CH. 349: Glasses on her face

Asahi sensed the change in Hephaestus's eyes. Her usually aloof aura turned into an air of determination.

'What happened to her?'

Klyscha giggled, giving no answer to his curiosity. Not that he wanted one in the first place.

He sat down with a smile. "Loki, how's your Familia doing?"

Loki couldn't help but chuckle. He made a goddess wet then calmly sat down as though this wasn't a deed worth mentioning. This was the man she recognized.

"Pretty dandy. Ais's followin' Finn's trainin'. Riveria's sittin' in the library to hone her magic skills. They don't wanna be subjected to your babysitting ever."

"Mama is reading books now, huh." Asahi grinned and turned to Hephaestus. "By the way, can I borrow your forge?"

"You can," she said, looking at Chiaki sitting on Asahi's head. "Go ahead."

She couldn't help but wonder if she was wrong. Someone so pure and mischievous like Chiaki wouldn't be so intimate with an evil person. She had seen Asahi caring a great deal for Astraea and her Familia. He possessed strength beyond the grasp of adventurers, and he showed no desire for authority.

'I hope I am wrong.'

A sigh slipped past her lips as she pushed back her chair and led Asahi into the workshop.

Loki watched Asahi's back, her eyes slowly widened in realization. 'Ah can ask him!'

His smithing skills were enough to appall the Goddess of Smithing, Hephaestus. She was hit with another realization… she was going to ask for his help again.

'Gosh, I'm relying too much on him. I'll have to sell myself to repay his debts one day.'

She snickered at the thought. Then again, being bought by him wouldn't be so bad. The magic in his hands convinced her of his ability in bed. His hands alone brought her on the verge, something she rarely felt during her intercourse with male gods. They were few in Heaven who slept with her, who were praised as exceptional partners in Heaven. Yet, they couldn't deliver an ounce of pleasure Asahi gave in several moments with one hand.

'God of sex from another world.'

She couldn't help but imagine his battle against Freya. Who would win? Who would tame the other and who would submit?

No matter the winner, she knew one thing.

Their battle will be legendary!

Grinning, she patted her legs and stretched her arms, feeling more refreshed than she ever did.

The headpats did work wonders for her.

She followed them into the forge, only to find Asahi holding a katana in his hand. The unique curved sword was popular among the people from the Far East.

'They haven't showed up yet.'

She was waiting for the drama between Astraea Familia and the nobility from the Far East. Amaterasu had grown cocky ever since she got ahold of the Celestial Seat of her Royal Court. She was worse than the majority of the deities in Orario. At least they looked after their children. Her island was plagued with wars and diseases. Monsters ran amok everywhere, bringing disasters every other day.

Loki decided to patiently wait by the side. Asahi placed Saeko's katana on the table with a frown.

'Which enchantment should I use here?'

Saeko loved inflicting pain onto others, but she had her Diva Asmodeus's abilities for it. Nearly every spell in her arsenal was made for sadists.

'Might as well improve its durability.'

He performed the enchantment, focusing on raising the durability and sharpness of the blade. A puff of black smoke rose and wrapped the katana.

[—'Enchantment Arts' ranked up to C.]

'Two levels. It has to be good.'

Like Shiori's katana, the enchantment changed Saeko's katana appearance. The midnight blue blade glinted with a metallic sheen as though it was carved anew. A blood-red rune symbol glowed near the violet hilt, which Asahi found familiar.

"Nauthiz. It means endurance." Hephaestus stole the words from his mouth. "This one is clearer than the previous… I never thought I'd see runes emitting this power without Arcanum."

Hephaestus and other goldsmiths avoided runes for this very reason. They weren't allowed to use Arcanum, and runes couldn't operate without Arcanum.

Asahi put on his glasses and analyzed the upgraded katana.

Bushikatagi (Rank SSS): A katana imbued with the power to harness the spirit of a Samurai.

Effects: Strength +25, Dexterity +45

—Eternal Oath (Passive Skill): As long as the user fights with loyalty, the blade will never chip away.

—Last Adversary (Active Skill): The blade hones willpower into a blade that can cut through anything. A single strike will drain every ounce of the user's mana and mental strength.

'What a game breaking weapon.'

The second skill could technically kill gods and conceptual beings, but the drawback would leave Saeko exhausted for days. Fortunately, her man could afford the greatest elixir in existence.

'Samurai's honor. Even the name suits Saeko.'

He sheathed the katana and put it away. Hephaestus approached and leaned her backside against the table. Her scent mesmerized him for a second, prompting a glance at her cleavage. The odd emotions reflecting in Hephaestus's crimson eye raised his curiosity. He could've checked her emotional state with one glance of his amorous eyes skill.

'Her other eye is sus.'

The eye concealed by the black eyepatch had a unique ability. His instincts warned him so.

Hephaestus ignored him checking out her assets and smiled. "What are those glasses? You used them last time after putting enchantments on the weapons."

"Oh, these. They let me analyze weapons. Wanna try?"

He took off his glasses and gently slid them on Hephaestus. She didn't resist a bit and let him adjust the glasses over her eyepatch. Standing so close to him, his overwhelming scent overwrote everything on her mind. She opposed his charm with her willpower. Glancing up at him, her heart raced.

'No need to act like a little girl.'

A deep breath, which should have calmed her down, filled her mind with his scent. His charm was becoming more prevalent the closer she got to him.

"Is it comfortable?"

Despite that, he acted like he had no clue. It seemed like only she was conscious of him.

"Yeah," she answered, trying her best to remain calm.

Asahi's smile blew that confidence. Even Freya, the goddess of beauty's charm didn't affect her this much.

Asahi observed Hephaestus. Even with the black eyepatch getting in the way, the rimless rectangular glasses looked damn good on her face. Her white shirt and black pants, and her wild crimson hair gave her an office lady aura, one who would skip her duties to smoke on the balcony.

"You look phenomenal."

[—Hephaestus: Affection +6]

Hephaestus didn't know whether he was praising her or mocking her single eye. She blinked her single eye and stared at Asahi. His soft smile couldn't be a sign of mockery.

'Does he think I look good with glasses on top of an eyepatch?'

She wanted to call him ridiculous, but his sincere expression didn't let her open her mouth. Suddenly, numerous blue windows popped into her vision. The data blew her mind. It was Asahi's status in a different form, revealing his utterly broken skills and the charm parameter that was higher than his strength parameter.

'Life Creation?'

The description made her gasp. This skill created Chiaki; she just knew it. She couldn't find anything that alluded to his divinity related to sex other than his charm of course.

'Did he not develop a charm skill yet?'

Asahi frowned, finding something amiss when Hephaestus stared at him in surprise. Her focus was entirely on something else.

'Did she use the appraisal skill?'

(Yes… It's fun seeing her freak out!)

Asahi stopped himself from palming his face. The glasses were related to his system, so it won't work without Klyscha's input. He handed the glasses with this thought, but his mischievous goddess wife ended up revealing everything to Hephaestus.

'There goes my reputation.'

Loli Lover class would creep her out for sure.

(I hid the important classes and skills. Eromancer too.)

'Good job.'

(Hehe. I'm your wife after all. I can't let her escape your trap.)

'You must have a reason to do this.'

Klyscha giggled. (Just wait, my love. Things will get interesting for you.)

"I'm still here." Loki reminded them of her presence. "How long are ya two gonna stare at each other? Even Chiaki is gettin' sick."

Hephaestus turned her attention to Loki, whose shoulder was occupied by a pouting Chiaki. She couldn't stop herself from appraising the little fairy.

The results surprised her. A quarter of Asahi's magic power resided in such a small body. From what she had heard from Loki, Asahi never took a single potion during his prolonged fight with the goat demons.

'Chiaki is possibly stronger than a level 4 or 5 adventurer.'

Hephaestus sighed, wondering if she was right to doubt an exceptional god. Creating a life with his hands was no joke, more so when his creation's strength and… cuteness was off the charts.

'No backing out. I just need to confirm. I'll apologize…'

As Hephaestus sorted her thoughts, Asahi's instincts flared up. The familiar scent of a goddess reached him, trying to tame him to its pleasantness.

'Freya.'

Why did the goddess of beauty come to Hephaestus' main shop?