After leaving the Guild, Bell felt a little conflicted.
He had thought that entering Orario and joining the Guild would come with a difficult choice between two paths—but now it turned out the dilemma had only existed in his imagination.
"The Hestia Familia I wanted to join… even the goddess herself is slacking off. This is a problem. I thought I'd be early, but it turns out I was too early."
Since he wasn't sure when things would officially start, Bell had simply aimed to reach Orario as early as possible. But he'd overlooked a key issue—Hestia herself. If he wasn't mistaken, she was probably still hanging around with Hephaestus.
'Looks like I'll need to find another way to join the Hestia Familia. If I just wait around, who knows how long she'll keep freeloading at Hephaestus's place? I don't have that kind of time.'
Standing at the entrance of the Guild, Bell made up his mind. He couldn't afford to linger anymore. If he just sat around waiting, this city might target him before long. Taking initiative was the only way forward.
...
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
The relentless sound of sobbing echoed from inside Hephaestus's shop, drawing the attention of passing customers. No one knew what was going on, but the crying made it clear—it wasn't something trivial.
This was Hephaestus's equipment store. Normally, anyone causing a commotion like that would've been kicked out long ago. Yet the wailing continued, and now even complaints could be heard from within.
"Hephaestus! Why can't I find even a single follower? That guy managed to gather a whole bunch!"
The voice carried disappointment and frustration, but from the tone, it was clear the speaker was a god who had a close relationship with Hephaestus. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here venting like this. The customers outside hesitated, then thought better of going in.
It would be risky to interrupt now—what if the god inside shifted their problem onto them? Besides, the one crying had clearly just descended from the Upper World and was upset about failing to find a Familia.
What if that god tried to recruit them on the spot?
Joining a powerless Familia could spell disaster for their future. And if they refused and offended a god who was close with Hephaestus, they might not be welcome in her store again.
With that in mind, all the undecided Adventurers quietly slipped away.
Inside the shop, Hephaestus noticed and sighed softly. Looking at the still-sobbing Hestia, she couldn't help but think—did this idiot really not realize it was her own personality getting in the way?
"Hestia, don't come crying to me just because you haven't found a follower. And seriously, how are you even looking for one?"
Even the most hopeless gods managed to gather followers. Hephaestus found it baffling—Hestia might be a bit of an airhead, but not being able to recruit even one person? And given their relationship, all Hestia had to do was file a notice at the Guild. Someone would show up before long.
"I went around asking them one by one."
Hephaestus slapped a hand over her face. Through the eye not covered by her eyepatch, she saw Hestia looking back at her with an expression that practically said, "What? Why are you facepalming?"
Just imagining this idiot going up to every Adventurer and asking, "Would you like to join my Familia?" was enough to make her want to groan.
'Is she serious? Even if you're desperate to recruit followers, you don't go around asking people individually!'
Now it all made sense—why no one wanted to join Hestia's Familia. With a clueless goddess like her at the center, how could anyone take the Familia seriously? Gods recruiting in person just screamed, "My Familia is powerless!" to any half-aware Adventurer.
Staring at Hestia's oblivious, overly sweet expression, Hephaestus finally understood: every Adventurer in Orario had already labeled Hestia as a god to avoid. Not a single one would want to be her follower.
Frustrated beyond words, Hephaestus grabbed Hestia's cheeks and gave them a squeeze.
"Are you stupid? Don't you know the easiest way for gods to recruit followers is by registering at the Guild? And you're out here asking them one by one!?"
"Uuugh..."
Hephaestus sighed and let go. Hestia's eyes welled up with tears—not from the pinching, but from what Hephaestus had said.
"Then what am I supposed to do? I've already asked everyone..."
Hephaestus covered her face again, exasperated. She should've explained things clearly from the start. Letting this idiot act on instinct had been a huge mistake.
"Now it's a mess. With your approach, every Adventurer in Orario has probably blacklisted you."
"What!? Then... what do I do!?"
Hearing Hephaestus's analysis, Hestia panicked. This was about whether she could even start a Familia. If the Adventurers of Orario had truly written her off, how could she recruit anyone?
Faced with this mess, Hephaestus was just as at a loss. Honestly, she was the one who wanted to ask that question.
Hestia's ridiculous antics had clearly made the rounds in Orario. If anyone had wanted to join her Familia, they'd have shown up already. Instead, here she was, clinging to Hephaestus like a stray with nowhere to go.
"Sigh... Just give up."
Even as her friend, Hephaestus could only mutter, "You're beyond saving. Just wait to die. I'm out."
She didn't even feel like telling Hestia to keep trying anymore. It was obvious that no matter how much she struggled, the result wouldn't change. Unless—somehow—a complete newcomer showed up, someone who hadn't heard of Hestia's reputation yet... maybe then they could be tricked into joining her Familia.
Ding!
The bell above the door rang, instantly drawing both Hephaestus and Hestia's attention.
A figure stepped into the store, wearing a long coat and a hood pulled low over his head, hiding his face. But the moment he spoke, Hephaestus's eyes lit up.
"Greetings, Lady Hephaestus. My name is Bell Cranel. I've just arrived in Orario, and I'm an Adventurer."
'He really showed up!?'
In that instant, to Hephaestus, this rookie Adventurer was Hestia's last shot at salvation.