Humans, from the moment they learned to make tools, had their fascination with weapons etched into their bones.
Just as clawless apes picked up the first sharp stone, gaining the ability to tear prey apart.
Weapons
are never merely tools.
They are extensions of the human body, manifestations of will, and the sole reliance for the weak to challenge the strong.
As in human history, where humans once fed on giant elephants.
For these girls who had always fought in a low-martial world relying on flesh and ordinary iron,
Orario's weapons forged from monster materials, even enchanted with special effects, were undoubtedly the deadliest temptation in the world.
Like a desert traveler spotting an oasis.
That longing couldn't be concealed.
Especially Onigawara Rin.
Even after reluctantly tearing her gaze from the [Named Blade: Black Raven] priced at millions of Valis, she still looked back every three steps.
Seeing this,
Himer thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"Um…"
Once the girls' figures disappeared down the corridor,
Himer turned around to face Hephaestus, who hadn't left yet.
"Hephaestus."
"If you're not busy tonight,"
"I'd like to chat with you."
"Oh?"
"Looks like you noticed too."
"The way those kids looked at my walls full of weapons."
"It was like starving wolves spotting meat."
Hephaestus eyed Himer with interest.
"However…"
"You know as well."
"Hephaestus-brand weapons aren't cheap."
"In your current situation…"
"Are you sure you can afford them?"
"On that point, I naturally have something worth offering."
"So."
"Wait for me."
…
And so—
A short while later.
The guest room in the Hephaestus Familia.
Though called a guest room, the conditions were as she said.
Quite good.
Spacious room, soft carpet, even thoughtfully prepared change of clothes.
At the moment,
the air in the room was filled with the unique humid warmth after bathing.
The girls had all finished washing up.
They'd changed into the simple sleep robes provided here.
Though the style was plain, on this group of youthful, beautiful girls, it had a unique charm.
Amane Zan sat by the window, drying her damp long hair.
The loose collar parted slightly with her movements, revealing large swaths of snowy skin.
Onigawara Rin sat awkwardly on the bed edge, hands clutching the hem, seemingly uncomfortable with the somewhat short robe.
Inaba Tsukiyo sat quietly on the bedsheet, like a delicate doll.
Not only that,
even the big black bear Xiong Ren and the little bear had been scrubbed clean and were now sprawled in the corner, humming contentedly.
*Creak—*
The door opened.
Himer walked in.
The somewhat noisy room instantly quieted.
All eyes focused on him.
With curiosity, anticipation, and a hint of unconcealable shyness.
After all,
what was about to happen, Hestia had already explained to them during bath time.
—The divine favor.
It was the necessary path for mortals to transform into adventurers.
And the most sacred covenant between gods and familia.
"Since you're all ready."
"Then."
"Let's begin."
Himer didn't waste words, walking straight to the large bed in the room's center and sitting down.
"The divine favor, simply put, is me granting you my divine blood, thereby drawing out your inner potential and quantifying it."
"This process…"
"Requires a small ceremony."
Himer's gaze swept over the girls.
"Who's first?"
After a brief silence.
"Um…"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go first!"
Unexpectedly,
the first to step forward wasn't the most fervent Amane Zan.
But the seemingly most well-behaved Inaba Tsukiyo.
This girl with long silver-white hair and blind eyes now slowly stood up.
Her delicate, porcelain doll-like face bore a pilgrim-like solemnity.
"Alright."
Himer nodded.
Inaba Tsukiyo followed the voice, slowly walking to the bed edge.
Then.
"Please remove your sleep robe."
"!!!"
The air in the room seemed to freeze for an instant.
"R-Remove the sleep robe?"
Onigawara Rin stammered, her cheeks instantly flushing red, hands instinctively covering her collar, eyes wide as bells.
Not just her.
Kikkakujo Mari's cheeks turned scarlet in embarrassment.
"Um…"
Hanazake Warabi shrank behind the black bear, weakly raising her hand.
"Do we really have to take it all off? Isn't that… a bit much…"
"What are you thinking?"
"Just expose the back."
"The imprint of the divine favor acts directly on the connection point between soul and body."
"And the back"
"is the largest area of the human body, closest to the spinal core."
"It's also humans' most vulnerable spot, least willing to expose to others—a blind spot."
"So, presenting your back unreservedly to another goes against humans' instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm."
"But this is precisely the essence of the word 'familia.'"
"The so-called familia"
"is not simply a hierarchy between god and chosen children."
"But a covenant built on absolute trust."
"The chosen children entrust their most vulnerable backs to the god."
"The god, in turn, acknowledges the children's resolve and inscribes sacred text upon their backs, sufficient to challenge the world."
"This is the true meaning of bearing a god's name."
Himer sat on the bed edge, looking at these girls whose thoughts had clearly gone astray, sighing helplessly.
"I understand."
Inaba Tsukiyo didn't disappoint Himer.
Though her delicate doll-like face was now tinged with a faint blush, even her ear tips hidden under silver hair slightly hot.
Her actions showed no hesitation.
"Since I've decided to follow Lord God,"
"Then Tsukiyo's body is no longer solely her own."
With that,
Inaba Tsukiyo's slender fingers hooked the delicate sash at her waist.
*Rustle…*
With the soft sound of fabric sliding,
the loose sleep robe slipped down her rounded shoulders, bunching at her waist, then fully coming off.
The clothes fell away.
Like clouds parting to reveal the moon.
The girl's petite yet resilient back was thus fully exposed to the air.
It was a breathtaking sight.
Not the frailty of pampered luxury.
Years of sword training made her skin taut and elastic.
Under the soft halo of the magic stone lamp, it gleamed with an ivory-like delicate luster.
"Mmm…"
Feeling her back meet the slightly cool air, the girl's body instinctively shivered.
Then,
Inaba Tsukiyo bit her lower lip, hands propping on the sheet, obediently lying down.
Her silver-white hair cascaded like a waterfall, covering half her beautiful back, yet through the gaps in the strands, that startling snowy white seemed even more alluring.
Her spine groove distinct, shoulder blades slightly raised like butterfly wings.
Like a top-grade rice paper awaiting the brush.
"Pardon me."
Himer said softly.
No extra movements.
He directly straddled the girl's body, seating himself atop her petite hips.
This wasn't flirtatious teasing.
But to ensure the imprint's precision and stability, the caster must occupy an absolute dominant position.
A necessary pose.
"Uu…"
.....
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