chapter 8 Hestia
Neos felt his tears halted as Hestia continued to stroke his back. Gently, he held Hestia's arm, signaling her to release him from the hug.
"Goddess Hestia," he said, capturing her attention, "you mentioned that when you examined my falna, all you could discern was gibberish.
"Hestia nodded in agreement. "Could you hand me the paper displaying my supposed status?" "Sure, here," she said, passing him the status paper.
As he perused his status, he observed numerous incomprehensible words and lettering.
Despite the apparent gibberish, he discerned annotations that should have indicated his status, yet instead of 000, it displayed [andwandw].
He focused on himself, scrutinizing his soul.
He envisioned a demonic being with darkly crusted skin, akin to a living blood crimson light that adorned every inch of its body.
Ruby's eyes resembled volcanic magma, his dark hair cascading down its back.
A slit sat in the center of its forehead with twin horns, mirroring his actual body, perched atop its head.
The creature exuded majesty as orbs flowed around it. Four of them were colossal than the rest.
The demon appeared to glare at something with open eyes. A divine flame, surrounded by black energy, presented itself as the object of the demon's intense gaze, giving it the semblance of a predator pursuing its prey.
The fire remained unconsumed due to the demon's control, transforming it into a blessed entity.
The demon's darkly crusted skin would lighten and smoothen when divine fire aligned with its back. A transformation occurred within the demon as its glare softened.
He addressed his goddess, "Goddess Hestia, could you please reapply or update the falna?" "Yes," Hestia agreed, curious about his request. He complied, turning to face her with his back.
Hestia inquired, "Everything seems normal now, Neos. What did you do?" with a puzzled expression as she updated the falna. "Your divine blessing was targeted by my internal energy, attempting to devour your bestowed divinity or falna. I allowed it to merge with my soul, preventing its consumption." "Oh," Hestia blurted, embarrassed at her lack of understanding.
Attempting to hide her embarrassed expression, she noticed the sunrise as her divinity acted up within him, and her eyes widened.
She exclaimed, "I'm going to be late," seizing Neos's wrist and pulling him towards her workplace.
Neos, perplexed by her actions, followed as she tugged him, remarking, "Goddess Hestia is their problem." She continued, "I need to go to my job; if I'm not there in time, I'll be late."
Neos, sensing her slow pace, lifted her onto his shoulder.
While running, he queried, "Goddess Hestia, point where to go." Acknowledging his suggestion with a nod, she gestured toward her workplace.
Observing her point, he kicked the ground, hovering and surrounding them with a barrier to shield Hestia from the abrupt movement.
His speed and the barrier startled Hestia, who cried out in surprise. Neos ran to wherever she pointed, following her lead whenever she said, "There, there."
Gently lowering her when they reached her supposed workplace, he halted, surprised to learn what it was.
"Boss, I'm sorry I was late," she apologized. "Someone wanted to join my Familia, so it took some time for me to do so." Her boss accepted her apology and handed her an apron.
"It's fine as long as it doesn't happen often," he said to her as he left for the day.
She put on the apron and began working at the stand. Neos watched in amazement as he tried to understand Hestia's job.
Approaching her at the stand, he inquired, "Goddess Hestia, is this truly your workplace, nothing else?" she explained as she assisted a customer.
"Yeah, I make Jagamaruku by adding spices to crushed potatoes and frying after adding an outer skin. This food stall was the only job I could get based on my experience living on Tenkai to help our Familia."
Nodding at her words, he accepted a Jagamarukun from her. "Here, why not try one? I'll pay for it." Shaking his head, he handed her the proper amount. Hestia attempted to decline payment but stopped when she saw his eyes glaring at her.
During idle moments, Neos and Hestia would chat. He would sometimes see Hestia glancing at his horns and long hair. Neos offered, "Do you want to touch them?" Gesturing to his horns and hair, he lowered his head for her to touch them. Hestia softly examined his horns and hair, expressing surprise at their texture.
"Which type of beastkin are you, Neos? I rarely see male beastkin with such long and silky hair, even if it looks untamed like yours," she asked, slowly letting go. Neos corrected her and said, "I am not a beastkin. I am a demon, Goddess Hestia." For a moment, Hestia was confused, but then she accepted it as the truth. She was curious and asked Neos, "The guild's advisor girl told me someone recommended you to join my Familia. May I ask who that was?" Neos explained that it was Rose who helped him. Hestia noticed that Neos sounded happier and smiled.
"Do you like this Rose person, Neos?" Hestia asked with a devious smile. Explaining the concept of liking someone, he nodded in agreement.
Hestia's smile became more devious. "Have you properly thanked her for helping you?" she asked, learning that he had given Rose a magic gem. Not comprehending the details, she suggested, "Why not make her a more thoughtful gift, like a bracelet?" Neos explained Rose's race and proposed a bouquet as a gift.
As the sun was setting, Hestia and Neos were conversing. Suddenly, they heard a young boy shouting at Hestia. "Goddess Hestia!!" When they looked over, Hestia ran to the boy. Neos saw the boy was a young teenager with white hair and red eyes. He seemed to have a disgustingly similar feature to the white-furred rabbit with red eyes from the floor he was on.
"Bell, I have good, no great news to tell you," Hestia shouted excitedly at Bell as she hugged her to his stomach," what is it about goddess Hestia," Bell asked her, "We have a new member, " she said the good news to him, "who is it goddess Hestia and where are they," eyes widen he would ask with excited and breathed words.