Standing in front of Izumi and Kanon was a small girl—
Barefoot, twin-tails tied high on her head, and a chest so overwhelmingly emphasized that it had to be secured with a blue ribbon.
That iconic outfit.
Izumi recognized her instantly.
Hestia.
Yes—this was none other than the goddess Hestia.
Looking up at Izumi and Kanon, her eyes sparkled as she asked eagerly,
"Um! Would you like to join a familia?"
"Our Hestia Familia is recruiting right now!"
The moment she said that, her body tensed.
So far, she hadn't recruited a single member.
Even though people from other worlds had been appearing in Orario recently, not one of them had chosen her familia.
She had already been on the verge of despair—
And yet, here were two more newcomers.
Hope flared once again in Hestia's chest.
Izumi raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at her.
"…No reaction?"
Neither his Godslayer constitution nor Kanon's had responded.
And she didn't seem to sense anything either.
Was it because the gods of this world had sealed themselves completely?
Izumi didn't dwell on it for long.
After all—
Since she had delivered herself right to him, there was no reason to hold back.
He needed a god in this world.
And Hestia was, without question, the perfect candidate.
Izumi's expression suddenly brightened into a wide smile.
Hestia, whose instincts were surprisingly sharp, felt a chill run down her spine.
"Uh… you—"
Smack.
Izumi placed a firm hand on Hestia's shoulder.
"A wild god, huh."
"Perfect. I need your help."
"Take me to the Guild."
"I need to exchange currency from this world."
"Don't worry—I'll pay you properly."
Hestia blinked.
"E-Excuse me…?"
Before she could finish, Izumi cut her off.
"Let's talk after you get me to the Guild."
Just like that, her words were blocked completely.
Hestia felt an inexplicable sense of frustration—
But in the end, she had no choice.
She turned around and began leading them toward the Guild.
As they walked, Izumi fell into thought.
Both he and Kanon were godslayers—normally, simply encountering a god would trigger a reaction.
Yet here, nothing happened.
Neither from them—
Nor from Hestia.
"So this is what it means," Izumi mused silently,
"for gods to completely seal themselves and live as mortals."
In that case, all the better.
At least it meant they wouldn't draw unnecessary attention.
Even if certain gods noticed something strange later—
That was a problem for another day.
Walking ahead, Hestia glanced back curiously.
"Um, by the way… I don't know your names yet."
"Could you tell me?"
"Oh! Right, introductions!"
"I'm Hestia—a goddess!"
Kanon's eyes flickered with surprise.
A goddess?
But… there was no reaction at all.
She instinctively glanced at Izumi.
Noticing her look, Izumi gave a slight shake of his head before answering calmly.
"I'm Izumi."
"And this is Kanase Kanon."
"We're from another world—you probably already figured that out."
Hestia's eyes lit up.
She turned around, walking backward as she spoke excitedly.
"Izumi-kun! Kanon-chan!"
"Would you like to join my familia?"
"I'll even make you captains!"
Izumi's mouth twitched.
Looking at the slightly airheaded goddess in front of him, he sighed.
"Can we put that topic on hold for now?"
"Let me finish my business first."
"Then we'll talk."
Hestia froze—then immediately clasped her hands together.
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
"I got ahead of myself!"
Izumi didn't mind.
Instead, he teased her lightly.
"You seem pretty desperate."
"Let me guess—your familia has no members?"
"A newly descended god?"
"Or maybe you got kicked out and are sleeping on the streets?"
Those words struck true—far too true.
Like a dagger straight to the heart.
Hestia's shoulders drooped as she replied quietly,
"…Yeah. That's pretty much it."
"If you don't want to join my familia, that's fine too."
Since he already knew, there was no point hiding it.
Better to be honest.
Izumi chuckled.
"In that case, let's talk after I'm done."
"A familia with no members is actually perfect."
He smiled meaningfully.
No members meant no complications.
It meant he could bind Hestia closely to himself.
After all, he was planning to bring certain girls into battle to strengthen his own power—
And Hestia was an ideal partner for that.
If he could eventually incorporate her into his own divine system—
That would be even better.
Hestia's eyes shone.
"…So I still have a chance?"
Izumi hadn't rejected her outright.
That alone was enough to fill her with hope.
In high spirits, Hestia began enthusiastically explaining Orario to them.
Despite having descended not long ago, she was already quite familiar with the city.
The three chatted as they walked—
And soon arrived at the Guild.
That was when Izumi suddenly felt it.
A burning gaze.
He frowned and looked up.
Towering above the city stood a massive skyscraper—the tallest structure in Orario.
A place where many gods resided.
In a room near the top, by a wide window—
A silver-haired goddess was staring intently at the crowd below.
The moment her eyes landed on Izumi—
Her body trembled.
Her long legs went weak.
Tears slowly streamed down her face as a look of pure rapture spread across her features.
Yet she did not look away for even a second.
"Such… such a dazzling soul…!"
"Ahh…!!"
"Who is he…?"
"Who is he?!"
She was Freya—
The Goddess of Beauty, unrivaled in both appearance and desire.
She had only been idly watching the city, hoping to find something interesting.
After all, many outsiders had arrived in Orario recently.
But never—
Never had she seen a soul like this.
Just gazing at him felt as though her eyes would burn away.
The divine radiance within Izumi's soul—
A brilliance that directly assaulted divinity itself—
Drove her utterly mad.
"I must have him."
"No matter what."
"That man… must be mine."
That was the only thought left in Freya's mind.