CHAD HESTIA - Chapter 7

-=-

Bell Cranel
LV. 1 (★)
Strength: C610 —> EX1483
Endurance: C688 —> EX1499
Dexterity: B712 —> MAX1500
Agility: C635 —> EX1490
Magic: I0 —> EX1479

Development Ability:
[-]

Skills:
Liaris Freese: Fast Growth as long as feelings are reciprocated. Strength of effects corresponds with intensity of feelings. Immunizes user to Charm.

Argus Sense: Passive On. Extends user's senses over a certain area. Enables user to detect ill intent. Allows instant reaction. Area of effect and sensitivity rises with user's Level.

Magic:
Vesta Strike: Swift cast magic. Imbues user's chosen weapon with purifying fire.

-=-

Bell Cranel
LV. 2
Strength: EX1483 —> I0
Endurance: EX1499 —> I0
Dexterity: MAX1500 —> I0
Agility: EX1490 —> I0
Magic: EX1479 —> I0

Development Ability:
Luck: I

Swordsman*: H

Skills:
Liaris Freese: Fast Growth as long as feelings are reciprocated. Strength of effects corresponds with intensity of feelings. Immunizes user to Charm.

Argus Sense: Passive On. Extends user's senses over a certain area. Enables user to detect ill intent. Allows instant reaction. Area of effect and sensitivity rises with user's Level.

Artel Assist: When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, the skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Dual Wield: Grants Development Ability Swordsman when using a weapon in both hands with one being a sword. Effect based on user's Level. Weapon effectiveness is the same as using both hands.

Never Empty Hands: Weapons thrown return to user when willed to.

Magic:
Vesta Strike: Swift cast magic. Imbues user's chosen weapon with purifying fire.

-=-

===x===

-=-

Ruhig Heldenhaft
LV. 1 (★)
Strength: I0 —> SS1008 
Endurance: I0 —> SSS1396
Dexterity: I0 —> SS1022
Agility: I0 —> EX1405
Magic: I0 —> EX1474

Development Ability:
[-]

Skills:
[-]

Magic:
Fenrirs Biss: Attack magic. Darkness and Ice attribute. May be detonated to engulf an area in freezing darkness.

《Beast of winter, bringer of doom. Chains break to signal the end. Thy maw devours all wisdom's paths. Bite once to ruin the sublime, bite twice to unleash the twilight at the end of death's frost.》

-=-

Ruhig Heldenhaft
LV. 2
Strength: SS1008 —> I0
Endurance: SSS1396 —> I0
Dexterity: SS1022 —> I0
Agility: EX1405 —> I0
Magic: EX1474 —> I0

Development Ability:
Mage: I

Spearman*: G

Skills:

Artel Assist: When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, the skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Mind Load: Increases power stat when attacking by using mind. Active trigger.

Atgeir Gunnar: Grants user Development Ability Spearman when using mind. Effect based on user's magic stat.

Magic:
Fenrirs Biss: Attack magic. Darkness and Ice attribute. May be detonated to engulf an area in freezing darkness.

《Beast of winter, bringer of doom. Chains break to signal the end. Thy maw devours all wisdom's paths. Bite once to ruin the sublime, bite twice to unleash the twilight at the end of death's frost.》

Donnerdrache Mantel: Defense magic. Armor type. Wind and Lightning attribute.

《O' Thunderer. Lord of Lightning. Protector of the shrine. Your might, your ferocity, bestow upon me. Coat me in your wrath. Through me, be the walking storm. Harbinger of the war field, paint battles' ravage.》

===x===

"You could have just asked for a private room to update your kids' Falna, without playing that prank earlier." Hephaestus was sitting back in her chair, her office quiet of all the commotion of earlier.

The kids were told to go outside while their goddesses talked.

"Not a prank, and I just think you're cute when you're flustered." Hestia said shamelessly.

"Hic!" Hephaestus choked on air. "Will you stop that?" She coughed a bit more before regaining her breath. "Seriously, if you keep doing that, I'll kick you out."

"Okay~, okay~," Hestia held her hands up in a placating manner. "I was just glad to see you, and thought to tease you a bit." She said with a grin, to which Hephaestus huffed at and crossed her arms. Hestia's expression then turned a bit softer. "Also I wanted to know that you are cared for if you ended up forgetting."

"...I already know that." Hephaestus looked aside and muttered. Yet couldn't stop the blood rushing to her face, or her small smile. "You changed." She ended up saying. "Why did you change your eye color?" She noted.

"Aaah, I'm just cutting loose a little bit. I'm on vacation you know." Hestia leaned into her chair, while raising her arms up to stretch. "Also just as I was about to descend I got a lifetime of memories of a mortal from another world, where this one was a work of fiction. So technically, I'm an isekai protagonist."

Hephaestus almost fell off her seat.

"Wait, what!?"

"But that's not important right now."

"No. Go back, I feel that was extremely important!"

"Hephy, I need a few favors, please! I promise to pay you back." Hestia continued on, not pausing to elaborate at all.

"We're just gonna ignore that?"  

"I need a cardboard box, a really big one that won't break with a heavy load. A stick, a long piece of string, a few hundred paper plates, a ton of potatoes and access to your kitchen." Hestia listed.

"Are... are you going to capture rats?"

"Also I need a place to stay, so can I get the deed that abandoned church place? I'll buy it from you in installments."

"Hestia, you can take it. I don't really use that place... wait, how did you know that I owned that?"

"Also I need a giant adamantite cube. Five by five by five. With a Durandal enchantment and some kinda magic that makes it, so that the cube can't slide and can only be moved when lifted off the ground." 

"And again, just going to move right past it? Also that last one was very complicated and weirdly specific." Hephaestus said. "Seriously, what is all that stuff for? Other than the church. You know, I could find you a better place."

"Nah, it's fine. I like it for the aesthetic and it will be a quiet place away the city noise for a while." Hestia replied. "And in backwards order, it's for training, it's a place to live and train, and it's to get capture someone to help my kids train."

"...Hestia, you can't kidnap people. Actually, no one would be dumb enough for fall for the cardboard trick anyways, but still." Hephaestus said, seriously starting to feel worried for her friend.

"Welp," Hestia stood up. "Now it's time me to register at the guild and wingwoman for my kid." She turned to leave.

"Hestia? Hestia wait, I still have so many question. Hestia, come back! Hestia!"

===x===

Bell hummed as the guild building came into view. He was looking forward finally be a proper Adventurer.

According to Hestia, him and Ruhig as Level 2s should be able to farm magic stones in the Upper Levels easily to gather funds, buy some appropriate armor and potions, before heading for the Level appropriate floors.

Bell thought back to when he and Ruhig updated their Falna and discovered they could Level Up.

It should have been a moment of celebration. Bell pouted at the memory of how it went.

===x===

"Hmmm..." Hestia looked was uncharacteristically quiet as she looked at the sheets with status sheets of Bell and Ruhig.

"Hestia, is there a problem with our stats?" Ruhig asked.

"Did we not grow as much as the first time? We became too strong so we weren't challenged on the trip?"

"You faced enough challenges. The training alone was hard enough. And if not all that, fighting the monsters on the boat to here was would enough challenge." Hestia said. She then sighed and gave only Ruhig his sheet.

The half-elf took the paper with a smile.

Ruhig looked. Blinked. He looked up to Hestia. She nodded. He looked back at his own sheet. Rubbed his eyes, then looked again.

"This is real?" Ruhig asked in complete disbelief.

"Oh god, I knew it. Ruhig, how bad is it? I mean, don't feel bad! Now that we're here in Orario, the Dungeon should be challenging enough to grow again, right?"

The half-elf looked between the paper, Hestia and Bell for a while, before settling his gaze on the goddess.

"Sh... should I tell him?" Ruhig asked with some hesitant.

"Tell me what?" Bell blinked.

"Ruhig," Hestia finally spoke. "Your job is going to be to stop Bell from shouting it out to the whole city, and to protect him in keeping this a secret."

Bell pouted.

"I can keep a secre—" Hestia handed Bell his status sheet. "—OH MY—" Ruhig covered his mouth. 

===x===

His goddess could be so mean.

And Ruhig seemed to enjoy being in on the joke.

"Don't the stat numbers only go up to 900 and S Rank?" Bell had asked after he calmed down.

Hestia had told him that given her teachings, his and Ruhig's mindset and not updating their Falna in all that time, likely lead to this result. That the only other way would have been through a Skill.

"Regardless, if someone asked, you're just a normal Level 2. Don't say how long you've been an Adventurer. Just say you've been training and battling monsters on the surface for a long time. Be vague, be vague, be vague." Hestia had warned them. Bell asked if all this secrecy was warranted. "Until you're strong enough that no Familia can bother us, yes. Till then, you need to hide your growth because you became stronger much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much," Hestia took a deep breath. "Much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much-much faster than normal Adventurers."

"Message received, Goddess Hestia!" Bell cried out, saluting.   

===x===

"Hello, welcome to the Orario's Guild of Adventurers. Or simply the Guild. You're new faces, I believe this is your first time here?" A half-elf woman stood as the guild receptionist. She greeted Bell as he came to the counter, with Ruhig and Hestia behind him. "I'm Eina Tulle. Nice to meet you."

"Ah, nice to meet you, I'm Bell Cranel." Bell said with a bright smile, and even bowing his head. It was important to make a good impression on those who help or guide you, and clerks already deal with a lot of stressful stuff throughout the day. "We're here to register the Hestia Familia. I'll be in your care, Ms. Eina!"

Also Ms. Eina was pretty cute and cool looking.

Eina paused before she beamed at the boy's polite attitude, her smile becoming more genuine, as she had a small flush on her face, at Bell's innocent cheerful smile.

"A-hem, it's no problem, Mr. Cranel. So the Hestia Familia, is it?" Eina said

"Hello~." Hestia said with a small wave, and a small cat-like smile.

Eina proceeded to show them how to fill out the form for the familia. Its name, number of members, their Levels, the familia type. Then gave the forms to Ruhig and Bell to fill their own personal forms for the guild.

Bell a giddy smile as he wrote Familia Captain. Ruhig rolled his eyes, yet had a small amused smile as he huffed.

"Oh wow! All of you entered Orario as Level 2s? You must have experienced many things to grow like that outside of Orario." Eina said, looking impressed.

"Y-Yeah! Entered as..." Bell nervously looked away.

"The portion of the trip where we crossed the sea was the most challenging, but the journey itself pretty enjoyable, if hellishly tiring at parts." Ruhig muttered the last part under his breath.

"Haha, yeah." Bell chuckled having calmed down.

Hestia gave the boy a deadpan stare.

You wanna say that to my face? Her eyes seem to say.

Bell and Ruhig pointed looked away from the goddess.

Eina blinked in confusion at the change in their mood, before shrugging, and pushing through to finish the registration.

"And finally, if you could fill out what type of advisor you'd like?" Eina asked. "Oh? Mr. Heldenhaft, the type you wrote?" She asked in confusion as Ruhig wrote 'anyone as long as they aren't an elf'. "Mr. Heldenhaft, I assure you that our staff are the most professional there are, and would never act an dishonorable manner. Of course I'll follow your preference but I wanted to reassure of that."

"Oh, I am sure they are." Ruhig smiled placatingly as he nodded. "I just don't want to get into the question."

"The ques...? Right of course." Eina nodded understandingly.

"The question?" Bell tilted his head.

"Of who his parents are. Which's the human and so forth?" Hestia explained. "It's not malicious, but gossip is annoying if talked about repeatedly."

"Oh!" Bell hit his open palm with his fist, understanding that Ruhig doesn't want to deal with nosy people, or worst fans. Ruhig's mother, Frieren was a bit famous from what Bell remembered about her. "It's about Him—"

"A-hem." Hestia coughed loudly.

Bell realized his near-slip in his excitement and ducked his head.

"Sorry!" He said to Ruhig. He almost outed who his friends parents were, when he was trying to hide that.

"It's fine." Ruhig laughed a little. "Trust me I understand, I just would rather deal with it a few days later, or how ever long it would take when it eventually comes out."

"Oooh." Bell nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, I'll help. No one bothers my familia members after all." He said with determination.

"Thanks, Captain." Ruhig chuckled, but was touched by Bell's sentiment.

Eina smiled in the background at the interaction, before interjecting once things calmed down.

"Ah, Mr. Cranel, you missed to fill out what type of advisor you preferred." Eina said, ever the efficient worker, handing Bell his form and pen in one hand.

"Oh, right! Sorry, I forgot about that one." Bell chuckled and apologized. He went to take the paper, then changed his mind to the pen, but in his hesitation ended up grabbing Eina's hand. "A-ah! Sorry, I know elves don't like to be touched." His hand flinched back hovering over Eina's hand.

"N-No, it's okay. I don't mind it." Eina said blushing. "Plus I'm wearing gloved because it's expected in this job, when dealing with people. S-So, you're answer—"

Bell felt a lot of things in that moment. He was nervous as he did want to write 'Elf' as his favored type of advisor, but Ruhig was here, and he didn't want his friend to tease him, nor did he want to say something so embarrassing to Ms. Eina.

Yet a feel of dread filled him as something like a shadow came over him and Ms. Eina.

An arm appeared out of the nowhere, and descended on Bell's hand, grasping it, and then pinning it over Eina's hand onto the desk.

"E-EH!?" Eina cried out, red faced.

"H-HESTIA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Bell cried out like maiden.

 Hestia hummed as she pinned Bell and Eina's hands on top of each other. She casually slid the pen out of Eina's grip and the form, and then wrote slowly in big, bulky letters much to the horror of Bell and mortification of Eina.

Bell and Eina tried to remove their hands, but the goddess' grip felt like iron. Wasn't he godly power sealed!?

Advisor Preference(s): 'E L F & H A L F - E L F'

"Lady Goddess Hestia, why!?" Bell cried out completely red faced.

"Oh I'm just helping out my cute little Bell. It's important to be honest about these kinds a of things." Hestia said with a wide innocent smile. It was completely fake, and she was just taking pleasure in their mortification.

Ruhig covered his mouth and looked away, a snort was heard from him, and muffled laughter.

"Lady Hestia, stop helping please!"

===x===

Aiz Wallenstein walked out of the Twilight Manor on her normal day off going about her usual routine of browsing some restaurants, followed by window shopping some of the smith familias items in the Babel.

Not like she could buy any new weapon since she has an exclusive contract with a Goibniu Familia blacksmith, and she doesn't need anything but Desperate.

Were was she?

Right. Food. Window shopping. Then likely be dragged around by her friends in some shenanigan. Those are fun.

"Watch out! Watch out! Watch out!" A person with a cart, barrel next to Ais.

The Sword Princess easily avoided the cart, having already sensed it long before it came near. However the smell coming from the cart made Ais paused and her mouth water.

"Oh no~!" The person pushing the cart dramatically dropped, or placed down a paper plate of jagamarukuns on the ground, and continuing going forward. "I am so busy that this plate of jagamarukuns fell of the cart. I don't have time to pick it up and the boss says 'time is money'. Picking it up is a loss. I sure hope someone eats those snacks before they go to waste~."

And the twintailed goddess kept on rolling her cart forward.

Ais stopped for a moment, fighting with indecision.

That goddess clearly dropped those plates of jagamarukuns for her.

Yet the good Samaritan thing to do would be to pick up the plate and return it to the cart. 

But that goddess clearly wanted her to have them.

Yet it's a bad idea to take things from strangers. Riveria told her that repeatedly growing up.

But those jagamarukuns smell really good and taste even better...

"Ah." Ais realized at some point she picked up the plate of five jagamarukuns and already finished them.

They were good.

Like really, really, really, really good. The best potato snack she had ever eaten in her life.

They aren't drugged right? Her Abnormal Resistance should be able to handle anything either way.

Ais spotted another plate ten meters away.

She should probably eat that one too in case it was poisoned. She would know if they were after a while, since her Development Ability would eventually ping her after a while if it was detoxing too much poison. Not to say she was endanger, but that effort was being made in clearing and purifying her of poison.

And so Ais eat another plate of jagamarukuns.

And another.

And another.

And another.

As an Adventurer, a Level 5 at that, it was easy for her to burn through thousands of calories. She needed that much as a normal daily intake either way.

So even the fortieth plate of jagamarukuns wasn't a problem for her to down. She barely felt full.

Finally a while away from the Twilight Manor, Ais found...

A large cardboard box enough to fix five people. The cardboard box was flipped upside down held up by a stick over a large metal plate. The stick clearly as a thin string attached to it.

Underneath the cardboard box was a massive serving basket of jagamarukuns. Like over fifty. Their shiny golden color glisten with oil, and their smell carried for miles, calling for whomever felt their divine presence. At least that's what it felt like to Ais.

Then Ais noticed something that made her wary.

A light haired brunette with a spear strapped to her back was heading to the cardboard box.

Oh no. That person is going to fall for this obvious trap. I need sacrifice myself and activate the trap to save that poor girl. 

With a guts fist pump, and a nod of determination, Ais made her choice.

The Sword Princess rushed to the cardboard box.

The other Adventurer, the spear girl noticed Ais, panicked, then with a determined look of her own also dashed to the cardboard box.

Thud. 

The cardboard box closed on top of them.

"Oh nooo..." Ais moan in monotone as she ate the jagamarukuns.

If the one before were exquisitely delicious, then these one are heavenly.

Ais Wallenstein was definitely in heaven.

"This is heaven~." Said the spear girl as she squealed. Ais agreed.

"Quick grab it!" Called out the goddess from earlier.

The plate Ais and the spear girl sat on was lifted.

"Lady Hestia, please, please, please tell me that wasn't who I think it was." Said a nervous sounding boy. His voice sounded cute and innocent.

"Welp, first day here and definitely my last. That must be some record, Lady Hestia." The second voice has a refined cadence to it, that reminded her of Riveria's pitch when talking. "Why are we kidnapping the Sword Princess?!" He pleaded.

The plate with the cardboard box began rapidly moving.  

Oh, I'm being kidnapped. Ais noted as she ate through her jagamarukuns with her fellow kidnapee. Not that I can't escape anytime I want. And I will. Right after I ensure these jagamarukuns aren't a danger to anyone. 

"Can't kidnap the willing, Ruhig! She's a Level 5, we can't take her anywhere she doesn't want to. Now quick! To the potato factory!"

Oh. Potato factory. Maybe I should stick around for a while to see what this is about. Just to be sure there isn't a danger to anyone. 

 "A potato factory!?" Whisper shouted the spear girl. "We must investigate their villainous lair to be sure they don't ensnared anyone else within it." She said as she gobble another jagamarukuns "We'll get to the bottom of this delicious conspiracy. I mean, normal conspiracy."

"Hmm," Ais nodded with determination, a jagamarukuns between her teeth.

===

AN: Changed Thorr Ausfall to Donnerdrache Mantel as Thor being a god with his own Familia would have made that spell name difficult to work with.