At this moment, on the central clearing.
Two petite, beautiful young girls with purple hair tied up in black and white veils, wearing gorgeous long dresses, crossed their arms in front of their chests and looked displeasedly at the even younger figure in front of them.
That was their youngest sister, who used to be the most obedient (and easiest to bully).
Unexpectedly, after just a few months of absence, this little girl had mingled with humans and become a servant of the gods, even daring to defy her sisters' commands.
This was simply outrageous; she clearly needed a good lesson!
"Medusa, what kind of love potion have humans fed you, that you won't even listen to us..."
The taller eldest sister walked up gracefully, pinching Little Medusa's tender left cheek with her hand, reprimanding her in a languid tone.
"You used to be the one most afraid of humans, and now you stand with them, even proclaiming that you will protect them—it's laughable."
The slightly shorter second sister quickly followed, mocking irritably while pinching Little Medusa's right cheek even harder, grumbling with resentment.
"Do you have any idea? In order to find you, we first drifted on the Sea of Okeanos for half a month, then ran into those Atlanteans who were out looking for trouble. It was hard enough shaking them off and finding our way, only to be swept by a sudden giant wave to who knows where."
Do you know what it feels like to open your eyes to a horde of Sea Beasts?
And those idiots, for some crazy reason, weren't the least bit scared of us, biting at our heels the whole way!
There were also that six-headed, twelve-footed Scylla, the mermaid-looking Siren witches, the primordial Lamia—and over the top, not only did they have the shamelessness to gang up on us, they even pulled in a primordial demon god to help...!
Luckily, we were fast, reaching a nearby island before they could encircle us, then felt your burst of energy from this island and made our way here.
Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to see us!"
"Ahem!"
Just as the second sister was getting more agitated, the oldest one coughed lightly and cast a sidelong glance at the chattering number two.
The second sister, catching the hint, hurriedly quieted down, stopping her rant and tearing more fiercely at the youngest sister's right cheek.
"That's not the point! The problem is, we went through so much to find you, and you dare to defy us for these humans! It's outrageous!"
"A punishment is needed."
The eldest sister's voice remained elegant and lazy, but her grip increased mercilessly.
Gradually, Medusa's originally sharp little face took on a rounded feel due to the pinching.
Meanwhile, Luo En, who was witnessing this sisterly bullying from behind the trees, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye.
Lady of Strength Stheno, Lady of Flying Euryale...
The remaining two Gorgon Sisters actually left Formless Island, not lying low, but chased all the way from the Sea of Okeanos for their little sister Medusa?
And why did this encounter sound so familiar?
The repeatedly missing Imperial Guard of Atlantis? The sea battle between Poseidon and Athena? The primordial beast tide from the Sea of Okeanos?
The more the person involved thought about it, the more his stomach ached, even beginning to empathize with the Gorgon Sisters, who had never run into good events and never missed a bad one.
However, it was also because they were rather unlucky, constantly ensnared by one trouble after another.
Otherwise, he and Little Medusa might not have encountered the beast tide, but instead met with these two first who had traveled a long distance to find them.
As for what would have happened after such a meeting...
Luo En watched the scene as Little Medusa was bullied by her sisters, and the Gorgon Sisters acting like typical villains, smoothly withdrew his head and silently prayed for the suffering little girl in his heart.
If it had been a sisters' play, they might have been softer, but meeting with himself, the thief who stole the egg, might not have been so courteous.
After all, the numerous stone sculptures on the Formless Island were his precedent.
After a prolonged torture, Stheno and Euryale released their grasp, still seemingly unsatisfied.
At that moment, Luo En, hiding under the tree, felt a chill down his spine.
"No, if we do that, Little Medusa will be angry and if she ignores us in the future, we'll have no fun."
Fortunately, as the eldest, Stheno stopped Euryale's impulsive action in time.
Yet her reasoning felt oddly twisted.
Euryale had a headache from the rejection of her proposal.
"This won't do, that won't do. According to those fools outside, the third wave of the Sea Beasts is coming soon. We can't just stand by and watch, can we?"
"Of course not!"
Stheno shook her head and raised her hand to touch her own exquisitely beautiful face, speaking confidently.
"Our Little Medusa is just too young and doesn't understand the fickle nature of humans. With just a little effort on our part, once that man who has bewitched her shows his true colors, she will naturally realize that only we are good to her. Then, she will surely come back to us, back to Formless Island, and resume her old life."
Upon hearing her sister's plan, Euryale clapped in admiration for the brilliant solution.
"Great idea, let him fall at the feet of the Goddess' charisma! And once we take away the thing she cherishes from Little Medusa, she will surely cry, won't she? Giggling..."
In the midst of speaking, the Gorgon Sister, eyes brimming with excitement, revealed her malicious true nature.
"I can hardly wait to see that expression."
"Yes, me too, and by the way, Euryale. You look utterly beautiful now."
"Giggling, Stheno, so do you. Somehow, you seem even more beautiful than yesterday..."
The sisters, accustomed to lavishing praise upon each other, gazed at each other's cheeks, their faces showing contented and comfortable smiles.
At that very moment, Luo En, crouched behind the tree and watching the two flat-chested female specters on the clearing as they plotted how to seduce him, slightly twitched the corners of his mouth, his eyes flickering mysteriously.
Are you sure you want to play this game?
~~
As the sun set, a figure covered in grass and leaves appeared at the doorstep of Hestia's home.
"Where have you been?"
The Goddess of the Hearth popped her head out of the kitchen, looking curiously at Luo En at the door.
"Just went out for a walk, and thought about how to break the stalemate..."
As he spoke, Luo En patted off the grass and leaves on his body and stepped into the house.
Upon hearing these words, Hestia immediately felt somewhat remorseful.
"I'm sorry, this was supposed to be between Athena and me..."
Luo En's eyes swept over the Goddess of the Hearth's face, filled with guilt, and with a tempting tone, he spoke softly.
"Would you like to help? Not just me, but Athena and the Minosians too?"
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Instantly, Hestia, who had been upset about not being able to contribute, lit up, nodding her head without hesitation, and even eagerly pressed him.
"Tell me, tell me, what do you need me to do?!"
Luo En surveyed Hestia's full figure, then a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"Just a small, a small sacrifice..."
"...!"
Suddenly, Hestia felt an inexplicable chill, and she instinctively hugged her chest tightly.