Chapter 2: Goddess

"Inhale—"

Kiyo thought of a certain possibility, his breathing became rapid, and his hands trembled slightly as he raised the fancy sword he had bought with a huge sum of money.

"Miss Eina... please take a careful and thoughtful look at how much this sword is worth."

"Well, I'm not a blacksmith, but I do know a little about weapons. This sword is probably worth around 60 valis, but considering the embedded glowing crystal and the carvings, it might be worth about 80 valis."

Eina carefully examined the sword briefly before giving her blunt assessment. 

Seeing the light gradually fade from the newcomer's eyes, she immediately realized he had been tricked.

'To be deceived right after arriving in Orario… How unfortunate. He also looks quite naïve with his hands don't have the grip of a swordsman or the roughness of a farmer. Is he a young noble from a kingdom outside Orario? Telling him the truth so directly might be cruel, but if a newbie adventurer took a fake sword into the dungeon and never came back…'

'Ugh! Pfft! My heart can't take this.'

Kiyo clutched his chest and groaned as if he had taken a devastating critical hit.

'Why?! Didn't the author say that dwarves are supposed to be honest and sincere? Liars!'

Kiyo thought with tears streaming down his face. 

'I traded my last bit of phone battery for 1 million valis… and now I'm completely broke. This is a disaster.'

'Damn it!'

"Pfft... It looks like you need a consultant to help you understand all sorts of things about being an adventurer."

Eina couldn't help but laugh at Kiyo's ridiculous expression. 

After realizing she had lost her composure, she quickly held back her laughter and returned to her warm, professional demeanor.

"It looks like you need a consultant to teach you all about being an adventurer."

Hearing this, Kiyo slowly lifted his head, his eyes completely lifeless. 

'A weapon worth only 60 valis… In Orario, a single fried potato ball costs 30 valis. In other words, my 1 million valis had basically been exchanged for just two potato balls…'

"As you can see, I'm now a completely penniless broke man~"

"I'm not asking for payment right now." 

Eina patiently reassured him. 

"If a new adventurer doesn't have someone to guide them, they might not make it back due to many avoidable mistakes... I hope you'll consider it."

She smiled and handed him a form.

"Hmm, I'll think about it, Miss Eina. However, I should probably focus on finding a Familia to join now. Do you know of any gods who haven't a Familia yet? Maybe… a goddess without a Familia, for example? Hehe."

As Kiyo spoke, his face flushed slightly, and anyone could hear the ulterior motives hidden in his words.

Sure enough, Eina was momentarily stunned before giving the blushing boy a strange, scrutinizing look.

"Are you sure you're looking for a Familia with a goddess who doesn't have any members yet?"

'Are you really looking for a Familia to join? No matter how I look at it, it seems like you're trying to meet a goddess. It's pretty common for gods to fall in love with mortals and vice versa… but someone starting with the goal of meeting a goddess?'

Of course, as a Guild employee, Eina kept these thoughts to herself.

"I'm sure!" 

Kiyo declared, "As a man destined to become the greatest adventurer in Orario, I must start from scratch and build my own Familia. This is what it means to have passion—true passion! Miss Eina, you understand that, right?"

Kiyo's eyes darted nervously under Eina's gaze, but he still stubbornly held his ground, his face slightly red.

Then, squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed his hands together in a desperate prayer and—

"Clap! Please help me!"

After all, finding a single person—no, a god—in a huge city like Orario was almost impossible. The best he could do was try his luck at the Guild.

Eina was speechless, but at the same time, she had to hold back a laugh, her face slightly flushed.

'What a confident and adorable kid.'

However, Kiyo wasn't the only young adventurer who had come to Orario with big dreams. 

There are many of the new adventurers she had helped before ended up joining a Familia because they were captivated by a goddess—just like those in Goddess Freya's Familia.

"Sigh~ Let me check… An adventurer setting out specifically to meet a goddess? You're definitely the first one I've met."

Eina began searching through the records. 

"But honestly, there are very few gods without a Familia and even fewer goddesses—almost none. I'd advise you not to get your hopes… Huh? Wait a minute! There is actually one."

Ten minutes later.

"I still can't believe someone became an adventurer just to meet a goddess. This is a first for me. Well… good luck!"

Eina signed her name on an adventurer registration form with a quill pen. Even someone as meticulous as her couldn't help but remark, yet she found herself smiling again.

It was rare to see a newbie adventurer who wasn't chasing money or fame, and even if his reason for becoming one was a bit ridiculous…

Kiyo Astrea.

As an advisor, she made sure to remember that name deeply.

...

"Hestia doesn't have a Familia yet—this is perfect!"

Kiyo ran through the bustling streets with his backpack, unable to hide the bright smile on his face.

Right now, Hestia was desperately searching for someone willing to join her Familia. 

Unfortunately, in the lower world, gods weren't much different from humans and some even lived worse than humans. 

If a god didn't possess a unique skill or talent, they couldn't provide any benefits. 

Naturally, humans wouldn't choose to follow such a god.

As the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia had no charm like Freya, who could easily captivate mortals. She also wasn't like Hephaestus, who could forge powerful magic weapons. And unlike Hermes, she didn't have the cunning and tricks who always had a plan hidden within a plan.

She even had to work part-time for humans just to earn enough valis to survive in the lower world.

A god-like her wouldn't interest most people who only cared about benefits. After all, every god gave the same kind of blessing.

However, Kiyo just so happened to be one of the rare few who wasn't in it for personal gain.

He wanted the adventure, moments that touched his heart, the most beautiful feelings in the world, and things that had been the ultimate luxury in his previous life.

On South East Main Street, this area had the most ordinary residents in Orario.

The buildings here were simple and old, with narrow alleys and moss growing in the cracks between the brick walls.

This place had once been home to several Familias, but after they were wiped out, all that remained were slums and the ruins of their former homes. 

The abandoned church where Hestia now lived was once the base of one such fallen Familia.

As Kiyo walked deeper into the area, the surroundings gradually changed.

There are clothes hung from ropes above his head, and the street vendors sell simple household goods instead of weapons or adventurer gear. 

This place was far more filled with the essence of ordinary human life compared to West Main Street.

"Come and take a look. Don't miss out. These fried potato balls were personally made by a goddess herself with only 30 valis—a great deal."

At that moment, a girl with twin ponytails cheerfully waved her tongs at a small food stall selling fried potato balls.

She had a bright, youthful smile, full of energy, as she called out to the people passing by, and just seeing her smile could sweep away all the worries in the world.

A faint yet unique aura radiated from her, as if simply staring at her for too long would make someone unknowingly captivated by it.

'Divinity.'

The word surfaced in Kiyoi's mind.

The humans might not recognize gods, but they knew the moment they saw one.

She's cute, beautiful, pure, enchanting, noble, elegeant, supreme, unique… countless words flooded his thoughts.

The words he had been ready to say suddenly got stuck in his throat.

"Do you want to buy one? They're really delicious. A goddess made them with her own hands!"

Hestia beamed as she picked up a fried potato ball with her tongs, holding it out to the dazed young man standing in front of her stall.

"Uh… L-Lady Goddess…"

Kiyo snapped back to reality, his heart pounding wildly.

In anime, gods never felt this real, but now, standing before one, felt something stir deep inside him with his cheeks started to blush.

'I'm blushing… Ahhh, this is so embarrassing! So pathetic!'

"Lady Goddess?"

Hestia blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned. Then, instantly, her face lit up with a radiant, overjoyed smile.

She locked her eyes on the young man, who had been completely mesmerized by her appearance. She had been in the lower world for so long, yet not a single human had been willing to join her Familia.

Even her fellow gods mocked her that she was a "poor goddess"—the only thing she had was her chest.

Humans didn't want her either and always turned her down because she was a goddess who couldn't offer them anything.

She herself knew that she was a goddess who couldn't really do anything, and humans only gave her the most basic respect—or sometimes, no respect at all.

They usually addressed her as Godess-sama, Lady Hestia, or simply Hestia without respect.

However, "Lady Goddess?"… This was the first time she had ever been called that.

Normally, only familia members use that title when talking about their own main god.

"Hehe~ I'm Hestia! What's your name?"

Hestia instantly dropped the tongs she held and skipped lightly toward him, hands playfully tucked behind her back. 

She gazed up at him with a radiant smile, her sky-blue eyes sparkled with excitement and hope. She couldn't sense any divine blessings on him, and his pure black eyes were clear.

'This is great! He wasn't part of any other familia and was a newcomer from the outside Orario.'