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"Your title is 'Holy Child,' Anos."
Hestia beamed as she announced it.
Holy Child, even though Freya had proposed it, Hestia liked it quite a bit herself.
"Holy Child…"
Ais's eyes flickered slightly.
Personally, she thought "Sword Saint" would have suited him better. It would have paired nicely with her own title, "Sword Princess."
To pursue her revenge, she needed to grow stronger. That was why she trained under Anos, learning his swordsmanship.
But later, she realized something else.
It wasn't just his sword skills.
His magic was exceptional too. In her eyes, his mastery was already comparable to Riveria's.
If he excelled in everything, then perhaps "Holy Child" wasn't a bad fit after all.
Ais rated it in her mind.
Holy Child, ninety points. Sword Saint, one hundred, but "Sword Saint" was never an option.
The gods didn't even know he was skilled with a blade, Freya had only revealed his talent and displayed his image.
She wasn't foolish enough to expose everything and invite competition, Even this level of attention already exceeded what she had planned.
In truth, his title had nothing to do with what the gods knew.
It was simply because Freya had named it.
"Ais… I need a word with you."
While Ais stood there watching Hestia cling to Anos, a pair of hands landed on her shoulders.
Loki.
"Lady Loki?"
Ais tilted her head, completely unaware that Loki was about to give her a push she never expected.
…
Before long, the banquet officially began.
Just as Hestia had predicted, Anos became the center of attention.
His status had already been revealed as the captain of the Hestia Familia, so even before he arrived, Hestia had been surrounded by gods trying to negotiate.
Now that he was here, countless eyes turned toward them.
Some didn't even bother hiding their intentions, approaching him directly to try to poach him.
"…Sigh."
Anos let out a quiet breath.
He didn't like being the center of attention.
More specifically, he didn't like being watched like this before he had reached a level where nothing could threaten him.
If he had absolute power, it wouldn't matter.
But right now…
"Anos, why are you sighing? If you keep that up, you'll turn into an old man!"
Hestia lectured him seriously, clearly repeating some nonsense she had picked up somewhere.
"It's nothing. Just thinking about a few things."
"If you're not feeling great, then dance with me! One dance, and all your worries will disappear!"
She puffed out her chest confidently.
Anos had the sudden urge to fix her slightly crooked blue ribbon.
"Is that so?"
He smiled.
Her way of cheering him up was simple, even clumsy.
But honestly…
It worked.
There wasn't much entertainment in this world to begin with.
"Hmm…"
Watching them step onto the floor together, Freya narrowed her eyes, her crimson lips curving faintly.
"Hestia… you might be more of a problem than I thought."
The way Hestia treated Anos clearly wasn't how a goddess treated an ordinary member.
If Anos were taken from her, Hestia might actually lash out.
Freya wasn't afraid.
But it would be… troublesome.
…
Meanwhile, with Loki.
"What's wrong, Ais? Something bothering you?"
Loki noticed her standing still for quite a while.
"No… It's nothing."
Ais lowered her gaze, but couldn't help glancing in a certain direction.
"Oh…"
Loki followed her line of sight and immediately understood.
Ais was watching Anos.
More specifically…
Anos and Hestia.
Considering what Hestia was doing, the meaning behind that glance was obvious.
"So… my little Ais is finally acting like a girl, huh…"
Loki mused to herself.
She wouldn't interfere.
If anything, she felt like a parent seeing her daughter develop feelings for the first time.
Complicated, sure.
But ultimately supportive.
And if she could steal that boy away while making Hestia furious…
Even better.
"Ais… let me give you a little push."
Loki's smile deepened.
…
Back with Anos.
After finishing his dance with Hestia, he felt a bit better.
He had come to a realization.
These gods were just ancient thrill-seekers.
As long as he didn't reveal anything too dangerous, there was nothing to worry about.
The discomfort faded, leaving only habit behind.
"You're the 'Holy Child,' Anos Kanzaki, right?"
Not long after, someone approached him.
Not a goddess seeking a dance.
A male god dressed like an adventurer.
Hermes.
The so-called perfectly neutral god.
"Lord Hermes, nice to meet you."
Anos smiled, He could already tell Hermes wasn't truly here for him.
"The famous Holy Child, huh? Pleasure to meet you. I'm Hermes. If you ever feel like visiting the pleasure district, we could go together."
The conversation started normally.
Then took a sharp turn.
The pleasure district.
Exactly what it sounded like.
"Didn't expect that from you, Lord Hermes, Maybe another time."
Anos replied with a polite smile.
He was still a man, after all.
Curiosity was natural.
Of course… purely observational.
After chatting for a while, Hermes finally got to the point.
"Your familia isn't just you, right?"
He was asking about Bell.
Bell was still Level 1, so he hadn't appeared in this round of title assignments.
It wasn't because of Anos.
It was simply too early.
"Yeah, there are three of us now."
Including Lili.
Her transformation ability could have been used for all kinds of schemes, but Anos had no interest in that kind of thing.
If he wanted money, modern industry would crush Orario's economy effortlessly.
Weapons, production, even divine wine.
All of it could be mass-produced.
Compared to what he had in his previous world, this was trivial.
"One of them… is named Bell Cranel, right?"
"That's right."
Anos remembered.
Hermes had recently met Bell's grandfather and was asked to look into him.
"That kid's family is connected to me, Take good care of him."
For once, Hermes sounded serious.
"I will, With so few members, each one matters."
Anos replied calmly.
Could he say that he alone rivaled an entire top-tier familia?
Probably not.
"Then I can relax, and don't worry, I'll handle the pleasure district arrangements!"
Hermes said confidently.
"…Right."
Anos wasn't sure what exactly Hermes thought he meant.
"I don't need help with that, There's something else I'd like your assistance with."
He had been planning to approach Hermes anyway.
And now…
The opportunity had come to him.
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~Support with 300 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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