The carriage wheels rolled, and soon, the massive city walls that completely separated the city from the outside world loomed before them.
"Well then, Goddess, I wish you a smooth journey."
The Goddess with cute twin pigtails leaped off the carriage, waving her small hand gratefully.
"Thanks, Miss Merchant!"
She took a deep breath, spread her arms as if to embrace the whole world, and with all her might, declared with full vigor!
"Alright... I'm finally here, Orario!"
"My life in the Lower World is about to begin—!"
However, reality quickly delivered a heavy blow to this innocent Goddess.
When she heard the gatekeeper warn that "if gods and their familia resettle in Orario, they cannot easily leave the city except in special circumstances," she was truly a bit at a loss.
After a series of dizzyingly complex procedures, the twin-tailed Goddess finally passed through the north city gate.
"The inspections and inquiries took so long... To enter the town, and to live here, there are all sorts of rules to follow...."
After being so flustered that she was almost gray, the twin-tailed Goddess finally dragged her weary feet through the north city gate.
"But!"
She shook her head, perked up again, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.
"This is also the 'true flavor of the Lower World,' isn't it!"
Compared to the Heavenly Realm, where everything was incredibly free and unrestrained, this Lower World, with its inconveniences and restrictions everywhere, gave her a feeling of immense novelty in everything.
Standing inside the city walls, seeing the magnificent cityscape covered by the clear blue sky, the twin-tailed Goddess narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
"This is the Labyrinth City... What a wonderful place!"
The title "Center of the World" was truly fitting; the streetscape, almost dreamlike in its splendor, made even her, a Goddess, sigh with heartfelt admiration.
Paved stone roads, dazzling shops, inns of various styles, towering clock towers, bustling squares, and the Babel reaching into the clouds...
This scene, filled with all sorts of artificial creations, large and small, was a picturesque sight that could never exist in the Heavenly Realm.
Although the Heavenly Realm also had majestic nature and glowing waterfalls pouring down from the clouds, and other mysterious paradise scenes imagined by people of the Lower World.
But truly, she still preferred this bustling, vibrant atmosphere of human life!
"Hmm... Next, I can't just wander around in a sightseeing mood... I need to solve the problems of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation first."
She clenched her small fists, cheering herself on.
"I'll go find Hephaestus first; she should still be here."
Because she was "encouraged" by a good friend, Hestia had gathered the courage to descend to the Lower World, so the first thing she thought of was to rely on that dependable close friend.
As for going directly to that child... she was still a little shy.
How to put it, that feeling was probably like an online romance where she had been silently following the other person online.
When it came time for their first offline meeting, her heart would uncontrollably pound wildly.
She had forgotten how many centuries ago it was, but Hephaestus, an old acquaintance, had said, "I really want to go to that place," and set off ahead of her when they parted ways.
Thinking about it now, she wished she had just found a way to go with her back then.
If so, would she have met that child earlier?
While fantasizing like this, the twin-tailed Goddess was about to squeeze into the crowd of children around her to ask Hephaestus for information.
"—Oh? Hey, hey, could that be..."
"Hmm? What—uh."
Suddenly, a voice full of teasing came from behind.
The twin-tailed Goddess whirled around, and when she clearly saw the person—no, the "deity"—who came into view, her face instantly showed an expression of disgust, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Tsk, it's Loki!"
"What~, it really is little Hestia~ Oh, what terrible luck~"
Red-haired, red-eyed Loki, as if having suffered a great misfortune, dramatically spread her arms and complained to the sky.
Hestia instantly bristled, hands on her hips, and retorted indignantly.
"What nonsense are you talking about! That's clearly my line!"
Even after countless years, she still remembered this person clearly.
Loki, the Goddess of Mischief, synonymous with unprecedented chaos even in the Heavenly Realm.
As long as she got involved with her, she would definitely be teased by her; she was Hestia's destined arch-enemy!
Loki swayed her head, approached, and sized her up with a critical gaze, smirking.
"Looking at your country bumpkin outfit, it means you haven't been in the Lower World for long, right?"
Hestia unceremoniously puffed out her chest and retorted.
"Only an unpopular person like you would call the Heavenly Realm a countryside!"
"Ugh... Damn it, your mouth has gotten sharper."
Loki's expression was aggrieved for a moment, but soon, she thought of something else and showed a triumphant smile.
"Hey, little one, you're not planning to find a home and settle down in Orario, are you?"
"What if I am?!"
"Hehehe, I'll have a good laugh at you for not knowing your own limits!"
Loki reached out her finger, unceremoniously poking Hestia's smooth forehead, saying triumphantly.
"This Orario is not something a lazy shut-in Goddess like you, who eats and sleeps all day, can handle!"
"Damn it! Stop acting so smug!"
Hestia's cheeks flushed red with anger, almost pouncing on her to bite her on the spot.
Just then, a delicate blonde girl behind Loki, who looked like a doll, tilted her head and asked in a cool voice, confused.
"Loki, this Goddess is…?"
"Ah, Ais, no need to greet this useless Goddess. Just call her Shorty!" Loki waved his hand dismissively.
While angered by Loki's casual remark, Hestia was more concerned about something else.
Her gaze went past Loki, to the two beautiful Fairy Girls behind him, and the blonde girl who had spoken, and her heart was greatly shaken.
"Lo-Loki, could it be… these children… are they…?!",
Loki tilted her head back, stuck out her tongue, and let out an extremely arrogant laugh.
"Ahahaha, finally noticed, Shorty!",
"As you can see, these are all~~~ my adorable Familia!!!"
The girls, being introduced with such smugness by their Head-Goddess, all wore expressions that said, "This is so troublesome."
But seeing this grand scene, which could even be called a "large Familia," Hestia was still struck with a powerful shock, as if by lightning.
"H-How could this be? Loki is so awful, how could she have such lovely children…?!"
After unconsciously blurting out her envy, jealousy, and hatred, Hestia realized her mistake and quickly put her hands on her hips, stubbornly retorting.
"...Hmph, hmph! In any case, Loki's Familia definitely isn't some amazing Familia…",
"Ignorance is a sin, you know~ I'm the strongest in the exploration faction, which is to say, the faction that nurtures adventurers! The largest faction in Orario!",
After all, Freya Familia wasn't considered an exploration faction.
So, as long as she added enough qualifiers, her Loki Familia was the strongest Familia in Orario! Perfect logic!
Loki proudly pushed Ais forward.
"You don't know this child, do you? Let me tell you, she is the fastest adventurer to ever reach Lv.2 in Orario's recorded history!",
"Does your Familia, which hasn't even been successfully formed yet, have someone as powerful and adorable as her? Huh?!",
Riveria, who was standing nearby, was about to say something, but then realized that Loki's bragging this time was surprisingly precise.
Although everyone in Orario now knew that Rod was the one with the most exaggerated growth, the problem was that the Guild hadn't recorded his level.
Therefore, Loki's words couldn't really be considered a lie.
Riveria felt a wave of helplessness.
Why was this Head-Goddess so dedicated to such things…
"Wh-What?",
Facing Loki, who was smirking and looking down at her, Hestia's eyes widened with a snap.
"Don't lie! It's impossible for a vulgar God like you to have the strongest Familia or anything like that!",
Loki angrily pressed her forehead against Hestia's forehead.
"Bastard, how am I vulgar?!",
Hestia pushed back without hesitation.
"You can think of a ton of examples if you just try? Why don't you put your hand on your washboard chest and ask yourself!",
"Huh? Don't get arrogant just because your chest is a little bigger… I'll never forgive you, Shorty!",
"Who are you calling Shorty, Washboard!",
The two Goddesses thus began to curse and wrestle with each other in public.
Alicia's eyelids twitched at the sight, and she timidly turned to the Elf Royalty beside her for help.
"Riveria-sama, is it really alright not to stop them?",
Riveria shook her head, and surprisingly, she crossed her arms and watched the fight with interest.
"Although this fellow is our Head-Goddess, it's a good thing to have another God teach her a good lesson for us."
"...."
"Moreover," a subtle smile played on Riveria's lips, "if they didn't truly care about each other, they wouldn't be able to argue like this, would they?"
Alicia suddenly understood.
Yes, many Gods had descended from Tenkai, but Loki barely paid any attention to most of them.
This was truly the first time she had seen them arguing and fighting on the street, completely disregarding their image.
Could it be… that their relationship was actually very good?
Ais, meanwhile, blinked her golden eyes blankly, watching the two Gods pulling each other's cheeks and hair, engaging in a fight devoid of any beauty, and calmly analyzed internally.
"...This won't kill people, no, Gods."
Ultimately, the battle ended with Hestia, for some unknown reason, erupting with immense strength, actually overpowering Loki and taking the opportunity to trip her to the ground.
Hestia panted, "Ha, ha," but didn't forget to proudly mock Loki, who was lying on the ground.
· · · · · · · · · · ·
"Hmph, if this were a ring, you'd already be out and lost!",
Loki also panted, her shoulders shaking, and stubbornly retorted in exasperation.
"D-Damn it! This ground… the ground is really slippery today!",
"Who was in charge of sweeping this street today?! I'm definitely going to complain! Complain bitterly!",
After getting up from the ground, Loki, feeling that she had lost face, didn't want to bother with Hestia anymore, but still didn't forget to make a harsh threat.
"Hmph, at most, it'll just be a dying struggle."
"Even if I give you ten more years, you won't be able to form a Familia that surpasses mine!",
"Because it's you, you definitely won't gather a single child, and you'll just run away from Orario with your tail between your legs, crying."
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.
Hestia instantly felt a huge sense of panic.
She inexplicably felt that she… might really not be able to do it…
But!
The image of that child once again appeared clearly in her mind.
If it were him, if it were that strong, rational, and yet gentle him, whom she had been secretly watching…
"What if I do it?!" Hestia clenched her fists and shouted back with all her might.
Loki stopped, turned back in surprise, and saw Hestia's face, filled with determination.
She smiled speechlessly.
"Once you understand how great my Familia is, you'll definitely regret the boast you made today."
"But if by some miracle you actually do it… I'll even serve you tea and pour water, Shorty!"
… ... …
The two Gods exchanged glances, let out a heavy snort, and then walked in completely different directions.
"Loki-sama," Alicia couldn't suppress her curiosity, "If that Goddess really does it, do you really intend to…",
Loki's eyes gleamed with rationality, and she said unequivocally.
"That's impossible… Numbers, experience, first-mover advantage, talent will only be attracted to powerful Familias, so the strong will always be the strong in Orario."
"In fact, if it weren't for Zeus and Hera Familia encountering setbacks on their own, we and Freya Familia would not have been able to become the kings of Orario, and we wouldn't even have had the qualifications to challenge them."
Although these words were overly cruel, everyone present had to admit that it was a brutal truth.
"Alright, alright, don't mind that new Shorty! Let's go shopping together, hehehe~",
Riveria thought silently to herself.
Normally, everything would unfold as Loki predicted.
However… this era, precisely gave birth to that fellow who could break all rules…
However, she also thought that the other party had already joined Astrea Familia, so she didn't remind Loki.
After all, Goddess Hestia probably wouldn't find a second Rod…
Hestia, filled with anger, successfully asked passersby for the location of Hephaestus Familia and rushed over, wanting to pour out her grievances to her God-friend.
The result was…
"What? Hephaestus is away on a long trip?!"
Greeting her was a young-looking Pallum girl.
Lili curiously observed the beautiful and petite Goddess in front of her, whose face was filled with dejection.
She had clear blue eyes, and long, jet-black hair that reached the middle of her thighs, tied into cute twin tails.
Compared to the gentle Goddess Astrea, the rational Goddess Hephaestus…
There were also Goddesses who, like children, wore all their emotions on their faces…
"Yes, the return time is unknown, and Captain Tsubaki is also busy with her own work, so if you have anything, you can tell Lili first."
Hestia's shoulders drooped in distress.
Could she really complain about Loki's flat chest to this child she had just met, or ask for advice on how to form a Familia…
"Forget it… Since that's the case, I'll just wait for her to come back and find her then."
Hestia sighed, reluctantly turned to leave, and softly muttered to herself.
"Although… although I'm a little shy, now I can only… go find that child…"
"Rod…"
She secretly cheered herself on in her heart, just as she was about to step out of the Familia's gate.
At that moment, Lili's surprised voice came from behind her.
"Goddess! Were you just talking about Rod-sama?"
Dungeon 27th Floor.
A loli stood quietly in front of Rod.
She had a pair of twisted, pitch-black, and massive horns on her head, her left eye was a deep azure, and her right eye was an ominous crimson.
She was draped in a cloak that seemed to be made of pure night, her fingernails were sharp as blades, and her skin was as white as if she were not alive.
She stood there blankly, unconsciously playing with the black strands of hair wrapped around her horns.