Chapter 75
"Come to think of it, how did you know who those people were, Draco-nii?" Dimitra asked curiously as the group walked home.
"Oh, that's easy. They are quite popular in this city," Draco replied.
'Can't say I know them from a series in my old world. Barely even recognized them at first until I heard the name Alise,' Draco thought.
"Hmm, who knows which other girls you know that we aren't aware about?" Clair commented, joining the conversation.
"Well, if you all talked with people more often, you would know a lot about what's going on in the city," Draco replied.
It was true, the Astraea familia was well-known amongst the common populace.
Thinking about it, Draco realized that he and his siblings only had a small group of people they interacted with.
Besides their goddess Bahamut, the nekomata inn keeper's daughter, Rose, their guild advisor, and themselves, there was little to no interaction with anyone else.
'It seems like we are a bit withdrawn. Is this perhaps an effect of isolation, trauma from the black dragon, or something else?' he wondered.
'Interaction and positive actions are the key to gaining friends and allies, but are we making an effort to do so? If we didn't meet the Astraea familia coincidentally today, when would I have made the effort to connect with them?' Draco pondered, his mood turning a bit sour.
"Hmm," Draco got snapped to his senses as something had touched his lips. Instinctively, he licked his lips and tasted something sweet.
Looking to the source, he saw Eleni's hand stretched out to his mouth.
She was attempting to stuff some sweet Dango in his mouth.
Dango’s were a kind of dumpling made with rice flour, they usually had a soft and chewy texture, coming in round shapes and covered in a sweet sauce.
Eleni, seeing his expression, immediately knew what he wanted to ask, "You had that complicated look on your face again, so have some of this and cheer up." she said.
"Thank you," Draco accepted her gift with a smile.
"Hmm," she replied with a smile too.
'Yeah, we should take things one step at a time,' Draco thought, his mood lifting ever so slightly.
"No fair, Eleni, let me have some," Nikolaos asked.
"Wait, when did she have the time to buy those? I was pretty sure she had been walking with us the whole time," Dimitra muttered.
"No, buy some with your own money," Eleni rejected Nikolaos.
Michalis, using the chance that she was distracted, tried to take a quick bite with his mouth.
Smack!
As if she had a sixth sense, Eleni smacked Michalis on the face, the sticky Dango sauce spilling on his face.
"Pfff," Vasiliki tried holding herself from laughing at Michalis, while Vasileios had at some point broken off from the group to buy some meat skewers from a shop they had just passed.
'Sigh, still as chaotic as always,' Draco thought, watching the events unfold.
"Come to think of it, we didn't get to really beat up that Elias guy for framing us," Nikolaos said.
"Yeah, I should have at least gotten to freeze a finger or two and taken them as a trophy," Vasiliki added.
"Well, at least Draco-nii broke one of his arms," Nikolaos replied.
‘Is this a normal conversation’ Draco wondered.
"Ewww, gross, you're actually licking that?" Vasiliki suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.
Draco turned to see Michalis licking the Dango sauce off his face, much to the disgust of Vasiliki.
"What? It's a waste to let it go to just wipe it off," Michalis defended himself.
"You're unbelievable," Vasiliki sighed, shaking her head.
Vasiliki's brow furrowed as she explained, "You do realize that all the sweat and dirt from the dungeon is caked onto your skin, so you're essentially mixing that into the sauce and then licking it up." She shook her head once again disapprovingly.
Michalis paused to look at his fingers, considering Vasiliki's words.
"When you put it like that, it certainly explains the extra salty flavor I was detecting. But surely it can't be that bad, right?" he muttered, a hints of concern creeping into his voice.
Vasileios, who had just returned from purchasing some meat skewers, chimed in.
"I'm going to have to side with Vasiliki on this one, bro." he said, while taking a bite of the savory meat, eyeing Michalis with a mixture of empathy and reproach.
Clair, observing the exchange, added her own assessment.
"You really should pay closer attention to your personal hygiene, Michalis. For your own sake, and that of those around you." she said.
Michalis let out a soft "Oh," his expression a blend of varying emotions.
Draco couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
Despite the occasional chaos and tensions within their group, there was a sense of camaraderie and comfort that he couldn't help but appreciate.
"Anyway, what did you all think about the Astraea familia?" Draco asked, steering the conversation in a more meaningful direction.
"They seem like a pretty close-knit group, just like us," Dimitra commented.
"I wonder what kind of adventures they've been on." she added.
“Crazy girls who jump into conclusions quickly” Vasiliki said.
“Conniving Vixens” Clair replied coldly.
‘Oh, was not expecting that’ Draco thought.
“Well they are kind of cute, especially the one with red hair. There is something about her” Nikolaos commented thoughtfully.
“Did you fall for her or something” Vasileios asked.
“No nothing like that. I just found her interesting” Nikolaos replied.
“Hehehehe, are you perhaps into red hea……” Michalis was about to begin his nonsense, but quickly kept quiet after getting a warning glare from Draco.
"From what I gathered, they're quite known in the city for their heroic deeds" Draco explained.
"It's admirable, really. They just tend to see the world as purely black and white" he added.
“You say that with such certainty. It’s almost a bit too much information about them” Clair said, her brows crunched in suspicion.
“Ah, it’s just my personal impression of them” Draco hastily replied.
‘I should probably stop flaunting my knowledge around’ he thought.
……………………………………………………………
Before they knew it, the Bahamut familia had already arrived home, cutting short the conversation Draco was having.
Everyone quickly rushed to their respective assigned homes, eager to freshen up and shed their dungeon gear.
Bahamut was surprised to see the children return so early.
Typically, they would not arrive until late in the evening after a hard day's work in the depths of the dungeon.
“We’re home” Draco and Clair greeted.
"Welcome back, but why are both back so early? Did something happen?" she inquired, her brow furrowed with concern.
Draco, dropping his heavy dungeon bag onto the floor, let out a weary sigh.
"It's a long story," he replied, his tone laced with a hint of exhaustion.
Bahamut's instincts kicked in, and she offered a listening ear.
"Well, I've got time. I can listen to what happened." she offered.
Draco glanced around at Clair, who shared his desire to clean up first.
"Can we freshen up first?" he asked.
"Of course, go ahead," Bahamut responded with a gentle nod, understanding the need for a moment of respite after a tiring day.
Bahamut had a lot of free time now that she wasn't working anymore.
In the past, she had worked at some of the northwestern Hephaestus familia stores to make a living.
But now, all of her expenses were paid by the children of her familia, leaving her with an abundance of free time at home.
She spent this newfound free time reading various books and literature of the mortal world to kill time.
So while her children were freshening up, she simply went back to reading.
Soon, all the familia members had all refreshed themselves and gathered around in Bahamut's house, ready to recount the day's events.
With the remainder of the day free, they settled in, the atmosphere relaxed as they prepared to share the events of the day.
Vasiliki, the youngest of the group, wasted no time in diving into Bahamut's arms, her eyes glistening with feigned tears.
"Listen to this, Bahamut-chan," she began, her voice laced with a dramatic flair.
"We got bullied by some mean girls in the dungeon today." she said.
As Vasiliki narrated the unfolding events, Bahamut listened intently, her expression shifting from surprise to a contemplative frown.
"I see, the goddess Astraea, huh?" she murmured, her fingertips tapping against her chin.
"Are you perhaps close to her?" Draco inquired.
He reasoned that if she did, then it was a chance for them to form stronger ties with the Astraea familia.
Bahamut's gaze met Draco's, a flicker of understanding passing through her eyes.
"Hmm, a bit," she replied.
"We've met up a few times in the upper world, so she's kind of an old friend of mine." she added.
The familia members leaned in, eager to learn more about this connection.
Sensing their curiosity, Bahamut continued, "Astraea is a powerful goddess, known for her purity, strong sense of justice and her desire to protect the innocent. She had become a somewhat frequent visitor to my temple, after we first met at a party. As a fellow goddess of justice, we had quite a bit to talk about," she said in a fond tone.