"You found a support member so quickly?"
"Well…"
Entering their usual meeting room, Arthas explained his day to Eina.
Eina was relieved Arthas had finally encountered a monster; it felt like her child had grown up.
But she was exasperated by his casual approach to support members.
"Support members are crucial for adventurers! You can't be so careless! A good one helps; a bad one can kill!"
Eina said seriously; Arthas nodded vigorously.
"Stop nodding… it's annoying."
Eina chuckled, then asked,
"You spent time with her. What's Liliruca like?"
"She's well-behaved, quiet, and understands her role. But she seems insecure and wary, distrustful of others."
Despite their brief interaction, Arthas had assessed Liliruca's personality.
"That's a big problem…"
Eina frowned.
"Just speculation. Maybe something happened to make her distrustful? But she's just your support member; it shouldn't matter."
Eina said; she didn't think Arthas cared about Lily's past.
"What monsters did you encounter? How many magic stones?"
Eina asked about his harvest.
"None. I accidentally froze them."
Arthas shrugged, making Eina speechless.
"Frozen?"
Though she'd felt Arthas's magic, she was still amazed.
"Maybe Hestia's right. You're terrifyingly talented."
"I won't use magic next time. I'll try my sword."
Arthas gestured to his longsword.
"Now I understand why Hestia made you a sword."
Eina chuckled.
"But Arthas, are your stats okay for wielding a longsword in the deeper floors?"
Eina remembered Hestia saying Arthas had high magical aptitude, implying his other stats were average.
This might be fine on the lower floors, but not deeper.
"I'm not an idiot. I'll use magic against tough monsters."
Arthas chuckled, finding Eina's concern endearing.
"Right, of course."
Eina blushed slightly.
It was dusk when they left the Guild. Hestia had dinner ready when Arthas returned to the church.
"What kind of support member did you hire? Boy or girl?"
Hestia asked, seemingly more interested in the gender than their abilities.
Arthas chuckled, teasing her.
"A cute girl."
"A… cute… girl?!"
Hestia jumped up, incredulous.
"Wh… what?! Girls aren't helpful! You need a reliable support member!"
"But Lilly's good. No worse than others."
"Li… Lilly?"
"Her name."
Ugh… so familiar! She must have used underhanded tactics to seduce Arthas!
I need to meet her and show her that Arthas is mine! A support member shouldn't overstep boundaries!
Hestia thought this; she looked up and saw Arthas smiling.
"Cute… Hestia's jealous."
"I'm not jealous! She's just a support member!"
Hestia crossed her arms, her blue silk dress accentuating.
Then, reverting to her true nature, she clung to Arthas like a koala.
"Arthas! Don't find all girls cute! I'm cuter!"
"Of course, Hestia is the cutest."
Gently stroking Hestia's head, Arthas made the bold Hestia blush.
"Arthas… you're smoother. You've worked hard to win Riveria over. You're not as wooden as before."
"Have I?"
Arthas pondered; he had changed.
"Be bolder, more ambitious."
Resting her head on Arthas's chest, Hestia whispered, blushing.
"Bolder? I'm already bold…"
Arthas chuckled, touching his nose. Exploring the Dungeon, confessing to Riveria—these weren't just bold; they were reckless.
Arthas had always been fearless.
"It's different…"
Hestia mumbled, her voice too low to hear clearly.
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