Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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This place was where small Familias looked for new members. As Miach started sending people to Hestia Familia, the nearby adventurers became uneasy.

August had earned a brutal reputation. He had erased entire bloodlines and brought down several Familias, yet he never failed those under his protection... If Miach was sending recruits to Hestia Familia, then they had likely opened their doors to new members.

That was all it took to get everyone's attention!!

Before August could say anything, a white-haired boy pushed through the crowd and walked straight to Miach's stall.

"CAPTAIN AUGUST, PLEASE LET ME JOIN HESTIA FAMILIA!"

The white-haired, red-eyed boy spoke up right away.

"..." August blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected someone to step forward so fast. The boy also looked familiar.

'Isn't that Bell Cranel? Didn't I already sell information about him to Hephaestus? Why is he still looking for a Familia?'

Even though he was surprised, August quickly regained his composure and acted like he was thinking over the request.

That short pause made the crowd buzz with excitement. When Bell stepped forward, the other adventurers started to feel hopeful too. If August accepted someone—it almost guaranteed a bright future.

"Please take us in as well!"

A group of hopeful newcomers leaned in and bowed to August, each eager to join Hestia Familia.

One person was all it took to start a rush.

August felt awkward. If Bell wasn't a good fit, he could always send him to Miach. The medicine god needed new members, so adding one more shouldn't be hard.

Before August could reply, another voice broke through the noise. It was deep, captivating, and impossible to ignore.

"Wait. That child. I want him!" A stunning woman walked over with calm grace.

Everyone nearby, both mortals and gods, turned to look at her. Even the male gods couldn't help but stare.

"..." August narrowed his eyes. Freya was the last person he expected to see at a place for recruiting small Familias.

"Ryuu, didn't you say this area was just for small Familias?" He looked at the waitresses. "Why is one of Orario's biggest groups here?"

Anya Fromel stood frozen. Chloe and Lunoire weren't doing much better, their faces already red from Freya's charm.

"How should I know?" Ryuu answered, looking just as lost.

A Goddess of Beauty suddenly appearing to recruit at a gathering like this was not something anyone could have predicted, especially when that goddess was Freya.

August could see right away that the girls weren't able to handle her.

"You want him?" he asked calmly.

He wasn't surprised that Freya was interested. As soon as Bell tried to join Hestia Familia, she was bound to get involved. If anything, she had waited longer than August thought she would.

Bell stood frozen, staring at Freya in shock. He had come here to join Hestia Familia, get stronger, and maybe become a hero. Now the Goddess of Beauty herself had chosen him.

This was nothing like the future he had imagined.

The other adventurers around them were jealous. Why had Freya picked this unknown boy? Being noticed by the Goddess of Beauty was a dream for most people.

August rubbed his chin, not bothered at all. He didn't bow or try to impress her. Instead, he looked back at Bell.

"You're not bad. You have the right kind of courage." August considered Bell for a moment. "Since Goddess Freya has taken an interest in you, you should go with her."

Bell's eyes widened.

"Hestia Familia is still new... We don't have any healers or much support. Someone like you would do better somewhere else—" August went on.

He put a hand on Bell's shoulder, giving honest advice with no hint of mockery.

August didn't want to mislead the boy. His ways were too harsh, and his fights were too dangerous for someone new. Even if he trained Bell, the risks might end him before he could grow.

Bell brightened at the praise. Being noticed by someone as strong as August meant a lot to him. Joining Hestia Familia would let him grow, even if he had to start from the bottom.

He opened his mouth, ready to turn down Freya and stick with his choice.

August kept his hand on Bell's shoulder.

"Do you want to become a hero?"

"YES!"

He answered right away. More than anything, Bell wanted to be the kind of hero he'd looked up to since he was a child.

"Then you're looking in the wrong place. Our Familia can't make you a hero."

August spoke, then looked up at Freya.

"If becoming a hero is what you want, Freya Familia is the best place for you."

Bell was stunned by the blunt statement.

Even Anya, still shaken by Freya's presence, looked at August in disbelief. Bell had no idea what awaited him there, but she did. Freya Familia was packed with fierce Adventurers who fought constantly for even a scrap of their goddess's attention.

"Why, Captain August? Would joining Hestia Familia be that bad?" Bell asked.

"Because Freya Familia is where the strong go. If you know anything about me, you should understand why that's important."

August patted his shoulder again, giving him time to think.

Bell thought of the stories going around Orario, especially what August had done to Ishtar Familia.

"Freya Familia only accepts the strong," August continued.

"If you can rise through their ranks with your own hands, force every last member to acknowledge you, and still resist Freya's charm, then you will possess the makings of a true hero."

Miach remained silent, studying Bell with new interest. August did not praise people lightly, and if Freya herself had taken notice of the boy, there had to be something special about him.

If Bell could resist her charm and outdo the experienced members of her Familia, he would truly have the start of a legend.

"You really think joining Freya Familia could make me a hero?" Bell glanced between August and Freya.

"I have no reason to lie to you. Earn the respect of everyone there, and no one will question whether you deserve to be called a hero." August replied.

Freya found the words irritating.

'This child is getting bolder every day.'

She studied the movement of his soul, but its radiance never wavered. He was not lying to provoke her. He believed every word.

If Bell joined her Familia, she intended to guide him with care. Even so, she would not let August reduce her children to stepping stones in Bell's rise as a hero—

"August..."

Freya said with a pleasant smile, though the warning in her voice was impossible to miss, "keep talking like that, and my children may start getting rebellious ideas."

"A little rebellion might do them good," August replied at once. "How else are they supposed to get your attention?"

Freya's smile faded.

"Achievements are what make a goddess take notice," he continued. "With 'eyes' like yours, Goddess Freya, how many are still waiting for you to look their way twice?"

The praise carried too much bite to be sincere.

Freya's expression cooled. She understood exactly what August was trying to do.

Bell glanced between the captain and the goddess, feeling the tension even if he didn't get all of it. Still, August's words showed him what to do. If Freya Familia were in his way, he would just have to get past it to become a hero.

"GODDESS FREYA, I'LL JOIN YOUR FAMILIA." Bell said at last.

Freya felt the tension in her chest disappear at once.

If Bell had joined Hestia Familia, every plan Freya had made for him might have collapsed before it even began. She had already paid Hephaestus a considerable sum for information about the boy. She had no intention of letting August take him now.

"..." Ottar stood behind her, studying the innocent-looking child who had captured his goddess's attention.

Few people knew how much time, effort, and money Freya had spent searching for him.

Relief softened her smile. "You made the right choice. Ottar will look after you from now on."

With Bell secured, Freya had no reason to linger. She left as casually as she had arrived, as though the entire encounter had been nothing more than a brief conversation.

Bell followed Freya and Ottar out of the plaza without protest. In just a few minutes, he had joined one of the strongest Familias in Orario.

As soon as Freya left, the recruitment area burst into noise.

Getting picked by the Goddess of Beauty herself was one of the greatest honors an adventurer could get.

"August, is that boy really capable of becoming a hero?" Miach asked, watching Bell disappear into the distance.

Bell seemed almost too innocent for the world he was stepping into.

"Yes," August answered without hesitation.

"When Freya invited him, his first instinct was still to refuse her and join us. That alone proves he has some resistance to her charm. If he continues moving forward, becoming a hero is well within his reach."

Miach's eyes went wide. He had missed that detail entirely.

A young man with no Falna had stood before the Goddess of Beauty, got a personal invitation, and still planned to turn her down. That kind of willpower was rare.

"A remarkable talent just slipped through our fingers," Miach murmured.

Now that Freya Familia had welcomed Bell, the other recruits finally moved. Since August had said Hestia Familia wasn't recruiting, they didn't go near him again.

But Miach's stall quickly became the main attraction.

Everyone knew what adventurers wanted from a Familia: weapons, money, support, and a good name. Miach didn't have great military power or fame, but the two-billion-valis contract August mentioned made his Familia seem very rich.

They also ran a pharmacy, and every Adventurer needed medicine sooner or later.

Before long, applications covered the table, and the once-quiet stall was packed with hopeful recruits.

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