After five long hours of hunting, Luki finally emerged from the Dungeon, his heavy footsteps betraying the accumulated exhaustion. This marked the end of his second expedition, and despite the fatigue, he felt a faint sense of accomplishment.
Walking with determination toward the Guild Hall reception, he searched for Eina, his advisor, already imagining how she would react to his progress.
— Luki-san! — Eina greeted him with a warm smile as soon as she saw him approach. — How did it go today?
Without answering right away, he set the heavy sack on the counter, and the metallic sound echoed through the hall. Clink, clink, clink, clink... Several shards of magic stones fell onto the metal tray Eina had prepared.
— Wow! Look at how many you got this time! — she exclaimed, quickly counting. — Thirty-seven shards. That's more than double your first time. Looks like you're getting used to all this pretty fast.
Luki shrugged, a tired smile on his lips.
— LucK... I fOUnd a lot of goBLINs.
Eina raised an eyebrow, tilting her head.
— Don't be modest, Luki-san. You managed to defeat all those goblins on your own, and that's what truly matters. Finding so many might be luck, but the credit for coming back alive and with all these shards is entirely yours.
She gathered the shards, letting them slide through a metal slot on the counter that led to the appraisal section. A few minutes later, she returned with a small pile of valis neatly arranged on a tray.
— Here you go: 1,110 valis, all counted.
— ThAnks, Eina-san. — Luki replied, carefully pocketing the money.
— Just doing my job — she said with a kind smile. — Keep working hard, but please, be careful.
With a brief nod, Luki turned and began his walk home. The valis in his pocket gave him a small sense of triumph, but he knew he still had a long way to go.
As he approached the church — the place he and his goddess called home — Luki spotted a familiar figure waiting near the door. The petite goddess, with her long black hair and eyes that seemed to shine even in the dim light, was there as always, eager for his return.
The moment she saw Luki, Hestia ran toward him, her quick, determined steps closing the distance.
— Luki-kun! — she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms in a warm, or rather, suffocating, embrace.
Before he could react, Hestia had already wrapped him completely, pulling him tight against her, just like she had the first time he returned from the Dungeon.
— I knew you could do it! — she said, her voice full of joy and relief. — My Luki-kun is getting stronger every day!
Luki sighed, resigned, but couldn't stop a small smile from forming. Despite her crushing hugs, there was something comforting about the way Hestia showed her concern and pride. And it's nor her boobs on his face... belive it.
— YEAh, yEAh, Hestia-sama... looSEN up a biT? I'm swEatYY.
— Ah! Right... — Hestia said, finally releasing him, though she kept her hands on his shoulders. — You need a bath, something to eat, and then... I want to hear every detail of your adventure!
With a small nod, Luki entered the church beside his goddess, ready to rest and perhaps prepare for his next dive into the Dungeon.
...
— (So, while he was still struggling to pull away from the wall, I drove my sword right into his chest, killing him instantly!) — Luki gestured enthusiastically, as if reliving the scene.
— (I thought he'd be the last of the day, but luckily, on the way back, I found three more lone goblins.)
He paused dramatically before continuing:
— (In total, I killed thirty-seven goblins and earned over a thousand valis. I'm amazing, aren't I?)
Lying on his stomach on the bed, Luki recounted his Dungeon exploits with the enthusiasm of a rookie adventurer that he is. Hestia, meanwhile, sat on his lower back, shaping the floating light runes above him as she updated the Falna etched into his skin.
— Wow, you really did all that? — asked the goddess, a proud smile on her lips. — I'm so lucky to have such an incredible child like you!
However, if someone paid attention, they would notice she was actually faking her emotions.
A small problem was making the conversation difficult: in his excitement to tell the story, Luki had started narrating everything in his native language.
Although he was quickly learning the local tongue, the same couldn't be said for Hestia, who made no effort to learn his.
After all, Luki was the only person in the world who spoke that language. For her, learning it seemed... unnecessary.
Still, as she listened to the torrent of incomprehensible words, Hestia thought to herself:
'I should make an effort to learn his language too. He shouldn't be the only one working hard for this family.'
— All done! — Hestia announced, breaking her own thoughts. She stood up and handed Luki a sheet with the results of his Falna update. — Oh, and before I forget, your agility went up naturally!
Luki sat up and took the paper, examining its contents carefully.
Name: Luki Bryan
Level: 1
Stats:
(STR): 25 i (+25) > 50 i
(END): 26 i (+24) > 50 i
(DEX): 10 i (+11) > 21 i
(AGI): 10 i (+1) > 11 i
(MAG): 0 i
Skills: NoneMagic: None
— (With fifty strength, I should be able to cut a goblin's neck without much trouble...) — he murmured to himself, eyes fixed on the sheet. — (And with fifty endurance, I won't tire as fast as before. This will make future dives much easier.)
Hestia watched as he analyzed his gains, a fond smile on her face.
— You're improving so quickly... I'm sure you'll be among the great adventurers soon! — she said, her tone full of admiration and encouragement.
Luki looked up and returned the smile.
— Hestia... rEAson... thank yOU. — Luki said, his tone full of gratitude, trying to express that all his progress was thanks to her.
— Nonsense! — she replied, crossing her arms and looking away, trying to hide the faint blush on her cheeks. — You're the one doing all the hard work!
Even so, Hestia's heart swelled with pride. Every small victory of Luki's was a victory for them both, and she knew that together they could achieve great things.
After a brief silence, Hestia suddenly stood with renewed energy and pulled Luki by the arm.
— Enough of the sentimental talk! Get up, we're going out tonight!
— OuT? — Luki asked, visibly confused.
— After everything that's happened, I think we deserve a little celebration. Actually... — she hesitated for a moment, murmuring to herself. — I wanted to do this after your first expedition, but I ended up forgetting.
Luki tilted his head, trying to understand, but eventually just went along with it.
— Ah! CElEbratE... I get it. ChANge cloTHes?
— That's right! — Hestia replied, cheerful. — Go get changed while I get ready! And don't even think about peeking! — she added with a playful look, pushing him toward the door.
Before Luki could question her, she had practically shoved him out of the room and shut the door with a slam.
Outside, Luki scratched his head, trying to process Hestia's sudden burst of energy.
— Women... — he muttered before heading to his own "room".
Inside, Hestia smiled to herself as she searched for something special to wear.
'I need to do something to show how important he is to me... a simple dinner and a good talk should be enough. After all, he deserves far more than I can give him right now, and for that, I'll wear the best dress I have.'
Meanwhile, Luki looked at his simple, functional clothes, wondering what would be appropriate for "celebrating."
— Hm... I guess this one's fine. — he said, picking out the least worn white shirt he had.
And so, the two of them prepared for a night that, while simple, would mark yet another special moment in their journey together.
Door creak
— Good evening, do you still have a table available? — Hestia asked with a smile as she entered the establishment, Luki right behind her, visibly curious as he took in the atmosphere.
— The Hostess of Fertility always has a table, nya~ — a cat-eared waitress replied playfully, winking before picking up two menus and leading the way.
Hestia and Luki followed the waitress to a table near the window, where they could watch the not-so bustling nighttime streets of the city.
As they sat down, enjoying the warm atmosphere of the Hostess of Fertility, shortly after, a familiar figure appeared, carrying a notebook and a warm smile.
— Well, hello again! I didn't expect to see you both back so soon. — Syr Flova, the silver-haired waitress, approached their table with the same grace as before.
Luki recognized her instantly, but before he could respond, Hestia gave the young woman a quick, assessing look.
— Ah, you're the waitress who served us breakfast! — Hestia exclaimed, forcing a smile while her eyes narrowed slightly.
— I'm glad you remember me. — Syr replied, her melodic voice paired with eyes that seemed to sparkle when they met Luki's. — I hope our food was good enough to bring you back.
Hestia crossed her arms, leaning forward slightly as if to mark her territory.
— Of course, it was... satisfactory. But it was the cooking talent here, not necessarily the service, that brought us back.
Syr only smiled, ignoring the subtle jab, and turned her attention to Luki.
— And you? Are you enjoying your adventures? I hope you're taking care of yourself in the Dungeon. — her voice was gentle but carried a genuine curiosity.
Luki, a bit embarrassed, simply replied:— Ah... it's FIne... jusT... survIvING.
The interaction, however, did not go unnoticed by Hestia, who immediately sat up straighter and gently squeezed Luki's arm, as if reminding him of her presence.
— He's doing great! In fact, it's thanks to me that he can face these adventures. After all, I'm his goddess. — Hestia smiled, but her eyes followed Syr's every move.
Syr tilted her head, keeping her tone friendly.— Of course, a goddess's guidance is priceless. You really are blessed, Luki.
Hestia stayed silent for a brief moment as Syr wrote down their order, but her mind was filled with suspicious thoughts.
'Why is she so interested in him? What's so special about Luki that caught this girl's attention?'
When Syr left to fetch their food, Hestia leaned toward Luki, whispering:— Did you see the way she looked at you?
Luki, confused, just shrugged.— WhAt?
— She was being nice, too nice, if you ask me. Stay away from trouble, Luki. Especially trouble with silver hair.