Ever since humans learned to make tools, their love for weapons has been etched into their bones.
Just as an apelike creature without fangs or claws picked up a sharp stone and gained the ability to tear apart prey.
Weapons
Have never been mere tools.
They are an extension of the human body, a manifestation of will, and the only means for the weak to challenge the strong.
Just as in human history, humans once fed on mammoths.
For these girls who have always fought with their bodies and ordinary iron in this low-magic world,
The weapons of Orario, crafted from monster materials and even enchanted with special effects, are undoubtedly the most tantalizing temptation in the world.
Like a traveler in the desert seeing a spring,
That longing is impossible to hide.
Especially Rin,
Even after reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the [Famed Blade·black crow] priced at several million currency, she kept looking back.
Seeing this,
Heimdall thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"Um..."
After the girls disappeared down the hallway,
Heimdall turned to face Hephaestus, who hadn't left yet.
"Hephaestus."
"If you're not busy tonight,"
"I'd like to talk to you."
"Oh?"
"It seems you noticed too."
"The way those kids looked at my wall of weapons,"
"Like hungry wolves eyeing meat."
Hephaestus looked at Heimdall with interest.
"But..."
"You know,"
"Hephaestus brand weapons aren't cheap."
"Given your current situation..."
"Are you sure you can afford it?"
"Regarding that, I have something worthy to offer."
"So,"
"Wait for me."
...
And so.
A moment later.
The guest room of the Hephaestus Familia.
Although it was a guest room, the conditions were just as he had said.
Quite good.
A spacious room, soft carpets, and they even thoughtfully prepared spare clothes.
At this moment.
The air in the room was filled with the moist heat characteristic of just having bathed.
All the girls had finished washing up.
And changed into the simple bathrobes provided here.
Although the style was simple, on that group of youthful and beautiful girls, it took on a different kind of charm.
Kirukiru Amou was sitting by the window, wiping her wet long hair.
The loose neckline slightly opened with her movements, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.
Rin sat somewhat awkwardly by the bedside, tightly clutching the hem of her robe, seemingly very unaccustomed to the slightly short robe she was wearing.
Inaba Tsukiyo sat quietly on the sheet, like an exquisite doll.
Not only that.
Even the Black Bear Fierce Person and that little bear had been scrubbed clean, now lying in the corner, groaning comfortably.
"Creak--"
The door opened.
Heimdall walked in.
The originally somewhat noisy room instantly fell silent.
Everyone's gaze focused on him.
With curiosity, with anticipation, and with a trace of unconcealed shyness.
After all.
What was about to happen, Hestia had already explained to them during the bath.
—The blessing of the gods.
That was the necessary path for mortals to transform into Adventurers.
It was also the most sacred contract forged between a God and a Familia.
"Since everyone is ready."
"Then."
"Let's begin."
Heimdall wasted no words and walked directly to the large bed in the center of the room and sat down.
"The blessing of the gods, simply put, is that I bestow God Blood upon you, thereby drawing out the potential within your bodies and digitizing it."
"This process..."
"Requires a small ritual."
Heimdall's gaze swept over the girls.
"Who wants to go first?"
After a brief silence.
"Um..."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go first!"
Unexpectedly.
The first one to step forward was not the most fanatical Kirukiru Amou.
But the seemingly most well-behaved Inaba Tsukiyo.
This girl, with long silver-white hair and blind eyes, was slowly standing up.
On her exquisite, doll-like face, there was a solemnity like that of a pilgrim.
"Good."
Heimdall nodded.
Inaba Tsukiyo slowly walked to the bedside, guided by his voice.
Then.
"Please take off your robe."
"!!!"
The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Take... take off the robe?"
Rin repeated haltingly, her cheeks instantly turning bright red, her hands instinctively covering her neckline, her eyes wide as copper bells.
Not just her.
Kikakujuo Mary's cheeks turned completely red with shame.
"Um..."
Hanazake Warabi shrank behind the Black Bear and meekly raised her hand.
"Do we really have to take it all off? Won't that be... a bit much...?"
"What are you thinking?"
"We are only exposing the back."
"The inscription of the blessing of the gods acts directly on the connection point between the soul and the body."
"And the back..."
"Is the largest area of the human body, and the place closest to the spinal center."
"It is also the blind spot that humans are most vulnerable about and least willing to expose to outsiders."
"Therefore, exposing one's back completely to another person goes against the human instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm."
"But this is precisely the true meaning of the word Familia."
"The so-called Familia..."
"Is not simply a hierarchy between a God and the chosen children."
"It is a contract built upon absolute trust."
"The chosen child entrusts their most vulnerable back to the God."
"And the God acknowledges the chosen child's resolve by inscribing the sacred characters capable of challenging the world upon their back."
"This is the true meaning of bearing a God's name."
Heimdall sat by the bed, looking at the group of girls whose thoughts had clearly strayed, and sighed helplessly.
"I understand."
Inaba Tsukiyo, however, did not disappoint Heimdall's expectations.
Although a faint blush had also appeared on her exquisite, doll-like face, even the tips of her ears hidden by her silver hair were slightly hot.
But her actions showed no hesitation whatsoever.
"Since I have decided to follow Kami-sama..."
"Then Tsukiyo's body no longer belongs only to herself."
Saying that.
Inaba Tsukiyo's slender fingers reached for the delicate sash at her waist.
"Rustle..."
Accompanied by the light sound of fabric sliding down.
The loose bathrobe slipped off her rounded shoulders, piled up at her waist, and finally completely fell away.
The garment fell away.
Like clouds dispersing to reveal the bright moon.
The girl's small yet resilient back was thus completely exposed to the air.
It was a breathtaking sight.
Not the weakness of one pampered in luxury.
Years of swordsmanship training had made her skin firm and elastic.
Under the soft glow of the magic stone lamp, it shimmered with a delicate, ivory-like luster.
"Mmm..."
Feeling the cool air touch her back, the girl instinctively flinched.
Immediately after.
Inaba Tsukiyo bit her lower lip, placed her hands on the sheet, and obediently lay down.
Her silver-white hair scattered like a waterfall, covering half of her beautiful back, but through the gaps in her hair, that heart-stopping snow-white made her appear even more alluring.
The spinal groove was distinct, and her shoulder blades rose slightly like a butterfly spreading its wings.
Like a piece of top-grade Xuan paper awaiting a master's brush.
"Pardon me."
Heimdall said softly.
Without any unnecessary movement.
He stepped directly over the girl's body and mounted her small hips.
This was not flirtatious teasing.
But a necessary posture for the caster to maintain absolute dominance to ensure the precision and stability of the inscription.
A required posture.
"Ugh..."