Chapter 123: She's a Genius

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Back at the ruined church.

Artemis, Takemikazuchi, and their Familia members stared in disbelief as the group returned. When they saw real monsters walking in as if nothing was strange, Rethusa and the other adventurers grabbed their weapons, struggling to process what was happening.

"Hestia," Artemis warned, turning toward her friend.

But Hestia was already gone. She ran across the courtyard and hugged August tightly.

"I'm home," August said, catching her. He sounded truly sorry.

"You're back. That's all that matters." Hestia kept her composure. She stepped back and looked at her Familia captain. He usually seemed sharp and confident, but now she could see he was exhausted.

"Did something happen? You look awful," Hestia said.

She glanced at the rest of the group and noticed even the monsters looked tired and worn out. She turned to Lili, trusting her to tell the truth.

"WE LOST," Lili admitted, dropping her shoulders in frustration.

"We were trying to reach the 20th floor. We even beat the Floor Boss on the 17th. But the 19th floor..." Lili dropped to her knees. "They fought dirty. There were just too many of them."

Defeating a Giant Irregular like Goliath was hard—but the 19th floor was on another level. There were more monsters, and they were much stronger. The group was completely overwhelmed.

"Was it really that bad?" Hestia winced.

She hadn't expected her children to struggle so soon. With August's strength, she thought they could have gone further before needing to retreat.

"Uh... Care to explain?" Takemikazuchi stepped forward, pointing at the Xenos. "Why did you bring monsters back with you?"

"Oh, them."

Hestia recognized the group right away. "They're the talking monsters the Ikelos Familia took. August must have tried to help them reach the 20th floor to find their own people."

Their return meant the escort mission had failed. They had no choice but to come back to the surface.

"This is my Patron Goddess." Lili nodded, confirming the theory.

"LADY GODDESS," the Siren said. She had met Ikelos before and could tell Hestia was a goddess, so she spoke with respect.

"This place is a bit of a mess, but if you don't mind, you can stay here for a while," Hestia said, motioning to the ruined church.

"We don't mind," the Siren replied, shaking her head. They were exhausted, and just having a safe place to sleep felt like a blessing. All they wanted was to rest.

"Let's sit down first," August said, pulling up a chair and sinking into it.

He looked at Rethusa. "Could you make some tea? I have cups and plates ready."

August felt a bit guilty asking a guest to make tea, but he knew Hestia was about to have an important conversation. He pulled out some high-quality supplies from his [Spatial Backpack] and gave them to her.

"Leave it to me," Rethusa said, not bothered.

Honestly, she was glad for a reason to sit nearby and watch these strange, intelligent monsters.

Hestia set up some Magic Stone lamps and cleared a space in the main hall, filling the church with warm light. Everyone gathered as Rethusa poured tea. They all took a moment to sip quietly and enjoy the calm.

August held his cup and explained what had happened that day.

When Artemis and Takemikazuchi learned the monsters were victims of a smuggling ring, they understood why August brought them back.

Trying to reach the hidden Xenos village meant facing even more monsters. They were too tired to continue, so retreating was the only option.

"I get why you did it," Takemikazuchi said with a nod. He thought going that far was risky, but knowing when to pull back showed good leadership.

"I can't believe the Dungeon is going after you this hard," Artemis sighed, frustrated.

It was like the Dungeon was doing everything it could to take him down.

"If that had been us, we wouldn't have made it... Swinging a sword that much would turn your arms to jelly," Rethusa said, scratching her head.

Just hearing about all those monsters made her feel tired.

Every experienced Adventurer knew one rule: never let the Dungeon see you're tired.

If the Dungeon sensed weakness, it would send more and more monsters. Getting his team out safely was a big achievement for August.

"What a headache," Hestia said, rubbing her temples. "If you can't get through the 19th floor to reunite them now, they'll just have to stay here for the time being."

She turned to the Xenos and laid out the rules. "If you see any Adventurers causing trouble, don't fight back. Just call for help. We'll handle it."

The Xenos nodded, understanding her instructions.

"Good," Hestia said with a satisfied smile.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Hestia? If people find out, the other Gods will cause a big scene," Takemikazuchi warned.

Taking in monsters was almost asking for trouble.

"Let them complain. Who cares?" Hestia said. "Ouranos was the one who found them. He's been secretly helping these monsters for more than twenty years."

She had no problem blaming the Head of the Guild.

"WHAT??" Artemis and Takemikazuchi gasped.

They had no idea the ancient God was actually helping intelligent monsters.

"August just wanted to get them home, but things didn't go as planned. It's fine to keep them here for now," Hestia said with a shrug. "Besides, my Familia is already in deep trouble. What's one more problem? Bring it on."

She wasn't worried. They were already targets, so taking in a few monsters wouldn't make things worse.

Lili, sitting quietly with her tea, noticed something. "Wait, Lady Hestia. What do you mean our Familia is in trouble?"

Something felt wrong. Lili suddenly realized that while they were fighting for their lives in the Dungeon, their Goddess had gotten into a new mess on the surface.

"Oh, it's just Apollo," Hestia said casually, then explained the chaos at the banquet.

August and Lili, who thought they knew what would happen, stared at her in shock. They expected Apollo to start a War Game, but hearing he was after the new sisters, Yui and Ui Hirasawa, surprised them.

"He called you old and ugly," Hestia told August.

"..."

When August heard that, he almost choked on his tea. Apollo clearly didn't care about him. He was in his twenties and no longer a teenager.

But it made sense. Apollo always went after young, tragic beauties. Someone like August wasn't his type.

"Lady Hestia, why did you accept a War Game?" Lili cried out, worried her Goddess had lost her mind. Why agree to fight if it wasn't necessary?

August didn't know much about sword fighting. He could handle a rifle with a bayonet, but swords were a different matter. This wasn't modern combat. Here, swordsmen could send shockwaves with their blades, so a duel would be suicide for him.

"Because Apollo promised to give me anything I want if we win," Hestia said, crossing her arms and looking completely serious.

"You know August can open a portal. Apollo basically gave us a blank check, so why wouldn't I take the chance?"

"Apollo keeps a stash of special weapons and artifacts. If we take them, we can make ourselves stronger." Hestia grinned, almost looking mischievous. She was a kind Goddess, but she didn't mind a bit of scheming to protect her home.

"And if we ever face an enemy we can't beat? We'll turn Apollo's best artifacts into bombs, set them off in the enemy's face, and use the chaos to get away!"

"Gahahaha! I'm a genius!" Hestia laughed, almost shaking with happiness. A rival God had just given her a free arsenal.

"Oho!" August and Lili started clapping right away.

They thought Hestia just wanted Apollo's land or his money. They never guessed she'd plan to use his best weapons as throwaway bombs. It was almost evil.

Genius...

Artemis and Takemikazuchi stared at Hestia, surprised by how ruthless she could be.

"That... is a solid plan," Takemikazuchi said. "Using a rival's weapons to cover a retreat is brilliant." Hestia's cleverness really surprised him.

"But how do we win?" August asked, pointing at himself. "I don't use swords."

"Don't worry about it," Hestia said with a sly smile. "If it was just a sword and magic War Game, I wouldn't have agreed. But if we change the rules, we have a big advantage."

"And knowing those guys, they won't let me down."

She wasn't foolish enough to accept a fight she couldn't win. The other Gods loved drama too much to settle for a simple one-on-one match.

They wanted a real show.

"I get it. The battlefield sets the rules," August realized. If the match had a tricky goal, like a siege or capture-the-flag, his modern tactics would work well. The odds were in their favor.

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"Hello."

While everyone was talking, Miach and Naaza Erisuis came in, carrying several heavy bags.

But the moment Miach saw the monsters lounging inside the church, he froze.

"Miach, you made it," Hestia said in greeting.

"Unbelievable, Hestia," Miach said quietly. "I thought the stories about August bringing monsters through the streets were exaggerated. Seeing them up close is a real shock."

This was Miach's first time meeting Xenos in person. Unlike the other Gods, he quickly noticed the deep emotion in the Siren's eyes. These monsters were really intelligent. It was amazing.

He saw Naaza shaking beside him, clearly scared of the Dungeon creatures.

"Hestia, I brought everything you asked for," Miach said, quickly changing the subject to help Naaza calm down. He patted her shoulder and guided her forward.

Naaza snapped out of her panic and dropped her heavy backpack on the table.

She unzipped the bag and began pulling out dozens of vials, flasks, and special magical tools.

"What is all this?" Lili asked, staring at the pile of gear. "Aren't these for breaking curses? Why did you bring so much?"

"That's right, they're for breaking curses," Miach said, stepping forward and kneeling by the table to help unpack the bottles. "I stayed up all night gathering every anti-curse artifact and potion my Familia had."

He set them out neatly on the table. "I've never seen a case like August's before. I thought it was best to bring everything we had. We're going to do something amazing today."

"August, take your shirt off," Hestia said.

She needed to check his back and read Falna herself. They had nothing to hide, and she wanted to find the problem right away.

If it wasn't fixed, she wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Hestia! I'm still right here!" Artemis said, blushing and covering her eyes. "I'm a virgin goddess! Have you lost your mind?"

She didn't know why Miach had been called, and now Hestia was asking a man to undress in front of her and her huntresses.

"Oh, stop being so uptight," Hestia said, waving her off. "This is a medical emergency. I need to check his Falna for a curse."

"The Xenos say August is giving off a Dungeon curse, or at least a strong Dungeon scent. That's why I called Miach."

Hestia grabbed August's arm and quickly pulled his shirt off.

Artemis and Takemikazuchi froze. They thought Miach had brought the potions for someone else. They didn't realize August was the patient.

"Is that true?" Artemis asked, lowering her hands and looking at the Xenos.

"Yes. But I can't smell it," the Siren said, nodding and pointing to the younger, smaller monster next to her.

"Only the newborn can."

With several Gods staring at it, the small Xenos nodded shyly. "I can feel the aura. But the others can't smell it."

Takemikazuchi crossed his arms, thinking back to the day he saw August awaken.

"I see. It happened during his first contract, didn't it?" Takemikazuchi said quietly, putting the pieces together. "That was the only time his defenses were completely open to a curse."

"I can't believe it. That huge pillar of light didn't just alert the Gods." Takemikazuchi stared at August's back in awe. "The Dungeon itself noticed him and actually interfered with Falna."

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