Chapter 64: Hephaestus Overwhelmed by Embarrassment
As she gazed down at the peacefully sleeping Akira, Hephaestus couldn't help but be consumed by a whirlwind of conflicted emotions.
On one hand, the idea of doing that with a man—even for the sake of saving his life—made her divine instincts recoil. As a goddess, taking the initiative like that was... mortifying.
But on the other hand, this wasn't just any man.
It was him.
The man who had always stood by her side.
The man who had openly confessed his feelings and chosen her over a goddess like Freya.
The man who had fought tooth and nail just to return to her side—and now lay broken because of it.
If she were honest, she knew deep down… the root of all this chaos started with her.
And though she was a goddess known for her shy nature, buried underneath that embarrassment was a tinge of anticipation—nervous, fluttering, and undeniably warm.
After all, Hephaestus, the Goddess of the Forge, had never experienced anything close to intimacy in her long, immortal life. Not once.
This was uncharted territory. Her heart raced like a wild drumbeat.
"...Let's just say this is my gift to him," she whispered to herself. "He even had the guts to reject Freya... for me."
She gently traced her fingers along his sleeping face—a handsome face so perfect it could make even goddesses jealous. Her cheeks burned crimson as she made up her mind.
The faint rustle of fabric echoed softly in the quiet room.
With trembling hands, Hephaestus slowly began to undress Akira, careful not to wake him. Her movements were meticulous, her heart pounding with every breath.
This was... beyond awkward.
If Akira woke up now, she honestly wouldn't know how to explain herself. A goddess being this proactive? Her dignity might never recover.
Fortunately, his condition was far worse than she feared. Even if someone screamed directly into his ear, he wouldn't stir. The extreme fatigue and mana drain had pushed his body into a deep, protective slumber.
And so, Hephaestus found herself swept away by the moment, her reasoning silenced by emotion and instinct.
In the end... she chose to do something for Shin Akira.
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———(A Certain Mysterious Line That Shall Not Be Described)———
The moon had long since vanished from the sky. Dawn's first light peeked over the horizon, casting golden rays through the bedroom window.
A new day had begun.
"Mmmngh~"
Akira stirred. His eyelashes fluttered before his eyes slowly opened.
The moment consciousness returned, a familiar ache spread across his entire body. His muscles screamed in protest, sore and stiff beyond belief. Not like when he still had Enkidu's abilities—where standing barefoot on the earth could instantly restore him.
Back then, he could channel every injury he took into the ground and recover in moments.
But now? Even with remnants of Red Dragon blood in his veins, the damage from yesterday's overexertion had left his body feeling like it'd been trampled by a herd of monsters.
"Haaaaah…"
He let out a long breath.
Strangely enough, despite the soreness, he felt... light.
Really light.
It was the first time in weeks—since he first arrived in Orario—that he felt this relaxed. As though the heavy chains that had clung to his soul had finally fallen away.
『So you're finally awake, Shin Akira.』
"Huh? Ddraig? You're the one greeting me first? That's rare."
Akira blinked in surprise at the sound of the familiar voice in his mind.
Back when they were still in Kuoh City, he was the one who always treated Ddraig like a glorified tool. It was a little shocking that the ancient dragon now chose to speak first.
『You've found quite the goddess, haven't you?』
"…What's with that tone? What do you mean by 'quite the goddess'?"
『Last night, you triggered the Forbidden Move… not once, but twice… in an overload state. Combine that with your accumulated Red Dragon blood, and the Dragon Aura inside your body reached critical mass.』
"Dragon Aura... Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that ever since I got to Orario."
Akira slowly nodded to himself.
He hadn't thought about the Dragon Aura at all since leaving the world of High School DxD. Back then, when he was still with Akeno Himejima, she always helped him release the excess energy in... well, regular intervals.
She was the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko—a caring, elegant woman who handled everything with a smile.
And now he finally understood.
That strange, suffocating pressure he'd been feeling recently? It was all because of the Dragon Aura bottling up inside him.
"Wait, you said I found an amazing goddess, right?"
『Indeed.』
"…Don't tell me… the reason I feel so refreshed right now… Is it because Goddess Hephaestus last night…?"
『Exactly what you're thinking.』
"W-Wait... Don't tell me… I took the divine purity of a goddess?! But I don't remember anything!"
『Do you only have that kind of thing on your mind? Listen here, that's a GODDESS we're talking about! There's no way she'd casually give her body to a man—especially not someone who's just a member of her Familia.』
"You're the one who brought it up!"
『I meant that she helped you "release" the Dragon Aura buildup.』
"…Define 'release'..."
『Hmmmmm~~~』
Ddraig suddenly went silent, as if searching for the right words. Despite having hundreds of previous wielders, most of whom were constantly surrounded by women thanks to the Dragon Aura effect... Ddraig, being a pure-blooded male dragon, had zero experience in that department. He spent most of his life fighting Albion anyway.
"Oi, why are you being quiet all of a sudden?"
『Figure it out yourself. I intentionally deactivated my perception last night… to give you privacy. And also… so I wouldn't scar myself.』
"…."
Akira froze.
An overwhelming mix of regret and guilt bubbled up from within his heart.
"…I'm sorry, Ddraig. I really was a jerk to you before."
『Hmph. It's fine. You are my host, after all. Though hearing you apologize so sincerely... color me surprised.』
"It's the truth. I got drunk on power and let it go to my head. I acted like I was invincible… and treated you like garbage."
『At least you can admit it now. You've matured.』
"Yeah... Starting from zero like this really opened my eyes."
Akira let out a small, bitter laugh.
Getting handed overwhelming power in an instant… it could make anyone lose their way.
Even inheriting someone else's "template" wasn't a guarantee of success. Deep inside, he still struggled with overconfidence. That part of him hadn't completely vanished.
But this journey—this reset—had taught him more than any battle ever could.
Meanwhile, in the room next door...
Hephaestus was red from head to toe, her face buried deep into a pillow.
"I actually did it... I really did it... There's no way I can face him again...!"
The goddess was on the verge of self-combustion from sheer embarrassment. Even though a full night had passed, her heart was still in utter chaos.
Last night... she really did it.
In some ways, she had taken an incredibly bold step forward.
Just one more step... and she might've gone all the way and surrendered everything to Akira.
Granted, he had been unconscious the entire time…
Still, there was no denying it now.
Hephaestus, the ever-shy Goddess of the Forge, had been swept away by pink-tinted feelings.
Her divine heart had been completely ensnared.
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