Slow Life

As it was too late to engage in further conversation, Ryuu thanked Tiona for her help and mentioned that she was the only one he could have entrusted his Familia with, causing her face to light up. She then dismissed him because the executives were staring at them with huge smiles and the few non-executives of the Loki Familia were also there.

Though she did not particularly care about their thoughts, she still felt it was better first to handle their relationship 'privately' before rumors would spread, possibly damaging their respective Familia's reputation...

It was noteworthy mentioning some executives were not there as they were still investigating the Dungeon, though the 'reason' they were looking for was exactly in their manor...

———

As a chapter of the Hestia Familia came to an end, at the suggestion of the Goddess, they all decided to go to sleep in an inn. Before that, however, they arranged for the rebuilding of their mansion to be commissioned to the Goibniu Familia, which was expected to take a day at most.

Although the damage was not too severe, there were blood stains everywhere, and a little more time was required...

A comforting silence spread in the room as Ryuu lay down on his bed with a pondering expression.

In the few days he came to this world, there was never a moment he could just...rest.

He had lived a solitary life, with no one to turn to or confide in. The dullness of his everyday existence had left him with plenty of time to think, but all that contemplation had only deepened his feeling of isolation. No one cared about him unless he had something to offer in return. The cold reality of his existence had long since smothered the light-hearted, carefree personality he had been born with. He had become a shell of his former self, haunted by a constant sense of loneliness.

Yet, glancing at the two sleeping girls sharing a bed while hugging made these feelings dissipate. He wished to keep them safe, to ensure they never have to experience what he had in the past. Even though he had only known them for a short time, they had already become an integral part of his life, and he could not imagine returning to his old, empty one...

He was curious about when his feelings towards them had changed, but he knew the mysteries of the heart were not easily revealed, even for someone like him.

'I wonder what would have happened had I not crossed that portal?'

It was a faint doubt brought by his observations, though he dismissed it as there was no way he could know that…

He allowed dizziness to sink in for the first time in a week as although his body was extremely durable, allowing Ryuu to evade or sleep an hour to last weeks, it would still take a small toll on his body he would like to avoid.

A few hours later, Ryuu awakened as his gaze landed on Luna's horns, poking his chest slightly...

As there was a nice opportunity, he stared intensively at them as Luna's horns were a soft, shimmering blue, almost iridescent in the room's low light. They were smooth and curved, tapering to a delicate point that pressed gently against Ryuu's chest as she slept. The color of her horns matched his own Lineage perfectly, and any other Dragon seeing her in this state would be hard-pressed to tell her apart from a pure-blooded descendant.

'...Is that [Mana Core] at work or something else?'

If Ryuu could use this method to create a descendant that easily, then who would've stopped him from creating an army of them?

Something he did not know about influenced the process and made him incredibly curious. Would it work on anyone else? Is Luna perhaps a one-of-a-kind…?

As the minutes ticked by, Luna slowly began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, and she let out a sigh as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She turned her head to look at Ryuu, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Good morning, Master"

She said softly, her voice still laced with sleep.

Ryuu, in response, gently smiled

"You shouldn't call me Master anymore. We're sharing a much deeper bond than that now."

As Ryuu moved a strand of Luna's hair out of her face, he swept his eyes across her figure. Her white and blue dress was made of a soft, flowing fabric that seemed to hug her slender figure. The top of the dress was a bright white color that matched the purity of Luna's skin, while the bottom of the dress was a deep blue that seemed to swirl around her legs like a cloud.

He couldn't help but think she looked like a princess in it while he complimented Tiona for finding such a good match.

"Right, we have to buy clothes and everyday needs for you. We truly need to take a day to sort that out..."

The thought of spending a day together, just the three of them, filled him with a sense of contentment. It was like something out of a slow-life novel, but he couldn't deny that he would enjoy their everyday interactions.

After chatting for a while, Hestia eventually woke up. Ryuu considered using this day to have some fun and maybe buy some things for them, but the knocking at the door interrupted his thoughts and forced him to focus on the current situation.

He walked towards the door, though he felt slightly uneasy. He felt the person on the other side was not someone he wanted to see for some reason…

When he finally opened it, he faced the trio of Aisha, Mikoto, and Haruhime.

Aisha stared blankly at him while Mikoto wore an apologetic smile on her face.

On the other hand, Haruhime looked extremely determined, though her trembling tail betrayed her face...

———

"...You want to join the Hestia Familia?"

As the leader, he was left alone with them to discuss as he found this utterly ridiculous. Who in their right mind would choose to join a Familia because one of its members indirectly helped her...?

He glanced at Mikoto, hoping for some insight, but she only looked away with the same apologetic smile. It was her 'fault' after all.

"It would be a huge gain for you."

Aisha had no particular expression to show. Their relationship was akin to strangers. Although the two 'worked together' once, that was all there was to it. Even if he was incredibly strong, most likely stronger than her, for some reason, she did not feel the kind of attraction she felt towards other men…

"How so?"

His expression remained neutral as he stared deeply at the Renard, though he could see nothing special apart from some fluffy ear and tail to pet once in a while.

As Ryuu stared at Haruhime, he gave her an inquisitive gaze that washed over her entire body. She became extremely embarrassed as a result, and her face turned a deep shade of red. She fidgeted nervously, her tail trembling. Despite her determination to join the Hestia Familia, she couldn't help feeling self-conscious and unsure of herself under his scrutiny…

"This child has a skill that allows her to boost someone's level by one for ten to fifteen minutes."

Although his expression indeed changed a lot, in the end, it quickly grew cold as he banged his fist against the table. As his fist touched it, the wood splintered and shattered under the force of the blow. It was reduced to rubble in an instant, the remnants of it lying in pieces on the floor.

"And you think I would take someone in my Familia only because they're worth a fortune...? What is she, an object you're trading?" he spat out, his voice dripping with venom.

Aisha gulped, realizing she had unintentionally disrespected both Ryuu's Familia and Haruhime. She quickly tried to apologize, but before she could, Haruhime mustered up the courage to speak up for herself as she ascertained something from his reaction.

"I-It's not like that! I...I want to repay my debt to you, Ryuu-san..."

Haruhime tightly clutched her kimono with her fingers, the fabric crumpling under the force of her grip. She nervously bit down on her trembling lips, trying to steady her nerves as she hoped that Ryuu would not refuse her offer…

Notes:

- For the ones who read the first version of chap 36 I edited, the small pun regarding Aisha not liking Ryuu is for you, lol, though it adds to the original plot as, why not? Nice addition.

- 1 chapter left for this arc to be done. I feel nostalgia from 20 days ago when I was still struggling with how to portray other things properly…