Chapter 12 - She's so cool!

Can I have your power stones? :(

####

Balnan stared at Hephaestus with a pale face, unable to utter a word. Luck was also pale. It might not seem from how they treat me, but they both know about my relationship with Hephaestus.

"What did you say earlier? You said you were going to kill him, didn't you?" Hephaestus asked in a cold tone.

"Goddess... It's not what it seems. That idiot challenged me, and I got carried away. Of course, I wasn't serious!"

"..." Hephaestus kept staring at him coldly, and Balnan clicked his tongue. "This is all your fault, you bastard! You accused me of trying to steal your sword and then attacked me!"

"You're lying. You've got some nerve, don't you?" Hephaestus stepped toward Balnan, causing him to fall backward onto the ground. "I want to know every detail of what happened here."

She was looking into his soul. Balnan trembled.

Suddenly, I saw a side of Hephaestus I didn't expect. And it's all because of me.

"Hurry up! Tell me what happened!" Hephaestus shouted, irritated. "Luck!?" She then turned her gaze toward Luck. Under the goddess's piercing glare, he stepped back nervously, glancing between her and Balnan.

Balnan glared at him, silently urging him to lie.

But Luck isn't as foolish as Balnan; he knows lying would be futile.

"Balnan tried to take the sword Eryk forged. Eryk took the sword back, and Balnan started an argument and attacked him. That's what happened."

Luck spilled the truth, leaving Balnan paralyzed. Then he shouted, "That's a lie! I didn't take his sword! He accused me of wanting to steal it and then attacked me out of nowhere. This bastard is insane."

"Enough!" Hephaestus yelled. She stepped closer to Balnan and grabbed him by the collar. "I don't want to see you in front of me today any more. Tomorrow, I'll decide what to do with you."

"Goddess? Goddess? Wait!" Balnan kept calling after Hephaestus.

She walked toward me with a warm smile.

"Shall we leave? I'm tired," she said, gently taking my hand.

Before we left the room, she turned to Balnan one last time.

"The next time you say you'll kill him, I'll deal with you myself. I'll tear you apart piece by piece and make you suffer enough to beg for death."

"Kiiikk!!" Balnan shrank to the floor in fear.

How pathetic can this guy get?

But honestly, this is entertaining. In just two days, I've managed to make a mortal enemy.

We left the training room together, and I walked beside Hephaestus, reflecting on what had just happened.

'She's incredible. I never thought she could say something like that.'

####

When we reached the door to our room, Hephaestus suddenly said, "I have something to take care of. I'll be right back." She smiled, but it wasn't the smile of someone happy.

"Alright," I replied.

Holding the sword I had forged, I entered the room and placed it on the bed.

"So, this is a 'Refined' rank sword." The blade looks much superior to a common rank sword blade, even though I hadn't done anything different while forging it.

It seems that's how it works:

The sword gets a random rank based on the probabilities, and its appearance changes accordingly.

And the sword gains abilities based on its rank.

It's a simple system.

"Even if I can't improve my strength and agility with the system, I can create swords strong enough to compensate for that in the future."

Imagine if I can forge a sword that summons meteors someday.

"I might be exaggerating, huh? A terrifying sword like that is probably impossible to create."

I picked up the sword from the bed and started swinging it. My rough and basic movements weren't nearly enough to fight anyone.

"I wonder how I sent Balnan flying with just a kick. He's much stronger than me since he's at level two. Speaking of him..."

Hephaestus likely went out to deal with this matter, didn't she?

I smiled, satisfied, and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

When I came out, Hephaestus had already returned. She was holding the sword I had forged, analyzing it.

"You forged this sword?" she asked.

"Yes."

"It's incredible. How did you manage to create something like this? There's a magic effect that reduces the fatigue, right?"

"You can tell?"

"Just a guess. The moment I held it, I began to feel more energized. It's an interesting sensation." Hephaestus swung the sword a few times. "The weight is perfect, and the blade is exceptionally sharp. Well done!"

She gave me a big smile, showing all her teeth.

My chest felt warm.

"Thank you for all your support over the years, Goddess."

"What's this? Are you going to cry? Feeling emotional?" Hephaestus tossed the sword onto the bed and approached me, teasing me.

"Of course not. I'm just expressing my gratitude for everything you've done for me all these years, even though I've given nothing in return."

"Stop saying things like that." She cupped my cheeks, staring into my eyes. "I've told you before: I trust you and love you. You don't need to overthink things. Just keep forging swords and improving. I'm eager to see you become the best blacksmith in the Familia." She smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll become the best blacksmith in the Hephaestus Familia. No doubt."

"That's the spirit! I like that confidence." She kissed me.

####

Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/parodygirl (I'm posting extra chapters there every day)

Next chapters: Chapter 13 - Tsubaki (Hephaestus's POV) / Chapter 14 - Kind Maid. / Chapter 15 - Mikari. / Chapter 16 - Was Hephaestus hiding your talent? / Chapter 17 - I'll explain everything later. / Chapter 18 - Capacity to evolve infinitely. / Chapter 19 - Rare Rank Sword. / Chapter 20 - It consumes a lot of magic.