"Nice weather."
"It's just a pity... Ron has to go explore the Dungeon every day. With such great timing, if it were spent on a date, just how amazing would that be?"
"..."
Leaving the Adventurers' Guild.
Orario's weather was exceptionally bright, the blue sky stretched cloudless for miles, and when the sunlight fell upon her, the girl only felt a gentle warmth.
It was just a pity—
When she looked to her side, that figure she longed for day and night wasn't there.
As for her purpose in coming to the Guild, it was simple: to submit the current basic information of her Familia.
A new member had joined the Familia.
This kind of information had to be reported to the Adventurers' Guild, both to facilitate the evaluation of the Familia's rank and to update the level information of existing members.
Reporting it didn't bring many direct benefits.
But if it were concealed and later discovered by the Guild, what would most likely await the Hestia Familia would be fines from the Adventurers' Guild—and mandatory expeditions.
Nor was this something Hestia had decided on her own.
All of it was the conclusion she and Ron had reached after discussion. Since one event after another had made it impossible for them to maintain a low profile in Orario—
Then, they might as well declare it to all adventurers and gods in Orario!
"This is my Familia."
The effect was remarkable.
Originally, the one receiving her had only been a Guild staff member named Mia, but when it came time to update the Familia members' levels, the Guild's supervisor personally stepped in.
They repeatedly confirmed whether the information was accurate.
Isn't that obvious!
To prevent Ron's various stats—which broke theoretical limits—from being too shocking, she had adjusted the submitted data to average them out.
All of them were rated at A.
With two consecutive Lv.2 adventurers joining, and with both Ron and Mikoto advancing to Lv.3 adventurers, the final result...
Was that the once obscure Hestia Familia—
In an instant—
Had risen to a composite evaluation of C as an exploration Familia!
"I wonder..."
"Does this even count as good news?"
For exploration Familias developing in Orario, Dungeon expedition missions were required. But as long as they completed the Guild's assigned tasks, they would receive rewards.
A considerable amount of Valis.
Even the taxes required when exchanging Magic Stones and drop items from daily exploration would be reduced accordingly.
It could be considered good news, at least.
Hestia was already eager to wait for Ron to finish today's Dungeon exploration so she could tell him this.
The Familia...
Was steadily getting back on track.
But thinking of this, the girl couldn't help feeling a bit melancholic. Everything was clearly moving in a better direction, yet her relationship with Ron—
Had completely stagnated...
"Is it because my hints weren't obvious enough?"
Walking along the road back to the Hearth Mansion, Hestia was somewhat absent-minded. Even after moving into a bigger home, their daily life hadn't changed.
Every day after waking up, Ron would either go out for his usual training or head into the Dungeon.
If there was anything different—
It was probably that the number of women appearing around Ron had clearly increased. That guy seemed to be radiating charm at all times, yet he hadn't noticed—
The one who had always been by his side!!
"So annoying."
Thinking of this, the girl felt a little depressed. Although Ron had never said it outright, in their everyday interactions, she always felt as if some kind of pressure was chasing after him.
Preventing him from relaxing.
Forcing him to keep pushing himself, constantly improving.
Even though, in Hestia's eyes, his current pace had already reached a level no adventurer in Orario—or even the entire world—could match, it still wasn't enough.
'Slow down a little and enjoy the present life?'
As a goddess, there was no way Hestia could say something like that. She couldn't possibly dampen the enthusiasm of her Familia's child. Just as she was thinking about how to help Ron—
A breeze passed by.
Carrying with it a faint trace of floral fragrance, like morning mist gently wrapping around her senses, instantly calming the girl's troubled heart.
"..."
'Dear Flora Flower Shop'
Hestia raised her head and quickly found the source of the fragrance.
She had long known about this shop, but due to her previous lack of funds, she had never stopped by. It wasn't that she had started indulging just because she now had money.
The girl frowned.
This faint floral scent could soothe and relax the mind. If placed on the bedside table in the bedroom, would it help relieve Ron's stress from exploring the Dungeon?
"Then let's give it a try."
Noticing Hestia's arrival, the two girls watering the bouquets both stopped what they were doing. If Ron were here, he would definitely recognize the identity of the prum girl.
Liliruca Arde.
Seeing that the customer was a goddess, standing beside Lili, the tall, golden-haired, naturally curly-haired girl seemed unsure how to handle the situation. Just as Anna Claes hesitated—
Recognizing that the petite goddess before them was Hestia, Ron's patron deity, Lili smiled earnestly: "Lady Hestia."
"Are you here to buy flowers?"
She hadn't left the Soma Familia, but after their former captain Zanis was killed by Ron, the Familia had once again fallen into chaos. Everyone was scrambling for the position of captain, and no one paid attention—
To Lili, who had originally been a bottom-tier supporter and had already slipped away with her belongings.
For Ron, who had indirectly helped her escape that quagmire, Lili held a sense of gratitude. She also knew he wasn't particularly fond of her.
So she didn't go out of her way to annoy him.
Noticing that Hestia's gaze swept across the bouquets without settling on any, she guessed that perhaps this goddess didn't have a specific target.
"Today's newly arrived Cecilia flowers are quite nice."
"The buds haven't fully bloomed yet. Whether placed in a bedroom or a Familia residence, their fragrance can last for several days. Lady Hestia—"
"Which kind would you like?"
As for why this prum shop assistant knew her, Hestia wasn't surprised at all. Ultimately—the reason was the War Game with Apollo.
Facing the question, she thought carefully for a moment: "Hmm..."
"Do you have something where the fragrance isn't too strong—preferably something that helps calm the mind and relieve stress?"
"We do."
The girl's fundamentals were solid. Upon hearing Hestia's request, she quickly selected something suitable from the shelf: "How about lavender?"
"That works."
"And also, please pack a bundle of those Cecilia flowers as well."
Lavender had an effect of easing anxiety.
As a goddess, having lived for ages in the heavens, Hestia naturally knew about such things. As for the Cecilia flowers she ultimately chose—
It wasn't because of their appearance.
But because of their flower language—
'The true love of a wanderer.'
She didn't believe—
That with Cecilia flowers placed daily in the Familia residence, Ron would fail to understand her hint. No matter how many women surrounded him, so what?
His true feelings—
Had to belong to her!
Watching the shop assistant skillfully wrap the flowers, Hestia took out her purse. If the price was reasonable, she could even order them daily.
"How much is it in total?"
"The total is..."
After wrapping the lavender in oil paper, Anna raised her head and calculated the price. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by Lili.
Freed from the oppression of the Soma Familia, the girl's mental state had clearly improved. Gone was her former exhaustion. With a gentle smile, Lili said: "No need to pay, Lady Hestia."
"Why?"
"Hmm..."
"Because once, I received help from a member of Lady Hestia's Familia. If I hadn't met him, there wouldn't be the Lili of today."
"..."
Holding the two bundles of flowers, Hestia didn't know how to describe her feelings. When Lili said that, the only member she could think of—
Was her own Ron.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to feel proud or to complain—how was it that even randomly entering a flower shop, she could run into a girl he had helped?
Perhaps—
The meaning behind the Cecilia flower's language—
'Wanderer'—
Was exactly this.
The girl shook her head lightly and declined the goodwill of the shop assistant named Lili: "I appreciate your kindness, but I still need to pay."
"I don't want..."
"To become the kind of goddess who only lives off Ron in the eyes of others!"
"..."
After leaving 'Dear Flora Flower Shop,' Hestia walked back toward the Familia residence along the street. Lili's appearance made her feel a slight sense of pressure.
This gratitude—
Might just be one-sided appreciation for Ron's past help.
But if this kind of thing kept happening, sooner or later someone might truly fall for him and actively pursue him. What would she do then?
'I have to make the first move!'
She had been there from the very beginning.
Having made up her mind, the girl's light steps gradually became firm. However, after returning to the Familia residence, before Hestia could push open the door—
In the distance ahead, in that garden they had once promised to build together, a high-ponytailed elf girl with yamabuki-colored hair was currently crouching beside the flowerbed.
"Who is that?"
However, when Hestia noticed Ron standing beside her, the identity of that elf girl instantly became irrelevant.
This is bad...
Her backyard looked like it was about to catch fire!!
Especially when Lefiya stood up, and the armband symbolizing the Loki Familia came into view—
At that moment, she had only one thought: 'Why does it feel like the sky is about to collapse...?'
Just recently at the Denatus, she had even thanked Loki for her so-called "kind reminder," telling her to watch out for Freya.
But now that the truth was right in front of her—
Hestia wished she could go find that flat-chested goddess immediately.
So—
Who exactly was setting their sights on her Ron? The evidence was right there before her. She refused to believe Loki had anything left to argue.
But, before going to confront Loki—
Hestia felt that merely declaring ownership in front of gods wasn't enough.
She had to make all adventurers in Orario realize this.
Ron—
Could only belong to her!!
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