Chapter 139
After rejoining the main party under Riveria, Kiriya traveled with them toward the surface.
The expedition party was still very strong.
Worn down as they were, and far from their best, they were more than the lower-floor monsters could handle — and the middle and upper floors were barely worth mentioning.
The higher they climbed, the easier it got.
After about half a day, they reached the safe zone on the 18th Floor, rested there for a night, then spent another half day making their way back up top.
...
Kiriya and Ais were already well-known in Orario, so the moment they appeared with the Loki Familia, they drew stares from every direction and whispers ran through the crowd.
"Isn’t that the Loki Familia? They’re back from their expedition?"
"Yeah, earlier than I expected."
"That boy... isn’t that Sylvan? Why’s he with them?"
"You didn’t know? The Loki Familia invited him along when they left."
"Damn! Then his ability values must’ve shot up like crazy."
The moment someone said that, the nearby adventurers felt a twist of envy, and the looks they gave Kiriya filled with jealousy and disbelief.
"What the hell? We’ve all got two shoulders and one head — so why does that guy get treated so well?" a scruffy middle-aged adventurer said through his teeth.
"Can he open a class or something? I’d pay tuition," said a young adventurer, eyes shining with admiration.
"First, you’d have to be handsome to get treated like that," his companion said flatly.
"Okay. Next topic!"
"Waaah, we’re finally back!" Tiona stretched long and hard, looking at the bright sunlight outside Babel and breathing in the surface air.
She felt washed clean, body and soul!
"Mm, the surface really is the best."
"Well, there aren’t endless monsters trying to kill us up here," Tione said.
"Hehe, I can’t wait to eat a huge meal." Tiona was practically drooling. "I miss Mia’s cooking so much."
"I already sent word to Loki," Finn said. "She should have everything arranged by now."
Then he looked at Kiriya. "Kiriya, want to join us? It should be lively."
Ais and Tiona both looked at him hopefully.
"I’ll pass." Kiriya shook his head. "I’ve still got something to take care of. Next time.... definitely next time."
After nearly half a month of hard training, he couldn’t wait to see how much his ability values had grown.
He had no patience for another Familia’s party right now.
Ais and Tiona both looked a little let down.
Finn wasn’t surprised — the man had his own Familia and his own things to think about.
"All right. Another time, then."
Finn was about to lead his people off, and Kiriya was getting ready to go home, when Ais suddenly stepped forward.
Under everyone’s surprised gazes, she looked at Kiriya and asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? I should be." Kiriya nodded.
He could guess what she wanted — most likely to speed up her chakra and ninjutsu training.
Since he wasn’t heading straight back into the Dungeon, he had the time.
"Then I’ll come find you tomorrow." With that, Ais walked back to the group as if she hadn’t just stunned everyone around her.
"Nice one, Ais. What a bold move!" Tiona gave her a thumbs-up, already starting to plan her own approach.
Riveria gave Kiriya a long look and realized, with some despair, that there was nothing she could do about this charming little troublemaker.
Once the two sides parted and went their separate ways, the adventurers and gods who’d stayed behind finally erupted.
"Hey, hey — did I hear that right? The Sword Princess just invited a man out?"
"That’s a date, right? That has to be a date!" A male god clutched his chest as if his most precious treasure had been stolen!
"Damn it, Sylvan! You already have Hestia, and now you’re reaching for Ais-chan too? Shameless! Absolutely shameless!"
No one knew who shouted it, but the words stirred up the whole crowd at once.
"That’s right! This can’t be allowed!"
"Divine punishment! He has to face divine punishment!" One god got swept up and shouted at the top of his lungs, nearly giving his Familia members a heart attack!
’Wtf? please, no! What level are we, and what level is he? He could wipe us all out before we even finished introducing ourselves!’
The Familia member was terrified the crowd might agree and carry their god off towards Sylvan to start trouble.
If that happened, things would go bad fast!
But strangely, after that god shouted about punishing Kiriya, a full minute passed with no one answering.
Displeased, he was about to say more — only for the crowd to scatter like startled birds.
He opened his mouth to keep rallying them, but his own Familia clamped a hand over it and hauled him away before he could make things worse.
Kiriya knew nothing about any of this.
And even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.
Small fry could shout all they liked, it changed nothing in the end.
...
After turning in his quest at the Guild, Kiriya headed home in a good mood, to the Hearthfire Manor.
He opened the front door expecting to find Hestia sitting quietly on the sofa reading, like always.
Instead, the living room was empty.
"It’s almost dinnertime... where did she go?" Kiriya narrowed his eyes and switched on his energy sense, and quickly found her — the master bedroom on the second floor.
He didn’t think much of it and went straight upstairs.
At her door, he turned the handle and stepped inside.
"Hestia, hurry up and get me—"
The words died in his throat. Kiriya’s eyes went so wide they nearly popped out!
The reason was her outfit.
Cat-ear hairclips on her head, a black maid dress with a white apron, white over-the-knee socks, little black shoes.
Paired with that ridiculous figure and bright, adorable face, the whole look landed right in his strike zone!
Cat ears, a maid dress, white thigh-highs — and Hestia being Hestia.
It turned her already unfair charm into something downright dangerous.
"M-Master..."
She’d clearly been startled by his sudden entrance, and the word slipped out before she could stop it.
The moment she realized what she’d said, her face went bright red, like a ripe tomato.
Kiriya stared at her, then shut the door behind him and walked toward his goddess, step by step.
Right now, checking his updated ability values could wait.
With such a fresh, tempting little rabbit in front of him, not eating his fill first would be a real waste!
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