So conversations need to happen in a quiet place, and in all of Orario, there was only one spot Hestia truly trusted.
And it wasn’t Hephaestus’ territory—but the ho she shared with Bell.
"Hestia, didn’t you just buy that place? Does that kid even have the money to hire the Goibniu Familia for reconstruction?"
Given their business dealings, Hephaestus was very familiar with Hestia’s recent finances.
Based on the Hestia Familia’s inco, after paying off debts and purchasing that ruined plot, they clearly didn’t have the funds left to rebuild it.
"Yeah. Bell-kun made quite a bit recently from the Rune Stones, but he’s also spent a lot across different areas, so there’s no way we can afford to hire the Goibniu Familia for the reconstruction."
Hestia was honest about their financial limits. Even if the Rune Stones were selling well, it still took ti for profits to co in.
While Bell’s Rune Stones were undeniably useful, making a quick profit before buyers started using them up was still a challenge.
Of course, once people started using them, repeat business would co naturally.
Still, even with more inco down the line, it didn’t an they’d hand over the base construction to the Goibniu Familia.
After all, they had one particularly cautious child at ho.
Honestly...
Hestia’s mood lightened unexpectedly, and she quickly offered an explanation.
"Building a Familia base isn’t just about having a place to live or rest. It’s an important symbol too. That’s why Bell-kun decided he’d build it himself."
"???"
The two gods and one captain walking beside her all had question marks practically floating over their heads.
You can just... build your own base?
None of them said anything, though. They simply followed Hestia in silence.
After winding through several narrow streets and turning corner after corner, they entered a tucked-away alley.
That’s when things started to feel off.
All the surrounding buildings suddenly vanished, and the entire area was engulfed in a thick mist. Even the gods felt sothing unnervingly unnatural.
"Is this... a barrier?"
Asfi Al Androda, captain of the Hers Familia and widely known as the "Perseus," imdiately grasped the situation.
It was clear they had stepped into a barrier.
Hers and Hephaestus both turned their eyes toward Hestia, who continued walking ahead.
"Yes. Since the base is such an important place, the first thing Bell-kun prioritized was security. He’s set up a lot of barriers around it. Without the proper ’key,’ it’s nearly impossible to get in."
"Hestia, what if soone tries to force their way in?"
Hers’ question made Hestia glance back at him, a bit puzzled.
"That’s not possible. Bell-kun set up layers of barriers throughout the area. Any intruder would imdiately be hit by his magic—loaded with all kinds of debuffs. We’re talking decreased strength, dulled senses, disrupted mana flow... under those conditions, who could even manage to break in?"
At that, Asfi chid in.
"Hestia-sama, most Adventurers choose ’Abnormal Resistance’ as a Developnt Ability after their first level-up. That ability helps resist negative status effects—poison, paralysis, sleep, things like that."
"If their ’Abnormal Resistance’ is high enough, they can withstand a wide range of debuffs. Naturally, that includes magic with negative effects."
"I know. But Bell-kun said it himself—even Adventurers with ’Abnormal Resistance’ will definitely be affected. The spells he set up aren’t the kind you can resist with that ability. Resistance won’t matter—it’s useless."
Asfi looked genuinely surprised.
From Hestia’s explanation, it was clear the boy who set up these barriers understood the chanics of ’Abnormal Resistance.’ And yet he still claid his magic would work no matter what. Was he exaggerating?
No—he probably wasn’t.
These barriers were designed to protect the Hestia Familia’s base and Hestia herself. No one would joke about sothing like that.
’So those debuffs... really are guaranteed to work?’
Asfi couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. She couldn’t think of any way to overco an Adventurer’s ’Abnormal Resistance’ with magic that would still work no matter what.
Hers, anwhile, covered his face in silence.
He didn’t know how that kid had managed it either. But more importantly, how did he even co up with such a thod in the first place?
You wouldn’t develop sothing like this unless you truly saw other Adventurers as potential enemies.
Which ant that child had been cautious of Adventurers all along—and had been actively developing combat techniques specifically designed to counter them.
Hers couldn’t help but cry out in his mind.
’Zeus! What the hell did you teach that kid?!’
Back then, Hers never imagined that a child raised by Zeus could be this ticulous. But now that he’d seen it firsthand, he understood—maybe the most cautious person in Orario wasn’t Hers after all.
Maybe... it was Zeus, who didn’t even seem like soone capable of scheming.
The old geezer clearly raised his kid to be just as full of tricks as he was.
Hers was now convinced that all that talk about Bell’s "lack of talent" was just Zeus ssing with him from the start.
That realization made Hers’ expression turn bitter.
All his life, he’d been the one pulling the strings, playing tricks on others—but now? He was the one getting played.
...
"We’re here."
Hestia stopped walking. In front of them stood a gate ford from thick, woven vines, and the magical pressure in the air grew even heavier.
Hestia turned around to face Hephaestus and Hers.
"This is my Familia’s ho."
At that mont, the gate behind her swung open on its own.
The dense magical haze began to lift, and the interior slowly ca into view.
What caught everyone’s eyes were the two trees flanking the gate like silent sentries.
Looking closer, they realized the vines that ford the gate were growing from those two trees.
But the vines weren’t what mattered—the trees themselves were the real focus.
If they weren’t mistaken... these trees were exactly what they thought they were.
But why were there two of them standing at the entrance to Hestia’s base?
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