Is It Wrong to Explore the Dungeon Even Though I’m Overpowered? (Danmachi SI- WC)

Chapter 31: Wolves at the Door

Blinking at Ram’s words, Hestia and I exchanged confused glances, silently checking if either of us knew what she was talking about—only to be met with blank looks in return.

“Haah… let’s put this conversation on hold for now, Supporter-kun,” Hestia sighed with mild irritation. She stood up from her seat and walked toward the exit, pausing only to plant a quick kiss on my cheek—drawing an annoyed twitch from Lili—before making her way out of the basement.

“Of course,” Lili responded quickly with a nod. But as Ram’s blank gaze turned her way, Lili stiffened slightly, then stood and bowed deeply.

“L-Lili wants to apologize for her previous actions, Ram-sama. Lili understands you may never forgive her, and that’s fine. But please know… Lili will do her best to earn back your trust.”

A scowl pulled at Ram’s lips as she stared at the bowing Pallum in silence. After a long moment, she clicked her tongue and turned her head away in dismissal.

“Tsk. Just be glad it was me you tricked—and not my Rem, or Reinhard-sama. If you’d truly betrayed the trust Reinhard-sama placed in you… I would have killed you,” she said coldly before walking away, leaving Lili frozen in place, eyes wide with shock.

As she slowly straightened up, I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her flinch slightly.

“Please don’t take Ram’s words too harshly,” I said gently. “She’s just… very protective of Rem. And, I guess, of me too. But if she’d truly rejected you, believe me—you’d know it.”

Taking a deep breath, Lili gave me a shaky smile. “It’s okay, Reinhard-sama. Don’t worry. Lili doesn’t blame Ram-sama… honestly, Lili is just grateful to still be given a chance.”

“Good,” I said with a warm smile. “Now all that’s left is to talk to Naaza. Don’t worry—she’s much more understanding than Ram. In fact, she never condemned you in the first place. Just like me, she wanted to hear your side of the story.”

“That’s a relief,” Lili whispered, sighing softly as she trailed behind me.

As we stepped out of the basement, familiar voices reached our ears—Hestia and Artemis were speaking with someone who had a distinct, animated tone.

“And there he is! The man of the hour! The one and only Mr. Sword Saint, the record-breaker himself—Level Three in less than a month!” the flamboyant voice rang out as its owner tipped a feathered hat with exaggerated flair.

‘Hermes,’ I thought immediately, recognizing the charismatic god of the Hermes Familia. A man who projected the image of a playful flirt while hiding razor-sharp cunning beneath his easy smile.

‘If he’s here… then something’s brewing. He never shows up without a scheme in his pocket.’

Offering the god a polite smile, I came to a stop before the group and bowed slightly. “Thank you for the compliment, Kami-sama.”

“Maa, maa. No need for such formality between friends,” Hermes said with a wave of his hand and a breezy grin. “Just call me Hermes, if you’d like.”

Before I could respond, both Hestia and Artemis stepped in front of me, placing themselves between us with subtle glares, as if shielding me from the smooth-talking god.

“Spit it out already, Hermes,” Artemis said, her tone curt and unimpressed.

“That’s right, out with it,” Hestia added, crossing her arms below her chest—unintentionally drawing Hermes’s gaze to the resulting bounce before he quickly looked away under Artemis’s murderous glare.

“H-Hahaha, come now, Artemis, Hestia—there’s no reason to be so cold,” Hermes said with a nervous chuckle. “Can’t an old friend drop by to see how his old companions are doing?”

“That’s strange,” Artemis replied, brows furrowed. “I’ve been in Genkai for months now and in all that time I didn’t hear a word from you.”

“Exactly. Where were you when I was kicked to the curb, huh?” Hestia followed, her tone biting. “Some friend.”

“Haha… ouch. Okay, I deserved that one,” Hermes admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Then, his expression shifted, losing some of its levity. “But even so, I still consider you a friend, Hestia. And as a friend… I came to give you a heads up.”

At the sudden shift in tone, both goddesses turned serious. Beside me, Lili shifted nervously, unsure of whether she should stay or go—until Naaza appeared and gently took her arm, leading her away into a quiet corner of the church for a private conversation.

“This conversation sounds serious,” I said, turning back to the trio idly noticing that Hermes’s hair was actually a dark orange instead of blonde. “Should I leave you to it?”

Before either goddess could answer, Hermes beat them to it with a lopsided grin. “Actually, Reinhard-kun, you’re the subject of this conversation. So no, you definitely want to hear this.”

I turned to Hestia and Artemis, both of whom nodded in silent agreement.

“Hmm,” Hermes said, his gaze sliding toward Artemis. “This really only concerns the Hestia Familia, though. Are you sure you want to be involved, Artemis? You realize your Familia might get dragged into this.”

 “That’s my decision to make,” Artemis replied coolly. “And I stand with Hestia—like a true friend should.”

A flicker of amusement danced across Hermes’s face as he gave Artemis a lingering glance—particularly at how close she stood beside me—before shifting his gaze back toward me with an unreadable smile.

“Very well,” he said. “Shall we take this somewhere more private?”

“Fine,” Hestia huffed, already turning to lead us back down to the basement, Artemis falling into step beside her. That left Hermes and me walking a few paces behind.

As soon as the girls were out of earshot, Hermes sidled up to me, his sly grin returning full force. “Way to go, Reinhard-kun~ You must be truly blessed to have drawn the attention of those two,” he whispered conspiratorially. “And that’s not even counting all the other beautiful girls living under this roof. A pair of cute maids, a lovely Pallum Supporter, a cool Chienthrope and who knows how many others. I envy you, truly~”

A light blush crept up my cheeks at his words, but I wisely chose silence, not wanting to feed his teasing.

Naturally, my silence only encouraged him.

“Hahaha! Oh don’t be shy, it’s every man’s dream to have a harem, you know? So be proud, you’re living the dream.” he chuckled, giving my back a hearty pat—loud enough to echo slightly down the hall.

Unluckily for him, his voice carried farther than he realized.

Artemis and Hestia came to a sudden stop. Slowly, in perfect sync, they turned to glare daggers at Hermes—both flushed, their gazes filled with fury.

“Hermes! Stop corrupting my Rein-kun!” Hestia snapped, cheeks puffed out, ponytails somehow defying gravity like angry antennae.

“Rein is not a filthy pervert like you,” Artemis added icily, her blush deepening even as her voice stayed level. “So I’ll kindly ask you to stay far away from him.”

Hermes froze for a beat, then took a quick step back from me with raised hands. “H-hehehe, my bad.”

But under his breath, just loud enough to be heard, he muttered, “Rein-kun and Rein, huh? Cute.”

“That’s it!” Hestia launched herself at him, a blur of righteous fury and embarrassment as she tackled the god in a flurry of kicks, jabs, and dramatic yells.

“Mercy! I said mercy!” Hermes cried, arms flailing as Artemis merely looked on with a neutral expression—and the tiniest smirk at the corner of her lips.

=====

Minutes later, we found ourselves seated once more around a pair of sofas. Hestia and Artemis flanked me on either side—shoulder to shoulder—while Hermes sat across from us with an unusually serious expression.

Hestia leaned forward, arms crossed under her chest, her sapphire eyes narrowed. “Alright, out with it. What did you need to tell us that concerns Rein-kun?”

Artemis, seated with practiced poise at my other side, sipped the tea I’d hastily prepared. Her eyes were closed, but I could tell she was listening intently.

“Haah... there’s no easy way to say this,” Hermes began, letting out a tired sigh. “So I’ll just come out with it.”

He straightened in his seat, gaze flicking briefly to me before settling on Hestia. “There’s a Familia trying to poach your Reinhard-kun.”

That caught everyone’s attention immediately.

“While they’re not exactly powerful, they outnumber your group ten to one. And I hear the god is very stubborn once he sets his eyes on someone, pursuing them until they give in.”

“Tsk. I knew it was only a matter of time before some greedy bastard tried to get their hands on my Rein-kun,” Hestia muttered, fingers tapping her chin. “He’s just too amazing not to attract that kind of attention.”

‘It couldn’t be Freya, not yet anyway,’ I thought grimly. ‘If it’s who I think it is…’ A name came to mind that brought a familiar sense of disgust. ‘Apollo. That twisted freak with his obsession over collecting beautiful men.’

“Who is it?” Artemis asked sharply, her eyes now open and locked onto Hermes with a cool stare.

“The Apollo Familia,” Hermes said, expression unreadable. “Word is, he’s planning a lavish party soon… and I’d bet anything you’ll all be invited.”

“Ughh…” Hestia visibly recoiled and scooted closer to me, clinging tightly to my arm. “Of all people, it had to be that disgusting pervert. He never took ‘no’ for an answer back in Tenkai, and now he’s set his sights on my Rein-kun? Absolutely unforgivable.”

Artemis’s brow furrowed deeply. She mirrored Hestia’s reaction, subtly pressing closer to me as well. “I can’t stand Apollo. Every time I see him, I have the overwhelming urge to put an arrow between his eyes.”

Thankfully, in this world, Apollo and Artemis weren’t siblings. Otherwise, that would have made things much more awkward.

“To be fair… didn’t you want to do that to most males?” Hermes muttered quietly, scratching his cheek. He quickly looked away when Artemis’s gaze snapped toward him, cold and sharp as winter steel.

“Anyway,” Artemis said, eyes still on Hermes, “we appreciate the warning. But let’s not pretend you did this out of pure goodwill. What’s your angle, Hermes? What do you really want?”

A carefree smile returned to Hermes’s face. “Like I said earlier, I just wanted to give you a little heads-up for old times’ sake.”

Artemis narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not buying a single word. She crossed her arms and scoffed. “There you go again, dancing around the truth.”

She let out a sigh, but the sharp edge in her voice softened slightly. “Still… I suppose this time you’re off the hook. The information was useful. What do you think, Hestia?”

“I agree,” Hestia said, though she didn’t look particularly happy about it. “Thanks for the warning, Hermes—even if I still don’t believe that was your only reason.”

“Haah~ You two wound me with such cruel words.” Hermes pressed a hand to his chest with a mock-pained expression, though the amused glint in his eyes betrayed his enjoyment.

Then, his gaze turned to me. The mischief dimmed just a bit, and his smile grew more genuine—still playful, but sincere underneath.

“I’ll be rooting for you, Reinhard,” he said. “So don’t let me down.”

I felt there was a deeper meaning behind those words, but I simply smiled and brought a hand to my chest with quiet resolve.

“Thank you for the information, Hermes-sama. I’ll do my best not to disappoint. More importantly, I’ll fight with everything I have to protect the happiness I’ve found.” I said, casting a sidelong glance at Hestia and Artemis.

Both goddesses blushed.

“Hihihi~ Rein-kun!” Hestia giggled, cheeks dusted pink. “You shouldn’t say things like that so openly! At least not when other people are around~”

Artemis tried to play it cool, but her reddening face and the way she quickly turned her head betrayed her embarrassment.

Hermes let out a rich laugh. “Hahahaha, incredible. I never thought I’d live to see the day. The man-hating Artemis, blushing like a maiden at a man’s words... and Hestia, who used to run away from emotional attachments, clinging to one so tightly. What a time to be alive.”

Both goddesses stiffened.

“…I think you’ve overstayed your welcome, Hermes,” Artemis said sharply. She stood with swift grace, pulling out a silver bow in her hand from seemingly nowhere.

“W-Whoa! Artemis, calm down! Let’s not be hasty now! Put the bow down—watch where you’re pointing that thing! Mercy!” Hermes yelped, backing away with frantic gestures.

The next moment, he was bolting for the stairs, with Artemis following close behind, bow in hand and expression icy despite the lingering blush.

That left only Hestia and me in the room. She was still giggling to herself, clearly pleased by the exchange.

“Haah, one problem after another,” I muttered with a sigh, slumping back into my seat. The weight of the day tugged at my shoulders, but the moment I leaned back, Hestia’s eyes shifted toward me, full of warmth and concern.

Turning my gaze to her, I gave a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. My presence here… it’s caused ripples—ones we can’t ignore anymore. Things are bound to get more chaotic, and I’m certain the Apollo Familia won’t be the only challenge we face in the near future.”

Hestia’s expression softened as she leaned into me, curling up against my chest. Her sapphire eyes locked with mine, shining with quiet resolve.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Rein-kun. We always knew your strength would attract attention sooner or later. But whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”

She rose slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips—soft, warm, and fleeting—before retreating back into my arms, her face now buried in my chest.

“And even though it’s frustrating to admit… I know I’m not the only one who feels this way,” she continued, her voice a murmur. “Everyone here would fight for you, even if you didn’t ask. So don’t shoulder it all alone again, okay? You have us.”

My heart swelled with emotion at her words. The weight I had been carrying lifted just a little, and I smiled as I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her in tighter.

“Thank you, Hestia,” I whispered. Then, for the first time, I leaned down and kissed her forehead. It was small, but genuine and full of all the affection I held for her.

Hestia looked up, her eyes wide in surprise… and then a bright, glowing smile spread across her face. With a squeal of delight, she hugged me tightly and began peppering my cheeks and forehead with kisses.

“REIN-KUN! I LOVE YOU~!” she shouted happily.

It was at that exact moment that Artemis returned to the room, eyes landing on the sight of Hestia hugging my head to her chest and kissing me all over.

“W-What are you doing, Hestia!? Let Rein go!” Artemis exclaimed, her face coloring as she rushed over and tried to pry the excitable goddess off me.

I didn’t resist. I just smiled as chaos erupted around me, my heart feeling lighter than it had in days.

=====

An Hour Later

“I-Is this really happening?” Lili mumbled dazedly as we walked through the streets of Orario, flanked by Hestia and Artemis on either side of me.

After Artemis finally pulled Hestia off of me, we’d sat down for a strategy meeting. The Apollo Familia wasn’t a major threat by themselves, but defeating them openly would attract attention we didn’t want—especially given Rem and Ram’s strength despite their official level 1s. That meant…

We needed more members.

At least one more would help us pass off our victory as luck rather than power. So, shortly after a quick snack, we set out—this time with Lili included—toward the Soma Familia’s home.

“Believe it,” Hestia said with a smirk. “Unless, of course, you’ve changed your mind, Supporter-kun?”

“N-No way!” Lili blurted, waving her hands frantically. “Lili would love nothing more than to be in the same Familia as Reinhard-kun!” Her voice trailed off as she realized what she’d said aloud, face burning red as passersby glanced their way.

“Mou, just how many girls is it going to be until you’re satisfied, Rein?” Artemis muttered with a dramatic sigh, lightly pinching my arm while looking up with a faint pout.

“Good answer, Supporter-kun!” Hestia beamed. “There’s no better companion than my Rein-kun.” She leaned into me again, breasts pressing against my arm, causing Lili to blush and pout in equal measure.

We soon arrived at the Soma Familia estate, and the moment the guards saw the presence of two goddesses, they quickly ushered us inside. Our demand was simple: speak to Soma directly.

However, we were instead greeted by Zanis Lustra, seated behind his desk like a two-bit villain from a cheap play.

“To what do I owe this visit, Kami-samas?” Zanis asked, shooting a blank look toward Lili and another at me this time slightly wary.

“Cut the crap. We asked to see Soma. Bring him here,” Hestia demanded, stepping forward with arms crossed and an unmistakable glare.

“I’m afraid th—”

“That wasn’t a request,” Artemis cut in, her voice cold. She let a flicker of her divine aura leak into the room, and Zanis visibly paled.

Watching Hestia and Artemis reduce Zanis to a nervous wreck brought a smile to my face. Lili stood beside me wide-eyed, taking in the scene of the man who’d tormented her being completely overpowered.

‘Well… that’s one problem handled. Now to train everyone up for the coming war with Apollo.’

=====

Elsewhere in Orario…

“Hahahaha! Let’s see it, Reinhard-kun. Show me you’ve got what it takes to become the Hero this city, no this world needs!” a flamboyant man with burnt orange hair laughed to himself, raising a glass of wine to no one in particular.

Hermes smiled as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes glinting with anticipation.

“And I hope you don’t get too comfortable after Apollo,” he murmured. “Because another Familia—one much stronger—is already watching you.”