"Did I pass out again?"
When Judas opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room.
'I've lost...'
The moment he abandoned strategy and went head-to-head with Alise had sealed his defeat.
Still, he felt surprisingly calm.
The loss didn't sting... not when he had gained something far more valuable than victory.
'Freya Familia... Alise... I'll get my win back.'
He shifted slightly, noticing the bandages wrapped around his torso.
His injuries weren't too severe.
"I really need to stop losing consciousness after every big fight..."
He muttered with a sigh, tossing the blanket aside and sitting up.
"I see you're awake."
The voice drew his attention to the far side of the room.
There, sitting in a chair, was Goddess Astraea... knitting.
Or, at least, trying to. Whatever she was making vaguely resembled a scarf, but it was a tangled mess.
'She's terrible at it.'
Judas mused silently, though Astraea seemed to read him instantly.
"It's a new hobby."
She said with a small smile.
"I'm not as dexterous as I thought, but I've started to enjoy it."
She gently set the "scarf" on the table beside her.
"I apologize, Goddess Astraea."
"Oh?"
Astraea raised an eyebrow.
"You don't need to apologize for something so trivial. It only means I need to practice more."
"No."
Judas shook his head.
"I mean for damaging your home... and your backyard. I promise I'll pay for the repairs."
Astraea studied him quietly before her lips softened into a smile.
"You don't need to worry about that. My children initiated the duel. The responsibility lies with us, not you."
"Still, with my magic, I can—"
Astraea lifted a hand to silence him.
"It's handled. What you need now is rest."
Before Judas could argue further, a sharp knock came at the door. Astraea turned with an amused expression.
"Looks like we have guests."
The door burst open and in spilled Alise, Lyra, Kaguya, and several other members of the Astraea Familia.
"Judas! You alright? I hope I didn't hit you too hard."
Alise said, inspecting him worriedly.
"The way you crashed after she sent you flying was brutal."
Lyra added with a sly grin.
"Bounced three times like a rubber ball. Our captain can be like a gorilla sometimes... zero gentleness."
Kaguya added, joining in the teasing until Astraea's calm but firm voice cut across the room.
"Everyone, tone it down. Let Judas recover in peace."
"Yes, Goddess Astraea."
They chorused.
Satisfied, Astraea gave them a gentle smile.
"I hope you recover quickly. After watching your fight with Alise, I've been itching to test myself against you."
Kaguya said with a feral grin, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Meanwhile, several of the younger members lingered in the doorway, whispering among themselves as they stared at Judas.
"Now that I see him up close, he really is kinda cute..."
"Strong too. Wonder if he has a girlfriend?"
"Hey, hey... anyone know how old he is?"
They thought they were whispering quietly, but Alise, Judas, and the others... being high-level adventurers... picked up every word with their heightened senses.
Ryuu's face turned scarlet, her ears twitching as steam practically poured from her head.
Lyra smirked and nudged Judas with her elbow a few times.
He ignored it, pretending not to care.
Astraea cleared her throat delicately.
"Now, now, my children. Don't overwhelm him when he had just woken up."
She said, hoping to silence their gossip.
"It's fine, Goddess Astraea. I'm already good to go."
Judas said as he swung his legs off the bed.
But his robe, loosely tied, slipped free and fell to the floor.
'Oh, crap.'
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Kyaaa!"
A chorus of screams erupted as several women spun away, their faces bright red.
There were others, however, shamelessly stole glances.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Would you look at that?"
Lyra clicked her tongue with a grin.
"That cute face was hiding a real monster. Talk about a surprise."
"I agree."
Kaguya added with an approving nod.
"Looks to be about six inches even at limp... bigger than average."
The two spoke with complete nonchalance, their eyes brazenly glued to him.
"What are you doing?! Get a towel, quick!"
Alise, unlike them, had a faint blush on her face as she scrambled to wrap a towel around Judas.
She glanced over and spotted Ryuu, her entire head redder than a tomato as she tried to look anywhere but at him.
"Ahem. Excuse us."
Astraea said calmly, though the slight pink on her cheeks didn't escape notice. She ushered her children out of the room.
And thus—
A rumor spread like wildfire through the women of Orario:
Judas Spade, the rising star of the Loki Familia, was exceptionally well-endowed.
...
Late at night.
At the Twilight Manor.
"He's at it again... how many hours has he been sitting out there?"
Ren muttered, pouring himself a cup of water as he peered through the window. Outside, Judas sat motionless in the training grounds, legs crossed in meditation.
"I think he said something about... repairing his mana core or whatever."
Loki yawned, resting her chin on her hand as she joined him by the window.
"Huh... good for him."
Ren shrugged and took a sip of water.
In the abandoned church...the home of the Hestia Familia...
Inside Belle and Alfia's bedroom.
Alfia sat in silence, staring at Belle's sleeping face for a few seconds as she held a piece of paper in her hands.
"Looks like her training and dungeon exploration has been going well."
She muttered, glancing at the paper in mild satisfaction.
========================================
Belle Cranel
LV 1
STR: I 50 ---> H 172
END: H 101 ---> G 252
DEX: I 55 ---> H 181
AGI: I 71 ---> G 223
MAG: I 0
SKILLS: [Tenebris Vitalis]
[Liaris Freese]
MAGIC:
========================================
"Liaris Freese."
What she bore witness to was a level of growth even she had never seen before.
"At this rate... it would take at least a month for her to become eligible for a rank up."
Even if it was a snail's pace compared to the current record, Bell's growth was still lightning-fast when measured against other adventurers, whose progress could only be marked in years.
"But it's not enough... this can become much faster."
Her mind drifted toward Judas Spade, the boy who had managed to capture her niece's heart.
"I think it's about time."
The time had finally come for her to test him herself.
"Judas Spade... you had better not disappoint me."
She murmured, her eyes narrowing as the air itself trembled beneath her oppressive presence.
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