“Besides, my wife Kaguya is still here, so how could I possibly go to another familia?”
“Oh!”
Alise immediately let out an exaggerated cheer and slapped Mizuki hard on the shoulder.
“Well said! You really are worthy of being the righteous vice captain of the Astraea Familia, and the man of Gojouno Kaguya!”
“See, I told you! The lucky boy has principles!”
Neze shouted excitedly, and the others quickly chimed in.
Kaguya glared fiercely at Mizuki, but at a loss for words, she could only turn her head away and pretend to admire the scenery.
Haruhime breathed a sigh of relief, a reassuring smile gracing her face.
Just then, Alise suddenly stopped laughing and looked around, bewildered.
“Wait a second, aren’t we missing someone?”
Iska frowned, looked toward Neze, and they both shouted at the exact same moment.
“Where is Asta?”
They pointed at each other simultaneously.
“It is all your fault! You were too busy fooling around and making noise, why were you not watching her?”
“You were clearly the one who let go of her first! The responsibility is entirely yours!”
A very grave crisis had presented itself.
“Oh no!”
Lyra shrieked.
“Maryuu and the others just finished cooking, so they must be in the shower right now!”
That meant the kitchen was completely unattended!
“To the kitchen!”
Alise gave the order, and everyone, including Kaguya who had just been acting awkward, dashed toward the kitchen.
They threw the kitchen door open.
Sure enough, the petite dwarf girl was sitting right in the middle of a pile of empty plates.
Her cheeks were puffed out, a half eaten sausage clutched in her hand, and her face was covered in bread crumbs.
Seeing everyone rush in, she offered a cheerful, innocent grin.
“Oh, you are all here!”
Looking at the raided table and the smiling culprit, the girls of the Astraea Familia wore looks of utter defeat.
It was over.
This morning, everyone was going to starve again.
“Lady Astraea, please come down quickly! Your righteous children have lost their breakfast once more!”
Ten minutes later, the chaotic kitchen had been tidied up, though the bare table stood as evidence of Asta’s crime.
Lady Astraea had stepped out of her room and was gently stroking Asta’s head, keeping the dwarf tucked safely behind her.
It was an act of pure protection, otherwise the starving girls would have certainly taught the culprit a harsh lesson.
Looking thoroughly guilty, Asta hung her head and apologized to the room.
“How about I do your laundry for a whole month?”
Seeing her earnest expression, Alise was the first to soften.
She waved her hand with a sigh.
“Fine, one month of laundry, plus half of your allowance this month goes toward buying groceries, and we will call it even.”
“Good, because I am definitely eating twice as much for dinner tonight, otherwise I will waste away from starvation,” Iska muttered, patting her flat stomach as if it were a matter of course.
“Terminator of breakfasts, you better remember your promise!” Neze added, making sure to coin a new alias for the girl on the spot.
Kaguya had not been genuinely angry from the start, and she glanced over at Mizuki.
He did not seem bothered at all by the missing breakfast.
“Hmph, trying to act cool,” she murmured under her breath.
Mizuki leaned in close without hesitation.
“Are you talking about me? I heard that.”
“I am not!” Kaguya huffed, turning her head away with pride.
Right then, Alise rolled her eyes thoughtfully, took a few quick steps, and planted herself directly in front of Astraea, the goddess of justice.
“Lady Astraea!”
She cleared her throat, her expression turning surprisingly solemn.
“I have an extremely important proposal!”
“Right now, Mizuki is Kaguya’s fiancé, right?”
Alise pointed first at Mizuki, then at Kaguya.
“Which means they will definitely have children in the future!”
“So to make sure there are no conflicts when the baby arrives because the parents belong to different factions, I believe Mizuki should formally join our Astraea Familia!”
In Orario, marriages between members of different familias were exceedingly rare.
It was not forbidden by law, but it presented practical problems.
Marriage was not merely a personal matter, it directly tied into the interests of two separate familias.
Therefore, to prevent future disputes, it had long become standard practice for a married couple to serve the same god.
Alise’s sudden proposal caused the entire room to fall silent.
Only Kaguya burst out in protest.
“Hey, hold on, what nonsense are you spouting?”
“Why are you already talking about having children?”
Lady Astraea paid no mind to Kaguya’s fluster, sweeping her warm, gentle gaze over every child present as she asked softly, “Does everyone agree?”
“I agree!” Lyra was the first to hop out of her chair, thrusting both hands high into the air.
“Mizuki is really strong. Right now, with our ongoing clashes against evilus, having him around is a huge boost, plus he is a lot of fun. I support this completely!”
“I agree too. If he joins, we get to watch him bicker with Kaguya every day,” Iska said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
“His swordsmanship is exceptional, and he would make a fine sparring partner,” Ryu added in her calm voice, clearly offering her approval.
“He can also help keep an eye on Asta during meals. He did not get angry at all just now, so he must have plenty of patience,” Celty said, adjusting her glasses as she offered the most practical perspective.
Everyone was in agreement.
Lady Astraea smiled and nodded, her gaze settling upon Mizuki.
“And what about you, Mizuki? What do you say?” Get faster updates on g.com.
Meeting the goddess’s gentle eyes, Mizuki gave an easy nod.
Joining the familia?
Naturally, he had already thought about it.
To train his skills and master his sword techniques, he could not simply go around challenging random people on the streets.
The dungeon was the ultimate training ground.
Right now, he had refined sword technique, but the rest of his physical traits were merely those of an ordinary human, perhaps with slightly better stamina and speed.
Becoming an adventurer was the most direct path to boosting his core parameters.
Besides, this was his future wife’s familia, which made them family anyway.
Mizuki looked over at Kaguya and grinned, sending a slight shiver down her spine.
Turning back to the goddess, Mizuki said, “I have no objections.”
“However, I do have one request.”
He gently stepped to the side, lightly holding the hand of Haruhime, who had been quietly standing behind him.
“I would like Haruhime to join alongside me.”
Haruhime looked up in surprise, her fox ears standing straight up in shock.
She stared at Mizuki’s profile with wide, disbelieving eyes.
To her, just being allowed to stay by his side felt like a blessing far beyond what she deserved.
Joining the noble and righteous Astraea Familia was something she had never dared to dream of.
Lady Astraea showed no surprise, her warm smile only growing softer.
She looked at Mizuki, then at the trembling fox girl beside him.
“Of course.”
The goddess’s voice felt like soothing sunlight, washing away the lingering anxiety in Haruhime’s heart.
“The doors of the Astraea Familia are always open to kind, righteous children.”
“Welcome, Mizuki, Haruhime.”
“Now then, you two, come with me to receive your falna.”
Falna.
It was the greatest gift the gods brought when they descended from heaven.
By using divine blood, they granted blessings to the mortals of the lower world.
For those who received this blessing, sacred hieroglyphs were engraved onto their backs, recording the journey of their existence.
Whether it was defeating monsters or accomplishing glorious deeds, all accumulated excelia was converted into raw strength.
This was the very foundation of an adventurer’s power.
The two followed Lady Astraea into her personal quarters.
A soft carpet lay underfoot, books were neatly organized on the shelves, and several blooming pots rested along the windowsill.
The room was not lavishly adorned, nor did it carry the grandeur expected of a deity, feeling far more like the quiet, comforting bedchamber of a gentle lady.
“Is this the room of the goddess of justice?”
“Am I really about to become an adventurer? What if I end up disappointing Lord Mizuki and Lady Astraea?”
Haruhime gripped her sleeves tightly, keeping her head lowered and hardly daring to look around, terrified of showing even a sliver of disrespect.
Astraea smiled warmly and gave the girl’s shoulder a reassuring pat.