"That's all right! See you tonight?"
Ais Wallenstein's voice was as calm as ever, but her golden eyes held an unusual spark of curiosity.
Sora watched as she and Tiona walked off toward the Dungeon, deep in thought.
So that's what this was about.
Ais wanted to learn Kanae Kocho's breathing technique.
After all, Ais had one goal in life—to grow stronger.
If she sensed something special in Kanae, it made sense that she'd want to study it.
But Sora wasn't about to decide for Kanae.
This was her choice to make.
---
"Ais!"
Tiona pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she stomped after Ais.
"Why did you suddenly invite him to dinner?! You've never invited me before!"
Ais blinked, tilting her head slightly.
"...Because I want to talk to his Familia members."
Tiona groaned.
"Ais, do you realize what you just did?!"
Ais stared blankly.
Tiona waved her hands wildly.
"You invited an unknown male god to dinner!"
"If Loki hears about this—no, when Loki hears about this, she's gonna lose her mind!"
Not to mention Lefiya and Riveria.
Loki obsessed over Ais. The fact that the first time Ais invited anyone to dinner, it was some random god and his Familia?
The Hostess of Fertility was about to become a war zone.
Tiona shivered just thinking about it.
Why did she have to be here today?!
---
Atop Babel Tower, in a lavishly decorated room, a silver-haired goddess sat in luxury.
Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, lazily swirled a glass of wine, watching the streets of Orario through her window.
Beside her stood Ottar, the strongest adventurer in Orario—an LV7 warrior.
His presence was unshakable, like an iron fortress.
"That new god… He's interesting."
Freya's lips curled into a seductive smile as she leaned forward slightly.
Ottar remained silent.
"The three girls following him… their souls shine brighter than most adventurers I've seen."
Her violet eyes shimmered as she studied them from afar.
"Pure souls… untouched by corruption. How rare."
Ottar finally spoke.
"Shall I bring them to you, Goddess?"
Freya chuckled.
"No, no… Not yet. If I force them into my Familia, they'll break too quickly."
She leaned back, taking a slow sip of her wine.
"I want to watch them a little longer. Especially that god…"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"He's… beautiful."
A wicked smile spread across her lips.
"This could be fun."
Ottar nodded silently.
Whatever his goddess wished—he would obey.
---
Sora had been about to leave the Dungeon entrance when his system pinged.
[Ding! Mission complete!]
His eyes widened.
He had completely forgotten about the quest rewards.
"Claim reward!"
[Congratulations! You have received: Space Magic Bag!]
...Wait, what?!
"A magic bag?" Sora muttered. "How big is it?"
The system responded instantly.
[Storage capacity: Equivalent to a small football field.]
"...WHAT?!"
That was way too much storage!
With this, he wouldn't have to worry about carrying loot from the Dungeon.
He could even store weapons for the girls.
Sora grinned.
"Perfect."
With nothing else to do, he decided to head toward the Hephaestus Familia's workshop.
If he was lucky, maybe he'd run into a certain blue-ribbon goddess.
---
As Sora approached the Hephaestus Familia's workshop, a loud wailing sound reached his ears.
"NOOOO! HEPHAESTUS, PLEASE!! HAVE MERCY!!"
Sora blinked.
"...What the hell?"
As he got closer, the scene became clearer.
Hestia—the blue-ribbon goddess—was clinging to Hephaestus' leg, crying like a child.
The crowd watching was trying not to laugh.
Sora stared.
...What was he even looking at?!
"Hestia! I told you—no more freeloading! Get a job!"
Hephaestus, the Goddess of Blacksmithing, glared down at her friend.
Her red hair swayed as she shook her head in frustration.
Hestia refused to let go.
"Please! Just let me stay a little longer!"
"No!"
"Half a month?!"
"No!"
"ONE WEEK?!"
"OUT!"
With one swift kick, Hephaestus sent Hestia flying out the door.
CRASH!
Hestia hit the ground face-first.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Sora, standing nearby, tried his hardest to keep a straight face.
This was the legendary Hestia?!
---
Hestia pushed herself up, rubbing her bruised face.
For a moment, she looked utterly defeated.
Then—her expression hardened.
She clenched her fists.
"...Fine."
She looked up at Hephaestus, determination burning in her blue eyes.
"I'll start my Familia!"
The crowd fell silent.
Even Hephaestus looked slightly surprised.
Hestia wiped her tears away, her voice stronger than before.
"I'll build a Familia that'll be greater than Loki's! Greater than Freya's!"
The moment she said those words, everyone started laughing again.
Freya? Loki?
Hestia's Familia was nothing yet.
And she thought she could surpass them?
Sora, however, didn't laugh.
Instead, he smirked.
"Interesting."
...
As the laughter died down, Sora stepped forward.
Hestia, still flustered, looked up.
"Who are you?"
Sora smiled.
"A new god. Just arrived in Orario yesterday."
Hestia's eyes widened.
"You're newer than me?!"
He nodded.
She jumped up immediately.
"Then you're a newbie too!"
Sora sweatdropped.
Was she… excited about that?
Hestia grabbed his hand, shaking it enthusiastically.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Hestia, future leader of Orario's greatest Familia!"
Sora smirked.
"Well, Senior Hestia… good luck with that."