Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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While the Loki Familia dealt with Finn's rejection, things were much more laid-back among the Gods at the Hostess of Fertility.

"Now that you've secured a new headquarters, what are you planning to do next?" Hephaestus asked, watching Hestia finish another cup of fruit wine. "Are you going to expand the Familia or focus on exploring the Dungeon?"

Hestia paused with the cup halfway to her lips.

It had been a long time since anyone had asked her about the Hestia Familia's future. Would they continue recruiting and grow into a major faction, or devote their attention to delving deeper into the Dungeon?

"Expanding the Familia..."

She lowered her cup, considering the question.

"Honestly, I don't really want to recruit more people right now," Hestia said. "With August's reputation, we'd have a line out the door if we started recruiting. But we already have three new members, and we haven't found anyone to train them yet. When it comes to fighting, August can handle things by himself."

Hestia understood the state of her Familia better than anyone. August remained their only true combatant, while the others were still finding their footing. Even so, the girls genuinely enjoyed spending time with her, and Hestia had grown fond of their company.

That mattered more to her than building an army.

"To tell you the truth, I've lost interest in creating a massive Familia."

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "You were the one who told me you wanted to build one of Orario's biggest Familias when you first descended."

"How was I supposed to know?" Hestia scratched her cheek. "August turned out to be far too exceptional."

In her eyes, August was almost too talented. As his Goddess, she knew better than anyone just how much potential he had.

Hephaestus smiled faintly. "I see."

If she had a child as reliable and promising as August, she might have made the same decision. There was little reason to chase numbers when one member could carry the entire Familia.

"Speaking of August, what was that other world like?" Demeter asked, leaning across the table with her eyes shining.

She had not forgotten that Hestia and Artemis had visited an entirely different world. Artemis had refused to reveal important details about the trip, which had only made Demeter more curious.

What kind of strange and fascinating place had August taken them to?

"Tell me," Demeter urged, moving closer.

Hestia scratched her cheek. "It was just a normal world, really."

She had no intention of telling them more. She and Artemis had already agreed to keep the Holy Grail War to themselves. Once the opportunity arrived, the two of them would return and participate without inviting anyone else.

The instant the lie left her mouth, a sharp pain shot through her foot.

Hestia flinched and looked beneath the table, then turned to find Hephaestus staring directly at her.

The Forge Goddess did not believe a word of it.

Artemis keeping quiet was understandable. Hestia, however, had never been good at hiding her excitement. The last time she became involved with that world, she had even borrowed Apollo's bow to use as a shield.

There was no chance the place had been normal.

"IF YOU DON'T START TALKING PROPERLY... I'M GOING TO TAKE AUGUST AWAY FROM YOU." Hephaestus said through clenched teeth.

Hestia gave in right away.

"It was interesting!! Extremely interesting!!"

She coughed and lowered her voice slightly.

"That world has Gods who share our names. More importantly, some of its timelines contain an event called the Holy Grail War. Magical energy is gathered over decades and used to summon legendary figures from that world's myths and history as Heroic Spirits."

The others leaned closer.

"In our terms, it's like bringing heroes from the past into the present. Each Heroic Spirit fights alongside a human Master—and the pair battle until only one remains. The victors receive the Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish-granting device that can supposedly fulfill almost any desire."

"OOOOOH!"

Demeter, Hephaestus, Miach, and Takemikazuchi lit up at once.

Summoning legendary heroes to fight one another sounded like the perfect collision of strength, strategy, luck, and willpower. To Gods who had spent ages watching the rise and fall of mortals, the idea was irresistible.

"Heroes..." Miach murmured.

Stories of heroes had always held a special attraction for the Gods.

"And it's not just regular heroes," Hestia went on, getting more excited now that the secret was out. "Urban legends, magical beings, divine figures, ancient kings—almost anyone can be summoned."

Artemis turned toward her in surprise. She had assumed the ritual only summoned traditional heroes.

"There are that many possibilities?"

Takemikazuchi leaned forward. "What are you planning to do?"

A mischievous grin spread across Hestia's face. "Since we come from another world, we can't obtain an official place through normal means. But if we find a Master..."

Her plan was simple. They would seize a participant's place, perform the summoning themselves, and watch the Heroic Spirits clash from the best seat possible.

"Ohoho. So you and Artemis are already preparing to steal a slot?"

Loki suddenly showed up at the table, looking smug, like she had figured everything out.

"..." Hestia nearly choked on her wine.

She spun toward Artemis, but the Moon Goddess immediately shook her head. She had not revealed anything.

Loki's grin widened.

"Don't bother blaming her. I noticed the Artemis Familia stopped accepting outside requests after returning from that world. They've been doing nothing but training lately. Once I heard about this war, the rest was obvious."

She looked from Artemis to Hestia.

"There's no chance Artemis would hear about something this entertaining and stay out of it."

Artemis remained silent, which only confirmed Loki's suspicions.

"You two found something this fun and planned to keep it to yourselves?" Demeter complained. "Hestia, I'm disappointed in you. To make up for this betrayal, I'm willing to pay for a slot."

Her eyes shone with excitement.

Travelling to another world and summoning a legendary hero sounded far too tempting to ignore. For the sake of their friendship, Demeter was prepared to spend whatever it took.

"No."

Hestia rejected her without a moment's hesitation.

She had no intention of sharing such an opportunity. Artemis had only become involved because the two of them were close friends who had already endured several dangerous situations together.

Her relationships with Demeter, Hephaestus, and the others were different.

More importantly, August's world did not suppress Arcanum. If she brought this group of Gods and Goddesses into a place where they could use their full strength, the Holy Grail War would descend into chaos before it even began.

Hestia could already picture them getting bored with the real fight and causing trouble just for fun.

Even worse, some of them might turn their attention toward August.

She couldn't let that happen.

Demeter pouted, though Hestia's suspicion was entirely justified. If she crossed into a world where her Arcanum was unrestricted, the opportunity to steal August would interest her far more than the Grail itself.

Artemis understood Hestia's true motivation as well.

An alternate version of Ishtar was expected to appear in that particular Holy Grail War, and Hestia fully intended to cross worlds just for the chance to beat her senseless.

The conversation gradually came to an end.

However, nearly every Adventurer eating at the Hostess of Fertility had overheard them. The thought of fighting beside or against Legendary Heroes from another world fired up their imaginations.

Before long, everyone in the tavern was entertaining a different fantasy about the Holy Grail War.

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Back at the church, August and Liliruca Arde had just come back when he suddenly felt someone staring at him.

The feeling was so intense, it was like someone was trying to burn right through him.

August shivered and turned toward Babel Tower.

For a brief instant, he clearly felt his gaze meet someone else's across the city.

"Freya..."

Lili looked up at him. "Goddess Freya?"

"Why is she staring at me like that?" August was honestly confused. The Goddess of Beauty was making no attempt to conceal her attention.

The heat in her gaze was so blatant that it bordered on hunger.

Lili had not sensed anything herself, but she trusted August's instincts. If he said Freya was watching him, then she was.

"Lord August, why would Goddess Freya suddenly be interested in you again?"

August shrugged. "How should I know what goes through that Goddess's head?"

He could not remember any recent interaction between them that might have provoked this kind of reaction. Aside from their earlier encounter, the two of them barely knew each other.

He got his answer soon after...

Hestia returned from the Hostess of Fertility looking like a child who had been caught misbehaving. She immediately confessed everything. She had drunk too much, revealed more than she intended, and given Loki and the others enough information to uncover their plans for the Holy Grail War.

Then she threw herself into August's arms and began wailing, rubbing her face against his clothes.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO TELL THEM! LOKI AND THE OTHERS ARE JUST TOO CLEVER!"

"..." August wasn't surprised.

The last time Hestia had played innocent, with Hephaestus helping divert attention, she had deceived most of Orario's Gods and bought him the time he needed to grow stronger. There was no chance someone like Loki would fall for the same performance twice.

"That explains why Goddess Freya was watching you so closely," Lili said.

Freya could perceive the nature of mortal souls. Whether she had been nearby under another identity or had simply learned what happened afterward, the result would have been the same.

Freya adored heroes.

The prospect of a war fought by legendary Heroic Spirits would naturally attract her attention. If August intended to participate, there was no chance she would ignore him.

Hestia's head snapped up.

"Freya was staring at August?"

Her tears disappeared, and her face turned bright red with anger.

"That woman! Does she not understand that August belongs to my Familia??"

Hestia already knew about Freya's ability to look directly into a person's soul. The thought of the Goddess openly examining August infuriated her.

August sighed. "Of course she became interested once the information spread."

It seemed the other Gods were restraining themselves for the moment, but pretending nothing had happened was no longer an option.

"So what do we do?" Lili asked.

"We ignore them," Hestia declared, waving one hand dismissively. "We continue living however we want. Without August's permission, none of them can cross into another world."

The passage between worlds belonged entirely to August. If anyone attempted to force their way through without his cooperation, the spatial turbulence would destroy them before they reached the other side.

Hestia had calmed down enough to recognize that they still held every advantage.

"And if things become troublesome, we can leave," she continued. "What are they going to do about it?"

Neither the other Familias nor the Gods could force August to open a path for them.

Her decision was made.

"Tomorrow, we officially move into our new headquarters."

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