Chapter 26: Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon
Compared to types like Hestia and Lili who easily grew shy, Hephaestus appeared much more poised and natural, possessing quite a bit of an older-sister charm.
Since he would be doing business involving weapons and armor later on, he would undoubtedly have plenty of interactions with Hephaestus.
Additionally, after using Noble Phantasms to earn enough funding, Shirou decided to immediately recruit Umamusume and launch horse-racing events.
A completely novel form of entertainment would probably easily attract people from all over Orario to come watch.
By setting up pre-race betting and the like when the time came, in a place like Orario where adventurers frequently headed into the dungeon, shuttling through various dangers and opportunities, such a novel form of entertainment would surely sweep across the entire city at lightning speed.
While pondering what to do next, Shirou walked back to the encampment he had purchased in a bustling district not far from the [Loki Familia].
This place was one of the bustling streets not far from Hephaestus's family workshop, and it was merely a few hundred meters away from Loki's base camp—you could truly say they saw each other whenever they stepped outside.
"Welcome back, Kami-sama."
Standing at the doorway was a head housekeeper, someone who had originally worked at this very encampment. After the previous owner of the estate left, the housekeeper had no intention of going to work elsewhere, so she volunteered her services to Shirou.
Shirou didn't care much about matters like this, and after observing that the housekeeper's character was quite decent, he agreed.
Behind the housekeeper on both sides stood two black-haired maids, bowing to Shirou with smiles that held seven parts curiosity and three parts formal etiquette.
"Dinner has been prepared for you."
The housekeeper said with a smile.
"Mm, let's have dinner then."
Shirou nodded, expressing his approval of the housekeeper's administrative capability.
You had to hand it to someone who had worked here for several years; she was thoroughly familiar with an encampment that was laid out almost like an estate, and the arrangements for all sorts of personnel and tasks were orderly to a fault, leaving not a single flaw to pick at.
Dinner was a creamy mushroom soup, grilled tender beef and vegetables, a piece of roasted fish, whole-wheat bread, and jam that looked completely homemade. The chef here had quite exceptional culinary skills; it seemed they had some real talent to be able to keep this job.
A crescent moon hung in the night sky, and the brilliant moonlight illuminated the earth as if it were daytime.
Strolling beneath the moonlight, quite a few girls were traveling together through a forest outside Orario.
In this world where gods and humans intersected, although the labyrinth city Orario was unquestionably the center of the world, that did not mean all adventurers and Familia gathered there.
Quite a few deities were still attracted by other places, drifting to the world outside.
The God of War, Ares, was a classic example of this.
That deity had even converted the army of an entire kingdom into a Familia, and even for the most low-level Familia, that granted them power far exceeding that of mere mortals.
Similarly, this group of girls under the moonlight belonged to the Familia of a deity from the outside world.
They belonged to the Familia of Artemis, the goddess who governed the moon and chastity in Tenkai.
"Ahhh, it's such a beautiful night, yet we actually have to go on a date with monsters in the forest. How utterly miserable..."
"Stop complaining. Monsters are abnormally proliferating in places outside the labyrinth city. This situation is no small matter; there might be a huge conspiracy hidden behind it."
"That may be so, but I really want to take a bath... What do you think, Lady Artemis?"
The object of the Familia girl's question was a young maiden with long, straight water-blue hair.
Her appearance needed no scrutiny; its dazzling brilliance made it instantly recognizable that she was a goddess from Genkai.
However, compared to those completely helpless deities back in Orario, the "Moon Goddess" Artemis was clad in full military armor and equipped with weapons, clearly possessing combat capability rivaling her Familia.
Hearing her Familia's question, Artemis shook her head.
"You guys need to be more cautious. The condition of the soil here is very wrong..."
"The soil? Hm, it does look different from usual. But Lady Artemis, what does a different soil color even represent?"
Artemis did not speak. She squatted down, drew a dagger, and thrust it straight into the root of a nearby tree.
From the spot carved open by the sharp blade, the interior of the tree was completely withered and rotting.
The Moon Goddess's expression grew a fraction graver.
"It's normal that you don't know."
Artemis sheathed her dagger.
"In the distant antiquity, there existed a monster. It caused hills to wither, eroded the oceans, destroyed forests, and absorbed energy from all life. Even though that monster was ultimately sealed away by the joint efforts of the ancient Greater Spirits, it still caused a massive disaster at the time... Its name is Antares. This abnormal monster proliferation phenomenon is very likely a sign of Antares's revival."
The Moon Goddess's solemn tone caused all twenty of the Familia girls to hold their breath.
Artemis stood up and flashed a reassuring smile toward the girls.
"Let's hope my judgment is off, though? Maybe it's just that the seal on Antares is unstable, allowing its power to leak outside. Well, my intuition has always been terrible..."
The Moon Goddess looked into the distance.
Through the gaps in the forest, she gazed at those ruins that had weathered the wind and rain of countless years.
The ruins emitted an ominous power, causing Artemis to grip the bow and arrows slung across her shoulder tightly.
...Let's hope everything is fine.
Artemis and her Familia continued marching toward their target destination: the ancient sealed ground of Else.
.
.
.
A peaceful night passed, and Shirou woke up early to greet the morning sun.
A wonderful otherworldly fantasy world, the labyrinth city [Orario] brimming with fantastical colors—everything in this world filled Shirou with curiosity. Even the air felt incomparably fresh, feeling as fresh as putting on a brand-new pair of underwear for the New Year.
After breakfast, Shirou instructed Lili: "I'll have to trouble you with recruiting new members, Lili."
The Pallum girl nodded earnestly.
"Mm-hm, I'll do my best, Kami-sama!"
With Lili's current strength, there were no longer any adventurers who could trade blows with her.
However, because she wasn't yet entirely accustomed to this power, Lili's combat techniques were still slightly unpolished, and she was still somewhat lacking when it came to fighting deities. After some proper training, however, she should be no weaker than some of the lower-tier gods.
Furthermore, if she truly encountered danger, Shirou would be able to sense it instantly and arrive by her side.
"Well then, I'll be back before dinnertime."
Having said that, Shirou crisply and decisively left the encampment.
The head housekeeper, along with two maids, stood behind him and bowed respectfully.
"Have a safe trip, Kami-sama."
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