'This is going to be my future familia member!'
Hestia's eyes lit up, almost taking over the conversation and pulling the topic towards herself.
But since they were in Hephaestus's shop, and the kid had come to ask for Hephaestus's help, she had no choice but to patiently observe from the side.
'The hood is too much, I can't even see the child's face.'
Standing only 140 cm tall, Hestia couldn't fully see the face hidden under the hood, which made her even more eager to see what he looked like.
After all, this child would likely be her first familia member.
Hephaestus noticed Hestia's actions and sighed inwardly. She could only hope that Hestia would be a good choice.
"If a god who hasn't even established a familia and can't even find a single familia member is truly considered a useless god, then there is one."
"Ah! Hephaestus, that's so mean! I'm not a useless god. I just came down from the heavens recently, and I'm not yet familiar with the rules of the Lower World. I don't even know how to form a familia properly. I'm definitely not a useless god. I am the famous goddess of hearth!"
Even though she knew deep down that she really was quite useless, Hestia still didn't want to look bad in front of her future familia member.
She tried to maintain a grand image of herself, trying to protect the dignity of a high-ranking goddess.
Little did she know, her image in Bell's mind had already been firmly set a long time ago.
"With the way you are acting, what can I even say?"
The person who understood Hestia the most wasn't even Hestia herself, but rather her friends and "rivals."
Friends paid special attention to Hestia's matters out of concern, while "rivals" only paid such close attention to find things to tease her about.
Hephaestus played the role of a true friend.
Even though Hephaestus really wanted to say something nice about her, she still couldn't bring herself to go against her own thoughts.
Lying to a kid who just arrived in the city like Orario is not something a god should do.
"This god is my recommendation. Hestia, she's been sticking around with me for quite a while now. Even though she's really thick-skinned, she's completely stupid. If you haven't joined any familia yet, you might as well join hers."
'Just as I guessed, this goddess has been mooching off her friend's place and refusing to leave."
Bell wasn't too surprised by this outcome, as he already knew Hestia's personality.
She wasn't the type of dangerous goddess, and she was a goddess who truly cared for her familia. Even though her personality makes her an easy target for teasing, it also makes her very loyal to the people she cares about.
In short, it was a very good personality.
After a brief moment of silence, Bell finally turned toward Goddess Hestia.
"Hestia-sama, I'm just an ordinary person from the countryside. I became an adventurer to get stronger. Can you accept someone as ordinary as me?"
"Of course!"
Hestia answered without hesitation, puffing out her chest.
She never picked only the best kids from the lower world because she knew that any kid who wanted to join her familia had to be a good kid.
Of course, Hestia also worried that if she missed this opportunity for a familia member, she might never find another one in Orario.
Especially after hearing Hephaestus' scolding words, Hestia was convinced that her actions had already made a name for herself in Orario, so she was determined to grab hold of the only child who could become her familia member.
Since he had made his decision, Bell reached up and pulled the hood down, then slightly bowed to Goddess Hestia.
"Hestia-sama, please allow me to join your familia."
"Wow!"
After Bell took off his hood, Hestia finally saw his face. A pair of calm red eyes peeked out under his fluffy white hair.
The gods tend to like handsome men and beautiful women, after all, having someone unattractive constantly in front of them can easily affect their mood.
For Hestia, this child in front of her truly matched her aesthetic preferences.
Of course, more importantly, she successfully gained her first familia member in her life as a god.
"Of course."
At this moment, Hestia finally experienced the feeling that only a goddess of a familia could understand.
"Then, without further delay, let's begin the ceremony to bestow the 'falna.'"
"Right here in my shop?"
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow.
'Did this idiot really know nothing?'
After all, the ceremony to bestow a 'falna' was best held in their own territory.
The personal information of a familia member had to be kept confidential, and if other gods saw any status, it could cause some unnecessary trouble.
"Please, Hephaestus! You know, I... I don't have a territory of my own yet."
Hestia clasped her hands together. She knew that the ceremony to bestow the "falna" was ideally done in her own territory.
However, she had been eating and living for free at Hephaestus's place for a long time and didn't have any money.
After all, a suitable territory wasn't something that could be obtained with just a few million Valis.
Given that her financial situation was essentially zero, Hestia had no choice but to seek Hephaestus' help. At the very least, she wanted to have the ceremony to bestow the "falna" take place here.
"Sigh... Just this once, okay? If you bring another familia member here for a 'falna' ceremony, don't blame me when I kick you out."
"Hehe~ just this once."
"In exchange, I want to see the status from this kid's first 'falna' too."
"No problem!"
Normally, this kind of thing isn't allowed—like letting another god see someone else's members' status.
However, the initial status for an ordinary familia member was usually nothing special, and it wouldn't make much of a difference.
Hephaestus understood this and gave Hestia a small warning but also helped her save face.
Since she was Hestia's friend, she totally understood that if she didn't give this idiot a little lesson, Hestia might get too full of herself.
After giving her this little lesson, Hestia would surely remember it in the future.