"You live here?"
Hestia looked her up and down, unable to believe it.
This was an abandoned church—at the entrance, even the goddess statue had half its face missing.
Anyone living in a place like this should have been truly poor, truly suffering.
Perhaps this ruined church was the last refuge the broken goddess left to those in hardship.
But the woman—despite pulling her hood low—still revealed a peerlessly beautiful face where it wasn't fully covered.
Even her clothes alone made it obvious: she wasn't someone who ought to be living in a place like this.
And yet, her eyes were closed, and she had rare silver-gray long hair—everything about her felt unusual.
More than beautiful… she gave off a dangerous air.
"Looks like you've got your own difficulties. Is there someone you miss here?"
Seeing the woman keep her eyes shut, looking weak, Hestia had already filled in a tragic backstory on her own.
Maybe she'd had a brave and kind father who died young, a noble and gentle mother who was frail and sick, maybe even a sibling who died in an accident.
Back when this church hadn't been abandoned, perhaps their whole family used to come here to pray often.
Now that she was alone, coming to this deserted church… was she remembering the warmth of the past, or only hating the loneliness of the present even more?
"…Metria liked this place."
After a moment of silence, Alfia still answered.
Unlike the Orario adventurers who simply ate and waited to die, she couldn't treat this considerate goddess as mere "noise."
Or perhaps… she truly wanted to confide in someone.
"Then accept this blessing from a goddess—may you be reunited with the one important to you in your next life."
Hestia clasped her hands and prayed for the lonely woman before her.
Even if she herself was a goddess… did that mean she couldn't pray as a goddess?
And even if the statue of the goddess here was half shattered… broken didn't mean it had no effect at all.
"Goddess, thank you for your mercy."
Alfia didn't refuse. She accepted the blessing.
This was the one blessing she simply could not reject.
"Boy. Come in front of me—I have something to say to you."
Returning the kindness, Alfia decided to help the goddess teach her audacious, lustful Familia member a lesson.
"Me?"
Cid couldn't help pointing at himself. Seeing Hestia nod in agreement, he stepped in front of Alfia.
"Madam… what did you call me for?"
Up close, Cid confirmed something.
This woman was absolutely not some weak, sickly person who needed protection.
She was a strong one—someone who had endured such a terrifying curse and still lived to this day.
"Your body is well-trained. Don't indulge in boring things—and don't disappoint your goddess."
Alfia raised a finger and flicked Cid hard on the forehead.
Just now, she'd felt something off—she'd thought a fairly formidable adventurer was approaching.
This timid-looking boy was the most suspicious of all.
But after probing him up close, she found he was simply well-trained physically, and his actual strength was probably only around Level 2.
Had her senses been wrong?
Was that odd feeling… just because this young man's gaze had been too brazen?
Having that much "killing power" with nothing but a look—this was the first time even Alfia had seen it.
Was he fantasizing about something shameless?
How shameless would it have to be to produce that sensation?
Alfia thought this kid might actually get along very well with Zeus.
And she was secretly glad he hadn't been born in her era.
Otherwise, Zeus would probably have dragged this "good brother" into the Familia by force.
And given the relationship between Zeus Familia and Hera Familia… she wouldn't have gotten any peace.
"…I understand. Thank you for your guidance, ma'am."
Cid returned to Hestia, clutching his forehead, secretly pleased with himself.
Once he got close, he also realized just how strong his opponent was.
Cid had once deliberately approached Ottar to test what a top-class Level 6 felt like.
The result: as a newly advanced Level 5, Cid hadn't sensed any threat at all.
Aside from a random glance from Babel's direction that made him instinctively hide, nothing felt abnormal.
But this woman was completely different.
She could probably kill Ottar in an instant.
Recognizing the gap, Cid concealed himself with full force, relying on the skill called Shadow.
Shadow could hide and alter status values—and it wasn't limited to what showed in a Falna.
In his previous life, Cid had trained himself into absurd muscles.
But if he carried that physique around all the time, he could never be a "mob character."
If Schwarzenegger showed up in a youth campus drama, any normal person would assume something huge was about to happen.
Realizing that, Cid had begun learning concealment techniques back then.
Before long, he really learned to compress his muscles.
In this world, that concealment ability had evolved through divine blessing.
With Shadow, as long as he stayed "reasonable," and as long as Alise didn't keep stepping in, playing a mob was actually far easier than it had been in his previous life.
Even this powerful opponent hadn't noticed.
This was a massive success for his mob-career!
If the situation weren't so wrong, Cid would've wanted to award himself a medal.
At the same time, Cid had also left a mark on his opponent.
It was a special tracking tool.
A powerhouse stronger than even Orario's strongest… was definitely plotting something shady.
Defeating a strong enemy like that—shattering all of darkness's schemes—
That was exactly what Shadow ought to do!
Cid returned to Hestia… only to find her smiling.
"Lady Hestia, I got bullied—why are you just watching? I'm your Familia member!"
Cid dropped his thoughts. A wronged little expression immediately appeared on his face.
"Hehe. Don't say I'm enjoying your misery. You were too much—you deserved a lesson!"
Seeing Cid return holding his forehead, Hestia was very satisfied.
She couldn't bear to punish her own Familia member, but she really did want to discipline him for his earlier rudeness.
How dare he think another woman had more charm than her.
Alfia had only given him a heavy forehead flick—there was no better punishment than that!
"Lady Hestia, but I only looked twice…"
"True. You're young, after all. I'll rub it for you… Now squat down! We'll have to find another place for a base today—what a pity."
A god and her man slowly left. Alfia, eyes closed, stared toward their departing direction for a long time in silence.
"You've already decided to become the 'Greatest Evil'… so why pretend to be some senior?"
Alfia mocked herself.
That boy—and even the goddess beside him—might very well die in the coming turmoil.
She knew what she would have to do in the future. That brief friendliness had been false and ugly.
Even back when Alfia had still been a hero, she taught her juniors in far more brutal ways.
So why had she been so merciful just now?
Maybe it was the setting stirring up old feelings.
Maybe it was the goddess's blessing.
Or maybe… the boy was simply too weak.
Or perhaps… she still wasn't used to being an evil person yet.
That faint sentiment vanished in an instant as Alfia turned toward another group approaching.
This time, her face went cold immediately.
"Orario really is a noisy place… nothing but clutter and nuisance everywhere."
....
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