Hestia had never imagined that an adventurer’s potential could be laid out so clearly before her.
And, of course, she had this screen to thank.
[Hero Nurturing Project]
A little-known fact:
For countless adventurers in Orario, a D-rank basic ability marked a crucial dividing line.
Only after reaching that threshold could they qualify for a level-up.
Rhodes had only just become an adventurer.
Yet if he explored and developed steadily, he could become a Level 2 adventurer.
And if she added a suitable training plan on top of that…
Surely he could achieve even more?!
The youthful goddess knitted her brows in thought.
“So how exactly am I supposed to create a training plan for Rhodes?”
Curious, Hestia continued examining the Hero Nurturing interface.
[Affection: 3]
Affection…
That wasn’t difficult to understand.
Rhodes had only just joined her Familia.
The fact that he already had any affection for her probably came from her having rescued him.
A god and their children were supposed to be close!
But what did that closeness actually do?
Hestia still hadn’t figured that out.
She could only continue studying the other information on the transparent screen, trying to understand its functions.
[Mood: 43/100 ↓ — Anxious][Stamina: 93/100 ↑ — Good][Health: 98/100 — Excellent][Money: 0]
[Note: Having only just arrived in Orario and become an adventurer, Rhodes has yet to find a place to stay.
He is anxious about the new life ahead of him.]
[Raise your Affection Stage to unlock character-nurturing features.]
“This must be… how he’s feeling right now?”
That made sense.
He had come to Orario hoping to become an adventurer.
Perhaps all his valis had been stolen while he was unconscious.
Anyone would be worried about what came next.
Hestia understood that feeling all too well.
When she had first arrived in Orario, she would have ended up sleeping on the streets if Hephaistos hadn’t kindly taken her in.
When you’ve been caught in the rain yourself, you want to hold an umbrella for someone else.
Besides—
Rhodes had already accepted her Falna.
Once they finished registering him with the Guild, he would officially become her Familia’s newest member.
With that thought, Hestia knew she had to help resolve his immediate problems.
“Rhodes, do you have somewhere to stay?”
“Not yet…”
Something about this goddess’s gaze felt a little strange.
Rhodes couldn’t shake that feeling, but he still answered her question honestly.
“All right.”
“Wait here for me a moment!”
Finding Rhodes a place to live was not something Hestia could accomplish on her own.
Hephaistos was already covering all her everyday expenses in Orario.
Which meant…
When in trouble, ask your best friend for help!
All the more so when her very first follower possessed something called the Hero Nurturing Project—a mystery that even a goddess couldn’t explain.
“Hephaistos…”
Hestia entered the weapon shop’s office and closed the heavy wooden door behind her.
She couldn’t let Rhodes see her current predicament.
The divine image she had worked so hard to establish would fall apart completely.
But beneath her friend’s all-seeing gaze, Hestia could only rub her hands together and offer an awkward smile.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Hmm?”
They had known each other for a very long time, going all the way back to Heaven.
One look at Hestia was enough to tell Hephaistos that this wasn’t going to be anything good.
She pressed a hand to her forehead.
“If you’re asking to borrow money, the answer is no.”
“…”
Her prepared speech had been shot down before she could even deliver it.
Hestia had no choice but to change tactics.
She lifted her head, her expression turning serious.
“But this time it’s different!”
“Rhodes is the new member I just recruited, and he doesn’t have any money.
As his goddess… I can’t just let him sleep on the streets, can I?”
“Could you lend me a little?”
“I promise it’ll all go toward helping Rhodes!
Once I help him… get started as an adventurer, things will get better.”
“…”
Not a word about paying me back!
Hephaistos knew exactly what Hestia was like.
If she didn’t get what she wanted, she would probably spend the next several days pestering her relentlessly.
Besides…
Perhaps Rhodes’s arrival really would help cure her of that freeloading nature.
Hephaistos rubbed her forehead.
More than anything, she felt a deep, heartfelt helplessness.
“Fine… how much do you want to borrow?”
“Ten million?”
“Get out.”
“Then a million!
I could pick out some weapons and armor for him, too.
That would make exploring the Dungeon so much easier.”
“…”
“If that’s too much, 100,000 valis would do.”
How was that asking for too much?
Hestia certainly didn’t think it was.
Rhodes had only just arrived in Orario.
Now that he was an adventurer, there would be plenty of things he needed money for.
And with a little more to spend…
Raising his Affection would be much easier, too!
“Just this once.”
“Hephaistos, you really are my best friend!”
“I rather wish I weren’t…”
With the 100,000-valis loan successfully secured, Hestia felt as though she could stand a little straighter as she went to find Rhodes.
She returned to the front of the weapon shop.
The black-haired young man was standing before a display, familiarizing himself with the weapons.
“Rhodes, you’re a member of my Familia now.”
“As your goddess, I’m responsible for you.”
“Come on…”
“Let’s find you somewhere to stay first.
We can think about your adventuring equipment afterward.
And if there’s anything you need, just tell me.”
With her back held proudly straight, her generous bust was displayed to full advantage, emphasized by the blue ribbon beneath it.
“…”
Since arriving in the world of DanMachi, Rhodes had already achieved his first objective: becoming an adventurer.
Next came the practical questions of everyday life.
Food, clothing, shelter—all the necessities.
And on that front, he felt he owed Hestia a reassessment.
True, her Familia still looked like a rather makeshift operation.
But he also understood that she wasn’t obligated to give him special treatment simply because he had become her follower.
Yet here she was, willing to help with his most pressing problems and guide him through them.
She really was a first-rate pint-sized mom!
One good turn deserves another.
Rhodes had been through a modern education.
He understood something that simple.
He had no intention of taking her kindness for granted.
“Thank you, Lady Hestia…”
“There’s no need to thank me!”
Despite her words, the smile on her youthful face made her feelings perfectly clear.
She waved a hand.
“If you really want to thank me…”
“Then I hope you’ll never forget why you wanted to become an adventurer.
Keep following that path… and carve out a future of your own!”
“I’ll do my best.”
“…”
[Affection +2]
Noticing the notification from the Hero Nurturing Project, Hestia’s smile grew positively doting.
She secretly clenched a fist.
Wait—
Was she actually a pro at this whole remote hero-raising thing?!
….
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I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it