Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Izay – A Bit Overwhelmed……

After agreeing to travel together with the Familial Group of Artemis, Izay and Artemis started up a sporadic conversation.

During this time, Izay also gave a belated self-introduction, though it came rather late…

At this moment, Letsha returned to the camp with the girls who had finished their cleaning duties, starting to prepare dinner.

Not long after, when the girls saw Artemis and Izay emerge one after another from a tent at the edge of the camp, their expressions were beyond just being interesting.

Could it be that their eyes were playing tricks on them?

Their Goddess, Artemis, who presides over chastity and doesn’t even understand what “love” is, actually walked out of a male’s tent!?

Oh my gosh!

The world has gone crazy!

They just went for a bath, what happened during that time?

“Wha-What!? Lady Artemis, have you finally come to your senses!? You, you actually had a private meeting with a man at night… Does this mean we might finally be free!?”

As soon as they stepped out of the tent, Artemis didn’t even get a chance to speak before an unexpected shout reached everyone’s ears.

That lively and outspoken manner, the awkward yet inappropriate topic, even the faint joy in her tone…

Who dared to say such things openly in her Familial Group of Artemis…

“LAN-TI! You will come to me tonight along with Chloe!!!”

The goddess whose cheeks instantly turned red with anger roared, looking like Medusa ready to devour someone.

It might have been an illusion, but Izay thought he saw Artemis’s hair float up briefly, though the scene disappeared quickly.

When Artemis’s words faded, Lan-ti, who had just moments ago revealed her joy like a bird released from its cage, immediately lost all color in her face.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Crap… I got too carried away…

This kind of thing about Lady Artemis meeting a man should be discussed in private!

The companions beside Lan-ti now looked at her helplessly, some even regarding her as if she were a brave warrior.

But she had no time to care about her companions’ reactions now; all the half-elf girl could think about was how to deal with the lecture coming her way tonight.

On the other hand, Chloe seemed delighted because she would have company tonight~

Hehe~

Seeing Lan-ti obediently admit her mistake, Artemis sighed after a while. Looking around at the curious gazes of the girls focused on herself and Izay, she subtly twitched her eye corner.

What’s with those suspicious and gossiping looks?

Do you really believe Lan-ti’s nonsense?

Would you really think that just because I spent time alone with a man, something must have happened?

“Leader Letsha.”

“Yes, Goddess.”

The group leader, who was secretly curious herself, immediately composed herself upon hearing the goddess call her and approached.

“From now on, Izay will be traveling with us until we reach Orario. Inform everyone about this, and don’t overthink it!”

Artemis briefly explained the situation to her, emphasizing not to overthink it at the end.

But it seemed to have no effect.

Letsha showed no unusual expression outwardly but began to indulge in some gossip in her heart.

Goddess, you’re already calling him by his name after such a short time, and you still say there’s nothing?

Although as a goddess, Artemis directly addressing a mortal’s name isn’t strange.

But that doesn’t stop Letsha from indulging in some gossip, does it?

Unaware that her own group leader was gossiping about her, Artemis gave some brief instructions before returning to her tent alone.

She needed to calm down.

Whether it was due to the irritation caused by her Familial Group or something else.

Once the goddess Artemis left, the previously quiet and well-behaved girls immediately burst into chatter, quickly surrounding Letsha and Izay, bombarding them with curious glances and questions.

Like why he was chased by gray wolves, what it felt like to be alone with the goddess, how far their relationship had developed, from age to preferences, height to family…

It felt more detailed than a census check.

Speaking of which, wasn’t the one asking how far the relationship had developed going a bit too far?

Izay himself liked spending time with girls, after all, they’re soft and fragrant, what’s not to like?

But judging by the current situation, he might… be a bit overwhelmed…

Fortunately, as the group leader, Letsha still held considerable authority among the girls. As she continued explaining, the girls’ commotion gradually subsided, becoming relatively more subdued.

Well, relatively.

After all, dinner still needed to be prepared. If they kept making such a fuss, would they even eat?

Adventurers need to eat too~

And not just them, Artemis was the same.

A deity with sealed divine powers is no different from a mortal, eating is essential.

During dinner, Artemis would always walk out of her tent and eat with everyone around the campfire, just as usual.

However, tonight, with Izay’s presence in the Familial Group, even though he sat in a corner to avoid suspicion, quite a few girls still gathered around him trying to talk to him.

Artemis couldn’t bear to see this and warned them, but it had little effect.

The goddess didn’t want to be too harsh either, considering they were eating, so doing so wouldn’t be appropriate.

In the end, she made up her mind and sat next to Izay, glaring at anyone who tried to approach with a death stare.

…………

After dinner, as time slowly entered the dead of night, the camp became quiet. The girls huddled inside the tents whispering secrets, only the sound of the campfire could be heard outside.

Considering the special circumstances, Izay was given a separate tent, but since he had slept for a long time in the afternoon, even though it was already night, he wasn’t very sleepy.

Unable to sleep, Izay quietly left the tent and sat on a large rock at the edge of the camp.

It wasn’t yet time for watch duty, so it seemed like Izay was the only one outside.

Those responsible for watch duty usually take a light nap for a while, waking up only during the deep hours of the night to start their watch.

Moreover, the monsters around the camp were mostly cleared out during the day, unless there was an emergency, attacks usually wouldn’t happen at night.

Izay’s current situation was—can’t sleep, go stargazing.