Chapter 749: The Poor God's Blessing: May You All Live in Poverty in the Future

"Boom boom boom～"

The orphanage's somewhat shabby wooden door was knocked upon, its creaking sway making one worry it might suddenly fall off.

"Coming……"

Behind the door came a clear female voice, and not long after, a girl with some freckles on her face opened that shabby wooden door.

"This God-sama, may I ask who you are……"

The gods of this world are easy to recognize, especially when they unintentionally conceal their divine identity; at close range, they give mortals a faint sense of majesty—the effect of divine aura. No matter how approachable or absurdly dressed a god is, they will have it. So, when seeing a busty loli with a trace of majesty standing at the front door looking up at her, the usually rather unremarkable orphanage girl asked somewhat nervously.

"I am the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia. Today I have come here to bestow some of the gods' mercy upon the children of this place."

Hestia stated her purpose directly, and the girl raised in the orphanage then saw behind her a handcart of ingredients pulled by an Amazon girl dressed coolly.

"Ah, I'll go notify the grannies inside right away."

The orphanage girl ran back inside, and soon after, several women wearing patched monk robes walked out from within.

The eldest among them, upon seeing the fully loaded handcart outside, brightened her cloudy eyes and began instructing the freckled girl beside her.

"Roxane, go call those few boys over, have them pull out the wooden threshold at the front door, and line up the other children. We are about to welcome the God-sama's grand arrival!"

The girl named Roxane quickly ran back inside. While the middle-aged woman who called herself the orphanage director politely chatted with Hestia, several boys who looked like mere older children followed the freckled girl out from inside.

After coming out, their gazes all turned to the ingredients on the large handcart, especially the chunks of meat full of fat.

"Stop spacing out, hurry up and work."

Urged by the orphanage director, the older children reacted, moved nimbly, and pulled out the wooden threshold at the orphanage's front door.

Then they brought over two thick wooden sticks shaved flat on one side, placed them on the outside steps, turned the original steps at the orphanage's front door into a temporary ramp, and then several people walked to the back of the large handcart.

"Let us help push."

"Eh, no need, I can do it alone."

Tiona waved her hand and easily pulled the fully loaded large handcart into the orphanage.

"Welcome God-sama Hestia's arrival, thank God-sama Hestia's mercy～"

Groups of ragged children were gathered in the courtyard, and as if they had received training, once Hestia walked into the courtyard, they shouted loudly toward the Loli Goddess. Though their voices were not uniform, they were full of spirit.

Hestia, being thanked like this for the first time, blinked her eyes, while the orphanage director, seeing the God-sama looking somewhat dazed, began to explain.

"Any God-sama who comes to this orphanage side to do charity, we will have the children express their thanks and welcome like this."

"Ah, no need to be so polite."

Hestia scratched her head, feeling that she had only brought a handcart of ingredients today, wondering if she had brought too little.

"So early in the morning, making such a racket, not letting this old woman sleep?!"

However, just as Hestia was made somewhat embarrassed by the grand display of collective thanks, an abnormal voice sounded from the side.

Hestia subconsciously looked over and saw an old woman with long, white, messy hair, wearing rags as her primary clothing, her garments shabby.

The other's outward appearance perfectly embodied what posture poverty takes.

"Eh, Penia?!"

Hestia called out the other's name.

"Oh my, I thought it was some familiar faces as usual, but it turns out to be you, Hestia, who came down to the Lower World half a year ago～

What's wrong, are you trying to expand your hearth's light to this shithole of a place called Daedalus Street?"

The god in the form of an old woman asked with a smiling face, wearing an inscrutable smile.

"Ah, your words make it sound as if this place is your turf and I am an invader?"

Hestia subconsciously interjected.

"Coincidentally, this place really is my turf. Daedalus Street, the slums of Orario, streets everywhere filled with poor people. Besides me, the Poor God, which god would be willing to live long-term in a place like a shithole?"

Sounding like a proud introduction, but her words were all belittling this place. Penia's words left Hestia stunned.

Just as she didn't know how to respond, among the orphanage children who had finished the welcome ritual, three little radish heads ran out.

"Bell-nii-chan……"

"Anna-nee-chan……"

Three children surrounded Bell and Anna, calling them intimately. One little boy asked with a childish voice.

"Are you here to treat us to fried potato balls?"

"Not just fried potato balls, but many other delicious things, and all thanks to God-sama Hestia."

Bell explained, reaching out to pat the speaking child's head.

"This is?"

Penia looked at Bell and asked Hestia.

"My children."

The Loli Goddess answered concisely.

"A very clean child. Is it because he came here?"

"More or less. Bell agreed to treat the children here to food, and I agreed."

"Not just agreed, you must have been overly kind-hearted. Really, a kind god with high empathy like you would give me a headache. Bringing so many things that can make the children here feel happy, and intruding here without permission."

Penia chattered on like a mother-in-law complaining about her daughter-in-law.

"This God-sama seems not very welcoming of us……"

Lefiya said in a small voice.

"Poor God-sama Penia's divine authority is【Poverty】, and poverty can be connected to being bare as the back of one's hand and having nothing.

The children at this orphanage fit the objects of poverty, and your act of distributing food to the children here is almost making the concept of poverty disappear from these children in a short time.

Therefore, Poor God-sama Penia, who governs【Poverty】, not being very welcoming of you as donors is a very normal thing."

The White Shrine Maiden explained in a small voice to the elf girl beside her.

"Ah, how could this be?!"

Lefiya exclaimed, but quickly covered her mouth, looking cautiously toward the deity in the form of an old woman, seemingly worried she would be detected for rashly commenting on a god.

"So, you intend to stop me from distributing food to the children here?"

Hestia asked with a stern face; the conversation between the White Shrine Maiden and the elven girl wasn't loud, but she could still hear it.

"Hah, Hestia, that's an interesting thing to say. Unable to use divine power, with no children willing to follow me—just a rotten old hag like me—what could I possibly use to stop the Familia deity currently making the biggest splash in Orario from doing what she wants?"

"Uh..."

The overly blunt words left Hestia momentarily stunned.

"Then why did you step out?"

"What's wrong? A destitute deity with nothing to her name can't complain a little to a wealthy deity like you? Remember, when you distribute food to the kids here (the orphanage) later, leave a share for me.

Me, I'm also someone who needs you wealthy deities to show kindness and provide relief. No one yearns for poverty, no one would willingly embrace poverty. After so many years in the Lower World, yet not having a single Familia child... I really have it rough~"

Hestia: "..."

The other party's somewhat aggressive demeanor just now had made her subconsciously think this was someone coming to cause trouble, but she hadn't expected it was someone coming to beg for food.

For a moment, the Loli Goddess didn't know whether to cry or laugh, but on second thought, if she hadn't met Broly, would she still be one of those destitute deities needing Hephaestus's relief even now?

"No problem, Penia, rest assured. Although we weren't close in Heaven, today your meals are on me!"

"How reliable. May your Familia one day in the future experience a life of poverty and destitution~"

"Hey, I give you food to eat, and you curse my Familia?"

"I am a Poor God; this is a genuine, solid blessing.

Children of the Lower World only emit a shining radiance they lack in times of wealth when they are in purity (possessing nothing).

Just like when monsters raged in the past, those who exerted their utmost effort to stay alive—their hearts without excess fat—were so beautiful.

The radiance on heroes back then was also different from the rotten radiance of the current era, filled with too many complex thoughts and desires. That was the beautiful era..."

【A beautiful era? The era when monsters raged?】

While everyone fell silent due to the Poor God's extremely bizarre blessing, the Sword Princess girl stepped forward on her own initiative, asserting with firm words: "The era when monsters raged was absolutely not a beautiful era."

With eyebrows slanted upward, unlike Ais's forceful tone, the girl looked somewhat angry.

"Wailing, grief, sorrow—too many people lost those important to them. That was an unfortunate era."

The Poor God probably hadn't expected her rambling to be refuted; those turbid old eyes widened slightly. As clouds drifted across the sky obscuring the sunlight, her gaze met that of the stubborn Sword Princess girl looking over this way.

And just as the clouds overhead were blown away by the wind and sunlight fell once more, a smile returned to the old hag deity's face: "This is probably the value difference between gods and humans..."

But it's interesting, isn't it?

"Loki Familia's Sword Princess little girl, I won't refute your view of that era, but I likewise won't change my own view of that era."

The Poor God looked compassionately at the Sword Princess girl who dared refute her head-on; the girl's soul was sparkling brilliantly at this moment.

Ais felt stifled. Just as she was still preparing to correct the mistaken words of the deity she was meeting for the first time, the Poor God waved a hand to remind her: "Aren't you here to distribute food? Look at these little brats who lost their parents yet can still laugh, make noise, and play. As poor people, they are yearning for the relief of you wealthy people~"

Ais: "..."

The orphanage kitchen was borrowed. Hestia and the others, who had brought their own ingredients, began preparing the midday meal for the hundreds of children in the orphanage.

*Thump thump thump* sounds rang out. The sound of the Sword Princess girl mincing onion was much heavier than when she minced onion last night.

Clearly, her mood wasn't good—it could even be called a bit terrible.

Broly could vaguely understand the reason for her bad mood. As someone from the dark era of this world a thousand years ago, to have an era that made her feel unfortunate called good by a strange deity—naturally she would feel extremely uncomfortable.

However, Broly also didn't know how to comfort the Sword Princess girl. After thinking, he left the kitchen and directly found the Poor God sunbathing on the wicker chair in the courtyard.

"Hestia's other child, do you have business with me?"

A heavy soul, extremely rich colors—the lucky boy who, rumor had it, let Hestia strike it rich and develop a Familia in a short time. Even Penia couldn't ignore such a child. But her gaze toward Broly held some puzzlement, not understanding what the boy wanted seeking her out alone.

"Ais-san is troubled because of your words."

Broly said directly.

"Eh?"

Penia let out a soft "eh," but realization quickly appeared in her eyes.

"You like that child?"

Having stayed in the Lower World for several centuries, Penia had seen too many different children.

The situation before her—she knew what it was with just a thought.

"Mm."

Broly didn't deny it either.

"So you came to make me go apologize to her?"

Penia asked.

"Apologize?" Broly thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I don't think Ais-san needs your apology. What she needs should be to change your thinking that having nothing is good."

"Oh ho, so how does this little brat plan to change my thinking?"

"I plan to persuade you using my own experiences first."

Broly said seriously.

"Eh, persuade me using your own experiences? How would that persuade?"

Penia was somewhat curious.

"I was once just as you said—almost possessing nothing. But now I possess much. Although I don't know what that hero radiance you speak of is, I am confident my own radiance is even more dazzling than the kind you describe. Penia-sama, what do you think?"

Broly inquired, incidentally clenching his small fist. If Plan A to persuade the deity before him to change her thinking failed, he didn't mind employing Plan B.

Hearing this, Penia looked at him seriously. After a while, this deity in the form of an old woman wore a somewhat helpless smile.

"My, you actually didn't lie. If that's the case, I really have nothing to say. Little brat, you've successfully persuaded me."

"Eh?"

"How about it, as you wished, are you still not happy?"

"No, I'm just a bit puzzled, you were actually persuaded by me so easily."

"It's merely that facts speak louder than eloquence, your soul is indeed more beautiful than the other souls I've seen.

Hmm, although I hope others are 【Poor】, it's not because of others' 【Poverty】 that I feel satisfied, a strange god.

Poverty is merely the initial state I hope for others, and those in such a state will more clearly grasp their own true wish, thereby pursuing it desperately.

The dazzling glossy light bursting from the Lower World children during their pursuit, that is what I pursue wanting to see."

"Eh, is that how it is?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I still specifically shelter an orphanage on Daedalus Street, it's because the children here have nothing, and when they grow up they'll strive desperately to stand on their own feet, although they aren't Adventurers, much less so-called heroes, that kind of posture still gives me full comfort, it's the scenery I most like to see in this era of the Lower World now……"

"Then, Miss Ais's side."

"I'll go tell the Sword Princess girl of the Loki Familia later, just say you've already persuaded me and changed my mind."

Penia said with a smile.

"Uh, then thank you Lady Penia, I'll go back to the Kitchen to help."

Broly thanked the god in the guise of an old woman.

"Go on, I'm still waiting for the free food."

Penia waved her hand, but after the boy left, a puzzled expression surfaced on her face.

"So, I wasn't pursuing 【Misfortune】 itself?

But, before it seems someone kept telling me, what I pursue is 【Unfortunate Poverty】 itself……

Who on earth was it?"

The Poor God pondered bitterly, but ultimately couldn't recall.

In the end, she could only attribute it to herself having stayed in the Lower World too long, possibly contracting the senile dementia that only Lower World children get.

(Chapter End)