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"I'm sorry. It seems I've caused you so trouble," Lucian said, looking at Hephaestus with a hint of apology. He finally understood the aning behind her earlier warning. She had been quite prescient.
"It's fine. I don't like Hera either," Hephaestus replied. She paused, her expression turning serious. "Moreover... your stance is my stance."
In this regard, Hephaestus fully supported Lucian. In this matter, Lucian held the moral high ground. Hephaestus was a goddess who valued principles; she wouldn't hesitate to back him, even if it ant offending Hera. Lucian hadn't done anything wrong, and whether to forgive Hera was entirely up to him, regardless of her status. Even if it hadn't been Lucian—even if it had been a regular Familia mber—if they held firm in their refusal, Hephaestus would still stand by their side.
"Thank you," Lucian said softly. Gazing at Hephaestus, he couldn't help the slight flutter in his chest.
Catching his gaze, Hephaestus's cheeks flushed with an unnatural bashfulness, and her eyes darted away.
"Hephaestus." Lucian gently reached out, lifting the dress hat from her head while his other hand settled smoothly onto her waist.
She trembled slightly, barely maintaining her composure, her breathing hitching as she looked back into his eyes.
"May I?" Lucian leaned in closer, his voice barely a whisper.
"Don't ask ..." Hephaestus murmured, a hint of flustered complaint in her voice.
Before she could finish her sentence, Lucian captured her lips. The playful mischief of asking for permission only to ambush her sent a shiver through her body before she finally lted into the kiss, eagerly responding. Both were inexperienced, making their first ti a clumsy yet passionate affair.
As they explored each other, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated. It wasn't until a full ten minutes later that they finally pulled away, their bodies slightly weak, their breathing ragged. After a mont to catch their breath, they shared a tender smile before taking each other's hands and walking out of the parlor.
"Oh my?" As the two entered the main hall, the eyes of the other Familia mbers lit up at the sight.
Hephaestus had dressed to the nines and headed out early for a date with Lucian—the news had already spread throughout the entire Familia. Even Tsubaki Collbrande, who usually cared for nothing but smithing, had uncharacteristically waited around to catch a glimpse. Seeing the two of them, she couldn't help but flash a wide, thoroughly satisfied grin.
"Do none of you have work to do!?" Hephaestus snapped, glaring at the crowd as her face burned with embarrassnt.
"I'm satisfied. Utterly satisfied," Tsubaki declared.
Having gotten what she wanted, she didn't linger, dropping that single line before slipping away. Seeing their Captain bolt, the rest of the mbers quickly followed suit. The show was over; sticking around now was just asking for trouble.
"I'm heading back as well!" Hephaestus said hurriedly as the hall cleared out, her dignity in tatters as she practically fled to her quarters. The kiss had been a little too intense; she needed a change of underwear.
"What an adorable reaction," Lucian chuckled softly before returning to his own room.
Reflecting on the day's events, he fell deep into thought. If Alfia brought a proper apology gift, he would forgive them. It hadn't been a massive slight to begin with, and he wasn't genuinely that petty. As long as they showed the proper respect, he would let it go. More importantly, Hera was Hera, and teria was teria. The two couldn't be lumped together. He wouldn't punish an innocent patient just because her family mber was insufferable. That went against his principles.
Of course, while Hera was infuriating, she wasn't entirely unreasonable. Or rather, if it were just her, she absolutely would be. But while she might not care about her own reputation, she cared deeply about the lives of her Familia's children. Judging by her actions rather than her intent, she hadn't completely crossed the line yet. Lucian didn't mind giving her a chance.
Had she actually tried to force his hand with violence, as he had taunted, the retaliation she would have faced would have been devastating. Lucian had created sothing as ga-breaking as the Ga Board; he was more than capable of playing dirty. He didn't enjoy underhanded tactics, but push him to the brink, and all bets were off.
"I'm exhausted. Ti to rest," Lucian yawned.
[Ether Circulation] was complete. Deriving from the rules, it achieves a 100% energy conversion rate with zero loss. Barring Lucian's own physical limitations, it was essentially a perpetual motion machine. But a cycle required an input and an output; it needed an initial spark of energy. Since the Divine Court he was constructing wasn't being dismantled, the power spent building it wouldn't re-enter the circulation. As a result, the cost of erecting the Divine Court was permanent. After pouring the energy from his battery-type magic beasts into the project, he couldn't help but feel drained.
If this keeps up, maybe I'll end up achieving godhood purely through the mind, Lucian thought with an amused chuckle before drifting off to sleep...
Hmm... Huh?
His consciousness manifested within the Divine Court, leaving him with a rather complicated expression. He was currently in his true form, floating in the air like a golden angel. He hadn't expected his consciousness to slip into the Divine Court while he slept. If this beca the norm, he probably wouldn't be having regular dreams anymore.
Whatever. Might as well get back to building the Divine Court, Lucian decided with a shrug.
Although he didn't have enough energy to fully materialize the structures, he could pre-build the map and fill it with energy later. He had never played Warcraft III or Minecraft, only knowing a bit about them, but the concept fascinated him. And so, the night passed in the blink of an eye.
. . .
The next morning, Lucian was woken up. The sisters, Alfia and teria, had arrived to present their apology gifts. Hera was absent, much to Lucian's relief. Only a masochist would want to deal with that troubleso goddess.
"You work fast," Lucian said with a stretch. "Though it did interrupt my sweet dreams."
Okay, so he hadn't actually been dreaming. He had spent the entire night grinding away at manual labor, designing the courtyard of his residential district. Now he just needed to manifest it, and he would have a literal dream ho.
"Good morning, teria," he greeted as he stepped into the sa parlor as the night before, where the two young won were already waiting.
"Good morning, Sir Lucian." teria offered a radiant smile upon seeing him.
"I've already scolded that old hag, Hera," Alfia said, sliding a wooden box across the table toward Lucian. "This is our apology gift, and a token of our sincerity. Open it."
Taking a seat opposite Alfia, Lucian flipped open the box. Inside rested a grimoire and a bankbook showing a deposit of one billion Valis.
"Tch. Is your Familia really that rich?" Lucian clicked his tongue in surprise.
He had to admit, the sheer value of the gift startled him. The grimoire was what was known as a "Formless Grimoire." While standard market price dictated they were worth a hundred million Valis, they were practically priceless and rarely ever sold. The hundred million was a baseline minimum, much like Devil Fruits from One Piece.
High-tier grimoires not only awakened latent magic but had a chance to unlock an entirely new magic slot. For instance, Bell Cranel and Ais Wallenstein only had one natural magic slot, but by using a high-tier grimoire, they could potentially unlock a second or even a third. Because of the inherent limitations of Falna, an adventurer could possess a maximum of three magic slots.
"Value is derived from strength. My strength far exceeds this ager offering," Alfia stated flatly. "If I wasn't dragged down by my negative skill, even the Empress wouldn't be a match for ."
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