(Here, you can suggest worlds that you’d like Alex to visit, and I’ll try to consider them. However, the world for the next arc is already practically chosen, though I won’t reveal which one it is.)

Upon arriving in his workshop, Alex brought along two new “friends”—Nyx and the beaten Dionysus, who was still unconscious after the initial phase of his “rehabilitation” to become a law-abiding god.

Nyx, having experienced yet another teleportation, was not as disoriented as she had been the first few times. Hanging over Alex’s shoulder, she began to look around, trying to figure out where she was. Her eyes fell on a large space filled with stands displaying various weapons and items.

Even though Nyx had never been interested in weapons, she was impressed by what she saw. As she continued to survey the workshop, she realized that it was more of a laboratory than a torture chamber. But suddenly, her gaze stopped on Indra, who was tied to a chair.

He looked like an empty shell, drool dripping down his chin, and he was completely oblivious to everything happening around him. Realizing that her initial assessment might have been wrong, Nyx began to struggle desperately, trying to escape, but the bonds restraining her prevented any extra movement.

“I told you not to struggle. What if I accidentally drop you?” Alex said, glancing at Nyx, who was thrashing on his shoulder like a fish out of water. “If you get hurt here, how will I show my hospitality if the guest I invited gets injured in my workshop?” he continued, shaking her a bit to calm her down.

Nyx paused her attempts for a moment, rolled her eyes, and sighed heavily. She was clearly unimpressed by this “hospitality.” All her thoughts were occupied with one thing—how to escape from here. She did not want to share the fate of Dionysus and Indra, who she saw before her. One was unconscious, lying in a pool of blood with broken limbs, while the other sat in a chair, devoid of sanity.

Despite her villainous past, Nyx had no desire to end up like them. She temporarily ceased her escape attempts, but deep down, she still hoped for a chance to flee, unaware that Alex’s workshop could be considered one of the most secure places in Orario, if not the entire world.

“Now that you’ve calmed down, it’ll be easier to talk,” Alex said, letting go of Dionysus’s head and carefully setting Nyx down from his shoulder, looking her in the eyes.

Nyx, though her eyes were filled with fear, stared directly at Alex, who held her at arm’s length like a child.

“I need to finish a few things before we can talk. So, make yourself at home,” Alex added, looking into her black eyes.

Nyx wanted to respond, but she couldn’t—she was still under a silence spell. All she could do was roll her eyes in response to his words, which made Alex smile slightly.

“Now, I just need to find a place to sit you down so you can rest a bit,” Alex said, glancing around, but Nyx began to grow nervous, fearing that she was about to be subjected to new torture.

Alex noticed her anxiety and only smiled, realizing that she was frightened after seeing her companion tied to a chair. Nyx probably started to think that she was going to meet the same fate.

“Don’t worry, if you’re a good girl, nothing will happen to you,” Alex said, seating her on an empty chair.

Nyx tensed up, closing her eyes, expecting pain. She braced herself, waiting for the moment when she would be pierced with knives or subjected to some other form of torment. But when she felt nothing, she cautiously opened her eyes and saw Alex covering his mouth with his hand, trying to suppress laughter. Nyx could only glare at him, realizing that he was barely holding back his laughter because of her fear of pain.

Alex seated Nyx on a chair and noticed how she tightly shut her eyes and tensed up as if bracing for a blow. At first, he was puzzled, not understanding why she was acting this way, but then it dawned on him: Nyx thought she was about to be tortured. Her fear made him want to laugh, but he held it in, covering his mouth with his hand, afraid of giving himself away. After all, other captives who ended up in his workshop usually started screaming before they went through a “rehabilitation session.”

However, when Nyx relaxed and opened her eyes to look at him, Alex couldn’t hold back his laughter:

“Pff, ha-ha-ha!” He barely managed to contain himself, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it when I saw you tense up when I sat you down.”

Nyx could only glare at him, her face expressing a desire to say something, but she couldn’t—the silence spell was still in effect. If it weren’t for that, Nyx would have undoubtedly unleashed all her anger on Alex, perhaps using the most colorful language she could remember.

“Alright, don’t be mad,” Alex said, lightly flicking her forehead. “Did you forget what I told you? If you’re a good girl, nothing bad will happen to you.”

Alex leaned closer so their eyes met. Nyx, though annoyed by the flick, suddenly froze when she saw his iridescent eyes and relaxed slightly, realizing that, for now, she was not in any danger.

“So, before I leave, do you need anything? Or will you wait until I discuss our evening plans with my family?” Alex asked, looking at Nyx, who just rolled her eyes.

“Oh, sorry, I completely forgot about the spell,” he added with an apologetic smile, lifting the silence spell. “Now you can speak again, but if you start talking nonsense like your friends, I’ll find another way to keep you quiet. Understood?”

Nyx broke out in a sweat. “Y-yes, I’ll behave. I promise,” she replied nervously, nodding her head repeatedly.

“Mmm, you’re much better than your friends,” Alex said, patting the goddess of the night on the head.

Nyx was surprised but didn’t resist, trying to enjoy this new sensation. She had never experienced anything like this before. People always avoided her, fearing her power and the concepts she embodied. Nyx looked at the young man who was petting her head, feeling no fear of her power or of her.

Her powers usually caused discomfort to those around her, making them keep their distance. She was overwhelmed with sadness as she remembered that the only person who had been like family to her wanted to sacrifice her to some unknown being. In the end, Nyx was left completely alone, and now the person who should have been her enemy was showing her kindness. Nyx didn’t know how to react.

“Before I go, do you need anything?” Alex asked, stopping his hand from petting her head. He had liked her hair—it was so soft and smooth that he wanted to keep going.

“I don’t know if I can ask for this…” Nyx murmured, a blush spreading across her pale white cheeks, betraying her embarrassment.

“And what do you want?” Alex asked, looking at her with interest. Nyx started to get flustered, and Alex wondered if she really was the goddess of darkness and night.

“I’m a little hungry…” Nyx admitted, looking away, but at that moment, her stomach let out a loud growl, like that of a starving whale. The sound was so powerful that it echoed off the walls of the workshop. Nyx wished she could sink into the ground and return to the realm of the gods to lock herself away forever out of shame.

“Ahem, no problem,” Alex said in a serious tone, holding back laughter so as not to embarrass her further. “And since you’ve been a good prisoner, not screaming or demanding anything, I can fulfill your request.”

Judging by Nyx’s state, she might have tried to bang her head against the table just to erase her shame, and Alex made an effort not to encourage her to do so.

Alex walked over to one of the drawers he had prepared for Hestia and took out various snacks to offer Nyx and satisfy her hunger. However, he wasn’t sure what Nyx’s preferences were, so he decided to grab a little bit of everything so she could try different dishes.

“Here, take this. And here’s a drink if your throat gets dry,” Alex said, approaching Nyx and placing the snacks and drink in front of her on the table.

“Thank you,” Nyx quietly said, too shy to meet Alex’s gaze.

“It’s all good, don’t worry, it’s not a big deal for me,” Alex replied, shaking his head. “If you need anything else, just say so, because I still need to go back for the others,” he added, noticing how Nyx had already focused her attention on the food.

Nyx tensed up upon hearing his question and didn’t know how to ask what was on her mind, fearing that Alex would get angry. Alex noticed her nervousness and smiled, realizing that he had scared her.

“There’s no need to be afraid, just ask what you’re curious about,” he said, looking at Nyx, who began to cautiously look at him.

“What’s going to happen to me?” she asked quietly, still avoiding eye contact.

“That’s a rather complicated question,” Alex answered, pondering. “But from what I’ve gathered about you so far, you’re more of a silly girl than a villain. So, you might be able to avoid a bad ending,” he added calmly, not wanting to give Nyx false hope.

“What could I have done to deserve a bad ending?” she asked, looking at Alex, who also began to think.

“It’s a long story, but once you tell me what you’ve been up to, then you’ll find out,” Alex replied, not wanting to go into details and waste time.

“Alright,” Nyx said sadly, sinking into thoughts about her actions.

“If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going. We’ll meet again after a while, so don’t even think about causing trouble,” Alex said, casting a teleportation spell.

“Mmm, see you,” Nyx quietly said, managing to notice Alex nodding to her before disappearing.

Left alone in the workshop, Nyx began to look around more carefully and was once again amazed at the number of different items and weapons around her. Her gaze lingered on Indra, and she breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that she had so far avoided a terrible fate. Then her eyes shifted to Dionysus, lying in a pool of blood and completely disconnected from reality.

Nyx recalled that Dionysus knew about the plan to sacrifice her, and instead of feeling sadness, she felt a surge of anger, a desire to punish him for everything he had said earlier.

Trying to stand up to attack Dionysus, Nyx realized she couldn’t get up from the chair and sighed in frustration, though the anger in her eyes had not yet faded. But as the anger gradually subsided, she was overcome with sadness. The one she considered her family and brother had tried to sacrifice her to an unknown being.

Nyx looked up at the workshop ceiling, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She realized she was completely alone. In the past, everyone avoided her because of her power, and only Erebus had been kind to her, caring about her well-being.

She tried to remember when he started to change and how she fell under his influence, but she couldn’t, as it was so long ago and too much time had passed to change anything.

Meanwhile, Alex returned to Daedalus Street, completely unaware of what was happening with Nyx. Even if he had known, he could only pity her, understanding how hard it is to endure betrayal, especially when the one you trusted the most ultimately wanted to sacrifice you and discard you like used material.

When Alex appeared, he noticed that most of the people had already left. The only ones remaining were the girls from his family, including members of the Loki Familia, his sweet elf Ryuu, and a group of goddesses, among whom were Freya, Loki, and Hestia. Apparently, Ishtar had decided that it wasn’t worth staying any longer and had returned to her territory. Alex also noticed that there was no one near Freya, and he wondered where her loyal bodyguard Ottar and the ever-jealous cat Allen had gone.

“You’re back!” Hestia exclaimed, rushing toward Alex with such force that, had he been an ordinary adventurer, she would have knocked him off his feet.

“I was only gone for a couple of minutes. I settled our new friends in my workshop and came right back,” Alex replied, holding Hestia in his arms as she hugged him like a koala.

“Did you find out anything?” Freya asked, looking intently at Alex.

“No, I didn’t ask them anything,” Alex shook his head.

“That’s not what I meant,” Freya clarified, keeping her eyes on him.

“If you’re asking if I noticed anything, then yes,” Alex finally understood what Freya meant.

“And what did you notice?” Loki inquired.

“To put it simply, Nyx is more of an idiot than a villain,” Alex replied, wanting to light a cigarette but, considering Hestia clung to him, he just sighed.

“Why do you say that?” Lili asked, stepping closer to him.

“To rephrase it, Nyx is a loner who can’t get close to others because of her power and is therefore too naive to realize she’s being used,” Alex said, rubbing his forehead.

“You’re not joking, are you?” Daphne asked doubtfully, noticing how Alex was struggling with accumulated fatigue.

“Think about it. If someone told you there’s a god whose powers are connected to darkness and night, how would you react?” Alex asked, looking at the gathered group. They all pondered, but the goddesses already had an answer to this question.

“I’d probably try to avoid her,” Haruhime quietly replied.

“There’s your answer. Your worldview is already shaped, and you believe that night and darkness are bad, but that’s not always the case,” Alex said, capturing the group’s attention.

“Can you elaborate?” Tiona asked, and the other girls nodded in agreement.

“Maybe we should postpone this conversation? I still need to go back and interrogate our guests, and then I’ll show you the wonders of cinema,” Alex suggested, to which the girls exchanged surprised looks, not understanding what he was talking about.

“What is ‘cinema’?” Freya asked, expressing the general curiosity.

“Has anyone here ever been to the theater or street performances where many actors perform?” Alex asked, glancing around the group.

“I have,” replied the girls who had attended such events.

“Well, cinema is something similar, but even more interesting,” Alex answered, piquing their curiosity even more.

Alex began explaining what movies are and what they’re for, trying to make it clear and engaging for the girls. With each word, their eyes began to shine with curiosity. Alex’s desire to introduce them to the wonders of cinema also grew, and a plan started forming in his mind.

“That’s it, I’ve decided! I’m not going anywhere today until I see this so-called movie!” Loki loudly declared, raising her hands.

“Loki-sama, I don’t want to disappoint you, but someone needs to inform the Guild about what happened here and why a barrier appeared all over the city,” Riveria coolly remarked, slightly dampening Loki’s enthusiasm.

“That’s unnecessary. I’ve already told Ouranos everything, and he agreed with our plan,” Freya replied, and Loki’s eyes lit up with excitement again.

“Well, then what are we waiting for? Everyone, let’s go!” Loki shouted, rushing toward Alex’s house.

“Don’t rush,” Alex said, grabbing her by the scruff and lifting her to prevent her from running off.

“What are you doing?” Loki asked, tilting her head and looking at him with curiosity.

“To watch a movie with company, you need snacks, food, and drinks,” Alex explained. Loki immediately realized she would get a chance to drink, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

“Exactly. Now let me go; I’ll go get the snacks,” Loki said, clapping her hands together. Alex let her go, and she dashed over to the girls from her familia.

“Off to get snacks and booze!” Loki shouted, leading the others away.

“Well, we should head out,” Alex said, watching as Loki led the girls toward the shopping street.

Alex teleported his group back to his home. Freya, who had never teleported before, managed it better than many, but still leaned on Alex to stay on her feet.

Hephaestus, hearing the noise in the hallway, came out and saw that Alex’s group had returned safe and sound. She sighed with relief, understanding that everything had turned out fine. Although the barrier surrounding the house had prevented her from going out to help, she knew Alex had set it up in case anyone decided to attack the house.

However, her irritation at not being able to intervene quickly turned to relief when she saw Alex, even though he was slightly tired. Hephaestus was about to hug him for comfort but noticed a pair of cat ears on his head, leaving her momentarily stunned with surprise.

“We’re back, Hephaestus,” Alex said, raising a hand.

“Hey, who’s touching my tail?” Alex said, turning around and noticing Lili clutching his tail.

“I’m sorry, it was an accident,” Lili said apologetically.

“Alex, why do you have cat ears?” Hephaestus asked, coming to her senses.

“Oh, those,” Alex pointed to the ears on his head. “I made them to annoy Dionysus.”

Hephaestus only tiredly put her hand on her forehead, realizing that Alex was once again amusing himself by irritating others. But when she processed what he said, her gaze froze.

“You caught another one?” Hephaestus asked, looking at Alex.

“Actually, two,” Hestia, still clinging to him, replied, turning to Hephaestus and showing two fingers.

“And who else did you catch?” Hephaestus continued to ask.

“Nyx,” Alex simply replied, shrugging.

“And where are they?” Hephaestus persisted.

“Already in my workshop,” Alex said, carefully removing Hestia from him. She pouted, but he patted her on the head to calm her down.

“And how did it go?” Hephaestus asked, wanting to know the details.

“They’ll tell you everything, but I need to prepare for an important event at home,” Alex said, heading toward his workshop.

Hephaestus watched as Alex went to his workshop, then her gaze shifted to the other members of the group. She was concerned about what she missed while she was locked in the house, and she decided to find out what had happened. Realizing they were still standing in the hallway, Hephaestus invited everyone to move to the living room, where the family usually gathered.

Entering the living room, the girls began to settle into their favorite spots. Freya sat in the chair that Alex had specially prepared for her. Next to the chair was a small table with a tea set so she could enjoy tea whenever she wanted.

Lili plopped down on her favorite soft pouf, which gave the feeling of floating on a cloud. It helped her relax after exhausting training sessions.

Haruhime, without waiting to be asked, went to brew tea. She knew Alex loved the tea she made, and that’s why she always took on this task.

Hestia, as usual, began pulling out her snacks, ignoring the others. Taking out a small key from her bag, she looked around as if the cabinet contained secrets that could endanger the world. In reality, it held snacks that were not from this world, and Hestia simply had no intention of sharing them with anyone.

Cassandra and Daphne settled onto one of the sofas. Cassandra, exhausted, lay down with her head resting on Daphne’s lap, who rolled her eyes at her pampered friend. Cassandra had become even more temperamental since joining Hestia’s familia.

Bella sat next to Ryu, who took a seat at the table, slightly apart from the others. She just watched the scene unfold, finally allowing herself to relax.

Meanwhile, Ryu was deep in thought about Alex’s words regarding the resurrection of her friends. She knew it was a crazy and dangerous plan, and while she believed Alex could prepare for it, she didn’t want to put him at risk. She was torn by conflicting emotions—on one hand, there was the person she loved, and on the other, the friends whose deaths still weighed heavily on her soul, though Alex’s presence had slowly eased that guilt. These thoughts troubled her, and she didn’t know what to choose.

Seeing that everyone was settled, Hephaestus decided to find out what had actually happened in the dungeon and the city while she was locked in the house.

“What happened this morning?” Hephaestus asked, looking closely at the group.

“A lot of things; where do you want to start?” Hestia replied, sitting down next to Hephaestus and beginning to eat her snacks.

“Let’s start from the beginning. I already know about what you encountered in the dungeon last night, but what happened this morning?” Hephaestus clarified, turning to Hestia, who looked completely carefree as if nothing special had happened.

“Well, a huge stone monster appeared, which Alex quickly dealt with, and then we came back,” Hestia said as if it were a minor incident. Hephaestus’s face twitched as she noticed Hestia had picked up some of Alex’s less desirable traits.

“Hestia, what about the details?” Hephaestus asked with slight irritation.

“What details do you want? There was just a ‘Boom,’ ‘Bam,’ and Alex defeated the guardian,” Hestia replied, gesturing with her hands to imitate the battle she had only seen from a distance.

“Maybe someone else could explain what happened?” Hephaestus shifted her gaze to the other girls.

“A dungeon guardian appeared on the floor, and then it somehow mutated into something horrible and grotesque, with eyes and mouths all over its body. Then Alex fought it using his strange weapons and techniques,” Lili added, providing the details Hestia had missed.

“While Alex was busy with the guardian, we fought the monsters that came out after it. We didn’t see exactly what Alex was doing, but according to him, he defeated it quickly and watched us fight,” Daphne continued.

“And how did you manage to capture Nyx?” Hephaestus asked, noticing that everyone looked awkwardly at Hestia, who immediately froze.

“Why is everyone looking at Hestia?” Hephaestus asked, cautiously shifting her gaze from one to another.

“Hephaestus-sama, it was Hestia-sama who defeated Nyx, which allowed us to capture her,” Bella answered with a hint of embarrassment.

“What do you mean ‘defeated’?” Hephaestus asked evenly, trying to hide her nervousness, suspecting that it was not as simple as it seemed.

“Hestia-sama performed a combo that Alex calls ‘Against Perverts’ and knocked out Nyx, breaking her nose in the process,” Lili explained.

Hephaestus wearily leaned back on the sofa, placing her hand on her forehead. She realized that her kind friend had been significantly influenced by Alex.

“Oh gods, Hestia, where did my kind and carefree friend go?” Hephaestus sighed, looking at the sheepish smile on Hestia’s face.

“Sorry, Hephaestus, but you also trained with Alex. Don’t you remember how he said that a girl should be able to stand up for herself?” Hestia replied, giving Hephaestus an embarrassed look.

“Yes, I remember, but that doesn’t mean you have to break the nose of someone who attacked you,” Hephaestus sighed wearily.

“Oh, fine, I’ll talk to Alex later to get him to stop spoiling you and having a bad influence on you,” Hephaestus said in a stern tone, like a mother scolding her daughter.

“You can’t do that to me!” Hestia exclaimed in fear, not wanting to lose her privileges.

Ignoring her protests, Hephaestus turned her gaze to Freya, who was calmly drinking tea and enjoying the peaceful family atmosphere. Freya had never regretted joining Alex, as every day was filled with joyful events, and soon she would be traveling to other worlds once Alex finished dealing with the group of misfits.

She dreamed of traveling with Alex and couldn’t wait for him to show her new wonders, such as movies. With every minute spent with Alex, she learned something new, and she loved it.

While the girls were chatting upstairs, Alex returned to his workshop and found Nyx. With tearful eyes, she sat at the table, eating snacks as if she wanted to vent all her anger on them.

Alex shook his head, understanding why Nyx was so angry and not blaming her. He even considered letting her go, provided she hadn’t committed anything radical like killing children or other serious crimes. Nyx didn’t pay any attention to Alex; her focus was entirely on the food.

To be continued…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep