After settling their belongings for the time being, Arthur noticed that it was still fairly early in the afternoon, leaving them with plenty of time before nightfall. Since there was no urgent reason to head into the Dungeon immediately, the two of them simply wandered through the streets of Orario together.
The city was lively even during the day; adventurers moved through the roads in groups, merchants loudly advertised their goods, and the distant shadow of Babel Tower loomed over everything like the center of the world itself.
As they walked side by side, Arthur finally asked something that had been on his mind ever since earlier.
"By the way, why did you choose that bookstore for the Falna ceremony?"
Hestia glanced at him briefly before looking away with an awkward smile. "Well… the truth is that after descending to the lower world, things didn't exactly go the way I imagined they would. I didn't have money, I didn't have a Familia, and if Hephaestus hadn't taken pity on me, I probably would've ended up sleeping on the streets."
She laughed softly as if trying to make light of it, but Arthur could tell there was genuine embarrassment beneath her words. Even so, she continued speaking honestly.
"The owner of that bookstore was really kind to me. He let me spend time there whenever I wanted and even allowed me to read his books for free. Before I realized it, it became the place where I felt the most comfortable in the city." Her expression softened slightly as she remembered those days. "So when I finally got my first Familia member… I wanted the ceremony to happen somewhere important to me."
Hestia secretly braced herself for teasing. From her perspective, choosing an old bookstore instead of some grand temple worthy of a goddess sounded a little pathetic. However, Arthur simply smiled at her warmly.
"Then I should thank that old man properly one day for taking care of my goddess."
Hestia's eyes widened slightly at his answer. For some reason, hearing Arthur naturally refer to her as his goddess filled her chest with a strange warmth. She quickly looked away to hide the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Not long afterward, Hestia suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands together. "Ah! It's already around the time I usually head back to Hephaestus's forge. Arthur, come with me. I want to introduce you properly."
Arthur agreed without hesitation, and once again they began weaving through the streets of Orario. During the walk, Hestia enthusiastically told him stories about Hephaestus. Apparently, the two of them had known each other since their days in Heaven, long before descending to the lower world. Although Hephaestus often acted strict and exasperated with her, it was obvious that Hestia trusted her deeply.
After quite a bit of walking, they finally arrived at a large building that radiated heat even from outside. The rhythmic sounds of hammering metal echoed through the entrance, accompanied by the smell of fire and molten steel. Arthur immediately recognized it as a forge.
The moment they stepped inside, Arthur's gaze fell upon a tall woman with crimson-red hair standing near a workbench. One of her eyes was hidden beneath a black eyepatch, while the visible one carried a sharp and intelligent gaze. She wore practical clothing suited for blacksmithing—a fitted white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, black pants, and leather boots reaching up to her thighs.
"Hephaestus! I'm back!"
Hestia greeted her friend energetically, waving both arms in the air.
"Hestia? I swear, if you still haven't found a Familia member, then I'm throwing you out myself—"
Hephaestus stopped speaking the instant she properly looked up.
Her visible eye narrowed slightly as she noticed Arthur standing beside Hestia. More specifically, she noticed that Hestia was currently being carried bridal-style in his arms.
For several long seconds, the forge goddess simply stared at him silently. Her gaze slowly traveled from head to toe as she assessed him.
The first thing she noticed was that he was absurdly handsome, to the point where it almost felt unfair.
The second thing she noticed was that despite his calm appearance, his body carried the unmistakable presence of someone powerful.
"Hestia…" Hephaestus finally spoke, her voice noticeably more serious now. "Who exactly is this?"
She genuinely feared that her naïve friend had somehow been tricked by an unusually attractive stranger.
Hestia immediately puffed out her chest proudly. "This is Arthur! He's the first member of my Familia!"
Arthur carefully set Hestia back down before giving the forge goddess a polite nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hephaestus. Hestia has spoken very highly of you."
However, Hephaestus barely reacted to the greeting because she was still stuck on one specific detail.
"…You said he's actually a member of your Familia?"
Hestia noticed the disbelief in her tone and quickly pulled out the official registration documents from the Guild. "See? The Hestia Familia is officially registered now!"
Hephaestus examined the certificate carefully before finally sighing in relief. It seemed her troublesome friend had truly managed to take the first step toward building a Familia after all.
"I see… then congratulations," she said honestly, the tension in her expression easing slightly. Deep down, she was genuinely happy for Hestia.
After a brief pause, Hephaestus crossed her arms and looked toward Arthur again. "If the two of you still don't have a place to stay, I can lend you a room temporarily."
Before Hestia could enthusiastically accept, Arthur stepped forward calmly. "Fortunately, I have enough funds to purchase a house of our own. However, I would appreciate it if Lady Hephaestus could continue looking after my goddess for just a few more days while I begin exploring the Dungeon. Once I return, moving into our own home will be my first priority."
At first, Hephaestus looked ready to explain how expensive property in Orario could be. However, the moment Arthur casually mentioned possessing around five million Valis, she fell silent.
That amount was more than enough.
Beside him, Hestia looked unbelievably smug. She wrapped herself around Arthur's arm proudly and looked toward her friend with a triumphant expression.
"See? My Arthur is amazing, isn't he~?"
The way she emphasized my made Hephaestus stare at her flatly for a moment before shaking her head in exasperation.
Eventually, after exchanging a few more words, Hephaestus turned toward Hestia again with a thoughtful expression.
"Hestia, leave us alone for a little while. I want to speak with him privately."
Hestia immediately narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "No."
Her refusal came far too quickly, causing Arthur to chuckle slightly.
In the end, after several minutes of persuasion from both him and Hephaestus, the tiny goddess reluctantly agreed and stomped away toward another room, though not before turning back repeatedly to glare at the two of them with obvious suspicion.
After Hestia reluctantly left the room, Hephaestus's expression gradually lost its earlier warmth and became noticeably more serious.
The playful exasperation she usually directed at her friend vanished, replaced by the sharp and composed demeanor expected from the goddess who led one of the strongest crafting Familias in Orario.
She crossed her arms beneath her chest and studied Arthur carefully for several long seconds before finally speaking.
"What exactly is your intention in joining Hestia's Familia?"
Her tone was calm, yet there was undeniable pressure behind her words. Arthur could tell she was not asking out of simple curiosity. Hephaestus genuinely cared about Hestia, and because of that, she wanted to ensure the man who had suddenly appeared beside her friend did not harbor hidden motives.
Arthur already understood where her suspicions were coming from. A complete newcomer had appeared out of nowhere, carrying enough wealth to buy property in Orario while also possessing an unusual presence and confidence. Anyone in her position would naturally be cautious.
Because of that, he answered honestly.
"I didn't want the easy way out," Arthur said while meeting her gaze directly. "If I truly want to reach the top, then I want to do it with my own hands from the very beginning. Building a Familia from nothing and helping it grow alongside the people inside it feels far more meaningful to me than simply joining one that's already powerful."
He paused briefly before continuing in a softer tone.
"And besides… I genuinely like Hestia."
For a moment, Hephaestus simply stared at him silently. Her sharp crimson eye searched his expression as though trying to determine whether he was lying. However, the longer she looked, the more her tense posture relaxed.
Eventually, she let out a quiet sigh.
"I'm sorry for interrogating you like that," she admitted honestly. "Hestia may act carefree most of the time, but she's important to me. I just wanted to make sure you weren't planning to take advantage of her."
Arthur shook his head lightly.
"You don't need to apologize, Lady Hephaestus. If our positions were reversed, I would probably do the same thing."
The forge goddess nodded faintly, appearing satisfied with his answer. After that, the atmosphere between them eased considerably, and together they went to find Hestia again.
They eventually located her inside the main forge area of the Hephaestus Familia. The place was overflowing with heat and noise; sparks scattered through the air every few seconds while the rhythmic sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the workshop like a heartbeat.
Arthur stopped walking the instant he stepped inside.
The forge immediately captivated him.
The blazing furnaces illuminated the room in shades of crimson and gold, while the scent of burning coal and molten steel filled the air. Blacksmiths worked tirelessly at their stations, repeatedly hammering glowing metal atop anvils with practiced precision. Every impact sent vibrations through the floor beneath Arthur's feet.
And for some reason…
Those vibrations felt strangely familiar.
Without realizing it, Arthur found himself staring intently at the forging process unfolding before him. His instincts as the Successor of Pagma reacted violently to the environment around him. Deep inside, he felt an overwhelming urge to step forward, grab a hammer, and begin forging something with his own hands.
It was not simple curiosity.
It felt almost instinctual.
Arthur closed his eyes briefly and tried to suppress the impulse, but as he concentrated on the sound of the forge, words unconsciously began slipping from his lips.
"You're striking too fast…"
His quiet voice was almost drowned out by the sounds of hammering around him.
"The forge temperature is slightly off… around five degrees colder than it should be…"
One of the nearby blacksmiths continued working, unaware that he was being analyzed so thoroughly.
"The angle of your strikes is inconsistent," Arthur continued absentmindedly. "About seven degrees too far to the left. And the rhythm between impacts is uneven… you're disrupting the flow of the metal."
Arthur was not intentionally criticizing anyone. In truth, he was simply verbalizing everything his senses were naturally telling him.
However, beside him, Hephaestus heard every single word clearly.
And as the goddess of blacksmithing herself, she immediately realized something terrifying.
He was correct.
Every flaw Arthur casually pointed out truly existed.
Her visible eye widened slightly as she shifted her attention toward him again. At first, she wanted to dismiss it as coincidence or intuition, but the longer she watched him, the more unbelievable the scene became.
Arthur's fingers moved unconsciously at his sides, mimicking the precise grip required to handle a forging hammer. Even his breathing had synchronized with the rhythm of the forge itself. One of his feet subtly shifted against the floor as though operating imaginary bellows to control the flow of heat.
It looked natural.
Too natural.
The precision behind those unconscious movements convinced Hephaestus that this was not the behavior of an amateur who merely "understood" blacksmithing.
No…
This was the body language of a master craftsman.
For a brief moment, she even wondered if Arthur's technical skill might rival her own current abilities while her divine powers remained sealed.
At first, she considered interrupting him immediately. However, sensing the depth of his concentration, she instead chose to remain silent and simply observe.
Time passed quietly while Arthur mentally visualized the forging process in perfect detail. Inside his mind, every step unfolded flawlessly—from heating the metal to folding impurities away and shaping the blade itself.
Finally, after several long moments, Arthur slowly opened his eyes again.
Hephaestus immediately spoke before he could fully regain his bearings.
"Would you like to try forging something yourself?"
Arthur blinked in slight surprise.
"We have spare materials available anyway," she added casually, despite the fact that the materials used by the Hephaestus Familia were anything but cheap.
Arthur immediately understood that she was intentionally giving him an opportunity.
And truthfully…
He wanted it badly.
The urge to forge something with his own hands had only grown stronger after watching the blacksmiths work.
"I'd love to," he answered without hesitation.
Almost immediately, Arthur moved toward the nearest workstation. He grabbed a leather forging apron hanging nearby and secured it around his waist before picking up a hammer resting beside an anvil. Then he selected several pieces of raw metal from a storage container nearby.
Behind him, both Hestia and Hephaestus quietly watched.
Hestia looked curious and excited, while Hephaestus's gaze remained focused and analytical. She wanted to see whether the strange instincts Arthur displayed were genuine… or whether she had simply imagined them.
-
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