Since Artemis had, by accident, found the "Orion" she had been searching for, Hermes naturally canceled his plan to ride the dragon back to Orario.
You could say, now that he knew there was a solution for the Secret Realm Scorpio, he relaxed… and reverted to his usual offbeat, mischievous God of Fun.
Sure enough…
"Hey hey, Lumine little sister…"
"Don't get cozy, who's your sister?"
Somewhere in the military camp, Lumine glared at the narrow-eyed god beside her, clearly disgusted.
"And why is a male god making such squeaky noises?"
"Don't mind the details…"
"Get to the point."
Lumine had no interest in indulging this old troublemaker.
Seeing her distance herself…
"I actually just wanted to see your super rare summoning magic!"
Hermes pressed his hands together in a pleading gesture, voice humble:
"Rest assured, I'm not trying to probe your magical information, I just want to meet one or two 'Primordial Heroes' from another world."
"After all, I really love making friends, please…"
"No way."
Lumine didn't even want to hear the rest and started to walk away.
Hermes hurried after her, an immortal several billion years old, yet now clinging like a pesky piece of chewing gum. Annoying beyond measure.
"Please, please, don't be so heartless…"
"Scram!!!"
Lumine wasn't going to give in to Hermes' whining.
Though the Primordial Hero Summoning spell was semi-public, and in the prior plan discussed with Freya, there had been no intention of hiding its basic info, it was impossible to conceal in daily life.
But…
Even if he summoned a Primordial Hero to assist, Hermes still made Lumine feel particularly uneasy.
Especially for friends who had awakened their true consciousness; if they didn't want to be bossed around, Renjiro (Aether) and Lumine would always respect their autonomy.
So…
"With the world at risk, I have urgent matters to attend to. Please stop bothering me."
Leaving those words, Lumine dove into the tent built by Freya's familia members.
Immediately after…
"BANG~"
Hogni planted his black sword into the ground, silently blocking the tent entrance.
Finally, the world went quiet.
Inside the tent…
"Orion, open your mouth, ah~"
People often say: a girl in love can lose her sense of reason.
And a goddess, several billion years old? Apparently, no exception.
"Now I get why Hestia looked like she'd seen a ghost when she reunited with Artemis in the original story."
Barbara, sitting at a small table in the corner, was about to crumble under the overwhelming affection of the Virgin Goddess.
Faced with such unrestrained passion, the smiling cleric could only glance at the recently arrived Lumine, silently pleading for help.
Lumine couldn't abandon a friend with maxed affinity, and she didn't want to be passive dog-food anymore.
So…
"Barbara, I'm using a lot of mana, so I'll temporarily end the summoning."
Upon entering the tent, Lumine immediately coordinated mentally with Barbara and added:
"The music conductor said he needs you. Go back for now."
"Okay."
Hearing this, Barbara gratefully stood and practically ran to Lumine's side.
Then, facing Artemis' expression that screamed 'I was first!'… well, actually, you weren't.
Barbara politely apologized:
"Sorry, Goddess from another world, I'm a devout follower of Lord Barbatos of the God of Freedom. The Church has other urgent matters, so I won't disturb you further."
And then…
"Also…"
Though outwardly fragile, Barbara's inner strength shone.
"My name is Barbara. From now on, it's just this name. I am not 'Orion.'"
"Next time we meet, please don't call me the wrong name."
"CLANG~"
With an invisible wave of energy, Barbara vanished from sight.
At that moment…
Lumine suddenly felt she perhaps shouldn't have stirred the waters.
Because Artemis, now sitting perfectly still, seemed… a little scary.
After a long pause…
"Lumine, may I call you that?"
Artemis asked suddenly, tone unreadable.
But it felt ominous.
Before Lumine could reply…
"I know Orion isn't from this world. From what you described, she's a Primordial Hero from another world."
"But she has a summoning contract with you. I believe this bond won't break just because of a world's distance."
"So the only remaining obstacle between her and me is…"
The pure maiden goddess gazed directly at Lumine:
"Barbatos."
"Can you tell me about this 'otherworldly deity'?"
"I want to know what kind of being is revered so devoutly by Orion."
Lumine felt a strong, inexplicable hostility, or perhaps… jealousy?
Fortunately, this negative feeling wasn't directed at her personally.
So…
"Barbatos, is a very free deity… in every sense, extraordinarily free…"
Apologies, you troublesome trickster.
Unintentionally giving you a rival equally skilled in archery… truly sorry.
Weak, pitiful, helpless, but sly and cunning, Lumine decided to submit to the overwhelming divine power.
She figured it was best for a mortal like her not to get involved in a godly fight.
At most, she'd say flattering things:
"Barbatos founded Mondstadt, Barbara's hometown. To ensure comfortable living for his people, he forcibly changed the mountain weather, dispersing the bitter cold…"
Or:
"Even when overexerted, Barbatos would transform into a bard and punish corrupt nobles, exposing their conspiracies against the people."
Impressive, isn't it?
"So… he's weaker now?"
Lumine froze.
Wait, Goddess Artemis… what are you planning?
=============
129+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria