Today was a bit tighter than yesterday so this chapter came a few hours late, I'm sorry for this.
Anyway, we continue from where we left off.
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'Leto and her 5 children eventually arrived at the Hearth Manor were one of Artemis' children was waiting for them.'
'The girl led them to the back entrance and in there, they greeted Artemis, Hestia, and everyone else. Following this, Hestia dragged Leto with her to where she and Artemis were previously discussing leaving the rest behind.'
'The sole three girls of the Leto Familia were escorted to the room where Silver and Rethusa were discussing. While the young man and the middle-aged man, the only two males in the Leto Familia were left alone.'
"..."
"..."
'Wirs, the young man of the Leto Familia, was in no way sad by this development, as everywhere he looked, he could see pretty girls, which made him excited…'
"Stop dreaming…" Said Rubbert as he shook his head
'His happiness only lasted until the middle-aged man patted his shoulder, and as he looked behind him, he realized he was left alone once more as Rubbert was already on his way to the girls, and soon enough, he smoothly started a conversation with them.'
'Wirs on the other hand was also eager to talk, but the girls read through his true intentions and treated him harshly…'
'So he was left in the corner to cuddle alone…'
…
'Time passed, Leto smiled as she talked with Hestia and Artemis, who seemed to have a strange mood around them, while Yilfi(Elf), Gvir(Cat-girl), and Riha(Pallum) met with Silver and Rethusa in his office.'
'Yilfi's heartbeat was like the beating of war drums, and she eventually met her 'hero', whom for a long time, she longed for and trained to be on his side.'
'The meeting was just like she dreamed of, his smile under the faint sunlight as it entered the room… But her dreams were shattered by reality as they weren't alone, and he wasn't waiting for her specifically…'
'Nevertheless, after a long talk, the three thanked Silver and Silver smiled, inviting them to join in his discussion with Rethusa.'
'Eventually, the hours passed and the time arrived!'
'Silver went to the stairs in front of his house door and looked at the gigantic crowd in front of him.'
(Image)
'He took out his trusty pocket watch and checked the time.'
"... About 10 more minutes…"
It's time.
"..."
There are at least 600 people here… Gezz…
(I am certain, it looks less crowded than you think.)
'Just as Silver watched them, they slowly started to turn towards him, and eventually, everyone looked at him.'
'Under the watchful gaze of half a thousand people, Silver did not feel any different.'
'He raised his hand and the wind suddenly got stronger! And eventually, the two metal gates opened, welcoming the people inside.'
/Step step…/
'He heard the steps of people from behind him, and soon, 3 Goddesses appeared.'
'Leto in her fashionable dress, since she wouldn't be fighting, Artemis in her casual yet iconic, clothes, and lastly, Hestia in her special attire.'
'All three of them looked, dashing, holy, and beautiful respectively. And Silver was quick to point that out...'
"Oh my, you three are like stars right now, it's quite hard to get my eyes off…"
"Humph!"
'Hestia kicked his leg, it didn't hurt but it made him quite embarrassed deeming the circumstance.'
"Are you going to roll your tongue every time you see a pretty girl?" Asked Hestia with a frown
'Silver shook his head, saying:'
"Since when am I like that? And aren't you all way more than just pretty girls?"
"..."
"..."
"Oh my, you have quite the tongue. Are you trying to make me fall too?" Said Leto with a smile
'Hestia looked at the side with a slightly red face while Artemis seemed happy with her thin smile.'
"Thanks, I try my best to be honest, most of the time."
"Most of the time? Then, are there times when you are a bad boy?" Asked Leto with her smile
'Silver smiled deepened as he said:'
"Well, I…"
"Humph!"
'Hestia kicked his leg again, making Silver's face blacken.'
"You also look quite… Dashing." Said Artemis with a smile
"Oh? You think so too? I quite like these to be honest, but they are quite a bother to put on, they even come with a cape but I took it out, it was a bit too much for me…"
I don't know, too fancy for me, perhaps one day I will wear a cape and pose under the sun.
'To Silver's words, Hestia rolled her eyes while Artemis smiled and Leto put her right hand in front of her mouth elegantly to hide her smile.'
" You are also quite… Self-aware." Joked Leto
'Silver smiled awkwardly.'
"I am just joking…"
'All the while, the people in the garden looked at the scene with a bit of awe.'
"It seems Captain is rather popular with girls… Those are goddesses too, right?" Asked one of the adventurers
"As expected of the Captain!"
"You look confident, do you think you'll pass?" Asked the other adventurer
"You'll see!"
…
'Soon, rumors would spread that Silver was a playboy… But it would take some time for them to spread and develop in that state… And when he learns of it, Silver would be pretty pissed…'
"Is it time?" Asked Hestia, calmer
'Silver replied:'
"You can start now if you wish, or you can wait 3 more minutes, it doesn't matter since all preparations are long finished."
'Hestia nodded, she coughed a bit before she went over her small speech on her head.'
'So she took a step forward and said:'
"First! I want to thank all of you! For being here, and for the fact that you chose my Familia… You all showed me you have good taste!"
/WOW!/
'The people replied with laughs and loud sounds, approving of Hestia's words.'
"So before we start…"
'She grew boulder from this and was about to play around when…'
"!"
'Silver used telekinesis to pinch her waist, trying to make her remember what he said to her earlier… Of course, all the while, he did not remove his sight from the crowd, having a light smile on his face.'
'As for what Silver said to Hestia…'
…
/A few hours ago…/
"One more thing before you go take a shower… You can say whatever you want to rile the people up… But please… Don't be cringe…"
"I won't! Why are you like this to me?!"
"You know what I am talking about, I am sure you would start saying some pretty 'funny' things and although that would work to rile people up, it would make me embarrassed for a very long time…"
"... It can't be that bad…"
"So tell me, what were you planning to say?"
'Hestia thought for a moment before she said:'
"So before we start! Please show me your spirit! DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE HESTIA FAMILIA?! IS SILVER A PRINCE?! IS HESTIA THE MOST BEAUTIFUL…"
'But Silver put his hand on her lips and said with a monotone:'
"No, please stick to the script... So, where were we?..."
"Oh yes, repeat with me..."
…
'Hestia eventually stuck to the script, preventing Silver from feeling shameful…'
'However funny enough, Silver wasn't paying attention to that, and instead, he was looking at two girls in the crowd. One with red hair and the other with blue hair.'
'When they locked eyes, they waved at him and Silver did the same. But inside, he was rejoicing.'
Hell yeah! A healer that is also a prophet and a good fighter!
'It was sad how different his opinion of the two was…'
'Once Hestia was done, she stepped back and let Silver talk.'
"Everyone, I will be brief since there are a lot of you today, and I am sure no one wants to stay under the sun for too long so let's go over this quickly and orderly!"
"First, there is no way for our Familia to take all of you in. I know, it's a shame, but we will be only taking a limited number for our first recruitment."
"But don't be sad, as there will be other such recruitments in the future."
"Second, let me talk a bit about how our Familia will operate in the future."
"It may seem as obvious for most, but we will be mainly an exploration type Familia, but that doesn't mean we won't be accepting people like blacksmiths and potion makers, or anyone with a diverse job. We still need you."
"This leads us to the third point, each of you will pass through an interview, and if you pass, we will conduct the next test, and to make this short, you will learn of its contents later when you get there."
"On that note, allow me to also introduce you to our helpers this time, Leto-Sama and Artemis-Sama, they will help us during the execution of both the interview and the first test. Thank you for being here and making this possible." Said Silver as he clapped
Else it would've been an ass to interview and test over 600 people…
'Artemis and Leto did not expect to be called out like this, but they did a small elegant bow nonetheless. They were pretty embarrassed under the cheers of the people.'
"And that's it everyone, once again, thank you for being here and giving us a chance… Now please, follow the floating arrows, no need to push anyone as we will be testing everyone today."
If you do I will kick you out of the Manor via freaking telekinesis…
'As he said that, his hand glowed blue and several arrows made of water started to float in the air, pointing towards the back of the Manor.'
/Ohhh…/
'The people were impressed, they followed the glowing arrows and thankfully no problem surged.'
"Hm?"
'Hestia looked at the crowded and noticed two girls, they were awfully similar to what Silver described to her…'
"Are those the girls from the Apollo Familia you told me about?"
'Silver followed her gaze and nodded.'
"Yes, I can see a few adventures from the Apollo Familia, but I don't really care much... Apart from those two, just make sure they pass."
"Haa? I know you told me about them, but why exactly?"
"If we were to send away two trustworthy and capable companions like this then there is no point in this recruitment at all."
"How do you know they are trustworthy? They were from another Familia not so long ago! One we fought against!"
'Silver shrugged, saying he felt it in his guts.'
'Hestia did not kick him this time, she wanted to know what he saw in them. But Silver looked at her and apologized inside for not being able to tell the full story.'
"..."
Unfortunately, I can't lose a seer… And an incredible healer… As long as we help her develop her magic, she would become one of the most important cogs in the Familia.
It would be too much to say she might become the best healer in the world, but she can definitely become one of the top 5… No, 3. And she has one more slot so who knows...
My only regret is that she is already Level 2, hence I wasn't part of her initial growth… But that doesn't matter much, not everyone needs to min-max.
Daphne is also incredible, more than just a bonus from recruiting Cassandra.
She just needs a safe and comfortable environment where she can grow.
It might be a little hypocritical of me to approach them for such reasons, but that is how things are, most people approach others with an objective in mind, rare are the people that don't or when the situation allows for it.
What matters is the future and how we interact…
'Smiling slightly, Silver went back inside the Manor, where he would be waiting for the chosen ones to pass.'
'Artemis and Leto also made their way inside, ready to perform their duties.'
'But as he made his way inside, he felt a tug on his shirt, making him look behind him.'
"Hestia? Is there anything you need?" He asked as he looked at her
"... It's been on my mind, but I wanted to know, what would you do if... If another girl... You know... Liked you?"
"..."
'Silver's expression distorted but he recovered his cool almost instantaneously.'
Is this her vengeance because I forgot to discuss our relationship?... What timing...
But the answer is simple.
"I would... Hm?"
'But Hestia blocked his mouth, looking at the ground with a pitiful expression.'
"Yeah... I thought as much."
'She let go of his mouth and made her way past him.'
"Oi. Are you going to leave just like that?" Asked Silver as he frowned
"... No matter what you choose, it won't change what I feel, but be ready to face the consequences!" She said as she left, running after the other two goddesses
"..."
What just...
'Silver remained on the stairs leading to the Manor, the sun shining on his head, he felt extremely confused...'
…
'The people were eventually led to the dance hall where Apollo used to host his parties, the place was now filled with chairs for the people to sit, unfortunately, there weren't enough seats so some people had to remain standing.'
'Members of the Artemis Familia distributed small papers with some numbers in them, and soon enough, they started to call people by their numbers in groups of 5…'
'People would follow the directions given by the girls and arrive in a room where Leto and Hestia could be seen sitting behind a large table, on top of it were two piles of papers one in each corner of the table.'
'There wasn't anything on the papers next to Hestia while the ones next to Leto were the portfolio of each person present here today, perfectly organized alphabetically.'
'These were gathered by the Guild and sent to them by the adventurers themselves, they didn't need to do much for them, but Silver did pass half an hour putting them in order...'
'Hestia would check the people's personality and intentions with her divine power while Leto would help on the side with her experience and the information on the papers…'
'After all, even if someone doesn't have perfectly clear intentions, that doesn't mean that person is unworthy of being in her Familia, nor that the person is incapable and untrustworthy.'
"So, let's start this interview!" Said Hestia with a smile as she took a piece of paper and a pen from the side
'Leto smiled gently as she looked at the first few people.'
'And so it started, the interview!'
…
'At the same time, in the back garden of the Hearth Manor…'
'Rethusa and Silver could be seen sitting next to a medium-sized stone arena. This one was similar to what the Loki Familia had, but the materials were much cheaper and weaker.'
'During the reforms, Silver obviously asked for one to be made since he knew that people would need a comfortable place to practice or spar since fighting in the grass not only damages the garden but is also a bit of a bother to maintain and practice in.'
'Although the stone will break if strength over Level 2 is applied onto it... It's just normal hard stone.'
"You're really relaxed aren't you?" Asked Rethusa when she saw Silver with his eyes closed ready to sleep
"Shouldn't I?"
"On the contrary, but I just find it novel that you are so relaxed."
"Yawwwnn… It's just a simple recruitment, there is no need for me to get vexed over it."
Although there are other things that are keeping me awake right now...
'She rolled her eyes as she waited.'
'Her job was simple, she and a few others would be tasked with testing the physical capabilities of the recruits that passed Hestia's selection.'
'Being an adventurer requires a minimum of physical prowess… Being able to evade a monster attack, having the wit to do so as well… All of this can be nurtured over time but some people can never properly adapt.'
'It's just a test anyway, and according to Silver's estimations, they may be able to accept everyone who passes the first test anyway…'
'From 600+ to his limit of 40. A 1 in 15-17 chance to pass… Of course, if the numbers surpass his limit, he will have to select people based on their results in this test and on his personal assessment.'
'He is willing to pass the limit if he sees talents he can't simply miss... But that is unlikely.'
"..."
'As they waited, a cute blue-haired elf walked into the arena and sat in one of the chairs… It was Yilfi... But surprisingly, she sat quite far away from Silver.'
"Why are you so far away?" Asked Rethusa as she turned her head around
"It's… It's a bit hot today and I… Am bad with heat..."
URG… I can't do it…
But I want to…
'Yilfi remembered the words of her Goddess, if she didn't act on her own, she would never have a chance.'
'So she got up to sit next to him when…'
"So let me sit over here then…"
'Artemis appeared and quickly walked to the empty seat next to Silver where she sat and got herself comfortable.'
"..."
Her again!?
'Once again Yilfi's dreams were shattered by this blue-haired lady, she knew who she was and since that day at the party, she knew she was a competitor… But today, she lost once again.'
'She bit her lips as she looked at the arena in sorrow… While Artemis looked at Silver with a small smile.'
'There wasn't much to talk about, with them all since Silver already discussed everything previously when they were going over the plans for this recruitment.'
'He already caught up with Artemis and the others, talked a bit about the past, and is now only waiting for everything to start.'
/Creeek!/
'And so, the first group of recruits made their way into the garden. Only 2, meaning that 3 from the group of 5 failed.'
"Time to work."
'Rethusa got up from her chair with a serious expression while Yilfy did the same, if there was a time to show her capabilities, it wasn't now...'
'She would wait until the time was right!'
'Noticing their expressions, Silver said with a dark expression:'
"Please go easy on them, it's just a test…"
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Notes