[91] Aspiring Wholeheartedly!

And so, not long after, Bell and Hestia left.

After all, Loki and Hestia couldn't get along, and though they didn't continue their normal quarrel, the battle of gazes between them never stopped.

On the other hand, for August, the battle continued into the late night.

The members of the familia drank heavily, and the people of the hostess of fertility were already accustomed to it.

With Loki, the alcohol-loving goddess, many members of the familia were also heavy drinkers. Even if they weren't, they were forced to drink every day, so they became accustomed over time.

After everything was over, they returned to the manor in pairs.

And so, a night passed without any major events...

"I've gotten stronger again~"

Ais slowly opened her eyes, immediately noticing the changes within herself.

This was the happiest thing for her every morning since being with August.

No need for battles or exercises, just intimate contact with August made her stronger. Even though she had experienced it many times, it still surprised her.

"Hmm? You're awake, Ais."

"Good morning, August."

"Good morning."

August let out a yawn, now that he was awake, he didn't intend to linger in bed.

"Just returned from the expedition, is there anything you want to do?"

"Repair my weapons."

"Huh? What happened to your sword?"

"This time in the deep layers, I encountered a new type of monster that can spray corrosive liquid on weapons. Although it has an indestructible attribute, it caused significant wear and tear."

Upon hearing this, August's gaze became serious. It seemed that the plot had already begun.

These new monsters were creatures created by the corrupt spirit deep in the dungeon to collect magic power. They hunted and devoured monsters, ingesting their magic stones, and then returned to the deep layers to let the corrupt spirit consume them, thus collecting magic power.

In the original story, the corrupt spirit killed on the 59th floor was just a clone. The real body was still in the depths of the dungeon, but its exact location was unknown.

While August was contemplating, Ais handed her sword 'Desperate' to him.

Instinctively taking it, August drew the sword to inspect it. While the blade was still resilient, it had been significantly worn down, and the entire sword had suffered extensive corrosion.

"It seems to have suffered quite a bit of damage."

"Yes, that's why I need to get it repaired."

"By the way, who crafted this sword? Was it Tsubaki?"

"No, it was the main deity of the Goibniu Familia."

"The Goibniu Familia?"

"The Goibniu Familia is also a forging-type familia, just not as large as the Hephaestus Familia."

August nodded, it should be the old man who appeared in the anime.

Honestly, he didn't remember much about these almost cameo characters.

However, regarding this Goibniu, August found it somewhat amusing. Helping Ais maintain Desperate, giving her a temporary replacement sword, and it breaking in Ais's hands shortly after, resulting in a debt of 15 million valis.

Because of this subplot, Tiona's weapons frequently being scrapped, netizens jokingly referred to the Loki Familia as experts in weapon destruction, saying that even advanced weapons were disposable.

Especially for Tiona, who spent a considerable amount of rare metals, the weapons created by several blacksmiths with great effort were easily melted down by her.

Moreover, in the anime, the attitude of these blacksmiths made it clear that it wasn't the first or second time.

Even Tiona herself jokingly mentioned in the story that every time she came here, it was a disaster for these blacksmiths.

"August, do you have anything planned for today?"

"I don't have anything particular. Originally, I was planning to try entering the deeper levels of the dungeon, but since you have something to do, I'll accompany you first."

"Well, in the afternoon, I'll accompany you to the dungeon."

"You just finished an expedition, shouldn't you rest a bit?"

"It's okay."

August suddenly remembered, she was Ais, not an ordinary girl.

For Ais, it was enough to prove her difference when, on the day of her awakening, she followed August into the dungeon. 

The two, taking their time, got dressed. After washing up and tidying everything, they finally left.

After having a simple breakfast, considering how hearty their dinner was the night before, they weren't very hungry this morning, and since August always carried a lot of delicious food with him, they weren't worried about getting hungry.

Tidying up a bit, August and Ais left the house.

Meanwhile, in a dilapidated little church in a corner of Orario.

Early in the morning, Hestia remembered that she hadn't updated Bell's status last night.

She immediately woke him up and proceeded to update his status.

At a glance, it startled Hestia.

[Bell Cranel]

[Level 1]

[Strength: I·0-- >I·8]

[Endurance: I·0-- >I·5]

[Dexterity: I·0-- >I·3]

[Agility: I·0-- >I·9]

[Magic: I·0-- >I·0]

[Skill: Aspiring Wholeheartedly]

[Magic: None]

[Development Abilities: None]

All the attribute values that increased were single digits, which Hestia considered normal. However, a suddenly appearing skill caught her attention.

[Aspiring Wholeheartedly: Premature Admiration, maintains the effect simultaneously with admiration. The stronger the admiration, the greater the effect!]

Without exaggeration, this skill was an extremely rare one that had never been recorded.

However, based on what happened last night, Hestia naturally understood who Bell admired.

Besides her big bro, there was no other possibility.

Recalling yesterday, when mentioning her big bro, August, Bell's eyes were shining with golden light.

Young girls admiring handsome and powerful guys were understandable to Hestia. After all, it was human nature, and everyone had been young once.

However, there was a significant problem, August had a girlfriend.

Yesterday, Bell directly referred to that person Ais as his sister-in-law. If you already call her sister-in-law and still develop feelings for your big bro, this is...

Although emotions couldn't be controlled, Hestia really didn't want her child to be a home-wrecker.

Taking a deep breath, Hestia decided to keep the skill information hidden from Bell for now.

She wiped away the imprint of the skill with her hand, leaving behind a blurry mark.

"Lady Hestia, how did it go? How much did I improve?"

Bell asked curiously at this moment.

"You've only improved a little bit in terms of strength. It's all in single digits, and you're still very early in your development."

Saying this, Hestia handed Bell her updated status stats.