The moment divine power surged forth, Yuto felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and security.
It was like bathing in a warm spring, and he sensed something different about his own body.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed.
He had witnessed the God's blessing once before.
But this time, he was the one experiencing it firsthand.
"This is... my gratitude," Hestia murmured, her body returning to its original position.
She lowered her head shyly, her voice barely audible.
It was the first time she had bestowed her blessing upon a man.
And the man before her wasn't even a member of her Familia.
The thought filled her heart with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Thank you, Goddess-sama," Yuto said with a gentle smile.
He felt a chill on his neck, and his heart stirred.
Seeing the Goddess's bashful demeanor, he decided not to ask about the coolness.
What if asking that made her lose her temper?
"Hmph! Don't you dare blaspheme again! Especially against me! I won't allow it!" Hestia declared, her tone playfully domineering.
Yuto chuckled softly.
He reached out and flicked the goddess's forehead. She flinched and closed her eyes in a panic, but she felt no pain.
"Ah—I understand, Goddess-sama." Yuto patted Hestia's head, his warm smile and gentle words causing her face to flush crimson.
She grew flustered. "This is blasphemy, you idiot!!!"
Hestia spat out the words and dragged Sakura out of the restaurant.
The little girl waved goodbye to Yuto with a smile, while the goddess stormed off without looking back, her cheeks puffed up in anger.
Yuto let out a soft sigh and glanced at his body.
'What exactly did that blessing do to me?'
He had understood the first two sentences Hestia spoke while touching him, but the rest was incomprehensible.
It was a language beyond human understanding, one only ancient gods could wield.
'Never mind. No point dwelling on it. If it's a blessing, it can't be bad, right?'
Nearby, Quetzalcoatl, who had been observing the scene, opened her eyes.
Her divine eyes widened in astonishment.
A god bestowing a blessing wasn't unusual. But what astonished her was Hestia's true identity.
In her world, the name Hestia represented the Goddess of Chastity—a deity who would never bestow such blessings upon men.
She didn't know much about the Hestia who had just left, but she had sensed the goddess's divine power, and its essence was identical to that of the goddess in her own world.
This meant that both deities symbolized the same concept.
That was what astonished her.
A goddess of chastity performing such an act... it seemed rather unorthodox.
"Tohru, the Boss is truly remarkable," Quetzalcoatl said with a smile, looking across at Tohru.
The dragon girl puffed out her chest proudly, her nose twitching.
"Of course he is!"
Quetzalcoatl's smile returned to its usual warm, gentle expression as she resumed chatting with Tohru and the other dragons.
...
Hestia led Sakura through Orario.
Orario was safe, and Hestia had no intention of letting Sakura venture inside the dungeon for adventures.
After all, she didn't need any glory.
"Onee-sama, where are we staying tonight?" Sakura asked.
"Leave it to me! I know some very reliable people!" Hestia smiled and led Sakura away into the distance.
The goddess thought of Yuto.
Then she remembered the blessing she had just bestowed.
'Oh my! How embarrassing!'
"Onee-sama, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, looking worried at Hestia's flushed face.
"Nothing! I'm fine!"
"That's good..."
The figures of the woman and the girl grew smaller and smaller as they walked away.
...
Yuto wasn't too worried about Sakura being mistreated by Hestia.
He trusted that the goddess would take good care of her.
Shortly after they left, Saitama also prepared to go.
He had always prioritized getting enough sleep. If it hadn't been for Sakura's situation tonight, he would have left earlier.
"Goodbye, Kamisaka." Saitama bid farewell to Yuto, then to Ainz and Rimuru.
Watching Saitama's retreating figure, Yuto raised an eyebrow.
For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that the hero for fun had changed.
The shift wasn't dramatic, just subtle differences in the nuances of his expressions.
Yuto felt that Saitama seemed... even more vacant than usual.
While Saitama had always appeared somewhat dazed, Yuto had never sensed this peculiar feeling of something missing before.
Tonight, Saitama gave the impression of being incomplete.
It was as if Saitama, originally a whole human being represented by 1, had become 0.99.
That missing 0.01 was the key to his transformation.
"Have you guys noticed anything different about Saitama tonight?" Yuto asked Rimuru and Ainz.
They paused, surprised by the question.
Seeing their reactions, Yuto couldn't help but doubt the reliability of their friendship.
"Hmm... now that you mention it, Saitama hasn't smiled much tonight," Ainz said, setting down his light novel and reflecting.
Yuto's eyes flickered at this observation.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. Saitama didn't seemed very cheerful today," Rimuru agreed, noticing the unusual demeanor.
Yuto frowned. "Could something have happened to Saitama?"
Ainz's tone shifted, tinged with concern.
Yuto pondered for a moment, then seemed to grasp something.
"No, I don't think anything's wrong," he refuted Ainz's suggestion, his expression serious. "I sense that Saitama has lost his sensitivity to emotions... or perhaps his emotional perception has weakened."
Yuto voiced his hypothesis, drawing from his own observations and the remarks of his friends.
He theorized that the missing 0.01 percent of Saitama's being might represent his emotional sensitivity.
Ainz and Rimuru fell silent, deep in thought.
Ainz began recalling past interactions with Saitama, comparing them to his current behavior.
He realized Saitama's reactions had indeed grown muted over time.
When they first met, Saitama would laugh heartily.
Now, even at the funniest jokes, he only offered a faint chuckle, sometimes merely nodding.
'This is strange! Abnormal! Bizarre even!' Ainz thought.
After Ainz shared this observation, Yuto and Rimuru were at a loss for words.
"Could it be because he's bald? Did the psychological shock cause him to become like this?" Rimuru speculated, though his theory sounded absurd.
Yet Yuto felt that this guess was close to the truth.
"Let's ask him tomorrow. Maybe Saitama hasn't even noticed the change himself," Ainz sighed, a hint of concern for his friend in his voice.
"Boss, how much?"
While the trio pondered, the King of Conquerors and Lord El-Melloi II called out to Yuto.
"Coming!" Yuto replied, walking over.
Lord El-Melloi II was incapacitated, slumped face-down on the table, still conscious but on the verge of passing out.
Iskandar, on the other hand, seemed unscathed, his face merely flushed.
"Is... is he alright?" Yuto asked, a flicker of worry crossing his face as he glanced at the collapsed magus.
"Ahahaha, don't worry! Waver will be fine!" Iskandar boomed, his words almost making Yuto laugh.
'What do you mean "he should be fine"...' Yuto thought.
"Wh... Wh... What an idiot... I told you... I can't... drink..." Lord El-Melloi II groaned, his face pressed against the bar counter as he struggled to speak.
"Then you need to toughen up, Waver! As a man, your alcohol tolerance is far too low! You're my subject! Your capacity for drink must match the grandeur of the Conqueror King's title!" Iskandar patted Lord El-Melloi II's back with a dismissive air.
"Shut up! You... you idiot!" Lord El-Melloi II staggered to his feet, swaying unsteadily, his eyes glazed over as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
Yuto couldn't help but worry that the man might fall.
"Th... this... should be enough..." Lord El-Melloi II fumbled a wad of cash from his coat.
Yuto took it, counted the British Pounds and handed the rest back.
"Alright, see... you... later..."
After paying, Lord El-Melloi II struggled to walk out the door, each step feeling like treading on clouds. Yuto couldn't help but chuckle.
"Waver! Steady yourself!"
"Idiot! You... you think... I'm like this... because of whom?!" Iskandar's remark earned a sharp retort from Lord El-Melloi II.
Yuto smiled softly at the exchange.
Lord El-Melloi II had reached his limit and needed to rest, but Iskandar could still go on.
He remained at the bar, drinking and occasionally chatting with Ainz and Rimuru.
...
Lord El-Melloi II didn't know how long he remained unconscious.
He remembered barely making it back to his room.
He shuddered at the thought of anyone witnessing his disgraceful state.
The mere thought ignited a surge of anger within him.
He wanted to punch Iskandar, but considering his physical limitations, he abandoned the idea.
"Hah... Still... it was an enjoyable night..."
Leaning back, he exhaled softly and murmured to himself.
His voice was gentle, filled with gratitude and relief, devoid of any lingering anger.
"Right, the Holy Grail War!"
Lord El-Melloi II remembered the events of the night and decided to review the recorded data from the Holy Grail War once more.
He wanted to check for any anomalies that might have been overlooked.
After rummaging through his files for a while, he finally found the records from that year.