Chapter 121: Chapter 121
"You really do have some nerve, Wallen-whatever-kun! Trying to poach my man right in front of me? What am I, a chop liver?"
Hestia planted herself in front of Kiriya and glared at Ais, grinding her teeth.
She looked like a little cat hunched over its dinner, daring anyone to come one step closer.
A scene like that was bound to draw a crowd.
The moment the passersby caught the words "steal my man" and saw Hestia squared up like she was ready to brawl to the last breath, curiosity immediately took over.
"Hey, hey—look over there. Isn’t that Goddess Hestia?"
"Sure is. And the pretty boy behind her? That’s Sylvan. I’d know that face anywhere."
"And her—wait, isn’t that the Sword Princess? What’s she doing here?"
"Word is, the Sword Princess is trying to steal Goddess Hestia’s man."
"You’re kidding! Seriously?"
The street came alive in an instant.
One was a goddess who’d come down from Heaven; the other, one of the most famous female adventurers in all of Orario.
Both had been in the spotlight lately—and now here they were, squaring off over a boy.
"Ohh, this is good."
More than a few gawkers stopped dead in their tracks, eyes gleaming.
Dungeon-diving could wait.
Business could wait.
Work could wait.
Fresh gossip had landed, and nothing else came close!
Not everyone was enjoying it, of course.
The Sword Princess’s admirers, for one, were staring at Kiriya like he’d done something unforgivable to their families.
"Tch. What’s so special about that pretty boy anyway?"
"Right? He looks way too soft."
"Nooo, Ais-sama, stay strong! He’s a trap! Don’t throw yourself away on him!"
A dozen resentful glares crawled down Kiriya’s spine, but he had no time to spare for them—he had his hands full trying to talk Hestia down.
"Hestia, easy. At least let’s hear what she actually means first."
"Hear what? It’s obvious, isn’t it? She’s after my man! Hah—if I don’t show my claws, everyone’s going to keep thinking I’m a pushover!"
Hestia was all but giving off visible waves of menace.
"Huh?"
Ais tilted her head, seemingly baffled by the whole reaction.
To Hestia, though, that blank look read as pure indifference—maybe even contempt—which only stoked the fire.
"Um... Goddess Hestia, I think there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding."
Seeing which way this was heading, Tione hurried forward to smooth things over.
"We heard Kiriya’s going on an expedition. Since he’s still new to the lower floors, we figured going alone might be rough on him, so we wanted to invite him to join our party. That way we can all watch each other’s backs."
Ais nodded. "He’s on his own, so a lot of things get harder. Even hauling supplies is a struggle."
Good thing Ais got the words out when she did.
Otherwise the headline "Sword Princess Poaches Goddess’s Man in Broad Daylight" would have been all over Orario in an hour—and if word reached Loki, she might just drop dead where she stood.
"...That’s all?"
Hestia blinked.
"Yes? What else would it be?"
Tione blinked right back.
"Ahem. Well—you could’ve led with that."
Hestia finally clocked that she’d wildly overreacted.
Her face went red, and she coughed a couple of times to bury the moment.
"Anyway, fine, you’ve got a point. It would be a hassle for Kiriya to go alone. But... since when are you all so charitable? Would Loki actually sign off on this?"
There was no such thing as a free lunch—least of all between Familias.
And it wasn’t as if Hestia and Loki were on friendly terms.
Why would Loki’s people go out of their way to lend her a hand?
Out of the goodness of their hearts?
If it were Miach or Takemikazuchi, sure, Hestia might buy it. But the Loki Familia? She couldn’t help wondering what that flat-chested trickster was scheming.
"Please, don’t worry. Loki gave her blessing."
Tione added quickly, "Her exact words were: ’Let the little guy get a good look at how strong our Familia is. Maybe he’ll get tempted and jump ship on his own.’"
There was one thing they left out, naturally—they also wanted a front-row seat to Kiriya’s fighting and training.
The secret behind his freakish growth rate had them all burning with curiosity!
"Hmph. So you are after my Kiriya."
The wariness crept back into Hestia’s eyes, though she wasn’t digging in her heels as hard as before.
This was about Kiriya’s safety, after all. She couldn’t let her feelings call every shot.
She’d only been in the mortal world a few months, but even she understood how brutal and dangerous the Dungeon’s lower floors could be. If Kiriya had a strong team at his back, that was genuinely a solid option.
"Mm... Kiriya, what do you think?"
"Honestly? Having reliable guides for my first trip down there sounds pretty great."
Kiriya didn’t turn them down.
He trusted his own strength, but the lower floors were no joke.
Having seasoned adventurers show him the way could only help—and if things went smoothly, he might even push a little deeper.
Besides, troublesome and prank-happy as Loki herself was, her Familia’s reputation was rock solid.
He’d talked with Riveria and Finn before, and they’d left a good impression on him.
"Mm..."
Hestia scrunched up her cute little nose. Still not thrilled, she let out a sigh at last.
"Fine. Tagging along with the Loki Familia this once can’t hurt. But Kiriya—there’s one thing I want to make crystal clear."
Her voice went serious.
"If you run off on me, I’m going to cry!"
"..."
Kiriya paused a beat, then broke into an easy smile.
He reached out, pulled Hestia into his arms, and dropped his voice low against her ear.
"Silly goddess. From the day you saved me and took me home, I already decided I’d be part of the Hestia Familia for good. Keep doubting a bond like that, and I’ll have to punish you when we get back."
"P-Punish...?"
A shiver ran through Hestia.
Recalling a few of the "educational" tidbits her goddess friends had drilled into her earlier, she pressed her legs together and shifted where she stood.
Kiriya caught the change in the air.
When he glanced down, he found Hestia’s eyes had gone soft and misty, dangerously inviting.
The boy was young, brimming with energy, and had only just discovered how sweet this kind of thing could be.
He got the message at once—and was about to whisk Hestia home for a little more "private bonding."
Then a few pointed coughs sounded behind him, and his head cleared in a snap.
"Ah. Right. You’re all still here."
That earned an eye-roll from Tione.
"Unbelievable. One pretty girl in your arms and everyone else stops existing."
"Hehe, I don’t mind. I kind of like how honest he is."
Tiona’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in, her voice going sweet and coaxing.
"Hey, handsome—I know a thing or two myself. Want to spar sometime?"
"Haha, well..."
Kiriya took in her bright, lively face and found himself thinking that small and spirited had its own particular charm.
Unfortunately, a sharp pinch at his waist reminded him he wasn’t at liberty to appreciate it.
He shut her down at once with ’righteous’ seriousness.
"Girl, you’re young. You shouldn’t spend all day with your head full of strange ideas."
"Kiriya. You’re misbehaving."
Hestia pinched the soft flesh at his waist and gave it a few slow twists.
Then she leaned close to his face and whispered, "Naughty children get properly punished. Brace yourself."
Kiriya looked down at that face and let out a faintly smug little snort.
Funny—who exactly had been begging for mercy earlier?
And now she wanted to play the tough one? What a tiny, entertaining goddess she was!
Watching the two of them flirt without saying a word, Tiona badly wanted in on it—only for her sister to haul her off by the collar.
Their goal was already in the bag.
Sticking around any longer just meant choking down more of the happy-couple act, so it was better to make an exit.
"Well... see you tomorrow."
Ais opened her mouth like she had a great deal more to say, but in the end it came out as a simple goodbye.
"Mm. See you tomorrow."
With that, Kiriya headed off with Hestia.
They were setting out tomorrow, and there were still many things they needed to buy.
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