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Astraea and Alise were walking down the northeastern avenue.
This area was one of Orario's pride and joy—the hub of magic stone product manufacturing—located near the industrial zone.
Because of the booming manufacturing industry, the streets were usually filled with workers in overalls. But today, there was an unusual number of adventurers rushing by in their gear, heads down and moving fast.
Alise glanced at the passersby from time to time, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes.
"What's wrong?"Astraea noticed her follower's uneasiness.
Alise frowned, then shook her head, still unsure.
"Is there some kind of festival going on? It just feels like there are way more people here than usual—and a lot of unfamiliar faces."
"Well, this is the heart of Orario. Even I don't know everyone, you know?"Astraea chuckled.
"But more importantly..."
Alise's expression shifted to one of concern. Only in front of her goddess would she let down her guard and show her true self.
"I'm still worried about Dan and the others. I mean, Dan's... unique, but he's not really an adventurer. I wonder if he'll be able to handle life in the dungeon."
Astraea smiled gently, showing her faith in them.
"They're training rookies this time, after all. Ryuu and the others probably won't go too deep. And more than gaining money for our familia... I just want everyone to come back safe and sound~"
"But even with Ryuu leading, I can't shake off this bad feeling—like something big might happen, some kind of mess from clashing with others."
"Hmm... Ryruu's a really mature kid. The worst they'll get into is a few arguments. Dan's cautious by nature too. He's still growing, so I doubt he'd get into random fights... hopefully."
They exchanged glances. A brief silence passed between them before they both picked up the pace, as if by silent agreement.
Soon, a massive building loomed ahead, towering like a volcano.
That was their destination—the headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia: the Valka Red Mansion.
As the largest blacksmith familia in all of Orario, the domain of the God of Smithing took up nearly the entire northern side of East Street.
Still, not all blacksmiths chose to live there.
And the reason was simple. Unlike adventurers, whose goals could be endless and vague, a blacksmith's ultimate pursuit stood clear right in front of them from the start.
No matter how carefully they forged their gear, the moment they thought about it being judged by the divine goddess of smithing herself—from the peak of perfection—it became suffocating.
If their work was deemed worthless by her, some might lose the will to ever pick up a hammer again.
Because in the world of smithing, Hephaestus is the absolute authority.
"But still... I can't help but think it shouldn't be this way..."
In her office, Hephaestus propped up her cheek, bored, watching the rising smoke from her workshop through the window with a sigh.
The lower world was full of the unknown—a magnet for the gods.
Unknown things, unknown events, unknown people… These were what made life thrilling for gods.
But ironically, her domain was all about logic and clarity.
For Hephaestus, there was no such thing as "unknown" in smithing.
Sure, she still loved her children, and was moved by their passion and effort. But deep down… something still felt missing.
She found herself a bit jealous of the gods who ruled over more abstract and emotional domains.
Maybe I should just stop thinking about this altogether...
Then she remembered something a fellow god once said back in the heavens:
"It'd be such a waste if Hephaestus doesn't try to be a bit more adorable~"
Adorable, huh...
Over the years, she'd received plenty of praise—her mastery, her fiery charisma, her craftsmanship. But none of it ever touched on anything close to... femininity.
Suddenly, she got curious.
Quietly standing up, she faced the mirror. There she was: elegant, confident, and aloof.
And then—just for fun—she struck a cute pose.
She placed her index fingers on her cheeks, tilted her head slightly, and gave a small smile.
"Hehe~✨"
"Lady Hephaestus, you have a visitor—"
The door burst open.
A tall woman with brown skin and tied-back black hair stood frozen at the doorway, her eyes wide in shock. For a moment, she was speechless… and then gave a big thumbs-up.
"I didn't know you had this kind of hobby in private! I'll remember this moment forever—even in my next life!"
Horrified at being caught mid-pose, Hephaestus lunged toward Tsubaki to stop her.
"W-Wait! Tsubaki!"
But before she could reach her, the cheerful voice of another goddess filled the room as the door opened wider.
"Excuse me for intruding~"
The goddess of justice herself had arrived, unintentionally blocking the tearful blacksmith god.
"My, my~ So this is the real Hephaestus? You should be honest with yourself more often!"
Alise tried peeking in from behind to catch the fun, but Tsubaki quickly pulled her into a headlock.
"Hey, since you're here, how about I show you around my workshop?"
"But I wanted to see—"
"Oh, right! I'm forging a new battle set right now, the Crimson Knight armor."
"Then let's go, Tsubaki! Don't waste time!"
The door shut behind them, Alise's excited voice fading down the hall. But the room was still filled with an awkward energy.
Astraea's starry-blue eyes sparkled with amusement, while Hephaestus glared at her with tears still in the corners of her eyes.
"You're... you're evil! Are you sure you're really a goddess of justice? Maybe you're just some sneaky little tomboy pretending to be all gentle!"
Astraea sweetly handed her a handkerchief, a playful smirk on her usually composed face.
"Don't say that about Artemis. She really tries her best, you know~"
Taking the handkerchief, Hephaestus wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, regaining her usual cool expression.
"...You came all the way here. I assume it's for something?"
It was a clumsy attempt to change the subject, but Astraea decided to go along with it. After all, she was here to ask for help.
She could always tease her about this later.
"I was hoping you could help forge some armor for a new child in my familia… Though honestly, he seems more like the aggressive, front-line type."
Hephaestus paused what she was doing and raised an eyebrow, smiling slyly as the dynamic flipped.
"Oh~ You mean that kid who, on the very first day he debuted, ranked #1 on the male adventurers' "most wanted dead" list, and #2 on the female list? The legendary 'Hero's Vessel', right?"
"....."