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The moment Hestia returned to Orario, her creditor caught up with her.
Hestia froze for a second.
Then immediately prepared to run.
She absolutely intended to repay the money.
But being caught right now would be unbearably embarrassing.
"Relax, Hestia, No need to run."
Just as she was about to bolt, a pair of hands grabbed her twin ponytails.
That familiar grip.
She turned around and saw Anos.
"Didn't I say I'd handle it?"
He smiled calmly.
After all, in the world of debt…
The one who owes money usually ends up acting like the boss.
"Waaah, Anos!"
Hestia immediately buried his face into her chest with practiced ease.
Honestly, she felt like Anos was the greatest gift the world had ever given her.
"Lady Hestia!"
Bell's face turned bright red at the scene unfolding in front of her.
Even though she had witnessed similar moments during their journey…
Seeing it happen right in front of her was still far too stimulating.
Fortunately for her—
Her savior arrived.
Thud!
In the blink of an eye, Hephaestus appeared beside Hestia.
"You've got some nerve showing your face again, you little freeloader!"
She tackled Hestia to the ground and immediately began kneading her cheeks.
Now she understood why Loki always liked grabbing Hestia's face during their fights.
The texture was unbelievably satisfying.
"Hephaestus… I…"
Hestia didn't know what to say.
There was absolutely no way she could admit that she had stolen the weapon to secretly leave and give birth.
Whether for her pride or to protect Anos, she couldn't reveal the truth.
If the other gods learned about it, they would treat it as the ultimate entertainment.
And she definitely didn't want Anos attracting the attention of every bored deity this early.
"Seriously…"
Unexpectedly, Hephaestus leaned forward and pressed her face against Hestia's chest.
Watching that, Anos's eyelid twitched.
That was his spot.
Normally he wouldn't care.
But seeing someone else do it…
Even if it was another goddess, it still felt a little irritating.
Thankfully Hephaestus was female.
If it had been some other guy...
"Seriously… don't do things that make me worry like that."
Hephaestus muttered quietly.
She was normally one of the more composed gods.
But after not seeing Hestia for so long, her composure had cracked.
"Oh, right!"
Suddenly she remembered something.
And immediately started kneading Hestia's cheeks again.
"Hestia, you had the nerve to steal my weapon and still show up here?!"
With her eyepatch and fierce tone, Hephaestus looked almost like a villain.
"So… would you mind taking your hands off Hestia's face?"
A hand suddenly grabbed Hephaestus's wrist.
"Hm?"
She turned to look behind her.
Someone dared interfere in a matter between gods?
"You…"
Looking at the boy who stopped her, Hephaestus narrowed her eye.
There was something strange about him.
She couldn't quite describe the feeling.
But it was unmistakable.
This boy was far from ordinary.
Her curiosity was instantly piqued.
"What are you to Hestia?"
Even though she already had a guess, she asked anyway.
"I'm the captain of the Hestia Familia, Anos Kanzaki."
He answered calmly.
"Do you know why I'm treating Hestia like this?"
Now that she knew he was part of Hestia's familia, Hephaestus became more serious.
So this was the person Hestia had found during her disappearance.
Her gaze shifted briefly to Bell.
Both of them looked like the same type of person Hestia would recruit.
Which meant…
Hestia had managed to recruit two members during her little adventure.
Then where had the weapon gone?
Had Hestia sold it?
Or had she given it to the boy in front of her?
Based on her judgment, the latter seemed more likely.
If it had been sold, Hestia's familia would probably have more than two members already.
"I know what Hestia did," Anos said with a relaxed smile.
"Don't worry, the debt will be paid within a month."
"Oh?"
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow.
"Do you even know how much that weapon is worth?"
Instead of being angry at his bold statement, she looked amused.
Gods were like that.
Even the more reasonable ones loved interesting situations.
"It has at least nine zeros."
Anos answered calmly.
In truth, he knew the exact value down to the final digit.
He even knew Hestia had sold it for roughly half its real price.
"Hahaha! Now that's interesting."
Hephaestus laughed loudly.
It had been a long time since she had met someone this confident.
What did he think he was?
A member of Loki Familia?
And yet…
For some reason, she had the strange feeling that he might actually be capable of doing it.
…
A few minutes later, after asking Hestia a few questions, Hephaestus finally left.
She walked away in a surprisingly good mood.
Because now she was curious.
Very curious.
She wanted to see how the captain of the Hestia Familia planned to repay her debt.
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