Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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People quickly moved on from Jester Karture. No one cared much about the sudden death of a Dead Apostle. At least his disappearance proved that without a real god's protection, outsiders couldn't just enter August's world and survive.

The discovery surprised everyone, but now they had their answer. The researchers wrote down what they learned, and everyone went back to work.

August took Hestia back to Snowfield and used it as a stopover. He gathered Lili, Artemis, and the others, then opened another portal to bring them home to Orario.

They needed time to rest, figure out what had changed—and update their Statuses.

...

Orario.

As soon as August walked into the Familia home, he felt everyone in the room looking at him.

"Welcome back, Lady Hestia, Lady Artemis. Captain August." Sanjouno Haruhime stopped cleaning and stood up to greet them. Daphne Lauros and Cassandra Ilion, who had stayed behind to guard the house, also got up from their spots in the living room.

"Hey, everyone!" Hestia rushed over as soon as she saw her children. She greeted every member of her Familia with the same warmth, though August was always a little different to her.

"Lady Hestia… Lady Artemis…" Cassandra looked like she might cry. Both goddesses turned to her right away.

"What's wrong?"

"If you hadn't come back soon, we might not have had a front door left," Cassandra said.

Daphne pointed outside without saying a word. The house was safe territory, so Haruhime, Daphne, and Cassandra had stayed inside as the second line of defense.

What was happening beyond the front door was a different story.

Hestia and Artemis went outside, with August and the others following. As soon as they reached the courtyard, they saw a group of young women in maid uniforms waving big brooms and chasing away gods who kept trying to get in.

"STAY BACK!"

"THIS IS HESTIA FAMILIA PROPERTY. PLEASE LEAVE!"

"WE AREN'T ACCEPTING VISITORS!"

These were the women August had rescued from the Ishtar Familia, now working together under Daphne's lead. The braver ones stood firm at the entrance. Some of the younger Level 1 girls were so scared they cried, but they still held onto their brooms and tried to keep the intruders out.

"Hey! Touch one of my children, and you'll regret it!!" Hestia saw several male gods climbing over the wall and scaring the younger girls.

She was furious. Her Arcanum was still sealed, and she had never been much of a fighter, but Artemis was already reaching for her sword.

"Keep pushing your luck, you fools, and I'll cut you down myself." Nothing made Artemis angrier than seeing men bully timid young women. She ran after the trespassers with her sword ready.

"Oh, hell no! Artemis is back!"

The male gods scrambled over the wall and ran away before Artemis could catch them. They knew she was serious. If she attacked them for breaking into another Familia's home, it would be their own fault.

"Lady Hestia! Lady Artemis!" The tired maids lit up as soon as they saw them. Their protectors were home—and so was August. Help had finally arrived.

"I knew these idiots would try to break in," August said as he watched Artemis chase the fleeing gods. He turned to the women who had defended the house.

"Good job. All of you."

"Reporting, Captain. We held the house." Daphne stood up straight, clearly proud.

August had put her in charge of defending the house, and she wasn't going to let anyone else take that job, especially since the other women counted on her.

"What happened? We weren't gone that long. Why did half the gods in the city suddenly try to break into our home?" August asked.

"Someone started a rumor that the Hestia Familia has a dimensional travel artifact here," Daphne said. "They say anyone who gets it can go to a new world. A lot of gods tried to sneak in last night to find it. We've been keeping them out ever since, and none of the women outside have slept."

"A travel artifact?" Hestia stared at her.

"Who started that nonsense? We leave for one night, and suddenly the whole city is chasing a rumor. What's wrong with these people?"

"I don't know," Daphne said.

"It was the evil god," Cassandra said, her voice tense. "An evil god hides in the city, and its endless darkness wants to swallow us all."

It was another prophecy. As usual—the strange curse on Cassandra's visions made it hard for both gods and mortals to believe her.

"So someone is already after us again? That was quick." August said.

The laws of this world didn't have much effect on August, and the curse that hid Cassandra's prophecies was no different.

Cassandra's eyes widened. "Captain… you believe me?"

"Of course. Your dreams might be unclear and full of symbols, but there's a reason you saw this." August gently placed his hand on her head. "Thank you for warning us. I'm sorry you had to go through another nightmare."

"Thank you, Captain."

Cassandra started to cry. No one had ever believed her prophecies before, let alone comforted her after what she saw in her dreams. Right then, August seemed like an angel to her.

"Leave the investigation to us," Rethusa said.

As captain of the Artemis Familia, she knew what August's reaction meant. If he trusted Cassandra, then someone in Orario had spread this rumor on purpose to hurt the Hestia Familia. "If someone is targeting our allies, we'll find out who it is."

"I'm counting on you," August replied.

The Artemis Familia moved fast and knew how to investigate. August trusted Rethusa and her huntresses to track down whoever was behind it.

Hestia wasn't worried about the investigation either. Everyone in her Familia had found a way to help. Now, she was more concerned about the tired women in the courtyard. They had spent all night and most of the next day chasing gods away from the house.

"Daphne, take everyone inside for a bath, then put them to bed," Hestia ordered. "It's still afternoon. Let them sleep for a few hours so they'll be ready if those idiots come back tonight."

"Understood." Daphne clapped her hands and called the maid team together. "All right, everyone. Baths first, then bed. Follow me."

As the exhausted women filed back into the house, Lili let out a long sigh. "We leave for one day and almost come home to no house at all. We need more people here to guard it."

Having so few people had become a real problem. Daphne and Cassandra had done a good job organizing the defense, but neither they nor the former Ishtar Familia women could stop a group of strong adventurers.

If skilled thieves showed up instead of unarmed gods, the house would be overrun.

August didn't have a simple solution. He had set up barriers and defensive spells around the estate, enough to stop most adventurers. But anyone who took the time to study those defenses could eventually break through.

"Let's bring a few Level 4 Xenos here to guard the house... At this rate, someone will break in sooner or later. The barriers don't mean much to the gods, and they won't stop a professional thief forever," he suggested.

"That should work," Hestia said.

"It will take time to find people we can trust, but the Xenos can help us for now. We need a few strong ones here before Orario's gods tear our home apart searching for an artifact that isn't even real."

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