Hostess of Fertility

The Hestia Familia's Party had arrived at the Pantheon and went straight to Misha, who just happened to be lazing around at the reception desk. She quickly noticed them and her entire demeanor changed from a lazy one to her usual brightness and energy.

Misha: Ad! Guys! How did you do today?

Adalwulf: I dare say that we did pretty good. Right, guys?

As he spoke, Ad had a teasing smile on his face, something that Misha didn't really like to see. She knew that something weird had happened again.

Eoghan: I don't dare disagree on this one, Ad.

Keeva: We did pretty alright.

Natsuki: We had a good haul?

Iman: Darling, aren't you going to tell her about the Minotaur?

Iman, who was hugging Ad's arm the entire time, seemed to be totally oblivious to their intentions of surprising Misha. Still, her comment seemed to be quite effective, as the pink-haired girls eyes shot wide open and she kept muttering "Minotaur" over and over.

Adalwulf: Misha? Misha! Earth to Misha!

Misha: Wah! What Minotaur?!

Her scream was heard throughout the entire Pantheon, enough at least to catch the attention of the other Adventurers present. At that moment Ad had an idea. He would take this chance to create a reputation for the Familia, and not just for himself.

So, without minding the stares of the other Adventurers, Ad took the Minotaur's Magic Stone from his bag and handed it to Misha. Said girl just took the Magic Stone in her hands with her mouth wide open. Many gasps resounded through the area, hailing from those who could see the spectacle.

A Magic Stone that size was not something a Party of Level Ones could easily obtain, so they began spreading rumours. The few who had acute hearing retold the explanation Ad had given to Misha about how the Magic Stone came into their hands.

Ignoring the people talking about them, Ad continued his conversation with Misha.

Adalwulf: Anyways, we have that and a lot more to sell to you.

Misha: Ah. I-I mean, please come this way.

Seeing that she had a hard time coping up with the situation, Ad channeled soothing thoughts to Misha. Every time he used Samkennd, his use of the skill got better.

The pink-eyed girl looked at him, realizing that it was him who did that. She just smiled sheepishly warmly at him and kept walking towards the room were they usually handled business. Once inside, Misha got into her work mood.

Misha: What is it going to be today, besides this Magic Stone?

Adalwulf: How many Orcs did we kill, guys?

Natsuki: Seventy five, and we got twenty Orc Hides.

Adalwulf: Bad Bats?

Iman: Darlin! Darling! I know this one! Fifty seven! And we got thirteen Bat Fangs!

Ad could only smile wryly at Iman's clingy behaviour and childish way of asking for his praise. Still, he told her she was a good girl and patted her head. He almost felt like he was rewarding his pet.

Adalwulf: And how many Imps?

Eoghan: If I didn't miscount, only ten.

Keeva: We also got two Imp Tails.

Misha was constantly making calculations and redoing them as they added articles to the list. Once they were over, the girl's eyes were turning in spirals. Ad couldn't help but chuckle seeing her be so confused. In the end, she was able to tell them a rounded amount.

Misha: If you sell all of them, you'll be making... 168,275 Vallis

Adalwulf: Perfect! Thank you for always treating us so well, Misha!

Ad's bright smile plus the fact that he unconsciously sent her his appreciation made Misha blush ever so slightly. This didn't go unnoticed by the boy, who decided to tease her a little bit. He picked his bag from his hip and went towards the girl, but he didn't hand the bag over. Instead, he cornered her against the table and, with his arm going by her side, dropped the bag's contents onto the table.

Misha: Wa-wa-wa...

After being reprimanded by Natsuki for breaking Misha, they left the Pantheon with fresh Vallis in their pockets. Deciding that it was as good a moment as any, Ad decided to go celebrate with their Goddess at the Hostess of Fertility.

*

Hestia: Yay! We can eat a lot of delicious food there! Hephaestus once treated me here, when I first came down from Heaven.

Adalwulf: I'm glad you are happy, Hestia-sama.

Upon their arrival, they were greeted by a grey-haired girl who looked at Ad with eyes full of curiosity. The boy instantly inspected her emotions, and he felt nothing negative, besides the curiosity and a little bit of infatuation.

Syr: Good night, dear customers! I am Syr Flova and I'll be attending you today.

Adalwulf: It is a pleasure to be attended to by such a cute waitress, Miss Flova.

Syr pretended to ignore his comment while she guided them to a table, but the blush on her face betrayed her. She called Anya over to help her with the table, as she was free and there weren't many customers in place. Through the whole duration of the meal, Ad was absent-minded. He had even forgotten to flirt with Anya.

He had been focusing on the constant feelings of sadness, wariness, loneliness and regret that was ever present in the place. He knew who the owner of those feelings was, and he was constantly channeling care, love and hope towards her.

When she passed by his side, in spite of knowing she didn't like it, he grabbed her hand.

Adalwulf: You... why are you so sad? I... I just...

He couldn't understand it. Why was he feeling her pain as his own? His skill allowed him to feel other's emotions, yes, but he had never directly been affected by it, even when he was talking with Ais.

Two tears fell from his eyes, as he channeled every single ounce of feeling he could to her. She, in turn, grasped his hand tightly. Adalwulf calmed down when he couldn't feel disgust, wariness nor any negative feeling towards him from the green-haired girl. He sighed in helplessness and looked her in the eyes.

Adalwulf: This is going to sound very stupid but... I need you. And I think you need me.