Ais—normally airheaded—couldn't understand what she was feeling right now.
She only knew one thing: Takumi was the most, most, most important person in her world.
Even if it meant giving her life for him, she wouldn't hesitate.
[Affection: 100]
Seeing the number above Ais's head, Takumi gently stroked her golden hair.
That affection spike… was faster than even he'd expected.
"Takumi-kun!"
Hestia's voice called from the distance.
The moment she saw him patting Ais's head, her cheeks puffed up like an angry hamster.
"Hestia."
Takumi didn't bother explaining. He stepped in and pulled her into a hug—
and just like that, her jealousy melted clean away.
There were still a few monsters spilling out of the Dungeon entrance, but Takumi didn't plan to involve himself anymore. Killing stragglers had no meaning.
Under the worshipful, awestruck stares of gods and adventurers alike, Takumi took Lili, Haruhime, and the others and headed home first.
Nobody tried to stop him. Even the ones overflowing with reverence mostly just wanted him to rest.
Meanwhile, the girls led by Filvis had already started forming a spontaneous fan club.
Even some goddesses were quietly ordering their Familia members to find ways—any ways—to get close to Takumi.
Back at the Hestia Familia villa, Takumi sank into the warm bathhouse, enjoying being waited on by Haruhime, Lili, and Hestia.
If Babel Tower hadn't collapsed—if the seal at the Dungeon entrance weren't damaged—Meteria and the others would probably be here too.
But as things stood, Meteria—now part of Hephaestus's first-tier combat lineup—had gone out as a main force.
In the bath, under Hestia's heavy massage, Takumi opened his status panel.
The Cross-World Gate progress had already pushed past 9000%.
"Not bad… If I swing by and harvest this world now and then, hitting one hundred thousand feels easy."
He hummed happily, then leaned down to ruffle Lili's head as she cleaned his weapon.
Haruhime was right there too—helping Hestia massage him.
Watching the progress bar still creeping upward, Takumi's thoughts drifted.
He still had a long way to go to one hundred thousand, but at this rate, he didn't really care if it took a few extra days.
"I've got a bunch of blue traits… I'll upgrade one."
He scanned through them and decided [Protagonist Aura (Blue)] was the best value.
It was the broadest: potential, luck, momentum—everything.
This whole chain of events… the perfect timing… even the way he'd hooked the goddesses' attention—that trait deserved first credit.
He made his choice.
A violet radiance washed over the trait.
[Protagonist Aura (Purple): Your luck, potential, and overall fate will rise drastically. The world will favor you even more!]
Instantly, Takumi could feel it.
Refining his body. Condensing divine power. Everything… moved smoother.
Like the world had greased the rails.
"Blue to purple really is a massive jump."
"And… I think I just gained something like mind-over-matter power."
He could sense it: the higher his emotions surged, the more his strength multiplied.
If he ever faced true desperation, he might erupt with ten times—maybe even a hundred times—his usual output.
Only problem? It wasn't very controllable.
"Classic shounen protagonist package," Takumi muttered with a grin. "Yelling about friendship and bonds, then suddenly getting a power-up."
He didn't dwell on it. Deliberately throwing himself into danger just to test it would be idiotic.
Besides, compared to his other traits, this one still wasn't the core of his power.
He set it aside and reviewed his other gains.
After sorting everything out, he wrapped an arm around Hestia.
"This time, I'm definitely going to force your trait to drop."
"Eh?!"
She didn't understand what he meant—but she still let out a sweet, breathy moan.
After a full day and night, Orario finally stabilized again.
And Takumi got exactly what he wanted.
[Ding! Hestia Affection reached threshold. Defeat-copy trait obtained: Flame Authority (Gold)]
[Flame Authority (Gold): You preside over the Authority of "Flame." Lord of the Hearthfire, symbol of peace and life…]
The instant it fused, a strand of red-gold flame ignited inside Takumi.
The flame's law—the Authority itself—merged into his divinity.
And a new authority ability surfaced naturally in his mind.
[Authority: Sacred Fire Covenant]
Form a covenant with sacred flame—those who break it are burned by holy fire. Release the sacred flame to extinguish others' desire for conflict within their hearts.
"…That's Hestia for you," Takumi said, half amused, half impressed. "Peace-loving to the core."
He didn't stress it. Just holding a piece of the Flame Authority was already a huge gain.
The rest of Flame, he'd reclaim from other gods.
And in Orario? Plenty of gods held flame-related domains.
The closest one was Hephaestus.
"Whew… if I think about it like that, I'm about to get busy again."
With a lazy stretch, Takumi peeled himself out of the bath.
He patted Hestia and the girls—no breakfast prep today.
They were all thoroughly… fed.
Seeing the progress bar break 10,000%, he smiled so wide it hurt.
He made himself breakfast and was about to go see Hephaestus—when a knock sounded at the door.
"Another applicant trying to join Hestia Familia?"
"Didn't we agree it's the day after tomorrow in the morning—Hestia and I will do interviews then?"
Takumi raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed, and opened the door.
It wasn't an applicant.
It was a girl he absolutely did not expect.
Tall. Slim. Silver-gray hair draped over half her face.
Her visible left eye was black—like it had been filled with night.
She wore a black, not-too-revealing outfit that looked almost like a formal dress—something that made her seem like an apprentice witch.
The moment their eyes met, a jolt like electricity wrapped around both of them.
For a split second, Horn's icy expression almost cracked.
She forced it down, clawing her face back into a rigid, hostile glare.