Chapter 65: The Goddess Who Got Kissed (Again), Without Warning!
After a long and surprisingly honest conversation with Ddraig, the lingering tension between Akira and the dragon finally began to melt away. The old grudge that once sat between them was fading—bit by bit.
Once he finished getting dressed and freshened up, Akira realized that Hephaestus was nowhere to be seen—not in the living room, not in the kitchen, nowhere.
But it was still early in the morning. It wasn't like she'd gone out or anything.
Knock, knock, knock...
With a small sense of anticipation in his chest, Akira gently knocked on Hephaestus' bedroom door.
The sudden knocking made the goddess freeze in place, still wrapped tightly in her blankets like a cocoon.
"W-What is it?"
Her voice came from behind the bed, calm on the surface—but internally, she was flailing in panic. She was a goddess! She had to stay composed. This wasn't the time to act like some love-struck teenager.
Outside the door, Akira smiled faintly. Good. She was home.
After the showdown with Ottar yesterday and the brutal struggle in the Dungeon before that, he was confident his status had gone through a massive update.
"Hephaestus, I want to update my Falna."
"Now? Uhh... I haven't even gotten up properly yet. Just wait a little longer, okay?"
She tried to dodge his request with a gentle excuse. Honestly, she was in no shape to meet him face-to-face right now—not after what happened last night.
Unfortunately for her, Akira was not the type to take no for an answer.
Click.
Completely ignoring her polite rejection, Akira pushed the door open.
"It'll just take a minute, Hephaestus. I'll be quick, promise."
As the door creaked open and his footsteps approached, the goddess nearly leapt out of her skin.
"W-Wait—! Don't—!"
Too late.
By the time she finished her sentence, Akira had already stepped inside.
Their eyes met.
To Akira, it was nothing special—just Hephaestus looking a bit flushed, which, honestly, made her even more attractive.
But for Hephaestus… that brief glance hit her like a lightning bolt.
Her thoughts immediately spiraled back to the night before.
To what she had done.
With her own hands.
And then… with her lips...
Just remembering it made her want to vanish into another dimension.
What was she thinking last night? How could she go that far?!
Fwoop.
Startled by the swirl of thoughts, Hephaestus yanked her blanket up and buried her entire head inside.
"Feeling embarrassed, huh, Hephaestus?"
"Wh-Who's embarrassed?! I'm a goddess! I don't get flustered over silly little things like this! I've seen… l-lots of things like that before!"
Her muffled voice came from under the blanket, trying way too hard to cover up her panic.
"I didn't say anything about what happened last night. You're the one who just spilled everything, Hephaestus."
"Mmmpf—!"
An awkward groan leaked from under the covers.
Even Akira couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was Hephaestus, after all.
The ever-calm, composed goddess of the forge—reduced to a blushing mess over a simple conversation.
This was… kind of fun.
Swish!
Driven by equal parts mischief and curiosity, Akira grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked it off in one smooth motion.
And there she was.
Hephaestus, in nothing but her thin undergarments, sitting upright in bed—her mature, elegant figure practically glowing in the morning light.
Akira's brain blanked for a second.
He did not expect this kind of divine blessing today.
"W-What are you trying to do?!"
Her voice was flustered, angry, embarrassed—and somehow still adorable. Her entire face was flushed a deep scarlet.
"Nothing... I just wanted to see your expression a little more clearly. I've never seen the great Goddess Hephaestus flustered before."
"I told you—I'm NOT flustered! I'm a goddess!"
"Alright, alright~ Then, how about this? As a reward for risking my life yesterday to protect you, can I get a divine blessing... in the form of a kiss?"
"A kiss? Th-That's... that's... Wait—Mmmph?!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Akira leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft, sudden kiss.
Hephaestus froze.
Her hands instinctively reached up to push him away… but for some reason, they stopped halfway. Her strength failed her.
The air in the room grew heavy, thick with tension and something else—something intimate. The moment stretched on, longer than either of them expected.
Minutes passed.
Ten, to be exact.
"Haaah..."
Finally, Akira broke the kiss with a slow breath.
He wiped his lower lip with his thumb, only to find a trail of fresh blood.
"Geez, Hephaestus... Don't you think biting me was a little excessive?"
"You've got some nerve! Barging into my room, kissing me without permission—and for that long, too! You've gone too far!"
"But... didn't you kiss me back just now? Why'd you bite me at the end?"
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"
Now she was well past flustered. Hephaestus grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it at him with all her might.
Still, from a certain angle... her reaction didn't feel like pure anger.
It felt like frustration. At herself.
Because deep down, she hadn't really resisted him. She even responded. And that realization only made her angrier—with herself.
She was a goddess! Why was she constantly getting pushed around by this ridiculous man?
Shouldn't she be the one on top?
"So, Hephaestus… does this mean we're officially a couple now? I mean, you did take responsibility for me last night..."
"W-Who said anything about being your lover?! That was an emergency procedure—purely to save your life! Don't think you've won me over with something like that!"
"But usually, only a lover or wife would help a man with something that personal. So doesn't that mean you—"
"YOU REALLY WANT TO DIE TODAY, HUH?!"
Her divine fury exploded once again. She practically lunged at him this time, ready to silence him permanently.
Akira wisely zipped his mouth shut and retreated to a safe distance. He quietly sat down, content to just enjoy the heavenly view in front of him.
Because truly, this was a rare sight.
A private, intimate scene of the great Goddess Hephaestus—in full embarrassed-girlfriend mode.
Still fuming, the goddess started putting on her clothes, completely forgetting Akira was still there. She moved with flustered frustration, muttering under her breath the entire time.
And Akira?
He watched with a soft smile on his face.
Because no matter how much she denied it, something had changed.
She no longer saw him as just a member of her Familia.
To Hephaestus now, Shin Akira was someone far more important—
The only man who had ever broken through the armor around her divine heart.
If phones existed in this world, Akira would've snapped a picture of this moment without hesitation.
Today, in this quietly chaotic morning light, the bond between a goddess and her Familia child had clearly taken a step deeper than either of them expected.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ 135+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 2 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
✅ Be among the first readers to experience Arc 3 and the new season before anyone else!
📖 The first chapter of Arc 3 is now live!
You can read it right now on Patreon~
🌙 Note: Sunday is a rest day, so there will be no updates tomorrow. Regular uploads resume as usual on Monday.
Thank you all so much for your amazing support 💖
Your encouragement keeps this story alive and growing stronger every single day! 🌟
And for those who prefer reading offline…
You can now download Vol 1 and Vol 2 directly from:
🔗 Patreon — patreon.com/FaaanzKun
🔗 Ko-Fi — ko-fi.com/faaanzkun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —