Luki stared at the ceiling with a hollow, lifeless gaze.
Sitting near the window, his arm in a cast resting on his lap, he looked more like a forgotten statue than an adventurer recuperating.
The mug of tea beside him had already gone cold. He couldn't even remember if he'd taken a sip.
On the other side of the room, the Hostess of Fertility employees were vigorously cleaning the establishment.
— ♫ When the dust attacks, the cat strikes back! ♫ — Anya sang, twirling the broom in her hands.
— Less dancing, more cleaning, pest! — Mia snapped, appearing from the kitchen with a bucket in hand.
No one answered. The sound of the brooms reclaimed the room.
Luki let out a long sigh.
'I want to go to the Dungeon...'
— Hey, Luki-kun — Anya called, with a little smile — are you recovering or just enjoying the show?
— (I'm questioning the meaning of life, truth, and the universe). — he replied immediately, unconcerned with his choice of phrasing.
— W-what?
— Nothing...
Chloe glanced at him for a second.
— We should give him a broom. Maybe he'll help with his feet.
— Shut up...
Hestia appeared at the kitchen doorway with a cloth over her shoulder and a wooden spoon in her hand.
— Hey, hey! Don't pick on Luki-kun! He's hurt, remember? He has to rest as much as possible!
She crossed her arms and shot a reproving look at everyone, as if defending a puppy.
— Besides, he's still recovering from an intense update! No pushing work onto him!
Luki raised an eyebrow, surprised she was wearing an apron. And surprised she said "intense" like it had been an exorcism ritual.
Syr stopped cleaning and looked at him with a shy smile.
— Miss Hestia is right... — she said softly. — He looks tired. And... well... he tried really hard, right?
— Ohoho~ — Anya appeared out of nowhere behind Syr, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. — Look at Syr-chan defending "her Luki-sama~" with such care. Is it really just concern?
Syr went red on the spot.
— I-I just—! It's not like that! I just...!
— Could we have a recovery romance forming here?! — Anya moved closer, squeezing Syr's cheeks.
— A-a-anyaaa! Stop that! — Syr protested, shrugging and nearly dropping the cleaning rag.
Hestia looked at Luki, then at Syr, then at Anya.Her eyes narrowed.
— Hmmm...
Luki pretended he hadn't seen anything. He merely lifted the cold mug to his lips and continued staring into nothingness.
'Peace never lasts long around here, does it…'
Chloe dropped the bucket to the floor with a heavy sigh, face sweaty and brow furrowed.
— This is starting to get ridiculous... — she muttered, glancing toward Luki. — When I broke my leg I still had to work.
— It must be because you broke your leg on purpose trying to take a week off.
It's unknown who said it, but it was enough for Chloe to turn her face away and end the subject.
Anya, who until then had only been watching, widened her eyes with a mischievous sparkle.
— Oooh? That's not right! Where are our labor rights?! Where's the waitresses' union?!
— Union...? — Chloe raised an eyebrow.
— Luki should at least wipe a table with his mouth! — Anya declared, pointing theatrically.
— NO WAY!!! — Hestia's voice boomed so loudly the rag Syr held trembled.
She stepped in front of Luki like a pocket-sized shield.
— Not in a million years will I let him do anything! He's injured! He's got his arm in a cast! Do you want him to get worse?!
— Broken arm, not broken brain! — Chloe retorted, crossing her arms. — You can do a lot with one hand, you know.
— Exactly! — Anya added, hands on her hips. — We're here sweating while he's sitting there, drinking cold tea like some decadent noble!
— HE'S RECOVERING!! — Hestia raised her voice even more.
— AND SO ARE WE!! — Anya responded in the same tone.
— I-I think that... — Syr tried to intervene, timidly raising a hand. — Luki-sama really did try hard these past few days... maybe he deserves to rest a bit more...
— See?! — Hestia said, spinning on her heels and pointing at Syr as if she'd just won a debate.
— Ahhh, of course, Syr-chan defending him again. What a surprise! — Anya provoked, rolling her eyes.
— It's not like that! — Syr blushed instantly.
The hall turned into a mess.Hestia and Syr on one side, Anya and Chloe on the other, all talking at once.
Meanwhile, Lyu, Lunoire and Luki simply watched in silence so as not to draw attention and join in the joke. After all, when she arrives, things are going to get really ugly.
Volume rose. Words tripped over each other. The atmosphere neared the absurd when, suddenly...
A collective shiver ran through the room.
A shadow appeared behind the group, dense, imposing and smelling faintly of wine.
Everyone turned slowly... and there stood Mia Grand, CREAK cracking her knuckles like someone warming up before a fight.
— Oi...
Her tone was low, but icy.
— It seems you all have too much free time to stop working in front of me.
The group froze. Eyes wide. Sweat beading. Souls attempting to flee through the mouth before divine punishment.
— B-b-but, Mrs. Mia... look... — Chloe began, swallowing hard.
— I-it's not what it looks like! — Hestia tried, trembling.
— The system is to blame! — Anya shouted, half-panicked.
— I-I just wanted to... — Syr barely finished.
Before they could react...
BONKBONKBONKBONK
Solid whacks. One for each.
The four collapsed to the floor, sporting enormous lumps on their heads and their souls exiting their bodies as little white vapor. A chorus of dramatic moans and sighs filled the hall.
Mia huffed and crossed her arms.
Then, slowly, she turned.
— Lyu.
— Ma'am? — replied the elf, standing quietly until then.
BONK
— Ouch! — Lyu put a hand to her head, surprised. — Why me too?!
— For not stopping them. — Mia said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Then she turned around, looking for the last one who hadn't gotten her beating yet, but Lunoire had already disappeared to god knows where. Smart girl.
Mia huffed loudly, folding her arms as she looked at the quintet sprawled on the floor like a bunch of naughty children.
— Bunch of idiots... — she muttered disdainfully.
She then turned to Luki, raising one clenched fist.
— And you there, what was that? Want one too?
Luki shook his head so fast he became a blur.
— Yeah, that's what I thought. — Mia said with a satisfied little smile.
She turned and walked toward the tavern door without slowing her pace.
— Here's the deal: I'm going out. I'll only be back at night. When you're done here, you're free to do whatever...
Then she paused at the door. Without turning, her voice dropped. Deeper.
— ...but if I come back and this floor isn't shining...
A suffocating aura spread through the air. It was as if death itself had stopped to watch the scene.
Before she finished the sentence, the five workers were already kneeling on the floor, side by side, in perfect formation.
— It'll be shining! — Chloe shouted.
— Cleaner than a mirror! — Anya finished.
— Sparkling like a diamond! — Syr said.
— You could eat off the floor, ma'am! — Hestia swore, eyes shining with fear.
— Absolutely immaculate. — Lyu asserted, serious as ever.
Mia huffed, flung the door open, and left like a storm departing after an earthquake.
The silence that remained was almost sacred.
Once they were sure she had truly left, they all released a collective, long sigh of relief.
They looked at one another.
No words were spoken.
But each one's look said it all: a temporary truce.
Without arguing, they all got up and returned to their tasks with impressive speed, as if their lives depended on it. And maybe they did.
Luki, on the other hand, remained seated in the same spot, in the same pose, with the same vacant look as before.
'What wouldn't I give for a cellphone right now?'
...
[POV: Hestia]
'Finally!' she thought, tossing the dirty rag back into the bucket and cracking her back with a groan.
— Aiiih... my back... whoever invented that a goddess also has to scrub walls should be imprisoned...
Grumbling, she began putting away the cleaning supplies in the back. She rubbed her lower back with one hand, clearly regretting not founding the Hestia Family with a focus on therapeutic massages.
Then, for some reason, she looked down... and smiled.
A silly, smug smile full of pride.
She crossed her arms on purpose, pressing her chest dramatically.
— What can I do...? It's the price to pay for a body like this~ ♥
With her ego properly recharged, she shook the dust off her clothes and turned, ready to see her favorite child, her precious jewel, her beloved Luki-san.
She opened the service area door with a radiant gleam in her eyes...
...and immediately lost all desire to live.
There he was. Sitting in the exact same place as always. Only now — surrounded.
Not by goblins.
Not by monsters.
But by floozies.
Syr, the fake.Lyu, the indifferent one playing saint.
— And you fought a hundred monsters alone?! — Syr asked, eyes shining with admiration.
— Just lUck…
Lyu, with that calm, passive-aggressive judgment disguised as concern:
— You should be more careful. You're still too young and immature for this kind of life... but I'm very proud of you, keep it up. — She said, as she raised her hand to his head and began to gently stroke his hair
— Hehe… thANks… I thINk...
Hestia froze. A vein throbbed in her forehead.
'These… these… these table-scrubbing bitches looking at my Son!'
'While I was elbow-deep cleaning grease behind the oven… these wretches were here, smiling at my little Luki-san as if they were all so pure and adorable?!'
'This is unacceptable...' she thought, clenching her fists and swearing silent vengeance against each of them.