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/Chatter…/
"Is it starting?" Someone asked in a low tone as they looked at the side
"It should be, everyone has already arrived, we're only a bit late though..." A girl replied as she looked back towards the Manor where a large circular clock hung, a new addition and Silver's idea
"Thankfully we're not under the sun, it's rather pleasant even."
/Nod.../
"Agreed." The girl replied with a nod
'In the large training field behind the Manor, a large crowd of people gathered, a festive mood in the air.'
'Many chairs had been layered into many lines, a small part occupied by people wearing uniform, the first batch of children to join the Hestia Familia.'
'The girls that composed the Familia and the three bald boys that spent most of their time training and going to the Dungeon.'
'But they were just a quarter of the total present.'
'Next were the newcomers, those that, out of 2000, were accepted into the Familia as worthy to be trained and that had the desire to accomplish more than just fame and wealth... Most of them at least.'
'Almost the entire size of the previous Apollo Familia, a total of 120 individuals had been added to their ranks.'
'109 girls and 11 boys, changing the ratio from 49 girls/4 boys to 158 girls/15 boys, or to be more precise, ten girls and a little bit more to one boy...'
'Actually, the ratio hadn't changed that much...'
'Not including Emma and Lili, recent additions to the Familia and likely one of the many future cases where Silver would pull someone into the Familia outside of the "rules".'
'Though if someone were to raise the subject to him, he would only laugh and say: I made the rules, I'll follow them, but they weren't meant for me.'
'Of course, he would say that as a joke, but he wasn't lying either, the rules he imposed into the Familia were more to stop others rather than himself.'
'If there comes a day one of the members wishes to bring someone into the Familia outside of recruitments, Silver may accept it if they pass Hestia's or his' tests.'
'Otherwise, if he did not impose any rules and limitations, people would find ways to get displeased by themselves.'
'Because if he can bring others into the Familia, why can't the others?'
'He needed to set boundaries, and he wanted them to be of respect and not fear and power.'
'It's okay if they respect him for his power, but he doesn't wish to manage the Familia through fear like Apollo once did.'
'Either way, from aspiring individuals that knew little of the Dungeon to already established adventurers, all kinds of people had been gathered into this crowd here today.'
'With the rise of their popularity and prestige, including the rumors from their resources to the capabilities of its Captain, the Hestia Familia managed to recruit several Adventurers and strong people from outside of Orario.'
'Level 1 and even a few Level 2 adventurers!'
'But as to be expected, no Level 3 and above adventurers joined them, more so because there were none available.'
'Unless a pretty strong Familia were to be vanquished, where would those Level 3 adventurers even come from?... Oh wait...'
'It just so happened that one Familia had indeed been disbanded...'
'And to be expected from that, there were a few Amazons from the Ishtar Familia that tried to join them, girls that hadn't found a Familia they liked amidst the sea of Gods within Orario.'
'It was hard to find a home.'
'But only two managed to pass the selection and stay here with them.'
'This was because most of these Amazons weren't really serious or even willing for that matter, they only wanted to give it a shot because... They were attracted to Silver.'
'Most Amazons seek a strong partner, and it had to be one that fits their criteria, their type.'
'And Silver was a guy that was very easy to accept simply due to his personality, different from guys like Bete who were too angry and rude to guys like Bell who were too passive and innocent to even face a naked girl.'
'As expected, Hestia kicked them all away with a red expression, and even if their intentions were pure and rather straightforward, she accepted nothing except a no for an answer!'
'So in the end, only two Amazons passed the training, why? Because Silver wasn't their type, a rather superfluous answer that seemingly satisfied Hestia.'
'They liked... Younger boys...'
'Two Level 2 Amazons that had been waiting all this while to join...'
'Previously, they were just Berbera Candidates that focused most of their time training to become stronger, so they weren't prostitutes.'
'Though didn't mean they were inexperienced... Either way, if they were pure or not that wasn't of Silver's concern, not that he would've liked to know anyway as such information might've been more dangerous than useful'
'Two beautiful girls like any other Amazon, girls that would be welcomed into the Familia with open arms.'
'Silver's only fear was the possible influence those girls would have on the young girls and boys, but maybe, things weren't as severe as he thought.'
'He couldn't act as their father all the time, these children could do whatever they wished with their lives... So was what he thought...'
'He raised many rules exactly in expectation of such scenarios to happen, at least he wouldn't be having these thirsty Amazons taking advantage of anyone while within Manor grounds.'
'Outside... His power wanes...'
'But eventually, they would all have to return.'
...
'In front of them, a wide stage had been raised where all of the Executives of the Hestia Familia stood, all Level 2 adventurers.'
'Their uniforms were slightly different from the others, with Cassandra's and Daphne's being unique due to their positions as a Healer and Vice Captain respectively.'
'Cassandra's clothes were mostly a thing due to Silver pushing it forward by using several excuses that everyone just couldn't refuse…'
'It was an elegant and sleek dress that covered all of her body, parting up around her knees.'
'It wasn't really that much different from her usual more reserved fashion, but it highlighted her beauty and matureness despite her lack of self-confidence, everyone seemed to like it.'
(Image?)
'Silver wanted her to be different since he was raising her as a Healer who would contest with the world's very best, such as the Dea Saint.'
'As such, her appearance had to be significant enough so people could remember her whenever they saw her.'
'She didn't quite like to gather attention to herself, but the clothes were comfortable to wear and they looked good too, Cassandra was still a girl at the end of the day.'
'And since everyone was happy, and the fact she also liked the clothes, she ended up adopting the style for herself as well.'
'In a sense, wasn't this a gift to her? The thought alone caused her to be unable to sleep sometimes…'
'Apart from them, there were three more standing side by side on the left side of the podium in the middle of the stage.'
'A short-haired Amazon with a cold expression, though she seemed a bit nervous.'
'A red-haired Elf with a sharp expression, she may try to look tough but behind her back, she was constantly fidgeting her fingers.'
'And a blond Human with a cool and serene gaze, she was actually the calmest of the bunch.'
'The three Executives of the Familia who had recently Leveled Up, Igva, Fernin, and Lavir!'
'But to complete this scene, two more people were needed… Well, a few more to be exact…'
'Since on the side, a small group of people waited, those were the children and their respective Goddesses that helped them during the Recruitment Week!'
'They sat on a separate roll of seats, watching the event unfold with smiles.'
'Goddess Artemis, serious as always, and some of her children, they helped during the second part of the examination as sparring partners.'
'Goddess Leto, charming and elegant, and her children, they helped a bit less this time, they were mostly here to accompany their Goddess and a certain blue-haired Elf...'
'Also due to the food, they heard rumors that there would be a large feast after the Ceremony.'
'Goddess Kichijoten, unable to contain her excitement! Together with some of her children, here to thank Silver for saving them one more time as they failed to do it in person a few times...'
'They were also here because they made many friends in the Familia, as such, this was more than a simple ceremony of a friendly Familia, they were seeing their friends succeed in life.'
'And they were also here because they were worried about their Goddess... She couldn't leave their home unattended.'
'Goddess Dia, calm and composed, together with Sophia, Emma's sister.'
'And the two male Gods no one really cared for… Miach and Takemikazuchi… Together with Naaza and the children of the Far East.'
'Unfortunately, like always, Hephaestus was unable to be present due to her job and Demeter was still busy planting and harvesting crops in the near-infinite fields of her home outside of Orario.'
'She did send a letter, wishing Hestia and everyone their regards together with a basket of the best quality fruits her fields had produced, she was indeed a very likable person.'
'Silver was still thinking of what to give to her once they meet again, after all, friends should give each other things, one should not expect to only receive in life.'
'Still, everyone waited patiently for the ceremony to start, chattering and whispering silently…'
'Where was their Goddess?' Many thought in unison…
…
/Meanwhile…/
"BUWAAA! M-My dress isn't closing!" Hestia exclaimed loudly as she tried to zip her dress
'Unfortunately, her chest was a tad too big, whoever bought this piece had missed her proportions by one size.'
I did it with no problem last week when we went to buy it!! Why is it not fitting now?!
U-Unless... D-Did I... Get weight?!?!
'In truth, it was nothing of the sort, It was mostly her own mistake as when they went to buy the dress, she asked the cashier for a model one size lower because she felt the one she tried on was hanging a little bit.'
'And in the end, she hadn't tried the new size on, leading to this "catastrophic" discovery.'
'With tears in her eyes, Hestia started to expect the worst, losing the strength to continue...'
/Brush… Brush…/
"..."
So dramatic...
'Meanwhile behind her, Silver brushed her long dark hair without a care in the world, even yawning a little as he saw her go through all stages of grief, stopping in anger...'
"... Don't you have even a tiny bit of urgency? We're late!" She said out loud as she looked at his face through the reflection in the mirror
"No no, not late, it's called... Being fashionable..."
"Fashionably late." Silver replied as he corrected Hestia, making her expression grow serene without the urge to even give him a snarky reply
"Relax, the more you lose your cool the harder it'll be for you to zip that in place." He said as he stopped brushing her hair
'If he wanted to, Silver could easily solve all of their problems, from their clothes to makeup and even their smells, he could control it all with a snap of his fingers.'
'But most of the time, Silver preferred to follow a more organic way of living, otherwise, he would always teleport around and convert matter into food while also not wasting any time taking baths.'
'He was certainly capable of such but he preferred to enjoy the little things, how else would he be able to brush the hair of goddess and feel the sweetness within life?'
"Here, perfect, you look incredible." Silver said as he touched her waist lightly, instantly adjusting the size of her clothes to fit her
'It wasn't anything impressive, he just stretched the fibers of her clothes, allowing the zip to pass through her chest, the most dangerous area of all.'
'And then, it became just right.'
"... Thank you." She said as she watched herself in the mirror
Silver is really handy.
Sigh, I should stop being so prickly about these things.
'Feeling a bit disappointed with herself, she looked at her expression in the mirror.'
'Hestia wore a simple white dress with red strips to symbolize her rule over fire together with red ribbons on her head together with a pair of black sandals.'
'She had no makeup on, that was because she didn't need it and also because, in this situation, wearing lipstick and so on wouldn't be fitting.'
'Instead, it might make her look… Forceful, or even desperate for attention.'
'Ishtar was a good example, if she was a goddess of beauty and proud to be the prettiest girl in both Heaven and Earth, why wear makeup in the first place?'
'Then again, what was beauty? Especially to a God?'
'Was there really a face that could charm all of Heaven and Earth alike, or was beauty a more subjective idea?'
'Hestia's look was much more formal compared to her usual one-piece dress, twin-tails, and slippers she tended to walk around in.'
'And of course, her infamous blue strip that defied logic...'
'She looked gorgeous nonetheless, not that she never did.'
(Image?)
"Well then, shall we? They must be waiting for us by now." Silver said as he gave her his arm
"..."
"Nervous?"
"How couldn't I?... Before I knew…"
'But Silver pressed his finger against her lips.'
"We already talked about this before, you don't need to work extra hard to be the perfect Goddess for them all."
"Although I may pull at your feet from time to time so you don't go too far, don't let it take over your head, be yourself and smile."
"We mortals don't really expect all Gods to act all mighty and to be serene, if that were to be the case Naaza wouldn't complain about Miach burning half of his ingredients all the time and causing quite the smell in his Familia home." Silver joked as he tapped her shoulders
"I gave you the lines, but it's up to you to say what you wish and in what order."
"... You aren't going to pinch my waist like you did last time?" She asked as she remembered the last Recruitment
"I will not… At that time, I needed you to be a bit serious… Because there's a time and place for everything…" Silver said as a bead of sweat fell from the side of his forehead
"That just sounds like an Excuse." She added as her eyes sharpened
"..."
Because it is…
'Smiling awkwardly, Silver scratched his chin while Hestia exhaled.'
"I got it, you won't be seeing this side of me any longer!" She said with enthusiasm as she pumped her fist high
"A shame, I like to give you bits of advice like this." He replied with a smile as he touched her cheeks, making her blush
"I uh… L-Later!" She replied as she tapped his chest
"That's a promise." Silver teased as he turned to the wall
"Let's give them a Ceremony they won't forget easily."
And then I'll give you a night worth remembering... Haha...
Not that it's any different from the usual.
'He raised his right hand, and with a snap of their fingers, they vanished as fire enveloped them.'
…
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Notes
That's it, the end of the Recruitment ceremony.
Now, I don't remember when the Statuses were revealed, but it should be soon anyway.
After that and a few interactions like I said last chap, we'll start putting all of Orario's matter in a bag and go away into the next Arc.
Also, I hope you liked the images, I tried to make them look good but I also didn't want to spend too long in it, after all, I have another novel to edit about now...
That's about it, peace!