Loki's departure signaled to the other two gods that it was time for them to leave as well. Astraea turned to the remaining deities, a gentle yet firm smile on her face.
"You heard what Loki said, didn't you? Please do not spread information about Roland recklessly."
A palpable sense of "divine warning" emanated from her. The two gods nodded quickly in response. "Of course." "I understand."
"Shall I call Alise and the others? They are currently in the girls' dormitory, so I'm afraid I can't let you head over there," Astraea offered politely.
Both gods waved their hands in a frantic refusal. Hermes stood up, took off his hat, and addressed Roland. "Well then, I shall take my leave. I look forward to the heroic deeds you will achieve, Roland. When that time comes, I will personally sing of your legends to the world. As for Asfi, I'll leave her in your care for a while longer." With that, Hermes replaced his hat and walked out.
Roland and Astraea then turned to Ganesha to see if he had any parting words.
"I AM GANESHA!"
After the shout, Ganesha spoke with a determined tone. "I only hope that your arrival brings peace to Orario. That is my only wish."
"As a member of the side of Justice, I promise that everyone and I will work hard to bring order to Orario," Roland vowed.
"Then I'll leave Ardee in your care. I'm off. I AM GANESHA!" After shouting his slogan one last time, Ganesha departed.
Once all the gods had left, Roland's expression finally relaxed. He took out his magic items to show Astraea.
"Lady Astraea, take a look at the magic items I made."
Teleportation Necklace 3.0. To complete them, Roland had to switch to his Blood Mage class. He integrated his own blood and the blood of Alise and the others into the necklaces, allowing the items to detect when a wearer was in danger and trigger an automatic teleportation. It could also be activated manually. Since they were crafted with Dimensional power and [Mystery], the wearer would briefly enter the Void upon activation to evade attacks. The item could carry one extra person, though it would increase the intensity of the post-teleportation dizziness. It had a limit of three uses.
Noticing the dark circles under Roland's eyes, Astraea reached out and caressed his face, her finger grazing the tired skin beneath his eyes.
"Would you like to try it, Goddess? To see how it feels to teleport?" Roland asked.
Looking at the shimmering magic stone necklace, Astraea felt a surge of pride. She trusted Roland completely and nodded gracefully. Roland gently took her hand, placed the necklace in her palm, and activated it with his mana. A magic circle erupted at her feet, light enveloped her, and with a soft vwoom, she vanished.
Roland immediately activated another item to teleport to his own room. Astraea reappeared in the center of Roland's room. She looked around at the disorganized piles of magic stones, the open books scattered across the desk, the swords leaning in the corner, and the messily folded blankets. It wasn't "dirty"—Roland cleaned often—but it was haphazard, reflecting how little he had slept.
The anchor stone in the room flashed, and Roland appeared beside her. Seeing her safe, he breathed a sigh of relief. If even a Goddess could teleport, then the girls would be fine.
"Lady Astraea, do you feel any discomfort?" Roland asked nervously.
"I feel perfectly fine. It seems your magic items are quite well-made," she replied.
Roland picked up the anchor stone and explained its function, planning to let her choose where to place it. He was already thinking about developing offensive magic items next. Sensing his racing thoughts, Astraea reached out and lightly flicked his elven ears.
"You need to rest today. Look at those dark circles; one would think you haven't slept in ten days. I'll take care of giving these to Alise and the others."
She firmly took his hand and led him to the bed. "Wait, Lady Astraea—" Roland tried to protest, but she sat him down. He stood up briefly to put the necklace around her neck himself. "It suits you, Lady Astraea," he said with a satisfied smile.
The Goddess beamed but still pushed him back down onto the bed. "I've got it. I can handle the rest, so don't you worry."
Roland closed his eyes as she pulled the blanket over him and tucked him in. Thinking she had left, he waited a moment before cautiously sitting back up.
Creak—
Astraea looked at the sneaking Roland with a helpless smile. I'm busted, he thought.
"It seems I've won this round, my child."
Roland scrambled back under the covers and closed his eyes peacefully. A faint, elegant scent drifted over as someone sat on the edge of the bed.
"Honestly, I don't know what to do with you," Astraea whispered, stroking his forehead. "Is it because everyone spoils you too much that you don't cherish yourself? I am exercising my authority as your Goddess now: you are ordered to stay in bed and rest. Do you understand?"
Roland nodded silently. "Good boy."
Astraea leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Consider this an advance on your reward for listening to me. See you tonight—and don't you dare get up again."
Exhausted from staying up all night, Roland finally succumbed to the drowsiness and fell fast asleep.
Astraea counted the items in the bag—there were eleven left. Including the two used earlier, Roland had made thirteen in total. Knowing he had only emerged for meals, she realized how hard he had worked. She knocked on Alise's door.
"Come in!" Alise pulled her in, eager to help. Astraea explained the purpose of the necklaces. "These are the items Roland made. I'm almost numb to how much he surprises us now. I need you to gather everyone in the hall."
When the Familia gathered, Astraea laid the necklaces out. Lyra picked one up. "What are these? Did Roland make us engagement jewelry?" she joked.
Astraea explained they were for emergency teleportation to a designated "Anchor Stone."
"They only have three charges, so don't waste them on a quick trip home," she warned. "Once Roland has rested, he'll use his magic to tune them to your blood so they trigger automatically in danger."
"Understood!" the eleven girls chirped.