Thus,
In Orario, West Street, Seventh District, in a remote alley of the old town.
In Heimdall's temple.
The previously dead silence was suddenly broken by a violent fluctuation.
Immediately,
A flash of light.
A crowded group appeared out of thin air, instantly filling the already cramped second-floor hall.
"Ouch!"
"Don't push! My dictionary!"
"Awooo—"
"Who stepped on Fierce Person's foot?!"
After a chaotic moment,
The women finally managed to steady themselves and began to look around.
"This..."
"Is this a temple?"
"Even if we have to struggle..."
"This is too much of a struggle!"
Kikakujuo Mary widened her eyes, looking at the dilapidated walls, the precarious hanging lamps, and the pile of junk in the corner that seemed to have been there for ages.
"Shut up."
Amaha Zansan coldly rebuked.
She didn't care about the shabby environment.
Instead, she immediately walked to the window and looked out through the dust-covered pane.
Creak—
As the window opened,
Outside,
The towering Babel reached the sky, and the bustling streets were filled with people.
Various exotic races—beastmen, dwarves, elves...
Even a glimpse revealed a beast-eared demihuman carrying a giant battle axe, a long-bearded dwarf with a sack of minerals laughing loudly, and a lithe elf weaving through the crowd.
The exotic and vibrant atmosphere hit them instantly.
"This is... another world."
Amaha Zansan's fingers gently traced the window frame, her eyes burning brighter.
"It's really..."
"Really different."
Rin also came over, looking at a group of armored Adventurers passing by, exuding a bloody aura.
There were no more pretentious rules like in the academy.
Here, everything nakedly displayed the beauty of power.
Inaba Tsukiyo stood in the center of the hall, her eyes closed, also listening intently.
"The sound of the wind... the tremors of the earth..."
"And..."
"A tiny, invisible thing flowing in the air."
Inaba Tsukiyo reached out her hand, as if trying to grasp something intangible in the air.
"Is this the world the god spoke of?"
Inaba Tsukiyo tightened her grip on her knife, her body slightly tense.
Although the environment sounded rough,
She could feel that even the passersby outside exuded an aura that couldn't be underestimated.
This place...
Was truly a world of the strong!
Just as everyone was marveling at this new world,
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The slightly warped wooden door of the temple was suddenly knocked on forcefully.
This sudden sound put everyone on high alert.
Amaha Zansan's hand blade instantly readied, Rin's hand rested on her knife, and even the large Black Bear stood up warily, letting out a low growl.
"Heimdall!"
"Are you in there?"
"Open the door quickly!"
Outside the door came the lively voice of a girl, sounding excited.
"Hephaestus just gave me a few fried potato balls, and told me to come get you to go to Hephaestus Familia for a meal!"
"We'll be late if we don't go now!"
Hearing this voice,
Heimdall rubbed his forehead in slight exasperation.
—Hestia.
Or rather, the famous "Blue Ribbon", "Poor God", "Loli God" of Orario.
As a goddess who was also struggling in Orario, she was one of the few kindred spirits he had in this world.
They often stuck together.
But,
Before Heimdall could say anything to calm everyone down,
Creak—
The not-so-sturdy door was pushed open by Hestia from the outside.
"Really, why are you dawdling..."
A delicate Loli God with twin-tails, wearing that iconic short white dress with a blue ribbon tied at the chest, and possessing an outrageously curvaceous figure barged in with a slight frown, acting completely unceremonious.
However,
the next second,
Hestia's voice abruptly cut off.
As if an invisible hand had seized her by the throat.
She remained frozen in the act of pushing the door open, one foot over the threshold, the other still outside.
Her large blue eyes were fixed intently on the interior of the room.
Because she saw that,
in this dilapidated shrine, which even mice usually avoided,
it was now packed with people!
And...
they were a group of uniquely beautiful girls who looked anything but easy to deal with!
A haughty and domineering long-black-haired beauty.
A white-haired girl in a kimono with her eyes closed.
A short-haired swordswoman with an air of righteousness.
A blonde with curly hair clutching a dictionary.
A loli holding a smacking little bear.
And a green-haired girl whose smile sent chills down one's spine.
And also...
that massive Black Bear, so large it nearly scraped the ceiling, scratching its belly with a simple, honest expression.
Hestia: "..."
The air instantly fell silent.
Hestia blinked her eyes.
And blinked again.
As if confirming whether she was still dreaming or hallucinating from hunger.
She looked at the group of girls who were also eyeing her curiously.
Then looked at Heimdall.
Finally,
Hestia couldn't help but raise a hand to rub her eyes.
The paper bag in her hand fell to the floor with a *thud*, two hot potato croquettes rolling out.
And when Hestia opened her eyes again, finally confirming it wasn't a hallucination,
"Huh? Huh?! Huh?!?!?!"
A scream loud enough to lift the roof erupted instantly.
Hestia stiffly turned her neck, pointed at Kirukiru Amou, then at the bear.
Finally, her gaze landed on Heimdall's face, one that could outrage both gods and men.
Wha-what's going on?!
Is this still the shrine of that Heimdall who could barely afford meals and spent all day mooching food with her?!
Where did this whole houseful of beautiful girls come from?!
And what the heck are those two Black Bears, one big and one small?!
At that moment,
the immense sense of contrast instantly shattered Hestia's fragile psychological defenses.
This feeling,
was like your best friend who ate instant noodles with you every day and complained about being jobless,
suddenly one day, pulling up in a luxury car with a group of supermodels, stopping in front of you and saying, 'Bro, come on, let's go to my villa for a royal feast.'
Betrayal!!
Deep betrayal!!
It surged into Hestia's heart like a tidal wave!
"Hei... Heimdall?!"
Hestia's voice suddenly shot up an octave, her trembling finger pointing at the room full of people, the sides of her cheeks puffing up visibly.
"Who... who are all these people?!"
"You... you actually went behind my back..."
"Behind my back and found so many..."
"Waaaaaaahhhhh!"
"We all agreed to be Orario's moocher gods together! How could you secretly get ahead like this!!"