Facing Hephaestus's complaints, Hestia remained unfazed, replying with a guilt-free smile, "What are you on about? I don't follow. Hephaestus, I'm serious—I do yearn for love."
"You didn't talk like that in Heaven…" Hephaestus muttered, giving Hestia a sidelong glance, thoroughly exasperated.
"Hephaestus, we gods descended to the lower world because Heaven's been stagnant for eons. We're here for change," Hestia said, her tone suddenly earnest.
"In Heaven, I was a virgin goddess, symbolizing purity, keeping male gods at arm's length to preserve that sanctity."
"But now I'm in the lower world. I can bend those rigid Heavenly oaths and embrace flexibility!"
Her logic was so airtight that Hephaestus, for a moment, found herself at a loss for a counterargument.
'Is this really that ditzy Hestia?' she wondered, feeling outmaneuvered.
Roy's odd glance didn't help—Hephaestus had spent the morning dissuading him from expecting anything romantic from a virgin goddess, only for Hestia to flip the script.
Hephaestus felt a pang of betrayal. 'Hestia's punking me, isn't she?'
"Fine, you've made your point," Hephaestus sighed, conceding.
"I've talked with Roy, and he's a good fit for your Familia. Just… pace yourself. Don't overwhelm him."
"Don't worry, he's my first member. I'll nurture him carefully," Hestia said, patting her ample chest, which jiggled noticeably.
"Fate brought you together, so let things unfold naturally. Don't force it," Hephaestus advised Roy, sensing Hestia's enthusiasm might be a desperate ploy to secure a member.
If Hestia later brushed Roy off, he'd be hurt. Better to temper his expectations now.
"Hestia, with Roy joining, it's time to step up as a god," Hephaestus said, her tone turning maternal.
"No more mooching at my place. Building a Familia is tough, especially at the start. You can't dump everything on him."
Though verbose, her concern for Hestia was evident.
"I get it, Hephaestus, you're chatty today!" Hestia huffed, her focus already on Roy.
Hephaestus suppressed an urge to snap, muttering to herself, 'I need to work on my patience, or this girl'll drive me up the wall.'
"Just take Roy to receive Falna already," she said, waving dismissively.
But as Hestia grabbed Roy's hand and headed out, Hephaestus called, "Where are you going? I have a quiet room here for Falna."
"Didn't I tell you? My first member deserves a special spot—the bookstore!" Hestia said, puffing her cheeks at Hephaestus's confusion.
"You forgot something so important, my best friend? I'm disappointed!"
"Get out!" Hephaestus barked, shooing them away.
Hestia led Roy purposefully, her soft, boneless hand gripping his tightly, as if worried he'd bolt.
Roy felt her earnestness, a quiet resolve beneath her bubbly exterior.
"Here we are!" Hestia announced after ten minutes, stopping at a modest bookstore tucked in a quiet street corner.
Small and unassuming, it overflowed with books, some stacked on the floor when shelves ran out. It evoked old, cluttered bookshops from Roy's original world.
An elderly man with reading glasses sat at the counter, engrossed in a book.
At their entrance, he looked up, smiling kindly. "Hestia, haven't seen you lately. What brings you?"
"I found someone to join my Familia!" Hestia boasted, grinning proudly.
"Congrats! No more pestering this old man," the shopkeeper teased.
Hestia had once begged him to join her Familia, a testament to her prior desperation.
"Can I borrow the upstairs room?" Hestia asked.
"Go ahead," the shopkeeper said, nodding at Roy before returning to his book.
With permission, Hestia led Roy to a second-floor room crammed with bookcases, books spilling everywhere. Despite the clutter, it was clean, free of mustiness.
A chair in the center, likely Hestia's reading spot.
"Roy, sit here," Hestia said, releasing his hand and patting the chair.
"Know why I picked this place for your Falna?" Hestia asked, smiling.
"Tell me," Roy said, matching her smile, unrushed.
"I love lower-world books!" Hestia said, her face lighting up. "They're full of fascinating stories, things Heaven never had. Since descending, I've been crashing at Hephaestus's place, jobless and broke, so I couldn't buy books."
"The shopkeeper let me read here. This is my favorite spot."
"You're a real bookworm, Lady Hestia," Roy said, grinning.
"Once our Familia has funds, we'll build a library to stock your favorite titles."
"You're the best addition to my Familia!" Hestia squealed, hugging Roy from behind, her ample chest pressing against him unabashedly.
After a brief, enthusiastic squeeze, she let go. "Know how Falna's bestowed?"
"I do," Roy nodded, removing his shirt to bare his back.
"No need for details, then. Let's start," Hestia said.
The Falna process was straightforward: a god's blood, infused into a mortal's body, was inscribed with sacred text to draw out latent power.
Hestia pricked her finger with a prepared needle, letting a drop of dark red blood fall onto Roy's back.
A soft plop sounded, like a pebble hitting water, rippling across his skin.
Roy felt a faint burn, followed by a glowing warmth. A sensation, like something tracing his back, followed—Hestia etching the sacred text of her Familia's Falna.
Soon, the feeling faded.
"Done!" Hestia cheered, her face taut with focus during the process, wary of errors.
Seeing the Falna fully formed, she relaxed.
"Can I see it?" Roy asked.
"One sec," Hestia said, grabbing a blank sheet and transcribing the Falna's details before handing it to Roy.
"No skills?" Roy said, shaking his head, mildly disappointed.
"I hoped for one or two to awaken."
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter