Journey to Planar World

The group finally arrived at the headquarters of Hera Familia—a modest building now inhabited only by Charlie, Aishia, Est, and Astraea.

Upon seeing the building, Loki had to admit that its location was highly strategic, as it was close to the Babel Tower.

As a goddess who had lived in Orario for a long time, she knew very well how expensive housing around Babel Tower was. It wasn’t something that could be bought with money alone.

Out of curiosity, Loki asked: ”Hey, kid. How did you manage to get this house?”

Charlie simply smiled casually before answering, ”The Guild gave it to me as part of the transaction for selling the Space-Time Cache.”

Space-Time Cache!

Of course, Loki knew about it and had seen it with her own eyes. After all, Finn had bought it from Charlie.

The portable storage item had brought great benefits to Loki Familia’s expedition team.

”Wait, so you really made that?!” Loki asked in disbelief. Previously, she had been skeptical that such a revolutionary magic item was created by Charlie.

”Of course. I made it using the Mystery Development Abilities.” Charlie answered frankly.

Tiona, who had been listening, immediately interjected, ”Eh? Isn’t an adventurer’s skill supposed to be a secret? Isn’t it a problem to tell us?”

”I plan to produce more magic items in the future. The Mystery Development Abilities can’t be kept a secret forever.” Charlie shrugged, seemingly unbothered.

”Hah~ I see.” Tiona nodded in understanding, while Loki could only feel envious of Hera’s luck.

’Why didn’t this guy join my Familia! Hmm... Wait, maybe there’s a silver lining. At least I don’t have to worry about Aiz-tan being taken away from me.’ Thinking this, Loki smirked slyly.

”Lefiya?”

Suddenly, Tione noticed something strange.

Lefiya was standing stiffly in place, staring at the Hera Familia headquarters with a shocked expression.

”Hey, Lefiya. What’s wrong with you?”

Hearing her name called, Lefiya finally snapped out of her daze.

”What is this?! Is this a house or a fortress?! Why are there so many hidden magic formations?!”

Everyone turned to look at her.

As a Mage, Lefiya had an extremely high sensitivity to magic.

When she saw the Empyrean Citadel, she immediately sensed the presence of powerful magic formations hidden throughout the area.

”Don’t tell me... you made all of these too?” Lefiya asked, her eyes staring at Charlie with mixed emotions.

”Yes.” Charlie nodded, not bragging about his achievements.

’Actually who is the real Mage here, me or him...’ Lefiya grumbled, unwilling to accept the fact that she was inferior in the aspect of magic to Charlie, who was a swordsman.

”Welcome to my humble home.” Charlie said as the host.

As the gate opened, the guests entered the spacious courtyard of the Empyrean Citadel. Charlie stepped in last, then activated the illusion formation behind him.

”Huh?!” Lefiya turned around in shock. ”From the outside, it looks like an ordinary house, but there’s actually an illusion hiding it?”

”Of course. This is to prevent outsiders from peeking inside.” Charlie said with a light smile.

”You’re really full of surprises, kid. Now I kind of understand why Hera was so eager to take you into her Familia.” Loki chuckled while lamenting Hera’s luck.

Shouldn’t ambitious and talented individuals be flocking to Orario? That way, the gods wouldn’t have trouble finding talented children to join their Familias.

”Thank you for the compliment, Goddess Loki.”

”Just call me Loki.”

”That’s impossible. It would be disrespectful.”

”Tsk, you’re stubborn in the weirdest ways.”

Seeing that Charlie wouldn’t budge, Loki didn’t press further.

The living room in the house was comfortable, but not spacious enough to accommodate so many people at once. Charlie skillfully arranged tables and chairs on the more spacious front porch. Soon, various dishes were served—food and drinks from the modern world that were still stored in the Space-Time Cache.

On the long table on the porch, an array of packaged snacks was attractively displayed. Among them were potato chips in various flavors—original salted, barbecue, and cheese. Next to them were Pocky sticks with chocolate and strawberry coatings, as well as sandwich biscuits with soft cream fillings.

There were also sweet treats like crispy chocolate wafers, marshmallows filled with fruit jam, and milk candies that melted in the mouth. In one corner of the table, several packs of instant noodles were still hot, emitting a savory aroma.

Various canned and bottled drinks were also available, including milk tea, canned coffee, and of course, carbonated sodas full of fizzy bubbles.

”Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen food like this. Just the visuals alone are a feast for the eyes.”

Extremely curious, Tiona grabbed a can of cold soda and took a sip. As soon as the carbonated liquid touched her tongue, her eyes widened, and the fizzing sensation in her throat surprised her.

”Wha—?!” Tiona quickly swallowed and stared at the can in her hand with an amazed expression. ”What is this?! It’s sweet, refreshing, and there’s... some kind of exploding sensation in my mouth!”

”That’s soda.” Charlie answered briefly.

”Soda?” Tiona stared at the can for a moment, then took another enthusiastic sip. This time, instead of being surprised, she laughed happily. ”This is delicious! I’ve never had anything like this before! Where did you get it?”

Everyone at the table turned to Charlie, including Loki and Astraea, who were busy enjoying their snacks.

”All of this food isn’t available in Orario. I brought it from outside.”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie. Charlie did bring it from outside—it’s just that the ”outside” he referred to wasn’t a place they could imagine.

Loki raised an eyebrow but didn’t detect any lies in his words. Astraea, who had been observing him from the start, also showed no signs of suspicion.

Meanwhile, Aiz picked up a pack of chocolate wafers, opened it, and took a bite. The crispy texture and sweet flavor caused her expression to change slightly—subtle, but enough to show her interest.

”This is better than jagamarakun...” Aiz’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Tione, who was more rational than her twin sister, opened a pack of potato chips and popped one into her mouth. As the salty and crispy flavor spread, she paused for a moment.

”The flavor is stronger than regular snacks... and the texture is savory. This is good.” She glanced at Charlie with narrowed eyes. ”Are you sure there’s nowhere in Orario that sells this?”

”...”

Charlie simply shrugged casually.

Lefiya, who was still sulking, initially refused to acknowledge another of Charlie’s strengths. However, after tasting the soft and sweet milk candy, her expression softened unconsciously.

”...I didn’t know food could be this good.”

On the other side of the table, Aishia and Est sat quietly, enjoying their own snacks. Est bit into a Pocky stick and chewed it slowly.

”I want more.”

Aishia, already accustomed to modern food, simply smiled faintly and handed Est a pack of chocolate biscuits.

The two spirits seemed to be getting along well as they ate together.

Meanwhile, Astraea and Loki sat facing each other, engrossed in a long conversation after years of not meeting. They talked about many things—from the state of Orario, changes in various Familias, to how they had been living their lives since they last met.

Loki occasionally glanced at Charlie from the corner of her eye, still curious about how a man could live under the same roof as Astraea. However, every time she tried to dig deeper, Astraea would only smile mysteriously and steer the conversation elsewhere.

On the other hand, the girls from Loki Familia never stopped munching. Tiona had already opened two cans of soda, trying different flavors, while Tione seemed busy sampling various snacks, as if trying to determine which one was the tastiest. Although initially hesitant, Lefiya eventually gave in to temptation and started eating the jam-filled marshmallows with a satisfied expression.

After all, they didn’t know when they’d get to enjoy food like this again.

Only Aishia and Est didn’t share such concerns. They would be with Charlie for a long time.

Amid the relaxed atmosphere, Aiz suddenly looked at Charlie, who was sipping on an orange Fanta. Her golden eyes were filled with determination as she opened her mouth and said,

”I want to spar with you.”