Hephaestus set the documents aside and looked at me, already knowing what I intended to do. There was no surprise in her eyes—only curiosity, that familiar expression she always wore whenever I decided to "play around."
"You're going to forge something right here?" she asked.
"Yes. Just a test."
"Then at least keep it within acceptable limits." She sighed. "We're in the Tower."
"I know."
I controlled everything with precision. The Forge EX skill activated silently.
The air in front of me began to condense.
Particles of pure mithril appeared one by one, shaped with absolute perfection. The process was as natural as breathing. There was no waste. No error.
The blade was born.
Simple. Elegant. Lethal.
When the sword was complete, it gently fell into my hand.
I looked at it.
And automatically, information appeared before my eyes.
[ Sword ]
[ Material Used – Absolute Refined Mithril ]
[ Attribute – None ]
[ Magical Conductivity – S+ ]
[ Attack – 3,200 ]
[ Durability – 8,500 / 8,500 ]
[ Passive Effect – Total Stability ]
"…Hoh," I murmured.
It wasn't bad.
In fact, by this world's standards, it was already absurd. A sword without attributes, yet with perfect stability. It could receive any kind of magic without suffering accelerated degradation.
Hephaestus stepped closer, examining the blade carefully.
"You could have created something even better," she commented. "You did it like this on purpose?"
"Yes," I replied. "If I went beyond that, it would be too strong."
"Even so…" She crossed her arms. "This sword should never be put up for sale."
"It is not for sale," I answered immediately.
She glanced at me sideways.
"Then why forge it?"
I spun the sword one last time before letting it dissolve into particles of light.
"Because I wanted to confirm something."
"What?"
"My abilities. I wanted to see if they really are that impressive." I smiled at Hephaestus and sat down on the table.
Huff~~
Hephaestus let out a sigh. "What happened to you? You've been acting strange since you woke up. Did you dream about something weird again?"
"No, of course not. It's just…" I thought about saying something, but stopped myself.
Then I stood up—and felt a presence approaching. My senses were far above average now. The person in question reached the door and knocked.
"Hm? Who could that be?"
I walked to the door and opened it. Standing there was someone I had never seen before.
'Who?' I asked myself internally.
It was a girl with silver hair and basic armor. She had striking red eyes. Since she was short, I had to look down to meet her gaze.
'Who is this girl?'
Her appearance felt strangely familiar, yet I couldn't remember ever seeing her before.
"Excuse me!" she finally spoke. Her voice was high-pitched but very sweet—pleasant to listen to.
Silver hair, short stature, red eyes…
Silver hair, short stature, red eyes…
I repeated it several times in my mind.
"Eryk? Who's there?" Hephaestus called out.
"Ah, I don't know her. Have you seen her before?" I stepped aside, allowing Hephaestus to see the girl standing there.
Hephaestus looked surprised. "Wait, you've never met Bella before? She's the only member of the Hestia Familia."
Hearing her words, I tried to act naturally. But…
That was shocking information.
Bella? This small girl is Bell?
Why did he become a girl? Does that even make sense?
"Yeah, I've never met her before. But why are you here? Did something happen?" I asked, doing my best to sound normal.
"It's because I felt that."
"Huh? Felt what?" Hephaestus asked, confused.
'Wait—why is she walking into Hephaestus's room so casually? Should this girl even be here? Why didn't anyone stop her?'
"I felt it. Magic. It was powerful. I just… got curious." Bella's face was red. She was acting like a curious teenager, which made me somewhat uncomfortable.
What the hell… is going on here?
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hephaestus said, averting her gaze toward me.
I shrugged and stayed silent.
"I'm sure I felt something," Bella insisted. Did she really not realize how inconvenient she was being?
"It was me, alright, it was me," I said with a long sigh. "I was just testing something. That's all. Satisfied now? Now leave—we have work to do. You shouldn't even be here." I grabbed her by the shoulders and started pushing her out.
When she reached outside, Bella turned around and said, "Before I go, I wanted to ask for your help, Goddess."
She looked at Hephaestus, then drew the sword at her waist.
"Please take a look at this. There's something wrong with my new sword."
I analyzed the blade instantly.
[ Magic Sword ]
[ Material Used – Iron ]
[ Attribute – Fire ]
[ Magical Conductivity – B ]
[ Attack – 892 ]
[ Durability – 950 / 1,400 ]
[ Anomaly Detected – Structural Microfracture ]
'Structural microfracture?' My eyebrows rose.
Bella noticed the change in my expression and asked, "Is something wrong?"
I took the sword from her hand and said, "This sword will break if you use it about five more times. At most."
Hearing my words, her face turned pale—faster than it already was.
"W-W-What do you mean!? That can't happen! I don't have the money to buy another sword like this!"
"Calm down," I said, placing my hand on the blade.
"Eryk, what are you planning to do? Don't be reckless just because she's cute."
"Don't say nonsense. You know I don't like young girls like her."
Ignoring the rest of Hephaestus's words, I began using the 'Edit' skill to modify the sword.
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Next chapters: Chapter 5 - Bella. A special girl. / Chapter 6 - I can use my mouth if you want.