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Meanwhile, on Anos's side.
Because the gods were forbidden from using divine power, the only deities with any standing to stop him were Ouranos and Hermes.
Ouranos was absolutely impartial and would never do anything improper.
And Hermes needed no explanation at all. He was, after all, a perfectly "neutral" god.
As one of Anos's own people, there was no way Hermes would say anything to stop him. If anything, he was eagerly waiting for things to head in a more interesting direction.
...
Other than Hestia, everyone else had already returned to the Familia estate first.
By the time Anos brought Hestia back, the villa that served as Hestia Familia's home was already surrounded on all sides.
Countless girls were gathered outside, all waiting for a chance to get in and see the place for themselves.
Of course, what mattered most was seeing the boy who lived there. And if something romantic or unforgettable happened with him, all the better.
Even Anos had not expected the news he had just announced to spread so quickly. Yet before word had properly traveled, Hestia Familia's residence was already besieged by a crowd.
With no other option, he concealed both himself and Hestia, then slipped in through a quieter area where there were fewer people.
"Hestia, go ahead and prepare the transfer ritual for Ryuu first."
Anos gently set Hestia down on the floor.
"Got it. But Anos, I need to ask you something first."
Hestia agreed without hesitation.
She had no problem with the transfer itself, but there was something very important she needed to ask him.
"All right, go ahead."
Anos paused for a moment, then gave a helpless little smile.
He had a feeling there were only one or two things Hestia could possibly want to say right now.
"Anos, from now on, you absolutely cannot recruit only girls into the Familia. Got it? You absolutely cannot grow into that kind of boy, do you understand?"
Hands on her hips, Hestia spoke with all the force she could muster.
She was talking about the fact that Anos had already brought in three new Familia members, and every single one of them was a girl.
Not that these girls were not good people. They absolutely were. And each one filled an important role within the Familia.
Bell was a high-potential talent who still had room to grow. Liliruca was excellent support material. Ryuu was the kind of pillar who could hold the whole group up. Those were all essential ingredients for a Familia that intended to thrive.
But still.
Still, Hestia did not want Anos to turn into the kind of boy who surrounded himself with girls wherever he went.
She had genuinely felt relieved when he turned down all those girls earlier.
But the moment he announced he would be recruiting new members, she had honestly started to worry he might bring back dozens of girls in one go.
Even if she had given him the authority to handle recruitment, that many girls was absolutely out of the question. Completely out.
"Hestia, I'm not recruiting any male members."
Looking straight into her eyes, Anos answered with a smile.
"W... why not?"
Hestia hesitated. He looked so serious that she decided she should hear the reason before saying anything else.
"Because... I think Hestia belongs to me alone. I don't want you performing transfer rites or reincarnation ceremonies for anyone else."
Anos kept his eyes fixed on hers, so intensely that Hestia started to feel as if she had done something wrong.
"You... you don't want me doing reincarnation ceremonies for other people...?"
Hestia stammered out the words.
Honestly, if she thought about it, the idea did make her feel a little uncomfortable.
So that was the reason Anos only wanted female Familia members.
Because of her?
Thinking about it now, if men other than Anos were constantly coming and going in the Familia, she knew it would bother her.
And more than her own discomfort, what mattered even more was that Anos would feel uncomfortable too.
Right.
So that was it.
The reason he did not want male members was that it would make him unhappy.
And the reason it would make him unhappy was... her.
"Um, may I go through with the transfer now, Lady Hestia?"
Just as Hestia was sinking into an emotional haze, a cool and steady voice broke through her thoughts.
She quickly snapped back to reality and looked toward the speaker.
Ryuu had already removed her upper clothing, exposing her smooth shoulders, and was looking at Hestia with calm resolve in her eyes.
She did not appear bothered in the slightest by Anos being present to see it.
"Yes... Right away."
Hestia raised a hand and hurried over to Ryuu.
Now that she understood why Anos only wanted female members, she wasted no more time and immediately began the transfer ritual for Ryuu.
...
A few minutes later, the transfer was complete.
"Welcome to Hestia Familia, From today on, you're one of us. Make sure you listen to Anos, all right?"
Still sucking lightly on the finger she had just bitten to draw divine blood, Hestia spoke in a slightly muffled voice.
"Yes, thank you very much, Lady Hestia."
Ryuu's eyes flickered for a moment when Hestia mentioned Anos.
Meanwhile, Anos, who had been drinking tea nearby, sensed that the ritual had ended.
The last time Ryuu took Barol's head, she had already accumulated the kind of achievement needed to rise to Level 5.
When she went to see Goddess Astraea, she had taken the opportunity to level up there.
And now, Hestia Familia had finally gained its first true top-tier fighter at Level 5.
Even though Anos's actual combat strength far surpassed Level 5, the blessing engraved on him still technically marked him as only Level 3.
With Ryuu's addition, the purple treasure chest Anos had earned earlier also completed itself.
Ding!
Purple treasure chest opened.
Congratulations. Reward obtained, The Holy Sword of Demon King Slaying, Est.
The highest-ranking sword spirit. Full designation. Guardian Deity, Terminus Est.
The legendary holy sword is said to have slain the Demon King. This is not the original body, but an independent existence split off from it.
Because the spirit contract is incomplete, it was divided into two separate beings. For all practical purposes, this can be treated as a kind of clone.
Since the original body and the overwhelming majority of its power still remain in the spirit realm, this one possesses only around one-tenth of the original strength.
As a holy sword, it carries the power to dispel curses. In truth, however, it stores within itself the curses it devours, namely the resentment and hatred of the spirits destroyed by the holy sword.
Once those curses exceed the sword's storage limit, they begin to consume the body of the one contracted to it. The previous contractor died for exactly that reason.
The Demon Slaying Holy Sword is a weapon capable of breaking any curse, but those curses do not disappear from the world.
Once enough of them accumulate, the countless curses gathered inside the holy sword are reflected back onto its wielder.
That is why the spirit weapon Guardian Deity Est is not truly a holy sword at all. A blade that grants great power in exchange for the wielder's life can only be called what it really is.
A demonic sword.
"...What?"
Anos had not expected to draw the very simulated holy sword he had used before.
A strange sensation ran through his hand, and he felt a connection form between himself and Est.
Of course, he already knew the true nature of the Demon King Slaying Holy Sword. Its real power was to absorb and store every curse it touched.
But all the holy swords he had used before had only been simulated versions. Once he was done with them, he could simply shatter them, which meant he never had to worry about curse backlash or anything like that.
Now that he had the real thing, he found himself hesitating.
Should he leave it unused?
Should he wield it?
Or should he simply keep it at his side as an ornament?
"Forget it... I'll deal with that later. There's something more important to handle first."
Anos raised his right hand and brushed it over his left, soothing Est, who was eager to emerge from within the crest.
"Hestia, I need to head out for a bit. I'll be back soon."
After contacting a certain black-haired girl through the Ark Sphere, Anos turned and spoke to Hestia.
"Anos? Are you going out to do something?"
Hestia seemed like she had already been mentally prepared for those words. There was no visible disappointment on her face.
"Yeah. There's something important I need to take care of."
Anos answered with a smile.
He had expected this reaction from Hestia. The blessing she had given him earlier had already told him everything he needed to know.
"All right then, Anos. I'll wait for you to come back, so make it quick, okay?"
Hestia waved at him, pretending not to mind.
But Ryuu, ever observant, still caught the tension hidden deep in Hestia's eyes.
Even so, she said nothing.
She had seen Anos's strength with her own eyes, and she knew he possessed a gift of foresight. He would not take a reckless risk without reason.
There could be many reasons he was not bringing her along.
But she had no intention of dwelling on them.
"Yeah. I'll be back soon."
Anos smiled and gave his promise.
Ryuu was right.
He would never take a risk that was too dangerous.
Unless something completely unforeseen occurred, every threat within the range of his own thinking would be accounted for before he moved.
After leaving the house, a flash of golden light passed through his eyes.
Then, stepping onto a transfer circle, he vanished from Hestia Familia.
"Commencing final judgment."
Before carrying out his plan, Anos performed one last absolute check.
"Does Apollo still intend to make another move against me?"
Yes.
"Will the degree of that threat endanger my personality?"
Yes.
"Is there a possibility of killing Apollo?"
Yes.
"Is the chance of killing Apollo greater than fifty percent?"
Yes.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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