Eina Tulle guided Aqua, Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness to the Pantheon, the main building of the only Guild in the city of Orario. The four of them followed Eina Tulle, taking in the sights, which weren't all that different from the world they came from.
During the journey, Kazuma couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Eina.
"Hey, Eina-san? How did you know Aqua is a goddess?"
Eina tilted her head, her expression showing confusion. She felt there was something off about this man.
"Um, didn't I already mention earlier that Aqua-sama radiates divinity? That alone is enough to tell she's a goddess."
"Of course, I know that. What I'm asking is, why are you acting so casual even though you know there's a goddess in front of you? Usually people would react dramatically when they meet a goddess right?"
"Hmmm? Well, that's true, but gods and goddesses have descended to the lower world a long time ago, and many of them now live in the lower world, especially in Orario. So, it's not really that surprising anymore. But, It's just that I've never heard of a goddess descending from the upper world while bringing a human along."
Aqua, overhearing from behind, couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Eina-san, what did you just say?! There are lots of gods and goddesses here? So, you're telling me there are many gods and goddesses like me in this city?!"
Once again, Eina felt there was something strange about this group. Out of the four, Darkness seemed to be the most normal.
'What's with these people? Why do they seem unaware of things that everyone else knows, as if they have no common sense at all? The city of Orario is incredibly famous. Even people living in remote villages know about Orario, and every year, many dream of becoming adventurers here. Even gods and goddesses who descend to the lower world usually know that many others came down long before them.'
"It seems there are a lot of things you don't know. In that case, let's hurry to the Guild so we can discuss it further."
....
After walking for quite a while, they finally arrived at the Guild.
Eina guided Aqua and her companions to a private room to explain the various things they needed to know in order to survive in Orario.
"Please have a seat and wait a moment, I'll prepare some tea."
While Eina was preparing the tea...
Kazuma, felt his bodies weaken, as if more than half of their strength had drained away.
Feeling uncomfortable, Kazuma asked everyone,
"Everyone, do you feel it?"
Kazuma's voice was tinged with urgency.
"I feel like my power is disappearing!"
"Huh? I don't feel anything. How about you, Darkness?" Megumin replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"Ah, same here. I didn't feel anything," Darkness added, her tone equally perplexed."What are you all talking Kazuma? I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I feel stronger than ever, like the power that was sealed away has been released."
Kazuma pulled out his adventurer's card to check his status, though it was a futile effort.
"What's going on? Why can't I use my adventurer's card? Hey, you guys, check your cards too!"
Darkness, Megumin, and Aqua pulled out their adventurer cards at the same time.
"Ah, you're right, Kazuma. I can't use mine either. What's going to happen to my Explosion Magic?"
"Same here," said Darkness.
"Me too," added Aqua.
While they were still puzzled about what was happening to them, Eina returned, carrying the tea she had brewed. She elegantly poured the tea in front of the four newcomers. "
"Please, go ahead and drink your tea."
"Thank you, Eina-san. By the way, could you explain about this city?"
Kazuma, feeling impatient, quickly urged Eina to clarify the situation in Orario.
"Well then, where should I begin? It seems you don't know anything about Orario."
"If you could, please explain everything from the beginning. Just assume we have no knowledge at all about gods and goddesses."
"Alright, then I'll start with the basics. So, listen carefully."
Eina said this while adjusting her glasses slightly. It might have just been Kazuma's imagination, but he felt like her glasses suddenly emitted a white light as she adjusted them. Realizing that this was a sign she was entering serious mode, Kazuma listened intently to Eina's explanation, not wanting to miss a single detail.
"Long ago, the gods and goddesess descended from Heaven to Lower World for one main reason, which is boredom. The gods, having lived in the Heavens for an eternity, found their existence tedious and lacking excitement. In the Heavens, they possess immense power and are effectively omniscient and omnipotent. However, this also meant there was little for them to be entertained by, as nothing was challenging or surprising to them.
In search of new experiences, excitement, and a sense of challenge, many of these gods voluntarily sealed away their divine powers and came down to the Lower World to live among mortals. By doing this, they can experience life as humans do"
"Um, I agree with that. Aqua also said that heaven is a really boring place, right, Aqua?"
"That's true. Heaven is incredibly dull. But wait! What do you mean? Are gods and goddesses descending to the lower world because they're bored? I've never heard that before! Are they ignoring their duties in heaven to come down here and have fun? I didn't know about this! Am I the only one who didn't know, while they're making me do all the boring tasks in heaven?"
Upon hearing Eina's explanation, Aqua suddenly became angry, feeling as if she had been cast aside by the other gods and goddesses. Although Eina sensed that Aqua was upset, she didn't know how to address the situation since she was unaware of the relationships among the gods and goddesses in heaven. So, Eina decided to remain silent and not respond to Aqua.
"Next, I will explain about Familia. The gods who descend to the lower world seal their divine power and create a Familia. Familia is a groups of adventurers who serve under a specific god or goddess. When someone join a Familia, they receive a blessing known as a Falna. which allows them to become stronger. The Falna is like a divine marking or symbol on the adventurer's back. Falna can show your growth, status, abilities, skills, and development. When an adventurer with a Falna goes on adventures and defeats monsters, they accumulate Excelia. This Excelia is then "processed" by their god or goddess during a status update to increase their stats or potentially gain new skills or magic. Not only that by defeating monster they can improve their stats, learn new skills, and eventually level up. Leveling up is a huge accomplishment, as each level makes them significantly stronger"
After hearing this explanation, Kazuma finally solved the mystery of their sudden loss of power.
" Darkness, Megumin, I think I know why our strength has disappeared!"
"Kazuma, I know too! Adventurers here seem a bit different from those in Axel."
Darkness wasn't foolish enough to overlook this realization.
"So, you all come from a place called Axel? I've never heard of it. Can you tell me more about this Axel?"
Eina raised an eyebrow, trying to dig for more information about the origins of this group.
"There's nothing special about it. Axel is a town for beginner adventurers. A lot of adventurers there risk their lives fighting monsters every day, even though they're weak. The difference between Axel and Orario is that there are no gods or goddesses living in there."
"What? Don't tell me all the adventurers in Axel fight monsters without receiving Falna from gods and goddesses? And on top of that, there are no deities at all in Axel? I see, no wonder you don't know anything about gods and goddesses."
Finally, Eina let go of her suspicion about the group, though she hadn't realized that she and Darkness were talking about two completely different worlds.
"So, in this place, to become adventurers and gain power, we have to receive Falna from a god or goddess, right?"
Darkness asked Eina, wanting to make sure she had understood correctly.
"Yes, that's right."
Kazuma, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Eina and Darkness, suddenly interrupted.
"It seems we have no choice but to ask Aqua. Aqua, you can give us Falna, right?"
"But This is the first time I'm hearing about Falna. I don't know how to do that."
"AAAAAH~~ A useless goddess! What do you even know? Why don't you know anything?"
"Hey, wait, Kazuma! Why are you blaming me? I didn't do anything wrong! It's the gods and goddesses who didn't tell me anything about this!"
Seeing this situation, Eina felt it was a great opportunity that she shouldn't let pass.
"Then, Aqua-sama, how about I introduce you to a goddess so you can learn how to give Falna to adventurers? I know an adventurer who have a goddess that would probably willing to teach you. But under the condition that your familia accompany the adventurer of this goddess for a while, how about that?"
"I don't mind. You three don't mind either, do you?"
"We agree!!"
Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness replied in unison.
"Then can you wait in this room? He should be back from the dungeon soon, and I'll ask him to bring his goddess here."
After saying that, Eina left the room, but before she did, Kazuma asked her,
"By the way, who is the goddess we'll be meeting?"
"Hestia-sama."
(To be continued)