The next day, in the church basement.
Cain opened his eyes, feeling a heavy sense of pressure accompanied by a soft touch coming from his body.
He lifted the quilt and, as expected, saw Hestia clinging to him like an octopus.
"Maybe I should buy a new bed."
Cain skillfully broke free from the entanglement, washed up, and went to the stove to cook.
Because they were too poor when the Familia was first formed, there was only one bed available in the church basement room.
Hestia couldn't bear to let Cain sleep on the floor, so she suggested they sleep together.
However, perhaps because the bed wasn't big enough, Hestia would always end up crawling onto him in her sleep.
As a price, every day he woke up, he had to soothe his brother who had grown up with him since childhood, telling him that Hestia wasn't Freya and that he needed to calm down.
"Mmm~ smells so good..."
Perhaps smelling the aroma of food, Hestia woke up from her deep sleep, her head poking out from under the quilt as she wriggled, her eyes bleary with sleep.
"Cain, are you up this early today?"
The channels for getting food in the Dungeon are limited, so I'm planning to make a bento to take with me."
"Oh, I see."
"By the way, I made a portion for you too. Is there anything you want to eat?"
"I want fried potato balls!"
"No problem."
"Yay! I love Cain the most!"
Hestia threw back the quilt and let out a cheer.
Now she didn't have to worry about lunch.
After washing up, Hestia came to the dining table.
Breakfast was egg sandwiches and milk.
Halfway through the meal, Hestia seemed to remember something and looked up to ask.
"Cain, how much money do you have?"
"210,000 currency."
"So much!"
Hestia let out a cry of surprise.
Before she met Cain, her hourly wage for part-time work was only 30 currency a day.
If she worked 24 hours a day without sleep, it would take her at least half a year to earn that much money.
"With this much money... hmm, maybe we can give it a try."
"What do you mean?"
"Good steel should be used on the blade; I'll take you to a good place later."
Hestia winked mysteriously, not giving a direct answer.
...
An hour later.
Hestia brought Cain to a building in the Northeast District that looked like a volcano.
"Good morning, Hephaestus."
Hestia greeted her friend who came out upon hearing the news.
"Why are you here again?"
Hephaestus had a bit of a headache.
This wasn't the first time.
Since she kicked Hestia out to live independently more than twenty days ago, the other party would come running to her for help every few days.
"I believe I said last time that helping you find a place to live was the final favor."
"Oh~ don't be so distant, I'm here to do business with you this time."
"Do business?"
"Yes, this is the child I found not long ago, his name is Cain." Hestia pointed to the side.
"As you know, I haven't been in the lower world for long, so I don't know much about the equipment children use."
"Hephaestus, you're an expert in this field. I'd like to ask you to recommend some suitable equipment for us to ensure Cain is safe enough while exploring the Dungeon."
"Is there anything else?"
"No more."
"I understand, I can help you."
Hephaestus nodded in agreement.
Although there was a certain gap with the Loki Familia, the Hephaestus Familia was also a top-tier large Familia located in Orario.
Under normal circumstances, this job of recommending equipment to low-level adventurers wouldn't fall to her.
But Cain was Hestia's first dependent.
Hestia had come to ask for help personally, so she had to give her that much face.
However...
"Let me put the ugly words first: I can help you recommend equipment, but don't even think about any discounts."
"No problem, we have money!"
Hestia pulled out a flaxen-colored bag.
"200,000 currency, take it!"
"So much?"
Hephaestus was somewhat surprised.
You should know, not long ago when Hestia was kicked out by her, she was penniless.
Even the other's residence and job were prepared with her help later on.
200,000 currency was nothing to her, but for Hestia, it was definitely a huge sum of money.
"Hehe~ you didn't expect that, did you!"
"All this money was earned by Cain, and in just one week!"
Hestia held up a finger, a proud smile on her face, as if she had earned the money herself.
"One week?"
Hephaestus looked at the black-haired youth beside her.
Going from zero to one is always the hardest part.
Without forging, even Hephaestus would find it difficult to earn 200,000 currency in a week.
"It seems your luck is good, Hestia, finding such a capable child."
"Yes, yes! Cain is super amazing!"
"For Cain's safety, Hephaestus, you must choose a set of good equipment for him!"
"No problem, follow me."
Hephaestus took the two of them to the warehouse.
This was the area where the Hephaestus Familia placed low-level equipment, with prices ranging from a few thousand to several hundred thousand.
"Cain, what are your requirements for equipment?"
"Lightweight, with a certain level of defensive power. For a weapon, I want a blade—the sharper the better."
"I understand."
A very standard speed-type adventurer.
Hephaestus had seen many such adventurers and knew what kind of equipment was suitable for them.
After selecting for a while deep in the warehouse, she soon returned with a set of silver armor.
This is armor forged from materials dropped by Hard-Armored Rats and Metallic Rabbits; as long as it's not too severely damaged, it can easily withstand attacks from Goblins and Kobolds."
"Let me see... it's so light!"
Hestia took the armor and was surprised to find that this set of armor was incredibly light.
Even with her divine power sealed and only possessing the strength of an ordinary person, she could still lift it with one hand.
"For a weapon, I recommend this one. The materials used are Refined Iron and the horn of a Unicorn Rabbit; by the standards of a rookie adventurer, it's already of the highest scale."
Hephaestus turned and took a long blade from a nearby shelf, handing it to Cain.
"Very good."
Cain tested the feel and nodded in satisfaction.
"These will do. How much in total?"
"200,000 currency."
"So expensive!"
Hestia let out a cry of surprise.
Excluding the ten thousand currency left for emergencies, she only had 200,000 currency on her in total.
Buying this set of equipment could be described as returning to poverty overnight.
"Hephaestus, you didn't calculate the price on purpose, did you?"
"Of course, I have to make money too."
That was a lie.
If this set of equipment were sold in a shop, it would sell for at least 500,000 currency.
Although she said she wouldn't give a discount, Hephaestus had still softened her heart.
Taking the money from Hestia's hand, Hephaestus looked at Cain.
"There's a place to change clothes here. Put it on and try it out; if it's not suitable, we can change it."
...