A Mistaken Encounter: The Hero of the World

Hestia held Serven's hand with her hand, closed her eyes and felt it for a while, "It really is staying inside you obediently and not moving."

"Well, why?"

"...Ah, this is another situation that even the gods don't know!" Hestia looked up at the wall and smiled bitterly.

"Alas, even the all-knowing gods cannot answer my questions."

"Humph, God has to maintain a certain sense of mystery. After all, we can't predict how each child will grow up and what skills they will have."

The expression on Hestia's face became noticeably relaxed. "...Thank you, Serven. I've caused you a lot of trouble."

"Ok?"

"Thank you, hero."

"...Well, if you want to express your gratitude, why don't you call me "Onii-chan"? "

"Hmph! Don't even think about that!" Hestia snorted at Serven, lowered her head and whispered quickly, "...Onii-chan~."

As a high-level adventurer, Serven naturally heard it, "Eh? What did you say just now? I didn't hear it clearly..."

"snort--!"

The two men walked out of the Great Temple, talking and laughing. Artemis and Hephaestus were waiting not far outside the Great Temple.

"Congratulations, Serven."

"Hestia, welcome back..."

"Well, I'm back!"

Artemis, Hephaestus, Hestia——

The three goddesses laughed at the same time.

Chapter 171: Retire after Success [Subscribe]

As Hephaestus and Artemis welcomed the two back—

Hephaestus looked at Serven, her expression becoming slightly serious, and she signaled with her eyes to the other gods not far behind them.

Aphrodite, Apollo, Hermes, and the witch Illya were all looking over here.

As a god, he naturally has an extremely keen sense of the [God's Assassin]. The calamity-like curse aura that appeared under the Great Temple just now was definitely the [God's Assassin]!

"What happened over there just now, Hestia?" Hermes asked Hestia with a smile.

Hestia shook her head slightly, "Nothing happened. Serven successfully saved me~"

"Well, no matter what the method is, the crisis of [Sky Fire] has finally been resolved." Hephaestus also said.

Artemis also added, "Yeah! The entire city's flames have disappeared!"

After [Fire of Heaven] was absorbed by Serven, all the souls that were imprisoned and burning in pain by the flames were liberated at that moment.

After the topic was changed, Hermes naturally would not bore himself. He found that Illya beside him had quietly left. She helped the unconscious Epimetheus away from here.

Apollo trotted over. "Hestia, I also contributed this time! My Familia also made a big splash. This should be considered a very commendable achievement, right?! Specifically, it is allowed to return to Orario to have close contact with my beloved Bell, plus the double surprise of a dangerous love, which unfolds an extremely exciting plot! Hehehe~!"

"Hey, what the hell! How could I allow that? You are still banned from entering Orario!" Hestia rejected Apollo's proposal mercilessly.

"Brother, be careful! You have such a vulgar expression...!" Artemis frowned and looked at her good-for-nothing brother.

"Ah~, you are just as ruthless as before, Artemis."

"It's so lively. It just ended not long ago, it's amazing that you guys are making such a fuss..." Hephaestus sighed.

Hermes smiled as he looked at the miko and soldiers who kept apologizing to Lily and the others, "It seems like they've reconciled here, too."

The head witch Leia came to Serven and said, "Thank you very much for your help, Lord Serven! Thank you for saving my daughters..."

"Thank you very much!" The priestesses and warriors also thanked Serven.

Leia continued, "In addition, for the sins we have committed that are difficult to atone for no matter what, the favors and debts we owe to you will never be repaid even if we devote our entire lives to them. If you have any instructions, please feel free to contact me. Although I am no longer a priestess, but just a weak mortal, I am willing to do anything."

"...Don't say things like 'I'm willing to do anything' so easily. You need to be more careful especially in front of gods who will immediately start calculating whether the other party is useful or not." Yasifei reminded, obviously with some resentment in her heart.

“Hey, Asphie, why are you saying things like that? I might get hurt~!”

"My Lord God, it's great that you can come back!" Bell said to Hestia.

He looked at Serven who was smiling but silent, "Brother Serven, you are so amazing! That was Epimetheus, and you actually defeated him!"

Lily, Ming and others on the side nodded in unison.

"By the way, how are we going to get back?" Welf asked at this moment.

Liu answered his question, "Fortunately, there is a sailing ship docked at the port. With that ship, we can set off at any time."

"That's perfect. Although the barrier should have disappeared, it will be difficult to return to Orario from here without a ship."

"--Then we should leave too," said Aphrodite.

"Aphrodite, you're still as good at interrupting other people's conversations as ever." Hestia said helplessly, "Or should I say you don't even consider the occasion when speaking."

"Why do I have to cooperate with the people around me? Now that the "Original Fire" is gone, there is no need for me to stay in this remote place for even a minute! Besides, I'm tired of seeing your faces. It's just... let me think... the little white rabbit over there is quite innocent and cute, and the white-haired swordsman is quite cool, so I will grant you the right to serve me..."

"Aphrodite?! What did you just say to Serven!?" Hephaestus' face immediately turned gloomy.

“…What, what? You suddenly got angry… Humph, I won’t bother with you. I’m leaving first!” She took a few steps back and smiled at Serven, “Serven Adonis, you did a great job! Also, remember to get closer to the cold-faced girl next to you!”

Artemis immediately took out her bow and arrow, and Aphrodite immediately led her clan to run away.

Her words came across from a distance, "I, the goddess among goddesses, will tentatively acknowledge that you are all independent heroes. You are welcome to come and see us when you are free. We are now in the country of opera. If you come, I will be merciful and play with you. Goodbye!"

"We will go with Aphrodite and the others as well." Apollo also came to say goodbye, "We also need to confirm with the Olympians who have escaped and their future plans."

"As you wish, I will accompany you to the ends of the earth!" said Hyacinthus, Lisos and other members together.

"Well then - Bell-kun, Hestia, Artemis, goodbye everyone! But this is only a temporary farewell, I will definitely appear in front of you again. No matter how many times I am rejected by the cute Bell, there will always be a second and third me -" He showed a shining smile.

"If you want to leave, go quickly~!" Artemis drove the embarrassed Apollo away.

Leia also came over with the priestesses and warriors.

"Lord Serven, the ancient Vesta and her family, other gods and adventurers, thank you all - for saving our Olympia!"

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"thank you all!"

"We will never forget your kindness!" The priestesses and warriors also bowed deeply in gratitude.

"Ms. Leia, what are you going to do in the future?" Serven couldn't help but ask.

"…The protection of the flame has disappeared. From now on, we will gradually grow old like ordinary people and end our limited lives." Leia smiled softly, and her eyes gently looked at the ruins behind her -

"I want to spend the rest of my life rebuilding the ruined Olympia. Even though it is a land that has suffered through a long period of time, it is still our homeland. No one but us will love it anymore."

"Are you planning to come to Orario?" Serven noticed that the priestess Illya suddenly appeared here again.

The other priestesses and warriors all shook their heads.

“…No need for that. I must stay here and atone for this holy land that has bound me for three thousand years.” Illya said.

...

"I see, you're the one who's trying to be mysterious and evasive..." Under Illya's gaze, Serven stopped talking, "By the way, where's Epimetheus?"

Bell also looked at Illya curiously.

"...That man has left. He has fought and suffered for a long time... Let him rest now."

"...Well, I understand."

"Everyone! Preparations for sailing are complete! We can set off at any time!" The soldier ran over to report.

"We can finally set off!" Lily boarded the ship happily.

"I haven't been back to the tavern for a while. Now I just want to go back to see Xier and the others as soon as possible." Liu glanced at Serven, nodded at him, and walked towards the direction of the ship.

"Asphi, I have somewhere else to go. I'll be back soon, so don't set sail yet," said Hermes.

"H-Hermes-sama, wait a minute! Seriously, don't act so suddenly at the last minute!"

"Goodbye, Illya...Master?" Serven said goodbye to the girl.

"You are so mean, Serven-kun." Illya looked at Serven and smiled, with some regret in her eyes, "Goodbye -, playboy~"

Serven looked away and did not respond directly.

"Let's go." He looked at the goddesses around him, and left with Hestia, Artemis, and Hephaestus.

"Goodbye, Illya~" Bell also said goodbye to the girl.

"Goodbye, Bell." Illya (Prometheus) said, and she changed her tone, "You are the hero favored by Hermes, come on!"

"Huh? Hmm!"

Illya watched everyone leave, her gaze lingering on the back of the tall, white-haired swordsman for a while.

"I will keep you all in my prayers in Olympia! Thank you so much!"

Chapter 172: The Hero's Destination [Subscribe]

Epimetheus had a dream.

Those were fragments of memory placed far away, and they should not have been recalled.

"I want to sing your epic poem." Thousands of years ago, before Olympia was closed off as a sanctuary, a blind poet visited.

He plucked the strings of the harp with his clumsy fingertips. He must have sneaked in with the help of someone else.

In front of Epimetheus, whose eyes were cloudy, the poet smiled and said, "How could it be that you are not appreciated by everyone? I hope you can let me sing your story."

But Epimetheus encountered many such guys who not only took advantage of him, but also belittled and ridiculed him, and maliciously smeared his story into a scandal and spread it to the world.

How could the people possibly appreciate him in this case?

Although this poet was the first person to visit Epimetheus, Epimetheus felt that he was just like other guys with bad intentions, and in anger he directly rejected the poet's request.

"What a pity! It's such a pity! But since you said so, there's nothing I can do about it." The poet said, "I will definitely come here again. I will definitely come to see you again. When the time comes, I hope you can let me sing your story to my heart's content—"

It turned out that the poet was a fraud and he never appeared before Epimetheus again.

...But, maybe—

Epimetheus recalled the young man who was crushed by his own strength. Like the poet, he had eyes like crimson gemstones.

What was the poet's name? Argo?

Epimetheus suddenly remembered all the kindness of others that he had never paid attention to before, the gifts given to him by the residents of Olympia, and the praise of his experience by the witch Illya.

"What a boring dream..." Epimetheus complained and walked towards the hill where he could overlook the sea and the entire city of Olympia.

The dirty flames must have been purified successfully.

The flames that fell from the sky have disappeared.

He is not a god, and his body, which has been eroded by flames for three thousand years, is about to meet its end.

The flame that has burned out has already been destined to go somewhere. It is believed that in a short time, his body will turn into ashes and disappear from this world.

But there was one place Epimetheus hadn't gone yet.

He recalled the white-haired swordsman who defeated him, and realized how ridiculous it was to try to defeat the "One-eyed Dragon" with the [Filthy Fire].

Epimetheus couldn't quite remember the last time he had suffered such a crushing defeat, but, incredibly, he felt a lot more relaxed.

The things that had been deposited in his heart had disappeared, and he seemed to have relieved some of the burden.

He had always thought that the filthy flame was a mirror reflecting the underworld, but now that he thought about it, maybe it was a mirror reflecting his own heart—

Epimetheus finally reached the top of the mountain. It was so empty that only some wild grass grew there.

He gave a frustrated smile, "...Long time no see, Lindwood..."

The tomb he built for his comrades here with his own hands was engulfed in flames and disappeared long ago, and now only an empty wilderness remains.

"What is left in my hands?" Epimetheus asked himself while looking at his hands.

If I were stronger than that adventurer and had more conviction, wouldn't I be able to make a lot of changes?

"...He is still too fragile." Epimetheus recalled how the swordsman rose up again and again, fighting with him even though he was covered in wounds, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious.