Mystery

Another issue was resolved, though once back, Hestia took Ryuu's hand as he was brought to the Hephaestus Familia's Manor…

"Hestia-sama, you didn't have to go out of your way like this…"

His eyes were immediately drawn to a stunning suit of armor on display in the center of the room. The intricate blue metal glinted in the light, drawing him closer, though he ignored it.

"Don't say that, Ryuu! I am entrusting you with this armor because I am worried. You keep getting into dangerous fights, which makes me feel like what we have will soon crumble…"

He didn't comment on it, as the Goddess who forged this incredible piece of work shook her head.

"Your Goddess chose to do this because she treasures you a lot. Don't mistake it for foolishness, this is an act of love."

His head turned to stare at her, though he only had one thought in mind.

'Why are they so similar?'

Of course, he compared her to Tsubaki, though he didn't dwell on that too much as it was not his place to be interested in them…

"H-Hephaestus…!"

Hestia's face was beet red as the Goddess of Blacksmith chose the worst set of words to describe her act.

"I understand, then I shall accept your kindness. Although I'm curious, how did you get the money to place such a commission without using any of our Familia's funds?"

He tilted his head in wonder, though one gaze at her trembling expression told him all there was to know as he shook his head while Hephaestus laughed

"Don't worry, Child. We have been friends for ages. I will not ask for any interest from what she owes me."

That was the norm, though Hestia was special. It was a nice change for her since when Hestia descended on the Lower World, all she did was lazily around. Seeing her so ready to work to pay back such a sum only for his Familia member convinced her Ryuu was a good influence on her…

After a short conversation, it was time for him to pick out the armor that was waiting for its new owner.

The Goddess of Blacksmith, Hephaestus, stood beside the armor with a proud smile. "It's a masterpiece, isn't it? I forged it with the finest material and imbued it with a special ability," she explained.

The armor was crafted from an unknown blue metal that shimmered under the light, giving off a mesmerizing aura of power. Ryuu could feel the weightlessness of the armor as he donned it.

While he moved, he noticed that the armor seemed to mold itself to his body, as if it was a second skin. The joints were flexible, allowing him to move freely without any restriction. The chest plate was adorned with intricate designs that depicted dragons in flight, a fitting symbol for a Dragonoid like him.

But the true marvel of the armor was its unique ability. Hephaestus explained the armor would allow Ryuu to harness his innate ability to use fire and channel it through the armor, amplifying its power and allowing him to unleash devastating attacks on his enemies.

Her words made his eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. Hephaestus must've thought what Ryuu had in his arsenal was a mortal fire given the fact he is a "Descendant of Dragons"…

"Do you think it will withstand my fire?"

He asked with some doubt. The armor was extremely good, that was a given since a Goddess herself crafted it, though the wonders of his [Celestial Fire] were too high for him to simply 'test' it…

"Of course! It's one of my masterpieces. Even a divine fire wouldn't cause much of a problem!"

She assured him with this as he sighed. Of course, he ignored her many tries to make him use his fire to try it out, as he didn't want her to see it…

"It's fine, Ryuu. Hephaestus is someone I trust."

Hestia herself grew a little in these few days. Although she couldn't boast of having acquired an impeccable talent, she could still understand his mannerisms a little more. He would never show anything to someone he didn't trust, though that was necessary for her.

She possessed a fire of her own, though that was a special case, meaning she had no extensive knowledge of them. Hephaestus, instead, worked all her life as a blacksmith, which meant she could maybe have some insight regarding the nature of Ryuu's unique fire, which could, in turn, be helpful to him…

"If you say so, Hestia-sama"

As he channelled his Celestial Fire, a blue wisp of flame with mist surrounding it appeared.

In response, the armor glowed. The mist from his Celestial Fire seemed to be attracted, flowing into it as Hephaestus held a shocked expression.

"T-That fire…"

She couldn't understand how a mortal could wield it. Although she did not recognize it, the aura made her goosebumps. They were not allowed to use their arcanum, but it did not mean a God couldn't use small bits of divinity to do their bidding, as long as they did not hurt anyone.

A special reaction would occur when divinity met divinity. Since most Gods are more or less at the same level, it's unusual for another God to feel oppressed by another God's divinity. Yet, Hephaestus, someone who was one of the Old Gods, which only Oldest Gods like Ouranos could possibly shake, was trembling slightly as Ryuu's fire was too unique.

"How…?"

She was someone who never lost her composure, yet she backed away from him a little…

Hestia looked at Hephaestus with a puzzled expression. It was true that Ryuu's fire was a little unique, but wasn't her reaction a bit exaggerated?

"A few days ago, when I was updating his status…"

She started explaining while Ryuu himself soon ignored her reaction as he stared at the blue wisp still in his hand after three seconds had passed.

It required less magic to cast and was much stronger than before, meaning his Celestial Fire finally had some use. Such a notion made him extremely happy as soon, the monsters of the Lower Floors wouldn't know what hit them as they would all drop on the ground dead.

The real wonder would be the Dungeon's reaction…

"That fire is not that simple. It's definitively something much stronger than even the Divine Fire I currently use to forge. Though the real question is, why didn't you feel its terrifying might? Can't you feel a threat to your life?"

Since it was that strong, Hephaestus felt it was life-threatening. Yet, Hestia did not feel anything as she glanced at Ryuu while tilting her head, seemingly staring into his deep blue eyes that reflected her own with no emotions.

"He would never try to kill me. What threat was I supposed to feel? You are thinking too much into it, Hephaestus. I thought you could have some information on it. I'm sorry if we scared you..."

"I've never seen it before today, and I don't think I will be able to tell you anything more than what you already know..."

She was slightly curious about it, especially how he could manage not to die under its pressure, though she chose not to pry too much for now, since she didn't want to leave a bad impression on Ryuu.

The trio kept discussing for a while before Hestia and Ryuu chose to head home as they had to make dinner...

"I wonder, would he be able to kill a God with that permanently?"

Hephaestus muttered to herself as the event of a mortal permanently killing a God had never occurred until now. Yet, knowing the man in question would truly do that scared her a bit, recalling the "deal" he 'kindly' offered her not too long ago...