Please Let Me Join Your Familia Too! (Please keep reading~)

A moment later, the chaos finally subsided.

Hestia and Hephaestus were formally ushered into the living room.

The atmosphere, however, remained subtly tense.

Thor sat across from the two goddesses at the long dining table; the setup felt less like a casual reunion and more like a serious negotiation.

And the one who had started it all...

Thor glanced at Syr, who had seated herself right next to him, and let out a silent sigh.

She was sitting so close that the warmth of her body radiated through the thin fabric of her dress.

Hestia's gaze darted back and forth between him and Syr, trying to decode the nature of their relationship from their overly intimate proximity.

Thor had already changed into clean, casual clothes.

He took a sip of the hot tea Syr had promptly served him, then broke the silence: "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of such a formal visit?"

Hestia opened her mouth to speak, but Hephaestus cut her off.

She went straight to the point: "Lord Thor, may I ask... what is your relationship with Miss Syr?"

Thor set down his teacup, his expression open and honest, and was about to state the truth: "Syr is my Fami—"

Before the word "Familia" could leave his tongue, Syr pressed her entire body against his side.

Her soft palm slid between his fingers, locking them together in a tight grip, and she held their joined hands high, displaying them to the two goddesses like a trophy.

A sweet curve touched her lips, and her eyes shimmered as she countered with a question of her own: "What do you think?"

The gesture was nothing short of a silent declaration of ownership.

The sight made Hestia grit her teeth, a nameless fire instantly flaring up within her.

In Hephaestus's eyes, a flicker of "as I thought" realization passed through.

"Ouch!"

Syr let out a sudden, soft hum.

Thor curled his finger and gave Syr's smooth forehead a light, firm tap, a subtle warning.

"Don't say things that are so easily misunderstood."

His tone was steady and beyond reproach. He pulled his hand away from her tight grip and met the gaze of the two women across from him.

"Hestia, I mentioned to you yesterday that I had accepted a second Familia member. Do you remember?"

Hestia nodded instinctively, her confusion deepening; she didn't understand the point of bringing this up now.

Syr's heart sank, a bad premonition washing over her.

She wanted to stop Thor, but it was already too late.

Thor stated plainly: "The second Familia member I accepted is Syr."

The words landed like a thunderclap.

The living room fell into a deathly silence, save for the fading twilight filtering in from the window.

The expressions on Hestia's and Hephaestus's faces froze completely, as if they had heard something utterly fantastical, and for a moment, they doubted their own ears.

Hephaestus, in particular, felt her mind go blank.

Wait... Familia?

Did he mean... the kind of contract relationship between a god and a mortal from the lower world?

Hephaestus forced down the surging waves of shock and asked in a dry voice: "Are you saying... the kind of Familia relationship between a god and a mortal?"

She had to confirm this absurd statement again—to make sure she hadn't misunderstood!

Thor nodded calmly, his expression unchanged: "Naturally. I have already personally inscribed my [Blessing] upon Syr."

Boom!

This definitive reply completely extinguished the last shred of reason in Hephaestus's mind.

Bestowing a Blessing... upon a goddess?! He had taken a goddess... as his Familia?!

This... this was simply...

Wait...

Hephaestus instinctively felt this had to be a joke.

But then, she recalled the power Thor had displayed last night.

With Thor's rule-breaking divinity, taking them—the gods of this world—as his Familia didn't seem... so unimaginable?

In fact... perhaps it was only natural?!

No sooner had Thor finished speaking than he felt a sharp pinch on his side.

He turned his head to meet Syr's eyes.

Those gray eyes, usually filled with laughter, were now veiled in a thin mist, her lids reddened as she stared at him with an expression that was almost an accusation.

Why?! Why would you tell them!

Hephaestus and Hestia froze completely in place.

After several long seconds, the extreme shock in Hephaestus's eyes began to settle, eventually replaced by a flash of burning realization.

This seemed to be an opportunity!

An opportunity to behold greatness from up close!

She blurted out almost instinctively, "Lord Thor, would you allow me to join your Familia as well?"

"Eh?!"

Hestia and Syr turned their heads simultaneously, looking at Hephaestus in disbelief.

Hephaestus herself realized the hollowness of her request.

What could she possibly offer this existence?

The other party had absolutely no obligation to take her into his Familia.

She immediately added, her speech hurried, desperate to seize this fleeting opportunity.

"In return... every month, I can offer you 10 million Valis! This money... can first be used to offset the one billion Valis you borrowed last night!"

She calculated rapidly in her mind.

One billion, 10 million per month... it would be paid off in eight years and four months.

As long as she could get close to that ultimate greatness, this price was nothing!

Fearing her chips were insufficient, she eagerly added more.

"And! For your current Familia members, and even those who might join in the future, I will personally take charge of the forging and maintenance of all their weapons, armor, and equipment!"

Oh?

Thor raised an eyebrow slightly.

The conditions Hephaestus offered made Thor somewhat tempted.

A stable income of 10 million Valis per month, the guarantee of top-tier equipment...

This would definitely do no harm to the development of him and his Familia; it was a tangible benefit.

After all, once the Familia grew in the future, it would be impossible for him to personally prepare weapons and equipment for everyone.

As the Goddess of the Forge, Hephaestus's skills were absolutely trustworthy.

Even if Hephaestus could not use her divine power to forge weapons and equipment, her technique alone was enough to look down upon the entirety of Orario.

Beside them, Hestia watched her best friend "surrender" so solemnly, her mind still a bit dazed.

She hadn't fully thought through the pros and cons yet, only feeling that since Hephaestus had done so... she couldn't be left behind.

She opened her mouth subconsciously: "Then I..."

However, the moment the word "I" left her lips, it was cut off by a voice that rang out suddenly.

Syr, who had been silent all this time, stood up abruptly.

The expression on her face that had been on the verge of tears vanished without a trace, replaced by that gentle smile, as if she had donned an exquisitely crafted mask.

She spoke to the two of them.

"Hephaestus, Hestia," she smiled, "please come with me to the second floor. I need to have a proper talk with both of you."

Her tone was almost commanding as she ordered the two of them.

As for Lord Thor revealing the core secrets of the Familia without permission, she would "reproach" him for that slowly later!

The urgent priority now was to immediately get these two uninvited goddesses, who had already begun to "harbor ulterior motives"...

Out. Of. This. Room.