The sky above Orario was shrouded in dark clouds.
Even though the elephant god Ganesha had already announced the winner of the "War Game," and Ron had created a world-shaking feat in Orario, it still had not dispelled the oppressive atmosphere hanging over the Labyrinth City.
Compared with those gods who had taken part in the gambling pool and had no concept of death, the ordinary adventurers had staked all their belongings on the outcome.
The result, of course, was that they lost everything.
"Who the hell told me the Apollo Familia had no chance of losing?"
"Why wasn't even the Lv3 captain Hyakinthos Clio a match for Ron? He got kicked to death like a roadside stray dog without the slightest chance to fight back!"
"..."
"Who's going to pay back my hard-earned money?"
In gambling houses and along the streets, angry shouts like these appeared one after another. Yet when those adventurers, who had completely lost their composure, saw the figure of that young man, they all fell silent.
To become a Lv2 adventurer in Orario already meant possessing talent surpassing the vast majority of people—let alone the feat he had created...
It probably would not take long before the Hestia Familia and Ron would become one of the top Familias in Orario.
What was more— the gambling pool had not been controlled by Ron. It was merely that this previously unknown adventurer had created an unprecedented miracle.
Among the crowd, a passing adventurer even cheered: "Well done!!"
"I've hated the Apollo Familia for a long time. When I went to their interview, they asked whether I could accept male homosexuality. I said no, and they rejected me on the spot."
"Exactly. Come to the Swallow Bird Tavern—I'll buy you a drink!"
"How did you change your attitude so fast?"
This was probably the trouble that came with suddenly becoming famous.
However, once the Apollo Familia launched the "War Game," Ron could no longer remain hidden. His gaze swept continuously through the crowd of adventurers.
Finally, it locked onto the foolish catgirl in the distance who was standing on tiptoe and waving her hand.
Anya was wearing an extremely eye-catching leaf-colored maid uniform. She had personally witnessed the end of the War Game. Although she had not taken part in it herself, Ron's final battle—was won by using the spear she had lent him to easily knock Hyakinthos flying.
For some reason…
The foolish catgirl could not figure it out. When Ron had been talking with Apollo, the magic broadcast had suddenly been cut off. But her friend had won this War Game.
That alone was worth celebrating.
"Ron~"
"Anya is here, meow!!"
Limited by her disadvantage in height, Anya could only jump up and wave her hands. It was not until she caught Ron's attention that she pulled Ryuu—who had just finished another battle—and squeezed out of the crowd.
The joy on the girl's face was not fake.
However, her happiness formed a sharp contrast with the cold elf girl standing beside her, whose face was full of helplessness.
"Ron."
"Anya really didn't expect your spear technique to be so skilled. Especially when you finished off Hyakinthos—your movements were really handsome, meow~"
'Do you even understand what it means to be proficient with all weapons?'
Ron handed the spear in his hand to the girl in front of him. Knowing the foolish catgirl's personality, he expressed his thanks seriously: "It's mainly because Senior Anya taught well."
"Hmph, hmph~"
The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest.
The bright smile on Anya's face remained unchanged, but the tail behind her was practically raised to the sky. She knew that after the War Game ended there would be many things to deal with.
She did not even pay attention to Ryuu's gaze, which was practically murderous.
"Go have a good chat with your Senior Ryuu, meow~ Don't look at her like this now—before the War Game started, she actually cared about you even more than you expected, meow~"
Bonk.
Even though she received a knock on the head, as she looked at the figures of the boy and Ryuu standing side by side, Anya felt that all her efforts had been worthwhile. Holding the sharp spear in her hands, even after Ron had repeatedly washed it clean, the foolish catgirl could still smell a faint scent of blood. After all, a cat's sense of smell was ten to fourteen times that of a normal human. Just as she murmured softly in amazement: "This battle was really intense, meow~"
...
"The War Game is over."
"Ron…"
"He really did it—once again creating a miracle in Orario, sweeping through the Apollo Familia, the initiators of the War Game, with the strength of only Lv2."
The first to receive the news was Mikoto.
At this moment, her heart was filled with excitement. The result was correct. The only slight imperfection was that after her strength had broken through to Lv3, it seemed… she had not played a particularly large role.
To sum up the reason:
As the captain, Ron's strength was absurdly powerful.
As the War Game finally came to a complete end, Hestia did not feel as elated as she had expected. Instead, there was only an almost tangible longing for Ron.
She looked toward the empty, abandoned southern street ahead.
Until, in the distance, the familiar figure carrying a greatsword entered the girl's sight, walking toward her with firm steps. Only then did a smile finally spread across her face.
Ignoring Mikoto, the Familia member beside her, Hestia paid no attention to any image befitting a goddess. She decisively broke into a run toward Ron in the distance. Because of the focus filling her heart at that moment, even when her slipper flew off as she ran, the girl did not notice at all.
Her eyes repeatedly confirmed that Ron had no injuries on his body. Only then did the anxiety hanging in her heart finally ease. Using the momentum of her run, she leapt high into the air.
Her arms wrapped around his neck.
Hestia buried her head in the boy's sturdy chest.
"..."
Was this a reward for victory?
Ron naturally wrapped his arms around the waist of the goddess in his embrace, feeling the proud figure that did not match her youthful appearance, along with the faint fragrance that continuously drifted into his nose.
That was indeed quite nice…
He did not forget to bring the news of victory to Hestia: "Lady Hestia, in this War Game—our gains are all of the Apollo Familia's property, including their Familia residence."
"As for the members of their Familia, I let them disband on their own."
After all, they were all crooked melons and split dates.
Not only that, when it came to Familia members, Ron also had his own considerations. They had to be trustworthy; otherwise, the secret of "Despicable Outsider" might very well be exposed.
He looked at the girl in his arms.
"All in all, the difficult living conditions our Familia had before have now finally been completely improved. From now on, we can live in a large mansion without worrying about where to stay."
"Thank you…"
The girl's cheek pressed tightly against Ron's chest. Listening to the powerful beating of his heart, she finally recovered from the dazed state brought by the War Game.
Realizing that there was still a third wheel behind them, Hestia felt a little regretful. She gently rested her chin on Ron's reliable shoulder. The heavy dark clouds that had originally shrouded Orario's sky seemed to sense her mood.
Like the brief clearing of the sky after a sudden downpour, sunlight passed through the gaps between the clouds, casting specks of golden light upon the figures embracing in the street.
The girl spoke in a light tone: "Hey~"
"Ron, the sky is about to clear up!"
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