Charlie's action of directly transporting them all to the destination, though highly efficient, had unexpectedly cut short an important arc in the development of the relationship between Bell Cranel and Artemis.
In the fate that should have been, that long journey was a crucial period where the emotional bond between the pair would have been forged to the point of pure love. Without Charlie's intervention, the intimate moments that should have become the foundation of Bell and Artemis's relationship were forced to pass by.
Except for the first meeting where Artemis immediately showed unusual interest in Bell due to his success in pulling out Orion's Spear—and bestowed the name Orion as a symbol of the hero she awaited—all other emotional interactions failed to materialize.
For instance, there was no opportunity for Bell to accidentally see Artemis without a single thread covering her body while bathing in a forest spring. Instead of becoming furious as her reputation in Heaven would suggest—punishing any man who saw her bathing with death—Artemis would have acted calm and gentle. Instead, Artemis would have explained to Bell that she felt comfortable around him.
This moment would have shown that Bell was an exception to Artemis's rule of hatred toward men. Here too, her vulnerable side that was beginning to emotionally depend on Bell would have been visible.
In another moment, Artemis would have invited Bell to dance. This dance would not have been mere entertainment, but rather her way of expressing feelings she had suppressed for thousands of years.
Artemis would have begun to realize that she loved Bell. In this moment, an emotional bond would have formed where Bell promised to save her, though he didn't yet fully understand the tragic consequences of that promise.
Near the end of the journey, when they reached Elsos, Artemis would have realized her time was almost up. Artemis would have said she wanted to spend time with Bell, not just as goddess and hero, but as a woman. She would have expressed her hope to meet him again in the next life (reincarnation) and experience love for ten thousand years.
In essence, Charlie destroyed Bell's chance to win the heart of a Virgin Goddess for the second time—Hestia, who held the same status as Artemis, already liked Bell.
"This... Teleportation...?"
Artemis's shocked exclamation finally snapped the others from their daze. Hermes stared at Charlie with a truly incredulous look for the first time, his usual cunning expression completely gone.
(How did he do that? Teleportation is a god-realm power! In the millennium since the gods descended to the lower world, there has never been a single mortal who possessed spatial manipulation abilities!)
Even for a manipulator and schemer like himself, the surprise Charlie brought far exceeded expectations. Hermes felt his initial assessment comparing Charlie to Bell might have been too dismissive.
Astraea also looked at Charlie with deep admiration.
(How many more secrets are you still hiding?) Her thoughts were filled with increasingly burning curiosity.
"Huh?! Where is this? This isn't Orario, how did we get here?"
Being the slowest to process the situation, Hestia looked around in all directions with confusion clearly visible on her face.
"T-This..." Welf couldn't get any more words out, his brain still trying to process the environmental change that happened in the blink of an eye.
"So terrifying." Lili whispered softly, staring at Charlie's back which now seemed so mysterious and unreachable in her eyes.
"Charlie-san. Is this your doing?"
Bell finally dared to ask the question representing everyone's curiosity.
However, Charlie didn't give the answer they hoped for. His gaze suddenly sharpened toward the sky.
"No time to explain. The attack is coming from above! Aishia, protect everyone!"
"Mm."
Hearing that command, Aishia immediately raised her hand. She set up layered protection using Spirit Arts, creating a dome of light covering everyone—except Charlie and Est who remained standing outside the safe zone.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
The next second, the sky seemed to fall. They were bombarded by a rain of light arrows descending with deadly intensity, striking the earth with earth-shaking force.
"Charlie-san! Aishia-san! Why did you exclude them?!" Bell shouted in panic, his eyes wide seeing Charlie and little Est disappear from view, shrouded by continuous light explosions and dust.
"Charlie is fine. An attack of this level isn't enough to hurt him." Aishia answered in a flat voice.
That explanation was given not just to calm Bell, but also for Astraea and the others who looked very worried.
However, only Astraea immediately believed it completely. The others, though knowing Charlie was Level 6, had never truly witnessed an adventurer of that caliber in action, especially Hestia Familia whose experience was limited.
(If Ottar were in Charlie's position, he wouldn't emerge from this attack without injury without defending or evading.)
Even Hermes, who had witnessed the true power of Upper Class Adventurers, wasn't sure Charlie could survive without defending.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
*SWOOSH!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
The rain of light arrows lasted for a full thirty seconds before finally stopping. Aishia calmly dispelled her protective dome.
Instantly, the scene that opened made them gasp.
The area around them was devastated.
Fallen trees were torn apart, their trunks split and charred.
The ground was filled with craters still emitting smoke, like a moon surface just bombarded.
The air was full of fine dust and the aroma of burnt earth and charred wood.
"I'm worried that if not for that barrier, we would all be dead or at least seriously injured." Lili muttered in horror, imagining how terrifying that attack was.
"Oi oi oi, this is a lie, right?" Welf rubbed his eyes repeatedly, thinking his vision was playing tricks on him.
As the dust cleared blown by the wind, Charlie's figure emerged from behind the fog of destruction. He stood upright while holding a one-handed sword radiating a sacred aura—Est who had transformed into the Holy Sword Severian.
What made everyone truly astonished was Charlie's condition.
Not a single wound on his body.
Not a scratch.
Not a bruise.
Forget blood, even the clothes he wore weren't torn or dirty in the slightest after receiving all those destructive attacks.
"How did you do it, Charlie?" Hermes asked, his curiosity overcoming his caution. His eyes sparkled with interest. "You're not wearing armor like Bell, but your condition is completely uninjured? What's the secret?"
"So that little girl is a sword spirit! Amazing!"
Hermes exclaimed with sparkling eyes, while Astraea, Artemis, and Hestia were also stunned upon realizing the truth behind that weapon's form.
They now recognized that the Holy Sword Charlie gripped so calmly was the manifestation of Est, the small quiet girl who had stood beside him earlier. The existence of the spirit race in this era was something very rare, even for the gods.
However, instead of feeling proud of that praise, Charlie looked at Hermes with an indifferent gaze.
"God Hermes, please mind your attitude. Every adventurer has their own secrets not meant to be shared. Besides, you're not my Main Deity, so I have no obligation to tell you."
Clearly, he had no intention whatsoever of leaking information about his abilities to a conspirator figure like Hermes.
The main reason Charlie could stand upright without a single scratch amid the rain of light arrows was due to his conceptual defense, Armor of Fafnir.
Armor of Fafnir automatically negated all forms of attacks below B-rank. And the previous bombardment attack, despite looking spectacular and damaging the environment, actually hadn't reached the power threshold capable of penetrating that protection.
"Tsk. You're really no fun, Charlie." Hermes grumbled while pouting, looking disappointed that his curiosity hit a high wall. "Well, you have a point. I won't ask further. Haaah... Hera's luck in finding extraordinary talent like you truly makes other gods envious."
On the other side, Bell, Welf, and Lili could only remain silent, swallowing their curiosity.
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