(Hmm... From what I can understand, Hestia has already descended to this world and is still living with Hephaestus.)
(Hephaestus is probably already on edge with that lazy Oppai Loli...)
"Hephaestus..."
Yuri muttered as he walked out of the Adventurer's Guild and looked at Ryuu, who was waiting for him in the corner.
"Ryuu, I'm sorry to trouble you today."
"It's nothing, just a small effort."
Ryuu lowered her hood and asked, "Have you found any suitable familias?"
"Well, almost. I intend to go to Hephaestus' side first."
The elf nodded, turned, and led Yuri towards Hephaestus' shop.
While crossing the busy street of Northwest Street, Yuri suddenly grabbed her hand.
Ryuu instinctively wanted to pull away, but Yuri's grip was stronger than she expected.
"There are a lot of people here. I arrived in this city yesterday, remember? I still don't know anything around here."
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Ryuu thought she saw a gleam of mischief in Yuri's eyes.
"You don't want me to get lost, right?"
In the Hephaestus Arms and Armor Shop office.
The beautiful redhead with an eyepatch over her right eye, wearing men's clothing, crossed her arms and looked at the two strangers in front of her.
Although the woman tried her best to hide her face, she could still vaguely see that the face under the hood clearly belonged to an elf.
Even though you could only catch a faint glimpse, she was definitely an extremely beautiful elf girl.
And the young man next to her drew even more attention.
His face was even more beautiful than most elves she had ever seen.
Especially his eyes—despite his completely human appearance, his blue eyes were slitted and exuded a charm that was hard for most women to resist.
From the moment she saw the pair, Hephaestus realized that the elf hiding under the hood would definitely be devoured by the young man.
Many thoughts passed through her mind, and then Hephaestus asked:
"Let me see if I understand. You told me you have a strange ore and want to exchange it for a useful weapon?"
"Yes, and I'm sure the Hephaestus Familia—or rather, no familia in Orario—has ever seen one of these."
Yuri put his hand in his pocket and pretended to pull two ores out of it.
Although she didn't know how he had fit so much in there, upon seeing these two strange materials, Hephaestus focused all her attention on them.
"This one is called 'Crimson Red Ore' and this one is 'Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand'. It's said they can only be found in the mountains closest to the sun, bathed in sunlight all year round."
Yuri explained the ore he brought from the Demon Slayer World. He was absolutely sure this was a material never before found in this world.
Hephaestus' gaze glowed with increasing interest as she examined the stone.
For a blacksmith, discovering new and unique materials was very tempting.
"Alright, I'll ask Tsubaki to help you forge your weapon. Tell me your requirements first and I'll record them."
Tsubaki Collbrande was the number one blacksmith in the Hephaestus Familia after Hephaestus herself.
As Hephaestus spoke, she grabbed a bell from under the table, rang it, and called out:
"Hestia!"
"Stop being lazy! Did you forget you're supposed to bring tea when there are guests!?"
It was clear that Hephaestus was very annoyed with her lazy best friend.
Shortly after she shouted, a young girl entered the room.
A girl with shiny black hair tied into two ponytails hanging down both sides of her head.
Judging by her appearance, anyone would guess she was around 14 or 15 years old.
However, her "presence" was enormous.
Looking at Hestia walking in with tea on a tray, her hands clearly trembling, Yuri showed a subtle expression in his eyes.
Although he had already seen this in the original work, he was still shocked to witness such a grand "destiny" bouncing on the girl's chest.
Hestia pouted, placed three cups of black tea on the table, and casually sat on the other side of Hephaestus with a bored expression.
Hephaestus, long used to her friend's antics, rubbed her temples helplessly.
Ignoring her, she grabbed a pen and paper and asked about Yuri's weapon needs.
"Besides the design, do you have any preferences regarding the sword's weight? Also, I need to know your level. Don't worry, we won't reveal anything to anyone."
"Hmm, you can use the standard weight for level 5 adventurers' weapons. As for my level…"
Yuri said, "I haven't joined any familia yet, so I don't have a level."
"Eh?!"
"Are you serious?!"
The two goddesses were shocked.
Hephaestus, who had been writing, looked up in surprise.
And Hestia, as if thinking of something, jumped up and stared at the young man.
"You mean you haven't joined any familia, but you have the strength of a level 5 adventurer?"
"That's right. I don't think the weapon needs to be too heavy. Level 5 is enough."
Yuri's words made the two goddesses exchange looks of disbelief.
In the next moment, before Hephaestus could say anything, Hestia immediately ran over—not only hugging Yuri's arm but also staring at him with puppy-dog eyes.
"My name is Hestia, the Goddess of the Eternal Flame."
"Actually, I was planning on starting my own familia!"
Saying this, she continued winking at Yuri, her hopeful eyes practically sparkling.
"Are you looking to explore?"
"Of course!"
At Yuri's question, Hestia quickly nodded.
"Good..."
Yuri seemed to seriously consider her offer, which made Hestia, who felt she had found a treasure, even more excited. She hugged him tighter, under the gaze of the other two women.
Hephaestus had a subtle look, wondering if she should remind Hestia of what she was doing, but seeing her lazy friend finally getting serious, she decided to say nothing.
Meanwhile, Ryuu, who had initially decided to stay quiet and in the background, suddenly stood up.
Her face darkened, and she immediately pulled Yuri to her side, shielding him behind her while glaring at the shameless goddess.
"You're one of the three virgin goddesses, Hestia, right?"
Ryuu's words made Hestia puff out her chest proudly.
"That's right, that's me. Looks like you've heard of me."
As a member of the Astraea Familia, Ryuu certainly knew that Astraea, Hestia, and Artemis were the three virgin goddesses and that they had a very close bond.
She also knew that this particular goddess was incredibly lazy.
"Hey, if you're not part of a familia, join mine with him."
Hestia still spoke confidently, but Ryuu's eyes gleamed. She had been waiting for that line.
"In that case, the Hestia Familia doesn't have a single member yet, right?"
Hestia looked guilty.
"Also, the children have no financial support, meaning they'd have to buy their own equipment and weapons, right?"
Hestia seemed to shrink as she wiped the sweat forming on her forehead.
"In other words, the Hestia Familia is even worse off than most existing familias, right?"
"Does the Hestia Familia even have a place to live?"
Hestia was completely defeated, kneeling on the ground helplessly, as if she were about to turn to stone.
Though Ryuu didn't want to interfere in Yuri's decision, she didn't want him to be deceived by this goddess.
The elf turned to look at Yuri.
"That's it. If you join Goddess Hestia's familia, you'll have to fend for yourself with no real support."
"Joining a familia is an important decision. You need to be careful about this choice."
Ryuu spoke like a big sister guiding her little brother.
On the other side, Hestia, already defeated, silently lowered her head. After what Ryuu said, she thought there was no chance he'd join her.
Even Hephaestus thought the same.
To the surprise of all three women, Yuri suddenly asked Hestia:
"Hestia, answer me one thing. What's your motivation for creating this familia?"
"Eh?"
Hestia looked at Yuri, startled.
"Well, for me, it doesn't matter if the members are poor, famous, or strong enough to help…"
"Whether it's fame, wealth, or members, you can be sure that I have the ability to make the familia grow."
Yuri said this calmly, as if stating a fact.
"In my opinion, all familia members are friends who value one another and can laugh together, regardless of race or appearance. They are partners worthy of respect and trust who will never abandon each other."
"Hestia, that's the kind of familia I want."
The three women were captivated by his words, staring at the young man in a daze.
Right now, if there were a dating sim-style affection meter, it would probably show:
Ryuu Lion↑↑↑
Hestia↑↑↑
Hephaestus↑↑↑
Hephaestus valued her familia deeply and saw them as her companions.
The kind of familia Hestia wanted to create was exactly what Yuri described—a real family.
Yuri's words resonated with Ryuu's heart. That same vision was what made her leave her hometown and come to Orario.
It was this very belief that led her to join Astraea Familia and meet the best friends of her life.
At this moment, Ryuu looked at Yuri with particularly gentle eyes.
She hoped Yuri could experience the same happiness she once had.
She didn't want him to face the suffering and regret she had endured in the past.
Maybe she was wrong to act this way, but Ryuu hoped Yuri could achieve that dream and be happy. If that happened, maybe she too could find the redemption she never had.
Hephaestus showed an expression of regret and couldn't help but think to herself—if she had known all this earlier, maybe she would have tried to recruit him too...
(End of chapter)
Give me some power stones there you go~😉