And so.
A short while later.
In a guest room of the Hephaestus Familia.
Though it was only a guest room, the accommodations were just as she had described.
Quite nice.
A spacious room, a soft carpet, and even a thoughtfully prepared change of clothes.
At that moment.
The air in the room was filled with the warm, humid steam that lingered after a bath.
All the girls had finished washing up.
They had changed into the simple nightgowns provided here.
Though the designs were plain, they had a charm of their own on this group of pretty young girls.
Sasamori Aya sat by the window, drying her wet, long hair.
Her loose neckline fell slightly open as she moved, revealing a broad expanse of pale skin.
Onigawara Rin sat uneasily on the edge of the bed, clutching the hem with both hands, apparently uncomfortable with how short her nightgown was.
Tsukuyo Inaba sat quietly on the bedsheet, like an exquisite doll.
And that was not all.
Even Fierce Man, the large black bear, and the little bear had been scrubbed clean. They were now sprawled in the corner, grunting contentedly.
Creak-
The door opened.
Haimo walked in.
The somewhat noisy room instantly fell silent.
Everyone's eyes settled on him.
They held curiosity, anticipation, and a faint, barely concealed shyness.
After all.
Hestia had already explained what would happen next while they were bathing.
-the divine Falna.
It was the essential step for mortals to become adventurers.
And the most sacred covenant forged between a deity and their familia.
"Since you're all ready."
"Then."
"Let's begin."
Without wasting words, Haimo walked straight to the large bed in the center of the room and sat down on its edge.
"Put simply, the divine Falna is when I bestow my divine blood upon you, drawing out your latent potential and expressing it as numerical values."
"This process..."
"Requires a small ritual."
Haimo swept his gaze over the girls.
"Who wants to go first?"
After a brief silence.
"Um..."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go first!"
Unexpectedly.
The first to step forward was not Sasamori Aya, the most fervent of them.
Instead, it was Tsukuyo Inaba, who seemed the most reserved and well-behaved.
The blind girl with long, silvery-white hair slowly rose to her feet.
Her exquisite, porcelain-doll face held the solemnity of a pilgrim.
"All right."
Haimo nodded.
Following his voice, Tsukuyo Inaba slowly approached the bed.
Then.
"Please take off your nightgown."
"!!!"
The air in the room seemed to freeze for an instant.
"T-take off her nightgown?"
Onigawara Rin stammered as she repeated his words. Her cheeks instantly flushed scarlet, and she instinctively clutched her neckline, her eyes widening into saucers.
She was not the only one.
Kikakujō Mary flushed bright red with embarrassment as well.
"Um..."
Hanabishi Warabi huddled behind the black bear and timidly raised a hand.
"Does she really have to take everything off? Isn't that... a little, you know..."
"What are you thinking?"
"She only needs to expose her back."
"The Falna's inscription acts directly upon the point where the soul and the body connect."
"And the back."
"Has the largest surface area on the body and is closest to the spinal center."
"It's also our most vulnerable blind spot, the part we're least willing to expose to strangers."
"So exposing your back to another person without reservation goes against the human instinct to seek safety and avoid danger."
"But that is precisely the true meaning of a familia."
"A familia."
"Isn't simply a hierarchy between a deity and their chosen children."
"It's a covenant founded on absolute trust."
"The chosen child entrusts their vulnerable back to the deity."
"And the deity acknowledges that child's resolve, inscribing sacred characters upon their back that grant them the power to challenge the world."
"That is what it truly means to bear a god's name."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Haimo looked at the girls, whose thoughts had clearly wandered in entirely the wrong direction, and sighed helplessly.
"I understand."
Tsukuyo Inaba did not disappoint Haimo.
Though a faint blush had spread across her exquisite, doll-like face, and even the tips of her ears beneath her silver hair were growing warm.
There was not the slightest hesitation in her movements.
"Since I've already decided to follow you, my lord."
"Then this body of mine no longer belongs to me alone."
With that.
Tsukuyo Inaba's slender fingers settled on the delicate sash around her waist.
Rustle...
With the soft sound of sliding fabric.
The loose nightgown slipped down the girl's rounded shoulders, gathered at her waist, and finally came off completely.
Her clothing fell away.
Like clouds parting to reveal the moon.
The girl's petite yet supple back was exposed to the air without reservation.
It was a breathtaking sight.
There was none of the frailty born of a pampered life.
Years of sword training had left her skin firm and resilient.
Under the gentle glow of the magic stone lamp, it gleamed with the delicate luster of ivory.
"Mm..."
Feeling the cool air touch her back, the girl instinctively shivered.
Then.
Tsukuyo Inaba bit her lower lip, braced her hands against the bedsheet, and obediently lay face down.
Her long, silvery-white hair spilled out like a waterfall, covering half her beautiful back, while the startling glimpses of pale skin between its strands made it all the more alluring.
The groove along her spine was distinct, and her shoulder blades rose slightly like a butterfly spreading its wings.
She looked like a sheet of the finest rice paper, waiting for the brush.
"Pardon me."
Haimo spoke softly.
Without any unnecessary movements.
He swung a leg over the girl and sat astride her petite backside.
This was not an amorous flirtation.
Rather, to ensure the inscription's precision and stability, the one performing the ritual had to take a position of absolute control.
It was a necessary posture.
"Mm..."
Chapter 19: Tsukuyo Inaba's Initial Status, a Glass Cannon, a Short-Lived Sword Demon
When his warm male body, carrying a little weight, settled astride her petite backside with nothing between them.
Tsukuyo Inaba's exquisite face, buried in the pillow, instantly turned as red as a cooked shrimp.
A brief, plaintive cry escaped her throat before she could stop it.
Even though she had already steeled herself.
Even though she knew this ritual was necessary to gain power.
Still.
The sensation of skin-to-skin contact with a man, and the position that left her entirely under his control.
Were simply too overwhelming for a girl who had grown up sheltered and scarcely even interacted with boys her own age.
"Don't squirm."
"This isn't a game. If I slip even a little, your status might end up written on your butt."
Feeling the girl beneath him tense up, Haimo teased her softly.