Journey to Planar World

After being repeatedly pressured by Aphrodite, Charlie finally let out a long sigh, feeling there was no way out of this situation.

”Alright, alright. I agree. But just this once.”

”Yeay~!!!”

Aphrodite immediately cheered in delight, hopping in place with a wide grin on her face.

”Great! I knew you couldn’t resist my charm!” She said smugly.

With light steps, she sat down next to Astraea.

”By the way, I also want breakfast here. Prepare a portion for me too!”

”Haaah... Fine.” Charlie could only resign himself to it.

In his personal opinion, Aphrodite’s personality was somewhat similar to Hestia’s.

”Huh?”

Just as Aphrodite was about to casually chat with Aishia, her gaze inadvertently landed on Est, who was sitting near Aishia. Her eyes widened, and her cheerful expression shifted to one of shock.

”A-A spirit...?!”

Aphrodite rubbed her eyes, as if unable to believe what she was seeing. Yet, her perception wasn’t wrong. The petite silver-haired girl sitting quietly was unmistakably a spirit, just like Aishia.

Earlier, she had been too focused on Astraea and had overlooked the other girls. Now, she stared at Est in complete astonishment.

”My goodness! Charlie, in just a few days of not seeing you, you’ve already contracted a new spirit?! Don’t tell me you’re trying to build a harem of spirit girls?!”

Charlie, who was setting plates on the table, nearly stumbled at her words.

”What nonsense are you spouting, Aphrodite?! My relationship with Aishia and Est isn’t what you think! I have integrity, okay?” He retorted irritably.

Aphrodite gave him a dismissive look, crossing her arms over her chest before replying mockingly,

”Your integrity? The integrity of a man who visits brothels in the Entertainment District isn’t worth trusting.”

”...”

Her statement brought a momentary silence to the room.

Astraea’s eyes widened in surprise, while Aishia—usually calm—stared at Charlie with a slightly raised eyebrow. Even Est, though her expression remained blank, tilted her head slightly, showing interest in the conversation, particularly in the term ”brothel” which she was hearing for the first time.

”Is what you’re saying true, Aphrodite?” Astraea asked, seeking confirmation before jumping to conclusions.

”Hmph!”

Aphrodite scoffed lightly before crossing her arms again.

”Of course it’s true! It’s a hot topic all over Orario! If you don’t believe me, just take a short walk outside. Plenty of people are talking about the young man from Hera Familia who fought against all the warrior adventurers in Ishtar Familia—even going up against the Androctonus—and defeated them.”

Once this matter spread, it was only a matter of time before Charlie’s identity became known. Even though he was a new adventurer who hadn’t even earned an alias yet, the name ”Hera Familia” alone made it impossible for him to stay low-profile. Moreover, members of Ishtar Familia had already talked about him when curious gods inquired.

”Hmm... I see...”

Astraea shifted her gaze back to Charlie. Her smile was gentle, but to Charlie, it looked terrifying—like a mother who had just discovered her son had fallen into a life of debauchery and moral decay.

”Charlie, is all of that true?”

”...”

Lying would be pointless in front of gods, especially Astraea. After a brief pause, Charlie resigned himself and admitted.

”Yeah, the person in that rumor is me.”

He braced himself for a scolding, but instead of anger, Astraea only let out a long sigh and spoke in a wise tone.

”Charlie, I understand that men have needs, but it would be better for you to find a girlfriend or even get married rather than fooling around with prostitutes. Not only would it be more meaningful, but you wouldn’t have to worry about catching any... diseases from them.”

If this were one of her Familia members, Astraea would have been disappointed. But since her Familia only accepted women, the chances of her followers visiting the Entertainment District for fun were practically nonexistent.

She was also aware that she had no right to dictate Charlie life—she wasn’t his main god, so the young man was free to do as he pleased. Of course, she was a little disappointed in him, but that was all.

”I really don’t get it! Why would you choose to satisfy your urges with those prostitutes in the Entertainment District when I already offered myself to you?! I’m different from them! I’m the Goddess of Beauty, you know?!”

Aphrodite was annoyed that Charlie remained unaffected by her charms. Any other man would have jumped at her invitation without hesitation.

”...”

Charlie raised an eyebrow but didn’t take her seriously.

Women were deceitful creatures—the more beautiful they were, the better they were at lying.

And now, standing before him was Aphrodite, one of the three Goddesses of Beauty. She might not be as depraved as Freya or Ishtar, but considering the number of men who had likely slept with her... Just thinking about it makes his scalp tingle.

”Thanks for the tempting offer, Aphrodite. Maybe another time.”

”Grrr...” Aphrodite hissed, her face flushing with irritation.

Charlie’s constant rejections made her doubt her own allure. A shocking thought crossed her mind, unsettling her.

’Am I... inferior to those prostitutes in the Entertainment District? Why would Charlie choose them over me?’

Suddenly, Aishia joined the commotion.

”If Charlie can’t hold back, I’m always ready to serve you.”

”You’re still too young for that, Aishia.” Charlie’s conscience would eat him alive if he did anything indecent to Aishia.

Aishia’s expression remained calm, but there was a hint of confusion in her eyes.

”...Too young? If Charlie says so, then it must be true.” She accepted his words without protest.

Seeing the conversation reach a dead end, Aphrodite shifted her focus to Astraea.

”So, Astraea, how have you been? It’s been a long time since you left Orario after disbanding your Familia. Where have you been all this time?”

Astraea smiled softly, setting down her teacup. ”I’ve been traveling to various places to better understand the world. It’s beautiful, but there are also dark sides. I felt I needed to learn more before returning to Orario.”

”And now you’re back here, in Charlie’s home. Don’t tell me... You also have certain intentions toward him?” Aphrodite narrowed her eyes, her tone wary, as if facing a romantic rival.

Astraea chuckled softly, her smile still graceful. ”I just happened to meet Charlie while he was training outside Orario. After briefly interacting with him, I became interested. I wanted to see with my own eyes the life he leads—whether it’s one of brilliance and glory, like a hero’s, or an ordinary life that fades into obscurity, forgotten by history.”

”Tsk, you too. Demeter also showed interest in Charlie when I brought him to the Banquet of Gods hosted by Ganesha. I’m starting to think this man is a magnet for goddesses.”

Aphrodite was deeply envious of Hera, who had found Charlie first. She worried that the more goddesses Charlie met in the future, the more would become infatuated with him.

”Breakfast is ready. Please eat before it gets cold.”

Charlie finally finished cooking and began arranging plates on the dining table. The delicious aroma filled the room, drawing everyone’s attention.

Astraea smiled warmly and responded, ”Thank you, Charlie. You’re really good at cooking.”

Aishia, sitting beside Est, gave a small nod. ”Yes, Charlie’s cooking is always delicious.”

”...”

This was the first time Est had tasted Charlie’s cooking. After one bite, her eyes sparkled.

”It’s delicious.”

Meanwhile, Aphrodite—also experiencing his cooking for the first time—couldn’t help but praise Charlie for his exceptional skills.

’Cooking for so many people is really troublesome. Nino, who prepares meals for her four sisters every day, is truly amazing.’

Sitting in his chair, Charlie suddenly remembered Nakano Nino, the girl who had once confessed her feelings to him. Unfortunately, due to their different worlds, he couldn’t reciprocate her sincere affection.