Just as Artemis opened her eyes in Leon's arms, a subtle realization flickered across his mind. Something felt… off.
His gaze dropped, and in that instant, he understood. Without hesitation, he gently released Artemis, his expression calm but respectful. From his system storage, he retrieved a folded set of clothes, the very ones he had asked Asfi for before the operation began.
"Here." He said softly, handing them to her with a calm voice.
"I'll set up a light barrier for you. Put these on first."
With a wave of his hand, a radiant orb of light formed around her, a glowing, semi-transparent sphere that shimmered with protective energy, completely wrapping Artemis inside.
Within the soft confines of the barrier, Artemis stood motionless for a moment. Her eyes lowered to the clothes in her hands, clean, neatly folded, prepared just for her and a tinge of red crept into her eyes. Her heart stirred with something unspoken. Then, silently, she began changing.
Meanwhile, Leon had already taken off into the air once more, flying down from the heights of the ruins.
Something was bothering him. Why hadn't Hestia and the others come up yet? Was something wrong?
Descending quickly, he soon spotted the group at the bottom of the circular pit. As he landed gracefully on the broken stone floor, his eyes took in the scene before him.
Hestia and the others… were carrying corpses.
All of them were women, bodies of the fallen Artemis familia members. Just like the members of the Astraea Familia, their ranks were composed solely of women, a reflection of Artemis' domain over chastity.
"Hestia, are they all here?" Leon asked as he approached, his tone serious.
Hestia looked up, her expression lighting up when she saw him.
"We're not sure. We brought up everyone we could find, but we don't know how many children Artemis had with her. We're still looking." She replied, wiping a trace of dust from her cheek.
Leon nodded solemnly, glancing at the lifeless but peaceful faces of Artemis' followers.
At that moment, Hermes stepped forward, unable to contain the question pressing against his heart.
"Leon, Artemis… how is she?"
Leon smiled softly. "It's done. She's fine. Artemis is alive and upstairs getting changed."
His words were simple but they carried the weight of a miracle.
"…Haaah…" Hestia exhaled deeply, pressing a hand to her chest as relief flooded her expression.
Hermes, too, let out a long sigh… though in the very next second, the tension broke entirely.
"D-DAMN IT ALL!!!" Hermes suddenly burst out, throwing his hands in the air like a deranged playwright. "That's the body of the chaste goddess Artemis! And you—you actually saw her naked?!"
His voice echoed dramatically across the ruins.
"What's wrong with you, you lucky bastard?!"
"…Hermes, control yourself." Hestia muttered, facepalming.
Meanwhile, Asfi, who had been standing quietly nearby, turned to Leon with furrowed brows.
"…Wait a minute. Leon, why did you ask me for clothes before we left Orario?"
Her sharp mind had finally connected the dots.
Hermes immediately quieted down, suddenly serious for once. He stepped in and explained.
He hadn't told Asfi anything before they had set off—on purpose. The less she knew, the less mental burden she would carry. After all, the mission originally involved the potential slaying of a deity.
Even though they weren't going to do it themselves, Hermes had feared the weight of that reality might disturb Asfi or make her hesitate. But now that Artemis had been resurrected successfully, there was no harm in revealing the truth.
And just as Hermes had predicted, Asfi was stunned. The words struck her with awe.
Leon… had resurrected a goddess. A feat beyond the dreams of mortals.
Her stunned expression gradually melted into admiration. She looked at Leon with shining eyes, utterly impressed by his accomplishment.
And just then, a beam of gentle light fell from above. Descending through the ruins like a falling star, Artemis floated down from the sky.
Wearing the clothes Asfi had provided, she looked radiant, and alive.
"Everyone." She said with a bright smile, landing lightly on her feet, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Her eyes sparkled with joy, her voice steady. It was the voice of someone who had returned from death.
The hardest part of the ordeal was over. The resurrection of Artemis had succeeded. Leon had consumed a vast amount of divine and magical power, but it had been more than enough.
Now, the only task that remained was the resurrection of Artemis' children, her Familia. Fxortunately, their levels were not high, most at Level 2. Compared to the colossal energy needed to resurrect a god, bringing them back would be simple.
Even with a portion of his magic consumed, Leon still had enough left to do it. And so, with calm confidence, he carried out the resurrection.
One by one, the women of Artemis' Familia opened their eyes. Confused and disoriented, they sat up, blinking at the light above.
"…It's unbelievable." Asfi murmured.
Even Hermes had not known about Leon's resurrection magic. Asfi and the others, who weren't in Orario during the Astraea Familia incident, had no idea what Leon was capable of. So when they saw these lifeless women rise once more, their eyes filled with shock. It was like a fairy tale being spun into reality.
"Thank you, Leon…" Artemis' voice trembled with emotion.
Tears streamed freely down her face as she stepped forward, hands clasped in gratitude.
"If you ever need anything in the future, anything, just say the word."
Her shoulders shook as she cried. Her emotions, once buried beneath duty and divine pride, now poured out unrestrained.
She had watched her Familia die. She had watched Antares consume them one by one. That helplessness, that despair… it had nearly broken her.
But now, Leon had reversed it all. Herself. Her children. Her Familia. All brought back from the brink. And more importantly, they were together again.
Leon met her gaze, his expression gentle. "You don't have to thank me."
He turned back to the others and said, "Let's get going. We've got an expedition with the Loki Familia and Astraea Familia in a day or two. If we don't hurry, we'll miss it."
There was no time to waste.
"Right." Artemis nodded eagerly.
With no hesitation, the group boarded Leon's flying magic circle and began their return journey to Orario. It had taken a full day to get here and now, another day to return.
— — —
Upon arriving in Orario, everyone went their separate ways to finish their preparations.
Leon and Hestia returned to the library.
Artemis and Hermes led their respective Familias to the Guild Headquarters. Artemis, along with Hermes, went to report directly to Ouranos, informing the old god of everything that had transpired.
Meanwhile, the members of the Artemis Familia handled their re-registration process at the Guild. Once, long ago, they had been a recognized Familia in Orario. But after the Dark Age, Artemis had led them away to hunt roaming monsters outside the city.
That mission had led them to the Great Sea of Trees, and ultimately… to the Antares tragedy.
But now, Artemis was back. Alive and she had made her decision. She would return to Orario.
No explanation was needed, the reason was obvious. She wanted to stay close to Leon.
Everyone in her Familia had been resurrected by Leon's hand. From the divine to the mortal, they now shared an unshakable bond with him.
There was no resisting it. Their admiration, their affection, their loyalty, now belonged to him.