Afterward. Led by a group of girls—Amou Kirukiru, Onigawara Rin, the Holy Emperor, and the others—Rei, Fei, Aruru, and the rest of the Xenos, together with Lili, set off in a grand procession out of the upscale residential district, heading toward the Loki Familia's main base on Northwest Avenue—the Twilight Manor.
But.
Orario today did seem genuinely, vastly different from its usual self.
Because tonight was the Denatus.
It was precisely the grand assembly that decided the fates of countless adventurers and bestowed titles upon those who had accomplished great feats.
The main streets were a bustle of activity.
Everywhere one looked, adventurers in uniforms of every color hurried along with brisk steps.
The staff of every major Familia were busy hauling supplies and checking off inventory lists.
The doorways of many shops had even hung up decorations of all sorts.
And although the procession contained conspicuous monsters like a Siren and a Harpy, and was even trailed by an enormous black bear swaggering along behind them.
But.
Contrary to what Rei and the others had expected, along the entire way scarcely anyone stopped in their tracks to gawk at them, let alone shot them glances and murmured in low voices the way people used to.
Now and then a few adventurers would notice this strange procession and be on the verge of crying out in alarm, but the moment they caught sight of the cold gaze of Amou Kirukiru walking at the very front, along with the [Haimer Familia] emblem on the others, they instantly shrank back their necks like mice that had spotted a cat, scrambling and stumbling to give them a wide berth.
The fearsome reputation of the Fiendish God Familia, combined with the special atmosphere of today's Denatus.
"Everyone... seems like... no one's afraid of us anymore."
Fei looked around curiously, left and right, and murmured softly.
"Put bluntly, as long as your fists are hard enough, there's not so much nonsense in this world." Amou Kirukiru let out a cold snort, evidently quite pleased by the dread of the people around them.
Before long.
This grand procession arrived at the Twilight Manor on Northwest Avenue.
That towering spire and the sprawling, luxurious estate manifested the deep foundation of one of Orario's strongest Familia.
The two Loki Familia guards standing at the front gate, upon seeing this throng of girls and the several monsters trailing behind them, visibly stiffened, their palms gripping their spears breaking out in cold sweat.
After all, even though they had long known the [Haimer Familia] had taken in these monsters.
Truly seeing living, breathing monsters walk right up before them was still, for an adventurer, an enormous shock.
Letting monsters openly stroll into a Familia's home base was a thing that rather defied common sense.
However.
Though these two guards were visibly nervous, they did not make any move to bar the way.
They merely stepped silently back a pace, said nothing at all, and steeled themselves to push open that heavy gate.
Onigawara Rin, walking at the front, courteously gave the two guards a nod as well.
Afterward. As everyone passed through the gate and entered the broad, level courtyard.
They immediately caught sight of several people already standing in the center of the courtyard, who had been waiting for some time.
Finn, Riveria, Gareth—these three were the absolute core, the Big Three of the [Loki Familia].
As well as the werewolf Bert, leaning against a marble pillar off to one side, arms folded across his chest and eyes closed in rest.
And there were the Amazon twins, Tiona and Tione, weapons in hand, doing their warm-up exercises.
Seeing that the [Haimer Familia] had actually brought all these monsters along today.
Finn couldn't help but slightly narrow those azure-blue eyes of his.
Then he very naturally broke into that signature gentle smile of his, perfectly concealing the emotions at the bottom of his eyes.
After all.
Although in his heart he still harbored a trace of doubt as to whether these monsters with reason could truly be kept fully under control.
But as the captain of the [Loki Familia].
Facing the guests the [Haimer Familia] had brought, he naturally had to be flawless, leaving not the slightest fault to be picked at.
"Welcome to the Twilight Manor."
Finn stepped forward of his own accord.
His tone was gentle and calm, not treating Rei and the others as monsters to be met with drawn swords at all.
Afterward. Riveria too came over, staff in hand, and gave a slight nod to Onigawara Rin and the others as a sign of welcome.
Only.
When Riveria's gaze swept back and forth over the procession.
Her lovely brows couldn't help but knit together slightly.
"Come to think of it..."
Riveria looked toward Onigawara Rin.
"Lord Haimer... how come he didn't come along with you all today?" By all rights. Since these monsters had to be brought across the streets to come here.
Lord Haimer personally accompanying them as escort should have been the most reliable approach.
"Ah, Kami-sama has other arrangements."
Onigawara Rin answered truthfully.
"Kami-sama went out together with Lady Hestia this morning."
The instant these words came out. Before Riveria could even give a light nod.
The main building's gate of the Twilight Manor was suddenly shoved open with great force.
"BAM!"
"Ta-da-daa! This goddess makes her dazzling entrance——!"
Accompanying a booming voice, Loki, gripping the hem of her skirt in both hands, strode straight out of the doorway.
She was wearing an evening gown of exceedingly exquisite craftsmanship, woven of mixed black threads.
This gown, whether in its cut or its style, was an extremely fine match for that dark formal outfit she had bought for Haimer that one morning.
Loki, her face full of smugness, dashed to the center of the courtyard.
Coming to a stop before everyone, she even deliberately struck a pose she fancied to be utterly bewitching.
"How about it? When that Haimer fellow sees me in this, won't his eyeballs just about pop out... Huh?" Loki was striking her pose, all set to receive praise.
But as her gaze swept around the courtyard, the smile on her face froze in an instant.
She didn't see that familiar figure.
She only saw Amou Kirukiru, the Holy Emperor, and the others, along with a few Xenos huddled timidly behind them.
Loki's movements seized up in an instant.
"Where's Haimer?"
Loki turned her head, looking toward Finn standing off to one side.
Finn, for his part, let out a somewhat helpless sigh and shrugged.
"Looks like Lord Haimer didn't come today, Loki." "Naniii——?!!"
"That little squirt! She actually dared to drag Haimer away!"
The one who could whisk Haimer straight out of the Familia's home base first thing in the early morning.
Who else could it be besides Hestia?
Meanwhile.
It was not at all as Loki imagined in her head, with Haimer being dragged off by Hestia to fool around.
The morning sunlight spilled over the level flagstone road of Northeast Avenue.
Haimer, leading Hestia along, the two of them walking down the street.
Finally came to a stop before that massive workshop built of red brick belonging to the [Hephaestus Familia].
"Are we going straight in?"
Hestia clasped her hands behind her back, and though she asked with her mouth, her eyes were sizing up Haimer's attire today.
It had to be said, this black formal outfit, worn on Haimer's body, was truly very eye-catching.
"Hm? Lord Haimer? Lady Hestia?"
Just as the two of them were about to push the door open and go in.
A slightly surprised, hearty woman's voice came from the side.
Haimer turned his head.
And saw the side door beside the workshop being pushed open.
Wearing her signature work clothes, an eyepatch over her left eye, Tsubaki, a set of blueprints in hand, strode out.
Tsubaki's gaze first fell upon Haimer.
Then.
Her one remaining right eye suddenly lit up.
She casually rolled up the blueprints in her hand into a paper tube and sidled right up next to Haimer.
"Oh-ho-ho, now this is really something."
Tsubaki rubbed her chin, circling halfway around Haimer, letting out clucks of "tsk, tsk, tsk" in amazement.
"Lord Haimer, when you wear that everyday outfit of yours, you're already plenty enough to make the little ladies swoon."
Tsubaki extended the paper tube and lightly tapped the smooth shoulder line of Haimer's formal coat.
"And now, changed into this formal wear, it's downright unbelievable."
"At tonight's Denatus, you're absolutely on track to send that whole crowd of goddesses into a collective frenzy."
Tsubaki's personality had always been forthright, and when teasing she held nothing back either.
The moment these words came out.
Hestia, standing off to one side, was displeased, puffing out her cheeks.
"And what about me? Tsubaki! Didn't you even notice the dress I'm wearing today?!"
Hestia made a deliberate show of the starlight evening gown on her body.
Seeing this, Tsubaki obligingly looked over.
"I see it, I see it!"
"Lady Hestia, you're absolutely gorgeous today too—this gown is just like it was tailor-made for you. Paired with Lord Haimer, you're definitely a match made in heaven!"
This offhand flattery of Tsubaki's struck Hestia right in her weak spot.
"Hmph! I'll grant you've got a way with words!"
Hestia, who had been angry just moments before, instantly had two clouds of red float onto her cheeks; she tilted up her chin a touch petulantly, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't press down the upturned corners of her mouth.
Seeing this, Haimer too shook his head helplessly and looked toward Tsubaki.
"By the way, Miss Tsubaki, is Hephaestus inside?" "She is, she is!"
Tsubaki put away the paper tube and tapped it against her palm.
"Lady Hephaestus is right inside." "But I've got a bit of business to attend to right now—I have to make a trip over to West Avenue to confirm some materials, so I can't go in with you, Lord Haimer."
"Go on in and find her yourselves!"
"Mm, go tend to your business, Miss Tsubaki." Haimer nodded.
Tsubaki gave a brisk wave of her hand.
After bidding Tsubaki farewell.
Haimer, leading the still self-satisfied Hestia, pushed open that heavy iron-clad wooden door of the workshop and went inside.
Passing through the corridor piled high with ores of every color and half-finished works.
Haimer immediately spotted Hephaestus, who was pondering over a set of blueprints.
She still wore that crisp, capable white long-sleeved T-shirt, its cuffs rolled up high.
Her short red hair clung to her cheeks, somewhat disheveled.
Seemingly having heard footsteps.
Hephaestus turned around.
"Haimer? And Hestia too?"
She set down the iron tongs in her hand, evidently not having expected these two to come running over this early in the morning.
"What brings you two here?"
Hephaestus asked, her gaze falling very naturally upon Haimer's body.
And immediately after. Her movements paused for a moment.
That right eye not covered by the eyepatch, upon making contact with that crisp black formal outfit on Haimer, visibly widened a few degrees.
A flicker of an extremely unnatural expression flashed across Hephaestus's face.
She reflexively turned her face aside, looking toward the furnace nearby, dodging her line of sight.
But in less than two seconds.
She seemed to feel that doing so was too deliberate.
So she turned her head back again.
"This outfit... actually suits you rather well."
Hephaestus looked at Haimer and, out of nowhere, tossed out a word of praise.
This sudden, blunt compliment did leave Haimer a touch surprised.
Standing off to one side, Hestia, hearing these words, had the corners of her mouth—which had been turned up—instantly droop.
She warily looked at Haimer, then looked at Hephaestus.
In her heart, an alarm immediately sounded.
Seeming to sense Hestia's gaze brimming with wariness as well.
Hephaestus couldn't help but give a light cough, covering up her earlier awkwardness.
"Out with it—coming to find me first thing in the morning, what's the matter?"
Hephaestus folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the table, thinking to maintain a bit of inner calm with an air of business as usual.
"It's nothing in particular, really."
Seeing this, Haimer found a reasonably clean bench and sat down, propping up his chin, his gaze calmly resting on Hephaestus.
"It just suddenly occurred to me—since tonight is the Denatus."
"After all, it seems like ever since you came down to the Lower World, it's been a long time since I last saw you in formal wear."
"So I suddenly really wanted to come take a look."
"Me in formal wear?"
"You already saw me in formal wear back in the Heavens, didn't you?"
"Besides, ever since coming down to the Lower World, I've spent all my time at the forge."
"Even for past Denatus, I always just grabbed some slightly cleaner long dress and made do for the occasion."
"After all, evening gowns and the like don't really suit me."
And this was indeed the truth.
After all, ever since coming down to the Lower World, Hephaestus had poured nearly all of her energy into smithing, as well as into managing the Familia.
As for these past few days, she'd been busier than ever.
Just last night she'd been dragged by Haimer over to his estate to attend that barbecue party, drinking until the dead of night.
During this stretch of time, she'd been so worn out she hadn't even had enough time to sleep—what mind did she have to spare for fretting over such matters.
"And besides, I don't really care much for that kind of pomp..."
Hephaestus pursed her lips too, saying so with feigned composure.
However.
Haimer, upon hearing this, propped his chin in one hand, looking a little helpless.
"Is that so?"
"But how is it I still remember that just yesterday, a certain someone suddenly asked me whether she ought to pick out an evening gown?"
"Since you say you don't have time to prepare, then how about this time, I help you pick one out."
Hearing this line from Haimer, Hephaestus couldn't help but be stunned, evidently not having expected that he would actually remember what she'd said yesterday.
Hephaestus had meant to refuse.
However.
Half an hour later. Scene change. North Avenue.
Inside the renowned top-tier clothier [Velvet Iris].
A faint incense lingered in the air.
"Please stand up straight, Lady Hephaestus, yes, draw in your waist just a little..."
A uniformed elven shopgirl, tape measure already in hand, was nimbly taking measurements against Hephaestus's body.
Haimer, meanwhile, was off to one side rubbing his chin with great interest, examining the racks hung full of expensive fabrics.
"As for the color of the gown..."
"A base fabric in a pure black tone."
"Accented with dark-patterned roses in deep blue."
"I think Hephaestus probably doesn't need too much lace or an elaborate skirt—the cut just needs to be form-fitting, accentuating her lines, and that'll do."
Haimer pointed to a gown hanging in the most conspicuous position of the display case.
"That one—take it and have her try it on."
"Ah, yes!"
The accompanying elven shopgirl, who had still been sneaking the occasional peek at Haimer, finally snapped back to her senses upon hearing these words, hurriedly took down that gown, and presented it before Hephaestus.
"Lady Hephaestus, if you'll please follow me to the dressing room next."
Hephaestus, left thoroughly bewildered, looked at Haimer too, and could only steel herself, take the gown, and follow the shopgirl behind the heavy drapes.
Hephaestus — Affection Rank
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