Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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August put his medical work on hold because his homeworld needed a large stockpile of resources for the coming war in the Type-Moon universe. As soon as he left his base that morning, he noticed something was different in Orario.

"Heartless."

He had only walked a short distance before people started whispering.

"..." August looked around. Female adventurers getting ready for the Dungeon and local women cleaning their shops all glared at him with judging eyes. It felt like every woman in Orario was against him.

'Heartless bastard.'

How could he reject such a cute Pallum? Worse, he had chosen his ambitions over her. Would it really have hurt him to say yes?

"Well, if it isn't the heartless bastard himself." A sour voice cut through the morning air.

August turned toward the source and recognized the group instantly. Chloe Rollo, Anya Fromel, and a few other waitresses from the Hostess of Fertility were staring daggers at him.

They had obviously seen everything that happened last night and looked ready to give him a hard time. The tavern had just closed for the morning, and the girls were heading back to their dorms. Meeting August gave them the perfect chance to scold him.

"Mr. August..." Ryuu Lion stepped forward.

Unlike the others, the elf didn't seem upset with him. In fact, she respected how honest August and Liliruca Arde had been during the confession. One confessed, the other turned her down, but Lili still decided to follow him. Ryuu admired that kind of determination.

"Morning," August greeted, undisturbed by the glares.

He knew Hestia and Lili were up to something with that recording last night, even if he didn't know exactly what. Now, everyone seemed to see him as a cold, career-obsessed workaholic.

It spread this quickly in just one night? That was impressive.

He was surprised that a bit of gossip had reached every corner of Orario in just a few hours.

"Mr. August, how exactly did you feel at that moment?" Ryuu asked. Her beautiful elven eyes betrayed a trace of curiosity.

"How did I feel?" August thought back to the moment.

"...Honestly, not much." He smiled, looking a little embarrassed by the answer.

"Sly," Ryuu muttered. She thought he was dodging the question.

"Yeah, exactly!" the cat-girls chimed in, backing her up.

"What did you expect?" August rolled his eyes.

"Did you really think I'd just say yes? Lili and I haven't even known each other for a month. Sure, we've survived some dangerous situations together, but that kind of bond doesn't last. When the excitement is gone, you still have to deal with real life."

August didn't try to make it sound nicer. Passion was one thing, but paying bills, handling daily life, and being a steady partner when things got boring were what really mattered. It was a harsh but practical view.

Ryuu, Anya, and the rest of the waitresses stared at him, speechless.

"Mr. August... that's..." Ryuu hesitated. "A little old-fashioned, but I can't deny it works."

"Still, you were definitely single in your world, weren't you, Mr. August?" Chloe Rollo hit the nail on the head. "No woman wants to hear a guy be that blunt about romance."

Even though she criticized him, Chloe could see that he was actually mature and sensible.

"Guilty as charged." August chuckled.

Back on Earth, he had already dealt with the tough parts of real life. Being too mature didn't help him with romantic girls, but when he was younger, he hadn't known how to attract anyone either.

"Surprisingly, it doesn't make you insufferable," Lunoire Faust noted.

"It definitely fits your style."

The girls were all veterans who had faced death in the Dungeon. They knew how tough their world was. Someone as practical as August might be awkward in Orario, but he wasn't unbearable.

"Is that so?" August smirked, ignoring the criticism. He never thought of himself as a romantic hero anyway.

Sensing the conversation was wrapping up, the girls dropped the topic.

"Still, Mr. August, that rumor spread remarkably fast... Before the night was over, the entire city had heard about it." Ryuu said.

The speed bothered her. News of August reaching the nineteenth floor was bound to attract attention, but a private confession should not have traveled across Orario so quickly. Someone might have been pushing the story on purpose.

The elf quietly warned him to be careful.

"No idea how that happened," August lied.

He understood Ryuu's warning, but he already knew what was going on. Lili had carefully planned the confession and the recording, with Hestia's help. Together, they had set up the rumors to put some kind of pressure on the city, even if August didn't know exactly why.

He didn't bother asking them about it. He figured Hestia and Lili had their own agendas. Besides, August didn't care what people thought of him.

"I see." All the waitresses except Anya quickly realized someone was spreading the gossip on purpose. It felt like a setup.

"Don't sweat it," August reassured them. "Whatever they're scheming, it won't hurt me."

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

As the group walked toward Northwest Main Street, they saw a huge line of people stretching around the block.

"What's going on here?" August asked, eyeing the crowd.

"Familia recruitment—"

Ryuu explained. "Adventurers die in the Dungeon every single day. To plug the manpower gaps, factions host public recruitment drives every few months. This particular district is reserved for the smaller Familias."

Ryuu looked over the booths and saw that some factions only had one or two members. But today, the crowd was huge.

"There are way more people lining up than last time, nya!" Anya pointed at the overflowing street. The crowd was endless.

August looked where she was pointing and saw a familiar face. In fact, it was a familiar God.

Miach sat behind a small recruitment booth with his captain, Naaza Erisuis. Dozens of hopeful recruits crowded around their table.

Spotting August's group, Miach waved. "AUGUST!"

"Good morning, Lord Miach," August greeted.

"Ever the gentleman." Miach chuckled. "That reminds me, I owe you and Hestia a great deal. Without the two of you, our Familia wouldn't be growing again today."

Miach was really grateful. Before August offered a business partnership, the Miach Familia had been struggling with a mountain of debt.

"What does that have to do with me?" August asked, genuinely puzzled. Their partnership benefited both sides. He had never expected any gratitude for it.

"It has everything to do with you," Naaza Erisuis cut in. "Lord Miach and I are recruiting because of your order. You handed the Blue Pharmacy two billion Valis' worth of work."

"..." The waitresses stared in disbelief.

A two-billion Valis order? Was he planning to buy every healing potion in Orario? Even people waiting in line stopped and stared in shock.

'HOW MUCH MONEY DID THIS GUY EVEN HAVE?'

"We've been working day and night, and it's barely made a difference," Naaza said.

"We've only managed to fill about three or four hundred million Valis worth of orders. There's still over a billion and a half left to make. If we don't get more help soon, Lord Miach is going to fall asleep at the alchemy table."

Even with her grim complaint, Naaza was excited about how quickly the Familia was growing. They badly needed more people who could brew potions.

Experience didn't matter—they would take anyone who could mix herbs. Most importantly, she needed to pull her God away from the workbench before he worked himself ragged.

"Oh," August laughed.

He had totally forgotten that the Blue Pharmacy had only two people brewing potions. Giving them a two-billion Valis workload was just asking for trouble.

"Whoa, you really have that much Valis??" Anya blurted, eyes wide. "How do you even live without spending it, nya? That's, like, more potions than I can count!"

She started counting on her fingers.

Did he really not spend money on anything else?

"I do spend it," August said.

"Living here just doesn't cost much. There's only so much food and drink a person can buy, and our Familia spends most of its time in my world anyway. Things cost more there, but they're also easier to get, so I use my own currency for everyday expenses."

He gestured toward the potions. "Besides, I'm not planning to resell these in Orario. I take them home and trade them for equipment."

August ran through the numbers in his head. Hestia Familia already had everything it needed. They supplied Earth with high-grade healing potions in exchange for weapons, provisions, and gold.

Selling a portion of that gold for Valis easily covered their remaining expenses in Orario.

"When I'm not in the Dungeon, I spend my mornings back home treating amputees and badly injured patients for a small fee," August added.

Miach smiled. That was exactly what his domain as a God was all about.

"Children like you are rare, August. In Orario, high-level healing spells cost hundreds of thousands of Valis. But in his world, August charges only a few thousand Valis per treatment. And if someone can't pay, he helps them for free,"

Miach told the group. Giving miracle healing to his people for almost nothing said a lot about his character. "He truly has a gentle soul."

That was exactly why Miach cared so much for August.

A kind heart always earned the blessing of a good God.

"That's amazing," the waitresses said, still surprised.

They had thought someone with powerful limb-regeneration magic would take advantage of his patients. Finding out he ran a charity clinic changed their minds completely.

Ryuu respected him even more. Even Anya, who usually missed these things, realized that August was a good person beneath his cold exterior.

"I never knew you had this side to you," Chloe said in surprise. "But seriously, are you really telling us that no women back home were interested in you?"

BULLSHIT!!

The guy was ridiculously kind. Hearing a God praise August's gentle side was a huge contrast to the ruthless fighter they saw in the Dungeon. That mix was striking. It made them wonder—how could someone so skilled and kind not have women lining up for him?

"Oh, about that..." Miach chuckled.

"..Don't be fooled. I don't know what his life was like before, but right now, August is very popular in his world. Whenever Hestia visits, she always complains about the women there doing everything they can to get his attention."

Miach knew exactly what was going on. Every time Hestia came back from Earth, she would complain about having to protect her territory.

"Those women will do anything to get close to him," Miach said with a grin. "But Hestia usually chases them off before they even get a chance."

That bit of gossip caught everyone off guard.

"OHO!" The waitresses exchanged glances.

They had thought August just had bad luck with love. But it turned out he was actually very popular—his Patron Goddess was just keeping everyone else away.

"Lady Hestia is more possessive than I thought," Chloe said.

Now she understood why Hestia had been so protective of August. She was acting like a bouncer, keeping away gold-diggers and bad influences.

The more women there were, the higher the risk of someone toxic getting close.

"Hestia isn't usually petty," Miach said, giving August a serious look, almost like an overprotective older brother.

"But Gods can sense bad intentions right away. If someone tries to use you, she stops them immediately. That's the quickest way to make a God dislike you. August, I hope you don't mind Hestia stepping in like that."

"Why would I mind, Lord Miach?" August asked. He had no problem with Hestia stepping in.

"Besides, I like her."

August said it without any hesitation. If he liked her, he liked her. There was no reason to hide it.

"OOOOOOOOOOOH!" the waitresses cheered.

They had just seen a real confession. Tragic romances between Gods and mortals happened all the time in Orario, usually ending in heartbreak. Hearing a mortal openly say he loved his Goddess was pure drama, and they loved every second of it.

"That's wonderful to hear." Miach smiled, looking as proud as a parent whose biggest worry had just disappeared.

With August's words, Miach felt sure that Hestia would be in good hands for the rest of her immortal life.

Naaza's eyes lit up. 'Falling in love with a God?'

Noticing the conversation was getting out of hand, Miach quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, August, since you're here, why not set up a recruitment booth?" Miach suggested.

With the Hestia Familia growing so fast, they could attract top talent. Expanding the group just made sense.

"Yeah, I'll pass on that," August said, raising his hand and turning down the idea right away.

But it was already too late. The huge crowd of Adventurers who had been listening in suddenly burst into excitement.

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