Phew... Five chapters in one day, especially with so of them reaching a ridiculous 2,500 words!
I apologize if the quality was lacking in places, but these chapters took a lot of ti and effort to complete. I've already taken steps to improve the quality starting with Chapter 77.
For now, enjoy!
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Hestia gave Liliruca Arde a knowing smile after her slightly jealous remark. Gods always made their favoritism so easy to spot.
They went back to their base, cleaned up, and then headed to August's ho. After settling in, they told Hestia everything about their latest Dungeon adventure.
"Hah? You're saying the reason the Labyrinth targeted you is because of the Falna contract the other day?" Hestia couldn't believe her ears when August shared his findings.
This was too much. Dammit. Hestia never imagined the Dungeon would go after August for sothing like that. Just thinking about it made her jump up and down in frustration.
"That damn Dungeon! How dare it ss with like this!" she fud. "Countless children form contracts every single day, yet it specifically targets my Familia! Unbelievable!"
Unfortunately, the other Gods made sure no one broke the rules of the mortal world. If not for that, she would have charged into the Labyrinth and caused chaos. Seeing her child targeted like this was just infuriating.
Still, she was truly surprised that the Dungeon had rembered August's aura so well.
She had done her best to hide most of his energy during the contract, but the Dungeon still found him. That ant the Labyrinth must have been secretly watching her Familia from sowhere.
"Hmph, just wait. I'm going to bring out so serious firepower and make you regret it," Hestia scoffed.
Targeting her Familia was a clear sign of disrespect. If the Dungeon wouldn't show her respect, then as a Goddess, she would have to give it a taste of divine punishnt.
Hestia was just venting. She was annoyed, but she knew August could handle himself, especially with a whole modern nation from his world backing him.
With that kind of power, even the One-Eyed Black Dragon might not stand a chance.
"Oh, right! About Ishtar—how on earth did you have the guts to say all that?" Rembering another detail, Hestia suddenly lunged at August, playfully tugging on his ear.
She was honestly upset. How could this idiot just waltz in and provoke a Goddess of Beauty, especially one as petty as Ishtar? Goddesses like her would chew a man up and spit out his bones.
"I just did it to stop the Ishtar Familia from trying to ss with ," August explained with a helpless sigh, pretending the ear tug actually hurt.
"I'm not sure what kind of won Ishtar's Combat Prostitutes are, but they're Amazons. Those warriors are incredibly fanatical. I couldn't just ignore that."
August made it clear that he wasn't worried about the Ishtar Familia as a group, but about the Amazons themselves.
"To bed a strong man, they are more than willing to offer themselves up. But their approach is wild. If things go wrong…"
He laid out a very brazen theory—that to conquer a specific man, the Amazons would absolutely resort to foul play right out of the gate.
"Uhh…" Both Hestia and Liliruca Arde paused at August's blunt assessnt. They closed their eyes, thought about it for a second, and realized he wasn't entirely wrong.
Why? Because that was exactly how Amazons operated.
The rumors were true. Amazons would use any trick to get the n they wanted. Hestia had seen it herself over the years.
In the past, Amazons were aggressive when looking for mates. No one was more ruthless at stealing another woman's man. Hestia had seen many sad cases where wives could only watch as their husbands were taken. This was exactly how Amazons behaved.
"By publicly insulting the Ishtar Familia, I set a boundary. No matter how sneaky those Combat Prostitutes are, they probably won't go as far as slipping a love potion after that."
Honestly, August was a little cautious around the Amazons.
No matter how strong his weapons were, he doubted he could resist a drugged aphrodisiac. He wasn't a God or anything special—just a regular human.
He couldn't change who he was. With the way Amazons operated, it would be nearly impossible to defend against every trick. They might even try to drug him during a fight in the Dungeon. If that happened, things could get out of hand fast.
August had his pride. He wasn't going to start living like those wild Goddesses of Beauty or get involved in anything indecent.
"To prevent things from crossing the line, all I had to do was verbally trash Ishtar, the Goddess of the Pleasure Quarter. Even with their wild mindsets, the Amazons wouldn't go completely crazy and cross the point of no return."
August's worries made sense. He didn't care if the Amazons got mad or hated him. But when it ca to his own freedom, he wanted to take action before anything happened.
"True. Given how those girls operate, that's exactly what would happen," Hestia agreed. "Amazons are practically cursed generation after generation. Their thirst for strong n is carved right into their bones. If things really got out of hand, I honestly wouldn't know how to stop them."
Hestia really didn't have a way to stop them. The Amazons existed because of so other God's strange sense of humor. She couldn't just wipe out the whole Amazon race for trying to find partners—it wasn't a cri.
With August's plan, Ishtar's group probably wouldn't bother him again.
"I suppose you're right. But… once Ishtar deals with Freya, she might turn her sights on us next," Hestia voiced her lingering worry.
Now that things had changed, Ishtar was still focused on Freya. When two Goddesses of Beauty fought, it always turned into a big war. That was bound to happen. But after it was over, the Hestia Familia might be next.
"She won't. Hers will take care of it," August said confidently, sensing her concerns. "Knowing Hers, he probably already knows Ishtar is working with the dark factions... In the story, she's clearly the villain."
August figured Hers already knew about Ishtar's secrets. Since she was the villain, it was only a matter of ti before a hero showed up to stop her. Once Freya noticed Bell Cranel, the story of 'the hero defeating the villain' would be set in motion.
"A script where the hero defeats the villain? Classic Hers," Hestia murmured, imdiately understanding August's logic. He had hit the nail right on the head.
For Hers, raising a destined hero was the most important thing. He would even risk his own reputation to make it happen. Creating a scene where a hero could defeat evil was exactly the kind of drama Hers loved.
"But Lord August, are you certain the Goddess Ishtar won't co after us?" Liliruca Arde asked, still feeling a bit anxious. She feared that a Goddess like Ishtar wouldn't just quietly play along with August's assumptions.
Everyone had their own sches—it just depended on whose script played out first.
Hestia, however, visibly relaxed. "She won't. If August is right, Ishtar's main objective is destroying the Freya Familia. Given her personality, she won't allow anyone to interfere with her master plan."
Hestia felt sure things would go as they expected. Ishtar was much more focused on her big plan than on the small trouble from the Hestia Familia. August thought the sa way. As long as their goals didn't clash, neither side would break the peace.
"If that's the case, then it's fine," Lili said, letting the subject go. With that, the day's chaos finally ca to an end.
"Alright, since we're finally back ho, let's go out for dinner," August declared, waving a hand to announce his evening plans.
"Yeah!" Hestia and Lili cheered together. It was another night worth celebrating.
Why weren't they celebrating in Orario? Simple—they didn't have any money.
Every Valis they earned was already set aside for the Miach Familia and for buying Magic Stone products from different shops. To eat at a fancy Orario tavern like the Hostess of Fertility, a Familia needed extra money. Without it, there was no point in pretending they could afford it.
Their only choice was to eat in August's world. Plus, living costs were much lower here than in Orario. A simple al wouldn't empty their wallets.
The trio walked toward the front door.
But just as they stepped out, Lili spoke up. "Umm… shouldn't we invite Yui and Ui to join us?"
She suggested bringing the two sisters along for the celebration. After all, they were part of the sa team.
"Oh, right." Hestia and August quickly agreed. They were a team now, so it made sense to share a al together. If they were eating out, they might as well make it a full party.
"As expected of you, Lili! You've really grown," Hestia said, feeling proud that Liliruca Arde was looking out for the Familia. This was a great change.
"You two totally forgot about them, didn't you?" Lili said with a sigh. August had been thinking about other things, and Hestia just wanted to eat. Lili was the only one who rembered the other two.
August scratched the back of his head sheepishly and summoned the dinsional portal. This ti, he opened the gateway specifically to invite Yui and Ui Hirasawa over for dinner.
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But when he arrived, the sisters' parents weren't there.
Ui explained that their parents had co ho on ergency leave, but their father had to leave right away for work overseas. Since Ui was so dependable, their mother felt fine leaving them so money before flying out with their father that night.
Because of this, bringing them to August's world was easy. Wearing fresh, youthful outfits, Yui and Ui Hirasawa stepped into August's apartnt for the first ti.
"So this is Mr. August's ho?" they murmured, noticing that he lived alone. Aside from greeting Hestia and Liliruca Arde, they quickly spotted the frad photographs of his late parents and bowed their heads politely to pay their respects.
Visiting a man's apartnt for the first ti made them feel a little shy, even with a Goddess there.
"Yep, this is it," August replied. He didn't feel awkward at all and casually showed them around.
"Alright, let's head out. Tonight, we're celebrating our Familia's grand reunion." August waved his hand energetically.
"Yeah!" Yui and Ui were still taking everything in, but the idea of a free Familia dinner quickly cheered them up.
They headed downstairs, and August pulled his car around.
"Wow, the streets are so busy!" Yui pressed her face to the window, her eyes shining as she watched the crowds outside. It was their first ti in the United States.
The busy streets, crowds of people, and parents with strollers made the city feel alive and full of energy.
The girls felt nervous and excited as they looked around.
"There's food everywhere. I've never seen so many restaurants in one place. This street is packed," Lili said, amazed as she looked around outside August's apartnt. She quickly noticed all the shops, especially the places to eat.
"Look! That's McDonald! Oh wow, and KFC too! I can't believe Mr. August has them in his world as well," Yui and Ui chattered excitedly, pointing at the familiar storefronts through the car window.
The fast-food joints imdiately grabbed their attention.
For teenage girls, those places were the best hangouts. But there was no way they'd eat there tonight. Celebrating a big reunion with fast food would just make August look cheap.
"If we're going out, we're doing it right," August said.
He pulled up to a grand, brightly lit hotel restaurant in the heart of the city.
"Umm, Mr. August…" Ui's natural sense for saving money kicked in. She thought eating sowhere this fancy was a bit much. Her parents had taken her to nice places before, but a hotel like this was really expensive.
"Don't worry. I've got more than enough cash to cover a place like this," August assured her with absolute confidence.
Honestly, paying for dinner here was easy. Even before he got his Cheat abilities, he had enough savings for a fancy al. It just depended on whether he wanted to treat himself, and tonight, he did.
A forr patient of his had recomnded the spot, assuring him that the food was genuinely excellent. A luxury establishnt that could stay in business naturally had top-tier culinary standards. They could eat hotpot any day of the week, but for their first official Familia outing, he wasn't going to penny-pinch.
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"Mr. August?"
But the mont the group stepped into the restaurant, a man dining with his family noticed August and Hestia.
His face lit up with excitent when he saw August and Hestia.
People say the world feels smaller once you gain real power, and August never thought he'd et a forr patient here. It was a real surprise.
The man didn't address Hestia by her divine title, though he was clearly aware of who she was. Instead, he simply offered a respectful bow.
To this man, August was practically the savior who gave him a second lease on life.
"Hahaha, I took your recomndation and brought the family here for a reunion," August chuckled, feeling a little self-conscious about taking his advice.
"Ah, I see! Then please, have a wonderful al, Mr. August."
Noticing August was with his group, the man politely excused himself. He knew that bothering them would ruin his good standing.
Besides, if he annoyed August and Hestia, who were now backed by the country, his old friends might drag him in for questioning before the night ended.
August smiled and waved him off. "It's all good. Have a good night."
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