But the moment his hand touched Arthas's back, Hestia let out a cute cry, and as if electrocuted, she fell off Arthas.
"What in the world are you playing at?"
Arthas, looking irritated, straightened his clothes, sat back down, and looked at Hestia, who was cowering by the bed, shivering.
"Hestia? What's wrong… Are you alright?"
"Cold… So cold…"
Hestia said with a mournful face, a light layer of frost covering her gloved hands.
Frost…?
Arthas was slightly stunned. Looking at the frost on Hestia's hands, he showed a somewhat apologetic expression.
"Sorry… I don't know what happened. Are you hurt?"
Did I scare her? Will she be afraid to approach me because of this? Thinking this, Arthas wanted to lean over and help her up from the floor.
But what Arthas thought wouldn't happen. When Hestia saw Arthas's outstretched hand, she paused for a moment, then, making strange noises, jumped like a koala and hugged Arthas's head.
"Waaah, what are you doing!! Get off!"
"Boo-yah! Boo-yah! That was magic just now! It must have been magic! My Familia member received the grace of magic right after we made the contract!"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're saying, so get off my face!"
Arthas said this repeatedly, but Hestia remained unmoved, lost in her own world. It wasn't until Arthas tripped over something, causing him and Hestia to fall to the floor, that her excited noises subsided.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch…"
Because Arthas fell face-first, Hestia became a cushion, absorbing the impact of the fall.
Hestia, clutching her head, squatted on the ground, muttering tearfully like a hamster, while Arthas, who had almost been suffocated by her ample bosom, looked relieved and gasped for fresh air.
"Have you calmed down? If you have, explain everything properly."
Arthas sighed helplessly, sat back down, and said this to Hestia.
"I know…"
Realizing that Arthas truly didn't understand anything, Hestia patiently explained about Familia and Grace.
After a long while, having roughly understood the world he was in, Arthas nodded slightly, then stared at Hestia with a strange look.
"So… you're a Goddess?"
"That's right, I am a Goddess. How about it? Do you feel a little bit of awe and reverence towards me now?"
Hestia stood proudly, striking a superior pose.
"…Well, my dreams are a little shattered. So a Goddess lives in such a cramped and dilapidated place."
Arthas said lazily, completely deflating Hestia.
"Th-that… that's because of a certain reason! The hardship is just to temper my will, that's right!"
Hestia stammered in her defense, but Arthas's lazy remark knocked her down again.
"It's simply because you're too poor, aren't you? Didn't you say I'm your only Familia member?"
"Wuu… you're bullying me."
This time, Hestia started crying outright, leaving Arthas somewhat amused and perplexed.
Is this a Goddess? She's practically no different from an overgrown little girl.
"Alright, alright, don't cry anymore, my Goddess. Now, teach me how I should act as your Familia member."
Perhaps because he couldn't bear to see a girl cry in front of him, or perhaps because the word "family" touched a chord in Arthas's heart, he leaned over and gently hugged her.
The moment he embraced her soft body, Arthas closed his eyes, the icy coldness in his heart completely melting away, replaced by a captivating warmth.
Everything about him except his name and his past was buried under the icy frost. In this world, perhaps there wasn't even proof of his existence.
But at least now, this girl who considered him family… there's nothing else to do, so let's just be family with her.
"Mm-hmm, as my Familia member, you have to listen to everything I say, and if there's anything good to eat or fun to do, you have to think of me first."
Hearing Arthas say this, Hestia immediately stopped crying. Her face slightly flushed from the hug, she lowered her head for a moment, then said seriously.
"Isn't that the same as your slave?"
Arthas said, somewhat amused, and Hestia looked embarrassed in his arms.
"We… we're family from the start, so let's work hard together, for the name of Hestia!"
"For the name of Hestia?"
Arthas softly repeated the name, looking at the smiling girl, feeling slightly touched. Then, under her questioning gaze, he clasped her hand.
Both the state of their dwelling and his status as her first and only Familia member weighed heavily on Arthas's heart.
She's a Goddess, yet she's fallen to such a state, making Arthas feel sympathetic.
"I will… I will make the name Hestia revered throughout the entire Dungeon."
Arthas leaned close to Hestia's ear, speaking softly as her face flushed slightly and she looked at him with confusion. She then nodded slightly.
"Yes, that day will surely come!"
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