In the city of Knossos, Hestia and Medusa each clung to one of Lorne's arms.
The three chatted and laughed as they walked, discussing their recent experiences and the changes around them.
Ahead, the two previously arrogant snake culprits drooped their proud heads, wiping tears from their eyes and hissing in pain.
Under the oppressive might of the hearth goddess behind them, they supported each other, limping through the front door.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the door behind them swung shut on its own with the flow of air and a gentle voice reached their ears.
"..You're back?"
At the same time, a bright hearth fire flared to life in the home.
A silver-haired, violet-eyed goddess sat elegantly in the living room, her smile warm and radiant.
"..Looks like you all had a lot of fun.."
Her star-bright eyes swept over the group. Stheno and Euryale, leading the way, felt their scalps tingle for no reason.
They cautiously shuffled their feet, following their serpentine instincts, and slunk into a dark corner nearby.
Hestia, Medusa, and Lorne behind them couldn't help but flinch, instinctively releasing their intimate arm-linking.
Sensing the subtle tension in the air, Lorne steeled himself and stepped forward, forcing a smile toward Athena in the living room.
"..Is the Olympus matter settled?"
"..It's fine. Poseidon backed down for some reason, so it's temporarily resolved."
Athena smiled lightly, answering softly before dropping the topic.
Instead, she turned her attention to a crumpled note on the table, flipping through it with interest.
Recognizing the familiar handwriting, Lorne's eyelid twitched.
This was clearly the message he'd had the dog deliver to Hestia before setting out to sea with Artemis.
The simple, gullible homebody beside him might be easily fooled, but passing Athena's scrutiny wouldn't be so simple.
There was no guarantee the single-minded wisdom goddess wouldn't spot some clue.
Thinking about it, fine beads of cold sweat formed on Lorne's forehead.
The living room fell into dead silence once more, an eerie stillness spreading like an invisible quagmire, dragging everyone down.
Finally...whether the silence lasted a second or a year—
Athena set aside the note she'd examined inside and out seventeen or eighteen times and lifted her smiling face, speaking casually.
"..Seems you and Artemis got along quite well during this time."
"..Wasn't that your instruction? For safety, to stay honestly by her side.."
Lorne kept his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, reciting calmly in a routine tone, refusing to take the bait.
Athena chuckled, lowering her arm.
Her long, crystalline fingers stroked the head of a golden hound poking out from under the table.
"..So in the end, even without this golden hunting dog, she'd protect you? Hm, mission accomplished brilliantly."
"..!"
Lorne caught the subtext, more sweat beading on his forehead as he grumbled inwardly.
Are you Sherlock Holmes reincarnated?
How did you connect those dots?
"..That's only because you paved the way in advance. For your sake, how could Goddess Artemis make things difficult for me?"
Lorne first offered insincere flattery, continuing to shift blame while defining his relationship with Artemis as purely professional.
"..Besides, what kind of hunter abandons their guide before the trip ends?"
"..Wrong! Before they parted, they were super intimate and even hugged! We saw it clearly!"
Just as Lorne was inwardly praising his own cleverness, two heads poked out from the corner, refuting him with conviction.
As they spoke, Stheno and Euryale shot the man gloating looks, their eyes brimming with vengeful delight.
Athena's eyes narrowed slightly, her scrutinizing gaze growing subtle and profound.
"..Hiss~!"
This shameless, dishonorable ambush made Lorne suck in a cold breath.
A snake's bite runs three inches deep.
These two snake sisters were actually stabbing him in the back at this moment!
Caught off guard and attacked from both sides, Lorne turned to glare at the turncoat Stheno and Euryale, grinding his teeth in hatred.
It seems he had gone too easy on them earlier!
He should've hung them up and whipped them a hundred times!
No, he couldn't let these snake sisters keep spilling his secrets...he had to get rid of them first.
Realizing the situation was turning dangerous, Lorne put on a stern face and adopted an expression of righteous indignation.
"..Isn't it just because you couldn't stand me teaching you a lesson for bullying Medusa?
And now you're making up scandals between me and a virgin goddess!"
At the same time, his external brain looked expectantly at his symbiotic partner, hoping she would salvage the situation.
"..Exactly! I'm the one who disciplined you! Come at me if you dare! Don't try to slander Artemis's reputation!"
Hestia, another virgin goddess, stepped forward with simple justice, voluntarily drawing fire.
She really—I'm crying…
Watching the sturdy wind-shield in front of him once again absorb tons of critical hits for him, Lorne was nearly moved to tears before he subtly leaned back, dodging Athena's seemingly casual glance.
"..Hmph! As older sisters, you take pleasure in bullying your little sister all day. Looks like the lesson you got this time wasn't enough!"
The furious Hestia turned, rolled up her sleeves, and charged straight into the corner where Stheno and Euryale were hiding.
She reached out and dragged the two snake sisters, who were trying to slip away.
"..Come with me!"
With that, the hearth goddess hauled the pale-faced Stheno and Euryale along, conveniently scooping up the still-dazed Medusa.
"..Anna, you too! Even as a sister, you can't just endure when something's wrong!"
As the voices faded into the distance, Lorne watched the four figures neatly file into the backyard, then glanced at the now-empty surroundings, falling into thought.
—Something feels wrong?
Moments later, Lorne stiffly raised his head.
His gaze cut through the unobstructed living room, meeting Athena's faint, smiling eyes head-on.
His freshly equipped shield was gone.
And she'd even kidnapped his backup resurrection armor…
At this moment, realizing trouble was brewing, Lorne stared at the empty living room and the wisdom goddess approaching him and couldn't help but swallow hard.
This round was high-level!
Fortunately, Athena didn't dwell on the intimacy level between him and Artemis.
Instead, she smiled and stepped forward, asking another question.
"..I heard Auntie already taught you the path to ascension?"
Lorne's face darkened instantly, realizing why Hestia had bolted so fast.
After all that, the woman's mouth had no filter, she'd sold him out without even realizing it.
Cautiously glancing at Athena's expression and confirming it was as usual, he nodded carefully.
"..What divinity did you choose?"
Athena's second, light question made Lorne's heart skip half a beat.
Seeing the concern in those violet eyes, he steeled himself and croaked out a word from his parched throat.
"..Wine.."
"..Oh.."
Athena drew out the sound, looking as if she'd just realized something.
"..So it's the hearth's authority."
The understanding wisdom goddess gently patted Lorne's shoulder in encouragement.
"..Not bad. This way, I don't have to bother picking a divinity for you."
Yet this sudden concern made the fine sweat on Lorne's forehead bead even more.
He was now absolutely certain that, during his absence, that big-mouthed Hestia had probably sold him out more than once!
"..Oh, right. I stopped by the Knossos palace earlier. King Minos says he wants to marry his daughter..my high priestess—to you, and the entire island of Crete is the dowry he's prepared. What do you think?"
The casual question by his ear weighed like a thousand tons.
Lorne, sold out inside and out by his teammates, wore a mournful face, on the verge of tears.
—What do I think? On my knees?
(Chapter End)