The Hostess of Fertility, one of the most famous restaurants in Orario, was renowned not only for its alluring waitresses but also for its exquisite cuisine. It was a favorite among adventurers, and even some powerful familias chose to dine here.
However, the prices here were correspondingly high. In the past, Hestia could never afford to come here unless someone else treated her.
But now, as the head of her own familia, she no longer needed invitations from others. Nathaniel, her familia member, returned from the dungeon each time with a bountiful harvest.
The first time, he earned tens of thousands of valis, the second time hundreds of thousands and today, his earnings had soared to over a million valis. This newfound wealth had transformed Hestia life from one of poverty to increasing prosperity.
"Hmph, Hephaestus, today you can order whatever you want—it's on me!"
"Oh? Really, anything I want?"
"That's right, anything! Today, you can eat as much as you like!"
"It seems Nathaniel has been treating you well. In that case, I won't hold back today."
At the entrance of the Hostess of Fertility, Hestia patted her ample chest, confidently assuring the wine-red-haired woman following her.
This woman was Hephaestus, the Goddess of the Forge and Hestia' close friend from the divine realm. After descending to the mortal world, Hestia had relied on Hephaestus support for a time.
Later, Hestia took up various jobs, including working on jagamarukun stall , enduring a life of hardship. But now, with Nathaniel as her child (husband) and his steady income, Hestia standard of living had skyrocketed. She could now confidently offer to treat others without hesitation.
After leaving their familia base, Hestia and Nathaniel visited Hephaestus weapon shop. As the Goddess of the Forge, Hephaestus familia included many skilled blacksmiths who crafted and sold a variety of weapons in Orario, even capable of forging magical swords.
The materials Nathaniel needed to craft firearms were mostly purchased from Hephaestus, and even the first batch of materials was borrowed, only to be returned after clearing the dungeon.
After replenishing some materials at Hephaestus shop, a delighted Hestia immediately invited her friend Hephaestus to join her for a celebration, and so the three of them headed to the Hostess of Fertility.
"Yo, Mia, good evening!"
Hestia, who entered the shop first, confidently raised her hand to greet the owner standing behind the counter.
"Oh, is that Goddess Hestia? Good evening. How many in your party?"
"Hmph, three!"
Hestia placed her left hand on her hip and raised three fingers with her right hand.
"Three, right? Ryuu!"
"Coming!"
The golden-haired elf waitress, Ryuu Lion, appeared at the call and approached Hestia.
"Goddess Hestia, please follow me."
"Mm, lead the way!"
Hestia tilted her chin up and followed behind Ryuu. Hephaestus, watching Hestia haughty demeanor, found it amusing and glanced at Nathaniel, who was trailing behind them, with a meaningful look.
Nathaniel understood Hephaestus meaning but simply smiled and shook his head. After all, Hestia had gone from frugality to luxury, and with a bit of a nouveau riche attitude, it was natural for her to feel a bit inflated. It was understandable.
"You're just spoiling her."
Hephaestus shook her head helplessly and followed behind Hestia. Nathaniel shrugged and followed suit.
Since they had first stopped by Hephaestus shop, it was already quite late when they arrived at the Hostess of Fertility, and the place was already crowded. Fortunately, Hestia group only had three people, so they didn't need a large table. They found a small vacant table and squeezed in.
However, as soon as Hestia sat down, someone approached.
"Well, well, if it isn't the little shrimp. It's been a while."
A woman with a simple red ponytail and narrowed eyes walked over from a distance.
"It's you again, flat-chested Loki!"
Hestia didn't even need to look; she could tell who it was just by the voice.
That annoying tone could only belong to her old rival, Goddess Loki. In the current version of Orario, the two strongest familias were Freya familia and Loki familia. Freya familia boasted the highest-level adventurer, the LV7 boar-man Ottar, known as the "King."
While Loki's familia didn't have an LV7, they had the most LV6 adventurers.
"Little shrimp, say that again!"
Loki had come over intending to mock Hestia, but she was immediately countered by Hestia retort, which infuriated her to the point of a vein popping on her forehead.
"What if I say it again, you flat-chested hag?"
"You jerk!"
Despite being one of the strongest gods in Orario, Loki, once provoked, lunged forward and grabbed Hestia hair, starting to pull. Hestia, not one to back down, reached out and began clawing at Loki face, causing the other patrons to gather around in amusement.
Goddesses fighting—what a rare spectacle.
"Ha~" However, Hephaestus could only helplessly cover her face, as she was already accustomed to this. These two gods would always clash whenever they met, after all, their attributes were too different. One was petite but had an exceptionally good figure, while the other, though tall, was completely flat.
They were natural enemies, with an irreconcilable hatred!
"Riveria!"
Helpless, Hephaestus decided to call for backup—Riveria, the vice-captain of the Loki Familia and a Level 6 elven adventurer who handled such matters. The elf with long emerald-green hair appeared directly beside Loki, swinging her staff with precision and hitting Loki squarely on the head.
"Ouch!"
The pain forced Loki to release her grip, and in that instant, Nathaniel appeared behind Hestia, reaching under her arms to lift her up and move her out of Loki's attack range. Hestia knew who had pulled her away, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet.
"Ah, Nathan, put me down! I must teach this flat-chested moron a lesson!"
"Huh? You little shrimp, I'm the one who's going to teach you a lesson—ow!"
Loki words were cut short as Riviera, standing behind her, gave her another whack with her staff, silencing her mid-threat.
"I'm telling you two, every time you meet, you end up bickering. Aren't you tired of it?"
Hephaestus, acting as the mediator, stepped between the two gods, hands on her hips as she sighed and looked at them both.
"Oh, Hephaestus, long time no see."
Just a second ago, Loki was ready to fight Hestia, but in the next moment, she was cheerfully greeting Hephaestus.
After the greeting, Loki turned her attention to Nathaniel, who was gently setting Hestia down on the ground. This handsome young man, whom she had never seen before, piqued her interest.
"Oh~~ A sunny, good-looking guy, huh? Is he your new familia member, Hephaestus?"
"Nope." Hephaestus shook her head.
"Though I wish Nathaniel were part of my familia, unfortunately, he's Hestia familia member."
"That's right, Nathan is my familia member!"
Hestia, now standing on the ground, puffed out her chest proudly, showing off to Loki, who was utterly shocked, even her squinty eyes widening.
"You've got to be kidding me! You actually found a familia member?!"
From a god perspective, Hestia was a decent friend, but when it came to the development of her familia, her reputation was rather poor.
She had even resorted to tricking newcomers into joining her familia. Hestia had arrived in the mortal world too late, leaving her with little to offer in terms of attracting new members.
Even among adventurers, her reputation wasn't great.
As her arch-rival, Loki knew Hestia capabilities all too well. This useless goddess had actually found a familia member? No way!
Loki darted in front of Nathaniel, her eyes wide as she scrutinized him from head to toe. While she was observing him, Nathaniel was also taking in Loki appearance.
Having been in Orario for so long, this was Nathaniel first time meeting the goddess Loki.
In the anime, she had always seemed flat, but seeing her in person, Nathaniel couldn't help but think she was even flatter than in the anime!
"Kid, why do I sense a hint of mockery coming from you?"
Loki narrowed her eyes and spoke abruptly, causing Nathaniel mouth to twitch. I was just thinking it in my head, and you can sense it? Is this what gods are like?
"Hmm, it's gone now."
Loki tilted her head, her chin in her hand as she stared at Nathaniel. It had to be said, Nathaniel choice of modeling his face after arthur pendragon was spot on. His sunny, handsome appearance left a good impression on Loki.
"He seems like a pretty good-looking guy. Why would he choose this shrimp? Is he talentless or something?"
"Hey! Nathan is highly talented!"
Hestia, unhappy with Loki assessment, stepped between Nathaniel and Loki, glaring up at her.
"Hephaestus can vouch for that."
"Hephaestus?"
Loki turned her head to look at Hephaestus, who nodded in confirmation.
"That's right, I just mentioned it earlier. I wish Nathaniel were part of my familia, but unfortunately, he's not."
"Talent in forging?"
Loki looked at Nathaniel in surprise, then grew even more puzzled.
"Then why would he choose you?"
"Hmph!"
Hestia proudly puffed out her chest.
"Of course, it's because of my charm that Nathan-kun was drawn to me. Let me tell you, it was Nathan-kun who actively sought me out to join my Familia!"
"NANIIIIII!"
Loki was even more shocked. She stared at Hestia chest, thinking that Hestia so-called charm must lie there. Otherwise, what charm did Hestia even have?
"If that's what you call charm, then there are plenty of people in Orario with more charm than you!"
Loki was unconvinced. It's just about having a big chest, right? Hestia chest isn't even the biggest in Orario. Why would anyone be interested in you? Don't you have any self-awareness about your reputation among adventurers?
Feeling speechless, Loki thought Hestia was lying to her, so she turned her gaze to Nathaniel.
"Hey, kid, why don't you come over to my side? I have plenty of charming... Ouch!"
It was Riveria again, delivering a precise strike to Loki head with her staff. Rubbing her head, Loki couldn't help but turn around and complain.
"Mom, stop hitting me on the head."
"I'm not your mom." Riveria replied expressionlessly, slowly retracting her staff.
"Besides, I won't allow you to use the members of our Familia as bait. You don't even believe that yourself, do you?"
Those familiar with Loki knew that she had a thing for beautiful girls. So, using the attractive members of her Familia to recruit people was just empty talk.
"So, kid, how about it? Come join me. My Familia is the strongest in Orario."
Although she had been joking earlier, Loki still tentatively extended an invitation to Nathaniel. If even Hephaestus wanted this guy, he must be incredibly skilled in forging. Having a blacksmith in her Familia would definitely be a boost.
"Hey, Loki!"
Hestia glared at Loki warily, but Loki ignored her, keeping her squinting eyes fixed on Nathaniel. Seeing that Loki wasn't paying her any attention, Hestia didn't mind.
Instead, she crossed her arms and stood confidently in front of Nathaniel, looking at Loki with pride.
"Sorry, Goddess Loki, I won't leave Hestia. After all, I came here specifically for Hestia herself."
Nathaniel placed his hand on Hestia shoulder and smiled as he declined Loki offer.
"So you really did come for her. I thought the little midget was lying to me."
Tsk tsk tsk, Goddess Loki, you just don't get it. This is my waifu—a twin-tailed, busty loli. Three perfect traits combined into one!
"Well, it was just an attempt, but I kind of expected your answer."
Loki didn't mind. Her Familia was full of talented people. She just thought Nathaniel was a decent guy, so she tried to recruit him. Being rejected was no big deal.
"Hmph, Loki, my Nathan-kun loves me the most. He would never be swayed by you!"
Hearing Nathaniel personally reject Loki, Hestia happily lifted her chin.
"Alright, alright, I'm off. I don't have time to waste with you. I still need to go celebrate with my children."
Without further ado, Loki pulled Riviera along and turned to leave. Not far away was the table of their Loki Familia, who had also just returned from an expedition in the dungeon today. They were here to celebrate as well.
The classic troublemaking scenario didn't play out—yes, I'm talking about the werewolf Bete usual antics. After all, he hadn't met Bell, so the events from the original story didn't happen this time. This time, Nathaniel and Loki got acquainted, but nothing else occurred.
"Tch, what a buzzkill," Hestia couldn't help but mutter as she watched Loki leave. Then, cheerfully, she pulled Nathaniel and Hephaestus back to their seats. While the Loki Familia needed to celebrate, so did they.
However, as Loki and Riviera left, their attention remained fixed on Nathaniel.
"Hey, Mom, did you see that?"
"Yes, I did. That guy speed is incredible. He was originally sitting in his seat, but when he pulled you and Goddess Hestia apart, he appeared behind her in an instant. That kind of speed is on par with Ais."
Ais, the Sword Princess, is currently the main LV5 adventurer in the Loki Familia. As a LV5, she possesses wind-based skills, making her incredibly fast when in action. She's also one of the heroines in the original story.
But for Ais to achieve that kind of speed, she must use her magic, "Ariel." Just now, Riviera had been observing Nathaniel closely, and she didn't sense any magical fluctuations.
This meant Nathaniel hadn't used any skills. If he achieved that speed purely through physical ability and controlled it so effortlessly…
"That kid is a natural talent," Loki's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Hestia really hit the jackpot this time."