By the ti Akira returned ho, the house was quiet—Hephaestus wasn't there.
Not that it was surprising. As the goddess of the most renowned blacksmith familia in Orario, Hephaestus always had her hands full. She wasn't the type to laze around at ho all day.
As for Hestia, her bedroom door was still firmly shut. Most likely, she was still fast asleep. Akira didn't dwell on it.
He simply collapsed onto the sofa.
After pulling an all-nighter in the Dungeon, exhaustion and sleepiness ca crashing down on him like a wave. His eyelids drooped before he even realized it, and he drifted off into a deep slumber.
— — —
Elsewhere in Orario...
"Huff... Huff..."
In the training yard of Twilight Manor, a young woman swung her sword relentlessly. Her body was drenched in sweat, but her eyes never wavered. She kept repeating her sword drills with unwavering focus.
From one of the balconies above, three figures quietly observed her.
"Seriously now... just how much did that guy's words affect Ais?"
Gareth furrowed his brows as he watched Ais train with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Ais had always been soone who chased strength. Her path had always emphasized speed and agility. That had been her style for years.
And yet now, all it took was a single comnt from a man... and she had changed her entire approach.
Instead of her usual lightweight rapier, she now trained with a massive, heavy sword. Weights were strapped to her arms and legs, and she hadn't set foot in the Dungeon for days. She simply kept repeating the sa basic movents over and over in the courtyard.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Finn comnted. "It may look extre, but her progress is undeniable. Just last night, she t with Loki. In just a few days... her status increased by six points."
"Six points?! That's not normal, Finn."
"It's true. I'm not exaggerating."
Finn nodded calmly. The report ca straight from Loki herself.
Compared to her usual routine—diving into the Dungeon day after day—her growth had always been steady, but never that fast. Even after a full-blown expedition into the Deep Floors, her gains hadn't passed five points.
But now, in just two days... six points. For soone at Level 5, who was already nearing the upper limit of what a mortal could achieve—that was astonishing.
"I've done weight training myself, but I've never seen gains like that," Gareth muttered.
"You and Ais aren't the sa, Gareth," Finn said matter-of-factly. "She's always focused on speed. Now, she's willingly limiting herself with weighted gear. Her body's undergoing a complete transformation."
"Guess that's the trick, huh?"
"You're a frontline tank. She's a high-speed swordswoman. You two don't exactly share the sa blueprint."
Gareth—known as the Heavy Champion—was a Level 6 dwarf warrior who'd maxed out his strength and endurance. Ais's current training thod wouldn't benefit him the sa way.
"Shin Akira really isn't just so random guy..." Finn said under his breath. "Lefiya ntioned sothing else, too—apparently, he said sothing to Ais."
"Oh? What did he say?"
"He told her, and I quote: 'Instead of obsessing over power, try looking around. Most people can't survive in the Dungeon alone.'"
"Hmph... 'Can't survive alone,' huh..."
Finn smirked at the quote.
That gut feeling he'd had all along—turns out it wasn't wrong. Shin Akira wasn't so run-of-the-mill rookie.
At that very mont, the three top executives of the Loki Familia—all Level 6 adventurers—unconsciously started to view Akira in a different light.
Because that man's words... were far too composed, far too deep—for soone who was supposedly just a Level 1.
If not for the fact that his status had been publicly confird, Finn might've suspected that Shin Akira was secretly hiding his true power—and his true identity.
— — —
— Ti Skip —
"Mmm~"
Stretching lazily, Akira sat up from the sofa.
As he rubbed his eyes, he noticed sothing odd. A soft, fragrant blanket was draped over him—a woman's blanket, no doubt.
It wasn't the sll of perfu, but sothing more natural. A gentle, soothing scent that lingered faintly.
He recognized it right away—it was Hephaestus's.
"You're finally up, huh? Geez... you stay out all night, and then sleep like a log the whole day."
Hestia's voice ca from a corner of the room.
Akira turned his head. She was sitting in a chair nearby, casually flipping through a book—it looked like an adventure novel.
"What ti is it, Lady Hestia?"
"Three in the afternoon. You were completely knocked out."
"That long...?"
"You know, Akira, it's kinda crazy. You might be the only mortal—or god, for that matter—that Hephaestus has ever fussed over this much."
"Huh? What do you an?"
Hestia's tone suddenly grew serious, and Akira was thrown off by the change.
After living together for over a week, he had a pretty good read on her personality.
Despite being a goddess, Hestia was incredibly down-to-earth—an impulsive, cheerful hobody. She usually acted like a spoiled little sister around Hephaestus.
But now... she looked uncharacteristically thoughtful.
"I an what I said. Today was the first ti I've ever seen Hephaestus treat soone so delicately."
"She treated ... delicately?"
"She took care of you like you were sothing precious. She tucked you in, changed your clothes, and made sure you were comfortable—all without waking you. She moved so gently, like she didn't want to disturb even your dreams."
"...Eh?"
Akira looked down at himself.
Sure enough, his outer coat and trousers had been removed. Not in a violating way—just enough to help him sleep more easily.
A soft warmth filled his chest as he imagined Hephaestus kneeling beside him, carefully peeling away his gear and covering him up.
"Hestia—no, I an... Hestia-san, I don't really know what Hephaestus thinks of . But... do you really believe she—?"
"She does," Hestia said firmly. "It's obvious. She's falling for you. So the real question is—what are you going to do about it?"
"What do you an?"
"I an, how will you respond to her feelings?"
"Well... obviously with sothing called love. I an, having a goddess care about you... That's pretty much the peak of life, right?"
"Heh... So you say. But Akira, are you really ready for that?"
"Ready for what?"
"Ready to live forever with a goddess. Ready to bind your fate to the eternal love of a divine being."
Akira's answer was imdiate.
"Of course I am!"
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