Hearing someone call her name, Hestia blinked in surprise and looked toward the source of the voice.
When she saw Eriri standing in front of the stall, her eyes widened slightly as memories from half a year ago came flooding back.
Recalling their conversation from back then, a delighted expression appeared on her face.
"Eriri? You're Eriri, right?! You've come back from another world?" Hestia ran out from behind the stall, her face full of excitement.
"Not quite. I'm just visiting this world again," Eriri said casually with a small shake of her head.
"It's the same thing, hehe~" Hestia laughed, then glanced at the fried potato balls on her stall and proudly offered, "Eriri, want some fried potato balls? My treat!"
"Sure, I'll have one."
"Coming right up."
Hestia hurried back to the stall, took a paper bag, picked up a freshly fried potato ball, and handed it to Eriri.
"I'm telling you, these are super tasty."
"Yeah? Then I'd better give it a proper try," Eriri said with a smile as she accepted the snack.
In fact, she had already tried these the last time she came to this world, so she knew exactly how they tasted.
The flavor wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either—just an average kind of delicious.
After Eriri took a bite, Hestia eagerly asked, "How is it?"
"Mm, not bad. Pretty good."
After swallowing the bite, Eriri extended her pink tongue to lightly lick her lips.
The enticing gesture made Hestia blush and her heart skip a beat.
"Hestia, do you have time right now? Want to walk around with me for a bit?" Eriri asked after taking another bite of the potato ball.
Her words snapped Hestia out of her daze.
"Um..." Hestia looked at the stall in front of her, a conflicted expression on her face.
The stall wasn't hers—she was just working there to earn a bit of money. If she left now, she wouldn't get paid for the day.
But after a moment of weighing the options, she decided to go with Eriri.
After all, she could always work later, but time spent with Eriri was rare and precious. Who knew if Eriri might leave this world again tomorrow?
So she nodded firmly and said with a smile, "Of course I have time."
She ran into the shop behind the stall to explain her leave to the owner, then happily returned to Eriri's side.
"Alright, Eriri, let's go shopping."
For a while, Eriri didn't rush to purchase property. Instead, she and Hestia casually strolled through the streets.
During that time, Eriri learned about Hestia's general experiences over the past six months.
Aside from not having any Familia members, her life hadn't changed much from the original story. She still lived in the basement of that ruined church.
Over the past half-year, she had taken several part-time jobs. She started as a bookstore clerk, but she got too absorbed in reading and neglected her duties, so the shop owner fired her not long after.
Then she worked at a clothing store as a sales assistant, but she couldn't stand how exhausting the job was and quit not long after.
Finally, about a month ago, she found a job she actually liked—selling fried potato balls, her favorite food.
The hours were short, the work was easy, and the pay was enough to cover her monthly food expenses.
So she'd kept at it until now.
Apollo, who had left his Familia base in search of Eriri, quickly caught wind of her whereabouts. After all, Eriri caused a stir wherever she went, making it easy to track her down even in the bustling streets of Orario.
The moment Apollo laid eyes on Eriri, he was stunned.
No matter how many times he had imagined her appearance before, all those fantasies were completely shattered in this moment.
Only now, upon seeing her true self, did he realize how shallow his imagination had been—he had used Freya as the standard in his comparisons.
But Freya's beauty paled in comparison to Eriri's. It wasn't even close. There was simply no competition.
"What a transcendent beauty… one beyond even the gods. This is the true love I've been searching for!" Apollo's face twisted into a crazed smile, his eyes full of obsession.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward where Eriri was. He no longer cared whether she had ties to the Loki Familia.
All he wanted now was to confess his love and make Eriri completely his.
As for Hestia, who was walking beside Eriri, Apollo didn't even acknowledge her.
Seeing their overly eager god, Hyakinthos and a few other members of the Apollo Familia exchanged glances, then quickly followed him.
...
Hestia clung to Eriri's arm as they strolled down the street. After spending a few hours together, the two had become quite close.
No longer just a stranger with a favorable impression like half a year ago, Eriri was now at least a good friend. That made Hestia genuinely happy inside.
However, that joy instantly vanished when she noticed Apollo approaching from a distance. Her face immediately soured, as if she'd just seen something disgusting.
Hestia disliked Apollo immensely. His reputation among the gods was no secret.
Back in the divine realm, Apollo had even proposed to her once. Though she had flatly rejected him, the memory alone was enough to make her nauseous.
Seeing the distorted expression on Apollo's face as he approached, Hestia could only hope he wasn't coming for them.
But that hope was quickly dashed. Judging by his demeanor, it was obvious he was here for them.
More accurately, he was here for Eriri.
Hestia knew very well just how charming Eriri was—her time with her over the past few hours had only confirmed it.
She had also attended the divine meeting half a year ago and knew Apollo had asked Loki about Eriri, so his showing up now made perfect sense.
Sure enough, just a few seconds later, Apollo stepped in front of Eriri and Hestia, blocking their path.
Hestia quickly pulled Eriri behind her, baring her teeth like a mother hen protecting her chick. "Apollo, what do you think you're doing, blocking our way? Move it!"
Only then did Apollo seem to register Hestia's presence.
He raised an eyebrow and replied impatiently, "So you're here too, Hestia? But I didn't come to see you today."
With that, he looked past Hestia at Eriri, and his face once again twisted into a fanatical expression.
Standing only 140 centimeters tall, Hestia was nearly 20 centimeters shorter than Eriri.
Which meant that even though she tried to block Eriri from view, Eriri's face was still fully visible above Hestia's head.
Eriri looked at the overly excited Apollo with an expression of calm indifference, her hands resting lightly on Hestia's shoulders, right at her chest.
Hestia didn't mind Eriri's closeness at all and continued to glare fiercely at Apollo.
Before Apollo could say anything else, Eriri spoke up first: "Apollo, right? I really hate the way you're looking at me. I'm giving you one chance—take back that disgusting gaze and quietly walk away, and I won't pursue this any further. Otherwise..."
She stopped there, but her meaning was crystal clear.
While Eriri could easily kill Apollo on the spot, she refrained for Hestia's sake. After all, they were both gods from the same pantheon.
So she was willing to give Apollo a chance—if he didn't take it, no one would be able to save him.
Even though gods in this world could revive one day after dying, those killed by Eriri would have no such chance.
Eriri's words stunned both Hestia and Apollo, though they had very different thoughts.
Hestia had instinctively protected Eriri earlier, but now, hearing Eriri's statement, she was reminded that Eriri came from another world.
Being able to travel between worlds meant she must possess power far beyond that of even the gods.
So Hestia had no doubt that Eriri could back up her threat.
Apollo, however, thought the opposite. To him, even if Eriri had a beauty that surpassed the divine, she was still just a human.
He couldn't understand how she dared to threaten him—the great Sun God.
Had Loki made the threat, he might have hesitated. But Eriri? Her words only made him more excited.
In fact, news of Eriri's return to Orario had spread to many gods—not just Apollo. Most of them were watching from the shadows.
Gods like Freya, Hermes, Dionysus, and Uranus were quietly observing. Freya, in particular, was the most attentive.
All of them were watching the confrontation between Eriri, Hestia, and Apollo, waiting to learn more about Eriri's mysterious nature.
They knew that Eriri had suddenly appeared in Orario half a year ago and then vanished just as suddenly.
Eriri's warning was also heard by the other Apollo Familia members. Hyakinthos, who adored Apollo, couldn't stand it.
He stepped forward and shouted at Eriri, "Do you even know who you're talking to? This is the great Sun God, our lord Apollo!"
After hearing their captain's voice, the other members—who had also been dazed by Eriri's beauty—snapped to attention and stepped forward to defend their god.
"So what? Or are you all looking to disappear right now?"
Eriri cast a calm glance at Hyakinthos and the others. That glance alone unleashed a pressure that made them fall silent instantly.
This bizarre display didn't frighten Apollo—instead, it thrilled him even more.
"Hahahaha! Beautiful, absolutely beautiful! Every expression, every move—it all fills me with supreme joy!" Apollo raised his hand dramatically, his face flushed. "I'm completely in love with you, beautiful human girl. Become mine!"
Apollo's over-the-top declaration left the onlookers dumbfounded. If they hadn't recognized him as Apollo, they might've thought he was a madman.
Meanwhile, Hestia was seething, glaring at Apollo and ready to lash out at any moment.
Before Hestia could say anything, a calm voice came from behind her.
"Yare yare… looks like you've made your choice. What a shame. Seems this world is about to lose a god forever."
Eriri spread her hands across Hestia's chest with a resigned gesture, but there was no true helplessness in her tone or expression—only a cold, deathly gaze in her eyes, as if she were looking at a corpse.
"This is bad. Apollo is in danger."
The gods secretly observing the scene began to feel that something was seriously wrong. However, due to the divine rule that gods could not use their powers in the lower world, they could do nothing but watch. Even sending their high-level Familia members to interfere would be far too late.
Right after she spoke, Eriri raised her right hand—which had been resting on Hestia's chest—and snapped her fingers.
With a crisp snap, Apollo and the members of his Familia who had followed him were instantly reduced to ash. Their bodies disintegrated into the air and vanished without a trace.
Everyone who saw this—Hestia, the hidden gods, and the surrounding onlookers—stood frozen in shock, eyes wide open, all rendered speechless.
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