Upon hearing Tiona's story, Aston's mind was filled with one sole thought: He must win over Tione! Otherwise, if Tione ended up with another man, wouldn't he be the ultimate fool, with a vast grassland growing over his head?
"Tione, Tiona, come with me," Aston said, his figure flashing as he swiftly picked up the sisters and rushed to his room. Since Tione came with that intention, he thought it best to seize the opportunity now rather than leaving room for complications later. As for developing feelings with Tione, he figured they could cultivate that over time.
The sisters didn't resist as Aston picked them up, their faces flushing slightly, revealing their shyness to Aston.
Soon, melodious music began to echo in Aston's room. Thankfully, the room had excellent sound insulation, or else the entire villa would have been disturbed.
Aston did not attend the Denatus. As it was a gathering for deities, only gods were qualified to attend. Unless the host deity of the Denatus specifically requested it, deities wouldn't involve their Familias in such divine gatherings.
Though he didn't participate, Aston knew this Denatus was bound to be an event that would stir the blood of all the attending deities. Such large-scale events hadn't occurred in Orario for a long time. War Games were a rare source of entertainment for the gods of Orario.
"Do you need help?" Naaza, who visited Aston again to learn potion-making techniques, offered her assistance upon hearing about the upcoming War Game between the Hestia Familia and the Apollo Familia.
Miach had some understanding of Aston's strength, but Naaza didn't, so upon hearing this news, her first reaction was concern for the strength of the Hestia Familia, wanting to offer help. In her eyes, the Hestia Familia, being newly established, stood no chance against the long-established Apollo Familia.
"No need, the Apollo Familia is nothing but ants to me," Aston responded confidently to Naaza's offer of help, gently patting her head. "Just watch how I deal with the Apollo Familia. In fact, I might not even need to act myself."
Naaza was surprised by Aston's self-assurance. "Really?" she asked, to which Aston replied, "You'll see."
Aston then suggested, "Naaza, since Eina and the others will soon be entering the middle floors, you should join them in their dungeon adventures."
Naaza fell silent upon hearing this. Since a particular incident, she had developed a natural fear of the dungeon and had not entered it since. She feared the monsters born within the dungeon and had switched her profession from adventurer to potion maker, dedicating herself to studying potions. Her dedication even led to the creation of a dual-attribute potion capable of restoring both spirit and physical strength.
Aware of Naaza's situation, Aston didn't try to persuade her. Instead, he took out a necklace from his system space and put it around Naaza's neck.
Naaza, initially in a state of silence, was startled and looked at the necklace in amazement. Aston explained, "This is a magical item that can release defensive magic. It can withstand attacks from anyone below Level 5, and the magic inside is enough to maintain a defensive barrier against the full-force attack of a Level 4 monster for an hour. With this, you shouldn't have to worry about monster threats."
This magical item was a replica Aston had crafted, inspired by the one Hestia wore, capable of defending against Level 9 attacks. The reason it was only rated for Level 4 was that it was the lowest level Aston was willing to craft, and it wasn't too expensive.
Aston planned to equip every member of his Familia with such items. With his master-level forging and enchantment skills, Aston wouldn't consider crafting anything of a lower quality, as it would be beneath his standards.
"The armament I crafted before is also Level 4," Aston mentioned.
"This is too precious, I can't accept it. Please take it back, Aston-san!" Naaza, upon hearing Aston's explanation, immediately tried to remove the necklace to return it, but Aston stopped her.
"If you don't want to continue coming here to learn, then you can take it off," Aston said sternly, standing up and not giving Naaza a chance to refuse. "Otherwise, in a few days, join Eina and the others on a dungeon trip to overcome your psychological barrier." He then turned and left the room.
Aston saw great potential in Naaza as a student, appreciating her talent in potion-making and genuinely wanting to teach her as his disciple. Naturally, he hoped she wouldn't be burdened by her phobia for life. However, Naaza's fear had been deep-seated for years, and even though Miach had tried for a long time, she couldn't overcome it. But Aston's approach was different. He was stricter and had the means and manpower to ensure Naaza's safety. So, he decided to push Naaza to make a choice.
To Aston's relief, Naaza called out to him before he left the studio. "Aston-san, can I ask you to accompany me to the dungeon?"
Aston turned around, slightly surprised, to see Naaza struggling between fear and determination on her face. "You want me to take you?" he asked. "Alright, let's go to the dungeon now. It's still early."
"Now? Right now?" Naaza hesitated.
"Why, is it a problem?"
"No, it's... it's okay!"
***
Enjoyed the chapters? Read 20 chapters ahead on Patreon!
PATREON.COM/METARLN
600 power stones = 1 extra chapter