Chapter 126: The Beauty of a Divine Blessing!

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When they arrived at the camp, the group led the women from the fantasy world toward Orario.

Hestia took them straight to the Hostess of Fertility. The tavern waitresses froze, surprised to see so many women waiting outside.

"Mama Mia, are these new hires?" Some waitresses coming back from errands looked confused. The number of women crowding the entrance was almost too much to take in.

"Oh, them? They're just using our place for a while," Mia Grand said with a pleasant smile. "Lady Demeter is coming to give them Falna before they get married and leave for another world—"

Noticing how nervous and restless the village girls were, she stepped forward and clapped her hands. "Don't worry, there's plenty of space. Sit wherever you like."

Mia noticed the girls were distracted. They were excited about new love, but also anxious about being away from their partners. When August asked to use her tavern, Mia agreed immediately. She never expected to see a group of women preparing to marry into another world.

"Wait, marrying into another world, nya?" Anya Fromel stared blankly. "Mama Mia, what are you talking about? Who's marrying into another world?"

"Lady Hestia, if I recall correctly, Mr. August is the only one from another world," Ryuu Lion noted, her stoic facade cracking with shock. "You can't mean Mr. August is taking all of them..."

It was obvious there were too many girls for just one man.

"Hmph! Shows what you know." Hestia grabbed a chair and sat down with a smug grin. "Pull up a seat and listen closely."

She told them about the quest to defeat Antares.

She explained that August had brought a modern military team from his country to handle the threat. The waitresses listened in shock, realizing the village girls had met the soldiers during that big event.

But when the story reached the part where everyone had to say goodbye, the mood grew somber. Love between worlds was never easy.

Hestia described how the soldiers and village girls sat together under the moon, leaning on each other and listening to their heartbeats after the battle. Then she told them how August promised to help them cross into another world so they could stay together.

"THAT IS SO ROMANTIC, NYA!" Anya said, clasping her hands, clearly touched. She had thought August's mission was just another dangerous fight.

She never imagined it would turn into such a touching love story.

"It really is! That's so romantic!" Tiona Hiryute, who had wandered in and gotten caught up in the story, crouched on the floor with stars in her eyes. "I had no idea Lady Hestia and Argonaut-boy were involved in something like this!"

It was a beautiful story, made even better by the fact that it was true.

Tione Hiryute, Ais Wallenstein, and the elf Lefiya Viridis sat with the Goddess, all swept up in the bittersweet romance. In the end, it was a happy ending. True love won.

For girls who had never experienced romance, Hestia's dramatic storytelling and the shy, blushing nods from the village women made the scene feel vivid and exciting.

"Mr. August... can be remarkably gentle," Ryuu murmured. The usually stoic elf realized she was seeing the once-ruthless rookie in a whole new way.

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"Hestia, we made it."

Right then, a familiar voice broke the mood. Several Gods and their Familia leaders walked into the tavern.

"My, what wonderful girls." Demeter's eyes lit up as she looked over the crowd. These were ordinary, hard-working village girls with rough hands.

As the Goddess of Agriculture, she liked them right away.

"Lady Demeter," Lunoire Faust greeted, surprised to see the Goddess.

"Ah, Lunoire. It's been a while," Demeter answered with a smile.

Next to her, Persephone, captain of the Demeter Familia, crouched to assess the girls, judging their strength and work habits.

"What brings you here, Lady Demeter?" Lunoire asked.

Usually, the Goddess would be busy at her estate in the North District at this time.

"These girls are here to make a contract with me," Demeter said proudly. "Since they're marrying into another world, it's my job as a Goddess to give them a Falna to keep them safe."

It was a bittersweet moment. She was welcoming these girls into her Familia—only to watch them leave soon after. It felt like a mother watching her daughters get married and move away.

"Whoa..."

The tavern waitresses were amazed. Seeing a major Goddess give blessings just to help these girls have a good life in another world was something they almost never saw.

"Hold on, Demeter. Half of them are mine," Hephaestus interjected, stepping up with a smirk.

"Yes, yes, I know." Demeter sighed, giving in.

At first, she wasn't happy about the deal. But when she saw the girls, so happy to have found love but still worried about being apart from their partners, her motherly side took over.

She had really wanted to take them all in while Hephaestus wasn't paying attention.

'Dammit, I really wanted to contract all of them,' Demeter thought to herself.

While Demeter was led by her emotions, Hephaestus focused only on business.

"Hestia should have already explained what's going on. If you want to join my Familia, come forward. If you'd rather, you can choose Demeter instead."

Hephaestus knew it didn't make much sense to expect village girls with no training to become blacksmiths. "Don't worry, my Familia won't limit your freedom."

She glanced at her captain. Tsubaki Collbrande stepped up and took a bag off her shoulder.

"I'm Tsubaki Collbrande, captain of the Hephaestus Familia," she said. "To my future sisters, I may not have much, but I never let family leave empty-handed. If you don't mind a gift from a rough blacksmith, these weapons were made by me. Think of them as your dowry—"

Tsubaki dropped a bundle of flawless, mastercrafted blades onto the floor. She wanted her new Familia members to have them as a heartfelt farewell gift.

Tsubaki spoke in a straightforward, honest way, which helped the women from the village feel at ease.

They relaxed, sighed with relief, and began whispering about which Goddess to choose.

"Sneaky! Too sneaky!" Demeter protested.

She thought Tsubaki was just showing off gear, but throwing down a mastercrafted dowry was a blatant bribe. "Hephaestus, you are explicitly stealing my kids!"

Persephone glared at Tsubaki.

If Tsubaki handed out such generous gifts while she had nothing to give, she would look foolish.

'Tsubaki was playing dirty,' Persephone thought, staring at her empty hands. She felt like she was letting everyone down as a captain.

"It's just supply and demand," Hephaestus said with a smirk, folding her arms calmly. "These girls are leaving home. As their Patron Goddess, it's my job to bless their future. We might be rough blacksmiths, but we always take care of our own."

She meant every word. It was a true show of support from a Goddess.

After hearing this, Demeter understood why Hephaestus brought so many gifts. Once the girls left, they likely wouldn't return. If Hephaestus became their Goddess, she wanted them to be safe and happy for a long time.

"I have to admit, Hephaestus, you always outsmart me," Demeter conceded.

She turned to her own captain. "Have the compound send over our premium seeds. Since you are my children, I might not have weapons to offer, but I can gift you the finest agricultural seeds in Orario. Consider it my blessing."

Demeter asked Persephone to gather their best crops. She didn't have weapons to offer, but as the Goddess of Agriculture, her gifts from nature were unmatched.

"Right away, Lady Demeter," Persephone bowed respectfully. She pulled out a communication crystal and ordered the base to dispatch the cargo.

Seeing the two Goddesses bestow their blessings and gifts in person deeply touched the village women.

Having real Goddesses wish them happiness was the greatest blessing they could imagine. Earth might have endless resources—but these gifts from the Gods meant something special.

"Thank you, Goddesses," the women wept, overwhelmed with gratitude.

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Even Anya was moved by the scene. She wiped her eyes and sniffled. "I really want to be blessed like that, nya..."

Deep down, every girl wished for that kind of complete, loving support from their Patron God.

Beside her, Chloe Rollo dabbed her own eyes.

"You could always just marry Mr. August," she pointed out bluntly. "Since he's from another world, marrying him practically guarantees you a mountain of blessings."

"..." The other waitresses took the idea seriously.

Honestly, if they had the chance, it didn't seem bad. August was an outsider, but everyone at the Hostess of Fertility respected him. He wasn't a drunk or a troublemaker.

He could be arrogant and a little wild, but that confidence just made him more appealing.

But as soon as they all looked at Hestia, the Goddess hissed like an angry cat.

"BACK OFF!" Hestia glared, her anti-NTR radar screaming. She wasn't about to let a tavern full of waitresses poach her man.

When they saw how protective Hestia was, the waitresses quickly gave up on the idea. Getting close to August would mean facing Hestia, and nobody wanted that kind of trouble.

Hephaestus and Demeter led their new recruits into private rooms to start the Falna contracts. Divine blessings were very personal and never done in public.

"Lady Hestia! Please tell us more stories!" Tiona Hiryute dropped into a full dogeza.

Hearing a real heroic story from a Goddess who saw it herself was much better than any Argonaut picture book. The Amazon was more curious than ever. She had waited patiently for the contracts to finish, and now she couldn't wait to hear more stories.

"Oh? You want to hear more?" Hestia grinned, surprised by the Amazon's infectious enthusiasm. "Excellent taste, young lady. Grab a seat and listen closely."

Hestia loved sharing her Familia's legendary achievements. Victories like these shouldn't be kept secret—they deserved to be celebrated. The waitresses stopped what they were doing and gathered around to listen to her lively retelling of August's adventures.

August had no idea that his actions were already becoming legends, and someone in the background was even taking notes.

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Meanwhile, en route to the Black Market.

"Achoo!" August sneezed violently several times in a row. He rubbed his nose. "What the hell? Who's talking about me?"

A cold shiver ran down his back. With his Level 2 body, he couldn't get sick, so he figured someone must be talking about him. He had no idea who it was.

"Are we there yet, Lili?" August asked as he watched Lili scan the alleyways.

After dropping off the girls, their main goal was to infiltrate Orario's infamous Black Market.

"Be patient, Lord August," Lili said as she carefully checked the area. "You destroyed one of their main hideouts and took out a dozen assassins the other night. The survivors ran off to hide. They're not dumb enough to stick around and wait for you to find them."

But her sharp eyes soon noticed something. Faintly carved into the stone was a special coded marker used only by the assassin syndicate.

"Found it," she whispered, pointing down a narrow side street. "It leads that way."

The marker pointed directly toward an unassuming tavern.

"Let's go." Lili signaled August to follow.

They were heading straight into danger. The last hideout was just a cover. Now, Lili was leading him to the syndicate's real headquarters. It looked like an old, quiet pub, so nobody noticed it.

Reaching the entrance, August took the lead and pushed past the wooden doors.

As soon as he walked in, the mood in the room vanished. The assassins sitting in the booths, drinking cheap ale or half-asleep in the shadows, all froze.

It wasn't just a threat coming through the door—it felt like death itself.

This was the madman who had destroyed their strongest safe house all by himself, and now he was walking right into their main base.

The relaxed mood disappeared, replaced by a fearful silence. They recognized him instantly—the monster rookie.

The man with the biggest bounty in the underground was standing right there!!

"August..." someone whispered in dread.

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