In fact, the entire crusade against Antares did not last long. From the teleportation in to the spectacular ending, the total time was probably only around 15 minutes.
That was clearly hundreds of times faster than the original timeline, where Bell and his group had needed three days of travel by flying dragon to reach the Ruins of Elsos.
But Charlie never played by the rules. He cut the path short directly, teleporting to the destination through the causality of the Hundred Gauntlets. If it weren't for the fact that he had deliberately waited for Antares to finish preparing the Divine Arrow in order to obtain a major achievement as a leveling prerequisite, he could have ended everything in a matter of seconds.
*BUUZ!*
Space flickered violently above the great wall surrounding Orario. The next second, a group of ten people materialized out of thin air, their feet landing firmly on the stone wall.
"We're back…" Bell looked toward the streets of Orario, which were beginning to fill with people even though the sun had not yet fully risen. "Everything happened so fast it's hard to believe it was all real."
"Yeah, I thought the same." Welf scratched the back of his head, giving a wry smile. "We didn't contribute at all during this incident. We just stood inside the barrier and watched. If I had known it would be like this, I shouldn't have come along."
"..."
Lili said nothing. She simply hid further behind Bell, trying to make herself as small as possible. She was terrified that Charlie might suddenly remember her and settle the score for her past behavior.
"Ohhh~ that's incredibly convenient! Are there any limitations to using it? Range? Number of people? Cooldown?" Hermes asked with sparkling eyes full of curiosity.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you, God Hermes." Charlie answered with a light, polite smile. "You know, an adventurer's abilities and limitations are a very closely guarded privacy. Revealing them carelessly could have fatal consequences."
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to ask that seriously." Hermes inhaled cold air while wincing, as Astraea had just pinched his side quite hard. "By the way, it feels like I'm forgetting something… but what was it?"
He furrowed his brow, trying to remember. However, after spinning his brain for a while, he finally shrugged and gave up.
"Ah, forget it. If I forgot, then it must not be important."
What Hermes did not realize was that he had completely forgotten about Asfi, who was currently leading Hermes Familia along with reinforcements from other Familias in a massive military campaign to eradicate Antares.
"Goddess Artemis."
Bell approached Artemis with a serious expression, holding the Spear of Orion.
"I'm returning it. I'm not worthy of wielding a weapon this powerful."
"Um. Even so, thank you, Bell."
Artemis did not refuse. She accepted back her Spear of Orion that Bell offered to her. Something had changed; she no longer called the white-haired youth by the name Orion.
However, the next sight left Hestia, Hermes, and Astraea bewildered. Under their surprised gazes, Artemis stepped toward Charlie and placed the Spear of Orion into the young man's hands.
"Goddess Artemis?" Charlie appeared confused by the sudden action of the Moon Goddess before him.
"Take it. As long as I remain in the lower world, you may use the Spear of Orion." Artemis said in an undeniable tone.
"Why?"
"Consider it a gift from me for saving me and avenging the deaths of my children. I only hope you do not abuse this power." Artemis put on a serious expression.
"That—"
Just as Charlie was about to open his mouth to refuse, Astraea quickly interjected.
"Accept it, Charlie. It will surely be of great help to you in the future."
"Very well. Thank you for your trust, Goddess Artemis. Rest assured, I will not disappoint you."
Seeing the resolve in the Moon Goddess's eyes, Charlie no longer refused. With a casual motion, he stored the Spear of Orion into his Space-Time Cache.
"Now then, everything has ended happily! After saving the world from destruction, the next thing we should obviously do is celebrate!"
Hermes's suggestion was met with nods of agreement from almost everyone. The suffocating tension from the Antares incident needed to be washed away with enjoyment right away.
After buying Artemis proper new clothing to replace the blanket, the group headed to the Hostess of Fertility.
The feast went on merrily for a full hour. Laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the enticing aroma of food filled the room.
Almost everyone ended up drunk; Hestia began raving about Bell's greatness, Bell fell asleep with a flushed red face, and even Artemis appeared noticeably more relaxed after a few glasses of drink.
Yet, amid the chaos, the atmosphere still felt lively and cheerful.
In the end, only Charlie remained fully sober. Thanks to the skills of the Chosen Savior, he had immunity to all forms of debuffs, including the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Besides him, Aishia and Est chose not to touch alcohol at all.
As Charlie looked at the mess scattered across the floor — spilled glasses, empty plates, and people gradually losing consciousness — he let out a resigned sigh.
Although the celebration was enjoyable, dealing with the aftermath of so many drunk people was genuinely troublesome. Fortunately, the matter of cleaning up and moving them was handled by the lovely waitresses there, who were already well accustomed to dealing with drunk adventurers every night.
As for who paid the sky-high bill? Hermes, of course.
As the one who had suggested the celebration and had deep pockets, he was the one who had to dig into his wallet.
The sun climbed higher as Charlie began stepping out of the establishment. Carrying Astraea, who was already half-conscious, on his back, he was accompanied by Aishia and Est on either side, walking toward their residence, the Empyrean Citadel.
However, walking around while carrying a goddess was not exactly something that could be done quietly.
"Well well, it's not every day you see Astraea drunk like this. This reminds me of a certain adult scenario! Could it be that Astraea is about to lose her virginity tonight?" teased a god who was lounging on the terrace of another establishment.
"Heh~ that's impossible, you know how strictly she guards her purity. Well, if it actually did happen, it would become the most interesting piece of news all across Orario in years!" another god replied with a snicker.
"A white-haired youth accompanied by two humanoid Spirits… There's no mistaking it, that's the famous Solo Leveling!"
"Tsk tsk tsk… It is said that the luck of a hero in matters of the heart is truly extraordinary. Today, I witnessed it with my own eyes. Even Astraea, who has guarded her purity for countless years, might just give it to this hero."
Wild rumors began flying among the gods and goddesses who were hungry for sensation. They could not possibly ignore the rare sight of the notoriously rigid Goddess of Justice appearing helpless on the back of a man.
Charlie: "😐"
Hearing all the nonsense and indecent speculation from the gods, the corner of his mouth twitched. Without saying a single word in response to them, he quickened his pace, disappearing into the crowd and leaving behind the gods who were still laughing and entertained.
[Support me by reading the paid version. Benefits: access to more chapters.
Click here: patre*n.com/LoveFanfiction
For donations from generous benefactors who are Crazy rich: paypal.me/andicand]