"Hestia, where exactly are we going?"
Blake finally spoke after getting used to the warmth of her grip. He glanced down at Hestia, who was still clinging tightly to his arm, her small hands wrapped around his wrist like a lifeline.
In the original story, Hestia lived in a rundown temple, practically homeless. The thought made him sigh inwardly.
"Hmph! Blake-kun, do you know Hephaestus? She's my best goddess friend, and I live at her place right now~!"
Hestia puffed out her chest with a proud grin, as if bunking at a friend's house was some grand accomplishment.
Blake's lips twitched slightly. "...Just call me Blake."
"Mm-hmm, Blake!" Hestia beamed, as if she'd just won a prize. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she gasped. "Ahh! We need to hurry! If I'm late, Hephaestus will lock me out!"
Without warning, she grabbed Blake's hand and bolted forward, dragging him through the bustling streets of Orario like a child racing home before curfew.
By the time they reached Hephaestus' mansion, Hestia was panting, hands on her knees. Blake, on the other hand, barely looked fazed.
"Phew... Hestia, one more minute and you'd be spending the night on the streets," came a dry voice from the doorway.
The mansion door swung open, revealing a tall woman with short, fiery red hair. A black eyepatch covered her right eye, but her left burned with sharp intelligence. She stood with arms crossed, her presence commanding.
"Where the hell have you been?" Hephaestus asked, her voice half-annoyed, half-concerned.
Hestia flinched. "I wasn't messing around! I was... finding a follower!"
She quickly grabbed Blake and shoved him forward like a human shield. "This is Blake! He's my first familia member! Isn't he great?"
Blake took a step forward and gave a polite nod. "Goddess Hephaestus, thank you for looking after Hestia. I appreciate your kindness."
Hephaestus raised a brow, scanning him. Unlike most people who groveled before gods, his tone carried respect but no servitude. It was the way one spoke to an equal, not a superior.
"Interesting," Hephaestus murmured. "Hestia, you might've actually found yourself a decent one."
She wasn't just referring to his words—his soul was clear, untarnished by greed or darkness. Not many in Orario had such purity.
Hestia practically glowed with happiness. "He's amazing, right? Let me tell you how we met—"
But as she recounted the events leading up to this moment, she reached the part about her stolen first kiss... and her face turned a deep shade of crimson.
Hephaestus smirked. "Alright, alright. Less talking, more blessing. Get to it."
Hestia pouted but nodded. "Come on, Blake! Let's go to my room and get you your Falna!"
Inside a modest but cozy bedroom, Blake lay on his stomach, shirtless, while Hestia straddled his back. The position was... intimate.
He could feel her warmth through the thin fabric of her dress. His senses were painfully aware of her small hands resting on his bare skin.
"Alright, Blake, you're new to Orario, right? How much do you know about the blessing?"
Hestia's voice was light and teasing, but she sounded genuinely curious.
"I know a little," Blake admitted. "But I'd love to hear your explanation."
Hestia grinned, proud to be the one teaching for once.
"Well, the blessing isn't some magic power-up, like boom! instant strength. It's just a key that unlocks your hidden potential. You see, all mortals have untapped abilities, but without guidance, they go undiscovered. What we gods do is bring that potential to the surface, turning it into measurable progress."
She leaned down slightly, her breath brushing against his ear. "Think of it like a seed buried underground. Depending on how you live—your experiences, your training—it can grow into something powerful... or wither away."
Blake listened attentively, letting her words sink in.
"In short," Hestia continued, "your growth isn't something we give you. It's something you earn. The blessing just lets us track it."
She paused expectantly, waiting for his reaction.
Blake smiled. "That was an excellent explanation, Goddess."
Hestia giggled, clearly pleased. "Hehe~ Of course! I've been studying the lower world for a long time now, you know!"
Blake chuckled. Her excitement was contagious.
"Alright, now let's get to the actual blessing!"
Hestia pricked her finger with a small needle. A single drop of divine blood welled up before falling onto his back.
The moment it touched his skin—
A surge of energy pulsed through his body, like ripples spreading across a lake. A faint blue glow emerged, forming ancient, intricate symbols that hovered above his back. They shimmered, shifting, aligning into sequences, as if responding to some unseen force.
Hestia's expression turned serious as she traced the symbols with her fingertips.
The glow brightened, revealing an ornate crest on Blake's back—a furnace-like design surrounded by sacred script.
In this world, an adventurer's body was like a book, and the Falna was the pen that wrote their journey.
All of it would be recorded in this sacred script, shaping his path.
Hestia's bright blue eyes widened as she saw the completed status.
Skills — Fortune's Favored
"Wha...?" Hestia's breath hitched.
For a moment, she just stared at the paper, blinking in disbelief. Then—
"I knew it! I hit the jackpot!!"
Before Blake could react, she threw herself onto his back, rubbing her cheek against his skin like an overjoyed cat.
"You're amazing, Blake! This is crazy! Fortune's Favored—do you even realize what this means?"
Blake glanced over his shoulder. "...Should I?"
"Dummy! Luck is something even we gods can't control. It's fate itself! But this... This means you're blessed by fortune itself!"
Hestia pulled back slightly, her excitement turning into pure wonder. "And you have three magic slots... Three! Most adventurers don't even get one! Your potential is beyond anything I've ever seen."
Blake's eyes narrowed. "So that's what it means..."
He had always wondered why his own luck value never appeared in Sia's system. She had called it a restricted parameter, something even she wasn't authorized to access.
But now, staring at his status, he finally had an answer.
Even he didn't know exactly how far this skill could take him. But one thing was certain—
Fate itself had chosen him.
And he intended to take full advantage of it.