At this point…
The dining hall of the Hephaestus Familia headquarters.
The long dining table was filled with a lavish spread of food.
The two black bears—the large Kyobo and the small one—had been arranged in the corner, where they hugged two bone-in pieces of meat thicker than their own thighs and gnawed wildly.
Hanasaka Warabi was also stuffing meat into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s.
Kikakujou Mary tried her best to maintain the elegance of a young lady, but faced with these unfamiliar otherworldly dishes, the fork in her hand moved at incredible speed.
By comparison, Amou Kirukiru and Inaba Tsukuyo were much quieter.
However, their eating speed was not slow in the slightest.
Hephaestus sat at the head of the long table, her exposed single eye watching the table full of people devouring food, as well as the bears in the corner.
The face that was usually known for being serious and capable showed an expression that was beginning to crack.
“So…”
Hephaestus rubbed her brow and looked at Heimer, who sat off to the side calmly eating his meal.
“This is what you meant by ‘it’s fine even if I bring a few more mouths’?”
“Don’t say it like that, Hephaestus.”
“These are all promising seedlings I personally chose.”
“The future strongest Familia in Orario is right here.”
“Pfft—”
The moment those words came out, Hestia, who had been drinking soup, could not hold it in.
She directly sprayed out a mouthful of thick soup, some of it even splashing onto the table.
She hurriedly grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth while coughing and widening her eyes.
“Cough, cough, cough… strongest Familia??”
“With these kids who just arrived… and those two bears?”
Hestia’s face was filled with disbelief.
Hephaestus, however, did not laugh.
After all, as a patron goddess who had descended long ago, she had operated in the Lower World for many years and had seen countless adventurers.
Her eye for people was naturally far sharper than Hestia’s, who had only descended recently and was still freeloading off her.
As the saying went, amateurs watched the excitement, while experts saw the technique.
Because of this, after Hephaestus swept her gaze around the table, her previously casual expression gradually faded.
A faint light flashed through her single eye, one that only a true expert would understand.
It was the light of finding prey worth hunting.
Most things in this world were like that.
A so-called raw stone…
In the eyes of someone who understood its value, it was a priceless treasure, an excellent embryo that could someday be forged into a legendary divine weapon.
But in the eyes of someone who did not understand, it was nothing more than an ordinary stubborn rock by the roadside, still covered in mud.
However…
In this world, fine horses were common, but good judges of horses were not.
In this competitive city of Orario, countless newcomers carrying dreams entered every day, rushing into the Dungeon like moths into flame.
Countless others left in disappointment, or even vanished without leaving behind bones.
Even children with truly decent aptitude could become ordinary if they entered the wrong Familia, followed the wrong god, and failed to receive proper guidance and development.
They might spend their entire lives struggling at the bottom of the mud.
Opportunity was often more important than talent.
“Heimer.”
Thinking of this, Hephaestus withdrew her gaze and looked once again at the male god beside her, who was calmly cutting his steak.
Her tone carried less teasing and more seriousness.
“It seems that during this time…”
“You really dug up an incredible mine.”
“A mine?”
Hestia looked completely confused, her fork still stuck into a piece of potato.
She looked at the girls, then at Hephaestus.
Her large eyes were filled with even larger doubts.
“Where’s the mine? They’re not carrying any ore.”
“Idiot!”
The moment those words came out, Hephaestus could not hold back and raised her hand, knocking Hestia on the head with her knuckles.
A crisp thud rang out.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
Hestia clutched her forehead, tears welling in her eyes.
“Hephaestus, why did you hit me?!”
“I hit you so you’d finally understand.”
“The mine I’m talking about is these children themselves.”
“Every one of Heimer’s children is a top-tier raw stone.”
“As long as they are polished a little, granted Falna, and have their inner flame ignited, they will shine with astonishing brilliance.”
“So calling them a mine is not an exaggeration at all.”
“If you could spare even a little of your attention to observing children in the Lower World, you wouldn’t still be a lone commander freeloading off me right now.”
Hephaestus shook her head helplessly, disappointed at Hestia’s lack of progress.
After being scolded, Hestia shrank her neck and did not dare argue.
She could only stab a piece of steak hard with her fork, bite into it angrily, and mutter quietly, “What’s that supposed to mean? I just haven’t gotten ready yet…” and similar excuses.
…
“Speaking of which, since Hestia said they are newcomers who just arrived in Orario…”
“Then…”
“Heimer, you haven’t granted these children divine Falna yet, have you?”
Without Falna, they had no level and no ability values.
No matter how strong their foundations were, in Orario, they were still merely Lv.0 ordinary people.
“I haven’t had the time yet.”
Heimer spread his hands.
“I had just brought them back to the temple and hadn’t even caught my breath before Hestia dragged me here.”
“I didn’t even get a sip of water.”
After saying this, Heimer glanced meaningfully at Hestia, who was fully focused on eliminating the steak in her mouth.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Hestia protested twice.
However, because her mouth was stuffed full of food, her words were completely unclear.
“In that case…”
“No time like the present.”
Hephaestus looked around at the group of girls, then glanced at the sky outside, which had already completely darkened.
“Why don’t…”
“All of you stay here tonight?”
“With this many people…”
“That temple of yours, which even mice would find cramped, definitely won’t fit them.”
“After all…”
Hephaestus pointed toward the two black bears in the corner.
“Those two black bears alone would probably take up half your floor.”
“My Familia headquarters may not be extravagantly luxurious, but freeing up a few guest rooms is more than easy enough.”
“Perfect timing.”
“You can also perform the ceremony to grant these children Falna here tonight.”
The moment those words came out, the girls’ eyes instantly lit up.
Especially Kikakujou Mary, who had still been worrying about whether she would have to sleep on the floor tonight.
“R-really?”
“Is there hot water for a bath?”
“Of course.”
Hephaestus laughed generously.
“We may be blacksmiths, but our quality of life is not poor.”
“After all, only when one rests properly can one have the strength to swing a hammer.”
“Then we’ll be troubling you!”
Since she had said this much, Heimer was not polite and directly agreed on behalf of the girls.
As for Hestia…
After finally swallowing the last mouthful of steak, her cheeks were still puffed out like a hamster storing food.
Only after struggling to swallow did she wipe her mouth with a look of lingering satisfaction.
Then her large blue eyes suddenly filled with suspicion as she looked at Hephaestus, who sat at the head of the table.
“Hephaestus…”
“You’re not trying to poach them, are you?”
The moment those words came out, Hephaestus’s smiling face stiffened.
Then…
She sighed helplessly and raised her hand once again.
The movement was incredibly practiced.
“Thud!”
Another crisp flick to the forehead rang out.
“Eek!!!”
“Ow, ow, ow!”
Hestia clutched her forehead.
Hephaestus withdrew her hand, and her single eye was filled with the helplessness of someone who had never expected Hestia to become smarter anyway.
“Idiot.”
“Do I look like that kind of person?”
“Besides…”
“Even if I wanted to poach them…”
“I’d still have to see whether Heimer was willing to let them go.”
After saying this, Hephaestus gave Heimer a meaningful look.
Heimer smiled faintly and gave no clear answer.
Let them go?
Impossible.
Even if the king of heaven himself came, he could forget about stealing a single person from Heimer’s hands.
However…
After dinner ended, and they passed by the massive weapon display cases outside the dining hall, Heimer keenly noticed something.
Whether it was Onigawara Rin holding her katana, Tamaba Satori with her usual narrowed smile, or even Hanasaka Warabi, who normally seemed carefree…
Their steps unconsciously slowed.
Their gazes seemed to be drawn by magnets, sticking to the weapons displayed inside the cases, each one releasing a cold gleam.
Heimer was far too familiar with that kind of gaze.
It was a swordsman’s longing for a sharp blade.