Danmachi: A Mage's Journey

Chapter 286 286: Lavish Meals After a Long Time

Night fell, and Orario's skies turned a deep, tranquil blue.

The heavy gray clouds of the day had finally dispersed, unveiling a vast canopy of glittering stars. Below, the city glowed warmly, magic-stone lamps flickering to life across the streets.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, laughter and cheerful voices carried through the night air.

Several hours had passed since the battle for the Seventh District. The enemy forces had been driven back to the outer walls, and though neither side pressed the fight further, a fragile truce hung over the city.

But within a certain two-story tavern, the Hostess of Fertility, there was no sign of restraint.

Once converted into a shelter for refugees, it now blazed with light and sound. The air was thick with the scent of roast meat and fresh bread, mixed with the fragrance of fine wine. Citizens and adventurers alike filled the hall, their weary faces transformed with smiles as they celebrated survival.

"Hah! Did you see me out there? Quite the sight, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah, you were amazing."

"Oi, keep it down, fools. Everyone's staring..."

A corner table held Akira, Alise, and Ryuu, their quiet conversation interrupted when Kaguya approached, a faint flush in her cheeks and a bottle of wine dangling carelessly from her hand. Her crimson eyes swept the noisy tavern before finally resting on them.

"Captain. Don't tell me you're the one footing the bill for this banquet." She pouted slightly, suspicion heavy in her tone.

All around them, people feasted heartily, exhaustion from the past days washed away by good food and overflowing drink.

Kaguya's brows knit. "Lavish meals, fine wine... At a time like this, supplies should be scarce. Where in the world did all this come from?"

Alise puffed her chest proudly. "I don't really know either."

"Don't say that like it's something to boast about." Ryuu sighed, pinching her temple. "I heard it was prepared by the Hermes Familia."

Akira smirked knowingly. "Heh. No need to worry. The stockpiles from the prosperous district are still intact. And as for this feast..."

He jerked his chin toward Hermes, who was already red-faced and guzzling from a jug. "I worked with him to bring in extra supplies from outside. A hidden cache entrusted to Demeter herself."

Though it had been a delicate, secret mission, one carried out through the Beol Mountains so as not to alert enemy scouts, Akira spoke of it as though it were nothing at all. Thanks to his intervention, what would have taken weeks of transport had been completed in only two days.

That very effort now bore fruit. The central camp's greatest concern, a looming food shortage, had been eliminated in one stroke. Orario's morale soared.

"So that's where you've been all day." Alise brightened with sudden realization, clapping her fist into her palm.

Akira reached out and flicked her forehead. "And only now you notice? Seems I'm not very important in my captain's heart."

He exaggerated a sigh and rubbed at his eyes as though shedding invisible tears.

"Ehehe, sorry, sorry. I was thinking about something important." Alise stuck her tongue out, unrepentant.

"Hmph." Kaguya slipped an arm around Akira's shoulder, pressing the empty wine bottle against his cheek with a sharp twist.

"Don't be fooled, Alise. He probably just ran off chasing some girl again, leaving us to fight alone."

"Oi—" Akira began, but Kaguya only pressed harder.

"Leaving us to face evilus, not asking him to apologize to us is already too much."

"Don't you think so, useless elf?"

The jab hit its mark. Ryuu, who had been listening in silence, stiffened instantly. Her face turned crimson as memories about that night surged.

"W-Wha...? I-I don't know what you're talking about." She flailed her hands, desperately denying it as faint steam practically rose from her head.

Her obvious panic only stoked Alise's curiosity. She leaned in, eyes gleaming. "Heeey, Ryuu, what's this? You and Akira hiding something from me? Out with it!"

"N-Nothing! Nothing happened that night, I mean—!" Realizing too late what she'd nearly said, Ryuu clapped both hands over her mouth, only to be grabbed and shaken by Alise.

"Wuwuwu—A-Alise, stop!"

The table erupted in laughter, the sound blending with the merriment of the tavern.

By night's end, Astraea's girls staggered back to the Stardust Garden, too exhausted to even speak. After quick baths, they collapsed into bed, sleep claiming them instantly.

Only Akira lingered. Taking Astraea's hand gently, he guided her to her chambers.

Though the goddess of justice had her own private bath, she often chose to join her children instead. Tonight, however, she allowed herself this quiet moment with him.

From her wardrobe, Akira retrieved a neatly folded set of pajamas, his own, placed there long ago at her insistence. Their closeness had grown such that her room bore not only her belongings, but his as well.

Together they stepped into the steamy haze of the bath. The scent of soap and warm water wrapped around them.

"You've worked so hard these past few days." Astraea murmured.

Her soft fingers threaded through Akira's damp hair, lathering it with gentle care.

Akira, leaning into her touch, tried to sound unaffected, though his chest tightened. "It was nothing. Just a mission assigned by the goddess I love."

Astraea's fingertips trembled slightly when she heard this, and drops of water slid down Akira's hair.

She looked at the pair of smiling eyes turned toward her, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat. In the misty water vapor, even her breathing grew hot.

"You're just a chatterbox." She turned her head away, her ears flushed, yet she couldn't help but tiptoe to take down the towel hanging on the wall.

"Hmph. Let me serve you this time and rub your back."

Akira raised his eyebrows, a wicked smile curving the corner of his lips, and straightened his back deliberately. "Then I will respectfully obey your command. After all, not everyone gets to enjoy the service of a goddess."

The warm water streamed over their bodies. Astraea first applied shower gel, then rubbed his back with the towel in her hand.

After a while—

"Okay." Astraea stopped what she was doing.

"Now, it's my turn."

Akira slipped his arms around Astraea's waist, pressed her against the warm tiled wall, and bent down to claim her red lips.

The warm shower poured down, blending the two figures into hazy silhouettes.

After a long while, Akira carried the slightly tired Astraea out of the bathroom and placed her gently on a chair.

"Astraea, your hair's still damp. Want me to help?"

"I leave it to you." Astraea, lips still sore, rolled her eyes as she spoke.

Before she finished, Akira had already taken out a soft towel and was running his fingertips gently through her long hair.

As he wiped, droplets slid down Astraea's graceful neck and into the collar of her bathrobe. Akira's eyes involuntarily followed the crystal trail. His adam's apple rolled. Enduring until her hair was dry, he tossed the towel aside and pulled her into his arms again.

"Akira!" Astraea gasped, but he sealed her lips with another kiss.

This one burned hotter than before, charged with irrepressible desire.

Astraea's hands slowly lifted, wrapping around Akira's neck as she yielded to his warmth.

The night passed in silence.

As darkness settled, the lights and sounds of the city faded away.

To preserve scarce supplies, people avoided lighting magic stone lamps or candles, and they spoke in hushed tones. It wasn't fear of the night itself, but the feeling that it was close, so they held their breath and clung to one another.

In the end, only the central square in the heart of the city remained lit. One after another, the followers of every familia gathered there.

Patrolling the square, Lyra remarked with a smile, "Gathering every force in Orario here in the square... looks like things are getting serious."

"Stop joking. You know exactly how it is."

Like the other familia, all of the Astraea Familia had assembled. Kaguya snapped at Lyra beside her to quit their chatter.

And she was right, everyone present already knew.