"Waaah! This is amazing! To be able to eat such a feast! And to have such cute, capable kids!!"
The Hostess of Fertility.
Hestia's face was flushed a deep, boozy red. She kept blubbering words of envy mixed with complete emotional collapse, her wild, uninhibited way of eating making it clear she was using the alcohol as an excuse to vent all her pent-up frustration.
Though, considering she was a goddess, whether she was truly "using the alcohol as an excuse" remained a fair question.
"Unlike me, I had absolutely no one to rely on after descending to the Lower World! Living under someone else's roof was fun at first, but it didn't take long for Hephaestus to kick me out! Waaaah!"
The overwhelming sense of grievance and resentment radiating from her tiny frame rippled outward, drawing quite a few glances—some subtle, some blunt.
"She's completely lost it, hasn't she?"
Even someone as easygoing as Sushang couldn't help but look a little awkward at the sight of this girl-goddess.
Focalors rested her chin in one hand, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "In that case, why not just go invite some children to join you?"
"I'm trying, I really am, but..." Hestia stared at her chopsticks with vacant, hollow eyes. "It's like we're parallel lines that will never intersect. It feels like there will never be a day where I can connect with the children of the Lower World..."
"If you guys hadn't invited me, my dinner probably would have been just another pack of unsold potato balls... and now, they're going to be my breakfast tomorrow..."
She was doing so poorly... it was almost like a gang boss who couldn't find a single underling and was left all alone, scrounging for scraps.
"Why doesn't Lady Hestia simply go to the Tower of Babel?" Focalors asked curiously.
"Because I'm not just some newly descended god anymore... plus, going there feels like public execution..." Imagining every god she met thinking to themselves, 'That Hestia still doesn't have a Familia? She's just rotting away there', was enough to make Hestia feel like she was suffocating.
She finally concluded, "So, I want to at least survive by my own two hands!"
"I see. Being a god without a Familia really is tough, isn't it? You can't even enter the Dungeon." Sushang scratched the back of her head. "It feels even more hopeless than the lives of the adventurers."
"Waaaah!"
The blunt remark pierced Hestia's heart like a sword, almost causing her to collapse right off her chair.
I can't keep the conversation focused on me! This humiliating topic ends here!
Finally realizing the truth that "people can never truly understand one another," Hestia stopped trying to vent about her recent string of failures. She wanted to steer the conversation back to the adventures of Sushang and Focalors.
Even though her situation was dire, Hestia still believed she would eventually have a Familia. Since that was the case, perhaps she could learn a thing or two from these "adventurer seniors."
At the very least, she could add the label "knowledgeable about the Dungeon and able to provide advice to adventurers" when she started recruiting later.
However...
If I bring that up, isn't the conversation just going to lead right back to where it started? Thinking about how she was about to be on the receiving end of even more boasting, Hestia lost all appetite for her food.
"Speaking of which, Hestia, are you very close with Hephaestus?"
Just as she was deep in thought, Focalors' voice cut through the silence.
"Hm?"
Hestia blinked, surprised by the sudden change in topic, then nodded. "We were very close back in Heaven. Like I said before, she was the first person I went to look for after I arrived in the Lower World."
"To let you stay there for so long, eating and drinking for free, it sounds like you two really have a wonderful relationship," Focalors said with a smile.
"Ahaha..." Suddenly having her history as a "freeloader" brought up made Hestia a bit awkward. But, being a goddess, she quickly realized what Focalors was getting at.
"I am indeed very close to her—at the very least, we're best friends, right? Is Focalors planning on having some weapons forged?"
It was a natural assumption.
After all, the weapons from the Hephaestus Familia were a gold standard of quality.
While they hadn't completely monopolized the weapon market in Orario, the market could essentially be divided into "Hephaestus" and "Everything Else."
Plus, since both Focalors and her child were so talented—and one of them was even a divine follower of Focalors—it wasn't hard to guess that they'd want high-quality gear.
As for Focalors seeking her out for this reason... Hestia didn't see any issue with that.
Gods had their own twists and turns, but more often than not, they were straightforward.
If anything, seeing Focalors be so thoughtful about her children proved that she was playing by the rules.
Things were mostly as Hestia suspected.
While Sushang and Focalors were fighting for strength and survival, the Focalors on the surface didn't plan on sitting idle.
To give the two more breathing room for their adventures, Focalors had weighed various logistics and decided to focus her efforts on one thing: socialization.
In truth, if she could, Focalors would have liked to provide them with financial support.
Equipment and potions required money, and without it, their journey as adventurers would be paved with obstacles. Furina and Sushang were already in the Dungeon killing monsters for money, but the earnings from the first few floors couldn't possibly be much.
Yet, even if she wanted to help, Focalors couldn't find a reliable way to make money. Street performances weren't a long-term solution, and besides, she represented the dignity of her Familia.
If she gave off an impression that was too casual or "common," it would damage the prestige of "Justice."
If the Focalors Familia were large and powerful, it would be different, but in the beginning, she had to be protective of her reputation.
Therefore, she turned her sights to social networking.
By mingling with other gods, she could gain intelligence and advice as a "junior," understand the hierarchy and taboos among the gods in Orario, and if she could befriend some top-tier Familias, she might even gain some advantages.
However...
"I didn't think that far ahead when it came to getting to know you, Hestia." Focalors took a sip of her red wine. Her voice was calm, but one could clearly hear her sincerity.
"Is that so?"
As mentioned before, Hestia didn't mind these things, and she wasn't surprised by Focalors' explanation. After all, Focalors was a god from outside their usual circle, so it was perfectly normal for her to have only just learned about her friendship with Hephaestus.
"But, the only thing I can really do for you is bring you together."
The goddess with twin-tails sighed helplessly. "To be honest... I still owe her a lot of favors..."
"Please, rest assured, that is more than enough." Focalors offered a reserved smile.
"I didn't seek her out just for the sake of forging weapons. In fact, both Furina and Sushang already have weapons they are comfortable with. What I want to discuss with her... is something else entirely."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL