And so,
Inside the dining hall of the Hephaestus Familia headquarters.
The long dining table was covered with a lavish spread of food.
The two black bears, Kyoubou, the larger one, and the smaller cub, had been arranged in a corner, each hugging a massive bone-in slab of meat thicker than their own thighs and gnawing on it without restraint.
Warabi had stuffed her own mouth full of meat as well, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.
Mary tried her best to maintain the elegance of a proper young lady, but faced with so many dishes she had never seen before in this new world, the fork in her hand moved just as quickly as anyone else's.
By comparison, Amou and Tsukuyo were much quieter, though their pace of eating was no slower.
Seated at the head of the long table, Hephaestus watched the group devouring food like a pack of starving wolves, then glanced at the bears in the corner.
Her face, usually composed and businesslike, was beginning to lose its calm.
"So…"
Hephaestus rubbed her temples and turned toward Haimer, who sat beside her calmly eating.
"This is what you meant when you said it wouldn't matter even if you brought a few extra mouths?"
"Don't put it like that, Hephaestus."
"These are all promising talents I personally picked."
"The future strongest Familia in Orario is sitting right here."
"Pfft—"
The moment those words were spoken, Hestia, who had been drinking soup, failed to hold it in.
A mouthful of soup sprayed out instantly, even splashing onto the table.
She grabbed a napkin in a panic, wiping her mouth while coughing and staring wide-eyed.
"Cough, cough… the strongest Familia??"
"With these newly arrived kids… and those two bears?"
Disbelief was written all over her face.
Hephaestus, however, did not laugh.
As a chief goddess who had descended long ago and managed her Familia for years in the Lower World, she had seen countless adventurers. Her eye for talent was naturally far sharper than Hestia's, who had only recently descended and was still freeloading at her place.
As the saying goes, outsiders watch the spectacle, but experts see the craft.
Because of that,
After Hephaestus' gaze swept across the table once, the casual look on her face slowly faded.
Within that single uncovered eye flashed a glimmer only a true professional would understand.
It was the gleam of someone who had just spotted rare prey.
A so-called rough stone, in the eyes of someone who understands its worth, is a priceless treasure, the perfect material to forge a legendary weapon.
In the eyes of someone who does not understand, it is nothing more than an ordinary rock by the roadside, still caked in dirt.
And yet,
A possible Dark Horse
In competitive Orario, countless newcomers arrive every day carrying dreams, throwing themselves into the Dungeon like moths rushing into flame.
Just as many leave in silence, or vanish without even a corpse remaining.
Even children who truly possess excellent talent,
If they enter the wrong Familia, follow the wrong god, and fail to receive proper guidance and development, they may eventually fade into mediocrity, struggling for a lifetime in the mud at the bottom.
Opportunity is often more important than talent.
"Haimer."
With that thought, Hephaestus withdrew her gaze and looked again at the male god beside her, who was calmly cutting his steak.
There was less teasing in her voice now and more seriousness.
"It seems that during this time…"
"You've dug up quite an extraordinary mine."
"A mine?"
Hestia looked completely confused, her fork still skewering a piece of potato as she glanced at the girls and then back at Hephaestus.
Her large eyes were filled with unfiltered bewilderment.
"Where's the mine? They aren't carrying any ore."
"Idiot."
This time Hephaestus didn't hold back.
She raised her hand and knocked her knuckles against Hestia's forehead.
Thunk.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Hestia clutched her forehead, eyes watering.
"Hephaestus, why did you hit me?!"
"I hit you to knock some sense into you."
"The mine I'm talking about is these children themselves."
"Every one of Haimer's girls is a top-quality rough stone."
"With just a little polishing, grant them the Divine Blessing, ignite the divine flame, and they will shine with astonishing brilliance."
"That's why calling them a mine is no exaggeration."
"If you could spare even a little attention to observing the children of the Lower World, you wouldn't still be freeloading at my place with no Familia of your own."
Hephaestus shook her head helplessly.
Hestia shrank back, she didn't try to argue.
She stabbed a piece of steak fiercely with her fork, took a large bite, and muttered under her breath, "It's not like that… I just haven't been ready yet…"
…
"Speaking of which, since Hestia said you're newcomers who just arrived in Orario…"
"Haimer, you haven't granted them the Divine Blessing yet, have you?"
Without a blessing, there would be no level and no ability values.
No matter how strong their foundations were, in Orario they would still be nothing more than Level 0 ordinary people.
"I just haven't had the time."
Haimer spread his hands.
"I barely brought them back to the temple before Hestia dragged me over here."
"I didn't even get a sip of water."
After saying that, he gave Hestia a pointed glance as she focused on finishing the steak in her mouth.
"Mmmph!"
She tried to protest, but with her mouth stuffed full.
"In that case…"
"Why wait for another day?"
Hephaestus looked around at the girls, then at the night sky beyond the window.
"How about this."
"You stay here tonight."
"With this many people, your temple, the one even mice would find cramped, definitely won't fit everyone."
"After all…"
She pointed toward the corner.
"Those two bears alone would probably take up half your floor."
"My Familia headquarters may not be luxurious, but clearing out a few guest rooms is more than easy."
"And it works out perfectly."
"You can perform the Divine Blessing ritual for them here tonight."
The moment those words were spoken, the girls' eyes lit up.
Especially Mary, who had secretly been worrying about whether she would have to sleep on the floor.
"R-really?"
"Can we take hot baths?"
"Of course."
Hephaestus laughed openly.
"We may be blacksmiths, but our quality of life isn't bad."
"After all, you can't swing a hammer properly if you're exhausted."
"In that case, we'll gratefully accept."
Since things had reached this point, Haimer didn't hesitate and agreed on behalf of the group.
As for Hestia, after finally swallowing the last piece of steak.
Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster storing food. Once she managed to gulp it down and wipe her mouth, her large blue eyes immediately turned suspicious toward Hephaestus.
"Hephaestus…"
"You're not trying to poach them, are you?"
Hephaestus' smile froze.
Then she sighed helplessly and raised her hand again.
The motion was extremely practiced.
Thunk.
"Yiii!!!"
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Hestia clutched her forehead again.
Hephaestus withdrew her hand, her single eye filled with weary resignation.
"Idiot."
"Do I look like that kind of person?"
"Besides…"
"Even if I wanted to poach them…"
"I'd still have to see whether Haimer would agree to let them go."
She gave Haimer a meaningful glance.
Haimer only smiled faintly.
Let them go?
Impossible.
Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't take a single one from Haimer.
However,
After dinner, as they passed the enormous weapon display cases outside the hall,
Haimer noticed something.
Whether it was Rin clutching her katana, Satori with her ever-narrowed eyes, or even the usually carefree Satori,
Their footsteps unconsciously slowed.
Their gazes clung to the weapons displayed behind the glass like magnets, each blade shining with cold brilliance.
That look,
Haimer knew it well.
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