章節 65: [65] Grimoire
Hestia's gaze sharpened instantly, and with a huff, she turned her head and said unenthusiastically, "Come in." She swung the door wide open, making way for Loki and Finn to enter.
Seeing the defeated Hestia, Loki sneered and strode inside.
With a resigned smile, Finn followed suit.
Silently, Hestia led Loki and Finn into the living room, then pointed to the couch expressionlessly. "Please, have a seat." and turned and headed into the kitchen.
The vast house was unusually quiet, with only the sound of water and clinking dishes coming from the kitchen.
However, Loki and Finn didn't see Aiden.
Loki, without reservation, plopped down on the couch and crossed her legs. "Finn, if we're going to raid the dungeon, that kid should be awake by now. Looks like you guessed right. Should we wake him up and call him down?"
Finn neatly arranged the three grimoires on the table before sitting down. Shaking his head, he smiled. "Haven't we already prepared? This visit is just to show our sincerity and goodwill. That's enough. We have time and opportunities. Besides, as long as he still desires power, he'll understand eventually."
"Fine, I'll go along with your plan. That chibi penniless goddess is really rude, I've had enough of her." Loki grumbled, displeased.
Before Finn could reply, the unmistakable sound of Hestia's footsteps in slippers echoed.
She returned to the living room with two steaming cups of tea, placing them in front of Finn and Loki, respectively.
"Thank you, Hestia-sama" Finn accepted the tea with both hands.
"Thanks." Loki taking hers.
Glancing at the neatly arranged grimoires on the table, Hestia smiled inwardly. "You're welcome."
"Hestia-sama, these are the stakes we lost to Aiden, three grimoires. Is he available to come and receive them?" Finn blew on his tea and took a sip, smiling politely.
"Aiden-kun just fell asleep. We all slept late yesterday to celebrate his level up." Hestia replied with goddess-like composure, though her words were less than truthful.
The implication was clear, don't bother waking him up; the items have been delivered, and there's nothing else for you to do. You can leave, and I'm going back to sleep.
Loki wasn't sure if Hestia was lying, but she certainly wasn't going to comply with her suggestion. "We haven't even finished our tea. Are you in such a rush to get rid of us?"
"Oh, suit yourselves. Just remember to close the door on your way out." Hestia said casually, yawning. Then, she stood up, grabbed the three grimoires, and turned to leave.
To hurry Loki along, Hestia blatantly ignored her, allowing her to leave on her own. Of course, if Loki couldn't restrain herself and pick a fight, that would be even better. She could then kick her out openly and unapologetically.
This wasn't just about Aiden; it was a class struggle between the haves and the have-nots.
"Hey, Hestia, there's a limit to being impolite." Loki snapped, feeling like she'd been hit where it hurt.
A reversal of roles, a rare successful provocation by Hestia.
"How am I being impolite? I'm still in my pajamas. Isn't that impolite to receive guests like this? I'm just going to change my clothes." Hestia deliberately puffed out her breast proudly in front of Loki, enhancing her already formidable armor.
"Oh, I just noticed. You're wearing men's clothing?" Hestia glanced at Loki, then leaned in closer, towering over her, and continued the performance.
"Guh..." Loki weakly protested, feeling defeated as she looked at Hestia's armor, her vast plain of unwavering flatness.
"I actually have a question for you, Loki." Hestia suddenly said, her tone serious.
"What is it?" Loki asked, irritated.
"I've always wondered... why do you always dress like a man? Can you even see your shoes when you stand up straight? Are you sure you're not a male god disguised as a goddess?" Hestia's mouth curved into a mischievous smile, unleashing the long-prepared barrage of roasts.
Loki subconsciously stood up, looked down, and realized there was nothing, not even the slightest obstruction to her view from her chest to her shoes.
"A plain..." The word echoed in Loki's mind as she felt like she'd been shot in the knee. She collapsed onto the floor in a defeated stance.
Loki, sunk.
"Or is it that your flat plain can't support women's clothing? Hahaha..." Hestia continued mercilessly, delivering the final blow.
The mocking laughter of Hestia continued to ring in Loki's ears making her anger simmered.
"Wretched, you chibi penniless goddess! You're nothing but a shorty, so why act so arrogant?!" Loki gritted her teeth.
"A chibi penniless goddess, huh? Is that all you've got, you cutting board woman?" Hestia welcomed this turn of events with open arms, setting down the grimoires and facing off against Loki, hands on hips.
"You're the penniless shorty! Come on, let's see who's afraid!" Loki stood up too.
"Maybe take a look at yourself first and see who's small." Hestia taunted proudly, puffing out her breast.
"Arrgh!" Unable to bear it any longer, Loki launched herself at Hestia while her guard was down, grabbing hold of her soft cheeks and pulling them in all directions.
Loki wasn't just lashing out randomly. After going all the way there only to find nobody home, she felt a bit aggrieved. Plus, her arch-nemesis kept provoking her, so she finally snapped. However, she restrained herself and didn't lift Hestia off the ground.
Caught off guard, Hestia was successfully ambushed by Loki. Her tender cheeks were stretched like dough, and her delicate brows furrowed in frustration.
But Hestia wasn't one to take things lying down. She fought back, throwing punches and kicks with fervor.
However, due to Hestia's diminutive stature, her short arms and legs couldn't reach Loki's slender limbs, and every blow missed its mark.
Seeing their respective deities engage in a scuffle again, Finn could only sigh and shake his head in resignation.
As Loki's hands gripped Hestia's chubby cheeks and Hestia swung her fists, her petite frame swayed with each movement.
Frustrated, Loki could barely articulate her words. "Hmph... fine, I'll let you off the hook... for today."
Clutching her chest in pain, Loki's eyes welled up with tears. Hestia finally broke free from Loki's grasp.
Rubbing her slightly flushed cheeks, Hestia lowered her head and, like a bull charging, slammed her head forcefully into Loki's stomach.
"Ouch!" Loki doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach like a cooked shrimp.
Ignoring Loki's pain as she clutched her stomach, Hestia completely embraced her strategy of ignoring her, standing tall and proud.
"As you leave, remember to close the door. Oh, and next time you show up, don't let me see your vast, flat, plain chest again." Hestia said, turning to grab the three grimoires and strutted upstairs, embodying the posture of a victorious warrior.
"Shut up! You penniless shorty, mark my words! You'll regret this!" Unable to hold back any longer, Loki burst into tears and fled, wiping her eyes as she went.
Having witnessed the divine scuffle that ended with his goddess defeated, Finn could only sigh in resignation, unable to intervene.
"Hestia-sama, I apologize for Loki's behavior just now. Well then, goodbye." Finn quickly caught up with the fleeing Loki.
"Goodbye. Remember to close the door." Hestia, feeling triumphant after her rare victory over Loki, sang an unknown tune with an unstoppable smile on her face.
"Mocking me, the flat-chested woman, and now running away like a loser. She even dared to try and steal my Aiden. Well, serves her right. I really want to know what expression she had yesterday when she heard about Aiden-kun's level up from the children in her familia. Hahaha." Hestia mused as she skipped upstairs, clutching the three thick grimoires.
With a slight creak, Hestia opened Aiden's door, then tiptoed inside, clutching the grimoires.
Inside the sparsely furnished room, the magic stone lamp by the bedside still glowed. Aiden was fast asleep, his left hand extending from under the covers, still holding open a copy of Stardust Crusaders. The pillow and bedside table were stacked with novels.
"So many books in one night, Aiden-kun, did you even sleep?" Seeing the pile of novels by Aiden's pillow and bedside table, Hestia couldn't help but chuckle. She gently placed the grimoires on Aiden's desk and then walked over to turn off the lamp beside him.
"Sleep tight. Thank you, Aiden-kun." Hestia whispered softly, running her fingers through Aiden's glossy silver hair.
Aiden slept soundly, and there was no dramatic blanket-lifting scene as often seen in anime. Hestia didn't steal a kiss while he slept, only to be caught by his sudden awakening.
With a radiant smile, Hestia wrote a note and placed it on top of the novels on Aiden's bedside table, weighing it down with a wristwatch, before silently leaving the room.
"I need to contribute to this familia too. I've always relied on him, letting him take care of me, even the house we live in is rented by him. I am Aiden-kun's main goddess, his family, yet I haven't done anything for this familia, for this home. Even if my power is insignificant, I must contribute to this home." Hestia's expression was slightly excited as she clenched her small fists, determinedly descending the stairs.
"First things first, starting with cooking." Hestia declared passionately as she strode into the kitchen.
...
It was nearing noon.
Aiden, who had been reading the holy scripture until late at night, finally woke up as dawn approached.
"Mmm... It's already this late? Well, I did sleep late yesterday." Aiden, who remembered nothing, glanced at the alarm clock, then rotated his neck and stretched lazily.
"Wait, why are the lights off? Didn't I leave them on yesterday? Or did Hestia help me turn them off? It must have been Hestia. I wonder if the grimoires were delivered?" With these questions in mind, Aiden pushed back the covers and got out of bed.
The first thing Aiden always did after waking up was to put on his wristwatch.
Then he noticed the note pinned under the watch.
"The grimoires have been delivered? Were they brought by Loki and Finn themselves? When did I become so important? Well, whatever, reading the grimoires is more important for now." Aiden widened his ice-blue eyes, instantly shaking off the last bit of drowsiness.
Aiden didn't even bother to put on his watch and went straight to his desk.
On the cluttered desk, where many novels were haphazardly arranged, a neatly stacked pile of books stood out conspicuously.
This stack consisted of three books, with plain white covers devoid of any text, giving them an elegant appearance.
"Is this the grimoire?" Aiden gently stroked the pure white cover of the first grimoire, his expression tinged with excitement.
Although Aiden had already experienced reincarnation after death, possessed the bloodline of Sparda, and now wielded extraordinary power, he still harbored a deep fascination for magic.
Whether it was the influence of countless novels, anime, and games from his previous life or the real magic he encountered in this world, the ability to manipulate natural forces, such as summoning lightning, controlling the wind, and causing storms, filled Aiden with infinite longing.
Although all of this paled in comparison to the power of Sparda after awakening as a true demon, it didn't diminish Aiden's yearning for magic. After all, while the power of Sparda was formidable, the convenience of magic prevailed in everyday life.
"So, what kind of magic will I get? Fireblast? Fireball? Flamestorm? Frost Nova? Explosive Inferno? Thunder Judgment?"
"Is the generation of magic completely random? Is it based on one's own adventures? Or is it based on one's racial bloodline? Or perhaps the domain of the gods one belongs to?"
"Or is it based on one's subconscious choices?"
Aiden's fingers rubbed against the pure white cover, lost in thought.
"Oh right, Bell is an example, isn't he?" Aiden immediately thought of Bell, who obtained magic through a grimoire, just like him.
Bell's rapid-fire magic, Firebolt, felt like a choice of destiny. Zeus, the grandfather who raised him, was the sky god who controlled thunder in Greek mythology, the king of the gods. And his patron goddess Hestia was the goddess of hearth in Greek mythology and also one of the oldest fire gods.
Growing up under the influence of both, Bell's magic perfectly combined the domains they presided over... thunder and flames.
"Bell has Firebolt, then what about me?"
Aiden opened the first grimoire.
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