"Big bro, look at that coin pouch."
"!?"
Instinctively glancing where his underling pointed, the older man's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he spun around and smacked the kid across the face.
Smack!
The younger one nearly flew from the force of the slap.
What the hell was that for?
Before he could react, his big brother grabbed him by the collar, his voice dropping to a chilling growl.
"You idiot… you set your sights on a god!?"
"!?"
The kid finally understood why he got slapped. His body started trembling uncontrollably.
He had almost targeted a god.
For adventurers in Orario, the one type of being you never lay a hand on is a god—those who grant Falna and enable them to grow.
Unless you're someone who's prepared to betray everything, even thinking about touching a god means you're ready to shoulder consequences you can't possibly handle.
Everyone knew the stories—adventurers who dared raise a hand against a god never met a good end.
And his idiot underling had just been eyeing the coin pouch in a god's hands?
What kind of death wish was that!?
The older man leaned in close, voice dark and threatening.
"Remember this well."
"Don't even think about touching what belongs to a god. Don't even dream of stealing from them. Plenty of fools have tried... and believe me, you do not want to know how that ends."
Honestly, just hearing the girl was a god had already scared the younger one stiff. Now, with his big bro's warning ringing in his ears, he was shaking all over.
"B-Big bro, I swear I didn't mean anything like that..."
If he'd known that short girl with the ahem impressive figure was a god, he never would've thought about doing something so suicidal.
"You better not have."
The older one grunted, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead after scolding the fool.
Trying to snatch something from a god? That was beyond stupid. That was asking for death.
As an adventurer, he'd always held reverence for the gods.
After all, they were the ones who gave adventurers the chance to grow—and they could just as easily take it all away. Gods weren't harmless. They might have descended to Genkai for fun, but that didn't mean they'd laugh off trouble.
Anyone thinking otherwise was just too naive.
Gods were fundamentally different from mortals.
...
"Oh! Bell-kun, this grilled octopus is amazing!"
"Yeah, it really is."
At Goddess-sama's suggestion, Bell tried a skewer from the food stall—and the flavor burst in his mouth instantly.
He wasn't great at describing food, but even he could tell this was worth the 200 Valis. The portion was generous, and the taste was exceptional.
"Of course! Takemikazuchi always looks super serious and doesn't smile much when he's manning the stall, but he's got real talent when it comes to cooking. Takemikazuchi..."
Bell nearly choked.
He stared more closely at the chef manning the grill—dressed in a white cook's uniform, his hair styled in a way that screamed "Japan."
Wait... he's a god!?
This really was Orario. Bell knew Takemikazuchi was one of Goddess-sama's old coworkers, but running into him like this still went way beyond anything Bell had imagined.
"Hestia, calling me serious and unable to smile is unnecessary."
Takemikazuchi, known for his stern demeanor, looked exasperated. He clearly wished Hestia wouldn't introduce him with those kinds of remarks.
Bell studied the god in front of him—this Far Eastern deity was also revered as the God of Thunder, God of Swords, God of Archery, and God of War. Judging by his divine roles, Takemikazuchi had clearly taken martial prowess to the extreme.
As for being labeled "serious" or "incapable of smiling," Bell didn't find it odd at all.
A war god naturally exuded strength and discipline, not lighthearted cheer. With that thought, Bell found Takemikazuchi's stern expression more fitting, even comforting.
It was hard to imagine that such a serious face could ever pull off a goofy grin.
"You're Hestia's child, right?"
Takemikazuchi eyed Bell with interest. Lately, whenever Hestia had a bit of free time, she'd come by just to brag about her new Familia member.
'Lightning...?'
'It's probably magic, but why does it feel like an Authority?'
Takemikazuchi was particularly sensitive to lightning—his own Authority encompassed that very domain.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. Children of Genkai couldn't wield divine Authority, nor could they obtain it.
"I see. No wonder Hestia keeps bragging about how amazing her child is. Seems it's not just empty boasting."
If it wasn't divine Authority, then Takemikazuchi could at least be sure that Bell possessed a potent lightning-element magic.
Adventurers capable of using magic were rare in Orario. A child at Level 1 who could already use magic? That was almost unheard of.
No wonder Hestia kept showing him off.
"Good day, Takemikazuchi-sama."
Bell quickly offered a polite greeting. He definitely didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Goddess-sama.
"Hmm. Polite kid."
"Hmph! Of course he is!"
Hestia crossed her arms proudly, puffing up with pride. Bell had to bite back a laugh—she really looked like she'd come here just to brag.
Takemikazuchi noticed the joy on her face and decided not to call her out, even though he could easily expose her real motive.
Still, he had to admit: Hestia had scored a remarkable first child.
To have found a magic-capable adventurer as her first Familia member—this was a true beginning for her in Orario.
"So, did you come out just to help drum up business for my stall?"
Bell felt a bit awkward. There was no way Goddess-sama had thought of that. He was the one who suggested going out today—any idea about visiting other gods had to be spur of the moment.
Yeah, it was probably just an excuse for her to parade him around in front of her divine friends.
"Hehe~ of course not."
"...I figured as much."
Hestia gave a bright, cheeky grin as she answered. Takemikazuchi wasn't the least bit surprised.
"And I'm not here to show him off either."
Now that actually caught Takemikazuchi off guard.
But before he could react, Hestia clung to Bell's arm and declared with a big smile:
"I'm on a date with Bell today."