"Are you sure, Kami-sama? Its not that I'm against this decision of yours, but..." everyone along with Orario's party, gathered by the goddess of the hunt.
As the topic goes, Artemis momentarily decides to settle her familia inside the Orario which surprises her member.
It was Rethusa's question which she didn't seemed to know what to ask after it.
Their other member gazes back at me. As if saying 'what did you do to our goddess!' but I never said anything.
Artemis herself claimed that she will deal with it on her own.
"Eh" Artemis nodded from her captain's question. "I decided...I won't gamble the life of my children in this foolish act in a form of helping the weak"
Hearing her declaration, buzzes of her familia continues, "K-Kami-sama! Why did you say such thing!? Why contradict yourself now? Isn't helping the weak is a part of our familia's oath and goal? S-so why!? Why said such thing!?"
"Its not originally an oath, Rethusa. It's my only form of hypocrisy to atone my original sin, but it doesn't matter now when 'not only' the life of my cherished children is at stake...even gods is a selfish beings, you know?" Artemis form a faint smile, but it wasn't definitely a smile but worry.
Her eyes are also hollowed, maybe because of what she just said. The life of the world itself is what's at stake in this decision after all.
"S-sin!? Kami-sama please explain!" One of the girls questioned this time.
"I'll explain later, Ran. But, for now if we didn't settle inside the Orario. Not only I, you girls will die inevitably. After which, would be the end of the world...in a nutshell, I'm going to hide to not make it happen"
"Kami-sama! I still can't understand! Please elaborate it clearly!" One of them wanted a definite answer but Artemis doesn't want to said anything.
Argh. Hearing this girls here made my head dizzy...did they still not understand? Or their mind are clouded? Or they're all dumb? Looking at it, it seemed only Ilias and Rethusa understood what she meant or maybe supports her decision. But I'm sure the 'sin' something is what they eager to know.
Knowing this wouldn't concluded without my intervention, I stepped forward to add a dressing to a cake for them to understand:
"I haven't yet tell everyone what happened during my bout with Kanda of the Osiris Familia but, their original goal at that time and even until this moment or in the future, is none other than your goddess, Artemis-sama. Calling her their [Key] to achieve a certain goal, if I'm not there in time, not only you're a cold corpse by now, Artemis-sama is already been abducted...I don't care if you didn't come with us though, but can you protect your goddess on your own? Surely I can...on my own. Alone"
Hearing my remarks of arrogance word by word, all of them turned red while some pumped their chest hard, disheartened and only abide after. . .Yes, all of them.
Because at that time, they were helpless in front of Kanda. It was I who helped them. It was I who exchange sword with Kanda while they were sleeping soundly like a cinderella waiting for their princes kiss. If not, they won't be here at this moment. I didn't ask to return the favor but I only want them to understand their own weakness...that they cannot defend their goddess, not right now nor in the near future.
With that said, I didn't hear any voice of complain as they lowers their head simultaneously. Artemis only looked at me and nodded as if thanking but somewhat sad.
This moment in time, we finished our mission so all we need to do is to return back home. But it'll takes a few months on foot and only few of them have mounts. With that, we decided to create a carriage of two. Enough to accommodate this many lady. They're no more than twenty so this should do.
And because we have an item maker, its safe to assume that Asfi knows how a basic structure of a carriage is and it shortens the time of making it, so after creating a blueprint with specific dimension in each part, we started working on it.
Creating with magic and development abilities, it takes us a couple of days before the final completion of the carriage.
No specific design. Just enough for eight to ten passengers each carts can accommodate. With that, we departed at last.
Eris is tired of running back and forth from here to Orario and returning back, so it was Artemis Familia's two to three mount per carriage pulls the reign. After all, it is taxing for one steed to pull this many people in one carriage.
●○●○●○
And because the carriage we created have roofs, each one should have one or two lookouts if monsters were happens to appear. But for some reason, it was only me and Ryu-san in one carriage while others is only few Artemis Familia themselves, wait, what?
"Are you sure you're going?" I perplexed from others sudden decision and questioned the blue haired lady who's eager to go on her own.
"Yes, a month is enough for many things to happen. Especially Hermes-sama. He is not a reliable god to begin with. He wanders from everywhere and he needed me for sure" So Asfi answered while riding on her steed.
More like you wanted to see him sooner! Is, what I wanted to say. But not just her though, Bete and Ais did the same. Saying its not their original mission to pamper a specific familia... Well, its Bete who said it. But to my surprise, the cat of Freya Familia didn't follow the first trio.
I only look at him with few blinks of an eye, "W-what!? I will stay here so that I could beat you to a pulp!" he growl.
Heh? Stay? I unknowingly sneer. Seriously, rather, you want me to train you instead, right? right?
He didn't wait for my answer and only turn his head while riding in his monster steed. I see, this cat, is kind of a tsundere, huh...
After accepting the decision of Ais, Bete and Asfi, only me and Ryu-san remained to protect the carriage.
Enjoying myself with Ryu-san in this spectacle views.
We don't have the luxury to talk alone in this past few days as we were too busy doing our own but I guess we have our time right now...
Laying my back from the carriage roof. Ryu stares at my face with a chuckle.
"Hm? What?" I can't help but ask. Did she making fun of me? But that chuckle is kind of cute.
"Nothing, just that...I'd never seen an aloof Agwin anymore ever since after that day"
"Eh? aloof? that's should be my line, right?"
"Hm? Why so? Aren't you like this since two years ago? Also, I'm your senior because you entered the Familia after me, so you should call me Ryu-senpai"
Wait, what? Since when did you become my senpai!? Also, when did she flipped! Why does her switch is different than the last time? She's more like a different character now!
"Fufufu, just kidding. You seemed serious and restless, so I want you to take a deep breath and rest"
"Am I?" Am I? Is what I thought along with the same word.
"Yup, and by the way...thank you again for saving me" So she whispered and caress my raven hair.
Thud---!
As the wheel bumped into the rocks suddenly, her head leaned towards mine as our forehead thud and stayed still.
"You fell in love for real?" I smile and jested, the same time our eyes had met whilst she turned red timidly.
Well, its a given to help her right? We're in the same familia after all.
"Fufufu, I am your woman, right?" she chuckles again. But her redness didn't changed one bit.
Eh????? Did she. Did she regain her conscious at that time? Then, she acknowledge herself as my woman!!!?
Muttering, she's playing her finger. After that, I heard a ringing sound, resounded inside my head.
[Ryu Lion has been acquired]
Hey what the hell! That's just my imagination...right? right!?