Chapter Fifty-Nine

(Wheat manor: Night)

As Demeter entered her room and listened to Cuthbert's report, her expression went through a whirlwind of emotions.

She started with curiosity, then amusement when she heard about Alice's antics, but as soon as the part about Alice kissing Muichiro came up, her mood darkened considerably.

"Oh, she kissed him, did she?" Demeter muttered, her voice carrying an ominous tone that made Cuthbert shiver slightly. He cleared his throat nervously, sensing the storm brewing in Demeter's heart.

Meanwhile, in her lab, Alice, immersed in her alchemical experiments, suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

She paused, looking around her as if expecting something or someone. It was as though the atmosphere had shifted in an instant.

....

(Demeter's Room)

Back in Demeter's room, Muichiro lay with his back exposed as Demeter examined his status.

Her eyes widened as she saw the remarkable progress he had made in such a short time.

His overall stats had experienced a significant jump, and his magical power had surged to levels she hadn't anticipated.

Level: 1( Rank Up +)

Strength: E449 > C782

Endurance: D511 > C750

Dexterity: D527 > B802

Agility: E498 > C790

Magic: G259 > A900

Development Ability:

- Breathing: E

- Swordsmanship: C

Skills:

- Loved by the Moon

- Nature's Blessing

Magic:

- Niflheim's Veil

- Eireann's Memory Weave

- Féth Fíada's

- 100 Demon Moon Parade

(Three Magic slots remaining)

"Muichiro, this progress is astounding," Demeter said, her eyes fixed on the glowing status screen.

'But what could have caused the abnormaly large increase in his magic Excilia bar...

Maybe it was Muichiro bonding and making a contract of sorts with that cute spirit of his...or perhaps something else entirely.'

"You're already qualified to rank up now, your fight with that serpent was the event that gave you the opportunity...but I would advise waiting a bit longer. We don't want to draw unnecessary attention."

Plus, she would like to keep Muichiro's talents hidden.

Of course, she wants to show of her child to the other gods, but she knows Muichiro's progress was highly abnormal, already beating the previous record by 11 months.

And completely obliterating the sword princess's previous record by a lot.

Muichiro nodded in agreement. He trusted Demeter's judgment, and he also wanted to maximize his potential before levelling up.

It was a strategic decision to keep his rapid progress under wraps for now, and to also maximise how powerful he will become in the future for his future foundation as an adventurer.

Just as they finished discussing Muichiro's status, Pii, his new spirit companion, flitted into the room and landed gracefully on Demeter's palm.

"Piiiiii~"

The tiny spirit emitted soft, tinkling sounds of approval, clearly smitten with Demeter. She couldn't resist the urge to give Pii a gentle scratch behind its translucent ear-like appendage.

"Muichiro, this little spirit of yours is absolutely adorable," Demeter cooed, her mood lightening considerably as she interacted with Pii.

Muichiro nodded in agreement"Pii and I have been through quite a lot together. I'm glad you like her."

With their business concluded, the two of them settled down for the night. Demeter's room was filled with a warm, comforting ambience as they lay in bed.

Demeter's fingers idly played with Pii as she thought about the day's events. Her eyes subconsciously turned to his lips, as a small blush tinted her cheeks.

....

(Location: Wheat Manor)

The sun cast long shadows as Muichiro continued his sword katas, his concentration was almost scary, but when Demeter, accompanied by some familia members, approached, he sheathed his sword and greeted them.

"Good morning, Demeter-sama, everyone..." Muichiro said with a respectful bow. They acknowledged Muichiro and greeted him in return with friendly smiles.

Beside Demeter was Betty, and several other familia members whom Muichiro had met during his time in the familia.

Demeter's amber eyes sparkled with excitement as she explained the reason for their visit. "Muichiro, I wanted to discuss the Thesmophoria festival with you. As you may remember, I mentioned the Hinokami Kagura dance we were planning to add to the performance."

Muichiro nodded, his curiosity piqued. "I remember. What do you have in mind?"

Demeter's smile widened as she laid out her elaborate plan for the festival.

The Thesmophoria was an important event in Orario, celebrating the harvest season.

It was an occasion for both familia members and adventurers to come together and enjoy festivities.

"We want to make this year's festival memorable," Demeter explained. "We're going to set up stalls, decorate the northern and western parts of the city, and offer various activities for the people. And of course, your Hinokami Kagura dance will be the centrepiece of our celebration."

Muichiro was genuinely intrigued by the idea. He had always been a diligent and focused individual, but the idea of participating in a festival and contributing to the community appealed to him.

Helping others was also part of his tasks to find his emotions...or better understand them.

He agreed to help wholeheartedly.

Over the next few days, Muichiro threw himself into the preparations with gusto.

He helped build stalls, string colourful lanterns across the streets, and even contributed his artistic skills by designing eye-catching decorations.

His commitment to the festival was unwavering, and he quickly earned the respect and admiration of his fellow familia members.

But in the midst of the bustling preparations and excitement for the upcoming festival, Muichiro had completely forgotten about something or more specifically someone...Alan!!!!

It wasn't until a worried Betty approached him, her eyes filled with concern, that he realized his mistake.

"Muichiro, it's Alan," Betty said, her voice trembling. "He's been missing for days, and we have no idea where he is."

Muichiro's eyes widened in realization. He had been so engrossed in the festival preparations that he had forgotten all about the young supporter in training he had left in the cage with Ripper.

*DASH!!!*

Hastily excusing himself from the ongoing preparations, Muichiro rushed back to where he had kept Alan.

What he found was a shocking sight. Alan, a dishevelled and traumatized palum, was cowering in the corner of the cage, his clothes in tatters.

Muichiro approached him cautiously, slight concern etched on his face. "Alan...are you...okay?"

Alan looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and horror. He stammered, his voice barely audible. "I... I can't even... The chicken... It was a demon, I swear!"

Muichiro's face shifted from concern to something resembling guilt. He had left Alan in the cage for so long that the young adventurer had experienced what must have been a terrifying ordeal.

Ripper, the seemingly harmless chicken, had become a nightmare for Alan.

Betty, who had followed Muichiro, couldn't help but feel a mix of pity and amusement at the sight of the traumatized Alan. She tried to hold back her laughter as she consoled him.

"Alan, it's alright now. Muichiro didn't mean for this to happen. You'll recover," she said soothingly.

But Alan continued to shiver, unable to shake off the horrors he had experienced during his time with Ripper.

Muichiro couldn't help but feel guilty for his negligence, and he vowed to make amends to the traumatized palum.

As the Thesmophoria festival drew nearer, Muichiro found himself caught between the excitement of the preparations and the need to make things right with Alan.

Luckily a potion from Alice's workshop did just the trick removing 3 days' worth of memories from Alan's mind.