"Work in the lower world just never ends," Hephaestus grumbled, scowling at the mountain of paperwork stacked on her desk.
As their goddess, she had the final say in every major decision her Familia made.
Such power was a rare privilege, even amongst the divine.
And yet, it felt more like a burden these days.
The Hephaestus Familia was one of the most highly regarded ones in the entirety of Orario.
Achieving that level of prestige had not been easy.
The number of rival deities that had tried to tear her down since she descended to Gekai was beyond count.
None of them had succeeded.
She had crushed them all.
There were none left in either Orario, or beyond, who still dared deny that the goddess Hephaestus was the one true master of the blacksmith domain.
Her only remaining competition was an old man who had learned better than to cross her ages ago.
The divine smith's hands blurred as she sorted through the remaining paperwork with ease born from decades of experience.
Luckily, most of them were standardized contracts that only required her signature to be finalized.
For a goddess of her stature, such a mundane task would have usually been considered beneath her and then delegated to her Captain.
That was the way all but a few gods handled the bureaucracy of their Familia.
However, even if she longed to do the same, Hephaestus was more than familiar enough with her most powerful child to know better.
"Hold on!"
The gilded pen froze in her grasp as she stared down at the document in her other hand.
"… We ask permission for the level 3 blacksmith Pyrausta to accompany us on an expedition to the lower floors."
The goddess's gaze grew distant as an old memory surfaced in her mind.
"Look, Lady Hepha! Look what I made!" A tiny human girl grinned widely up at her—a toy dagger held proudly in her hand.
"Very good, Nora," Hephaestus said, crouching down to pat the girl's head. "You will become a great blacksmith in the future—I'm sure of it."
The document rustled as the goddess smiled softly.
Looks like I was right once again.
She added her signature and carefully placed it on the stack of approved requests.
"Hephaestus!"
The divine blacksmith nearly fell from her chair as the door to her office suddenly tore open and a diminutive figure barged in.
"You need to help me!"
Frantic azure eyes met her own crimson ones as a familiar goddess came to an abrupt halt before her desk.
"Hestia," Hephaestus sighed. "Didn't I tell you—"
She paused.
"Scratch that… How did you even get in here? I have guards stationed at every entrance."
The short woman heaved a deep breath and propped her hands on her knees.
"Your followers let me in, no problem," she said, lifting her head with a throughly satisfied grin. "I did get to know many of them rather well back when I still lived here."
"Ah yes…before I kicked you out, you mean," Hephaestus murmured drily. "Barely a week has passed since then. What could you possibly need my help with again so soon?"
"It's not like that this time, Hephaestus!" Hestia whined, pacing back and forth before her desk. "I really just need your advice!"
"Explain," Hephaestus sighed, her gaze following her oldest friend's movements.
The recently descended goddess paused and then pivoted toward her.
"I found my first Familia member!" she exclaimed, "and he's even better than anything I could have imagined!"
"I see," Hephaestus said, smiling gently. "That's good to heard."
"It's not!"
The smile was quickly replaced by an arched brow as she studied pinched Hestia's expression. Then she glanced toward the mountain of paperwork still on her desk and exhaled deeply.
"Alright," Hephaestus relented. "I'll bite."
She leaned back against her chair.
"Start from the very beginning. What happened after you left from here last week? "
Hestia's shoulders loosened as her expression brightened.
"It was the day after you kicked me out that I met…"
While the story had started off warm and happy, the office was quickly filled with increasingly agitated rambling.
It was the most upset Hephaestus had ever seen her closest friend look.
"And so you asked him out on a date?" she asked.
"Yes."
Red hair fell to the side as Hephaestus tilted her head.
"Because… you're jealous?"
"I'm not!" Hestia shouted, slamming her hands down on the wooden desk.
"Don't you see, Hephaestus?" the goddess whined, her high-pitched voice trembling. "He's becoming a philanderer! Like… like Zeus—and his delinquent children! I can't let that happen!"
The divine smith suppressed a sigh as she rubbed her forehead.
"Are you certain that's actually what's happening?" she asked. "What has he actually done that's so bad?"
Hestia flinched backward.
"Well… he spends every morning with that shady advisor! And then he goes on to flirt with strange girls in the Dungeon while he should be busy fighting!"
This woman…
"I think I see what the problem is here," Hephaestus said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
The raven haired goddess's expression lit up.
"You do?"
"Yes," Hephaestus answered with a heavy nod.
"It's not that this Cain is acting like one of Zeus's followers. Instead—it is you who's acting like… like Freya!"
Hestia groaned loudly as she recoiled backward—as if struck.
"Hephaestus!" she shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "Don't you think that's going a bit too far?"
Hephaestus offered a quick apology as she looked to the side.
Hestia was right.
Freya's level of obsessiveness was truly beyond the pale—even for goddesses like them.
"I would like to help you, Hestia—I truly would—but I honestly don't see the problem here," she said.
"On the contrary, I think you should be proud of your child for taking his adventuring career so seriously."
Far from convinced, Hestia threw her hands up into the air.
"Just imagine if it was your favorite child spending hours every day with some floozies!"
Hephaestus's brows drew together as the image of a red-haired young man formed in her mind.
"Goodbye, my goddess," he called, laughing as a gaggle of scantily clad female figures dragged him away.
The calluses on her hands tightened as she clenched them into fists.
"I apologize," she muttered, meeting Hestia's wide-eyed gaze with sharp eyes.
"I was wrong. Your concerns are absolutely valid."
"Right!"
She leaned forward and pushed the remaining paperwork to the side.
"You said your date is today?"
"Yes!"
So they were under a time constraint.
"Good," Hephaestus nodded, her thoughts racing. "The first thing we need to do is find you the perfect dress."
The petite goddess squealed loudly as her head darted up and down rapidly.
"I knew coming to you was the right decision, Hephaestus!"
She pivoted on her heels and marched toward the door.
"Let's go right now!"
"Wait!" the blacksmith called, reaching out her hand.
Hephaestus expression softened as the older goddess turned back toward her.
"I'm glad you finally found what you came down here for, Hestia," she said, her lips forming into a gentle smile.
"I'm truly happy for you."
The toothy grin that answered her words was as bright as a blazing flame.
—————
My head steamed as I rested my back against the memorial stone in the middle of the busy plaza.
Rose had worked me to the bone today.
For some odd reason, she had taken it upon herself to drill the names and origins of each of Orario's top Familias—and all of their core members—into my head.
"You need to know your enemies if you wish to defeat them," she said.
Of course, my victory in this case was already achieved everyday I avoided their attention—but I still agreed with her on principle.
While studying the lives of people I did not care in the slightest for was far from my idea of a good time, it was made bearable by my advisor's presence.
The hours she spent lecturing me about the living legends that walked amongst us had practically flown by.
From start to finish, she had made no mention of the previous day's events—and neither had I.
As always, the Dungeon had served as a convenient means of clearing my head of any such concerns.
After a few short hours spent killing monsters and harvesting their magic stones, I was ready for the day's next challenge.
"Excuse me… are you Cain by any chance?"
I jolted upward as I registered my name and turned toward the source of the call.
It was an elf.
I tilted my head as I assessed the young woman standing before me.
Emerald green eyes and shoulder-length brunette hair.
Her ears were shorter than was to be expected of a member of her race.
A half-elf then.
A polite smile touched my lips as I gave her a shallow nod.
"I am," I said. "May I ask where you heard that name from?"
There should not be more than a handful of people who already knew about me.
"That's a relief!" she said, exhaling deeply. "For a moment there I thought I might have mistaken you for someone else."
She stepped closer and smiled up at me.
"It was Misha who told me."
My expression stilled for a moment.
So it was that woman…
The half elf extended her hand.
"My name is Eina. I'm one of her colleagues at the guild. It is a pleasure to finally meet you!"
I slowly accepted the offered limb and shook her hand.
"Likewise. What can I do for you, Eina?"
Her expression had not so much as twitched as our skin touched, so the chances of her knowing about my Blessing were minimal.
"It's nothing like that," she said, waving her hands before her face. "I really just wanted to come over here and introduce myself."
Her movements slowed as her eyes shone with undisguised interest.
"I have been curious about you for a while."
My brows arched upward.
"Because of who my advisor is?"
A faint blush flushed spread across Eina's cheeks as she glanced to the side.
"Well… yes?"
I snorted softly.
Just what kind of reputation did Rose really have among her colleagues.?
"Should I prepare myself for another threat?" I asked
Eina blinked, staring at me in incomprehension.
"A… threat?" she repeated slowly. "I'm sorry. I don't understand?"
My posture stiffened before I could respond.
A piercing gaze had settle on me.
My fingers twitched as I suppressed the Dungeon-born instinct to reach for a weapon I no longer carried.
Instead, I forcefully loosened my shoulders and cast a subtle glance across the town square.
Whoever was watching me—they was frighteningly good at staying hidden.
"I think it would be best if you asked Misha that question," I answered, abandoning my search in favour of locking my eyes with the half-elf.
"To tell you the truth," I continued. "I don't think she likes me very much."
The older guild employee rolled her eyes as she huffed lightly.
"I've barely been gone for a week, and she's already getting up to her usual mischief I see," she snorted, her lips curved upward.
"Don't worry too much about her. That girl just really likes to mess with people."
I hesitated for a moment, quickly recalling some of the more bizarre interactions I had shared with Rose's pink haired colleague.
"Are you sure?"
Eina nodded without missing a beat.
"Oh yes. I've known her for years—and she's always been this way."
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked me up at and down.
"Be that as it may! I saw you were waiting for someone—so I don't want to take up any more of your time."
Her smile deepened as she passed by me.
"I'll start working again tomorrow, so we will see each other again soon!" she added, quickly walking away.
Her movements slowed as she lingered for a moment—and then half turned back toward me.
Her eyes softened as she met my gaze.
"Cain," she said quietly. "I don't know what you did—or said—to make it happen—but I'm glad you convinced Rose to be your advisor."
Her expression dimmed.
"After the way her previous charge died… I was worried she would never open up again."
I did not respond, offering nothing more than a nod.
When I continued to remain silent, the half-elf finally turned away fully and left.
My brows furrowed as I watched her leave.
I really wished she had not told me that.
"Who was that?"
I flinched, my body moving on instinct as I snapped toward the unexpected voice behind me.
My palm halted mere inches away from crashing into my goddess's face.
"Hestia," I whispered, releasing a calming breath as I lowered my hand.
"Please don't sneak up on me like that again."
"Who was that?" she repeated, a strained smile pulling on her lips as her tone remained unchanged from the way it was before.
Before I could properly register her question, my attention was dragged downward.
Hestia's usual attire was replaced by a light blue dress.
It gracefully hugged her curves and blossomed around her knees in flowing flourish.
The corners of my mouth lifted as I met her gaze.
"You look beautiful today."
The goddesses unbound black hair swayed to the side as she retreated a step.
"That… that," she stuttered, a prominent blush spreading across her face.
Her hands clenched as she planted her feet and glared up at me.
"You're not allowed to change the topic! Who was that?"
"Her name is Eina," I said. "She works at the guild. We only just met, so I don't know much about her beyond that."
"The guild again," Hestia muttered.
She rapidly shook her head and quickly slapped her hands against her cheeks.
A bright smile curved her lips as she peered down at her dress.
"Do you really like it?" she asked excitedly. "I bought it just today."
Did she finally use the funds I set aside for our Familia?
"I love it," I replied—to to her obvious delight as she squealed loudly.
I had never met anyone as free and unguarded with their emotions as her.
My smile rose to match hers as I offered Hestia my arm.
"Shall we?" I asked. "There're still plenty of hours left in the day."
With a wide grin, my goddess slipped her arm through mine and matched my pace as we joined the stream of pedestrians flowing into Orario's marketplace.
—————
"I'll take what he's having," Hestia said.
"In that case, make it two slices of chocolate cake," I corrected. "Thank you."
My brows rose as the cat demi-human visibly fought to keep his attention fixed on me.
It was a battle the waiter had been fighting since the moment we entered the café and his eyes first landed on Hestia.
The starstruck look on his face had not vanished since.
I did not blame him for his overt reaction to the divine.
My advisor had assured me that it was considered normal—or even expected— for unblessed mortals to behave strangely in the presence of the gods.
It was just one of the many reasons why civilians and adventurers naturally tended to segregate themselves into separate groups that rarely interacted.
"Yo—your order will be with you… shortly," the man forced out as his eyes flicked back to Hestia.
The goddess simply smiled as he fled from our table.
I snorted lightly as I watched his retreat.
It was the same waiter who had brought us our desserts when I first visited the café with Rose a few days earlier.
"Does that happen often?" I asked.
While we had attracted our fair share of attention throughout the day we spent wandering the streets— none of them had been quite as intense as this.
"I'm told it used to be more common back in the day," Hestia said, her gaze growing distant as she tapped a finger against her chin.
"The mortals of this city have grown rather used to our presence over the past millennium."
Her expression softened .
"That child must be new to Orario."
"How come I was fine when we first met?," I asked, casting a quick glance toward the darkening sky outside the second-floor window. "It was my first day here as well."
Hestia blinked, pursing her lips.
"You're right," she said. "That is rather unusual… maybe it's because you're not native to Gekai?"
Her shoulders shook with barely contained excitement.
"This is so interesting!" she exclaimed. "I wonder what the gods of your old world were like?"
My expression dimmed.
"I don't think you would like Him very much," I muttered, my gaze shifting back to her.
"There's something else I've been thinking about."
"Oh?" Hestia hummed, tilting her head. "And what's that?"
"We saw quite a few buildings standing empty in the residential district today," I said. "Once we have the means… how about we buy one of them?"
As much as I had grown to like our cozy little church basement, there simply was not enough space for more than two people to live in.
"I… I suppose we'll have to do that eventually," Hestia answered, her gaze dropping to the table. "I wouldn't—"
"Here you go!"
Our conversation was interrupted as the cat demi-human made his return.
He carefully placed the two plates he carried down before us.
The chocolate cake looked just as appetizing as I remembered it from last time.
"Wow! That really was fast!" Hestia praised. "Thank you, child."
The waiter's bright blush was a mere shade off of his deep red fur as he met her gaze.
"You're welcome!" he called, before quickly making his retreat again.
"Oh my—" a quiet moan slipped from my goddess lips as she swallowed the first bite of the sweet dessert. "This tastes great!"
Warm chocolate melted across my tongue as I grinned at her.
"Didn't I tell you?" I said. "I've wanted to show you this since I first came here."
The small fork halted inches from Hestia's mouth as she cast me a careful glance.
"Say Cain… how exactly did you discover this place anyway?" she asked. "You've been in Orario for an even shorter time than me."
"Rose brought me here."
The fork trembled in her grasp.
"That woman did?"
"Sure."
Hestia placed the polished cutlery back down on her plate and stared me straight in the eyes.
"And that was after she already bought you that sword and armor?"
I arched a brow—then nodded slowly.
"It was."
The goddess's eyes narrowed as she glared up at me without saying a word.
My head tilted as I searched her face.
"Could it be… that you're jealous?"
"I'm not!" Hestia retorted.
A faint smile tugged on my lips as I studied her flustered.
I struggled to imagine how my adviser would react this.
"Tell me why," I said.
Neither of us spoke for a moment as I held the goddesses azure gaze.
Hestia was the first to relent.
"I don't like how much you depend on her," she admitted quietly.
"In what way?"
The table rattled as she brought her hands down on top of it.
"If you needed those things," she said, "why didn't you tell me first? I'm your goddess! Why did you ask her and not me?"
"Because that's her job," I answered. "She bought me those things on a loan—and I fully intend to pay her back as soon as I'm able. That's all all there was to it."
My brows drew together slightly as I assessed Hestia's tense form.
"Is that why we're really here?" I asked, glancing around the café, "because you felt… overlooked?"
The goddess flinched slightly as she stared up at me with wide eyes.
"I…I—" she stuttered, visibly struggling for words.
"I don't want you to leave me!"
How in the world did she arrive at this conclusion?
"I won't."
Hestia exhaled deeply as she slumped into her seat.
Her divine lie detector must have assured her of the truthfulness of my words.
The firm grip on her chair tightened as she met my gaze with unusual intensity.
"That woman isn't the only reason we're here."
I lifted my brows.
"What do you mean?"
The goddess's slender shoulders squared as a determined glint appeared in her eyes.
"I've seen mortals ask each other out on dates before to court—"
Her voice cut off as I sprang to my feet and raised my fists.
Morsalis roared to life a split second later.
Somewhere close by, a monster more powerful than any I had ever faced had set its sights on me.
I scanned the room with a forceful glare.
There was nothing.
Only civilians and a pair of adventurers—who returned my stare with raised eyebrows.
The oppressive gaze intensified as I rounded on the window and inspected the street below.
Like before, my search proved fruitless.
"Cain!" Hestia called, placing a small hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Words failed to form as I deactivated my Blessing and met her concerned gaze.
After a tense moment, I raised my hands up to my face and stared at them silently.
Beneath a thin layer of sweat, they were trembling.