"So, why does a dignified goddess have such a bizarre personality? None of these gods act remotely godlike!" Rin exclaimed, glancing at Alexander, who was busy coloring the third season of a comic. She sighed dramatically. "Honestly, it seems like our Creator has a truly wicked sense of humor."
"Huh? Rin, are you bad-mouthing me behind my back again?" Alexander retorted, looking up from his work. "And what do you mean by 'wicked'? This is art! Art, do you understand?"
Alexander set down his paintbrush and gave Rin an exasperated look. "What's wrong with goddesses? Can't they fall in love? Can't they be quirky? You're being prejudiced!"
"Prejudiced, huh? Fine. Then explain this," Rin shot back, pulling Artoria aside. "Why did you turn King Arthur into a girl? In every legend, King Arthur is clearly a man!"
Artoria gave Alexander a reproachful glance, recalling her days of disguising herself as a man in Great Britain.
"This… this is art! Art!" Alexander defended himself desperately. "Besides, who said I didn't create a male version of King Arthur? Have you forgotten about the Old Sword? Sure, there's no anime adaptation, but you've seen Fate/Prototype, haven't you?"
"Hmph." Rin turned away in frustration. "Whatever. You're impossible to argue with."
Seeing Rin finally let the matter drop, Alexander sighed in relief.
"By the way," Alexander began, his tone turning serious, "since certain parties plan to stir up trouble during the Monster Festival, we need to prepare."
His gaze fell on the group in front of him. Although Artoria and Altair were strong, it didn't hurt to take precautions.
"Hestia, you're close to Hephaestus, aren't you? How about asking her to outfit everyone with divine gear?"
Alexander knew well how formidable the gods of this world could be. While their playful demeanor often masked their true power, the divine abilities they kept hidden were anything but ordinary. For instance, Artemis from the movie—her divine power, when hijacked by a monster, could unleash catastrophic destruction. Having equipment forged by such gods would undoubtedly be invaluable.
"What?!" Hestia jumped up, her voice rising in disbelief. "Divine gear for everyone? Do you think divine gear is as common as cabbage?!"
She folded her arms and glared at Alexander. "Do you even know what you're asking? Divine gear requires divine power to forge, not to mention Hephaestus's craftsmanship isn't cheap! Remember Bell's dagger? That cost 200 million valis—a discounted price! Where are we supposed to find that kind of money?"
The more she spoke, the more frustrated she became. Hephaestus, the god of fire and forging, was renowned for her skills, as were other gods like Miach and Soma. And then there was Hestia herself, a goddess of hearth and home whose divine talent was... keeping flames perpetually lit? What kind of ridiculous setup was that?
Wait a minute. Hestia's eyes narrowed. It's all because of the evil Creator standing right here!
Her indignation flared, but as she prepared to pounce on Alexander, she remembered her position. She was part of his Familia now, unable to use her divine power in Orario. Frustrated, she sulked in the corner.
"Money, huh?" Alexander smirked. "Let's see if this is enough."
With a dramatic wave of his hand, a mountain of materials spilled from his portable space: dragon teeth, dragon claws, dragon scales, minotaur horns, and poisonous spider silk. The dilapidated church was instantly transformed into a treasure trove.
Hestia gawked at the pile, her mouth hanging open in shock. "This… this is impossible! That's a dragon tooth! Just one of those sells for 10 million valis—enough to keep me fed for a hundred years! And there's so much!"
Unable to contain herself, Hestia dove into the heap of materials, rolling around with gleeful abandon, oblivious to the sharp edges.
"Finally, this is more like it," Alexander chuckled. "The Sisters Nichirin Blade is far too ordinary. It needs to be reforged with an indestructible attribute."
The sisters exchanged delighted looks. They hadn't expected Alexander to be so thoughtful.
"For Utaha and Setsuna, who haven't fought before, let's prepare long-range support weapons—bows and arrows. Close combat is too risky for them."
Both Utaha and Setsuna nodded, satisfied with their assignments.
"Erica's equipment is already decent. I'll see if I can pull some high-quality gear from Overlord later. And we'll need resurrection items—one for everyone."
As Alexander spoke, his attention shifted to Rin. Instead of a weapon, he handed her a pile of magic crystals extracted from monsters.
"These crystals contain abundant natural magic power," Alexander explained. "They're even better than gemstones for your magic. They're perfect for engraving magic and far more powerful. Take as many as you need."