NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13 – Hostess Of Fertility 1
[Chapter Size: 2209 Words.]
Lucius POV
Dungeon.
...
...
After disposing of the bodies, I continued collecting points. I've never spent so much time in the dungeon before, not surpassing the ninth floor. I accumulated points and crystals for a full 9 hours.
With a big satisfied and slightly dirty smile, but unharmed, I left the dungeon with 4 crystal bags. This drew a lot of attention as I returned to the surface since the only way for a person to have 4 bags is to be the treasurer of a raid on the middle floors, where they would be responsible for exchanging all their companions' crystals.
Exiting the dungeon hall calmly, I went straight to the guild with my crystals, wanting to exchange them in that time before returning to the church. Needless to say, Rose saw me with all those bags as I headed to the exchange section, giving me suspicious looks. I, who was a low-rank adventurer until recently, find it hard to believe that I'm coming to exchange crystal bags for the past 3 days, with today's exceeding my average by a lot.
Of course, I greeted her, but I had to dodge her questions and narrow glares, giving an excuse that I joined a raid. I fled the guild at the first opportunity before returning to the church with Bell and Hestia.
"Where should we celebrate?" I asked, with the two preparing an afternoon coffee.
"Hmm... I don't know, what do you think, Bell-kun?" Hestia asked.
"How about the Hostess of Fertility?" He suggested, and I shivered, but then thought.
'Why am I surprised he picked this place? Anyway, I'm a secondary member in the family, protected by Bell's dazzling protagonist appearance, so I'm just a shadow behind my companion and won't attract the attention of crazy gods like Freya or Apollo, I believe!'
"Well, I agree, always wanted to check that place out." I said; I really never went there, would be interesting to enter for the first time.
The place might be quite expensive, but I have 30 thousand valis in hand after selling plenty of crystals. My contract with Hestia was 30% of the profits for the family, so I tossed a bag with 9 thousand valis into the goddess's lap when she was complaining it would be too much money for them to spend.
Seeing that money, Hestia simply had tennis ball-sized eyes, and Bell was amazed. He could make 2 thousand crystals a day, which wasn't a bad number to start a career as an adventurer. Bell was physically stronger than me, but like every adventurer, he needed to rest at a steady pace, like in the dungeon.
"As for me, I have my own advantages and can just take a break to rest my throat..." I concluded.
Before we left, I opened my system to see my progress from 9 hours in the dungeon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
---Information---
• Name: Lucius Drakenar
• Level: 1.
---Status---
• Strength: I70 -> 87
• Endurance: I90 -> 116
• Dexterity: I80 -> 99
• Magic: H140 -> 262
----------------------------------
[10 Thousand Firebolts Mission: Cast 10,000 Firebolts! | {Progress 2111/10000} | {Reward: The User will be able to Use Spell Without Chanting.}] (Lucius Cast: 1,129 Firebolt)
[System Points: 17,980] (Lucius Gained 9800 points today)
Your progress was very satisfactory, and you were sure you could fulfill your goals faster.
When night fell, I took a bath and dressed in ordinary clothes, a polo shirt, pants with sneakers, and left the church to go to Mia Grand's famous Pub.
(There are suits in this medieval world, so I'll add some modern clothes.)
Thinking about that bar, I couldn't help but sigh. The bar owner, a level 6 adventurer, and all those level 4 assassins, not to mention Freya disguised as Syr. Is there a more dangerous place in Orario? I couldn't help but hope that I would survive there today.
Through the streets, Hestia was the same foolish loli trying to impress Bell and saying they were on a date, ignoring my existence.
Looking at her and seeing that she was carefree, I wondered if my loli goddess already knew that I had started a fight in the Hephaestus family shops that had to be stopped by the friend herself, as she also works in one of Hephaestus's shops some days, if I'm not mistaken.
If she knows, she hasn't said anything about it so far. I hope it doesn't cause problems for her. I may be impulsive, but I still don't want to harm people who have nothing to do with things with my actions.
Finally, the bar appeared as we walked through the main streets. The place looked quite lively; someone quite famous must have rented a table, I imagined.
When we arrived at the lively and crowded Pub, Bell, who had left after deciding on the location, reserving a table with Syr a little before the night, so we had a guaranteed spot in the crowded bar.
"Bell and his family have arrived, Nyahh!" When Anya Fromel saw Bell, she shouted towards the place to call someone and show our table.
Bell entered, and Hestia followed, I was right behind, when I saw the famous beastwoman, Anya noticed me, and she was surprised when she saw me.
"NYAHHH?!" I didn't understand what she said or her strange reaction. Her eyes were staring at me intensely, making me wonder if we hadn't met before.
"Sorry, do we know each other?" I asked, not understanding because there was nothing in my memories.
"Your name, Nyahh?" She said still a bit shy with a blush on her cheeks.
"Lucius Drakenar, from the Hestia familia. They just entered, right now, I'm with them," I said, still confused.
"I'm Anya Fromel-Nyahh, 22 years old, 1 meter and 50- Nyahh! I like ear scratches, milk, and rice cakes-Nyahh! Nyahh! Nyahh?"
I was stunned by this woman with the menu in her hands making movements like putting the menu on her face and taking it off as she said her pun, Nyah.
She was blushing, so I believe I'm attractive to her to act like this, which I find normal since I'm a man of her age, so I believe it's a normal reaction. Still, without wanting to overdo it and further disconcert the blushing beastwoman, I finally entered the Pub, which I had never set foot in since I entered Orario.
"It was a pleasure, Anya. See you later," I bid farewell and looked at the famous Pub.
I imagined it as in the anime, very lively, and I wasn't disappointed when I finally entered. To my surprise, Hestia wasn't the only Goddess in the Pub, which explains why tonight seemed so crowded.
The place was entirely for adventurers, and many of them were already drunk, while groups lived chatting with each other, flirting with their opposite-sex drinking companions. Many were looking at the table in the middle of the bar; I could understand, as their family was one of the most famous, and many adventurers liked to see their members who symbolized status and power, not to mention the beauties that attracted many looks from the bar, be it men or even women.
"What did you say, Shorty?" Shouted a voice, annoyed.
Now that I noticed, next to that table, there was a discussion between two goddesses: a slender, red-haired one with closed eyes, and a loli goddess, whom I am quite familiar with in the past few days.
"I said, flat chest!" Hestia directly spoke to Loki as the divine confrontation unfolded.
The main members of the Loki familia at that table didn't know what to do with their goddess's quarrel. It wasn't something they could easily intervene in, even knowing that their goddess was quite rebellious; they could only look with helpless eyes.
While Bell stood unsure of what to do and gave some quick glances at Aiz while she looked at the boy unnoticed, some of the other members looked at the heads of the family, but not even the three executives could do much.
Looking at one of them, I smiled when I saw Riveria, who was present as one of the three executives.
"So, dwarf-baka, what's the occasion for being here, since you're poor!" Loki mocked Hestia.
"YOU!!! But if you really want to know, I'm celebrating with my family for the entrance of my second child, who joined my family yesterday!! He's amazing, Loki-baka!" She said proudly, as if I were a level 5.
Even I didn't know where to put my face, while this discussion drew the attention of the entire bar, be it the adventurers or even the waitresses who stopped to watch the quarrel. At the bar counter, which was really rustic with a great theme showing its alcohol bottles, I could see Mama Mia looking at the discussion with amusement.
"Really? Did you deceive some poor guy, didn't you?" Loki said with a suspicious tone.
I had taken my eyes off the emerald elf to listen a bit to the classic quarrel between the two goddesses, but being the subject unsettled me a bit. I noticed Bell, very scared, who ran to sit at the table Syr had taken him and was now hiding behind the menu, because Aiz kept looking at him from time to time.
So, leaving the goddesses and their discussion aside, I started walking to our table, trying to hide since I didn't want to be treated as a showcase object, and I went to join my colleague who was really struggling at that moment.
But even trying to sneak past without anyone noticing me, it didn't work.
"Look at him there, he's very strong!!" Hestia said, pointing at me. I was cursing my goddess at this moment; how can she not know where I am; the Falna is a 24-hour tracker.
Loki and his family turned their eyes in my direction, and I sighed.
"HMMM, at least he's not a brat, but I doubt he's that strong..." Loki said, staring at me intensely.
"He looks like just a weakling!" Mocked Bete Loga quickly.
I knew his character, but I couldn't help but look angrily at that dog; I wasn't going to let it pass.
"Careful, dog, one day this weakling here will surpass you. On that day, I don't want to see you barking too much, I might even give you a pedigree if I'm in a good mood." I taunted him.
"Dog? What's a pedigree!? Do you want to die, weakling!?" The bar fell silent from then on; everyone was surprised at how easily I publicly offended Bete in front of his family with the main team.
"It's you!" Said Riveria finally, remembering the beggar from the dungeon. This caught the attention of some members of her table, including her goddess.
"See that you remembered me, beautiful elf." I said with a big smile, and she blushed a little with my compliment, as the whole Pub heard it.
If people were surprised by my bold words, calling a main member of the Loki family a dog, they were shocked when I flirted with the elven princess.
I didn't want to attract attention, but from the moment my goddess called me and that dog offended me, I knew it was a one-way street, so I didn't care about anything else. Everyone was already interested in me, be it the adventurers, the Loki family, the waitresses, the owner of the place, or the 3 goddesses present.
Everyone was either stunned or now had eyes the size of eggs after my first words, as I am an unknown person.
'This guy obviously doesn't value his life and wants to die...' Everyone thought so, even Mia Grand, who had a shine of respect in her eyes for the suicidal audacity.
Bete, who besides me cursing him, saw me ignoring him to speak boldly with another member of his family, a superior one at that.
He was writhing as he decided whether to jump on me now or not, but I totally ignored him to continue talking to Riveria. Of course, I would take a beating if we fought here, but I wouldn't stay quiet or submissive because he is a level 5 adventurer, not in front of my future wife.
"Hmm?! Hey, Shorty! You got quite interesting here, a totally bold one this time, unlike that one over there!" Loki said, pointing to Bell, who now didn't know where to put his face with the attention he received while hiding behind the menu.
Hestia was in shock; she was quite surprised by my carefree attitude while offending the family of her rival, evidence that she doesn't even know what I did in Hephaestus's shop yet.
'I've been picking fights with all the major families
in the city lately; I better start keeping a low profile until I get strong enough.' I thought to myself.
But this night was necessary; I may have left a better impression than a beggar in the dungeon for Riveria, as I saw her looking at me from time to time after my compliment.
Without waiting for Bete or Riveria to respond to my words, I moved to the table to join Bell, while Hestia and Loki continued to argue.