Step, step—
"Goddess Aphrodite~~!! We have successfully evacuated the citizens and returned safely~~!!"
The next day, Boecklin and Sandro called out joyfully to Aphrodite from within the forest.
"You're late, you two! You were so slow I thought you'd sunk halfway here."
Of course, Aphrodite spat out her usual sharp-tongued remarks as if it were only natural.
"That's too cruel!! We finished that murderous schedule you gave us!"
"But as expected, Goddess Aphrodite's abuse... it really suits our bodies perfectly!!"
The followers praised their goddess from the bottom of their hearts, as if they enjoyed even her insults.
"Woooooo! Goddess Aphrodite! Please, give us more!!"
Akumo and the rest of the group watched the scene unfold.
"They've been completely trained..."
"For a moment there, the [Freya Familia] actually looked better by comparison...."
"Even if they're both goddesses of beauty, there's bound to be a difference."
Despite the comments from Aisha, Asfi, and Akumo, the followers ignored them and continued to praise Aphrodite. Soon after, Apollo began his briefing.
"In any case, now that the ship is back, we can carry out the operation without a hitch."
Snap!
"Our destination is the Olympia Capital! Our goal is to save Vesta and the lower world!"
Of course, as he spoke, Apollo felt a fair amount of guilt toward the group.
"Well, it seems we've ended up leaving most of the heavy lifting to Bell..."
"It's alright, Lord Apollo."
"I'll see it through. Together with everyone!"
However, the two heroes waited for the coming battle with unwavering smiles and eyes full of resolve.
"The light hasn't left your eyes, has it? Even though you're riding on my ship."
"Ahaha... please go easy on us, Goddess Aphrodite."
"You really are fickle..."
At their reaction, Aphrodite smiled and spoke.
"In that case... shouldn't I at least provide something worthy of an [Argonaut]?"
Noticing what the goddess had prepared, Akumo added his own words.
"No, we have to surpass even that."
Flap!
He was wearing his black uniform. The familiar appearance of the Hero of Orario.
"You need to change into an outfit that fits the occasion!"
Grin—
"Sandro, Boecklin! Bring it out!"
"Yes, Ma'am!!"
Simultaneously, Aphrodite brought out an outfit tailored for Bell.
"A [Battle Cloth] created with special, extra-special craftsmanship!"
"I specifically asked Lady Hephaestus and Welf to help me make this."
The [Battle Cloth] radiated an aura different from ordinary armor.
"[Hopo] taken from the Flame Men I charmed! [Pelequiem] snatched from Pele, and even [Olbiaphrea] harvested to the last drop!"
"It's anti-Sacred Flame equipment made by scraping together all sorts of fire-related materials!"
Pele, Olbiaphrea—mysterious materials that the children of the lower world wouldn't recognize.
It was a masterpiece into which she had poured the mystical materials she had collected over the ages on a whim.
"....You had this prepared in advance, didn't you?"
"Of course! This is why I was trying to squeeze information out of Hermes!"
"Sigh... you intended to save her from the start... I'm really going to die at this rate...."
"Goddesses and their endless whims..."
From the moment she dragged Bell and Akumo here, Aphrodite had intended to save her friend alongside them.
"Does that mean... you've known everything and acted accordingly until now?"
"That's right."
The gods affirmed Lili's question without a moment's hesitation.
"Heartless."
"Heartless indeed."
"You really are heartless."
"How heartless."
The group also insulted Aphrodite without a moment's hesitation.
"S-Shut up!! It was just a 'just in case'! Do you think I wanted to reduce the number of precious hero candidates!?"
"But if! If a foolish child... a follower who claims the title of [Hero] appeared!"
Grin!
"Then it's only natural to give them armaments worthy of that title, isn't it?"
Though their first meeting had been absurd and bewildering, the smile she showed now was genuine.
"As expected of a goddess of beauty, you are quite beautiful."
"Even if she is excessively fickle..."
The wishes for the hero had all gathered.
In that case, Akumo could no longer remain lost in thought.
Hum—
"I suppose I should put in a bit more effort as well."
Yellow lightning seeped into his black uniform, shifting his aura.
Whoosh—!
The ship carrying their hopes began its voyage toward the Box.
"Magic Stone Engine output stable, no propulsion issues! Inform the mages to maintain the mana supply!"
Clatter!
"The wind coming from the coast is strong! Don't raise the sails, we might get caught! Move using only the ship's power, and don't slack off on searching for Flame Beasts!"
"Yes, Sir!!!!"
As much as they were infatuated with the goddess of beauty, they showed a systematic and clean movement under her orders.
"The voyage is more stable than I expected. It's a long detour, but at this rate, we'll get there faster than by land."
"Come to think of it, I heard the word 'Magic Stone Engine'.... Is this ship the [Magianaus] from Altena?"
"Let's... just let it go for now, Asfi..."
"It's rare to see even Akumo-san this fed up with someone's selfishness...."
Faced with the exasperated reactions of Ryu and Asfi, Akumo didn't want to care about the goddess's whims anymore. Welf, seeing this, felt a sense of awe toward Aphrodite.
"Ilia-san... you came too?"
"Why? Am I not allowed to follow you?"
"N-No..! That's not what I meant..."
On one side, Bell and Ilia were facing each other, awkward after their moonlit confession.
"I wanted to be by your side to worry about you, since you're always so restless.... Surely that much is okay?"
".....Yes."
The group immediately reacted to the strange atmosphere.
"Those two.... doesn't the atmosphere seem a bit strange?"
"Y-Yes.... It's as if they are a man and woman who have shared a bed after deepening their bond through shared joys and sorrows during a long adventure...!!"
"Your descriptions are way too vivid!! You perverted fox! Why are your delusions so blatant!!"
"You lot, be quiet for a bit... I'm tired, you know...?"
Despite the group's chatter, Akumo wanted to save even a little bit of energy, knowing the mountain of hardship that lay ahead.
"You, do you really have a plan?"
"Hm? What do you mean, Aisha?"
Aisha's eyes were fixed on Akumo with doubt.
Flare—!!
Those eyes were still staring only at the barrier of purple flames surrounding Olympia.
"No problem. I brought the 'Key to the Box'."
"Though I'm going to open it a bit roughly...."
".....Could you explain that in a way I can understand?"
Just as Akumo was about to explain the key in detail to Aisha—
"I almost forgot. Akumo? Could you come here for a moment?"
"Yes, Lady Hephaestus."
"Bell Cranel, could I borrow your knife for a second?"
"Huh...? The [Hestia Knife]? That's fine, but..."
Akumo and Bell approached Hephaestus.
First, Bell handed her the [Hestia Knife].
Schwing!
"The knife Hestia spent an entire day praying to create.... For a blacksmith, it's an unorthodox weapon, but to think you've grown it this much."
"Lady Hephaestus...?"
"It's nothing. Now, Welf? Hold this."
Then, she handed the knife to Welf.
"Me, holding Bell's weapon...? Why..."
"Just do it. Once you've held it, pass it to the person next to you. To everyone in the [Hestia Familia]."
And so, they each took turns holding the [Hestia Knife].
Only the gods would know what that meant and what it was for.
"Do you know?"
"I don't. How could I? Hedin."
"Then...."
At Hedin's words, Akumo smiled and answered in advance.
"Naturally, I don't know the outcome of what I'm about to do. Neither do the gods."
They were called omniscient and omnipotent, but Akumo and Bell were heroes who had achieved feats that surpassed even the gods' expectations.
"We've all held the knife.... What meaning does this have, Lady Hephaestus?"
"It's like a [Spell]. It will surely become your [Key]."
If Bell could gather everyone's 'adventure' and surpass the gods' predictions—
"A [Key]....?"
Then I will scrape together every possible means to ensure we succeed.
"Whether it's you or that brat, if you fail, you'll have to die even in death."
"I can't afford to die even if I wanted to. I've done far too much for that."
The moment he thought that, a noisy sound reached their ears, as if to say there was no time to rest.
"Screeech!!!!"
"....Save the talk for later. Enemies!"
At Hedin's warning, their battle immediately began.
Flap!
"It's winged Flame Beasts! They're flying this way!"
"W-Wait a second! There are too many of them!? It's an incredible number!"
Just as Lili said, an unexpectedly large number of creatures were flying toward the ship.
"It'll certainly be dangerous if they catch us... but it's alright! We have Magic Swords and our cute Hyakinthos clones!"
Slide—
"And above all...."
Despite the situation, Apollo wasn't flustered at all, simply watching the Flame Beasts from the deck.
"Akumo, if you please."
Ryu's words were then delivered to Akumo.
Hum—
"[Bloom, Black Holy Sword.]"
A black slash cut through all the Flame Beasts in a single stroke.
Slash!
"I-In one hit...!"
"No, I didn't cut all the cores."
To the surprised Lili, Akumo calmly stated the current limit of the output he could produce, and at the same time—
Click!
"I've prepared even without being told."
Green arrows reached the Flame Beasts, creating a massive flash of light.
"I could have handled that, Brother."
"Save it as much as possible. Using mana potions like water is a bit awkward."
Even after the battle was resolved in an instant, Bell and Akumo calmly waited for the real fight to come.
"Good grief, I can understand the brat and that guy... but what is up with that elf?"
"Another miracle created by heroes, Aphrodite."
Aphrodite could understand the unknown power of Bell and Akumo, but she was stunned by the massive flash Ryu had created.
"[Lævateinn]."
She questioned not only the powerful aura of the bow in Ryu's hand but also the fact that she could handle that Magic Sword so perfectly.
"Hermes, what exactly have you been looking at? For a guy who's usually so crafty..."
"Let's just say I've simply become a huge fan of those two!"
Aphrodite thought there was no way Hermes would have stayed quiet leaving such beings alone, but the will of the heroes was an area even more incomprehensible than Hermes's schemes.
Thud!
"Bring the ship close to the quay! Combatants, disembark! Disembark!!!"
Meanwhile, they finally succeeded in reaching Vesta's altar.
Patter!!
"We're going right now!!"
"Yeah!!"
"Goddess...!"
The [Key] moved toward the [Box].
"Lord Eton.... no, Lord Epimetheus."
Slide—
"As you said, Vesta's followers have appeared at the altar."
The flames were burning more fiercely and threateningly than ever, as if to consume them.
"They've come, as expected. If they've even broken the god's seal, it's only natural they'd come to the altar without being captured. It saves us some trouble."
Grin!
"We're going too. To where Vesta is."
Epimetheus held his cursed sword.
He raised his eroded arm and pointed it toward the direction where they would be.
========================
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