Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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After the squads returned, the next phase of the operation began right away. A new group got ready and led the drone team out of the base.

August returned as well. When he reached the camp near the village, the squads welcomed him back.

"Good work," August said as the four squads merged back into the main force.

The guards nearby watched the returning men with open envy. They blamed their bad luck for missing out on the combat mission.

But the squads that came back had suffered injuries to varying degrees.

Once inside the camp, August went straight to the infirmary. He checked on the three wounded soldiers. It was clear why they were taken off the front lines: one had a wounded thigh, and the other two had been hit by a charging monster, making their arms useless for fighting.

August treated the worst injury first, then took care of the other two.

The mission was a success on paper, but it could have gone better.

"Advisor, we've embarrassed you..." the three young soldiers said, looking thoroughly ashamed.

This was meant to be an exciting combat mission, but they were replaced right away and didn't even make it through one real fight.

"It's normal. You guys aren't made of iron and steel. Experiencing the chaos of a monster horde is a mandatory part of the job," August replied. "You fired the first shots, which drew the horde's initial aggro straight toward your position."

"It must have been tough. Just making it back alive is something to be proud of. Don't be too hard on yourselves." August smiled and patted their shoulders to comfort them.

Staying alive was the most important thing.

"Yes, sir! We promise to complete the mission next time!" The three snapped salutes. Fully recovered, they left the infirmary.

August chatted briefly with the veteran medics he knew, then went outside.

Soon after he stepped outside, a loud noise caught his attention.

"Wait, wait, wait! Village Chief, you can't bring them here!"

"This is a military encampment! We do not accept this sort of thing! This is... You can't just do this!!"

The Secretary of Transportation was doing his best to stop Village Chief Olly from entering the camp. Behind the chief stood several pretty young women and a few sick mothers holding their children, all looking nervous.

The sentries nearby clearly wanted nothing to do with the situation. They stayed silent and kept looking straight ahead, focused on their duties.

"What's happening here?" August saw the tense scene and stepped in to help.

"Advisor August! Please, talk some sense into him!" The Secretary of Transportation looked at August with hope and quickly pulled him over to help.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" August asked, looking confused.

If August remembered right, Staff Officer Thomas had already made a deal with Village Chief Olly. The army could camp near the village, and in return, they would keep the villagers safe, fix their houses, and improve their roads.

"Lord August," Village Chief Olly said first. "This man won't let me show our thanks properly."

"I know you have done so much for our village, especially on the first day." The chief began to explain what happened.

With ten thousand soldiers here, most were assigned to strengthen the village's defenses and fix houses, besides the logistics and combat teams. This was just as Staff Officer Thomas had promised.

Chief Olly was happy, but not everyone in the village was healthy. Some sickness was unavoidable.

For villagers too sick to work, the Secretary of Transportation brought off-duty soldiers and medics to help them, give treatment, and repair their homes.

For people in this medieval time, this kind of care was hard to imagine. Soldiers, usually proud and armed, were now helping as carpenters and medics for sick villagers.

Chief Olly had never seen such a kind and just army before. It didn't make sense to him. Usually, getting treatment meant a long, hard trip to a faraway town for expensive potions. Most villagers just used local herbs and hoped to get better.

But the army's help made Chief Olly feel very lucky. There were many sick people in the village, and with the soldiers healing them, everyone felt deeply grateful.

To show his thanks, Chief Olly had a simple idea: he would offer the village's prettiest young women to the soldiers and bring the healed villagers to thank them in person.

"..." When August heard this, he felt a headache coming on.

"Your customs are a bit old-fashioned..." August muttered.

Giving women as a reward? He looked at the shy, blushing girls nearby. They seemed only sixteen or seventeen, which was normal for marriage in medieval times, but completely wrong for a modern era...

"What do you guys make of this?" August asked Hestia, Artemis, and Hermes, who were hiding in the corner.

Chief Olly bringing this group as a way to show thanks had Hermes' influence all over it. That clever God had clearly taken advantage of the chief's simple ways. For the local gods, this kind of reward was probably normal.

Artemis looked away, unsure what to say. The method was crude, but she couldn't fully blame Hermes for his reasoning. Getting a reward for helping was normal in their world, and refusing it felt strange to her sense of justice.

Hestia scratched her head awkwardly, then quickly kicked Hermes in the stomach. He was always causing trouble.

Hermes just laughed quietly, not bothered by the kick. He had already set things in motion, and to him, this was the right way for mortals to show thanks.

"Village Chief, our army is not like the kingdom's armies you know," August said firmly. "We are here to protect people. We don't play with lives or accept people as payment."

"Ah, Lord August, why are you saying the same thing as the Secretary?" Chief Olly looked confused.

Why was this strong young leader refusing too? Was it really okay to say no? If people heard about this, they might think the chief was ungrateful!

'Well done! That's my August!' Hestia was happy he had refused the 'offerings.'

She was very proud of her Familia member.

Artemis's eyes lit up. Right now, August seemed very noble to her. Part of her still thought the chief's gifts were the right way to show thanks, which made things confusing, but August's strong refusal made her like him even more.

Hermes stared in disbelief. They brought you the best possible offer right to your door, and you're turning it down? Seriously?

When August refused, Chief Olly began to panic. Things weren't going as planned. Lord Hermes had told him that offering a few girls to comfort the soldiers was the best way to show thanks.

But now, the army's leader was saying no. Unsure what to do, the village chief looked helplessly at Hermes for guidance.

At that moment, a pale woman in worn-out clothes, surrounded by several children, spoke up.

"Lord August... what if they happen to fall in love?"

She understood that this army was nothing like the kingdom soldiers who hurt and bullied commoners. Their strict discipline did not allow such acts.

Still, she trusted her intuition. The soldiers worked with serious, almost stiff focus, seeming strict and innocent. But in the end, they were still men. They would keep their discipline on duty, but that didn't mean they couldn't fall in love.

That question almost made August lose his cool.

Fall in love? People from two totally different worlds falling for each other?

We just arrived here. He was about to tell her to stop joking.

But Hestia instantly sprinted over—

"Exactly! People from different worlds should fall in love! If the feelings are real and mutual, there's nothing wrong with it!" Hestia said, clearly excited.

She agreed with the woman's point. True love was above everything else, and no one could argue with that.

"..." Nearby, the Secretary of Transportation felt a chill run through his spine. What is going on? We've only been here a day! How did romance become part of this already?

This would be a nightmare to explain in an official report. And if a real couple formed, what would happen when it was time to leave? They'd be split between worlds. What were they supposed to do then?

As soon as Chief Olly heard about the idea of 'mutual love,' his face brightened with a new idea.

"If the feelings are mutual, Lord August, you can't stop that!" the Chief said with pride. He turned to the young village girls. "Starting tomorrow, if you see a soldier you like, go ahead and choose him yourselves!"

Chief Olly was eager to help with this plan.

In this world, men were far fewer than women. Outside Orario's walls, under the kingdoms' rule, hunger was common. Villages paid heavy taxes and sent most of their crops to the cities, barely keeping enough to survive.

There were men in the village, but women outnumbered them by a lot. Men did the dangerous hunting and farm work, always risking attacks from wild monsters.

When monsters attacked, men were usually the first to die.

With so many more women than men, the men who survived had to work even harder, and polygamy became necessary for survival. The extra women and their children were often raised together by the whole village. It was a harsh reality that no one could blame.

If these girls could find a real chance for a better life, Chief Olly would fully support it.

Becoming an Adventurer was one way out, and many ambitious young people left for that life, but most stayed. The world outside was dangerous, full of bandits, slavers, and worse.

If this army could take in some of the village's unmarried women, the Chief would be happy. A mutual romance could mean a stronger family line and a better future.

Most importantly, this was no ordinary army...

Their food supplies seemed endless, much more than the kingdom's forces had. And they were willing to share. For that reason alone, Chief Olly thought marrying the girls to these soldiers was a huge blessing.

When the Chief made his announcement, the young girls' eyes lit up with excitement.

"YES, VILLAGE CHIEF!"

If they could live with these strong, kind soldiers, they would gladly do so. As ordinary village girls, they knew they couldn't compare to someone like Asfi Al Andromeda. They didn't expect much. But this was a life they could truly hope for.

As the situation spun out of control, August felt numb. Did everyone just make these decisions without him? What was he supposed to do now?

The Secretary of Transportation looked at the Chief's new orders in shock.

'If you go through with this, how am I supposed to talk to these villagers now?' He felt just as stuck.

As the Secretary tried to speak up, the sick women suddenly collapsed. They were already weak, having come all this way just to say thank you. Standing in the cold for so long had drained what little strength they had left.

"MOTHER!" The children cried out, rushing to support them.

"Medics! Take them to the infirmary and help them!" The Secretary realized the romantic discussion would have to wait. Medical emergencies came first.

The sentries, who had been trying not to be noticed, quickly broke formation and hurried over.

"Let me carry her to the doctor," a young soldier said softly. He gently lifted the mother onto his back and hurried to the medical tent, with the children following close behind.

With that, the tense situation finally calmed down.

"I'll leave the rest to you. Good luck," August said, giving the Secretary of Transportation a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

He trusted the Secretary to keep the young soldiers focused and steady around these new temptations. August was done dealing with this problem.

The Secretary's eyes widened. 'You're leaving me to handle this?'

Did August forget this was a camp full of young, energetic men... No matter how disciplined they seemed, they were still regular guys underneath. The village girls might be simple, but if his men showed any charm or kindness, the girls would win their hearts in no time.

"What a mess," the Secretary groaned, pushing up his cap and rubbing his head. He glared at Village Chief Olly, who was still grinning...

August had given up trying to control the romance in camp. He was already an example of an inter-dimensional relationship, so he couldn't really judge anyone.

He turned to leave, wanting to get away from all the drama.

But as soon as he turned, he saw Rethusa and the other Artemis Familia girls watching him. When they noticed him looking, they quickly looked away, pretending to admire the scenery and whistling awkwardly.

They had obviously been listening to everything. Whether it was Rethusa's group or Asfi Al Andromeda, the girls were very curious to see how August would handle the situation.

In reality, they had seen situations like this many times before.

The outside world was harsh. Adventurers traveling through kingdoms or ruins often saw villages making these kinds of deals. It was deeply unfair to women, but sometimes survival left no other choice.

Not every kingdom's army was as kind as August's. Not every soldier would risk their life to help villagers. Most armies that didn't harm civilians were already seen as 'good.'

If these village girls could really find love and build real relationships with the brave soldiers, even the strictest Artemis Familia members approved. Even Lante, the half-elf, thought it was a good thing. That's why they stayed out of it and didn't help August turn down the offer.

August glanced at the Artemis girls, who looked away in guilt, then at the excited Hestia, and finally at Liliruca Arde, who was almost shaking with secondhand romantic excitement.

He was finally starting to understand the saying: Even the greatest heroes can't overcome the challenges of love.

Still, someone needed to learn a lesson. One particular God deserved a good scolding. He had caused this whole mess, and it was time to make things right.

"MIS...TER... HER...MES..." August growled, his voice oozing with deadly intent.

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