Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

Charles, waving the portion of capital he had obtained, interjected, "My newly built shop happens to be short-staffed. If they want to settle in Orario, I can provide stable jobs."

"What about these two children?" Ryu turned to look at the two children he had captured from the Far East.

"Haruhime is already our family's child. I will write a letter to Amaterasu."

As for fate...

"I, I also plan to stay in the city! Now that I'm here, I'm going to earn money with my own abilities to support the shrine!" Little Radish Head shouted.

The Takemikazuchi clan traveled across the ocean to this labyrinthine city in order to earn money to support the shrines in the Far East that adopted orphans.

Given their poverty, just crossing most of this map would take them two or three years.

Now that she has appeared in Orario unharmed, how can she not do something for the shrine?

The key point is that she doesn't feel comfortable leaving Haruhime alone in Orario; it's too dangerous there, full of bad people.

Yamato was unaware that her separation from Haruhime caused the Takemikazuchi Kinkaku, who were originally scheduled to appear five years later, to embark on their journey ahead of schedule.

At this very moment, on the coast of the continent, a solemn-faced war god, accompanied by Fali who had borrowed money from a fellow god, is leading a few small members of his kin, speeding towards Orario.

Chapter 287 I heard you were looking for me? Well, here I come!

The incident in the bustling street has temporarily come to an end. Ciel and Maria's mother, who came to take home the children from the "slaves" who had nowhere else to go, have a brief conversation.

Finally, he returned to Astraea's side to express his gratitude.

Mikoto and Haruhime will be temporarily looked after by Astrea, while Kaguya, who is also from the Far East, can temporarily teach Mikoto during her recovery period.

Ciel and Ryu returned to the "Abundant Mistress".

The dress was borrowed from Seele.

Liu bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude with utmost respect and humility.

Charles handed Seele a box of Fari he had brought out of the casino: "Sister Seele, this is your compensation."

"No need... I'm happy to be able to help everyone." Seele tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, feigning composure.

Now you know who's really good to you, right? Dump that woman who calls herself your older sister!

Liu, sticking her neck out, said, "Miss Xier must have rented that expensive dress from someone else, right? How could we possibly let you take on that responsibility?!"

"Ah, well... not really." Seele hesitated for a moment, then laboriously took the box from Charles.

"That's just a replica. Since you insist on giving it to me, I'll keep the money for you. When Miss Li'ang and Mr. Xia Er get married, I'll prepare a beautiful wedding dress for you."

The dress couldn't possibly be fake; it was just a small gift Freya casually gave to please her 'father-in-law'.

But Helen's reaction was completely different. She thought that the wicked woman had gone to great lengths to get close to her brother because she was attracted by his outstanding talent and handsome appearance and wanted to take advantage of his position.

Hmph, Ciel-kun, a woman like that must have a terrible temper. My adorable little brother will never be happy with a woman like that.

Rather than waiting for Ciel to be deceived by a bad woman, this Miss [Swift] is quite nice.

Helen found Ryu increasingly pleasing to the eye. Based on her long-standing similar aesthetic sense to Freya, Ryu was definitely like Jester, possessing a pure soul.

She's more than a match for her younger brother.

In contrast, Ryukyu.

She didn't hear anything about 'counterfeit' at all; she was completely overwhelmed by Seele's mention of 'wedding dress' and 'marriage' in the latter part of her sentence.

Her thoughts skipped over many complicated steps in an instant, and a single sentence slipped out:

"It's too early to think about names for the child! At least... at least..."

"Oh my, Ciel, could it be that you've already...?" Seele exclaimed, covering her mouth. "What?! You're still too young! Wait at least another ten years."

"What are you talking about, Ryo? Are you feeling unwell? Your face is so red? Did you get injured during the fight with that fake?" Ciel looked at Ryo blankly.

"No, it's nothing..." Liu said shyly, fiddling with the torn hem of her skirt and lowering her head.

Seeing Ryu's appearance, his gaze involuntarily fell on her exposed, snow-white, rounded thighs, and he realized the reason.

Charles punched his palm:

"Oh, I see. Your dress is so ripped, it's about to expose you! Aren't you going to change?"

"No! It's okay!!" Liu tensed up, her eyes darting around, her expression serious and earnest. She grabbed the torn hem of her skirt and pulled it up in front of everyone.

"Look, I'm wearing my pants properly underneath."

hiss--

Ciel covered his eyes with his hands, peeking through the gaps between his wide fingers.

Those long, beautiful legs, like natural jade pillars, had clear contours, elegant yet powerful, leaving a lasting impression. Moving upwards from the treasure, there was a pair of simple green lantern pants, and above that, an abdomen with exquisitely defined abs.

This should have been quite normal...

But shochu, do you have some misunderstanding about your harem pants?

It's fine if you usually wear super long boots that cover your thighs.

But if you wear it under a dress, it's no different from regular panties!

And what's with that look on your face that says "Praise me!"?

I can't understand the unusual sense of shame that the useless elf has.

Charles rushed forward and ripped off Ryu's skirt: "Listen to me, go change your clothes."

"Oh, good."

Using Seele's lounge, Ryu changed out of her original clothes, clutching her slightly tattered dress tightly.

"If you like it, I'll fix it and give it to you. I've already paid for it anyway," Charles suggested.

"Hmm, is this alright?" Ryu reluctantly handed the dress to Ciel.

This dress held a different meaning for her; although it was fake, it represented many of Ryu's firsts.

Before saying goodbye, she stared at Charles's retreating figure and called out, "Um, can I join the morning exercise tomorrow?"

Charles turned around in surprise and gave a thumbs up: "Of course."

……

Night falls.

Outside the city gates of Orario, a dozen adventurers and their deity were being escorted.

After Shakti announced the crime, the group was pushed and driven out of the city by the military police.

Ted and the imposter, cursing and swearing, walked under the moonlight, away from the city lights, into the wilderness.

"Damn the Astrea Familia, and that good-for-nothing brat, they made me lose all my wealth and Orario, such a good place to make money."

"And you, you piece of trash! You're just like those two damned bounty hunters, daring to lie to me!" Ted kicked the imposter hard.

The man cast a hostile glance my way.

"What are you looking at? If it weren't for you, how could I have lost!" Ted kicked the imposter twice more: "Damn it, if you want money, then protect us properly to the entertainment city!"

The imposter remained silent, his gloomy eyes fixed on a certain spot.

The woods were completely silent; even the roars of wild beasts had vanished.

With a whooshing sound, a ball of black matter exploded through the forest and bushes, striking the goddess Hecate in the crowd with precision and speed.

"Guh—Save—"

The black, sticky substance swelled and spread, quickly sealing and binding the terrified Hecate from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. No matter how she pulled and tugged with her ten fingers, she could not break free from the black mud's seal. Even when she unleashed her divine power, she was powerless against the black substance on her body.

"What's going on? What happened?"

Before Ted could react, a bolt of lightning flashed.

"Aren't you looking for me?"

His hair was as black as the underworld, he wore a black and white mask, and a cloak embroidered with clown designs.

Ciel reached out his hand...

With a thud, a spinning, jet-black armor blade came hurtling through the air and landed in Xia Er's palm, with drops of divine blood sliding down a corner of the dragon scale.

The next moment, a sphere covered in black slime was tossed up and landed right in Ted's arms.

When he saw what was in his hand, he was so frightened that he dropped it. An indescribable fear blossomed within him.

That is the head of the goddess Hecate!

"God... was killed?!"

The black slime covering the god's surface writhed, and Ted watched in disbelief as the monster swallowed the god's corpse.

A rich golden light swelled within the black sphere, seemingly trying to break through the blockade.

Finally, as if it had eaten too much, faint golden particles dissipated from its dark surface, and countless golden particles flew into the sky.

Chapter 288 Rimuru's Change

"Ah... Ughhhhh..." Ted howled as he threw the head, now weathered into golden spots, out of his hand and sat down on the ground with a thud.

He stared incredulously at the thug before him, his expression resolute.

"You...you are the Joker!! The Godslayer!"

The fact that Ciel killed a god was known only to a small number of gods.

"Oh, you saw me. Are you ready to shut up forever?"

Ted's pupils contracted, and he screamed in terror, "Fake! It's definitely a fake! Hey, come save me! Didn't you say you were the Joker?!"

"Hmm, even if you don't say anything, I'd like to have a good chat with this brother..." Charles chuckled and tilted his head. "So, is my identity... useful?"

"..."

The imposter's legs were also trembling. His god was not Hecate, but the 'real' god in front of him gave him a terrifying feeling.

A supreme god, killed without hesitation; a complete madman.