The journey back home took a couple of days.
During that time, whenever they decided to camp out and rest, Hermes would ask Judas about the details of his battle against Antares.
Naturally, the others were curious as well.
Judas merely shrugged and didn't hide anything, vividly recounting the events like an expert storyteller.
Everyone listened in amazement as they imagined the scenes playing out in their minds, while Belle looked at Judas with sparkling eyes.
After he finished speaking, Judas asked the others about their side of the adventure after he had separated from them.
They were more than eager to tell him, and Falgar even added some exaggerations while flexing his muscles.
"Don't forget, it was my Belle who landed the finishing blow… other than Judas, she could be considered the MVP."
Hestia took the chance to show off her child, puffing out her chest proudly.
"Also don't forget that she was the one who threw Artemis' arrow and saved Judas' life."
She added as she repeatedly patted Belle on the back.
Under such praise, Belle couldn't help but blush, though every now and then, she would glance toward Judas to see his reaction.
Hestia wasn't saying these things out loud without reason.
She was purposely boasting about Belle's achievements in hopes of impressing Judas.
'If I can get Belle and Judas to hook up and get married, doesn't that mean he could technically be considered a semi-member of my familia?'
She still hadn't given up on trying to find ways to bring Judas into her familia.
Although she was aware of Artemis' feelings toward the boy, she also knew that Artemis shared a much deeper relationship with Judas compared to Belle.
'Sorry… Artemis. I'm also cheering for you, but I want what's best for Belle too… I'll only level the playing field and nothing more.'
She thought to herself while glancing toward Artemis with an apologetic look.
"Hey! Don't leave out the fact that it was our Goddess who helped her aim!"
Lante shouted as she stood up, catching on to what Hestia was trying to do and pointing accusingly at her.
"Lante… it's alright, please sit down."
Artemis said as she gently guided Lante back down.
"Come on, Lady Artemis, you have to tell him these things if you want a better chance at capturing his heart."
Lante leaned closer and whispered.
Hearing this, Artemis felt her cheeks heat up as she glanced toward Judas before quickly looking away.
…
"Hey, look! I think I see something in the distance!"
Someone suddenly shouted as a towering structure slowly came into view.
"That is the Tower of Babel… we are finally back… Orario."
Lili said with relief, her hair whipping in the wind as she rode atop a wyvern.
"We are finally home!"
Hestia screamed excitedly, her twin-tails bouncing.
It didn't take long for them to reach the entrance gates of the city.
The arrival of the group, riding atop dozens of massive flying creatures, naturally caught the attention of the people below.
"Oh? Let's land over there."
Hermes commanded after spotting Ganesha and a few members of his Familia stationed on top of the city walls.
"GANESHAAAAA! Ganesha is over here! Ganesha welcomes back the heroes who saved the world!"
The Elephant God boomed, raising both arms and waving enthusiastically in his usual booming voice.
Standing beside him was Shakti Varma, her arms folded.
When her eyes met Judas', she gave a small nod, as though silently saying 'good job' in her own way.
"Hey… is that what Judas Spade looks like? He's way more handsome in person than in the pictures I've seen."
The one who spoke was Ilta Farna, the Level 5 Amazon vice-captain of the Ganesha Familia.
"No wonder you talk about him so much… if I knew a guy as handsome as that, I know I would…"
She teased with a grin while nudging Shakti's shoulder.
"That guy is a real magnet for trouble… whenever an incident happens, he's always there. Because of him, the number of times I have to work overtime has increased. That guy gives me a lot of headaches."
Ilta added, trying to imitate her captain's voice and demeanor.
Hearing her words, an angry tick mark appeared on Shakti's forehead, though she held herself back, folding her arms tighter and taking a deep breath.
"Oh! Shakti, have you finally found someone you like? If you want, I can arrange an engagement between you and that Judas fellow… he doesn't seem too bad."
Things only got worse when Ganesha chimed in, causing heat to creep into Shakti's cheeks out of embarrassment.
"Shut the hell up or I'll bury you into the ground."
Shakti snapped with an angry glare, causing both Ganesha and Ilta to flinch.
"Oya… it sounds really lively over here."
Hermes chuckled, his voice cutting through the noise as Judas and the others safely touched down.
Seeing them land, Ganesha let out a hearty laugh.
"Welcome back, heroes, and thank you for your service!"
He bellowed, marching over to Hermes and wrapping him in a crushing hug.
"Hey! Arhk! Your stupidly big muscles are suffocating me… arhk!"
Hermes choked out, struggling to break free from the god's grip while Shakti and the others stepped in to secure the wyverns.
But Ilta skipped ahead and stopped right in front of Judas after he dismounted.
"Hey! Hey! You're cute… after this, maybe we can find a place to eat and rent a room at a love hot—"
She said with a grin, only for Shakti to immediately interrupt her with an angry shout.
"If you slack off, I'm deducting your salary!"
Ilta pouted and turned back to her duties, but not before flashing Judas a wink and making a 'call me' hand gesture.
…
Descending the city wall stairs, Judas and the others finally stepped onto the main street.
They found that a massive crowd had already gathered, festive cheers erupting everywhere as confetti rained down from above.
"It's the heroes! The heroes who saved the world!"
Someone from the crowd shouted, causing the entire street to erupt the moment they came into view.
There was even a giant banner hanging overhead that read:
'Welcome Back, Heroes'
"Woah… this is surprising…"
Belle said with wide eyes as she looked around.
"Oh man… did the whole city come here to celebrate our return?"
Falgar commented as he stared at the sea of people before them.
"Hehe… not bad. We are the heroes who helped save the world, this much should be expected."
Hestia remarked smugly while basking in the glory.
'Looking at this… it almost feels like we just returned from exterminating the One-Eyed Black Dragon and completing the Three Great Quests.'
Judas thought to himself as he surveyed the crowd, their faces filled with admiration.
Then again, what they had accomplished was arguably just as impressive or maybe even more.
The battle against Antares had simply been way too high-profile for the people of the surface world to ignore or dismiss.
It wasn't surprising that many had begun gathering information and conducting their own investigations.
Some of the gods, capable of sensing the movement of divine energy, had already informed everyone that two demi-god-level beings had clashed and that a deity had lent their power to a mortal through a contract.
But that was the extent of what they knew.
At first, the Guild and those aware of the truth chose to hide everything related to Antares.
However, after its defeat had been confirmed, the Guild eventually decided to make the information public.
They announced that the abnormal phenomena had been caused by an ancient monster capable of wielding Arcanum, a creature that had threatened the entirety of the surface world.
To emphasize the gravity of the threat, the Guild even officially labeled it the "Unofficial Fourth Great Quest."
The reason behind the announcement was simple.
They wanted to raise Orario's reputation and declare to the world that the city had produced heroes capable of defeating even a monster like Antares.
And at the center of it all… was a rookie adventurer who had only recently received his alias.
Veneratus Est.
Even Finn, ever the opportunist, had immediately jumped on the bandwagon, using the occasion to elevate the fame and prestige of the Loki Familia through Judas.
Now the name Judas Spade, which had already begun drawing attention from people all around the world, was spreading faster than ever before.
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