(Riven POV – Valka's Crimson Chamber)
"Come on." Tsubaki presses, her arms crossed and her single eye narrowing. "What'll it take for you to tell me where you got it?"
'Would you even believe me if I told you?' I groan internally.
After a long, tired sigh, and with Hestia already having spilled the info to Hephaestus, I decide to stop dodging Tsubaki's question.
"Alright. It was me who made them."
Tsubaki blinks. Her gaze sweeps over me, lingering on my arms and hands, and then she scoffs.
"If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable. Your hands are too clean and soft. You don't look like you've touched a hammer once in your life."
Her dismissal is… fair, given that I've never actually forged anything in my life. But it's still insulting to be doubted so directly.
I keep my face neutral and shrug. "Believe it or not, that's the truth. If you don't want to, there's nothing more I can say."
Her single eye narrows for a moment, then a grin spreads across her face. "Alright, say I humour you. How'd you manage it?"
The sudden acceptance irks me somehow. All the times I dodged the question and made up half-truths, she brushed me off immediately. But now, when I state the truth plainly, she actually entertains it?
'Is this a First Class Adventurer's intuition…?'
There's a problem, though… I don't even know of it's possible to create. The bracelets are easy to make through Stomach with GS's help, but actually explaining it is impossible.
'I can't even forge Pure Adamantite with my current physical strength, making it even more unachievable.'
I hold her stare for a few moments before exhaling. "…You wouldn't be able to replicate it anyway."
"Try me." Tsubaki shoots back immediately.
"I'd also like to know." A calm voice cuts in.
Hephaestus approaches with steady steps, her crimson hair shining faintly in the chamber light. Beside her trots Hestia, happily munching on cookies, utterly oblivious to the tension.
My lip almost twitches. 'Does she never get full? And why isn't she protesting against them digging into my secrets?'
But no… she actually grins at me, clearly waiting for me to show off.
I bow slightly. "It's an honour to meet you, Lady Hephaestus."
Her single red eye softens, and she nods. "The pleasure's mine, Riven. I'm glad my old friend has someone looking out for her." She reaches down to pat Hestia's head, making the little goddess giggle like a child.
'Yep. I'm on my own here.'
Hephaestus straightens and turns back to me. "Now, about those bracelets… I've never seen work like that. How did you make them?"
I glance at Hestia again, hoping she'd actually realise the situation and behave like a Goddess. Instead, she looks back with sparkling eyes, tilting her chin up proudly, urging me on as if to say: Go ahead, brag about yourself.
'Wonderful…'
My options flash through my head. Lying won't work since Hephaestus would see through it immediately. Refusing outright would only sour things. And it's not like Hephaestus is a bad person… she's also really good friends with Hestia.
Nodding to myself, I test the waters.
"It's a skill of mine. My methods wouldn't really be useful to you in any way."
Tsubaki looks slightly annoyed and disappointed. Hephaestus, though, tilts her head slightly, studying me with sharp curiosity. Hestia, of course, looks dissatisfied, as if my answer was too boring.
"I see…" Hephaestus says slowly. "Then teaching it is impossible. But… I'd still like to observe the process, if you'll allow it. If not, that's fine too, but I'll make it worth your time if you do."
My eyes narrow slightly. 'What's her angle?'
"Oh? And how would you make it worth my time?" I ask, keeping my voice curious and casual. Out of the corner of my eye, I glance at Hestia, because if she trusts Hephaestus, I can extend some trust as well.
Hestia might be bad at a lot of things, but she's got good intuition in regards to people.
Hephaestus smiles faintly. "Simple. You can ask for anything. Materials, favors, Valis. I simply want to see forging that I don't yet understand."
'This is definitely a test. She probably wants to know whether I'd leap at the offer like a greedy fool, or show restraint, and determine if I can be trusted with Hestia, her dear, but very gullible friend's future.'
All I can say is that I'm not a fool.
"Alright." I say at last, keeping my polite smile. "But my skill has a few conditions. I need a reference for the item I'm making, as well as the material to make it. I don't really have any materials to make anything good."
Hephaestus nods, not surprised in the least. "That's reasonable." She turns her head. "Tsubaki. Bring us some adamantite from the storeroom. And fetch the sword in my office as a reference. You can meet us in the forging room."
Tsubaki freezes, her eye widening. She looks between us, then back at her goddess. But she doesn't argue. With a short grunt, she turns on her heel and heads out.
Hephaestus leads the way, walking calmly with quiet confidence, and I trail just behind with Hestia stubbornly clinging to my side, adamant to remain with us. The halls of the Familia home are wide and clean, the kind of meticulous order and precision you only get from craftsmen who desire for everything to be in place. The faint smell of soot and hot iron hangs in the air with distant hammering ringing through the wall, as we run into the occasional blacksmiths or apprentices who briefly greet Hepharstus, and by extension, Hestia and I, before continuing on their way.
As we near the forge, Hestia shoves something under my nose for what feels like the hundredth time… a cookie this time. She carries the various snacks in her arms, offering them one by one.
"Come on, Riven. Just one more bite." She pleads, eyes sparkling with hope and excitement.
I sigh, lean down, like every other time she's offered, and humour her with a bite.
"Well?" She presses, stepping closer, almost brushing up against me.
"…It's good."
Her whole face lights up. She hums a little tune, rocking side to side with glee.
Hephaestus chuckles softly at the sight. "You two are already quite close."
"Of course!" Hestia announces proudly, puffing her chest out. "We're super close!"
Hephaestus glances back with a faint smile. "I meant closer than most gods and their children manage. That kind of bond is rare." She chuckles a bit. "You almost act like lovers."
I'm 90% sure she meant it as teasing, but…
Hestia's face immediately turns crimson, quickly lowering her head shyly, and trips over her own feet, but I manage to catch her by the shoulders before she actually falls.
"Y-you really think so?" She asks softly, taking shy glances towards me.
Hephaestus blinks in surprise, as though she hadn't anticipated that kind of response from Hestia. She recovers, though, her expression softening before her heavy gaze flicks toward me.
"…Maybe I underestimated you, Riven." Her lips quirk into a wry smile. "Or overestimated Hestia."
I would bark out a protest. Something like, "It's not what you think!" but I've got little reason to explain, and… she's not entirely wrong.
So, I instead reach for Hestia's hand. Her head jerks up in shock as I interlock our fingers intimately.
Her voice comes out strangled, whisper-shout. "Wh-what are you doing?!"
"You've already exposed yourself." I say smugly. "Why hide it from your best friend?"
Her blush deepens to a shade that would make tomatoes jealous. "Y-you can't just do that! I wasn't ready!"
"So it'd be fine if I did more, once you were?" I ask seriously, watching her fidget like a cornered rabbit.
"M-more…?" She echoes, dazed in equal parts horrified and curious.
"Of course. Stuff like…" I whisper to her softly, deliberately dragging the moment out—then pivot, turning away just as Hephaestus pushes the doors open. "Oh, we're here."
Hestia's eye twitches as she grits her teeth, before smacking my arm with her tiny fists. "You did that on purpose!"
I endure her assault with stoic dignity. Yes, vengeance tastes sweet. 'That's for abandoning me for cookies and headpats that weren't mine, Hestia.'
As for whether I was getting revenge more because she threw me under the bus, or getting headpats from Hephaestus… I wasn't entirely sure.
The forge fills my vision. The air is hotter, heavier, lit by the dull orange glow of a massive brick furnace that never seems to tire. An anvil rests before it with a hammer laid neatly on top, and a basin of water at the ready beside them both. Various and diverse tools line the walls in precise order… it's basically a blacksmith's heaven.
But what truly draws my eye are the weapons and armour piled carefully along one end of the room, steel gleaming faintly in the firelight. I immediately focus on them.
[Notice: Analysis of weapons and armours complete. No magical effects detected.]
'Of course… If they were valuable, they wouldn't just be sitting here.' I sigh inwardly. 'Why is it so damn hard to find anything magical worth analysing?'
(Hephaestus POV – Valka's Crimson Chamber, Forging Room)
"You don't seem particularly impressed?" I finally ask, breaking the quiet.
I had been watching him since we entered… how his eyes skimmed over the glowing forge, the neatly arrayed tools, even the walls lined with ore racks. None of it held his attention. His attention locked onto the pile of weapons and armor at the far end of the room, and for a fleeting second, I saw a faint spark of excitement in his eyes.
But just as quickly, it dimmed. His expression briefly settled on disappointment, before completely turning neutral.
'Did he realize they're just spare equipment waiting for storage… or was he hoping for something else?'
He turns to me. "The forging room is impressive." He admits evenly.
I give him a small smile. "I wasn't referring to the room."
A tense silence lingers. Then, with a sigh, he answers:
"I guess I was slightly disappointed that none of the equipment had any enchantments."
I blink. My composure falters for a second. "…I suppose that would be disappointing." I manage smoothly, though my mind is reeling.
He wasn't lying. He knew with absolutely certain that they lack enchantments.
'But how? I can see that, yes, but only up close, if the enchantment isn't obvious, through touch and skill. But he did it at a glance, and from so far away. Could it just be ignorance?'
"Are you interested in enchanted equipment, then?" I ask carefully.
"Of course." He replies matter-of-factly. "Any adventurer would be."
I nod, masking my suspicion. If I let him know I'm suspicious, it would only make him cautious, and right now, I want to see how he thinks, not scare him into silence.
The tour continues. He asks questions, and at first I think I know what to expect… the curiosity of a new adventurer dazzled by the workings of a forge. But his inquiries weave between bafflingly simple and startlingly advanced. One moment he's asking about the importance of airflow, the next he's discussing folding techniques like someone who's studied metallurgy for years.
It's… inconsistent, but not something that can be faked.
"Did you learn everything yourself?" I ask eventually, unable to help myself.
He nods casually. "Read it in some books at the Guild library."
I hide my frown. 'The Guild's books barely cover the basics. Just enough to keep amateurs from melting their hands off. If this is truly what he gleaned from that, then either he's a genius beyond reason… or his Skill is doing far more work than he admits.'
I steal a glance at Hestia, who's long since grown bored of our exchange. She sits perched on a stool, chin resting in her hand, staring into the furnace with her snacks in the other. Every so often, she sneaks a glance our way, her expression alternating between sulking and pouting.
'As much as I'd like him in my Familia… I can't just take my friend's first and only Familia member. Especially when she struggled so much to get one.'
My thoughts are interrupted as the door opens.
"I've brought the materials and sword." Tsubaki strides in, her usual sharp grin in place, carrying a sack large enough to make most men stagger. She drops it with a heavy thud, and rare metals spill onto the floor like common stones.
And at her hip, she carries a longsword. Carefully, almost reverently, she unbuckles it and places it in my hand.
I draw it slowly, acting casual, but my eyes are on Riven, rigorously assessing his reaction.
It's plain at first glance. No embellishment, no shine to catch the eye. To a common adventurer, it would seem unremarkable. But to a smith…
This blade is perfect. Balance. Edge. Durability. The summit of craftsmanship, the work of a divine hand. My divine hand.
I raise it slightly. "What do you think?"
He studies the weapon in silence for a few seconds. Then he nods slowly. My chest lifts — only to sink as he shakes his head.
Disappointment… again.
My brows knit. "What's wrong?"
He exhales softly. "I'm… frustrated." He says at last. "Whoever made this is a master. Truly. This sword is almost perfect."
Tsubaki stiffens beside me.
"But…" He continues, his tone infuriatingly casual. "It fell short."
"Almost perfect…?" I repeat slowly, my eye narrowing because I know what he's saying isn't a lie.
Tsubaki bristles. "Oi, brat—"
But I raise a hand to stop her, my gaze never leaving him.
Because I want to hear his answer.
What could he possibly see that I, the Goddess of Smithing, could have missed.
***********
A/N: Hello Everyone. How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
The last POV was what delayed it by a day. Which I personally think was the best part. Once again, sorry for the wait. So, on to the chapter...
Yeah, cliffhanger-kun strikes again. Wonderful, right🙃? The reasons Riven calls it almost perfect will be given next chapter, and she'll be shook. They'll be quite pretty too, it'll be funny🤣.
Hopefully Tsubaki doesn't beat him up before then. There was some light fluff with Hestia, but I kind of found it hard to really do the dialogue between them, plus I don't know much about their Familia home, as well as much info about the sword. I tried my research, asked for help, and this is what I've come up with, and hopefully it's right (please be right), and that even with those plot holes, it was still enjoyable.
I also won't keep Riven away from enchantments for much longer. My biggest worry being that he makes himself Adamantite gear and basically because unstoppable, which ruins all fun. But he's a bit fucked in the head, so he'll probably not use it for thrills (unless necessary, of course. Won't die for pridez don't worry).
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
But yeah, that's all from me. I hope you all have a great night/day😁.