Clearly, I Need More Exploits (7.3)

…

The Abandoned Church was different from when I remembered it, probably because of Cranel's success in the Dungeon. Though Hestia now worked for Hephaestus due to her procurement of the 'Hestia Knife,' my white-haired student's made sure his Familia's home was in better shape. The roof was patched up, the rotten pews and other furniture were gone, and there was a hefty, sturdy door in place of the former, useless entrance. The Church area now had a dining area, storage area, and a fireplace for cooking. A few decorations, obviously chosen by Hestia, gave the entire place a homey feel.

Anyway, it wasn't my first time in Cranel's renovated home, given that Arde joined his Familia shortly after we returned from the abandoned castle. Arde had shelves full of weapons, armor plates, and extra clothes stacked in a corner along with a cot. The small space clashed with the rest of the first floor of the abandoned church, but it was slowly being decorated by Hestia. No place shall go undecorated by the glorious Oppai Loli Goddess! There will be no gloomy rooms in her domain! There shall only be nice rugs, tasteful vases, and vibrant houseplants!

Overall, I was sure that Hestia was proving to be a good Goddess for Arde. My auburn-haired student most certainly enjoyed having a God that didn't base their power around drugs. Though, according to my Pallum student, Hestia didn't enjoy her practice of throwing knives as practice, the ribbon-string, miniskirt Loli most certainly cared well for both her and Cranel. Good job, Hestia! If you continue doing such a good job I'll consider contacting you for my Househusband training! To be able to make Arde appreciate your hospitality is an immense mark of excellence in your housekeeping and hospitality skills!

Normally, the abandoned Church was rather hectic, given that Hestia and Cranel loved to enjoy their home as Arde and I went over what to do, but today it wasn't just the four of us present.

Indeed, instead the Takemikazuchi Familia was also present.

Or rather, the remains of the Familia were present.

…

"Hikigaya-san! Please, accept my most sincere gratitude!" Takemikazuchi, clad in Japanese formal-wear, was prostrated before me as he gave his thanks. It was just as jarring as it was the first time it had happened. One would think that I would build up resistance against such surprises, but the action was just as strange as it had been with Hestia. Honestly, being raised in a middle-class family, I expect to bow and not be bowed to! Be more considerate of my upbringing, please! "I cannot thank you enough for saving my most precious children!"

"Really, Takemikazuchi-sama, there's no need to go to such lengths to thank us." Cranel had his hands raised and a weak smile on his face. Thank goodness that I wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the situation! Even Arde, who I'm sure would simply love seeing a God on their knees, was perturbed by how the Head of the Takemikazuchi Familia was supplicating before us. Please, Cranel, stop this man! You're my only hope of retaining my honest, humble worldview! "Haha, my grandfather always told me that rescuing gir- fellow Adventurers is a must for any Adventurer in their prime."

"Then, I must say that your grandfather was a very virtuous man, Bell Cranel." Thankfully, Takemikazuchi got up to his feet after Cranel said his piece. The black-haired God, whose hair was ripped straight out of some history book, offered us all a smile. Augh, this God was definitely someone who was inherently nice, just like Miach and Hestia. Oi, Zaimokuza, why the hell am I meeting so many nice Gods now that I'm with the protagonist? No, scratch that, why is Cranel meeting all the nice ones right away!? This is unfair, you know! Having good contacts is way too broken to not be called a superpower! "Still, my gratitude is still sincere, Cranel-kun. Asuka, Ouka, and Mikoto… my precious children… are still alive thanks to you."

"No, I mean, I had a lot of help-."

"Brat, in situations like this, you say, 'you're welcome.'" I stopped the train of humility that was beginning to gather speed. To further compound on the 'cool factor' in my momentary screen time, I nudged Cranel with my elbow for emphasis. There you go, perfect Sensei-action. I could see Hiratsuka-sensei doing it to me if I ever did something worthwhile. So, it would've basically never happened. I'm sorry my Christmas Cake Sensei, but I doubt I'd ever be a good student. I turned my gaze towards Takemikazuchi and gave the black-haired God a bow. "I humbly accept your gratitude, Takemikazuchi-sama, I am glad to be of aid to you."

Arde did the same as me, albeit without the elbow-jab and advice towards Cranel. My Pallum student, however, still spared Cranel a smirk.

Cranel, of course, rose to his rival's slight towards him and immediately bowed and repeated my phrase.

"I must say, it is refreshing to be so well-respected!" Takemikazuchi gave a laugh, but I was able to tell it was a forced one. Inadvertently, I found myself gritting my teeth. I read between the lines. The black-haired God was hiding behind a fake smile, going through motions to forget pain, and he was using me and my students to do it. Already, I could see Arde's eyes narrowing at him and Cranel gradually becoming disconcerted. They both knew he was acting too cheerfully for someone who lost half their Familia. They would most definitely think ill of him if he continued. "I must say, Orario has so many Gods within it that-."

"Takemikazuchi." Unexpectedly, Hestia's voice wafted over us. There was authority behind the Goddess's voice. Turning my gaze towards her and seeing the confidence in her eyes, I found myself incapable of describing her as anything less than the Goddess of the Hearth and the Home. The smile she offered her fellow god was a kindly one, but it made his shoulders droop and the smile on his face to begin to fade away. The smaller, frailer Goddess guided the warrior God away by his shoulder. "Be with your Familia, worry about appearances later. Bell-kun and his teammates will understand."

"I… you're correct, Hestia." Takemikazuchi released a sigh, practically losing the rest of his smile in less than a second. I released a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding, drawing Hestia's gaze. The Goddess gave me a knowing nod. You know what? I'll let you be cool just this once. Mostly because you stopped someone from doing something he would regret. The black-haired God gave us one final bow. "Please, excuse me for now, my friends. Know that you're all welcome to my Familia's home. We will be more than happy to render our aid to you in thanks for what you've done."

At that, Takemikazuchi allowed Hestia to lead him towards his Familia. Mikoto gave a wave when she saw our gazes turn towards them. The swordswoman was still clad in the clothing that Cranel lent to her. She seemed… as well as someone in her situation could reasonably be. However, the two we rescued, Ouka and Asuka, had haunted looks in their eyes. They gazed into the distance, they flinched at sudden movements, and they stayed in the sunlight. In normal circumstances, I was sure that I would've had a few things to say about the two, regarding how they were blatantly unimportant, but I couldn't bring them to mind. Though they offered the three of us grateful nods in return, it was hard to see them as Adventurers rather than the half-dead, near-crazed individuals we 'rescued' in the Dungeon.

Personally, I doubted that the Takemikazuchi Familia would continue. I had a feeling that Mikoto was meant to join the Hestia Familia at the start. Her Familia dissolving, with Takemikazuchi transferring her to Hestia as he took the other two back to their homeland, could easily happen. Taking in an Adventurer who lost their entire Familia fit well into the theme of this story. How Cranel would've managed to save Mikoto, and with who, is up for debate… but killing off characters with no 'history' or 'uniqueness' for the sake of adding an interesting one to the cast is all too easy in this setting. That was the main reason why I played a part, instead of trying to forge my own path, this world was simply too deadly to tread as a faceless, unknown being.

In the end, this situation was simply a reminder that this world was anything but kind.

"I wish we could've done something sooner." Cranel's voice was soft and his face was filled with worry. Really, sometimes you're far too kind for your own good. You just met the man less than an hour ago, Cranel. You saved half of his Familia. That alone, quite frankly, is an achievement. I wanted to tell him all of that, but… well I couldn't risk a confrontation scene. I wasn't up for risking estranging myself from him, today. "I feel sorry for being so… late… in saving them."

"Oi, kid, keep that ego in check. You saved three people." Arde, thankfully, adapted well into the role of Cranel's rival. Dispensing the advice I momentarily couldn't. My Pallum student gave him a quick rap to the head, which staggered him, and gave a grunt and crossed her arms as my human student levelled a glare at her. I could always trust her to be the more pragmatic of the two of them. "Remember what I told you at the fort? Just because you think you could've done something, doesn't mean that you could have." Auburn hair waved about as she shook her head. Both her mask and hat were on her cot. "Unless all three of us were stronger or better prepared, we couldn't have possibly saved the other three."

"I… you're right." Cranel bit back his words, his hands tightening as a frown spread across his face. My white-haired, red-eyed student knew the dangers of the Dungeon well enough. Heading into the Middle Floors was easy for us because we were prepared and knew what to expect. Heck, we spent most of our time on the 17th Floor given that Minotaurs and Lygerfangs were easier to deal with than hordes upon hordes of Almiraj and Hellhounds. "I need to get stronger. Work harder. So that I can do better if it ever happens again."

"Hmph, I'll believe it when I see it, kid." Arde scoffed, shook her head again, and crossed her arms. Cranel's face formed into a scowl. Anyone looking in would've thought them cross with one another. However, as always, I could read through the lines. As odd as it might be to onlookers, this was simply how these two first members of the Hestia Familia interacted with one another. "Still, I guess it's better than taking on the entirety of Sensei's enemies." My Pallum student began to walk to her 'room.' "Congratulations on gaining a semblance of sensibility. Might I suggest training that particular Basic Skill some more?"

"Are you saying that I'm only sensible thanks to Kami-sama's Blessing!?" Cranel recoiled and strode after her. Though there was an affronted note in his voice, I could tell that he was happy to be returning to something familiar. Seeing several dead bodies of fellow Adventurers for the first time jarred my white-haired student more than he wanted to admit. "I'm very sensible! I'm never r-reckless!"

"Didn't you run into the Dungeon after that mutt, Loga, said something unkind to you?"

"That doesn't count!"

My two students began to bicker, but they went about restocking their knives and putting away their unnecessary items with familiar movements. Two rivals, providing challenges to one another, with good relationships with one another. Cranel needed to become strong to live up to his ideals while Arde kept him from doing anything stupid. Overall, whenever I visited Hestia's home, I was able to see that I achieved my goal of creating a rival for Cranel with the bonus of getting Arde out of the Soma Familia.

Still, their bickering and ease with one another was something I couldn't bear to look at for too long. By all means, I should have been proud of how well my plans went. However, I couldn't help but feel that I made a relationship like what I had with Komachi for my own sake… Right now, with me to connect them, they interacted well with one another.

However, what would happen to them once I was gone?

…