Hostess of Fertility
Syr dumped her work on Anya and returned alone to her room.
"Freya-sama, good evening."
A blond elf stood inside and bowed.
"Hedin, perfect timing."
Syr rubbed her ear, a headache pulsing.
Not long ago, Ryuu returned from a three-day leave—back to her faithful post.
But her condition didn't improve.
It worsened.
In just one hour, she knocked over two drinks and served the wrong dishes three times.
Thanks to that, Syr's ears still rang with Mia's roaring voice.
"So?" Syr asked. "Didn't you report yesterday that Ryuu's actions were going smoothly? What is this now?"
"Gale Wind fought Lin Dong."
"And?"
"They were locked for twenty minutes. Gale Wind used her full power at the end and won."
"…Huh?"
Syr froze.
Had she misheard?
"Say that again."
"Gale Wind fought Lin Dong. They were locked for twenty minutes. Gale Wind used her full power at the end and won."
"..."
So she hadn't misheard.
But something was wrong.
"How much power did Ryuu use during those twenty minutes?"
"At first, her physical output was roughly Level 2. After three exchanges, it rose to around Level 3."
"So you're saying… Lin Dong held a Level 3-class adventurer for twenty minutes without losing?"
"It wasn't just Level 3," Hedin said. "Gale Wind used concurrent chanting."
Concurrent chanting was a high-level technique: casting while fighting—dodging, moving, attacking, and chanting simultaneously—without losing rhythm.
Ryuu, as a magic swordswoman, had an exceptional mastery of it. She could truly perform all four at once.
Hedin understood just how terrifying that was.
And yet, she still couldn't take Lin Dong down until she used everything.
Even as an observer, Hedin had stared blankly for a long time.
"Freya-sama, I suspect Lin Dong lied to the Guild about his rank. He cannot be Level 1."
"Whether he's Level 1 doesn't matter," Syr said quietly. "What matters is that he received Falna half a month ago."
"Half a month?" Hedin frowned.
It was rare for him to doubt his goddess's words.
"Freya-sama… are you sure?"
"I wish I weren't."
After Syr noticed Lin Dong's strange soul, she had someone investigate him. The report included an incident: half a month ago, Lin Dong had been so hungry he collapsed by the roadside and someone fed him.
If Lin Dong had Falna before meeting Hestia, he wouldn't have ended up like that.
Even carrying bricks on a construction site, he'd have earned ten—no, nine times what a normal human could.
But he hadn't.
The turning point was meeting Hestia and forming a Familia.
"Strange. Where did it go wrong?"
"Do you want me to investigate further?"
"No. Lin Dong can wait." Syr's eyes cooled. "Investigate the intelligent monsters first."
Lin Dong's strength was a mystery, but he wasn't an enemy.
Right now, the matter of Xenos was more urgent.
After sending Hedin away, Syr stepped back into the main hall.
THUD—!
A dull crash sounded nearby, followed by Mia's furious shout:
"RYUU! YOU IDIOT—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"If you don't want to work, go back to your room! If you won't do it, plenty of people will!"
"Sigh… my ears," Syr muttered.
Her headache, which had finally eased, began throbbing again.
For the first time, she felt a trace of blame toward Lin Dong.
You didn't have to hit her that hard.
Now she's mentally broken, and the ones suffering are the innocent coworkers.
...
Back under the abandoned church—
Lin Dong — Level 1
Strength: A865 → S943
Endurance: B786 → A853
Dexterity: A893 → S996
Agility: A886 → S973
Magic: I0
Spells: None
Skills: Unify, Courage Anthem
"Strange. Endurance rose more than usual today," Hestia said, staring at the new status sheet.
"Lin Dong… did a monster beat you up?"
"Not a monster."
Lin Dong rubbed his shoulder and sighed.
He'd challenged Ryuu to prove that his growth was abnormal—proof that his "cheat" was real.
But he had no idea what Ryuu decided to read into it, because halfway through the fight, she became deadly serious.
Even at his current level, dealing with a maxed-out Level 4 was still brutal.
Not coming out bruised and swollen was his last shred of pride.
He tossed the shredded rags of his outfit into the trash, changed clothes, then pulled out a gift box tied with a ribbon.
"What's that?" Hestia leaned in, curious.
"A gift for you."
Lin Dong handed it over.
"You need to show up tomorrow. I bought you a formal dress on the way back."
"A dress?" Hestia tilted her head. "How do you know my size?"
"You climb onto me in your sleep every day. If I didn't know, that would be the weird part."
Hestia slept terribly. One time she somehow rotated until her head was down and she hugged Lin Dong's legs while sleeping.
Lin Dong woke to a pair of delicate feet right in his face.
Thanks to that day, he had learned not only her measurements—he even knew her shoe size.
"Go change," Lin Dong said. "Let me see how it looks."
"Uh… give me a second!"
Hestia ran out hugging the box.
A moment later, the door clicked.
Wearing the dress, Hestia carefully stepped in, lifting her skirt hem with both hands.
"Well? Is it pretty?"
"It's good," Lin Dong said, nodding in approval. "It suits you."
The dress was mainly blue, a clean, pure style.
But since it wasn't tailored, the upper portion was slightly tight.
With Hestia's pale curves compressed, the effect was… dangerously attention-grabbing.
"Lin Dong," Hestia said, cheeks faintly warm, "I'm glad you like it, but could you look at my eyes when you talk?"
"I'm checking whether it fits."
"Your lying is overflowing."
"…Fine. I'm just horny."
Lin Dong nodded, utterly sincere, then opened a drawer.
"Take it off. We'll adjust the upper size while we have time."
"Eh? You can sew?"
"No."
"…?"
"Doesn't matter if I can't. Someone can."
Lin Dong pulled out a money pouch and shook it; it chimed brightly.
"Come on. We're going to a dress shop."
....
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