Western Continent.
Outside the territory of the Rakia Kingdom, countless carriages clogged the road, blocking the way forward.
"Lili checked—looks like there's a caravan selling weapons up ahead."
Lili dispelled her Transformation Magic and returned to the carriage.
"The kingdom's been unstable lately. That idiot Ares must be stockpiling war supplies again..."
Artemis sighed, rembering the god's hopelessly foolish mind.
The Rakia Kingdom was an extrely savage military nation. Under the rule of the War God Ares, it had beco the largest nation-like familia in the world.
"So the land ahead belongs to Ares? Hmm... He never listens. If we get involved, we might end up fighting..."
Hestia also sounded helpless. Any god who knew Ares would describe him as "a head full of muscles," soone you could never have a calm conversation with.
As everyone debated whether to keep waiting or reveal their identities, Welf slowly raised his hand.
"Actually, I know a shortcut that goes around the Rakia Kingdom. It's not marked on any maps, so no one else knows about it."
"Ohh, nicely done, Blacksmith!"
Hestia praised with a grin.
The caravan ahead stretched endlessly. If they kept waiting, night would fall.
"But... that was years ago. I'll need to scout the path first."
Welf spoke softly as old mories resurfaced.
"In that case, I'll go with you."
Sensing a hint of lancholy in him, Bell offered to join.
They stepped off the carriage, crossed the muddy road, and left the main route behind. As they climbed a hillside, Bell asked, "Welf, is this your ho?"
Given the kingdom's history with Crozzo's Magic Swords, Bell had gone straight to the heart of the matter.
"...Knew I couldn't hide it from you."
Welf smiled faintly. "Yeah. More accurately, I was born into the familia of a [Subordinate God]."
The Rakia Kingdom had a vast population. Aside from civilians running industries and supporting the nation, everyone else received Falna. With more than a hundred thousand combatants, Ares couldn't possibly handle all Status Updates alone. That was why subordinate gods existed. The goddess Phobos, who had once been defeated and forced into this role, was one of them. She and the other subordinate gods were responsible for lower-ranked, weaker personnel. If soone showed exceptional talent, they would be converted and led directly by Ares.
"After our clan lost the ability to forge Magic Swords, our status declined, and we ended up under Goddess Phobos's care."
"That goddess... how should I put it... she didn't feel like a god. More like a mischievous friend. At least, that's how I saw her when I was little."
Welf never used honorifics with Phobos, often calling her a "stupid goddess." She never got angry. In fact, she often teased Welf right back. When others looked down on the Crozzo family and Welf fought them, Phobos would laugh, ruffle his hair, and say he was an interesting kid. When Welf arrogantly ranted about coups with a child's understanding, Phobos would grab him and tell him such things were far more boring than he thought. When Welf's eyes sparkled with passion for forging and he declared he would craft a weapon surpassing the [Crozzo's Magic Swords], Phobos would laugh joyfully, like she was seeing sothing amusing and new.
"She was that kind of strange yet ordinary goddess."
But this relationship only lasted until Welf turned ten. On the day he received Falna, Phobos betrayed him.
"Try forging a Magic Sword," she said—those words were the beginning of everything.
Welf reluctantly forged one, and the result shocked everyone.
Flas roared, ash scattered. The Crozzo's Magic Sword, symbol of [Revival], returned to the world.
And what followed was a flood of betrayal and disappointnt.
Hurry and forge a Magic Sword, Welf!
"Strangers, relatives, my mother—even my father who taught the art of forging—all repeated the sa demand:"
"Forge the Magic Sword."
But this went completely against everything Welf had been taught.
Listen to the sound of the tal, hear its resonance, and channel your will through the hamr.
What Welf wanted to forge wasn't just a Magic Sword, but a supre weapon, one that would never crumble into dust.
His passion resisted, the soul of a blacksmith cried out.
Welf argued with the others, but all he received in return were rciless blows.
Curses and obsessions, glory and delusions—these consud the entire Crozzo family.
"In that final mont, I thought of my grandfather."
Welf's grandfather was a true smith, the very source of his desire.
A thousand hamr strikes, each one glowing with brilliance.
It was seeing the weapons his grandfather had forged that sparked Welf's dream of becoming a smith.
If it were his grandfather, Welf was sure he would understand the conflict within him, and approve of his restraint.
Yet, to his surprise, his grandfather had only replied with a blank expression.
"Go forge the Magic Sword."
Speechless. Bewildered. Betrayed. Torn...
Countless emotions weighed heavily on Welf's heart.
And so, on his tenth birthday, he bid farewell to the Crozzo family.
"When I prepared to escape, Phobos ca to my aid once more."
If the goddess had only refrained from teaching him the Magic Sword forging skill, none of this would have happened.
Yet, as the instigator, she apologized with a smile, while arranging Welf's escape from the kingdom.
Under the goddess's guidance, Welf was able to leave the kingdom with the trial Magic Sword in hand.
The price was heavy.
The flas had wounded the knights, and the child who could forge the Magic Swords disappeared. Ares, naturally, would not let this go.
But Phobos, the goddess, declared that the God of War was just a fool. As long as she took full responsibility, presenting it as nothing more than her personal amusent, no one else would be held accountable.
As she had said, other than a beam of light returning the god to the heavens, the kingdom remained unchanged.
"I now understand—Goddess Phobos must have long had the thought of returning to Tenkai."
Having lost all her Familia and her status, she had beco a puppet-like [Subordinate God], watching over the Crozzo family consud by their obsessions.
If not for Welf's existence, Phobos, with her nature, would have long since returned to Tenkai and left everything behind.
"At our farewell, the goddess told she would watch over from Tenkai, but I never understood what she was truly after..."
Welf voiced the confusion that had haunted him for years.
Divine will is always difficult to fathom.
Why had the goddess wanted him to forge a Magic Sword?
And why had she helped him escape afterward?
The goddess had even thoughtfully changed Welf's divine inscription to [Awaiting Conversion].
All these actions were utterly incomprehensible.
"Welf, you shouldn't dwell on the past. Why did she watch over you from Tenkai? Wasn't it to seek the [Unknown]?"
Bell pointed out the most crucial part.
Regardless of the goddess's intentions, this story wasn't over yet.
Welf was now brewing an unknown that even the gods could not foresee.
"..."
Welf fell silent for a mont before softly replying, "You're right. The future is what truly matters."
Sunlight bathed the path.
In the next instant, Welf's eyes widened in shock at the old man approaching. "Grandfather..."
The old man frowned. "...Welf? You've grown so tall! I only ca out to gather so materials. Never thought I'd run into you here. Seems like luck is on our side..."
Welf was montarily speechless.
In the face of this unexpected reunion, he didn't know how to begin.
Bell sensed the tense atmosphere, gave a soft chuckle, and spoke up:
"Hello. Welf-san is now my personal blacksmith. He's been taking good care of ."
"Is that so... Welf, don't worry. I won't tell anyone in the family about this."
The old man smiled in relief, his sturdy fra exuding the dignity of a master blacksmith. After a mont of thought, he added, "I'm sorry for what I said back then... words I shouldn't have spoken. But knowing you're safe and still working as a Blacksmith puts my mind at ease."
Welf hesitated for a mont, then spoke softly:
"Grandfather... I've already started forging Magic Swords."
"You don't have to force yourself. I've co to understand—what the Crozzo family needs isn't a Magic Sword, but a blacksmith..." the old man murmured.
For him, ti had long since smoothed away his stubbornness. Binding the revival of the family to Magic Swords and forcing that burden on a child was simply too cruel.
"No, I'm not forging Magic Swords for glory or for the family. I'm doing it for my companions now." Welf t his gaze, his resolve unwavering.
"....."
The old man stood frozen in astonishnt. The young grandson before him was no longer naive and unaware—he had beco a true blacksmith.
"Is that so... That's good. Very good..." the old man said with a smile as he turned to leave. "By the way, Welf, what's your current familia? I'll keep an eye on it."
"He..." Welf hesitated for a mont before correcting himself. "Hestia's familia. Rember that, Grandfather."
"Hmm, I'll rember it well—the [Blacksmith] of Hestia's familia." The old man waved his hand.
In the soft sunlight, his figure receded, bathed in warmth and gentleness.
…
"Welf, what was your answer just now?" Bell asked.
If Welf had ntioned Hephaestus' na, the old man would likely have held him in even higher regard. But to Bell's surprise, Welf had intentionally abandoned that top-tier Forging familia, choosing instead to ntion Hestia's familia.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. Please let join Hestia's familia."
Welf responded decisively. He had found where his hamr belonged. If the goddess Phobos were watching, she would likely smile with both satisfaction and curiosity.
"What about your previous familia?" Bell asked, though he wasn't opposed to the request. Setting aside Magic Swords, Welf's blacksmithing skills alone would be a great asset.
"Well, as long as I have a hamr, iron, and a burning passion, I can forge weapons anywhere."
Welf repeated the words of the goddess Hephaestus.
"You'd better be sure—this is tough work. The materials later on might be too hard to even hamr..." Bell chuckled softly, raising his left fist.
"Bring it on. Even Black Dragon scales won't stop from hamring."
Welf raised his arm with a smile. Under the sunlight, their fists t with a soft collision, like two pieces of quenched iron, sparking silently.
[Blacksmith] Welf Crozzo — Joined Hestia's familia.
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