Chương 55: The Jealous Goddess

Lili slowly lifted her head. She looked at Hestia with her hands on her hips, then at Cael's gentle smile, then at everyone who had grown angry on her behalf. Her heart grew so full she almost cried. What were those Soma Familia adventurers compared to this? These were the people who deserved to be called adventurers.

"Lili is grateful that Lord Cael saved her. Even if Lili cannot join Hestia Familia, that is all right." She bowed lightly to Hestia. She had done so many bad things to Lord Cael, yet he had forgiven her so easily. He had even hidden those things in front of his goddess. That was already more than enough.

"You need your original god's permission before joining another Familia," Hestia said, folding her arms.

"But you can stay with Hestia Familia until your patron god releases your contract. I will have a proper talk with Soma."

"Eh? Is that really all right, Lady Hestia?" Lili raised her head, hardly daring to believe she had been accepted so simply.

"Since Cael saved you, I cannot heartlessly drive you away. If I did, everyone would think I was a cold-blooded goddess." Hestia said that much, then lowered her head and whispered into Lili's ear.

"However, I am only allowing you to stay temporarily. There are some things you must not get greedy about."

"Huh?" Lili looked confused.

"Ahem. What I mean is..." Hestia immediately hugged one of Cael's arms and looked at Lili with the triumphant smile of someone staking her claim.

"My. Cael. Saving you does not mean anything more than that, understand?" Even if this little Prum had fallen for Cael after being rescued like a heroine, she needed to know her place. Lili froze for an instant. Then her expression sharpened. She darted to Cael's other side, hugged his other arm, and gave Hestia a bright, innocent smile.

"Of course Lili understands her place. Yesterday, Lord Cael stole Lili's first kiss and kissed Lili until she was dizzy, then took Lili home and held Lili while she slept all night. Lili has no choice but to stay with Lord Cael now."

"Ha?" Cael and Hestia both froze. Lili, what are you saying? Was that something you could announce in front of everyone? That was the kind of thing you only said when the two of them were alone. Now Hestia's jealousy had not just spilled over. It had exploded.

"Haa..." If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Hestia let go of Cael's arm. Her face went blank. She set both hands on her hips, half-lidded eyes staring at him as her voice stretched without emotion.

"You already kissed. And held each other all night. So did you also do that?" Cael's eyelid twitched. Lili seemed to realize she had said something dangerous and quickly let go of his arm too, her face turning bright red.

"We did not. We did not do that. Last night, she only shared my space because she felt bad sleeping in your bed, Lady Hestia. Nothing happened. I kept my hands to myself." Whether he had stayed perfectly still in his sleep was another matter. The Hashira were stunned. They had suspected something, but hearing it so openly was still a shock. A goddess had fallen for a mortal. That overturned their sense of the world.

"I think we should give them some space," Shinobu said, cheeks faintly flushed.

"I agree," Kyojuro said.

"Mm," Giyu added.

"Let us tour this ruined church in a flashy way."

"Ah, Mr. Cael really is excellent if even a goddess likes him," Mitsuri thought, flustered.

"A goddess and that tiny girl both like Mr. Cael? Kissing? Sleeping together? That thing?" Zenitsu's eyes nearly popped out with envy.

"Heavens!"

"Zenitsu, let us go," Tanjiro said, dragging the stiff blond boy after the Hashira. Watching everyone make room for him, Cael felt his face heat. The image he had worked so hard to build had taken a serious blow.

"Whew. So that was the truth." Hestia relaxed slightly, then folded her arms again.

"You did not do that, but you did kiss, right?"

"Yes. We kissed. I was the one who initiated it." Cael wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and did not try to hide it. A person could not lie in front of a god.

"Cael! You flirt! It was that Skill. It had to be that Skill causing trouble!" Hestia bit her lip like she had a grudge against something, her eyes turning damp.

"What Skill?" Cael asked, confused. Skill? Did she mean the Skill she had blurred out? What kind of Skill could make Hestia hate it that much?

"Nothing! What Skill? You misheard me." Hestia spoke angrily.

"Take off your shirt. I am updating your Status."

"Oh..." Cael glanced helplessly at Lili, who had lowered her head and was thinking about something. This girl had really done him in. A full-blown romantic battlefield. Normally, wasn't this where someone was supposed to say he cared about both of them equally? What was his situation supposed to be? Sacred characters rose like clockwork gears, moving up and down before settling into place. [Status] Name: Cael Veyren Level: Lv. 1 Basic Abilities Strength: A 835 ->? 1523 Endurance: C 689 ->? 1289 Dexterity: A 816 ->?

1657 Agility: C 638 ->? 1358 Magic: C 675 ->? 1396 Development Abilities: None Magic Unlimited Blade Works - Reality Marble - Bounded Field Magic - Reinforcement - Projection - Weapon Replication World Gate Key - Gate-opening Magic - Summons the World Gate -??? Skills Bravery - Nullifies mental interference such as intimidation, confusion, and charm. - Doubles Basic Abilities when acting alone. - Greatly enhances combat intuition.

Indomitable - Increases active attack damage according to injury severity during battle. - Temporarily grants the Development Ability Omen while injured. - Temporarily grants the Development Ability Danger Avoidance while heavily injured. - Temporarily grants the Development Ability Perseverance while near death. Clear Sword Mind - Greatly enhances the sharpness attribute of any sword-shaped weapon while wielding a sword. - Greatly enhances comprehension of sword techniques.

- Slightly enhances comprehension of sword-type finishing moves. Starburst Stream - When activated with twin swords, temporarily grants extreme dynamic vision. - Temporarily grants sword-type weapons the effect of cutting through airflow. - Temporarily raises Strength, Dexterity, and Agility to the ability value limit of S 999. - Effect increases according to Magic value. Bond of Affinity - When forming a bond with someone of the opposite sex, both parties receive an increase to growth speed.

- Grants the possibility of breaking through potential limits. - Effects increase according to the number of bonds and the depth of each bond. Current Growth Speed Bonus: 17. 6% Current Potential Limit Breakthrough: 12. 3% Transparent World - Allows the user to see through the structure and movement of living bodies. - Allows the user to perceive weak points in living bodies. - Accelerates the user's perception.