Chapter 18: Hephaestus Familia

To think she was that affected…

After saying those words, she left off in a hurry. I saw tears bubbling in her eyes. I can conclude that whoever was in that familia is close to them… perhaps to the entire Artemis Familia.

Thus, bringing me to my current state. With nowhere else to go, I blankly strolled the streets of Orario. Under the illumination of the starry sky, I saw its charm.

It's like Kyoto at night view, but more… lively. Rowdy adventurers are drinking ale in their oversized mugs inside bars. Noise surrounded my sensitive ears.

There aren't any vehicles causing noise pollution, but the adventurers replaced it. Still, I kind of like this ambiance more.

"Huh."

I saw my reflection in a glass. Sparkling golden pupils and the white hair that I inherited from kaa-san. My suit did wonders in turning me into a somewhat believable traveler.

Then, I noticed something else.

A red long sword of about 120.5 centimeters is displayed inside it. An estimate of 3.4 pounds can be deduced under my watchful eyes. Considering that this world has gods, let's make it 4.4 pounds.

Its main highlight is none other than the "magic" engraved in it. I place my 500 yen that it has a fire-related spell. Maybe another that increases its durability and sharpness through what they call "Abilities".

If I still have my machinery–the technology that I built from scratch–it is easy to make something like it. With them, I could perfectly engrave magic onto an item, down to its maximum capacity. Meaning, I could use up all of its capacity.

I wonder if this shop has something that could surpass my masterpiece, <Azure>.

A sudden pain wells up in my chest after remembering my beloved weapon shatter into pieces.

In the end, I decided to enter this shop.

Many weapons greeted my sight. Ranging from swords to spears and machetes, they have everything. Their estimated dimensions and abilities promptly entered my mind.

Surprisingly, some works are well-made. They are on the same level, if not, as my Azure. They number in double digits.

Knowing that there are better ones woke me up from my fantasies. No matter how good my technology is, it is bound to be surpassed by the smiths in this world.

"Hm… 98,000,000 Valis?"

I take back my word. I am glad that my work can be priced this high. A few million Valis is enough to fund Artemis Familia for years—enough for a family to spend on several generations.

I tried looking at the other pieces. I discovered that those I deemed the worst are priced at a million valis.

Ahem. Looks like I mistakenly entered a luxurious shop. I got too caught up in reminiscing that I didn't notice this…

Face-palming inwardly, I calmly began to walk to the exit. It is not the first time that I went into a luxury brand shop, which is why this is not a big deal. My money helped me back then, but I'm dirt-poor in this world.

It shows how convenient money is.

"Wait a moment."

I heard a female voice call me from behind. When I turned back, I saw someone carrying three stacks of wooden boxes. She placed these boxes on top of the counter, not fearing that they could collapse on their weight.

There, I saw the person in question. Crimson-red hair akin to fire as well as a black eyepatch that covered nearly half of her face. A loosely-made linen shirt clung to her curves, showcasing her perfect body.

My gaze met with hers as she inexplicably smiled.

"Those eyes. Are you a smith?" She said.

"A smith… That, I am."

Technically, I am a smith. I created all of my precision tools and weapons all by myself. Of course, until my assistant came to life.

"From what I saw, it seems that you lost a precious work."

What… These gods and their eyes to see through me… That familiar aura is around her as well, which I can assume is that she is a goddess.

I sighed inwardly before replying, "You are correct, goddess-sama. The masterpiece that is with me for four years broke down."

I saw her nod before she asked a strange request.

"Mind pointing out which weapon in this shop is comparable to yours?"

Hearing that, my eyes wandered around before stopping at a certain creation. It is a silver dagger that reminded me of the moon. It is ranked 18th in this weapon selection.

"Roughly as good as that."

"Ho… Someone without falna is claiming to have a masterpiece made by the top smiths in my familia?"

My eyes twitched upon hearing that. She's the one that initiated this conversation, yet she acted like this. Now, I understand the sentiment behind gods being seekers of entertainment.

Instead of replying, I took out the silver dagger in my pocket. It is one of my backup weapons that are fortunate enough to survive until my arrival in Gekai. I placed it on top of the counter.

Cling.

The shiny luster of the blade met the smooth wooden surface of the desk. The goddess placed both of her hands under her chin, keenly observing my work. Momentarily, I saw her eyes widen before returning to normal.

"Such precision… It should be impossible for mortals to achieve."

"Normally, it is." I agreed with her. "Only through external help could one achieve this. That, or magic."

Magic.

A source of power that could overturn tides of disadvantages and make it your advantages. The power that creates miracles. It is the sole reason behind my success.

The goddess took something out of the wooden crates. A normal-looking longsword greeted my sight. There is no magic or anything whatsoever in it. But… this.

"What do you think?" She asks.

A single sentence left my mouth.

"As expected of a goddess."

The sword was made with the most basic, barebone, smithing techniques. I could tell how it was made simply by looking at it as it screams "Basic" all over my face. They don't have any power tools in this world as well.

Even so, it is the most perfect artwork that I appreciated, making my creations seem dull. At the same time, a thought clung up to me. It seemed small compared to this godly piece of work, but my ambitions is nevertheless ignited.

What if I could improve?

A burning desire lit up within me. I did not have anything to compare with my work back in my world. I thought that I had reached the limit—that it is very hard to improve even with my cheat.

A hundred years is what it took to reach my current level. I have all the necessary tools and equipment to progress. I thought that this is the fastest I could go.

Turns out I was wrong.

My hands itched to forge something. If... If I could reach the levels of work with my basic techniques alone, how good would my work be once I return to my world? Knowing that I could improve, just how much of an ecstatic thought was this?

Perfected blacksmithing techniques coupled with improved technology… My mind raced with this thought.

"It looks like you are itching for something."

"...I believe so."

The goddess carried the wooden crates once more.

"Come."

With an invitation, that is.

*****

Inside a smithy that looks no different from the middle ages, I stood straight. The orange flames caused a spark here and there, making me wonder if it is alive.

"...Amazing."

To be honest, I relied on "simulated environments" during my creation. I can freely adjust the room temperature and the furnace's temperature. Then there's a quenching machine that allowed me to quench it with extreme precision–from the duration down to its temperature. Opposite of the room temperature, it is nothing but cold.

While this place lacks the charm that my workplace had, it has something that mine lacks.

There are barrels of cold water and oil for quenching as well as several tools hung up on the walls. This dimly lit room is none other than the goddess' smithing room in this shop. It is currently night-time, hence her employees went back home already. She was about to go rest when she saw me inside the shop, or so she says.

Feeling the cold touch of the hammer on top of the anvil, I was surprised by my findings. The alloy used for it… its toughness and its malleability are top-notch. The Alloy #67 that I synthesized doesn't even come close to it.

"That one's made of orichalcum."

"Orichalcum… As in the metal in myths?"

In several ancient writings, "orichalcum" earned its fame. In Plato's writings, it is the metal used to build Poseidon's temple as well as many creations in the lost city of Atlantis.

Simply put, it's a BIG deal.

"Why did you let me inside..?" I asked with confusion.

She invited me to follow her, landing me inside her smithy. To this indescribable action of hers, I have no clue as to what's going on.

"Didn't you say so? That your hands are itching to forge."

"..!"

I am momentarily sent into silence.

'That's… all?' I thought.

Then again, it dawned on me: they are gods. They are free to do anything they want.

Realizing the intent behind her actions, I no longer stood still. I took off my coat and hung it on the tool holders. Unbuttoning my sleeves, I pulled them, letting the wave of heat sweep through my skin.

"I want to confirm. You want me to create something, right?"

"That is so."

"Do you have any prohibitions here? Like I could not use your certain materials?"

"There's none."

"Alright."

Switching into a formal tone, I laid my eyes on the box of ores not far from the anvil. Upon touching them, I chanted, "Revelares, veritas."

A magic circle rose and scanned every ore completely. The numerical descriptions of the ores popped up in my mind one by one. Every single statistic is based on the threshold that I have created in my world.

'Mohs Score:9'

'Weight: 3.9 kilograms'

'Malleability: 5,000'

'Mohs Score: 14'

...

'Mohs Score: 17'

'Weight: 9.81 kilograms

'Mohs Score: Above 50'

...

Holy sh*t. A metal that has more than 50 Mohs Score? This is crazy. At the same time, I felt the challenge beckoning me.

Above 50 Mohs Score, malleability more than 30,000…

I want to challenge it.

A clear blue sheen reflected in my eyes as I placed it against the light of the furnace. It is already processed, saving me half an hour's worth of time. Then, I did one of the most important processes: simulation.

I simulated myself forging this ore with all the available conditions available. The heat that is comparable to my furnace as well as durable tools upped the quality of the final outcome. The margin of error is not that high, so I could easily undo it. The malleability score is the saving grace of this tough material. With it, I could draw the metal well. Since there's "Far East" in this world, I assume that a katana could work out.

A 63-centimeter, single-edged blade, inscribed with two magic circles that attract and converge mana. A <Wave Blast> made of condensed air and <Force Cancellation> that distributes force to the surroundings. If not for my limits, I would've engraved more magic.

Now that I have the general image drawn in my mind, I did not hesitate any longer as I grabbed a metallic tong and placed the ore inside the blazing-hot furnace.

"Resistere, Ignis." (Resist Fire)

Parameters are present in my mind, allowing me to examine the best state the material was in. With magic, I could barely resist the temperature of these flames. It shows how ridiculous the Age of Gods can be…

'It reached the melting point.'

I have been heating the ore for three entire minutes before it reached this state. Better have some insurance.

Moments later, I took out the now-orange-colored ore. If not for my earlier spell, I might not be able to properly work on it. Plus, melting the metal is not an option since mana is present in them. If I do that, some mana might dissipate, reducing the effectiveness of the blade.

Clang-!

Clang-!

Clang-!

I held the ore with the tongs and hammered it continuously. I delivered quick and precise hits. If I can't finish the hammering in one go, I'll just heat it again.

For now, only the sounds of metals clashing with each other are present in my ears.

*****

Orichalcum. The name of the strongest metal to exist in Gekai. It is often used to create "Durandal-class" weapons–swords and axes that are unbreakable. Through a High Smith's ability, they give their creations a new property. In this case, the new property that translates to "unbreakable" is dubbed "Durandal".

It is nearly impossible for a mortal without falna to come close to such a creation.

Yet…

Yet…

"I miss my power tools." The boy, Nobu, murmured as he sharpened the edge of the cooling-down blade.

It took him more than an hour to finish everything–from forging to tempering. At some point, he had to apply "Twice Robustness" just to properly wield the hammer and the blade.

Swinging your arms more than a thousand times was that hard. He had to do his very best to forge a blade that he can be satisfied with.

It went through hammering, quenching, tempering, and another round of hammering to maximize the ore's capabilities. Numerous magic assisted him in this process.

"Hah…"

His butt plopped down to the ground as he left his creation on the anvil. Right now, he is tired both physically and mentally. He had to make sure that the timings of each strike and casting are accurate to a T.

Just as he was about to look for the goddess who watched him over an hour ago, he found out that she was already in front of the anvil. She held the blade that he made on its grip. It is pure metal with no hand gears whatsoever.

"A magic sword?"

"Yes. Hah…" Nobu took a deep breath before continuing, "It wouldn't be my best if there isn't any magic embedded."

Mesmerized by his work, she did not manage to hear him properly.

"A Crozzo… no, that's not it. This is different. Just how did you imbue magic well on dir orichalcum..?"

Crozzo Magic Swords.

The trademark for the magic swords that once dominated Gekai. With swords that could melt down seas and burn down mountains, the army marched and dominated the land.

Right now, his work is being compared to the work of the blacksmiths whose bloodlines are cursed. Perhaps, her child is the only one capable of creating them.

Although, the situation seems a bit different now.

While less overwhelming than Durandals, the work presented in his eyes is as well as it is. By what she means well-made, it is everything. From the length and width down to its center of balance, everything was taken into mind. It's as if the creator of this sword is very familiar with swordsmen.

"I could have done better with them…" A light murmur came out of his mouth.

Disregarding his mumblings, the goddess asked him:

"Do you want to join my familia?"

For a moment, Nobu blanked out.

"Join… your familia?"

She saw his inquisitive looks.

"Do not doubt yourself. With your current skills and talent, no production familia would ever reject you. Even the exploration-type familias would fight over you."

He gave out a slightly shocked look.

"I'm that valuable?" He asked with a shred of doubt. He knew that his current capabilities are considered "sought" in this dungeon city, but he never knew it was THAT good.

"Yes, you are."

For a moment, he went into a brief silence. Then, his eyes widened as he realized something.

"Red hair… blacksmith… Are you Lady Hephaestus?"

"That's right. Don't tell me, you entered this shop without knowing who I am?"

He made a light cough to hide his embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to… Anyways, I have heard you from Lady Artemis. That you are always taking care of her best friend."

The goddess of hunting came to her mind. After that, an image of her "reclusive" friend appeared.

"Artemis, huh? How are you acquainted with her?"

"Well…"

Nobu began telling the story of his life as a traveler. He chanced upon the Artemis Familia in slight trouble, which led to him lending a hand. As they are not accepting male familia members, he is still an adventurer without any falna.

"That explains everything."

If a god sees someone with as much talent as Nobu, there's no doubt they would immediately recruit him. The sight of him using magic as support confused her as to why he didn't belong to any familia. He is one of the rare mages who attained magic without any falna.

"A familia…"

As someone who has a family, that word is important to him. Hence, he hopes that he could form that kind of bond while in a familia. Even if he's gone, it's not like he wouldn't come back every few months.

Moreover, he heard from Artemis that Hephaestus is a lawful goddess. The former is also in her debt due to how she's been helping her best friend–yet another goddess of chastity–back in Tenkai.

In short, joining Hephaestus is not a bad idea.

"I will join. I want to become a part of your familia."