God of What? 5 (Patreon)

A/N: after battling constipation for 12 hrs on Thanksgiving, I bring you this new chapter.

-VB-

God of What?

Chapter 5

-VB-

“A god that … wants to work with you?” Hephaestus asked her friend, and got a vigorous nod in response. “You know that sound a little too good to be true, right?”

The two of them sat inside her office within her familia’s headquarters.

“He’s a new guy just like me-!”

“You are not new, Hestia. You’ve been around for a few months now. You know that most gods and goddesses would have a few children of their own by now, right?”

Hestia withered as she faced her friend’s harsh criticism. “I know, but I’m just not popular, you know? No one even knows about my legends and myths.”

This was true. Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, a primary household woman’s goddess. Adventurers were the least likely group of people to know about her.

“Well, you did spend a lot of your time here just stuck indoors. Eating.” Hephaestus glared at her friend-aunt’s big boobs. “And somehow not getting fat at all.”

Hestia laughed nervously. “I mean, surely, I couldn’t eat that much?”

“You drank half a bottle of Soma. Sure, it wasn’t the highest quality but you still drank half a bottle of it that I had been saving.” She let out a huff. “Well, who is this god anyway?”

“His name is Marris!” Hestia quickly answered, eager to stay away from that specific topic for as long as she could. “Kind of tall. Looks pretty normal, actually.”

“What? A god of normalness?”

Hestia blinked and thought about it.

“Actually, he said he was the god of transformation. People and era.”

This time, Hephaestus blinked. “That’s … a rather broad domain. And intangible, too. Where was he from?”

“We never discussed that?”

She rolled her eyes. “And where are you two staying?”

“Ah.”

“... Hestia? Why aren’t you answering?”

“It’s just. Well.”

“Hestia…”

“He’s paying for my stay at an inn at the mid part of the town on the opposite side from the Entertainment District?”

“You mean the most expensive area of the city? Outside of the Tower itself?”

“... Yes?”

Her friend-aunt was a ditz. There was no other explanation for this sort of behavior.

But then again, there were gods and goddesses who liked that kind of people, no matter how much of a problem such ditzness caused in the future. Was that what this Marris guy was going for?

More than a few gods would like to have the experience of taking a virgin goddess’s first time and have a ditz around.

Hmm…

She would have to keep an eye on this guy.

-VB-

Yor was a part of me just like an organ was a part of me. Or, rather, a hair. Because even if Yor died, it wouldn’t adversely affect me beyond manpower and the facade he provided.

Even if the deities of Orario considered me one of their own, I knew better. To me, Yor was part of the front I put up. Just like criminals laundered money using front stores, I used Yor as a front Familia member as well as the fire that drew in the moths that were the new adventurers and adventurer hopefuls.

And on the first day of his work, he brought in enough valis to not only replenish what I spent on my temporary housing, food, and registration but also got us enough to start planning for a big future.

“Eh?! Your child already got you this much?!”

Hestia wore her heart on her sleeve, and I could tell that she had reacted genuinely, which made it all the merrier when I smirked at her.

“Yup,” I said, popping the P. “Yor is a great guy!” Was I telling her that my hair was great? Maybe. Yor was only going to get stronger and better, because as time passed on and he gained “excelia,” I would be adding more Shard shenanigans into his move sets like a Pokemon trainer gave their pokemon TMs.

… I could make more like him, but I wanted to see how well Yor worked in the system before I did.

“D-Do you even need me?” Hestia asked forlornly as she stared at the bag full of valis on the table between us.

“A normal deity would say no. But I’m not normal, am I?” I grinned. “I still want a partner. I just proved that I can definitely carry my weight and not rely on you and your connection to Hephaestus."

She looked startled. "Ah. You … knew?"

"I heard it. Didn't care too much. Do you, Yor?"

I had Yor respond honestly with what little personality he had.

"A little. I do not like that my god is cooperating with a goddess who cannot pull her own weight."

She shriveled.

"But what my god wants is what I want. I do as he wishes. Perhaps I will be proven wrong in the future, and I hope so, Hestia-sama."

She looked stricken and comforted at the same time.

"I will! I will do better!" she grasped my hand and shook it. "Right, partner!?"

And that's the way the cookie crumbles.