Chapter 34: A Love-struck Best Friend Makes Hephaestus Curious! (Please Follow) (Patreon)

"Since we've decided you'll explore the Dungeon tomorrow, Rozz... get a good rest, okay? I should head home and rest too!"

Parting was unavoidable.

Short of getting an advance on her pay and moving in to share meals and a roof with her own Familia member, Hestia couldn't think of any other way around it.

Of course.

This time, returning to her close friend's home, she definitely had business to attend to.

Thanks to information from the Supporter girl, Rozz had realized that the Adventurers coveting his equipment were planning to move within the next two days.

Mm...

After leaving the communal dormitory, the girl goddess's face clouded over with worry again — she knew Rozz was about to face a dangerous confrontation.

How could she possibly sit still over that?!

Since things had come to this,

the only method Hestia could think of was to call on her divine connections... beg Hephaestus. Surely she could help.

Of course.

This was on the premise of respecting Rozz's choice — the boy wanted to handle it his own way.

As a goddess, she couldn't interfere directly. But from another angle — if she asked other Adventurers to simply guarantee Rozz's safety, that would work, wouldn't it!

"Reasonable."

Hestia held onto that thought.

After returning to her friend's home, she wandered around like some aimless loiterer, until she noticed the office light was still on. The girl steeled her nerve and knocked.

"Knock knock knock~"

"Come in."

She didn't even need to look up.

Hephaestus could already guess who it was. She set aside her work and looked at Hestia, walking embodiment of the word "trouble."

Especially the way this one had knocked so properly and politely...

That made it even more suspicious!

Hephaestus didn't say anything first. She genuinely wanted to see just how much trouble Hestia, goddess that she was, could stir up this time.

"Um..."

This was the crucial moment.

Hestia's manner turned oddly bashful, since this situation was completely different from usual. "I need to ask a favor of you."

"Like you don't bother me enough as it is?"

"Heh heh..."

Even choked up by that remark, the girl goddess forced herself to press on:

"Could I borrow one of your Adventurers? Maybe for two days... it's because Rozz seems to be in a bit of trouble lately."

"...?"

Borrowing money to set up her Familia member, mooching equipment, wanting an advance on her pay.

All of that, Hephaestus figured she could turn a blind eye to — just the price of this woman finally shaking off her lazy habits.

But!

She really hadn't expected Hestia to escalate even further — now wanting to borrow one of her own Familia's Adventurers for a few days?

What kind of love potion had Rozz slipped Hestia?!

"I think..."

Hephaestus's mouth twitched, thinking of how much her friend had changed lately. "As a goddess, you've already done more than enough."

"Oh, it's nothing~"

"I just keep feeling like... I haven't given Rozz a great enough environment. With his talent, he could've joined any of the powerful Familias without a problem."

She supposed she could take that as a compliment to herself.

The girl goddess waved it off with a grin, but didn't forget to explain: "Actually, when you get down to it, this whole thing is partly my fault."

"Because that sword was the spark that set everything off..."

"Rozz is still a rookie Adventurer after all, and with those old hands watching him, I just feel like it's not that safe for him in the Dungeon."

"..."

Once she'd learned roughly what had happened,

Hephaestus nearly choked, because she still remembered the way this woman had sworn up and down when renting that weapon from her.

She'd even given a warning at the time.

A rookie wearing that gear would stand out too much — and Hestia's answer had been: as a goddess, she had to give her Familia member the very best.

You picked it yourself!

But she also knew Hestia wasn't joking about this — mainly because Orario really wasn't as peaceful as one might hope.

The undercurrents churning beneath the surface were real.

"So—"

"Could I borrow Tsubaki Collbrande from your Familia for two days? She wouldn't need to do anything, just make sure Rozz stays safe."

"As for everything else..."

Hestia's eyes were uneasy, yet her tone couldn't hide a note of pride. "That, Rozz will handle himself!"

"..."

Was there something wrong with this world, or had Hestia simply lost her mind?

If she remembered correctly, it hadn't even been a full few days since Rozz became an Adventurer — and he could handle those seasoned veterans?!

Absolutely impossible...

And yet,

watching the girl's certain expression, Hephaestus suddenly felt a flicker of interest — and a good deal of that,

was because of this "love-brained" friend standing before her.

Going on every single day about how wonderful her Familia member was, quietly pouring so much into him — just how extraordinary did his talent have to be...

to push Hestia this far?!

"Lending her to you is no problem."

The mature red-haired goddess raised her head, and noticing the surprised smile spreading across her friend's face, tapped her fingers lightly on the desk. "But in exchange..."

"I'm genuinely curious about this Familia member of yours. What kind of magic does Rozz have, that's gotten you to go this far?"

"..."

In truth, before coming to ask her friend for help,

Hestia had already expected this. Hoping to confirm something, she asked, "Um... can you really not see that... thing on Rozz?"

"The Vessel?"

The red-haired goddess frowned slightly. "Talent's the kind of thing even Ouranos himself couldn't spot at the rookie Adventurer stage."

"It only shows itself through experience in the field."

Once she had her answer,

Hestia let out an involuntary breath of relief. Rather than continue that line of conversation, she pivoted. "The details aren't something I can share."

"But still..."

"When it comes to being an Adventurer, Rozz's talent is... genuinely absurd. I'd guess that before too long, he'll rack up enough of a Great Feat to level up."

"He'll definitely break the fastest record ever set — the one held by the 'Sword Princess,' Ais Wallenstein."

"...?"

Hephaestus shot her a look. Are you sure you're not just messing with me?

—

"Whew~"

"Today... is probably the most crucial day since I arrived in Orario."

Rozz finished donning his full set of gear and stood by the window, looking up at the pale, fish-belly white sky brightening in the distance.

The muscle soreness from his combat simulations had completely faded after last night's rest.

Was he nervous?

That was unavoidable, considering today he'd very likely have to fight for his life against those seasoned Adventurers.

A thing like this—

back in his old life, he'd truly never have imagined it.

But Orario existed in a medieval-like age, and the transcendent existence of Adventurers had turned the world's underlying nature into one of survival of the fittest.

"If they'd eat other men, there's no reason they wouldn't eat me too."

Diary of a Madman had it right.

Rozz wasn't naive enough to think he could change the logic of this world. Having transmigrated to another world, all he wanted was to live differently.

But if someone stood in his way, determined to make his life difficult—

well...

then either he'd end up kicked to death and left by the roadside, or — he'd deal out that same treatment, equally, to anyone who tried to make things hard for him.

Still,

as he stepped out of the communal dormitory, Rozz drank in the fresh air greedily — and there, waiting for him already, fully equipped, stood the Supporter girl.

She looked up,

and Lili held out a bag of piping-hot Tater Tots.

"Want some?"

—

[Author's Note: Reporting the reward tally — Blade tickets have hit 50, so that's a bonus chapter of 2000 words; monthly tickets are at 170 (30 short of 200), which is another bonus chapter of 2000 words. This author-meow is going to code through the night and try to get the update out before 6 AM. Also, now that yesterday's follow-read data is in, I'll decide how many days of the 8000-words-a-day pace to keep based on how much it's climbed!! Please keep following along, meow!]