The Hephaestus Weapon Shop.
Hestia admitted that, as the chief deity of her Familia, there were indeed many ways in which she was not competent enough. The only thing she could do was give the best to Ron.
And under her close friend's reminder, she realized a very crucial problem: even if she and Ron shared the same thoughts, there were still powerful external factors that could break the current situation.
When she saw Ron return to Orario, Hestia could not help asking, "Ron, did you run into… any strange people?"
"Probably."
Looking at the girl before him—forcing a smile, trying to hide the unease in her heart—Ron realized that things were not as simple as he had imagined.
He did not conceal anything.
After leaving Babel Tower, he had encountered Hyakinthos of the Apollo Familia, and the matter of that god inviting him. He laid out the whole course of events.
"But I refused on the spot."
"The Ganesha Familia's guard squad was also there. At least… they won't cause me trouble in Orario." His expression turned strange as he reassured Hestia.
As for whether the sun god "Apollo" would go mad…
Ron truly could not say.
After all, in the original work, this guy was extremely exaggerated. Most of his Familia members were male, and the majority had joined after being courted by Apollo.
If they refused, there was a high probability he would use all sorts of means to force them—including hunting them down.
He did not think he possessed the kind of special shota appeal that Bell had. Even if he were pursued, then those matters could go talk to a Soulslike Dungeon!
"You still have to… be careful."
"Apollo."
Hestia's impression of this god was quite deep. Back in Tenkai, he had once confessed to her, only to be directly rejected by her at the time.
After that, Apollo descended to the lower world and went to Orario, and she had heard nothing further about him.
Yet in the Labyrinth City, they had met again—most critically, that fellow Apollo had actually set his sights on Ron.
She was very angry.
But she also knew this changed nothing. The good news, however, was that even if he proposed a War Game, she could directly refuse.
At worst, she would lose face and be humiliated…
When she heard that Ron had refused without the slightest hesitation, the girl's mood was undoubtedly relieved. At least the one she had painstakingly raised wouldn't be snatched away by someone else.
Hestia lightly rose onto her tiptoes, placing both hands on Ron's shoulders: "Don't worry."
"Even if something really happens, as a goddess, I will definitely help you settle it. So, Ron—your Dungeon exploration today."
"Did it go smoothly?"
"Judging purely from the results, it was pretty good," Ron answered honestly.
He had already accumulated enough Soul Shards.
The magic stones dropped after killing the Imp could probably be exchanged for some Valis at the Adventurers Guild. As for the Imp mask—the strangely shaped helmet—whether it could be sold in Orario was still unknown.
He glanced around the weapon shop. There were no customers at the moment, but since it was still working hours, it somehow felt a little inappropriate to update his ability values here.
Yet before Ron could explain clearly, Hestia, standing before him, had already taken the initiative to grab the boy's hand. "It's been many days since your level ascension, and you haven't updated your ability values."
"Today you just finished your Dungeon exploration."
"Are you ready?" She could hardly tell Ron that the only way she could affirm her presence as a goddess was through updating his ability values, could she?
Then—facing her close friend Hephaestus's numb expression in the office, as the girl hooked her arm through Ron's, her smile became especially bright. She said directly, "Hephaestus, I'm going to borrow your office for a while."
"..."
Hearing Hestia's words, the woman's originally numb expression turned into something indescribably strange. She truly wanted to ask whether this fellow was being a little too impolite.
When Ron had been picked up back then, she had also been present.
And now?
It was as if she were just some obstructive passerby!
But when she noticed the slightly awkward, apologetic look in Ron's eyes, Hephaestus ultimately did not refuse. It was not that she had any special filter for geniuses.
Mainly, compared to this fellow's goddess, Ron's personality and attitude were already quite decent.
She slowly stood up, her eyes filled with fatigue. "I don't mind. But Hestia, is this really the attitude you take when borrowing someone's office…?"
"Why does it feel like I'm the outsider?"
"Special circumstances call for special treatment!"
Even when teased face-to-face, Hestia could completely ignore it. The key was that she did not feel she had failed to share this kind of growth with her close friend—it was just that every time, she would become impatient.
She would always respond with an expression that said she had 'long since had enough.'
After preparing the tools needed to update his ability values, the girl looked at Ron's back, where the lines of muscle were becoming increasingly defined. Compared to how he had been at the very beginning, the changes now were truly significant!
If she had to describe it, he had gradually grown to the point of being someone one could rely on. Especially since Ron also had a delicate, pleasant-looking face.
He had not even made a name for himself in Orario yet, and he had already drawn… the attention of quite a few girls. When Hestia thought of this, she recalled how, when she had gone to the Adventurers Guild that morning and mentioned Ron, the guild employee Eina had reacted with such enthusiasm…
Just imagining that scene left a faint sourness in her heart. While helping Ron update his ability values, Hestia brought it up in an exceedingly casual tone: "I went to the Adventurers Guild today."
"Oh."
"Miss Eina, who's quite popular at the Guild, seems to care about you a lot. It's not that… I'm saying that kind of behavior is inappropriate."
"I just think that at this stage, you should focus on improving your strength."
At this point, the girl's tone paused slightly, and she added offhandedly, "Once you've truly experienced the scenery of an adventurer, you might realize that the best choice—"
"—could be right by your side!"
"…"
There were indeed quite a few beautiful girls by his side.
He just inexplicably felt that Hestia was hinting at something…
This was a fatal question Ron truly did not know how to answer. He did not evade it, and when he replied, his attitude was more resolute than ever: "That's true."
"I think Lady Hestia is the one who treats me the best."
She liked hearing that.
So much so that the corners of Hestia's lips curved into a bright smile. However, at this stage, helping Ron update his ability values was of greater importance.
...
Ron
Level: Lv2
Strength: I0 → H156
Endurance: I0 → H170
Dexterity: I0 → H133
Agility: I0 → H148
Magic: I0 → H101
...
Compared to when he had just become an adventurer, the rate of improvement in Ron's ability values had indeed slowed. Even so, the total increase this time still reached an extremely astonishing level.
'With such outstanding talent…'
'It's far too easy to attract the attention of other gods!' She did not regard Ron as her personal possession, but after spending so much time together day by day, how could she not develop feelings…
Hestia felt inexplicably sour, but when her gaze fell upon the change in Ron's skills, that trace of jealousy was instantly overwhelmed by surprise.
'Sekiro.'
"Eh?"
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