"Since you've taken a liking to this body, you can use it as you wish."
Revis finally agreed to Ryou's terms, though the way she said it sounded somewhat awkward.
Upon receiving Revis's definitive answer, Ryou felt a surge of joy in his heart.
As for the three-year agreement, heh, once you're on my pirate ship, do you think you can just leave?
Not fitting in with the gods and their followers, betraying Enyo and the monsters, and carrying the burden of reviving her sister—there's no way she wouldn't end up staying obediently on Ryou's ship.
It's not that Ryou was being insidious; his opponents were gods. Except for Hestia, who was more of a cute mascot, the other gods were all cunning and devious, having lived for billions of years.
...
Ryou then gathered the female staff of the Hostess of Fertility—no, it was now more widely known as the Gudako Hotel in Orario, especially among the upper echelons. The female staff now mostly declared themselves members of the Shrine Maiden.
After assembling all the female staff, including Mama Mia, Ryou introduced Revis as the newest member.
The older staff from the Hostess of Fertility, even including Hestia, looked at Revis with complex expressions.
The veteran staff were mostly hidden experts who could sense the powerful aura emanating from Revis, comparable to Mama Mia, a former level 6 adventurer.
As for Hestia, the cute goddess likely sensed something unusual about Revis through her divine perception.
Despite this, they all welcomed Revis's addition.
And so, Revis took on her new role as the head of security.
Having settled Revis into her new dormitory, Ryou finally returned to his room, only to find a purple figure sitting on his sofa.
"Huh? Shishou, you haven't left yet?"
Ryou asked curiously, knowing Scathach was usually elusive.
"Are you eager for me to leave?"
Scáthach glanced at him indifferently.
Ryou awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Although he had made bold declarations in front of her before, he always felt a bit uneasy and restrained when alone with Scáthach.
It was likely due to Scáthach's overwhelming power and presence. After all, before his reincarnation, Ryou was just an otaku, while Scáthach was the queen of the Land of Shadows, overseeing the gods' graveyard.
But Ryou would never admit to this.
It was just a natural psychological reaction when a man faced someone he admired.
Yes, that was it.
"Of course not. If Shishou wishes to stay, you can stay as long as you like. I just have a lot of questions about the primordial runes to ask, and I also need your help with something."
"Hmph! You're certainly not shy about asking," Scáthach's tone was stern, but there was no impatience in her expression.
"Well, what can I do? You're my beloved Shishou," Ryou said with a playful grin.
Seeing Ryou's face, a complex light flickered in Scáthach's eyes.
Her previous disciples were all rough, muscle-headed men. Having someone like Ryou, who could be mischievous and intelligent, was a novel experience.
The key point was that, apart from her future, which she could foresee through the Wisdom of Dún Scáith, she couldn't obtain any information about Nguyen Ryou.
Since acquiring the Wisdom of Dún Scáith, a cheat-like Noble Phantasm, everything in the world had become known to Scáthach. It was like knowing the end of a movie before watching it—utterly devoid of interest.
Now, she found the joy of exploring the unknown again through Ryou, rekindling her long-dead heart.
For the first time, the Queen of the Land of Shadows felt intrigued by a man much weaker than herself.
"Let me answer your first question. First and foremost, considering the primordial runes as a mere magic system is a completely erroneous perspective."
Her long-standing warrior mentality allowed Scáthach to swiftly suppress her complex emotions, steadying her mind and patiently explaining to Ryou.
"The primordial runes represent the ancient text from the birth of the world, predating even the gods. They can even be traced back to the Swirl of the Root..."
Upon hearing this, Ryou couldn't help but feel a deep respect. In the Nasuverse, there is a golden rule: anything related to the Swirl of the Root is invincibly powerful.
"So, you need to use it as a form of writing. Like a writer, you must compose the primordial runes into words, sentences, paragraphs, and texts. Because of this, each person's mastery of the primordial runes is unique, and how you use them depends entirely on your understanding. The insights of others will only mislead you. Do you understand?"
With this explanation, Ryou instantly grasped the concept.
It was akin to how a top-tier author and a third-rate both write novels in the same concept but the former's works become wildly popular, while the latter struggles even to get published.
This is the charm of combining words.
In essence, the use of primordial runes is the same—understanding them and combining them into more powerful and mysterious rune words.
Seeing Ryou deep in thought, a hint of a smile flashed in Scáthach's eyes.
Her disciples were all accomplished in martial arts, but they were severely lacking in magecraft. Even her most prized pupil, Cú Chulainn, had only grasped the basics, and he was the best among them.
If Ryou could inherit or even surpass her abilities, it would be an interesting development.
The saying "a pupil outgrowing his master" only applies to those who lack confidence in themselves. Scáthach wished for a disciple who could surpass her, even to the point of being able to kill her.
"Now, tell me what other help you need from me."
Ryou's eyes flickered as he spoke...
...
"You need help for that... Fine, this sounds interesting. I'll help you," Scáthach said with keen interest.
Ryou's face lit up with joy. With his Shishou's help, it seemed like half the battle was already won.
...
While Ryou was scheming against someone, a special guest arrived at the Hostess of Fertility.
It was still a while before mealtime, and Hestia was listlessly wiping down tables.
Suddenly, four hooded figures, their faces completely covered, walked into the pub.
"Welcome. What would you like?"
Hestia asked, her face habitually displaying a professional smile.
"It seems you've been doing well lately, Hestia," a clear and pleasant voice rang out.
"It's you!"
Recognizing the extremely familiar voice, Hestia looked up in shock at the cloaked figure.
Even the hooded cloak couldn't hide her tall and voluptuous figure. As she moved, a lock of noble and mysterious purple hair flowed out, and her refined face, framed by sword-like eyebrows, looked heroic. However, all this was overshadowed by her golden eyes, filled with divinity and endless wisdom.
"Athena! Why are you here?"
An ominous feeling rose in Hestia's heart as if her peaceful daily life was about to end with the arrival of her old friend.
The woman Hestia called Athena sat down, and the three cloaked figures behind her remained silent.
When Hestia sat across from Athena, one of the cloaked figures raised a hand, tracing symbols in the air while chanting a mysterious spell.
An invisible wave swept through the room, causing the female staff who had noticed the commotion to turn away and go about their business as if no one was there.
Athena crossed her legs elegantly on the wooden stool. Despite wearing an ugly black cloak, she managed to make it look like a regal and luxurious queen's gown.
"I think you know why I'm here. Do you need a reminder?"
Athena said with an amused smile.
"Tch! That's why you were the hardest to deal with in the heavens. With your superior intellect, you always took pleasure in toying with others," Hestia replied with a look of disdain.
"Is that so? But I like you the most. Compared to those hypocrites, it's people like you who are the most endearing," Athena said, licking her lips seductively, her eyes barely concealing her possessiveness.
Hestia immediately felt like a rabbit being stared at by a poisonous snake, involuntarily shivering as she stammered a warning, "You! You better not do anything crazy. This is Orario, not Olympus!"
"So, that means I can do this and that to you once we're back in Olympus~?"
Athena said, deliberately speaking in a suggestive tone.
"Nowhere is acceptable! My sexual orientation is perfectly normal; I only like men!"
Hestia's twin tails even perked up in her agitation.
"Is that so? Then why do you still maintain..."
Athena suddenly leaned close to Hestia's ear, "your pure, virgin state?"
She then gently blew into Hestia's ear.
"Eek!!!"
Hestia jumped up like a startled rabbit.
"Your reactions are always so adorable, Hestia. Hehehe~"
Athena laughed with queenly elegance.
While the two goddesses playfully bantered (essentially Athena teasing the youthful-looking Hestia), the three cloaked figures behind Athena stood still as statues.
After the playful exchange:
"So, your purpose here is indeed about that child, isn't it?"
Hestia's expression suddenly turned serious.
Athena's demeanor became as cold as a glacier.
"You should be well aware that Bell Cranel is a direct descendant of Zeus, yet you allowed him to join a rival pantheon!"
"But that child is happy and free in Freya's Familia now. His dream is to become a hero, not to be a pawn in your games!"
Hestia argued passionately.
Athena remained unmoved, her eyes filled with the divine arrogance with which gods view mortals.
"He bears a mission crucial to all of Olympus. His fate no longer belongs to him."
"In any case, I won't help you anymore."
Seeing no way to reason with her, Hestia resorted to stubbornness.
However, to the cold-hearted goddess of war, Hestia's childish antics were utterly meaningless.
"So, I didn't come to seek your help. I came to inform you that your task is now under my control," Athena coldly declared.
"You can't do this!"
Hestia stood up angrily, leaning on the table, glaring at Athena.
"Hestia, let me tell you one more thing. Our dear father Zeus never trusted you from the start."
Athena stood up, walked over to the stunned Hestia, and whispered in her ear, "Because you're too soft-hearted, Hestia."
With that, Athena left with her three guards without looking back, leaving Hestia to slump back into her seat, dejected.
Ding!
As they walked out, one of the guards' cloaks fluttered slightly, revealing a glint of gold. The source seemed to be a golden sheep-shaped earring.
...
Time flew by, and before long, it was the next day.
The dawn in Orario was particularly chilly, the streets and alleys were almost deserted. The entire labyrinth city seemed to have truly transformed into a labyrinth. With the sun yet to rise, a thick mist enveloped the city, adding an eerie atmosphere.
At the street corner, a golden tassel fluttered in the wind, and a slender figure swiftly rounded the corner, heading towards the distant, fog-shrouded, towering city walls.
This figure was well-known throughout Orario. She was Ais Wallenstein, a senior adventurer of Loki's Familia, a level 5 adventurer renowned throughout Orario, bearing the title of "Sword Princess" bestowed by the gods themselves.
Fully armed, Ais ascended the city wall without a moment's hesitation.
"Yo! You made it," a man's voice greeted her.
If anyone found out that the beautiful Sword Princess was secretly meeting a stranger at dawn, those who admired her would surely be shocked.
"Yeah," Ais responded with a single word in her usual indifferent manner.
A hint of anxiety and longing appeared on Ais's usually indifferent face, her pale golden eyes fixed intently on Nguyen Ryou.
"What is the way to become stronger? Tell me quickly!"
One look at Ais's eyes, and Ryou immediately understood her desperation.
"The weather is pretty nice today," Ryou remarked, deliberately changing the subject.
"The sun hasn't even come up yet," Ais replied coldly, her voice tinged with a slight anger.
"Well, that's good. We can enjoy the sunrise," Ryou said, seemingly oblivious to the anger in Ais's tone.
Ryou continued to talk about everything except the main topic, knowing well that things obtained too easily are not cherished. Though his method of playing hard to get was a bit crude, it was highly effective.
Besides, he had a small ulterior motive. Teasing Ais, who was a mix of stoic and genuinely naive, and watching her usually indifferent face grow more expressive, was an immensely amusing prospect.
Indeed, even someone as emotionally reserved as Ais couldn't hide her growing impatience and anger, which Ryou could easily discern.
"What exactly do I have to do to become stronger? I'll agree to any condition if it makes me stronger!" Ais grabbed Ryou's sleeve, her determination shining so brightly in her eyes that it made him feel a pang of guilt.
He had truly underestimated her obsession with becoming stronger...
Ryou couldn't help but think.
With such a strong obsession, getting her on board was practically a done deal.
But looking into those unwavering eyes, Ryou felt a twinge of guilt.
Was it right to manipulate such a pure-hearted girl?
He quickly pushed that guilt aside.
I am not here to be a hero or a saint, but to become strong. There's no room for sentimentality now; it's laughable!
With that thought, Ryou put on a warm smile. "Do you want to become stronger?"
Despite his radiant smile, the pure-hearted and perceptive Ais sensed an odd feeling, something that made her instinctively uncomfortable.
But for the sake of becoming stronger, a girl willing to risk her life would not be deterred by such feelings.
So Ais nodded vigorously.
"Alright then, words alone aren't enough. How about I let you experience it firsthand?"
Ryou's smile grew even brighter.
For some reason, Ais felt that his smile resembled the wolf in fairy tales that lured Little Red Riding Hood, making her quite uneasy.
"Okay," Ais said, suppressing her negative emotions and striving to remain calm.
"You've already met my Shishou. She will suppress her strength to match yours and then spar with you," Ryou explained, glancing toward the shadowy part of the watchtower.
"Shishou, I'll leave it to you."
Tap, tap, tap~
Accompanied by the sound of high heels clicking against stone, a purple-black figure silently emerged from the shadows. It was Scáthach, who had been hiding nearby for some time.
The Queen of the Land of Shadow examined Ais with great interest.
"So, this is the little girl? She is indeed quite intriguing."
Even the usually emotionless Ais couldn't hide her shock.
"When did she get there? Why didn't I notice her?"
A series of questions popped into Ais's mind, but she wasn't good with words. Instead, her pale golden eyes locked onto Scáthach's, as if trying to see through her completely.
"Interesting little girl, I'm starting to like you. Let's not waste any time and begin."
As Scáthach spoke, she drew several mysterious runes in the air.
Crack!
With a light sound, a sprout suddenly emerged from the gap between the stone bricks, rapidly growing into a small sapling.
Scáthach gave the sapling a gentle tug, and the main trunk was immediately in her hand. She then lightly stroked the trunk, transforming it into a smooth, wooden rapier, its length perfectly matching the sword at Ais's waist, both in length and thickness.
This skill of creating weapons from thin air left Ais and Ryou wide-eyed and unblinking.
However, their focuses were entirely different. Ryou was fixated on his Shishou's unparalleled and effortlessly executed primordial rune techniques, while Ais was naturally concerned with whether she could learn this skill to strengthen herself.
"Let's start. Let me train (tease) you properly," Scáthach said, a glint of excitement in her eyes.
Ryou couldn't shake the feeling that when Scathach mentioned "train (tease)," her demeanor shifted from a proud and cold queen to a sadistic 'cruel' queen.
Ais, you'd better do your best.
Ryou glanced at Ais without showing any emotion, silently mourning for her for three seconds.
Unaware of Ryou's thoughts, Ais only cared about becoming stronger. She obediently drew her "Desperate" from her waist and attacked Scáthach without hesitation.
Scathach, however, stood still like an abyss, a stark contrast to her usual lightning-fast and aggressive style. She only slightly dodged when Ais's sword was mere millimeters away from her, causing Ais to miss and leave herself completely exposed to Scáthach's blade.
Oddly, Scáthach did not seize the opportunity to counterattack, seeming instead to be observing Ais.
A true sword princess, calm under pressure, changing her thrust to a sweep. But Scáthach was even more skilled, seemingly predicting Ais's move, elegantly bending backward like a dancer, Ais's blade missing her face by a hair's breadth.
Even Ryou, watching from the sidelines, could feel the bone-chilling cold emanating from Ais's blade.
Failing to change her move, Ais, in desperation, lifted her leg, seemingly trying to create distance with a kick.
But Scáthach was faster, her foot subtly twisting, trapping Ais's leg securely in place.
Ais attempted to swing her sword, but Scáthach's arm blocked it, leaving her free to place her wooden sword against Ais's delicate neck.
This round, Scáthach won flawlessly.
In Ais's eyes, a complex mix of unwillingness and astonishment flashed.
If Scáthach had overwhelmed her with sheer strength, it would have been one thing. But Scáthach had suppressed her attributes to match Ais's level, even being notably slower and less agile.
Since becoming an adventurer, Ais had always been praised, rapidly advancing from level 1 to level 2, earning the title of "Sword Princess" from the gods for her splendid and powerful swordsmanship.
Even though Ais didn't care about these accolades, she had her pride. Her sword would not lose to anyone.
But now, Scathach had schooled her, the disparity in their abilities leaving Ais feeling despondent and shaken.
Scáthach released Ais gently, watching her despondent expression in silence.
Being highly adept at mentoring her disciples, Scáthach understood that this was a critical juncture, a significant threshold determining how far a warrior could grow.
Faced with an unbeatable opponent, would one submit and flee, or abandon their ego and fight relentlessly, even if only to leave a scar on their foe?
Among her many disciples, most remained obscure because they couldn't overcome this initial hurdle. Only a few, like Cú Chulainn and Fergus, crossed it and became world-renowned heroes.
If Ais were to falter here, her future achievements would be limited, and Scáthach would advise Ryou to abandon the idea of bringing Ais on board.
But if Ais could emerge from this shadow, Scáthach might consider taking this interesting girl under her wing.
After a long silence, Ais slowly lifted her head.