Familia

"Oh, have you been planning to kill the gods or harass the goddesses?"

With her arms crossed in front of her chest, Hera smiled thinly, full of meaning.

This is the first time a creature from the lower world has dared to say something like that directly in front of the gods.

"Ahem, Goddess Hera, you've misunderstood. I don't have such intentions. However, after the gods sealed their Arcanum, they became very vulnerable. Isn't that extremely dangerous? And also, it's impossible that no one harbors ill intentions toward the gods, right?"

Not wanting to get on Hera's bad side, Charlie hurriedly explained.

"What you said is true; it has happened before."

Hera gave an affirmative answer after sensing no lies from him.

"Gods are immortal. Just because their Arcanum is sealed doesn't mean they can be killed by mortals. The gods can use their Arcanum to save themselves. If a god suffers a fatal injury, their Arcanum automatically activates to prevent them from dying. Of course, this activation sends them back to Heaven."

"In short, gods can break the seal whenever they want, but the price they pay is that they can no longer stay in the lower world and are forced back to Heaven. To descend to the lower world again, they have to wait in an extremely long queue... Many gods and goddesses are waiting in line to come to the lower world. As for those who are forced to return to Heaven, they have to wait ten thousand years before they can descend to the lower world again."

"So, usually, the gods won't use their Arcanum unless there's no other choice."

Pausing briefly, Hera gave Charlie time to digest the information she had conveyed.

"Please continue, Goddess Hera." Said Charlie.

The more he learned, the more convinced he was that this wasn't a world based on the light novel Seirei no Gensouki.

"Next, let's talk about Familia. Familia is a faction of gods who recruit people from the lower world for a particular purpose. The gods will bestow Falna upon their Familia members, allowing them to grow beyond ordinary people. Falna doesn't set a growth limit; a person's strength can even match that of a god if they keep growing. Of course, no one has ever reached that level."

"Because the gods' original goal was to have fun, not all Familia are combat-oriented. Depending on the god's interests, there are business Familia, agricultural Familia, crafting Familia, and exploration Familia. By the way, the Hera Familia is an exploration Familia."

"Once, the Hera Familia stood alongside the Zeus Familia as the Twin Kings of Orario. They were the most powerful Familia of their time; other top factions didn't dare provoke them. The Hera Familia once had a Level 9 member as captain, three Level 8 executives, four Level 7 members, and many First-Class Adventurers. Unfortunately, the main forces of both Familia were killed in an attempt to defeat the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Because of this, the Familia weakened, and I and Zeus were eventually expelled from Orario by Freya and Loki, our rivals at the time, under the pretext of maintaining order in the city."

There was a hint of sadness in Hera's tone.

For her, losing glory and prestige wasn't a big deal. She regretted the death of the children she loved.

"..."

'So this is the world of Danmachi! Hera never appeared in the original work, which is why I didn't recognize her at first.' Charlie thought in shock and confusion.

He had been a former otaku before enrolling in the Police Academy. He had stopped watching anime because of the busy school schedule and gradually lost interest in it.

"The Hera Familia was once the strongest Familia, but now there isn't a single member left. Will you join my Familia, Charlie Avalon?"

The sadness in Hera's eyes vanished in an instant as if it had never appeared, and her gaze focused on Charlie.

"Give me time to think."

"Of course. You can give me your answer tomorrow."

"I want to go out and get some fresh air."

"Mm."

This long conversation finally ended.

Charlie stood up and opened the door to the house.

Outside, people seemed busy going about their daily lives.

'They all speak in a language I don't know, but I can understand it.'

Walking among the crowd, Charlie observed the local customs.

From the conversations of the people, he learned that this place was the Port City of Menel, located three kilometers southwest of Orario on the shores of Lake Lolog.

Most of the local residents were fishermen, which is why there were many stalls selling fish and other seafood.

"Njord Familia, huh... I've never heard of it."

The Njord Familia resided in that city and was responsible for the city's fishing district.

In the busy streets, Charlie noticed races other than humans.

The Pallum race, who were small in stature like children.

The Elf race, with their long, pointed ears and naturally attractive appearance.

The Dwarf race, short like the Pallum race, but the most striking difference was that Dwarf appeared muscular and bearded, while Pallums had baby-faced appearances.

The Amazonesses race, consisting only of women, were dark-skinned and wore revealing clothing that showcased their skin and curves.

The Demi-Human race, characterized by animal traits such as Cat People, Werewolves, and Hume Bunnies.

Of course, the human race dominated in numbers compared to other races because human reproduction was superior among all races.

Standing by the lake, Charlie watched children playing in the water or swimming with friends, or adults fishing to pass the time.

"Joining the Hera Familia isn't a wise choice. If it were in its heyday, it might be worth it, but now..."

Considering the condition of the Hera Familia, Charlie didn't feel any benefits; on the contrary, he would suffer losses.

The Hera Familia once was the strongest Familia alongside the Zeus Familia, so if he settled in Orario, he would undoubtedly be noticed by all Familia.

Is Hera planning to rebuild her Familia from scratch?

Inevitably, various conspiracies would arise in everyone's minds, including the gods.

"Falna can only be granted by a god. Even though the Falna granted by all gods is the same for fairness, joining a strong Familia would be more advantageous."

"Not everyone can join a Familia, especially top Familia like the Freya Familia and Loki Familia. Even the protagonist was repeatedly rejected before Hestia accepted him into her newly established Familia. From this event, Familia don't accept just anyone."

Sitting on the grass, Charlie thought seriously about his future.

"Just relying on Rio's handsome face, it's possible that the goddesses might make an exception for me. But... Am I a gigolo who relies on women?"

"Of course not!"

He rejected the idea of using his new body's attractiveness to be accepted into a Familia.

"Since when have I been afraid of hardships? At most, I'll just face more challenges than other adventurers."

For a long time, Charlie made his decision.