Hephaestus squinted, trying to notice any changes around Asahi. A wave of invisible energy washed over her, shaking her to her core. Even without removing her eyepatch, she could see the immense white energy running wild in Asahi's body. She closed her right eye. Her left eye's ability allowed her to control her Arcanum better than any god out there, making her sensitive to any change. Asahi at this moment shone brighter than the sun itself.

'Beautifully terrifying. This much energy can wipe out Orario multiple times over.' ​​

The mere thought froze her nerves. Even a god's arcanum couldn't rival his intense light. The wild energy slowly calmed down, but his aura thrived, stretching into the room.

This also proved what Astraea said about him.

"It's enough."

Asahi nodded and gulped down something. His aura shrunk into his body, and his presence reduced to less than a normal human.

'Convenient way to hide his identity… What is that on his head?'

She spotted the red lump on his head. It was small, yet packed in a dense concentration of fire that seemed impossible in theory. As a Goddess of Fire and Blacksmith, she felt her pride cracking for not noticing this earlier.

"You see her?" Asahi asked with an amused smile. He flipped his palm, and a small fairy flew down and sat there.

The little fairy girl reminded Hephaestus of the almost extinct Salamander Spirit. Their presence was just too familiar, but Hephaestus could tell the difference between power. Despite brimming with fire energy, none of the energy leaked in the real world—she had the finest control over her domain "Fire."

"What is she?"

"She, well, it's a bit hard to explain… I created her."

"She is your child?!" Loki asked. "You fucked a Salamander or what?"

"What the fuck Loki?!" Asahi cursed, giving Loki a blank stare. "I meant create, not give birth."

"The fuck? Ya god of creation now?"

As absurd as Asahi's existence was, him possessing powers of Creation God would be… just too much.

'How can a man possess so many powers? It's just not fair.'

Hephaestus looked at Astraea. The goddess of justice had her entire attention on Asahi, a strange light twinkling in her eyes.

'She is lost…'

She could understand her reasons if just a little. Despite possessing the powers to rule over the world, he was silently sitting in a corner without showing any signs of arrogance. After fiddling with gods for centuries, she had come to appreciate every ounce of humility.

The little spirit started pointing fingers at Hephaestus.

"Chiaki, what? You want to go to Hephaestus?" Asahi asked.

Chiaki nodded repeatedly. Hephaestus couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

Hephaestus stretched her hand. "Come here."

Chiaki spread her tiny wings and drifted toward Hephaestus. She flew past Hephaestus's hand and settled on her head. Despite not seeing her, Hephaestus could sense the warmth emanating from her little body. It was like sitting in front of a hearth. The word brought a nostalgic smile to her face.

'I hope she is alright there.'

Hephaestus reached to catch her, but the fairy dodged her and hid in her hair.

Asahi chuckled. "She likes you."

Hephaestus raised her brows helplessly. "I can't see her there… How did you create a Spirit?"

"It's a skill I recently acquired. It helps me create living beings. Though, I don't think I'll do that again soon."

"Must've been hard," Astraea said.

Hephaestus leaned back on the couch. "I believe he is an otherworlder now. My question is how long are you going to hide his presence. It's unrealistic to think nobody will notice him. Freya is already suspicious of him."

"We gotta try," Loki chimed in. "Nothing else we can do. Asahi can retreat to his world if things get too hairy. Ya can do that, right?"

"Yep. But I'm not gonna run away before finishing the dungeon."

"Heh," Loki smirked. "What do ya want from the dungeon?"

Asahi returned a bright grin. "Nothing. Just coming face to face with the final boss will be enough for me."

"I'll support you," Astraea said. "Ending the dungeon's tyranny will be very helpful for everyone."

'Final boss…' Hephaestus shook her head. 'Even gods don't know what is the final enemy except it's a monster of immeasurable caliber.'

"I'm now part of this strange group. What am I supposed to do, Astraea?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to let Hephaestus know about our circumstances."

"Just that?"

"Yes?" Astraea tilted her head. "I didn't want to hide this big secret from my friend."

Hephaestus scratched her hair, a sheepish smile forming on her face. She felt nice to hear someone appreciate her as a real friend other than that lazy goddess. Hephaestus turned to Loki.

"And what's your deal? Why're you so quiet about him? I figured you'd try to exploit the heck out of a strong warrior like him."

She couldn't swallow the fact that Loki was helping Astraea without any incentive.

"Hey, ya are makin' me some kind of manipulative bitch."

"Are you not?"

"How cruel. I did somethin' out of kindness, and this is the result." Loki held her head in her hands and started sobbing.

Hephaestus crossed her arms on her chest. "Not buying your crocodile tears."

"Sob, Aissu likes him. Now, Hephaestus also turned on me. This man is isolatin' me from my loved ones."

"..."

"Wait, Hephaestus. Loki didn't ask me anything to protect my secret. She is doing it to prevent any Familia wars in Orario."

"Yes."

Asahi and Astraea backed Loki up. The mischievous goddess wiped her tears and grinned. "See. These lads believe me. Hephaestus, how about ya pay up for hurtin' my feelings?"

"What do you want now?"

"Ninety percent discount on Aissu armor."

"Buzz off."

Personal and business affairs were different. Hephaestus drew a clear line between them whenever she could. Paying up for a craft showed its value to the creator. How could she, the best blacksmith in heavens, let her items sell for dirt cheap price?

"Five percent. Take it or leave it."

"I'ma take it."

The haggling made Astraea chuckle. She had expected the discussion to be a bit more solemn considering its consequences on Orario. Her worries were all for naught.

—x—x—x—

(Asahi POV)

It took some time to get Chiaki out of Hephaestus's hair. Grayfia escorted the goddesses back to their homes. Well, that went fine. Chiaki sure like Hephaestus. Even though the goddess looked troubled, she was enjoying Chiaki's company.

Astraea sighed, brushing her shoulder with mine. "I am going to tell the Guild about your level up. We delayed it long enough."

"Sure. You always know where to look for me."

"I do," Astraea said with a smile before walking off.

The sleepy Maya made me yawn. I should go help in the dungeon, but I can't leave Maya like this.

(Doesn't she look lovely?)

'She does.'

"...Onii-sama," Maya yawned and got up. "Sorry…"

"Don't worry, girl. Now that you're up, wanna hop into the dungeon?"

A wide-eyed smile dawned on her drowsy face. She raised her hand. "Yes!"

"You can't fight in this dress. I'll make better equipment for you, okay?"

"Make? Onii-sama wants to make it by himself?"

"I think so. I need some time to learn more about smithing."

"Onii-sama's handmade equipment… Maya can wait for that."

I better finish Saeko's sword before that. Chiaki gently patted my head.

"Umu!"

This must be her way of saying, "I'll help Master!"

"Let's go."

***

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