The mansion gates had yet to open when the goddess's call cut through the night and reached the group.
"Bell, you're finally back!"
"Honestly, even if you said you'd be staying in Rivira Town for a while, this is far too late, isn't it?"
Hestia's ponytail swayed as she ran to the front gate.
"Goddess-sama, we're back."
Bell answered the goddess's worry and complaints with a smile.
"Welco back... Wait, what happened to your hand?"
Hestia frowned at the tightly wrapped bandages.
Besides the injury on his arm, there were dark red bloodstains in several places on Bell's clothes.
In the past, he would have changed first and found so way to cover it up.
But now that the familia had grown, even if Bell tried to hide it, Hestia could still learn the details from the others.
So Bell chose to tell the truth.
"Goddess-sama, we ran into the Black Goliath in the Dungeon. It took a lot of effort to bring it down."
"The Black... Goliath? You need to tell everything."
Hestia knit her brows and spoke with the authority of a Familia God.
As they crossed the front courtyard, a young girl's singing drifted out from the corridor.
"Dia Frater!"
That beautiful voice summoned healing light and wrapped around the group.
The silver white glow washed away their pain and restored their depleted strength as well.
"Airmid-sama, thank you!"
Lili looked toward the silver hair by the window and thanked her again and again.
"You've all worked hard."
Airmid slowly approached, her violet eyes fixed on Bell the whole ti, as if she had countless things she wanted to say to him.
"Airmid, is your Mind all right?"
Bell removed the bandages and moved his arm a little.
Ever since the War Ga, Airmid had been staying at the Hestia Familia mansion every night after finishing work.
If anything unexpected happened, Bell could be treated here imdiately.
With that reason in mind, Airmid had continued staying at the mansion.
"Most of today's work was just selling and mixing potions, so I still have plenty of stamina and Mind left."
Airmid looked at Bell with deep affection, her aning obvious.
"Mm..."
Lili noticed sothing odd about the two of them and asked,
"Is it really okay for Airmid-sama to keep staying here?"
Orario placed fairly strict limits on romance between mbers of different familias.
Every child of a familia was one of its precious assets.
If two people from different familias fell in love with marriage in mind, they would have to face all kinds of difficulties.
First of all, the gods themselves often had grudges and entanglents with one another.
Even if the two Familia Gods chose not to interfere, they saw their children as their own, so there was no guarantee they would agree.
On top of that, there was also the question of where the child would belong. To avoid all of that, the only way for lovers to stay together was usually through changing familias.
"Please don't worry. Dian Cecht-sama tearfully told that as long as I don't transfer to the Hestia Familia, what I do is entirely my own freedom."
Airmid answered softly.
"Huh? He actually said that much?"
Hestia was once again surprised by Airmid's determination.
"It was only a threat. Bell and I already talked it over, and things are fine the way they are now."
Airmid answered honestly.
The Hestia Familia was a pure exploration familia. Unless sothing unusual happened, Airmid would remain in the Dian Cecht Familia and continue her work.
Healing illness and saving lives, that was where the soul of the Dea Saint shone brightest.
The potions Airmid gave him, along with her help when it truly mattered, were already enough. Bell did not want her to twist the dream she had once held.
What was more, as one of the city's strongest healers, Airmid's re presence in Orario was enough to deter the forces of darkness.
"I don't mind. After all, it's thanks to Healer-san that Bell's injuries can heal."
Hestia spoke softly.
"Hestia-sama... Lili feels like you've changed."
Lili's eyes widened in surprise.
The goddess who was always called a loli was now giving off a gentleness and tolerance to match her chest.
"Really?"
Hestia turned around in confusion and walked into the mansion with the others.
"The old you would definitely have shouted and made things difficult for Airmid-sama."
Lili exaggerated a little, but that was the impression she had.
Maybe it would not have gone as far as truly making things difficult, but Hestia should at least have used a goddess's privilege to sulk and forbid Airmid from getting too close to Bell.
Even if it were only a verbal warning, Hestia would never have backed down.
"I wouldn't do sothing like that. As long as Bell just..."
Hestia seed to rember sothing, and her back trembled slightly.
"As long as what?"
Lili pressed.
"It's nothing. Co on, everyone, let's eat dinner already. I'm so hungry I can barely walk."
Hestia clumsily changed the subject.
"That's weird..."
Lili caught a trace of sothing off in her reaction.
Hestia kept walking ahead on her own and did not explain any further.
...
Bell never joined that conversation.
He simply took Airmid's hand and looked at the goddess's back, deep in thought.
The glow of the magic stone lamps drove away the darkness and brought a little warmth to the spacious dining hall.
"It's already this late, and everyone actually waited for us to co back so we could have dinner together..."
Cassandra sat down shakily in her seat, tears of emotion trembling in her eyes.
"It's all because Hestia-sama suddenly burst into tears, so..."
"Rethusa, you like fried potato balls, right? These are all yours."
Before the girl who had once been captain could finish, Artemis stuffed food into her mouth.
"Hestia-sama's such a crybaby. She must have been worried about us."
Lili spoke in a voice so soft no one else could hear it.
"You really have no right to say that..."
Daphne muttered as she glanced at the goddess sitting beside Bell.
The dining hall was quite large.
More than twenty people sat scattered across several tables.
Hestia listlessly picked at her food, and amid the chatter around her, she occasionally forced out a sowhat bitter smile.
Then, all of a sudden, a blonde elf appeared at Bell's side.
"Laurier-san, you're sneaking over to hug Bell again!"
Airmid shot her a reproachful look.
"I was just checking whether any suspicious shaless won were following Bell. Asking for a little reward isn't too much, is it?"
Laurier smiled as she wrapped an arm around Bell's shoulders.
"Are you talking about yourself...?"
Artemis's brow twitched slightly.
"Oh? Looks like I used up all my Mind maintaining the magic. Sorry, Bell, let rest for a bit..."
Laurier smoothly adjusted her position, sat down on Bell's lap, and leaned right into his arms.
"You... What are you doing right in front of Artemis-sama?!"
"Unforgivable!"
The girls imdiately cried out in protest.
"..."
Artemis gripped the cutlery in her hand so tightly it had already started to bend.
Amid all the chaotic shouting, Hestia alone gave no reaction.
She just sat there blankly, silent.
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (70 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free mber to read a few advanced chapters.
User Comments
0 comments from readers