Chapter fourteen

It's been a couple of days since I returned to the Twilight Manor, preparations for the expedition are well on their way, and I was told I would be joining on the frontlines. This time around my responsibilities are to go to the tactic meetings that we are holding making sure everyone is on the same page.

Ais and I found time to spar with each other, I noticed something, My Mind became more giving me more powerful flames at a percentage of the cost. I still could not defeat her.

For now, the expedition team is not encouraged to enter the dungeon to ensure they will be fit for the expedition as well as not leaving their duties.

Right now though I am focused on two things, one gaining better control over Mind, manipulating it faster, and two obtaining something that will make Hestia, Belle, and last but not least Loki miss me less while I raid the dungeon.

Speaking of Belle, I started teaching her some swordsmanship, her growth was fast, as expected as the original protagonist of the world.

I shake off my thoughts and get back to what I was doing, meditating, it helped improve my control over Mind. After some time though my door erupted, and I looked over at the disturbance.

"Ahh, Cain! Good thing you're here!" Loki exclaims gleefully, I cocked my head to question my goddess.

"I was able to secure you a good Alias!" Loki said, curious I inquired.

"Really? What is it?" I asked

"It's Anomaly" Loki said seriously, I nodded in content, it suits me, I guess.

"Who suggested it?" I asked hoping for an interesting answer.

"Oddly enough Hephaestus suggested the name, what made it stick was Freya's approval of it though" It seemed the ceremony this time around was not that boring.

Loki stayed and chit-chatted with me until she had to go for some expedition preparations, after she left I was deliberating whether to go to the abandoned church or continue my meditation.

It was then suddenly I was struck by a brilliant idea, if I make cute chibi plushes of myself that might lessen their feeling of missing me. I decided to go to the abandoned church and on the way gather the materials necessary. It's a good thing I already knew how to do something like this because of my past life.

It was a good skill to have, a webcomic I liked didn't have merchandise, I could just make a plush of them for myself, by the end of my life I did have a bit of a collection.

I arrived at the abandoned church with a couple of bags in my hands, I cooly placed them behind the goddess statue before knocking on the door to the basement.

I heard excited footsteps on the other side and the door flew open revealing a pettit white-haired girl, who closed the door behind her then immediately launched herself at me and wrapped her arms around me.

"Big bro Cain! You're here!" Belle exclaimed.

"Is Hestia here yet?" I asked Belle, she shook her head,

"Okay, let's go out front and train!" I say trying to hype up my student, she seemed excited as well, but had to run back inside to grab her dagger, her weapon of choice.

The normal training regiment began, it was sparring, after each spar, I would tell her what she did wrong and how she could improve, if the same problem persisted, we'd focus on it for a bit longer. Honestly teaching Belle made me realise how talented I was with the sword.

Just as Belle was nearing her limit stamina-wise, I saw a mini goddess approaching us she seemed a bit tired, evident by her slightly slumped posture.

"Oh Hestia! just in time! We were just finishing up!"I said to Hestia over a large enough distance.

I helped Belle up and saw Hestia's cheerful attitude return.

"Ah, Cain! I didn't expect you now" Hestia commented more embarrassed than anything.

"Well sometimes training exhausts you, and sometimes it bores you" I state not indicating which one it was this time around.

"So? Why don't we go in and talk over some food?" I ask them, Hestia immediately froze like a deer in headlights, she creaked her head to Belle seemingly as a cry for help.

"It's actually really dirty I haven't been able to clean it in a while." Hestia said, Belle in support nodded fervently.

"What are you girls hiding?" I sighed, neither of them was that great at lying, and they didn't want me to enter the basement.

"It was Belle's idea" Hestia shouted out, not wanting to take the blame.

"You agreed to it, plus you were the one who had them in the first place" Belle argued, I audibly sighed, what are they even talking about?

I decided to investigate the basement, I opened the door I turned to the right and was met with a red dilapidated couch and a couple of doors behind it, nothing out of the ordinary yet. That's when as soon as I walked further in I saw what they were so embarrassed about, sitting opposite to the couch was not something normal.

It was a shrine, but not an ordinary shrine, I could see a pair of my underwear surrounded by candles. How did they even get it!?!

I think I know who was behind this, it was most definitely Loki. It surprised me she knew about Hestia and Belle, didn't confront me about it, and seemed to actively help them a bit.

They just fell into her schemes surely, making a shrine out of it is still weird, and in the living room too. I sigh heavily. I look over at them both peering from the doorway.

"Keep that stuff inside your bedroom" I say softly, not mad at them.

"Just how did you get them?" I ask, Hestia looks a little confused.

"You gave them to me, as a gift, at least that's what Loki said" Hestia confirmed Loki's involvement.

"If you're that attached to them you can keep 'em" I teased the girls. They seemed a bit relieved that I wasn't going to punish them for their actions.

"I guess I gotta start working on your gifts" I said out loud to purposefully get their full attention, I saw their ears and heads perk up at the mention of gifts.

I quickly said goodbye to them and waited for them to be inside before getting my bags and heading out again, this time I'm going to an inn, I need to get these done privately and fast.

I worked all night, but I was able to get 3 chibi copies of myself, additionally adding some Mind to them made them very difficult to wear down.

I exited the inn with 3 bags, all of them containing 1 chibi Cain, and the sun was just coming up again, I made my way to the Twilight Manor. It was eerily silent this time of day, on the surface that is, I knew Ais was already training nice and early.

I quickly deposited the chibi into my room making sure to not wake the asleep Loki in my room. I made my way to the training area, and to no one's surprise found Ais.

"You down for a spar?" I asked Ais, Ais stopped her movements looked over to me and nodded, we both quickly got into position and eventually both knew when the other was ready.

The spar lasted awhile and concluded when I fell for a bait and tried to prematurely end the spar, I was defeated, but it was still hard fought, that's important, I am way more of a fair opponent for Ais.

I conceded back to my room for now, I would've liked to train more, but today was shaping up to be more about general housekeeping.

When I entered my room, I seemed to have awakened Loki, Loki groggily stirred awake noticing my presence in the room.

"You're back Cain! Don't tell me you went to the dungeon!" Loki nearly shouted at me.

"Nonono, I didn't I just was preparing presents, I have one for you" I say, Loki's face turns from slightly judgemental to extremely happy at the prospect of a gift from Cain.

"First though, did you give Hestia a pair of my underwear?" Loki froze stock still for a bit and only managed a meagre nod.

"What will I do with you…" I say as I pull out one of the Chibi Cains I made. I tossed it to Loki who caught it and inspected it.

"Cain!" Loki said happily.