"Failed again..."
Seeing the new adventurer who bowed to her and then hurriedly ran away as if he had encountered a ferocious beast, even Hestia, who was always energetic, couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
This kind of life has been going on for a long time. She came down from heaven hundreds of years later than others, so she encountered many setbacks in recruiting Familia.
After all, the rookie period of adventurers is when they need guidance and care the most. Until now, Hestia, who still has no Familia, cannot provide even the most basic equipment.
It can be said that it is really a blessing at the beginning, and all the equipment is obtained through fighting.
Adventurers who don't get any protection will naturally not join this clan with no hope for the future.
Therefore, after hitting a wall several times, Hestia simply lived peacefully in the Familia of her good friend Hephaestus, and this has been going on for several years.
It was not until the last party, when Loki, her enemy, mocked her as a parasite with gloating glee, that Hephaestus finally could no longer tolerate her friend's meaningless attitude of staying in the house reading books every day and not caring about anything else.
"Find a stable job, or find a Familia, or go back to heaven instead of wasting time in the lower world."
Hephaestus issued the ultimatum in a rather tough manner.
Hestia could understand her friend's concern, and she didn't really want to be a lazy and idle person. She had been trying hard these past few days, but had been rejected again and again.
This goddess, who is also quite popular in heaven, has to admit a sad fact that she may have been abandoned by the times.
Although the favors bestowed by each god are the same and there is no question of who is stronger or weaker, the help that the followers can provide varies greatly depending on the nature of the god itself.
Even if he is just the main god of a small Familia, he can always meet a group of like-minded people by relying on his own expertise. Even if he cannot bring much help, there will be people who join in due to insufficient conditions or repeated setbacks, thus forming a new force.
Although she didn't want to admit it, Hestia really had no advantage in this regard.
If she was willing to cast a wide net, she might be able to encounter a few unlucky guys, but Hestia had great self-esteem in this regard.
She is not like some gods who simply want to find a group of tools to provide them with food, drink and entertainment, and simply treat the people of the underworld as useful labor. She is also not like some gods who recruit partners because of their own hobbies.
For Hestia, the Familia means new family members, all of whom are extremely precious. Of course, they must be carefully selected. However, in front of the gaze of the gods, the people of the underworld who have strange thoughts have nowhere to hide. This strict screening once again increases the difficulty of her recruitment.
"Perhaps, compared to the clan, it is more practical to find a job..."
Hestia walked dejectedly on the road, and touched her belly as the lights around her slowly lit up. She had gained nothing today, and she was too embarrassed to go back to her friend's family frequently to ask for support.
Is there any goddess more useless than me?
"Is it possible for me to go to Loki's party and eat a little more... I'm going to be teased by that airport about being a poor god again."
Hestia sighed helplessly and ran quickly towards the address she had been notified of before.
While the other gods haven't arrived yet, go in and order everything you can. After eating a big meal, find a chance to slip away from the banquet. It's all Loki's money anyway.
With a desperate mentality, Hestia trotted towards the invitation address.
——
"Lord God, you are here really early?"
"Well... it's just so-so. Since we're not very busy today, Loki will pay today."
A tender and crisp voice came from the door. After getting a positive answer, the voice suddenly became louder with a hint of indignation.
"In short, order the most expensive ones first!"
Roland, who was deep in thought, raised his head subconsciously when he heard such a simple declaration coming from the door of the tavern.
What appeared in his sight was an absolutely beautiful girl.
Her long, shiny black hair was tied into two ponytails that hung on both sides and reached her waist. Her chubby but cute face still had a bit of childishness. Judging from her appearance, she was probably no more than fifteen years old.
But in sharp contrast to this childlike face is the girl's chest, which is enough to make any woman envious. It is soft and full, and the loose white dress, paired with the wonderful blue ribbon that wraps around the girl's chest, makes it even more charming.
With its sympathetic appearance, it would surely become an excellent mascot if it were to work part-time.
Hestia, who was walking towards the corner angrily, seemed to feel Roland's gaze after placing her order. Her clear blue eyes turned to look at Roland.
"Huh?"
Perhaps because there were few beings who dared to truly look gods in the eye, Hestia could not help but be dazed for a moment, slightly stunned by those gorgeous gemstone-like pupils that seemed to attract the soul.
"That kid... is he a hero?"
By the time Hestia came to her senses, she was already sitting at her seat with the food in front of her.
At this time, she also understood Roland's identity.
In less than half a day, he caused a sensation throughout Orario, was sought after by the gods, and became a hero who signed a contract with the fairy spirit.
As expected, the reputation is well-deserved. Seeing the intimacy between Est and Roland, Hestia was even more moved. An unprecedented anxiety surged in her chest. She inexplicably cared about the hero.
But it was not because of his identity, but because she was concerned about the possibility of a soul behind those pupils.
Incredible, wonderful, and expectant. Although it was an intuition without evidence, Hestia, as the guardian god, somehow saw only depth in the possible future of that child.
Hestia kept looking at Roland anxiously, full of hope, as if she was hinting at something.
She could be persistent in recruiting other suitable followers, but Roland's experience was too dazzling. To describe him as a rough jade would be an insult. To actively invite such a person would be like tying his future with the concept of family. Hestia could not take the initiative to do such a thing.
Therefore, she could only shrink into the corner nervously, staring at Roland intently.
"Very good, we've fallen into the trap."
Roland noticed Hestia. Although he had already made a choice about which clan he should receive favor from, it was not now. The reason why he appeared in such a high-profile manner was to hold the initiative in his own hands.
Anything that everyone wants will become a trend, no matter what its nature is. There is no simpler truth than this.
Even the most lenient gods still made Roland feel uncomfortable. The followers he chose had to be those he could control, no matter if they were dispensable companions or so-called gods.
Roland's mouth curled up slowly, and he turned his head to look out the window. To create this situation, tonight was essential. "Here I come."
"Hey! Roland, we're here. Don't try to use other excuses to get out of the question of choosing your clan tonight!"
The impetuous Loki took the lead in pushing open the door of the tavern. She did not look like a goddess at all. Behind her was a group of noisy gods.
Anticipation, eagerness, curiosity, all eyes were focused on Roland.
"That fairy is so cute, whose child is it?"
"I don't know... But this hero is the most important. Even with the help of the immortal spirit, we can defeat that sword princess. Maybe we can achieve what the other two followers failed to do."
"Creating a new hero single-handedly? This idea is really interesting!"
Although they all had divine light all over their bodies, when these gods gathered together, they were not much better than the adventurers in the guild. The gods who pursued pleasure were even more vulgar than Gilgamesh whom Roland had seen.
They can become completely active because of the news about a new person, just to gain more.
"Brother, come and join the Demeter family! We are indispensable to the logistics of the entire Orario, and we are in need of a representative strong man."
The first to invite were the goddesses. A blonde goddess who looked full of maternal love and was in no way inferior to Hestia in some ways came up to Roland and hugged his arm.
But before Demeter could take advantage of his proximity, more invitations came pouring in.
"No, the Apollo family is the most suitable for you! You will become my most beloved child..."
"Shut up, pervert. If you come to my clan, Hephaestus will provide you with the most suitable equipment for a hero."
The red-haired goddess with an eyepatch looked at the flashy male god with disdain. She didn't make any fancy promises, but expressed her support with the simplest words.
As the main deity of the Familia who almost monopolizes the entire market of high-quality equipment in Orario, although she is not good at dungeon strategies, her status should not be underestimated.
"I am Ganesha!"
"And me!"
Loki came to Roland again and said, "My promise remains unchanged. As long as you are willing to join Loki's Familia, I will do everything they can for you."
It was the first time in Orario that a person without grace was treated like this by so many gods.
"Are you satisfied now?" Loki looked at Roland. "All the powerful Families in Orario have come here for you. So, who are you going to choose? Or, at least let us hear your requirements for the Families."
"yes..."
The gods gathered together urged one after another, and the noise completely broke the atmosphere of the tavern.
After understanding the virtues of the gods in this world, Roland looked around without being surprised, memorizing those eager faces in his heart.
"My request is simple,"
It was just a simple sentence, but it seemed to have magical power, making the noisy gods look over quietly like elementary school students who found their teacher entering the classroom.
"The size, members, and abilities of the clan I want to join are not important. They can't surpass me anyway, so I just hope that the main god of this clan can cooperate with me."
His words were so sincere and true that all the gods suddenly showed expressions of admiration.
Calling joining a clan cooperation is undoubtedly an attempt to take away some leadership from the gods. It seems serious, but in fact it doesn't matter at all. Many leaders of the clans are not gods themselves.
I didn't expect the legendary hero to be so easy to talk to. Seeing Roland, who was reserved and modest without a trace of pride or complacency, the eyes of many gods became more eager.
But only Loki showed a subtle expression.
She had proposed the cooperation in the morning. Not only did she not make any demands on Roland, but she was also generous in providing all his requests. However, she was still rejected. This in itself means a lot.
"Roland, what do you mean by cooperation?"
"—It means obeying my orders. When I'm a hero, that's what cooperation means."
Such arrogant words caused the surroundings to fall into dead silence.
Many gods looked at Roland with strange eyes. Even though their divine powers were sealed, the gods were still high and mighty.
They call the people of the underworld children, and this name does not change due to the size of their clan or their own abilities, because this is an essential difference.
There are gods who give up power to their Familia members for the sake of watching the show, or even marrying with family members out of love, but this is more regarded as a form of companionship. After all, the life of a mortal is far inferior to that of a god.
But Roland was different, because he could see through the lies, and the gods knew that he was not joking.
He sincerely considered himself to be no less superior than the gods, or even a higher being, so he could make such a request with confidence and did not feel bluffing.
The scene that was so lively just now suddenly became like falling into an ice cave. Most of the gods stopped moving, and only a few gods like Loki showed a thoughtful look.
Just as she was about to say something, she saw that Roland's eyes had left them and turned to the other side.
"And luckily for me, I have found it."
Roland walked out from the gods surrounding him and looked at Hestia, who was standing in the corner. She didn't dare to come over and looked very inferior, as if she wanted to talk to him but didn't have the courage. He showed a satisfied smile.
"Goddess Hestia, are you willing to accept this condition, become my family, and make the Hestia family famous in Orario?"
"Huh? That shorty?"
Loki's mind turned, as if he was stimulated.
"You would rather choose her than me? Do you know what the status of her family is like?"
"I made this choice after I understood everything clearly."
Roland nodded slowly, a smile on his face.
"After all, heroes also need a heroic stage."