"This is the Dian Cecht Familia Pharmacy."
"You suddenly collapsed, so I brought you here for treatment."
After explaining the situation, Hestia lifted her gaze to the boy at her side—a brown-haired youth with short hair, his features still carrying a trace of boyishness.
It wasn't hard to guess who he was.
Most likely one of those wide-eyed kids with a dream, who came to Orario hoping to become an Adventurer.
The Dian Cecht Familia wasn't exactly the best place to chat, but what weighed on Hestia's mind was whether Airmid might spill what she'd said earlier.
She'd claimed the boy was her Familia member without his consent—declaring his identity unilaterally.
"Airmid."
"May I ask... how much is the treatment fee in Valis?"
"..."
Running the Dian Cecht Familia by herself, Airmid Teasanare was sharp enough to see through the little ploy. Still, she chose not to call it out.
She simply shook her head.
"If we charged just for checking a patient's condition, the Dian Cecht Familia Pharmacy wouldn't even be able to keep its doors open."
"Please take care of your health."
"Thank you."
Hestia turned toward the boy beside her and ventured, "Then... shall we go?"
"Sure."
Keyaru didn't refuse. His carefully laid plans had all been overturned, and he'd somehow landed in an entirely different world, outside the story's plotline.
The future stretched before him in uncertainty.
It felt like cramming night and day for an important exam, only to show up and discover the test was actually Kid's quiz.
How was that fair?
But thinking it through, he realized: once the cliché webnovel transmigration tropes had started rolling, there was no point nitpicking the world's logic.
Besides—the DanMachi world's dangers were nothing compared to the Redo of Healer's.
Sacrificing all the infamous classic scenes in exchange for a ticket into the gods' game of mortals? Maybe that wasn't so hard to accept.
At least he wouldn't have to deal with Flare's sadistic theatrics.
And Orario, with its relatively stable order—so long as you didn't cross paths with Evilus remnants—rarely faced major upheavals.
Leaving the Pharmacy, the blazing noontime sun spilled over him with soothing warmth. Shielding his eyes against the harsh light, Keyaru raised his arm.
The crest on the back of his right hand—the mark of the Hero of Healing—was gone.
"Just my luck..."
"Even water chokes me when I'm down."
The Hero system from previous world didn't carry over. He still remembered one rule clearly:
When a Hero dies, a new Hero is born nearby.
It was more like a position than an individual role.
The job wouldn't vanish with the last worker—it would simply pass to someone else.
Keyaru understood the logic. But when it actually happened to him, all he could feel was frustration.
"..."
Noticing the boy's gloomy silence, Hestia hesitated.
Maybe he'd been turned away harshly when he tried to join a Familia. Mulling it over, she decided to break the ice herself. With a gentle smile, she asked:
"What's your name?"
"Mm..."
"Keyaru..."
He looked toward the bustling street ahead.
It was nearly noon, and Adventurers were already returning from the Dungeon, clad in armor and even sporting beast-like traits.
The medieval-European style buildings surrounding him made one thing clear.
This was another extraordinary world.
"Keyaru."
"You came to Orario... is it to become an Adventurer?" To Hestia, stumbling across this boy while he was unconscious felt like fate.
More importantly—
Ever since she'd moved out of her friend's home, her thoughts had shifted. Recruiting members and forming her own Familia wasn't just idle ambition anymore.
Realistically—
Adventurers coming to Orario usually sought out the big, famous Familias.
Hestia herself had tried inviting a few passersby before, but the moment they heard about her Familia's circumstances, they all bolted.
Now, this boy named "Keyaru" might very well become the first step toward building her Familia.
"An Adventurer, huh?"
"Yeah, you could put it that way."
No transmigrator in their right mind would turn down supernatural powers, and Keyaru was no exception.
Sure, he could scrounge out a living with odd jobs in Orario—but he hadn't crossed worlds just to end up a corporate drone again.
That would be a waste of transmigration!
If he wanted power, the prerequisite was joining a Familia and receiving a god's Falna.
With the authority of the Hero of Healing—even if all he had was the basic Heal—getting into the Loki Familia would've been a cinch.
But really—
He couldn't just blurt out he was a transmigrator and convince Loki to "invest" in him, right?
His thoughts drifted.
He glanced at the goddess beside him—her deep blue eyes full of anticipation.
He still didn't know the DanMachi world's exact timeline. Had the white-haired rabbit boy appeared yet? Hard to say. But weighing all his options—
Hestia stood out.
Her Familia was still in its infancy, its conditions undeniably harsh. But she updated Status every day, and she was easy to get along with.
For now, she was the best possible choice.
"It's just..."
"Just?" Hestia leaned closer, her eyes sparkling.
"It's just... I don't know if any Familia would even accept me." Keyaru shook his head with a rueful smile.
But to Hestia, those words struck differently.
She lifted her chin, her young face glowing with a tender smile.
"Keyaru."
"Actually, I'm a goddess myself. Would you... be interested in joining the Hestia Familia?"
"..."
Keyaru turned his head, meeting her gaze.
He knew her reputation—flat broke, with dreams of forming a Familia, practically a laughingstock. She was probably already bracing herself for rejection.
Noticing his silence, she waved a hand lightly, still offering encouragement.
"If there's a Familia you'd rather join... then try. You'll never know unless you give it your all."
"I mean..."
"If it doesn't work out, I could... recommend you..." Hestia's smile wavered slightly as she spoke, but then—
She froze.
Her wide eyes blinked in disbelief as she stared at him.
"Keyaru... did you just say you'll join my Familia?"
"Of course I did."
"The only question is whether I'll be granted Lady Hestia's approval."
Shrugging, Keyaru smiled earnestly. "Until now, we were strangers. And yet, you still carried me unconscious to the infirmary."
"I believe—"
"Joining your Familia is absolutely the right choice."
Before a god, lies carried no weight—and Keyaru hadn't intended to lie anyway. Whether from logic or his own heart—
The Hestia Familia was his best option. Who could refuse a kind and gentle goddess who happened to be a cute and big-breasted?
And then—
As soon as the words left his mouth, a small, soft hand slipped into his.
Surprised, Keyaru looked down.
But Hestia's eyes were resolute as she answered his sincerity with her own. Her voice was serious, leaving no room for doubt:
"Let's go."
"I can't wait to become your goddess, Keyaru!"