23 Invitations to the Celebration

Leaving the girls after saying goodbye, Nox then arrived at his destination. He was already recognized by the members of the familia so they let him do want he wanted and so he went straight for Hephaestus' office. He knocked on the door and entered after hearing the goddess saying to come in.

"Nox, you're back!" Hephaestus exclaimed. She was quite worried when he told her he would hole up in the dungeon for two days. She offered help in the form of lent gear even though Nox refused, saying he didn't need it and constantly bothered Tsubaki forcing her to hear all her worries.

"Good to see you again Hephaestus. I missed you these two days." Nox replied making her blush and even fidget around.

The red haired goddess coughed to regain her composure before asking Nox about his endeavour.

"How did your stay in the dungeon go?"

"Great! I'm Level 2 now and I even tamed a Hellhound!" He exclaimed pointing at Ash.

Hephaestus froze.

'Didn't he become an adventurer only a month ago!? And that cute little thing on his shoulder is actually a Hellhound!?'

"Congratulations!" She didn't know what else to say but then Tsubaki came in.

"Hey Nox! Couldn't help overhearing, so congrats for your level up! Tsubaki said in a loud voice while grabbing him for a hug and burying Nox in her bountiful breasts.

Did Nox pull a Bell and broke free with a full blush after freezing for a bit?

The answer is NO!

He hugged the tanned beauty back while thanking her but his voice was muffled by her soft pillows.

Tsubaki was planning on teasing Nox a bit once he got embarrassed but now she was the one who was a little embarrassed but as a warm and straightforward person she just honestly enjoyed the hug as well alas, her goddess could not take it any longer.

Burning with jealousy, Hephaestus pulled Nox from Tsubaki's embrace and pressed him against her own chest once more congratulating him.

Nox, who was having the time of his life, shamelessly hugged back and thanked her. But Hephaestus had a much thinner skin than Tsubaki and let go of the hug out of embarrassment from her hotheaded reaction.

Nox didn't fully let go of the hug and face to face with a blushing Hephaestus, he moved in close to her ear and whispered.

"Thanks for the reward~" In a teasing tone making her blush even more before letting her go.

He then turned to Tsubaki and said teasingly in a low voice.

"I hope I get more of those rewards~" Making her laugh out loud while saying "We'll see if you are deserving~" in a teasing tone as well.

Nox them spent some time discussing smithing and showing his shadow daggers. Even though they were nothing special, the fact that he had successfully made a magic weapon as a Level 1 novice smith, even if it was a weak one, it was still quite impressive and they were even more impressed by the combination with the fact that it didn't shatter like normal magic swords.

This was because Nox used the abilities conferred by Spirit's Boon in the making of the daggers, not his actual skill. Now however, with his Archon skill that granted him the power of the spirits, he could make powerful magic swords without further training. But once he had mastered his craft, he could become one of the best smiths and item makers in history.

He then told the two women about the celebratory feast at the Hostess of Fertility and invited them to come as well which they accepted. And so, Nox went to his next destination but midway, he remembered something. Perhaps he should go to the guild an report his level up. He could also invite Eina and Rose to the party even though he wasn't sure the latter would accept.

The reaction of the half elf adviser was expected . . .

"One month of being an adventurer and Level 2!? Just like that!?" She inquired dumbfoundedly.

"Yes, Eina-san just like that!" Nox affirmed with a blush inducing smile.

It was super effective!

The blushing Eina decided to stop questioning the reality breaking feats of Nox and seeing her calm down he invited her to the party which she accepted after some charm filled insistence was utilized, Nox didn't even need to resort to his puppy dog eyes.

His next target was a lot tougher though. Even with his newly improved charm, Nox was finding Rose a tough nut to crack . . . Until he brought out his ultimate weapon . . .

'Hmph! My puppy dog eyes have never filed in convincing women older than me!' He thought smugly.

Having fulfilled all his objectives at the guild, Nox went ahead to visit the Traveler's Inn, home of the Hermes Familia, in a good mood. He had three goals, invite them to the party, use his luck development ability to clean them out in gambling and flirt with the beauties.

As Nox arrived, Lulune opened the door for him.

"Ah Lulu! You get cuter everyday!" He greeted.

Being complimented by an even better looking Nox right in the morning left Lulune in a good mood, he was her type after all. Chill, handsome, lucky and good with money, exactly what she was looking for so with a light blush she welcomed him in.

Nox greeted everyone except a few members that were out on jobs, Hermes included and Asfi who had locked herself in her workshop with warnings not to be bothered. He then informed them of his level up receiving congratulations and they all suggested some celebratory poker.

The results were awful . . . Even if Nox's poker skills were at best those of a competent amateur, even at I rank, his luck development ability ensured that he got nice hands nearly every single time resulting in quite lopsided results.

The gamble loving members of the Hermes Familia were almost ready to worship him and Lulune was about to declare her undying love for him and propose marriage but at this time Asfi came out of her workshop after what it seemed like a failed experiment.

Dirty with who knew what Asfi walked into the common room only to see Nox who greeted her.

"Hey Asfi, how is it going?"

The woman herself wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Showing such a deplorable appearance to Nox was definitely something she didn't want to do both as his teacher and as a woman. Nox still wanted to talk but she instantly excused herself and went to clean up.

This left every single member of the Hermes Familia present giggling or chuckling at their captain's girly reaction to Nox except for Lulune who stopped when she started fearing her piggy bank/husband was escaping her grasp.

Little while later, Asfi returned fully clean and finally greeted Nox properly.

"You know Asfi, that earlier appearance of your is not a strange sight to me ever since you taught me item making. Besides, you're beautiful anyway regardless of what state you're in." Nox commented making the former princess blush once more.

'Hmm . . . My new appearance is definitely enhancing the power of my flirts!' Nox thought.

He then invited everyone to his celebratory feast before leaving to search for the last person he wanted to invite, Lili. He almost forgot about her and was planning to stay and fool around with the Hermes Familia but thankfully he remembered her before it was too late.

Wandering around the plaza in front of Babel, Nox found her in the exact same spot as before and called out to her.

"Hey Lili!" She immediately turned her head and ran towards him with a tight hug.

"Lili, I'm loving the hug . . ." Nox started while hugging her back. "But why?"

"I thought you had abandoned me . . ." She said in a low voice surprising Nox.

'Well, this is three years before the main story so she might not be as cynical and conniving as in cannon since she is quite a bit younger . . . Or perhaps my gestures have reached her heart, who knows?' Nox thought to himself seeing her attitude.

"Come on Lili! How could I bring myself to abandon such a cutie like yourself?" He declared as he patted her head.

Lili just mumbled some unintelligible words with her face pressed onto Nox's body as she tried to hide her full blush.

"Oh right! I've just leveled up to 2 so I'm celebrating with my familia and some friends, I was actually looking for you to invite you as well." Nox said.

Lili immediately separated her face from his body to look at him and asked.

"Really!?" As if she couldn't believe.

"Of course! Do you want to come?" Nox confirmed and asked.

"Yes!" Lili said resoundingly as she thought.

'There was someone out there for me after all!'

On one side, this train of thought meant Nox couldn't guilt trip her but on the other side, he no longer had any reason to. Finding someone in her formerly desolate world who cared for her would make Lili fiercely loyal to the one who gave her love and affection.

Now, all that was left before the party was to have a talk with Ais and Riveria about his new powers.

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P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!

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You'll get to read up to FOUR week ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.

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