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"Anos… Anos… I'm sorry…"
Hestia apologized like a child who had done something wrong.
Originally, she had planned to dodge the debt entirely.
She knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but if it meant her familia could grow without burden, embarrassing herself in front of Hephaestus didn't seem like a big deal.
Seeing her like this, Anos simply smiled and patted her head.
Money meant nothing to him.
In his previous world, money had never mattered much.
And in this one, it mattered even less.
Money was just numbers.
Only money that was actually used had value.
What Hestia had spent to safely bring him into the world…
Even if the number had eleven zeros instead of nine, he would still consider it worth it.
"Hey, Anos… can you at least tell me how you plan to repay it?"
Hestia simply couldn't imagine how he intended to cover such a massive debt.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Anos smiled faintly.
While Hestia and Hephaestus were talking earlier, plenty of people had already begun paying attention to them.
There was no way he would openly discuss his plans here.
"…Right."
Hestia quickly realized the same thing.
"Now isn't the time for that, Let's finish registering first."
"Bell? Bell? Come on, we're leaving."
She nudged the girl who was still standing frozen.
After hearing about a ten-digit debt, Bell had completely shut down.
For someone her age, that kind of number was simply too overwhelming.
After being shaken several times by Hestia, she finally snapped back to reality.
"Y-Yes!"
Even if the road ahead was difficult…
She would keep walking it.
Perhaps this was what people meant when they spoke of the path of a hero.
…
Meanwhile.
At the top of the Babel Tower.
This was the territory of the goddess of beauty Freya.
Dressed in clothing that could easily be described as both alluring and dangerously revealing, she slowly swirled the wine in her glass.
Below her lay Orario.
Her playground.
And today…
Something interesting had appeared in that playground.
"A soul of absolute purity."
Her gaze first settled on the white-haired, red-eyed girl.
"Such a shame. If she were the opposite gender, I might have been very interested."
Freya licked her lips before her excitement faded.
She always saw souls before anything else.
The color of a person's soul told her everything long before their appearance or personality mattered.
"But…"
Her gaze shifted.
"And yet, I'm far more interested in the one standing beside her."
The heat returned instantly to her eyes.
Not simple curiosity.
Possession.
Pure possessiveness.
"Pure? No…"
"That soul has already surpassed the word pure."
"It's sacred, Mysterious."
"A soul you want to cradle in your hands… a soul you want to study up close forever."
Freya felt her heart stir.
It wasn't purity that fascinated her.
It was the divine mystery surrounding that soul.
A soul filled with unknown possibilities.
"Even I can't fully see through it."
She smiled slowly.
"How many secrets are hidden within you?"
The unknown meant endless potential.
The unknown meant this person's starting point was completely different from that of ordinary people.
The unknown meant a sensation she had not felt in ages.
Even the other gods could not give her this feeling.
"Ottar."
Freya spoke calmly, still watching the city below.
"The two beside Hestia, who are they?"
Ottar.
The only Level 7 adventurer in Orario.
A warrior is often called the city's ultimate weapon.
And above all else—
Freya's most loyal follower.
"Goddess Hestia has returned after being gone for quite some time," Ottar replied calmly.
"The people beside her appear to be members of her familia."
"Is that so?"
Freya smiled thoughtfully.
"Hestia didn't have a familia before, did she?"
She already knew the answer.
But she still waited for Ottar to say it.
"That is correct," he said.
"She descended recently and had no followers until now, They must be newly recruited."
"If my lady wishes…"
"No, Ottar."
Freya waved her hand.
"Don't do something so tasteless."
She already knew what he was about to suggest.
The Freya Familia was the most powerful familia in Orario.
Aside from Loki Familia, no one could truly challenge them.
Taking someone away by force would be trivial.
"I understand."
Ottar nodded.
But he kept something else to himself.
Just moments ago…
Across that enormous distance…
He had locked eyes with that boy.
For an instant.
Their gazes met.
And in that instant—
Every hair on his body stood on end.
As a boar beastman, his instincts toward danger were extremely sharp.
It might have been his imagination.
But if it wasn't—
That boy possessed the strength to fight him.
Perhaps even defeat him.
But that possibility was absurd.
Hestia had only been gone for about a year.
How could she possibly return with someone strong enough to rival Orario's ultimate weapon?
Without a god's blessing, reaching that level of strength was nearly impossible.
The difference between someone with a blessing and someone without one was immense.
But if it was true…
Ottar stopped his thoughts there.
Freya had given an order.
And he would follow it.
Still…
A faint excitement stirred deep within his chest.
He had been invincible for a long time.
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