Chapter 2 – The Goddess's Fluster!
Only a few seconds had passed, but Akira's expression twisted into something stiff—riddled with guilt and panic.
—This was obviously someone's private bath.
And somehow… he had fallen straight into it!?
No matter how he tried to explain it, there was simply no excuse that could possibly make sense.
His brain scrambled for answers, for any logic to help him out of this disaster. But the truth was undeniable: he, a total stranger, had mysteriously appeared… in the bath of a woman.
And not just any woman—a goddess.
If she screamed…
If anyone found out…
It wouldn't just be embarrassing—it could very well be considered a crime against the divine.
'Ultimate Hell Difficulty... START.' Akira swallowed hard.
On the other end of the bath, Hephaestus had finally snapped out of her daze.
Her first reflex was to grab her eyepatch and quickly strap it back on. Only after that did she wrap a towel around her damp, goddessly form.
"…Do you even realize where you are? Do you understand the consequences of barging into this place?"
Her voice—no longer calm—rang cold, sharp, and dangerously intense.
Even though her divine power had been sealed upon descending to the Lower World, the weight of her presence as a god was undeniable. To an ordinary human, it was terrifying.
In Orario, gods might live like mortals, but their authority remained absolute.
A man crashing into a goddess's bathhouse? That was a huge deal. Execution wouldn't be off the table.
"Uh—! Sorry, miss! I-I have no idea how I ended up here. I swear, this is a complete accident!"
Akira bowed his head, voice hurried but polite. Even he could barely believe what he was saying.
He cursed his luck internally. Just arrived in a new world and he'd already pissed off someone important.
And judging from her presence alone, this lady was very important.
"…'Miss'? Are you referring to me?"
Hephaestus blinked in confusion. Her cheeks tinted red.
In all her existence—both in the heavens and the mortal world—no man had ever addressed her like that.
Back in the Divine Realm, the other gods had mocked her. Jeered at her imperfection.
And here on Earth, mortals dared not speak casually to her. The gap between god and man was too wide.
But this guy… just called her "Miss." Gently. Casually. Without even a hint of fear or disgust.
"Eh? D-Did I say something wrong?"
Seeing the goddess suddenly flustered, Akira paused.
—Wait… was she really that starved for affection? All it took was being called "Miss" for her face to go that red?
"D-Do you… think I'm pretty?"
Her voice trembled as she looked up at him, only one eye visible, but still filled with a nervous spark of curiosity and… vulnerability.
Akira stood there, speechless.
Wait. Weren't he supposed to be the one on the defensive here? Why was she asking such a loaded question now?
But as silence stretched between them, the goddess's expression dimmed. She lowered her gaze, disappointment creeping in like a tide.
Maybe… it really was just her imagination.
No one could ever call her beautiful after seeing what she truly looked like. That's what she had always believed.
But deep down… just minutes ago, she had whispered a wish—an impossible hope that maybe, just maybe, someone out there could accept her for who she was.
And then, this man appeared.
It was too much of a coincidence.
"…You're beautiful. Truly beautiful."
Akira finally spoke, catching her shift in mood.
His tone was sincere—clear and certain.
If he could calm her down by saying it, then fine. But deep down, he meant it.
In this world ruled by gods, lying to one was pointless. A deity could see through falsehoods with just a glance.
And Hephaestus knew—he wasn't lying.
For the first time in her long existence, someone had looked straight at her, seen everything… and still called her beautiful.
"…Then…"
Slowly, Hephaestus reached up and removed her eyepatch once more.
There it was—her true eye. The one twisted since birth. The part of her that had been mocked by gods, feared by mortals, and hidden from everyone.
She had to know—was his response just a fleeting reaction? Or did he really mean it?
"…Still beautiful."
The answer came without hesitation.
Soft. Honest.
And once again, she could feel it—he wasn't faking it.
A warmth bloomed in her chest. A strange, ticklish sensation she'd never known before. This man… didn't flinch. Didn't run. Didn't look away.
In that moment, something changed in her.
And at that exact moment, he finally realized who he was standing in front of.
—Fiery red hair. A face both strong and graceful. A single scarred, divine eye.
There was only one woman in all of fantasy that fit this image.
Hephaestus.
And based on the tower, the city, and everything she said…
Akira was definitely in the world of Danmachi.
A world of adventurers, dungeons, Falna, and gods who bestow blessings upon mortals.
Yet even after realizing all of that—Akira still thought she was beautiful.
Even her "flawed" eye, the imperfection that had haunted her for ages, didn't take anything away from her charm.
In fact, Hephaestus was… stunning.
Her face, her body, those impossibly long legs—everything about her left a lasting impression.
And then… he felt it.
His bath-soaked clothes clung to his skin, revealing more than he was comfortable with.
Hephaestus's gaze flickered. And then she saw it.
Even without personal experience, she was a goddess. One who had lived for thousands—maybe millions—of years.
She knew exactly what that… reaction meant.
Her face flushed crimson, the red spreading all the way to her ears.
—Not only was he not disgusted… he was attracted to her?
Romance between gods and mortals was hardly taboo. The gods lived by different rules.
But to Hephaestus… this was a first.
The first time someone had seen her… as a woman.
And for the first time in her eternal life…
She felt something sweet and unfamiliar stirring in her chest—
A happiness so warm… it made her nervous.
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