Morning in the Great Tree Sea was shrouded in mist, wrapping the ancient trees in a hazy veil.
Sunlight spilled through gaps in the clouds and filtered down through layer after layer of branches and leaves, scattering mottled patches of light across the ground.
The air carried the damp scent of soil and the fresh fragrance of vegetation. Birds and insects called from somewhere in the distance. Everything was peaceful and serene.
Genichi stood in a clearing near the ruins, leaning against an enormous ancient tree with a cup of tea in his hand as he gazed toward the distant sky.
His expression was calm, but there was a trace of anticipation in his eyes.
He had been staying in the Great Tree Sea for nearly a week.
The days had been uneventful, but he knew this peace would not last forever.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Hestia to descend to the Lower World.
Waiting to obtain the Authority of the Sacred Flame.
Waiting for his chance to strike back at Ishtar.
Then, finally, that day came.
"She's here."
Genichi spoke softly, relief and anticipation entering his voice.
Demeter approached from behind and stopped beside him.
"You sensed it?"
Genichi nodded.
"She descended. Uranus kept his word."
Astraea and Artemis also came over, standing on either side of him.
All four turned their gazes toward Orario.
A new goddess had descended there.
The key figure who could help Genichi become immune to Ishtar's Charm had finally arrived.
"What do we do now?"
Astraea's voice was quiet, tinged with concern.
Genichi thought for a moment before answering.
"We go back to Orario first. After Hestia descended, she would definitely go to Hephaestus. I need to stay close to her. I need opportunities to approach her and get her accustomed to my presence."
Demeter looked at him with a strange expression.
"Are you sure she'll accept you? Hestia isn't the kind of goddess who's easily moved. She's a virgin goddess."
Genichi smiled faintly, his expression carrying a confidence that somehow put people at ease.
"I don't need to move her."
"I just need her to get used to me. Used to my presence, used to my voice, used to having me around."
"Once she's accustomed to that, she won't be able to push me away so easily."
Artemis rolled her eyes.
"You say that like you have experience."
Genichi looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Don't I?"
Artemis's face immediately flushed. She turned away and refused to look at him.
Demeter and Astraea exchanged glances before both of them started laughing.
The four quickly gathered their things.
Genichi raised his hand, and a portal opened before them.
On the other side were the familiar streets of Orario, the familiar stone roads, familiar buildings, and crowds of people passing by.
"Let's go."
Genichi stepped through the portal.
The streets of Orario looked almost exactly as they had before he left.
The sun was still shining brightly.
The streets were still crowded.
Adventurers still walked around in groups of three or five, chatting as they passed.
But Genichi could sense that something had changed.
A faint trace of Charm permeated the air.
It was Ishtar's Authority, spreading over the city like an invisible web.
"Ishtar's influence is still here."
Demeter's voice became grave.
"She really has gone insane. She actually dared use her Authority on this scale."
Genichi shook his head.
"Ignore her. As long as I don't meet Ishtar face-to-face, this level of Charm won't affect me."
"Once I obtain the Authority of the Sacred Flame, none of it will matter anymore."
The four crossed the streets and headed toward the Hephaestus Familia.
Genichi made no attempt to hide his movements.
He knew Ishtar's influence had failed to affect him because he had not been in the city when she spread her Charm.
He had only returned to see Hestia.
Once he had accomplished what he came for, he would leave again.
He would not give Ishtar any opportunity to reach him.
Inside the Hephaestus Familia's workshop, the forge still burned fiercely, bathing the entire room in crimson light.
Hephaestus stood before the anvil with a hammer in hand.
Her movements were steady and precise. Every strike landed squarely against the blade, producing a crisp metallic ring.
Genichi pushed open the door and walked inside.
Hephaestus raised her head.
A flicker of light passed through her single visible eye when she saw him.
"You're back."
Her voice was quiet.
Genichi nodded.
"She's here?"
Hephaestus naturally knew whom he meant.
"She is. She's in the room at the back."
"She's spent the past few days doing nothing but eating and sleeping. Eat, sleep, wake up, eat again. She's practically become a professional freeloader."
Genichi could not help laughing.
"That sounds exactly like her."
"But that's fine. That's exactly how I need her."
He turned and headed toward the room at the back.
Hephaestus watched him leave, the corner of her mouth twitching upward as she shook her head.
The room in the back was a small bedroom with simple furnishings.
A bed.
A table.
A chair.
And a wardrobe.
Sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room with soft warmth.
Hestia was curled up beneath the blankets, her long black hair scattered across the pillow.
A satisfied smile rested on her face as she slept soundly.
Genichi stopped at the doorway and looked at her, complicated emotions rising within him.
This was Hestia.
Goddess of the Hearth.
A virgin goddess.
The wielder of the Authority of the Sacred Flame.
Yet she hardly looked like a goddess.
She seemed more like an ordinary young woman, lazy, easygoing, and uninterested in doing much of anything.
Genichi did not disturb her.
He simply closed the door quietly and left.
He did not need to speak to her yet.
He did not need to make her like him immediately.
He had time.
And he had patience.
From that day onward, Genichi visited the Hephaestus Familia every few days.
Sometimes he came to pick something up.
Sometimes he delivered materials.
Sometimes he simply sat around and chatted with Hephaestus for a while.
And every time, sooner or later, he would happen to encounter Hestia.
Their first real meeting happened inside the workshop.
Hestia was sitting beside the anvil with a piece of bread in her hand, crumbs covering the corners of her mouth.
When Genichi walked in and noticed her, he paused.
Hestia froze as well.
Then she hurriedly wiped the crumbs from her lips, her face turning slightly red.
"Who are you?"
There was a hint of wariness in her voice.
Genichi smiled.
"Genichi. I'm an adventurer from the Demeter Familia."
"You're Goddess Hestia, right?"
Hestia nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.
"You know me?"
"Of course."
Genichi walked over and extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
Hestia hesitated before reaching out and gently shaking his hand.
Her hand was warm and soft, like cotton that had been warmed beside a fire.
Their second encounter took place in the courtyard.
Hestia was sitting on a stone bench with a book in her hands.
Genichi came out of the workshop, spotted her, and walked over.
"What are you reading?"
Hestia raised her head.
When she saw him, a hint of surprise entered her eyes.
"You're here again?"
Genichi sat down beside her.
"I came to pick up a weapon. Hephaestus forged a new sword for me, and it was finished today."
Hestia nodded and returned her attention to her book.
Genichi said nothing else.
He simply sat beside her in silence, gazing at the distant sky.
The two remained like that.
Silent, but not awkward.
Then came the third meeting.
The fourth.
And more after that.
Every time they met, Genichi would speak to Hestia for a while.
Sometimes he asked what she was reading.
Sometimes he asked what foods she liked.
Sometimes they merely exchanged a simple greeting.
Hestia gradually changed.
Her initial wariness became relaxation.
Relaxation became familiarity.
And familiarity slowly became anticipation.
She grew accustomed to Genichi's presence.
Accustomed to his voice.
Accustomed to his smile.
Accustomed to the peaceful feeling of having him sitting beside her.
She did not know whether he was doing it deliberately.
But she did not dislike the feeling.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
And Hestia's life as a freeloader finally came to an end.
Hephaestus stood in front of her with her arms folded, her single visible eye filled with exasperation.
"Hestia, you've been living here for three months."
"Three months!"
"Tell me, what have you actually done during those three months?"
"You eat, you sleep, then you wake up and eat again. You don't work. You don't help with anything. What do you think this place is, a charity?"
Hestia lowered her head and nervously twisted her fingers together, her face full of grievance.
"But... I don't have anywhere else to go."
"That's exactly the problem!"
Hephaestus raised her voice.
"I'm the Goddess of the Forge, not your caretaker. It's time you figured things out for yourself."
Hestia's eyes reddened, but she did not cry.
She knew Hephaestus was right.
She could not stay here forever.
But where could she go?
She had only recently descended to the Lower World.
She knew almost nothing about Orario.
She had no Familia.
No friends she could rely on.
No income.
Even feeding herself would become a problem.
Hephaestus sighed.
She reached into her pocket, pulled out several valis, and pressed them into Hestia's hand.
"This is the last thing I can do for you."
"Find somewhere to stay. Find some work. Just don't starve yourself."
Hestia stared down at the coins in her palm.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But Hephaestus had already turned around and walked back into the workshop.
The door closed behind her.
Hestia remained outside, staring at the closed door for a long time.
Eventually, she turned away, lowered her head, and walked onto the street.
The streets of Orario were crowded.
Sunlight fell across the stone roads, making the stones polished smooth by the passing years gleam brightly.
Hestia walked among the crowd like an abandoned little animal.
She had no idea where she should go.
She did not know what she was supposed to do.
She did not know how she would survive.
Eventually, her legs grew tired.
She found a quiet alley, sat down, closed her eyes, and buried her face against her knees.
Then she heard footsteps.
Slow.
Steady.
Shoes striking the stone pavement with clear, measured sounds.
Hestia raised her head.
Genichi stood at the entrance of the alley with both hands tucked into his pockets.
His expression was calm, but amusement flickered in his eyes.
He looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting into a gentle smile.
"Want to come with me?"
His voice was soft, but every word reached her clearly.
"I can support you."
"But in exchange, Hestia... become mine."
Hestia stared at him.
Then she rolled her eyes.
There was exasperation in the gesture, along with amusement and another emotion she could not quite put into words.
"So this was your real goal?"
Her voice was soft, but there was an unmistakable accusation in it.
She was not an idiot.
From the very first time she had just happened to encounter Genichi at the Hephaestus Familia, she had sensed that something was off.
Hephaestus had only just thrown her out, and immediately afterward, Genichi appeared and offered to support her?
There was no way that was a coincidence.
Even her descent to the Lower World had not been entirely accidental.
Uranus himself had sent her a message asking her to descend as soon as possible because there was something important she needed to handle.
Now that she thought about it, that probably had something to do with this man as well.
He had planned all of this.
From the moment she descended, perhaps even earlier, he had already been making preparations.
He had arranged for Hephaestus to take her in.
He had allowed her to spend three months living comfortably as a freeloader, getting accustomed to being cared for until she had no idea how to live independently.
Then, the moment Hephaestus threw her out, he appeared like some perfectly timed savior and extended his hand.
Hestia looked at him, her emotions complicated.
There was anger.
Helplessness.
Resignation.
And even a faint trace of something else that she herself had not yet noticed.
Genichi did not deny it.
Nor did he bother explaining himself.
He simply stood there and waited for her answer.
Hestia lowered her head and looked at her hand.
The few silver valis Hephaestus had given her still rested in her palm, suddenly feeling unusually heavy.
She thought back over the past three months.
Every time Genichi had come to the Hephaestus Familia, he would spend a little time talking with her.
He had never deliberately tried to flatter her.
He had never showered her with sweet words.
He would simply sit quietly beside her and listen when she wanted to talk.
And when she did not, he was perfectly content to sit there in silence.
A few times, he had brought her snacks, always flavors she liked.
He had once repaired a loose fixture on her bookshelf without saying anything about it afterward.
He remembered that she disliked the cold, so whenever he visited, he would make sure the window was closed.
It was not that she had failed to notice.
She simply had not wanted to admit it.
But now she had no choice.
She had grown attached to this man.
Maybe only a little.
But she had also gotten used to him.
"You bastard."
Hestia's voice was quiet.
"I'll go with you."
The corner of Genichi's mouth rose into a smile.
He stepped forward and extended his hand, pulling Hestia to her feet.
Her hand was small.
His palm was warm.
"Come on."
His voice softened.
"Let's go home."
Hestia looked at him, her expression becoming even more complicated.
(End of Chapter)
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