Grandpa spun around like a top and slammed into the wall. Wow, is he going to get sent back already?
"You filthy old bastard! And now you're even laying your hands on men? You lecherous old geezer!!"
"I-it's a misunderstanding... a misunderstanding, Hera...!"
"What misunderstanding?! Just get sent back to the heavens right now!"
A mount, followed by a seamless barrage of blows! One-two, one-two—the woman's fists began mercilessly hammering the old god's face.
"Kuhk! Guhk! W-wait, let me—"
"Die, die! Dieee!!"
For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the sight of such primal, raw violence—the kind that only comes from someone with ordinary physical strength. Then, snapping back to my senses, I hurriedly tried to pull the woman off Grandpa.
"Wait...! At this rate, he'll really be sent back...!"
"That's exactly why I'm doing it!!"
"Right!!"
We somehow managed to carry on this bizarre conversation while I pried the goddess away. Maybe it was because I only had one arm, but it was incredibly exhausting...!
"Let go! Let go of meee!!"
The goddess's screaming clawed at my ears without mercy. It was a shriek more terrifying than anything I'd ever heard from the monsters on the third floor, one that made me wince instinctively. This was the hyper-ultra hysterical goddess of absolute savage destruction. Truly terrifying, the Hera Familia...!
"Not bad. To think you could actually restrain Hera's rage."
"...If you're just going to watch, could you at least help a little?"
Come to think of it, I have no direct connection to either of these two. Why am I the only one suffering while trying to keep them apart?
"I have no interest in hobbies that cater to a goddess's hysteria. Though, if I were egging her on, that would be another matter."
What a terrible personality! Don't you dare egg her on!
I thought this while looking at the gray-haired woman standing behind us... Arphia, the older sister of Materia.
I'd thought it before, and I'm thinking it again now. This woman definitely has a nasty streak.
*
After preventing Grandpa from being sent back earlier than scheduled, I quickly brewed a fresh pot of tea to calm the goddess I'd barely managed to restrain and brought it before her.
...If you really think about it, I'm the guest here. How did I end up in this position? I don't really mind, though.
"It's not much, but please enjoy."
"It really isn't much."
So harsh. I worked hard on this.
The woman casually spat out her criticism and drank the tea. This was Lady Hera, the super-hysterical goddess Grandpa had warned me about.
I'd heard the rumors and wondered if such a deity actually existed, but seeing her in person, I understood. Hearing about someone and seeing them for yourself are two completely different things.
The real thing is about 2.5 times more savage...!
As expected, rumors are not to be trusted.
"Arphia, please have some as well."
"I have no need for that dishwater."
Too harsh?!
Even so, calling it dishwater is going too far. It might not be world-class, but my skill is decent!
Just in case, I took a small sip myself, and sure enough, the taste was fine. At the very least, it wasn't so bad that it would be rude to serve.
And yet, why...? Why does it feel like ever since I fell into this era, I've only been treated poorly?
While mulling over that rather philosophical question, I realized this was nothing new and just accepted it. When had it ever been otherwise? I've always lived a rough life.
"...Why are there three cups?"
"...? Because there are three of you, so I brought out three?"
At my words, Arphia looked at me with an interested expression. What, did she think I wouldn't notice?
"Even the name [Empress] has gone stale. To think she'd be exposed by such a stupid-looking brat."
"...You little bastard, I've heard enough. Do you really want to die?"
The empty space rippled, and a woman appeared.
It was my first time seeing her in person, but I remembered that gaze. She was definitely the owner of the eyes I'd felt when I faced Maxim before. Then this woman was the unprecedented Level 9 in Orario's history...
"Well, you probably know already, but let me introduce myself again, cutie. I am the [Empress]."
The highest-level being in history.
A woman whose level surpassed even that monster.
Gulp.
I hadn't come here to fight, but my body tensed up instinctively. I felt my body temperature starting to rise.
So adventurers in this era really were no joke. Just standing near her was enough to make me feel this way.
With Arphia here as well, these two women alone could probably wipe out the Loki Familia and Freya Familia I'd seen in the original timeline if they felt like it.
As I trembled slightly at their overwhelming strength, Lady Hera finished her tea and stood up.
"I'm leaving."
"Huh? Already? You said you had things to ask..."
"I don't. Things to ask."
Lady Hera glanced at my hair, frowned, and left the basement. The Empress and Grandpa hurried after her, leaving only Arphia and me alone in the basement.
"...Um, aren't you going after them?"
"Not yet."
It seemed the woman in front of me hadn't come merely as an escort. She hadn't even touched the tea I'd brought out; instead, she sat with her legs crossed like a lofty queen, staring straight through me.
Well, her eyes were closed, so she wasn't exactly staring, but still.
"Did you need something from me...?"
Given the situation, I was the only reason she might have stayed behind... but I couldn't think of why. Since she'd fought me directly, had she sensed something?
"..."
The woman remained silent. The strange atmosphere choked off my own words, and a cold silence filled the basement.
I-it's suffocating...!
It felt as if a crushing sense of danger was pressing down on me. There was something about this woman that went beyond mere physical strength.
If we were actually fighting, I wouldn't have to be this anxious!
"You."
Breaking the long silence, the woman finally spoke.
Gulp. The tension thickened as I waited for her next words.
"What is your name?"
"..."
For a moment, I was at a loss. The unexpected question left my mind in a tangle.
My name... I definitely told her, didn't I...?
Before the clash that day, I had clearly stated my name. It wasn't my real name, of course, but there was no way she could know that.
And yet, she was asking for it again...
Is she testing me...?
That was the only logical explanation, but for some reason, I had a feeling that wasn't why she asked.
*
"Hey, old hag, why did you leave so abruptly? You said you had a ton of things to ask him."
Hera and the Empress headed home, leaving Arphia behind. Unable to contain her curiosity over Hera's strange behavior, the Empress finally spoke up.
Even for Hera, storming out of a room wasn't that unusual. In fact, for Hera, whose daily life was a series of eccentricities, a normal reaction was the real anomaly. In that sense, what had just happened was definitely odd.
Hera, who usually made it a point to break at least one thing, had calmly stood up and left? If she told the familia members about this, they'd probably assume she'd gotten drunk in the middle of the day and passed out.
Even the Empress couldn't quite believe what she'd seen, so how could anyone else? That was how far Hera was from the word "calm."
Even now. She'd been called an old hag, yet Hera hadn't even responded, remaining lost in thought. She had started walking to clear her head, but she seemed to be returning with even more thoughts than before.
What in the world is going on...?
In all her life, she'd never imagined she'd see this goddess looking so troubled. As Hera's first child, even she had never dreamed of such a thing.
"You."
The goddess finally spoke. But the target wasn't the Empress.
It was the male god trailing after them. Normally, Lord Zeus would have been looking for an opening to make some lewd remark, but even he seemed unusually pensive, lost in his own thoughts.
That only made the Empress's head ache more. She couldn't understand why either of them were acting like this.
It was understandable to be curious about that boy, but did they really need to be this distressed? Or... could the two of them actually be hiding a secret child somewhere?
"What is that?"
"Are you asking because you don't know?"
Hera stopped and looked back. In her eyes was not her usual madness, but a sharpness that even made the Empress shiver.
The male god, who normally would have fled in terror from Hera's gaze alone, met it head-on, returning the look with calm composure.
"Tch."
It was Hera who looked away first. The goddess turned forward again and continued toward home.
At that sight, the Empress was stunned. She looked away? Hera? From Zeus?
She had no idea what was happening before her eyes. Was she actually dreaming?
Alone in her confusion, the Empress pinched her cheek to confirm reality. But regardless, the expressions on the two gods' faces showed no sign of improving.