Sorry for the delay, I actually forgot to post a chap today đź’€
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/A few hours later.../
'Around two hours after the start of the recruitment's first day, two girls made their way outside after they passed through their own exams.'
'Pleased and happy with themselves, they talked with each other nonchalantly.'
/Stretch…/
"MMMnnn… Phew, it's finally over." One of them said as she raised her arms up high
"While it took some time, the wait will be worth it, just a few more days and one more examination and we're done." The other replied with a small smile as she looked around
They're giving us time to prepare for the next exam, I couldn't ask for more.
Albeit it makes me feel stretched out… Part of me kind of wanted things to end right there and then.
I do feel a bit stressed out after being there for almost two hours...
'As they talked, they took their time to appreciate their surroundings by looking at the beautiful gardens managed by the Hestia Familia.'
'Many things had changed over the months ever since they acquired the Manor following the War game, with many layout changes having already been done throughout almost the entirety of the Manor, both internally and externally.'
'From expansions and reforms in the basement floors to new buildings being added in the back area of the land surrounding a training area.'
'Apollo prioritized beauty over practicality, so he didn't possess many facilities to boost his Familia's career options and abilities as he preferred extensive gardens and other superfluous things like a garden maze.'
'Including even an area where many stone statues used to be gathered, telling old stories related to him, they were definitely all true as Apollo wasn't someone to lie, but they might've been... A tad exaggerated.'
'Silver had it all torn down, much to Hestia's appreciation, she didn't like those either.'
'Of course, Silver still kept the statues, he plans on selling them one day... Perhaps to their original owner no less.'
'He was out there, one day he might achieve success... And he would take every single penny he made, if he valued his old things that is.'
'Otherwise, he would just sell them all outside some sucker Noble would definitely enjoy these.'
"Cough... I'm still not used to the weather down here..." One of them said as she grabbed a handkerchief, putting it over her nose
"..."
She's always so... "Ladylike"...
Even though... Forget it.
'They were certainly two very unusual girls.'
'From their foreign clothes to the strange dialect they spoke...'
'One had long bunny ears popping out of her head, while the other one also had two large ears in a triangle shape, exactly like those of a fox.'
'An uncommon Hume Bunny and an equally rare Rennard.'
(Image)
(Image)
"Still... It was an exciting experience… It wasn't as tiresome as I had imagined."
"And what else but a walk amidst a field of flowers to end the day?... Cough..." The Renard girl replied in an overly formal tone as her tail moved slowly in the wind
"Well… The flowers are pretty… I guess…"
There are certainly many unique flowers I've never seen before, but I'll be able to see them whenever once I join.
I'm more focused on the adventurers of the Familia…
This girl, on the other hand, seemed more interested in looking around rather than paying attention to her surroundings...
She really does take this a field trip rather than a Familia recruitment...
If only I had her confidence.
In any case, they were really professional, this must be the standard down here in Orario...
As we sat down in the Hall, many girls approached us with smiles on their faces, asking us for information in a very systematic manner.
We didn't think much of it at first, but given how few questions were asked of us when we were in the direct presence of the Gods, I imagine that was, in fact, the interview.
They collected information on us from the outside and then sent us to meet the Gods, likely to have them judge us also and pick up those they believed were fitting.
It's a rude way of thinking, but not entirely incorrect.
Even in the Far East, Gods would be picky with who they choose as their followers, can't see how they wouldn't be all the way down here.
… Most of them at the very least, the ones I know of.
"Let's go back and rest, warming up for the examination two days later wouldn't be bad either..."
/Chatter?.../
/Twitch…/
""Hm?""
'It was at that moment the two of them stopped moving.'
'As they turned the corner of the Manor, making their way to the front gates, they saw two people striking a conversation as they sat on a stone bench by the shade of a small tree.'
'A human, and a girl with golden hair…'
"Oh!"
It's a Renard!
/Giggles…/
'Hearing the sounds of faint laughter and small talk, their sensitive ears twitched as they approached the two.'
'Albeit human in appearance, beast Humans still retained animalistic instincts and behaviors from time to time, it varied from individual to individual.'
'That was why a beast Human's ears would twitch whenever someone approached them from outside their view.'
"Hm?"
'Likewise, the golden Renard turned her face to the two as her ears twitched.'
/Stunned…/
'And they were immediately stunned by the girl's beauty.'
'Don't misunderstand, they were gorgeous too, but their beauty was... In short words, simpler.'
'Her's was almost... Supernatural in nature, making them feel as if they had stepped into a fairy tale.'
'Smooth golden hair that went down her legs together with a pair of emerald eyes…'
'A fluffy tail that rested atop her lap where she elegantly put her hands as she talked with her partner.'
'She seemed to have a grace that reminded them of their homeland, from the way she tilted her head to the way she smiled at them.'
'Yes, indeed, it made the black-haired Renard understand she was also like her.'
'While she was a priestess of a Shrine, this girl must've been…'
'A Princess!'
'Albeit, from the many ruling households of the Far East, which one did she belong to?'
'From the moment she saw her, she assumed her to be from the Far East, as only someone that grew there would have that dignified aura.'
'At least, that was what she believed.'
"!"
C-Cute...
/Swail…/
'The moment the golden-haired Renard saw her, her tail also started to move as well.'
'In a sense, they found her incredibly cute as her emotions looked simple and pure.'
'She was the picturesque depiction of a Noble lady.'
"..."
'The man beside her was also not one to be ignored.'
'He stood there silently, smiling at them also.'
'His shoulders were wide, but not unusually so, his facial expression was sharp, but not too much.'
'He was muscular, stronger than most male adventurers they had seen around, but not enough to compare with those… "Strange man in underwear" they saw one of these days…'
'His hair was the standard black, nothing strange there, apart from the fact it seemed to have been cut recently.'
'But his eyes…'
'They seemed to shine even under the golden light of the sun, or perhaps, they shone even brighter when in its presence.'
'A pair of platinum eyes like the bright moon in the sky.'
'What an unusual pair.' They thought as they observed them
'Yet, strangely enough, they seemed to fit.'
'For the Renard, it made her remember the stories she heard from her Goddess back in her Shrine, fables forgotten by most…'
"E-Excuse me…" Haruhime interjected as she saw the two of them approach
It's been so long…
'It would be a lie to say Haruhime had fully forgotten her homeland.'
'The years she spent there to how she ended up departing, those many months she spent in a dark cellar of a boat as they made their way to the main Continent…'
'From the betrayal of her family to the disown from her father for unjust causes, her past might've been a gloomy one overall, but she still couldn't forget the beauty of the land she hailed from and the short moments of happiness she spent there as a child.'
'Upon seeing a girl just like her wearing clothes whose origins she couldn't mistake, a slight seed of curiosity set its roots inside her heart.'
'To hear tales of that land… Would it be possible for her to share them?'
"Hello." Said the Hume Bunny as she looked at the two
I've heard a few stories of some of the people of the Hestia Familia, but I don't quite record hearing about a girl like her... Unless she's taking the exams like us.
But from her clothes, that doesn't seem to be the case, they seem very much like those "Maid" clothes I've heard about.
Well, it's not like it would've been possible for me to know all of them, but someone this... Distinctive...
How come there are no stories about her?
I do know that there are many beautiful ladies in the Familia, but that's...
"Enchanted to meet you." Said the other Renard as she struck an elegant and formal greeting pose
Eh? I instinctively made a Shrine greeting...
"H-Hi… I'm… Mnn..."
"..."
'Seeing that Hurihime was having difficulties striking a conversation with the two girls, Silver decided to interject and give her a helping hand:'
"Nice to meet you two." He said with a smile as he raised his hand, interrupting her
'He felt like teasing Haruhime a little by patting her head, but that might've been too much.'
/Shua shua shua…/
'The nice little tree in front of them slowly danced in the wind, and its roots gradually moved from the ground, taking the shape of a seat just like theirs.'
/Shock.../
'This display greatly shocked them, because even in the Far East, Magic still followed the basic rules everyone knew of.'
'Yet now, they saw the tree move without even a single warning?!'
"... I imagine you two just came from the Party Hall, why not take a seat and relax a little?" Silver added as things started to calm down
"The name of this pretty lady on my side is Haruhime, while everyone just calls me Silver…"
"It's not hard to tell why." He said with a smile
It may be better to not share Haruhime's Family name as she's part of one of the 8 ruling houses, even though by now...
"As you can see, she couldn't help but notice your attires…"
/Pinch…/
'While Silver spoke, Haruhime pinched his side as she blushed slightly.'
"Haha… Well, the thing is, she's also from the Far East, would you two mind sharing a bit about yourselves?" He asked with a smile
""...""
'The two of them looked at each other in wonder, until one of them realized.'
'Wait… The Hestia Familia is known as a Familia of mostly girls…'
'There aren't that many boys in it.'
'Amidst those that are… One of them is extremely well known…'
'A man with Silvery white eyes that… Oh…'
"T-The Captain of the Hestia Familia…" The Bunny girl replied as her eyes widened
"!"
'This also came as a shock to the Renard, whose eyes opened wide…'
'Was this man truly a being capable of defeating a mighty Level 6?!'
'Once again, even in the Far East, Level 3 was the Level of Heroes, the few Level 4s usually appeared once per age, while Level 5 adventurers were immortalized as they all achieved legendary Tales passed down through time.'
'As far as she could remember, even in the Emperor's guards, there were only a few Level 4s, and all of them were old Dojo Masters.'
'There used to be a Level 5, but he died of old age before they were born.'
'He lived the life of a Hero, a true myth in the flesh whose tale was immortalized by the death of another legend, but in the shape of a catastrophe...'
'A monster.'
'But here, such a Hero...'
'How long would he last? That might be a better question.'
"K-Kaede, are you implying this handsome man is the same one on everyone's lips?" She asked as she whispered to her quickly
"..."
'But literally everyone heard her…'
'Of the four, three were beast Humans that excelled at hearing while the last one was a Level 4 adventurer with "slightly" inflated Stats.'
'Still, while Silver ignored her remarks, being even a bit proud, Haruhime flushed even further, while the bunny girl's expression became ashen.'
This pampered brat! She doesn't know when it's proper to speak or not!
Can't she realize who's shes dealing with?!
I know she's not used to how things flow in Orario, but still!
That's what happens when you're raised in a protected environment… Ahhh! The embarrassment…
"..."
'Seeing the two of them react to his words, Silver smiled.'
They look quite unique, I'm sure they passed the first phase of the assessment.
Their eyes are clear, even as they talk with me, they seem like good people.
Hestia told me she would be decreasing the requirements for her to accept children, but I don't really expect much given how many people applied...
Hum... Given the weapons on their waists, they'll likely pass the second phase too, at least, those don't look like toys to me.
They're practically family by this point.
It seems Haruhime will finally welcome some friends from her homeland, she had always been a little isolated on that note, especially now that Aisha is nowhere to be seen.
Good for her.
Now then, she's still a bit shy, so I'll try to direct things a little.
The day is quite long, and I have a lot of time to spare.
...
'For the next few moments, Silver stood there with the three of them, hearing their stories as they laughed from time to time.'
'And although things became a bit awkward when the duo asked how the two of them met... They managed to persevere somewhat.'
'Haruhime was unable to share the story as of now, although she would still do it at a later date, exaggerating all of the details while twisting everything...'
'Because in a sense, she was a princess, one that had been saved.'
'And she would be forever happy for that.'
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Notes
Phew, I really didn't expect this chapter to end up with only this interaction, 2.5K words just flew by huh?
In any case, that is it from me today, peace!