Dining with a cute loli goddess made even so-so food taste better—Hestia's beauty really was a feast for the eyes.
That carb-loaded fullness? Fried potato balls could never.
Leaning back against the soft old sofa, Keyaru glanced at the girl curled up beside him like a cat and suddenly felt an urge to pat her head.
But the gap in their "stations" kept him from going that far.
"The road ahead is long and winding~"
"What does that mean?"
"If I want to… advance my relationship with Lady Hestia, the road is still very long. You could also take it to mean my path to getting stronger is long."
Honestly, the first half would've been plenty.
She didn't say it out loud in the end. She could feel the heat in her cheeks, and the best fix was to change the subject.
"Keyaru. Let me update your status!"
"Okay."
—
Keyaru
Lv 1
STR: F322→378 | END: G289→319 | DEX: F307→350 | AGI: G295→331 | MAG: F300→375
Development Abilities: None
Magic: Heal
Skills: Imitation, Transformation, Corruption
—
The rate of increase had slowed, but compared to peers at the same stage it was obvious Keyaru's talent was exceptional.
A total gain of about 200 stat points.
His magic talent in particular—this pace clearly had to do with where he was exploring. With how often he'd been using Heal, there was no way his Dungeon runs were as "uneventful" as he told her.
Hestia's feelings were mixed.
But when her gaze dropped to the parchment's Skills line, she didn't have time to blame herself—pure disbelief welled up instead.
—
Transformation
Effect: Limit Break
Temporarily raises overall physical stats to improve combat ability.
Corruption
Effect: Ignores resistances; damages flesh.
—
The descriptions were short, but the implications were huge—enough to knock Hestia flat.
As everyone knows: the shorter a skill description, the more room there is to use it.
A short-duration stat buff with no target restriction—self or others—paired with the busted Heal? That's an all-purpose support kit.
That was the thought pounding in her chest.
It was strong enough support to drive every Familia in Orario mad: the stronger the adventurer, the bigger the boost Transformation would give.
"Corruption…"
"That should count as a self-defense tool."
In DanMachi, development abilities include all kinds of abnormal resistances—but Corruption ignores that and hits the body directly.
Skill development is tied to what an adventurer goes through. Hestia tamped down her excitement and kept her face steady.
"Keyaru. How did you acquire these two skills?"
"The process is pretty simple. I see Heal as a double-edged sword—it can reset an adventurer to their original state.
"Flip the angle a bit.
"Change Heal's output form so it stimulates cellular activity—a short stat spike. That should work too.
"Corruption is the same idea."
It was the path he'd discovered himself; Keyaru didn't hide it from her. Worried the abstractions would be hard to grasp, he gave a concrete example:
"Riveria Ljos Alf—the 'Nine Hells' of the Loki Familia. She can spin three spells into nine forms. No reason I can't do similar, right?"
"…"
And indeed, it matched his guess.
Hestia nodded, half understanding. In short—Keyaru was using Heal in more ways by changing how he thought about it.
The example he picked, though, just had to be that annoying Loki's vice-captain; Hestia suddenly felt a little huffy.
Still, once she refocused, she was shaken by Keyaru's talent. Elves are born with far stronger affinity for magic than humans—and yet:
He'd been an adventurer for how long? With zero instruction?
"Put stat growth aside—could Keyaru also be a natural genius at magic and skill-craft?"
"…"
Her excitement was hard to describe. Even if it spent a lifetime's worth of luck, meeting Keyaru was worth it. She handed him the parchment brimming with surprises—
But his clear, handsome face didn't change at all.
—As if it were only natural.
"Keyaru, did you already know this was coming?" She took his hand, wanting a straight answer.
"That's right."
"Pretty much what I expected."
Keyaru smiled easily. Now that he understood how to develop derivatives, getting Looting would be child's play.
If there was a pity, it was that he hadn't gotten the Eye of Truth that sees through stats. Paired with that, Looting could be pushed to the limit.
"Back home, we say—'You can't clear the Dungeon by studying medicine alone; you've got to develop everything.'"
"That… does make sense," Hestia nodded, noncommittal. She knew this was a choice forced by their Familia's circumstances.
Even if she recruited new children now, they might not help. In fact, a rookie with no experience might just hold him back. Since she couldn't lighten the load—
She understood quickly.
Better to leave the decision to him. As a goddess, all she needed to do was offer unconditional trust and support.
Her smile bloomed like a cecilia, stars shining in her eyes. "Keyaru, what's your plan next?"
"Can I say this…?"
"Of course."
Her smile was sure.
Seeing that, Keyaru didn't hold back. He coughed lightly. "Then… I hope I can sleep holding Lady Hestia every night?"
"I meant your Dungeon plans!"
Blushing, she reached out and pinched his cheeks—carefully, worried about hurting him. His head was full of these things, and he even said them out loud—but… she didn't hate it.
She'd be embarrassed to admit it. Even if he hadn't asked, she wouldn't have said no.
"Oh. Almost said the rest."
Keyaru grinned sheepishly and stopped joking. "Focus stays on the Dungeon for now. Raising stats really matters. Magic and skills drain mental power like crazy.
"But solo runs are a bit inefficient. I'll probably find a party to join—as a frontline member."
He laid the groundwork for teaming up. Hearing such a steady plan, Hestia nodded, satisfied—though she couldn't help being curious about his "other" plans. They'd never talked about that sort of thing; just thinking about it made her heart race.
She tried, gently. "Keyaru, about that… other idea—could you tell me what it was?"
"…"
There was no verbal answer.
Strictly speaking, he answered with action—his eyes, completely unguarded, dropped very clearly to her small, pale jade feet.
The arch was a flawless piece of design. The baby-soft skin, clear as white grapes… a delicacy to be savored in one's hands.
"??"