The Tower of Babel rose into the clouds at the city's heart. Streets split Orario into eight sectors, with rows of dazzling shops lining both sides.
"Hephaestus Familia — Northwest Branch"
"The Hostess of Fertility"
Keyaru hadn't expected to get that "pilgrimage to sacred sites" feeling in the DanMachi world.
Except—
None of this was where he should be lingering right now. Having chosen to join the fledgling Hestia Familia, he definitely couldn't expect much in the way of conditions.
Reality matched his expectations.
Skirting the crowds in the central plaza, he stepped into the South Main Street—a wreck in stark contrast to Orario's bustle.
Collapsed, abandoned buildings; weeds poking up everywhere along the road.
Bricks and stones in the shade were slick with rain-fed, deep green moss. "Bleak" was the only word that came to mind.
"The plot's still pretty early. I wonder if the white-haired, red-eyed rabbit has joined a Familia yet?"
From the Familia's location he could roughly place the timeline.
Hestia's next words gave him the exact answer.
"Um… Keyaru, you'd actually be my first member."
Walking shoulder to shoulder with the boy, her initial zeal for founding a Familia had cooled. Thinking of bringing Keyaru back to the basement of an abandoned church to give him a god's blessing…
Her nerves frayed. Would Keyaru bail after seeing how rough her Familia's situation really was?
With that in mind, Hestia felt she had to give him a little heads-up:
"And, well~"
"I descended pretty late, so… so the Familia's conditions are on the poor side. You don't mind, do you?"
…
Keyaru filed that away. If the DanMachi protagonist—the reincarnated "hero," the white-haired, red-eyed rabbit—hadn't appeared yet, then he'd have a lot of room to operate.
He could lower the chances of catching the beauty-goddess Freya's eye, and not have to worry about Apollo, who swings both ways, ogling him every day.
Facing Hestia's hopeful question, he thought a moment and spoke honestly. "I think the best Familia is the one that suits you."
"All the external hurdles can be overcome—as long as we're willing to put in the work."
…
"Keyaru-san."
Hestia could tell this came straight from his heart.
Thinking back to their first meeting, the way she hadn't looked away but took him to the Pure-White Sanatorium—yes, that too had been the right call.
"I'll work hard with you."
"Lady Hestia, one more request… you can just call me by my name. Adding honorifics after it feels a little weird."
"Okay."
"Keyaru!"
—
Down in the abandoned church's basement, the scene was exactly as Keyaru had pictured.
A scrounged-up couch from who knows where; a spotless, well-made bed; a cupboard with the bare minimum of daily necessities on top.
Maybe because Hestia lived alone, the place felt a bit short on "lived-in."
Then he spotted the takeout box from some fried potato balls sitting on the coffee table, empty and not yet tossed—suddenly it all made sense.
The DanMachi main plot hadn't even kicked off. As a goddess, Hestia did indeed have a touch of "loves good food, hates chores."
"I should be able to make it across, right?"
He set those details aside. Once you join a Familia and come home to the base, the next step is obvious: receive the blessing.
Simple enough—unlock a status that's basically an XP bar.
But since his New Game+ had dumped him straight into DanMachi, he'd never gone to that lakeside village to get the Star Spirit's "Emerald Eyes" that see through people's stats.
His hero's crest had vanished from the back of his hand…
Stacked unknowns left Keyaru unsure about his own condition.
Top concern now: after arriving in DanMachi, could he still use the Healer's broken abilities?
"To join a Familia, first you need a god's blessing. Keyaru, take off your shirt, then lie on the bed for a moment."
Where Keyaru felt tense, Hestia was full of anticipation. She'd finally recruited a member—how were his talents?
She fetched the tools for granting the blessing: a silver needle, and the parchment to copy the status onto.
"Sorry to trouble you, Lady Hestia."
Knowing the procedure, Keyaru took off his shirt. Compared to boys his age, he was a bit on the lean side.
Not that it mattered. The thought of receiving a goddess's blessing and starting his adventurer life in DanMachi filled him with expectation.
Only—
What happened next went a bit off script. With all the prep done, Hestia perched on the edge of the bed.
The girl gently swung her smooth, pale calves.
She flicked off her slippers, planted her hands on the mattress, and swung a leg over—straddling the spot in front of Keyaru's shoulders, just above the back of his head.
No sense of pressure on his chest.
But he could feel, very clearly, how light she was.
"Is this… the right position?"
Keyaru wanted to crack a joke, but when he turned his head he saw her fair, delicate feet, and those neat, pearly toes.
He thought better of it.
With those perfect arches, those dainty feet were made to rest in someone's palms.
"Perfect."
…
Sitting astride his back, Hestia didn't realize how suggestive the posture was.
All her attention was on bestowing the blessing. She had zero experience with it and could only imitate what she remembered.
She pricked her index finger with the silver needle.
Squeezed out a drop of divine blood and gently smeared it across Keyaru's smooth back.
In that instant—
A soft glow bloomed before her eyes. Divine script reshuffled again and again, until at last it formed the blessing a god grants a mortal.
"Success."
A genuine smile blossomed on her cute face. She took out the brown parchment she'd prepared and made a rubbing of Keyaru's status.
For an ordinary person's first blessing, all stats start at base values.
Unless you're one of the rare standouts—spirits, or heroes birthed by the world—who might come with magic or skills attached.
But there aren't that many geniuses to choose from. Lots of Familias raise kids from young to ensure solid talent.
Hestia felt differently—Familia members were family.
Keyaru hadn't turned away despite the hardship. He still chose her, firmly.
To her, that was destiny.
As for talent? Hestia didn't care. But when her eyes landed on the freshly copied parchment—
Her gaze went blank.
And then—
Pure delight lit up that baby-faced smile.
—
Keyaru
Lv 1
Strength: i0 | Endurance: i0 | Dexterity: i0 | Agility: i0 | Magic: i0
Development Abilities: None
Magic: Heal
Skills: None
—
"?"
"Did I just… strike gold?!"