Chapter 103: [BONUS] - Healing, and a Maiden’s Debut!

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The Hostess of Fertility.

"Long time no see, kiddo," Mia Grand called out.

When Mia saw Hestia, Artemis, and their group gathering, she headed over as soon as August sat down.

He hadn't been to the tavern in a few days—and she really missed having him around.

"I'm guessing you just missed my healing," August replied dryly.

He quickly noticed two disabled children helping near the counter. One was missing an arm, and the other looked very frail, with a pale, sickly look that suggested serious organ problems.

The two kids sat close together. In a tavern full of loud female Adventurers, they really stood out. The regulars didn't ignore them to be mean—they were just used to seeing sad things like this in Orario.

"Are these the kids you mentioned?" August asked, crossing his arms and looking at Mia.

They were so young. Still, their eyes were bright. When they looked at August, there wasn't a trace of fear, just a hopeful smile.

Mia waved the kids over. When they saw her signal, they walked up to the table and looked at August with curious eyes. They didn't know him, but Mia had told them a healer would come, so they'd been waiting for two days.

"So? What do you think, kid?" Mia's eyes practically sparkled with desperate hope. She needed good news.

"Regrowing the arm? No problem," August stated plainly. "But this one..."

He gestured to the sickly child, frowning. "This is tricky."

The kid's pale look reminded him of cancer patients getting strong chemotherapy or someone with a serious disease from birth. When he worked at a top hospital on Earth, the toughest cases always ended up with him.

"For something like this, you should really go to the top healer in the city," August advised. "If I do it, my method is going to be very brutal."

When it came to detoxing and treating diseases, Captain Airmid Teasanare of the Dian Cecht Familia was the best. August's healing was more like brute-force trauma repair, which would be painful.

Fixing an amputated arm was easy, but a disease like this needed a gentler touch.

Mia nodded gravely. "I already took him to her. Miss Airmid said she can cure most diseases and poisons, but this kid's heart is failing congenitally. She's the one who recommended I bring him to you... for a heart transplant."

"..." August lifted his gaze.

If Airmid, the top healer in Orario, was recommending an actual organ replacement, the kid's condition had to be very serious.

"Alright. If you're okay with that plan, I'll need a God to help out," August said, careful not to assume anything.

Hestia and Artemis watched quietly and didn't interrupt August's assessment. Hestia smiled at the kids, who knew to show respect to the Gods there.

Soon enough, Miach and Takemikazuchi arrived, each bringing an escort from their respective Familias.

With Miach, a God known for his medical skill, there to help with the diagnosis and operation, August's healing was guided perfectly. The second child's treatment finished quickly.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

"He's so amazing," Yui Hirasawa sighed dreamily, watching August walk down the stairs from the second-floor infirmary. She had just witnessed her captain's amazing capabilities firsthand.

Today was technically their official debut in this brand-new world.

Orario was a huge culture shock.

The fashion was nothing like modern Earth, especially with Amazonian warriors walking around in skimpy, breathable armor. The two teenage girls found it almost too much. Without Hestia to guide them, they would have been totally overwhelmed.

But when Yui saw August step up to help the kids, she thought he seemed to shine.

"I didn't know Captain August was such a catch," Yui said, crossing her arms and nodding seriously. "If it were me, I'd totally marry him."

'Honestly, he might be the only decent guy here' she thought.

"Sister!" Ui Hirasawa panicked, her face burning red.

Why is she acting like this in front of everyone? And talking about marriage? Lili had just warned them that the Artemis Familia was strict about chastity and devotion to their Goddess!

"Hahaha! It's fine, little one," Rethusa laughed, waving off Ui's panic. "We're pretty open-minded. Don't make us out to be heartless."

As a Level 3 veteran, Rethusa noticed Ui's worried looks and quickly realized she had misunderstood their Familia's rules. They weren't some group that hated men.

"Our Familia doesn't allow romance while we're on active duty, and we don't let love cloud our judgment," Rethusa explained. "But that's a rule we follow for ourselves. We don't stop anyone from finding happiness. If one of our girls falls in love, she can leave the Familia to be with that person."

The surrounding Artemis Familia members, including the half-elf Lante, nodded vigorously.

"Exactly," Lante added. "We might choose to abstain, but we don't force it on anyone else. For us, staying pure is just where our faith and strength come from."

"Wow, that's amazing," Yui and Ui said in unison. They had assumed the Artemis Familia was a strict convent of nuns, but they were surprisingly progressive.

"I thought you all were super strict, but you're actually really chill," Yui said. Then, without hesitating, she changed the subject.

"So, what do you guys think of our Captain?" Yui asked, staring directly at Rethusa. "He's super gentle, ridiculously strong, and takes his work really seriously. He's basically the ultimate husband material, right?"

Yui thought about all of August's qualities. He was also really handsome, and somehow, he just kept looking better every time she saw him. Yui was sure that women would be lining up for a guy like him.

"Cough! Cough!"

Rethusa and the others almost choked on their drinks. 'Why is she trying to sell him to us?'

This girl's way of thinking was something else.

Hestia, used to Yui's scatterbrained logic, just puffed out her chest. As August's First Girl, she didn't feel threatened by Yui's attempts to play matchmaker. She knew she had the upper hand.

"Hahaha! Hestia, I've gotta hand it to you," Takemikazuchi chuckled, looking at Yui. "Your kid is something else."

He liked her. She naturally lifted everyone's spirits. She might come off as a little clueless, but her feelings were always sincere.

"That's just how my kids are," Hestia boasted proudly.

She didn't mind that Yui seemed clueless. Yui had a pure heart and a strange, almost magical sense for finding the safest way forward. Her scatterbrained side was balanced by a strong instinct to keep herself safe.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Miach and Takemikazuchi weren't the only Gods at the tavern.

Hephaestus and Demeter had shown up too.

"Are these your two new Familia members?" Demeter asked, observing Yui and Ui. At first glance, they looked like completely ordinary girls.

But Demeter quickly remembered who had brought them. August, Hestia's first recruit, had just walked right up to her door. She knew she couldn't underestimate anyone from this Familia.

"Hello there," Demeter smiled warmly, waving at the two girls.

'Oh wow, she really is adorable if you look closely,' Demeter thought as she noticed Yui's innocent, blank stare. She seemed like such a sweet kid.

Noticing the attention, Yui turned to look at Hestia's friends. She recognized the Goddess with the eyepatch, Hephaestus, the famous God of Forging. Lili had told her about Hephaestus before.

But the other Goddess, who seemed full of motherly warmth, was a stranger. For some reason, Yui's instincts told her that even with the caring vibe, this Goddess felt a bit unpredictable.

She didn't set off Yui's safe zone radar.

"This is Demeter, my friend from Heaven and the primary food supplier for the entire city," Hestia introduced. "And this is my other friend, Hephaestus."

"Oh, nice to meet you!" Yui nodded politely.

Then her eyes landed on Hephaestus.

"Yo!" Yui said with a big smile, skipping right past the friendly Demeter to wave at the serious-looking blacksmith. Her greeting was so casual it was funny, and she even slid a plate of appetizers across the table to Hephaestus as a peace offering.

Hephaestus blinked, utterly bewildered.

What is going on? She hadn't even introduced herself yet, and this kid was already offering her food.

"Oh, Yui has this weird instinct," Hestia explained with a grin. "She has a literal sixth sense for finding the absolute safest person in the room and clinging to them."

"If she sticks close to you, it means you're really reliable." Hestia let out a deep sigh. "I thought she'd go for Demeter or Artemis, but she went right to Hephaestus. I didn't expect that."

It was true. Even on the trip, Yui hardly talked to Artemis and chose to spend time with Rethusa instead. Now, among all the Gods, she immediately tried to get on Hephaestus's good side.

"She has a talent like that??" The others were stunned. Having a built-in radar for finding protectors was an amazing survival skill.

"S-Sister!" Ui hissed, mortified that Yui was embarrassing them in front of literal deities.

"I am so sorry, Lady Hephaestus," Ui bowed deeply, her voice laced with panic. "My sister lacks a filter. Please forgive her rudeness."

Ui was honestly stressed out. Her sister was just too bold, and she knew that having a 'survival instinct' wasn't a good excuse for being rude. She really didn't want them to make a bad first impression.

Hearing the younger sister's frantic, well-practiced apology, Hephaestus's expression softened.

'What a remarkably well-behaved child.'

Yui's directness was charming in its own way, but seeing her younger sister step in so quickly and handle things with such maturity made their relationship even more endearing. It was hard not to like them.

Hephaestus realized she had totally underestimated these two. They didn't just look up to her because she was a God, and the younger sister was quick to take responsibility for her sibling's odd behavior.

'Dammit, I'm so jealous.' For the first time, Hephaestus had a real sting of envy.

The way these sisters acted reminded her of the Amazon twins from the Loki Familia. But honestly, Yui and Ui were much better behaved and had a healthier bond.

The fact that August and Hestia had just found these two by chance in another world made Hephaestus feel even more jealous.

"If you find any more kids like this and don't want them, send them to me," Hephaestus said firmly. If Hestia was going to give away future recruits, Hephaestus wanted first pick.

"Shoo! Why would I give them up??" Hestia waved her friend away.

She knew exactly what Hephaestus was thinking: Next time August goes to another world, I'm taking his recruits.

"These two are just too good," Hephaestus said with a jealous sigh.

"Can't you save some for me?" Demeter pouted, clearly a little jealous.

Demeter had wondered why Yui avoided her, but after hearing about the girl's 'safety radar' and seeing how capable Ui was, she wanted to be part of it too. She wasn't upset that Yui didn't feel 'safe' around her—she was a very motherly Goddess, after all—but watching Hestia keep all the best recruits was annoying.

How does your Familia get all the good ones??

Listening to everyone complain about Familia recruitment suddenly reminded Hestia of something.

"Actually, Demeter, now that you mention it... I do have a whole group of people looking for a Familia," Hestia said, glancing at the Goddess of Agriculture. She really did need Demeter's help to settle the village women.

"Wait, really? Are you serious??" Demeter's eyes widened in delight. Was her Familia finally going to expand again?

"You bitch!" Hephaestus shouted, caught off guard. She couldn't believe Hestia was giving away recruits to someone else instead of her.

"Master! Please calm down!" Tsubaki Collbrande rushed over and grabbed the angry Goddess of Forging before she could flip the table. Even Tsubaki thought Hestia was being a little unfair.

Why wasn't the Hephaestus Familia getting a share of this great recruitment deal?

They glared at Hestia with pure resentment.

The Artemis Familia members remained silent. They were the only ones who knew the truth behind Hestia's offer—the recruits were actually widows and farm girls from the village.

They weren't about to say anything and spoil the illusion.

Just then, August walked back into the main dining area, having finished the post-op healing.

He glanced at Yui and Ui, noting that their first official outing in Orario seemed to be going smoothly. They were interacting with Gods and Adventurers without a hitch. Their debut was a success.

But then he saw Hephaestus shooting angry looks at Hestia, while Demeter looked almost giddy with excitement.

'What the hell is with this weird atmosphere?' August wondered.

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