When Izumi returned, Hestia immediately went pat-pat-pat as she ran up to him.
"H-Hey! You're done already?!"
"Then—then can you finally consider joining my Familia now?!"
She clearly hadn't forgotten about it for even a second. The moment Izumi finished his business, she rushed over, eyes practically shining.
Especially after learning from Kanon that Izumi already had a team—
one that simply hadn't arrived in this world yet—
That knowledge alone had sent Hestia's excitement through the roof.
If Izumi joined her Familia, then once his companions arrived, it would be like gaining an entire expedition force in one go.
How could she not be excited?
Izumi couldn't help but smile wryly.
"You're really in a hurry, huh?"
"I'm not done with everything yet."
"Come with me."
Faced with her impatience, Izumi felt oddly speechless.
Why did it feel like she was afraid he'd run away at any moment?
At that thought, Izumi cast a strange glance toward Kanon.
Did she tell her something unnecessary…?
But he didn't dwell on it.
Either way, Hestia was destined to become his tool goddess.
After all, his little ones were still waiting for someone to bestow them with Blessings.
If tens—no, hundreds of thousands of girls were released at once…
Would Hestia be drained dry?
Just the bloodletting alone might finish her off.
At that thought, Izumi's expression grew subtly strange.
Hestia, despite her impatience, had no choice but to follow.
She trailed behind Izumi toward a building near the Guild, located extremely close to the Dungeon entrance.
When she arrived, she tilted her head in confusion.
"Izumi-kun… why are we here?"
"Is there something wrong with this place?"
Izumi raised the contract and keys in his hand.
"From today onward—this place is mine."
"Come on."
"Let's go inside and talk."
With that, he unlocked the door and stepped in.
The moment the door opened, a vast, empty hall greeted them.
There was nothing inside.
But the space itself was enormous.
A staircase leading to the second floor stood near the back.
After leading Hestia and Kanon inside and closing the door, Izumi headed upstairs.
The second floor had basic furniture—
a sofa, a low table, the essentials.
But it was clear no one had lived there for a long time.
Dust coated everything.
Without hesitation, Izumi raised his hand.
A magic circle expanded beneath his feet.
He activated a Purification Spell—
one he had learned from a certain useless goddess.
In the blink of an eye, under Hestia's stunned gaze, all the dust vanished.
The floor gleamed so cleanly it looked like one could lie down and sleep on it immediately.
"…W-What the heck?!"
"What kind of magic is that?!"
"It can do this?!"
Hestia didn't even know how to complain anymore.
What kind of absurd spell did that woman invent?!
In this world, cleansing magic wasn't anywhere near this effective.
Yet Izumi's purification spell had basically polished the floor spotless.
This magic is cheating…!
Izumi laughed lightly.
"It was developed by a goddess from another world."
"In some situations, it's surprisingly useful."
Though it looked like a joke spell, it was incredibly practical at times.
Especially for people with cleanliness obsessions—it was practically divine salvation.
After sitting down on the sofa with Kanon, Izumi looked at Hestia.
"Alright."
"Let's talk."
"About the Familia."
At those words, Hestia's eyes lit up.
Finally!
She hurriedly sat down as well.
Izumi didn't waste time.
"I can provide you with members."
"They'll join your Familia—and I can even financially support you."
The moment the word support left his mouth, Hestia's thoughts veered completely off course.
"U-Um… I-I'm not that kind of goddess!"
She immediately tried to deny it.
Izumi rolled his eyes.
"Can you let me finish first?"
"Stop overthinking things!"
"Are all goddesses this perverted?"
"…Well, I guess gods have to use the toilet too, so it makes sense."
That last comment made Hestia feel deeply offended, though she couldn't quite explain why.
Ignoring her reaction, Izumi continued.
"I have a lot of children."
"They all have excellent potential."
"All you need to do is establish a Familia, accept them, and grant them your Blessing."
"They'll explore the Dungeon and grow stronger."
"And you?"
"You don't need to do anything else."
"Just update their Status from time to time."
Hestia froze.
In other words—
She'd just be a Status-updating machine.
"…So this is what you meant by 'support'?"
She frowned.
"You're basically turning me into a tool, aren't you?"
Hestia wasn't stupid.
Izumi shrugged and admitted it outright.
"Yeah. That's exactly it."
"So?"
"Care to think about it?"
"You don't have a Familia anyway."
"If you agree, I can have plenty of people join immediately."
"You'll also have more money than you could ever spend."
"All you have to do is help update Status sheets."
The offer was absurdly generous.
Hestia was currently alone.
No Familia.
Sleeping in a crumbling church.
After thinking for a moment, she puffed out her cheeks.
"So in the end, you still don't want to join my Familia…"
"You just want to use me as a tool, right?"
Izumi nodded.
"Correct."
"I'm already strong enough."
"The Dungeon won't help me grow any further."
"So I don't need your Blessing."
"In fact, if I really wanted to, I could grant Blessings myself."
"It's just a hassle."
"And since you're conveniently available labor—"
"Plus you're pitifully alone with no Familia at all—"
"You're basically the perfect tool goddess."
"…Ugh."
She couldn't refute that.
But something else bothered her.
She stared at Izumi carefully.
"Wait… Izumi-kun."
"You just said you can grant Blessings."
"…Are you a god?"
"An otherworldly god?"
Izumi shook his head.
A strange smile crept onto his face.
"No."
"I'm not a god."
"I'm a Godslayer."
As he spoke, he deliberately released the aura unique to one who had slain gods.
The instant that pressure washed over her—
Hestia's twin tails shot straight up.
"E-E-E-EHHHH?!"
"That's impossible!"
"A Godslayer?!"
This was far beyond shocking.
This man in front of her—
Was someone who killed gods.