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Seeing that no one stepped in to interrupt him, Apollo gave a satisfied nod. Hestia was glaring at him viciously, but she still hadn't made any unnecessary move.
It had been a very long time since he had felt anything like this.
He had to admit, there was something nostalgic about feeling like a god again.
"Everyone, just as I said a moment ago," Apollo continued, pressing on with the speech he had prepared.
"My Apollo Familia is the perfect example, the perfect example of what happens when a Familia lacks power."
"My Familia is average. Most Familias are average, but just look at the Holy Child, who already has three members in his Familia. Familias can accept transfers. They can merge."
"And once you have a powerful Familia, you have the means to take what you want."
"What is an adventurer? What is the meaning of an adventurer's life? Is it not to seize the things they desire?"
Apollo delivered his speech with theatrical passion. His goal had always been exactly what he once said it was. He was a petty god, If he could not possess something, then he would see it destroyed.
The agreement had already been set. He was to be sent back to the heavens, and that agreement could not be broken.
So if he could not fight it directly, then he would have to twist the situation somewhere else.
He would unleash divine power and make things far more interesting.
It would not drive everyone into a frenzy, but words laced with divinity could sway a great many people.
That was why he had used it.
The gods had descended because they were bored. Now, forced by oath to leave the mortal world, Apollo still refused to let go of the one thing he valued most.
Entertainment.
Let me see whether you can withstand this kind of pressure, he thought with a smile. If you really can bear all of this, just like your title says, then perhaps you truly are a Holy Child.
And if that happens, then even if I have to break my word, I will make sure you end up in my hands.
Apollo made that vow in silence.
Though for some reason, he thought he caught a look of pity on Hestia's face.
Pity?
Was she actually feeling sorry for him because he was being sent back to the heavens?
He laughed inwardly.
There was no need for that. He still intended to take the Holy Child from her.
...
Meanwhile, the battle on Anos Kanzaki's side had finally come to an end.
Hyacinthus watched in feverish excitement as one member of his Familia after another charged forward, only to fall under one spell after another.
And at last, he was forced to recognize the crushing truth.
They really were no match for the Holy Child.
Even though the pollen had left him trapped in a sustained state of unnatural excitement, the hard reality before his eyes slowly forced him to calm down.
There really was no saving this now.
"This is actually getting a little boring," Anos said as he slowly walked toward Hyacinthus.
He truly meant it.
Even so, this had been a necessary battle.
First, they could not allow the outside world to think Hestia Familia was weak or easy to bully.
Second, this victory would greatly raise the Familia's reputation, making it much easier to recruit new members.
As for the standards for recruitment.
Well.
Those would obviously be up to him.
Anos casually flicked his hand, and a gust of wind lifted Hyacinthus straight into the air.
As the man let out a scream during his brief taste of freefall, Anos heard Hermes's voice ring across the field.
"Hyacinthus, captain of Apollo Familia, has fallen. The winner of this War Game is, without question, Hestia Familia!"
Hermes had never been the kind of god to avoid stirring things up. If chaos made things more fun, then chaos it would be.
"As the Familia that possesses the greatest genius in Orario, the Holy Child, Hestia Familia crushed its enemies with ease and claimed victory in this War Game!"
"Everyone! I have seen the future in that boy."
"From the moment his title was bestowed upon him, it was inevitable that his name would be carved into the history of Orario."
"The Holy Child, in my eyes, is someone fit to become a hero. Not just any hero. The hero who will slay the Black Dragon."
Hermes sounded as though Apollo's fervor had infected him, his voice brimming with exaggerated, overwhelming passion.
At those words, Ais's pupils shrank sharply.
"The dragon..."
That distant yet unforgettable memory surged back into her mind.
It was the existence she had to defeat.
And yet one she still stood far too far away from overcoming.
"OHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Unlike Ais, who had fallen silent, most of the crowd was pushed into a frenzy by Hermes's declaration.
These were words spoken by a god while invoking divine power. They carried tremendous weight.
"He really does love making things worse, doesn't he, Hahaha!"
Hephaestus laughed, clearly enjoying herself. She was starting to place more and more hope in Anos Kanzaki.
This human really is interesting.
If he truly could fulfill the agreement between them, then perhaps making an exception for him would not be impossible after all.
I should talk to Hestia first, she thought.
But when Hephaestus approached, she finally noticed the terrifying number of gods already gathered around Hestia.
"Hestia... Want to trade Familias with me? Or maybe negotiate a transfer? Whatever I have, I'm willing to offer it." One goddess spoke with desperate urgency.
"Me too! Me too!
"The Holy Child is an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime human. Hestia, don't you think it's selfish to keep him tied to your side?"
"Hestia, I already had someone divine it for me. You're still a virgin goddess, aren't you? Keeping him all to yourself when you're not even doing anything with him is a waste."
A whole crowd of gods and goddesses surrounded Hestia like shoppers fighting over the last bargain in a crowded market.
The sight alone made Hephaestus decide she was better off slipping away.
She had only come to offer congratulations.
Unlike the others, she did not have some urgent need that had driven her here. Since that was the case, retreating now seemed like the smartest option.
"Exactly! Hestia, this really isn't fair. That boy must be holding himself back so hard. Why not hand him over to me?" another goddess said.
"Doesn't that child want to know what it feels like to be with a goddess? Stop being so possessive, Hestia."
The mood was spiraling further and further out of control, and Hestia found herself with no good way to argue back.
Even though she had given birth to Anos, she really did still seem to count as a virgin goddess.
After all, the birth of a child of heaven was never exactly ordinary.
"H-how can you all be this shameless?" Hestia stammered, momentarily speechless, She might have been capable, but there was no way she could win against this many gods at once.
Then, as if suddenly realizing the one area in which she could absolutely crush the competition, she shouted at the top of her lungs.
"All of you flat-chested goddesses smaller than me can get lost!"
That line made Freya, who had been listening from a distance, raise an eyebrow.
She was the goddess of beauty.
And yet on that particular point, even she had to admit Hestia had her beat.
"Um, excuse me, my goddess and I still have something to take care of. Would everyone mind making a little room for us?"
A young man's voice came from outside the crowd.
The instant they heard it, every god there froze for a second, then erupted into even greater excitement as they all turned toward the source.
Compared to Hestia's approval, the Holy Child's personal agreement was obviously far more important.
But just as they tried to surge toward him, they discovered they could not move.
The wind held their bodies in place and pinned them where they stood.
"My apologies, honored gods, Hestia and I still have something to do, so we'll be leaving now."
"Although I can't join any of your Familias, if any members of your Familias are interested in me, or interested in joining Hestia Familia, they're welcome to come interview with me. If they pass, they can join Hestia Familia."
Anos Kanzaki said it all with a pleasant smile.
While these gods had been trying to poach from Hestia, he had simply decided to start poaching from them instead.
The gathered gods were left completely dumbfounded.
They had come here trying to steal from someone else, only to have their own people targeted in return.
That was a fast change of pace.
Just moments ago, he had been publicly rejecting people left and right, and now he was openly recruiting in front of everyone. Couldn't he at least give them a little time to brace themselves?
Fortunately, most of the people present were core members of their respective Familias, and the majority were fiercely loyal.
If they had brought every member they had, no one could say what kind of chaos might have exploded here.
"So that's that, My apologies for using a minor trick to keep everyone in place, but Hestia Familia's recruitment event will be held the day after tomorrow. Any adventurer with the desire and the ability to join us will be warmly welcomed."
The moment he finished speaking, Anos swept Hestia up into his arms and rode the wind straight into the sky.
Time to go.
Fast.
There were more important things waiting.
"Hey! Don't leave, at least spend one night with me," one goddess shouted loudly after him.
"Do you think Hestia's finally going to give up her status as a virgin goddess tonight? I should go find a diviner and check."
One goddess was seriously pondering the matter.
She was wondering whether, if that really happened, she might still have a chance to cut in first.
She would not mind making it three, either.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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