Chapter 4

Chapter Name: Hestia tried her best

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"If you walk down the path that you believe is right, you cannot be wrong." – Shirou Emiya, Fate/Stay Night.

It was a beautiful day. The sun had reached its peak, and the wind blew gently. It was the perfect weather to make more weapons.

On days like these, Muramasa would usually be cooped up in his forge, bringing life to a new generation of swords. Swords which weren't meet his expectation. However, Muramasa still loved them dearly. Even if they weren't even close to the standards; he had set for his products. They were still his pride and joy.

A sword to cut and only cut.

Yet. Today was different.

"AHHHHH!" A blood-curdling scream resounded across the land, disturbing nature's usual silence and harmony. It tore through the serene scene like a fire would consume a forest. A high-pitched wail that could rival a siren causes the surrounding woodland creatures to flee.

A goddess was falling.

THUD

The Goddess' head hit the ground first, followed swiftly by her petite body. Like a ball. She bounced up into the air, somehow not breaking her neck.

"AHHHHH!" Her screams once more reverberated through the air. This time it was louder and more agonizing than the first time.

The Goddess, Hestia, bounced a few more times before the momentum ceased, and her body began to roll on the ground for a few seconds.

Hestia lay there, unmoving, like a corpse, as if she had passed out from the pain.

"WHY!? WHY DID YOU LET ME GO!?" The Goddess yelled out in anger and pain. As she began to clutch her head and roll from side to side on the ground. Hestia tried her best to rise from the ground but couldn't. After all, Hestia just got herself a concussion─A severe one at that.

The pain was unbearable! Hestia's teeth clenched, her vision was foggy, and she could hear the ringing in her head.

"Hmmm? You asked me to release you?" The redhead man replied casually. After all, she did ask. No, demanded Muramasa to let her go.

In the face of this pathetic display, the man who caused it was as calm as a mid-summer wind. Not a single shred of sympathy or any semblances of apologies, only pure indifference shown on the man's face. Like he didn't give a single shit! Or he wouldn't be bothered.

'What kind of man would drop a woman on the ground!? A heartless bastard with no chivalry!' Hestia thought, an impression firmly burning into her mind. 'At the very least, he should gently put me on the ground. NOT JUST DROP ME AND WATCH ME BOUNCE IN THE WIND LIKE A TUMBLEWEED!'

Hestia had met many Adventurers, men, and women. Most of them didn't have some courtesies, yet they knew how to be polite.

This guy just casually dropped a woman to her death.

As Hestia still clutched her head silently, Muramasa slowly walked past her. In one of his hands was a large clay jar. It was as big as a fully grown adult's body. The clay jar was filled to the brim with the mud he collected from a river nearby.

In the age where Mysteries lingered in the environment, the more natural the materials, the better the end product would form. Akin to eating freshly caught fish. Or fresh meat from a recently killed animal.

A magus worthed his salt would be ecstatic in this place: An era where Mysteries reigned supreme. However, they would die of Mana poisoning as soon as they stepped a single foot in this realm.

Not Muramasa, since he was a Saber class servant. Demi-servant or not. Saber has the best magic resistance in the world.

'What to do with you now?' Muramasa thought in his mind. 'I can use this mud to quench the blade, but I need to cover it in a clay mold first.'

'How about I use this mud to make a second forge? It's not a bad idea!' he concluded. '100% increase in production rate! What a deal!'

With a pep in his steps, Muramasa increased his speed. The faster he returned to his forge, the sooner he could begin to work. After all, time waited for no one, and Muramasa was not the type to wait for an opportunity. He would try everything he could or die trying.

'It reminds me of that guy. Sasaki Kojirou. A man after my own heart.' Muramasa began to chuckle in amusement.

After all, Sasaki Kojirou had spent years honing his blade. All to kill a swallow! A single strike from a sword could not kill the swallow because it could feel the wind and dodge your attack. You would need another strike to change its path and another to lock it in a cage. Tsubame Gaeshi: the Swallow Reversal, a terrifying technique that struck in a single breath. It was a technique where three concurrent arching blades closed on the enemy from all sides to create a prison, allowing no chance for defense or evasion.

A sure-kill technique that reached the realm of True Magic was created to kill a bird.

'Not like I'm the one to talk about idiotic attempts! What a laughable dream. Yet beautiful nonetheless.'

As Muramasa lost his thought, the injured Goddess recovered from her concussion. She stood up shakily and began to search for him. After a while, Hestia spotted the redheaded man walking toward a forest.

Under the blinding lights of the midday sun, the place Hestia thought was a forest was a field of blades. Her destination was the place Hephaestus had mentioned. The location where she could find a potential member for her Familia.

All of those factors hindered Hestia's vision with the searing heat of the sun and the lingering dizziness from her concussion. She could not see clearly, yet she still followed after her assailant. Hestia wanted to give this guy a piece of her mind. Her horse had left her behind.

So, she walked.

'VENGENCE WILL BE MINE!'

"What's that brat doing now?" Muramasa asked as he noticed her presence. Tired of the interruption, Muramasa stopped walking and turned around.

"Oi brat! Stop following me around! I don't have time for your antics!" Muramasa yelled out. "Go annoy someone else!"

As Hestia heard it, her anger returned with a boiling fury. She ran; as fast as her short body could take her.

As she ran and ran. Muramasa had already returned to his forge and began to work on his newest project. He first knocked down one wall of his hut and began to expand it. Then, Muramasa mixed the mud with some clays, ashes, and straws to create a mixture of primitive concrete. Then, the man started to shape the mixture into bricks and left it outside to dry out.

A few hours had passed, and Hestia arrived at the Field of Blades. Step by step, the Goddess slowly and tiredly walked. Her feet ached every time she walked; her breathing was uneven; sweat coated her entire body, and her dress began to stick to her back.

"AHHHH! I WANT TO HAVE A BATH! I WANT A COLD DRINK!" Hestia screamed at the top of her lung toward the sky.

"Ah… This place seems familiar?" The Goddess muttered as she observed her surrounding. She froze in place and began to recall Hephaestus' words.

' If you follow the trails, they will lead you toward a forest, where you will witness a sight you can't forget for a lifetime! A field of blades that span a horizon. Weapons of different types and cultures: from the most common to the most esoteric and unknown. Additionally, all of them exude traces of magic. Magic weapons! From the holiest to the vilest of swords were left outside, at the mercy of the weather!'

"Wait! Let's calm down first, me!" Hestia breathed in and out a few times.

'Okay… I need to organize the pieces of information I have on hand.' Hestia put on her thinking pose and stared blankly at the swords, one hand held onto her chin and another on her elbow. Hestia's eyebrows scrunched together, and she began to think.

'A field with numerous weapons of superb quality and quantities. Check! Magic weapons. Check!'

'A redheaded man had made and placed them here. Check!'

'Redheaded… Redheaded man.Ah!' Hestia repeated the phrase in her mind and concluded. Her assailant was the person she wanted to recruit in her Familia. Senji Muramasa.

"Oh, God! Why did I yell at him!?" She groaned in shame and regret. The Goddess wanted to find a hole to hide now. "But he dropped me first and almost tainted my purity!"

Yes! He's the one at fault. Not me! My anger is justified!" The Goddess exclaimed smugly. "What kind of man just drops a woman to her death!?" With that in mind, the Goddess began to stroll toward the hut. Occasionally dodged the swords that stood in her path.

As she reached the small house, she tried to open the door. However, the door suddenly moved, and Hestia slipped, carried by her momentum, and fell face first to the wooden floor.

Luckily, Muramasa saved her again.

"You need to stop falling, brat." With his hand held on the collar of her mini dress, he hoisted her up. "This is the second time now."

A tick appeared on her forehead, and her nostrils flared. Hestia lashed out.

"STOP CALLING ME BRAT BASTARD! I'M A FULLY GROWN GODDESS!"

"A Goddess? What an honor." Muramasa said in an unchanging tone. Akin to a robot. "Ya sure? I thought Divine Spirit supposes to be more mature. Well, divine or not, I'm still going to call ya a kid. After all, you look like one."

"HAH!? Stop calling me like that." Hestia replied in exasperation.

"Whatever. So, what do ya need, kid? You'd been bugging me for a while now."

"Wha-What is your name?" Surprised by the man's question, her anger dissipated. Hestia then shakily asked.

"Hm? My name? It's Senji Muramasa." He answered, confirming the Goddess's suspicion.

"As I had suspected." Hestia nodded and began to introduce herself. "I'm Hestia! Goddess of the Hearth and the Guardian of the Immortal Flame in Tenkai!"

"I know," Muramasa declared calmly, "only Gods with divinity related to fire can affect my flame like that." He then turned Hesita around and pointed toward his furnace.

The flames burned brightly, akin to a sun. Yet there was no heat. Once a roaring inferno was now a fire that nurtured life. It danced happily in the presence of the Goddess of Fire. Like a child trying to impress its mother.

"Hey, Senji Muramasa," Hestia looked up to Muramasa and asked, "do you want to become my child? The first member of Hestia Familia."

Muramasa turned away from the flame and glanced at the Goddess in silence. He stewed on the question for a minute and shook his head.

"Thank you for the offer, but no. I don't want to be under anyone. You're not the first Gods to ask me that question." The redheaded man answered firmly.

Saddened by the man's answer, Hestia sighed in defeat. Her eyes filled with sadness and disappointment.

"Too bad… At least I tried." She said shakily.

"I'm going to see myself out. Thank you for your time with me, and I hope we will meet again! Goodbye, Senji Muramasa."

As Hestia began to open the door and go home, Muramasa said something that stopped her.

"I said I can't be one of your children. But I can be one of your friends-" his speech was cut off as Hestia suddenly hugged him.

"Yes! Let's!" the Goddess shouted joyfully and buried her face into Muramasa's bare chest.

"I'm not finished yet! He shouted and pushed her out with his hand.

"Cough! With you being here, I can work more efficiently. Your presence helps me make better swords."

He then turned around in embarrassment and said.

"Ya can stay here if ya want. Just don't annoy me too much." Muramasa then returned to his work.

Hestia then realized something.

"Oi! You just want to use me, you bastard!" She shouted out loud in anger.

This guy...