"Whoa, there are adventurers and gods everywhere outside, Lady Astraea," Alise said, peeking out the window at the crowds gathered at the gate.
Seeing a few familiar divine friends in the mix, the Goddess sighed. "It seems Roland's talent is too much to ignore. Besides, that 'three-month' lie didn't fool many gods; they likely suspect his real growth time."
"Let's go, Alise. We need to tell them to stop loitering, or we'll have to ask if they're declaring a War Game." Astraea wasn't about to let her pride and joy live in the shadows out of fear.
Alise tugged on her arm. "Then why did you agree to change the date for him? Wasn't it pointless?"
"I couldn't help it. I've found it very hard to say no to his requests lately."
"Ah! That's so unfair! You're spoiling Roland too much. I'm getting jealous. It's decided—I'm sleeping with you tonight too!" Alise pouted and shook the Goddess's arm. (Note: Alise's love for Astraea is maternal; she isn't "thirsty" for the Goddess like Roland is.)
At the gate, Astraea stepped forward gracefully. "Everyone, gathering at my door causes a lot of trouble for my child. Could I ask you all to leave?"
Not wanting to offend the Astraea Familia, the crowd began to disperse, though they lingered to ask questions. "Astraea, can't we just see the super-rookie for a second?" one god pleaded.
"Roland has been in the Dungeon since yesterday to adapt to his new level," Astraea lied with an apologetic smile. "You won't find him here. You'll see his heroic figure soon enough; after all, he is a member of my Familia."
The crowd took the hint and left, except for a few: Loki, Hermes, and Ganesha.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Loki asked, walking past Astraea with Aiz before the host could even agree.
While Alise took Aiz, Asfi, and Ardee to Ryuu's room, the four deities gathered in the hall.
"I AM GANESHA!"
"Shut up! You're scaring my Aiz-tan!" Loki slapped Ganesha's muscular arm, only to hurt her own hand and start waving it in pain.
Astraea sipped her tea calmly. "So, what are you here to ask? Just so you know, I won't reveal specific details about Roland."
"Ehh—then why are we here?!" Loki complained, slamming the table.
"I'm jealous," Loki muttered, leaning back into the sofa. "Your Familia was already full of beauties, and now you have a monster who levels up in a month. I'm half-tempted to start a War Game just to steal them all."
Astraea took the "threat" as a compliment. Before Loki could say more, the hall doors burst open. Roland ran in holding a black-framed necklace, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"LADY ASTRAEA! EVERYONE! I DID IT! I REALLY AM A GENIUS!!"
He didn't even look at the room. He did a dramatic, back-bending pose and added one more line:
"LET'S HAVE BBQ TONIGHT!!"
I hope I don't get a flying knife to the face for that line, Roland thought to himself. Then, as he saw the room full of people from his inverted perspective, he froze.
Silence.
The three visiting gods stared. Astraea buried her face in her hand.
THUD.
Roland fell to the floor. He silently pulled a bag of necklaces over his face and began to crawl toward the door like a caterpillar, using only his feet to push his body along.
"Astraea... is your kid always this hilarious? Hahaha!" Loki roared, clutching her stomach. Even Aiz's lips quirked up, while Hermes and Ganesha laughed out loud.
Astraea, watching Roland try to escape reality by crawling away, called out, "Roland, could you come here for a moment? Let me introduce you."
Reluctantly, Roland stood up and sat beside Astraea with a flat, deadpan expression. "Hello. Lord Loki, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hermes. I am Roland."
Loki wiped a tear from her eye. "I thought he'd be dangerous, but he's just a gag character like Ganesha!"
"I AM GANESHA!"
Roland's stoic mask nearly cracked. He looked to Astraea for help, but she just smiled. "Loki, be careful. If you tease him too much, he might run away."
Goddess, I wanted help, not more fuel for the fire! Roland thought.
"Hahaha! He runs away? Is your kid a rabbit?" Loki laughed harder.
Roland decided to take the initiative. "Lord Loki, do you have questions for me?"
Loki squinted at him, her gaze sharpening. "You probably have a skill that accelerates growth. The upper floors couldn't challenge you, so you went to the middle floors at Level 1. But that's not what matters. You're chasing the limit, aren't you?" She rubbed her chin. "But why did you level up so fast? It doesn't make sense... unless you already broke the limit."
She was certain he had hit a Limit Break. Roland's expression remained flat, but Astraea felt a shift and grabbed his arm. "Roland, Loki isn't a goddess who will cause us trouble. Don't worry about her."
Under the table, the elemental energy Roland had gathered silently dissipated. Loki's divine pressure vanished as well.
"Whoa... Finn was right," Loki said, taking a sip of tea. "You really are a bold brat. You were ready to kill a god just now, weren't you?"
Hermes and Ganesha looked at Roland with newfound shock. Roland just gave a "good boy" smile. "How could I? Lord Loki, I wouldn't dare do something so taboo."
Loki squinted one last time. "Hmph. I'll take your word for it. Let's go, Aiz. I've learned enough."
As they reached the door, Roland called out, "Aiz, want to go to the Dungeon together tomorrow?"
Aiz turned back, her eyes shining. "Yes. Let's go."
"HAH! Having eleven beauties isn't enough, you want to kidnap my Aiz-tan too?! You wanna die, kid?!" Loki rolled up her sleeves, ready for a fight, but Aiz grabbed her and dragged her out. "Loki, let's go. Bye, Roland."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow," Roland replied.