Although Syr had fled midway through the encounter, the two catgirls—Chloe Lolo and Anya Fromel—continued to warmly attend to Izumi and the others.
After finding a table and placing their order, the group began chatting idly as they waited for their food.
The tavern was lively at this hour, filled with laughter and chatter. Anya and Chloe didn't linger at Izumi's table for long, soon hurrying off to take care of other customers.
The young girls looked around excitedly at the constant flow of people and the many adventurers with unusual appearances, whispering animatedly among themselves.
Before long, a stout woman carried their ordered dishes over.
"So, first time here, huh?"
"Welcome."
She was the owner of the establishment—Mia Grand.
A member of the dwarf race.
Despite that, her appearance bore little resemblance to the stereotypical image of a dwarf.
Izumi and the others politely returned her greeting.
Mia then let out a hearty laugh and spoke again.
"Sorry about Syr earlier. That was pretty rude of her."
"Since it's your first visit, I'll give you a forty-percent discount today."
It was easy to see why the Hostess of Fertility enjoyed such a thriving business—Mia knew exactly how to treat her customers.
Izumi smiled and replied calmly,
"That's quite all right."
"We heard the food here was excellent, which is why we came."
"And judging by the aroma alone, it certainly lives up to the reputation."
Just the smell in the air was enough to whet anyone's appetite.
Hearing his praise, Mia laughed loudly.
"Glad to hear it!"
"If you need anything else, just let me know."
"Enjoy your meal."
With that, she returned to her post.
Once she left, the little girls leaned closer together and began whispering among themselves.
"Um… do people really get that fat when they grow old?"
"That's scary…"
"I don't wanna grow up anymore…"
Hina looked genuinely distressed.
Just imagining herself turning into that someday was terrifying.
She even made the ground shake when she walked.
Tina, on the other hand, tilted her head.
"That's still really far in the future, though."
"Hina, you're worrying too much."
The others quickly joined the discussion, chattering nonstop.
It was honestly impressive how strange the topics of little girls could get.
Izumi could only smile wryly.
Wasn't it a bit early to be worrying about that?
Besides, whether they'd ever grow up at all was questionable to begin with.
Their bodies were already fixed in their current state.
Which meant that, in the future, Izumi might very well end up with tens—no, hundreds of thousands—of perfectly legal lolis around him.
Just imagining it made him feel oddly satisfied.
Once all the dishes were served, everyone dug in.
Even though they had eaten plenty during the afternoon, the sight of the food alone made them feel hungry again.
After eating their fill and settling the bill, the group stood up to leave.
At that moment, the tavern door swung open.
An orange-haired woman with a high side ponytail walked in, followed by a group of people.
The moment they entered, the tavern fell noticeably quieter.
It was Loki, along with members of the Loki Familia.
And their arrival coincided perfectly with Izumi's group.
When Loki spotted Hestia, she immediately clicked her tongue.
"Tch. If it isn't you, Shortstack."
"Pretty rare sight. You actually have the money to eat here?"
She looked Hestia up and down with exaggerated curiosity.
Given how broke Hestia usually was, this seemed unbelievable.
Hestia hadn't expected to run into her nemesis here either.
Her expression soured instantly.
"Hmph. None of your business!"
"Go eat your own food!"
With that, she turned her head sharply to the side.
The relationship between those two goddesses had never been good.
Even after knowing each other for countless ages, they still bickered whenever they met.
Seeing Hestia refuse to engage, Loki lost interest and shrugged.
Then her gaze shifted toward Izumi's group.
Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed the girls behind him—especially Kanase Kanon.
Loki's eyes sparkled.
She immediately stepped closer.
"Hey, hey. You're Hestia's new familia member, right?"
"How about switching over to my Loki Familia instead?"
As she spoke, she sneakily glanced at Hestia to gauge her reaction.
But Hestia's response only disappointed her.
The girl didn't react at all.
That made Loki blink in surprise.
Wait—did this cute girl not belong to Hestia?
Realizing that possibility, Loki's interest skyrocketed.
Just as she was about to say more, Izumi suddenly stepped forward, placing himself in front of Kanon.
He smiled warmly at Loki.
"Hello, Lady Loki."
Loki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Dangerous.
That was her first impression.
"Oh? Hey there, kid."
"So, you're a member of Hestia's Familia?"
Izumi shook his head.
"Nope."
"I'm actually the one financially supporting Hestia right now."
"So I'm not her familia member."
The instant those words left his mouth, the tavern exploded.
"Eeeh?!"
"A goddess being supported by a man?!"
"That can't be real!"
"That's insanely bold!"
The entire tavern erupted into chaos.
Hestia froze completely, staring at Izumi in disbelief.
Loki went silent for a moment—
Then burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Hestia, you're being kept?!"
"Oh my gods—our pure little virgin goddess is being supported by a man?!"
"This is killing me!"
"Kid, you're amazing!!"
"Well done, seriously!"
"I can already imagine what all of Orario will be talking about tomorrow!"
Loki laughed so hard she had to lean against the Amazoness beside her.
For her, this was an unprecedented spectacle.
A goddess who descended from Heaven and couldn't even support herself—ending up being financially supported by someone else?
It was simply too entertaining.
At that moment, Hestia finally snapped back to reality.
Her twin tails flared up as she leapt onto Izumi, grabbing him by the neck and shaking him violently.
"AAAAAAAAH! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
"You're ruining my reputation!"
"Waaah! You bastard!!"
Izumi let her do as she pleased, completely unconcerned.
If anything, he found it rather enjoyable.
Looking past her, he continued speaking to Loki.
"Lady Loki, if you have time tomorrow morning, feel free to drop by my shop."
"I have something you'll be very interested in."
"Oh, and while I'm at it—let me advertise a bit."
"A newly opened weapon shop near the Guild."
"We sell all kinds of top-tier weapons."
"If you're interested, come take a look tomorrow."
"We accept all sorts of trade—alchemy materials, magic books, you name it."
"And not just weapons."
"We also sell various magical items."
Izumi fully intended to have Wiz put her magical tools up for sale as well.
They might be unreliable—
But as long as they sold, that was all that mattered.