Alex helped his group navigate the menu, as this place was entirely new to them, and they felt overwhelmed by the sheer variety of dishes. With a smile, he assured them that all the food in the restaurant was incredibly delicious but noticed their hesitation about the cost. Seeing this, Alex rolled his eyes and smirked.

«Order whatever you want. Since I brought you here, it’s my treat.»

Despite Alex’s confidence, the group’s unique appearance attracted the stares of other patrons. Their attire stood out sharply against the locals, and even sitting next to Alex, they could feel the weight of those curious gazes.

Suddenly, a cat-girl sneaked up on Alex, hugged him around the neck, and asked with a grin,

«So, where’s our dragon slayer been hiding for all these months?»

Alex, unfazed by her touch, calmly replied,

«Work, as usual.»

The scene immediately caught his group’s attention. Their surprise was evident—they knew Alex had slain a dragon but hadn’t expected him to be so popular with women.

Rebecca frowned at the cat-girl hugging him and, with slight irritation, asked,

«Alex, who is she?»

Noticing Rebecca’s annoyance, Alex tousled her hair, trying to calm her.

«This is Chloe Rollo. She loves pestering me, especially when I’m in my child form.»

Chloe smiled and nodded playfully.

«Of course I do. You’re so adorable when you’re tiny.»

Alex introduced his group.

«Chloe, this is my team. We’ve been working together recently. By the way, why are you calling me a dragon slayer?»

«Well, after you disappeared, someone started a rumor that you defeated the One-Eyed Dragon on your own. So now you’ve got a new title,» Chloe replied, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Alex nodded, wondering who could’ve spread that rumor. Most likely Hestia or Loki—one loved bragging, and the other couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

«Where’s my little stalker? I don’t see her around,» he asked, looking around for a familiar girl with gray hair.

Chloe laughed.

«If you mean Syr, she’s off today. She’s probably training with Lady Freya.»

Alex pondered why Freya would take an interest in training Syr but quickly shifted focus back to the task at hand. He placed an order for the entire group, figuring it’d take too long for them to decide. Chloe took the order and left, her tail swaying as she walked away.

«You’re quite the popular guy,» Main remarked with a smirk.

«Popularity isn’t always a good thing,» Alex muttered, rubbing his forehead. «It brings envy, and envy brings flocks of idiots looking to cause trouble.»

«But it’s entertaining!» Main laughed.

Dorio grinned and added,

«So, how’d you handle those idiots? Though I can already guess.»

Dorio had a good idea of Alex’s methods and was just curious to hear him say it. Back in Night City, she’d often seen troublemakers harass women, only to leave with their limbs twisted in unnatural directions. The rest of the group shared Dorio’s thoughts, especially the women—they’d already witnessed how Alex dealt with fools who tried flirting with them.

Alex smirked and shrugged.

«It’s simple—break a few bones, throw in some intimidation, and no one bothers you again.»

After Alex’s confirmation, no one seemed surprised—they simply shrugged, as if it were entirely expected. The conversation gradually shifted to more neutral topics, eventually landing on the dungeon. One of the questions raised concerned the dragon Alex had slain.

Alex explained that the One-Eyed Dragon was a global calamity residing at the very bottom of the dungeon. Countless expeditions led by the strongest familias had attempted to defeat it, but all had ended in failure.

Lucy, unfamiliar with the true power of dragons, asked,

«If there were so many expeditions, why couldn’t they defeat it? Was it really that strong?»

«It’s because, a thousand years ago, that dragon captured a powerful wind spirit and has been feeding on its strength ever since,» Alex clarified.

This prompted another question: how did the spirit enhance the dragon? Patiently, Alex explained that dragons are magical creatures capable of surviving solely on mana. Spirits, on the other hand, are massive concentrations of magical energy so potent they take on physical form. He also mentioned that spirits are categorized into lower and higher tiers and are aligned with various elements, the primary ones being fire, water, earth, and air.

«Ugh, that’s way too much information…» Rebecca groaned, laying her head on the table in mock exhaustion.

Alex chuckled and patted her hair to comfort her.

«Honestly, meeting a spirit is incredibly rare, so this information isn’t that practical. If you want more details about the dungeon, I’ve got notes at home,» he said with a smile.

As he spoke, the waitresses approached their table, one of them being Aisha. They brought out the dishes, and Alex, noticing her in her waitress uniform, teased her with a grin.

«Looks like you’re getting used to this waitress gig, huh?»

Aisha simply rolled her eyes, clearly uninterested in entertaining his remark. Once she left, Rebecca couldn’t hold back and blurted out,

«Alex, do you know every woman in this city or what?»

He replied calmly,

«Aisha and two other women used to serve under a certain goddess. I helped them escape, and now they work here.»

Hearing his explanation, Rebecca relaxed, though she still made her irritation known by giving Alex a light kick under the table. Alex just laughed, amused by her jealousy.

«Alright, dig in! After we eat, we’ll head to my place, and I’ll introduce you to my family,» he said as he began eating.

Hearing that they’d visit Alex’s home, everyone was excited, though the women in his team seemed noticeably tense. Only Gloria remained composed—she’d interacted with goddesses before. The others, however, felt a tinge of nervousness about meeting them. Alex couldn’t help but imagine how Hestia and Rebecca would react to each other. They were so similar, almost like twins with slight differences.

Meanwhile, everyone began tasting the food, and their reactions were unanimous—wide eyes and pure amazement. None of them could resist the flavor of fresh dishes, a stark contrast to the synthetic food they had grown accustomed to. They quickly turned into «starving ghosts,» devouring the food at an alarming pace.

Alex laughed at their reaction, unable to blame them. After all, synthetic meals had been their staple for so long. Thinking about food, Alex’s eyes widened as he suddenly recalled an anime centered around a cooking school. He entertained the idea of taking his family to that world to enjoy some of the finest cuisine.

He also chuckled at the thought of people discovering that they were cooking for actual goddesses—it would surely be hilarious to witness their reactions.

Alex laughed at their reactions but finally said:

«Take your time; the food isn’t going anywhere.»

His words cooled the enthusiasm of the group of «starving ghosts,» and they began eating more calmly—except for three troublemakers, namely GIR, MIMI, and Valeri, who continued to devour their food without a care in the world.

Alex shot the trio a dry look but chose not to interfere, though he made a mental note to work on their discipline later. The rest of the group savored their meals slowly, marveling aloud at how delicious the food was.

Pillar even started tearing up, repeatedly declaring that he could never go back to the «synthetic garbage» he used to eat in their previous world. Rebecca nodded in agreement with her brother but added that she wouldn’t give up burgers.

Hearing Rebecca mention burgers, Alex’s eye twitched. If not for Gloria, who took care of home-cooked meals, Alex suspected Rebecca would live on burgers alone. Looking around at the others, Alex was surprised to see Lucy happily enjoying a salad.

«Since when did you become a vegetarian?» Alex asked, noticing her focus on the salad.

«I’ll have time for meat later. But fresh salad? This is my first time trying one,» she replied, pointing a fork with a piece of salad at Alex.

Raising his hands in mock surrender, Alex decided not to interfere with her and her salad. He turned his attention to Gloria, who was quietly enjoying her meal. She gave him a warm smile, and he returned it. Shifting his gaze, he noticed Kiwi also eating salad like Lucy. Only Rebecca continued behaving like a «starving ghost,» prompting another wave of laughter from Alex.

«This really is delicious,» Falco remarked, complimenting the food.

Alex smiled, pleased to see his team enjoying themselves. Nodding thoughtfully, he added,

«Street food, especially during festivals, is amazing too. You’d love the variety of snacks.»

The group listened intently, continuing to enjoy their meal.

«Speaking of festivals,» Alex said, stroking his chin lightly, «there’s a universe with an entire school dedicated to cooking.»

Everyone immediately turned their attention to Alex, their curiosity piqued.

«An entire school?» Rebecca asked, barely chewing her food.

«Yes, and a huge one. During their festivals, you can try food of every kind imaginable,» Alex replied, wiping Rebecca’s mouth with a napkin.

«We have to go there,» Lucy said enthusiastically, nodding vigorously.

Alex smirked. He wasn’t opposed to visiting the school himself. He was curious to see if the food was as incredible as it was portrayed in the anime. However, he made a mental note to steer clear of that pale-faced «father» of Nakiri Erina. Alex could already imagine turning his life into a nightmare—or just sending GIR after him.

The group bombarded Alex with questions about the school, and he eagerly shared details. He explained how the school worked, how most students were expelled before graduating, and how those who survived the rigorous program became part of the culinary elite.

«I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a school out there teaching people how to be heroes,» Main joked with a grin.

Alex shot him a dry look.

«You’re joking, right?» Main asked cautiously, noticing his reaction.

«Unfortunately, no. That world actually exists. Nearly 99% of its population has some kind of ability—ranging from completely useless ones like speed-reading to creating black holes,» Alex explained, shaking his head.

«Seriously?» Main muttered, realizing his joke had hit closer to the truth than he’d expected.

Lucy became intrigued by the world of heroes, but Alex honestly admitted that he didn’t plan on going there anytime soon.

«Actually, any world you can imagine probably exists. So I recommend not getting too fixated on it,» Alex added, trying to distract the group from endless speculation.

Despite his words, the group continued asking questions. Alex then decided to talk about the worlds of cultivators, where beings spend hundreds of years just to slightly increase their power.

«Are you serious? They just sit in one place for decades, sometimes even centuries, just to get a little stronger?» Pilar exclaimed, not understanding how anyone could live like that.

«That sounds like hell,» Rebecca agreed, convinced she couldn’t sit still for that long.

Alex smirked.

«Those worlds seem completely pointless to me. Especially their incredible egos. Imagine this: you accidentally bump into one of these so-called ‘young masters,’ and they start yelling, ‘Do you know who my father is?’ or ‘Do you know who my master is?’ Then, if you kill him, his entire family comes after you, each one repeating the same thing.»

«Sounds like a constant headache,» Pilar concluded, shrugging.

«Exactly,» Alex nodded. «But that’s not all. Imagine, all these generations literally consider themselves superior beings. They think the world revolves around their families and their ambitions.»

Everyone nodded in agreement with Alex’s words. It was precisely for these kinds of people that he had no interest in visiting such worlds. As a joke, Alex decided to describe how things went in these worlds, especially regarding the so-called hypocrisy of the so-called righteous sects.

Everyone immediately understood that all worlds were the same—just the power levels changed, but everything else was the same, especially human hypocrisy. Alex nodded in agreement with their words about hypocrisy. He once again shook his head, not understanding these people. If you’re a villain, then act like one, and don’t hide behind so-called righteousness.

After finishing the meal, everyone leaned back in their chairs with satisfied expressions. Watching their relaxed state, Alex smiled. He was happy that the food from this world was enjoyed by everyone.

«Well, now that everyone is full, it’s time to go meet everyone,» he said with a smile, standing up from the table.

Alex headed to Mama Mia to pay for the meal. As he approached the tavern owner, he mentioned that he had personally made the new tables for the establishment, which the customers had liked, and also expanded the space. After a brief but heated argument, he managed to negotiate a small discount. Returning to the group with a satisfied look, Alex saw that everyone was already ready to go. He carefully seated GIR, MIMI, and Valeri on cushions to make sure they wouldn’t run off while the others waited for him.

«Carry me, I can’t walk anymore,» Rebecca said petulantly, stretching her arms out to Alex.

Smiling, Alex allowed her to climb onto his back. Wrapping her arms and legs around him comfortably, Rebecca settled in, and Alex led the group through the lively streets. Gradually, the crowd thinned, and one of the companions noticed this.

«Why are there so few people here?» someone asked.

«My mansion is further from the main streets, so it’s usually quiet around here,» Alex explained.

When the group arrived at their destination, a large mansion appeared before them, standing out against the backdrop of the deserted street.

«Why is your house in such a place?» Lucy asked, holding Alex’s hand.

«There used to be an abandoned church here, where Hestia and I lived,» he replied calmly.

«A demon living in a church… That’s a new one,» Falco smirked.

Hearing Falco’s comment, Alex also laughed, and their laughter was quickly joined by the entire group. Laughing along the way, the group reached the gates of the mansion grounds, which Alex opened easily and called for the others to follow him.

Once on the property, everyone began to look around, once again noticing how sharply the mansion’s grounds contrasted with the other places on this street. Alex allowed them to explore and walked up to the entrance. Once they stopped examining the surroundings, the group caught up with Alex, and everyone waited for him to open the door so they could see what the inside of his mansion looked like.

Gripping the door handle, Alex turned his head to check if anyone was nervous or if everything was alright. Seeing that everyone seemed fine, Alex smiled, already anticipating the others’ reactions to the residents of his house.

«I’m home!» he shouted loudly, swinging the door open.

This sudden exclamation surprised the companions, but seeing the joyful expression on Alex’s face, they realized he was just happy to be back. Seconds later, a loud noise came from the second floor, as if someone was running and knocking everything in their path over. Everyone’s eyes turned to the staircase.

«ALEEEEEX!» came Hestia’s voice as she rushed down the stairs.

Alex opened his arms, and in an instant, a dark-haired «rocket» flew into them. Hestia wrapped her arms and legs around him, showering his face with kisses, not paying any attention to the strangers. The others’ eyes widened in surprise, especially when they noticed how much Hestia and Rebecca resembled each other—same hairstyles, similar behavior.

«Am I hallucinating, or does Rebecca have a twin sister?» Falco muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Falco’s words made the group members who hadn’t seen Hestia nod in agreement, amazed by how much Hestia and Rebecca looked alike.

«I missed you too,» Alex said, hugging Hestia tighter.

Hestia smiled happily, resting her head on his shoulder. But her gaze quickly met Rebecca’s amber-red eyes, which were watching her closely. It looked as though two twin sisters were finally meeting after a long time. However, Hestia’s attention quickly shifted to the others. Her gaze landed on Gloria, who was waving at her.

«What are you yelling for, shrimp?» came the familiar voice of Loki from the upper floor.

Hestia, still scanning the guests, tensed up at Loki’s sarcastic comment. Black lines appeared on her forehead. Alex sighed quietly, knowing that the next round of their eternal rivalry was about to begin.

«Why are you squealing, flat-chested?» Hestia retorted, raising her voice in response.

Hearing Hestia’s shouts, Loki couldn’t wait any longer. She rushed down from the second floor and immediately noticed Hestia hanging off Alex, hugging him. Quickly scanning the group that had come with Alex, Loki spotted Gloria, who waved at her cheerfully. Loki barely paid any attention to the strangers — what was far more important was settling things with Hestia. But her gaze suddenly locked onto the girl clinging to Alex’s back, who looked strikingly similar to Hestia.

«Damn it, the shrimp learned to reproduce,» Loki muttered, her eyes wide in shock.

Her comment immediately sparked the same reaction from both «shrimp»: black lines appeared on both Hestia’s and Rebecca’s foreheads, and their eyes flared with outrage.

«What did you say, redhead?!» / «What did you say, flat-chested?!» they both snapped in unison, glaring at Loki with menacing looks.

Without wasting time, Hestia and Rebecca jumped off Alex and marched toward Loki, clearly intending to settle the score. Alex just smirked as he watched the scene unfold. Loki’s face, showing genuine terror, spoke volumes: this situation promised to be entertaining.

«Rebecca, no shooting! But fighting’s allowed,» Alex warned lazily, fully aware of the personalities of both girls.

Rebecca ignored his words and eagerly started arguing with Loki. The poor goddess, facing such a fierce «gremlin» for the first time, couldn’t figure out how to defend herself from her verbal onslaught.

«My eyes are already doubling,» Pilar muttered, rubbing his eyes. «Feels like I got another sister.»

«Tell me about it, I feel the same way,» Main added, stunned by what was happening.

Alex laughed as he heard their comments, then turned to Lucy, who had quietly taken his hand.

«Is it always like this with them?» she asked, watching the three argue.

«Pretty much. Loki and Hestia have been rivals since the divine realm, and since moving here, their competition has only intensified,» Alex explained, holding back his laughter.

«So that’s Hestia,» Falco remarked, observing the noisy clash.

«That’s her. When I first saw Rebecca, I was also shocked by how much they look alike,» Alex replied with a grin.

The group nodded in agreement, fully sharing his surprise. Realizing it was time to end the commotion, Alex walked over to the girls and, without hesitation, grabbed both of them by the scruff.

«Alright, enough fighting, let’s start by introducing ourselves,» he said calmly, as though addressing unruly children.

Loki immediately saw her lifeline and scrambled behind Alex. She could handle just one Hestia, but when there were two opponents, Loki could no longer resist. Especially against Rebecca, who expressed herself so vividly that it felt like blood could come out of her ears at any moment.

«Right! Two shrimps against me alone — that’s not fair!» she muttered, peeking out from behind his shoulder.

Hestia and Rebecca, hearing her words, started to resist, trying to break free from Alex’s grip.

«And you calm down too, Loki,» he said firmly, letting the girls down onto the floor.

Turning to Loki, Alex flicked her on the forehead, making the goddess pout in embarrassment.

«Ouch! You were supposed to protect me, I’m your fiancée!» Loki huffed, rubbing her forehead.

«Actually, Hestia and Rebecca are also my fiancées, so I need to make sure you don’t wreck the mansion,» Alex replied dryly.

Alex rolled his eyes at Loki’s pouty face, and he became curious about where everyone else was, since with all the noise and shouting from the two goddesses, everyone should have come out by now. But only Loki and Hestia had arrived.

«Alright, that’s for later. Where is everyone? Where are the girls? Where’s Freya and Hephaestus?» Alex asked, realizing that only Hestia and then Loki had come down after his shout.

«The girls went to the dungeon because after your fight with the dragon, all the monsters in the dungeon became stronger. And Freya left for some business of her own, while Hephaestus went to her shop or forge,» Hestia replied, nodding and explaining where everyone had gone.

Alex nodded calmly after hearing that the monsters in the dungeon had become stronger. It didn’t surprise him — the amount of mana he had poured into the core was massive.

«Alright, show the guests around, and I’ll go find Hephaestus and Freya,» he said, turning to Loki and Hestia.

«What about the souvenirs?» Loki asked with a slightly hurt tone, crossing her arms.

Alex rolled his eyes, easily guessing the true intention behind the goddess’s words. She was clearly not talking about souvenirs but alcohol from another world, which he could bring.

«There will be souvenirs, but only when everyone’s here,» Alex declared, pinching Loki’s nose to calm her down. «For now, show our guests some hospitality. We have visitors from another universe for the first time.»

Hestia and Loki exchanged glances, carefully scanning the group behind Alex once again, and finally realized that they had missed an important detail: indeed, people from another world had arrived with him. They knew Gloria, but the others were unfamiliar. Nodding to Alex, both goddesses agreed to take the initiative.

Alex, confirming that the two goddesses had calmed down, turned to his group, who were watching their interaction with evident curiosity.

«Make yourselves comfortable for now. I’ll be back soon,» he said, waving his hand.

Without wasting any time, Alex teleported to Freya’s apartment. He found her teaching Syr something important. When they saw him, both women were momentarily confused, but before they could say or do anything, Alex picked them both up in his arms.

«We have guests at home,» he explained briefly before transporting them to the living room.

Freya and Syr found themselves in the center of a room full of people and immediately felt dozens of gazes on them. Just as they were recovering from the shock and were about to ask questions, Alex disappeared once again, not giving them a chance.

This time, Alex teleported to Hephaestus’s personal shop. The goddess was sitting behind the counter, focused on writing something in a notebook. When she saw the bright flash of teleportation, she looked up and smiled, recognizing him immediately.

«Alex!» Hephaestus exclaimed, standing up to approach and hug him.

But before she could do so, Alex skillfully lifted her into his arms.

«No time, we have guests at home,» he said with his usual ease.

Hephaestus merely sighed, not having the chance to object, as Alex had already teleported them to the living room. Finding herself in the midst of the noisy crowd, she looked around in surprise before Alex set her down.

«Alright, now it’s time to get the others,» he said calmly, disappearing in another flash of light.

Alex appeared on the first floor of the dungeon, placed his hand on the wall, and activated his ability to detect the magical signatures of the girls. They were on the Goliath floor, and it seemed they were fighting it.

«Wonder what’s keeping them,» Alex muttered, teleporting directly to them.

He found himself between the girls and the Goliath, who had already entered his berserk mode. Wasting no time, Alex snapped his fingers, and the Rex monster collapsed dead, never realizing what had happened.

«Yo, I’m back,» he said with a smile, lazily raising his hand in greeting.

To be continued…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep