“When an adventurer goes into the Dungeon, equipment is essential!
And I don’t trust the quality of the weapons from those rental services.”
“But… I don’t have the money to buy anything decent.”
“So I had to come to you.
I’m not asking for much!
I just want to borrow some basic adventuring equipment.”
“You’re my best and most dependable friend, after all!”
“…”
Honestly, given a choice, Hephaistos would rather not have had a bottom-tier friend like Hestia, who did nothing but cause trouble.
Whenever something good happened, she never thought of her.
But the moment she needed help, nobody could match her eagerness to please!
The red-haired goddess’s mouth twitched.
She couldn’t resist a sarcastic jab.
“Are you sure… that when you say ‘borrow,’ you mean the kind where you actually return the weapons?”
“What else am I supposed to do…?”
Hestia looked up.
Her youthful face assumed a pitiful expression, and she seemed dangerously close to throwing herself onto the floor and making a scene if she was refused again.
“…Fine.
I’ll lend them to you.”
Hephaistos rubbed her temples, one eyelid twitching.
After considering the matter carefully, she proposed a suitable arrangement.
“In exchange, you’ll work at one of the weapon shop’s branches for as long as you’re renting the equipment.”
“Let’s see…”
“I’ll deduct the rental fee from your wages and pay you the rest as normal.
You can use that money however you like—put it toward your Familia, for instance.”
“!”
How could there be an offer this good?
Hestia had no particular objection to a goddess taking a job.
After all, Takemikazuchi, who had taught Rhodes the fundamentals of combat, worked at a fried potato ball stall to supplement his Familia’s finances.
Besides—
While Rhodes was exploring the Dungeon, she wouldn’t have much to do in Orario.
If she could earn some money and secure a headquarters for them…
Wouldn’t they finally start to look like a proper Familia?
“No problem!”
At least she was moving in the right direction.
Hephaistos was pleased.
More than that, however, she was curious.
Looking at her friend, she said, “There is something I’ve been wondering.”
“Hestia… why are you so enthusiastic about helping Rhodes?”
“…”
Even Hestia hadn’t given that question much thought.
She didn’t answer immediately.
After considering it seriously, she said, “Partly, it comes down to why I wanted to establish a Familia in the first place.
I wanted to treat its members as my children.”
“And, of course…”
Hero Nurturing Project.
Even now, Hestia hadn’t determined whether she was the only one who could see the translucent panel above Rhodes’s head.
The problem was that she couldn’t exactly ask outright.
She would have to approach it indirectly. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Part of it is Rhodes himself.
Have you noticed anything about him that’s different from other adventurers?”
“…”
“No.”
Hephaistos thought back to his face.
If anything stood out, it was probably his black hair, which was relatively uncommon in Orario.
He resembled an adventurer from the Far East.
She shook her head.
But when she saw how visibly relieved Hestia became at that answer, she couldn’t help feeling there was more to the story.
“Don’t tell me…?”
“No!”
Hestia immediately shook her head and changed the subject.
“I just feel like Rhodes and I get along, that’s all!
I’m going to pick out his equipment now, okay?”
“…Go ahead.”
That was a lie.
Even without her divine insight, Hephaistos had known Hestia long enough to recognize when she was making things up.
But since she clearly had no intention of explaining, Hephaistos didn’t press her.
Sooner or later, she would discover why Hestia was being so unusually attentive.
“My adventuring life is definitely not going to consist of being bankrolled by a pretty little goddess.”
Rhodes very much wanted to change his current circumstances.
And yet…
When he saw the full set of equipment Hestia had prepared for him, he suddenly felt that perhaps being spoiled a little wasn’t such a terrible thing when he was this broke.
A shortsword suitable for fighting in caves.
A leather breastplate, bracers, and the rest of the necessary protective gear.
Hmm…
That shortsword looked familiar.
It was the very one he had stopped to admire in the weapon shop’s display when he first arrived in this world.
The price had been one million valis.
He had only been here for two days, but he had already developed a rough sense of local prices.
By his estimate, that would be worth at least fifty thousand yuan back home.
And the armor didn’t look cheap, either.
“Well…”
“I don’t really know what else to say.
Just… please be careful when you’re in the Dungeon, Rhodes.”
[Affection +3]
Gods couldn’t accompany their followers into the Dungeon.
Besides, Hestia had to report to the weapon shop for work today.
The money she earned could help improve Rhodes’s meals, too.
She looked at the handsome young adventurer standing before her, now fully equipped.
Just seeing him like that was pleasing.
“If you encounter a monster you can’t beat, run away.
Understand?”
“I’ll be careful.”
“I’ll walk you to Central Park.
You’ve already registered as an adventurer, so you should have no trouble entering the Dungeon.”
[Daily Quest]
[Having learned the fundamentals of combat, Rhodes has decided to explore the Dungeon.
Provide whatever assistance you can.]
Once an adventurer began exploring the Dungeon, their life was finally starting to get on track.
Hestia was nervous, too.
He was her very first follower, after all.
But this was something they would have to overcome.
A flower sheltered forever in a greenhouse could never withstand a storm.
Looking at the enormous square and the bustling crowds of adventurers, Hestia understood that this was as far as she could accompany him.
“Stay safe!”
“You can do it!”
“…”
Rhodes watched Hestia leave.
Only after she disappeared from view did he turn his attention back to the square.
There really were an incredible number of adventurers in Orario.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know any of them.
The good news?
With this many adventurers around, he could simply follow their lead even if he didn’t know the exact procedure.
“Well, here we are…”
“Time for my first Dungeon expedition!”
With a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, Rhodes merged into the crowd.
The orderly stream of adventurers advanced toward Babel, the towering structure that seemed to reach into the sky.
But during the long wait in line, he felt a light tug at his sleeve.
He turned, immediately alert.
And then…
He found a girl in a gray-brown cloak looking up at him.
She was even smaller than Hestia.
How should he put it?
Reject baby-faced beauty standards—starting with you, not me.
With Hestia, he could sometimes glimpse a mature, maternal warmth beneath her youthful appearance.
But the girl standing before him simply looked very young.
The incongruous part was the enormous supporter’s backpack strapped to her tiny frame.
Noticing his attention, she tilted her face up.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, revealing two small dimples.
“Um…”
“Mr.
Adventurer, would you like to hire a supporter?”
….
I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
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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