Chapter 19: Melancholy of a Goddess

Whenever Hestia returned home she would always throw open the door and call out "I'm home!" at the top of her lungs.

Then one of two responses would come.

"I told you each and every day not to throw the door open! I can hear you just fine!" The "oldest" member of her Familia would shout from either the balcony or from the living room depending if he was working or taking a break.

Or if she returned a bit later than usual.

"Welcome home Mommy Hestia!"

"Welcome home, Goddess!"

A much more warm welcome greeted her in the form of the two "youngest" members but it was much more rare so she still preferred the cold greeting from her Captain as it was some normal, something she heard nearly every day, a daily part of her routine.

Which was why she was now standing just in front of the front gate, dreading from stepping inside to her now empty home. She was spoiled, she knew that. Ever since Hephaistos gave her the boot, Hestia had spent her days alone and even when she created her Familia with Bell, she would usually come home before him and spend time alone in the first place. Then two weeks after that Bell found the Holy Grail and everything changed.

She became a proper Familia Goddess almost overnight and became used to the feeling of one of her children being close by when she came home. And now…she could tell that not a single one of them was waiting for her inside. The thought was enough to break her heart to the point that she didn't want to go inside.

"Maybe I can invite Take or Miach out for dinner…no…they're probably still working right now…" Hestia mumbled before she opened the gate and heard the sound of running footsteps behind her.

"Heeeeeeyyy!" A goddess with red hair called out to her as they ran down the street while waving at her while clutching a basket in her other hand. "Hey Chibi!"

"Geh…"

Hestia made a face as Loki slid to a stop just in front of her, not unlike how she did back during the Banquet of the Gods. And just like at the banquet, Hestia was not exactly jumping for joy to see her.

"What do you want, Loki?" Hestia asked with a tired glare.

"Just seeing how you're holding up," Loki replied with a smile. "Heard from a little birdy that your kids are going on an expedition of your own so I came to hang out!"

Birdy?

"…Aren't you just after Caster's wine?"

"Course not. I know how lonely it'll be seeing your kids off for the first time like this," Loki said with a frown as if she was insulted by the insinuation before breaking out into a smile. "But I won't say no if you're offerin'!"

"Do your children even know you're here?"

"Eh, probably."

Hestia let out a sigh, feeling empathetic to the Loki Familia Adventurers for having to deal with such a goddess every hour of every day.

Hestia did not want to play host to the Trickster Goddess right now but she also did not want to be alone in the manor either.

"…Come in," Hestia relented as she opened the gate wide for Loki.

"Woohoo!" Loki cheered. "Ah, but don't worry about food, I brought some with me."

"So you aren't just planning on mooching."

"Nah. I'm not like you after all."

"Ngh…"

Hestia, who had spent the first several months of her life in Genkai mooching off of Hephaistos's kindness, had no response to that.

Nevertheless, Hestia invited her hated enemy into her home just so she had some form of company for the night.

The two of them sat across from each other at the dining table where Loki piled out some sandwiches from her basket and Hestia brought out two bottles of wine. One in a dull green bottle and the other in a golden one.

"Hmm? Whazzat?" Loki asked as she looked at the green wine bottle.

"Just regular cheap wine," Hestia said as she poured the contents of the golden bottle into a cup and placed it in front of Loki while filling the green bottled wine in her own cup. "Caster's stuff is good and all but it scares me to drink it too much of it at once."

"Once poor always poor, huh?" Loki joked as she accepted the good wine first. "Though it's not like I don't get it. It's a waste if you drain it all at once."

Loki then picked up the golden bottle and gave it a shake and saw that barely a quarter of it had been drunk.

"He ever tell ya where he got this stuff?" Loki asked as she took a sip.

"Nope," Hestia shook her head. "He doesn't talk much about himself to anyone. I think only my Supporter and I really talk to him and that's only because I bug him in his office when I have a day off or work the afternoon shift. By the way, thank Wallen-whatshername for me for always stopping by and buying a lot."

"Geh, so it's your stand she keeps buying from, huh?" Loki muttered sounding annoyed. "And it's Wallenstein. Try remembering the name of my favorite girl at least. I remember yours! Bell Cranel, right?"

"…Fine, I'll make a token effort," Hestia said as she helped herself to a sandwich.

Loki rolled her eyes and took a bite out of her own sandwich.

"By the way…I've been wonderin' for a while now but…why do ya call them 'Archer' and 'Caster?'" Loki asked as she swallowed. "Some kinda hobby?"

"Well, I suppose you can call it that," Hestia shrugged. "Caster's a king of some country or another so he's all protective of his true name…well it's more like he doesn't consider anyone worthy of knowing his true name. Archer…gave up on his name for some reason he hasn't shared yet so we just call him that at his request."

"Well, I guess everyone's got their own secrets and quirks," Loki accepted with a shrug. "My kids have their own share of problems too."

"Course the grace tells them to me anyway so I do know their real names. I use it when I wanna tease them a bit."

"Pfft…and Goldy just takes it lying down?"

"When he can't be bothered to get angry at least."

Of course, she knew better than to push her luck when he's not in the mood.

"So is it his idea to go on this impromptu expedition of yours?" Loki asked, looking from over her cup.

"Yeah, he was in a real rush for some reason," Hestia noted.

"Maybe he made a bet with someone?" Loki suggested. "Make a bet that he can take out a Floor Boss and then get a crap ton of cash from it?"

"Eehhh…he's quite the gambler but I don't think he's the type to gamble on his own abilities."

She could hear Caster's voice now.

"My abilities are already obvious. Why should I bother with someone who does not understand that?"

Barely two months and she already got a handle on that child. Hestia felt that she should be praised for her big heart and understanding.

But first…

"So?" Hestia asked as she set down her glass. "What's the real reason you came over for?"

"Hmm?" Loki asked with a smile. "Can't I just come over to laugh at someone I hate being lonely since all her kids have left the house?"

Hestia simply stared at her with half opened eyes. Someone coming to laugh at another person wouldn't bring over dinner as well. Well, Loki might be such a person in any case.

"I told you already, didn't I?" Hestia asked making a guess at what Loki wanted. "I don't want to get involved in whatever it is you're trying to investigate."

"Ehhh? But you have three kids with High Class Skills and equipment…and I feel like I've seen that glasses kid of yours."

"Hah? Where and how?"

"Dunno…feels like he was one of Odin's kids or something."

"Can't be…he didn't have the Grace when I met him," Hestia said, shaking her head. "Mine was the first one he received."

"Yeesh, and I thought Finn training with monks before my Blessing was over doing it…" Loki muttered shaking her head in disbelief. "Some of these kids are just…"

Hestia kept quiet. There was no reason to tell her the entire truth. Normally Spirits were as obvious as Gods in terms of what they were but if the Heroic Spirits were presences closer to mortals then that was all the better. Though it looked as though the Servants could tell each another apart from the rest of the mortal races by sight alone.

They were nearly done with the food and once the sandwiches were gone, Hestia was going to make her leave. But, as much as she did not want to admit it, she needed some advice.

"…How do you do it?" Hestia found herself asking.

"Hmm? Do what?" Loki asked halfway through pouring herself another glass from Caster's wine bottle.

"Let your children go off for days on end without any word?" Hestia replied. "And all the way down to the Deep Floors at that."

"Ah, that…?" Loki muttered, taking a long sip of her drink as she thought how to respond. "You might as well ask how I let a bird fly in the sky or a let fish swim. That's just what Adventurers do."

It was an answer Hestia already knew but did not want to hear.

"But…what if they don't come back?"

"I told you back at the Banquet, right? Shit just happens. That's why when they're around you do whatever you want, when you want with them. That way, you have as few regrets as possible when one day they just…don't come home. Ya just have to trust that they will."

Honest words with no trace of mockery or foolishness in them. At this point, Hestia would have preferred that Loki make fun of her for being a mother hen as she had expected Loki would do. Then again, those words were probably also Loki's justification for her constant sexual harassment of the female members of her Familia.

But still, it wasn't as though Hestia was unique in this regard. The majority of the Deities with a Familia treated their children as if they were actual children. The ones who did't care about them, like Soma before he turned things around, were few and far in between. Then again, quite a few also only considered them as interesting possessions or pets. Like a project that they invested considerable time and money into and would be crushed or annoyed if they lost it.

On the third hand, it wasn't as though Hestia didn't have such things she wanted to do with Bell either…but to do such things with him would ruin her standing in the eyes of the Servants…especially when she made a big deal of not having so many men in her Familia.

"Well don't worry about it," Loki said as she leaned back on her chair with her feet on the table, making Hestia's eyebrow twitch. "You got a Level 2 in your team and it doesn't look like Goldy's someone that's going to drop dead on the Middle Floors if your Archer boy can seemingly handle the Deep Floors."

"Which I am still not happy about by the way," Hestia muttered as Loki just waved her comment off.

"Yeah yeah, but we're paying you at the same rate as Phae's Smiths so deal don't complain about it so much."

Hestia let out a sharp breath through her nose in response.

"Well, I guess what I'm trying ta say is: 'You gotta learn to accept it.' Children grow up and leave their parents. That's just how mortal life works after all."

Hestia didn't say much after that.

Once the food was gone, Hestia gave what was left of Caster's wine to Loki as thanks for the information to which the Trickster Goddess happily accepted before disappearing into the night and leaving Hestia home alone for the first time in two months.

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia, was lying curled up on her bed under the covers, not wanting to get out from underneath them.

For the first time since she formed her Familia, she slept all alone in her own home. She had taken for granted just how nice it was to simply know that there was always someone just behind a door waiting for her.

But she couldn't just stay in bed all day even if she did have the day off.

"I didn't spend all night just crying after all!" She said as she rubbed her swollen eyes. "I came up with a great emblem that would surely knock Gil's socks off."

Putting aside that Caster didn't wear any to begin with of course.

Throwing off her blanket, Hestia ran toward her dresser and pulled out some parchment and ink. She then drew the idea she had down that was based on her Falna's mark and what she considered to be the most important detail of her Familia.

"I feel a bit bad for Miss Supporter but this will have to do," Hestia nodded as she set the parchment aside for the ink to dry. "…But then now what do I do?"

Planting her feet on her desk, she leaned back a bit on her chair as she looked outside the window. Today was her day off from work and she had made no plans since she didn't want to think about being all alone. And if she didn't want to be alone that only meant one thing!

"…Right."

It was a nice day outside. A perfect day to go hunting for new Familia members! Hestia couldn't keep relying on Servants to fill the ranks forever. After all, they could end up being more men, and while that meant Hestia wouldn't have any rivals within the Familia in regards to Bell's affections she couldn't have a massive amount men in her Familia. She had a reputation to uphold after all!

"I'd like at least two more girls to balance things out," she muttered. "Miss Supporter's been worried about the rear line so maybe someone who can be a mage? But it's not like anyone other than Spirits or Elves have a high chance to have Magic at Level 1 without doing something dumb like Bell and that Grimoire…no wait, that never happened. NEVER."

Pushing that thought out of her mind, Hestia shook her head and stood up.

"All right! Today's goal: Find a cute Elf girl to join my Familia!" Hestia said as she pumped her fist before slumping forward looking rather horrified at herself. "Great now…I sound like Loki…"

It was rather well known that Loki not only preferred cute girls but she especially loved Elf girls. Then again, she also heard the other gods whispering that Hestia herself had a type for White haired people.

That was merely a coincidence! Sure she loved white haired children but that's only because the one she loved, Bell, had white hair! It was merely a side thing!

Hestia quickly changed into her best day clothes, a white one piece dress with an ocean blue wavy design at its fringe. She also wrapped her favorite ribbon around her and tied her hair up as usual with her precious flower clips that Bell had bought her with his own money long ago.

"All right!" She said as she looked herself over in the mirror. "Hey world! Here comes Hestia!"

X-x-X-x-X

Of course, Hestia didn't expect it to go smoothly.

Most of the Elves she met were already in a Familia. She knew that even before asking them as they had their Familia emblems somewhere on their clothes.

"Muu…it really looks cool after all," she muttered as she watched a male elf walk while arguing with a gruff male dwarf. "I really should have gotten it done sooner so I could show off Bell and the others more."

She shook her head as she walked through the entrance into the Guild.

Once there, she scanned the line of receptionist until she found one matching the description of Bell's usual Advisor.

"You are Eina Tulle, right?" Hestia asked as she walked up to the Half-Elf's station.

"Yes," Eina replied with a professional smile. "How may I help you, Lady Goddess?"

"I was just wondering if I can place a notice that my Familia is seeking new members here or not," Hestia explained.

Honestly, she should have tried this first rather than going around accosting people one by one.

"Yes," Eina nodded as she fished out a small sheet with various numbers on it. "Although there is a fee depending on how much advertisement you want for your Familia. We offer such services ranging from notices on the bulletin board and direct referrals of any hopefuls to you when they ask."

"Hmm…as expected some of it's pretty pricey…" Hestia mumbled as she mulled it over.

With the allowance she got from Caster and her own pocket money from her job, she could afford a few things but she shouldn't spend all her money on this as there was no telling when Bell and the others would come back. She had to live for at most a week off this money after all.

"I apologize for not asking sooner but…may I have your name Lady Goddess?" Eina asked.

"Hmm? Oh, it's Hestia."

"Ah, then you are Bell's Goddess?" Eina asked as Hestia threw her chest out with a proud nod. "I haven't seen him in a while. Is he doing all right?"

"Yeah. He's headed down to fight the Monster Rex Goliath," Hestia replied absentmindedly as she turned her gaze back to the price sheet.

"HE WHAAAT!?"

Eina's scream caused Hestia to reel her head back in pain and for most of the people in the Guild to stare.

"I-I'm sorry for raising my voice!" Eina said as she leaned forward toward Hestia. "But you said he's gone to fight a Floor Boss? But it hasn't even been two weeks since he Leveled Up!"

"Well…Caster's being rather ambitious…" Hestia muttered as she rubbed her ear. "And Bell's growth is explosive as of late so he wants to take advantage of it."

Eina didn't look satisfied at all with that answer as she rubbed her forehead with an exhausted look.

"Thank you for worrying about my child, Miss Advisor," Hestia said with a smile. "But he's in good hands with Caster and Saber looking after him. With luck, they probably met up with Archer as well."

"Uuuu…don't remind me about that…" Eina muttered, clearly having not been too enthusiastic about the fact that Loki Familia had taken one of her Advisee Adventurers all the way down to the Fiftieth Floor just because he had a useful magic. "…Although I suppose you must be more worried about that than I am."

"I am," Hestia nodded with a smile. "But as Caster keeps telling me, I just have to trust that they will be all right. So you should do the same, okay, Miss Advisor? Bell defeated a Minotaur on his own at Level 1 and then blew away an Infant Dragon in one blow too. If nothing else, he should be able to run away from the Goliath if things go badly."

"…I suppose you're right," Eina agreed with a smile of her own. "In any case…back to your request for an advertisement?"

"Ahh…let's just go with this one."

Hestia decided on the ad one spot above the "word of mouth" advertisement.

It allowed her a few flyers as well as a corner spot on one of the bulletin boards.

It wasn't anything grand but it was cheap and she could spend her time actively seeking out members on her own.

"Certainly," Eina nodded as she began processing the request. "Are there any specific requirements you'd like on the flyers?"

"I'm looking for female Adventurers preferably but men are welcomed too," Hestia began. "It'd be nice if they were an Elf or someone that can use magic though."

"Understood. Is there anything else? Such as age or experience?"

"Nope. I don't care about experience. If I did, I would't have found Bell after all. Besides, we're still new so I might as well welcome any new hopeful Adventurer that comes along. Though it might mean more work for you, Miss Advisor."

"It probably won't be much more since Bell doesn't seem to need my advice lately," Eina answered with a lonely looking smile.

"Don't say that, he came to ask about his Development Ability, right? It goes to show you that he still holds your word in high regard, more than Caster's and almost as much as mine!"

"Fufu…thank you, Goddess Hestia."

After that, the two of them finalized the flyers which detailed that the Hestia Familia was seeking new members and that everyone was welcome regardless of experience. With a more specific call for mages and women under it.

"Well, I don't really expect much to come out of it but it shouldn't hurt," Hestia said as she left the Guild building. "Let's see…it's about noon so let's get some lunch…ah, I know!"

With a destination in mind, Hestia made her way to the market.

X-x-X-x-X

"Take! I came to visit!"

"Oh, Hestia! Welcome!"

Hestia had made her way to the Potato Puff stand operated by her friend and fellow god, Takemikazuchi.

"Good timing," Takemikazuchi said as he lowered his head. "I wanted to thank your children for saving mine the other day."

"It's fine, it's fine," Hestia said with a smile. "Though my Captain wasn't happy about it since it was super risky but everything went well so it's fine."

"Your Captain didn't go into the Dungeon with the rest of your children?" Takemikazuchi asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah, he does a lot of other things instead but it's thanks to that we're no longer hurting on money."

Hestia then held up five fingers and Takemikazuchi packed away five puffs into a bag for her.

"So how are your children doing?" Hestia asked as she took the bag from him.

"Chigusa's still resting today while the others are going to remain on the Upper Levels," Takemikazuchi replied with a slight frown. "My Captain, Ouka, seems to be taking it pretty hard though."

"Sounds like a pretty serious child you got there."

"Indeed…he takes things a bit too seriously and it worries me a bit…"

"I completely understand," Hestia nodded with one hand on her hip and the other carefully holding her bag. "My Shirou is the same way."

"'Shirou' huh?" Takemikazuchi muttered. "You got a child from the Far East?"

"I think so," Hestia nodded. "His facial features match a bit but his hair's already turned white so you wouldn't be able to tell otherwise."

"Well, it's not like all the children there have black hair. It's just the most common."

The two of them shared a laugh before Hestia decided to get going.

"Oh if your children need any help in the Dungeon, feel free to ask me," Hestia said. "With the rest of my children coming home in a few days they might have some free time if I don't get any new members."

Though if Bell someone miraculously Levels Up again there might be some more Servants added in the mix too.

"No no, I can't ask that much of you," Takemikazuchi said quickly. "We'll keep doing things our own way."

"All right then, but the offer is always open," Hestia said as she bid goodbye to Takemikazuchi and headed on her way.

X-x-X-x-X

As she expected though, the first day of her Familia hunting came up with nothing.

That wasn't so bad as it was just more of the usual.

Coming home to an empty, quiet, and completely dark house for the second day in a row though? The pain was excruciating.

She didn't understand just how she became so needy for companionship.

Not bothering to eat in the dining room, she walked all the way up to the top floor. The only rooms up here were her own along with Caster's. Their two "offices" were here as well with Caster's office being connected to his room so that one would have to cross it before entering his room proper.

Placing a hand on the doorknob, Hestia tried turning it but found that it was locked.

For all his insistence on his dislike of gods, he had never locked his door when he was at home and Hestia often spent her previous days off or time before an afternoon shift just slacking off, usually with a book, on the sofa in the office as he worked.

And boy did Caster work on a lot of things at once. There wasn't ever a time Hestia was in the office that there wasn't a stack of papers or slabs on his desk. She had no idea what he was doing but it probably had to do with his investigations on the Dungeon and probably various things of the city as well.

The stone slabs were probably his personal records of various things written in a language not known in Orario but as a Goddess, Hestia would have no problem reading them if she cared to. She peeked at it once before when she brought food to Caster and saw mostly numbers so he was probably balancing the books or something.

But as it was, she couldn't get inside with the door locked so there was no point standing here.

She made her way back to her room and slumped over on her desk.

"…Maybe I should ask for more hours until they come home?" Hestia muttered as with a sob as she munched on her potato puff. "Though I bet that the moment I do, they'll come home that day, haha…"

And she didn't want to waste a moment in indulging herself with either Bell or Assassin's presence. And after letting him rest, she would ask Archer to cook up a big celebration meal too. She would help of course. If it was peeling veggies like potatoes, she was already a pro at that and it would free up his hands.

Not that she couldn't cook normally of course (ONE single accident notwithstanding). As the Goddess of the Hearth, she had a few personal recipes under her belt and did the cooking when she was home before the others, a duty she shared with Lily since Archer wasn't here. It's just that she enjoyed eating other people's cooking more than her own.

"Tomorrow will be a better day," Hestia muttered as she went to the washroom to brush her teeth. "One day sooner everyone comes home and one less day of being home alone!"

With that optimistic thought in mind, Hestia finished her evening ritual and ducked under the covers for the night.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

X-x-X-x-X

Today was an awful day.

Hestia stared out into the street with an annoyed face as she watched the rain drops patter onto the street and the people who were quickly running for shelter.

At least the stand was connected to a building so she was still dry…and had the foresight to bring an umbrella with her.

"E-excuse us!"

"This rain came out of nowhere!"

Hestia turned toward the voices and saw two girls that had ducked into the stand for some shelter.

The first was a human girl with pink hair and pink eyes wearing a pink and red tunic over a red skirt. She seemed to be going for a theme or something. Her hair was cut rather short with two accessories at the side of her head. Though she was a bit shorter than Bell, she looked to be a bit older than him.

The second was blonde Elf girl with a dark blue and purple dress and had her hair tied up in twin tails by blue ribbons. She was only a little bit taller than Hestia herself and looked rather young. Not that it really meant much for a long lived raced like Elves but even so, she was probably younger than Bell.

"Ahh…this day is just awful…" the elf muttered, echoing Hestia's thoughts as she started wringing water out of her hair.

"We haven't been having much luck, have we?" the human asked as she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her head. "Ah please excuse us, Lady Goddess."

As all deities had a divine aura around them, mortals could tell who they were right away. Some among their number could hide their aura to the point that they would pass just as another mortal but Hestia couldn't do it that well just yet so the girl could tell Hestia was a goddess with a simple glance.

"Don't worry about it, and welcome~" Hestia said with a cheerful business smile. "Would you like to buy a Jagamaru-kun while you wait for the rain to die down? There's a special for two with azuki cream for only 80 valis."

At her words the elf's stomach started to growl as she lowered her head burning cheeks.

"Umm…" the human girl pulled out her purse with a strained smile as she checked her contents. "Maybe just two regular ones please."

"Coming right up," Hestia said.

"Y-you don't have to do that, Miss Flores…"

"Don't worry about it, Primo. I'm hungry too."

Hestia had a name!

The human was Flores and the elf was Primo. Now she had to find out if those were first names or surnames.

"Are the two of you Adventurers?" Hestia asked, making conversation as the manager was out and she was alone in managing the stall right now.

"That's right!" Primo said sticking her tiny chest out. "I'm going to be the next great Mage that can stand alongside Lady Rivera herself!"

"Ohh, that's a splendid goal," Hestia said as she handed the two of them their snack. "Which Familia are you in then?"

At Hestia's question, Primo faltered and her shoulders sank. Even her ears were drooping.

"Ahh…"

It reminded Hestia of Bell's expression when she unintentionally saw him getting rejected by a Familia before he joined hers.

"I-is that so…?" Hestia said as she tried to find the words. "Umm…do you have any idea why they might not want you?"

"She's ten years old," Flores said as Primo made a small whimpering noise.

"Oh."

Hestia didn't know what to say to that. She knew that some Familias would even have babies join in as their parents were already part of the Familia but accepting a ten year old into the Familia from outside was a big gamble for small time Familias and the big time ones wouldn't even bother.

"Ah I don't have one either," Flores spoke up, not wanting the silence to go on for too long. Or just not wanting Primo to "suffer" alone.

"I see," Hestia began. "Did the two of you come here together?"

"No. We only just met each other yesterday. Oh, my apologies, my name is Emma Flores."

Hestia now had a first name! Success!

"I'm Primo Libera…" Primo added with a sniff as she munched on the puff.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Hestia."

"Hestia?" Primo asked as her eyes shot open. "As in Hestia Familia? Moonlit Dawn's Familia? The Record Holder?"

Hestia did her damndest to make sure her smile remained on her face despite the crippling pain that was delivered into her heart.

"Y-yes, that's my Bell," Hestia nodded, doing her best to keep her smile from twitching.

She was failing horribly.

"Record Holder?" Emma repeated as she looked at Primo.

"You haven't heard?" Primo asked. "Moonlit Dawn managed to reach Level 2 in only a month and a half. Most Adventurers spend their entire lives trying to Level Up and he managed to do so so quickly!"

"I see…so Moonlit Dawn is a big deal then?"

"The biggest!"

Hestia wanted to preen and take in compliments for Bell but the use of his Alias was dealing her more damage than she could take.

"T-thank you for your compliments…" Hestia managed to squeeze out. "He's our Familia's rising star after all."

Primo quickly stuffed her potato puff into her mouth and swallowed before running around the stand and grabbing Hestia by the hands.

"Please Lady Hestia, please let me join your Familia!" Primo begged. "I know that I'm still young but I promise that you won't regret it!"

"Heh? Eh?"

The thought of inviting them did occur to Hestia but she didn't think Primo would ask to join on her own accord. Heck, she never expected anyone to beg to join her Familia so she had absolutely no idea how to handle it.

Honestly, ten years old was a bit young to go into the Dungeon but Assassin was a good ten centimeters shorter than Primo was. Then again, Assassin was also a Servant that was already faster and stronger than Bell by default.

"Please! I'll work hard as a Supporter at first if I have to!" Primo continued.

"Umm…you certainly are eager…" Hestia said with a strained laugh. "But all of my children are currently on an expedition right now and won't be home for a few days. Since you sound like you want to be a Mage, if you did join my Familia, I wouldn't feel right if I had you go into the Dungeon alone."

"Then take Miss Flores as well!" Primo said.

"Do I get a say in this?" Emma asked with a wry smile as she scratched her cheek. "Well…it's not like I've had much luck either…so…if you would have me?"

…Was it really this easy?

She already got what she was looking for. A (possible) Mage and two new girls for her Familia without even trying.

"What has all my effort the last few months been for?" Hestia thought to herself.

No no, she should consider this a reward for all her hard work. That's right, she was doing a good job now both as a part-timer and as a goddess of a Familia. This was her reward! It meant she was finally getting somewhere!

…It also meant she had to go to the Guild and take down the advertisement.

"Hmm…" Hestia mumbled, pretending to mull it over as she looked back into Primo's hopeful eyes. "Well…I can't say that you'll be going into the Dungeon when our Captain gets home without him seeing what you can do but I wouldn't mind if either of you wanted to join."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"I'll try not to let you down, Lady Hestia."

Primo and Emma both lowered their heads to Hestia as she smiled at them in return.

X-x-X-x-X

The manager decided to close up shop early because of the rain so Hestia was able to take the girls home under the cover of her umbrella, which Emma had to hold due to being the tallest of the three.

"Welcome to our Familia Home, the Hearthstone Manor!" Hestia said when they arrived in front of the house after stopping by the inn the girls had been staying at to get their luggage. "We have a lot of rooms here so feel free to pick any empty ones."

""Yes!""

The two of them nodded at the same time as Hestia unlocked the front gate and strode on in with the girls right behind her. The two of them had stopped and stared at the strange statues sitting at the corners of the walls but quickly hurried after Hestia when she opened the front door.f

"Now then…" Hestia began as they sat in the living room. "Let's begin shall we? Who wants to go first?"

"Me!" Primo volunteered immediately with a raised hand as Emma gave a wry smile and gestured toward the elf.

"All right then come over and lie down on the couch," Hestia said as she patted the seat. "Oh and show me your back."

Primo obeyed and laid down on her stomach with her back exposed to Hestia.

"Umm…is this going to hurt?" Primo asked, eyes widening as Hestia retrieved her silver knife.

"It shouldn't," Hestia replied as she pricked her finger with the blade. "Now hold still. I don't want to make a mistake."

"Y-yes…"

Hestia stuck her tongue out between her teeth as she drew her symbol onto Primo's back, the young elf doing her best not to twitch at Hestia's finger's movements.

"Ticklish?" Hestia asked as she poked Primo in the side.

"Y-yes…" Primo admitted, her ears turning red as they twitched a bit.

"Ahh, you really are cute. Let's see now…oh! Congratulations, Primo!"

"Huh? What? What?"

Hestia got off of Primo's back as the girl quickly pulled her dress up and Hestia handed Primo the sheet that contained her Status.

Primo Libera

Level 1

Strength: I0

Defense: I0

Dexterity: I0

Agility: I0

Magic: I0

Magic:

Lumine Pleiades: Wide range bombardment magic

Glittering stars crossing the night sky.

Hear my naïve prayer and guide these falling lights.

Descend o starry tears!

Blast away these hapless rejects!

Lumine Pleiades!

Skills:

None

"Magic…" Primo said before her eyes lit up and she started jumping up and down, clutching the sheet to her chest. "I have magic! I knew it! I knew I was a genius!"

"Now now," Hestia said as she calmed down the excited girl. "To be a proper Mage you need to be able to recite your chant perfectly and without fail…or you're going to blow up due to an Ignis Fatuus."

"Y-yes," Primo nodded seriously but she was still all smiles. "I'll get to memorizing this right away! Umm…out of curiosity…does anyone else in the Familia have Magic?"

"Hmm? Hmmmm…" Hestia raised her head for a moment and folded her arms as she tried to remember the others' Status before answering with a smile, "Everyone does."

"Grk…I won't lose…" Primo muttered as she trained her eyes on the sheet, not reacting as Hestia steered her into an armchair.

"Now then, you next, Emma."

"Yes," Emma nodded as she removed her tunic and laid down on the couch as well.

Repeating the same process, Hestia drew her symbol on the human's back with a smile. Of course, she remembered to "lock" the Falna so that it was not visible without her blood to others.

"All right, you're done," Hestia said as she patted Emma's back and the girl sat up, holding her tunic to her chest. "Sorry to say but you don't have any Magic."

"Is that so?" Emma asked, looking just a bit disappointed.

"Don't worry, Bell didn't have one either when he started out," Hestia said, deciding not to mention just how Bell did not get his magic. It never happened after all. "You do have an open slot though so you might get one eventually the more you hang out with the Familia. Oh you do have a strange Skill though."

"Skill?"

Hestia handed Emma's Status sheet to her and the girl looked it over with curious eyes.

Emma Flores

Level 1

Strength: I0

Defense: I0

Dexterity: I0

Agility: I0

Magic: I0

Magic:

(Open)

Skills:

Rein Amur – Beloved Blooming: Causes a Rhapsodia among those with the same Falna for a short time.

"Rein Amur?" Emma read as she looked up at Hestia who shook her head with a shrug.

"I have no idea," Hestia said with a smile. "That's part of the 'fun' when it comes to some Skills like these. You have to find out what it does on your own. But 'Rhapsodia' can mean 'collection' or a 'really good feeling' so it might be a skill that boosts you or people around you under certain conditions. You'll have to test it out when you eventually go into the Dungeon. Bell has a similar skill that boosts his attacks' power too."

"I see…" Emma nodded in understanding as she looked back down at her Status. "And what are those conditions?"

"He said he has to think of a 'Hero,'" Hesita said with a sly grin. "Isn't that precious? Well it can't be helped after all. His heroes are all members of the Familia so he's always being influenced by them. So my advice would be to think about what motivates you and maybe that will activate it."

"What motivates me…" Emma repeated.

"Well if you can't do it on your own you can ask for help with me or Primo," Hestia continued. "Not to mention the others when they return. We're all family now so there's no use trying to do things on your own. That goes for you too, okay, Primo?"

""Yes!"" The girls nodded in unison causing Hestia to smile. It was just like the time with Bell all over again.

"Hmm…let's see now…" she muttered as she looked at the clock. "It's a bit late to head to the Guild to register so we'll put that on hold. Same with going to the Dungeon so today the two of you should get yourselves settled in."

"Umm…where exactly are the others again?" Primo asked, raising a hand. "You said they were in the Dungeon but…"

"They're on an expedition to the Eighteenth Floor," Hestia replied. "They left two days ago so they should be returning either tomorrow or the day after. Oh by the way, not counting the two of you, we have four boys and two girls. With you two now joining, we'll have an even split!"

"Is that really something so important?" Emma asked. "Isn't it normal for there to be more male Adventurers than female?"

"It is! It definitely is! My life and my reputation were at stake!"

The two newcomers shared a glance as Hestia started muttering to herself.

"Do you think we'll regret this?" Primo asked Emma as the two of them leaned toward each other.

"You immediately got a Spell with my Falna and I got a Skill," Emma pointed out. "At the very least, we're gong to come out ahead."

"I can hear you two, you know?" Hestia said, popping her own face near theirs, causing them to shriek in surprise. "Either way, you're both stuck with me for at least a year, so let's get along."

"Yes, Lady Hestia," Emma nodded.

"No problem!" Primo nodded with a smile.

X-x-X-x-X

After that they had dinner and Hestia learned that Primo left her village in the Libera Forest to head to Orario because she wanted to become a great Mage like Loki's Riveria Los Alf. Of course, still being a child she ended up losing almost all her money immediately and was helped out by Emma who had been lost trying to get back to her own inn.

"Aha…I've always had a bad sense of direction," Emma admitted. "I have to go to a place at least ten times before I can remember how to get there."

Hestia had thought that Emma would be the more reliable one out of the two but now she was deathly afraid that they would get lost in the Dungeon on their first day.

"All right, no one's going into the Dungeon until the others get home," Hestia declared as she slammed her hand on the dining table.

"Eh? But won't they think we're useless if we don't even go in once?" Primo asked.

"Only one of them would think you are useless because of that and that's only because he thinks everyone is useless anyway," Hestia responded simply as she crossed her arms. "Everyone else will be very understanding. Lily, our Supporter, knows how dangerous the Dungeon can be better than anyone, Jackie hasn't ever gone in alone either, and Saber and Archer would just fret if they found out."

"What about Moonlit Dawn?" Primo asked causing Hestia to wince again.

"…Primo? Dearie? Please call him Bell or Mr Cranel at the very least," Hestia said with a twitching smile. "You're in the same Familia now so it'll be weird if you don't call him by name."

"Ah, that makes sense," the elf nodded, accepting the request at face value. "Then what about Mr Cranel?"

"Bell had to go it alone since he was my first child for the first two weeks. After that, Archer joined him and then Lily. Since then he never went into the Dungeon without at least Lily."

"Then what's wrong with the two of us going together?" Primo asked. "The Guild should have at least a map of the First Floor, right?"

"Can you read a map?" Hestia asked first.

"I read enough to know how to get here from my village!" Primo shot back. "I'm not a kid, Lady Hestia!"

"…You did spend all your money at once on a big inn though," Emma pointed out as Primo blushed.

"T-that's because I thought I would find a Familia to join right away! Miss Flores! Don't you want to go into the Dungeon too?"

"Well, I am kinda scared of getting lost down there," the older girl admitted. "But I guess I do feel a bit more confident if you were with me."

"See?" Primo asked as she turned back toward Hestia.

"Hmm…"

Hestia was definitely not completely convinced but, like Loki said, it wasn't as though she could keep an Adventurer from going on an Adventure. Caster would also no doubt accuse her of coddling her new members for no real reason other than to make her feel better.

"Fine…let's compromise," Hestia said as she lifted a finger. "Tomorrow when you go to get register at the Guild, try to find a brown haired half-elf wearing glasses named Eina Tulle. She's more or less our Familia Advisor even though she really only advises Bell since everyone else either doesn't need advice or already knows enough about the Dungeon. She's a useful way to learn more about the Dungeon. Find her, get registered, get information on buying Starter Gear then if she says it's okay, you can go in."

"Won't that take up most of the day?" Primo asked, looking .

"Well, we should at least know what to expect from the Dungeon, right?" Emma pointed out. "Or did you want to try fighting Monsters without even a staff?"

"Mugu…"

Unable to say anything to that, Primo simply grumbled with her spoon in her mouth.

"Let's see…" Hestia placed a hand to her chin in thought. "If I remember correctly…Bell's Guild-issue starting equipment was about nine thousand valis for his breastplate and dagger so…"

Hestia had no idea how much a staff for a Mage went for so she should consider a bigger budget for the two girls.

"I'll give the two of you forty thousand valis to go shopping for your Starter Gear," Hestia said as their eyes boggled. "What? You don't think I'm going to make you buy your own gear with your own money do you? I'd give you more but our Captain is the one who has control over our coffers and any more than this will cut into the food budget I have for the week."

It meant cutting back on snacks and new volumes of her stories but it was a worthy trade if Hestia said so herself.

"W-we understand," Emma said quickly with a nod. "We won't let you down!"

"When I become a great Mage, I'll definitely return the money, Lady Hestia!" Primo added.

"Please, you're both my children now," Hestia said, spreading her arms wide. "It's only natural for me to help you any way I can."

It honestly felt good that she was now able to properly provide for her children like this. Gone were the days of feeding Bell nothing but stale bread, eggs and leftover Jagamaru-kuns. She was now a proper Goddess of a Familia.

And it only took her about three months! With a little cheating from ghosts and goblets sure, but what Familia didn't use every advantage they had to get ahead?

At least she wasn't Ishtar!

X-x-X-x-X

"All right, here's the Guild!" Hestia said as she stood in front of the Guild building with back to it and faced her new girls the next morning. "Now then, the rest is up to you. Show me what you can do!"

""Yes!""

Primo and Emma nodded before they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Hestia had her part time job after all.

All that was left to do was pray that the girls will be all right.

Thus Hestia started another new day.