Those girls who had been bathing in the pond—or rather, the girls who had been “accidentally observed” while bathing—let out shrieks even louder than usual when they saw their goddess speaking with a handsome young man.
The lightly dressed girls blushed and hurriedly used their clothes to cover the exposed parts of their bodies.
One woman, however, with tanned skin, bare feet, a short skirt, and clothing that looked suspiciously similar to underwear, strode over without the slightest embarrassment and stared curiously at Kamiki.
If he remembered correctly, girls like her belonged to the Amazon race.
They were naturally open-minded and straightforward.
Whenever they met a man they liked, they would pursue him without hesitation.
They were, in every sense of the word, bold and direct.
Besides humans and Amazons, there were elegant elves with pointed ears and refined features.
Upon noticing Kamiki, one of them immediately wrapped herself tightly in her robe.
There were also beastkin girls with furry animal ears and tails, small in stature but noticeably stronger than ordinary people.
Lastly, there were Prums, standing only about half the height of a human and appearing to be around thirteen or fourteen years old.
Every member of the group was female.
This was directly related to Artemis’s policies.
As the famous virgin goddess of Greek mythology, Artemis in this world still disliked men and rejected anything related to romance.
She even imposed strict requirements on her Familia members, forbidding them from falling in love with men.
As a result, there wasn’t a single male member in her Familia.
After the commotion died down, everyone gathered around a campfire.
Fish skewered on branches sizzled as fat dripped onto the flames, releasing an enticing aroma.
A sprinkle of seasoning made the smell even richer.
Strangely enough, although Artemis disliked men, her aversion was limited to close interaction.
Ordinary conversation wasn’t a problem.
Kamiki was fortunate enough to receive a grilled fish.
The taste wasn’t particularly impressive, but it filled his stomach.
“So you’re an adventurer heading to Orario,” the Amazon woman said from nearby, carefully studying Kamiki’s face.
Yes, after one look, she had confirmed he was exactly her type.
Young, handsome boys like him were the easiest way to trigger her particular tastes.
“That’s right.
I got lost along the way and only met all of you by sheer luck.
Thank goodness for that,” Kamiki replied.
“That’s true.
It’s a good thing you ran into us.
The forest is very dangerous at night, you know,” one of the human girls said.
“Don’t worry, little brother.
Let big sister protect you.” The Amazon deliberately winked at him.
Her bold behavior made several of her companions blush.
“Enough.” Artemis glanced at the Amazon indifferently.
The latter immediately fell silent.
It wasn’t as though she didn’t know the Familia’s rules.
But after spending so long exploring, surrounded by nothing but monsters and her companions, she was practically dying of boredom.
Now that she had finally met a man she liked, she naturally couldn’t resist teasing him a little.
“My Familia member has caused you some trouble.” Artemis spoke in her usual cool tone.
“If you’re heading to Orario, you can travel with us.
It’s about another two days away.” “Thank you.” Kamiki nodded.
Having someone lead the way was naturally the best outcome.
Especially when that someone was Artemis.
After dinner, Artemis returned to her tent to rest.
The group assigned one person at a time to stand watch, rotating shifts throughout the night.
Perhaps because Kamiki looked fairly young, he was assigned to a tent with an elf and an Amazon.
“Please don’t take what happened earlier the wrong way.
Lady Artemis has always been like that.
She doesn’t really like interacting with men, and she doesn’t allow us to get involved with the men of Orario either.
But even so, she’s still a wonderful goddess.” The Amazon spoke with obvious admiration in her voice.
A moment later, however, her shoulders slumped.
“But we want to fall in love too.” “That way of thinking will change eventually.” Kamiki smiled.
The Artemis who forbade romance would, in the end, come to experience the feeling of loving someone herself.
Gods were far more emotional than humans.
They simply lived so long that it took much more to move their hearts.
“Good night, Miss Amazon.
Miss Elf.” Although he had been placed in the same tent as two girls, Kamiki had no inappropriate thoughts.
Pulling a blanket that still carried a faint fragrance over himself, he closed his eyes.
Before long, the camp fell completely silent.
Nothing noteworthy happened during the night.
Perhaps because they were already close to Orario, the two-day journey passed without incident.
Aside from encountering a few weak monsters here and there, nothing unusual appeared.
At dusk on the second day, towering city walls finally came into view.
Along the road, numerous wagons loaded with goods could already be seen traveling back and forth.
At the city gate stood muscular men dressed like tribal warriors.
Wearing elephant-trunk masks and carrying spears, they inspected each merchant before allowing them to pass.
“This is Orario, little brother.
Excited for your new life?” The Amazon woman patted Kamiki’s shoulder and proudly introduced the city.
The center of the world—Orario.