Orario, First District, the Wheat Manor.
Their expedition completed without a hitch, Leon and his group had headed to the Second District to handle the spoils, then stopped by a boutique in the First District to pick up some souvenirs, before finally making their way to the Demeter Familia base, the Wheat Manor, to let their goddess know they'd made it back safe.
Even though Persephone, their captain, had already returned ahead of them, the goddess had surely learned all the details of the expedition by now: the deal with the Loki Familia, the rescue mounted for the Astraea Familia, the slaying of the Monster Rex, the twin-headed dragon Amphisbaena, and so on.
Still, Leon and the others felt it was only right to come in person. Manners were manners, after all.
And while Leon's group strolled along, chatting and admiring the snow, taking their time as they wandered toward the First District...
Just a street away from the Loki Familia base, the Twilight Manor, and right beside the Astraea Familia's Stardust Garden, inside the Wheat Manor that seemed to blend seamlessly into nature itself, the goddess Demeter was beaming as she finished updating a familia member's Falna.
"Persephone, congratulations on reaching Lv. 4."
The goddess handed over the parchment inscribed with the Falna information to the bespectacled woman before her, whose collar hung slightly open, and the smile on her face simply refused to be reined in.
Having been so affected by the terrifying growth rate of Leon and the others, Persephone hadn't felt much about her own promotion. But now, caught up in the goddess's delight, a faint smile crept across that cool yet alluring face of hers.
"Heh heh, now our house has a Lv. 4 captain holding down the fort too."
"With a banner like you, I'd love to see who still dares to wag their tongue behind my back, saying that all I, Demeter, do is sit at home fussing over flowers and plants, that I don't know the first thing about raising adventurers."
Persephone: "..."
Does Demeter actually know how to raise adventurers?
No, she does not.
Persephone had meant to gently remind her goddess that, when it came to a talent for raising adventurers, the Demeter Familia really never had much of one...
But before she could get a word out, the two of them caught sight, through the lattice of the window, of Leon's group ambling through the wrought-iron gate and into the courtyard.
In an instant Demeter's eyes lit up, and without sparing a thought for Persephone standing right beside her, she gathered up her skirt and went dashing out of the chamber.
As she ran, the ample swell of her chest bounced along with her, and Persephone felt a vein twitch faintly at her temple.
"That foolish woman..."
Grinding her teeth, she muttered the silent rebuke, then quickly straightened her clothes and hurried after, her knee-high heeled boots clacking with every step.
"Leon, hug me~~~~" Persephone picked up her pace again.
...
Inside the reception hall.
The flames leaping in the hearth chased away the cold the group had carried in from outside.
Drawing a deep breath of the Wheat Manor's signature scent, that blend of greenery and flowers, Leon and his companions visibly relaxed.
"This feels so nice..."
"Every time I come here, it's like being back in the forests of my hometown."
Laurier hugged Aura's arm and breathed in deeply at the side of her hair, making the magical girl's cheeks flush red.
But... the two of them fooling around didn't draw much attention.
Because aside from those two, everyone's eyes were fixed on Leon and the goddess, including Flora, who stood behind Demeter with a cold face and an unfriendly stare leveled at Leon, and the expressionless Persephone.
The atmosphere was so thick it made breathing difficult, and even the usually naive Laurier vaguely sensed a chill in the air, the faint, biting edge of a romantic battlefield.
Right now Demeter clung affectionately to Leon's arm, as if silently staking her claim, trading a few veiled, knife-edged glances with the other women around them.
It wasn't until this wordless standoff wound to a close, with the goddess holding the upper hand for the moment, that she finally produced a sheet of parchment with a radiant smile and held it out to the protagonist:
"Congratulations, Mr. Shadow of Sorcery~ From today on, our Leon is a man with a title!"
"Well? Are you happy? Pleased? This is a magnificent title I fought tooth and nail to win for you at the Denatus, holding out against all that pressure, sparring for hours with those gods who only show up for the fun of it. Aren't I amazing?" "Mm, mm, amazing, amaz..."
Facing the goddess as she beamed and fished for praise, Leon lowered his head and gazed at the four bold characters on the parchment, Shadow of Sorcery, and fell into thought.
This title... actually isn't half bad?
"Right? Right? I think so too!"
The goddess Demeter shook his arm gleefully, then, as if struck by a thought, pursed her lips and grumbled:
"Honestly, what I wanted to win for you at first was Shadow of the Goddess, but Freya shot it down. Said something about it being too close in style to their family's Vana Freya. Hmph... it makes me so mad!" Thank goodness she shot it down... He thought Shadow of the Goddess was no good either.
Mainly because Shadow of the Goddess sounded way too impressive, a little too high-profile and showy, completely at odds with his low-key, play-it-safe way of doing things.
This Shadow of Sorcery, on the other hand, was just right. He thought it struck the perfect note.
It wasn't so chuuni that it was embarrassing, like "Blazing-Fang Mad Hound" or "Holy Dragon Knight of Dawn" or "Bursting Flame Bursting Flame";
But it also wasn't so plain and forgettable that he'd vanish into the crowd for lack of any distinction.
Shadow of Sorcery: neither too much nor too little, distinctive yet understated. Exactly to his liking.
After all, he was only Lv. 4 right now. A title that was too over-the-top would only make him look like he hadn't earned it.
As for when he'd be able to pull off the flashier, more boastful titles?
Once he hit Lv. 6, Lv. 7 down the line, he'd just have Demeter go win him something like "Sorcerer King." Easy enough to manage, wasn't it?
While Leon was busy thinking, the goddess Demeter hadn't been idle either. She handed the parchments recording Jeanne's and Rose's information over to them with a smile too.
"Holy Maiden, Pure White Shield..."
"Wow, Big Sis Jeanne and Big Sis Rose have titles now too! But... aren't you two already Lv. 3..."
"Shh..."
"Mm..."
The goddess Demeter smiled and said nothing on the side, fully aware that Leon and the others were hiding their levels.
But what business was it of hers?
It wasn't as if the other gods hadn't done the same. The Guild wouldn't dare investigate anyway, and what would it do if they really did dig in and found that every single house had adventurers concealing their levels?
...
...