“Don’t worry.”
“Come with me.”
“I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
The corner of Heimer’s mouth rose, revealing a confident smile.
He tilted his head toward Hephaestus, signaling for her to follow.
Hephaestus watched his gesture and raised an eyebrow.
“I hope you’re not just boasting.”
Although she had no idea what this guy was planning, Hephaestus still followed when Heimer turned and walked toward one end of the corridor.
As a result…
After taking only two steps…
He found that the corner led to a dead end.
“…”
And so…
With no other choice, Hephaestus led Heimer through the complicated corridors of the Hephaestus Familia headquarters.
Along the way, no one dared come forward to disturb them.
Because the direction they were heading in was the forbidden area of the entire Hephaestus Familia.
Hephaestus’s private forge.
Usually, aside from Hephaestus herself and Tsubaki, no one was allowed to enter.
“Click.”
As a heavy red-bronze door was pushed open, a heat far more intense than outside rushed toward them.
A massive furnace stood silently within, its dark-red flames pulsing in the hearth like breathing.
On the surrounding shelves, all kinds of rare ores and materials that were seldom seen in the outside world were placed rather casually.
“So, why did you want me to bring you here?”
Hephaestus leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, signaling for Heimer to do as he pleased.
…
Heimer did not waste time.
He walked directly to the shelves storing top-grade materials.
His fingers moved over the ores one by one.
Mithril, Adamantite, Orichalcum…
Every time Heimer’s fingers paused and he picked up a piece of ore, Hephaestus’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Because every piece he selected was the highest-quality one among its type, with the fewest impurities.
In less than a moment, several ores emitting different colored glows were already in Heimer’s hands.
He weighed them lightly, then turned and looked at Hephaestus, who had remained silent the whole time.
“These should be enough.”
Hephaestus looked at the things in his hands, then at the furnace beside them.
Even the dullest person would have understood by now.
Let alone her.
“You want to forge something?”
Hephaestus straightened and raised an eyebrow.
“That’s right.”
Holding the ores, Heimer walked to the forging table and casually picked up a forging hammer to test its weight.
“After all…”
“In a certain sense, I can also be considered a god of forging.”
“Although my titles include various things like war and conflict, at the root of it all, weapons are the vessel of everything.”
“If one does not understand the birth of weapons, how can one claim to rule over all conflict?”
“And every god who understands forging has their own unique technique.”
“I am no exception.”
“Your Familia does not lack weapons.”
“If I want to pay the bill for tonight’s feast and those guest rooms…”
“And exchange it for future equipment support for the children of my Familia…”
“I think I need to bring out something more substantial.”
At this point, Heimer raised his head and looked directly into Hephaestus’s exposed single eye.
“For example…”
“A weapon forged by another god.”
“As the price, I will fuse in my hair, my divine blood, and the Sacred Script that only I can inscribe.”
“I will forge for you…”
“A one-in-ten-thousand God-Forged Armament capable of unleashing power beyond normal standards, even without my Falna.”
The moment these words came out, Hephaestus’s breathing clearly stopped for an instant.
Because she was looking at Heimer.
Looking at this male god standing before the forging table, his eyes clear and confident.
Her heart moved.
Yes.
As a Goddess of Smithing who pursued the ultimate in craftsmanship, nothing could move her more than “unknown divine craftsmanship” and “a god-forged armament never seen before.”
Moreover…
This was something made by this guy’s own hands.
Although his reputation in Orario was not yet prominent…
In the circles of the gods in Heaven, who did not know his weight?
After all, back in Heaven, this guy had never been some well-behaved god who obediently followed the rules.
A god who could be judged by the gods as a War Calamity was no ordinary troublemaker.
If it was a weapon personally forged by him and infused with fragments of his own divinity…
It would absolutely be a peerless treasure capable of driving countless gods and Familias mad, even to the point of starting wars.
Countless gods would be willing to empty their fortunes to collect such a piece.
Thinking this…
Hephaestus unconsciously lowered her arms from where they had been crossed over her chest.
“That sounds…”
“Like a deal impossible to refuse.”
“But.”
Hephaestus suddenly changed tone and looked at Heimer suspiciously.
“Although you may indeed understand forging back in Heaven…”
“Ever since you descended to the Lower World, in this body restricted by rules…”
“Have you ever personally held a hammer?”
“Without cheating by using divine power, are you sure you can complete a forging?”
Faced with this soul-piercing question, Heimer simply became openly confident.
“Of course not.”
“I only descended not long ago.”
“No money, no resources.”
“I couldn’t even eat my fill. How could I have spare money to buy a furnace and materials?”
Hephaestus: “…”
The corner of her mouth twitched, and she was just about to retort, “Then how dare you talk so big?”
As a result…
Heimer immediately and naturally handed the forging hammer in his hand to her.
“But.”
“Aren’t you here?”
“For the number one divine master smith of Heaven like you…”
“This kind of supervision should not be a problem, right?”
“Haah…”
After hearing this, Hephaestus finally understood.
She could not help sighing helplessly, then took the forging hammer and weighed it twice.
Her single eye once again sized him up.
“Heimer.”
“I really don’t know whether the madness you had in Heaven still hasn’t faded, or whether you became even crazier after descending.”
“You actually want to use my materials, my furnace, and even have me help supervise the forging, all so you can make a weapon to settle your debt with me?”
“You really thought of a way to get something for nothing.”
“Even Orario’s most notorious profiteers don’t do business like this.”
“However…”
“Since you’ve already said this much, and even brought out such a tempting claim…”
“I really am a little moved.”
As the god standing at the peak of smithing in this city, Hephaestus could not suppress her curiosity toward Heimer’s craftsmanship.
And so…
As Hephaestus spoke, she walked to the furnace.
Then she personally pulled the bellows.
“Whoosh, whoosh—”
The dark-red furnace flames instantly surged, and waves of heat rolled outward.
The light of the fire shone across her heroic face, flickering between brightness and shadow.
…
When the furnace flames rose and the heat wave surged…
Hephaestus turned around and casually tossed the top-grade ores in Heimer’s hands into the fire.
“All right. No backing out now.”
“Let me say the ugly part first.”
“Although I’m willing to lend you these things…”
“When it comes to forging, I’m not easy to talk to.”
“If you can’t handle my scolding, then you might as well wash up and go to sleep.”
“And…”
“You’ll have to compensate me for the cost of these top-grade materials at full price.”
After saying this, Hephaestus walked to the side, pulled over a chair, sat down, and crossed her legs like an overseer.
“Don’t worry.”
“If I really can’t do it properly…”
“You won’t have to say anything.”
“I’ll pack myself up and send myself to your captain Tsubaki as a manual laborer.”
“In that case, begin.”
After hearing this, Hephaestus threw the forging hammer back to Heimer.
…
At this point…
Heimer walked to the forging table.
There were no extra words.
His hand directly reached into the furnace flames, hot enough to melt steel in an instant.
Under Hephaestus’s slightly contracting pupil…
He directly grabbed the softened ore blanks that had already begun emitting a dazzling light.
Then he placed them on the anvil.
“Clang—!”
The first hammer fell.
Clear.
Steady.
Sparks scattered.
…
Time passed within the ringing of hammer blows.
From deep night to dawn.
When the first ray of morning light passed through the vent and fell into the Hephaestus Familia forge, driving away the heat of the night…
“Hiss—”
With the final plume of white smoke from the quenching rising…
A long sword with a dark-gold luster appeared on Hephaestus’s forging table.
The blade was slender.
Across it ran rows of complex patterns, as fine as drifting threads.
They were the Sacred Script engraved by Heimer using his divine blood.
“It’s finished.”
“Is this enough?”
Heimer put down the forging hammer in his hand.
“Enough!”
In truth, there was no need for him to say anything.
The instant the sword took shape, Hephaestus had already stopped hiding her fondness for it.
She stepped forward and directly snatched the sword away.
“This sword is mine.”
“As for the equipment for those children of yours…”
“Except for the few treasured display pieces on my wall, which are not suited to your children anyway…”
“All other weapons may be chosen freely by your children.”
“I’ll instruct Tsubaki to cooperate with you.”
Hephaestus declared this with heroic generosity.