Chapter 7 - Hestia - I'm No Exception
"This is my chance!"
Hestia's eyes lit up as she was about to jump in and steer the conversation her way.
But since this was Hephaestus' shop and the child had come to see her, Hestia held back and watched from the side.
"I can't even see the child's face."
At only 140 cm tall, Hestia couldn't fully see the face hidden under the hood, which only made her more curious.
Knowing this child could be her first familia member, she was dying to see what he looked like.
Hephaestus noticed Hestia's eagerness and sighed, hoping Hestia wouldn't mess this up.
"If you're looking for a god who hasn't started a familia yet, then I can only recommend this idiot of a goddess."
"Ah! Hephaestus, that's too much! I'm not an idiot goddess. It's just that I just came down from heaven and still don't know the rules of the lower world, and I don't know how to start a familia."
"I'm definitely not an idiot goddess; I'm the famous goddess of the hearth!"
Even though she felt pretty useless, Hestia didn't want to look bad in front of her future child and tried to act like she had it together.
But little did she know, her image was already set in Bell's mind.
"With the way you're acting, what can I say?"
The people who knew Hestia best weren't Hestia herself, but her friends and rivals.
Friends kept an eye on Hestia out of concern, and rivals did it just to find ways to mess with her.
Hephaestus was clearly in the friend zone here.
Even though Hephaestus wanted to hype up Hestia's good points, she couldn't lie to a child who just arrived in Orario.
Deceiving someone new to the city wasn't something a goddess should do.
"She's my recommendation—Hestia. She's been crashing with me for a while. Sure, she's a total idiot, but she actually care about her familia members."
As expected, Bell wasn't surprised by this. Hestia's rep was well-known.
She wasn't a cruel goddess and actually cared about her familia. Even though her personality made her an easy target for teasing, it also made her more likable and protective of her familia.
In short, she had a good heart.
After a moment of silence, Bell turned to Hestia.
"Hestia-sama, I'm just a regular guy from the countryside who became an adventurer to get stronger."
"Can you accept someone as ordinary as me?"
"Of course!"
Hestia puffed out her chest without a second thought. She never turned away children in the lower world and always believed that as long as someone was willing to join her familia, they were worth it.
Taking in a good child was exactly what a goddess should do.
Hestia was also worried that if she let this chance slip, she might not find another one in Orario.
Especially after Hephaestus had just scolded her out, she figured her rep was already in the gutter in Orario, so she had to snag this child no matter what.
"No matter what kind of child, as long as they join my familia, they're my most precious family members."
Bell bought into her words completely, even if Hestia had just said it casually.
Now that he'd made up his mind, it didn't make sense to keep hiding his face under a hood.
Bell reached up, pulled the hood off his head, and gave a small bow to Hestia.
"Hestia-sama, please let me join your familia."
"Oh!"
Only after Bell pulled back his hood did Hestia really get a good look at him. A pair of calm red eyes peeked out from under his fluffy white hair.
His expression wasn't particularly animated, but it had a calmness to it.
All goddess liked good-looking boys and girls.
After all, having unattractive people around all the time could put anyone in a bad mood. For Hestia, the child in front of her was a perfect fit for her tastes.
Of course, the most important thing was that she had just bagged her first familia member.
"Of course."
Right then, Hestia finally felt the kind of joy only a goddess starting her familia could feel.
Even better, her first familia member totally matched her preferences, which made it all the sweeter.
"Then, let's not waste time. Let's do the ceremony to grant 'Falna' right now."
"In my shop?"
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow.
Did this idiot really know nothing?
The ceremony to grant 'Falna' was best done in your own space. After all, the personal info of the familia members needed to stay under wraps.
If other gods saw some of the stats, it could cause all sorts of trouble.
"Please, Hephaestus! You know I... don't have my own place."
Hestia clasped her hands together, knowing full well that the 'Falna' ceremony was best done in her own territory.
But since she'd been freeloading off Hephaestus for so long, how could she afford her own place?
Getting a decent space wasn't something you could pull off with just ten or twenty million valis.
Since she was broke, Hestia had no choice but to ask Hephaestus for help. At least for her first child's 'Falna' ceremony, she needed to do it here.
"Ha... just this once. If you dare bring your child here for a status update next time, don't blame me for kicking you out."
"Thanks!"
"In return, let me see the child's first status."
"No problem!"
Normally, this kind of deal wasn't allowed, since it involved showing another god the familia data.
But most starting stats for ordinary familia members are zero anyway, so even if someone sees it, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Hephaestus knew this was also a way to give Hestia a hand while reminding her to get her act together.
As Hestia's friend, Hephaestus knew that without a wake-up call, Hestia would keep getting taken advantage of.
But after this, she'd remember the lesson for next time.
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