Lady Hera looked at me with displeasure, as if my answer had failed to meet her expectations.
No matter how you look at me, what can't be done can't be done!
That was what I wanted to scream, but her eyes were far too terrifying, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Don't misunderstand me—I was absolutely scared stiff.
I'm terrified.
Just a slight frown, and she already exerted this much pressure. This was the goddess who had shocked Loki and made Freya tremble... terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
"Tch."
I flinched.
Even a small click of her tongue made me jerk in place.
Every little movement she made was frightening. I had always respected the gods, but I had never actually been afraid of one until now.
Thinking about it that way, every god I had been around previously had been kind. It made me realize all over again just how lucky I had been.
Though that was already a long time ago.
"If you don't want to, then don't. Regret it later when you realize what a waste it was."
"Haha... I'm sorry."
"Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"
She glared at me with wide eyes, and my head automatically dipped. No one was pulling it down, and yet my neck lowered on its own. At this point, I was seriously wondering if she was using some kind of divine authority.
"Um... was that all you wanted to call me for?"
"Why? Do you want to go home?"
Yes... I'm terrified...
That was my honest answer, but if I said it out loud, I felt like I'd really get hit, so I kept quiet and waited for her next words. Honestly, what business could Lady Hera possibly have with me? I couldn't even understand why she was doing this.
"..."
Lady Hera gave no reply. Was this her silent way of telling me to get lost?
"You..."
She opened her mouth, but the words didn't follow. Her lips just moved soundlessly.
What is this? Why are you doing this to me?
"...Food."
"...Pardon?"
"Food. ...Have you eaten?"
"...?"
The words she finally squeezed out were asking if I had eaten.
Why ask that all of a sudden?
Normally, it might have been a warm, considerate question, but to me right now, it was just another seasoning that made my anxiety worse.
"Uh... no?"
I answered, since she had asked.
But why was she asking? Surely she wasn't telling me to eat here.
"Good. Then you can eat here too."
"Huh...?"
That was what I thought, but my fears were realized.
No, after I'd stuffed myself with snacks earlier, did she really think I'd still have room for a proper meal?
More importantly, she wanted me to eat dinner while being glared at by Lady Hera and all her children?
I could barely imagine it, but I forced my poor imagination to work and vaguely pictured the scene. A long table, lavish dishes. Me eating there, and the countless gazes of the Hera Familia watching me...!
Ugh...
Just imagining it made my stomach turn. Maybe it was already turning.
What is this? Is she trying to torture me with food? She really is still upset about what happened last time...!
"S-sorry..."
"What, you can't even do that?"
I tried to apologize right away, but Lady Hera did not seem interested in compromise. The moment I opened my mouth, it was clear she had no intention of letting me off.
And just like that, I ended up having dinner with the Hera Familia.
"A man?"
"It's a man, isn't it?"
"Who is he?"
"He looks like a rabbit."
"So cute~"
"Did Hera bring him here?"
Whisper, whisper. Murmur, murmur.
Every step I took drew a painful line of sight.
A barrage of stares so intense that, if gazes had physical force, I would have been turned into a beehive.
Lady Hera and I were heading from the room to the dining hall of the Hera Familia.
As I trailed after Lady Hera, who walked ahead of me, the members' curious looks stabbed into me without mercy.
This is... too much!
Maybe it was because this was a Familia made up entirely of women, but the attention was overwhelming. If it had been like the Zeus Familia, with only men, it might have been a little better. But the uniquely pressuring gaze of women was crushing me.
Dozens, hundreds of stares weighed on me. Was it because I was following behind Lady Hera that they found me so offensive?
Of course, the truth was different.
The Hera Familia was, by default, strictly no romance. With the exception of extremely unusual cases like Materia, they almost never came into contact with men.
Of course, as adventurers, they often encountered men. But most of those encounters were for battle, and the targets were usually the Zeus Familia.
The men of the Zeus Familia were mostly rough and burly. That might be ideal for adventurers, but they were not adventurers forever.
Whenever they took a break from work, or whenever they happened to see a loving couple passing by, a feeling would bloom inside them.
The feeling of wanting to fall in love, like girls.
A desire too modest for the members of the Hera Familia—a group of first-class adventurers feared by all—and yet all the more desperate for that reason. The desire to have someone they loved was an entirely natural wish, but one that had been twisted beyond recognition by years of prohibition.
Most of them had strong personalities. In fact, not just them, but most people who reached the first class tended to have strong wills, even if there were slight differences.
It was just that they were especially so. There was no deeper reason; if anything, you could say parents and children resemble each other.
To such women, a weak-looking, small-animal-like man should have been the type they avoided, but surprisingly, they fantasized more about delicate men than about burly ones.
Why? Because all they had around them were hulking slabs of muscle.
The principle of the pyramid's peak!
Chocolate milk is more expensive than plain milk, but if there's plenty of chocolate milk, the one plain milk stands out. They wanted to see a fragile boy who stirred their protective instincts more than a macho brute.
And now, a man close to their ideal had appeared. White hair like a rabbit's, red eyes, a cute face, and a thoroughly intimidated expression that seemed to awaken the protective urge they thought had long since disappeared.
His missing arm and eye were flaws, but they were adventurers. That much was not even a flaw; if anything, it only added spice to the pity and the guilty thrill.
On top of that, he was so cute he could be mistaken for a girl. The members practically smacked their lips at the situation, as if the finest prey had rolled into their cage all on its own.
They wanted to pounce right away, but unfortunately, the one leading that rabbit was the pinnacle of this group.
Everyone clicked their tongues in disappointment and stared at the forbidden fruit. They stared so hard it was almost enough to bore through it.
S-scary...!
Vesta was scared of their gazes, though he did not know why.
*
Under the pressure of those overwhelming stares, I finally arrived at what I assumed was the dining hall.
A broad table. The dining hall was ten times larger than I had imagined, with dozens of huge tables lined up in rows.
This is... practically a real restaurant, isn't it?
To be honest, it was so large that most businesses would not even be able to compare. It was far bigger than the dining hall of the Freya Familia, where I had once been stationed(?).
"Hmm..."
But it was not really my taste.
No, I understood that this kind of layout was inevitable given the size of the Hera Familia.
Still, I preferred the way our Familia used to sit around one table together. Well, that had only been possible because it was a small, family-sized Familia.
"Sit there and wait."
"...Yes."
The place Lady Hera pointed to was clearly a seat of honor, more luxurious than anywhere else.
Was that her personal table? I had expected it, but it seemed I would still have to face Lady Hera while eating.
Ugh... my stomach already hurts...
My stomach was burning, but I had to endure it. This was the Hera Familia's home. If I offended them, who knew what would happen to me!
From the atmosphere, I did not think they were trying to bully me. But it was still impossible not to feel pressured.
Because even now, the stares were incredible! The gazes that had been slowly increasing had, before I knew it, become hundreds of eyes following me and Lady Hera all the way into the dining hall.
"Ah, I'm hungry."
"Time to eat~"
"What was dinner today?"
The women came filing in with awkward, textbook-like lines, and every single one of them kept glancing at me as they passed.
No, more importantly, why did every single look feel so sharp? Was that killing intent? The sensation of a predator's eyes sweeping over me made goosebumps rise on my skin.
Seriously, why is everyone doing this to me?
"Oh? Vesta-kun?"
"Hm?"
Then I heard a familiar voice.
No way, that voice could it be—?
"Materia-san?"
"We just saw each other a moment ago. But why are you here?"
She greeted me warmly, but asked the question with a puzzled expression.
Right. Why was I here?
I didn't know either. I had given up on thinking about it. If I thought any harder, my head would only hurt, so I decided to just accept it.
"I brought him here."
"Huh?"
But then I heard that.
What did you say, you punk?
"You brought me here?"
I snapped and turned around, only to find a familiar Amazon standing there.
"Yeah. At the old hag's orders. Sorry."
The Empress said that with a face that looked anything but sorry. If that was the case, why bother apologizing?
"Captain, if you were going to call someone over, you should at least have explained."
"I know, that's why I said I was sorry."
The Empress said that and sat down at the table I had been assigned.
"Honestly... ah, Vesta-kun is eating with us too?"
"Yes... well."
It was truly unintentional, but that was how it ended up.
I swallowed the urge to tell the truth to Materia, who was sitting beside me, and gave a vague answer instead.
...Huh? But why were these two sitting here?
Could it be that this was not a table for Lady Hera alone?
I hurriedly looked around. There were still three empty chairs.
Even if one was for Lady Hera, that meant two more people would be added?
If they were sitting at the seat of honor, they must be pretty important people... and there were two of them?
Oh my God. It looked like today was going to be my memorial service.
"Haah..."
I'm seriously losing it.