The city was bustling.
"…One month?"
"Seriously…?"
Adventurers had gathered around the huge Guild Headquarters bulletin
board. They stood in mute awe of one particular announcement.
"That punk-ass kid…!"
"Hey, Bete! Hurry up and let me see!"
One top-class adventurer snatched the paper from the bulletin board,
crumpling it in his grip despite his ally's request.
"Hee-hee-hee, he's for real~."
And so many deities wore delighted smiles and caroused excitedly as the
news spread of this particular rank-up announcement.
The War Game still fresh in the minds of the people, word of this spread
across the city like wildfire.
Time span: one month.
Adventurer Bell Cranell achieved Level 3.
"—Ah-choo!"
That sneeze came out of nowhere.
I almost drop the box in my arms, but I manage to regain my balance in time
to catch it. Just as I think I'm out of the woods…"AK-SHOO!" An even stronger
sneeze blasts its way through my nose.
"What's wrong, Bell? Catch a cold?"
"No, don't think so…"
My goddess, who's walking in front, turns around to look at me as I sniffle
and blink over and over.
Same as me, my goddess, Lady Hestia, also has her arms full with baggage.
"Someone must be talking about you, eh?" she says with a smile. I grimace and
wave it off. That's just a silly superstition.
"More importantly, Bell, this! Take a look!"
Tap, tap, tap, tap. She takes off at a quick pace. I follow after her into the
shadow of a building and around the corner.
Suddenly I can see our new home, fully renovated and gleaming like in a
dream.
"Wow…"
"So? What do you think? We live here starting today!"
I walk through the front gate and set the boxes down in the garden to take
everything in. I feel my eyes stretching wide, studying every detail of the manor
glistening in morning light.
We did some remodeling to Apollo Familia's home—after we kind of took it
over—and made it our own. Their god had some really strange tastes when it
came to design, but it was well built and now it looks good as new. Three stories
tall, the stone structure has a surprising amount of depth. Heck, it could pass as a
minor palace.
Hestia Familia's emblem, a bell and flames, hangs above the front door.
My cheeks tingle with excitement as I take a look at my goddess. She grins
back at me, puffing out her chest with pride.
"I've come a long way since Hephaistos dumped me into that grungy
basement!"
As she looks at our dearly-wished-for, splendid new home, my goddess puts
her arm to her face as she sheds a rare, manly (womanly?) tear.
I force a smile. Thinking back, that room under the church was cozy. Living
there, just the two of us, it wasn't all that bad.
Of course there were a ton of inconveniences, but I'm sad that it was
destroyed…I still have so many good memories of being with my goddess and
the kind moments shared in that place.
But, yeah…
My friends, my family have grown.
And now we have a home big enough for everyone. So maybe this is a good
thing.
I scratch the back of my head as I feel a ticklish smile spread across my face.
"Hestia, job's finished as requested."
"Ohh. Thanks, Goibniu."
I'm still admiring the manor when the architects responsible for the
renovation—members of the Goibniu Familia—emerge from every direction in
succession, readying themselves for departure. Their leader, Lord Goibniu,
greeted Lady Hestia and she responded in kind.
We had hired them to do the remodeling. Lord Goibniu is a deity of smithing
and architecture. His familia is quite unique in Orario, taking construction jobs
upon request. Of course, the blacksmiths and craftsmen in Goibniu Familia are
well known and have quite a following. Though not as popular as Hephaistos
Familia, I know that there are several upper-class adventurers who prefer their
work above all. In fact, it looks like one of their smiths had made Lilly's wrist
bow gun, which is specifically designed for prums.
It's been four days since they started working and two days since our quests
that took us to the thirteenth floor of the Dungeon.
They worked fast and did a spectacular job restoring the stone on the outside
of the manor. If the outside is this good, what's the inside like?
Looks like the two deities are finished working out the finer details of
payment and discussing the work done to the building. Lord Goibniu has a rather
stout body, not much different from a dwarf's. He shakes Lady Hestia's hand
with his own meaty appendage before making his way out the front gate.
Seeing their leader take his leave, the rest of his familia file out behind him,
carrying their equipment with them.
"Just what I expected from Goibniu. They followed our instructions to the
letter."
"Ah, they did?"
"Mm-hmm. Just like everyone wanted, they made changes to quite a few
rooms and installed some new facilities inside and outside the manor."
I murmur in admiration and stand beside my goddess, looking up once more
at our new home.
Once I get all these boxes taken care of, I'll have to go check everything out.
"Ohhh…!"
Hands and knees on the floor, Mikoto peeked at a full, steaming bathtub.
She had been walking through the third floor of their remodeled home. She
had dropped everything to investigate the room she had requested.
The architects had used the existing showers and transformed the space into a
large bathhouse. As if they had read her mind, there was a large cypress tub
made in the style of her homeland that could comfortably fit ten people at once.
Shhooo. She could hear the quiet sound of hot running water pouring steadily
from the nozzle above the tub. The faint fragrance of cypress wood wafted up to
Mikoto as she peered into the tub, her face reflected on the surface of the water.
Still on all fours, Mikoto suddenly tore away her gaze and raised her head.
Everything from the walls to the ceiling, floor, pillars, and buckets was made of
wood; the glint of the showerheads added to the charm of the room.
Everything reminded her of home in the Far East. She was so moved at the
sight of it all that she shuddered lightly.
At the same time she watched the thin wisps of steam climbing above the
water, a sound rose from—her thin throat.
"Uh-unnn…!"
Mikoto was conflicted.
They were currently in the process of moving in; even now her companions
were carrying boxes upon boxes into the manor and working very hard. I don't
have time to be slacking right now, she thought just as her eyes fell on the pile of
luggage on the floor behind her.
But…the white steam and alluring smells were just so enticing, drawing her
in like magic.
She had been suppressing those urges, but now…
"J-just a short one." She quietly said her shallow excuse as she went back out
to the dressing room. Sticking her head into the main hallway, she looked both
ways as she nervously checked to make sure no one was there before closing the
door completely.
Shwip. Undoing the sashes on her clothes, the sounds of fabric sliding off
filled the changing room.
Splish. She lightly stuck her toe into the water, pushing ripples across the
surface.
Her thin calves were quick to follow, and then her thighs, before—sploosh—
her whole body slid into the steaming bath.
"Ahhhhhh…!"
A pleasurable sigh escaped her lips as she submerged herself up to the
shoulder.
She enjoyed the bath's warm embrace. Squeezing both eyes shut, Mikoto let
her whole body relax.
"Please forgive me, Lord Takemikazuchi, everyone…!"
As she fervently apologized, she let her face loosen as well. She had been
forced to live in relative poverty after coming to Orario with Takemikazuchi and
her childhood friends. A proper bath was out of the question and they had to
make do with only showers. It went without saying that none of them ever
complained or tried to live beyond their means…But now, the repressed desires
she had kept bottled up burst free all at once.
Memories of her old favorite outdoor hot spring rushed to the surface of her
mind.
She happily reminisced old scenes and landscapes of her hometown until
soon, her skin was dyed the same color as cherry blossoms.
For Mikoto, there was no greater pleasure in this world than a hot bath.
Incidentally, it was still early in the morning.
"Well, that's Goibniu Familia for you—fast and efficient."
A small stone shed had been constructed in the yard behind the manor.
Welf stood in the open doorway, completely unaware of the excited grin
growing on his face.
His new workshop was built outside and apart from the rest of the grounds
a smith's personal castle, a forge.
It didn't have as much space as the workshop assigned to him by Hephaistos
Familia, but it was just as well-equipped. Metal shelves lined the walls, and
there were stacked firewood for fuel and barrels for quenching or storage. There
was even a basement. The quality of construction was top-notch in every way.
He couldn't even complain about the design of the thin chimney extending
from the top of the forge.
"They're blacksmiths, too. Of course they'd know what I want."
Welf looked over his new workspace with complete satisfaction. He started
carrying the small mountain of boxes he brought over from Hephaistos Familia
with the enthusiasm of a kid in a toy store.
He couldn't wait to make this workshop his castle.
His personal set of mallets, metal shears, and anvils found new homes all
around the workshop. The weapons that he couldn't sell before were used as
decorations for his basement, including the refined ingot that he had purchased
using what little savings he had. Then he carried more weapons and armor of
many sizes and shapes into the basement by himself without any trouble—
thanks to his improved Status.
Lastly, with the hammer he'd received from the goddess Hephaistos herself
clutched in his hand, he took a step back to admire the fruits of his efforts.
"This…is where I start again."
A new familia, a new workshop, and a renewed spirit.
The young High Smith looked around his new workshop once more, tightly
gripping his crimson hammer.
"Ignoring the storage areas, there are more than twenty extra rooms, not
including the ones hidden or underground…"
Lilly was walking around inside the manor, a map clutched in both hands.
She followed it to a room and took a quick look inside before jotting down a
few notes about the interior and anything that stood out before moving on.
The more rooms she checked, the more troubled she looked.
"Uhnn, this place is too biiig…"
The manor, constructed of solid stone and wood, was three stories tall. In
addition, it had yards in the front and back as well as a surrounding iron fence.
When it was still owned by Apollo Familia, over one hundred adventurers had
called this place home. Even if they included their goddess in the count, Hestia
Familia had only five members. This residence did not match their
circumstances at all.
"With only everyone and Lilly, it will be impossible to clean and maintain
this place…Perhaps hiring a maid would be a good idea?"
She knew that needlessly spending money should be avoided, but this
problem needed to be solved.
They could hire someone unconnected to any familia, or a noncombatant
member—someone who belonged to a familia but had not received a god's
Blessing. Several commercially focused familias around Orario employed
noncombatant members to assist in their retail endeavors.
Even her own goddess, who worked a part-time job for Hephaistos Familia,
was a prime example of this arrangement. Of course, people hired in this manner
worked someplace far away from their employer's secrets, for security.
Professional butlers often received a high salary, equal to what Guild
employees made or what hardworking lower-class adventurers could make in the
Dungeon. That being the case, it would be cheaper to hire a young woman who
was unable to pursue an occupation in Orario's famous magic-stone industry and
already searching for a job opening…Lilly's train of thought made it this far
before she stopped in her tracks.
"…Mr. Bell's eyes would wander, so that's not an option."
The young boy turned red at the mere sight of the opposite sex, so Lilly had
misgivings about adding another young female member to the household. But if
she couldn't trust even an older maid, it would end up being a demonstration of
impending financial doom.
Visions of the gray-haired bar girl Syr smiling at him flashed in front of her
eyes. She vigorously shook her head back and forth to make them go away.
"But, mhnn, on the other hand…"
She took a look out the window of the first-floor hallway at all the flowers
and plants in the inner garden that would need a lot of attention. Lilly's mind
was weighing her young maiden's heart against the current situation.
Each member of Hestia Familia prepared for their new lifestyle and
surroundings in their own way.
"It's like a dream come true…"
As I keep moving in furniture and baggage without pausing, I look up in
wonder at our new home.
The remolded walls of the building reflect the sunlight and seem to sparkle,
to glow. Even if I ignore the possibility of it being the product of overexcitement
about moving into a new place, it's probably still a bit of an exaggeration.
"…It would be really nice if our familia got bigger, too, not just our home."
As I talk to myself, I catch glimpses of Lilly and the others walking about
here and there.
A smile grows on my face as I adjust my grip on the box in my arms.
"Hey…cut it out…!"
"I don't wannaaa…!!"
"Hmm?"
The voices reach my ears as I'm walking along the outer wall of the building,
heading for the backyard.
Two girls are arguing in the street that runs by our new home.
Well, maybe not arguing…One girl has her arms wrapped around two bars of
the iron fence surrounding our property, while the other girl is trying to yank her
away by the collar. The girl in front is throwing a tantrum like a child, crying all
over, while her counterpart can't hide her irritation.
"Wait, I remember you…Miss Cassandra? Miss Daphne?"
They're exactly how I remember them. One has long flowing hair while the
other has a short cut, and their personalities couldn't be more different. I fought
against them in the War Game—both are former members of Apollo Familia.
I can't exactly walk away and pretend I never saw them at this point…
"Ah…Little Rookie."
After I set down the box and start to jog over to them, Miss Daphne notices
me first.
She doesn't loosen her grip on Miss Cassandra's shirt collar. It isn't long
before the other girl's characteristically droopy eyes also point in my direction.
"Um…well…"
I try to ask them what's going on, but the words…I can't get them out.
This used to be their home and I feel guilty about taking it from them.
Miss Daphne must've figured out what's going through my mind. She looks
right at me and shrugs.
"You guys won fair and square so you don't have to let it weigh on your
conscience. Besides, we're the ones who started the war, so there's that, too."
Miss Daphne's doing her best to convey that there are no hard feelings.
While I'm glad to hear her say that…I still feel bad. "Seriously, it's all right,"
Miss Daphne adds while she forces a smile, attempting to reassure me.
"The two of us were pressured to join anyway, so actually it's good things
turned out like this. Now we get a chance to join a familia led by someone a little
less crazy than our former god."
The fabric of Cassandra's clothing is straining again as Daphne makes
another attempt to pull her away from the iron bars. Fixing her grip, the shorthaired girl explains what they've been up to.
They appear to be at some sort of crossroads, trying to figure out their next
step. Being upper-class adventurers, they had been scouted by many gods and
goddesses. Unfortunately, all their recruiters had major downsides that they just
couldn't ignore, so they rejected all offers.
High-ranking familias aren't showing any interest in them and the pair has no
interest in selling their services like mercenaries. So for now, they are trying to
find a decent god who leads an average familia.
So, Daphne explains to me, she isn't holding any grudges, though thinking
that all the other former members of Apollo Familia would do the same is a
mistake. She adds that, as the victor, I should hold my head high a bit…I guess if
she's willing to say that much, I'll stop worrying about it.
The two of us share a smile on opposite sides of the black iron bars.
"So then, um, what brings you here…?"
Finally getting to the point, Daphne sighs and pulls on Cassandra one more
time.
I look down at the girl, her entire body pressed up against the iron bars.
"You see, this one lost her favorite pillow."
"Pillow?"
"Yeah. I keep telling her she can just buy a new one, but…"
"Th-that's the only one that wooorks. I-I can't get any sleep without it…"
This is the first time Cassandra has said anything this whole conversation.
Eyes leaking, talking through sobs, she looks over her shoulder at Miss
Daphne tugging on her collar.
So then, that means…
"Miss Cassandra, did you forget the pillow inside?"
We removed everything that Apollo Familia left behind when we moved in.
Was there a pillow like that when we were cleaning up?
Cassandra thrusts her beet-red face through the space between the iron bars
after I ask my question. She speaks timidly, choosing her words carefully.
"I don't remember, honestly…I saw it was here in a dream, so I…"
"A what?"
D-dream…?
"Like I said: Stop saying such stupid things already!"
"I'm begging you, please believe meeeee!"
Daphne scolded Cassandra for saying that a dream led her back here.
By this point, I've figured out most of it. Miss Daphne tried to stop Miss
Cassandra from showing up at another familia's home unannounced, asking
around for a request under such embarrassing pretenses.
At the same time, she wasn't taking Miss Cassandra's dream seriously. So
both were at a loss as to what to do.
I don't exactly believe in fortune-telling or clairvoyant dreams, but…
As one could expect, Cassandra's tearful, pleading eyes are heartbreaking.
"Umm, in that case, I'll go take a look."
""Eh?""
I add, "For the pillow," to clarify when the two girls fall silent and stare at
me.
Daphne looks utterly shocked, while Cassandra seems to have a puzzled look
behind her collected tears.
"You…you're serious…? It was a dream, you know—a dream. You're going
to trust a delusion?"
"D-delusion…? But you're pretty sure it's here, right?"
I look away from Miss Daphne's flustered expression to make eye contact
with Miss Cassandra. She doesn't say a word, only nods her head up and down
as fast as she can. In that case, I can't say no.
I ask her where to look and she hurriedly recounts her dream to give me
directions.
"D-do you believe me…?"
Up until the very last moment, she still speaks timidly.
I force a smile.
"Everything is fine. I trust you. I will do my best to find it."
The second the words leave my mouth, Miss Cassandra looks overcome with
emotion, staring right at me with tears in her eyes and all choked up.
"I'll be going now," I say while backing up, cold sweat running down my
face from her moved expression. She's making this a bigger deal than it really is.
Miss Daphne calls out to me, saying I don't have to do this, but I turn back and
wave to tell her it's all right.
Miss Daphne really doesn't have to be so obstinate…
If it showed up in Miss Cassandra's dreams, then she probably just
remembers the location of the pillow?
…I don't really want to take hocus-pocus stuff like that seriously, but she just
seemed so sure of it that I thought I should retrace the steps of her dream.
Something feels strange…It feels like there's a hot spot on my back.
It had been only a moment—the Status etched into my back had suddenly
heated up.
I reach around with my finger, confirming the place that flared up.
"…Luck?"
The heat is coming from an area really close to my Skill slots.
Thinking about the shapes of all the hieroglyphs engraved onto my back, I tilt
my head and wonder what's going on.
Stepping inside the front door of our home, I start searching for the pillow.
"Is this it?"
"—That's it!"
It didn't take long.
After finding it, I rushed back with the pillow in my hands and as soon as she
saw, Miss Cassandra gave a happy cheer.
I hand the light-pink item through the fence and the next thing I know, Miss
Cassandra is holding it close with all her might. Her eyes close as she hugs her
long-lost friend, happy as happy could be. I can't help but feel glad, seeing her
elated reaction. The pillow had been right where she told me, somehow squeezed
between a support pillar and a wall.
While Miss Cassandra is still radiating the joy of the puppy being reunited
with its owner, next to her, Miss Daphne murmurs, "She was right…" in
disbelief.
"Um, thank you so much! Thank you for believing me! Thank you, thank
you…!!"
"N-no big deal, really…"
She keeps bowing over and over, saying thank you over and over again.
Another smile appears on my face out of pure embarrassment. Even my body is
shrinking away from her.
It takes me a little while to walk around the fence so that I can talk to them
without bars in the way. Miss Cassandra starts bowing yet again until finally
poking half her face out from behind the pillow.
She sucks in her cheeks as her eyes study me.
There's a strange warmth in her gaze, and it's making me blush.
Keeping her eyes on me, Miss Cassandra takes a few small steps to Daphne's
side.
She whispers something into Miss Daphne's ear with the pillow still in her
arms.
"What…Really? Are you sure?"
"Uh-huh…"
Surprise is written all over Miss Daphne's face as Miss Cassandra's cheeks
turn bright pink, and she nods again.
Why do I get the feeling of being left out of this conversation? Miss Daphne
straightens and turns to face me a few moments later.
"Little Rookie, we have something to attend to…Later."
She thanks me for finding Miss Cassandra's pillow before turning her back
on me. Miss Cassandra herself shows me another smile before bowing one last
time and following after her partner.
The two of them go around a corner and are out of sight before I know what
happened.
"Later…?"
What did she mean by that?
Anyway, I have to get back to work. The box from before is still sitting
behind the building. I jog back around the fence and pick it up.
Our conversation replaying in my mind, I bring the box into our home.
"Ah! Bell! Take a break as soon as you're done with that!"
"Eh? Is that okay?"
My goddess called out to me from a room on the second floor as I passed by
the door.
I protest, telling her that we haven't made much progress at all. She just
smiles at me with all the confidence in the world and waves me over.
"Hee-hee, the party can't start without you! Take a look at this!"
I walk all the way across the room to my goddess standing in front of the
window. She holds up a piece of paper.
She hadn't told me what to expect, so I cautiously take the paper from her
and give it a once-over…
"…Hestia Familia, now recruiting new members! Come, my children!"
An invitation to join our familia written in the common language of Koine is
sprawled on the paper. Our emblem, a flame and a bell, is at the top of the
invitation, which contains the information about how to apply.
And the day to meet the goddess in person is…today.
My eyes jump off the paper and I look back at her. She's smiling from ear to
ear.
"There's another one just like this at the Guild's bulletin board, and I asked
the ladies at my part-time job to post one at the stand! It's almost time to meet
everyone…They should be outside right now!"
She casts her gaze out the window.
I rush over and take a look for myself.
"W-wow…!"
Just outside the iron fence in front of our front door…
Many races of humans and demi-humans are standing there.
"Hey, we're gonna be looking at the new prospective recruits. Meetin' on the
front lawn."
Mikoto was carrying some small boxes down a hallway when Welf called out
to her.
She spun on her heel to face him. That was when the young man realized
something out of place and smiled wryly.
"Did you…take a dip this early in the day?"
"Ah, no, this is just…you see…!"
One layer of loose clothing, slightly pink skin, and damp jet-black hair gave
it away. She realized that, with just one look at her, anyone could tell she had
just gotten out of the bath. Her face promptly turned a much darker shade of
pink.
While it had been only a quick one, she felt guilty for skipping out on the
work that had been assigned to her. Her normally tied-back hair was hanging
loosely, and now she looked like a kid with a guilty conscience as she tried to
hide behind the boxes in her arms.
Looking at Mikoto, Welf's earlier smile deepened.
"…I won't say anything to the others, so come along when you can."
"I-I'll be there right after putting this away!"
Thanking the older smith for his understanding, Mikoto could feel her cheeks
burning as she practically screamed her response. She dashed away, leaving Welf
behind her.
"I lack discipline…"
She muttered to herself as even her ears burned red.
Thump, thump, the boxes shook in her arms as she raced through a hallway as
fast as she could with short little strides.
"Oops."
A little white note fell out of the top box and landed on the floor at her feet.
"Now I've done it," said Mikoto as she set down the mountain of boxes
before leaning down to pick it up.
She was about to slip it back inside when the quality of the paper caught her
attention. She held it up to the light coming through the window to see what was
written on it.
"What is this…?"
"Th-this isn't a dream…?"
I clear my throat as I take it all in.
Humans and demi-humans of all shapes and sizes flood into our front garden
the moment we open the gate.
My face feels numb. I survey the crowd from my vantage point on the front
porch.
"It's all real, Bell! All these children came here today to join our familia!"
The goddess takes a few steps in front of me, spreading her arms to welcome
the newcomers.
Thanks to her recruiting posters, all these people—more than fifty in all—
came to our home today because they want to join Hestia Familia.
"We are the talk of the town after winning the War Game, especially among
the newcomer adventurers who just arrived in Orario. Lilly and everyone's
familia has the most momentum right now."
Lilly's standing on my goddess's other side, explaining the flood of hopeful
recruits.
The images they saw of the War Game through the Divine Mirrors spread all
across Orario are still fresh in their minds. Seeing a young, vastly outnumbered
familia overcome the odds and emerge victorious must've left a strong
impression.
Travelers and merchants probably spread the word of our exploits outside the
city as well, which can only help.
Only when I notice Lilly's stare do I realize that I'm smiling. I can't describe
this feeling of happiness, this uplifting joy.
"Th-this means we're not the baby familia anymore…! Goddess, we did it,
didn't we?"
"Yeah! It all started three months ago…Such a short time, and yet it feels so
long!!"
My goddess and I clap our hands together, basking in the joy of finally being
recognized as a legitimate familia.
Lilly looks kind of uncomfortable, forcing a smile with her eyes on us. But
I'm sure that she's just as happy as we are, if not happier.
All those nights of eating Jyaga Maru Kun—crispy potato puffs—alone with
the goddess in the hidden room under the old church feel like ancient history
now. There are so many memories, things that would never happen again—
except the potato puffs. That's still on the menu.
I'm just so happy.
The goddess had tried to recruit people on her own, but she'd been rejected
so many times. Now people are literally lining up to join our familia.
Still holding hands with my goddess, I look out across the crowd and start
tearing up.
There are so many races. Humans, of course, but also elves, dwarves,
beastpeople, prums, and even a few people of mixed race, all standing in our
front yard. Several of the men look Dungeon ready, dressed in full armor and
carrying their weapons of choice. There's a group of girls off by the gates
dressed in traveler's clothes. They must've just gotten to the city a few days ago.
Everyone's chatting excitedly among themselves while stealing glances at the
three of us on the porch. The atmosphere is electric.
The sun bright in a blue sky overhead, everything so bright and colorful…it's
hard to believe this is happening. Dreams do come true!
"Ah…Miss Daphne! Miss Cassandra!"
I recognize two familiar faces in the crowd. I talked to them not half an hour
ago. Miss Daphne's short hair swishes around her head as her usual smug eyes
meet mine. I feel Miss Cassandra's soft stare a moment later.
They weave their way through the crowd and come up to the front porch.
Daphne forces a smirk.
"This girl told me she wants to join your familia…"
Miss Daphne plops her hand right on top of Miss Cassandra's head. My eyes
shoot open in surprise.
Miss Cassandra shyly smiles at me for a moment before hiding her face. I
feel the muscles in my cheeks melt as another big smile forms on my lips.
So this is what she meant by "later"…They knew!
I have no clue why they chose our familia over others, but I'm so happy I
couldn't care less! "Thank you so much!" The words practically explode out of
my mouth.
To think, third-tier, upper-class adventurers are going to join us! I could jump
for joy right here, right now!
"Quite the crowd."
"Ah, Welf!"
Welf comes out onto the front porch just as Miss Daphne and Miss Cassandra
disappear back into the mass of people.
"Are you that thrilled that the familia is growing?"
"Yes! Everyone living together, it'll be like a big family…!"
"Having more people doesn't mean only good things, you know. Bigger
family means bigger obligations, too."
He has even more points, talking about how as a group there are more details
to figure out, as well as more potential for drama and competition.
He's speaking from experience, having once belonged to the much larger
Hephaistos Familia. There's that big-brother aura of his, and that all-knowing
grin. The balloon of elation in my chest is a bit smaller now.
He's right…There are many sides to a larger familia.
"Welf, relax, would you? I'll be talking to each of them one-on-one, figuring
out what makes them tick!"
"What…? Y-you're not letting everyone in?"
The goddess heard everything that Welf said and came to join the
conversation.
Honestly, I'm shocked. I thought everyone here was going to be a member of
our new family.
"Gods have their own individual tastes and hobbies. That's what makes each
familia different. Think about it, Bell. What would happen if a child who didn't
agree with our way of thinking joins us? There'd be a lot of problems."
"Well…"
"And don't forget, I'm a goddess. One quick glance is all I need to determine
a child's personality. And they can't lie to me, now, can they? I'll turn away
anyone I think would damage our familia."
I get what she's saying. It's the right thing to do.
Our familia's dignity would suffer if a new recruit turned out to be a drunken
bar brawler or a violent criminal.
I'm not so sure I could work alongside
someone like that, either. Of course, I know that Lady Hestia won't make
decisions based on personal history but on content of character.
It all comes down to whether the deity thinks you can benefit the familia.
Nothing else matters. After being rejected from familia after familia when I first
came to Orario, I understand this all too well.
But standing here in front of all these people who want to join…I don't want
to turn away a single one of them.
"…And I can't allow anyone else like that supporter inside these walls.
Adding another person who looks at Bell with lustful eyes would send this house
into chaos…"
"Lilly can hear you, Lady Hestia."
The goddess and Lilly keep talking in hushed voices, but I still feel really bad
that we can't accept everyone. I'm not as happy as I was just a minute ago, but I
definitely feel much more down-to-earth. Taking a deep breath, I scratch the
back of my head.
"Be that as it may, the way Lilly sees it…There are a few demi-humans here
today, but since Mr. Bell is the leader of the familia, we are more attractive to
humans."
She's right.
The goddess chose me to lead, but there's another reason, too. I'm the only
one currently in Hestia Familia who didn't join by Conversion from another
group.
Honestly, I'm a little worried that I've been given so much responsibility
but…it's kind of embarrassing being called a leader like this.
Apparently, there are some familias where it's easier to join if you happen to
be the same race as the current commander of the group. Personally, I think of
the group leader as more of a figurehead. On the other hand, seeing all the
humans here who are inspired to join my familia because of me feels pretty
good.
In addition to what Lilly's pointing out, many of the newcomers decided to
dress the part of an adventurer. Swords and spears, shields, light and heavy
armor—the mix of fighting styles and weapons is almost overwhelming. Some
have the air of a soldier's discipline while others exude the confidence of a
knight. I can already see myself prowling the Dungeon with them, counting on
their support. There are even a few supporters equipped with large backpacks in
the crowd as well.
I can't tell if they're members of other familias who want to change
affiliation or if they're "free" adventurers from outside the city. The one thing I
do know, however, is they definitely look the part.
"Well then, shall we start the interviews?"
The goddess calls out to the crowd while I'm scanning the candidates.
I look over at Lilly and Welf. They nod back and we all step off the porch and
into the crowd.
The goddess looks around at all the gathered adventurers and is just about to
announce the beginning of the interviews when—
"L-LADY HESTIA!"
A shrill scream emerges from inside.
The four of us turn around to face the building as Mikoto bursts out the front
door.
"What's wrong, Mikoto?"
"I-i-it fell…fell from a box…!"
The goddess can't hide her confusion. Mikoto's entire body is trembling,
color gone from her face.
She holds up a piece of paper in front of us, the goddess, and the recruits, and
yells at the top of her lungs:
"A two-hundred-million-valis loan contract !!"
Time seems to stand still.
"Heh-HEM?!"
Lady Hestia gawks at the high-quality paper thrust into her face, clearing her
throat.
"What?" Lilly staggers backward. "Two hundred mil?" Welf's absolutely
stunned. I take a look over my shoulder; every candidate looks petrified.
I can't move.
Every single set of eyes is locked onto the numbers in the middle of the form.
Two hundred million Two hundred million valis.
Even as my shaky line of sight works its way back around, I can make out
every one of those zeroes. Just above the total, written in big bloodred letters, are
the words Loan Contract. What's worse, just below the zeroes is Lady Hestia's
signature in both Koine and hieroglyphs. This is real and there's no escape.
But the final blow is the signature next to it. Hephaistos Familia. All the air
leaks out of my lungs, but I can't breathe back in. Everything sounds distant.
It can't be—
The weapon hanging from my belt has exactly the same one.
I feel the weight of the black knife engraved with "Hφαιστος" as if it's
suddenly made of pure lead.
It's too much. I collapse.
"Uh…uhhh—"
"M-Mr. Bell!"
"This has to be some kind of joke…"
I can see the blue sky as Lilly's voice swirls around me. Pretty sure that's
Welf, his voice dropping low.
Right on cue, a chorus of gasps rings out across the front lawn.
"—Cassandra, we're leaving."
"Eh…huh, Daph?"
Clomp, clomp. The ground shakes as over fifty pairs of boots turn and leave
like the receding tide.
The dark side of Hestia Familia that even the members didn't know about
had been revealed. A bomb lurking in the darkness in the form of debt.
This makes that earlier scene of excitement and energy seem like a lie. All
the candidates are gone.
The last thing I see before the blue darkness overtakes me is the goddess,
standing like a statue in silence.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Lilly presses for answers.
Everyone has gathered in the living room at the back of the first floor. The
room is still littered with mounds of open and unopened boxes. A space in the
center had been cleared for a table and a small sofa. Antique candles light up the
dim room, but they use magic stones rather than flame to produce light. We're
sitting around them, our faces illuminated in the darkness.
I'm the only one lying down, letting out the occasional pitiful moan. My head
still hurts. Lilly, Welf, and Mikoto are sitting in a ring around the candles while
my goddess sits in the middle.
Surrounded by Lilly and the others, Lady Hestia is wearing a terribly
troubled face.
The ticking from the clock on the wall echoes, indicating that the sun is
setting right now.
Half a day has passed since the disaster on the front lawn, and by now there
is almost no light coming in from the windows. Night is upon us.
"We were delayed by cleanup and taking care of Mr. Bell, but please tell
Lilly the truth. The truth about that contract."
"Oh, that involves only me. So it doesn't affect the familia at all…"
"Thanks to that 'harmless' loan that shouldn't affect the familia at all, we
have zero new members. Lilly thinks that it had quite an effect. As our goddess,
it's your responsibility to keep us informed about these matters."
I've never heard Lilly's voice so sharp before. She's taking the role of our
representative. The rest of us are staying quiet.
Mikoto was the one who forgot herself and announced everything in front of
the candidates. I can tell she feels bad about it, but even she is waiting for an
explanation. Welf is sitting cross-legged, eyebrows low and eyes locked firmly
onto Lady Hestia.
The goddess looks to all of us in turn, cornered in every sense of the word. At
long last, she starts mumbling her story.
"The truth is…a lot of things happened when I asked Hephaistos to make
Bell's knife…"
And so begins the whole story behind the Divine Knife—my knife.
First, she practically forced her friend Hephaistos to forge it.
It's the only one like it in the world, and the goddess of the Forge is probably
the only one capable of making it. Therefore, it's extremely valuable.
That was why Hestia had to pay such an absurd amount of money. In the end,
she had agreed to the terms of Hephaistos's loan.
Welf, a former member of Hephaistos Familia, presses the inner corners of
his eyes as he listens to the goddess. "Always wondered who forged it,
hieroglyphs and all…So it was her." The words quietly slip out of his mouth.
Mikoto's eyes are wide, the truth about the loan sinking in. On the other hand,
Lilly looks like she found the missing piece to a puzzle. She's known me since I
was a bottom-of-the-barrel adventurer, one who carried a weapon far too
valuable for my Status. "So that's why…" I hear her whisper under her breath.
The goddess is just sitting there, nervously twiddling her thumbs and waiting
for our reactions.
"…Lilly heard many things when she went out earlier to buy medicine for
Mr. Bell. Many rumors are being spread around the city by other gods and
goddesses…They say that Hestia Familia is about to crumble under the weight
of debt. Word is traveling fast."
"If that is true, then…"
"Yes, the possibility of any new recruits is zero."
Lilly raises her face and informs us what's going on in the city. Mikoto
cautiously followed her train of thought, so Lilly clarified. I feel like I'm gonna
cry.
This is exactly how it was before, when my goddess was rejected at every
turn…
"Our real problem is…the two-hundred-million-valis debt. That's crazy."
"Exceedingly crazy, indeed."
There's a great deal of tension in Welf's and Mikoto's voices. Both of them
look to Lilly.
She's become our accountant of sorts and has a better understanding of our
finances than anyone else.
"Almost all our winnings from the War Game have been spent. There's
almost nothing left in our savings."
"…"
"Also, due to our victory and Mr. Bell's ranking up once again, the Guild has
elevated our familia rank to 'E,' which means we must pay more taxes. Lilly's
expecting somewhere in the range of one million valis per year. Please prepare
yourselves."
"..."
"In other words…to repay the debt, we must spend more time prowling the
Dungeon than ever before."
A chill runs through the air as a hush falls over us.
We're doomed to a life of poverty if we don't start working twice, three times
as hard as before. The reality still isn't sinking in.
The goddess jumps to her feet, unable to stay still any longer. She looks at all
our glum faces and practically explodes.
"D-don't get the wrong idea! This is my loan; I'll pay it back by myself! No, I
have to pay it back by myself!"
Grabbing the contract off the table, she smacks her chest with her free hand
and yells loudly enough to make all of us jump. Lady Hestia insists that this debt
has nothing to do with us.
"Actually, this contract is a beautiful jewel that shows just how much I love
Bell! It's not going anywhere!"
"As if a debtor's contract can be a crystal of love."
I'm not sure why Lady Hestia is bragging about all those zeroes, but Lilly
looks far from amused.
Even Welf and Mikoto are looking at the goddess with ice-cold stares. The
goddess starts mumbling even more things, trying to ignore the sharp gazes. "It's
because of her scheme that it's this expensive…Hephaistos is a good friend, so
she's always trying to use some excuse to make me work hard…"
Twin black ponytails shaking as she wipes her face, the goddess takes a deep
breath and says with a lot more force:
"The point is, none of you need to worry about this loan. Everyone here
knows I'm working at a part-time job, right? Everything I make there is going
toward paying off the knife. It'll take a couple hundred years, but I'm paying it
back in full."
"…"
"I'm sorry for hiding this…but I promise, it won't cause any trouble."
She adds it might be too late for any new recruits, but…Her eyes look really
apologetic. "Please don't worry about it," she says as a final plea.
The rest of us exchange confused glances, trying to figure out how it's
possible for us to ignore something like this.
"…But."
I take the damp cloth off my forehead and sit up.
I look at the goddess from my spot on the furry rug.
"You…took out a loan to get this knife, all for me?"
"…"
She doesn't answer, but I know what her silence means.
A twinge of guilt runs through my chest.
The Divine Knife has saved me more times than I can count. It's thanks to the
goddess that I've been able to survive so many battles, all because she gave me
this knife.
She willingly took on that kind of debt so I could become who I am today.
"…Please don't make that face, Bell. It was my decision…"
Seeing her gentle smile, hearing her kind words, I can't stay on the floor.
Climbing to my feet, I take the Divine Knife off my belt and make eye
contact with my goddess.
"Goddess…I want to help. Let's pay it back together."
Her pure blue eyes tremble.
I can tell she's surprised, but I mean every single word.
This knife…It's the symbol of our family, our bond.
"Please, let me do this."
"…"
The goddess freezes as I express my earnest desire—and she grins.
Her right hand reaches up to the base of one of her ponytails.
"As your goddess, it would put me in an awkward position if I accept your
help to fix my own mistakes…"
Her delicate fingers lightly touch the first present I ever gave her.
Blue hair bands. They're decorated with a blue ribbon tied to look like a
flower and small silver bells. They ring softly as she taps one of them.
The sound fades and the goddess smiles once again.
"I don't care how long it takes, I'll pay off the loan. What I want the four of
you to do is…support me."
Now it's our turn for our eyes to tremble. Everyone, including me, is looking
at Lady Hestia with similar faces.
Support her. Basically, put warm food on the table, manage the familia, and
make our home a happy place. She wants us to protect the things that make us
smile, together.
That's what she's saying.
"I'm a goddess with debt…Is that okay?"
"O-of course!"
Her smile is radiant, even in the dim light. I bow and nod out of reflex.
She's a little stubborn and refuses to accept our financial help, but she
depends on us, believes in us. If all five of us work together and support one
another, we'll find a way.
Looking at that smile of hers, I swear to myself:
"…If those are the words of our goddess, we can't exactly go against them."
"Hee-hee, this is true."
"Please don't do anything like this again."
The others get to their feet with smiles of acceptance on their faces. Lilly
makes sure to get in a warning before the mood overtakes her as well. "I won't! I
won't!" responds our goddess as she expresses her gratitude to each of us in turn.
Then we begin talking about what to do next while standing in a circle above
the magic-stone candles.
"This is the state of our familia. First and foremost, we need to make enough
money to live comfortably and save enough to pay the Guild's tax when the time
comes. We must avoid taking out another loan at all costs."
"This means that from now on, our activities shall be spearheaded by even
more trips to the Dungeon?"
"To raise our efficiency and performance on future hunts, we all need to get
stronger, ASAP."
"It might be hard…but we can keep putting in effort toward recruiting new
members…right?"
After Lilly got the ball rolling, Mikoto, Welf, and I each add our own
opinions.
Lastly, Welf says it's my responsibility as the leader to bring this familia
meeting to a close. It's a little embarrassing, but I stick my hand into the center
of our circle. Everyone else, including our goddess, puts their right hands on top
of mine. "Let's do this!" I say with as much confidence as I can muster.
Everyone responds together with a short, hearty cheer as we all look toward
our familia's future.
"All right! Now that that's settled, let's stuff our faces tonight to prepare for
tomorrow!"
"How can Lady Hestia say that when we need to save as much money as we
can?! Your financial skills are horrible!"
"Hey, now, don't be so stingy! One night's not going to make much
difference!"
"Absolutely not! Lilly can no longer trust Lady Hestia! Lilly will handle all
money matters from now on!"
The goddess and Lilly go back and forth a little more, but we still end up
pulling out all the stops for dinner tonight.
All of us make full use of our big kitchen to prepare many dishes, using
different types of meat and fish at the goddess's request.
When we're done, there's chicken-fried steak, several fried fishes, a kind of
rice ball that is popular in the East called "onigiri," Jyaga Maru Kun, and a bit of
wine on the table.
Mikoto laughs as she continuously offers chicken to Lilly, who keeps making
strange noises as she wolfs it down. Meanwhile, Welf sips on his wine and
watches as the goddess inhales one Jyaga Maru Kun after another. Trapped
between all this chaos, I don't eat all that much. Instead, I watch the show
unfold. It's late evening outside. The sounds of laughter and warm light leak
outside through our kitchen windows.
I remember eating meals like this with Gramps. As memories flood back, I
fight to hold in tears. I don't tell anyone about it, though.
"Familia."
Joined by our goddess's blood, I'm sure we're a family.
This is what my heart has yearned for, ever since I lost the man who raised
me.
This is why I came to Orario, and I'm so happy I did.
I'm so happy I met these wonderful people. Today only reinforced that.
All of us share food and laughs well into the night.
The sun comes up on the morning after our familia "party."
The goddess left early to go to her job, leaving the four of us to finish up
here.
"Every box gets emptied today."
I say this to myself as I walk down a hallway with two of them in my arms.
None of us will have energy to unpack after a day working in the Dungeon.
As long as we do it together and finish this today, we can start to focus on saving
money.
"Miss Mikoto, you have a visitor. Miss Chigusa is outside."
"Lady Chigusa?"
Mikoto and Welf were making progress on the first floor when Lilly called to
them from the front.
Mikoto immediately drops everything and goes outside to meet the visitor.
Chigusa is a member of Takemikazuchi Familia, as was Mikoto until recently.
In fact, they are both from the same town in the Far East and probably old
friends.
I take a look out the window, and there she is. Her bangs are always long
enough to hide her eyes. But she seems more anxious than usual. Arms folded
across her chest, she's pacing back and forth on the front lawn…I wonder why.
Chigusa rushes to meet Mikoto the moment she emerges onto the front porch.
I can't hear what they're saying, but Mikoto looks just as surprised by
Chigusa's body language as I am. Suddenly—
"—A-are you certain?!"
A yelp of surprise.
"…Something up?"
"Lilly has no idea."
Welf and Lilly come up behind me and look out the window as well. All of us
lean closer to the window, trying to hear anything being said outside.
Chigusa is outside for only a few more minutes before turning around and
rushing across the front lawn. Mikoto is coming back inside.
"Mikoto, is something wrong?"
"E-eh, no, nothing at all…"
I venture a question, but she avoids eye contact and quickly changes the
subject.
"There's still so much to do." She rushes past me and picks up the closest box
before disappearing around the corner.
The remaining three of us exchange glances, wondering what's wrong with
our friend.