.
"You guys were up there all day?" August asked, slightly surprised. He figured Hestia would have finished the Denatus and hit the streets to brag hours ago.
"Orario enforces a strict lockdown on resident Gods," Takemikazuchi stepped in to clarify. "It keeps rogue Gods from causing trouble in the outside world, and it ensures the safety of the mortal children living here."
"To prevent unauthorized excursions, Hestia had to sign a binding agreent with the Guild and the Ganesha Familia," Miach added. "Any God wanting to leave the city—specifically through your portal—has to file a mountain of formal requests."
"Got it."
August understood the situation right away. It was a way to keep things under control. The Guild didn't want a lot of unpredictable Gods leaving for Earth and causing problems. The treaty was a strong safeguard.
"Yeah, well, the second the ink dried on that treaty, those vultures started throwing applications at my face!" Hestia complained, finally releasing Lili from her death grip.
"They all want a vacation outside Orario! That's why we were stuck up there all afternoon!"
The Gods realized Hestia had the key to a new world. If there was a way around the rules, they would try to use it. Hestia was angry. She hadn't spent ages keeping her purity just to be taken advantage of by a group of bored freeloaders.
"Forget it. I'm starving." Hestia waved off the frustration.
"Mia! Bring us so food!"
When Mia Grand heard the order, she snapped her fingers. Ryu and Anya brought over more chairs to make room for the extra divine guests.
"Thanks," Hestia bead as the waitresses set the table. She shot Ryu a knowing smile.
When Hestia turned back to August, she didn't just sit down. She jumped across the table, sat on his lap, and grabbed his face with both hands.
"As expected of my favorite child!"
"You've changed again!"
Hestia leaned in close, using her divine senses to study his aura.
She wasn't wrong. August had spent the entire day getting physically broken down and rebuilt by modern military combat instructors. The shift was glaring.
Before, August had the calm confidence of soone given great power. Now, he showed the strong energy of a real warrior. There was a new fierceness in his eyes.
The change drew people in.
Hephaestus, Artemis, Miach, and Takemikazuchi watched the display. They all silently agreed with Hestia. August was improving very quickly. His potential was obvious to everyone.
"Ahem!" August cleared his throat and sat up straighter.
Having a beautiful Goddess sit on his lap in a crowded pub made him really embarrassed. His military training hadn't prepared him for this kind of attention.
'I am never going to get used to this.'
"HE'S BLUSHING!"
"HE'S ACTUALLY BLUSHING!"
"THE KID GETS EMBARRASSED!"
Miach, Takemikazuchi, Hephaestus, and even the normally stoic Artemis noticed the hot flush creeping up August's neck.
They could see past his tough exterior. Beneath the cold, monster-fighting image, he was just a regular guy who got embarrassed when a girl sat on his lap. It made him seem more human.
Hestia felt his muscles lock up. Realizing she was pushing his threshold, she gave his cheeks one last squish and slid off his lap, returning to her own seat.
"August, I worked out a deal with Miach. Starting tomorrow, you are undergoing special training," Hestia announced, dropping the playful act.
August had received military close-quarters combat training on Earth, which improved his fighting instincts. But he still had a major weakness.
He had zero experience fighting other Adventurers inside the Labyrinth.
Every ti August entered the Dungeon, he caused huge monster raids. With so much attention on him, it was only a matter of ti before other Adventurers or dark groups tried to take advantage and attack him. He needed experience fighting other people, and he needed it soon.
"My Naaza specializes in ranged combat and evasion," Miach explained. "She possesses exceptional visual acuity and extre speed. And she is currently [Level 2]."
"She is going to teach you how to predict, counter, and neutralize human targets inside the Dungeon."
Miach had the perfect person for him to train with. Takemikazuchi's group depended too much on team tactics. Hephaestus's group were blacksmiths who hit too hard. Artemis's hunters only focused on fighting monsters.
Naaza, an archer who used hit-and-run tactics, was the best choice to teach August how to fight other Adventurers.
"I appreciate the help, Lord Miach," August nodded, genuinely grateful.
This was exactly the kind of training he needed.
The military beatdowns taught him how to swallow pain and suppress rage. That was a crash course in survival.
But sparring with an experienced Orario veteran who knew every dirty trick adventurers used against each other was an entirely different kind of challenge.
This training would sharpen his combat ability by several levels.
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