And so
Orario, West Main Street, District Seven, at the far end of a secluded alley in the Old City.
Inside Haimer's temple, the previously silent space suddenly rippled with violent distortion. Immediately afterward, a flash of light appeared, and a crowded group materialized out of thin air, instantly filling the already cramped second-floor hall.
"Ow!"
"Don't push! My dictionary!"
"Awooo!"
"Who stepped on Kyoubou's paw?!"
After a moment of chaos, the girls finally managed to steady themselves and began looking around.
"This…"
"This is a temple?"
"You said we were going to struggle and work hard…"
"But this is a little too much struggle, isn't it?!"
Mary widened her eyes as she looked at the peeling walls, the chandelier that looked like it could fall at any moment, and the pile of miscellaneous items stacked in the corner that had clearly been sitting there for a long time.
"Be quiet."
Amou coldly rebuked her.
She did not concern herself with the shabby environment. Instead, she immediately walked to the window and looked outside through the dust-covered glass.
The window creaked open.
Outside, the massive Babel Tower pierced the sky, and the bustling streets were filled with people coming and going. All kinds of strange races moved about, beastfolk, dwarves, elves. Even at a brief glance, one could see demi-humans with animal ears carrying enormous battleaxes, dwarves with long beards laughing loudly while carrying sacks of ore, and slender elves weaving through the crowd.
An atmosphere filled with exotic vitality rushed in with the wind.
"So this is… another world."
Amou lightly brushed the window frame with her fingers, and the light in her eyes grew increasingly intense.
"It really is different."
Rin stepped forward as well, watching a group of armored adventurers pass below, their bodies radiating the scent of blood.
There were no pretentious academy rules here. Everything openly displayed the beauty of power.
Tsukuyo stood in the center of the hall with her eyes closed, listening carefully.
"The sound of the wind… the vibration of the earth…"
"And…"
"There's something subtle flowing in the air, something that seems hidden yet present everywhere."
She reached out as if trying to grasp something invisible.
"So this is the world the God spoke of?"
Tsukuyo tightened her grip on her blade, her body subtly tensing.
The environment might look worn down, but she could sense that even an ordinary passerby outside carried an aura that could not be underestimated.
This truly was a world of the strong.
Just as the girls were still immersed in the novelty of this new world,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The slightly warped wooden door of the temple was suddenly knocked on forcefully.
The sudden sound instantly put everyone on guard.
Amou raised her hand in a ready stance. Rin's hand rested on her sword hilt. Even the large black bear stood up alertly, letting out a low growl.
"Haimer!"
"Are you in there?"
"Open the door!"
A lively and somewhat noisy girl's voice came from outside.
"Hephaistos just gave me a couple of fried croquette wraps and told me to hurry over and call you to the Hephaistos Familia for dinner!"
"If you don't come now, we'll be late!"
Hearing that voice, Haimer helplessly pressed his fingers against his forehead.
Hestia.
Or rather, Orario's well-known "Blue Ribbon," the "Poor Goddess," the petite goddess.
As another deity barely getting by in Orario, she and Haimer were among the few who understood each other's hardships. They often stuck together for support.
Before Haimer could tell everyone not to be nervous,
The already unstable door was pushed open from the outside with a creak.
"Seriously, why are you taking so lon-"
She stopped mid-sentence.
A twin-tailed girl wearing a short white dress with the signature blue ribbon tied across her chest stepped inside with a slight frown, speaking casually.
The next moment, Hestia's voice abruptly cut off.
It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed her by the throat.
She froze in the act of pushing the door open, one foot inside the threshold and the other still outside.
Her large blue eyes stared at the room.
Because what she saw was, in this dilapidated temple that normally wouldn't even attract a mouse,
There was now a room full of people.
And not just anyone,
A group of strikingly distinctive and intimidatingly beautiful girls.
A proud and domineering long black-haired woman.
A white-haired girl in a kimono with her eyes closed.
A short-haired swordswoman with an upright presence.
A blonde with curls holding a dictionary.
A petite girl holding a cub that was happily chewing.
A green-haired girl smiling in a way that made one uneasy.
And,
A massive black bear, nearly reaching the ceiling, scratching its belly with a simple and honest expression.
Hestia fell silent.
The air instantly grew quiet.
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
As if confirming whether she was still asleep or had fainted from hunger and begun hallucinating.
She looked at the girls who were now curiously observing her.
Then she looked at Haimer.
Finally, Hestia slowly raised her hand and rubbed her eyes.
The paper bag in her hand slipped to the floor with a soft thud, and two warm fried croquette wraps rolled out.
When she opened her eyes again and confirmed this was not an illusion,
"EHHHHHHH?!!!"
A scream loud enough to lift the roof erupted.
Hestia stiffly turned her neck, pointed at Amou, then pointed at the bear, and finally stared at Haimer's face.
What was going on?!
Was this still the temple of the Haimer who could barely afford food and spent his days wandering around with her looking for free meals?
Where did this entire room of beautiful girls come from?!
And what were those two black bears doing here?!
At that moment, the overwhelming contrast shattered Hestia's fragile mental defenses.
Betrayal.
Deep betrayal surged through Hestia's heart.
"Ha, Haimer?!"
Her voice rose sharply as she pointed at the entire room, her cheeks visibly puffing up.
"Who are they?!"
"You… you actually hid this from me…"
"Hid the fact that you found so many…"
"Waaaaahhh!"
"We agreed to stay Orario's lazy freeloader gods together!"
"How could you secretly turn things around without me?!"
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