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The power of a god… able to destroy the entire Lower World with a single strike?
To confirm whether this was true, everyone turned to Hera.
"It's true."
After a brief silence, Hera nodded.
"Hiss…"
Everyone collectively drew in a sharp breath.
So it really was true!
They'd always known gods were strong, but this was the first time they'd truly understood the scope of divine destructive power.
Even so, how did this guy know about something like that?
The group exchanged glances, each quietly wondering about Ronen's origins.
His abilities had already proven his capability, and his accurate understanding of destructive force only made his words more credible.
Yet, Ronen noticed that despite hearing this, they were still brimming with fighting spirit — not at all discouraged.
Even after laying out the facts this bluntly… without seeing it with their own eyes, people would always reserve judgment. It was natural.
Besides, these women were already standing at the peak of the mortal world. If they weren't capable, then no one else would be.
That confidence… was also their arrogance.
Ronen had already said all that could be said, giving the strongest warning possible about the black dragon's danger. Anything more would be useless.
In the end, he was just a "weakling" himself, with no real say in their final decision.
With flying magic in their arsenal, and with his warning in mind, at least they'd be more cautious.
"I see… this information really is valuable," Hera admitted, nodding. She regarded Ronen with a look of mild astonishment. "Anything else?"
"No."
Ronen shook his head.
"In that case… what do you want?" Hera asked again, then added, "This time you're not allowed to refuse — otherwise you'll be disrespecting me."
"Just give me the church," Ronen said casually.
Hera: "…"
Honestly, Ronen was acting far too casual about this, as if he simply saw the Hera Familia as his in-laws — nothing more.
As the strongest in the world, Hera's influence and resources were second to none, yet Ronen seemed not to care in the slightest.
And truthfully, he didn't. With his ability, earning faris (currency) was laughably easy.
Strength? Magic? He was already beyond most professional magicians despite not being an adventurer yet.
Even that magic grimoire worth over a hundred million faris, which Hera had gifted him, was little more than a "welcome present" to both of them.
In terms of raw combat ability, he could already roam freely in the upper levels of the Dungeon. Once officially an adventurer, he could probably handle solo expeditions below the 18th floor without issue.
Connections? He already had ties with Meteria, and he was on good terms with the Loki Familia's Nine Demon Princesses. He was clearly building his own network.
The truth was, there was almost nothing Hera could provide him that he didn't already have.
"…Very well," Hera said finally. "Stay with the Hera Familia for a while, let me show some proper hospitality — and in the meantime, help train some of my children."
Ronen gave her a surprised look.
After all, a training manual was useless unless taught by a proper expert, but that wasn't what surprised him. What surprised him was this — the Hera Familia was entirely female. Very few men were ever allowed to stay with them for long… and he might be the first to have that privilege.
As for lodging, Meteria had her own residence within the Familia, so there was no need to prepare a separate guest room.
That same day — the land around the church was bought up by the Hera Familia.
A wall was constructed around the property, built by the high-ranking blacksmiths and architects of the Goibniu Familia. Soon, they had fenced off an entire compound.
The church's outer structures were demolished, the main hall was turned into a reception hall, and construction began on a villa. Training grounds and new walls were added, gradually forming a complete base.
Hera Familia was rich, after all.
They owed Ronen too much already, so at least in this regard, they couldn't afford to be stingy.
Still… Hera was rather displeased by Ronen 's earlier refusal, so she decided to go all out here instead.
A few days later — Ronen learned of the Hera and Zeus Familias' decision.
The Black Dragon subjugation would continue — but this time, with full preparation, ensuring they had an escape route.
Ronen understood. A true subjugation battle was very different from a probing skirmish. With this plan, their chances of preserving their main forces were much higher.
He could only pray his "in-laws" wouldn't be wiped out — for Meteria's sake.
Before that, though, both the Zeus and Hera Familias would need to master flying magic.
The Zeus Familia would be taught by Hera's people; Ronen only needed to train the Hera Familia members.
During this period, Ronen developed good relationships with many of the women in Hera Familia.
So much so that some members started talking about holding a wedding for him and Meteria in advance, and Hera even considered granting him her falna.
Though the Familia had no male members, making an exception for a "son-in-law" was fine — especially to keep him from going over to the Zeus Familia.
After all, even though the two Familias were close, they had to maintain a façade of rivalry.
That was because Zeus was a notorious womanizer, and Hera was… let's say, possessive. Their marital quarrels were famous enough that all of Heaven knew about them.
In fact, even when Zeus had sent Hera to invite Freya for a "Lower World salvation" mission, Hera and Freya ended up fighting instead — costing Freya a chunk of her forces and creating a personal grudge.
Naturally, that too was Zeus' fault — he'd taken a liking to Freya, and Hera had not been amused.
With leaders like that, the members could only play along.
Because no matter how politely it was phrased, Familia members were essentially their god's personal property.
The falna might just be a catalyst to accelerate growth — and even without it, one's enhanced body remained — but it also came with a built-in seal.
With it, even a level 9 could be reduced to a powerless ordinary human in an instant. That fact alone ensured the gods' supreme authority and prevented mortals from ever thinking of rebellion.
"I wonder what Hera will decide," Ronen murmured to himself.
Originally, she had considered giving him her falna — but ultimately decided against it.
The Hera Familia was large, and with Ronen 's talent and potential, his falna would need constant updates. Hera couldn't manage that for him.
Besides, in the rough-and-tumble adventurer profession, Ronen 's gentle nature and outstanding ability stood out far too much.
In just a few days, he had already drawn the eyes of many young women. Given a little more time, even her main force might start harboring romantic feelings for him.
And that was something Hera absolutely could not tolerate.
A son-in-law was one thing… but letting her son-in-law build a harem among her "daughters"?
Not in a million years.
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