Chapter 111 111: A Naive Maiden

Thank you all so much for your incredible support this week!

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

"Um, Lord August, thank you for coming to save us."

Hestia led her Familia members back to their base at the ruined church.

Ui Hirasawa had stayed silent until now. Seeing the harsh reality of this world for herself, she felt it was nothing like her usual life, but now it was a part of her for good.

She once believed a city watched over by Gods would be safe. Now she saw that Orario's peace was fragile, hiding dangers that could break out at any moment.

The night had been a brutal wake-up call.

August noticed that Ui seemed different. She looked shaken. He watched her closely, making sure she was really herself and not a shape-shifter in disguise.

"Ui, is something wrong?" August asked, keeping his tone light.

"It's nothing. Just taking it all in..." Ui maintained her gentle smile.

Standing nearby, Yui Hirasawa suddenly had an idea.

Clasping her hands behind her back, she skipped over to August. She leaned in.

A soft smooch landed squarely on his left cheek.

While Ui was lost in her own worries, Yui's eyes shone with a lively excitement.

"That was my thank-you."

A deep blush spread across Yui's face.

Ui's thoughtful mood disappeared right away. Next to her, Lili stood with her mouth open, unable to speak. The bold move surprised them both. Neither expected anyone to just walk up and kiss him.

Crack.

"My precious children, what exactly do you think you're doing?"

Hestia could sense the sweet feeling of new romance in the air. Yui had the shy look of someone with her first crush. Hestia was annoyed, but she knew Yui was just honestly thankful for being rescued.

'Whatever. The girl is usually an airhead. It's rare for her to strike with precision.'

'Honestly, I figured our little Supporter would be the first one to make a move. I didn't see Yui coming.'

Hestia sighed internally.

It felt like she had upset Lili at just the wrong moment. As Hestia guessed, the Pallum was sitting on the floor, looking defeated.

'Dammit. I lost to the newbie.' Lili felt frustrated. She could handle losing to Hestia. But losing to a new member who had just joined? That was too much. Were all newcomers this bold now?

"Well, tonight I'm definitely going to—" Lili muttered, hyping herself up.

"Going to what, exactly?" Hestia crouched down in front of her, flashing a dangerously sweet smile.

Lili wilted under the Goddess's intense gaze. She had been half a second away from trying the exact same sneak attack.

"Nothing..."

She knew she couldn't let herself lose this quiet rivalry, especially not to someone younger. Not even a Goddess would stop her from trying.

'This little brat.'

Hestia understood exactly what Lili was up to, but it didn't matter. They were all in the same Familia now. Any arguments could be settled in private.

"August, it's time to send Yui and Ui back home." Hestia checked the time.

About three hours had passed since the ambush. Raiding the assassin broker's hideout and trekking back to the church ate up a massive chunk of the night.

"Yui has school tomorrow morning."

"Ui needs to head back to class too."

Hestia crossed her arms and imagined the two girls going back to their normal lives as students, filled with homework and classes.

"Oh, right."

"I can't believe you have to go back to school already. Time goes by so fast," Lili said with a sigh, sounding like a nostalgic parent.

They had just been having fun together, but now everyone had to go back to their own lives and face reality.

"Yikes! When you put it like that, I almost forgot we need to go to sleep!" Yui gasped, remembering her looming alarm clock.

Even so, this school break had been exciting. Instead of relaxing at home or seeing her old friends, she spent it caught up in wild adventures with August and the others.

Seeing that it was time, August summoned the dimensional portal.

"Let's go home, Ui."

"Goodnight, Lady Hestia."

Yui waved goodbye as August guided them back toward their world. Ui offered a well-mannered bow before crossing the threshold.

"Sleep well!" Hestia waved back, watching them leave.

After crossing the spatial rift, August dropped the girls off, said a quick goodbye, and headed back to Orario.

But as soon as August left through the portal...

Yui suddenly realized what she had just done. Her face turned bright red, and feeling embarrassed, she hurried into her bedroom.

"Aaahhhh!"

It was rare for her to panic like this. In the moment, the kiss seemed like a brave way to say thank you. Now that things had calmed down, she finally understood what she had done.

"Sis, it's time for your shower."

"You need to wash up and go to sleep. We have school tomorrow."

Ui peeked into the room and saw her sister rolling around on the bed in a late panic. She smiled, thinking her sister was adorable. She had thought Yui had become brave, but it turned out she could still get embarrassed like anyone else.

"I know, Ui!" Yui muffled her voice under her blankets, hiding her burning face.

After talking to her sister, her mind went back to the kiss. She touched her lips gently, her heart fluttering. That innocent kiss felt like the start of something new.

"I don't think I hated it."

"Hehe." Yui giggled quietly. No, she definitely didn't hate it.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Back in Orario, August stepped out of the portal and into the ruined church.

He walked in to see a mortal and a Goddess pulling each other's hair in a wild fight.

It was clear that as soon as he left, Hestia had teased Lili, or Lili had said something back. Either way, they were now in a fierce argument.

Neither of them had much patience. Even though they were Patron Goddess and her child, Lili stopped being polite.

Goddess or not, if Hestia started a fight, Lili fought back.

Breaking up the scuffle, August dragged the bickering duo out of the church and through a portal straight to his apartment on Earth.

"Ahhh."

"So comfortable." Lili ran across the living room, grabbed a big pillow, and flopped onto the soft sofa. She didn't want to move at all. "Lord August's house really is the best."

Sinking into the soft cushions felt like heaven.

"HEY! THAT'S MY SPOT!" Hestia glared at the Pallum.

She couldn't believe Lili had taken her favorite spot on the couch as soon as they got home. That was the best place to sit.

"Finders keepers!!" Lili shot back, crossing her arms smugly. She wasn't backing down.

Hestia refused to let that slide. Within seconds, she and Lili were wrestling over the cushions again.

August yawned as he watched them fight.

"I'm taking a shower."

It had been a long night. Dealing with street assassins and faction politics left him exhausted. All he wanted now was to stand under a hot shower and relax.

"Okay," they answered in unison.

Even after answering him, the fight continued. They kept elbowing and pinching each other until August grabbed his clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. Only then did they finally call a truce.

Hestia let go of Lili's collar and sat back.

"So, little Supporter. How do you want to handle the Ikelos Familia?" Hestia got straight to the point.

"We can't win a direct fight," Lili answered frankly.

"Knossos is a huge, man-made maze. Attacking it without a plan would be a mistake." She adjusted her pillow.

"But knowing how those rats work, they'll probably keep their heads down. Lord August just destroyed a city block, and you embarrassed the Goddess Ishtar in public. They know we're dangerous. The smart move is to stay away from us."

"Still, there's always a chance some fanatic gets desperate and tries something stupid."

Lili got more comfortable and shared her thoughts. She wasn't going to rush into a revenge mission just because someone attacked her. Even with the power difference, her best weapon was still her intelligence network.

Knossos was a deadly fortress. Clearing it out the usual way would be a nightmare. Unless August wanted to destroy the whole Daedalus Street, going in was basically suicide.

"We stick to our original schedule," Hestia nodded.

She reminded Lili that she and August were getting ready to explore the new dimension that was trying to summon him. That mission came first. The local faction fights could wait.

Exploring a new world was more important than dealing with Knossos. The Evilus were just small-time troublemakers anyway.

"Still, you did well tonight," Hestia offered rare praise.

She was impressed by Lili's quick thinking. Spotting the ambush, getting the girls to safety, and firing the flare under pressure was no easy task. Even if the assassin was just playing with them, escaping a Level 4 hunter long enough to call for help was a huge achievement for someone at Level 1.

"Speaking of which, given everything you survived over the last few days, I think you've racked up enough experience." Hestia motioned for Lili to turn around and bare her back.

"Obviously," Lili smirked, radiating confidence.

The last few days felt unreal. The danger pushed her to her limits. She wasn't just giving orders from the back anymore—she survived real battles on the front lines. All that stress made her stats shoot up.

Hestia traced her finger over Lili's smooth back, using her Divine Power to unseal the Falna.

[Liliruca Arde: Level 1]

[Strength: H112 | Endurance: G220 | Dexterity: F301 | Agility: E499 | Magic: C620]

[Skill: Artel Assist]

[Magic: Cinder Ella]

Surviving the huge monster horde and tonight's assassination attempt was a real test. Her stats jumped up as a result.

"Lili, this is an incredibly lopsided build," Hestia deadpanned. "Why is your Strength stat barely moving?"

The difference in her physical strength was almost funny.

"Lady Hestia, I'm a Supporter, not a frontline gorilla," Lili retorted. "Don't judge me by Vanguard standards."

Her growth was already crazy fast. Taking part in three big battles and surviving a fight with Antares sped up her progress way beyond normal. She had definitely reached a new level.

"Do you want to rank up?" Hestia asked, leaning in.

Her stats were high enough to level up. Usually, you had to get at least one main stat to D-Rank and collect enough high-level Excelia to reach the next Level. That meant surviving life-or-death situations, which Lili had done plenty of. Not many Adventurers gathered enough Excelia to level up this fast.

"Of course I do." Lili didn't hesitate for a second.

Waiting to rank up was something only elite Vanguards could afford, since they wanted to max out their stats. For a Supporter like her, getting to Level 2 right away made her much safer. She wasn't about to miss that chance.

"Alright then." Hestia channeled the accumulated Excelia, consuming the stored greatness to break the mortal limit.

Lili didn't feel any instant changes as her Falna updated, but the writing on her back changed.

[Liliruca Arde: Level 2]

[Strength: I0 | Endurance: I0 | Dexterity: I0 | Agility: I0 | Magic: I0]

[Skill: Artel Assist]

[Magic: Cinder Ella]

"Time to pick your Development Ability," Hestia said, scanning the new options.

"Oh wow. You actually unlocked Abnormal Resistance and Poison Resistance."

Both were rare and highly valued abilities.

"Abnormal Resistance," Lili answered immediately.

Poison Resistance was helpful, but Abnormal Resistance was a must-have. It was one of the few abilities that protected against divine charms and mind control. After surviving Ishtar's territory, keeping her mind safe was most important. Poison defense could come later.

[Development Ability: Abnormal Resistance I]

Hestia finished the update and was happy with the results.

"Not bad at all. Your growth rate is incredible."

She was glad for the Pallum. Growing so quickly meant Lili had a solid spot on the team. The Falna was flexible, so even if she focused on support now, she could learn combat skills later.

"Don't get too comfortable, though. The next rank-up won't come this fast," Hestia warned gently.

"Getting to Level 3 takes a lot more high-level Excelia." She wanted Lili to stay motivated.

"No kidding," Lili rolled her eyes.

Leveling up wasn't easy. Getting enough Excelia meant surviving tough, life-or-death fights. With her fighting style, Lili guessed she'd be close to thirty before she even got near Level 3.

"Have a little faith. Anything is possible," Hestia smiled.

She never underestimated how tough mortals could be. Their knack for doing the impossible when things got rough was what made them so interesting to the Gods. That spark of potential was the best thing about the lower world.

August came out of the bathroom, feeling clean and relaxed. He saw Lili staring at her updated status sheet.

"Oh? You ranked up? Didn't think you'd hoard enough Excelia that quickly," August noted.

He couldn't read the divine writing, but he got the idea. She was now officially Level 2, which meant the Guild would soon give her a new alias.

"Tomorrow, I am going to fight tooth and nail to get you a badass alias!" Hestia pumped her fists, radiating heat.

"At the very least, I won't let them saddle you with something embarrassing."

Tomorrow is the Denatus, the Gods' quarterly meeting. The main event was arguing and picking titles for newly ranked-up Adventurers. Just thinking about the coming debate with the other Gods got her fired up. She was excited.

August didn't care about all the ceremony. As long as the name wasn't dumb, he was fine. In his old world, top operatives got callsigns based on what they'd done anyway.

"Just make sure it isn't cringe."

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

NEW WEEKLY EVENT, BULK UPLOAD OF 5 CHAPTERS IF WE HIT 1000 POWERSTONES THIS WEEK!!

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

~ Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus chapter!

~ 25 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.