A little over an hour later.
Under Shakti's guidance, Levi arrived at the Ganesha Familia's home base.
In fact, it wasn't just him; other adventurers who enjoyed a good spectacle, as well as gods who had gotten word, all followed behind.
Considering that all of Orario would be his sparkling wine customers in the future, Levi did not accept Shakti's suggestion to keep the crowd outside. Instead, he said others could watch.
And so, word spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred.
Before long, many of Orario's unoccupied gods had gathered inside the Ganesha Familia's home base.
The adventurers, meanwhile, crowded around the windows or stood at the doorway, observing the impending miracle from a distance.
Hestia, who was reading a book in the old bookstore, naturally heard about Levi's activities. She asked the owner for half a day off and hurried over to Ganesha's base.
Previously, at Levi's request, she hadn't been able to show off her lover and familia member. Now that she finally had a chance to flaunt him before the gods, there was no way she would miss it.
However, the moment she stepped through the door, Hestia froze. Because among the crowd of gods, she saw a figure who should not have been in Orario.
"Astrea?!"
A beautiful goddess with long brown hair and a gentle appearance turned her head upon hearing the call. Seeing it was a friend from Tenkai greeting her, she smiled and replied, "Hestia, it's you. It's been several decades since we last saw each other in Tenkai."
"Ah, uh, right."
Hestia forced an awkward but polite smile, a drop of cold sweat trickling down her forehead.
She had only recently descended to the lower world and, while slowly adjusting, was still largely unfamiliar with the Falna system.
It was for this reason that, upon seeing Astrea in Orario, she suddenly had a realization.
—Gods can actually sense whether their familia members are alive or not!
To put it in a more understandable way, even if a familia member has died and their soul has returned to the cycle of reincarnation, if someone pulls them back to the lower world, their patron deity will inevitably become aware of it as long as they still possess their Falna.
Though Astrea was a goddess, she wasn't omniscient without releasing her divine power. Seeing Hestia sweating, she assumed her friend had run all the way there and took out a handkerchief to offer her.
"Wipe your sweat."
"...Thanks."
To prevent Astrea from seeing through her worries, Hestia pretended to wipe her face, then took her friend's hand and pointed to the pale-golden-haired boy surrounded by the crowd.
"Astrea, let me introduce you. That's my child, Levi Bright, and also my chosen husband."
Astrea had actually been back in Orario for two days, so she had naturally heard from The Guild about the War Game between the Hestia Familia and the Apollo Familia. Like the other gods, she had a general idea of who Levi Bright was.
Now, seeing her friend's eyes sparkle as she spoke, she couldn't help but tease with a smile, "It seems that before long, the Three Great Virgin Goddesses of Tenkai will become the Two Great Virgin Goddesses."
Hestia scratched her cheek. "Actually, um, it's already two."
Hearing this, Astrea couldn't help but stare blankly. "Eh?"
The other gods nearby who overheard the conversation also froze in place, every last one of them.
The goddesses were fine; after their initial shock, they smiled and offered their blessings. The male gods, however, were heartbroken, lamenting, "Another unattainable flower of Tenkai has been plucked!"
Since Hestia dared to admit her 'robbing the cradle'—no, 'fairy feasting on a sprout'—behavior, she naturally didn't care about the gossip.
She simply crossed her arms with a proud and smug look. "If I don't make a move, should I just wait for another goddess to snatch him away?"
Most of those present knew exactly who she was referring to. After all, for tomorrow's War Game, Freya wasn't even bothering to pretend, openly making her move.
As for her purpose, what else could it be? Of course, she had taken a fancy to Hestia's child.
The gods—well, mainly the goddesses—were actually quite averse to Freya, even if they didn't say it out loud. Now, she was trying to break up a goddess and her lover. This could be said to have instantly sparked public outrage.
However, Freya's familia was too powerful. Unless the goddesses were willing to completely break ties and unite without regard for the consequences, it was impossible to defeat her through normal means.
That being said, the gods wouldn't be stingy with their verbal support.
"Hestia, I support you in tomorrow's War Game!"
"Me too."
"It's a pity my child is only Lv.3, otherwise I could have lent a hand."
...
Hestia had never planned on relying on the power of other gods' familias.
Upon hearing their words, she smiled and nodded. "The thought is what counts. Levi is very strong. I don't think he'll lose."
If this had been said at the Apollo Familia's banquet two weeks ago, the gods might have thought Hestia was just bluffing. But now, having heard that Levi had leveled up from Lv.1 to Lv.4 and could even help disabled adventurers regenerate their limbs, their opinions, while not undergoing a full 180-degree turn, were beginning to waver.
Astrea looked at the boy not far away, a trace of curiosity flashing across her face. It wasn't just her; every single god in the hall, male or female, showed a similar expression.
As immortal beings, they had descended to the lower world precisely to seek the [Unknown] and [Change]. And Levi, who had been 'eaten' by Hestia ahead of time, undoubtedly represented a kind of [Possibility].
'A naturally born [Hero Candidate]?' In the crowd of gods, Hermes pulled down the brim of his hat, thinking to himself, 'I wonder who will become the standard-bearer of this era, him or the child the old man personally raised.'
Meanwhile, Levi, the center of everyone's attention, appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but was actually scanning his character panel—specifically, the 'Goddesses' Loving Protection' entry in his magic list.
[Goddesses' Loving Protection · 6-Star (-)]
[Status Magic]
[Chant: 'Name of the corresponding goddess (multiple names can be called simultaneously)', I pray to you (all) now, please grant me the goddess's protection!]
[A new protection is formed for each goddess who develops a favorable impression of Levi Bright]
[The higher the goddess's affection for Levi Bright, the stronger the magic's effect correction. At the highest level (V), the corresponding protection will become a permanent passive]
[The more goddesses who hold a favorable impression of Levi Bright, the higher the magic's star rating]
[Current Protections Held:]
[One · The White Love of the Hearth Goddess, Hestia IV: Mana recovery greatly increased, life recovery greatly increased, guardian-type skills or magic effects and power greatly increased (New)]
[Two · The Twisted Love of the Goddess of Beauty, Freya III: Resistance to mental abnormalities exceptionally increased (Effect Enhanced)]
[Three · The Inquisitive Love of the Forging Goddess, Hephaestus III: Gain Development Ability 'Swordsmith (D)' (Effect Enhanced), Fire Resistance greatly increased]
[Four · The Curious Love of the Goddess of Stars, Astrea I (New): Starry sky-type skills or magic effects and power slightly increased, gain Development Ability 'Swordsman (H)']
[Five · The Curious Love of the Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter I (New): Gain Development Ability 'Farming (I)', stamina recovery slightly increased]
[Six...]
[...]
[Sixty-seven: The Curious Love of the Goddess of Fertility, Hathor I (New): Life recovery slightly increased, mana recovery slightly increased, recovery-type skills or magic effects and power slightly increased]
Just as he had guessed, a Level I Goddess's Protection had little to do with actual love.
When Levi officially stepped into the public eye, or more accurately, after he was noticed by other goddesses today, the 'Goddesses' Loving Protection', born from the impulse of his soul's origin, underwent an unprecedented transformation.
The number of goddesses granting him protection jumped from the original three—Hestia, Freya, and Hephaestus—to 67. Although 64 of them only provided a Level I protection, the sheer number of names registered on the list easily elevated the magic's rank to 6-star.
It also allowed Levi to simultaneously gain triple effects when activating a corresponding goddess's protection, or to make the original effects even stronger.
'Hestia is probably going to get jealous again when we get back,' Levi thought to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips. 'But before that, she'll need to figure out how to solve the problem of the Falna information not displaying completely. Hmm, I suppose that will be a historic and colorful mark left in the history of the lower world.'
___
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