At this point…
Orario, West Main Street, Seventh District, a remote alley at the end of the Old Town.
Inside Heimer’s temple, the originally deathly still space suddenly rippled violently.
Immediately after…
A flash of light appeared.
A crowded group of people materialized out of thin air, instantly filling the already cramped second-floor hall.
“Ow!”
“Don’t push! Don’t push! My dictionary!”
“Awooo—!”
“Who stepped on Kyobo’s foot?!”
After a burst of chaos, the girls finally managed to steady themselves and began looking around.
“This…”
“This is a temple?”
“I know you said we had to struggle through hardship…”
“But isn’t this a bit too harsh?!”
Kikakujou Mary widened her eyes as she looked at the mottled walls around her, the swaying chandelier that looked ready to fall at any moment, and the pile of miscellaneous items in the corner that had clearly been there for who knew how long.
“Shut up.”
Amou Kirukiru coldly scolded her.
She did not care about the simplicity of the environment.
Instead, she immediately walked to the window and looked outside through the dusty glass.
“Creak—”
As the window opened…
Outside, the massive Tower of Babel pierced straight into the clouds, while the bustling streets were filled with people coming and going.
There were all kinds of strange races.
Beastmen, dwarves, elves…
Even with just a brief glance, one could see demi-humans with animal ears carrying massive battle-axes, dwarves with long beards loudly laughing while carrying sacks of ore, and graceful elves weaving through the crowd.
An exotic and lively atmosphere instantly rushed in with the wind.
“So this is… another world.”
Amou’s fingers lightly brushed against the window frame, and the light in her eyes burned even hotter.
“It really…”
“It really is different.”
Onigawara Rin also moved closer and looked down at a passing group of adventurers wearing armor, their bodies carrying the scent of blood.
The artificial rules of the academy were gone.
Everything here displayed the beauty of strength in the most direct and naked way.
Inaba Tsukuyo stood in the center of the hall with her eyes closed, quietly listening.
“The sound of the wind… the tremors of the earth…”
“And…”
“Something tiny hidden in the air, yet seemingly flowing everywhere.”
Inaba Tsukuyo reached out, as if trying to grasp some invisible thing in the air.
“So this is the world Lord God spoke of?”
Tsukuyo tightened her grip on her sword, her body tensing slightly.
Although the environment sounded terribly shabby, she could sense something.
Even a random passerby outside the window possessed an aura that could not be underestimated.
This place…
It truly was a world of the strong!
Just as the girls were still filled with curiosity toward this new world…
“Knock, knock, knock!”
The slightly warped wooden door of the temple was suddenly struck hard.
The sudden sound instantly put everyone on alert.
Amou Kirukiru immediately assumed a knife-hand stance, Onigawara Rin placed her hand on her sword hilt, and even the large black bear stood up warily with a low growl.
“Heimer!”
“Are you in there?”
“Hurry up and open the door!”
From outside came the energetic voice of a girl, loud and rather noisy.
“Hephaestus just gave me a few Jagamarukun and specifically told me to come call you over for dinner at the Hephaestus Familia!”
“If we don’t go now, we’ll be late!”
Hearing this voice, Heimer helplessly rubbed his forehead.
Hestia.
Or rather, Orario’s famous “Blue Ribbon,” “poor goddess,” and “loli goddess.”
As a goddess who was similarly struggling miserably in Orario, she and Heimer could be considered one of the few fellow sufferers in this world.
They usually huddled together for warmth quite often.
However…
Before Heimer could speak and tell everyone not to be nervous…
“Creak—”
The door, which had never been particularly sturdy to begin with, was pushed open from outside by Hestia.
“Honestly, what’s taking you so lo—”
A delicate loli goddess with twin tails, wearing her iconic white short dress with a blue ribbon tied beneath her chest, barged in carelessly with a slight frown.
Her figure was outrageously eye-catching.
However…
The next second…
Hestia’s voice stopped abruptly.
It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed her by the throat.
She remained frozen in the posture of pushing the door open, one foot inside the threshold and the other still outside.
Her large blue eyes stared fixedly into the room.
Because she saw it.
Inside this broken-down temple, a place where even mice usually refused to visit…
There were actually people everywhere!
And moreover…
They were a group of beautiful girls, each with her own distinct style and each looking difficult to mess with!
A proud and domineering black-haired beauty.
A white-haired kimono girl with closed eyes.
A short-haired swordswoman with a righteous face.
A blonde curly-haired girl holding a dictionary.
A loli hugging a baby bear that was chewing noisily.
A green-haired girl whose smile made people feel uneasy.
And…
A huge black bear, so large it almost reached the ceiling, currently scratching its belly with an honest-looking face.
Hestia: “…”
The air instantly went silent.
Hestia blinked.
Then she blinked again.
She seemed to be confirming whether she had not fully woken up yet, or whether hunger had made her hallucinate.
She looked at the girls, who were also curiously examining her.
Then she looked at Heimer.
Finally, Hestia could not help raising her hand to rub her eyes.
The paper bag in her hand fell to the ground with a soft plop, and two warm Jagamarukun rolled out.
When Hestia opened her eyes again and finally confirmed that this was not a hallucination…
“Eeeehhhhh??!!!!”
A scream powerful enough to flip the roof exploded instantly.
Hestia stiffly turned her neck, pointed at Amou Kirukiru, then pointed at the bear.
Finally, she looked at Heimer’s outrageously handsome face.
W-what was going on?!
Was this still the temple of that Heimer, the same guy who could barely afford food and spent every day freeloading meals together with her?!
Where did this entire room of beautiful girls come from?!
And what was with those two black bears, one big and one small?!
At this moment, the overwhelming contrast instantly pierced through Hestia’s fragile mental defenses.
It felt like the deadbeat best friend who ate instant noodles with you every day and complained about not finding work suddenly appeared one day driving a luxury car, surrounded by supermodels, and said, “Bro, come on, let’s go eat a full banquet at my villa.”
Betrayal!!
Deep betrayal!!
It surged into Hestia’s heart like a tidal wave!
“He… Heimer?!”
Hestia’s voice suddenly jumped eight octaves.
Her trembling finger pointed at the room full of people, and her cheeks puffed up at a visible speed.
“W-who are all these people?!”
“You… you actually went behind my back…”
“Behind my back and found so many…”
“Waaaaaaahhhhhh!”
“We clearly agreed to be Orario’s useless freeloader gods together! How could you secretly make it big on your own?!”