Chapter 14

I stood in the circle and watched as the lines of the rituals flared to life as I fed a bit of my own mana into the circles to get the ritual started. The first thing I noticed is that the ritual was much brighter due to being so efficient that the stones were completely absorbed so that not even a speck of dust or residue remained. It only took a moment for all the power to be ripped from the stones. Then, as the power moved lazily toward my circle and the three powerful crystals finally completely disintegrated, I was blinded by the light cast by the lines, and I could even hear an audible hum in the air. The noise was faint, but it was there, fueling my anticipation of what was yet to come. Finally, the circle around me blazed to life, and the magic power from the stones began to be transferred into my body. 

The mana flowed from the circle and clung to my body like a second layer of skin. I felt as though slightly cold honey had been poured all over my body. Shivers raced up and down my spine while my limbs tingled. I felt lances of pain as the magical energy sought entry into my body and pushed in through every pour of my body. I grimaced, but the pain wasn't brutal. It was more a comforting sort of pain, like when you pull a splinter out of your hand. You trade a moment of agony for instant relief afterward. In my case, I wouldn't only be getting relief, but magical power too. I did break out into a cold sweat as I forced the new power to circulate within my body and integrate properly. The icy touch of the foreign mana was a relief from the pain but brought with it its own deluge of uncomfortable feelings. 

Eventually, the ritual was over, and I found myself in a dark room. I was panting slightly, and my muscles strangely felt a bit over-taxed, like I had been lifting something heavy for a bit too long. However, I could sense the new mana worming its way into my body and falna, waiting for my next update from the Hephaestus so that it could break free and pool within my body to be freely used by me. Today wasn't the day to seek out the goddess, especially since I wasn't even sure what time it was at night even. Instead, I briefly washed off, then got into my bed and closed my eyes. Sleep was elusive since I already felt fairly well-rested from my nap, but I got there eventually.

. . . 

I was now used to waking up early, so I rolled out of bed and pulled some clothes out of my inventory to get changed into. I didn't have much of a plan for the day except that I was going to make breakfast and maybe head into the dungeon to collect some more vitality and stones for some stat boosts and ritual preparation. I had just moved to my small kitchen area and began removing some ingredients from my inventory to make some food when a knock came at my door. I stored the ingredients once more since they were essentially locked in time when put into my inventory, so they would always be fresh, then headed to the door.

I held my nearly broken blade behind my back, knowing that it wouldn't be much good since it was severely damaged in the dungeon yesterday. Two long cracks ran along the blade, ensuring that it would never see real combat again since it would undoubtedly break when any sort of pressure was applied to it. It was the best that I had for now, so it was what I held when approaching the door since I wasn't sure who it would be at this hour, and I wasn't friends with anyone who lived around me; in fact, I didn't really have any friends. 

That thought gave me a moment of pause, but the knock came again, so I opened the door wide, ready for anything. Standing in front of me, with her first primed to knock again, was the captain of the familia, Tsubaki. I stored my sword quickly, but from the way her eye flicked to my arm, I was certain she had guessed what was behind my back. Her eyebrow rose, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, she stepped back and gestured for me to follow her with only a few words as an explanation.

"The goddess wants to see you," Tsubaki said as we began walking toward the office. 

"About anything in particular?" I asked, glad that the goddess had come to me, metaphorically at least. 

"Just a check-up. Usually, the goddess meets with familia members once a month, but since you are new and in a unique situation, she wants to make sure you are settled. Hence, the meetings have been in quick succession. I would imagine that after this one, the goddess will meet with you on a more regular monthly schedule. We also have a meeting where the whole familia gathers about once a year, which is coming up in a few months." she explained, letting me in on some of her thoughts while also providing some valuable information about how the familia works.

"Okay," I acknowledged with a nod.

I wondered how often she would meet with me after she saw the massive growth in my magic stat. I wasn't exactly sure what it was right now, but I was certain that it was well above the norm for what I should possibly be able to have right now. Especially since I have only been an adventurer for a few days at this point. I took my mind off the topic since I would know soon enough, so there was no point wondering about it right now. I looked up as we passed the door guard, who stood up straight and saluted as Tsubaki walked past. The man slumped and relaxed as she walked through the door, making me smile a bit at the funny scene. 

Then we were in the familia room, with Hephaestus behind the desk, except she had a bundled package on the desk in front of her. I caught Tsubaki grinning out of the corner of my eye, which confirmed that the package on the desk had to be my new sword. Hephaestus must have sensed my surprise somehow, even if it didn't register in my posture or facial expression since she laughed out loud when spotting me. Her voice surprisingly merry for someone up so early.

"I take it you are shocked that I got it done so fast? Well, I had some free time, and I figured it would be an interesting project to take my mind off things, so I ended up completing it yesterday," she said proudly.

I heard a scoff from my side as Tsubaki commented, "More like you were procrastinating your more pressing work and used this as a distraction."

The goddess made a dismissive gesture as she said, "Ehh, same difference." in an equally dismissive tone.

"May I?" I asked as I stepped forward and grasped the package once I had received a nod. 

I tore loose the wrapping and proceeded to pull the blade clear from the sheath. I brought it up to the light to admire it. The blade was simple and mostly unadorned. The only symbol carved on the blade was the symbol of the Hephaestus familia stamped onto both flat sides of the pommel. I grinned as I looked at all the open space that I would cover with runes and sigils. Every open space on the blade represented a spot where I could imbue more power into the blade through said runes and sigils. There were also more rituals I could perform to strengthen the blade and attune it to myself and my power. 

- (Image) -

Hephaestus coughed to get my attention, then explained the blade's features to me, "This blade is made of Mythril, so it should be excellent for conducting your magic through it. I also gave it a special property, Durandal, which makes it so it is unable to be broken. In exchange, the attack power is lessened, but not to a significant degree. Lastly, I attuned it so that it will grow alongside you, so it will never become obsolete and need to be replaced."

"Wow!" was all I could whisper, geuninly impressed that she took out all the stops for me with this blade. 

Hephaestus and Tsubaki both grinned at my praise, it was never more clear to me than in that moment that these two genuinely loved crafting and their creations.

"Does it have a name?" I asked curiously, still examining the blade.

"No, I was going to leave that honour to you since it is your blade after all!" Hephaestus said with a wave of her hand.

 I hoisted the blade into the air once more, then said, "Okay then, I'll call you..."