Chapter 49: Peaceful Times

Lars was currently camping with the Artemis familia. And Lante was asking him a lot of questions.

"Did you grow up in Orario? How did you grow so strong? Do you have a girlfriend?" Lante released a barrage of questions.

"One at a time, Lante." Lars smiled wryly at her.

"Yes, I grew up in Orario. It's necessary I guess, and no." Lars answered them all and Rethusa sighed.

"Lante, stop hassling Lars-san." Rethusa chided her.

"But he's so interesting, isn't that right, Artemis-sama?" Lante grinned and Artemis had a wry expression.

"I guess he is?" She just decided to agree with her child.

"Then... Do you think he fits Orion's shoes?" Lante wiggled her eyebrows at Artemis.

"W-wha?" Artemis was speechless and Lars chuckled at her antics.

"Then, how about we swap stories like how Orion and Artemis met in the myths?" Lars asked her.

Artemis didn't reject the idea as it was just telling stories.

"How about I tell you the story of the remnants of an ancient civilization that hunts monsters to maintain nature's balance." Lars started his story.

It was the story of such a simple game that could have really deep lore, monster hunter.

And the goddess of the hunt listened intently at his story.

Lante even pulled away Rethusa and the others when Artemis got distracted enough by his story.

And when Lars finished his story, he noticed that her familia wasn't there anymore. Already sleeping in their respective tents.

"Look at the time, Artemis. It's already late at night." Lars pointed at the stars.

"You're right, let us sleep. We'll depart at dawn after all." Artemis was surprised that the time went by incredibly fast.

"Let me." Lars used his magic and he made a small house made out of hardened earth.

Artemis was surprised and Lars was about to walk away. "Wait! Doesn't this use up a lot of mind? You can stay here with me, you made this house." Artemis offered.

"Hmm? You're quite forward, goddess." Lars chuckled at her and she blushed.

"Silence, I am just being thoughtful!" She huffed at him.

"If you say so, come then let me show you another trick." Lars went inside the house and he spawned in two beds.

Artemis blinked in shock and he was already turning in for the night.

"Why keep standing there? Get some sleep, goddess." Lars broke her out of her daze.

She lied down on her bed, but she couldn't sleep. It was gnawing on her mind.

There has never been a 1st class adventurer as young as him.

Not knowing that Tiona and Tione were back in Orario too.

"Lars, do you dedicate your life to training and diving the dungeon?" Artemis thought that was all that he did.

"Not really, do you really think I don't have friends?" Lars huffed.

"Ahh! That's not what I meant." Artemis looked apologetic.

"I'm just teasing you." Lars chortled and she pouted.

"Now that I think about it, I don't have much friends as well. Hestia is probably the only person I can call a friend." Artemis smiled wryly.

"The goddess of the hearth?" Lars thought that Hestia should be her aunt.

'I guess they're just good friends here.' Lars had a wry expression. Gods can't have children here after all and he keeps forgetting it.

"Umu, she's a shut in. That girl..." Artemis sighed in exasperation.

"Hestia, a shut in? Well, that kinda checks out. Being someone that is guarding the sacred flame." Lars nodded.

"Yeah, she's so happy when she sees me though." Artemis smiled.

"You should smile more Artemis, it suits you. Don't be serious all the time and unwind." Lars advised her.

"Y-you... You are trying to seduce me!" Artemis blushed as she pointed at him accusingly.

"What? I just said the truth, why not change your perspective by not rejecting romance? It's such a beautiful thing, yet it can also be so tragic." Lars shrugged.

"I am the goddess presiding purity and chastity. I cannot have a romantic relationship." She huffed.

"Well, gods are said to be unchanging. But why did you even go here to the surface if you don't want to experience everything?" He challenged her beliefs.

"T-that's... It's because I'm the goddess of chastity." Artemis answered weakly.

"Then shouldn't you just return to heaven? You aren't really doing anything different." Lars gave her a reality check.

"The gods shed their divine shell to live as a mortal. Why limit yourself and lock your entire life through a title? It's just a title." Lars shrugged.

Artemis then thought about it all night and she couldn't sleep. While Lars slept like a baby.

In the morning, she was a bit tired. But nothing was otherwise wrong.

"Good morning, Artemis-sama! I see that you couldn't sleep last night." Lante teased her.

"Y-you! Stop thinking of such vulgar things Lante!" Artemis chided her.

"Tche. I thought you had a night of passion with your Orion." Lante clicked her tongue.

"Artemis-sama, love is such a beautiful thing. It will change you, transform you into the best version of yourself." Lante explained.

"It is nothing to be ashamed of, Artemis-sama." Lante smiled at her.

She then remembered Aphrodite's advice to have a boyfriend.

"If you have time to think about that, then we should take care of the monsters." Artemis sighed.

Everybody then went towards the congregation of Loup Garous.

Lars saw the monsters and he watched them deal with it first.

Rethusa led them pretty well and Artemis was a master at work, firing arrows skillfully.

"I guess I should help a bit, they did ask me nicely." Lars raised his hand and the fallen arrows on the ground, floated.

He then flicked his wrist and the monsters were targeted right at their fleshy bits. Killing them instantly.

Every monster then died like trash and he looked like a conductor of death.

The whole familia stared at him and they gulped. "What? Never seen someone kill monsters before?" Lars raised a brow.

"Lars-san... You can't call that just killing monsters. You annihilated them to the last one." Rethusa's eye, twitched.

"Well, efficiency is the best in this case. Less injuries, am I right?" Lars shrugged.

"Lars, can you help us again if we ever find monsters?" Artemis asked of him.

She wanted to focus on dealing with stray monsters in the surface for now.

"I guess? But how will you contact me? You guys are nomadic, right?" Lars chuckled.

"Ah... We can send a message to Orario?" Artemis wasn't sure about that.

"I'm just messing with you, here. This is connected to an orb of mine, you can call me with this." Lars gave them one of the so-called phone orbs.

Now that Airmid can make them, they had plenty.

Artemis looked at it seriously, magic items were hella expensive.

But before she could even thank him, he was already gone. Using the distraction to go back to his plateau.

"Aww, he's gone already..." Lante wanted to talk to him more.

"Artemis-sama, isn't he much stronger than normal 1st class adventurers?" Rethusa remembered his magic.

"Yeah, we can be thankful that he is not evil." Artemis thought they were lucky.

__Orario__

A few seasons pass and the Loki familia was currently celebrating the level ups of their executives.

"Oi! Bring more alcohol! My Ais is level 5 now!" Loki demanded.

Ais killed the Amphisbaena by herself and she leveled up to 5.

"Can't forget about Argana and Bache as well." Finn gestured for a toast.

The amazon sisters fought Udaeus one by one and they leveled up to 6.

Loki's familia now had five level 6's. Though it was still a bit lacking against the Freya familia.

"Hmph, that doesn't make me happy at all. I want to know, where in the world is Lars?" Argana huffed.

He only visits Ais from time to time for their weekly yoga sessions in Riveria's room.

So nobody in the twilight manor could sense him. Except Bete who could smell his scent on Riveria and Ais.

"Calm down, maybe he's preparing himself for us?" Bache talked to Argana in Teslkyuran.

"We can't let him do that, he'll be too hard to kidnap when the time comes." Argana remembered Kali's mission for them.

'Telskyura can go fuck itself.' Bache thought and she would definitely not help Argana later.

"Riveria-san, who is this Lars?" A pretty new and promising member asked.

(Pic)

She was a young elf that has an amazing innate magic that can be compared to Airmid's healing magic in rank.

Elf Ring; one of the strongest magics in existence. It could copy any elf magic as long as the user knows the chant and its effects.

It was busted as all hell. "Lefiya, Lars can be said to be Ais' best friend." Riveria informed her.

"Ais-san's best friend?" She drooped downwards as she thought that she lost against someone.

"Un, Lars is my best friend. I really like him." Ais smiled softly as she put her hair behind her ear.

"Gah!" Lefiya received emotional damage upon the sight. She admired Ais, someone that was her age, but already a 1st class adventurer.

She is strong, fast, beautiful, and graceful. Lefiya, as a girl without much confidence. Looks up to her a lot.

Being surrounded by amazing individuals will hit somebody's self esteem.

The doors of the hostess of fertility then opened and somebody wearing a hoodie entered.

He was carrying a huge ass tuna and a giant squid.

"That's Lars alright, it can only be him." Riveria sighed at his antics.

"Yo, did I make it in time, Ais?" Lars was much taller than her now.

Ais beamed at him and she hugged him tightly, making Lefiya's soul escape from her mouth.

"Un, you're not late. Thanks for coming." Ais nodded at him.

"Mia, I've got a little something for ya." Lars gave the squid so they could be turned into dishes.

"Oi! Where's my gift? I advised Ais carefully so she could grow to where she is now." Loki demanded a tribute.

"Ugh, a little miser as always." Lars took out some alcohol from his inventory that he got in his travels with Artemis.

"And you aren't advising Ais with anything." Lars deadpanned at her.

"Hey! I'm still leveling her up and updating her status." Loki hugged the bottles.

"Then, let's get this party started yeah?" Lars cut up the tuna with a flick of his wrist and sashimi was served.

"You're as ridiculous as ever..." Riveria shook her head at his magic.

Psychokinesis after all, needs a clear image. Much, much clearer than normal magic.

"Tch, show off." Bete clicked his tongue, but Lars just ignored him for now.

"Lars! You just went poof! Where the hell were you!?" Syr asked and the other waitresses of the pub nodded.

Especially Chloe who was in despair, seeing that he was now a budding, young man.

"I was having adventures outside, clear out monster nests with Artemis, those kinds of things." Lars shrugged.

Loki choked on her drink. "Artemis!? Are we even thinking of the same person? She wouldn't even let a guy go near her."

"Well, we get along." Lars shrugged and he showed his ear.

Artemis made an earring with the symbol of the moon for him.

"She even gave you a gift... I'll call you the rizzler from now on." Loki shook her head in disbelief.

"Lars! You don't visit enough!" The doors got kicked in as the amazon twins arrived.

Airmid bowed at Mia and she immediately gave her a bag of valis.

The twins lunged at him and he rubbed their backs.

"Hey, you guys see me at least a week. If you're lucky." Lars chuckled.

He collects the taxes every week after all. "Ey! You don't stay long enough!" Tiona rubbed her cheek on his.

"Oi! I have to recharge my Larsite!" Tione hugged him tightly.

"Easy, easy, geez. It's not like I went missing for years." He sighed.

"Well, it felt like it." Airmid smiled at him. He also finished the fortress city for Monstro now.

"I'm back." Lars smiled at them and they beamed at him.

"Un, welcome back home." They said at the same time.

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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.