The banquet hall hosted by the Apollo Familia.
Gods from various Familias had gathered. By their sides stood the dependents they had brought along for the evening.
"Ais-tan, ye're lookin' truly gorgeous, aye!!"
"Ais, just bear with it..."
Loki, Ais, and Akumo stood at the entrance of the banquet hall. Loki and Akumo were dressed in formal suits, while Ais wore an exquisite gown.
"Why the suit, specifically?"
"Naturally, 'cause I'm the Gen-tle-man escourtin' our darlin' Ais-tan!"
'Insane... she looks like a total creep.'
"Ah! Or could it be... ye wanted to see me in a dress, aye!?"
"No."
"Heh, heh~ No need to play hard to get, now."
Akumo dismissed Loki's chatter with a casual glance and took charge of Ais's escort, leading the way into the hall.
"There are a lot of people here."
"Yeah, definitely."
"Wait! Don't ye go leavin' me behind!!"
As the three navigated the crowded venue, several Gods began to gravitate toward them.
"Oho! Well, well, if it isn't Akumo-kun!"
"Ganesha-sama."
"Indeed, I am Ganesha!!!!"
"Ganesha, ye're as loud as ever, aye."
"Hahaha!"
Recognizing Akumo, Ganesha approached with his usual bombastic self-introduction. Standing beside him was Ardee, looking noticeably flustered.
"Ardee! You're here too?"
"Y-Yes...! Akumo...."
"Is Shakti busy with work?"
"Big sis is currently in charge of security for the banquet hall..."
"Ah..."
'I should go find her later and try to cheer her up....'
Ardee fidgeted nervously before finally standing before him and asking softly.
"Does my dress... look good on me...?"
Clutching her dress tightly with a bashful blush creeping up her cheeks, Ardee looked every bit the beautiful maiden. The complete departure from her usual adventurer gear highlighted a different, captivating side of her.
"It looks great on you. Really!"
"T-Thank you!!"
'Akumo said it looks good...!'
Having been bothered by the fact that he was flanked by two other women during the last Divine Moon Festival, Akumo's praise sent her spirits soaring.
However, sensing Ardee's blossoming affection, someone else stepped in beside Akumo.
"Ardee-tan, do ye have a thing for Akumo-kun, aye?"
"Ehh!? No, I mean..."
"If ye do, just convert to our Familia! Then ye can see 'im every day!"
"Loki!? What on earth are you saying!!!"
Ardee was thrown into a total panic by Loki's suggestion, while Ganesha erupted in shock at the bold recruitment attempt.
"Hmm? Wasn't this banquet restricted to one dependent per God? I see Ais-san is here too?"
"Yeah, Akumo received a personal invitation."
"From Apollo-sama?"
"Yes, though I don't know the reason why."
While Akumo moved to restrain Loki, who was alternating between teasing and genuine interest, another deity approached them.
"Oh my, Loki."
"Astraea! Ye're here as well?"
"It's been a while since I've attended a banquet."
Astraea, the Goddess of Justice, appeared before them dressed in an elegant gown.
"Akumo!"
"Alise, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Right! You disappeared for over a week after the Divine Moon Festival, I was shocked."
"Well, I had some business outside the city...."
"You should've at least left a message for this ultra-cute girl!"
'Still the same as ever....'
"As a penalty, you have to walk around the banquet with me!"
When Akumo glanced at Loki following Alise's demand, Loki gave him an approving look.
'Just havin' Akumo walkin' around is gonna get us a grand reaction, after all.'
Just as Loki planned, Akumo began to traverse the hall accompanied by Alise and the trailing Ardee.
"Look over there!"
"The [Pioneer]...!!"
"He's with the [Scarlet Harnel] and [Valsa], isn't he!?"
"So the rumors were true...!"
"That the [Pioneer] has his hands in everything—"
Glint!
As Akumo, Alise, and Ardee walked together, people reacted with various levels of surprise. Those whispering baseless rumors were met with icy, murderous glares from both Alise and Ardee.
"I wonder when those nonsense rumors will finally die out..."
"If Ryu had heard that, she would've crushed them!"
"Come on... do you want another disciplinary action from the Guild?"
'Ryu is still under the expedition ban, isn't she?'
Following the 37th-floor incident with the Astraea Familia, Ryu and the others had focused on rooting out Evilus. During that process, Ryu and her team had not only annihilated Evilus but also their suspected collaborators, leading to several complications with the Guild.
"Considering how much help they've received from us...! Those Guild bastards."
"Even the Guild is just another group, isn't it? It just operates under the broad framework of supporting adventurers."
'Well, it's a formal sanction anyway.... It's not like it really hinders her daily life.'
Akumo precisely identified the inherent limitations of the Guild as an unavoidable reality.
While they assisted adventurers and governed the rules of Orario and the Dungeon, at their core, they were a symbolic entity with few combat personnel and no real means of physical enforcement.
"That's why people like you exist, right?"
"Hmph, that was in the old days. Now we're too busy growing ourselves, you know?"
"We're stuck helpin' the Guild with festival prep and guard duty and such...."
"I think that's part of maintaining public order, too."
'Even with the Dungeon right there, the citizens can live normally because of the effort put into maintaining order and law.'
Especially after meeting Njord in Melen—who had gone as far as dealing with Evilus out of fear of monster threats—Akumo valued the stability of Orario even more.
"Oh? Isn't that..."
Amidst the crowd, a woman wearing an eyepatch caught Akumo's eye.
"Hephaestus-sama!"
"Akumo? You came to the banquet as well? I was certain Loki was with the [Sword Princess]."
"I'm here via a personal invitation."
"I see...?"
While Hephaestus pondered the reason for a personal invite, Akumo greeted Tsubaki, who stood beside her.
"As expected, Tsubaki-neesan is here as the escort?"
"Spot on! Though these clothes are a bit stiff for my liking."
"They suit you perfectly."
"You look sharp too. Try dressing like that more often."
"Ahaha...."
Tsubaki scrutinized Akumo's suit with keen interest.
"Oh? Isn't that Alise and Ardee behind you?"
"That's right!"
"It's been a while, Tsubaki-san."
"You both look wonderful in those dresses!"
"Thank you, Hephaestus-sama."
"You look lovely as well, Hephaestus-sama!"
Hephaestus and Tsubaki exchanged greetings with Alise and Ardee as well.
Just then, a commotion broke out from somewhere nearby.
—Ooh! Hestia, Miach!!
"That voice...?"
"Isn't that Hermes?"
Thud, thud.
Moving toward the source of the noise, they found Hermes, Hestia, Miach, and Takemikazuchi gathered together.
Beside them stood Asfi, Bell, Naaza, and Mikoto, respectively.
"Hmm! Mikoto-chan is grand, but you two also look fantastic!"
"But look at this!"
Hermes flashed a smile at Bell in his suit and Naaza and Mikoto in their dresses, praising them before proudly revealing Asfi standing behind him.
"Isn't our Asfi quite the beauty?"
"S-Stop that, Hermes-sama! I'm going to hit you for real!"
Asfi's face turned beet-red, dying of embarrassment as Hermes paraded her around in her dress.
"Ooh! It definitely suits her!"
'Tsubaki-neesan! If you say that now...!'
"Ooh!? If it isn't Tsubaki and Akumo-kun! And I see Alise-chan and Ardee-chan as well!"
Tsubaki's comment caught their attention, and Hermes used the audience to heap even more boastful praise upon Asfi.
Completely oblivious to the fact that Asfi was reaching her breaking point in real-time.
"Akumo-san! You're here?"
'If Dad is here, then Ais-san must be...'
"Ais is here too, so don't worry."
"How did you!?"
"Did you think I wouldn't know what you're thinking?"
'It's written all over your face.'
Meeting again for the first time since the Elsos incident, Bell and Akumo greeted each other warmly, and Akumo paid his respects to Hestia, Miach, and Takemikazuchi.
"It's been a while. Takemikazuchi-sama, Miach-sama."
"It has been, Akumo-kun."
"Thanks for the help with the last job. We almost had a disaster with our ingredient procurement."
"It was a request; I simply ensured it was delivered safely."
"Hahaha! Is that so?"
As he shared brief greetings with Naaza and Mikoto, Hermes opened his mouth once again.
"Don't you all agree that our Asfi is truly stunning!"
"She certainly looks great."
"Right? Even in Akumo-kun's eyes—"
"....."
CRACK—!!!!!!
But the increased audience only served to magnify Asfi's humiliation. Finally, Hermes was sent flying by Asfi's fist, smashing into the banquet hall wall.
BOOM—!!!!!!
"Uh..."
"Don't say a word. Akumo-san...!"
"Understood."
'I'd better keep quiet....'
Amidst the chaos, the host of the banquet and Patron Deity of the Apollo Familia, Apollo, threw open the central doors and made his entrance.