"Such a beautiful youth, and he belongs to Hestia's Familia," Apollo mused, looking at the paper with Aston's portrait. His eyes sparkled, his face flushed, nostrils flared with excitement. He was visibly enthralled by Aston's appearance and made up his mind instantly.
"Go and investigate the Hestia Familia." Aston's stunning looks had captivated him; he had never seen such a beautiful half-elf and wanted to possess him.
The male adventurer, accustomed to Apollo's behavior, knew the routine. Apollo always paid special attention to newly promoted adventurers from Level 1 to Level 2, and Level 2 to Level 3. He had a penchant for acquiring those he found attractive, using any means necessary, especially if the target wasn't protected by a large Familia.
"Yes, Apollo-sama!" the adventurer responded respectfully and left the room, leaving Apollo alone, obsessively fixated on Aston's image, completely lacking the dignity expected of a deity.
Meanwhile, Aston, walking with Eina back to their Familia, suddenly shivered.
"What's wrong, Aston?" Eina asked, noticing his reaction.
"I just felt a chill, as if some creep was eyeing me," Aston said, rubbing his arms and shivering.
"Creeped out?" Eina looked puzzled but then scrutinized Aston more closely and nodded in understanding. "Given your looks, it makes sense to attract attention."
Indeed, Aston's appearance was comparable to famous deities known for their beauty, rivaling even the likes of Loki Familia's Riveria and Ais.
"Is that so?" Aston pondered, touching his chin thoughtfully.
"Absolutely," Eina assured him. "But it could be troublesome if someone obsessed with your looks causes trouble. Don't hesitate to stand your ground."
Aston frowned slightly, feeling a bit troubled. He wasn't the type to back down from confrontations or tolerate nuisances quietly.
If someone really targets me, I will make them regret coming into this world, even if they are gods. Although I can't directly attack a god, I can force them back to the heavens through a War Game, just like how Freya forced Ishtar back to the heavens in the original story.
If a War Game is officially initiated, even gods must follow its rules, and other gods won't tolerate any rule-breaking. They will enforce adherence to the rules.
Many trickster gods enjoy doing this – forcing another god back to the boring heavens and watching them enviously as we enjoy our lives in the lower world. It's one of life's great pleasures to see a fellow deity sent back against their will.
"There's no need to hold back. If someone targets you because of your appearance, deal with them decisively," Eina said, fully supporting Aston. "If they compete fairly, that's fine, but if they resort to underhanded tactics, we won't indulge them. Even if Aston doesn't act, I will ask Lyd and Ray to intervene."
Eina was very aware of Lyd and Ray's strength over the past few days. Though she didn't know their exact level, she was sure they were at least Level 3 or 4. A first-class adventurer, especially someone like Aston, wouldn't resort to lowly tactics. Those without sufficient strength were the ones who would.
"Heh, Eina, you've changed a lot," Aston commented, noticing the change in Eina since she became an adventurer.
"There's no choice. Being an adventurer means living on the edge, and that requires a change to survive. You have to be tough when necessary, otherwise, you're just a pushover," Eina explained. "Like yesterday, when we were adventuring on the 10th floor, someone tried to use 'monster pheromone' to attract a horde of monsters to attack us."
"Those guys targeted us because they knew we were new adventurers," Eina explained with a frown. "We were seen as easy targets. But I refuse to let something like that happen again. Once is enough."
Aston, surprised by this, asked, "You were ambushed with monster pheromone on the 10th floor? How did you handle it?"
"Of course, we had Lyd take action and eliminate those guys. When facing enemies, you must eradicate them completely. Leaving them any chance of retaliation can be detrimental to us. Who knows what they might do if we let them go?" Eina stated matter-of-factly.
Hearing this, Aston looked at Eina with a mix of surprise and curiosity.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you agree with how I handled it?"
"No, I think you did well," Aston reassured her. "When dealing with enemies, it's necessary to be thorough and leave no room for them to strike back." He then patted Eina's head, causing her to relax a bit.
"So comfortable..., no, Aston, I'm older than you!"
"What, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"No…, that's not..."
"That's great."
"Aston… you bad guy!"
***
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