A dignified god who presided over martial arts up in the Heavens, a man who got things done swift and decisive—and yet here he was, down in the Lower World, hauling bricks like a common laborer on a construction site.
No matter how you looked at it, the picture felt a little off.
But then again, on second thought.
He himself wasn't exactly any better.
Honestly, just last night, he'd even casually dragged Loki over to work the bellows, and in Hephaestus's private workshop he'd swung a forging hammer bare-chested through the entire night.
Sparks had gone flying all over the room back then—Loki's eyebrows had very nearly been singed off.
Standing here now, he hardly had the standing to mock this war god who ran around taking odd jobs for the sake of her Familia's livelihood.
They were all six of one and half a dozen of the other.
"Yo! Lord Haimer!" Just then, a crisp shout came over from the direction of the scaffolding. Haimer turned his head to look.
He saw Tsubaki striding over with great, bold steps, a rolled-up tube of blueprints in her hand.
She wore her usual work skirt and chest wrappings, the kind that allowed for easy movement, the firm muscle lines forged from years of hammering iron glistening with a thin sheen of sweat in the sunlight.
Over her left eye sat her trademark black eyepatch, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and the single cowlick atop her head bobbed back and forth with each step. Originally the captain of the [Hephaestus Familia], a dignified Lv.5 "One-Eyed Giant," Tsubaki at the moment looked more like a labor foreman instead.
"Lord Haimer, you just finished up this morning and you've already come to inspect the place in person—you really are a tireless worker."
Tsubaki grinned, baring a neat row of clean white teeth.
As she drew near, her steps paused for a moment.
Her gaze swept over Shakti, who was tagging close to Haimer's side, her whole body taut as a drawn bow, and after giving a nod of acknowledgment.
her line of sight fell upon Rei and Fei, who were curiously looking around further back, and on Aruru, who was riding the Hellhound.
Monsters.
Living, breathing monsters from the Dungeon, standing right out here under the sun, brazen as you please. Tsubaki narrowed her eyes.
But at the end of the day, she was a first-class adventurer who had carved her way out through wind and storm; her nerves were thick enough. Since Haimer was the one who'd brought them along, then it was none of her business.
And so Tsubaki quickly withdrew her gaze and gave the blueprints in her hand a shake.
"I was just fretting over how to route some of these pipes—you've come at the perfect time. Lend me a hand and offer a suggestion, won't you, Lord Haimer~"
"Don't go flattering me, Miss Tsubaki." Hearing this, Haimer gave a helpless smile and shook his head.
"I only stopped by on the way to check on the progress. I've no intention of stealing your work—you're the professionals here."
Hephaestus, who had been checking off a list not far away, heard the commotion over here and turned her head as well.
Upon noticing Haimer, she set down the notebook in her hand and walked over toward them.
"You fool, you were just busy working all night—why aren't you home getting some proper rest?"
Hephaestus's head of short, deep-crimson hair was especially striking in the sunlight, her shirt cuffs casually rolled up to the elbows, an air of weariness hanging over her whole person. She stopped in front of Haimer and couldn't help muttering a peevish remark.
"I just brought them out to get some fresh air, that's all."
With that, Haimer tilted his head slightly toward those behind him.
Following Haimer's line of sight, Hephaestus noticed the quiet Rei, Fei, and the others.
As a god, her acceptance of monsters was of course far greater than that of the residents of the Lower World, and on top of that she had known Haimer's style of doing things all the way back in the Heavens, so she didn't dwell on this group of monsters any longer and withdrew her gaze.
"By the way, where's that fellow?"
"Normally she'd practically want to hang off you all day long. How come she's not clinging to you today?"
Hephaestus folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow.
"You mean Hestia?"
Haimer spread his hands.
"She got up early today, and once she went back she was catching up on sleep. She'd just finished her nap right before I left, so she's probably sprawled out on the sofa like a corpse right about now." "Honestly…"
Hearing this, Hephaestus reached up and rubbed the space between her brows.
"She just takes advantage of how you spoil her—she hasn't got the slightest bit of patron-goddess dignity about her."
"If you ask me, she's probably already resigned herself to being a freeloading grub who eats her fill and waits around to die every day."
"Who says she isn't?" "But don't go pinning it all on me—weren't you the one who kept her as a freeloading grub for a few months before, too? We're both just as bad as each other." Haimer countered, teasing.
Hearing this, Hephaestus found herself momentarily unable to come up with anything to refute it, and shot Haimer a peevish glare.
Haimer, for his part, didn't drag out the topic any further and pointed a hand at the bustling construction site.
"So, how's the progress coming along over here?"
At the mention of business, Hephaestus shrugged.
"The money's been paid well, there are plenty of workers, the Guild forked over the funds directly, and all the various procedures have had nothing but green lights."
"The foundation work will be completely wrapped up by tomorrow, and after that putting up the main structure will be fast."
"At this pace, it should be more or less finished within a week." "That's good. Thank you for your hard work—busy designing the blueprints yesterday, and now coming to supervise in person today."
Hearing these words from Haimer, Hephaestus's cheeks flushed faintly, and she hurriedly waved her hands, signaling for Haimer to hurry up and leave.
"All right, enough of those mushy words. You were busy all night yesterday too, and you still won't settle down even now."
"And you should know, the people of Orario have to go out of their way to avoid you whenever they see you these days. If you stay here, you'll most likely draw away everyone else's attention, so stop standing around here. Hurry back and rest, and save your energy for dealing with that whole nest of girls back at your place."
Hearing the faint note of concern hidden in Hephaestus's words.
Haimer and Tsubaki glanced at each other and chuckled softly a couple of times.
Then, Haimer's gaze brushed past the side of Hephaestus's ear. There, among the deep-crimson strands of hair, hung a dark-red feather earring.
It was precisely the apology gift he'd forged with his own hands last night from the residue of deep-layer ore, and given to her.
Seeing that, for all her verbal disdain, Hephaestus had still put the earring on.
Haimer smiled and gave a wave of his hand.
"All right then, since that's how it is, we'll be off first." "Take your time with your work."
"I'll see you at the council of gods in a few days." With that, Haimer led off Shakti—who was serving as little more than a background prop—along with Rei, Fei, and the others, turning and leaving the construction site, walking back along the broad avenue.
And then, after wandering around for a circuit.
he found there was nothing much worth seeing.
It was afternoon. In the upscale residential district, the sunlight had already slanted to one side of the eaves.
Shakti had already taken her leave.
From the cobblestone streets came a lively buzz of chatter and discussion.
Haimer sat on the sofa in the mansion's main hall, leafing through a geographical atlas in his hands.
Suddenly, the front door at the entryway was pushed open.
"Kami-sama! We're back!" Aihara Enju's crisp voice echoed throughout the whole hall, brimming with energy. Right after, a flock of girls came pouring chatteringly into the hall.
Onigawara Rin, Tendou Kisara, Amou Kirukiru, Inaba Tsukuyo, Holy Emperor, Hanasaka Warabi, and also Aihara Enju and Hiruko Kohina.
Every one of them carried bags and bundles of all sizes, paper sacks and cloth totes, their faces beaming with joy.
"Looks like quite the bountiful haul."
Haimer closed the book in his hands, set it aside, and gave a knowing smile.
"Though I am curious—do the merchants of Orario really still dare to sell you things?"
"They don't dare." "But they all seem really scared of Amou, by the looks of it."
"Well, that figures. So, what did you all buy?" "Accessories! Clothes! And lots of delicious food!"
Aihara Enju excitedly ran up in front of Haimer and set the few exquisite paper bags in her hands down on the obsidian tea table off to the side. Hiruko Kohina followed suit, setting down several heavy bags with a muffled "thud."
"These are gifts for Rei-neesan and the others!"
Aihara Enju turned her head and looked toward Rei and Fei, who were sitting on the sofa on the other side.
Rei and Fei were taken aback.
"F-for us?"
Being monsters themselves, this was the first time they had ever received a gift from humans?
Neither of them could quite believe their own ears. "Of course!"
Aihara Enju took several delicate hairclips set with tiny Magic Stones out of the bag.
"When we were strolling through the shopping district, we saw these accessories, and we all agreed they'd suit you two perfectly."
Aihara Enju gently raised a pale-blue hairclip up in front of Rei.
"Miss Rei, your feathers are golden, so this blue would look really lovely on you."
Holy Emperor also leaned in, fishing out of the bag several bone-carved necklaces strung on leather cords.
"These are ones Kisara and I dug up at a street stall over there."
Holy Emperor handed the necklace to Fei.
"The vendor said they ward off evil. Even though that doesn't really do anything for us, they should be nice to wear as accessories."
And now.
Even Amou Kirukiru, who normally couldn't be bothered with trivial matters, for once tossed a kraft-paper bag offhandedly over to Aruru. Aruru, quick of eye and hand, caught it steadily.
When she discovered that the kraft paper was packed full of all sorts of nuts, Aruru immediately hugged the bag happily, rubbing her furry cheek against it hard, nodding again and again, her long ears bobbing back and forth.
"These… such pretty things, can they really be given to us?"
Faced with this sudden kindness.
Lily carefully picked up a hair clip, unable to believe it, not even daring to grip it hard for fear of damaging this fragile, exquisite little object. "Of course. Since we're family, there's no need to be shy."
Watching this scene, Holy Emperor's eyes curved gently as she continued speaking warm, heartening words to Lily.
Hanasaka Warabi, meanwhile, was clutching an especially huge paper bag in her arms, looking left and right, glancing all around.
"Um… where's Miss Rania?"
Hearing this, Rei quietly pointed in a direction. "Rania is sunbathing behind the tree in the courtyard."
"I'll go take it to her!"
Hearing this, Hanasaka Warabi nodded, hugged the bag, and turned to run toward the courtyard. There, in the courtyard. Sunlight spilled through the glass dome onto the ground carpeted with green grass, forming patch after patch of light.
Rania had tucked herself entirely into the shade beneath a tree, her enormous spider legs curled up, trying to take up as little space as possible.
Hearing the hurried footsteps coming from behind, she instinctively turned her head.
"Miss Rania!"
A radiant smile hung on Hanasaka Warabi's face as she ran up to Rania's side.
Seeing that the girls had finished handing out their gifts, Haimer also noticed several other paper bags.
The mouth of a sack was open, fresh vegetable leaves faintly peeking out from inside, along with several large chunks of fresh meat wrapped in oilpaper.
"Why did you buy so many ingredients?"
Haimer swept a glance over the things on the floor, somewhat puzzled.
"Are you planning to cook for yourselves?"
"Yes, Kami-sama. Tonight we'd like to eat at home, made with our own hands."
Inaba Tsukuyo, eyes closed, walked over and explained softly.
"Everyone leveled up today, so it counts as a day worth celebrating. Always running off to bother Mama Mia at her tavern isn't really right, either."
Hearing these words.
Haimer raised an eyebrow.
"You all… know how to cook?" "Of course."
Onigawara Rin threw out her chest and patted it, looking thoroughly confident.
"Back when we were at school, we often lit fires and cooked for ourselves too!"
Aside from Inaba Tsukuyo, who could only stand obediently off to the side since she couldn't see, the other girls all wore an eager, raring-to-go air, and even Amou Kirukiru seemed faintly interested.
Having understood his girls' little intentions, Haimer nodded as well.
"In that case, then I'll leave tonight's dinner to all of you."
"Leave it to us!"
The girls let out a cheer and, one after another, picked up the ingredients and ducked into the spacious kitchen.
Soon, the clatter of pots and pans and the rhythmic chopping of the cutting board came drifting out of the kitchen.
By the time evening came. The sky gradually darkened, and the Magic Stone street lamps along the streets lit up one after another, giving off a soft, orange glow.
The mansion's front door was pushed open once more.
"I'm back…"
Kikakujou Mary walked in carrying a small paper bag, looking a little guilty.
She had spent the whole day today accompanying Lefiya out and about, and along the way the two had even strolled around the upper levels of the Dungeon together.
After spending this whole day together.
Kikakujou Mary couldn't help marveling inwardly—she'd never have imagined that this elf from another world was actually exactly the same as an ordinary girl.
Though rumor had it that the elves of Orario were haughty and obsessed with cleanliness, Lefiya's personality was truly very gentle.
The two of them looked at clothes together and ate street-stall snacks together.
Honestly, with Lefiya as her guide today, her understanding of Orario had deepened quite a bit more.
And as she touched the few little gifts in her pocket, a satisfied smile surfaced on her face.
These were all souvenirs she'd specially picked out according to her companions' tastes.
"Why does it smell so good?"
As Kikakujou Mary was pondering how to present the gifts, she'd just reached the entryway when she gave a sniff.
and caught a rich aroma of meat wafting over.
"Mary, come help out, quick!"
With her keen hearing, Inaba Tsukuyo was the first to catch the sound of Kikakujou Mary's footsteps coming through the door.
And so, from the kitchen came Onigawara Rin's full-throated shout.
Hearing this, Kikakujou Mary hurriedly set down the paper bag in her hand, changed her shoes, and ran into the kitchen to help.
Half an hour later.
Under the girls' careful cooking, dinner was ready.
The enormous obsidian long table was already laden with a sumptuous spread of dishes.
The Magic Stone chandelier atop the dining room cast down a warm, golden light, lighting up every dish to a tempting luster that whetted the appetite. The kitchen door swung open. Tendou Kisara, both hands cushioned by thick heat-resistant cloths, came out carrying an enormous black clay pot, and set it down steadily in the very center of the table.
The broth in the pot was bubbling and simmering away.
Beef rolls sliced as thin as cicada wings tumbled in the sauce-red broth, while segments of leek and shreds of konjac soaked up the fresh, sweet broth, giving off a rich, savory-salty fragrance.
Right after.
Hanasaka Warabi also came out carrying a large wooden platter bigger than her own head.
"Fried tempura! With both jumbo shrimp and pumpkin!"
Hanasaka Warabi set down the wooden platter.
The golden, crispy batter evenly coated shrimp of astonishing size, with a few small dishes of specially made refreshing dipping sauce arranged beside them. Onigawara Rin, for her part, came carrying a plate of thick-cut mountain-goat meat grilled until it sizzled with oil, its meaty aroma assailing the nose. "The food's all here!"
The girls bustled about setting out the bowls and chopsticks.
Haimer took his seat at the head of the long table; to his left was Hestia, who was already impatiently rapping her bowl with her chopsticks, and to his right sat Amou Kirukiru, sitting bolt upright.
Lily and the heretic children, meanwhile, took the initiative to sit at the foot of the table, waiting patiently. "Let's dig in."
The moment Haimer's words fell, everyone began to eat.
"Mm! This shrimp is so crispy!"
Aihara Enju picked up a piece of fried shrimp tempura and bit down hard.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of chewing, her red eyes lit up all at once, and her two feet swung happily beneath her chair.
"Eat plenty—there's still more meat in the pot."
Holy Emperor, meanwhile, picked up the communal long chopsticks, fished a few slices of blanched beef out of the sukiyaki pot, reached across the table, and gently placed the beef into the small bowls in front of Rei and Fei.
"Th-thank you, Miss Holy Emperor."
Rei clearly still wasn't used to this kind of treatment of being waited on; blushing, she bowed her head again and again in flustered, deeply flattered thanks. On the other side.
Hestia, meanwhile, was still upholding her thoroughly goddess-image-abandoning, boldly hearty way of eating, which she grandly dubbed "the highest form of respect for the one who cooked."
She used both hands—her left gripping a glistening, oily chunk of thick-cut grilled meat, her right working the chopsticks to frantically scoop up meat from the sukiyaki pot, her movements so fast they left afterimages. "So good! Mmm, so good!!"
Hestia's cheeks were stuffed full to bursting on both sides, like a hamster hoarding food, and her words had already gone garbled.
"Lady Hestia, eat slowly. There's still plenty of food—no one's going to fight you for it."
Kikakujou Mary, sitting right beside her, truly couldn't bear to watch any longer. She picked up the kettle at hand, poured a cup of warm water, and held it out to her helplessly.
"Urk!" Just then, Hestia had eaten too fast and choked on a mouthful of a meatball.
She hurriedly took the cup and gulped down a big mouthful of water, then pounded her chest hard to ease it down.
It was such an over-the-top scene that, watching it, Haimer rolled his eyes outright and fetched a napkin to wipe the grease stains from her lips.
Half an hour later. Dinner came to a complete end.
The plates on the long table had been swept utterly clean by everyone. After the meal, Lily brewed a pot of black tea to cut the grease for everyone.
Everyone cradled their steaming teacups and leaned back comfortably against their chairs together to let their food settle.
A languid air of being well-fed and content filled the dining room.
"This dinner tonight was really quite wonderful."
"Over these past few days, you've gone from being strangers when you first arrived here, to adapting to your surroundings."
"And then today, every last one of you accomplished a great feat, successfully joining the ranks of Lv.2."
"I'm very satisfied with your performance."
Haimer's gaze swept across each and every face.
Hearing their patron god's praise for them.
the girls' faces all wore the joy of being acknowledged.
Especially the two youngest, Aihara Enju and Kohina.
Back in that cruel world before, all they had ever heard was disdain—when had they ever been praised by anyone like this?
At this moment, the two little ones' cheeks were both flushed rosy as they sat obediently in their chairs.
Seeing this, the other girls all wore a smile of heartfelt warmth on their faces.
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Homelander: Founding the Hero Association
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!