DanMachi: Cheat? What's a Cheat?

Chapter 46 - Helpless Goddess Hestia (Hestia's POV)

On the Streets of Orario

I'm walking with heavy steps toward the market. My chest feels tight with this anxiety I can't even explain.

Kaen-kun didn't come home last night.

Usually, even when he comes back late, he always tells me or at least gets home before midnight.

But last night... nothing. No word at all.

I'm trying to calm myself down.

Maybe Kaen-kun got lost or something. Maybe he spent the night in the dungeon 'cause he was too tired to come back.

But this anxiety...

why does it feel like something's seriously wrong?

'I'm probably just worrying too much,' I think while shaking my head. 'Kaen-kun - I know him. He's strong. He can take care of himself.'

But still...

why does my chest feel so tight like this?

At the market, I'm wandering around completely unfocused. My mind keeps drifting to Kaen-kun. Bread for dinner? Or maybe buy some meat for him?

Ah, but I even forgot to bring enough money.

My head's totally all over the place today.

When I stop in front of the fruit shop, trying to decide if I have enough money to buy some sweet potatoes, these two middle-aged women next to me are chatting pretty loudly.

"Poor Goddess Hestia, huh..."

My ears immediately lock onto that conversation.

They're talking about me?

What's so pitiful about me?

"Yeah..." the second woman answers while shaking her head.

"Having only one familia member, and he acts so disgustingly like that."

My heart starts beating like crazy.

Disgusting behavior?

One member?

Wait...

are they talking about...

"No way..." I whisper softly, still trying to convince myself that I heard wrong.

"I heard he tried to rape some poor girl last night. In the alley near Hostess of Fertility."

Time feels like it stops.

My breath gets caught in my throat.

The world around me suddenly becomes so quiet, like all the market sounds disappear except for my heartbeat getting louder and louder.

No.

No, no, NO.

"Yeah, his name's Kaen right? Member of Hestia Familia. I heard he already got arrested by Ganesha Familia."

The sweet potato I was holding falls from my hand, rolling to the ground with a dull thud that sounds so loud in my ears.

"No..." I whisper, my voice barely audible.

My body starts shaking.

Kaen-kun...

they're saying Kaen-kun...

'No way. There's gotta be a mistake. They've definitely got the wrong person.'

Both women turn toward me with shocked expressions, then their eyes widen when they recognize me.

"Oh... Goddess Hestia..." one of them says with this awkward tone and...

pity.

Their eyes look at me with this gaze that makes me sick. Not respect. Not admiration.

But pity.

Pity for the goddess whose family member is...

"No..." I shake my head hard, tears starting to fill my eyes.

"That's a lie. You're talking about someone else. That's not my Kaen-kun!"

"Goddess..." the first woman tries to say in this gentle tone, like talking to a little kid who won't accept reality.

"We heard it straight from a neighbor who saw the arrest. Brown-haired boy with brown eyes, member of Hestia Familia..."

"NO!" I scream, making several people around us turn to look.

"Kaen-kun would never! He would never do something like that!"

But the more I scream, the more certain I become that they're really talking about Kaen-kun.

His physical features. His familia. Everything matches.

"Kaen-kun isn't like that," my voice trembles, tears starting to flow.

"He's kind. He's gentle. He... he..."

The two women exchange glances with awkward expressions.

"Goddess..." the second woman tries to say again.

"Maybe... maybe he was hiding his true nature from the Goddess. Sometimes people like that are good at hiding—"

"SHUT UP!"

Anger starts boiling up in my chest.

How dare they say Kaen-kun was hiding his true nature from me?

I'm his goddess! I know him better than anyone!

"You don't know Kaen-kun! You don't know how good he is! How much he cares about me! He would never—"

"But the fact is he's already been arrested, Goddess," the first woman says with this tone that's getting impatient.

"Ganesha Familia couldn't have made a wrong arrest. There's gotta be evidence and eyewitnesses."

Those words hit me like a hard slap across the face.

Arrested.

Ganesha Familia.

Evidence.

Eyewitnesses.

'If it's really true that Kaen-kun got arrested... why don't I know? Why didn't anyone tell me?'

"No..." I step back, my head spinning.

"There's gotta be a mistake. There's gotta be some misunderstanding. Kaen-kun... Kaen-kun couldn't..."

"Goddess Hestia," the second woman says with this tone like she's giving advice.

"Maybe the Goddess should go home and—"

"DON'T TALK LIKE YOU KNOW ANYTHING!"

The anger that's been boiling finally explodes.

My blue eyes blaze, and without realizing it, my divine aura starts leaking from my body.

"You don't know anything about Kaen-kun! You just heard some gossip and immediately believed it!"

The air around me starts feeling heavy. Several people in the market start feeling uncomfortable and turn toward us.

"Kaen-kun is a good kid! He works hard! He cares about me! He would never hurt anyone, let alone... let alone..."

I can't say that word. The word they're accusing Kaen-kun of.

"Goddess, please calm down," the first woman says with a voice that's starting to sound scared, feeling the pressure of my aura.

"We were just—"

"YOU WERE JUST WHAT?"

My aura gets even stronger. Some fruits at the nearby stalls start shaking.

"HOW DARE YOU SLANDER KAEN WITH THAT FILTHY GOSSIP!"

Without realizing it, my hand grabs the arm of the woman who spoke first. My eyes glow red with anger that's completely out of control.

"Sorry! Sorry, Goddess!" the woman screams in fear, feeling the unnatural strength from my grip.

People around us start backing away, some even falling because of the pressure from the divine aura leaking from my body.

Only that scream of fear makes me realize what I'm doing.

I let go of my grip and back away with ragged breathing.

Everyone in the market is staring at me.

But not with respect like people usually look at a goddess.

They're staring at me with fear and...

pity.

Pity for the goddess who lost control defending a family member who... who...

'No,' I think while shaking my head. 'I won't believe it. I have to find out for myself. I have to meet Kaen-kun and hear it directly from him.'

Without saying anything else, I run.

I run leaving the market, leaving those pitying stares, toward the one place that might give me answers.

Ganesha Familia.

Running with all my strength, I arrive at Ganesha Familia headquarters with ragged breathing, my hair a mess, my eyes red from anger and panic.

My legs tremble as I kick the door hard, making the Ganesha Familia member on duty jump in shock.

"I WANT TO SEE KAEN-KUN! NOW!"

"G-Goddess Hestia?" that member stutters, his eyes widening seeing my messed up condition.

"But—"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY PROCEDURES!" I scream, my voice echoing throughout the room.

"I WANT TO SEE KAEN-KUN RIGHT NOW!"

That commotion draws the attention of several other members. I hear heavy footsteps coming, and someone with a familiar bass voice appears.

"Goddess Hestia."

I turn and see Hashana walking toward me with a serious expression. He's the same guy I know - he usually stands guard in the city, I run into him a lot.

"Hashana!" I immediately lunge at him, grabbing his uniform desperately.

"Where's Kaen-kun? I want to see him now! There's a huge misunderstanding here!"

Hashana looks at me with this expression that's hard to read.

There's a mix of sympathy and...

professional firmness that makes me uncomfortable.

"I understand your feelings, but—"

"DON'T SAY YOU UNDERSTAND!" I scream, tears starting to flow again.

"Kaen-kun could never do what you're accusing him of! He's not that kind of person! He's never even spoken harshly to me, let alone to other people!"

I feel the stares of other members gathering around us. Their gazes... some pitying, some uncomfortable, some that seem to say "this poor goddess won't accept reality".

"Goddess Hestia," Hashana says with a tone trying to stay calm.

"This is a serious criminal case. There's a victim, there are many eyewitnesses. The suspect isn't allowed to meet anyone during the initial investigation."

"But I'm his goddess!" I protest, my voice shaking.

"I'm his family! I have the right to—"

"Not in a case like this." Hashana cuts me off firmly, his tone getting colder.

"Sorry, Goddess. Rules are rules. Even for the suspect's family."

The word "suspect" stabs my heart like a dagger.

Suspect. They're calling Kaen-kun a suspect.

"But... but he's not guilty..." my voice becomes a desperate whisper.

"You don't know him like I know him. Kaen-kun is... he's..."

Words get stuck in my throat.

How do I explain to strangers about the Kaen-kun I know?

Kaen-kun who always looks at me with gentle eyes.

Kaen-kun who sleeps hugging me every night like a little kid afraid his mom will leave.

Kaen-kun who... couldn't, COULDN'T do what they're accusing him of.

"That'll be determined by the investigation," Hashana answers, his tone softening slightly seeing my despair.

"I suggest the Goddess go home and wait for further developments."

"How long?" I ask with a hoarse voice.

"How long is the investigation?"

"That depends on the evidence and testimony we collect. Could be a few days, could be a few weeks."

A few weeks.

Kaen-kun could be trapped in there for weeks because of accusations that...

that can't possibly be true.

I feel my world crumbling.

Not just because of the accusations against Kaen-kun, but also because of this incredible feeling of helplessness.

In heaven, I'm a goddess.

Here, in the mortal world, with a small and powerless familia, my name doesn't have any power at all.

I can't protect the family member I care about most.

"But... but he's not guilty..." I repeat again, my voice barely audible.

I stand there for a while, my body shaking, eyes teary staring at the cold floor.

So small.

So useless.

My family... The only family I love more than life, is suffering somewhere inside this building, and I can't do anything about it.

With heavy steps, I turn and walk out of Ganesha Familia headquarters.

I walk aimlessly through Orario's streets. My eyes empty, my steps uncertain.

'How could this happen?' I think while dragging my feet. 'Yesterday Kaen-kun was still smiling at me when he leveled up. Now he's...'

Wherever I go, I hear whispers:

"That's Goddess Hestia..."

"The one whose member is a rapist..."

"Poor thing, having only one member, and he acts like that..."

Every one of those words is like a knife stabbing my heart. Not because they're insulting me, but because they're insulting Kaen-kun.

Kaen-kun who always came home with sparkling eyes telling stories about the dungeon.

"Goddess, I managed to beat a 6th floor monster today!"

"Goddess, I made good money today, let's buy delicious food later!"

Kaen-kun who always helped with housework even when he was tired.

"Goddess just rest, I'll do the dishes."

"Goddess, let me cook dinner tonight."

Kaen-kun who slept hugging me like a little kid afraid of losing his mom.

And now they're saying that kid... that kid who's so innocent, who cares so much about me, is a...

'No,' I shake my head hard. 'Kaen-kun isn't like that. It's impossible he did what they're accusing him of.'

"Goddess Hestia."

A voice calling my name makes me stop. I turn and see a half-elf with brown hair in a Guild uniform.

"Pointed... ears?" I try to remember.

"You're Kaen-kun's advisor at the Guild, right?"

Eina nods, her face showing the same anxiety I'm feeling.

"I'm... I'm Kaen-kun's advisor at the Guild," Eina says with a slightly trembling voice.

"And I also don't believe this accusation."

My eyes immediately light up with the first hope all day.

"You don't believe it either?" my voice shakes with relief.

Finally.

Finally there's someone who doesn't immediately judge Kaen-kun.

"There's something wrong with this case," Eina says in a low voice, her eyes glancing around to make sure no one's listening.

"I know Kaen-kun. He's not that kind of person. His character, his personality... nothing shows any tendency to do something like this."

I feel tears of relief flowing down my cheeks.

"You believe he's not guilty..." I whisper, my voice full of gratitude.

"I can't promise anything," Eina says carefully.

"But I'll try to look for information from inside the Guild. Maybe there are details that were missed, or... or there's something that doesn't match up in the report."

Eina looks at my hopeful eyes and adds with a firmer tone:

"Please don't give up, Goddess. If Kaen-kun really isn't guilty, the truth will definitely come out."

For the first time since hearing that terrible news, I feel a glimmer of hope.

I'm not alone.

There's someone who also believes in Kaen-kun.

"Thank you..." I whisper, my voice full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Pointed Ears - no, Eina. I... I really didn't know what else to do." Kaen-kun really isn't guilty, he's definitely being framed"

For the first time since hearing that terrible news, I feel a glimmer of hope.

I'm not alone.

There's someone who also believes in Kaen.

"Thank you..." I say gently, my voice full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Eina"

••••••••••

Author's Note – The Last Time I Explain Anything, Because My IQ Is at Risk

Funny, isn't it? Some people read this story, but their brains seem permanently stuck on the loading screen. They think Orario is some kind of playground, not a battleground of divine politics where gods elbow each other for power and reputation. A rape accusation? Solved by "just ask the god"? Hah... Please. I can tolerate wild imagination, but don't stomp on logic barefoot and proud.

Hestia is not a lie detector. She's a goddess, not a magical truth machine. Even Ouranos, who's been sitting on the political throne for centuries, needs deliberation not just a "I feel like he's lying" gut feeling. This world is layered, complicated. If you believe every conflict ends with a single sentence... congrats. Your imagination belongs in comedy.

And just to be clear: I won't respond to any more dumb comments. The only thing more pitiful than those comments is the fact that I actually wasted time reading them.