"I didn't expect you to come to me."
Orsted and Miach met Demeter on the grounds of the wheat manor.
Though it was called wheat manor, it was filled entirely with medicinal herbs.
When Orsted and Miach arrived, Demeter was crouched in front of a herb, carefully tending to it.
Seeing Miach, Demeter's face lit up with surprise.
As the Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter had many dealings with the Miach Familia.
In the past, the two Familias had collaborated frequently.
But after the decline of the Miach Familia, Miach had rarely visited.
In fact, he had almost stopped coming altogether.
Demeter hadn't expected to see Miach here today.
"Long time no see, Demeter," Miach greeted with a gentle nod, then introduced Orsted. "This is Orsted from Hestia Familia."
"Hestia's Familia?"
"I didn't expect Hestia to have established a Familia just a few months," Demeter covered her mouth in surprise.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Demeter," Orsted introduced himself.
Then, system prompted.
'Sign in!'
[Sign-in successful. Congratulations, host, for obtaining Natural Breath!]
[Natural Breath: Those with the Natural Breath are protected by nature, loved by all living things, and possess strong resistance to all elements.]
With such a description, Orsted wasn't entirely sure what Natural Breath was for.
However, what Orsted didn't know was that the moment he obtained Natural Breath, Demeter's eyes suddenly brightened.
Demeter didn't know what had happened to Orsted, but she felt a very familiar aura suddenly emanate from him.
As the Goddess of Agriculture, she had dealt with nature in Heaven and continued to do so after descending to the lower world.
She was intimately familiar with nature.
She was certain that the aura now radiating from Orsted was nature itself.
Demeter loved nature deeply, which was why she spent most of her time in this manor outside Orario.
This place had the strongest natural resources near the city.
However, the aura emanating from Orsted was anything she had felt before.
So strong, in fact, that she felt an irresistible urge to embrace him.
Miach: "..."
"Demeter?" Miach looked at the scene in confusion.
Orsted: ???
Orsted was equally baffled.
He had been pondering the uses when a fragrant scent filled his nostrils.
The next moment, his vision went dark, and he felt a soft, warm pressure against his face.
"Ah, sorry, sorry! I just like this child so much that I couldn't help myself," Demeter said, though she didn't seem particularly apologetic.
Her body had moved on its own, pulling Orsted into a tight embrace.
Even after realizing what she had done, Demeter didn't let go.
Instead, she hugged him even tighter.
Miach: "-_-"
"What on earth is going on?"
'How could Demeter act so familiarly with someone she just met?' These thoughts swirled in Miach's mind.
"Demeter, I think you should let go of Orsted."
"If you keep hugging him like that, he might suffocate," Miach said kindly, noticing Orsted's struggles.
"Oh, oh!"
"Sorry, sorry," Demeter finally loosened her grip.
As soon as she did, Orsted instantly retreated ten meters, looking at Demeter with a mix of fear and bewilderment.
'Damn, gods are terrifying'
What was with Demeter's strength?!
He hadn't been able to break free and had nearly suffocated.
"Ah, ah, I'm sorry, Orsted," Demeter said with a smile.
Despite his fear, Orsted resisted the urge to flee immediately.
He still needed the materials to craft the Grimoire.
"I'd like to purchase some medicinal herbs…" Orsted said after taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"No problem," Demeter agreed without hesitation.
Miach: "..."
'This is definitely strange.:
'It wasn't this easy when I came to Demeter to buy herbs before.'
'There's something unusual going on between these two.'
'Demeter seems unusually fond of Orsted.'
Miach narrowed his eyes slightly, silently observing the interaction.
Orsted was also surprised.
Miach had warned him that the herbs he needed were in high demand and might be difficult to obtain.
Yet Demeter had agreed so readily.
Was there some kind of catch?
Sure enough, Demeter spoke again.
Orsted braced himself.
'Here it comes.'
However, what Demeter said next caught him off guard.
"Orsted, I may visit you in the future. Don't turn me away when the time comes."
Hearing this, Orsted tilted his head slightly.
"That's it?"
---
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