Cid walked out of the toilet looking utterly dead inside, with Hestia practically hanging off him as she helped him onto the main street.
Two minutes later, Cid couldn't take it anymore.
"Hestia-sama… can you let me walk alone for a bit?"
"No way! Cid-kun, you're injured!"
Hestia clung even tighter.
Anyone who glanced their way immediately stared.
Hestia was obviously beautiful—obviously a goddess—and now this goddess was supporting a human?
Of course people would look.
"Damn it!"
At the instant Hestia tightened her grip, there almost seemed to be a soft squish sound effect.
After seeing that pair of massive "fruits" being compressed out of shape—after realizing they couldn't look away—men had to admit the truth:
They were pathetic creatures.
Even at a time as grim as this, they still loved watching what they always loved watching.
Who doesn't like seeing thin branches bearing heavy fruit?
So the crowd's eyes contained two emotions at once:
envy: "A real man should live like that."
jealousy: "I want to replace him."
And the "real man" in question—Cid—was completely numb.
If he got walked around like this for one full lap, he'd instantly become the rooster among roosters.
Tomorrow, every chicken, duck, goose, dog, and cat in the village would know he'd been supported by a goddess in public.
Could his "mob character" career survive that?
Cid had to admit it: Hestia was dangerously good at drawing attention.
She was a hazardous person on the same level as Alise.
Escaped the tiger, fell into the wolf's den.
And he'd already decided he wasn't going to switch Familias again lightly.
Cid's mood right now was basically that of a washed-up web novelist realizing their bounty was about to get maxed out—meaning they'd have to post fifteen extra chapters until they collapsed.
In short: regret. Deep regret.
If he took back his promise… could they still reconcile?
"Hestia-sama, the Dark Faction is still causing chaos everywhere. If we run into enemies by accident… neither of us has combat power right now."
Cid tried reasoning with her.
The Dark Faction had already set the precedent of sending gods back—even Hestia alone wasn't safe.
And he looked like a genuine injured patient.
This pairing, at first glance, screamed "weak"—like Itachi supporting Nagato.
Just two old-and-sick cripples, right?
If the Dark Faction saw them, there was no way they'd let it go.
"Then you going alone is even worse! Even if you could walk normally, it's still not okay!"
Hestia shook her head rapidly.
"I know a little elf who lost all her Familia companions. She probably has nothing to do right now—how about we ask her for help?"
He meant Filvis.
If there was a third person present, Hestia wouldn't act so exaggeratedly.
More importantly: one more person to split attention meant Cid wouldn't be such an obvious target.
"That… makes sense."
Hestia nodded—and then proceeded to call over two people Cid knew very well.
But not Filvis.
"Hestia-sama… what does this mean?"
Standing before Cid were Riveria and Ais.
He'd even told her where Filvis was.
"Hehe, Cid-kun… I know you're popular, but you can't be thinking about those things right now."
Hestia smiled like an angel. The kind that makes you fear for your life.
As a non-combat-capable goddess, she really was inconvenient outside right now—she'd only drag him down.
So rationally, she couldn't keep going out with him during the Great Feud.
But Cid knew too many female adventurers.
The Astraea girls were close with him.
Outside that, Hestia vividly remembered that "Farl-something" woman too.
And now there was a little elf, apparently?
How many fox spirits were trying to seduce her Familia member behind her back?
Didn't they know he belonged to Hestia Familia?
"Cid is in your hands, Riveria."
Hestia looked at her chosen candidates, satisfied—almost smug.
Riveria had a huge age gap with Cid, and as elf royalty her character was trustworthy. No chance of "stealing a march."
And Ais was a nine-year-old child.
On top of that, Riveria was Cid's teacher—so taking care of him was perfectly reasonable.
A flawless selection.
Hestia silently gave herself a thumbs-up.
"Please rest assured, Hestia-sama."
Riveria agreed as usual, though her confidence sounded slightly lacking.
Cid also noticed: Riveria still had bandages wrapped around her and wasn't moving freely.
Ais was likely protecting her while they worked.
One melee, one ranged—coordination-wise, it made sense. They were probably on a Dark Faction hunting mission.
But the fact that even a nine-year-old had to fight on the front lines said everything about how dire the situation was.
"Of course. I trust you."
"…Hestia-sama. Loki-sama said she wants to fight you to the death, but she can't go out right now. After the Great Feud, at the next divine assembly, she wants to challenge you. She said if you don't show, you're a 'dead bean sprout.'"
After hesitating, Riveria relayed Loki's exact words.
When Loki learned Cid had been entrusted to Hestia, she apparently exploded.
She demanded Riveria abandon teaching Cid—then got scolded by Riveria in return.
She could only accept the teacher-student relationship continuing, at the cost of howling about it in Riveria's face all day.
Riveria had run out of options. So she delivered the "challenge letter."
"Hmph. Loki and her flat board? Tell her I accept!"
Hestia puffed up her chest in pride.
That posture—and the accompanying "bounce"—had repeatedly one-shot Loki in verbal fights.
So yes: the move was old-fashioned, but it worked.
After Hestia left, Riveria looked at Cid with clear relief.
"Cid… surviving that person's blade is truly remarkable."
Zard didn't kill every adventurer he met.
But anyone without sufficient talent who faced him was essentially doomed.
Besides Cid, the lowest-level survivors who had endured him were Level 4.
Because the information had been suppressed in time, Cid's fame hadn't spread.
But among those who knew, everyone believed Cid possessed something extraordinary—
something not yet fully uncovered.
Riveria herself had been approached by Shakti, who earnestly asked her to teach Cid seriously.
Publicly and privately, Riveria had no reason to refuse.
"Cid… strong!"
Ais nodded seriously in agreement.
She didn't really understand how strong a "Tyrant" was—only that it was very, very strong.
So Cid must be very, very strong too.
"…Don't say it like that. I just survived by luck."
Cid forced himself not to make a weird face.
His "mob performance" had somehow turned into a heroic feat.
This wasn't a story—this was an accident.
And every single person who knew kept praising him.
And when someone praised him, Cid still had to hold his lips in a polite upward curve.
Commander, this is too hard.
"Cid, your biggest flaw is that you're too humble. You should have a little more youthful spirit."
Honestly, Riveria rarely saw a boy this modest.
Most people—after doing something this huge—would either become cocky or arrogant.
Cid, on the other hand, was calm and unmoved by fame or shame. Real commander material.
But she hadn't come here only to "escort" Cid.
"Cid… do you still have the strength to use magic?"
"Of course."
Cid took a deep breath.
Next, he would become a demon—
and vent his frustration on the Dark Faction.
....
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it