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Chapter 6 – ---

A very irritated red-haired goddess sat behind a desk on the third floor of her shop.

Hephaestus, dressed in her familia's uniform, has had enough. Her frustration poured into every syllable of her words.

The source of her annoyance was on the other side of the desk. A goddess on her hands and knees with her face pressed onto the floor.

It was none other than the goddess of heart, Hestia.

They were on the third floor of Hephaestus familia's main store located on the Northwest Main Street. The store was the base of operations for her familia's world-famous brand.

The third floor was devoted to management and currently packed with tension.

"You realize I'm very busy?"

"......"

"You may be quiet, but I can't concentrate on paperwork with you there. Don't you get it?"

"......"

"Hestia?"

"......"

"...haa..."

Hephaestus could only sigh at the lump of a goddess on the floor, at her friend who had not moved from that position. For an entire day. That's how long Hestia had kept her head down, plastered to the floorboards.

On the night of the Banquet of The Gods, Hestia had asked her to have her familia forge a weapon for one of her members.

Hephaestus dismissed it immediately. Even though she didn't brag about it, the smiths of Hephaestus familia were known as the best in the business. She retained a reputation to uphold. Run-of-the-mill adventurers and familias didn't have the resources to obtain her weapons.

To have her smiths make a weapon just for a friend was out of the question. Hephaestus told Hestia many times, and as directly as possible, to come back with some money if she wanted to make a custom order.

However, Hestia hadn't given up and kept on asking. Every time she asked, her head bowed lower and lower. She'd been persistent ever since the start of the celebration and this morning. Hephaestus was at her limit.

She'd been planning to ignore Hestia until she gave up. She was bound to get hungry and go home at some point.

That was last night, and Hestia was still pleading.

'Why is she still doing this?' Hephaestus looked down on her with a questioning eye.

She couldn't comprehend what drove Hestia to keep that pose for hours, even while Hephaestus was trying to sleep. It was quite a shock when she woke up. She nearly fell out of her bed.

She'd asked for many things before, but something was unusual this time. Hestia's strong will, her obsession, was shining through.

'I can't take this anymore...’ Hephaestus sighed. She couldn't focus on her paperwork. Accordingly, she set her pen on the side of the desk and piled up the papers that still required her signature.

Hephaestus straightened her posture and took a deep breath. "Hestia, why are you going this far?"

"Because I want to help him!" Hestia didn't look up. She merely raised her voice loud enough to be clearly understood.

"He's changing rapidly. Bell has a goal and he's chosen the most intricate path to follow. It's a dangerous path, so that's why I want to help! I want to give him the strength he lacks! A weapon that will clear a path for him!"

Hestia felt terrible. Especially upon realizing that the little girl might snatch her Bell away. That skill on his falna sheet said as long as his feelings for an unknown person remained, the process of his overall growth will keep on speeding up. Not only does it tell her he has feelings for someone else, but it appeared at the same time as when the silver-haired girl tagged along. That unknown person is evidently her.

Hestia had to do something for Bell. Something that will aid him in his endeavors or else she’d be abandoned. She couldn’t allow that to happen; only her would sincerely dote on him.

Her whole body tensed as she squeezed out her next words: "He's done so much for me, but I haven't performed anything godlike for him and I think he might start to avoid me... I hate being useless."

‘So you’re trying to redeem yourself, huh. At least, it’s not for a selfish reason.’ Perceiving the sincerity in her voice, Hephaestus couldn't help but sigh at the desolate state of her friend. "All right... A weapon will be made for this boy."

Hearing those words, Hestia bounced in the air excitedly. “Yay! Thank you, Hephaestus!”

"But let me say this: you will pay back every single valis, understood? I don't care how many centuries it will take, but you will repay me." She carefully explained with emphasis on each word as to make sure Hestia would understand this part of the agreement.

“Yes, I know.” Hestia nodded with conviction.

Hoping Hestia really did grasp what she had just told her, Hephaestus went to a workbench and picked up her hammer.

Seeing the red-haired goddess moving to her own work post, Hestia’s eyes lit up. “Hephaestus, are you making the weapon yourself?”

“It goes without saying. I wouldn’t involve my familia in a private matter between you and me.”

Hestia’s eyes brimmed with admiration. “Wow. A smith goddess is making it for me personally!”

Ignoring the praises coming from the other end, Hephaestus took a special ore and turned back to Hestia.

“Yea, yea, moving on, is there a specific weapon your child uses?”

Hestia seemed hesitant. “He wields a knife… Although he’s been practicing with the lance nowadays so…”

“So a lance it is.” Hephaestus cut in. Knives possessed many advantages over other weapons in terms of its diverse uses, but when it came to fighting, its limited range made it inconvenient to strike at the enemy. A lance’s reach would be far less dangerous, which would in turn satisfy Hestia’s concerns for her child’s safety.

Hestia was filled with joy as she began bowing to Hephaestus. Now, Bell wouldn’t need to thank that girl for letting borrow her strange weapons. Ideally, he’ll be eternally indebted towards Hestia for giving him a lance of far superior quality. After all, it would be crafted by a goddess of the forge.

Seeing her friend bowing endlessly with even more praises, Hephaestus couldn’t help getting a little irritated. “Stop doing that and come over here. I’ll need your assistance.”

“Sure, leave it to me!”

The goddess of the heart was smiling just by thinking about how jealous the little girl would be of Bell’s new weapon. Overflowing with confidence, she walked over to her friend’s work bench, with the resolution of helping out as much as she could.

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