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Leaving the Deter Familia's compound, the group headed toward the next intersection.
"What was that about back there?"
Artemis and Hephaestus, who had been quiet until now, both noticed how August suddenly changed. For a mont at the gates, they really thought he might start a fight with the Dionysus Familia. The tension was so strong it felt like weapons could be drawn at any second.
"Yeah, August, what happened?" Hestia asked.
She saw it too. August had stepped in front of her and Lili without thinking, putting himself between them and the newcors. It was a natural reflex.
Hestia knew the real story about Dionysus.
He wasn't a kind god... he was an Evil God in every sense. Knowing what he was really like, she would never trust him. But that alone wouldn't make August react so strongly.
Showing his anger openly wasn't like him.
"No. I just felt an intense wave of malice," August explained, clenching his fist.
Truth be told, when August first saw Dionysus, he could have just acted like nothing was wrong. But as soon as he looked at the elf next to him, Filvis Challia, he felt it. Soone was watching him from the shadows.
He wasn't mistaken. It was a visceral, overwhelming hostility.
"Sothing was watching through her," August muttered, uneasy. "It felt like the Dungeon itself. But... not quite."
Who the hell was watching him? The Labyrinth? A Corrupted Spirit?
"Are you serious?" Hestia gasped. She hadn't expected soone to be stalking her child right out in the open. "Who is it?"
Hestia didn't doubt August for a second. Even if he were lying, Artemis and Hephaestus would have seen right through him. But the two Goddesses had also sensed the sa targeted malice radiating from the elf.
It was malice, so strong it felt like it was trying to reach August's very soul.
"Intense malice, you say? It seems Dionysus is hiding so very dark secrets," Artemis scoffed.
If soone could make August feel the Labyrinth's killing intent, it ant the mastermind was watching him closely. The Dionysus Familia was compromised and a serious threat.
As a Goddess of Justice, Artemis's instincts flared. She might have known Dionysus personally, but she wouldn't show a sliver of rcy to a Familia harboring that kind of targeted evil.
"So, August stepped in front of Hestia because he instinctively thought they were going to attack? Fascinating... It reeks of a conspiracy," Hephaestus murmured, her interest piqued.
She was sure Dionysus was planning sothing massive. The audacity of it was almost exciting. The Gods always enjoyed so drama.
"If you run into them in the Dungeon again, don't hold back. Kill them." Hestia didn't mince words.
She had no problem with getting rid of Filvis Challia. The elf was a corrupted anomaly—a monster in human skin. Taking her out fell perfectly within Orario's standard operating procedure: exterminate monsters.
"Understood," August replied without hesitation.
If he crossed paths with Filvis Challia in the Dungeon, he would strike first. He wouldn't just fight her—he would obliterate her before she even had a chance to breathe.
At first, he planned to stay out of things and keep a low profile. But after feeling that intense hostility himself, everything changed. He didn't care who was behind it. Stopping them was the only way to stay safe.
"I will start gathering intel," Lili declared. She needed to build a comprehensive information network. Knowing the general plot wasn't enough. They needed real-ti surveillance on Dionysus's every move.
Artemis and Hephaestus exchanged a look. They could tell Hestia was dead serious.
The Hestia Familia was ready for war. They would do whatever it took to end the threat, even if that ant killing Dionysus or being exiled from Orario for good.
For soone known as the Goddess of the Hearth, she could be surprisingly ruthless.
But really, being kicked out of Orario wouldn't be a punishnt for Hestia. It would an complete freedom. Hephaestus knew August's portal didn't just go to Earth—it was a door to many worlds. If they were exiled, they could just leave for another dinsion and never look back.
It was a tough situation. With everyone lost in thought, the group eventually went their separate ways.
Artemis headed back to her compound. Hephaestus returned to her forge, planning to discuss August's miraculous healing capabilities with her executives to see if they could strike a trade deal.
Hestia, August, and Lili headed back to the ruined church. For now, they decided to set aside the issue with Dionysus.
Hestia wasn't afraid of him at all. If it ever ca to a fight between gods, she was sure she could win.
There was no need to panic, just plan and act when the mont ca.
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However, as they approached the church, they spotted a skeletal figure draped in black robes waiting quietly by the entrance.
August, Hestia, and Lili stopped right away. Seeing a creepy figure waiting outside your ho almost always ant trouble.
"Not human, are you? The aura is all wrong," Hestia noted. "You must be that 'Ghost' the Guild is always whispering about."
She knew right away who it was: Fels, the Sage of Ouranos.
She hadn't expected him to show up at her door.
"Greetings, Goddess Hestia." Fels bowed low, intentionally lowering his posture to show respect.
He saw August and Lili standing on either side of the Goddess. They looked alert, ready for a fight if needed.
"August, Captain of the Hestia Familia. And Liliruca Arde," Fels acknowledged them smoothly, avoiding any cryptic nonsense. "I am here regarding your interference with the Artemis Familia's expedition to the Elsos Ruins."
He got straight to the point, making it clear he had just co from Rethusa's debrief.
"Are you here to pick a fight?" Hestia challenged, though she knew that was highly unlikely.
She had kept Artemis from walking into a massacre. If Ouranos was sending his lapdog to reprimand her for saving a Goddess's life, he was making a big mistake.
"No, no. I'm not here to fight," Fels said, raising his skeletal hands to show he ant no harm. Picking a fight with the monster rookie was practically suicide.
"I am here to deliver a direct edict from Lord Ouranos," he explained, establishing his official capacity.
"Step inside, then," Hestia gestured toward the door. If he was carrying an edict from the head of the Guild, she could hear him out.
August and Lili looked at the undead mage with open curiosity. eting a talking skeleton wasn't sothing you saw every day. He was much more powerful than a normal Dungeon undead.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
Fels followed them into the ruined church, and the group took their seats.
"Alright, spill it. What does Ouranos want?" Hestia demanded.
She knew Fels was relatively trustworthy. But what kind of crazy stunt was that ancient fossil trying to pull?
"It concerns the Elsos Ruins," Fels answered directly. "Since the expedition has been classified as a maximum-threat mission, the Artemis Familia has officially stood down."
"Given the current political climate in Orario, mobilizing either the Loki or Freya Familias is impossible."
"Therefore, Lord Ouranos wishes to officially contract August, Captain of the Hestia Familia, to handle the subjugation."
Fels produced a parchnt sealed with divine script and slid it across the table. Hestia broke the seal and scanned the contents.
"Are you out of your damn minds??" Hestia gaped at the parchnt, utterly stunned.
Had Ouranos been kicked in the head by a Minotaur? What kind of insane authorization was this?
"What's wrong, Lady Hestia?" Lili asked, alard. She had never seen her Goddess look so bewildered.
"That old fossil... he wants August to summon his world's military to this dinsion. He wants them to execute Antares in the Elsos Ruins."
"And during the entire operation, no God in Orario is allowed to interfere," Hestia read the final clause aloud.
"What?" August and Lili were equally blindsided. What the hell was Ouranos playing at?
August had kept Earth's military away from Orario for a reason. Even putting aside his own goals, this world was full of Evil Gods. Both sides kept their distance. It wasn't that his country was afraid of Orario...
Orario just didn't have much to offer. Magic was interesting, but Earth's modern industry was far ahead of this dieval world.
Even more important, most of the Gods in this city were unpredictable. They were impulsive and arrogant, acting like wild barbarians. August didn't want to risk his soldiers dealing with these out-of-control gods.
But now, Ouranos was promising not to interfere at all. It was a huge sign of trust.
"Are you absolutely certain you are authorizing this?" August asked, narrowing his eyes.
Did Ouranos really understand he was letting a modern army into his own territory? Wasn't he worried they might destroy the whole Elsos Ruins?
"Positive. During the operational window, no God will be permitted to interfere," Fels swore solemnly.
"Understood. I accept the mission." August didn't hesitate.
Honestly, the offer was very tempting. New aerial combat drones and modern weapons had just been made back ho. He wanted a dedicated strike force to test them in a live-fire scenario.
He wasn't just thinking of himself. If this mission could give them useful data and make his country's military stronger, he was all in.
"Yes! That's my boy!" Hestia's eyes sparkled. She loved his confidence.
Showing off the Hestia Familia's power to the whole world? That was a dream co true.
"The Hestia Familia accepts the edict," Hestia slapped the parchnt on the table. "However, I'm adding a clause."
Her voice beca firm. "If any soldier from August's world is badly hurt, I can use my Divine Power to keep them alive until August can heal them. No one dies."
She wasn't just showing off. This was a strict rule to make sure Earth's soldiers survived.
"Why?" Fels asked, slightly confused. That skirted the boundaries of the non-interference pact.
"Because I don't trust the other Gods," Hestia said. "If they can't interfere while the soldiers are alive, soone might try sothing if they die here. I'm not leaving any loopholes."
Fels caught the implication. She was locking out any rogue Gods from capitalizing on a fallen soldier. It was a brilliant, ironclad safeguard.
"Understood. On behalf of Lord Ouranos, I accept the clause," Fels said.
As long as August did the healing and Hestia just kept them alive, it didn't break the rules. Keep them breathing, let August heal them—simple as that.
"When you are ready to mobilize, we can provide flying wyverns for transport to the Elsos Ruins. Lord Ganesha has already agreed to supply them," Fels offered.
August ran the tactical variables through his head. The target was a [Level 5] Antares. He might have the technological high ground, but underestimating a monster of that caliber was a fatal mistake.
"I need ti to prepare," August stated. Launching an expedition to the edge of the world required heavy logistical planning.
"Take the ti you need," Fels nodded. Coordinating an inter-dinsional military deploynt wasn't a minor task.
"You have complete freedom to run the operation," Fels said clearly. Ouranos was giving him a blank check. As long as August didn't destroy the world, Ouranos would ignore any damage needed to defeat the beast.
"He's feeling generous, isn't he?" Hestia smirked.
That level of clearance was unheard of.
But this got her excited. It was the perfect chance to show off just how powerful August's world really was. She couldn't wait to impress the rest of Orario. Every world had its problems, but Earth's military strength was sothing she was eager to reveal.
"This is going to be the Hestia Familia's... no, EARTH'S GRAND DEBUT!!"
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