Chapter 689: Stand-in Actor Appears: Hestia

The closed-eye dodge-wooden-stick training Broly formulated for the elf girl was somewhat subtle, but undeniably useful, gradually correcting the girl's habit of losing her measure whenever she got nervous — after all, her forehead and the back of her head had taken that many whacks from the stick.

"If she keeps adapting persistently, Lefiya-san will definitely reach the point where, even facing the sword tip I swing at her, she remains unperturbed."

Broly said with full confidence.

"If possible, I'd rather face Ais-san's sword tip."

The elf girl sighed and said one sentence in a small voice.

"That works too, only when facing the sword tip of someone you trust too much, the actual desensitization effect on you might not be good."

Broly heard it and replied to her words.

"Ah, trust too much..."

Hearing this, Lefiya's face instantly reddened; she stole a glance at the Sword Princess girl beside her, and discovering the other had no reaction, she felt relief and at the same time a touch of disappointment.

"Right, Ais-san and Lefiya-san, want to go eat at the 'Bountiful Mistress' tonight together? My treat..."

As the two girls of the Loki Familia were preparing to say goodbye, Broly asked the two and said he would treat.

"Ah, that wouldn't be right; if anyone treats, it should be us treating Broly-san."

Lefiya was a bit surprised but hurriedly spoke.

"You treating and me treating are the same, so, going together?"

Broly considered the act of eating together itself the important thing; in his perspective, dining together is a very important emotional-communication behavior.

"Then, okay, but Ais-san and I have to go change clothes and wash up first."

Facing the boy who had painstakingly coached them all day, Lefiya really couldn't bring herself to refuse; she just sniffed her own scent and said.

Being hurt by the stick blows, leaving quite a lot of cold sweat, was the reason the elf girl's body now had a bit of a sweat smell; although mixed with the soap scent from last night's bath, it hadn't reached an unpleasant degree, but it couldn't be called pleasant either.

Of course, the premise is not harboring an ulterior motive, for example the subjective thought of wanting to smell a beautiful elf girl's sweat.

"Mm, we'll go wash up too."

Broly nodded; he knew a sloppy image would likewise have a point-deduction influence on the other two capture-target girls in the tavern.

"Broly-san, I'll pass then."

But at this moment, Bell spoke up.

"Hm?!"

Broly looked over, a bit puzzled, and asked: "Bell, do you have some other arrangement tonight?"

"Broly-san, it's like this, I said last night I wanted to thank Anna-san, so tonight I plan to..."

Bell's face was a bit red, his voice getting lower and lower.

"So, tonight you're going on a date to eat with her, right?"

Liliruca spoke the rest of the words for him.

"Mm~"

The white-haired boy nodded a bit embarrassedly; this was his first time attempting to ask a girl he liked out to eat.

"Then fine, I won't hinder you from encountering the girl you want to encounter; by the way, do you need me to assist you with some funds?"

Broly agreed to Bell's departure, and incidentally asked the boy a question.

"Ah, that's not needed; I've earned quite a bit following you, Broly-san, and we probably won't go to too expensive a restaurant either."

Bell worried that inviting Anna-san to too expensive a restaurant for dinner might get him refused by Anna, who is a flower shop clerk.

"Good, Bell, wish you a wonderful night."

"Mm, Broly-san, I wish you a wonderful night too."

The two tacitly blessed each other with a sentence, and the white-haired boy left first.

Broly then took Lili and walked toward North Main Street together with Ais and Lefiya.

"Ah, Broly-san, you actually don't need to see us off."

Lefiya thought the boy was seeing them off and hurriedly spoke.

"Not seeing you off; Hestia-sama's part-time fried potato ball shop is also on North Main Street."

Liliruca said.

"Eh?!"

The elf girl froze for a moment, seemingly unable to connect the word 'part-time job' with a goddess-sama.

Along the way, through inquiries, Ais and Lefiya learned of the Virgin Goddess Hestia's deeds of selling fried potato balls part-time to repay debts.

"Hestia-sama really has a sense of responsibility; if it were my family's Main God, they'd probably just peace of mind use our Familia funds to repay debts~"

Lefiya complained; Ais wanted to retort a bit, but thinking of her own goddess having once done the absurd behavior of misappropriating Familia public funds to buy alcohol, she couldn't say anything more.

In comparison, one god does one's own deeds and bears one's own debts, repaying debts by working part-time oneself rather than using Familia funds — Hestia is a breath of fresh air in the god world.

One might say, truly worthy of being one of the pure Three Great Virgin Goddesses of Heaven?!

"Right, Hestia-sama, are you coming to eat with us too?"

Lefiya suddenly thought of something and asked.

"That goes without saying."

Broly nodded in reply.

Hearing this, Lefiya and Ais made eye contact.

They didn't speak, but their eyes already held consensus.

If their own goddess Loki hears and wants to tag along, it's best to refuse.

To avoid some unnecessary conflict with Hestia-sama.

"Hm?!"

Broly suddenly stopped his footsteps.

"What's wrong?"

Ais noticed his abnormal reaction and couldn't help but ask.

"I feel like someone's watching us."

Broly replied. Although the other party's presence had only leaked a little, he still detected it.

"Is it that direction?"

The Sword Princess girl looked in the direction the boy was gazing, then suddenly sprinted that way.

Before long, a blue-haired Pallum was forced out by the Sword Princess girl.

"Panis of the Freya Familia, why are you here, and why does it look like you were tailing us?"

"Tailing? Hmph, don't misunderstand. I was just passing by, and happened to see you, the Loki Familia's Sword Princess, mixed together with a strange, new-faced Adventurer, so I just looked a couple extra times."

Panis also hadn't expected to be discovered and caught red-handed, but since the Goddess's current order was only to tail the Hestia Familia boy, he naturally couldn't expose his true situation.

"Passing by?"

Ais tilted her head, then asked the Saiyan boy walking over.

"Mr. Broly, do you know or have you offended anyone from the Freya Familia?"

"Freya Familia, I have no impression."

Broly thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Although he doesn't really remember strangers, he was certain he'd never heard of the Freya Familia.

Even if the other party is Orario's other major faction Familia, it's the same.

"Sword Princess, you got anything else? If not, I'm leaving."

The blue-haired Pallum said with a displeased face.

"Sorry, might be a misunderstanding."

Ais apologized with a sentence, then lowered her sword.

"Good that you know."

Panis dropped that line and left directly, looking exactly like a passerby who was just passing by and only looked a couple extra times after seeing the Sword Princess.

Running into a Freya Familia member was a small episode. The Fried Potato Ball Shop and the Loki Familia's Twilight Manor are in different directions.

Broly and the Sword Princess agreed with the Elf girl to meet in front of the Hostess of Fertility, then temporarily separated from the two and went to the Fried Potato Ball Shop side to pick up his own Goddess.

"Want to go eat dinner together tonight? Alright then, I'd like to take a good look at what kind of girls those Encounter Targets are that this kid of yours has taken a liking to.

But I'm putting my ugly words up front: if they're bad girls with nasty personalities and rotten character, then even if it makes you sad, as your Goddess I'll stop you from any possible involvement with them. I absolutely won't allow my cute kid to possibly be corrupted by bad girls!"

Hestia spoke thus after hearing they'd be going to the Hostess of Fertility to eat together tonight.

Regarding this, Broly didn't say any words of refusal either.

As the first Encounter Target he met in this world, Hestia has a huge first-mover advantage.

If she strongly opposed, Broly would also consider her opinion.

And while Broly and company returned home to bathe, a certain Goddess working as a waitress girl in the tavern also received intel sent over from a Familia member.

"Hestia might come to the Hostess of Fertility to eat tonight?"

"Yes."

"Since that's the case, then Mr. Panis, could I ask you to go bring Miss Helen over here?"

The cute gray-haired, gray-eyed girl made this request, and the blue-haired Pallum merely glanced once, then hurriedly lowered his head in assent.

"I'll bring Helen back as soon as possible."

Panis, as if accepting a mission that must be executed, took off running through Orario's streets toward Babel Tower's direction, solely because this was the request (command) of the Goddess in maiden form, so even at the cost of his life he had to make it happen.

Not long after, Syr, who was doing prep work for tonight's tavern dinner service, heard the sound of the tavern's back door being knocked. She hurriedly walked over and opened the door.

"Lady Syr."

Helen, draped in a black cloak, stood before the young Goddess and called out in a small voice.

"No, Helen, tonight, you are Syr."

Syr took the cloak Helen handed over, and her appearance returned to the Goddess's form.

"Entertain that kid Broly properly for me."

Saying this, she handed the waitress uniform she'd also prepared to Helen, who had also taken on Syr's appearance.

Then, her hand pressed against the girl's back: "To avoid Hestia detecting anything abnormal, I'll temporarily seal the Falna on your body."

Freya can suppress her Kamui to nothing; even many Gods can't see through her disguise when she's active in Syr form.

However, not all Gods can't see through this disguise. Loki knows her identity, and Uranus definitely can see through it too.

And Hestia, as a Heavenly Virgin Goddess whose authority slightly counters hers, although she's doing worse in the Lower World now, that doesn't mean she can deceive the other's eyes.

She has designs on the other's child, but Freya doesn't want the other to discover this yet, so this is why Freya had Helen come replace her as Syr.

With the Falna sealed, she believed any God would only see the current Syr as an ordinary human girl who hasn't joined any Familia.

"Syr, where are you?"

From behind, Ryuu's voice came from the tavern.

"Don't blow your cover. After you get back, share your feelings from tonight with me properly."

Patting the head of Helen, this girl who was once the real Syr, the cloaked Freya quickly left.

"I humbly obey your Divine Will."

The gray-haired girl said in a small voice, then replied to the Elf inside the tavern.

"Ryuu, I'm here."

Since the Main God occasionally shares memories and emotions from her time as a maiden with her, Helen is not unfamiliar at all with playing the identity of Hill.

"Where did you go?"

Liu Li Ang came looking for her and asked.

"I went to take out the trash."

Xier answered.

"Eh, do you need to change clothes just to take out the trash, and into this kind of sexy outfit at that?"

Liu Li Ang's complexion was a bit strange; looking at the girl dressed in a black evening dress, she asked.

"Ah, that's because I heard that Mr. Broly from last night would be coming to our shop to eat again tonight, so I planned to dress up a bit prettier."

Just because she came over here in a bit of a rush, she didn't have time to change out of the clothes the Goddess usually wears; Helen explained it like this.

"Eh?!"

At this, the green-haired elf was quite surprised.

"You dressed yourself up like this just for a big spender?!"

She leaned over nervously.

"Xier, you mustn't go astray; our shop is a perfectly proper establishment and doesn't need to rely on selling sex appeal to stay in business."

"Ah, Liu Li Ang, you might have some misunderstanding; it's not because the other party is a big spender that I dressed up like this."

"Eh, then what is it for?"

"That is naturally..." Helen lowered her head a bit embarrassedly; she recalled the palpitation emotion toward the boy that Freya-sama had shared last night, and only then spoke the rest: "I've fallen in love at first sight with that boy!"

Hearing this, the righteous elf widened her eyes, seemingly a bit disbelieving, but looking at the lovesick appearance of the gray-haired girl, she felt the other party wasn't joking with her.

So, her good friend had really fallen in love at first sight with a Pallum male she'd only met for the first time last night?!

"Ah, what exactly do you like about him? Could it be that he eats a lot?"

Liu Li Ang recalled the boy's appearance last night, but only the impression of a big eater was comparatively deep; she couldn't help but ask.

【I want to know the answer to this question too!】

Helen thought; she wasn't a god and couldn't see souls. Although she felt the Goddess's palpitation emotion, she couldn't understand the reason this palpitation emotion arose.

"Uh, that boy looks cute when he eats..."

So, to explain why she fell in love at first sight, Helen could only find a reason that was a bit far-fetched but still passable.

Liu Li Ang: "..."

She hadn't paid attention to the boy's eating appearance last night, but she had cleaned up his dining table.

【And being able to eat that much food, yet not a single grain of rice spilled or drop of meat juice on the table — his eating appearance must really be quite nice...】

Liu Li Ang thought, but still felt it was very subtle; liking someone just because their eating appearance is cute — no matter how she thought about it, it felt really weird.

But falling for someone is a very private matter; regarding her good friend Xier's love at first sight, Liu Li Ang couldn't say much more.

Just...

"It's work hours now, Xier; you still need to properly change into your work clothes. Also, you're only preparing for your second meeting with that boy and already want to wear this kind of overly revealing outfit for him to see — he'll definitely think you're a very frivolous girl!"

Saying this, Liu Li Ang pushed the girl toward the changing room, making her change her somewhat bold outfit back into her original waitress uniform.

At this, Helen didn't refuse; she was only here to cover the Goddess's shift, not because she actually had any ideas about that Pallum boy named Broly.

At least, not right now.

However, the thought of wanting to observe the boy Freya-sama took a fancy to was still there.

【Just wait; let me, this Goddess Attendant, see just what kind of guy is so lucky as to obtain Freya-sama's favor!】

When Helen, having changed clothes, came out thinking this, she didn't know that the female elf Liu Li Ang beside her was harboring pretty much the same thought.

【Just wait; I must properly observe just whose eating appearance could make my good friend Xier fall head over heels!】

And at this moment, Broly, who had just finished showering, didn't know that over at the Hostess of Fertility, two people wanting to properly observe him tonight had appeared.

He changed into a black short-sleeved shirt, put on gray hemp cloth pants, used a towel to dry his wet hair and tail — that counted as having tidied up his appearance.

And compared to his clean and neat quick dressing, Hestia and Liliruca were a bit dilly-dallying.

One goddess and one person, wearing only white underwear, were selecting tonight's outfits in the room, asking the boy's opinion from time to time.

"Broly, do you think I look good in this?"

"Good."

At this, Broly's answers were all the same; it quickly drew dissatisfaction from the two.

Before long, whether it was Hestia or Liliruca, they stopped coming to ask him.

Instead, they started picking for each other.

"It's just going out to eat a meal; do you need to dress up so grandly?"

Broly watched the two from the side, continuously changing various clothes and skirts, and asked.

"First impressions are important."

Hestia answered like this.

"Exactly."

Liliruca nodded in agreement at the side; the Sword Princess and the Thousand Elf's beauty was already very pretty — who knew what kind of situation the other two Broly wanted to encounter would be.

Although the Pallum girl wouldn't stop the boy from encountering other girls, she didn't want her charm as the opposite sex to be pressed down by the other girls the boy also wanted to encounter.

As the saying goes, people rely on clothes like horses rely on saddles; dressing up prettily is a very necessary thing.

(Chapter End)