Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"The Assembly of the Gods".

Men, women, children, and gods, all with nothing better to do, attended a meeting of an advisory body that existed in name only.

"Has it been quite a long time since the last Council of the Gods?"

"Because Ikelos just happened to cause a lot of problems during the event's run."

"With everything so hectic, how could we possibly have time to hold a grand assembly of the gods?"

The triennial assembly of the gods was also affected by the "heretic" incident. At this gathering of the gods, which had been repeatedly postponed due to the situation in the city, the attendees seemed impatient and raised their voices to speak. Some gods even, for some reason, began to do meaningless stretching exercises (warm-up exercises).

(Hermes...didn't come. Well, I just saw him yesterday. If I ran into him again today, I probably wouldn't be able to resist giving him a double flying kick. Oh well.)

In a corner of a huge round table that could seat fifty people, Hestia frequently turned her head, looking around.

She hadn't forgiven Hermes for what he'd done, and while brooding, she stole glances at the faces of the attendees. There was Loki, Freya, Mich, Hephaestus, Takemikazuchi, Ganesha… Apart from Apollo and Ishtar, who had been exiled or sent back, the attendees were almost the same as they had been three months ago.

However… including the struggles with Apollo and Ishtar, so much had happened in these three months that Hestia couldn’t help but recall the dazzling array of events and the sheer volume of time spent in the lower realm.

"I am Ganesha!! Correction! I am the master of ceremonies for this event!"

"yeah~"

"Wow, Ganesha is in charge? I think I'll go back..."

"Hey, wait a minute, don't rush."

"Very well! I, Ganesha, will personally report on the current situation in the city!"

Ganesha, who was appointed as the host this time, led the meeting with great enthusiasm.

The meeting began with a routine briefing, primarily focused on exchanging information about the city and its inhabitants. However, contrary to the overly enthusiastic nature of Ganesha, the meeting proceeded very smoothly. Even when he urged everyone to ask questions, saying, "Nobody wants to ask any questions? I'll answer anything!" the attendees clearly exuded an atmosphere of "Whatever, just let it end quickly." Even Ganesha, who diligently maintained the security of Orario day and night, couldn't help but feel discouraged.

Surely this guy wouldn't reveal the "heretics'" affairs—Hestia had a slight doubt, but Ganesha wasn't about to be so talkative.

"Alright, let's proceed with the naming ceremony for the upgraded adventurer, the elephant—..."

The moment Ganesha, who was utterly devoid of any domineering presence, uttered those words, the eyes of all the gods changed.

They were immediately filled with an irresistible urge and burst forth with boundless enthusiasm.

"Here it comes! Here it comes!"

"I've been waiting for so long~"

"That's why I'm here today!"

The gods grabbed the materials distributed to everyone and produced by the guild from the table and quickly began flipping through the pages.

The hands of the many gods stopped on the last page. As with previous gatherings of the gods, the information was updated at the last minute, with guild staff urgently correcting the data—it was about the white-haired human project.

That is, the rookie, Bell Craney.

"This is the first time I've ever seen a family member repeatedly get stuck at the All Gods' Assembly."

"That's not all, it's also upgraded from Lv.2 to Lv.3, Lv.4... a second upgrade!"

"This is seriously ridiculous!"

Sounds rose and fell like ripples on water around the round table. All the sounds were joyful, applause, and delightful. The goddess of beauty smiled radiantly, while the god of mockery hummed a tune with his eyes slightly open.

Why has it been able to grow so rapidly?

Now, no gods at the scene would ask such an tactless question. They, along with the other goddesses, had witnessed the final battle with the bull and concluded that the boy was a true "hero."

The gods' malicious smiles deepened in an instant, and even spread to those around them.

(It's okay, it's okay...)

On the other hand, in contrast to the gods' high spirits, Hestia's expression grew increasingly stiff.

(We're now a recognized "Family," and our base (house) has expanded. Our faction rank has also increased along with Bell's level... Yes, things are different now than they were three months ago...!)

My voice should have gained more weight as well…!

The little goddess thought to herself, clenching her fists. Sweating profusely, she pondered, her mind filled with only one thought: to prevent Bell from suffering a terrible reputation.

Soon, the naming ceremony officially began.

"Okay, let's come up with a new nickname for Berdidi right away!"

"Wait, the main course should be served last!"

"Oh, there's another person leveling up over there with the Loli Goddess."

"Oh dear... This isn't Pyonkichi... I misspoke, it's something like Welsh."

"Then, let's start by naming the elephant, Welf Crozo!"

"【Not cold (Ignis)】".

"That's it." "No more thinking about it." "Okay, decided!"

"The iron block (me) you forged won't cool down because of this little thing. Cool!"

"Ugh~ So cheesy~"

"This is absolutely brutal!"

Welf's nickname was decided at the speed of light.

Hestia also wanted to protect Welf, but the nickname was already quite good, so she decided to ignore it. However, for the two people involved, it might be a clean hit...

She stole a glance across the way and saw her forging god best friend, whom she had inadvertently flaunted her affections with earlier, now intently looking away. Of course, she didn't forget to blush.

"Ah, two people on Takemikazuchi's side have also leveled up."

"Wow, Far East girls!" "Black hair is really great!"

"Hitachi Chigusa-chan... Although she's introverted, she exudes a strong fragrance of a virtuous wife."

"How about 【The Twin Maidens】, Takemikazuchi?"

"At least it's much better than [Shadowless]..."

The naming ceremony proceeded smoothly, and before long it was Bell's turn.

As Hestia felt a sense of déjà vu, she took a deep breath to gather her energy.

As she repeatedly told herself that the crucial moment was about to begin, the gods, who were laughing sinisterly, were all eyeing each other, trying to see who would speak up first—at this moment, the beautiful "Goddess of Beauty" raised one of her supple arms.

"May I offer my feedback?"

"!?"

--Freya has made a move!

The gods were instantly thrown into an uproar, a commotion erupted.

The tension and excitement of the Assembly of Gods reached their peak, including that of Hestia, who was taken aback.

"What? So Miss Freya is also concerned?"

"You've become a supporter (fan) of Bear Grylls?"

"Yes, that's right. I watched that battle, and my heart was pounding too."

--That Freya...!

-- They've finally set their sights on a heavyweight rookie (young talent)!

—This is likely to cause a stir!

Bell Crane's spectacular performance spread throughout the city, inevitably attracting the attention of the "Goddess of Beauty"—the gods, unaware of the full story, considered this a natural outcome. Meanwhile, other gods, noticing Freya's obsession with Bell, watched with keen interest as the situation unfolded.

Of these, only Hestia suddenly raised her vigilance to the highest level.

"Freya... knowing your personality, you must have prepared a really great nickname for me, de Bell, right?"

"Oh dear, Hestia, now that you mention it, I'm getting nervous, haha."

The goddess of beauty (Freya) accepts the insincere gaze of the little sister goddess (Hestia) with a radiant smile.

Seeing this, even the male gods who usually mocked her as a "loli goddess" were greatly shocked. Is the final battle (Ragnarok) about to erupt...?!

Freya touched her cheek with one hand, "Well..." After keeping everyone in suspense for a while, she smiled gently.

How about "Vanadís Odr (The Companion of the Goddess)"?

"Wait a minute!?"

Bang! Hestia slammed her fists on the round table and stood up.

"Who's your partner?! Bell is my family!?"

"Oh, you don't like it?"

"What element could possibly make me like this?!"

Freya's amorous nature was well-known. Regardless of whether she was serious, joking, or using it as a tactic, the round table was filled with cheers, and the atmosphere was lively. Freya's followers, witnessing the goddess of beauty descend upon the assembly of gods and display her queenly demeanor, cheered loudly once again.

Freya seemed unperturbed by the boy's immediate rejection, her face beaming with a mischievous childlike smile. "What a pity," she said, giving up without a second thought.

"Pfft! What 'Companion of the Goddess'? No wonder you're such a fangirl, your taste is terrible!!"

"Loki, if that's the case, then what good ideas do you have?"

"Hmm... well..."

Loki laughed heartily, and Freya urged her to give her feedback.

Hestia glared at her, as if to say "Shut up," but she gracefully ignored her and raised her index finger.

"【The Clown's Toys (Loys "R" Us)】".

"Go back!!"

Hestia was furious.

"Why is the premise always that I'm your toy?!" she yelled.

Soon, as if following in the footsteps of Freya and Loki, the two pioneers, the feast of the gods, filled with playful banter and jokes, began.

"Me! Me! Me! [MARRONCREAM]!"

"Little Bell! Marry me! [Wedding Bell]!!"

"You've made an enemy of 80% of the gods present." "Freya's radiant smile is bursting with unprecedented killing intent (spiritual energy)!!" "Ugh!?"

"Enough talk, listen to my hymn! [Pyonkichi True]!!"

"You can give up now."

"【Mimirin】!"

"That's quite the storyteller." "His ears aren't that long anyway."

"Stop focusing on the rabbit."

"Aren't there any other distinguishing features—like information or rumors about other adventurers—?"

"Speaking of which, there was a time when that kid was rumored to have a 'freak fetish'."

"What did you say……"

"So that means... Berdydi eats people, monsters... and even the gods (us)...?"

"【All Ok】"

"Ughh ...

Hestia's patience had reached its limit.

She raised her hands and began to wreak havoc on the scene. Takemikazuchi, Miho, and others led the way, shouting, "Calm down!?" and restraining her. Meanwhile, the gods continued their lewd laughter, and coupled with the little sister goddess's roars, the scene was utterly chaotic.

"Alright, time to get down to business." After the gods' pranks subsided, Hestia, panting with her shoulders heaving, finally managed to snag the title of Steady and Balanced with the help of Mihe and the others.

"Damn it... I got laughed at so badly!"

"Because you've recently made a name for yourself, this might also be a kind of baptism for you."

After the closing of the Council of Gods.

Hestia, panting heavily, slumped onto the round table. Hephaestus stood beside her, offering a wry smile.

Perhaps satisfied with teasing the arrogant little goddess, the gods filed out of the hall with contented expressions. Among them were Freya, who smiled and winked, and Loki, who was laughing so hard he was almost out of breath.

Hestia watched the gods leave with her eyes half-open, grumbling.