DanMachi Lower World, Orario.
"Mmm~~~~~!"
"Nngh~~~~~!"
About half an hour after Alfonzo, Elicia, Akatsuki, and Zelretch returned from the Pantheon, they returned to their rooms to finally get cleaned up after their time in the Dungeon. And just as they came back downstairs, they were just in time for lunch. And upon sitting down, like everyone else, they waited for Hephaestus and Tsubaki to try Tatsuo's cooking.
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And needless to say, the two guests acted just as everyone expected. However, their reactions after regaining their senses were completely different.
Immediately after coming down from her food-gasm, Tsubaki dug into her food voraciously, looking as if she had not eaten for days. Hephaestus, on the other hand, immediately turned towards Aislynn, with her face red from embarrassment and jealousy, and glared with everything she had.
"Give those children to me, Aislynn," Hephaestus said in a no nonsense tone. "They are already blacksmithing prodigies. On top of that, their craftsmanship in the kitchen is just as, if not more outstanding. They definitely belong in a Production Familia like mine rather than an Exploration Familia like yours."
"*Sigh* You know that's not going to happen, right?" Aislynn asked while shaking her head lightly. "Even if we are friends, I'm not giving you my treasures."
"Hmph!" Hephaestus only snorted in response before returning her attention back to her food and starting to eat elegantly. "That won't stop me from wanting them, though."
Aislynn only giggled in response at her friend's muttering. Then, like everyone else, she started to eat.
The rest of lunch went by peacefully. Neither Hephaestus nor Tsubaki could heap enough praise on the cooking. On top of that, Tsubaki said that she would shamelessly come back as often as possible to freeload meals.
"Great, now we've got another Loki on our hands," Tatsuo muttered with a grin. A moment later, he shook his head with a smile. "Well, as long as you come by and teach us a little about higher-level blacksmithing, we can call it even."
"Sounds like a good deal to me," Tsubaki said energetically before digging back into her plate.
"It doesn't surprise me that she shows up for meals," Hephaestus said while shaking her head. "That goddess doesn't know the meaning of shame."
"We've all noticed," Akatsuki said flatly.
"Yeah, the last time she was here, which was just yesterday, she showed up at the ass crack of dawn with three members of her Familia to get a free meal." Alfonzo added with a shrug.
"And after meeting her Familia today in the Dungeon, I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up for dinner, too." Zelretch said. "Her excuse would be something like… 'Since my kids helped yours today, it's the least you can do to thank us'."
"They didn't really help us at all, though." Elicia said with a smile. "Well, they did send Tiona and Tione to find the other two teams. So, I guess they did help a little."
"Yeah, because the Fourth Floor is so~ big." Tatsuo said while rolling his eyes. "At most, it would have taken us an hour to find them."
"Well, that's true, I guess." Elicia replied with a shrug. "In fact, we probably would have run into them on our way back after we rested from Mind Exhaustion."
"That's quite probable." Zelretch said while stroking his beard. "Meeting the members of the Ganesha Familia and Miach Familia was pleasant, too. The members of the Ishtar Familia were a bit too forward for my liking, though."
"Oh, you even met members of that skank goddess whose ambition is much higher than her ability?" Aislynn asked with a giggle. "I wonder if she's dumb enough to try anything to steal my treasures."
As she spoke, Aislynn reached to her right and stroked Tatsuo's cheek as though he were the most precious treasure the world had to offer. Tatsuo, on the other hand, tried to shake off Aislynn's affection. Yet, thanks to the massive difference in their power, no matter how Tatsuo moved his head, Aislynn's hand continued to stroke his cheek as though he were not moving at all.
"There was another Familia there, too." Akatsuki said while her eyes pointed at the ceiling as she tried to recall the last faction who observed them while they fought the horde of monsters this morning. "Their leader was a really pretty guy."
"Like Tatsuo?" Aletia asked while tilting her head in curiosity.
"No, not at all," Akatsuki replied while shaking her head. "On top of not being nearly as good-looking as Tatsuo-Kun, he was kinda effeminate, too. He had brown hair... but he looked really angry to see us."
"He wanted to kill me, at the very least." Tatsuo said, his expression turning dark as Hyakinthos was mentioned. "I think he was the Captain of the Apollo Familia. But I'm not a hundred percent sure."
"Phoebus Apollo, huh?" Tsubaki said while tapping a finger on the table. "The description definitely fits. And him wanting you dead, Tatsuo-boy, isn't surprising. If it really is him, he's probably afraid that Lord Apollo will see you and want to shower you with his love."
Immediately upon hearing that, Tatsuo could not help but shudder with disgust. At the same time, he subconsciously clenched his butt cheeks. Meanwhile, Aislynn looked at Tatsuo with an amused smile on her face that did not reach her eyes.
"Apollo is one of the few fools in this city who would dare to covet what belongs to me," Aislynn said, her tone a bit sharper than usual. "On top of that, his Captain, Phoebus Apollo, is the jealous sort. So, there is a good chance that if Apollo has not specifically set his eyes on you, he will try to get rid of you so there's no chance of that happening."
Upon hearing Aislynn's analysis, the temperature in the dining room seemingly dropped. And the source of that drop was Sakura, who was sitting on the same side of the table as Tatsuo.
When everyone looked at Sakura, she was sitting there with a vacant look on her face. On top of that, she was emitting an almost tangible murderous aura.
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To anyone who knew the circumstances behind Tatsuo's and Sakura's meeting, her reaction would come as no surprise. That was why the members of the [Dimensional Chat], though stunned initially by Sakura's outburst, returned to normal just as quickly. As for Hephaestus and Tsubaki, they were completely dumbfounded by the level of killing intent coming from this Level 1 young woman.
"Whoa! Calm down, Sakura-Chan," Tatsuo said as he stood up, walked around Violet, who was sitting between him and Sakura, and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "There's no need to get so worked up. That dude is a clown. Besides, we have allies for situations like this."
"Tatsuo-Kun is right," Violet said while smiling soothingly. "I'm sure we can get some of Loki's higher Level Adventurers to come with us for a few days."
"There's no need for that," Aislynn said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I'll just go have a little talk with that Sun God. If he knows what's good for him, he'll put a leash on his little dog. Otherwise, I won't mind removing his Familia from Orario's roster."
Along with Tatsuo, Violet, and Aislynn, the other members of the [Dimensional Chat] chimed in, as well, doing their best to calm Sakura's anger. And their efforts eventually paid off.
"It looks like Phoebus Apollo's jealousy really might get Apollo into some serious trouble." Hephaestus said while shaking her head.
"It would be kinda fun to see them get put in their places, though," Tsubaki said with a smile.
"*Sigh* That would be bad for us, though," Hephaestus replied. "Although they don't spend as much money on each piece they buy from us as Familias like Loki's or Freya's, they do spend a lot every year. Losing them would be a serious drop in the Familia's income. Even worse, we wouldn't be able to replace them with the Aislynn Familia, as they have their own blacksmiths."
"Don't worry, Hephaestus," Aislynn said with a smile as she started to stand up. "I'm sure we'll have more than a few things to buy from your--- Hmm? A guest? And it's not Loki... Interesting."
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
At first, when everyone saw Aislynn stand up, they got the feeling that Apollo was not going to have a good afternoon. However, when Aislynn stopped speaking and mentioned a guest, they all turned their heads towards the villa's gates. And as soon as they did, they heard the sound of someone banging on the gates to get their attention.
"You said it's not Lady Loki?" Tatsuo asked while standing up. Then, he continued while walking towards a window overlooking the villa's front courtyard. Then, who could it be... Oh, shit! It's the King."
As Tatsuo said, the one standing outside the villa's gates was Ottar, the Captain of the Freya Familia. And after knocking on the gate, he stood there with his usual stoic expression on his face, waiting for someone to come out to the gate to greet him.
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"Go out and see what he wants," Aislynn said, waving vaguely in the direction of the gate as she took her seat again.
Hearing that, Tatsuo rolled his eyes. Despite that, he immediately started moving towards the villa's front door. Then, after stepping outside, he made his way to the Dragon's Nest's gate.
"King, is there something I can help you with?" Tatsuo asked without opening the gate.
"My Lady would like to schedule a time to visit Lady Aislynn." Ottar replied in a flat tone. "She wishes to congratulate her on gathering children for her Familia."
'Yeah, right.' Tatsuo thought to himself while rolling his eyes internally. 'I bet that crazy broad just wants to see if she can charm us into jumping ship. Then again, she's crazy, not stupid. So, she probably wouldn't even dare accept us if she was able to charm us over to her side.'
"I see." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "Give me a moment, I'll relay your message to my goddess."
In response, Ottar only nodded his head.
With that, Tatsuo turned around. Though, he did notice a few Amazonesses not far from the gate when he looked away from Ottar.
'That doesn't surprise me.' Tatsuo said to himself. 'Those must be Ishtar's people. There's no way they wouldn't have someone following Ottar whenever he goes out without Freya.'
Deciding to ignore the Amazonesses for the time being, Tatsuo returned to the villa to tell Aislynn what Ottar wanted.
"So, she finally couldn't hold back anymore, huh?" Aislynn asked while an amused smile spread across her face. "Well, I don't see why we can't host the goddess of the city's strongest Familia."
"Is that really a good idea?" Hephaestus asked in a concerned tone while furrowing her eyebrows. "You know how she is. When she wants something, she---"
"Do you really think I would recruit just anyone to join my Familia?" Aislynn asked with a smile. "If her [Charm] was enough to steal any of my treasures, then I would have failed in my recruitment. Anyway, tell Freya she can come over any evening she wants. We'll let her try the best cooking in all of Orario."
After being cut off, Hephaestus' mouth hung open. She wanted to say something. But knowing just how proud Aislynn could be, she eventually decided to close her mouth. Questioning Aislynn's decision might be taken as an insult. And a sulky Aislynn was not something she was prepared to deal with for the moment.
'If she starts showing me those sad dragon eyes, I won't be able to decline when she asks for compensation.' Hephaestus thought to herself while watching Tatsuo head back to the villa's gate. 'And if I can't decline, she'll definitely fleece me for everything she can. She's just as bad as Freya in that regard.'
If Aislynn could hear that last part, she would have definitely been putting at Hephaestus right now.
Before long, Tatsuo was once again standing at the gate of the Dragon's Nest while Ottar looked down at him, waiting for an answer to Freya's request.
"She said it's fine," Tatsuo said casually. "Lady Freya is welcome to visit for dinner on a day of her choosing."
"I understand," Ottar replied with a nod. "I will relay your goddess' response to my Lady."
"Then, we'll see you when you and your Lady come to visit," Tatsuo said with a nod of his own.
With that, both Tatsuo and Ottar turned around, heading back to where they came from. At the same time, as if by prior agreement, they both ignored the members of the Ishtar Familia who spied on the meeting, despite the fact that they both knew they were there the whole time.
While Tatsuo went back inside to finish the meal before taking Hephaestus and Tsubaki to see the forge, Ottar quickly made his way back to Babel Tower to see his goddess. And as soon as he stepped into Freya's room on the top floor of the tower, Freya was in his face, looking up at him with anticipation sparkling in her eyes.
"So, what did Aislynn say?" Freya asked giddily. Though, there was also a hint of apprehension in her tone.
"She said you are welcome to visit on a night of your choosing to join her and her Familia for dinner." Ottar replied in his usual stoic tone.
Hearing that, Freya's face lit up with a dazzling smile. Then, like a child, she hopped away from Ottar and started dancing around all the damaged items strewn about her chamber after her earlier tantrum.
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"She agreed! She agreed!" Freya cheered happily while dancing around the room. A moment later, however, she came to a sudden stop. "Wait! What should I wear? Is it formal enough that I should wear a ball gown? No, of course not. But should I wear something different than my usual outfit?"
Reaching that point, Freya looked down at her outfit, which showed off quite a bit of her flawless, fair skin. Then, she shook her head as she started pacing around the room.
"No, if I wear this, what if Aislynn thinks I'm trying to charm away her children?" Freya asked herself, "If she thinks that, there's a good chance she would destroy my Familia and send me back to the Heavens without a second thought. Maybe something more conservative would be better."
As soon as she finished speaking, Freya ran towards a wardrobe opposite the entrance of the room, threw the doors open, and started rifling through the clothing inside. Unfortunately, as a Goddess of Love and Beauty, she had the habit of dressing in a way that drew all eyes, attention, affection, and desire toward herself. So, even the most conservative outfit she owned was much more revealing than she thought was permissible when meeting Aislynn's Familia.
"No… No… Not this one… This one won't work either… Damn it!" Freya roared after failing to find a dress she was satisfied with.
Meanwhile, Ottar stood next to the room's entrance like a statue, not wanting to interrupt his goddess. A while later, however, he turned his head towards the window, towards the Entertainment District, to be precise, and lowered his eyes.
"If they interrupt my Lady's outing, I'll make sure the Ishtar Familia is incapable of running the Entertainment District ever again." Ottar muttered to himself quietly enough that Freya could not hear him.