The next few days passed quickly, and the banquet hosted by the Ganesha Familia drew ever closer.
Evening.
"Welcome, everyone, and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the banquet we are hosting!"
"I am Ganesha!!!"
The elephant-masked god Ganesha stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, personally greeting the arriving deities.
"Oh! Isn't that Ganesha, my old friend? It's been so long, and you haven't changed a bit!"
"You looked exactly the same the last time I saw you. In a way, that makes you pretty impressive!"
No matter who arrived, they greeted the elephant-masked god warmly. It seemed his relationships were indeed quite good.
"It's been a while, Ganesha."
At that moment, the chestnut-haired goddess arrived at the entrance, her arm linked with her child.
"Isn't that Astraea? It really has been a long time!"
Upon seeing her, Ganesha became visibly excited. His relationship with Astraea was quite good.
Just looking at which Familias would protect Orario in the future made that clear.
As Familias aligned with order, the Astraea Familia and the Ganesha Familia were practically regarded as the city's twin guardians. Their interactions had always been close.
"Seeing you so energetic makes me happy as well," Astraea said with a gentle smile.
"Hahaha! As the pillar in the hearts of the citizens, I must always remain cheerful. If even I, the Lord of the Masses, wore a worried expression, how could the children of the lower world feel at ease?"
"That's true. The emotions of the children in the lower world are easily influenced by us. Ganesha, you've truly done something remarkable."
"Of course I have, hahaha! After all..." The male god gave a thumbs-up and struck an exaggerated pose. "I am Ganesha!!!"
So loud...
It wasn't just Astraea who thought so. Even Elise, standing at her side, found it a bit overwhelming.
This Ganesha really was exactly as he had been portrayed in the anime... full of personality.
"This must be your child, Astraea." Ganesha suddenly looked toward Elise. "I've heard of the Saintess of Scales."
"Just as the rumors say, you're an outstanding child!"
"Thank you for the praise, Ganesha. Elise is indeed excellent, but your children are the same. Aren't we all striving for Orario's future?"
"Hahaha, that's right, Astraea! The future of Orario requires our joint efforts!"
"But for today, let's simply enjoy the pleasure this banquet brings! Because... I am Ganesha!!!"
...
This banquet hosted by the Ganesha Familia was different from the Denatus held every three months. It was not a venue for the gods to exchange information, stir up excitement, or bestow titles.
There were no strict rules regarding who could host it. Any god could organize one, and attendance was entirely optional.
Although the Ganesha Familia had sent invitations to every Familia in Orario, the number of gods who actually came was not particularly large.
In the end, it was merely a networking banquet. The Ganesha Familia already showed signs of becoming one of the city's guardians in the future. In order to gain the support of various Familias, they had organized this event.
Though Ganesha was noisy, his reputation carried considerable weight.
Quite a few chief deities of large Familias had come, such as Loki, Freya, and Hephaestus...
Ishtar would also attend, but she seemed to still be on her way, apparently planning to make the final entrance.
Any Familia with sufficient strength could see the Ganesha Familia's potential. Offering some face and building connections cost nothing more than the time of a single banquet.
In contrast, it was the chief deities of smaller Familias who came in the fewest numbers.
So this is what a banquet in the DanMachi world looks like... It really is completely different from modern society.
Elise followed Astraea through the banquet hall. From time to time, they passed strikingly handsome men and beautiful women—all of them gods.
The gods' appearance truly stood on a different level from ordinary people. If Elise did not possess her special charm skill, she might well have faded into the background here.
The deities who seemed average in the anime appeared far more attractive in person. It genuinely surprised Elise.
She hadn't expected that among novel illustrations, game artwork, and anime portrayals, the novel illustrations would be the most impressive, the games second, and the anime the most ordinary.
No wonder people joked about buying light novels just for the illustrations.
Still, Elise glanced at Astraea chatting with her divine friends in the distance, then looked around at her own surroundings...
She seemed to have very few friends in this world.
That made sense. Ever since arriving in this world, she had focused almost entirely on training. For the past few months, she had either been fighting monsters or honing her skills.
Although she treated the citizens of Orario kindly and often helped them, she had rarely developed genuine friendships.
Elise was more like... someone else's exemplary child.
Many people knew her, but the closeness she imagined simply wasn't there.
Perhaps that's fine. At least I don't have to remain in constant noise like in other worlds. It's rather peaceful this way.
Elise had once attended banquets in the the Asterisk world, and every time she had been the center of attention. Being watched by so many eyes had been exhausting.
Now, surrounded by countless beautiful gods, she would not be the most dazzling presence. Moreover, she wore an eyepatch that covered half her face, so others might not even recognize her.
"Mm... So this is wine brewed by the gods? The taste is quite good."
Elise quietly slipped away from the crowd of gods and took her wine to a balcony seating area, hoping for some solitude.
Someone was already there, but she had no intention of initiating conversation.
However, her silence did not guarantee the other person's.
"Why are you here alone?"
A small blue head suddenly popped up from behind the back of a chair and spoke to Elise.
"I just wanted to find somewhere quiet to sit for a while. I already dealt with quite a few gods at the banquet earlier. What about you?"
The girl appeared to be only around ten years old, with long blue hair. Judging from her tone, she seemed like an energetic girl similar to Alise.
"Hehe, I snuck here behind my sister's back to attend the banquet."
The little girl grinned, as if sneaking out were something worthy of pride.
"A lovable and beautiful girl like me would definitely attract everyone's attention at a banquet!"
She stepped in front of Elise and spun confidently in a circle, as though showing off her formal dress.
"After all, I'm the little sister of the captain of the Ganesha Familia—Adi Varma!"