"By the way, when I updated his status, I did notice something interesting. Charldo's level has unquestionably dropped, but the usual bottleneck restriction is gone. Normally, for an adventurer to level up, not only do their basic stats have to meet the requirements, but a great feat is also an absolute rule. But right now, Charldo doesn't seem to be missing that condition at all. The feats he accumulated over all those years weren't erased by this magic."
Trying to salvage his dignity, Zeus announced his latest discovery.
"In other words, as long as his ability values meet the requirements, he can level straight back up all the way to Level 8 without having to accumulate new feats again."
"...So my entire career as an adventurer hasn't been denied, then? Heh... hahaha!!! That really is enough to make a man's heart leap. Level 5, is it? I won't stay there for long before I climb back up again. But before that, I'm eating first. I haven't had a proper meal in three days, and my stomach is protesting."
Charldo burst into laughter, the last of his doubts swept away. The infamous glutton of old had returned in a new form.
"You really do think about food every second of the day... Old man, you've got them, don't you? Unlocking medicine and update medicine."
Alfia sighed, then after a moment's hesitation turned to Zeus.
"Wait, wait—don't tell me you're planning to make me update your status?"
Even Zeus jumped in alarm.
Unlocking medicine was the sort of drug that could forcibly open the Falna on a child's back without the consent of their patron deity. It was extremely rare and extremely taboo. Update medicine was even scarcer. As the name implied, it allowed a god to update the status of a child who didn't belong to their Familia. Because both violated the will of a child's original god, they were unanimously opposed by the gods and circulated only on the black market.
Zeus did not deny having them. Rare and taboo though they were, the Zeus Familia had stood for a thousand years, and its reserves were far beyond what other Familias could compare to. Such items were scarce, yes, but not nonexistent.
What truly made Zeus wary, however, was Alfia's attitude...
And the goddess standing behind her.
Among all the gods of the Lower World, even Zeus had no desire to lightly provoke Hera, once his equal as the so-called goddess counterpart to his own title of "male god." A large reason he had spent all these years hiding and running was to avoid that madwoman. If she ever found out that he had helped update the status of one of her children—especially one of Hera Familia's crown jewels—Zeus didn't even dare imagine the consequences.
"I'm not worried, so why are you?"
Alfia arched a brow.
"I'm worried because that lunatic goddess really would drag me back to Heaven with her if she went berserk! Alfia, you belong to her Familia. Don't tell me you don't know what she's like!"
Zeus shook his head like a rattling toy, refusing with all his might.
This was the man who had once had enough reckless courage to try more than once to peek at Alfia bathing. The result had always been the same: either he got thrown into the wilderness like a rag, or planted in the ground like a vegetable. Thanks to him, the cabin had to be rebuilt several times.
And yet now, on this matter alone, Zeus not only refused—he answered instantly and with complete seriousness.
"I'll guarantee it in my own name. If Hera comes looking for trouble, I'll handle it."
Alfia frowned lightly. To her, beating up her own goddess had never been particularly difficult. Back when Hera lost control, the one who always stepped in to stop her had been Alfia's younger sister. After her sister passed away, that job had naturally fallen to Alfia herself. Even the Empress had expressed admiration for that. In the entire Familia, only she and Meteria had ever been able to make Hera cool her head.
Though she hadn't seen her goddess in years, Alfia was confident Hera would still listen to her words.
After all, the memory of her fists hurting had probably lasted quite a long time.
"Of course she won't argue with you—she'll just come after me later!"
"Enough whining. Either you do it yourself, or I make you do it with my fists."
Seeing that Zeus was still unwilling, Alfia resorted to the method she excelled at most: direct force.
"Hey, Charldo! You're Level 5 right now, aren't you?! Your god is being threatened, and you're just standing there doing nothing?"
When he saw Alfia returning to that old tactic, Zeus hurriedly darted behind Charldo and shouted. But even Charldo's broad frame couldn't completely hide him, and the sight of such a heavily built man cowering behind someone else looked especially ridiculous.
"Old man, you might as well just give up. Has Alfia ever changed her mind once she's made a decision?"
Charldo answered in a tone of helpless acceptance. Even though his body had recovered, years of living together had already trained him into obeying his niece almost automatically. Whether it was affection or fear hardly mattered anymore—in this house, once Alfia spoke, that was the end of it.
"Ugh, you're completely useless... fine, just wait here."
Zeus clicked his tongue and left the sickroom. A short while later, he returned carrying a small case.
"Well now, old man, weren't you prepared for this from the start? Why bother resisting so much?"
Charldo rolled his eyes. Campbell's house was quite a distance away, so the only way Zeus could have retrieved the medicine this quickly was if he had already had it ready nearby.
"What do you know? Hera is the one who'll come after me, not you. Every last one of you is stubborn as mules—once you make up your mind, not even a cannon dragon can drag you back. Better to bring it over now than have to make another trip later. Besides, the house is already wrecked, and there's no one left guarding it anyway."
Zeus answered irritably.
"Heh. If we weren't stubborn, we never would've joined the 'male god' and 'goddess' Familias in the first place."
"That's true enough. Our Familias never had any use for hesitant, timid cowards."
To Charldo's answer, Zeus unexpectedly nodded in agreement. If they hadn't always chosen their people that way, the god and goddess Familias could never have ruled the Lower World for a thousand years.
Zeus and his children had always been proud.
Even when they were destroyed and reduced to fuel for a new generation, that pride had never bowed its head.
"If there's nothing else, then hurry up and get started. If that bastard Njörð notices I'm here, he'll definitely run to Hera and tattle just for the fun of it. My instincts are telling me she's probably already on her way."
Zeus pulled out two crimson potions from the case and spoke with clear impatience.
"Bell, go find a strip of black cloth and blindfold him."
Opening her eyes, Alfia turned to Bell.
"Hey! If you cover my eyes, I can't work properly!"
"I said go."
Alfia paid absolutely no attention to Zeus's protests.
"Little Bell, Grandpa's eyes have been hurting these past few days. Maybe it's because when the house exploded earlier, some wood chips got in them. You wouldn't do something so cruel to Grandpa, would you?"
Realizing Alfia had no intention of backing down, Zeus shamelessly switched to an emotional appeal.
"Alfia Mama..."
"...Sigh. Letting that old bastard spend time around you really was a mistake. I should've called Hera over to deal with him the moment I had the chance."
Seeing Bell hesitate, Alfia let out a long, weary sigh.
"That's viciously cruel, you know?!"
Zeus muttered, still haunted by the thought.
....
Month-End Sale: Get 20% Off This Weekend
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it