Outside Orario's tavern, Syr stared blankly at the sky.
"The light arrows have vanished, nya. The rampage of the Dungeon seems to have stopped too, nya."
Anya approached while relaying the words she'd heard from an Adventurer.
A [catastrophe] had passed, and faces glowed with the joy of having survived. Numerous gods discussed matters concerning Artemis, and even those from the Genkai joined in the conversation about the Moon Goddess. Yet Syr remained fixedly gazing at the sky, seemingly troubled by something.
"Syr? Is everything alright, nya?"
Anya offered her concerned comfort.
"...Sorry, I was just lost in thought."
Syr blinked, her gaze shifting away from the cold, clear moon.
She followed Anya, slowly making her way back to the tavern.
"Artemis, huh... This is getting a bit tricky..."
Syr's mutter sank into the night.
In the sky, the moonlight shone as pure and flawless as the goddess herself.
...
"Seriously, Bell—why didn't you just turn and leave sooner?!"
Back at camp, Hestia stood with her hands on her hips, lecturing her troublesome Familia member.
After the "peeping" incident, bystanders like Mikoto and Lili didn't seem too bothered. After all, everyone knew the full story and understood that Bell had no ill intent. But for those twenty girls, a huge problem had arisen.
They'd never experienced anything like this before. Caught in the chaos of the moment, fueled by their loyalty to Artemis and the relief of finding her again, their emotions collided. That's why they ended up chasing after Bell completely naked. Looking back, all the girls blushed fiercely. Some even declared he had to take responsibility, swearing they'd marry no one but him.
A harem of twenty more?!
Hestia would never approve of such a thing.
"It's all Bell's fault. Go apologize to them right now."
"Goddess-sama, I was the one being chased, you know? The problem clearly isn't on my end, right?"
Bell insisted he bore no fault.
He had already apologized to everyone face-to-face when he fell into the spring. It was those girls, trapped in their frenzy, who wouldn't let it go.
"Hmm... that does make sense. Then why did you just stand there frozen?"
Hestia couldn't argue back, so she seized on the fact he hadn't left immediately and pressed him further.
"Because everyone was so adorable, especially Artemis-sama. I was just mesmerized."
Bell answered candidly.
"Wh... what?"
Hestia should have known better. The boy was always this straightforward. Yet her heart still raced, a wave of heat washing over her cheeks.
Hestia blushed for a moment before suddenly noticing the word "especially" in his statement.
"Ah... Artemis is beautiful, so it's natural for Bell to be mesmerized... Unlike me—short and not quite as graceful..."
Facing the goddess's deflated words, Bell chuckled softly and said,
"No, I think Goddess-sama is adorable too. It's just that the spring water blocked my view back then, and now that I recall it, beneath that beautiful face was..."
"Fine, fine, I won't lecture anymore! Stop reminiscing!"
Hestia quickly cut Bell off.
Crossing her arms, she turned away. "I still need to update the girls' Status. As for Bell, we'll handle your update when we get back?"
In Hestia's view, the boy had long met the requirements for [Leveling Up]. After the battle with Antares, Bell's Status had likely reached the peak of Lv2. Though everyone in the camp was trustworthy, Bell's skills and magic were extremely important secrets. Just in case, Hestia decided to wait until they returned to Orario to perform a [Level Up].
"Well, I must say, Goddess-sama's intelligence truly surprises me."
Bell responded with a smile.
"Hmm... I'll take that as a compliment."
Hestia puffed out her cheeks and walked toward the new girls joining the familia.
Artemis had just finished her "lesson".
"Hestia, I'm entrusting these girls to you. In exchange, lend me Orion for a bit."
"Huh? That's not fair at all!"
Hestia had to prick her finger with a silver needle to update the status for twenty girls, while Artemis was actually taking this opportunity to try and be alone with Bell.
"If you think it's unfair, you can let Orion join my familia. I'll update his abilities for him."
Artemis spoke with a mischievous grin.
"Hmph... I won't let you get away with it!"
Just as Artemis had anticipated, Hestia flushed with indignation.
"You two—Come on, it's only twenty people. I'll handle them in minutes!"
The girls' laughter and the goddess's fiery determination gradually faded into the distance as Artemis approached Bell.
The night sky and forest merged into a serene, beautiful landscape.
"Artemis, what are your plans now?"
Bell sat beside the goddess gently, as if attending to a young girl.
All of Artemis's Familia members had joined Hestia's familia; converting would require at least a year's wait.
"Of course I'll follow you to Orario."
Artemis and Hestia had agreed she would join her Familia members in defending the Labyrinth City. Though they couldn't enter the Dungeon, this wasn't vastly different from their previous trials. The only change was that Artemis would no longer be wandering without a home.
"In that case, you could simply reside in our mansion. Neither you nor those girls would want to be separated from each other, right?"
Bell suggested softly.
Though he had only met Artemis's Familia members the night before, Bell could see from their tears and actions the profound bond they shared with the goddess.
".....Is that really okay?"
Artemis struggled to contain her joy.
"Well, it's God Apollo's property anyway, and there are plenty of empty rooms."
Bell answered truthfully.
Apollo had once had over a hundred Familia members. That vast mansion now felt rather empty for the current Hestia's familia.
"Thank you. That idiot (Apollo) caused you quite a bit of trouble. If I ever meet him, I'll make sure to teach him a proper lesson."
Artemis recalled the War Game, rubbing her hands together eagerly.
"I'll count on you, Goddess."
Bell met Artemis's warrior aura with equal intensity.
"Hmm..."
Artemis paused shyly, then changed the subject.
"By the way, Orion, I actually have something to give you."
She pulled a parchment from her bosom and handed it to the youth.
Moonlight illuminated the elegant script upon it.
Bell frowned as he examined the [Ten-Thousand-Year Love Contract].
The moonlight was cold and clear.
The first line on the parchment boldly declared: "During the period of this relationship, Orion is forbidden from having any physical contact with other women."